Evil As Humans

Chapter 215: Foreign Objects

Since the corruption had been rampant, Li Nian had been living in the Shian Building for the most part.

Superficially, this corruption incident was comparable to an old lady’s foot-binding cloth—long and stinky with no end in sight. But in terms of the severity of the situation, Shian had no need to be so vigilant.

The headache had always laid with the police—under the influence of corruption, the crime rate in Haigu kept rising. Panic was like cracks in porcelain. Once you experienced it, you could never go back to your original state of mind.

Spreading panic was easy, but repairing such damage took a very long time. Nowadays, the past civilization and tranquility had all turned into illusions.

This time, Sunken Society played their hand, and the source of corruption had continuously spread. When the world was in chaos, people naturally turned to seeking gods and praying to Buddha. Many cultivators had seen their businesses thrive, and some had developed ulterior motives. Despite Shian’s repeated warnings, various corruption sources still found their way into the market in various forms.

Some of them had been intentionally spread by unscrupulous Nightwalkers.

At that stage, it wasn’t just a matter of preventing and controlling corruption sources anymore. Fu Xingchuan had returned and acted swiftly, shutting down the night market despite public opposition. The situation had somewhat improved but had still not been completely resolved.

Sunken Society had also been quietly taking action around the surrounding cities near Haigu. Recently, even the neighboring towns gradually experienced chaos. After the chaos had emerged, the “angel’s arm” inevitably followed, offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

However, both the subtle urban atmosphere and the entertainment self-media that had exaggerated the “angel’s arm” had not been within Shian’s direct reach. Fu Xingchuan had been busy figuring out how to deal with corruption sources, while Li Nian had repeatedly examined the investigation report of the Coral Reef Group.

When Gao Mengyu’s urgent notification arrived, he had just finished reading the financial report of the Coral Reef Group from the previous year.

“…Don’t get excited, Miss Gao. Please take your time to explain.”

After listening for several minutes, his expression hadn’t shown shock but had gradually become gloomy.

“I understand. Tomorrow’s arrangements won’t change for now. I will personally investigate the ‘angel’s arm’ with you,” he said. “Fu Xingchuan will follow up on the issue you mentioned.”

After ending the call, Li Nian quickly dialed Fu Xingchuan’s number.

“Gao Mengyu’s cat sent a message saying that they had encountered some missing people on the Other Side. There may have been survivors among the remaining missing people, so it would be best to prepare emergency rescue measures at the underground exit.”

“However, considering that the message from Gao Mengyu’s cat is in ‘tablecloth handwriting’, it can also be smoke bombs from Sunken Society.” Li Nian’s tone had remained calm. “We just need to prepare medical resources in advance.”

After saying that, he didn’t wait for Fu Xingchuan’s reaction and abruptly ended the call. A warm dizziness swept over him, and Li Nian unscrewed his thermos and took a few sips of tea—it was as thick as medicinal soup and incredibly bitter that it numbed Professor Li’s tongue.

Did he sleep a total of eight hours in the past three days?

Li Nian pressed his temples forcefully and involuntarily looked towards the window. It was the early hours of the morning, and the city outside was shrouded in a hazy shadow… His position should have belonged to Meng Huai. If that person hadn’t gone missing, she might have been the Minister of the Emergency Management Department.

“Why bother?”

A cheerful voice sounded in his ear.

As the saying went, “one has thoughts during the day and dreams at night*”, but Li Nian hadn’t fallen asleep, and that voice had come out of his dream.

*(日有所思夜有所梦) Proverb that implies one’s mind is occupied with thoughts and ideas during the day that fill your dreams at night.

Meng Huai’s arm rested on his shoulder, and the voice drew closer.

“Xiao Li, be careful not to stay up late all the time, or you won’t grow taller, you know.”

Li Nian tightened his grip on the thermos as his chest heaved dramatically. His other hand barely grasped the phone, and his finger trembled incessantly. It took him a while to steady it on the table.

Then he turned around, and the warm tea splashed out, hitting the figure behind him directly—

Meng Huai was standing right there.

She was wearing the red shirt she had gone missing in, with her hair neatly tied up in a high ponytail. The person wore a delicate bracelet on their wrist, which looked out of place on the scar-covered hand. The ring on the ring finger was identical to his.

