Chapter 82: He gave me a bouquet of flowers
Qin Ge stood still for a while, unable to move. Any change in position would cause him to fall immediately.
This constantly repeating sea made him think of Cai Mingyue’s sea area. But those continuous operating rooms had content.
There must be content here too; he just hasn’t seen it yet. Qin Ge stood motionless, stretching out his arms. This straight-up-and-down cave was very narrow, with his fingers almost touching the black rock walls.
His fingertips moved slightly: he sensed airflow.
But it was too dark; he couldn’t see anything. To adapt, Qin Ge instinctively closed his eyes. But he soon realized that he was in the “sea area,” where only his consciousness was active, so closing his eyes made no difference. Just as he was about to open his eyes, he suddenly heard a faint breathing sound.
It came from the black rock wall that his fingertips almost touched.
Qin Ge immediately turned his head and shouted, “Who?!”
His feet moved, and the ground shattered again. He entered another identical cave from the absolute dark space.
But someone was breathing beside him—not quite; it was someone breathing from within the rock wall.
He suddenly understood: this cage was meant to trap something, like Jiang Yong’s self-awareness.
“Jiang Yong… Uncle Jiang…” Qin Ge softened his voice, “It’s me; I’m Qin Ge.”
He turned his head to speak to the black rock wall. After a long time, a deep sigh came from within the wall: “Who…?”
Qin Ge was horrified: Jiang Yong’s self-awareness was indeed within the rock wall! He couldn’t even identify where Jiang Yong was trapped; even Jiang Yong’s voice seemed to come from deep within the wall, distorted and faint.
“A friend of Xie Liang.” Qin Ge recalled the anomaly in his “sea area” and quickly judged that the information Jiang Yong received might not be transmitted within the “sea area,” so he simply mentioned Xie Liang’s name.
The person in the wall reacted, and a withered hand suddenly broke through the stone layer, grabbing Qin Ge’s shoulder: “Xie Liang… Xie Liang! Have you found him?!”
Then, the black rock wall shattered, and a stooped, shriveled Jiang Yong emerged from the stone layer. The faint light above became brighter, revealing his graying hair and mottled, wrinkled face.
“I will tell you,” Qin Ge calmly said, looking at Jiang Yong, “I need to exchange information with you.”
Jiang Yong suddenly withdrew his hand. A large hollow formed in the rock wall, just enough to accommodate one person. He retreated into the hollow, holding his head: “You’re lying… Xie Liang has been missing for a long time… He is dead…”
“Even if he is dead, we need to find his body,” Qin Ge decided to be direct. “I need to know about Zhou You.”
Jiang Yong shuddered slightly but remained silent.
“Uncle.” Qin Ge immediately used a gentler tone, “Xie Liang’s child, Xie Zijing, has seen Zhou You.”
He pointed to his own head.
“Zhou You destroyed Xie Zijing’s ‘sea area,’ just like… Xie Liang cut Zhou You’s ‘sea area.'”
Jiang Yong raised his head, his head emerging from the hollow, his bulging eyes bloodshot. Qin Ge suddenly noticed that the light above was getting stronger and stronger.
“How much do you know?” he shouted, “What do you know!”
Qin Ge silently watched him, using silence to wait for Jiang Yong’s response.
Jiang Yong’s reaction at least confirmed one thing: the information Cai Yi provided was correct. Xie Liang had the ability to “cut”—that is, to destroy others’ “sea areas,” and this ability was a secret for Xie Liang, Jiang Yong, and the Special Management Committee.
“…The turmoil in the Wangdu district was a misjudgment.” Jiang Yong’s voice was hoarse and low, “Zhou You… he is very dangerous, his ability and his mind…”
He reached out again, grabbing Qin Ge’s arm and pulling him into the black hollow where he resided.
Qin Ge fell into a muddy, sticky mixture of solids and liquids. His breathing was suppressed, and he was struggling to follow Jiang Yong through this swamp of memories.
In the swaying vision, Qin Ge saw himself striding forward.
“Our last mission was three days ago.” The person walking in front turned back, “Isn’t this against regulations? Our buffer time is supposed to be a week, right?”
The middle-aged man in front had a straight nose and eyes almost identical to Xie Zijing’s but with more steadiness and calmness.
“That’s why this is a top-secret mission.” Qin Ge replied in Jiang Yong’s voice, “Lao Xie, isn’t your son about to take his midterm exams?”
“Yes.” Xie Liang turned back with a smile and said, “Always playing tricks; he doesn’t like classes, but his grades are okay.”
The memory was fragmented. Long-term emotional disturbances had severely damaged Jiang Yong’s “sea area” and memory. Qin Ge followed Xie Liang into an office, a foggy scene, then came out to find themselves in the Wangdu district.
