DIM Chapter 9

Translator: Abo Dammen

The video showed a room.

The wooden floor was covered with minimalist white storage cabinets and a wardrobe. A corner of a two-meter-wide bed was visible, the white bedding glaringly bright.

A soft laugh came from the video, as if someone had encountered something amusing.

The camera panned, revealing the entire bed. A slender figure lay on their side, facing away from the camera. Their shoulders shook slightly, and their disheveled hair covered their neck, obscuring their face. Only their legs were visible—long, lean, and beautifully proportioned.

It was the person on the bed who was laughing.

Soon, the soft chuckles turned into wild laughter.

“Ahahahahaha…”

The person laughed so hard they seemed to be squeezing every last bit of air from their lungs.

The sneakers by the bed were dusty and looked familiar.

Wait, weren’t those his sneakers? And the room—wasn’t that the hotel run by Zhong Renbao’s family?!

The person on the bed—

Ruan Zhou felt a chill run down his spine.

When had a camera been installed in his room?!

Was Zhong Renbao involved? Was he the “boss”?

Thoughts raced through Ruan Zhou’s mind, his heart pounding.

Zhong Renbao had been so kind to him. Was it all an act?

For money? For something else? But Ruan Zhou didn’t have anything of value.

Ruan Zhou pinched his lower lip with his thumb and index finger, deep in thought.

Time passed minute by minute.

The laughter in the video gradually subsided from wild hysteria to a dry, awkward chuckle. Finally, the forced laughter faded into confusion.

Ruan Zhou suddenly realized he had never laughed like that.

Before the last few seconds of the video could play, he quickly exited, his fingers flying across the screen.

[Having fun with Photoshop? Is this about money?]

After some thought, the only explanation that made sense was that the video was completely fake!

Someone had stolen his image, created a nonsensical video, and was now trying to slander or extort him.

Of course, this posed no real threat to Ruan Zhou.

He opened the friend list and tried to delete the contact, but his phone seemed frozen, unresponsive no matter how many times he tapped.

Was it glitching?

He tapped the screen several times, but it remained on the same page.

Pressing the power button forcefully, Ruan Zhou attempted to restart the phone.

The phone finally responded, but it seemed to have a bug. All the apps began shaking uncontrollably, as if possessed.

Ele.me, Gaode Maps, OO, WeChat, Camera, Contacts… The apps opened and closed rapidly, their pages flashing in a chaotic blur.

It was as if… someone was frantically flipping through the apps.

The constant opening and closing overwhelmed the phone, causing its temperature to skyrocket.

Ruan Zhou quickly placed the phone on a wet towel to cool it down.

But the phone didn’t stop. The apps opened and closed faster and faster, leaving afterimages. Black static flickered intermittently, creating an eerie effect.

Suddenly, the phone began to vibrate—not like a ringtone, but like… knocking.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Faintly, Ruan Zhou thought he saw a shadowy figure inside the phone. The vibrations seemed to be coming from it knocking on the screen!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

As the phone became more sluggish and more pages opened, the vibrations grew weaker, as if the space inside the phone was being compressed.

Finally, the phone’s settings page popped up, and the vibrations stopped.

Ruan Zhou leaned in to take a closer look.

The phone was a mess. The notification bar at the top was filled with icons.

Apps that couldn’t connect to the internet were spamming him with garbled messages, filling the screen with nonsensical symbols.

His phone was broken, and his savings had taken another hit.

“Beep—”

Just as Ruan Zhou was feeling dejected, something miraculous happened.

Contacts, Camera, OO, Storage, Email… The apps began closing one by one, as if someone were tidying up, methodically organizing the chaotic interface.

The black static disappeared, and the glitchy pages were restored.

Three minutes later, the phone returned to its normal state, as if the malfunction had never happened.

Ruan Zhou touched it—it was still hot. He added more water to the wet towel to cool it down.

This phone had been with him for years. Maybe it was time to retire it.

If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have watched that video.

Afraid that trying to delete the contact again would cause more issues, Ruan Zhou didn’t attempt it. Instead, he cleared the cache and blocked the boss.

Before blocking, he checked—the other person still hadn’t replied.

As expected, they were guilty.

Ruan Zhou smirked coldly.

Leaving his phone on the bed, Ruan Zhou went downstairs to work.

After he left, the phone on the bed twitched, as if something pressed it down, and it stopped moving.

Ruan Zhou put on his work uniform—a green apron with arched text that read: Fuqiang Convenience Store.

Li Juan had told him to always smile while working.

Ruan Zhou nodded. Smiling service—he had the professionalism for that.

His shift with Li Juan started at 11 PM.

The night was cool, but the weather was nice, with a clear sky and bright stars.

