Chapter Five: The Conjured Broom

Chen Hao’s previously relaxed mood tightened once more, this time even more intensely than before. Earlier, though things had deviated from the norm, everything still fell within the bounds of logical explanation. He didn’t know the specifics, but the worst that could have happened was some accident—someone had taken him to this remote wilderness. Nothing defied common sense.

But now? Here, in the middle of nowhere, he’d actually encountered a person with wings?! Was this the end of the world? Were aliens about to invade Earth? Could the creature before him be an advance scout sent by extraterrestrials, intending to capture an exemplary human like himself for research?

This was bad! What would they do to him—tie him up and have crowds of aliens point and gawk? Or lock him in a dark room, exposing him to all sorts of gases and fumes toxic to humans, using him for experiments to uncover humanity’s weaknesses? Or… maybe these aliens had lost the ability to reproduce and wanted to breed with humans? But that didn’t make sense! If that were the case, wouldn’t they be looking for women? Oh! Perhaps their males had issues, and who knew what his assigned partner would look like—would she be attractive, have a good figure? Poor Chen Hao, to lose his innocence to an alien...

You couldn’t blame Chen Hao for such wild imaginings, because the “alien” with wings covering his mouth was a woman—a strikingly beautiful woman. In fact, aside from the four transparent, fluttering wings and her slightly pointed ears, reminiscent of elves from Western legends, she looked very much human. In every other respect, she was indistinguishable from a person.

The “alien” seemed to harbor no hostility toward Chen Hao; instead, she appeared more curious than anything. After making a gesture for silence, she glanced up toward the treetops above them, then wrapped her other arm tightly around Chen Hao.

Naturally, Chen Hao panicked—and, to his embarrassment, felt a hint of excitement. She’s going to have her way with me, he thought, lamenting the loss of his innocence in such a setting—no bed, no pillow… Was this the infamous “wild tryst”? To make things worse, he noticed a shameful physiological reaction; had she been ugly, he was sure he wouldn’t have reacted this way. The fault lay entirely with her extraordinary beauty, so unlike the aliens of science fiction films or novels—she seemed more like a fairy from a fairytale.

As she held him tightly, she too seemed to notice his reaction. But instead of reacting with disgust or alarm, she tilted her head and studied him with curiosity. Apparently unable to make sense of it, she shook her head with a sigh, then, still holding Chen Hao, lifted him off the ground.

Had his mouth not been covered, Chen Hao would have screamed. The two of them soared up to the branches at the top of a tall tree.

So this is what it feels like to fly? It was Chen Hao’s first experience, and he found it nearly impossible to describe. Alongside the tension, there was a surge of exhilaration.

For reasons unknown, Chen Hao didn’t feel afraid of this strange being in front of him. Nervous, yes, but not frightened. Perhaps it was because she didn’t look the least bit malicious, he reasoned.

He was also curious—why had she brought him up into the treetops? Was it to hide from the five people nearby? Judging by her demeanor, it seemed she was wary of them. What was going on? Could she be a beautiful “alien” stranded on Earth after a crash, now being hunted by some secret research agency? Were those five her pursuers?

If that was the case, should he try to protect this beautiful, gentle “alien”? Chen Hao assured himself that his compassion wasn’t stirred merely by her looks—definitely not, he told himself. But then again, hadn’t he overheard those five talking about clearing data and updating content? That sounded exactly like typical IT work in a game company—since when did technicians hunt aliens?

Just as Chen Hao was about to ask, the other party spoke first: “Who are you? How did you get here? People like you shouldn’t exist in this world at this time.”

Her words left Chen Hao baffled. What did she mean by “this world”? What kind of world was this?

He didn’t understand, but seeing she meant no harm, he motioned for her to release his mouth, took a deep breath, and, imitating her, lowered his voice: “I don’t understand what you mean. Besides, shouldn’t I be asking you these questions? Who are you? An alien? How did you get here? And you seem afraid of those five—who are they? Why do they scare you? And how can you speak our language?”

She didn’t answer immediately, instead studying Chen Hao with keen interest, as if he were a fascinating specimen.

“Could you… not look at me like that? It’s unnerving…” he said.

“Sorry. It’s just that you’re the first human to ever appear here—it’s surprising and fascinating. If it makes you uncomfortable, I apologize,” she replied.

“What do you mean, the first human to appear? Where is this place? Are there usually no people here? And why did you say I’m the first human—aren’t those five also people?” Chen Hao was thoroughly confused.

“So you really have no idea where you are,” she observed, her tone tinged with the satisfaction of having her suspicions confirmed.

Before Chen Hao could ask more, she continued, “Maybe you won’t believe me if I just tell you. You’d better watch for yourself. Pay attention to those five’s actions—you’ll understand soon enough. And let me warn you: whatever you see, don’t make a sound. I don’t want them to find us.”

Chen Hao was full of questions, but since she didn’t seem hostile, he decided to follow her instructions—maybe, as she said, he’d understand once he saw for himself.

Sure enough, before long, the five figures he’d noticed earlier stood up from their chairs. He heard them say a few words, then, as if by magic, each conjured a giant pen out of thin air.

He called it “conjured” because that’s exactly what happened. The five of them reached into empty space, and suddenly their hands emitted a green glow—the same strange green he’d seen at the Bone Cave Noodle House. The glow didn’t emanate from a single point but seemed to be made up of countless tiny symbols appearing from all directions. Had Chen Hao been paying attention to his laptop screen earlier, he would have realized that these green lights were actually composed of countless streams of data.

As the green light faded, the pens materialized fully in their hands.

Chen Hao’s jaw dropped in disbelief, and he nearly cried out, barely remembering the “alien” beauty’s warning in time. He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.

He looked at her with incredulity, but she seemed utterly unsurprised. “It’s not over yet—keep watching,” she said.

Stiffly, Chen Hao nodded and turned his attention back to the five. He watched as they waved their “pens” through the air a few times. What happened next was even more astonishing.

The place where the five stood had been a clearing, with nothing but a wooden cabin, a table, and a few chairs. But after a few waves of those pens, massive boulders sprang into existence, each four or five meters high, encircling the clearing. From a distance, no one would ever notice the spot—it would look like a natural jumble of giant rocks. If Chen Hao hadn’t climbed up to the treetops, he’d never have seen what was happening inside.

This time, Chen Hao couldn’t contain himself. He blurted out, “Holy—!”

But as soon as the words escaped, he regretted it; his shout was so loud that it startled birds from the trees. The five below, in the midst of their “miracle,” heard the cry.

“Who’s there?!”

“Damn! We’ve been spotted!” hissed the “alien” beside Chen Hao. Without a second thought, she grabbed him and soared away from the branch.

The five on the ground exchanged glances. One of them spoke decisively: “After them!”

Without hesitation, they waved their pens again. In front of each of them, a… broom appeared.