feast
After handling the relevant matters in Moriko City, Cheng Xiangwu met with many people and traveled to and from the station many times.
Bai Yunxian was the first to leave.
After disposing of her mother's body as previously agreed, she looked at the two new tombstones erected at her family's ancestral graves: one standing alongside the one from thirty years ago, and the other in a separate row, where she too would one day be buried. Afterward, she didn't take over any of Bai Bai's affairs. Some called her foolish, some cursed her heartless, some praised her cleverness; she didn't care. She was leaving.
Before leaving, she served as Gu Wanqiu's attending physician for a period of time.
“If you were thirty years younger, I would suggest you have part of your brain removed,” a brain researcher advised the expressionless patient in the hospital bed, while looking at a professional impact report.
"What a pity," Gu Wanqiu said calmly. "And now?"
"…Take it slow. A full recovery is hard to say, but there are plenty of people who live long lives even with impaired mental function." Bai Yunxian sighed, moving the report aside. "You look perfectly normal. I'm quite curious how you manage to simulate normal activity, or rather, do you mind cooperating with me—"
Gu Wanqiu raised her hand, interrupting the dangerous remarks and stopping Yan Xizhao from frowning and saying something, and calmly said, "I mind."
“…I won’t force you before you are brain dead.” Bai Yunxian said, looking back at the report. She took out a few pages and put them on the table, crumpled up the others and threw them into the trash can. She looked at Zhou Yan and said, “If anyone asks why, just show them these reports. Tell the doctors to administer the medication to her according to the treatment plan I wrote. Don’t make decisions on your own or come up with any ideas on your own. If anything happens, just call me directly. Leave a message and I’ll listen when I wake up.”
"I've got it," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Our Xiaobai has become a good doctor now."
“…I never thought of becoming a doctor.” Bai Yunxian said softly, then nodded. “Thank you for your help, Sister Yanzi. I need to go back and pack my things.”
"Let me take you," Zhou Yan said, standing up and nodding to the people inside the room.
The door to this hospital room had kept many unnecessary visitors at bay for this patient. She had previously sent an email from her hospital bed containing records of inmates imprisoned in southern prisons over the years, including investigations into the Senhu No. 2 Middle School case and subsequent related cases, as well as records of unexplained deaths. In her capacity as the person in charge, she was establishing a legal framework for an unseen entity.
She had been preparing for these things for a very long time, but once everything was ready, all she had to do was send an email and wait for the results.
"Fortunately, the result wasn't too bad." Cheng Xiangwu peeled an apple by the bed. "But it would have been better to let someone else handle this. You didn't let Sister Yanzi testify before, did you?"
"...She told you about this too." Gu Wanqiu slowly shifted her gaze, her tone remaining calm.
“Yes.” Cheng Xiang nodded five times. “We don’t think you did anything wrong, or that there’s anything you can’t say.”
Gu Wanqiu blinked and looked back at the ceiling. "However, this is something I want to do."
She wasn't wearing glasses, and her unfocused gaze was fixed straight up, "because I want to hear you say 'thank you'."
“…I see.” Cheng Xiangwu was taken aback for a moment, then continued slicing the apple. “What did I used to call you?”
“Well, you can say ‘hello’ or ‘sister’,” Gu Wanqiu said, “but most of the time, you don’t say anything.”
“Okay.” Cheng Xiangwu had already guessed it. She picked one out, cleared her throat and said, “Thank you, Sister Wanqiu.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Wanqiu shifted her gaze but remained silent. Yan Xizhao, on the other hand, chuckled, then quickly composed herself before anyone could look at her, continuing to stand silently and dignifiedly with her hands behind her back.
“…You’re welcome.” Gu Wanqiu replied calmly, “You went to the mining area again earlier?”
"Okay." Cheng Xiang nodded. "Go and take care of some funeral arrangements."
After leaving the Senhu Grand Hotel, Cheng Xiangwu returned to the area alone before the events reached the Bai family's mine. She didn't go down herself, of course; instead, she used a pre-programmed robot that required no electricity or signal to return the mask underground. After a violent earthquake, the surveillance footage vanished completely, and the mine entrance collapsed.
