Nomenclature of Night Vol.1

By Rogue Akon

In the blue and purple neon, under the dense steel sky, the front end of the data torrent is the world after the technological revolution, and it is also the boundary between reality and illusion. Steel and body, past and future. Here, the outer world and the outer world coexist, and everything in front of you is like a wall of time. Darkness gradually shrouded. But you have to understand, my friend, we cannot deal with the darkness with gentleness, we have to use fire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rogue Akon
• Release date: Jul 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005484644

Book preview

Prologue:

The numbers are changing silently.

The countdown is 5:58:12.

The countdown is 5:58:11.

There are still 5 hours, 58 minutes and 11 seconds left. All this seems to remind Qing Chen that after 5 hours and 58 minutes, something incredible will happen.

Obviously there was no sound, but Qing Chen clearly heard the beating of the second hand in his heart.

The cell phone of the phone glanced at the empty room again.

He doesn't know what kind of life he will welcome in 5 hours and 58 minutes. He only knows that he can only rely on himself.

...

Time is a very heavy unit of measurement. The length of life and the breadth of civilization are all used to mark it.

The concept of time exists in everyone's life.

So when there is any countdown in your life, no matter what it counts down, it will give you some sense of urgency.

There are still 5 hours, no one knows what the end of this countdown is.

Could it be dangerous?

Maybe another life?

Qing Chen couldn't be sure, he could only plan for the worst first.

So he must prepare something before the countdown is over.

If there is a real danger, then he must at least allow himself to be within his power and have some ability to resist danger.

Qing Chen put on a clean gray coat and covered his appearance with the shadow of his hood.

Taking advantage of the night.

He went out and walked towards the farmers' market. The October sky in Los Angeles was already dark very early.

There was the sound of cooking in the residential buildings, the popping sound of vegetables and oil juice after colliding, and then there was an alluring smell wafting out.

The taste of eggs, pork, and mutton flooded into Qing Chen's mind like pieces of information. When he needed this information one day, he could extract a certain archive from his mind.

He bought pliers and shovel at a hardware store, a bag of rice and a bag of noodles, and edible salt at a grain and oil store.

He also bought several boxes of antibiotics in the drugstore, and bought batteries, flashlights, and compressed biscuits in the supermarket.

When he didn't know what he was going to face, he could only prepare as much as possible.

These things almost spent all Qing Chen's savings.

Qing Chen went home with his things and went into the kitchen. He first put all the available knives on the chopping board in the most convenient place in the house.

The kitchen knife is placed under the pillow, and the deboning knife is placed on the bedside table.

The countdown is 2 hours, 43 minutes and 11 seconds.

He confirmed that the doors and windows were closed tightly, so he sat on the side of the bed and began to meditate: Do you want to find a helper?

Who are you looking for?

The mother has a new family, and the father is a gambler.

In fact, when Qing Chen found a countdown on his arm a few hours ago, when he was only 17 years old, he subconsciously wanted to seek help from his parents.

Chapter 1 People Who Want to Wait

Autumn in 2022.

The patter of light rain fell from the gray sky, floating lightly on the city streets.

It is autumn, and from time to time, pedestrians without umbrellas can be seen passing by with their hands over their heads.

In the narrow Junmin Hutong, there is a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy sitting opposite an old man under the canopy next to the supermarket canteen.

The whole world outside the canopy was dark and the ground was darkened by rain. Only the ground under the canopy was left with a dry area, as if there was only one piece of pure land left in the entire world.

In front of them was a dilapidated wooden chess board with a red Fu Lai Supermarket sign on top of their heads.

"General," the young Qingchen said and stood up, leaving the old man with sparse hair sitting in a daze.

Young Qingchen glanced at the other party and said calmly: No need to struggle.

"I can… the old man said unwillingly: This is only 13 steps…" In his

Words, the old man treated himself 13 steps. He felt a little embarrassed about the situation of throwing away his armor and abandoning his armor.

Qing Chen didn’t explain anything, the murderous intentions were revealed on the chessboard, it was the last moment that Tuqiang saw.

The young man had a clean face and clear eyes. He was just sitting there in a plain school uniform, as if he was purifying the world around him a little more transparently.

The old man threw the chess piece he was holding onto the chessboard and discarded the piece to admit defeat.

No one beside Qing Chen walked into the counter of the nearby supermarket, took 20 yuan from the change basket under the counter and put it into his pocket.

The old man looked at Qing Chen scoldingly: I have to lose you 20 yuan every day! I just won 20 yuan from Lao Li Lao Zhang in the morning, and I lose all to you now!

Qing Chen picked up the money, then sat back next to the chessboard and started replaying: If they hadn’t been willing to play chess with me, I wouldn’t have to win money through you. You need face, I need money, it’s fair. Reasonable.

"You will take me down, right? The old man murmured, The fortune teller said that I can live to seventy-eight, and I’m only fifty now. If I lose you 20 yuan a day, I have to export it. How much is it?"

