Ein wandernder Jugendlicher

Kapitel 19

“I know you know my daughter Huang Yun. She’s dead. In fact, this is my punishment.” His tone was somewhat sorrowful.

"Why did you leave them, mother and daughter?" I boldly asked him.

“At the time, I didn’t know I would leave behind a daughter, and I left Shanghai that year for a more important reason.”

Are you running away?

“No, it’s not escapism.” He raised his voice. “It’s exploration. I’ve spent decades exploring, exploring a secret. You would never understand these things.”

"I see."

"No, young man, you'll never understand. Do you think it's all over?"

I nodded.

"You're wrong. You've already done something wrong." He suddenly stared at me with a strange look, which made me a little scared.

"Wrong thing?" I don't understand.

"Why return her head? Why?"

"For the lives of many."

“No, quite the opposite. Young man, you’re oversimplifying things. You shouldn’t have granted her wish. You’re wrong, you’ve made a terrible mistake. You’ll understand sooner or later,” he said emphatically.

“I don’t believe it. She was just a weak woman, an ordinary woman. It was a miraculous fate that made her experience the most tragic things in the world. She was innocent; she was just a victim. The real sinners were people’s greed. Greed caused her suffering, and then it led to her revenge on people. In the end, it was people’s own fault. Now, she has gotten what she needed, and she will live peacefully among people and will not hurt anyone again.” I tried my best to defend her.

“I’ve thought that way too, but all these years of wandering have changed my mind. I know she’s beautiful, and beauty often evokes sympathy. Young man, you need to be clear-headed. Alright, I’m leaving. That’s all I wanted to say to you.” Then he turned and left.

"I'm sorry, what exactly happened?" I pressed.

“You’ll understand in the future. Since you’ve made a terrible mistake, what’s coming will come eventually, and no one can escape it.” Then he walked out the door, turned back, placed his strong hand on my shoulder, and said softly, “The nightmare isn’t over yet; it’s just beginning.”

He disappeared at the end of the stairs.

I closed the door, and a gust of cold wind blew in through the crack in the window, making me shiver. I sat back down at the computer, staring at the novel title "Virus" on the screen, quietly recalling what Huang Donghai had just told me. I felt that fear again. I thought I had gotten rid of it, but no, people can never truly escape fear.

I shut down my computer and quickly went to sleep.

I dreamt of a woman with a perfect face and snow-white skin. She was walking in darkness, naked. I could see a faint scar on her abdomen. I saw clearly that inside her, a new life was growing, a curled-up fetus.

She is Empress Aruto Xiaozhi.

The nightmare has only just begun.