Li Juan stood behind the cash register, smiling. With no customers around, she looked like a mannequin.

Ruan Zhou admired her professionalism. Not everyone could stand so straight for so long.

“Juan-jie, I’m here.”

Li Juan saw him and smiled wider. “Xiao Ruan, starting your shift?”

Ruan Zhou nodded. “Yes. You’ve worked hard.”

“The first day is always a bit unfamiliar. You’ll get used to it,” Li Juan said, her bright red lips moving. “At night, it’s best not to leave the store.”

Ruan Zhou nodded obediently. “I’ll do my duty and won’t leave my post.”

Li Juan smiled. She looked pale, as if the day’s work had drained her.

After standing all day, her body felt stiff, and she moved awkwardly, leaving the cash register.

Ruan Zhou was concerned. “Juan-jie, after work, you should find a place to get a massage. We physical laborers need to take care of our bodies.”

Li Juan nodded mechanically, went into the storage room, changed her clothes, grabbed her bag, and went upstairs.

Ruan Zhou sighed as he watched her stiff movements.

Life is tough for everyone!

At the back of the convenience store, the clock struck eleven.

The first task of the shift was to restock and replenish goods.

Ruan Zhou grabbed a notepad and began taking inventory: snacks, canned goods, beverages, cigarettes, alcohol, stationery… After checking the shelves, he noted down what needed restocking.

He went up the stairs at the back of the store to the second-floor storage room.

The building wasn’t large, and the storage room had several shelves neatly organized with various goods.

Li Juan had kept everything in perfect order.

Ruan Zhou easily found what he needed: chips, biscuits, spicy strips, drinks…

When he picked up a can, the weight almost made him drop it.

It was heavy.

The can itself was unusually large.

“Sweet Yellow Peach Can,” the label read. The golden peach slices looked plump and glossy, glistening in the syrup. It reminded him of a bountiful autumn harvest, full and satisfying.

The brand was known for its generous portions. The label said 900 grams, but Ruan Zhou estimated it was closer to two and a half pounds.

He grabbed a shopping basket and made several trips to restock.

On his last trip, Ruan Zhou went to the far end of the storage room.

In the corner, a large cardboard box lay on its side, its opening dark and menacing, as if ready to devour someone.

The box had no packaging, and Ruan Zhou didn’t know what was inside. Normally, boxes were placed upright, so he walked over to set it straight.

As soon as he touched the edge of the box, he felt a faint breeze, as if something inside was inhaling.

Ruan Zhou looked down. “Huh?”

The inside of the cardboard box was pitch black, and the light couldn’t penetrate it. From this angle, it seemed to stretch into an endless void.

Curious, Ruan Zhou reached inside and felt around. His hand brushed against the wall of the box, which felt warm and smooth—nothing like cardboard.

“Guess I was mistaken.”

Not wanting to waste time, Ruan Zhou gripped the edges of the box with both hands and flipped it upright.

The box looked large but was actually quite fragile. With just a slight tug, the edges began to tear.

The quality was terrible.

After righting the box, Ruan Zhou gave it a firm pat. From inside, he thought he heard a faint cough, but when he listened carefully, it was gone.

Maybe he was hearing things.

Ruan Zhou shook his head, gathered the smaller boxes that had fallen out, and placed them inside the larger one. He closed the lid and stacked some small items on top to keep it secure before heading back downstairs.

After he left the storage room, the box, which had been slightly bulging at the top, began to deflate.

A wheezing sound, like the labored breathing of a dying person, emanated from inside the box. At the same time, a ring of moisture seeped out from the edges, slowly spreading across the floor.

The box—or rather, the “Warehouse Manager”—had, as usual, opened its maw wide, waiting for the new employee to fall into its trap.

A fallen box was enough to attract anyone who had been conditioned by society to do their job well, especially someone with a slight tendency of OCness.

When the young man had first started working, the Warehouse Manager had observed him from afar. He fit the profile perfectly—someone who took their work seriously and strived for perfection.

But what the box hadn’t anticipated was the overwhelming sense of danger that radiated from the young man when he got close. It was as if a soul-devouring beast were approaching, causing the box to tremble uncontrollably.

By then, it was too late to regret. Just as predicted, the young man had righted the box, but the Warehouse Manager knew it was already doomed.

An intense, tearing pain erupted from the point of contact, unbearable and excruciating.

—The Warehouse Manager’s stomach, which could easily swallow an elephant, had been punctured.

The Warehouse Manager gasped.

It was a kind of pain no anomaly had ever experienced before. Its already hollow body, constantly craving sustenance, now felt even emptier.

But the Warehouse Manager didn’t dare let out a howl, fearing that Ruan Zhou might change his mind.

Surviving at all was already an act of mercy from him. It should be groveling in gratitude—what more could it ask for?!

