At 2 a.m., the city\u2019s neon lights were finally beginning to dim. Leo sat in the back seat of his ride-share car, rubbing his temples wearily. As a junior data analyst who had just started his job, a month and a half of straight overtime had left him feeling like a lemon that had been squeezed dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His phone screen lit up, and the app popped up a notification that the ride-share had been successfully matched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour ride-share passenger, Arthur, has boarded the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo paused for a moment and looked up at the front passenger seat. He hadn\u2019t noticed when someone had gotten in. It was a middle-aged man wearing a dark gray trench coat. He was thin, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and clutched a black briefcase tightly in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry for getting in without saying hello,\u201d Arthur said softly, his voice carrying a faint scent of old paper. \u201cThe system matched us automatically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo frowned. While late-night rideshares like this were cheap, the chances of running into strange people were high. He instinctively shifted closer to the car door and glanced at his phone\u2019s navigation app. On the screen, the destination Arthur had set was a pitch-black, desolate area\u2014an abandoned industrial park on the outskirts of the city, forty kilometers away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so late. What are you doing out there?\u201d Leo couldn\u2019t help but strike up a conversation, trying to ease the awkwardness with small talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arthur pushed his glasses up and stared out the window at the streetlights whizzing by: \u201cI\u2019m going to meet someone. Or rather, to deliver a document that\u2019s ten years overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo\u2019s heart skipped a beat. An abandoned industrial park? A document from ten years ago? It sounded too much like the opening of a suspense movie. He stole a glance at Arthur\u2019s briefcase; it looked well-worn, with the corners badly frayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m an auditor,\u201d Arthur said suddenly, as if he\u2019d seen right through Leo\u2019s nervousness. \u201cI specialize in liquidating things that no longer exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThings that no longer exist?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLike a bankrupt company, or\u2026 a forgotten promise.\u201d Arthur turned his head, his glasses reflecting a cold glint. \u201cYoung man, you look exhausted too. Are you working yourself to the bone for that \u2018grand future\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo gave a wry smile. \u201cYeah, to get tenured, to buy a house, to avoid getting weeded out. I\u2019m worn out every day, but I always feel like if I just hang in there a little longer, there\u2019ll be light ahead. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLight, huh\u2026\u201d Arthur murmured, his fingers gently tracing the clasp of his briefcase. \u201cI used to think that way when I was young, too. Back then, I believed that as long as I submitted that audit report, I could prove my worth and change the company\u2019s fate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The car drove out of the city; streetlights grew sparse, and the surroundings were engulfed in deep darkness. The navigation prompt sounded particularly jarring in the empty car: \u201cTurn right in 500 meters to enter the abandoned industrial zone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cActually, there was a fatal flaw in that report\u2014it took me an entire night to find it,\u201d Arthur said, his voice growing somewhat distant. \u201cBut I was so desperate to win back then, so desperate to prove I was right. I concealed that flaw and submitted the report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo felt a chill run down his spine. He gave a nervous laugh and asked, \u201cWhat happened next? Did you get promoted?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe company went bankrupt. Hundreds of people lost their jobs, and that flaw became the straw that broke the camel\u2019s back,\u201d Arthur said calmly. \u201cAs for me, because of that \u2018perfect\u2019 report, I became the scapegoat\u2014and ruined my own career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The car slowly drove into the overgrown, weed-choked industrial park. The surroundings were deathly quiet, with only the headlights illuminating the mottled walls of the factory buildings ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here,\u201d Arthur said, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait, there\u2019s nothing here!\u201d Leo shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arthur stood outside the car, the night breeze ruffling the hem of his trench coat. He glanced back at Leo, a hint of relief in his eyes: \u201cNo, the answers I\u2019m looking for are right here. Young man, don\u2019t get so caught up in rushing that you forget to look for the signs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that, he turned and walked deep into the darkness of the factory building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo hurriedly got out of the car and ran after him for a few steps, but apart from crumbling walls and shattered glass scattered all over the ground, there was no one there. No footsteps, no sign of Arthur\u2014not even the black briefcase was to be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Standing in the cold wind of the desolate countryside, he suddenly felt a bit dazed. He pulled out his phone to call the police, only to discover that the name \u201cArthur\u201d didn\u2019t appear at all in the ride-sharing order history. The order showed that he had booked the trip himself, and the destination was right here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo froze in place, his gaze fixed on the reflection on his phone screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In that moment, he suddenly realized that perhaps Arthur never existed at all. That late-night ride-sharing passenger was nothing more than a projection of his subconscious fear of his current situation. That \u201cauditor\u201d was simply the voice of reason that had been scrutinizing his life and warning him when he strayed off course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked up at the faint city lights in the distance, then down at the desolate ruins at his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get so caught up in rushing that you forget to look at the road signs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leo took a deep breath of the cold, early-morning air and suddenly felt that the report he had to submit by tomorrow morning didn\u2019t seem quite so important after all. He turned and walked toward the car parked by the roadside. This time, he decided to take a detour to grab some breakfast and see where the sun would rise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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