Luo Wei's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Mu Yiran: "So, this beast existed before, doesn't exist now, but will it exist again in the future?"
"So, does it exist now or not?" Wei Dong asked earnestly, but still couldn't shake the suspicion of 'stirring things up with a joke.'
Xiao Qinxian seemed to be intentionally creating an atmosphere of terror: "'It doesn't exist now,' but maybe it will tomorrow, or even tonight."
"Climbing out of the bottomless pit." Lion, out of fear, remembered Mu Yiran's words clearly, his voice slightly hesitant: "And in the end, it will all sink into ruin."
Overly sectarian and abstract things can sometimes make people subconsciously distance themselves from them because they are obscure and difficult to understand.
As everyone fell silent, Zhao Yanbao said, "I think the religious overtones of the Book of Revelation seem to have little direct connection to the city setting of Heart City. But what Ke Xun just mentioned about the forehead shouldn't be a coincidence. In other words, the image of us people with the mark of the beast is quite similar to that of the woman riding the beast. The words on that woman's forehead represent evil language, or you could say it's a flag waved to indicate a purpose. And what about our mark of the beast? Judging from... the shape of the red marks on Chi Lei and Zhi Chun's foreheads, these marks don't seem to resemble the shape of the beast within them..."
Zhao Yanbao felt that once she concentrated on thinking, she could slightly alleviate some of the pain in her heart.
"We don't need to delve into these details now," Qin Ci said, feeling his thoughts being repeatedly interrupted by the members. He was finally starting to sort things out. "I think the most crucial point of what Xiao Mu said earlier is the relationship between the woman and the beast—let's set aside our previous analyses, like the beast being a demon, and just focus on the woman and the crimson beast. They seem to be in a community of shared interests, but ultimately, one is stronger—does the woman dominate the beast, or does the beast dominate the woman?"
The topic seemed to be heading towards an unsolvable philosophical realm. Wei Dong sighed, "How mysterious…"
Mu Yiran stopped quoting from the book and simply answered in his own words: "The beast initially serves as the woman's mount and ally, but ultimately turns against her."
"The beast originates from within us, yet ultimately turns against us; that seems plausible," Zhao Yanbao said.
Everyone felt a sense of "explaining a simple truth in a long, drawn-out way," a feeling of "going to great lengths for nothing."
"I don't think this beast refers to the beast of each of us," Mu Yiran's words seemed to have a magical power, each word tightening the relaxed nerves of those around him. "Or rather, each of our beasts is merely a fragment of this beast."
Wei Dong was completely bewildered: "Wasn't it a precious work of art just now? How did it suddenly become fragments?"
"In any world, in any environment, ancient or modern, everything in society serves the centralized power," Zhao Yanbao chimed in, "including the value of those works of art, those so-called auctions, they all depend on the whims of the top echelons of society to survive."
Zhu Haowen, who had been silent for a while, also spoke up: "We've come full circle, back to square one. What exactly is the symbolic meaning of this beast? For an individual, it's a demon in their heart. But what about for a city or a world?"
Mu Yiran: "This so-called 'beast' must be inextricably linked to this city. We need to figure out why Chu Zhiyong wanted us to get the beast, and what benefits the 'beast resource' actually brings to the police station or even the entire city. If we can grasp this essence, many of our doubts will be resolved."
"On the surface, Heart City is a city of love, but the two beasts that have been separated are not only related to love between men and women. They seem to be various psychological reflections generated by love," Su Benxin also joined the discussion.
Xiao Qinxian looked at the completely dark night outside the window, appearing anxious: "I don't think what you're saying is useful! Night is about to fall! People will die tonight! What are we going to do?!"
Su Benxin said, word by word: "I haven't finished speaking yet. We can't grasp the purpose of the centralized power in this city right now, so we can only start with the individuals and solve it using the most basic method." As she spoke, she looked at Zhao Yanbao, "Could some things be released by talking to a psychologist? Would that make the beast inside temporarily put away its claws?"
Because Su Benxin's description was so vivid, Yu Ji even felt his stomach starting to feel uncomfortable, as if the beast inside was trying to break free of its restraints with its claws...
Ke Xun looked at Mu Yiran beside him and couldn't help but comfort him: "Everyone's reaction is slow, they can't quite grasp it right away."
Mu Yiran smiled faintly: "I was a bit rash, but the meaning of the beast to the city is a mystery we have to solve sooner or later."
"Maybe we can find out something at the animal trading market tomorrow," Ke Xun patted the boss on the back. "Right now, I'm thinking about dealing with Dr. Qin and Haowen's matter first… Oh right, Lao Qin, Brother Qin."
