Chapter 6
Xie Xubai sat on a high stool, his eyelashes lowered slightly when he was thinking. The crossbar under the stool was a bit uncomfortable for his feet, so he subconsciously swung his leg.
He wasn't worried about whether Lü Xiangcai could handle Supervisor Zhao.
This commercial building has 32 floors; the higher you go, the higher your position and the greater your power. Even the usually arrogant and domineering manager only has authority over floors 1-4. The fact that Lü Xiangcai could obtain a key card for the 5th floor indicates that he is no ordinary person.
Just then, Lü Xiangcai walked out of the elevator as if nothing had happened: "Okay, it's all settled. I've changed this afternoon's work assignment to fieldwork. According to the records, we weren't even in the company during lunch break."
"If you want, you can go home right now, or go anywhere else to play, it's no problem."
The man smiled casually, his expression nonchalant, yet somehow convincing.
Given the current situation, even if Xie Xubai is incredibly resilient, it's impossible for him to return to his workstation.
Xie Xubai nodded and was about to turn around when the man, looking at the messy and dirty bar, suddenly called out to him, "By the way, have you ever read a book called 'Flowers for Algernon'?"
Xie Xubai turned around, puzzled.
"It's a story about a mentally challenged protagonist who undergoes cognitive-enhancing surgery and gains extraordinary intelligence. What's particularly regrettable is the story of the white mouse that underwent the surgery with him, which ultimately died due to the side effects of the surgery causing rapid mental and physical exhaustion."
Lu Xiangcai laughed and said, "This story tells us that there is a price to pay for acquiring knowledge beyond our current understanding."
"..." Xie Xubai stared at the man who seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
He certainly didn't think that Lü Xiangcai suddenly had a burst of urge to confide in him and wanted to tell him a story, or that the other party was implying something.
Recalling their previous conversation, Xie Xubai had a sudden inspiration: "You want to tell me that the reason you can't reveal the details about Manager Zhao and the company is because that's 'knowledge' I can't access; it's beyond my comprehension?"
This time, Lu Xiangcai showed a hint of surprise.
He had expected Xie Xubai to grasp the deeper meaning of his words, but he hadn't anticipated that the young man would understand in just a few seconds.
Xie Xubai, however, was already lost in his own thoughts. He had always been quick-witted and adept at applying knowledge to new situations.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but he suddenly stopped, and a relatively mature guess slowly took shape in his mind.
Is it possible that Manager Zhao was transformed into a monster because he came into contact with some kind of forbidden knowledge?
—But that doesn't make sense. If it was just Supervisor Zhao who went astray, why would the law disappear? That could affect the whole country, no, not just the whole country, it's already reached the point where it could shake the whole world!
—Could it be that the whole world had already begun to mutate without his knowledge?
"Hmm!"
Xie Xubai suddenly developed a headache.
Seeing the veins throbbing on his forehead, Lü Xiangcai was startled and instinctively steadied him, sternly rebuking him: "What are you thinking about? Don't think about it!"
He never expected that a single, vague sentence could lead Xie Xubai to think of those untouchable taboo knowledge.
How exactly does this person's head grow?
Xie Xubai couldn't hear his voice clearly, but felt that the inhuman pain was very familiar.
Yes.
He vaguely remembered that it was the same last night; when he wanted to go into the alley to check on the dog's safety, this inexplicable pain was preventing him from doing so.
Seeing Xie Xubai's unfocused eyes, deathly pale face, and his body beginning to convulse unconsciously, Lü Xiangcai clicked his tongue and raised his index finger.
A black droplet of water clung to his fingertip, emanating a chilling and ominous aura.
As the black water droplet approached Xie Xubai, the young man's pained expression eased slightly, but a thick, decaying aura of corpses appeared on his face.
Lu Xiangcai looked at the young man, his eyes shifting several times before finally letting out a soft laugh: "Becoming a monster is better than dying, right?"
As he spoke, he was about to drip water onto Xie Xubai's forehead.
Unexpectedly, a hand with distinct knuckles grabbed his wrist, stopping him from moving forward.
