area51novel Page 9
Page 9
Even if I drove right into the city hall, no one would dare stop me!
Gao Kui thought to himself, "Who would dare to stop you when you're pulling six rolls of steel?"
Chu Zihang became increasingly convinced that he was going crazy; it was illogical for Chu Tianjiao to drive the car into the city like that.
However, she still followed Chu Tianjiao's words and advised, "Dad, you shouldn't be so...reckless in the future. Driving a semi-trailer into the city, illegally modifying the vehicle, and overloading it is dangerous for both yourself and others."
There's nothing we can do about it.
Chu Tianjiao immediately changed his tune, complaining with a wronged expression: "There's no way to avoid overloading. It's not easy being a truck driver."
A single trip can cover thousands of kilometers, and the fuel consumption for an empty vehicle can amount to several thousand yuan. They are urged to set off before dawn, and being late results in a deduction of pay. Often, a single trip can even result in a loss.
It will definitely haul more cargo. Adding an extra trailer won't significantly increase fuel consumption. Considering the time saved, one trip is equivalent to two trips.
Sigh, we're all trying our best to live.
Alright, since Chu Tianjiao has said so, Chu Zihang naturally has nothing to say.
If this is fantasy, then no matter how illogical it may seem, it is also reasonable.
If this weren't the case, it seems that a pampered young master like him wouldn't have the right or the standing to lecture Chu Tianjiao, who was unhappy with his life.
Chu Tianjiao drove slowly.
Visibility outside the car window was extremely low; everything beyond fifty meters was completely white, and even with the fog lights on, it was still difficult to see clearly. The sky was pitch black, with occasional flashes of lightning striking the ground.
The few cars on the road immediately slowed down and fell fifty meters away after Chu Tianjiao overtook them. No driver dared to approach this deadly machine carrying six rolls of steel.
Amidst the torrential rain and thunder, a sudden burst of noisy and urgent horn blares came from ahead, and a red glow appeared in the rain and mist, as if there had been a car accident; in short, the road was blocked.
Chu Tianjiao glanced at the rearview mirror, then sharply turned the steering wheel to enter the emergency lane and continued driving forward.
This time, no Audi owner cursed.
The semi-trailer truck, more than 20 meters long, was moving forward in the emergency lane. Vehicles in front of it saw this deadly machine in their rearview mirrors and immediately swerved to the left to avoid it, fearing that they would be crushed into compressed towels by the semi-trailer that could not stop in time.
Chu Tianjiao gripped the steering wheel, skillfully maneuvering the behemoth into the gap created by the car in front.
The front and right side of the truck were pressed against the guardrail, while the left side brushed against the front and rear of other private cars, as if a collision was about to occur at any moment, but it just never actually did.
Whether those cars collided with other vehicles while trying to avoid them is none of his business.
"How was my driving? Pretty good, right?" Chu Tianjiao winked at the two little ones.
Chu Zihang was speechless. Four years had passed, and even though he had changed from driving a Maybach to a semi-trailer truck, this man was still as unconventional as ever.
Gao Kui looked out of the car and said, "Uncle, we're going to get yelled at to death by them. I saw some of them collide with other cars while trying to avoid them."
Chu Tianjiao immediately felt aggrieved: "What can I do? They should have given way. My truck has a long braking distance and is carrying more than 100 tons of cargo. I can't stop it."
It's better for them to scrape other cars than for me to total them.
It's said that it can't stop, but it actually can, since the speed of cars these days isn't that fast.
The semi-trailer drove recklessly in the emergency lane for a while before being forced to stop by the car in front: there must have been a car accident, with dozens of cars crammed together in front, leaving no room to maneuver.
With the car in front refusing to give way, Chu Tianjiao had no choice but to stop.
The three of them looked ahead at the same time.
The two drivers, holding umbrellas, were exchanging angry words in the rain when a police car pulled up from the other direction. A traffic officer in a raincoat got out and skillfully handled the accident.
Chu Tianjiao stared at the traffic policeman, his face ashen, like a mouse before a cat, his lips trembling.
Gao Kui and Chu Zihang's gazes, however, were drawn to the side road on the other side.
It looked like a side road leading to the overpass; the road sign was hidden by the wildly swaying branches of the willow trees. Strangely, it was an empty road, yet all the cars stuck in traffic seemed to ignore it.
Chu Zihang's heart skipped a beat; he knew where that intersection led.
The story from four years ago is repeating itself. Chu Zihang is torn, unsure whether to persuade his father not to go on the elevated road no matter what.
He couldn't tell the difference; he really couldn't tell the difference.
The father sitting next to me felt incredibly real. Although his profession had changed and things seemed a bit awkward, the connection we shared was undeniable.
But did Dad stop being Dad four years ago when he was left on the overpass? Everything back then felt real.
If Chu Tianjiao had come down from the overpass today and told him, "Son, I'm back. You've been waiting for four years," Chu Zihang would never have had the idea of getting back onto the overpass.
But the way he appeared was so strange and abrupt.
It was true four years ago, and it's true today, four years later. The father left on the overpass is real, and the father beside me is real too.
Chu Zihang couldn't tell the difference at all; he couldn't even tell whether what he was experiencing was real or fake.
But if he really had to force a distinction between truth and falsehood, Chu Zihang would still lean towards the idea that what happened four years ago was the truth, and that what happened now was just a fantasy, an illusion.
