Sometimes, Feng Dun would feel like Liu Lingling was hanging from the ceiling right above his head, her pale face staring down at him resentfully, blaming him for his incompetence and mismanagement.
Then came the accidental deaths of Fan Yajun and Sharp Head. The company was in a state of panic. Without needing any external force to push it, various problems arose frequently. It looked like a building on the verge of collapse.
The huge company became empty. Feng Dun often sat alone in his office late at night, asking himself: Was this his doing? Was this his responsibility?
He felt Liu Lingling, Fan Yajun, and Sharp Head were everywhere. They must still be here. They were watching him, condemning him.
Ten years, five years—his constant evasion and concessions had led to the chain of problems that followed. Like the accumulation of ice and snow, he had become the source.
He read every word of the news and comments in the papers and online. He faced those knife-like words. He also faced those “people” who filled his office.
“See that? Their blood and flesh will be forever rooted here,” Feng Dun said to his secretary.
The secretary looked at him as if he were crazy. He hadn’t seen any blood or flesh, nor did he understand how blood and flesh could take root.
Root, grow, impossible to eradicate. Before Feng Dun, there were always countless Liu Linglings, Fan Yajuns, and countless Sharp Heads watching him.
When he mentioned this to others, they thought he was being melodramatic and baffling. Employees’ crap had wrecked the company to this extent. As a boss, a capitalist, wouldn’t the normal emotions be resentment and disgust?
Whatever the emotion, it certainly wouldn’t be self-blame and guilt to this degree.
Feng Dun also found it inconceivable. Probably because, besides those imaginary ones, he could truly feel their presence.
Feng Dun still loved sitting in his office late at night, pondering this question. Liu Lingling’s corpse above his head, Fan Yajun beneath his feet, Sharp Head hiding in the crevices of the shadows. Then, one night, under their gazes, Feng Dun calmly slit his wrists.
He thought: Death is necessary, to appease the restless spirits. Death is necessary, to repay my own karmic debts. Blood must wash away this filth.
Only after dying did Feng Dun realize he had truly gone mad. Those things were truly hallucinations. All Liu Lingling, Fan Yajun, and Sharp Head had left behind were remnants of conscious energy.
His consciousness and the remnants of the three others’ consciousness intertwined and merged. The pain of death, all sorts of negative energy, made Feng Dun even more chaotic.
He was Feng Dun, but it seemed some part of him had also become Liu Lingling, become Fan Yajun and Sharp Head.
He wasn’t dead. Or rather, he was surviving in the Inner World in another form. Having lost some memories, guided by limited rules and reason, he lived following a certain logic—until his reason could no longer hold and collapsed, turning him into a Pollution Source.
It was normal that Jiang Wuning hadn’t deduced his existence from those clues. Because he was the one who didn’t fit in, yet also the one who perfectly blended in.
Feng Dun was a Pollution Source rated A-Class. The more powerful one was, the easier it was for reason to be devoured. The moment all reason was gone, he would also cease to exist.
Never had Feng Dun felt as lucid as he did now. A complex wave of emotion surged in his heart. He looked down at Xu Xiye on the desk.
Xu Xiye was busy rummaging for something. He fumbled around for quite a while before finally pulling out a pinkish-white card from within the black blob.
A Mental Hospital Promotional Card.
A tentacle held the card out, pushing it towards the Boss. “Boss, look. When a person gets sick, they need treatment. Isn’t that right?”
Feng Dun took the card, his eight eyes focusing on it simultaneously.
“Go see a doctor?” Feng Dun didn’t show the joy of a serious illness finally having a cure. After waking up, an intense sadness always surrounded him. “If that’s what you want, I’ll go.”
Xu Xiye let out a breath, secretly pleased. Although he didn’t know why he felt so tired even after shedding his human form, he forced himself to rally. “Great! Boss, if you’re willing to go, there’s definitely hope. Just mention my name when you call.”
Xu Xiye immediately cringed inwardly after saying it. Doing a part-time gig right under his own Boss’s nose…
Luckily, the Boss didn’t comment on it. Not only that, he even pulled the phone over. He dialed the number. It rang for a long time before being picked up.
“Hello. I’m the boss of Delicious Food Company. I have a mental illness. Please send someone to pick me up and take me to the hospital. Oh, and it was Xu Xiye who recommended me. That’s the situation.”
He hung up and said to Xu Xiye, “No one picked up over there. I left a message. That should do it, right?”
