"No rush, take your time looking at it, honey," Xiaorou said softly, a hint of shyness and bashfulness suddenly appearing on her stunningly beautiful face. "Anyway, there's nothing to do at home. I just want to hold you and lie with you..."
"Hmm..." Ling Yun seemed oblivious to his wife's strange behavior and started flipping through the book again. Xiao Rou bit her lip in anger, wanting to kick him hard to vent her frustration. This guy, doesn't he know that the night is short? With such a beautiful wife by his side, he still insists on coming to this shabby library to read books. It's infuriating!
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the library, as if a large group of people were rushing past. Besides the shouts and curses of most of the people, there seemed to be a person's terrified and desperate cry for help: "Help! Help! I'm not a monster, please don't kill me!" But immediately, his weak voice was drowned out by the angry shouts and curses of the crowd.
"Damn it, you still want to deny it? You monster, you're quite the imposter! I'll beat you to death!" a burly voice shouted.
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill this man-eating monster!" Countless angry voices rang out in a chaotic cacophony, followed by a series of earth-shaking, disordered footsteps that receded into the east of the town.
Lingyun and Xiaorou looked at each other in surprise. Xiaorou said in shock, "Xiaohe and the others discovered the townspeople disguised as monsters so quickly? That's too fast. It seems like we left less than two hours ago."
Ling Yun nodded: "It's too fast. Let's go out and see what's going on." With that, he put down his book, grabbed Xiao Rou's hand, and hurried away. The market was right in front of the library. In this tiny town, you could see the high wall on the west side directly from the corner of the east wall. The two thick high walls completely isolated the town, but strangely, no one had ever objected to this, or even asked what the world outside the walls was like.
The two men looked toward the east wall and saw that about a dozen strong townspeople had formed a huge circle, completely surrounding the side of the east wall closest to the market, forming a semi-circle. Many townspeople were carrying household kitchen knives, wooden sticks, and iron hooks for starting fires, while many others had empty hands, but somehow had picked up a handful of stones.
Fierce shouts echoed throughout the town; even on the westernmost side, the angry cries could be heard. Within the seemingly enclosed semicircle, there truly appeared to be a humanoid monster.
Lingyun and Xiaorou exchanged another glance and quickened their pace to catch up. They were both incredibly shocked by the high efficiency of the monster patrol team formed by Xiaohe and Brother Liang. Lingyun was especially surprised; he hadn't expected the patrol team to discover the monster's tracks so quickly. How did they find the monster hidden in the town? Lingyun walked quickly while nervously thinking about this, a sense of unease rapidly growing in his heart.
The two quickly walked to the base of the east wall, and with great difficulty separated themselves from the crowd that was shouting and cursing. They squeezed into the second row, which was almost packed with people. There, they saw a boy who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old sitting trembling in the corner, hugging his knees. His face was covered in bruises, and his skin was no longer intact. It was obvious that he had been beaten by the crowd. His thin little body was covered in wounds, and some of the wounds were still bleeding. It was a shocking and cruel sight.
The boy was terrified and couldn't even feel the pain in his body. He just stared blankly at the crowd and whispered, repeating, "I'm not a monster, I'm not a monster, please don't hit me, I'm really not a monster."
Ling Yun stared at the boy in disbelief. He knew the boy's name was Xiao Zhao, and he was probably the child of the second-to-last family on the west side of the town. He was usually very quick-witted and would always sweetly call Xiao Liang "brother" and Mei Yun "sister-in-law" when he saw Ling Yun and Xiao Rou. He was a very well-behaved and obedient boy. How could he suddenly become a monster? It was simply unbelievable. However, seeing the intense hatred in the eyes of every villager around him, Ling Yun couldn't help but gasp.
He grabbed a middle-aged man next to him who was still shouting to kill him: "Uncle, is Xiao Zhao a monster? How was that determined?"
The middle-aged man glanced at him, shook his head, and said, "I don't know either, but the monster patrol team says he's a monster, and he can't explain it back to himself. What else could he be but a monster? What do you think?"
Ling Yun was dumbfounded. The patrol team said Xiao Zhao was a monster, so he was a monster? What kind of logic was that! He was about to argue when the middle-aged man turned away from him and started shouting fervently closer to the boy.
As he watched his retreating figure, Ling Yun suddenly felt a deep chill run down his spine. He turned around and looked at Xiao Rou, who was equally shocked. The two of them reached out their hands to each other and clasped them tightly, both feeling the wetness and coldness in each other's hands.
A young man walked out of the crowd with an air of nonchalance and gestured for silence. Although his expression was calm, his eyes betrayed a hint of excitement and a slightly ferocious glint. It was Xiaohe.
