After finding the project team and gaining an understanding of the situation, I spend quite a bit of time organizing the information. I also leave the company at three in the afternoon, preparing myself to head towards the city's police station to visit the staff in charge.
After leaving my company's building, I take out my phone, open my ride-sharing app, and submit my destination.
Since it's not the evening rush hour, I get a driver in just a few seconds.
He's in the vicinity, one minute... I glance at the notification and am very pleased that I don't need to wait too long.
One minute passes quickly, but as I look left and right, I don't see the license plate that I remember.
Suspecting that I've misremembered, I hurriedly unlock my phone to confirm the situation.
At this moment, I heard the chiming of a bicycle bell.
Uh... I subconsciously look up and see a green-orange bicycle.
Sitting on the bicycle is a young man wearing a dark baseball cap and a thin black coat.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
The bicycle stops in front of me as the man extends his right foot to support the bicycle against the ground.
His forehead is wide and his face is thin. His short black hair is slightly curled, and his eyes are darker than an ordinary person's—close to pure black.
His biggest characteristic was that, like a cosplayer, he wore a crystal monocle on his right eye.
Holding the bicycle's handle with one hand, the man adjusts his monocle with the other. He smiles at me and says, "You were the one who requested a ride?"
...
I did, but I requested a car, not a bicycle...
I open my mouth, unsure if I should answer.
At that moment, I even underwent existential questions: Who I am. Where am I? Where am I going?
"You're going to the police station, right?" The young man with the monocle didn't care that I didn't respond as he asked with a smile.
...No way? Is there really an option for getting a bicycle? And I selected it somehow? I slowly nod.
At this moment, there are only two clear thoughts in my mind:
Should I take a photo or video to post on my Moments?
Should I call the customer service to complain?
At that moment, the young man wearing the monocle points to the side of the building and says, "Wait another minute, my car is parked there."
As he speaks, he takes out his phone and waves it.
"Huh?" I still don't understand what's happening.
The young man presses the edge of his monocle and smiles.
"I did something in the nearby alley just now. I couldn't drive through, and the distance to walk here was a little far, so I rented a shared bike.
"I'm sorry, please wait a minute or two."
Since the other party has already said so and I'm not in a rush. I politely reply, "It's fine."
The young man immediately puts away his phone and rode his bicycle to the side of the building.
Soon, a white car drives over and stops in front of me.
"Alright, you can board it now." The car window rolls down, revealing the face with the monocle.
Just as I'm about to open the car door, I suddenly realize a problem:
The car displayed on the app is black!
Uh... I'm just about to walk to the back to look at the car plate when the driver waves his phone at me across the passenger seat.
"I have two cars.
"I'm driving this car today, but I bound my account to the other one.
"Look, my phone is right."
With that, he calls me.
Seeing that the number displayed isn't a problem, and considering how I've encountered similar situations before, I'm relieved. I open the car door and get in.
It's broad daylight in a bustling city. What is there to be afraid of?
However, the reviewing and verifications undertaken by the platform are really problematic.
When I get into the car, the driver with a monocle looks ahead as he picks up a cigarette box and hands it back.
"Want a cigarette?"
"Isn't smoking banned?" I blurt.
"As long as I don't mind it." The thin driver smiles through the rearview mirror.
"I don't smoke." I instinctively shake my head.
The driver holds the steering wheel with one hand, not really paying attention to the situation on the road.
"It's good that you don't smoke. I don't smoke either. Smoking causes one to have a ghastly appearance."
"Then why do you have cigarettes..." I follow up quickly.
As the car drives down the road, the driver uses his empty hand to touch the monocle on his right eye.
"There will always be some friends you need to meet despite you being unwilling to meet."
"That's true." I nod.
At this moment, I recall Vice President Wu from the company next door. Although he smokes, his appearance is definitely not ghastly. However, there's no need to say it out loud. I'm not someone who gets into debates with others in a professional manner.
"You don't look like a rideshare driver." I glance at the obviously expensive cigarettes, and glance around the luxurious interior of the car.
"Heh heh," the driver replies with a smile. "Is my performance that obvious?"
"You don't look like you make a living from ridesharing. You look like you come from a rich family." I give a random reason.
Either way, I can't tell.
"Heh heh, being born with a silver spoon doesn't bar me from making a living from ridesharing. It allows me to experience a completely different life from my past, and being able to see all kinds of unique people is a form of entertainment. Don't you find it interesting?" the driver says with a smile.
How philosophical... I nod and casually say, "That may be the case, but I think you occasionally only take a few ride orders and are usually busy with other things."
"Yes, I went to your building to investigate." The driver looks at the rearview mirror again, and his smile makes me feel a little strange.
"Investigate..." I'm at a loss.
"It's about an evil cult. They like to use vending machines to harm others." The corner of the driver's lips curls up.
...
If it wasn't for the fact that I already knew about it, I would've lost my composure!
"You're a private detective? Do you know a detective named Sherlock Moriarty? This might be his nickname." I suddenly have an idea.
The driver raises his hand to pinch the edge of his monocle and chuckles.
"Of course. We're old friends."
I don't know if it's my imagination, but I feel like he emphasized the words "old friend."
"D-did you, or any of you find anything?" I try my best to act like a bystander.
The driver half-turns his head to glance at me and says with an obvious smile, "Guess."
That's such a punchable smile... I rein in my emotions.
"I guess so."
"Then it's as you say," the driver says with an expression of "I know a lot, but I won't tell you."
"..." As I think about what to say, he suddenly straightens his back and looks ahead.
Then, he pushes the monocle on his right eye.
Suddenly, countless fragments appear in my mind.
Overlapping roads, tunnels, mixed colors, different signboards, pedestrians, cars that swept backwards rapidly...
They simultaneously explode in my mind at the same time, making me feel like I'm suffering from motion sickness.
"We're here." The driver's voice enters my ears the next second.
I get out of the car in a daze and squat down at the side of the road, feeling like I might vomit at any moment.
I recover after a while, but the ridesharing car has already left.
Thinking back, I suddenly shudder.
The driver resembled the emoji that The Star had mentioned:
