A large black umbrella unfurled overhead. The torrential rain hammered against it, making it hard to even hear people speak.
The water on the road below the villa was already knee-deep. Some sections were blocked. He Sui had driven through solely on his own skill.
He’d made it in, but this environment did nothing for his mood.
A hint of irritation flashed across He Sui’s handsome face. His gaze swept over the two Anomalies coming to greet him without pausing, and he headed straight into the villa.
The Director and Assistant Director, who had just reached the car, had no choice but to turn around and follow him back inside.
Neither of them had an umbrella. The Director’s furry hair floated in the air. Soaked through, it didn’t cling together like animal fur but drifted like seaweed in the ocean.
The Assistant Director looked like a starfish-person that had crawled up from the sea, stretching his limbs out to their full extent in the downpour.
The Director sidled up to He Sui’s left. “You’re Mr. He, right? Are you sincerely looking to invest?”
The Assistant Director crowded in on the right. “You’re really planning to invest 1 million? Let me tell you, the show we’re filming is destined to be a smash hit. It’s not just a matter of you wanting to invest; we need to settle the revenue split first.”
The further He Sui walked inside, the more he could feel the area rejecting him. He couldn’t be bothered to waste words on two Anomalies in this rainstorm. He cut to the chase: “Account number. We’ll split the profits however you want.”
The Director paused, then obligingly held out his phone. He Sui smoothly made the transfer.
The Director: “Alright, alright, it’s in! It’s here! Would Mr. He like to come inside and take a look around? Want to meet our lead actors?”
He Sui, thoroughly annoyed, said coldly, “Just don’t follow me. I’ll look around myself.”
With the money in hand and free reign over the split, the Director and Assistant Director had no desire to follow. Why trudge inside to work when there were better things to do in this soaking wet weather? The two immediately halted, then started muttering amongst themselves.
“He said the split’s up to us.”
“That’s right. So how much do we split? Ten percent?”
“Can we just not split it?”
Obviously, not splitting wasn’t an option. A verbal agreement was still an agreement. No matter how much or how little, they had to give a cut.
So, they dropped that topic and began whispering about something else.
“This Mr. He is really strange. All prim and proper, dead of night.”
“Yeah, yeah. Hates the water but still comes running to this patch of land. Something wrong in the head.”
“Hey, you smell that? He’s got the stench of Outsiders all over him.”
“I smell it. He’s clearly a local. Couldn’t have been rolling around in a pile of Outsiders, could he?”
“Rich people have weird hobbies.”
Inside the villa’s main hall, a single candle flickered in the darkness. Two figures were slumped on the sofa there, one on each side. They were Lou Hao and Li Sha, having come down from upstairs.
Lou Hao struggled to even move. All he could do now was pin his hopes on others. This was a first for him, and honestly, it felt terrible.
He’d used his ability several times. Not only had he failed to get a definitive answer, but his spirit had become dangerously drained. He had no choice but to give up and lie low.
Later, Li Sha came down. Lou Hao asked her about the situation inside the room but got no useful information. So, the two of them could only lie there, resigned.
Lou Hao said, “The Director and Assistant Director came out.”
Li Sha glanced over but didn’t speak.
Lou Hao: “Most Anomalies at night are nowhere to be seen. For them to come out on their own… I sense something fishy.”
Li Sha still didn’t say anything.
Lou Hao was quiet for a while, listening to the rushing sound of the torrential rain, then suddenly said, “Someone’s coming in. Could there be more complications?”
Li Sha didn’t like talking. Li Sha liked silence. But now, besides Lou Hao’s voice, an unending buzzing sound in her ears kept enumerating the sins of others, and her own.
The more she listened, the stronger the urge to skin—both others and herself.
She took a deep breath. The look she gave Lou Hao was already turning dangerous. “Don’t you hear voices in your ear?” she asked.
Lou Hao said, “Doesn’t affect me yet.”
Li Sha stared at him, then fell silent again.
Lou Hao was the first to expose his secret under the Camera’s lens. No matter how resilient his mind was against such things, his physical reaction would surely be the most severe of them all.
Lou Hao’s attention wasn’t on Li Sha. He craned his neck, staring intently at the entrance.
Finally, the door was pushed open and someone walked in. It wasn’t the Director or the Assistant Director. In the darkness, Lou Hao could vaguely make out a man’s silhouette.
The man held an umbrella, which he casually tossed aside upon entering. Lou Hao watched him, completely unaware that Li Sha’s gaze upon him had grown increasingly manic.
Li Sha looked down at her hand hidden beneath the table. She shifted her sleeve, revealing a dagger.
She gripped the dagger tightly and her eyes turned to Lou Hao once more.
He was sitting to her right. All she had to do was lean over, raise her hand, and slash down with force. She could do what she wanted to do.
Li Sha turned sideways, raised her hand. A flash of silver—In that split second, the sharp blade swept directly toward Lou Hao’s neck.
Lou Hao’s expression hardened. He immediately tried to shift away, but his body was nowhere near as fast as usual.
He could avoid a fatal wound but couldn’t completely evade the dagger.
Enhanced by the script’s influence, as long as the blade sliced down, a layer of his skin would be peeled away with ease.
But just as the tip was about to land, a spark of silver light flared. Li Sha suddenly convulsed as if electrocuted, collapsing onto the sofa.
Lou Hao’s sharp eyes looked over. The man who had come through the door was now standing nearby, looking at him with an ambiguous, half-smiling expression.
He Sui.
Lou Hao glanced at the still-twitching Li Sha. Ignoring everything else, he shouted hoarsely at the newcomer, “Dammit, take it easy! If she passes out now, there’s really no chance she’s getting out!”
Passing out inside a Polluted Zone didn’t mean closing your eyes would stop everything from affecting you.
Waking up from a nap could restore your mind, but how would it feel waking up after being knocked unconscious? Try it yourself and see.
Under the Pollution’s influence, no one could guarantee they’d withstand it.
He Sui walked over, and Lou Hao saw even more clearly the hint of mocking amusement curling at the corner of his lips. Instantly, Lou Hao felt a fire ignite around him. His anger flared up, his face burning red.
He Sui dusted water droplets off his sleeve. His low, resonant voice, tinged with laziness, was very pleasant to hear—just not in Lou Hao’s ears.
“Verified her identity yet?” He Sui asked.
Lou Hao clenched his fist in frustration. He failed to fully clench it. Forcing himself to maintain some dignity, he said, “No, I saw her…”
He Sui’s eyes flicked up, looking at him lightly, an expression that said, Go on, explain yourself. Lou Hao abruptly swallowed his words.
The defeated had no right to explain.
Any explanation was just a showcase of one’s incompetence.
Lou Hao gave up. He changed the subject. “Why are you here? Weren’t you outside?”
He Sui: “Auntie found someone to do a reading for you. Said your life was hanging by a thread, inauspicious omens. Looks like it was pretty accurate.”
Lou Hao: “…”
He had been dragged in here by accident this time. In that situation just now, if He Sui hadn’t shown up, life or death would have been a real toss-up.
He shut his mouth tightly.
He Sui ignored him from then on, turning his attention to Li Sha, who was slowly pushing herself upright.
He tapped his knuckles on the table. “Introduce yourself. If you can’t manage, I’ll give you another jolt to stimulate you.”
The fabled electroshock therapy.
Lou Hao’s mouth twitched. He asked, “What identity did you use to get in here? Just so you know, actors can’t just fight other people.”
He Sui: “Investor.”
Lou Hao: “…” Alright. That sounded way more impressive than their titles.
The electric shock had indeed jolted Li Sha into much greater clarity. She frantically dropped the knife she was holding, took a long moment to recover, then said weakly, “Li Sha. My name is Li Sha, from S City. I’m a do… a Forensic Doctor.”
Lou Hao nodded. He Sui didn’t bother with her any further. “Where’s the Pollution Source?”
“First room upstairs. Xie Lincheng—you know, the Proposal Maniac from B-City? He’s handling it.”
“I know him. Looks like I won’t have to lift a finger then.”
“Hard to say,” Lou Hao countered, not quite thinking so. His face was serious, laced with worry. “This Pollution Source is a special case. It took on a script persona. We were very passive.”
He Sui was just about to head upstairs for a look when he suddenly saw two Fly People fly out from Lou Hao’s and Li Sha’s hair.
They looked extremely sluggish. Halfway through their flight, they suddenly dropped. One landed on the table, motionless, and quickly vanished.
Lou Hao’s jaw dropped, his face a mask of disgust. “So that’s what I’ve been sensing watching me, but could never find! Hiding in the hair… how could you possibly find them? It must be the script’s rules!”
He Sui said, “Oh. Might just be a characteristic of this type of Anomaly.”
Regardless of the type, Lou Hao felt disgusted and stifled. “This time, the Proposal Maniac really proved his skill! What are your plans? Stay here or go back? Weren’t you just out a few days ago? Better head back, then. Thanks for coming to save me. A great favor needs no thanks; I’ll buy you dinner when we’re out.”
He Sui didn’t answer him. Instead, he looked up.
On the second-floor railing, several figures had now appeared. But He Sui wasn’t looking at any of them. He was looking beside Xie Lincheng, at the thing floating in the empty space there.
A Black Blob.
One he had fought at close range. One he had captured. And so far, the only Anomaly capable of suppressing him. He Sui remembered it vividly.
~
Xie Lincheng and Wen Danning had simultaneously witnessed the grotesque scene of the fat maggot turning into a fly. Both were so thoroughly disgusted they wished they could leave the room immediately.
After the Pollution Source died, the rain outside seemed to gradually lessen.
Xie Lincheng kicked aside the piles of human skin underfoot and walked over to Xu Xiye. “Baby, it’s too dirty here. Don’t let this stuff touch you. I’ll take you out.”
Xu Xiye looked up at him, a bit blankly. He paused, then said seriously, “I’m not a baby. Even though I look this small to you right now, I’m actually very big.”
“…That’s not what I meant by ‘baby.’”
“Then what kind of baby?”
“…” Xie Lincheng said, “Nothing. Just a term of endearment I wanted to use because I want to be closer to you.”
“Oh. Outsider language.”
Suppose you could put it that way. Though maybe the Inner World had similar terms; Lu Ren just didn’t know them. “Anyway, let’s leave this place first.”
Xie Lincheng couldn’t stand being there another second. “Can I carry you out?”
“No need. I’ll walk myself.” Xu Xiye felt he wasn’t familiar enough with Xie Lincheng to be carried. It would be embarrassing. Besides, he wasn’t a little baby.
Xie Lincheng was slightly disappointed. “Alright, then let’s go.”
Xie Lincheng turned around. As Xu Xiye followed, he let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Lincheng asked.
Xu Xiye: “Nothing.”
Xie Lincheng was about to ask more, but Wen Danning, walking over, suddenly spoke up: “Where’s Zhuo Heng?”
Xie Lincheng’s steps froze.
Wen Danning had paused at the door for a moment to recover. She had initially planned to come in and help Xie Lincheng up from the floor. Seeing him stand on his own and even talk normally to someone, she’d felt relieved.
She had assumed he was talking to Zhuo Heng. Then she realized the voice was different and the content of their chat was very strange. As she walked over, even without seeing exactly what the thing was, she could at least confirm it wasn’t Zhuo Heng.
She quickly scanned the room, checking all potential hiding spots. No Zhuo Heng.
Thus, she had to interrupt their conversation and speak up for Zhuo Heng.
Xie Lincheng thought back. When he first entered, he had seen Zhuo Heng—on the bed. After that, he’d had no attention to spare.
Just as he was about to suppress his disgust and turn back to search, Xu Xiye said, “Are you talking about Zhuo Heng, the one who looks like a puppy? Light brown.”
Wen Danning: “…Yes.”
She paused, then asked, “Are you Lu Ren?”
Xu Xiye: “Mm-hm, I’m Lu Ren. The puppy’s with me.”
Saying so, he took the person out to show them.
It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on Zhuo Heng’s time. Now the button was released, and his timeline began to flow again.
And in that very instant, Xie Lincheng and Wen Danning simultaneously saw a person appear on the previously empty floor.
The room’s floor was, by now, covered everywhere in torn-off human skin. Naturally, Zhuo Heng was placed right on top of it.
The skin was densely packed, tangled with clumps of dark hair. Not far away, near the bedside table, was the massive maggot casing and the fly, half emerged.
Such a scene was undoubtedly horrific. Seeing it, Zhuo Heng’s Sanity Value was sure to plummet again. Someone who might have been saved could very well become unsaveable.
Xie Lincheng moved forward to cover his eyes, but then he saw Zhuo Heng extend both arms straight out to the sides, sweep them back in, and then out again, like someone swimming.
At the same time, he was muttering to himself.
“Did I escape? Did I really escape?”
“Will that woman still chase me?”
“Waaah, don’t blame me anymore! I didn’t want to kick you off the bus either!”
“The water’s so deep. Why is the water here so deep! Right, the rainstorm, the rainstorm caused a flood. So much garbage!”
The ‘garbage’ he referred to was likely the human skin.
Wen Danning watched him quietly, a hint of pity in her eyes. “His cognition has altered.”
The Pollution Source was dead. Normally, their symptoms would slowly recede. But for someone in Zhuo Heng’s state… there was virtually no hope.
Xie Lincheng: “I’ll handle him. We don’t have much time left here. Go check on the others.”
“Alright.” Wen Danning stepped back, turned, and walked out.
Xie Lincheng, pushing aside disgust, moved closer to assess Zhuo Heng’s condition—only to have his legs suddenly embraced in a tight hug. “A log floating by! Holding onto it helps. So tired from swimming… I’ll drown if this keeps up.”
Not only did he speak this way, but he truly looked like he couldn’t breathe, even gagging on water.
Xie Lincheng frowned, called his name several times, and even applied painful stimuli. Zhuo Heng showed absolutely no reaction.
No hope.
Xu Xiye said, “He’s gone crazy. I need to take him to the hospital.”
He had been watching intently the whole time, worried they might try to take his patient away.
He knew that after a Pollution Source vanished, those with mild symptoms could recover on their own, just like Xie Lincheng.
That was a loss for Xu Xiye. Xie Lincheng wouldn’t be going to the hospital with him. But the puppy clearly had a severe case. He absolutely wouldn’t let someone snatch him away.
“Hospital?” Xie Lincheng asked. “What hospital?”
“Madness is a mental illness. So, a Psychiatric Hospital, of course.”
Xie Lincheng was still baffled. “You want to take him to a psychiatric hospital for treatment? Why?”
What kind of psychiatric hospital could treat Pollution?
As far as Xie Lincheng knew, after a Pollution Source died, those who couldn’t be stimulated back to their senses were essentially beyond saving.
That was severe Pollution. Sanity Value below zero. No way to return to reality.
Staying in the Inner World was a 99.9% chance of death.
Xie Lincheng couldn’t see Lu Ren’s eyes, but he could sense the gaze fixed on him turn a little peculiar.
Xu Xiye said, “In your place, when someone goes crazy, don’t you send them to a psychiatric hospital for treatment?”
Xie Lincheng: “…We do.”
Xu Xiye: “Exactly. The puppy is sick, so I’m taking him for treatment. But it’s also because it’s my part-time job. If I refer someone, I get a Head Fee.”
Xie Lincheng, usually quite adept at following the trains of thought of Anomalies, found himself stumped this time. “I see. So you work two jobs. That must be tough.”
“It’s fine. People have to work. Work means you get tired and stressed; can’t be helped. I was planning to figure out a way to send Bai Luwei for treatment too, but she died.”
Suddenly, Xie Lincheng had many questions he wanted to ask. But in the end, looking at the thick black blob floating beside him, the first thing he asked was: “Are you very short on money?”
Xu Xiye thought for a moment. “Not exactly. But I have to work. When you grow up, you’re supposed to work.”
“Alright, I get it. However, as far as I know, high-level Pollution Sources can’t leave their Polluted Zone.” After waiting a moment and seeing no reaction, he rephrased, “By ‘high-level,’ I mean the type who are very severely insane.”
This time, Xu Xiye understood. “Exactly. The Director said the same thing.”
That’s why he had to figure out a way.
“I’m going to put the puppy back now. And the other one too. Both are very crazy.”
“The other one? Who?”
“Called Zhou Cao. The one who tore off a patch of skin.”
Xie Lincheng hadn’t witnessed that part. But if it had reached that stage, Zhou Cao’s condition wouldn’t be any better than Zhuo Heng’s.
Xie Lincheng wasn’t exactly a good person. Once he determined the two were beyond saving, he shifted his thoughts entirely to Xu Xiye, sparing not a single moment for grief or pity toward them.
“Taking people to the psychiatric hospital to earn Head Fees, right?” His brow arched slightly as a sudden smile appeared. “How about I help you with that?”
“You know, wherever there are Outsiders, the likelihood of mental illness cropping up is high. And, low-level Pollution Sources can be taken out of their Polluted Zones.”
