Sundering Nature

TL: Zhao

Editing: Krisaia

Li Yiming leaped high in the air once again, dodging a vicious bite from one of the turtles and landing on its tail. To his surprise, the turtle’s tail was soft, and even elastic enough to bounce Li Yiming back into the air. The turtle then immediately shrunk all of its limbs into his shell, along with its head.

’You have good technique...’ Bai Ze complimented Li Yiming earnestly. Li Yiming’s agility impressed her.

’Well, I did grow up playing this game...’ Li Yiming stopped to glance at what looked like a giant green tube in the distance. It seemed completely out of place amidst the landscape, but Li Yiming knew better than anyone what it represented.

’You’re not getting in there?’ Bai Ze asked bemusedly as Li Yiming hopped over the tube.

’There’s nothing in this one, I think we’ll find something good in the third one around the corner though.’ Li Yiming smiled with confidence as he pulled on his straps once more.

’You do seem to be enjoying this.’

’Let’s just say that this makes me feel a bit... nostalgic.’ Li Yiming took a deep breath and looked into the distance.

* * *

An Ying sat on the passenger’s seat, intimidated by the aura of the rather handsome man who was driving the car. He threw a quick glance at him from time to time, when he thought it to be subtle enough.

"Uhm... Sir, where are we going? We’re going to head out of the city at this rate..." An Xing finally brought up the courage to ask.

"Hm?" Yun Yiyuan, deep in his own thoughts, turned his head toward An Xing.

An Xing shivered as their eyes crossed, even though Yun Yiyuan seemed somewhat friendly, especially with the smile on his face.

"Three years ago, a car crash occurred near the sixty-seventh-kilometer mark of highway 930." Yun Yiyuan looked at An Xing and said.

An Xing who was uncontrollably nervous just a moment ago suddenly froze still as if a bucket of icy water had been poured onto his head.

"Driving under influence, fleeing the scene, forging evidence and bribing the police..." Yun Yiyuan continued to speak in broken sentences.

As Yun Yiyuan continued, An Xing’s face grew paler and paler.

"You’re wrong. They were driving in the wrong direction. That case is already closed, who are you? You have no right to detain me like this. Let me out of this car!" An Xing suddenly grew agitated, screaming and looking like he would jump out of the car if it was not for the fact that they were on the highway.

"A twenty-six-year-old, seven month pregnant. One corpse with two lives..."

"I wasn’t drunk. She was the one who was driving in the wrong lane and with her lights off. You should have read the police report, this... this is a false accusation!"

"I wasn’t looking for a confession. I just wanted to tell you that karma will always claim her debt, so you can die understanding why you deserved it."

"What do you want?" An Xing asked in a terrified voice.

"Have you fastened your seatbelt?" Yun Yiyuan smiled.

"What?"

Boom!

The car suddenly veered to the left, smashing through the fence separating the two lanes, right into a bus which came from ahead. Honking and the screeching of tires were heard as the bus driver tried desperately to change direction, but Yun Yiyuan had no plans on stopping and, instead, continued to accelerate.

Boom!

Another loud metallic crank was heard as the two vehicles collided head-on. The force of the impact was enough to completely deform the front of both vehicles. An Xing flew through the windshield with his face still full of terror, and his head popped like a balloon as it hit the bus.

The bus veered to the left from the collision, through a protective fence, and into a water reservoir nearby. A giant wave was created on the still surface, and the bus slowly sank to the bottom as muffled screams were heard.

"You really should have fastened your seatbelt..." Yu Yiyuan stood by the severely deformed wreck and examined the headless corpse. He then turned toward the slowly sinking bus. "At least you’ve left a lasting legacy. Do you know how much time and effort it took me to fill up this bus?"

Yu Yiyuan looked at the starry sky and his smile slowly vanished. "Only two days left. Have you decided yet?"

Stargaze opened her eyes. For once, she seemed to be hesitant. "Someone’s going to die. Who..." Stargaze mumbled and turned her attention toward the little stream around the lake, upon which the moonlight shone. An empty can floated and sank as it passed through. ’Going with the flow...’

Just as the can went through the waves and rocks of the stream, Liu Meng made through the flow of cars on the road while keeping her eyes locked on the taxi in front of her. After tailing the driver for the entire night, she was only able to conclude that he was simply a quiet man who seemed dedicated to his job. Not a single traffic law was disobeyed, and courtesy was even showed whenever he arrived at an intersection at the same time as a pedestrian. It was difficult to imagine that such a person could deserve death.

However, the scratch marks on the driver’s neck, as well as the imaginated scene of the driver forcing himself on one of his female passengers, would resurface in Liu Meng’s mind, prompting her to continue investigating him.

Shortly after, the taxi driver made a right turn and parked his vehicle right next to the sidewalk. He put down his car window, lit up a cigarette, and stared at a young woman who was on her cell phone.

’That look again...’ Liu Meng clamped her fingers around her steering wheel. It was the same look that initially led her to believe that there was something wrong with the driver.

The driver continued to ogle at the fashionably dressed young woman, from head to toe, and then back up again. As he finished smoking his cigarette, the young woman finally noticed his attention and seemed a little irritated. The driver looked away in embarrassment and started his car.

Liu Meng sighed once again and continued to follow behind.

This time, the taxi driver finally showed a sign of suspicious behavior; although the car was empty, he ignored all of the people who were signalling it on the street. Liu Meng’s expression darkened as she turned off the radio on her car and sealed the windows, focusing entirely on the taillights in front of her.

The taxi finally made its way into a residential area with aged buildings and stopped right in front of a one-story house. As the driver got out of his car, Liu Meng also quickly jumped out of hers and slowly moved toward her target.

The driver went for the trunk and took something out. His action made Liu Meng nervous at first, but then she realized that it was just a rose. She noticed that the petals had wilted from being in the car so long. ’What is he up to...?’

As the driver carefully adjusted the petals of the rose, the door to the small house suddenly opened. A rather overweight woman with a face full of wrinkles, freckles and unkempt hair stood at the entrance, looking at the driver angrily. Her chest heaved violently from what seemed like irrepressible anger.

’A victim?’ Liu Meng was astounded, since the woman did not look like someone she would have imagined to be a victim.

"Ho... honey, I’m sorry..." The driver seemed so intimidated that he could not speak normally.

’Honey? What?’ Liu Meng was bewildered.

"Who told you to come back?" The woman yelled with both of her hands on her waist.

"I’m sorry..." The driver went forth and gave her the rose.

"What are you doing?" The woman faked a cold expression, but Liu Meng was perceptive enough to notice that the woman was actually trying to suppress her surprise and happiness.

"I listened to what you said. I went to look at those young, beautiful women..."

"What? How dare you?" The woman’s voice suddenly jumped up a pitch.

"Yes, for the entire night. They were definitely prettier than you." The driver continued, seemingly not noticing her anger.

"Okay then, tell me. How beautiful were they?"