Watchmen Chapter 1

Edited and Translated by Owner – h.e.l.lo, all. This is a teaser. I’ll try and release more if I can, if anyone is willing to translate this series over at JFB, please reach us at our contact page.

I hope you enjoy it. I’m quite unfamiliar with Translating, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know. *flushes red*

Jiu Jie was unable to forget what had happened that winter; it was a turning point in his life, the source of an endless series of nightmares.

Jiu Jie grew up in Shěn City, the capital of the northern province. Every year, the winter was awfully cold, and this one was no different.

His mother had died when he was very young, leaving him and his father to depend on just one another. His father never remarried, the man hadn't even had the slightest idea to.

One day, after their evening meal, as Jiu Jie was alone in his room doing homework, a light knock came twice upon his door. Afterwards, it was slowly pushed open, and Jiu Jie's father leaned in.

Whenever Jiu Jie was doing his homework, his father would never disturb him, so he knew this time it must have been something important.

"I didn't disturb you, did I?" his father asked.

Jiu Jie's father's name was Jiu Ming Shan; he was a professor of psychology at a university. The man had the elegance of a scholar, and held poise and composure from the depths of his heart.

Although Jiu Jie was at that age where any boy would often be rebellious, towards his father, he was always respectful.

"You haven't," Jie Jiu smiled and then asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, we should talk."

He came in slowly, and sat down at the edge of the bed.

Jiu Jie turned his chair to his father, but from his father's expression, he had a premonition that this was something big.

"Son, I must tell you something very important, so you have to listen carefully." Jiu Jie's face was solemn as he spoke.

As if the other's mood was contagious, Jiu Jie's smile vanished, and although he was suspicious of what this was about, he nodded nonetheless.

Jiu Jie's father nibbled on his lip, and muttered something to himself for a moment; trying to phrase things the right way, he slowly began, "Son&h.e.l.lip;I&h.e.l.lip;alas&h.e.l.lip;"

His father gave a deep sigh, his face full of guilt and helplessness.

His hesitation startled Jiu Jie utterly. Unsure of what was going on with his father, all he could do was stare blankly at him.

"Enough, forget," Jiu Jie's father seemed down, but with determination, he pulled out a white envelope from his bosom and brought it before Jiu Jie and said, "See this envelope?"

"Uh, yeah, what's going on?" Jiu Jie asked in a daze.

"I will place this envelope at my bedside; if by tomorrow morning, it is still there, open it immediately. Everything I have to say is inside here, understand?

"I understand, but&h.e.l.lip;" Jiu Jie scratched his head and asked, "Why can't I see it now?" Why do I have to wait until tomorrow morning?"

"Don't question so much, you'll naturally know when the moment comes." said his father as he stood up and patted his son's shoulder; he continued, "Well, there is nothing else, you should continue with what you were doing, I will go."

Jiu Jie was baffled, completely unclear on his father's sudden visit.

Jiu Ming Shan went to the door, glanced back at Jiu Jie, and his eyes were filled with regret and reluctance to depart in that moment, leaving Jiu Jie stunned.

Afterwards, his father slowly turned back, the room door closing softly behind him.

When his father left, Jiu Jie felt apprehensive. Jiu Ming Shan would never deliberately mystify himself, and yet, just now, he was like that, so surely something had happened. What? Was it something that he could not bring himself to say? The idea of it left Jiu Jie restless.

After this, Jiu Jie's mind was entirely filled of his father and that envelope; with his thoughts in turmoil, he was no longer in the mood to do homework, and left to wash up early and go to bed.

That night, Jiu Jie could not sleep well. He had a dream, and this dream was quite clear, distinct even, that years from now the scene would remain as vivid as ever.

It was a boundless prairie; there were white clouds, and it was sunny.

Jiu Jie conspicuously gazed out to discover his father standing in the distance, his back to him.

He ran to his father, but as he was just two steps away, suddenly, a giant tee grew before his father's feet, grew at a rate visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, it had already reached clouds, it's branches expansive, as if to cover the entire sky.

Under the tree's shade, the world suddenly grew dark, a churning storm, and the sun gave no more of its light.

And at this moment, his father was on the other side; and from underground, an immense and dark insect-like creature, nearly ten meters long, slowly drilled out. The main part of it's body was thick and solid, and every segment had two black claws, as if this creature were some matchlessly large centipede.

The black insect wrapped itself 'round Father Jiu tightly, and opened its b.l.o.o.d.y mouth wide open as a sacrificial bowl, and roared.

Jiu Jie was terrified by the scene; he called out to his father, but no matter how he shouted, his father turned a deaf ear to him, kept his back to him.

In this new found darkness, the large insect threw it's head back, roared, and then swallowed the man whole.

As he saw this, Jiu Jie sat on the ground, stupefied!

The black insect had swallowed Jiu Jie's father, and then it turned and writhed, and launched itself towards Jiu Jie; and in a blink of an eye, it had reached him. It raised itself before Jiu Jie, and from its giant, open maw, filled with saw-like teeth, a thick, pungent wind slammed into his face; the breath rustling Jiu Jie's hair and beard and his outer robe fluttered.