Hopefully, no one will ever be curious about this again, she thought, as she left the disaster site amidst the throng of panicked mine workers.
"That thing will never appear in Senhu City again." Cheng Xiangwu could now say this with certainty, and served up the apples he had peeled and sliced.
“…I see.” Gu Wanqiu smiled slightly after hearing this. “Thank you, Xiangxiang.”
“…You’re welcome.” Cheng Xiangwu said, feeling a strange sensation, somewhat similar to the feeling of receiving a check earlier, but lighter.
Even so, those creatures still fly all over the world, and not every one of them can successfully find its native habitat, nor are they all as obedient as the one in Mori Lake City. But without a doubt, only the one in Mori Lake City has its own followers and has existed for such a long time.
Most of the suspects who attacked the Senhu Grand Restaurant on the day of the birthday banquet died on the spot, and most of them committed suicide.
“Most of them used guns.” Diana relayed the situation to her from the bar of the Nest Hotel. “I saw someone try to cut off their own head, but it must have been too painful, so they switched to bullets halfway through.”
As a journalist, she naturally recorded the scene as it was. At that time, the guests in the rooms facing the hotel square were moved elsewhere. They were fortunate enough not to have to witness the martyrdom firsthand, nor did they have nightmares about it.
Diana had nightmares for a long time, and her complexion showed it.
"What are you planning to do next?" Cheng Xiangwu asked. She had recently switched to drinking tea, while Diana still drank alcohol, but now she drank strong liquor straight, one shot glass at a time, until one of them could knock her out.
“…I don’t know.” Diana’s voice was low and hoarse. “I’m not needed here anymore. I’ve done everything I was supposed to do here. What else can I do?”
Cheng Xiangwu couldn't give her an answer. She looked at the head pressed against the bar table and asked, "What happened to those who didn't die?"
“They’ve all been arrested.” Diana looked up and smiled softly. “You could say it was almost a complete sweep.”
“…I see,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
“The follow-up will be very troublesome.” Diana heated the bar with her cheek, her voice slightly muffled and lazy. “Protect the scene, protect the customers, control public opinion, control social trends… oh, the last one isn’t really necessary in Senhu City…”
"I think we'll need it," Cheng Xiangwu said. "We might not have needed it before, but we will in the future."
“…Why do you say that?” Diana looked up.
“Hmm…” Cheng Xiangwu didn’t know how to explain, so she could only say with certainty, “From now on, the people here should no longer be inexplicably indifferent to what has happened.”
“…Oh, I see.” Diana sighed, then inexplicably regained her energy with a few breaths. She downed the last shot of whiskey in her glass and laughed as if she were fully charged.
"Have you found something you want to do?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.
"Heh heh," Diana chuckled twice, "this is the beginning of another long investigation!"
"Is that so?" Cheng Xiangwu took a sip of tea.
“Fellow professional,” Diana said, her breath reeking of alcohol, as she leaned closer. “Does Officer Xie have any new developments he can share with me?”
"...What did I tell you to investigate?" Cheng Xiangwu laughed. "Think about it yourself."
"Hey—" Diana teased, patting Cheng Xiang on the shoulder, "Why are you so good at teasing people?"
Xie Wuchang, or rather the investigation team, naturally has new developments, perhaps quite a lot.
First, their original purpose, namely the investigation into the cases related to Senhu No. 2 Middle School, has been updated with a specific objective. Led by Mayor Gu's appeal, they used the case records, clue packages, criminal records obtained by the Senhu City Public Security Bureau, and physical evidence obtained from Lin Che'an as their tickets to board this large ship called the "Senhu City Special Phenomenon Response Regulations".
With the goals of establishing controlled areas, enforcing new regulations, and protecting victims, they reorganized a larger and more diverse task force. They employed special intervention measures to manage and control the situation, aiming to integrate these enforcement measures into administrative measures, and incidentally established a special phenomenon response center.
In short, the case wasn't actually solved, but it dragged more people into it, making it seem more serious, that's how Jiang Ling described it.
Of course, the implementation of these measures will not take place in Moriko City. Although the draft begins with the name "Moriko City," the actual areas involved are much more distant and extensive, since peace has indeed been restored there.