Ling Yun and Xiao Rou silently watched the river, wondering how he had discovered the monster in just one hour. Suddenly, Ling Yun had a thought and looked up at the sky. The huge clock was still motionless. However, the blazing blue flame inside the clock had shrunk considerably, leaving only a finger-thick flame that seemed about to go out at any moment.
Ling Yun raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze back to the river. By this time, the crowd's fervent emotions had subsided. Looking at the river, countless eyes were filled with gratitude and admiration, clearly thanking the town for producing such a great hero who had rid the town of a scourge, killed the monster disguised as a town dweller, and restored peace to the town.
Xiaohe slowly bent down and asked Xiaozhao in a soft voice, "Xiaozhao, we didn't say you were a monster without reason. Our patrol team just interviewed and recorded it. The night before last, you were the only one in the whole town who didn't go home. I asked your mother, and she said she didn't know where you went. Your mother was very worried at the time, afraid that you had been eaten by a monster. But unexpectedly, you returned home unharmed the next morning. Even your family was very surprised. I'll ask you again, can you explain where you were the night before last?"
Xiao Zhao was already terrified, trembling as if he had lost his soul. He stared at Xiao He with wide, fearful eyes, as if Xiao He were a monster that could devour him at any moment. Finally, he burst into tears, sobbing as he said, "Brother Xiao He, I'm really not a monster. The day before yesterday, I played with Xiao Er from Aunt Wang's house during the day. Later, it got too late, and since it was dark, I stayed at Aunt Wang's house and spent the night with Xiao Er."
"Oh?" A playful smile appeared on Xiaohe's face. "You mean you played with Xiao Er the day before yesterday, and then Xiao Er was eaten by a monster yesterday? Isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?"
Xiao Zhao trembled and said, "Brother Xiao He, I didn't know that Xiao Er was eaten by a monster yesterday. I was very scared. I was playing with him the day before yesterday. If you don't believe me, Aunt Wang can prove it to me. It was Aunt Wang who told me to stay. She said it was getting dark and I shouldn't go home. She was careful not to encounter monsters. She even made a bowl of wontons for both Xiao Er and me. I remember it very clearly."
Xiaohe continued with a playful smile, "It seems you won't give up until you're completely convinced. Alright, since you say Aunt Wang left you at home the day before yesterday, then we'll ask Aunt Wang to come and testify to see if you really did play with Xiao Er the night before last. Anyway, Xiao Er is dead and can't verify your words. In the whole town, only Aunt Wang can tell whether you're telling the truth or not."
He stood up and called out to the crowd, "Aunt Wang, since Xiao Zhao said she spent the night at your house, could you please come out and testify? That way we won't wrongly accuse Xiao Zhao again."
The crowd parted to make way for them. Lingyun and Xiaorou looked over and saw a middle-aged woman in her fifties with gray hair walk out from the crowd. It was Aunt Wang, whom the two of them hadn't had a chance to visit yet. After not seeing her for a few days, her face had become shockingly ashen, and the wrinkles on her face seemed to have more than doubled. Her eyes revealed a deep despair and an emotionless emptiness.
"Aunt Wang, I'm sorry to have asked you to come at this time." Xiao He said softly, a look of grief appearing on her face, but it disappeared immediately. "However, Xiao Zhao is very likely the monster that killed Xiao Er, and we need you to come and testify. We don't want to wrong an innocent person, but we also won't let a monster go easily!"
Aunt Wang didn't even glance at him, merely nodding emotionlessly, her gaze fixed intently on Xiao Zhao, suddenly flashing a light of extreme hatred. But this light was fleeting, and apart from Ling Yun and Xiao Rou, no one noticed the old lady's unusual expression.
"Tell me, Aunt Wang, did Xiao Zhao stay at your house the night before last?" Xiao He asked slowly and deliberately. Now was the most crucial moment, and even his face showed a hint of tension.
"No, I haven't seen him. He's lying!" Aunt Wang's words instantly plunged Xiao Zhao into despair. Before anyone could react, she had already turned and quickly walked out of the crowd.
Ling Yun sighed deeply, took Xiao Rou's hand, turned around and walked out. The thing he feared most had finally happened. Xiao Zhao was just the first opening. Once it was opened, the darkest side of human nature would quickly overwhelm everything. If anyone tried to resist, they would be overwhelmed by people who had lost their minds.
The angry clamor behind him rose again. There was no need for monsters to eat people; the bloody tragedies created by people themselves were far more terrifying and violent than monsters eating people.
Chapter 317 Riot
Xiaorou grabbed his arm, somewhat unwillingly, "Honey, are you just going to stand by and watch them treat Xiaozhao like this? How could that child be a man-eating monster? It's so unfair to condemn him based on just one sentence from Aunt Wang. The look in Aunt Wang's eyes just now was terrifying. She was clearly heartbroken over her son's tragic death, and that's why she wished Xiaozhao would die too. It was so scary. I never thought Aunt Wang, who was always so kind and gentle, would turn out like this." As she spoke, the girl couldn't help but shudder.