He really wanted to forget everything from four years ago and ignore the overpass entrance, but he couldn't.
Chu Zihang couldn't tell them apart, and neither could Gao Kui.
Emmanuel said he wanted to see Yuzuriha Inori again, and that he would take the overpass home tonight. Kao Kui felt that Emmanuel was talking about right now.
At the time, he thought Emmanuel was talking nonsense.
Now that he has seen the entrance to the viaduct with his own eyes, Gao Kui has begun to struggle again.
He knew perfectly well that Emmanuel, Constantine, and Yuzuriha Inori were all fake, and that the countless auditory and visual hallucinations he had experienced in connection with Emmanuel were also fake.
How did he distinguish them?
Dean Guderian and Chief Masafumi Tomiyama told him: You are not Jesus, not Hellfire, not the Japanese male high school boy Ouma Shu, you are Gao Kui with mental illness, those are just fantasies.
Only then was Gao Kui able to distinguish them.
But in reality, whether from the perspective of senses or feelings, those auditory and visual hallucinations that are judged to be false are incredibly real.
I remember some things and I don't remember others, but the memories I have now are absolutely real, without a trace of falsehood.
Gao Kui believed they were fake simply because the doctor told him they were fake. Without preconceived notions, Gao Kui still couldn't tell the difference.
Most importantly, Gao Kui, like Chu Zihang, can't even tell whether what's happening around him is real or fake.
Chu Zihang suspected he had schizophrenia, while Gao Kui knew perfectly well that he was indeed experiencing an episode.
Should we take the elevated road?
Should we listen to Emmanuel?
If it's just a fantasy, then going a little crazy is fine, right? Even knowing it's fake, Gao Kui still really wants to see Yuzuriha Inori.
"It's over, it's over!"
Chu Tianjiao's panicked murmur interrupted Gao Kui and Chu Zihang's chaotic thoughts.
The windshield wipers were whirring wildly. A traffic policeman who had just finished dealing with a traffic accident ahead seemed to notice the overloaded and illegally modified semi-trailer. He picked up his walkie-talkie, said a few words, and walked over.
Chu Tianjiao's face was pale. It seemed that his connections weren't as strong as he had boasted. He had been frightened by an ordinary traffic policeman.
At this moment, Gao Kui and Chu Zihang finally made their decision and said in unison, "Let's get on the elevated road!"
what! ?
Chu Tianjiao looked at Chu Zihang and Gao Kui with a puzzled expression, completely baffled. "Are you two crazy?"
The weight limit on the elevated road is 70 tons. My car is carrying a load of nearly 200 tons. Will I be able to get down after going up?
After Chu Zihang finished speaking and got on the overpass, he felt a little regretful. First, he felt sorry for his father, who was so genuine, while he himself was still thinking about his father from four years ago and doubting his authenticity.
He couldn't tell the difference, really couldn't tell the difference.
Secondly, I feel bad for Gao Kui, who is in a hurry to go home to take his medicine. What will happen to Gao Kui if he gets on the overpass and can't get off?
But Chu Zihang didn't expect that Gao Kui would also want to go on the elevated road.
are you crazy?
Go crazy.
Chu Zihang couldn't tell exactly who had gone mad, and he no longer wanted to make it so clear.
The traffic police outside the car continued to approach.
"Hold!"
Chu Tianjiao steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and jerked the steering wheel, heading straight for the fork in the road.
Four years ago, a car accident scene where no traffic police were present forced a Maybach onto an overpass. Four years later, traffic police at the accident scene again forced this illegally modified and overloaded semi-trailer onto an overpass.
As the truck drove past the road sign obscured by wildly swaying willow branches, the three men on board felt a sense of relief.
The 20-meter-long vehicle climbed up and disappeared into the white rain, leaving the traffic police and other vehicles behind it out of sight.
Chu Zihang closed his eyes and sat in the passenger seat, as if he had made a major decision. His heart was racing and his whole body was trembling.
Gao Kui leaned against the window, looking at the rain and railings outside, and exclaimed in admiration: "Our country's infrastructure is amazing! I remember this viaduct has a weight limit of 70 tons, right?"
Uncle's truck probably weighs close to 200 tons, but it's on the elevated highway and nothing's happened.
"Our country's infrastructure has always been very impressive."
Chu Tianjiao hesitated for a moment, then drove a distance and felt that the overpass under the car could support his heavily overloaded semi-trailer, which made him feel much more at ease.
Looking at Chu Zihang, who seemed to be terrified in the passenger seat, Chu Tianjiao quickly comforted him: "It's alright, son. Don't worry about our country's infrastructure. It's always been heavily overstated."
Unless you're unlucky enough to encounter a shoddy construction project, a road with a weight limit of 70 tons can easily handle a 300-ton vehicle without any problems.
I promise to get you both home safely today.
"dad."
"what happened?"
"sorry."
Chu Zihang covered his face and cried. After his impulsive act, he began to regret it. Suddenly, he thought, what if the father next to him really was him? Wouldn't he have harmed his father?
He can't tell the difference, he really can't tell the difference.
Chapter 7 Another one goes mad
Chu Tianjiao didn't understand why his son was crying. In his memory, Chu Zihang had hardly ever cried except when he was very young, just like Bu Jingyun, the Uncrying Death God in "Storm Riders".
Upon closer examination, Chu Zihang's character design is indeed quite similar to Bu Jingyun's.