But this wasn’t the Wangdu district he had seen. It was dirtier and messier. Jiang Yong stood on the street, watching silent underground people and half-zombies transport several corpses underground. It was a special funeral ceremony where underground people buried sentinels and guides who died in the turmoil deep underground, where no one else would find them.
“These are unclaimed bodies.” Xie Liang walked past him and said, “Quick, that child’s home is just ahead.”
The dilapidated house Qin Ge had seen before finally appeared before him.
At this time, Zhou You’s home was not yet abandoned. There were two flower pots outside the door, and though they were barely alive, they added a bit of color. The second-floor window was tightly closed, and the curtain was not fully drawn. Jiang Yong looked up and saw a small, wire-made bicycle on the windowsill.
It was an ordinary day in the Wangdu district. The crazy Zhou Yiqing was searching for his child somewhere; the real Zhou You had already been buried in a newly built stove. Jiang Yong controlled his steps, releasing his spirit body. A black panther landed lightly without making a sound, lowering its head, its golden eyes silently scanning the surroundings.
“…There are two people inside.” Jiang Yong reported to Xie Liang, “One sentinel, one guide. The guide should be our target, Zhou You. They are arguing.”
Xie Liang nodded, slowly approaching the Zhou family’s door. Fortunately, the door was ajar. They could clearly hear the voices inside, the sentinel questioning the guide about his involvement in the turmoil.
Pushing the door open, they entered simultaneously. They didn’t need disguises or any violent means, just to take Zhou You away. Jiang Yong subdued the young sentinel, making him unconscious with an anesthetic mask. When he turned around, he saw Xie Liang holding another person’s shoulder. The guide’s face was twisted in pain, forced to answer Xie Liang’s question: “I am Zhou You…”
He didn’t want to go with Xie Liang and Jiang Yong.
“Don’t be like this, Zhou You.” Xie Liang said, “Be good, and I can make it easier for you.”
Zhou You glared at Xie Liang, a thick white mist rising from his body and a huge claw, almost twice the size of Xie Liang’s head, reaching out from the mist.
Xie Liang’s expression remained unchanged, just moving the hand on Zhou You’s shoulder to his ear and pinching it gently as if affectionately.
In the next moment, the claw and mist disappeared. Zhou You screamed, his knees buckling and falling to the ground with a thud. He grabbed Xie Liang’s arm, trembling slightly, his lips quivering, and his eyes filled with fear and confusion.
“Be good, okay?” Xie Liang said gently, “I am a guide, just like you. I also have a little insignificant ability.”
Zhou You’s voice was hoarse; he seemed to be trying to suppress the pain in his mind: “What… what did you do to my ‘sea area’!”
Xie Liang grabbed his hand, pulling him up: “Come with us, or I’ll make you hurt again. Longer and stronger, do you want to try?”
Zhou You no longer dared to resist. Jiang Yong and Xie Liang quickly escorted him through the narrow alleys of the Wangdu district, ensuring they were unseen, and he smoothly entered a small car.
Jiang Yong took the driver’s seat, while Xie Liang and Zhou You stayed in the back. A beautiful peacock perched on Xie Liang’s lap, its long tail feathers draping over Zhou You’s knees. Zhou You looked at the peacock, then at Xie Liang. Jiang Yong glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a strange curiosity in Zhou You’s eyes.
“I was a bit rough earlier; sorry about that,” Xie Liang suddenly said. “But I advise you not to go against us. The damage I’ve inflicted is long-lasting; once your ‘sea area’ bears the marks of my cuts, it will never heal.”
Zhou You asked, “What do you want from me?”
“The turmoil in the Wangdu district is related to you,” Xie Liang said. “We want to know how you did it.”
Zhou You smiled slightly and said, “Sure, it’s simple. Just let me into your ‘sea area’…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the peacock suddenly moved. Immediately, Zhou You’s face turned pale, and he pressed tightly against the car door, not daring to say another word.
Qin Ge felt dizzy. The impurities in Jiang Yong’s “sea area” were overwhelming, forcing him to exert all his energy to keep his mind from being affected. The car and everyone in it melted away, and he was once again in a completely dark space.
“…Jiang Yong?”
He heard rapid breathing.
Jiang Yong’s fear was this darkness itself. The following memories were ones Jiang Yong did not want to revisit.
Qin Ge reached out and broke through the darkness, stepping into a small room.
Xie Liang stood in the center of the room, while Jiang Yong was pressed against a corner, leaning on the wall. He held a camera, pointing it at Xie Liang and the huddled Zhou You on the ground.
Zhou You was crying, and his way of shedding tears was strange—his eyes were wide open, his features trembling, unable to utter a complete word.
In one corner of the room, there was a table with a lamp on it. A peacock perched on the table, its long tail feathers swaying gently in the cold white light from the lamp. On the ceiling, a dozen beautiful peacock feathers moved slowly without any wind.
