Chapter 6: Ghostly Leech

In the central part of Baiyue Town, there is a large supermarket and the only cinema in the town, making it the liveliest place at night. People who come out for entertainment are usually families or couples, strolling around in twos and threes.

As high school students, Yan Jingxing and Ji Chunzao didn't stand out too much in the crowd. After coming out of the supermarket, Yan Jingxing sitting on a chair in the bus stop held and ate an ice cream stick, chatting leisurely with Ji Chunzao.

According to the girl, the place where you can see aliens is near the movie theater. If the aliens appear inside the cinema, they just need to buy a ticket to get in.

... Do aliens really like to watch movies of human? He founds it hard to understand.

"I've always had a question. How did you discover aliens? You said it's 'related to the season' with such verity."

Yan Jingxing stared at the people coming in and out of the cinema entrance, taking a big bite of the melting ice cream stick.

"We're about to meet the real deal. Can you finally tell me now?"

"This is my secret."

Ji Chunzao sat beside him, swinging her legs, and answered with a smile.

"But for your sake, I can give you a little explanation."

What did she mean by "for my sake"? Yan Jingxing complained in his heart. Except for him, there's no one who would take your words seriously.

Even he was ninety percent skeptical, waiting for the moment when things could be confirmed.

"You can see things, so naturally, you can hear them too. Before they actually arrive, I confirm them through 'hear.'"

"Hear? Do they make sounds?"

"It's a bit different. It's more like an unconscious 'call.'"

Ji Chunzao shook her head and continued to explain.

"Just like how we can receive signals from thousands of miles away through a radio, but it doesn't actually let us 'hear' the voices of people far away, right? In reality, it has to be the machine itself that demodulates the radio waves into audio signals, and then the human ear can hear it."

"The 'sound' of extraterrestrial beings is like this; they may not actually make a sound but emit some kind of 'signal.' Can you understand?"

Honestly, it's kind of understood. But looking at her serious attitude, Ji Chunzao is probably not just casually making things up.

Even though she was the same age as him, she seemed to possess some peculiar knowledge that ordinary junior high school students wouldn't understand.

Yan Jingxing recalled the model she asked him to hide for her that day. When he received it, he was really surprised; it was quite large, and it was crafted beautifully, like a shrunken real biplane.

He originally thought it was bought, but later, he heard his roommates talking about how Ji Chunzao had won the award in the city's aeromodelling competition before, realizing that she made it herself.

"Do you know a lot about electronics?"

"Well, kind of." She explains a bit embarrassedly, "Since I noticed that the signals emitted by aliens might be affecting humans in the form of certain radio waves, I started working hard to understand the principles..."

Listening to Ji Chunzao talk about the process of self-study on various circuit principles and mechanical knowledge, Yan Jingxing's impression of her improved a bit.

Although this girl always talked about all sorts of nonsense topics non-stop, making her seem a bit annoying, judging by her series of performances, at least Ji Chunzao was not a fool who was immersed in unfounded fantasies. Instead, she had taken concrete actions and efforts.

"You're pretty impressive."

Yan Jingxing couldn't help but sigh.

"... Is that so, impressive huh? Well, let me think about it. I am indeed quite impressive! Haha."

After muttering to herself for a few sentences, she suddenly became spirited, puffing up her chest, and looking proud. The "sorry" from earlier had disappeared without a trace.

"..."

Yan Jingxing was a bit speechless. She's even outdone herself in arrogance.

"In any case, what you mean is that you can hear radio signals?"

"So, saying 'hear' is not very accurate; it should be more like 'sense.'"

"Similar to how bats can capture ultrasonic waves? "

"Yes, many animals, such as dogs, whales, giraffes, etc., can detect ultrasonic or infrasonic waves that humans cannot hear, even actively emit them, serving a function similar to sonar."

"As for receiving signals from extraterrestrial beings..."

She hesitated for a moment.

"Well, for now, it seems that I'm the only one who can do it. In other words, it's 'superpower.'"

You're still a superman, and your image was getting more complicated. Yan Jingxing originally wanted to tease her, but he found that the girl's expression suddenly changed.

"Wait a minute."

Ji Chunzao furrowed her delicate eyebrows and suddenly grabbed Yan Jingxing's wrist.

"Stay still for a moment."

"What's wrong?" He was startled.

The girl didn't answer but closed her eyes.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the eyeballs under her eyelids were rotating fiercely.

"Get ready mentally."

After a while, Ji Chunzao opened her eyes. She exhaled a heavy breath and stared at the empty night sky.

