Chapter 007: A World of One’s Own (Part II)

"Damn it! Pick up the phone already!"
Li Gang gripped his phone, sweat streaming down his face.
Most of it was from the scorching midday sun.
He'd called twice, still no answer, and in his frustration, he nearly hurled his phone to the ground to vent his anger.
After a deep breath, he slipped the phone into his pocket and broke into a run toward home.
But before long, his stamina gave out—his body, untrained for years, couldn't handle the exertion, and the oppressive noon heat drained him further.
Li Gang slowed, panting heavily, drenched in sweat.
The burning air scalded his delicate throat with every breath.
He noticed a row of parked electric scooters and mopeds at the roadside. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—all of them had their keys still in the ignition.
He didn't have time to wonder why such a bizarre thing had happened. He picked the closest one at random, started it, and sped off toward home.
By now, people vanishing into thin air seemed almost ordinary; what else could possibly surprise him?
On the scooter, his speed increased dramatically, and as he lived fairly close, he reached home within minutes.
"Mom! Mom!"
He didn't wait for the scooter to come to a complete stop, jumped off, and rushed into the six-story residential building without a glance back at the scooter's fate.
Li Gang ran as he shouted, his voice echoing far in the eerie silence.
"Mom! Mom! Please answer me!"
His home was on the fourth floor; normally, it took him nearly a minute to climb up, but today he did it in twenty seconds flat.
He searched every room, including the balcony and even the seldom-used storage room.
The result: the house was empty.
Moments later.
Li Gang collapsed onto the living room sofa, drained, his eyes staring emptily ahead.
On the coffee table lay a phone with a cartoon case, one he knew well—it was his mother's.
He said nothing, sitting motionless for seven or eight minutes.

He picked up his mother's phone from the table, gazing at the cute purple squirrel on the back—a character from her favorite animated show.
He remembered clearly how much she loved that show, watched it more than once, sometimes with him beside her, though he always found it childish and couldn't get into it.
Yet his mother watched it with delight.
Whenever she watched, he'd tease her for having such youthful tastes.
After all, she was no child anymore, yet she loved cartoons.
Thinking of this, Li Gang's face showed no smile, only silent tears streaming down.
The screen lit up; aside from some news messages, there were missed calls from her son.
The phone required a password, but Li Gang knew it.
Unlocking it, he saw the background—a family photo, with himself grinning broadly, so different from his current expression.
"I refuse to believe Mom's really gone. She must have gone out for a walk and forgot her phone. Yes, that's it!"
Li Gang switched off the phone, rose, wiped away his tears, and hurried out the door.
He decided to search the neighborhood park and other places his mother frequented.
July's midday heat was like a furnace, but Li Gang paid it no mind.
An hour passed as he searched every possible place nearby.
Not only did he fail to find his mother, he didn't see a single soul anywhere, as if the entire world was his alone.
This was a world for one—only Li Gang remained.
He crouched beneath a patch of shade, gasping, soaked in sweat and exhausted like a stray dog.
He knew deep down he was chasing shadows.
In this weather, he knew his mother would never venture out for a walk at noon. He simply refused to accept her disappearance.
Heat, fatigue, thirst—all assaulted his nerves and body.
Ahead was Sweet Fruit Shop, the sign at the entrance announced it was open.
Li Gang recalled the owner's daughter, two years younger than him—her name was Shen Tian, a sweet, pretty girl with fair skin and a graceful figure.
When they were children, they often played together, but since Li Gang went to college, their contact dwindled.

Now, Shen Tian was home for summer break and often helped in the shop; Li Gang bought fruit there frequently and usually bumped into her, sometimes exchanging a few words.
Since starting college, Shen Tian had grown even prettier and more stylish, and Li Gang had dreamed about her more than once.
Lately, he'd often fantasized about what it would be like to be her boyfriend—how wonderful that would be.
Li Gang stepped into the fruit shop, the cool air conditioning instantly soothing his body.
He pictured Shen Tian's sweet face and felt a spark of hope, but as he scanned the shop, not a single person was there.
The comfort of the air conditioning quickly faded.
Shaking off his disappointment, he grabbed a generous slice of chilled watermelon from the transparent fridge, and in an instant, most of his body heat dissipated.
He ate fruit as he dialed every number in his contact list.
If the call failed, he moved to the next; if it rang but no one answered, he tried again patiently.
After more than an hour, he'd tried everything—delivery services, couriers, customer hotlines—but no one picked up.
He set his phone aside, finally giving up.
Li Gang decided not to search his father's workplace; he already knew what he'd find.
His nerves, taut all day, at last began to relax. As the tension left him, exhaustion surged in uncontrollably.
Before he knew it, his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted into sleep.
When Li Gang awakened again, hours had passed.
The surroundings were quiet, only the air conditioner blowing gentle, cool air nearby.
He went to the small kitchen at the back of the fruit shop and freshened up.
Seeing a half-cut cantaloupe on the counter, he couldn't help but sigh.
He could picture what had happened—a person was slicing the melon after peeling and removing the seeds, about to package the pieces, when suddenly they vanished.