fragments d'os oracle

Chapitre 9

The man in black slowly walked over, stood next to Yuan Li, and looked at her expression through the mirror.

At this moment, the regret and sorrow in his eyes deepened, along with a hint of blame.

"Why do you have to insult me? I can't bear to see you like this," he said.

Yuan Li turned around, her expression surprisingly calm: "You've seen your masterpiece. You must be very proud of yourself now." "I'm sorry, although you're not a particularly beautiful girl, you'd still attract many men's lustful glances if you walked down the street." "But now you've turned me into a monster," Yuan Li said. "I just want to know how you did it." Yuan Li's calmness made the man in black uneasy; for the first time, his gaze flickered in front of her. He turned and sat down in the chair, gesturing for Yuan Li to sit as well. Yuan Li seemed completely unconcerned about being naked; she sat opposite the man in black, her gaze still as calm as still water.

"It's actually very simple. I just give you 10 milligrams of dexamethasone injections every day. It's a type of glucocorticoid drug, usually used to suppress or clear airway mucosal inflammation, and it's a basic drug for treating bronchial asthma." The man in black seemed afraid that Yuan Li wouldn't understand, so he explained in great detail.

"But as a hormonal drug, it also has another effect: it acts as a catalyst. You don't need to understand the specifics of its properties; I just want you to know that if you overdose, it will cause you to become rapidly obese. And because this obesity is actually caused by the catalytic effect, it's medically known as centripetal obesity, meaning obesity in the area closer to the heart. So, your limbs will remain the same." "Another reaction to overdose is that people become extremely hungry and their appetite increases dramatically. Only by eating a lot can they obtain enough protein and fat to meet the material resources needed for the obesity process. Therefore, I buy a lot of food every day and add some hypnotic drugs to it. This way, after you eat, you will be extremely tired and will return to the box on your own." Yuan Li listened quietly, her eyes never leaving the man in black's eyes: "You chose darkness because you didn't want me to discover the changes in your body. Once the changes in my body reach a certain point..." "You wait until it reaches a certain point, and then I find out. That way, I won't be able to bear what happens, I'll completely collapse, and you'll derive satisfaction from my pain." The man in black paused, staring at Yuan Li. "Few people remain as calm as you in this situation. I'm wondering if I did something wrong." "Why are you so cruel? I only mocked you a few times, and you ruined my life." "I just wanted to teach you a lesson, to make you remember that everyone is equal. You can't mock someone just because they have a physical defect. Now, you're different too. I believe that in the future, you will truly and deeply understand how I felt when you mocked me." "The future?" Yuan Li sneered. "Do you think I'll even have a future?" "I hope you'll live a happy life in the future." The man in black's sorrow returned, a sorrow born from the woman he had ruined.

Yuan Li actually laughed. In her laughter, she said softly, "When shamelessness reaches its limit, it can inspire admiration. I admire you now because you are shameless enough. On one hand, you are destroying a person, and on the other hand, you can give that person the best blessings." The man in black frowned. He really hadn't expected Yuan Li to be so calm in the face of such a huge change.

Yuan Li said, "Before today, I was always afraid of you, but now, I'm not afraid anymore. You've already inflicted your punishment on me. Now I just want to tell you, let me go!" The man in black sighed softly, "Where can you go like this?" Yuan Li said sharply, "Kill me, or let me go, that's your choice!" At this moment, Yuan Li straightened her back, and her previously slumped body suddenly displayed a resolute strength. The man in black was full of surprise; he was completely intimidated by Yuan Li's aura.

"What if I don't let you go?" the man in black asked tentatively.

“Then please kill me!” Yuan Li stood up, head held high, before the man in black. Her face was solemn, as if the words she spoke at this moment were the most serious decision she had ever made in her life.

The man in black was speechless; he had never anticipated such an outcome.

There is a Rose River on the western outskirts of the city, flowing quietly along the edge of the city.

Since the beginning of summer, many people have come here to fish at dusk. Everyone knows that the Rose River is an unpolluted river, and the fish in it are plump and large. One year, the city experienced a month of heavy rain, and the Rose River overflowed its banks and flooded the highway. Nearby residents spent three whole days collecting fish on the highway.

