"When—"

The sound of the bell tower echoed in the silence of the church, as if to guide the spirits of the dead to a peaceful paradise. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

I stopped at the corner of the hallway, and Andrew studied the church plan a few steps away. The small map table was not up to his waist, and a floor plan was placed on the platform under the glass like an open book, and he bent over, his hands propped on the platform, and his eyes squinted at the tiny coordinates on the map.

I raised my eyes and quietly looked around, large straight pillars stood on both sides of the bright floor-to-ceiling windows, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows stood a straight black fence, the top of the high fence was made into a sharp diamond shape, cold and solemn, as if to pierce the sky, silently defending the dignity of the holy place. Beneath the fence were small bushes, with occasional sporadic flower bones among the dark green foliage, as if they had been carefully trimmed by a florist, and the verdant bushes gave life to the black and solemn fence, and from time to time one or two birds whose names I could not name landed on the fence, their little paws clasped on the cold railing, their heads turned sideways, and their eyes blinked at the high-roofed building in front of them, and after a moment they seemed to hear something, and fluttered their wings and flew away.

I was silent, watching them fade away, little by little, until they disappeared behind the eaves on the left, where I could no longer see.

Birds soaring in the sky.

The creatures closest to heaven.

Will they ascend to heaven with the souls of the dead?

I looked at the still blue sky, not a single cloud.

It was as if the eyes of the Creator were quietly gazing at the earth behind the blue sky.

Are you religious?

I do not know.

Because I don't know who I used to be......

I sighed, but after seeing so many dead lives, I began to wonder what was the meaning of existence?

We run around, we toil, chase everything that doesn't belong to us, fame, money, satisfy inflated vanity, trying to leave our mark on this world. But when my life ended and I looked back, I found that the traces I had walked had disappeared bit by bit like quicksand and turned into dust. I don't know if the people in the church of the corpses, when they went out this morning to say goodbye to their wives and children with a smile, did they think that they would never be able to get out of this church again? Their names, everything they've been through in life, whatever they've chased, liked or disliked, don't seem to make any sense at this moment.

What should people live for?

Some people are self-centered, proud of their lives, and give up everything just to stand in the center of the vortex of glitz and fame, but in the end they are swallowed up by the hurricane that passes by, and there are no bones left. Will the person standing at the top of the pyramid really be able to welcome every rise of the Celestial Stars? If not, then why are you constantly chasing after your busy life? Hungry?

Was this really the Creator's intention......

Did Eve eat the apple because of the serpent's temptation, or was it out of natural desire?

Retracting my gaze, I glanced at Andrew, who was still studying the map.

He obviously couldn't take the map with him, but not every hallway had such a signature guide, and he stood in front of the map with his back to me, and I guessed that he was probably figuring out the route and trying to jot down everything on the map.

I'm alive......

Looking down at my pale palm, there was some bitterness in my mouth.

Living in an unknown identity.

So, keep living.

Do your best......

After all, every second that passes now is beyond the reach of those who have become cold corpses.

"La-la-"

Out of nowhere, a soft song interrupted my thoughts.

What the?

I took a slight step forward, holding my breath and looking out at the empty corridor ahead.

"Ahh

Long, soft, with a childish voice, humming an unknown melody.

Someone......

Singing......

I could hear the singing, like a little girl humming softly.

A frozen place in my heart was quietly dissolved......

Lowering my arms, I closed my eyes and felt that the song seemed to quietly awaken the tenderness that had been sleeping in my heart.

It's familiar, it's a warm feeling. But for some reason, with a touch of inexplicable sadness.

When I opened my eyes, I silently looked at the long corridor where the singing came from, and this singing voice spread softly, like the warm spring sun falling on me, and unconsciously, I took one step and another step towards the source of the song.

At first, it was just a gentle hum, but gradually, a few lyrics seemed to emerge, and the soft children's voice could not be heard more really.

As if pulled by the song, I approached step by step, listening to the song, it seemed that the blood all over my body was purified a little bit at that moment, and the atrium that was tightly bound by fear seemed to finally be able to breathe a little, at this moment, I was so eager to get more peace, no longer worried and afraid, no longer frightened and suspicious.

“——”

The sound grew closer, from the initial gnat-like sound to the first distinct. The delicate and soft voice seemed to be a pair of invisible little hands leading me to stop in front of a room on the left side of the hallway.

A hidden door.

After a few seconds of silence, I gently grasped the cold metal doorknob and pushed the large, hidden brown wooden door open.

"Squeak-"

The room is simple but spacious, with red carpets, rows of brown wooden chairs, tall lattice windows, and sunlight reflecting through the glass to illuminate this small space. Stepping on the soft carpet, I easily opened the doorknob I was holding, turned my head a little, and the song became a little clearer, and I saw a person standing in the room.

A little girl.

Long warm brown hair, knee-length white dress.

She stood in front of the windowsill, singing to the lattice window, her hands on her chest, the sunlight shining on her tiny body, a faint halo around her body. Her voice is not loud, but it makes a pleasant sound, as if she is in the grass of a Scottish afternoon, warm and warm.

I pursed the corners of my lips, not wanting to disturb her, and walked slowly towards her on the soft carpet.

The small room is full of her soft singing, calm, peaceful, like a pair of gentle hands, caressing the deepest loneliness of the soul, with her warmth, expelling the lonely cold, at that moment, but it is like a spring dandelion lawn.

She didn't seem to notice my presence, and still sang to the window.

Are you singing to the Creator?

I listened to her pure singing, and at this moment I wished that her soul would not be stained by the blood in the church, and a resoluteness gradually rose in my heart, and I suddenly wished to be able to protect this purity, not to be polluted in any way.

Stopped, and I looked at her back in silence.

She was humming the same song.

A simple melody, but it inexplicably touches the deepest part of my heart. Her small body, her soft hair, and her fair skin were all shrouded in a faint halo, like the tranquility and beauty depicted in an oil painting, and I wanted to remind her of everything in the church, but I couldn't bear to break the peace.

"Does it sound good?" The little girl stopped humming.

I was stunned.

Her voice is beautiful, more realistic than her singing.

The little girl turned to look at me, her hair curling slightly in the air, and I stood behind her, looking at her slightly emerald pupils as clear as spring water, small nose, and a somewhat childlike ruddy face.

She looked at me and smiled softly.

My thoughts stalled a little with her smile.

"You ......"

Before I could speak, "Choke-" A loud sound of glass breaking instantly drowned out my voice.

A huge black object smashed straight through the glass window from the window and smashed down on me, I couldn't react, I only felt my body be pushed hard for a moment, and the impact pushed me out, "Bang-" My back hit the pillar next to me, and my head hit the base of the pillar at that moment, and there was a pain for a while, and my vision was temporarily blank.

Before I could react, gunshots rang out in the room.