第30章

I left the antique shop that day, carrying the sculpture and a profound sense of disorientation and intrigue. I still had deadlines to meet, bills to pay, and a normal life to live.

But the rain forest had left its mark on me. I would never see the world the same way again. The mundane reality of the city felt thin and transparent, as if a hidden layer of existence lay just beneath the surface, waiting to be unveiled.

I returned to my apartment, the fused sculpture placed on my desk, next to my laptop. It was a tangible reminder of everything I had experienced.

Sometimes, in the quiet of the night, I would hear faint whispers, like the rustling of leaves or the trickling of water. Sounds that seemed to come from the sculpture, or from the depths of my own mind.

And sometimes, I would see flashes of twisted forms in the corner of my vision, fleeting shadows that vanished the moment I turned to look.

The memory of the Lin Xiao and the Lim Ling was etched into my mind, a constant presence that reminded me that the world is a far more mysterious and wonderous, and sometimes terrifying, place than I had ever imagined.