Chu Tianqiu, draped in a coat, was about to head toward the graveyard under the cover of night when he was stopped by an adolescent blocking his path.

Kim Wonhun stood before him, looking extremely troubled. He stared at Chu Tianqiu for a long while but didn’t speak a word.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Tianqiu asked with a smile. “Need something?”

“Ge...” Kim Wonhun lowered his head, organizing his words before speaking, “Are you going to kill me to keep your secret?”

“Kill you?” Chu Tianqiu grinned, showing his pearly white teeth. “And what would be the reason for that?”

“Because I saw that nàyàng...” Kim Wonhun swallowed nervously. “Ge, what exactly are you doing down there?”

"Naturally, I’m working on a plan to leave this wretched place." Chu Tianqiu stated solemnly. "I’m merely conducting experiments... just various experiments, nothing more."

“Those masks... and that ge’s corpse... were all part of the experiments?” Kim Wonhun asked with doubt in his voice.

"That’s right." Chu Tianqiu nodded slightly. "I told you before—I have a doctorate in biology."

Kim Wonhun couldn’t bring himself to look into Chu Tianqiu’s eyes. Turning his head away, he asked again, his face filled with despondency, “Ge, have you ever killed anyone?”

“This question...” Chu Tianqiu smiled cheerfully. “How could I kill anyone? "For as long as I can remember, my hands have never been stained with a drop of fresh blood.”

“Really...?” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“Why, don’t you believe me?” Chu Tianqiu walked up and patted Kim Wonhun’s shoulder. “In your memory, am I a murderous fiend who kills without a second thought?”

Kim Wonhun sighed, “Ge, I don’t remember anything from the past.”

“Oh, I forgot,” Chu Tianqiu sighed as well. “Kim Wonhun, rest assured. If one day I manage to leave this place, you’ll all benefit from it.”

“Benefit from it?”

“Mhm.” Chu Tianqiu smiled happily, “You’re not great with Chinese, so you might not know... there’s an old saying that goes, {When a man achieves Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven}.”

“Achieves Dao... rise to Heaven?” Kim Wonhun blinked, tilting his head. “What does that mean?”

“It means that if one person becomes a god, the people around him will also ascend,” Chu Tianqiu said with a gentle smile. “Do you understand now?”

“Ge... I believe you...” Kim Wonhun nodded silently. “I have no other choice but to believe you...”

“Good boy, go get some sleep.”

Kim Wonhun turned with a complicated expression, walking away into the pitch-black night. He felt like he was quite similar to the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ man named Qiao Jiajin, yet at the same time, he wasn't—they had the same personality, but were guided by different {brains}.

Whose path is really the right one?

After bidding farewell to Kim Wonhun, Chu Tianqiu arrived at the cemetery, finding the third tombstone from the left, then descended into the hidden passage.

This was a small warehouse he had stumbled upon by chance. After some simple renovations, it had become his hideout.

But now, his hideout was exposed, and he needed to relocate quickly.

Chu Tianqiu descended the stairs and pushed open the small door of the warehouse. A fresh, foul stench rushed toward his nose. He inhaled deeply, slightly intoxicated by the scent, then smiled and stepped inside. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a lighter and lit the candles on the wall.

At the same moment, several animal masks on the shelves in the room were illuminated, their hollow eyes staring back at him.

“My exquisite dinner...” Chu Tianqiu casually picked up a boning knife from the wall beside him, then walked toward the dining table.

On the table lay a corpse of Qi Xia.

The body had been mutilated—many of its organs were missing, and the skin had been shredded into pieces.

"Damn that Sacred Guardian, there’s not much left for me to work with..."

Chu Tianqiu held the knife, inspecting the body like a chef evaluating prime ingredients. "Which part should I eat today...?" His smile grew increasingly deranged. "The {heart} bore no effect... Could {Reverberation} be in the brain?"

After pondering for a few seconds, Chu Tianqiu made up his mind.

While still holding the boning knife, he fetched for the nearest hammer.

He then reversed his grip on the knife, pressing the blade against the calvaria (top of the skull). Slowly, he began chiseling with the hammer.

Had the body before him not been Qi Xia’s, he would never have chosen to consume the white matter. After all, without seasoning, the smell was difficult to mask, and the texture was soft and greasy.

By comparison, he preferred fingers, especially beautiful fingers.