In summer, the daytime temperature is high, so the fish hide at the bottom of the water and come out at night to breathe. Fishing at this time will yield a much higher catch than during the day. Retired old Mr. Sun and old Mr. Li are neighbors. After dinner that evening, they took their fishing rods and went down to the embankment together. They chose a good spot, scattered bait, and set up a few fishing rods. Then they played chess while waiting for the fish to bite.

That night's catch was plentiful; by ten o'clock, each of their fish baskets contained seven or eight palm-sized carp. Just then, Old Sun suddenly pointed in a direction and exclaimed, "Look!" Old Li looked in the direction he pointed and saw a naked woman coming down from the embankment to the riverbank. Old Li thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes hard. After confirming that it was indeed a naked woman, he spat fiercely in her direction, cursing, "These young people nowadays, they don't even have a shred of shame. Swimming naked, don't they even look around to see if anyone's around?" "Sigh, the world is going to the dogs, people's hearts are no longer what they used to be. Let's not see it, let's just keep fishing." As they talked, their eyes kept glancing in that direction. The naked woman was less than a hundred meters away from them, and in the moonlight, they could clearly see her fair skin. It's just that this woman was really too fat; they really didn't know where such a woman got the leisure to swim alone in the middle of the night.

Old Sun and Old Li had both heard about women swimming in the Rose River at night; they'd even seen several this summer. They discussed it for a while, then watched as the woman walked into the river step by step, and then vanished completely. Old Li was the first to feel something was wrong. He stood up, looked in that direction for a moment, and shook his head, saying, "No, no woman would swim alone in the middle of the night." Old Sun suddenly realized something, slapped his forehead, and stammered, "That woman...that woman wouldn't...wouldn't she commit suicide by jumping into the river?" The two old men exchanged a glance, immediately abandoned their fishing rods, and rushed towards where the fat woman had gone into the river.

A blanket lay on the riverbank, and the river was completely silent; the fat woman had vanished into the water.

The two old men looked at each other, their faces turning ashen. After whispering to each other for a while, they both ran back, packed up their fishing rods, and stumbled towards the embankment. Because they were running so fast, Old Sun even tripped and fell, scraping his knee.

The banks of the Rose River have returned to silence, and a crescent moon adorns the river's surface with shimmering waves.

Then another person appeared on the embankment. In the moonlight, it could be seen that he was a lean man dressed in black. The man in black did not go down to the riverbank; he simply stood on the embankment for a while before leaving.

If you approach the man in black, you'll find his face etched with sorrow, and his eyes glistening with tears as he left. Could his sorrow be because of the naked woman who disappeared into the river?

The loss of a life is certainly a sad thing, so the man in black's expression of sorrow was extremely appropriate. On his way home, he was still thinking: Why do some people give up their lives so easily?

Part Two: Twisted

Chapter 13: On the Train

The train sleeper carriage had six berths per unit, and Qin Ge's group of six occupied one unit. Yang Xing and Xiao Fei, being the youngest, should have slept in the upper berths, but since they were never quiet, they were assigned to the lower berths instead. Before boarding, knowing they would be on the train for a full thirty-six hours, Xiao Fei bought twenty pounds of grapes. These grapes were stuffed under the berth, and within a day, many had spoiled. Yang Xing and Xiao Fei, looking distressed, picked out the spoiled grapes and threw them out the window.

Qin Ge already knew about Yang Xing's strange illness. He smiled and comforted Yang Xing, "Don't worry, when we get to Sleeping Valley, there will be enough grapes for you to eat for a lifetime."

Qin Ge has a very easygoing personality; he always has a smile on his face before he even speaks. Yang Xing and Xiao Fei like his good temper because he never gets angry no matter how much they tease him.

Shabo was filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness as he thought about meeting the town girl, Forget-Me-Not, in three days. So, he spent most of his time lying on the middle bunk, lost in thought.

Two other people who seemed prone to daydreaming were Tan Dong and Tang Wan. After boarding the train, they asked to go to the upper berths, and Qin Ge, guessing they didn't want to be disturbed, granted their request. Lying on the upper berths, they could remain silent for hours, and even during meals, they followed behind the others, unusually quiet. However, their gazes frequently lingered on each other, as if they could communicate through their eyes alone.

