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Chapter 41: With their backs against a large lion, they kissed continuously and tenderly.
“The ‘sea area’ varies from person to person, and the ‘sea area’ presented by different spiritual worlds is completely different.
Some people have rich sea areas, while others have barren ones. Qin Ge has seen mountains, oceans, snow-capped towns, and even a slow-moving red balloon in the densely packed city skyscrapers.
But he never thought he would step into a wasteland in Xie Zijing’s ‘sea area.’
As far as the eye could see, there were nothing but the remnants of a fierce fire. Blood-red vines climbed on the blackened ruins. The hazy sky above dripped with foul-smelling rain, dripping through Qin Ge’s body and creating shallow ripples in the water on the ground. The ripples spread like ribs, pushed out one after another, and were illuminated by the cold moonlight, extending far away from Qin Ge’s feet.
This was an endless expanse of ruins, and in the far distance, a cold silver light shimmered faintly. The ruins were soaked in shallow water, and as Qin Ge took a step forward, it felt like countless small hands were clinging tightly to his shoes, making each step difficult.
It was as if there had once been a massive city here, bustling with life. But now, all that filled this ‘sea area’ was silent death.
Qin Ge couldn’t go any further. Charred beams blocked his path, and he tried to crawl under them, but the water was full of sharp rocks.
In the midst of the ruins, a small house stood abruptly, perfectly square and white on all sides, free from any impurities. Xie Zijing stood in front of the house, and he seemed to be enveloped in a white light, making his expression unclear.
“You can’t go there,” Xie Zijing shouted when he saw Qin Ge climbing up the collapsed wall and moving toward the distant silver light. “It’s a waste of effort! Even I can’t get there.”
Qin Ge didn’t believe it. He clenched his teeth and crawled forward towards the light. His body wasn’t truly in the ruins, which he was thankful for. There were too many hidden traps in the ruins, but none of them could harm him. He held his breath and kept crawling forward until he sensed that the time to patrol this ‘sea area’ was almost up, and only then did he stop.
The silver light was still floating in the distance; the distance hadn’t changed. Qin Ge looked back, and Xie Zijing and the little white house were far behind him. It was as if someone had placed a white cube in the middle of a black, uneven wreckage and then put a tiny person inside it.
The pain of thinking that Xie Zijing walked through this kind of wasteland every day, leaving one breathless, tightened Qin Ge’s heart.
He crawled back, and Xie Zijing walked a few steps toward him and shouted loudly, “I warned you!”
Qin Ge’s head was buzzing, and he knew he was about to leave this ‘sea area.’ Whether he would have the courage to come back next time, he wasn’t sure.
“Have you always been here?” Qin Ge shouted, “Xie Zijing! Answer me!”
The cold wind inflated the young man’s sportswear, and the cold rain passed through his body, hitting the ground. Qin Ge heard Xie Zijing’s voice, a voice he was used to, slightly hoarse, the sound of someone whose throat had been worn down by nicotine and tobacco.
“Qin Ge?”
He heard Xie Zijing calling his name. It was a voice he had become accustomed to, a bit hoarse, marked by the invasion of nicotine and tobacco.
Qin Ge pushed him aside and rushed to the bathroom. He kneeled by the toilet and vomited, emptying everything from his stomach. Tears streamed down his face, and Qin Ge couldn’t tell whether it was because of what he had seen in the ‘sea area’ or because of the vomiting. He reached out for tissue but found his fingers weak and trembling; even the simple act of grabbing was a struggle. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, and he felt lightheaded, with a constant ringing in his ears.
But what frightened him the most was the complete absence of any thoughts that could lift his spirits.
A heavy sense of depression had taken over his mind, and he knelt on the bathroom floor, contemplating whether he should stick his head into the toilet and flush it.
But that was impossible. This was a wasteland.
It was a wasteland that had been utterly destroyed, and he couldn’t fix it. His abilities were not enough to rebuild it. He even regretted entering Xie Zijing’s ‘sea area.’ Lu Qinglai was right; it was something deliberately concealed, something that no one should touch, and no one could do anything about it.
