Chapter 607 - 2: Psychosis (Part 2)
Clumsily fiddling with the apps on his phone, he noticed that the battery level at the top right corner of the screen was almost depleted, showing a dangerous red—
Since returning last night, he had been trying to get control of his body, having no consciousness to charge his phone, nor did he check it before going out, just shoved it into his pocket.
Seeing the remaining 12% battery, a sense of urgency surged in his heart as he struggled to recall the steps to hail a cab on the phone, continuously swiping the screen.
...
However, the more anxious he was, the easier it was to make mistakes. Something that could be solved in ten seconds was now unclear after several minutes.
Chen Zhou lowered his head, watching the battery drop by another percent, sweat nearly breaking out on his forehead.
While still anxious and moving slowly forward, he suddenly caught a whiff of food aroma.
Looking into the distance, he happened to see several vendor carts lined up by the entrance to the Back Mountain Park. Some were selling barbecue skewers, some were making grilled cold noodles, and others were selling hand-grab pancakes.
At this time, it was already a bit chilly, and most people who were out for a stroll in the park had already gone home, while the vendors were also preparing to pack up.
The vendor selling hand-grab pancakes had already closed the small window of his cart and was untying his apron, ready to drive away.
The woman doing grilled cold noodles was slower at packing compared to the pancake vendor, but the table inside her cart, including ingredients and tools, had been mostly tidied up.
Only the vendor selling barbecue skewers hadn’t packed up yet, with smoke still rising from the charcoal grill, the aroma originating from his cart.
"There’s food!"
Seeing the vendor carts, Chen Zhou was overjoyed, hurriedly putting his phone back into his trousers pocket, and quickly headed toward the entrance.
The vendors, familiar with each other, always chatted and gossiped about recent town events when packing up—
A person had jumped off the hospital building again that day; it was reportedly due to some illness;
A few cars collided at an intersection in town, and upon inspection, the traffic police found out one was drunk driving without a license, a pity for the student who died in the accident;
A student at the No. 3 Middle School hung himself in the toilet with a shoelace after being scolded by a teacher; it was said the school’s location was formerly a mass grave, with something sinister happening each year around this time.
Last year, a student got killed at the school gate by a madman they provoked by throwing stones; it was said the student’s neck was cut off...
From afar, Chen Zhou was forced to "receive" the vendor’s gossip program.
This information skidded lightly across his brain without leaving any trace; he only wanted to get something to fill his stomach right now.
...
When people are extremely hungry, they often grow thicker-skinned and bolder.
Chen Zhou, who couldn’t properly communicate with his boss recently, found his eyes shining brightly upon smelling the aroma of lamb skewers, fearing the vendor might pack up early, and he shouted loudly before reaching the stall.
"Boss, don’t close yet, give me a hundred lamb skewers!"
"Sold out."
Hearing his words, the busy vendor waved his hand repeatedly, pointing at the empty tabletop—
The stainless steel trays on the table were mostly empty, with only a few unpopular skewers left.
By the time the vendor refused, Chen Zhou had already staggered over with a gait resembling a limp.
"What’s left? Grill them up for me."
He glanced hastily, pointing at several platters with relatively more leftovers, eager to start grilling himself.
The vendor looked awkwardly at the woman next to him, seemingly encountering such a customer for the first time, and was about to decline politely, but this young man reached for the table, grabbing a burnt lamb skewer and started eating.
"Hey, that one’s burnt!"
The vendor didn’t have time to stop him; the burnt lamb had already entered Chen Zhou’s stomach.
"This will do, any more?"
Chen Zhou licked the wooden skewer, as if savoring the oil from it, staring unblinkingly at the vendor’s cart, making him uneasy.
"Hey man, are you hungry or what...?"
"Starving, really starving, hurry up and grill, I’ve got the money."
A burnt lamb skewer not only failed to curb Chen Zhou’s roaring hunger, it had fueled it even more.
He urged the vendor, scanning back and forth among the three stalls, almost ready to shove raw meat into his mouth.
The vendor, who just talked about the madman killing, saw Chen Zhou’s unusual gait resembling partial paralysis, his speech lacking logic, growing increasingly fearful.
Intending to avoid serving him and rush off, but seeing Chen Zhou’s height intimidated him into fearing being caught, possibly ending up injured or worse—
Knowing that the insane can kill without legal consequences, if he got beaten for no reason, there’d be no place to reason out.
"Buddy, if you’re hungry, I’ve got two hand-grab pancakes left, don’t mind if they’re cold."
The barbecue vendor, at a loss, was relieved by the hand-grab pancake man who noticed the tension.
"Fine, I don’t mind!"
Chen Zhou, oblivious to his scary behavior, leaped to the pancake stall upon hearing the prospect of a meal.
The three vendors discreetly exchanged glances, confirming that this man was not quite right.
They maintained a surface calm without showcasing fear or empathy toward a mentally challenged person.
Continuing to pack up, albeit slowly—
Inside the cart offered a makeshift enclosure, providing a sense of safety; leaving the stall exposed them to the outside, heaven forbid the mentally unstable man act unpredictably, impossible to assess with regular logic.
The cautious woman even pulled out her phone, prepared to call the police if the situation worsened.
On the other side, Chen Zhou snatched the pancake the vendor offered and wolfed it down.
No hand-grab pancake with the modern seasoning was available on the island, making this the first taste in 28 years, coupled with unbearable hunger, his eating wasn’t graceful.
A pancake stuffed with potato shreds disappeared into his stomach in less than 8 seconds, his wide open mouth functioning like a shredder, swallowing it seemingly without chewing.
Hardly tasting it, he tore open the pancake’s wrapper, soon devouring the second one as well.
Licking the oil from his lips, Chen Zhou turned to the pancake man.
"Got any more?"
The vendor had made hand-grab pancakes for seven or eight years, never witnessing someone devour pancakes faster than noodles, speculating if the young man slurped them down.
Gazing at Chen Zhou’s eager eyes, then at the table, he sought help from the other two.
"Young man, I got nothing much left either, just a few sausages, take them if you’re hungry, without payment."
At her words, Chen Zhou rushed to her cart.
"I can’t eat for free, I’ll pay. I’m not dining and dashing, hand over the sausages."
...
Under streetlight’s glow, three vendors hesitating to pack watched Chen Zhou devour food like a vacuum cleaner.
Hand-grab pancakes, sausages, cooled potato shreds, freshly grilled skewers, nothing could "survive" in his mouth for over 10 seconds.
Amid the smoke, the barbecue vendor, resigned, grilled skewers, his gaze toward Chen Zhou growing concerned.
"Even if he has mental issues, you can’t let a kid go unfed! See how starved he looks!
The adults in his house were irresponsible, letting someone mentally unwell wander, what if something happened?
If he isn’t hurting others, raising a kid this far isn’t easy; heaven forbid he gets run over crossing a street, his family would deeply regret it..."
The leftover skewers on the table diminished with Chen Zhou’s voracious consumption, and as his stomach filled, his demeanor normalized more.
The barbecue vendor faintly felt this unfamiliar face wasn’t mentally ill.
But thinking of his safety, he mustered not the courage to voice curiosity until Chen Zhou finished the last skewer.