That evening, Yang Xing and Xiao Fei pestered Qin Ge and Sha Bo to play cards. Sha Bo was terrible at cards, and after a few rounds, Xiao Fei threw up her hand. Sha Bo smiled sheepishly, looking embarrassed. Xiao Fei, quick on her feet, climbed the escalator and asked Tang Wan if she knew how to play cards, offering to come down and lend a hand.

Tang Wan paused for a moment, looked at Tan Dong across from her with his eyes wide open, and then shook her head at Xiao Fei: "Sorry, I don't know how to play cards, you guys play instead."

Xiao Fei shrugged, feigning indifference. Coming down the escalator, she winked at Qin Ge and Sha Bo, clearly showing her disdain for Tang Wan. Just then, the sleeper car lights went out all at once, leaving only a faint glow from the floor lamps along one side of the aisle. The sleeper car was bustling with people; some who hadn't yet returned to their berths were hurrying along the aisle.

Yang Xing ate fewer grapes, and his stomach started to rumble again. But he was gradually developing an aversion to grapes, and he wouldn't eat them unless he was absolutely starving. If he couldn't eat, he might as well sleep; at least he wouldn't feel hungry in his dreams. Although Xiao Fei didn't want to go to bed so early, she knew Yang Xing was suffering from an empty stomach, so she quietly lay down without disturbing him.

Time passed, and no one noticed when Tang Wan, who was on the upper bunk, got down and headed towards the toilet at the front of the train. A short while later, hurried footsteps echoed in the aisle, followed by Tang Wan stumbling and running towards them, her heavy breathing revealing her panic. Qin Ge and the others quickly sat up, about to ask what had happened, when Tan Dong, who had been silent on the upper bunk, swiftly descended the escalator, his movements agile, as if he were ready to rush down at any moment.

Tan Dong had already put his arm around Tang Wan and asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"

"There's someone there." Tang Wan turned around in alarm. "There's someone over there."

Xiao Fei snorted and interjected, "What's so strange about having people on the train?"

Tan Dong glared at Xiao Fei but ignored her. He pulled Tang Wan aside and then asked in a low voice, "Did you see clearly who it was?"

Tang Wan shook her head, but the fear on her face deepened: "It's him, it must be him, he's been following us."

Tan Dong certainly knew who Tang Wan was talking about.

He and Tang Wan didn't know when it started, but they both felt a pair of eyes watching them, observing their every move. Tan Dong had tried many times to catch the person secretly watching them, but those eyes were invisible; no matter what method he used, he couldn't even detect their shadow. The feeling of being spied on was unbearable. Tan Dong had many theories: the person might be an old enemy, or perhaps someone sent by Tang Wan's parents to follow them. But whatever the reason, the person's intentions were definitely not good, so Tan Dong was always on guard.

He had sworn that no one, no matter who, could harm Tang Wan. He would protect her even at the cost of his own life.

Tan Dong pulled Tang Wan along and headed back in the direction she had come from. He wanted to go and check where Tang Wan had seen that person.

Tang Wan stopped by the toilet, still somewhat frightened, and said, "When I came out of there, I felt someone watching me from the opposite carriage as soon as I opened the door. I looked up and I really saw a figure staring at me in the dark. I even felt him smile at me."

Tan Dong's face was solemn, and his eyes turned red. He didn't speak, but suddenly pulled Tang Wan into his arms. Tang Wan sobbed, her whole body trembling.

Tan Dong gently patted her back and said softly, "Don't be afraid. With me here, you don't need to be afraid of anything."

The car sped through the desolate night, the outside a deathly still darkness, save for the occasional gust of wind piercing through the connecting passageways. Tan Dong leaned against the carriage, holding Tang Wan in his arms for a long time. Tang Wan had stopped crying; she rested her head on Tan Dong's shoulder, feeling a warm sense of protection.

She couldn't imagine how she would survive without Tan Dong.

On the night of the earthquake, she and Tan Dong took their parents to the football field. Before Tan Dong could react, she pulled him away and ran away secretly.

It wasn't Tan Dong who led her away; it was she who led Tan Dong away.