The tea splashed onto her, creating a large wet stain in front of her, resembling blood. The aroma of tea permeated the office, and the tea flowed down the fabric, dripping onto the floor, drop by drop.

How real it felt.

The tea splashed onto her, but she didn’t seem annoyed. She stood in the corner of the office, smiling as she looked over.

“It’s an illusion,” Li Nian said in a deep voice. “You’re not her.”

Meng Huai laughed heartily. “Come on, don’t pretend. Little Brother Li, with your personality, how could you easily be influenced by illusions?”

Li Nian stared with bloodshot eyes. He hesitated for a moment, and then he reached out his hand, placing it gently on Meng Huai’s shoulder.

A tangible touch; the warmth of a human being.

“A tangible entity,” he said. “The possibility of an illusion still can’t be ruled out.”

Meng Huai laughed until her laughter caused small creases to form on her nose. “Hahaha! You’re truly something, becoming a minister and still looking so dead.”

Li Nian tried to grab her arm, but Meng Huai dodged as gracefully as he remembered, evading his grasp. Her clothes were still damp and dripping with tea.

Meng Huai made a face at him. “Actually, you guessed right. This is a spiritual perception—thanks to Yin Ren’s communication, I managed to barely project myself from the Other Side. Whether you believe it or not, I will be with you from now on.”

As she spoke, her words softened, carrying a hint of tenderness and melancholy.

“All this time, I’ve been—”

“That’s enough.” Li Nian’s face showed displeasure as he directly interrupted the person in front of him. “You’re not her!”

“The Meng Huai I know would never believe that I joined Shian. Even if there is irrefutable evidence of ‘me becoming a minister’, her first reaction upon seeing me would be to shower me with curses.”

His voice gradually turned cold.

“If you can affect me, you must be something very powerful and dangerous.”

The smiling face of “Meng Huai” twisted slightly. She crossed her arms and calmly interjected, “In your memories, there is no such scenario. What makes you so certain?”

Li Nian remained silent.

“Lao Li!” Fu Xingchuan kicked the door open. “Rare to see you calling for emergency assistance. You—”

“Who are you talking to?” Fu Xingchuan’s expression changed from anxious to perplexed. He looked around, even “sniffed” loudly. “There’s no unusual aura?”

“I’m talking to the ‘angel’s arm’.” Li Nian gazed at the figure standing two steps in front of him. “Meng Huai” was still there, playfully greeting Fu Xingchuan.

Fu Xingchuan’s expression fluctuated, eventually settling on alertness. “Even you…”

“Impressive, Minister Li. You immediately called for backup.”

“Meng Huai” clapped her hands and laughed a few more times. In an instant, her figure flickered, and those warm arms encircled him again, like an embrace between ordinary lovers. The wedding ring on its ring finger shone brightly.

“What a pity—” It blew air into Li Nian’s ear. “From the very beginning, you shouldn’t have engaged in a conversation with me.”

……

The next morning, Dr. Sun left the hospital. But when she left the hospital, she didn’t go home; she went straight to change into work clothes.

Officer Sun, carrying a thermos filled with stewed chicken soup, was waiting near his daughter’s office early in the morning. “Hey, sweetie. Dad stewed the chicken specially last night—be careful, it’s still hot.”

“Where’s Mom?” Dr. Sun took the thermos with both hands.

“The department has been busy lately, but I can find someone to cover for me. She couldn’t leave temporarily.” Officer Sun’s smile was somewhat awkward. “She said yesterday that she can take a break in a couple of days and come to the hospital to see you.”

“She cares.” Sun Qi’an smiled warmly. “Actually, my situation isn’t too bad, and the tumor in my head is stable. The big shots say that as long as I don’t experience severe impact, I might just peacefully coexist with it until the end of my life.”

Officer Sun moved his lips, hesitating for a moment. “Sweetie, please don’t overthink it. Your mother, she…”

“Mom cares about me. Her absence this time has nothing to do with me not being her biological daughter.” Sun Qi’an pushed Officer Sun playfully. “Come on, it’s been so many years. I’m not a grade schooler anymore.”

Officer Sun forced a couple of dry laughs. “Right, my baby girl has grown up.”

Bidding farewell to her father, Sun Qi’an glanced at her phone—the inquiry arranged by Shian seemed to be at 9 in the morning, so she had time to finish the soup. Officer Sun had also specially packed soft pancakes. If they were left for too long, the steam would ruin them.