"But I still teach you to play chess to win back face, Qing Chen replied calmly, You won’t lose money by doing so."

The Old man murmured, But what you taught these past two days is so much. Useless things.

Qing Chen glanced at him: Don’t talk about yourself like that. The

Old man: ??? The

Old man re-arranged the chessboard irritably, and then eagerly said: It’s all right, let ‘s go back to the game.

At This moment, Qing Chen suddenly bowed his head.

The time that had just passed, seemed to replay from his mind.

The guns that hit the head in the head, the fierce pawns in the Chu He Han realm, echoed one by one in his mind.

More than these.

And the uncle who passed by them while playing chess, holding the four sesame cakes they just bought, the fresh sesame cakes fainted with some water vapor, and the transparent plastic bag was stained with a layer of white mist.

The little girl in a white dress walked by with an umbrella, and there were two beautiful butterflies on the upper of her little leather shoes.

Above the sky, the precarious rain fell in the alley, crystal clear.

At the end of the alley, the 103 bus flashed past the narrow alley, and a woman in a beige windbreaker rushed to the bus station with an umbrella.

The sound of footsteps and the sound of running water as the rain flows into the manhole cover by the roadside, these noisy sounds make the world extremely quiet.

&

Qing Chen has never forgotten all this, although it is difficult to recall.

But the difficulty does not mean it is impossible.

This weird memory is Qing Chen’s innate talent, just like he picked an archive from the long river of time, and then read the picture in the archive magnetic strip.

Qing Chen resisted the dizziness in his brain and squeezed the chess pieces on the chessboard.

The old man stopped talking immediately, staring at the board with his eyes intently, and the resumption after each game was also the agreed terms of the game.

Qing Chen is responsible for teaching chess, and the old man learns chess after losing money.

This scene is a little weird, Qing Chen does not have the modesty and shyness that young people should have when facing the elderly, but like a teacher.

The other party didn’t think there was anything.

"The red square cannon two equal five, the black one equals five, the red horse two enters three, the dark horse eight enters seven, the red square cart one enters one, the black square cart nine equals eight…" Qing Chen moved the chess piece step by step.

The old man didn’t blink his eyes. The start was a normal start, but he couldn’t figure out how to get to the sixth step. He obviously ate the opponent’s horse, but suddenly fell into a slump.

"The essence of the thirteen tricks for abandoning horses is to enter the cart and abandon the horse in the sixth step. This is a killer to tear the line of defense, Qing Chen said quietly, I see the chess you played with that old man in Wangcheng Park the day before yesterday. Now, he likes to start the game smoothly. It’s no problem for you to beat him with these thirteen tricks."

The old man on the opposite side fell into deep thought, and then asked in a low voice:

"Can you really beat him? Learn what I taught you within a week . Abandon the horse thirteen tricks, you can get your face back, Qing Chen said: After all… he didn’t do that much." TheOld man’s face showed a hint of joy.

But he suddenly asked: If I can beat him by studying for a week, how long can I beat you by studying chess?

Under the canopy, Qing Chen thought seriously: The fortune teller says you can live seventy-eight… It’s too late.

The old man’s expression was stagnant: You say a few words, I might be able to live to seventy-nine… Hey, you should study by yourself at night, why do you leave school so early today?

He knew that Qing Chen was a sophomore in high school. Today is Tuesday, so the Thirteenth Middle School, two blocks away, should be studying late at this time.

Qing Chen thought for a while and replied: I’m waiting for someone.

"Waiting for someone?" The old man was stunned.

Qing Chen got up and looked at the drizzle outside the canopy, his eyes dangling in the rain curtain.

The old man said, Qing Chen, your kid is so good at chess, why don’t you go to a chess game? Didn’t you say that you are short of money, and you have money to win the championship.

Young Qingchen shook his head: I just memorized many chess records It’s just in my head, not how good I play chess. Memory does not mean analytical ability. Playing with you is okay. If you really meet a master, I will show your timidity. My way is not here. Playing chess is only temporary.

"It’s all in my head… The old man sighed: I used to think that someone else made up things like never forgetting."

The Rain slowly stopped.

At this moment, the old man suddenly noticed that Qing Chen was stunned. He followed the boy’s gaze and looked towards the end of Junmin Hutong. He happened to see a couple walking with a little boy.

The middle-aged woman is wearing a delicate windbreaker, holding a cake box in her hand with a beautiful purple ribbon on the box.

The gray world couldn’t stop the joyful look on the three of them. Qing Chen turned around and left, leaving the old man sitting under the canopy at the entrance of Fulai Supermarket and sighing softly.

The middle-aged woman saw Qing Chen’s back, she called out Qing Chen’s name, but Qing Chen disappeared at the other end of the alley without looking back.

The walls on both sides of the hutong were very old. After the white walls fell off, they left patches of mottled red bricks.

The people Qing Chen was waiting for came, but he didn’t want to wait anymore.

Chapter 2 Countdown

The middle-aged woman walked quickly to the entrance of the Fulai Supermarket. She looked at the old man: Uncle Zhang, why is Qingchen coming to you to play chess again.

