Chapter 7: Giant Astronaut

In the quiet and dimly lit movie theater, on the head of a bald man who was completely unaware of any abnormalities, there was a "cluster" formed by a gathering of soft-bodied creatures, floating and hovering.

These soft-bodied creatures had semi-transparent and phantom-like bodies. When exposed to the light in the space, they reflected colorful hues, resembling bubbles blown in sunlight.

They wriggled their fat bodies, intertwining with each other, forming a disgusting mass. At the front end, resembling a head or a mouthpiece, there was a crude and distorted face composed of three black holes, resembling a dwarf extraterrestrial.

This was the extraterrestrial creature named "Ghostly Leech" by Ji Chunzao. It couldn't be observed or sensed by ordinary people, as if it were a monster in another dimension.

Among them, several leeches had already inserted the front end of their mouthpieces into the unfortunate male audience member's head, starting to extract nutrients—namely, brain tissue and marrow.

The ghostly leeches' bodies moved and expanded, their semi-transparent skin revealing grotesque blood vessels, enjoying their feast.

A scene of real extraterrestrial beings preying on humans, an extremely horrifying image, more shocking than any horror movie...

However, the audience in the movie theater remained blissfully unaware. This eerie calm, juxtaposed with the predatory scene, made the world seem even more surreal.

Ordinary people living on Earth were unable to perceive the existence of extraterrestrial beings. They lived peacefully in ignorance, adjacent to the dark abyss.

—This was the world in Ji Chunzao's eyes.

It seemed as if only she alone was awake in this world.

The girl's chest began to rise and fall, her heart pounding, and her breath quickened.

Ji Chunzao tried very hard to maintain a serious and calm demeanor in front of her companion, aiming not to make him feel alarmed or tempted to flee.

But was she not afraid herself?

No, of course she was.

The calm appearance of her sitting in the chair was all an act.

Even though Ji Chunzao didn't lie, and those ghostly leeches indeed wouldn't chase people, as she had concluded through observation—watching a living person getting their brain eaten right in front of her, how could she not feel afraid?

It's them...

Ji Chunzao stared fixedly at the floating mass not far away, unable to blink. Her hand, placed on the armrest, involuntarily moved a little closer to grab the wrist of the boy beside her.

If she saw any tendency of them approaching, she would immediately grab Yan Jingxing and run away. Even if she was misunderstood or not trusted, she must do it.

Unsure whether to consider herself fortunate, the ghostly leeches, upon appearing, immediately locked onto their target and swarmed towards a middle-aged man in the front row.

Though she knew this was not very good, Ji Chunzao still breathed a sigh of relief quietly. However, on the other hand, her mood became even more somber.

Although the girl could see extraterrestrial beings, she had no ability to stop them from running rampant in the human world.

She couldn't even warn the other person. If she were taken as a fool or a lunatic, that would be fine; most importantly, once the mouthpiece invaded the brain, approaching recklessly would only lead to being entangled by the leeches.

From childhood to now, this sense of powerlessness accompanied her throughout, yet she couldn't confide in anyone.

The loneliness and weight that couldn't be understood by others made Ji Chunzao's heart continuously sink. Until today, it had already accumulated a tremendous amount—far beyond what a teenage girl could bear.

Not only did she have to watch someone being invaded by extraterrestrial beings, Ji Chunzao also had to let her companion witness the consequences of having their brain eaten. Only by doing so could she possibly gain trust...

With a guilty and uneasy mood, she whispered:

"Jingxing, you'll see it soon. Even if you can't see..."

Ji Chunzao rambled on, but found that there was no response from the boy next to her.

Turning her head, she saw that the boy's body was trembling slightly, as if seriously ill.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his mouth opened and closed, like a fish that had just landed.

"Yan Jingxing?!"

...

Yan Jingxing stiffly clung to the back of the chair, mouth wide open but producing no sound, staring fixedly at the colossal astronaut gradually emerging from the screen.

The appearance of the astronaut was completely silent, as if everything occurred in a vacuum without air.

His feet touched the ground, and then he slowly straightened his body.

The astronaut's figure was so towering that when he stood up, he almost reached the height of the auditorium, casting a shadow that obscured all the audience in the theater.

This...

What on earth was this?!

Ghost, specter, extraterrestrial... Yan Jingxing could imagine these things, but he instinctively felt that the gigantic astronaut before him was something beyond the ordinary, not comparable to typical supernatural phenomena.

He felt more like he was dreaming, or experiencing a strange illusion.

Then, Yan Jingxing heard a muffled breathing, "Hu—Ha—," the kind of sound when oxygen was sealed inside the helmet, audible only to oneself.

The astronaut stood silently, breathing silently, overlooking all the people in the theater in silence.

The bright black mirror couldn't reveal any eyes inside, but Yan Jingxing still felt like "he" was looking at him.

Yan Jingxing dared not move.

Afterward, "he" slowly raised one hand, reaching out towards the audience.

The boy held his breath.

"His" hand didn't reach the back row but stopped when touching the air in the front row. The fingers began to make kneading motions, as if touching something invisible...

... No, that's not right. It's not nothing.

Yan Jingxing widened his eyes once again.

He saw, right in the center of the astronaut's palm, a twisting and squirming mass of bugs emitting a fantastical and illusory brilliance. Compared to "his" colossal body, it looked like a small cyst.

The astronaut's fingers exerted a slight force.

"Bang!"

Like that, the mass of bugs burst easily.

