The sky gradually brightened from darkness, but it was already approaching dusk.
Xiao Qinxian frowned as she looked at the wedding dress sketch she had just drawn. "I was so dizzy just now, how could I have designed such a rigid and conservative wedding dress? I hate this style the most."
Zhao Yanbao, however, looked at the drawing carefully. "This is exactly the style that Chi Lei likes."
"Is that so? Then..."
"I thank you on Chi Lei's behalf."
"No need." Xiao Qinxian felt a little embarrassed and suspicious. This wedding dress drawing really didn't resemble her style; she could hardly believe that she had just designed it.
Could it be that the deceased's spirit was truly watching from above? Had she taken advantage of the thunder and lightning and the darkness to have the makeup artist draw her wedding dress?
Thinking of this, Xiao Qinxian couldn't help but shudder.
At this moment, all 11 members gathered in the corridor. Qin Ci said, "The two kilograms of beast we've collected are locked in a special refrigerated cabinet, so please rest assured about their safety."
Qin Ci looked at the dusky sky outside and asked, "Shall we eat dinner at the hospital cafeteria again tonight, or choose another place?"
No one really wanted to stay at the hospital any longer, and with nightfall, no one had much of an appetite.
Lion suggested, "How about we go back to the buffet restaurant we had last night?"
This suggestion was accepted by everyone, so the group left the hospital and walked along the familiar street towards the restaurant.
Su Benxin wrapped her bohemian-style shawl tighter around herself, walking alongside Mu Yiran and Ke Xun. She couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, if we disregard other factors, being able to enjoy such a beautiful spring as depicted in the painting feels like a gift from the artist."
Ke Xun looked up at the peach blossom branches visible in the corner of the wall. "In previous paintings, there were rarely such distinct seasons; most of the time, the seasons were easily overlooked—this painting's arrangement is clearly intentional."
"Spring is always associated with things like romance and beauty," Su Benxin smiled faintly. "Perhaps this better suits the romantic setting of Xincheng."
"Regarding the situation with these two beasts today, I feel that simply attributing it to love is a bit too simplistic." After saying this, Ke Xun felt it sounded particularly unlike himself.
Ke Xun walked along the rose quartz wall, his warm beige sweater giving him a unique charm, even with his police uniform draped over his arm.
Su Benxin looked up at the tender green branches unique to spring: "Love is inherently profound, and it's destined to be anything but simple. No matter how simple a person's background, as long as they have thoughts, love will have layers—on the contrary, those beasts are truly simple, which is why they are so stubborn."
Ke Xun, listening to this, didn't entirely agree: "Those beasts are products of negative emotions; they can never be simple."
Su Benxin turned to look at Ke Xun, seemingly thinking seriously for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Qin Ci, walking ahead, was telling everyone: "For all those who die with beast marks, the funeral and all other arrangements must be handled by the police station, and it's said that the standards are standardized."
"How do most people handle their beasts?" Yu Ji asked.
"It's said that most people choose to donate them to the city. This donation isn't free; they receive a very generous reward."
"How ironic! It's clearly a transaction, yet they insist on calling it a donation!" Xiao Qinxian gradually returned to normal and became more talkative.
"As far as the value of the beasts themselves is concerned, no matter how much the city government rewards them, it probably can't compare to the value of the beasts," Qin Ci said. "Of course, this is just my one-sided reasoning. As for what these beasts are used for, I'm afraid the documents in my office won't explicitly state it."
Su Benxin quickened her pace, walking alongside Luo Wei, who was in the middle. "Why are you so quiet?"
"I've always been a man of few words."
"I've always felt that we're a group, so please don't exclude yourself."
"Thank you." Luo Wei looked at Xiao Qinxian, who was chattering incessantly ahead. "Have you seen her smoke today?"
Su Benxin looked at Luo Wei and smiled. "I think early spring is the best time of year, even more charming than late spring when all the flowers are in bloom."
"Okay, never mind." Luo Wei gave a wry smile.
Ke Xun and Mu Yiran gradually fell behind.
"You've been observing Dr. Qin." Ke Xun looked at the long shadows of the two men, the setting sun behind them making the world seem even more real.
"Actually, the relationship between light and shadow is the most magical. Just like the sunset right now, our shadows are clearly stretched very long by it, but the sun is exerting its force in the opposite direction." Mu Yiran revealed a rare smile, making Ke Xun feel as if all the white fragrant flowers in the world were blooming in succession.
Two broad shoulders rested together, making Ke Xun feel grounded and secure: "I hadn't really thought about this seriously before. Now that you mention it, this power is different from all other powers in the world. The further west the sun goes, the further east our shadows point, almost as if they're being stretched in the opposite direction."
"Heart City seems to have a similar inexplicable power," Mu Yiran squinted at the nine members walking ahead, "The beast touches the deepest parts of people's hearts, making it impossible for us to conduct any prior analysis. —If I'm not mistaken, those with red marks should already understand the root of their inner conflicts."