She knew her parents wouldn't give up easily and would use all their resources to find her, and she knew her father's influence in that city. So, for the last few days she stayed in that city, she hid with Tan Dong in a small hotel on the outskirts. During those days, she only went to the company once, intending to ask for a few days off, but unexpectedly, the company was closing for half a month due to the earthquake. But that one time, after returning from the company, she constantly felt a pair of eyes watching her from behind.

Fear arose from this, and every night she would wake up from nightmares, at which time Tan Dong would always be there, eyes wide open, watching over her. Tan Dong never slept at night; he was Tang Wan's guardian angel, and he would not allow anyone to harm her in the slightest. This was the only comfort Tang Wan could find now.

Tan Dong stayed by Tang Wan's side night after night, only able to fall into a deep sleep when sunlight streamed in. He had a habit of sleeping with the curtains drawn during the day; it seemed only when the sunlight shone on him could he sleep peacefully. Tang Wan couldn't bear to disturb him, so during those few days when she had nothing to do, she would go alone to an internet cafe located in a small hotel.

She stumbled upon Qin Ge's post online, where he was looking for travel companions.

Sleepy Valley. It must be a quiet valley, far from the hustle and bustle. The town has ancient buildings and simple people, living a peaceful and happy life. Tang Wan decided to go to Sleepy Valley. She returned to her room, gazing at Tan Dong, and an image of her and the man in front of her living happily in a small house in a strange town appeared in her mind.

Tang Wan and Tan Dong went to Sleepy Valley not for leisure, but to find a quiet place to settle down for the rest of their lives.

The faint light from the ground lamps reached him, almost imperceptibly, allowing him to completely conceal himself in darkness. Moreover, he had chosen a perfect vantage point, one that offered a clear view of where the two train carriages met. He saw Tang Wan being held in the arms of that muscular man, the two leaning against the carriage wall, remaining motionless for a long time.

He suddenly felt a little moved by the love between the two people in his sight.

He had been following these two men for several days. They were staying in a small hotel on the outskirts of the city, never leaving the room except for a short walk around the neighborhood in the evenings. This filled him with curiosity. Normal people would never live like this; they were clearly hiding from something, something they had been doing even before he started following them. Therefore, he suspected that there must be other people searching for them.

Who could those people be?

His tracking became increasingly cautious.

Tang Wan was a rather unusual girl; he had never seen such deep melancholy on any other girl's face. She was a girl living in melancholy, and her attachment to that muscular man was almost pathological. They went everywhere together, even the one time she went to the company, the muscular man waited for her downstairs. That muscular man was undoubtedly a very alert person, and he had already sensed that someone was following them, so he would suddenly turn around or rush to where he thought the follower was hiding to investigate.

The tracking thus became somewhat challenging. But he liked it; it made it more exciting.

He was like a cunning wild beast, engaging in a protracted struggle with his prey. The prey's alertness ignited his fighting spirit; he knew that if he were to be careless for even a moment, the prey could become the hunter, and similarly, if the prey were to slacken its guard, it would become his meal.

His stalking actually involved spending most of his time waiting outside the small hotel, hoping for an opportunity for Tang Wan to go out alone. This waiting was tedious and required immense willpower to endure. Yet, he found it endlessly enjoyable; he knew he was reveling in the thrill that followed.

He could clearly remember bringing his first girl back to that old house four years ago. Because he hadn't made the necessary preparations beforehand, it took quite a bit of effort to bring her back. The girl had been drinking too much with a group of friends at a hotel, and when she passed by him, she reached out and stopped him.

“Let me see your body,” she said with a wanton laugh.

She was a woman dressed seductively, and although it was already autumn, she still exposed a pair of snow-white legs. As she spoke, those legs trembled incessantly before his eyes.

His blood rushed upwards, and he felt a surge of power rising rapidly within him.

With the woman were three men, who then surrounded him, laughing. They were all drunk, and the alcohol was evident in their speech, making him realize they were a bunch of irrational lunatics.

"Did you hear that? Let us see for ourselves. We've never seen anyone as thin as you in our lives."

"If you don't take off your clothes, don't blame us for not giving you face."

He stood frozen, bewildered by their words, yet anger made his body tremble slightly. His persistence clearly enraged the madmen; a hand reached out to unbutton his shirt. He simply waved it away. But then, he was struck hard in the face.