He heard a sound from behind him and turned his head. Xie Zijing stood at the bathroom door, looking at him but not approaching.
Qin Ge’s vision was blurry, and he used a tissue to wipe his eyes, sniffing. For the first time, he saw a timid expression on Xie Zijing’s face, as if he wanted to ask something but couldn’t find the words.
Qin Ge raised his hand and slapped himself, the pain briefly snapping him back to reality. If it were any other time, Xie Zijing would have rushed in to help him, seeing him in this state. But not this time. Qin Ge was both angry and saddened. He wiped his mouth, his face, and his nose with the tissue until there was nothing left to wipe, then turned and buried his head in Xie Zijing’s arms.
Xie Zijing instinctively held him.
“It’s cold…” Qin Ge wiped his tears with his clothes and mumbled, nestled in Xie Zijing’s arms, “I’m dying.”
He extended his slightly trembling hand, and a swirling, hazy mist formed in his palm, which dissipated after a moment. Qin Ge, still not satisfied, stared at his palm, but this time even the mist didn’t appear. There was only a faint breath of weakness that climbed up his arm and vanished in his hand.
“It’s no use, Rabbit,” Qin Ge said. “It won’t come out.”
Xie Zijing’s grip on his arms tightened briefly, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally embraced Qin Ge tightly, just like he did a moment ago.
“Don’t force yourself,” he whispered into Qin Ge’s ear. “I understand.”
Qin Ge heard Xie Zijing’s deep sigh, a mixture of relief and understanding.
Your ‘sea area’ is not disgusting at all, and there’s nothing abnormal about it. Qin Ge intended to tell him in detail to put his mind at ease completely, but Xie Zijing’s embrace was too tight. Speaking was difficult, so he simply buried his head in Xie Zijing’s embrace and sighed deeply, just like he did.
“There’s no way here,” that’s what 18-year-old Xie Zijing had said. But Qin Ge didn’t believe it. If there was no path before, he was willing to open up a new one for Xie Zijing, a path that could lead him out of the wasteland. The regret and frustration he felt earlier slowly disappeared, like the receding tide, returning to the deep ocean. Qin Ge listened to Xie Zijing’s heartbeat, and, in the midst of dizziness that grew stronger by the moment, a new thought emerged.
He didn’t yet know the limits of his abilities. But from this moment on, he was determined to explore for Xie Zijing.
If the city in the ‘sea area’ had been destroyed, he would rebuild it for Xie Zijing.
After washing his face and hands for Qin Ge, who was now sitting by the bathtub, Xie Zijing looked at the bathroom and then back at Qin Ge, asking, “Do you want me to help you take a bath?”
Qin Ge: “No need, just go.”
Xie Zijing left the bathroom but soon returned, sticking half of his body through the door and saying, “I’ll let Lion keep you company.”
Qin Ge had just managed to get his clothes off and was unable to see clearly, so he nodded.
After a hot bath, he felt somewhat better; at least his hands and feet had regained warmth. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, and he regretted not letting Xie Zijing ask Yan Hong for some sleeping pills. As Qin Ge and Lion walked out of the bathroom, he was taken aback: Xie Zijing was sitting on the floor near the bathroom door, waiting for him.
“I need some lemon water,” Qin Ge said. “Extra lemon; I want it to be sour.”
Xie Zijing immediately got up and rushed to the kitchen.
The lemon water cleared his throat and stomach, making Qin Ge feel much better. He and Xie Zijing sat together on the balcony. Xie Zijing kept shifting around, trying to find a comfortable position, but eventually, Qin Ge leaned against him. This time, Xie Zijing didn’t move, and it was quite a while before he asked, “Aren’t you going to rest?”
“I can’t sleep,” Qin Ge replied. “Lying down makes it easy to have nightmares.”