"...Are you sure?" Xie Wuchang asked. After not seeing her for many days, she seemed much more composed. She no longer needed to hide her facial expressions as a barrier. She could now control herself well during conversations, even the direction of her facial expressions, and she talked much less gossip.
"Confirmed." Cheng Xiang nodded, but didn't explain further, because she was currently at the police station. She had been summoned to the police station to provide testimony because of her behavior at the birthday banquet. Although it was the Municipal Public Security Bureau, there were no police officers from the Senhu Municipal Public Security Bureau outside the one-way glass.
She answered Xie Wuchang's questions; that was how their relationship was supposed to be. Cheng Xiangwu sincerely hoped she would never encounter this person again.
“Ms. Cheng, we found some signs of a struggle in the conference room area on the first floor of the Senhu Grand Hotel,” Xie Wuchang said, but he didn’t present any evidence. He simply placed his hands on his knees and spoke as if it were a casual conversation. “Are those related to what you’ve said?”
"...Believe it or not, it's up to you." Cheng Xiangwu said that the on-site surveillance footage had been processed at the time, and even if there were extra bodies at the scene, it would have nothing to do with her.
“I’m not questioning your statement. Rather, given our previous collaborations, I’m more inclined to believe what you say.” Xie Wuchang sighed softly, as if he were genuinely worried. “We’re currently in the trial period for a series of regulations drafted by Mayor Gu, and we just want to maximize efficiency as much as possible.”
"Why don't you just light a candle and see?" Cheng Xiangwu said nonchalantly. "If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't."
“…We are not adequately prepared right now,” Xie Wuchang said. “At least until we reach an agreement with Ms. Du Qingyu, we cannot take this step.”
Now, whether by car or on foot, it's impossible to find No. 1 Qingshan Road from Qingshan Road anymore; the Du's Breeding Farm is closed and refuses to see visitors. And if viewed from above, the lake that was once named Senhu has vanished without a trace; even the swamp is gone, leaving only a huge crater.
Cheng Xiangwu didn't say anything, but Xie Wuchang heard something through the earpiece. Her lips twitched, but she suppressed it in the end.
“Okay.” She smiled. “Let’s assume there are no more UFOs in Mori Lake City.”
Cheng Xiangwu smiled, "Then can I leave now?"
“…There are more natural disasters than just natural disasters here.” Xie Wuchang’s smile remained unchanged. “Ms. Cheng, you know that everything you’ve suffered isn’t entirely due to this. We can always have something to talk about.”
“…This is so troublesome.” Cheng Xiangwu sighed, then said, “Xie Wuchang, you do look a bit like your captain now.”
“…Hmm.” Xie Wuchang seemed to smile somewhat happily, but quickly straightened his face. “Anyway, let’s talk about the issue of collective memory disorder that happened in Senhu City.”
"...You're asking me?" Cheng Xiangwu pointed to herself in confusion, "You think I have a good relationship with cats?"
The scabs on her face had scabbed over and fallen off, but faint scars remained.
“I was naturally talking about Miss Du Liang,” Xie Wuchang said. “Do you know where she went?”
“…She went to do what she wanted to do,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
Actually, not yet. After cremating Xue Rong's body, Du Liang originally planned to walk to her hometown with the urn containing her ashes, but the mobile map advised against walking. Cheng Xiangwu bought her a train ticket, and they set off a few days later. In the past few days, she has been dealing with Xue Rong's belongings at her home in Senhu City. According to her, they are all strange weapons.
"So I buried them all!" Du Liang told her. "Now the house is very clean."
So, it could be considered something she wanted to do, Cheng Xiangwu nodded, thinking this.
“But we couldn’t find any travel records for her,” Xie Wuchang said.
"In short, I advise you not to bother her," Cheng Xiangwu reminded Du Qingyu.
"...Why do you say that?" Xie Wuchang asked.
"It's just advice, you don't have to listen," Cheng Xiangwu said indifferently, then looked up at the other person and said, "Besides, shouldn't you be clear about this too, Xie Wuchang?"
The two looked at each other for a moment. Xie Wuchang heard something through the earpiece and smiled. "Let's talk about Ms. Arienor's problem."
"Didn't she already leave?" Cheng Xiangwu asked. "Why didn't you ask her your questions back then?"