These lunatics were all skilled fighters; their attacks were swift and ruthless, targeting vital areas. At first, he managed to parry a couple of blows, but soon he was knocked to the ground. As their feet stomped down, he had no way to protect himself except to curl up and clutch his head.

The beating lasted for an unknown amount of time; those feet were not only on his body, but also on his heart.

What enraged him even more than the beating was that, in the end, they still undressed him and saw his emaciated body—a body he himself didn't want to face. He closed his eyes, his body trembling uncontrollably from the immense humiliation.

He heard wild laughter around him, laughter like thorns, piercing the most vulnerable part of his heart.

The group of lunatics swaggered away, but their laughter still lingered in his ears.

He quickly covered himself with his clothes, enduring the pain, and staggered after them. At that moment, he didn't know what he was supposed to do; he just wanted to follow them and not let them disappear from his sight. The city might not be very big, but searching for a few people in this vast sea of people was like finding a needle in a haystack.

He won't let them get away with it.

That night, the promiscuous woman went into a building with three men. He hid in the shadows behind a flower bed downstairs. He didn't know how much time had passed; his body ached more and more, and the autumn chill was even more biting in the dead of night, but he paid no attention to any of it. Only one thought occupied his mind: to wait for them to come out.

What can he do when they come out? He's no match for those three men.

He was filled with unspeakable humiliation, and if he couldn't find a way to vent it, he didn't know if he could continue living.

Around midnight, the alluring woman appeared. A sleepless night had left her looking quite haggard, and even the heaviest makeup couldn't conceal the unmistakable air of decay emanating from her.

His heart suddenly raced, and his hands and feet began to tremble violently. But the power did not disappear; it gathered together, eager to surge forth.

He followed the woman, and in a secluded alley, he rushed up from behind and grabbed her by the neck. The woman was surprisingly strong and quickly broke free, screaming and struggling against him.

The woman's screams startled him. He was slapped several times across the face by the woman. He bent down, picked up a brick from the corner of the wall, stood up, and slammed it against the back of her head.

The woman fell down, swaying precariously.

Later, he carried the woman to that old house. It was his ancestral home, long abandoned, located in the urban-rural fringe of the eastern suburbs. Most of the original residents had moved to the new city, and the houses were now rented to migrant workers. The streets were deserted in the early morning; the one or two people he occasionally encountered merely glanced at him curiously before continuing on their way. It was a cold city; no one cared about things that didn't concern them. This made him feel fortunate.

How did he deal with that woman? He lay on the upper bunk of the train car, pondering this.

The past suddenly made him feel ashamed.

At that moment, he was like a butcher wielding a knife for the first time, completely unaware that destruction could also be an art. He haphazardly tied the woman up with some hemp rope and stuffed rags into her mouth. He stripped her naked and tortured her according to all his most primal desires. He made her kneel before him and then kicked her heavily to the ground. The beating continued, and all the grief and anger simmering within him found an outlet; he gathered all his strength and unleashed it upon the woman.

That damned woman, she's really dead, and he's completely oblivious.

He collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, staring at the woman beside him, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction. That wretched woman would never open her eyes again; she could no longer humiliate anyone at will.

He buried the woman's body in the courtyard of the old house.

In the many nights that followed, the thought of that woman intensified his shame. He felt he had treated her like a brute, like an uneducated street thug. How could I be so brutal? Life is precious; everyone has only one life. If one wishes to take someone's one and only life, one must choose a unique method. Destruction is an art, and art is inseparable from creation.

His life became fulfilling as a result, and life took on new meaning for him once again.

He deeply resented the strange looks he received in life, yet he constantly longed for women to do things that would hurt him. In this way, he found direction in his life.

For a time, he read Lao Tzu's *Tao Te Ching* and believed that water was the most spiritual substance. So, in the bathroom, he drowned two women in different ways. Later, while fishing by the river, he discovered a particularly small leech. He caught it and studied it closely. The leech's back was dark green with five longitudinal stripes composed of alternating black and pale yellow markings. Its ventral side had a pale yellow stripe on each side, and the rest was grayish-white with brownish-red spots. This was a non-blood-sucking leech. He experimented by placing them on his arm; these soft-bodied insects were very active, wriggling and moving forward quickly.

These leeches came in handy when he brought yet another woman back to the old house.