After he spoke, he realized that it didn’t sound right, so he hurriedly explained, “Not because of your ‘sea area,’ but in any abnormal ‘sea area’ I patrol, I tend to…”
“I know,” Xie Zijing interrupted. With one hand resting lightly on Qin Ge’s waist, he nuzzled his wet hair, leaving almost imperceptible kisses.
Every word Qin Ge uttered seemed to hit upon one of Xie Zijing’s sensitivities. He needed to hold onto himself, to be close, to find security in the touch of his skin.
Neither of them spoke for a while, and the cool breeze outside the balcony rustled the leaves of a tall poplar tree, creating a shushing sound. Qin Ge placed his hand on the back of Xie Zijing’s hand, ensuring their palms were pressed against his abdomen. In this moment of silence, Qin Ge suddenly understood Xie Zijing’s fears.
Xie Zijing was like a person with no past. He had awakened in a state of confusion, finding that all his previous memories were like fragmented pieces, and he couldn’t even clearly identify who he was. After that, he had been subjected to various suggestions added by Lu Qinglai, which distorted his self-judgment and made him fear the exploration of others. He even defaulted to the idea that his ‘sea area’ was not suitable for others to see.
Now, he finally had Qin Ge’s affirmation.
“When you woke up in the hospital, did anyone explore your ‘sea area’?” Qin Ge suddenly remembered something.
“Yes,” Xie Zijing replied, “Lu Qinglai.”
Qin Ge sat up straight, surprised. “How did he end up there?”
“At the time, the Western Office invited New Hope’s graduates for research, and Lu Qinglai happened to be one of the teachers leading the group,” Xie Zijing told Qin Ge. “When I woke up and found my parents missing, they realized something was wrong, and since Lu Qinglai was an adjuster, they asked him to come and explore my ‘sea area’.”
Xie Zijing licked his lips and continued with difficulty, “I lied to you. Even though I don’t remember what my ‘sea area’ used to be like, Lu Qinglai told me that it had been destroyed. This may be the reason for my confused memories.”
The connection between Lu Qinglai and Xie Zijing’s interactions was finally becoming clear.
Qin Ge suspected that Lu Qinglai had discovered during that exploration that Xie Zijing’s ‘sea area’ was excellent material for his research. He was dedicated to studying the relationship between personalities and ‘sea area,’ and he had the perfect subject right in front of him—someone whose ‘sea area’ had been shattered, turning Xie Zijing into the ideal research subject: Lu Qinglai could gradually mold Xie Zijing’s shattered personality into what he wanted through continuous exploration and the addition of negative suggestions.
“…That night, near Jiwu Temple and in the direction of Luquan, something unusual did happen,” Qin Ge told Xie Zijing. “It’s very difficult for a ‘sea area’ to be destroyed in a short time.”
Xie Zijing nodded and held Qin Ge in his arms again, as if reluctant, saying softly, “I’m entrusting my ‘sea area’ to you.”
He told Qin Ge that after Lu Qinglai had explored his ‘sea area,’ he claimed that a significant blow had led to his memory regression, and he couldn’t remember what had happened that day at all. When the New Hope team left the Western Office, they took Xie Zijing with them. Upon learning that Xie Zijing had received the admission notice from New Hope, Lu Qinglai was very enthusiastic and even volunteered to take care of Xie Zijing’s daily life.
Xie Zijing’s father was a guide, and his mother was a regular person. They had settled here due to their work, and there were no other relatives in the area. Xie Zijing became very dependent on Lu Qinglai. As his teacher, Lu Qinglai took care of everything for him. His parents’ disappearance case was taken over by the Western Office, but there were still no leads to this day.
Qin Ge didn’t have the heart to remind Xie Zijing that Lu Qinglai might have made suggestions during the first exploration. He had made Xie Zijing trust him unconditionally. Qin Ge believed that Lu Qinglai was controlling Xie Zijing, but this couldn’t explain why Lu Qinglai had recommended that Xie Zijing work at the Western Office after graduation.