So she found a lounge, pulled out a soft and fair chair, and wiped the warm tabletop that looked like living skin. The window was slightly open, and rows of arms by the bed swayed in the breeze, casting soft shadows.

Sun Qi’an carefully rolled up her sleeves, attentively tore open the pancake, and dipped it bit by bit into the chicken soup. Halfway through her meal, she wanted a sip of water. A hand appeared beside her, and the water in the cup became perfectly warm.

The touch of the cup was pleasantly warm, although the wall of the cup was a bit thick. Fortunately, the nails forming the cup’s rim were neatly trimmed, revealing a healthy color.

After finishing the chicken soup, she packed up the thermos and stretched lazily in the sunlight.

It was a beautiful day outside, with many translucent arms floating in the air, soft like jellyfish tentacles. ‘Another calm day,’ she thought.

In the dial with blood vessels, the beautifully shaped thumb, middle finger, and pinky finger rotated leisurely. Sun Qi’an looked up at the time, and at that moment, she suddenly felt a vague sense of something strange.

Something is off.

What exactly is wrong?

Oh well, maybe it’s just the weather. Sun Qi’an patted her slightly aching head and felt quite content.

When the hour hand reached 8:50, Sun Qi’an straightened her collar and stepped out of the door.

“Shian’s inquiry.” She clasped her hands tightly. “I need to handle it seriously.”

“Yes.” Her mother—her real mother who had long passed away—wrapped her arm around her shoulder and whispered warmly in her ear. “You need to handle it seriously.”

Sun Qi’an skillfully tied up her hair, held her head high, and walked forward. On the opposite side, behind Li Nian, Gao Mengyu walked with her head slightly lowered, and the two sides coincidentally met.

Sun Qi’an blinked.

On Li Nian’s shoulder, there was also a beautiful arm at rest.

Indeed, she was just being overly anxious. The world was still functioning normally, without anything unusual.

“I actually feel pretty good.”

Once seated, Sun Qi’an smiled gently and beautifully, as always.

“Well, I haven’t encountered anything strange again, nor have I seen any abnormal arms… Maybe you should go and ask others?”

……

At this moment, Lord Ghost King was still suffering inside “Satisfaction”.

If there was a recording device on the Other Side, Yin Ren guessed he must look like a peppermint candy thrown into a carbonated drink. He was being tortured to death by these damned bubbles.

Question: In a snowy landscape, surrounded by blades from all directions with no way to dodge, what should you do?

Answer: Crouch down and protect your head.

After regaining consciousness, Yin Ren didn’t grow taller or bigger, as Qi Xin had hoped. He curled up even tighter than a startled clamshell. Unfortunately, even with less contact with the bubbles, the pain continued to assault him endlessly.

It was too painful.

An old person dreaming of endless artillery fire, a stray dog dreaming of swinging blades, a child dreaming of chasing after their abandoned parents, and a young person dreaming of holding the body of their loved one tightly. From being displaced to the death of a beloved pet, the dark emotions brewed into a pot of porridge, and each burst of a bubble was a mournful cry.

It was too joyful.

A patient dreaming of a day of recovery, a bird dreaming of a warm southern place, a parent dreaming of their deceased children, a middle-aged person dreaming of fantastical encounters that defied reality… Countless satisfactions came pouring in.

Like ice and fire, they alternated the torment. Each emotional bomb exploded on Yin Ren, leaving him bruised and battered.

He had lived hundreds of years in the human world, but here he was like an infant, forced to navigate through the minds of countless young and old souls. Billions of emotions intertwined in chaos and intensity, and he was about to be submerged and crushed by countless minds.

To withstand all this, there were precedents—either, like Zhong Chengshuo a thousand years ago, abandon all emotions, or, like Zhong Chengshuo a thousand years later, use scientific willpower to fortify oneself.

He couldn’t take the second path, but abandoning emotions…

Indeed, incomprehension and indifference may be the only solution to deal with this chaotic mess. It was like being human and not caring about the joys and sorrows of cockroaches. It was also like tender flesh festering and forming thick calluses, rendering it less susceptible to stimuli.

Yin Ren supported his shattered consciousness and suddenly felt a bit sad.

Evil being, Great Celestial Master, Evil Spirit… The cub of Fear. Stripping away the layers of shells, he was just a mortal born of his mother, a flesh-and-blood human. And his opponent was the emotional chaos that had accumulated over billions of years on the Other Side.