Lu Xiangcai looked down in surprise and found that Xie Xubai had regained consciousness at some point. As if knowing that the man wanted to save him, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's okay, I can still hold on."
The pain was more intense this time than last night, but he was used to it and managed to avoid fainting.
Unable to bear it any longer, he forgot that he was still holding Lü Xiangcai's hand, his fingertips turning white from the force.
Lu Xiangcai's skin turned red from the young man's pinching, but he seemed completely oblivious.
In his view, the young man's eyes were filled with boundless pain, yet they maintained a sliver of clarity, like a rock standing firm in a storm, unbreakable.
Snap.
Lu Xiangcai opened his other hand, which he had instinctively reached out.
The black water droplet wobbled, but eventually landed in his own palm.
Before long, Xie Xubai recovered, his whole body was soaked in sweat, and his throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire.
Seeing Lü Xiangcai hand him a glass of water, he took it and drank it all in one gulp, finally feeling much better: "Thank you."
The man didn't speak, but stared at him intently, as if he were getting to know him all over again.
“I made a stupid mistake…” he said, each word more solemn than the last, “I didn’t realize you had experienced an awakening.”
"But you didn't mutate into a monster; you're still an ordinary person. How can you have such a strong will?"
"An ordinary person who can freely approach monsters, understand monsters, yet remains steadfast enough not to be corrupted. Oh no, you'll become the object of all monsters'..." desires.
Before he could finish speaking, Lü Xiangcai's expression changed.
Xie Xubai only had time to glance at the soles of his feet, and that one glance sent chills down his spine.
The man's shadow is moving.
The shadow wasn't actually alive; it didn't move naturally with the light.
In a flash, it wriggled and swam, its speed far exceeding the limits of human reaction, clinging to the floor and wrapping around Xie Xubai's ankle.
Cold and smooth, wet and sticky.
The unprecedented, vivid sensation instantly sent shivers down Xie Xubai's spine.
Without thinking, he crouched down to pull the thing away, but the shadow was quick to take advantage of the situation and decisively changed its target, moving from wrapping the trouser leg to wrapping the wrist.
I love it, I love it so much...
Like the murmurs of an ancient god, filled with a primal and domineering possessiveness, it echoed incessantly in Xie Xubai's mind, leaving his brain blank.
Just then, Lü Xiangcai stepped forward, grabbed the shadow, forcefully tore it off Xie Xubai's wrist, and stomped it to the ground.
The shadow twisted and turned unwillingly, constantly bumping against the man's shoes, making thumping sounds, as if it wanted to repeat the same trick.
Lu Xiangcai closed his eyes and looked at Xie Xubai: "It's not suitable for you to stay in this building now. I'll give you paid leave. Come back to work when you receive a notification."
"And remember this piece of advice," Lü Xiangcai said, emphasizing each word, "In this already distorted world, 'ordinary' and 'normal' are the monsters' most coveted desires, but not all monsters have the self-control to cherish treasures, if they do..."
He swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Xie Xubai held his wrist, which was still chilled, and was momentarily at a loss for how to react.
However, he has one advantage: he is rational enough to quickly assess the situation and will not pry into things when he shouldn't.
Before leaving quickly, Xie Xubai turned back and took one last look at the room.
The chandelier swayed incessantly, fine cracks appeared in the walls, and the marble floor was shrouded in a thick, deep darkness, as if some terrifying monster was lurking underground.
Lu Xiangcai, positioned in the center of the darkness, seemed like a completely different person, his face gloomy and cold.
Noticing Xie Xubai's gaze, he looked over as well, and suddenly gave a nonchalant smile: "Go back, it's a small problem. Remember to message me when you get home."
Leaving the company building, Xie Xubai boarded the subway home as if in a dream.
The changes that had occurred in the past two days were more than he had experienced in half his life. His thoughts never stopped the whole way, either thinking about what had just happened or about the future.
Finally, he stood at the entrance of the alley where the dog lived.
The slender figure was nowhere to be seen, but faint sounds drifted from the depths of the alley.
Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes and pondered for half a second, then took a deep breath and mustered his courage to go inside.