“There are too many mysteries surrounding him,” Qin Ge sighed as he pondered. “I need to go see Gao Tianyue again and talk about Lu Qinglai, as well as the four people in our department.”
“I’ve also started to feel that something’s not right,” Xie Zijing said slowly as he gazed at the night sky and the city lights. He began to speak about many things that had been on his mind.
After entering university, his interactions with Lu Qinglai had become even more frequent. Xie Zijing’s roommates knew that his parents were absent, but this teacher, Mr. Lu, had become like a father figure to him, treating him with great care. Lu Qinglai had told Xie Zijing that due to issues with his ‘sea area,’ he needed to be explored every week.
“He explored the complete ‘sea area,’ the one you just saw…” Xie Zijing took a deep breath and continued, “There’s my self-awareness in the ‘sea area,’ and Lu Qinglai would say many things to that awareness.”
Qin Ge asked, “For example, that your ‘sea area’ is very disgusting, and no one can accept it?”
“Even more direct,” Xie Zijing looked into Qin Ge’s eyes and explained further, “He tells my awareness that I’m disgusting and abnormal. No one is like me. I need to be grateful to him for living normally. He’s my benefactor, and I have to trust him.”
Qin Ge felt a deep sadness. He didn’t know if his vulnerable state made him susceptible to these influences, but hearing these words from Xie Zijing, his nose tingled, and his eyes welled up with tears. He leaned in close to Xie Zijing, embracing him, and said softly, “What he said is all wrong.”
An adjuster could delve deep into the ‘sea area,’ make requests, and ask questions, but absolutely should not use emotional language to influence the self-awareness of a sentinel and a guide. Lu Qinglai had crossed a line, and at that time, Xie Zijing couldn’t resist that influence.
Qin Ge held Xie Zijing’s hand and placed it on his chest. The heartbeat, through the ribs, muscles, and skin, was transmitted to Xie Zijing’s palm.
“I would doubt it too, but every time I had doubts, they would be discovered in the next exploration, followed by another round of persuasion. I always believed he was right. My ‘sea area’ is different from others; I’m completely different from everyone else. This kind of thinking doesn’t make me proud; it’s terrifying to be considered different. In New Hope, everyone is a sentinel or a guide, like Francisco the vampire. Occasionally, there are a few foreign exchange students. I didn’t dare to associate with sentinels and guides; I was afraid they’d discover my anomaly. So at school, my best friend was Francisco. I only had him as a friend.”
His voice gradually grew softer, silenced by Qin Ge’s kisses. They sat together on the balcony, leaning against a large lion, continuously and tenderly exchanging kisses. What they shared wasn’t just desire but also secret words beyond what language could convey.
***
Even on the weekend, the Criminal Investigation Department was bustling. The entire team had given up tea and resorted to coffee to stay awake, with the strong coffee aroma battling the tea scent, creating an oddly peculiar smell.
When Qin Ge came to find him, he was flipping through the case files of Cai Mingyue’s child-killing case.
The child who had not died at the hands of Cai Mingyue and for whom no information could be found was referred to as ‘X.’ Both Zhou Xuefeng and his wife had passed away, and X had disappeared without a trace. Most of the elderly in the village had either passed away or settled elsewhere with their children, and no one could recall his name anymore.
Zhou Xuefeng had never called him by his name; he always referred to him as the ‘freak.’
There were no relevant details about X found in Hubei. He was a guide, and as long as he didn’t reveal his abilities, obtaining fake identification documents allowed him to disguise himself as an ordinary person. However, after he became an adult, it would be difficult to find a normal and stable job. Routine health checks and hospital visits would easily reveal his guide status through blood tests. An unregistered guide would be detected by the local Crisis Management Division within half an hour.
Perhaps he had already died, thought Lei Chi. A child with no one to rely on, no special abilities, leaving his hometown and making his way from the mountains to the city—along this journey, many unfortunate things could have happened.