Ling Yun gently grasped her arms, his eyes fixed on her pure, innocent, and deep eyes, as clear as still water. Perhaps in this world, only his wife was the kindest and most innocent person. She had not yet understood the truth of the matter. Perhaps, the innocent Xiao Rou would never understand the cruelty of this law of human nature. Once the dark side begins to explode, even the kindest person can turn into a demon in the blink of an eye.
“Wife, I know this is hard for you to accept, but you’re an adult now, so I have to tell you this,” Ling Yun said earnestly. “We can’t save Xiao Zhao. He’s already been labeled a monster by everyone. No matter how absurd the evidence is, once everyone has decided, he’s a monster. It has nothing to do with the facts, only with everyone’s humanity and their feelings. This logic may seem absurd and ridiculous, but in this situation, it becomes very normal. If we try to stop it, we’ll immediately be seen as Xiao Zhao’s accomplices. Not only will we not be able to save him, but we’ll also face our own deaths.”
"Husband..." Xiaorou stared at Lingyun's face in shock. She had never imagined that her usually taciturn husband would say such things. Although the meaning behind his words was simple and easy to understand, she had never heard of them before, nor had she ever even considered them. But for some reason, Lingyun's words gave her a very familiar feeling, as if only in these words could she find her true self, instead of the virtuous and gentle wife she was now, a housewife who depended solely on her husband for survival.
“Xiao Liang…you’ve changed. You’re not the same as before.” Xiao Rou said softly, lifting Ling Yun’s chin with both hands. “You seem to know a lot. These principles are both profound and simple, but I’ve never heard you say these things before. Husband, why don’t you tell me these things? Don’t you trust me? Or are you…thinking about something else? Do you still consider Mei Yun your wife?”
Ling Yun just looked at her silently: "Meiyun...wife...you are the person I love the most, and that will never change. No matter who I become, you will always be the person I love the most, always."
"Honey, I really want to hear you continue. What you just said is something I've never heard before. I'm a little scared, but I still can't help wanting to hear it," Xiaorou whispered as she nestled into his arms.
While stroking her hair, Ling Yun said with emotion, "Wife, you know what? People don't really care whether someone is a monster or not anymore. The long-standing terror and fear have twisted most people's minds. People's pent-up emotions need an outlet, but monsters are temporarily invincible. So, more often than not, people turn their anger inward. This often represents the collapse of the human spirit. Once the darkness of human nature is exposed, even neighbors can quickly become cruel and ruthless executioners. Xiao Zhao's appearance is just a trigger, allowing people to vent their emotions and then achieve a self-deceptive psychological balance. This way, most people's spirits won't collapse. But this method is only an extreme one. The monster won't really be killed. Once it reappears, most people's spirits will become even more tense, leading to even more frantic venting. This cycle repeats until the whole town riots."
Xiao Rou's body trembled suddenly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Husband, are you serious? Will they really turn out like this?"
Ling Yun said somewhat heavily, "I'm afraid so. The thing I feared most has happened. Xiao He is just someone who emerged to follow this trend. Even without him, there would have been others. This is a typical logic of the weak harming themselves. When the strong and the weak fight, if the weak cannot defeat the strong no matter what, then it is very likely that the weak will choose self-harm or self-destruction. And now, the weak are us, and the strong are the monsters. No matter what we do, we can never defeat the monsters."
"What should we do? If the town riots, we'll probably be in trouble too," Xiaorou said worriedly. She looked at Lingyun with concern, her mind only on her husband's safety, completely oblivious to her own situation.
Ling Yun said softly, "Wife, the trend is inevitable. We can only wait and wait for the world to become chaotic before real problems arise. Look at the clock in the sky, the blue flame is about to burn out."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Rou looked up at the enormous clock in the sky. As far as she could remember, the clock had always been there, a constant presence. The blue flames within its markings had always burned like this, and Xiao Rou found it strange at all, just as people in the real world wouldn't find it strange that the moon and stars appear at night. As for when the blue flames would go out, what did that have to do with her?
"Let's go home, honey, I'm a little tired," Ling Yun said wearily. He watched the townspeople hurrying by; some greeted him, others rushed off without a word, seemingly preoccupied with something terrible. Everyone looked rushed, as if something drastic had happened. The panic he felt upon seeing Xiao Er's mutilated body that morning was gone, replaced by a fulfilling excitement, as if he were busy trying to break free from this terrifying vicious cycle. But within that excitement, there was an unavoidable undercurrent of cruelty.
"Honey, let's go home if you're tired," Xiaorou said gently, taking her husband's arm and turning to walk home.
Thump thump thump...