Yan Jingxing heard the explosion, like an overinflated balloon popping over his head, but he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

Afterward, the astronaut took a step, directly crossing over the audience seats and disappearing from his sight.

An indescribable and astonishing emotion surged, compelling Yan Jingxing to subconsciously stand up, wanting to look back.

"Wa-wait!"

He wanted to call out to the astronaut.

And at that moment, a severe pain struck Yan Jingxing's head.

"... Huh?"

Just when Ji Chunzao was feeling anxious, she suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

The girl naturally possessed the ability to sense the presence of "abnormal electromagnetic waves" in the air, a crucial skill for her to confirm the time and location of an extraterrestrial arrival.

However, at this moment, the previously continuous and noisy interference suddenly disappeared, and she returned to the normal world.

She turned her head and found that the transparent mass of bugs had vanished.

Had the ghostly leeches left after finishing their meal?

No, it's not the time to think about this now...

"Wa-wait!"

She heard the boy beside her suddenly shout.

Seeing him stand up from his seat, it seemed like he had been hit hard on the head, and his body swayed slightly.

He clutched his own face, emitting painful groans while crouching down.

"Jingxing, Yan Jingxing! What's happening to you?"

She grabbed Yan Jingxing's arm, shaking him forcefully, but he clearly was experiencing some strange abnormality...

At this moment, Yan Jingxing's unusual state had attracted the attention of the people around.

Ji Chunzao looked around, and even though the movie wasn't over yet, the gazes of the audience were already turning towards them.

She gritted her teeth, holding onto the boy's arms, supporting him to stand up from the ground.

"Hurry, we need to leave this place as soon as possible!"

...

Fifteen minutes later.

Ji Chunzao walked out of the store, holding a bottle of mineral water.

She saw Yan Jingxing sitting on a bench not far away, weakly waving at her. Subconsciously quickening her pace, she jogged over to him.

"Here, for you."

Yan Jingxing, leaning weakly against the chair, took the mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down a few big mouthfuls. Finally, he sighed and seemed to come back to life.

"What happened to you just now?"

Ji Chunzao sat down beside him, carefully asking, "Could it be... an illness? I mean, the hereditary kind..."

"Huh? Oh, no, it's not like that."

Yan Jingxing wiped his mouth and sighed.

"I just saw something very strange in the movie theater."

"What? Strange things? You saw them?"

Ji Chunzao widened her eyes, seemingly unable to believe her ears. Then she showed a joyful smile, her tone full of excitement.

"Did you see the ghostly leeches? Now you believe me, right?!"

"Not only that."

Yan Jingxing collected his thoughts.

"I didn't see aliens; I saw a person, or rather, a ghost?..."

Hearing this, the girl shook her head with a pitying look.

"Jingxing, there are no ghosts in this world, you have to believe in science."

I really don't want to be told this!

Yan Jingxing resisted the urge to retort. At this moment, he suddenly realized a problem: the audience in the movie theater didn't see the astronaut, nor did they see the ghostly leeches. What about Ji Chunzao, who had psychic abilities?

"Could it be that you can't see?"

"See what?"

"The gigantic astronaut that came out of the screen..."

"?"

Ji Chunzao tilted her head, showing a puzzled expression.

It seemed like she really didn't see it.

Could only he see it? What was going on?

...

Yan Jingxing explained everything he had witnessed. It was evident that he was encountering supernatural phenomena for the first time, hence the desire to find someone who could relate. In this regard, Ji Chunzao was naturally his senior.

However, the girl's feelings were quite complex.

Meeting someone of the same age who could see extraterrestrial beings and finding a companion with common topics should have been a great thing.

But why did she suddenly become the one who "can't see"?

Yan Jingxing didn't lie, she could see that. From the sudden disappearance of the leeches to the exact timing of the so-called "gigantic astronaut" crushing the bug mass, it all lined up.

But...

The astronaut?

What did "his" appearance mean?

Sitting on the chair, Ji Chunzao propped her chin on her hand, her eyes unconsciously staring into the distant dark and dim lights, like the drifting streets of the town in the night tide. She couldn't help but fall into contemplation.

Things seemed to become more complicated than imagined.

"Chunzao, what I said is all true..."

"I know. I believe you."

Ji Chunzao replied decisively.

For her, the two of them who could see the same things must be natural companions. As for the possible differences or disagreements...

"As long as we find out the reason, it'll be fine!"

The girl clapped her hands and stood up briskly. This sudden movement startled Yan Jingxing, who had been observing her reaction on the side.

"Uh, what did you say?"

Ji Chunzao turned around, revealing a happy smile.

"Let's not look for aliens anymore; let's go find the astronaut you mentioned!"

The flowing night breeze lifted the girl's long hair. Standing in the evening wind, she seemed like she could take off with this momentum—so cheerful, so free, so...

Enchanting.

Just with one sentence from him, she could make a decisive decision. That was her.

So, what about me?

Yan Jingxing lowered his head. He spread open his palm and slowly clenched his five fingers.

In that moment at the movie theater, besides the instinctive astonishment and panic when witnessing the giant creature, what he felt was...

A curiosity, an intense curiosity about something unprecedented.

Yan Jingxing always felt that "he" must have something to say to him, which was why he wanted to stop him at all costs.

This feeling was groundless but so vivid.

He vigorously waved the clenched fist, and from the chair, he stood up slowly.

"Alright, let's go!"

This would be a night that would change his life, an unparalleled and magical night—

At this moment of consensus with the girl in front of him, Yan Jingxing suddenly had this thought.