“Mm-hmm. Then, Boss… I’ll be going now?”
“Alright. Tired? Go get some rest quickly.”
Xu Xiye nodded. The Boss had made the call, his name had been dropped. His goal of finding a mental patient had been achieved. The head fee—if not already in the bag, it was as good as ninety percent there. Tired as he was, the night had been quite satisfying.
Xu Xiye left. Not through the door—straight out the window.
On He Sui’s side, tonight was yet another infuriating evening.
He hadn’t planned on going out, but after receiving that call, he had no choice but to make a trip.
As expected, something targeted him again. After a few such incidents, He Sui had figured it out. These things weren’t trying to kill him; they were trying to capture him.
Strange mutterings, roars filling the darkness—it was like they were saying something. But these Anomalies with such obvious bestial traits were less restricted at night, and what came out of their mouths became incomprehensible.
In any case, He Sui understood not a single word.
A bolt of lightning brutally smashed down. “Bang!” A heavy object hit the ground, accompanied by the unpleasant stench of charred flesh reaching his nose.
He Sui frowned, dusted off a speck of filth from his sleeve, and got back into his car, closing the door.
He was dressed all in black tonight, but clearly, wearing dark colors didn’t make the splattered filth less noticeable.
He Sui’s silver-blue eyes, steeped in the night, weren’t as bright as under lamplight but were still exceptionally striking. However, right now, they were filled with irritation. He desperately wished he could go back and take a shower right this instant.
He wasn’t a clean freak, but really… certain mutated cockroaches, rats, and the like—getting even a little on you was just too disgusting.
The moment the car started, it shot forward like the accelerator was floored. Anything that threw itself at the car was rammed into with lethal intent. If he could avoid getting out and personally dealing with it, all the better.
After handling two or three waves of attacks, the journey finally became smoother. Arriving at Delicious Food Company, He Sui parked the car haphazardly at the entrance. He stepped out and stood by the car, tilting his head to scrutinize the building.
It wasn’t very tall. The company’s main entrance faced the street and was locked—no direct entry that way. On the other side was a security booth with a barrier gate, the entrance into the business park.
He Sui headed straight in that direction. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a black garbage bag floated down from above.
A vein throbbed at his temple. He genuinely felt he’d been incredibly unlucky lately.
He ignored it and kept walking a few paces, then suddenly stopped.
A black blob?
He Sui looked back. Sure enough, what had floated down from above wasn’t some garbage bag—it was the little monster from last night who had told him to “just wait and see.”
What was this thing doing here?
Coming for him?
Xu Xiye was bone-tired. He’d simply drifted slowly down from the window.
Dealing with mental patients was way too draining.
Xu Xiye looked utterly deflated, like he’d been squeezed dry. He didn’t even have the interest for his stress-relieving crawling activities. Just as he was about to slowly float his way home, he silently brushed past (head-first) someone. Whatever, he didn’t want to bother. But then he abruptly froze.
When it came to things he wanted, Xu Xiye would definitely remember them.
He recognized this aura.
It was the beloved Blue Eyes.
Xu Xiye swiveled his eyes to look. The man stood downstairs at the company, very tall, his demeanor a mix of carelessness and irascibility. His handsome face was turned sideways, and even in the dim night, his profile was distinct and striking.
It was a very perfect human form. But the first thing Xu Xiye looked at was still those eyes.
When a person is tired, being able to hold something they like must be a truly blissful thing.
If only Blue Eyes would let him hug him right now.
Xu Xiye silently mused for a moment before dismissing the thought. He knew it was impossible. It was just a bit novel that Blue Eyes had actually gone out tonight.
But Xu Xiye didn’t voice his question. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk tonight.
Why was he still looking at him?
Didn’t he usually either tell him to scram or try to hit him every time they met?
Xu Xiye examined the man more closely. It seemed like he’d been roughed up. Was he thinking of asking him to help fight?
This was precisely why, when he’d previously considered bringing Blue Eyes home, he had to factor in whether he was a homebody and whether their outdoor crawling habits were compatible.
A homebody who stayed indoors all day—no one would come to mess with his things. Very safe.
If he wasn’t a homebody, but their habits aligned, they could always be together. He’d been lucky; the ones he met were all polite, decent people. They wouldn’t start fighting at the drop of a hat. And even if they did fight, it’d be two of them against someone else.
Forget it. If Blue Eyes initiated conversation with him, then he’d talk to him.