No wonder he always had that sense of powerlessness before. Now, completely dispelling the clouds, he truly understood that he was a mere mayfly challenging a giant tree, an insignificant force. To confront enemies far beyond human capabilities, he himself had to become something far beyond human—how fair it seemed.

But he couldn’t make that decision.

Countless dreams flashed by, so beautiful. Yet if he were to abandon the eyes that could understand them, in his eyes, they would be no different from the filthy foam that surfaced from the sewers. In the future, whether it was the life or death of the members of Unit 9, or the subtle emotions on Zhong Chengshuo’s face, it would all turn into trivial dust and no longer stir even the slightest reaction from him.

Yin Ren didn’t like that.

So should he give up? Slipping away dejectedly, resigning himself to fate, living with a sense of powerlessness?

Or should he accept everything completely? If he continued to endure this pain, not even a year, a month, or a day would pass before he lost interest in life.

It was truly maddening. When he first arrived in this era, all he wanted was to enjoy some fresh food and live one day at a time.

“I’m not used to thinking about this…” Yin Ren bitterly mumbled in his mind.

If Zhong Chengshuo were here, he might be able to come up with some fantastic ideas from a Primordial Elemental perspective. No, that wasn’t right either. That guy himself wasn’t very good at handling emotions…

Thinking of this, Yin Ren suddenly froze for a moment.

When did he initially encounter this difficult problem?

[I’m only used to thinking about how “I” can come out unscathed… This is the first time I’m attempting to think about “us”.]

When he was wrapped layer by layer by the “Attachment” Elemental inside the Corpse Cage, Zhong Chengshuo had said that.

[Yin Ren, I will come up with a more suitable solution.]

A more suitable solution.

Yin Ren’s tensed body loosened slightly.

At that time, he first alleviated his loss of control through battle, and then resolved the “Attachment”. There must have been something in that process—something he seemed to grasp…

Either give up humanity, or give up becoming stronger, or endure the pain until it drives him insane.

Why wasn’t there a fourth option?

[…Battle is the best way to release pent-up emotions…] Fragments of memories whispered in his ears.

The Elementals rarely empathized with humans, which was why there was a natural barrier. “Satisfaction” and “Fear” didn’t have brains, so naturally, they couldn’t think on this level.

Various emotions exploded in his mind, and he had always tried to deny them, to dominate them, to manipulate them. What would happen if he gave up resistance and tried to accept these emotions?

Feeling cornered, with no way out, he resorted to desperate measures, shouting for Qi Xin to save him if things didn’t go well!

Yin Ren took a deep breath in his mind and suddenly relaxed his entire body.

An old person dreaming of endless artillery fire, a stray dog dreaming of swinging blades—he squatted beside them, sobbing along with them; a child dreaming of chasing their abandoned parents, a young person dreaming of embracing the corpse of their loved ones—Yin Ren stood nearby, crying louder than them.

A patient dreaming of a day of recovery, a bird dreaming of warm southern lands—he smiled along with them; a parent dreaming of their deceased children, a middle-aged person dreaming of fantastical adventures that defied reality—he recorded these fleeting moments for them.

Yin Ren no longer put up his defenses. He traversed through unordered consciousness, not hiding his own fears and satisfactions. Truly, this was training—a perfect opportunity to temper his spirit. He even began to actively approach those dreamscapes, experiencing the various emotions of the dreamers.

At the beginning, it was indeed painful.

As a powerful Primordial Elemental, a terrifying evil, or a revered Great Celestial Master, he shouldn’t have been affected by these messy emotions. The strong seemed to be expected to trample over thorns barefoot and carve out a path drenched in blood.

But as a mortal, Yin Ren allowed himself to be defeated, tormented, and submerged in the countless ups and downs of human existence. He cried when he felt sad and laughed when he felt happy. Anyway, his skin was thick enough—why not indulge in love, hatred, passion, joy, sorrow, and separation for a while?

He insisted on enduring it.

Gradually, the dam that Yin Ren had built so frantically began to crumble. The water no longer turbulently muddied but instead flowed gradually and gently, forming several clear streams. After an unknown time, the pain brought by great joys and sorrows became more bearable.