“Let’s continue calling you Zhou You,” Xie Liang said. “I’ll ask again, how exactly did your mother and father die?”
The peacock feathers began to rotate, circling Zhou You, their edges sharp like thin, brilliant blades.
Zhou You whimpered, “I… it hurts…”
Xie Liang squatted in front of him, “Yes, it hurts a lot. The people you treated like this must have felt immense pain too.”
Zhou You bit his lip, silent for a moment before speaking, “My… my mother… was beaten to death by him… He used a rolling pin and an iron pan… smashed her head…”
Xie Liang asked, “Why?”
Zhou You replied, “…She said I was grown up and should go to school.”
Xie Liang continued, “And then?”
Zhou You said, “Then… then she stopped moving. He dug a hole in the yard… Later, when his drinking habit kicked in, he made me keep digging while he drank and watched me.”
Xie Liang asked, “You buried your mother?”
The word “mother” caused Zhou You to pause for a moment. The pressure Xie Liang had applied to his “sea area” had disappeared, and Zhou You stopped crying, nodding woodenly.
“Who is ‘he’?” Xie Liang asked again.
“…Zhou Xuefeng,” Zhou You said.
“Your father?”
Zhou You didn’t answer. A flicker of dread passed through his eyes, quickly vanishing. “I… I can’t call him father.”
Xie Liang nodded, “Okay, Zhou Xuefeng. How did Zhou Xuefeng die?”
“He was killed by a stone.”
“And it had nothing to do with you?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie.” Xie Liang touched Zhou You’s ear again, causing Zhou You to instinctively shrink his shoulders and say, “If you keep being honest, you won’t hurt.”
Zhou You stayed silent. Xie Liang continued, “That was your first time killing, wasn’t it?”
A peacock feather spun and landed on Zhou You, transforming into a white mist upon touching his nose. Immediately, Zhou You screamed in terror, his body convulsing as if electrocuted and crashing violently into the wall. He clawed at his hair and ears, crying and shouting, nearly vomiting.
After nearly a minute, Xie Liang stood up again. Zhou You lay on the ground, panting, tears, snot, and saliva mingling, unable to lift his head.
“Getting your ‘sea area’ damaged is very painful, isn’t it?” Xie Liang asked, “Why do you take pleasure in doing it to others? I guess it’s because you never knew how painful it is.”
Zhou You struggled to sit up; his head was so heavy he couldn’t lift it.
“Answer me, how did Zhou Xuefeng die?” Xie Liang asked sternly.
This time, Zhou You did not resist further.
Zhou You’s first kill was Zhou Xuefeng. He told Zhou Xuefeng that a tour group had left a tent with a generator at the foot of the mountain, but he wasn’t strong enough to retrieve it. Zhou Xuefeng, seeing a chance to make some money, set off immediately for the location Zhou You described, only to fall into Zhou You’s trap. An animal trap immobilized Zhou Xuefeng, and Zhou You pushed a rock from above, smashing it onto Zhou Xuefeng’s head. To eliminate any suspicious traces, Zhou You kept pushing rocks until Zhou Xuefeng’s body was completely disfigured.
He cleaned up the animal trap, meticulously smashed his father’s foot bones to ensure no one would suspect anything, then ran back to the village for help.
This was a successful murder. Regardless of whether the villagers suspected anything, Zhou You had effectively removed the biggest obstacle to his survival. He didn’t stay long, packed up the valuable items and cash from home, and left the village, heading north.
Why head north? Because his mother was born in the Wangdu district, a chaotic place without order or rules. As a young woman, she left her hometown to head south, where she met Zhou Xuefeng, and her fate was sealed.
Zhou You only knew about the Wangdu district and wanted to go there. His mother didn’t shower him with much affection or care, but sometimes she mistakenly referred to the Wangdu district as “home.”
Zhou You spent several years on the road. He often played the role of a beggar, and if he encountered sentries or guides, he would use his looks to lower their guard, gaining the opportunity to enter their “sea area.” He became increasingly skilled: inflicting pain first, then arousing pleasure. The pleasure he gave was more intense than any physical pleasure, easily confusing those with weak willpower. Zhou You was very careful, asking for little more than a place to stay and a meal or two.
Because his destination was the Wangdu district, he never planned to stay anywhere for long.
Finally, on a snowy day, he arrived in the Wangdu district as he wished and was taken in by Zhou Yiqing, where he met the real Zhou You.
The scene before Qin Ge’s eyes suddenly began to distort, and the interrogation room vanished, everything shaking. As he was forcibly pulled out of Jiang Yong’s “sea area,” he saw Xie Liang sitting in front of him, troubled and frustrated: “I don’t want to do this job anymore… How is this different from torture? Extracting information by tormenting the ‘sea area’… And it’s not even to uncover the truth, but to find weaknesses to control the other person…”
Qin Ge gasped for breath, then noticed someone standing behind him, holding him protectively.
