193: Chapter 193 The Last Voice

On the third day that the phone's battery remained at ten percent, Lin Feng picked it up from beside the tree root and pressed the power button. The screen lit up, but no low battery warning popped up, nor did the happiness map. There was only a single line of text on the screen: "Recording file playing." He froze for a moment. He didn't remember recording anything. He stared at the screen; the recording's timeline was moving slowly, but there was no sound. He turned the volume to the maximum, yet there was still silence. Ear padded over from the tree root, pricking its Ears to listen, but heard nothing. It tilted its head at Lin Feng as if asking: What is this? Lin Feng held the phone to his Ear and heard a very, very faint sound, like the wind, or like breathing. He listened for a long time before suddenly realizing—it was the sound of his own breathing. He had recorded his breath. When had he recorded it? He couldn't remember. Perhaps he had accidentally hit the record button while crouching one day, perhaps the system had recorded it for him, or perhaps he had recorded it intentionally. He couldn't remember. But as he listened to his own breathing, he felt the world was very quiet. Ear also leaned in, pressing its Ear against the back of the phone, listening for a long time. Once it finished listening, it pulled back its head and swiped the screen with a paw, stopping the recording. It swiped again, and the recording began to play once more. It swiped back and forth several times, as if playing with a toy that made breathing sounds.

Margaret came out of the Restaurant and saw Lin Feng and Ear huddled together, heads touching, crouching by the tree root. She walked over and crouched beside them. "What are you listening to?" Lin Feng handed her the phone. She took it, pressed it to her Ear, and listened for a long time. "Is this your breathing?" Lin Feng nodded. She handed the phone back to him. "Why did you record this?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I don't remember. Maybe to let myself remember that I'm still alive." Margaret looked at him and smiled. "You're alive; you don't need a recording to know that." Lin Feng said, "I know. But having recorded it, I know that I've heard myself." He put the phone back by the tree root. Ear jumped onto it, crouching on the phone, its tail covering the screen. It sat very steadily this time, not just for warmth like before; it seemed to be listening to that breathing sound as well. Even though it couldn't hear it, it knew a sound was there.

When Old Zhou came to deliver the mail, he pulled a letter out of his bag and handed it to Lin Feng. "Yours." Lin Feng opened it; inside was only a single sheet of paper with a single line of text: "Lin Feng, I heard the breathing you recorded. —System." There was no signature, but Lin Feng knew who it was. He was stunned. Hadn't the system left? He thought it had gone completely silent. He stared at those words for a long time. Ear jumped down from the phone, leaned in to look at the paper, sniffed it, and sneezed. It didn't like the smell of ink on the paper. Lin Feng folded the letter and put it in his pocket. He stood up, brushed off his pants, and didn't go anywhere. He crouched back down by the tree root, picked up the phone, and pressed the power button. The battery was still at ten percent. He opened the recording file and played it. The sound of breathing came from the phone, light and slow, like the wind. He listened for a while, then turned off the screen. He put the phone back by the tree root, and Ear didn't jump back on. It crouched nearby, the tip of its tail twitching slightly. Lin Feng looked at Ear. "Did you hear it?" Ear didn't answer; it stood up, walked to his feet, rubbed its head against his calf, then walked back into the tent, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. Lin Feng felt that Ear understood. Not that it understood the breathing, but that it understood he needed quiet.

In the evening, Lin Feng sat on the steps in front of the Restaurant. Not crouching, but sitting. Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms and sat beside him. The two of them sat there, looking at the sky. The stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. Ear crawled out of the tent, walked to their feet, crouched down, and looked up at the stars. It watched for a long time, then closed its eyes, curled into a ball, and began to purr. Margaret looked at Ear. "It didn't look at the phone today." Lin Feng said, "It listened. It listened all afternoon. It pressed its Ear to the back of the phone and listened for a long time." Margaret asked, "What did it hear?" Lin Feng said, "It heard my breathing. It doesn't recognize breathing as a concept, but it recognizes sound. It has heard my voice and knows it's me." Margaret smiled. "It understands sound better than you do." Lin Feng said, "Mm. It only listens, it doesn't think. Once it hears, it remembers." The wind blew over, carrying the warmth of breath, the faint glow of the phone screen, the aroma of coffee, and the light sweetness of mushrooms. Lin Feng closed his eyes and took a sniff. He opened his eyes, stood up, and brushed off his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret also stood up. "Will you still listen to the recording tomorrow?" Lin Feng thought about it. "Yes. Every time I listen is one less time I have left. When the battery is gone, I won't be able to hear it anymore." Margaret looked at him. "Are you afraid of not being able to hear it?" Lin Feng shook his head. "No. If I can't hear it, I'll just remember. If I remember, I don't need to listen." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, and Margaret followed behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. Ear jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree root, crouched on the phone, and covered the screen with its tail. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting the phone's shadow on the ground—small and square, like a sleeping box. The wind blew, and the shadow swayed, but it did not dissipate. Lin Feng stood in the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the shadow of the phone, the shadow of Ear, and the shadow of the breathing. He watched for a long time, then pulled the curtains and went to sleep.

[Chapter 193 End]