Yin Ren closed the eyes of the old person, held the hand of the child, and touched the soft fur of animals. Life in all its diversity, all living beings—that was all there was to it. Having seen so much and understood so deeply, he allowed himself to freely express joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, as they were nothing major.

Negative emotions could still circulate within him, but he could now accept satisfaction with ease.

Countless illusions brushed by, and in the end, Yin Ren discovered that he was immersed in many bubbles. They only left him with a very small stinging sensation, just like a hug from Zhong Chengshuo.

Those emotions continued to surge, but they no longer engaged in a tug-of-war with him; they swiftly passed through him, like a breeze from the unknown.

He had won.

He didn’t know if this counted as passing, but he knew for sure that he had definitely grown a bit.

Yin Ren stretched himself out triumphantly; with “Satisfaction” being so big, why not expand himself to the fullest? He didn’t know if Qi Xin was watching, but he hoped to annoy her.

He kept stretching, even with fear and caution, still displaying a righteous and confident attitude like a fearless calf not afraid of tigers. He felt as if he had been released from a vacuum-sealed package, ready to expand to the ends of the earth.

Finally, “Satisfaction” seemed to notice something.

Like any undigested organism, countless bubbles separated, and countless vortices merged, forming a large mouth with tremendous suction force. Before Yin Ren could react, he was cruelly vomited out.

He lay sprawled on the tunnel of the Other Side, flapping his wings in dissatisfaction. At this moment, those clusters of wings had turned pitch black, with intricate and obscure patterns swirling within them, resembling Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes.

Yin Ren deliberately grew an eyeball and solemnly examined himself for a while.

New, not bad.

Unfortunately, Ms. Qi Xin’s thoughts clearly went against his.

Qi Xin had followed him throughout the whole process, and now she was floating above the wriggling Yin Ren on the ground, with a face even longer than “Love’s” arms.

Before Yin Ren could open his mouth to speak to her, Qi Xin descended slowly. Her hands scooped up two clusters of wings with a casual gesture, as if she was a customer buying cabbage in a vegetable market. She looked at the flapping soft wings on the ground and her eyes filled with strong disbelief—normally, this great Elemental rarely displayed such intense emotions.

First, she directly infused a state of sorrow.

Yin Ren smoothly accepted it, allowing tears to flow from the small wings nestled at the bottom. He remained expressionless—now he had become a mature Primordial Elemental that could embrace joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness while retaining his rationality. He wouldn’t be shaken by such tricks.

Seeing that Yin Ren didn’t struggle or collapse, Qi Xin quickly plucked off a small wing and chewed on it.

Yin Ren: “?”

How could she start eating them? Did she really think they wouldn’t fight each other?

“Wrong.”

Qi Xin grabbed her hair with her fingers, messing up her previously neat bun.

“Wrong, wrong, wrong—! There’s no taste of Fear! Why is there no taste of Fear?”

……

Qi Xin did witness the whole process.

At first, when she saw Yin Ren stretching his body, she was delighted—this guy had finally figured it out. As the saying went, “It’s survival of the fittest, and if you want to protect yourself, strength is the most precious thing.”

But Yin Ren’s reaction gradually became somewhat strange.

During those long days and nights, he began rolling around, making contact with those bubbles, and diving into whichever dream was more abundant. In the end, that black mass floated and swayed within the bubbles, even emitting a sense of contentment.

The “Fear” she knew didn’t behave like this!

“Fear” should be more silent, colder, like the night in the human world. Long ago, when Qi Xin discovered that Yin Ren possessed the power that annihilated the Primordial Elementals, she was certain that he was the “Fear” cub she had been seeking.

Even if his birth was a bit problematic and his form was strange and peculiar; even if he had too much humanity… a cub was a cub. It was just a matter of training. After all, no one knew what Old Fear looked like when it was young. When the cub grew up, everything would fall back into place.

But now she wasn’t sure anymore.

Yin Ren’s state was indeed that of a mature Primordial Elemental. He stretched his body, exuding a depth that seemed bottomless, but his form didn’t resemble “Fear” at all.

Old Fear was pure blackness. It didn’t have the flapping black wings on the ground, nor the delicate and slightly dazzling thin red veil that gently floated above the wings. It danced gracefully, never ceasing, with its wings fluttering gently.

Swish, swish.

The “Primordial Elemental” in front of her was undoubtedly warm.

“…Yin Ren, what exactly are you?”