"The aliens... no, extraterrestrial beings that came this time might be a bit dangerous. They have already descended into the movie theater."

"There's more than one kind?"

Seeing the girl's serious expression, Yan Jingxing can't feel nervous at all.

Up to now, he still lacks a real sense of it.

"Where is the danger? How do you know?"

"... Because I've seen them before. This nuisances is not the first time they've appeared in this small town. Every time they appear, they act in groups, treating the people living here as prey and turning the entire Baiyue Town into their hunting ground. They are reckless..."

Ji Chunzao never let go of his wrist. On the contrary, her fingers instinctively clenched, making Yan Jingxing almost cry out in pain.

"I call them 'Ghostly Leeches.' They are a dangerous creature specialized in sucking human brain marrow."

But what the girl said next made him swallow the complaint that was about to come out.

She turned her face and asked softly:

"So, do you still want to go in now?"

...

Yan Jingxing stood in front of the ticket counter, gazing at the posters on the wall, all featuring popular movies currently playing.

The ticket seller inside looked indifferent, while the girl behind him tugged at his clothes, whispering urgently, "They're about to appear."

"...Fine, let's go with this one."

In the cinema, there were ticket checkers, but only at the entrance. In other words, regardless of which movie you wanted to watch, buying a ticket for any ongoing show would allow you to enter. This was a little secret known only to locals who frequented the cinema.

Yan Jingxing clutched his thirty yuan allowance, finally deciding on a movie.

The poster of the movie depicted a tall man wearing a white mask and holding a sharp knife, with a group of actors below showing fearful expressions.

Even if everything was fake, at least it was an exciting horror movie, he thought.

The ticket seller took the money, glanced at the young couple who he recognized are young students holding hands in front of the window, shook his head as if sighing at "The world has really declined when kids this young start dating."

Ignoring the boring adult, the two big kids took their tickets and headed into the cinema.

"Jingxing, do you know what leeches is?"

As they walked, Ji Chunzao continued to explain in a low voice, "Well, around here, they're called 'mahuang.' They are a type of soft-bodied animal, abundant in rural rice fields. Tey feed on blood for survival and attache tightly to the skin, inserting their mouthparts into the flesh to suck blood. Rumor has it that they release some kind of anesthetic, so many people don't even feel them when they are attached."

"Yeah. I also heard that once someone is attached, it's hard to remove. You can't just pull it off; otherwise, their mouthparts will stay in the wound. You have to sprinkle salt on them, and then they will curl up and fall off..."

Imagining that scene, Yan Jingxing couldn't help but shiver. City kids like him were most afraid of disgusting bugs like these.

"Are you scared? Well, then the 'Ghostly Leeches' I'm talking about would be even more terrifying for you."

Holding onto his hand firmly, Ji Chunzao walked alongside him, speaking in a haunting tone, "Because they don't feed on blood; they feed on human brain marrow."

Yan Jingxing remained silent.

Although the girl's words were frightening, he still lacked a real sense of the so-called 'aliens.'

"If these extraterrestrial leeches are as terrifying as you say, would you still dare to come here?"

"It's the one you wanted to see."

Ji Chunzao muttered for a while, suddenly stopping. When Yan Jingxing looked at her curiously, she lifted her hair.

"Because I can see them."

The girl pointed to her bright eyes.

"If you're really unlucky and are chosen by the Ghostly Leeches, you just need to avoid them; they won't chase you. After all, others can't see or even sense them approaching. So, the 'Leeches' don't need to hunt and can just choose another target. But there's something you must remember."

Ji Chunzao raised her face, staring at him solemnly.

"When I say we leave, no matter what happens, you must leave with me. Can you promise that?"

"Sure." He replied casually.

"Are you sure?"

"I promise, okay?"

"That's good."

After wandering the dimly lit corridor of the cinema for a few laps, Ji Chunzao finally identified the target.

"It should be here."

She pointed to one of the entrances.

The two entered the projection hall, and Yan Jingxing, glancing at the screen, realized the movie had already started.

"Oh, it happens to be the one I bought a ticket for. Lucky me."

He and Ji Chunzao sat in the back row.

Then, at this moment, Yan Jingxing suddenly realized:

"Wait a minute, I can't see them? So, I can't see extraterrestrials?"

"Yeah. It can't be confirmed until they actually appear." Ji Chunzao replied in a low voice, "But you're most likely unable to see them. I haven't encountered a second person who can see them at school."

"...!"

He almost stood up, forgetting that his hand was still being held.

"What's wrong?"

Ji Chunzao looked at him in surprise.