“…Ms. Ariel is not a witness who is willing to answer questions voluntarily,” Xie Wuchang said with a slight frown. “Moreover, it is difficult for us to persuade her.”
“After all, their parents are here, so you can’t gang up on a foreigner.” Cheng Xiang nodded.
A few days ago, Ariel packed her luggage and personal belongings, preparing to leave Senlake City. Knowing that she could not easily pass through the security checkpoints of public transportation with valuable materials, she made arrangements in advance and adopted a more private mode of transportation, namely a private plane.
Before she left, Cheng Xiangwu saw her off at the take-off and landing point. But next to the plane, she saw a strange person who was almost as tall as the door and was covered from top to bottom by a straight, leg-length black veil. The tube-shaped black veil did not move with the wind, making the person look like a dark patch that suddenly appeared next to the plane.
"Ahem." Ariel cleared her throat. She was dressed exceptionally formally that day, at least three times more formal than she would at a banquet, meaning she wore at least three more layers.
She placed her suitcase where it was, straightened her back with her hands behind her back, and said smugly, "Wu Xiang, that's my mother—"
Before she could finish speaking, a cylindrical black shadow floated over, extending two hands also shrouded in black to pinch and squeeze her head, uttering words that Cheng Xiangwu couldn't understand at all. Ariyenor struggled to respond while trying to maintain her manners. Finally, she looked at Cheng Xiangwu, raised her hand, and introduced, "Mother, this is my friend, Wuxiang."
The dark figure paused, then suddenly moved closer to Cheng Xiangwu. Even at this close range, she still couldn't see the person under the black veil, only feeling some gazes, and then spoke, "Hello?"
"...Hello." A voice suddenly came from behind the black veil, speaking in strange Chinese, "Wu Xiang, would you like to come to our house to play—"
"Mom, Mother—" Arienoer grabbed the back of the black veil, her face filled with alarm, "She, she's not feeling well lately—"
The black veil was tugged and swayed.
"Okay." Cheng Xiang nodded. "I have some work to hand over recently, maybe next time."
“…Of course.” The other person seemed to smile, the tubular black veil returned to its stable state, she said something to Arienor, picked up her suitcase and went back to the plane first.
“…Anyway,” Arieno said, clearing her throat, “I’m leaving now. I hope our next meeting will be meaningful.”
"How can there be a next time?" Cheng Xiangwu felt that this person's appearance would always bring a lot of trouble.
Upon hearing this, Ariel was neither angry nor amused. She simply stood still, the wind ruffling the hem of her trench coat and the tooth near her ear. She raised her hand to pinch it and whispered.
"Why can't you be changed?" She didn't seem to be asking a question, her voice so soft that no one needed to catch it. "It's as if if I give this tooth back to you, you can go back to how you were before."
"Then give it back to me." Cheng Xiangwu stretched out her hand.
“No,” Arienor refused, dissatisfied.
“…Alright.” Cheng Xiangwu sighed softly.
Ariel smiled again. Without further hesitation, she turned and walked towards the machine door.
Watching her retreating figure, Cheng Xiangwu called out, "Aliye."
The other person turned around, but didn't turn back.
“Next time you come to see me, remember to send me a report at least three business days in advance,” Cheng Xiangwu said, waving his hand. “Goodbye.”
“…No.” Arienne responded with a smile, turned and quickly entered the cabin, closed the door, and waved through the glass.
Then, like an alien, she flew back into the sky.
Xie Wuchang, or rather the task force, was quite dissatisfied with her departure. "The key issue is what she took with her, Ms. Cheng. Those were extremely valuable raw materials, and also for us—"
“If she hadn’t helped you, you wouldn’t even have seen that thing.” Cheng Xiangwu ignored the implication in the other person’s words. “Just treat her like an alien. Come and take some souvenirs with you.”
While Ariel was indeed after the materials and caused a lot of trouble, she also did manage to resolve those problems. No one knows where her strange techniques and tools, or even her mind-reading ability, came from. In Cheng Xiangwu's opinion, ignoring all that and accepting what she offered was no different than taking a trip on an alien spaceship without any preparation.
“…We can’t think like that,” Xie Wuchang said. “Especially since we have no idea why she needs that raw material, or why she chose to come to Senhu City to explore this phenomenon.”