Xie Zijing said, “It’s been an hour, so I called you back.”
Qin Ge asked, “…How did you know my limit is an hour? Did I tell you that?”
Xie Zijing was silent.
It was written in the little notebook, but he wasn’t ready to say that yet.
Qin Ge broke free from his embrace, catching a glimpse of Xie Weiran outside the window, holding a hairy crab and looking at them in astonishment.
“Jiang Yong, today’s patrol ends here. Rest well,” Qin Ge hesitated for a moment before continuing, “We haven’t found Xie Liang yet, but we’re getting closer to the truth of what happened back then. Zhou You is a dangerous person, and it’s completely correct for you to have restrained him.”
Jiang Yong looked up, his face full of tears, “I know… but…”
Qin Ge’s heart stirred, and he quickly asked, “Do you know what your ‘sea area’ looks like?”
“I know…” Jiang Yong said with difficulty, “It’s cell number zero… That’s wearhouse number zero.”
The truck drove smoothly on the road, Lu Qinglai looking out the window at the flat road, clean air, and the distant undulating snow-capped mountains.
“Mr. Lu, is your brother… alright?” The person in the front passenger seat looked back and asked.
Lu Qinglai smiled, “He’s fine, just a migraine. That’s why we came here.”
It was a freight truck, and after giving some money to the uncle and nephew driving it, they allowed Lu Qinglai and Zhou You to ride along.
Zhou You curled up in the back seat, groaning softly, continuously tormented by the pain in his mind and body.
“Is it that serious?” The older man driving glanced in the rearview mirror and asked, “Could it be a tumor in his brain? I had a colleague like that; it hurt for years before they found out.”
“It’s not that serious,” Lu Qinglai said. “He’s been overworking. He’s taken a lot of medicine and visited hospitals, but they all said there’s no solution. So we’re here to seek help from a Tibetan doctor. I heard there’s a famous doctor at Jiwusi Temple.”
The uncle and nephew both laughed, “You mean Qing Meizi?”
Lu Qinglai said, “We heard about him from others.”
“Qing Meizi isn’t at Jiwusi anymore, he travels around all the time, can’t sit still.”
The uncle and nephew chatted about Qing Meizi, and Lu Qinglai occasionally chimed in, smiling gently.
He patted Zhou You’s head. Today, Zhou You was very weak and thus very obedient. He didn’t resist Lu Qinglai’s comforting touch. Lu Qinglai lowered his head slightly and heard Zhou You muttering.
“Zhou You… Zhou You…”
Lu Qinglai said, “…?”
Zhou You was softly calling his own name. Lu Qinglai patted his hair again, feeling a sense of strangeness and confusion.
Qin Ge and Xie Zijing left Jiang Yong’s house and sat in the forest to catch their breath. Seeing Qin Ge’s pale face, Xie Weiran was very worried, “What happened to you?”
“It’s a normal reaction,” Xie Zijing said. “He always looks like this after patrolling an unusual ‘sea area.'”
Qin Ge was silent.
Xie Zijing’s embrace was tight, holding Qin Ge firmly against his chest, even as they sat down. Qin Ge indeed felt dizzy but could control himself now. What puzzled him most was that he shouldn’t have told Xie Zijing—the post-repair Xie Zijing—about the details of his patrols. Such as the one-hour limit and other specifics.
Xie Weiran said, “I just contacted Xiaohai’s mother. Xiaohai has been captured and taken to the crisis office. Should we go over?”
Qin Ge was startled, “Let’s go check it out. What happened?”
Just as Xie Weiran was about to explain in detail, Xie Zijing suddenly stood up, fumbling through his pockets.
“I lost something,” he recalled. “It might have fallen at Xiaohai’s house. You two wait here, I’ll be right back.”
He turned and ran off. After Xie Weiran explained Xiaohai’s situation, she looked hesitant.
“Your partner just kissed you,” she said cautiously. “After he kissed you, you ended your patrol and regained consciousness.”
Qin Ge was shocked, “What?!”
Xie Weiran pointed to her cheek to explain, “He kissed you here.”
Now, Qin Ge felt like killing someone. Xie Zijing, whether before or now, always had thoughts Qin Ge couldn’t understand.
He suddenly remembered the little notebook in his pants pocket, with a rabbit head drawn on the cover.
Xie Zijing probably went to find it. Qin Ge hesitated for a moment and then took out the notebook. The rabbit’s head was drawn childishly, like a doodle. Qin Ge looked at it for a long time, unsure if it was his spirit body.
He opened it casually.
The first sentence that caught his eye was “He gave me a bouquet of flowers.”
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Author’s Note:
Qing Meizi is finally making an appearance! While not important to others, he is significant to Xie Zijing. Do you all remember that he saved Xie Zijing in the Luquan back then?
