Chu Tianqiu, draped in an overcoat, was about to head to the cemetery under the cover of night when a young man blocked his path.
Jin Yuanxun stood before him with a troubled expression, staring at Chu Tianqiu for a long while without saying a word.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Tianqiu asked with a smile. “Looking for me?”
“Brother…” Jin Yuanxun lowered his head, gathering his thoughts before speaking. “Are you going to silence me?”
“Silence you?” Chu Tianqiu grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. “What’s the reason?”
“Because I saw… that…” Jin Yuanxun swallowed hard. “Brother, what exactly were you doing down there?”
“Of course, I’m trying to leave this damned place,” Chu Tianqiu said seriously. “I’m just conducting experiments… all sorts of experiments.”
“Those masks… and that corpse… they were all part of your experiments?” Jin Yuanxun asked skeptically.
“Of course,” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “I’ve told you before—I have a Ph.D. in biology.”
Jin Yuanxun couldn’t meet Chu Tianqiu’s gaze and turned his head away, asking gloomily, “Brother… have you ever killed anyone?”
“That’s quite the question. Why would I kill anyone?” Chu Tianqiu chuckled. “As far as I can remember, my hands have never been stained with a single drop of blood.”
“Really…?”
“What, you don’t believe me?” Chu Tianqiu stepped forward and patted Jin Yuanxun’s shoulder. “In your memory, is Brother Chu some kind of ruthless murderer?”
Jin Yuanxun sighed. “Brother, I don’t remember the past.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Chu Tianqiu sighed as well. “Jin Yuanxun, don’t worry. If I ever manage to leave this place, you’ll all benefit from it.”
“Benefit?”
“Mhm.” Chu Tianqiu smiled cheerfully. “Your Chinese isn’t great, so you might not know this… but there’s an old saying: *When one man attains enlightenment, even his pets ascend to heaven.*”
“Attains enlightenment… ascends to heaven?” Jin Yuanxun blinked in confusion. “What does that mean?”
“It means that if one person becomes a god, those around him will ascend with him.” Chu Tianqiu gave a gentle smile. “Do you understand now?”
“Brother… I believe you…” Jin Yuanxun nodded silently. “I have no choice but to trust you.”
“Good boy. Go get some rest.”
With a conflicted expression, Jin Yuanxun turned and left. As he walked through the pitch-black night, he felt both similar and dissimilar to the man named Qiao Jiajin.
They shared the same temperament, but followed different *minds*.
Whose path was the right one?
After parting ways with Jin Yuanxun, Chu Tianqiu arrived at the cemetery, found the third gravestone from the left, and descended into the hidden passage.
This was a small storage space he had stumbled upon by chance. With some simple renovations, it had become his hideout.
But now that it had been exposed, he needed to relocate soon.
Chu Tianqiu walked down the stairs, pushed open the small door to the storage room, and was greeted by a pungent, fresh stench.
Taking a deep, almost indulgent breath, he smiled and stepped inside, pulling out a lighter from his pocket to ignite the candles on the wall.
Instantly, the flickering light illuminated rows of animal masks on the shelves, their hollow eyes eerily visible.
“My exquisite dinner…”
Without hesitation, Chu Tianqiu took a boning knife from the wall and approached the dining table.
On it lay a fresh *ingredient*.
Many parts of this *ingredient* had already been carved away, and now its skin was left in tatters.
“That damned divine beast didn’t leave me much to work with…”
Gripping the knife, Chu Tianqiu studied what appeared to be a freshly slaughtered calf.
“Which part should I eat today…?” His smile deepened. “Eating the *’bull’s heart’* didn’t work… Could the *’echo’* reside in the brain?”
After a moment’s contemplation, he made his decision.
He grabbed the knife, then fetched a hammer.
Reversing his grip on the blade, he pressed it against the calf’s skull and began slowly chiseling away.
Had the *ingredient* been anything else, Chu Tianqiu would never have considered consuming these white substances.
Without seasoning, the strong, fishy taste was hard to mask, and the texture was unpleasantly mushy.
By comparison, he much preferred the calf’s fingers.
“Too bad all ten of yours are gone.” Shaking his head regretfully, he continued the craniotomy.
With rhythmic hammer strikes, he hummed Chopin’s *Nocturne in E-flat Major*, making the entire scene even more unsettling.
After nearly half an hour, a bloodstained piece of skull was carefully removed.
Chu Tianqiu examined the dark-red interior of the calf’s cranium, smiling faintly as he retrieved a spoon and dug in.
Like scooping the sweetest flesh from a halved watermelon, he rotated the spoon vertically and extracted a spoonful of red-and-white matter resembling tofu.
Then, lighting a fire with some wood, he greased a frying pan with aged butter and began frying the brain with satisfaction.
*Sizzle—*
The faintly rancid brain released an intense aroma upon contact with the pan.
“Maybe I should make butter-cheese baked brain today…?” He rummaged through his cupboard, sighing in disappointment. “No cheese left… Guess I’ll just fry it plain.”
Using the spoon, he gently pressed down on the brain to ensure even heating and a more uniform, square shape.
To make food look refined, one had to shape it during cooking.
Thirty seconds per side, until the exterior turned a light golden brown.
Once the white smoke subsided, it was ready to serve.
Chu Tianqiu placed the brain onto a large plate, draped a napkin over his lap, and picked up his knife and fork.
Carefully, he sliced off a small, pale edge, speared it with his fork, gave it a sniff, and then placed it in his mouth.
Crisp on the outside, tender within.
With a gentle press of his tongue, the delicacy spread, releasing a rich flavor far more delightful than he had anticipated.
“*Surge*…” Chu Tianqiu’s face lit up with satisfaction. “Maybe when I wake up tomorrow… I’ll be a *’Surger’*…”
He pulled out a crumpled note from his pocket and spread it flat on the table.
The words were still his own handwriting.
*”If you eat it, you will obtain that person’s ‘echo.'”*
His expression darkened as he thought to himself, *Chu Tianqiu, oh Chu Tianqiu, you clever fool. Why didn’t you write it more clearly back then?*
*What exactly do I need to eat?*
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