Mu Yiran seemed to realize something and suddenly looked at Luo Wei sitting on his other side. He felt that this person hadn't spoken for a long time, and he couldn't help but feel strange again: "You've been silent all this time?"
Luo Wei sighed and answered irrelevantly: "You haven't forgotten about the cigarette, have you?"—That was the code we finally managed to find.
"I haven't forgotten," Mu Yiran said. "Actually, your method of solving this matter was very good. The roundabout approach seemed to be able to fool Hua."
"Okay, I failed three times in my roundabout approach just now." Luo Wei looked down at his full glass of lemonade. "Every time there was a 'space', you poured me lemonade, filling it up three times in total."
Mu Yiran raised an eyebrow. He really didn't have the habit of refilling other people's glasses.
Sitting a little further away, Zhu Haowen thought:
"...Haowen, just tell me," Wei Dong continued to persuade Zhu Haowen. "Tell me what's on your mind. It might save your life. Or you can just tell me alone?"
"I have nothing to say," Zhu Haowen replied expressionlessly.
"Look at this! You know you have a red dot on your forehead?" Wei Dong said, his voice filled with worry. "Hopefully, the beast is hiding on your foot. At worst, it'll just leave you crippled, not fatal."
"…"
Luo Wei, at Qin Ci's request, had already examined everyone's faces again: "No change. In order of the size of the beast mark, it's: Qin Ci, Yu Ji, me, Zhao Yanbao, Xiao Qinxian, Zhu Haowen—if my mark hasn't changed either."
"Right, Luo Wei, you have a beast mark too!" Wei Dong seemed to have just remembered. "What's wrong with you today? I feel like I haven't seen you much all day…"
"I've been here the whole time." Luo Wei dropped his innocent look, stood up, and took the feedback card from the waiter. This buffet restaurant conducts a satisfaction survey after the meal. Ke Xun signed the feedback card last night, and Luo Wei volunteered to do it tonight.
The others were discussing the possibility of mitigating the beast's attack by openly sharing their inner thoughts, but no one was willing to voice their inner monologues in public.
Luo Wei carefully checked the options on the feedback card, occasionally asking Mu Yiran, "Is the temperature here good, or good?"
Mu Yiran paused slightly, "I think it's good."
Ke Xun: ...
"That's good then." Luo Wei checked the 'good' option, asked a couple more questions, and then handed the feedback card and pen to Mu Yiran, "After all, you participated in the feedback, so you can sign it this time."
Mu Yiran frowned, took the pencil provided by the restaurant, and was momentarily puzzled. Thinking about it deeply, her head even started to ache.
Ke Xun said from the side, "Why don't I sign it? It doesn't matter who signs it."
Mu Yiran was about to hand the pencil to Ke Xun when Luo Wei said in an unquestionable tone, "It's different, very different. He should sign it."
Just as Mu Yiran was confused, Luo Wei suddenly snatched the pencil from Mu Yiran's hand again: "I'll do it. After all, I made most of the choices, so it should be me."
Luo Wei signed his name with such force that it seemed to penetrate the paper, the last stroke being very long, as if it were an art form.
Mu Yiran examined the signature closely, wondering what the last stroke was meant to emphasize. The curve of the stroke seemed to resemble the letter L, so she asked directly, "Is it related to an abbreviation?"
Luo Wei replied listlessly, "No..."
Mu Yiran was puzzled. She exchanged a glance with Ke Xun beside her, who then said, "I've already made plans with Brother Qin. He won't be coming into our dorm for a while. We'll talk under the big tree outside the police station."
They were going to talk already? Qin Ci's secret... Mu Yiran didn't want to hear anyone's secrets. It was best for them to maintain their current level of understanding. Although they had been through life and death together, it didn't mean they had to bear each other's secrets. Even if it was Ke Xun's secret, if he didn't want others to know, Mu Yiran would never pry into it.
A slightly irritated tapping sound came from beside her. It was Luo Wei. Mu Yiran glanced at his empty glass and casually refilled it with lemonade.
After filling the bottle, the hand holding the kettle paused in mid-air. "Actually, you could try a more roundabout approach."
Luo Wei crossed his arms, watching as Mu Yiran opened her notebook and wrote: 21:38, L.
Mu Yiran suddenly realized, "Were you trying to write it down just now?"
Luo Wei: "I've already tried writing it down, but I can't, or no one would read it."
Mu Yiran: "Then... a riddle? An acrostic?"—Mu Yiran felt tormented by this "inability to communicate," making her seem unlike herself.
"It's like we're not even on the same dimension." Luo Wei felt like a lonely remnant of the universe in the Three-Body Problem.
Mu Yiran placed the lemonade bottle near Ke Xun: "Don't let me touch it again."