LOTM CHAPTER 1- CRIMSON

Painful! How painful! My head hurts so badly! A gaudy and dazzling dreamworld filled with murmurs instantly shattered. The sound asleep Zhou Mingrui felt an abnormal throbbing pain in his head as though someone had ruthlessly lashed at him with a pole again and again. No, it was more like a sharp object pierced right through his temples followed by a twist! Ouch... In his stupor, Zhou Mingrui attempted to turn around, look up, and sit up; however, he was completely unable to move his limbs as though he had lost control over his body. From the looks of it, I’m still not awake. I’m still in a dream... Who knows, perhaps the next scene will be of me thinking I’m already awake, but in fact, am actually still sleeping... Zhou Mingrui, who was not unfamiliar with similar encounters, tried his best to focus in order to escape the shackles placed upon him by the darkness and confusion. However, while still in his reverie, whatever will he could summon was ethereal like a fleeting fog. He found his thoughts difficult to control and introspect. No matter how much he tried, he still lost his focus as random thoughts surfaced in his mind. Why would I suddenly have such an excruciating headache in the middle of the night? And it’s really painful! Could it be something like a cerebral hemorrhage? F**k, don’t tell me I’m going to die young? I need to wake up! Now! Eh? Why doesn’t it seem to hurt as much as before? But why does it still feel like a blunt knife is slicing through my brains... From the looks of it, sleep is impossible. How am I to show up for work tomorrow? Why am I still thinking about work? This is some authentic headache. Of course I have to take time off! I don’t have to worry about my manager’s grumblings! Hey, putting it that way, it doesn’t seem too bad. Hehe, I can end up getting some spare time for myself! Throbbing pain inundated Zhou Mingrui, allowing him to slowly accumulate immaterial strength until he was finally able to move his back and open his eyes. He finally broke free from his reverie. His vision first blurred before it was screened by a faint crimson red. All he could see was a study desk made of burly wood in front of him. Right in the middle was an opened notebook with coarse, yellow pages. The title was eye-catchingly written with strange, deep black lettering. To the left of the notebook was a stack of neatly arranged books, numbering about eight. The wall on their right was inset with grayish-white pipes with wall lamps connected to them. The lamp had a classical Western style to it. It was about half the size of an adult’s head with an inner layer of transparent glass and an exterior gridded with black metal. Diagonally beneath the lamp was a black ink bottle shrouded in a pale red glow. Its embossed surface formed a blurry angel pattern. In front of the ink bottle and to the right of the notebook sat a dark-colored pen with a fully circular body. Its tip shimmered with a faint glint while its cap rested right beside a brass revolver. A gun? A revolver? Zhou Mingrui was completely taken aback. The things laid before him were alien to him. It looked nothing like his room! While feeling shocked and confused, he discovered that the desk, notebook, ink bottle, and revolver were covered in a layer of crimson ‘veil,’ a result of the light shining from the window. Subconsciously, he looked up and shifted his gaze up bit by bit. In midair, a crimson moon hung high above the backdrop of a ‘black velvet curtain,’ glowing in silence. This... Zhou Mingrui felt inexplicably horrified as he stood up abruptly. However, before his feet fully straightened, his brain protested with throbbing pain. It made him temporarily lose his strength as he fell uncontrollably. His buttocks slammed heavily onto the burly wood chair. Pa! The pain did little. Zhou Mingrui stood up again by propping himself up. He turned around in a fluster as he began to size up the environment he was in. The room was not very large, with a brown door on each side of the room. Close to an opposite wall was a low wooden bed. Between the bed and the left door was a cabinet. Its two doors were swung open and beneath it were five drawers. To the side of the cabinet, there was the same grayish-white pipe on the wall at the height of a person. However, it was connected to a strange mechanical device with exposed gears and bearings in several spots. Items resembling coal stoves sat in the right corner of the room near the table, along with soup pots, iron pots, and other kitchen utensils. Across the right door was a dressing mirror with two cracks. Its bottom was made of wood and the patterns were simple and plain. With a sweep of his gaze, Zhou Mingrui noticed himself in the mirror—the present him. Black hair, brown pupils, a linen shirt, thinly built, average-looking features and a rather deep outline...