"What's wrong? If I can't see them, how can you prove the existence of extraterrestrials to me?"

He angrily said. If it weren't for the need to lower his voice in the cinema, he would have started to get angry.

At this moment, he even felt that he could confirm that this girl was playing with him.

"Well, I've considered this."

However, the girl's reaction was very calm.

"From the beginning, I didn't think you could see extraterrestrials, but you still asked me for evidence to prove their existence. So, I had to consider other methods."

She raised her head and said deliberately:

"Jingxing, what do you think those people who have had their brains eaten by the Ghostly Leeches will turn into?"

...

In the projection hall, darkness enveloped like the night, and faintly visible were silent figures. In the quietude, only the dialogues of the actors on the screen echoed between the seats, and each spectator seemed to inhabit a secluded little universe.

Ji Chunzao's voice was deep and suppressed, audible only to him.

In the dim vision, the girl's pupils sparkled, giving an eerie feeling.

For a moment, Yan Jingxing was infected by the seriousness conveyed in her speech, and he could only stare blankly.

"What I want you to see is that."

After the last explanation, Ji Chunzao turned her head back, seemingly engrossed in watching the movie.

Yan Jingxing fell silent for a while. He returned to his seat and stared at the screen in silence.

...

The movie plot gradually intensified, victims began to appear. The murderer brandished a sharp knife, chasing the remaining survivors in the rainy night mansion. The actress who accidentally fell emitted a miserable scream.

However, Yan Jingxing couldn't fully concentrate on the screen.

He was waiting for that answer.

And the girl beside him was waiting as well.

A movie lasted only ninety minutes, and that moment would eventually come.

At a certain instant, Ji Chunzao, who was holding his hand, suddenly exerted force.

"They're here!"

Yan Jingxing widened his eyes, his gaze wandering around the projection hall.

"Where?"

"The bald guy in the front row. The ghosty leech has chosen him as the target! Can you see it? It's floating above his head—"

Following the girl's indication, he quickly found the back view of that audience member.

However, there was no anomaly on him or around him. In Yan Jingxing's eyes, he sat quietly in his seat, just like everyone else, with no special characteristics.

He looked around, even stood up to observe, but he couldn't see the so-called "extraterrestrial beings" floating in the air.

I really can't see anything...

Yan Jingxing sighed.

He felt that he might have been mistaken. Perhaps Ji Chunzao wasn't lying to him after all. She might be interpreting things she could see in her own way, something that only she could perceive.

After spending these days together, he knew the girl's attitude was sincere. Yan Jingxing really didn't want to treat her as someone seeking attention.

...But, this no longer mattered.

If he couldn't see or touch the same things, what difference did it make whether they existed or not?

Yan Jingxing felt quite disappointed.

At this moment, he let go of the childlike fantasy in his heart.

After this movie, here and now, he would part ways with Ji Chunzao. He didn't want to get involved anymore.

This didn't mean he would necessarily become one of those who mocked her in school. He just felt that even if he wanted to believe everything, believe that extraterrestrials were real, and Ji Chunzao was a genuine superpower possessor, could he really become her companion?

Unable to see the same things, they were destined to be people from two different worlds.

"Let go."

He quietly reminded her.

Ji Chunzao seemed to hesitate for a moment, but under Yan Jingxing's insistence, the girl eventually retracted her hand.

His gaze returned to the movie.

Then, his eyes couldn't move away—

"W-what is that?"

Yan Jingxing gaped, witnessing something incredibly surreal.

A white and bulky giant arm slowly emerged from the screen, like a drowned person rising from beneath the water, transitioning from the screen to reality.

A ghost? A specter? Or the extraterrestrial Ji Chunzao mentioned...

With only one hand occupying almost half of the screen, it was impossible not to see it with normal vision. However, the cinema remained silent, no commotion occurred, and every audience still sat in their original seats, as if nothing had happened.

This made Yan Jingxing understand: he was the only one who could see this giant hand, not some surprise prepared by the cinema.

His thoughts were in chaos, and the fear rendered him breathless.

However, when the "person" slowly crawled out of the screen, he found that the situation was even more absurd and surreal than he had imagined.

The colossal hand gripping the edge of the screen, the emerged figure wore a helmeted head, completely round and pitch black, reflecting a cold luster like a circular glass fish tank; the "white and bulky" arm was not the natural color of the skin but a suit enveloping the hand, more like a protective suit made from composite materials like rubber or sponge, with a huge white backpack on its back...

—Emerging from the screen was a giant wearing a spacesuit.