Although the head of the department and other investigators believed they shouldn’t dwell on X’s information, Lei Chi couldn’t let it go. He relied on his instincts, and the keen intuition of a werewolf constantly reminded him: don’t overlook this suspicious point.
“How long have you been working overtime?” Qin Ge asked as he sat in front of Lei Chi.
Lei Chi rubbed his eyes and replied, “I haven’t been home for four days.”
The case of Wang Zhen’s parents’ disappearance was also under investigation. His friend, Xie Shaoqian, who was not a special human, required an investigation through the local police station. They had already spent several days just communicating on this front.
Qin Ge looked around and saw that there was no one around Lei Chi’s location. He lowered his voice slightly.
“Xie Zijing told me that there is a very close connection between the Western Office and the Crisis Management Office’s Criminal Investigation Department, mainly involving cooperation with the Field Operations Team. Many cases that the Western Office can’t handle, especially top-secret cases, are reported to the Crisis Management Office, which then deploys the Field Operations Team’s squadron to handle them. Is that true?”
Lei Chi thought for a moment and replied, “Yes, we call going to the Western Office for a business trip ‘exploration.’ This isn’t a secret rule. Why do you ask? Does your department have cases related to the Western Office?”
After receiving this answer, Qin Ge felt somewhat reassured. Lei Chi was someone he had to win over, and he decided to find Lei Chi first and then go to see Gao Tianyue. He continued to inquire, “Do you know about the Luquan incident?”
Lei Chi’s expression immediately tensed, and he sat upright in his seat, asking, “What about the Luquan incident?”
Just as Qin Ge was about to respond, Xiao Liu rushed in from the door, looking flustered. “Captain Lei, come quick! We’ve got some new information about X in Hubei!”
Lei Chi immediately got up and bid farewell to Qin Ge. Qin Ge, feeling helpless, also left, heading for Gao Tianyue’s home.
The meeting room was filled with smoke, and as soon as Lei Chi walked in, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
Someone tossed a few sheets of paper his way, and a deep sigh escaped his lips.
It was a recent investigation report from the Central China Office. They had discovered a skeleton in the backyard of Zhou Xuefeng’s house.
Lei Chi was originally a criminal investigator from the Central China Office, and after he left Hubei to join the Crisis Management Division’s headquarters, Hubei quickly hired a new werewolf investigator. This time, the skeleton was discovered by this new investigator, who had transformed into a wolf. While conducting investigations around the village, he detected a faint odor of decaying flesh in Zhou Xuefeng’s backyard.
The flesh and blood of the corpse had been devoured and decomposed, and what was buried in the ground was an unusually-shaped body.
“Female, roughly in her thirties, possibly Zhou Xuefeng’s wife. We are currently comparing her DNA records in the Population Data Management System. However, due to severe degradation, it will likely take some time to get results.”
Someone in the room angrily cursed through the smoke, “Do we even need a comparison? Just look at the extent of the damage to the body; it’s definitely his wife.”
The skeletal arms, fingers, and lower legs showed multiple fractures, with the fatal injury appearing to be a severe blow to the skull. The person who had attacked her had great strength, and even after shattering her skull, they had not stopped. The victim’s skull displayed nearly pulverized signs of trauma.
Lei Chi looked at the report, remaining silent. His gaze lingered on one particular line, and he couldn’t look away for a long time.
[Additionally, a small iron shovel was found near the body. While blood reactions were not detected on the shovel, there were numerous impact marks on the front end of the iron shovel, suggesting it was used as a burial tool.]
“How small is this iron shovel?”
“There’s a photo of it on the next page.”
Lei Chi stared at the photo for a long time before finally speaking, “Can an adult use such a small shovel?”
“This is a child’s shovel,” someone responded. “Fingerprint analysis found a child’s prints on it.”
Lei Chi stood frozen in place, a horrifying suspicion momentarily rendering him speechless.
“Zhou Xuefeng killed his wife,” one of his colleagues said on his behalf. “And the nameless child is the one who buried the body.”
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