"Oh." Cheng Xiangwu scratched his face. "She said she came to visit me."
"...You believe me?" Xie Wuchang asked tactfully.
"Yes." Cheng Xiang nodded. "We're friends."
"Then do you know why she needs that raw material?" Xie Wuchang asked tentatively. "To be honest, apart from the special uses that have been recorded, we have no idea what the material is used for, and those special uses, if I may be so bold, are undoubtedly illegal."
"I don't know," Cheng Xiangwu replied. "If you want to know, go and try. Aren't there still plenty in the hotel, the mine, and the Bai residence?"
Xie Wuchang frowned, "But what that person has is different—"
"Do you really need that thing?" Cheng Xiang asked, then looked out the one-way glass and asked, "Do you also have people you want to resurrect?"
“…We need to contain the dangerous materials in a safe area,” Xie Wuchang said, frowning.
"Well then, good luck." Cheng Xiangwu nodded, then sat back down. "I'm not a scientist, I can't help. Can I go now?"
“…There’s something else about you.” Xie Wuchang returned to his polite and gentle smile. “Do you remember when Golson briefly stayed at your house?”
Cheng Xiangwu paused, propped her head up, looked at the other person, and said, "I also remember what you said, Xie Wuchang."
“Special circumstances, criminal cases cannot be delayed.” Xie Wuchang shook his head. “And you should also remember that we acted together at that time, and Gao used some extreme methods, which I believe were suggested by you.”
“…Sen Sen said that you police officers are scammers.” Cheng Xiangwu looked at the other person and smiled, “She’s not wrong.”
“…I don’t deny that some of the necessary questioning methods were a bit extreme.” Xie Wuchang’s expression remained unchanged, even becoming more gentle. “But when it comes to public safety, what we did was, and only for the sake of justice.”
“You’re saying I’m a bad thing,” Cheng Xiangwu said.
"Hahaha." Xie Wuchang laughed, then asked, "Do you consider yourself a good person?"
Cheng Xiangwu looked at the person across the table but did not answer.
“Everyone has their own motives, and I’m no exception.” Xie Wuchang lowered his eyes slightly and said, “We can’t see the results of what we’ve done in the short term, but no one can say that it’s meaningless. Ms. Cheng, we just want your assistance, not to criticize your actions.”
"What do you want?" Cheng Xiangwu asked.
“Ms. Cheng Song, your mother’s notebook,” Xie Wuchang said, “I know you gave it to Ms. Arienor, but—”
"Okay," Cheng Xiangwu agreed.
“…Oh.” Xie Wuchang was taken aback. “But aren’t you…”
“She finished reading it,” Cheng Xiangwu said. “She returned it to me after she finished reading it.”
"...Such a short time?" Xie Wuchang asked in confusion.
“Some people are just really smart.” Cheng Xiangwu didn’t care much. “You can take my mom’s notes, but don’t ask me anything, I can’t understand them, and don’t come looking for me again.”
Xie Wuchang listened to what the person on the other end of the earpiece said and nodded.
“Of course we will not intentionally disturb the daily lives of innocent citizens,” she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to work with you.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiangwu finally stood up and said, "I hope we will never meet again."
Before leaving, Cheng Xiangwu had a meal with Zhou Yan's family. They were all pleasantly surprised that she had regained her sense of taste. However, Cheng Xiangwu herself was quite indifferent to it. She ate whatever she wanted, probably because she had passed the age of having food preferences.
"Sister Xiangxiang had some favorite foods when she was little!" Zhou Mi said mysteriously as she leaned closer with a smile. "Hehe, you probably don't remember them anymore, but Master Mi still does."
"There's such a thing?" Cheng Xiangwu was quite surprised. "Could you please ask Lady Mi to tell me?"
"Hahaha!" Zhou Mi laughed with satisfaction. "It's an apple!"
“…I see.” Cheng Xiangwu was not surprised at all.
"The response is so lukewarm!" Zhou Mi was somewhat dissatisfied with this.
“Eh…” Cheng Xiangwu couldn’t give any outrageous response.
