For the 108th time, Ryan swiped away the “Order Overdue” warning on his phone as his electric scooter sliced through two curtains of rain. Three extra-spicy bowls of hot pot sat in the insulated box behind him, their red-oil aroma mingling with the rain and wafting straight up his nose.
“Are the Thunder Lord and Lightning Goddess running a Singles’ Day sale or something?” He wiped rain off his fogged-up goggles and glanced at the map, which showed Qingshi Road, No. 444, just ahead. A lightning bolt suddenly split the old locust tree at the corner. A jolt of electricity surged through the handlebars, and a mechanical female voice suddenly sounded from the insulated box: “Beep! Host detected enduring the ninth heavenly tribulation. Merit Protection Mode automatically activated, ”
When he opened his eyes again, the asphalt had turned to flagstones, and the insulated box was wedged beneath an ornate gate tower. Across the street, a suona rendition of “Love Is Like Fire” drifted over. A dozen gray-faced old men were swaying their water sleeves in a zombie-style square dance. The lead dancer, an older woman, even had an ID badge hanging around her neck: “Yellow Springs Performing Arts Troupe, Senior Instructor.”
“What the hell, did they spend a fortune on this cosplay?” Ryan pulled out his phone to film a TikTok, only to find a bagua symbol where the signal bars should have been. The insulated box suddenly sprang open, and three boxes of spicy hot pot floated into the air in a triangular formation. The red oil formed seal-script characters like on-screen comments: [Watch your back!]
