Chapter 54 (1/2)

Li Ang said calmly, “What a melodramatic story.”

“It is,” Zou Zhengze said with a smile. “When I thought things through and returned to the city, I realized that she had completely left. Therefore, I started to look for traces of her to apologize to her.

“However, by the time I heard where she was, it was already over 20 years later.

“Naturally, she had become a wife and a mother. I did not hate her for that. On the contrary, I was sincerely happy for her and wished her well.

“I also started to collect their daily garbage. Humans lie and deceive, but their garbage doesn’t.

“When I saw her kitchen garbage, I knew that she still liked to eat congee for breakfast and liked sweet and sour pork ribs and fried meat with mushrooms. When I saw her shopping tags, I discovered that she also liked to use Bee & Flower sandalwood soap and peony hand cream. I knew that they went to a concert hall once a month and danced slowly in the living room to the music on the vinyl record player every Wednesday night. When I saw that she was doing well, I was very happy.”

“In that case,” said Li Ang. “Why did you kill them?”

“Like I said… it was out of love.” Zou Zhengze smiled bitterly. “Have you heard of the Chinese Abnormality Institute?”

Li Ang nodded.

“The Abnormality Institute, or the Abnormal Objects and Phenomenon Institute, which dated back to the Qin and Han dynasties long ago, was one of the earliest extraordinary organizations formed by the Killing Field players in this country.

“The alchemists and players in ancient times naturally had contact with the rulers after gaining extraordinary powers. Because the imperial family had top players, the alchemists declared bankruptcy due to their usurping activities. Eventually, thanks to the imperial family’s extraordinary players, an organization called the Abnormality Institute was established.

“This organization was only loyal to the rulers of each dynasty. When the Killing Field started and the spiritual influence recovered, the Abnormality Institute was responsible for attracting civilian players to assist the imperial family in eliminating the demons in the world.

“When the Killing Field stopped and the spiritual influence withered, the Abnormality Institute was responsible for compiling records, mapping demon illustrations and quest records, and trying to bypass the killing game to record and inherit extraordinary power.

“This could also be known as preaching.

“After the Sui and Tang dynasties, the frequency of Killing Fields got lower and lower, and the scale got smaller and smaller. The spiritual influence had withered and the extraordinary elements had gradually ebbed.

“The alchemists of the Abnormality Institute had the bamboo slip inheritance. Although they weren’t waiting to die from thirst like the fish in the dried-up lake, they couldn’t develop anymore and had an increasingly weaker presence.

“By the end of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the mountains and rivers were sinking and the communication between heaven and earth was cut off. The Abnormality Institute was only left with two or three cats and a warehouse of bamboo slips in the Forbidden City.

“The new rulers, who had never experienced the high tide of the spiritual influence, had a negative attitude toward the Abnormality Institute’s work. A large number of bamboo slips were lost and destroyed. The quest logs, the inheritance of extraordinary powers, and the demon illustration of the past Killing Fields were lost.

“This lasted until the spring breeze blew, thousands of willows swayed with the wind, and China, which had a population of 600 million, was wise. Half of the Abnormality Institute has finally been rejuvenated. They seized this opportunity and collected the lost bamboo slips and plenty of records while they destroyed the mountains and temples.

“Before July, the Killing Field started again on a large scale and the Abnormality Institute, which had good historical credibility, once again stepped on the historical stage as an intellectual support organization to assist the Special Affairs Bureau in work.

“It could be said that the existence of the Abnormality Institute was good fortune brought about by long history. It was an innate plug-in that was reasonable and legitimate in the strategic layout of the State Apparatus.