“However, things might not be like this in the future.” Zhou Mi nodded. “In the future, you will have food all over the mountains to try. Even then, Sister Xiangxiang, don’t forget about apples.”
"No, no, no," Cheng Xiangwu replied.
"Don't forget us either," Zhou Mi said, propping her chin on her hand. "I'll always remember you, and so will you, Great Immortal."
"No, not at all," Cheng Xiangwu smiled, and added, "Thank you for your hard work."
On the day Cheng Xiangwu saw Bai Yunxian off at the station, she also took the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the immortal.
“…Speaking of which,” Bai Yunxian said thoughtfully, “we’ve never doubted these cats…”
"...What, what do you mean?!" Zhou Mi exclaimed in shock. "Little Bai, you mustn't be disrespectful to the Great Immortal!"
"You should at least show me some respect!" Bai Yunxian corrected, speaking logically, "Let's not even talk about what happened before, when your sister Xiangxiang was beaten up by a cat that couldn't possibly have appeared in the middle of nowhere, and that Du Liang is glued to the cat and won't let go, and then there's the Great Immortal, don't you think it's lived a little too long—"
As she was speaking, she suddenly stopped, as if she felt a chill and touched her arm.
"Mmm," the sage said.
"...What do you mean?" Bai Yunxian asked.
"If one day a new species were to rule the world, would you prefer it to be a giant snail with a liquid metal shell that feeds on human souls, or a cat?" Zhou Mi asked, folding his hands in front of him.
“…Kitty,” Bai Yunxian replied.
"Cat." Cheng Xiangwu nodded.
"Mmm," the immortal replied.
"Not bad." Zhou Mi nodded in satisfaction. "The Great Immortal will continue to bless you."
“…Then please bless my little mice so they can still swim after I go back.” Bai Yunxian was convinced.
The sage has run away.
“…Sorry,” Zhou Mi said, “the business hasn’t reached the other side of the Pacific yet, please call again later.”
“…I’m truly impressed,” Bai Yunxian said.
At the station security checkpoint, Bai Yunxian handed Cheng Xiangwu an envelope. It was very light and contained at most a few scraps of paper.
"A change of address fee?" Cheng Xiangwu said as he took it, and immediately opened it.
"Your final payment for the commission." Bai Yunxian adjusted her glasses. "It was signed by the same person who just stood up and ran off to work."
"A change of address fee." Cheng Xiangwu nodded, put away the check, but found something else inside.
“There’s one more photo,” Bai Yunxian said, looking at her, then suddenly said, “I’m sorry.”
It was a photograph, a very ordinary family photo of three, yellowed and old, showing Cheng Song, Du Ke, and Cheng Xiangwu, who was only five years old and sandwiched in the middle, all of them smiling.
"...Why are you apologizing?" Cheng Xiangwu asked, puzzled. "When was this photo taken...?"
“This photo was taken when you were five years old, and it was taken of your whole family,” Bai Yunxian said. “You really liked it, but I hated you at the time, so I secretly took the photo home and hid it.”
“…Oh.” Cheng Xiangwu laughed. “You can do something like this…I had forgotten about it.”
"Have you forgotten why you like this photo?" Bai Yunxian laughed, reached out and pinched the photo, flipping it over to the back.
On the back of the same old paper, three people wrote "I love you" in different handwriting.
"I love you!" Cheng Song would hug her and say it directly and passionately.
“…I love you.” Du Ke would look at her and whisper as he braided her hair.
“…Mmm.” Cheng Xiangwu nodded happily, and then said, “I love you!”
They left behind evidence.
“…You cried,” Bai Yunxian said.
Cheng Xiangwu then realized she had cried. Her tears expressed her emotions before she did. She raised her hand to wipe her eyes, and the brief crying stopped there.
“…Thank you,” she said.
"I'm leaving," Bai Yunxian said. "The next time I see you, you have to be alive, understand?"
"I'll try my best," Cheng Xiangwu said, raising her hand to wave. "Goodbye."
"...Goodbye." Bai Yunxian sighed, turned and walked into the station, passed through security, and disappeared into the crowd.
Cheng Xiangwu turned around and headed towards Senhu City. She then saw off the other people who were leaving one by one. Finally, she left too.
But this is her home, and one day she will come back.
The End.
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