But still! Why would someone like that appear in their store?

It hadn’t done anything wrong. It hadn’t even dared to think about harming him. So why was it being treated like this?! And why were its colleagues perfectly fine?!

It didn’t dare to think about Ruan Zhou anymore. Instead, it directed its resentment toward its coworkers.

Was the HR manager blind? Was this a new employee? This was a goddamn ancestor! They must have been out of their minds! It wanted to rip their heads off!

“@#￥%&*!”

The Warehouse Manager curled up in pain, cursing in a language no human could understand.

——————

With a professional smile, the corners of his lips lifted at a perfect 45-degree angle, Ruan Zhou stood behind the cash register.

The Fuqiang Convenience Store wasn’t in a great location. The area was somewhat desolate, with few residents, and the lack of customers worried Ruan Zhou.

It was already 2 AM, and not a single customer had come in.

Ruan Zhou instinctively glanced at his wrist to check the time, only to remember his watch was gone. His smile faded slightly.

The doorbell chimed.

Ruan Zhou instinctively put on his smile again. “Welcome to Fuqiang Convenience Store.”

The customer was a man in a short-sleeved shirt, his round beer belly stretching the fabric of his T-shirt. He moved slowly, as if weighed down by his own bulk.

The man pulled out a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket. “A pack of Liqun.”¹

The strong smell of alcohol hit Ruan Zhou’s face.

He glanced outside and saw a young woman sitting in the driver’s seat, waiting impatiently.

Ruan Zhou turned around. The cigarette case was right behind him on the counter.

This practice was in place to prevent tampering and to ensure that cigarettes weren’t sold to minors. The staff were required to handle the cigarettes directly.

After giving the man his change, Ruan Zhou handed over the pack of cigarettes.

The man took it, but as soon as he did, he felt a strange, sticky, and soft sensation filling his palm.

He looked down.

Drip, drip, drip.

Bright red blood was seeping through his fingers, pooling on the floor and blooming into small, crimson flowers.

The man’s eyes widened in horror. He let out a bloodcurdling scream and flung the object in his hand at Ruan Zhou. The red liquid splattered everywhere—on the walls, the floor, the counter—leaving behind a gruesome scene.

The clerk stood there, a smile still plastered on his face, surrounded by splashes of blood. The entire scene looked like something out of a horror movie, a chilling murder scene.

And the deranged killer was standing right in front of him.

“What the f***! What the hell is this?!” the man screamed, his voice trembling with fear and rage.

He collapsed to the ground with a thud. Ruan Zhou was about to help him up, but the man, trembling, waved his hand away and crawled on all fours, kicking the air with his feet.

“Get the hell away from me!”

It was Ruan Zhou’s first day at work, and he had already encountered a drunkard. He cursed under his breath, thinking he was unlucky.

With swift agility, he jumped up, avoiding the man’s erratic movements. His smile never faded, and in his hand, he had already picked up the money the man had thrown on the ground.

“Sir, are you out of your mind? Take another look—this is just change!”

The obese man stopped moving, his eyes hazy. He glanced at the money in Ruan Zhou’s hand.

The clerk wore a professional smile, holding a few bills lightly in his hand. The blue-green paper was the change.

Had he just imagined things earlier?

Outside the window, the woman honked the horn.

The man snatched the money away, clumsily getting up from the floor, his tone full of irritation, “Damn it, how dare you scare me… What attitude is that?!”

As he was about to leave, his gaze fell on the cashier, then took a few pieces of chewing gum and shoved it into his pocket. “This is for the trouble.”

Ruan Zhou watched him leave and saw the woman in the car continuing to scold the man. He couldn’t help but sigh.

The pressure was heavy, and everyone seemed so irritable.

Half an hour after the black sedan had driven away:

“Baby, do you smell something?”

The woman, driving, impatiently responded, “What smell? Isn’t it just your alcohol breath? Didn’t you have enough of a breakdown earlier?”

The man burped. “I feel like something’s burning.”

“We’re not even in the kitchen, what could burn?”

Thirty seconds later:

“It really is burning!”

The woman frowned, turning to look, her face turning pale. “Honey, your… your pants—”

The man looked down, confused. The fabric around his pants pocket was smoking, and as he stared, flames began to spark from it.

“Ahhhhhh—”

In the deep night, a burst of flames lit up the darkness.

“On the elevated highway from Xinhai City to the East Market, a sedan caught fire while driving. There were wo passengers in the car, one dead and one injured. It is reported that the driver was suspected of drunk driving…

To all drivers, please make sure to check your vehicles. It’s best to keep a fire extinguisher in the trunk to ensure your safety…

….Once again, we remind all drivers: don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking. We hope everyone can drive safely on their beautiful journey in life.”