Jiu Jie, for a split second, was completely gripped by fear; his innermost being, filled with dread and despair began to bubble out, and it seemed drive his very being into an endless abyss.

Suddenly, when it became a matter of life or death, an individual with a well-built physique appeared unexpectedly at his side; a middle-aged man. That man held up, with both hands, a mere red bottle, high over his head.

The moment the black insect pounced at Jiu Jie, the red bottle suddenly emitted a golden light; that golden light flew in the air and exploded, changing into a matchessly large, blazing sun; the burning suns.h.i.+ne drove away the boundless darkness, and that enormous tree, under the irradiation, collapsed at a rate faster than when it grew.

The vicious, black insect hissed in pain under the golden light, and drilled into the grownd, vanis.h.i.+ng before him in a flash.

Suddenly, when Jiu Jie came back to his senses, the gra.s.sland had restored to it's original peaceful appearance; the only difference was that his father was gone.

Jiu Jie was shaken and in doubt; he turned to look at his side at the middle-aged man, and asked, "Who are you? Just what was that?"

"Someone wants you dead; I just saved you." The man said, insipidly.

"What about my father?" Jiu Jie asked hastily.

The man slowly shook his head, and with reluctance he said, "Sorry, I can only save one."

When Jiu Jie heard this, it was as if his entire body was like ice, and he stared blankly.

The northern winter night was long, and by six o'clock in the morning, the earth was still murky.

Jiu Jie awoke from the dream; it was 6:30 AM; the sky was still dark, the bedroom still dark.

He set to compose himself; the things in the dream seemed so lifelike that that intensity and despair he felt from beginning to end had swept over him, and he was almost convinced that it was all truly real.

"It was just a dream," he said to himself with a lingering fear.

In a few, he'd have to go to school; Jiu Jie felt sleepy, but he still got up from the bed.

Only, what happened in the dream seemed to haunt his thoughts, as if it were an ethereal darkness that was impossible to get rid of.

He arrived at his father's bedroom door, and lightly pushed it open; stealthily, he popped his head in, his heart couldn't help but "b.u.m b.u.m" palpitate.

The sky had yet to brighten the bedroom, and the lamp was closed; Jiu Jie had to wait till he adapted to the dim lighting, gradually being able to see what was inside.

His father laid there in bed, sleeping very heavily – motionless, as usual.

Jiu Jie let loose a breath, and muttered to himself, "In the end, a dream is only a dream. How could I take it so seriously? One can really be so foolis.h.!.+"

He was just about to leave when from the corner of his eyes, he vaguely got a glimpse of the bedside table, and on top laid a single white envelope.

As he moved, he suddenly remembered what his father had said to him last night, and an intense curiosity drove him to tiptoe up to the bedside table and gently pick up the envelope.

The envelope was light and very thin; Jiu jie opened it and unfurled the sheet of paper. Because the lighting was dim, the contents of the letter was barely visible.

Jiu Jie left the room, came to the living room, and turned on the light. He read carefully:

"Son, if you’re reading this letter, then I have lost. Don't be sad; everyone dies at some point. I am unafraid to die because I can now see your mother again, however the road you travel is still a long one. You have to be strong and keep on living!

"Don't ask why. You are still young, and a lot of things I do not tell you to protect you. When you grow up, you will understand someday.

"In the next few days, there will be an individual that calls himself Luo Yi De; he's a middle-aged man who will come to find you. Follow him, and he will arrange everything for you.

"My dear son, not being able to accompany you as you go through life is my biggest regret.

"Perhaps you will be sad, puzzled, unwilling, or just angry; but there is something you should never doubt, and that is that I will always love you!

"Please, forgive me."

The letter Jiu Jie's left was not long, only a few, short words, and yet, it left Jiu Jie shaken to the core. His entire body felt naked and cold, the blood drained from his body.

Both of Jiu Jie's hands seemed to be glued to the letter; he looked it over and over, from beginning to end, and he could not believe what his eyes were seeing.

He slapped himself.

"Smack!" His cheek was left with a burning sensation.

It's not a dream?

Jiu Jie threw away the paper, and dazedly entered his father's bedroom.

The winter nights of Shen City were very long; it was only now that the sun barely appeared over the horizon, but the faint light of dawn could not penetrate the thick curtains, leaving the room dim.

Jiu Jie trembled as he walked to his father's bedside, he slowly stretched out his trembling hand.

He placed it on his father's wrist, his heart feeling like it was in his mouth.

At that moment, for Jiu Jie, time seemed to still – the world became a void.

It can't be true.

This is a joke.

F****K!

What came next, Jiu Jie would never forget.

He did not feel a pulse as he held his father's cold wrist.

Jiu Jie's mind went blank, and he instantly lost consciousness.

He could still remember the feel of that ice-cold wrist, and that endless loss.