His arrival clearly alerted something; several small figures darted out from the shadows in the corner and rushed off to deliver the message.
Xie Xubai caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, pretended not to know anything, and walked forward without looking to the side.
When he reached the deeper part, the dog was waiting for him by the kennel, suppressing the abnormality in its body.
Why could Xie Xubai tell that Gouzi was suppressing himself? Because Gouzi was panting, slightly baring his teeth, and there was still a lingering bloodlust in his eyes.
But those violent emotions immediately turned into trepidation when they looked at Xie Xubai.
This morning was the same. At that time, Xie Xubai thought that Gouzi wasn't used to him yet, so he seemed reserved.
Looking back now, the dog was actually very nervous, afraid that it would discover something was wrong.
But this makes no sense.
Xie Xubai felt a dull ache in his chest.
As a monster, Ping An was tortured to death by humans. Even if he wasn't as cruel and arrogant as Manager Zhao, he shouldn't have been so cautious.
Not all monsters have the self-control to cherish their treasures; if they do, it must be because they love their treasures to the core.
At this moment, Xie Xubai finally understood what Lü Xiangcai was trying to say.
“…Peace.” Xie Xubai suddenly said very seriously, “I just realized you’re a stupid dog.”
The dog looked completely bewildered.
I wasn't disliked or feared, nor was I questioned or doubted, but I was called... stupid?
"Silly dog!" Xie Xubai suddenly broke into a bright smile, rubbing the dog's face with his hand as if kneading dough. "Tell me, are you a silly dog? Hmm? Aren't you Ping An, looking all silly?"
Anyone who owns a pet knows that the owner is a mystery, and can go crazy at any time and place.
But the dog, Ping An, was unaware of this; it was inexperienced and still quite naive in this regard.
So the bewildered state continued until Xie Xubai became increasingly rampant and started to grope it, his methods so "cruel" that even the usually composed dog couldn't help but howl.
"Can't take it anymore? This is your owner's deep love. You're just a little puppy, you can't run away!"
"Woof!"
The dog was being rubbed too much, and it instinctively started baring its teeth. Suddenly realizing that this would frighten and disgust people, it stiffened up.
Xie Xubai reacted strongly as expected. He let out an exaggerated "Ha!", his laughter undiminished, and raised an eyebrow: "You still want to bite me? You've got some nerve, Ping An. Just wait to be punished by your master!"
Seeing the young man's smug expression, the dog, finally on the verge of breaking, whimpered and barked in retaliation.
It failed to realize that its reserved and introverted nature was slowly opening up, nor did it realize that the ferocity it unintentionally revealed was consciously ignored and subtly smoothed over by Xie Xubai.
There are no man-eating monsters or man-eating people here, only ordinary silly dogs and their silly owners.
—If being ordinary is a luxury that monsters can only dream of.
Xie Xubai looked at the dog that was howling and tugging at his sleeve, and his eyes crinkled into a smile.
So he wrapped the ordinary things up as gifts and gave them to the monster he loved.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a group of strangely dressed people finally saw their teammate wake up. While treating him, they hurriedly asked him what had just happened.
Looking closely at his teammates' bodies, they were covered in wounds and blood, a gruesome sight that would not be surprising if they were to die at any moment.
With the continued effects of the treatment, he finally regained consciousness. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, he was barely breathing, and his voice trembled with pain, making him incoherent.
"I was dragged into an illusion, turned into a pet-like person locked in a cage, and then a giant cat-like person appeared, standing upright, and it..."
My teammate suddenly shuddered, his eyes filled with fear, so much so that he lost his voice.
Under persistent questioning from others, he finally managed to speak again: "I saw the appearance of the Ghost King, but I couldn't see it clearly."
"It gave me a terrifying, powerful, and evil feeling. It didn't do anything itself, just watched the other cat-people and dog-people torture me, but when I thought I was about to die, it seemed... to have some urgent business?"
The teammate said uncertainly, finding it unbelievable: "It just ran off so impatiently, it didn't even bother to look at me again."
The others looked at each other in bewilderment.
The invisible live-streaming camera faithfully recorded this scene.
Author's Note:
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