"Well," Ke Xun was about to say that the older members could communicate first, and if those with red marks could guess the characteristics of the beast within them, everyone could brainstorm and perhaps avoid it, "So, what do you think is wrong with Dr. Qin?"
Mu Yiran smiled gently: "Not just Dr. Qin, you yourself are already problematic."
"Hmm?"
"Don't you think your way of addressing him is a bit strange?" Mu Yiran crossed his arms. "You haven't called Qin Ci 'Dr. Qin' in a long time."
Indeed, Ke Xun usually called Qin Ci "Brother Qin," and occasionally jokingly called him "Old Qin." The title "Dr. Qin"—aside from Mu Yiran, hardly anyone used that formally anymore.
Ke Xun, however, found it easy to explain: "After all, only in this painting does Qin Ci truly exist as a doctor. I've never seen him as a doctor in the real world before. In the previous paintings, he didn't have the chance to hold a scalpel—only in this painting does he truly show his side as a surgeon."
"It seems Qin Ci himself feels the same way," Mu Yiran said. "He has naturally integrated himself into this world."
Ke Xun seemed to understand: "Could it be because of the beast?"
Ke Xun recalled Luo Wei's description of the shocking red mark on Qin Ci's forehead. If it truly manifested as the beast within him, what kind of being would it be? Fierce? Reserved? Like an invisible elephant?
"It was Qin Ci's change that made me realize how terrifying this city is." Mu Yiran took Ke Xun's hand. Both of their fingers were icy cold, so they tried to grasp each other's fingertips with their warm hands. They did it quickly, their palms forming a subtle interlocking.
If light and shadow could also form such a frank embrace, perhaps the mystery of the Heart City could be solved.
"I have to have a good talk with Dr. Qin… Qin Ci tonight," Ke Xun said, increasingly worried about Qin Ci. "Beasts are too terrifying; they hold the host's lifeline."
Sometimes, a face-to-face confrontation isn't scary. Even if the strength is vastly different, the brave might still prevail in a narrow encounter. It's not scary for me to be in the light while the enemy is in the dark. As long as one side can remain calm, they can always force the other to reveal clues. The scariest thing is probably being trapped in the mountain, never venturing out of it, and never seeing the true face of Mount Lu.
"Yes, we have to have a meeting tonight," Mu Yiran said, his furrowed brows slowly relaxing as he watched Luo Wei walking ahead. He quickened his pace to catch up with him. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you all day, but I've been held up by other things—we've seen quite a few people today, both on the street and in the hospital. What percentage of them had red marks on their foreheads?"
Luo Wei slowed his pace, a wry smile on his face. "Mr. Mu, you finally remembered to ask me that question."
"You've reminded me before?" Mu Yiran pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, on which were written some strange times. "Was it during lunch in the cafeteria? Twice? Or this afternoon while waiting for surgery? Three times? Of course, it could also have been during surgery this morning, but I hadn't thought to record it."
Luo Wei sighed deeply, a relieved expression on his face. "I feel like I've been shouting in a lonely valley all day, and finally getting a response at dusk."
"I'm sorry, I just noticed during lunch that there was always a brief pause in our conversation, but I couldn't find the words I wanted to say, so I secretly jotted down these times on the paper."
"Thank you for your wisdom." Luo Wei couldn't help but laugh. "I've already brought up what you just mentioned twice, but everyone's been unmoved. About 30% of the other people in this city have red marks, and I think they probably don't even know it themselves."
Mu Yiran nodded. "After all, in this city, only the dead can have the location of the beast inside their bodies detected by professional equipment."
Mu Yiran couldn't help but scrutinize Luo Wei for a while longer. "It's really cruel to leave you to bear all this alone."
"It's alright, I'm not one for crowds anyway," Luo Wei consoled himself.
Mu Yiran continued, "I marked five time points on the paper. That means there are five times when we can't communicate. If you bring it up unilaterally, we'll never hear it; unless we have a flash of inspiration and figure it out ourselves, we won't get your answer."
"Is that what you mean? You make me sound like a god…" Luo Wei rarely joked.
"Aside from the previous question, what are you trying to say about the other three time points?" Mu Yiran asked again, somewhat unwilling to give up.
Luo Wei was unsure where to begin, his gaze falling on Xiao Qinxian ahead. "Tell me about that woman," he said. "She smoked a lot last night, but I haven't seen her smoke a single cigarette today—I think that's illogical; a heavy smoker couldn't resist for that long."
Mu Yiran seemed lost in thought, gazing into the distance along the long street. "I think we should have a serious talk about the title page. We need to get this sorted out tonight."
"Okay," Luo Wei said, on the verge of tears, "Let's not talk about smoking for now."
"Only two girls have read this book so far, and I think Su Benxin is more reliable."
"Right? I also think women who smoke are unreliable." Luo Wei tried hard to steer the conversation in that direction.
Mu Yiran suddenly looked at Luo Wei, took a pen from the pocket of his police uniform, and wrote down: 18:39.