Dying To Show

　"Achoo!!"

　　In the cold wind, Evan Stone suddenly sneezed.

　　As someone from the north in his previous life, Evan Stone found it hard to withstand the weather here—cold and damp. Even though the sun was shining brightly above, there was no warmth at all.

　　"Make way, make way!"

　　A lazy voice came from ahead. Evan Stone snapped out of his thoughts and instinctively moved to the side of the road. He saw at the end of the street a three-wheeled cart slowly making its way toward him. One boy was riding the bike, while the other sat on the back seat, beside two large barrels of salt.

　　The boy scooped up the salt with a shovel and scattered it on the frosted road. As the salt fell, the ice on the ground gradually melted.

　　"Yo, Evan Stone?" The person sprinkling the salt raised an eyebrow upon seeing Evan Stone standing by the roadside. "Didn't expect to see the top student here. Didn't you go to take the authorities' exam? Got rejected?"

　　When Evan Stone saw the face, a memory flooded into his mind.

　　His name was Tom Vale, a boy who had grown up on the same street as Evan Stone. However, Tom was naturally envious. In high school, Evan Stone's grades were excellent, and Tom Vale's mother often compared him to Evan Stone, which made him dislike Evan Stone.

　　"I passed the written exam, just need to do the physical exam," Evan Stone responded absentmindedly, standing by the road.

　　"Hehe, then I wish you good luck!"

　　Saying this, Tom Vale scooped up a large spoonful of salt and threw it toward the road with force, splashing Evan Stone with the salt.

　　The flying salt landed in Evan Stone's hair and on his coat. He hadn't expected Tom Vale to pull such a prank. Quickly, he brushed the salt off and turned to glare at Tom Vale.

　　At this moment, Tom Vale was already sitting on the cart, wobbling away… one foot resting on a salt barrel, sticking out his tongue and making a face at Evan Stone.

　　As a 28-year-old man who had experienced the harshness of society, Evan Stone was a bit angry but also somewhat amused by the crude prank. However, he didn't intend to chase after the boy and beat him up. He just silently marked this in his mind, as he had more important things to do.

　　Evan Stone was about to continue walking when he glanced down at the ground and froze for a moment.　　The ice on the ground that came into contact with the salt began to melt, leaving a faint white residue. At that moment, Evan Stone saw a line of words forming—　　[Audience Expectation: 27%]

　　Before Evan Stone could react, the salt had completely melted, and the moment was gone as if it were a fleeting illusion.

　　Evan Stone rubbed his eyes hard, muttering to himself:　　"Impossible..."

　　The sense of urgency rose again, and Evan Stone unconsciously quickened his pace, heading straight for the clinic.

　　A few minutes later, Evan Stone pushed open the clinic's door.

　　Although it was called a clinic, it was actually just a two-story house on Frost Street, square and dull gray in appearance, making Evan Stone think of the rural home he grew up in.

　　But even this rough house was considered one of the better ones on Frost Street. At least it had two floors and could block the wind.

　　"It's you," said a man in a white coat behind the wooden desk, slightly turning his body. "Here to get more medicine for your brother? Didn't he transfer to the hospital in Zone 2?"

　　"This time it's not Max, it's me," Evan Stone said as he walked up to the desk and sat down, his expression a bit nervous.

　　"Oh? Are you feeling unwell?"

　　"I... I don't feel well in my head."

　　"Is it a physical headache, or...?"

　　"Recently, it seems like I've been having hallucinations."

　　"Psychiatric?" Dr. Green raised an eyebrow, pushing up his black-framed glasses with a serious expression. "That's my specialty... Let's hear about your symptoms."

　　"I had a dream last night. I dreamed I was standing on a stage, and there were a lot of people in the audience... I couldn't see their faces, but they didn't seem human. I kept running on the stage, but I could never find an exit..."

　　"Dream interpretation is not within my field of expertise."

　　"I know," Evan Stone took a deep breath. "But when I woke up, I kept feeling like... they were still watching me."

　　Hearing this, Dr. Green finally became interested. "You fantasize about being watched?"

　　"It doesn't feel like a fantasy... It feels like they are in my head, sitting in the audience, observing my every move. I'm like an actor forced to perform, just a tool to please them."

　　"You're saying your life is a stage, and you're the only actor?"

　　"That's the idea... but it's not as positive as you make it sound."

　　"What about the audience? Besides watching you, do they do anything else?"

　　Evan Stone was silent for a moment. "I don't know if it's just my imagination... but it seems like they can affect the things around me."

　　"Can affect reality? That sounds a bit fantastical," Dr. Green said as he took a sip from his teacup. Just as he was about to say something, his face suddenly changed!

　　Pfft!!

　　Dr. Green spat out a mouthful of crimson blood, spilling onto the floor.

　　"Dr. Green??" Evan Stone jumped in shock. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

　　"...No," Dr. Green wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. It wasn't his own blood. Frowning, he thought for a moment, his gaze falling onto the teacup on the corner of the desk…

　　At some point, the teacup had been filled with thick blood.

　　Dr. Green's face turned pale. He clearly remembered putting a bag of pu'er tea in it just a minute ago. During this time, only he and Evan Stone were in the clinic. Evan Stone had been under his watch, and there was no way and no motive for him to swap the tea. The full teacup of fresh blood had mysteriously appeared...

　　Evan Stone also seemed to realize something, his face growing even paler.

　　"Just like I said," he rasped,　　"They... maybe they really exist."

　　Dr. Green stared at the cup of blood for a long time before slowly looking at Evan Stone,　　"How long has this been going on?"

　　"One day," Evan Stone paused for a moment, "Only one day, since I became fully conscious."

　　"What were you doing before becoming conscious?"

　　"I..."

　　Suddenly, the image of him stumbling through the rain last night flashed in Evan Stone's mind. "I don't know, I can't remember."

　　"So, you're not sure if this symptom started last night, and you don't have any memories before last night?"

　　"...Yes."

　　"Have you been possessed by a 'disaster'?" Dr. Green adjusted his glasses,　　"Or let me rephrase, last night... did you encounter the convergence of the Gray Realm?"