Both parties also know each other in words.

It’s just that Uncle Zhang’s tone is not so polite: Your own son, you ask me? He has no living expenses, so he can only make a little money for himself by playing chess.

The middle-aged woman Zhang Wanfang was stunned for a moment: But I have to pay his father Qingchen’s living expenses every month.

These words stunned Uncle Zhang as well: Then I don’t know what’s going on.

Uncle Zhang thought, Zhang Wanfang was not a poor man, and it seemed that the living expenses for Qing Chen were not small, but why did the young man live so tightly?

Qing Chen is not like a prodigal son. He spends his days carefully planning, and he never takes a sip of his drinks.

"But shouldn’t he study on his own at this time?" Zhang Wanfang asked.

Uncle Zhang just remembered at this time: He seems to say that he is waiting for someone.

"No, I have to go home and take a look," Zhang Wanfang said.

As she said, she was about to walk away with the cake, but she heard the man next to her suddenly say: Wanfang, Haohao has a place for today’s birthday. We have already booked a spot. After eating, we have to take him to the movies!

Zhang Wanfang looked back at the man: Qing Chen may have skipped class. I don’t care if I ask.

"He is seventeen years old and can take care of himself. Besides, there is also his father, the man said slowly, Actually, it is okay to wait for the weekend to see him again. Today we will accompany Haohao. ?"

Zhang Wanfang frowned when she heard this, but after a few seconds, she finally sighed: Okay, let’s accompany Haohao for his birthday today.

…

Qing Chen walked silently under the camphor tree in the tree-lined path of the Xi Family Courtyard of the City Hall.

Different from the high-rise buildings in modern cities, the courtyard is full of four-story low-rise buildings from the 1970s. There is no elevator, no gas, and sewers are blocked from time to time.

High-power electrical appliances cannot be used at home because they will trip.

Qing Chen walked into the dim doorway, ignored the psoriasis-like opening and selling advertisements on the wall, and took out the key to open the door on the first floor.

The 76-square-meter house has two bedrooms and one living room, and the room on the first floor is not well lit.

He took out his mobile phone and opened the address book, and then dialed out: Hey, Dad…

The voice on the other side of the phone has interrupted him: Go to your mother for living expenses. I have no money. She is very rich now.

While talking, the voice of rubbing mahjong came from the other side of the phone.

"I don’t want money, Qing Chen said in a low voice, I haven’t asked you for money for a long time."

"What is that? The man said impatiently: Going to school to hold a parent meeting again? Go to your mother, this kind of thing…"

Before the other party finished speaking, Qing Chen took the initiative to hang up the phone this time.

He gently leaned against the closed door, and then opened the sleeves under his school uniform jacket.

He stared blankly at the white numbers and symbols on his forearm that looked like an LCD screen: the countdown was 5:58:13.

The white number is like a fluorescent tattoo embedded in his flesh and skin. No matter how he rubs it, there is no way to erase it.

Looking closely at them, Qing Chen also saw that there are special and fine lines in the numbers, like mechanical parts interlocking with each other, full of a sense of future technology.

The numbers are changing silently.

The countdown is 5:58:12.

The countdown is 5:58:11.

There are still 5 hours, 58 minutes and 11 seconds left. All this seems to remind Qing Chen that after 5 hours and 58 minutes, something incredible will happen.

Obviously there was no sound, but Qing Chen clearly heard the beating of the second hand in his heart.

The cell phone of the phone glanced at the empty room again.

He doesn’t know what kind of life he will welcome in 5 hours and 58 minutes. He only knows that he can only rely on himself.

…

Time is a very heavy unit of measurement. The length of life and the breadth of civilization are all used to mark it.

The concept of time exists in everyone’s life.

So when there is any countdown in your life, no matter what it counts down, it will give you some sense of urgency.

There are still 5 hours, no one knows what the end of this countdown is.

Could it be dangerous?

Maybe another life?

Qing Chen couldn’t be sure, he could only plan for the worst first.

So he must prepare something before the countdown is over.

If there is a real danger, then he must at least allow himself to be within his power and have some ability to resist danger.

Qing Chen put on a clean gray coat and covered his appearance with the shadow of his hood.

Taking advantage of the night.

He went out and walked towards the farmers’ market. The October sky in Los Angeles was already dark very early.

There was the sound of cooking in the residential buildings, the popping sound of vegetables and oil juice after colliding, and then there was an alluring smell wafting out.

The taste of eggs, pork, and mutton flooded into Qing Chen’s mind like pieces of information. When he needed this information one day, he could extract a certain archive from his mind.

He bought pliers and shovel at a hardware store, a bag of rice and a bag of noodles, and edible salt at a grain and oil store.

He also bought several boxes of antibiotics in the drugstore, and bought batteries, flashlights, and compressed biscuits in the supermarket.

When he didn’t know what he was going to face, he could only prepare as much as possible.

These things almost spent all Qing Chen’s savings.

Qing Chen went home