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墨書 Inktalez
Images of those people and scenes slid past my eyes, like frames from an old film. The world around us began to collapse, gradually crumbling away. A beam of light shone down from the darkness, and we looked up to see a large room designed as a laboratory. At that moment, the five of us were bound to some kind of device.
Everyone woke up, and the members of the Special Investigation Team stared at me in disbelief. Feng Tang Song's expression was one of shock and astonishment. Juan Juan had once said something very true: sometimes, behind the falsehood lies another falsehood. This was a double hypnosis; while others believed that the previous world was real, they were actually deceived by illusions.
"What is happening?" Juan Juan asked, touching her head in disbelief at everything unfolding before her. "Wait, this is double hypnosis? We were hypnotized, and then someone else hypnotized us again?"
I nodded with a smile and said, "That's right. From the very beginning, you have all been hypnotized. I'm sorry for not telling you some things because Feng Tang Song's case is just too complicated." As I spoke, I looked at Feng Tang Song, who was slumped on the ground with his hand raised in the air, seemingly trying to verify whether this world was real or an illusion.
"There's no need to try," I said seriously. "This world is indeed the most real one. I know it might be hard for you to accept right now, but if you think carefully, you will remember how we started investigating Feng Tang Song's case. Is he really from Shou or is there something different about him?"
Everyone fell into deep thought. Yan Junde slowly spoke up, "We started our investigation with a murder case. During our investigation, the number of victims kept increasing, but the methods were all different. We hit a dead end when I received a clue left by the killer. From that clue, we learned that this murderer has multiple personalities, which is why we couldn't catch him..."
"Then we followed the clue deliberately left by the killer to track down an account," Mary chimed in while tapping her head. "This account had recently received a large influx of money, so we investigated along that lead and found Feng Tang Song. But since Feng Tang Song has multiple personalities, we used hypnosis to reach the first layer of the false world!"
At this point, Juan Juan recalled everything and said, "So in the first layer of the false world, Feng Tang Song voluntarily surrendered while we completely forgot everything about the real world! At that time, only you understood that this world was an illusion!"
I nodded and replied, "Exactly. I knew the guiding words of that world; I understood it was false. We continued to be hypnotized in the first layer of the false world and entered the second layer of falsehood. In this world, I was truly hypnotized while you all clearly knew that the second layer was fake."
Juan Juan reflected on this and said, "That's right! If you knew both layers were false, you would collapse; a human brain can't handle that! At that point, your mind would be completely fried. That's why I never understood why we could see through that world's deception while you couldn't. Now it makes sense!"
"I didn't expect that from the very beginning you had set such a grand trap!" Feng Tang Song still sat on the ground and calmly addressed us.
I nodded seriously and told Feng Tang Song, "That's right; you're a smart person. If it were just one layer of hypnosis, you would have already escaped by now. Therefore, we must take risks to make this world feel more real. The first layer of falsehood is almost indistinguishable from reality, while in the second layer, it seems we've entered a magical realm."
"In the second layer of reality, you quickly realized it was fake." I rubbed my temples and continued, "So you began using us to eliminate all your other personalities within your body. But what you never anticipated was that the second layer was also an illusion. You revealed all your secrets to us—this is what we hoped for because during our investigation we discovered that you weren't a created personality; you are an innate one."
I sighed softly and added, "You have been deceiving yourself all along; you've always believed that innocent little boy who struggles to survive would never commit murder. You thought he was kind and lovable; even though he lived in sewers and garbage dumps, his heart was purer than anyone else's."
"You are that little boy," I gently told Feng Tang Song. "Not only do you have multiple personalities; you also suffer from selective amnesia. But how long can you deceive yourself? What you believe is nothing but another false world—a false world within your heart."
Feng Tang Song lifted his head, his expression no longer one of confusion. He spoke, "Yes, it's true that sometimes it's really hard to distinguish between reality and illusion. Thank you." His expression was sincere, and I knew that his gratitude came from the heart. What could be more joyful than finding oneself?
Soon, Feng Tang Song was arrested and transferred to the prosecutor's office.
When we received the court's verdict, we were at a loss for words. Feng Tang Song had killed many people in extremely brutal ways, so it was expected that he would be sentenced to death. However, seeing the word "death" still made me sigh. A murderer is also a victim; the person behind it is Feng Tang Song, and the one who committed the murders is also Feng Tang Song. But would it be better or worse if he could live his entire life in his false world, becoming a lifelong mental patient?
Is it better for a person to live forever in a false world, clinging to a pure fantasy? Or should he face reality and see the bloody wounds of this world? I couldn't understand Feng Tang Song's thoughts. If it were me, I would choose the latter because reality may be cruel and might provoke an exclamation of "damn," but after all, it is the real world we inhabit.
Due to hypnosis, Juan Juan and others had recently become paranoid, constantly trying to verify whether this world was real or fake. I felt helpless about it. However, this was normal; it was a side effect of hypnosis that would soon pass.
What I didn't expect was that before the execution of the death penalty, Feng Tang Song had one last wish: he wanted to see me.
At that moment, I was sitting in front of Feng Tang Song. He looked quite spirited, with a different light shining in his eyes. The confusion and sadness were gone from his gaze. He calmly said to me, "Thank you; I truly mean it." Feng Tang Song didn't say anything else; he simply expressed this one sentiment.
I didn't know when he would be executed; I never saw him again after that. I felt comforted and fulfilled inside. I understood what Feng Tang Song's words meant—his choice was the same as mine: to face this world, this real world. Although he wouldn't be able to stay in this real world for much longer.
"Look!" Mary pointed at a news article that popped up on her computer screen and said to us, "This news is interesting! Brother Shao, when did you become so wealthy?"
We gathered around the computer to take a look. It was an ordinary news piece, not even a headline: someone donated 320 million yuan to the Care for Left-Behind Children Foundation under the name "Shaoshilin."
Everyone turned to look at me. Mary's eyebrows raised as she said, "Brother Shao, I didn't expect you had so much money! Where did you steal it from?"
I smiled and replied, "Mary, remember that account you were investigating? How much money did you say was in there?"
"Three hundred twenty million!" Mary seemed to realize something was off and continued, "That’s Feng Tang Song's money! His account should have been frozen! How could this money still be donated? Brother Shao, please don't tell me you're behind this; if that's the case, our Special Investigation Team will be disbanded again! What on earth is going on?"
I sighed heavily and said, "Feng Tang Song... his intelligence is indeed remarkable. This money wasn't touched by me or anyone else. Who else could access this money besides Feng Tang Song himself? Although I don't know how he managed it, using this money here seems to fulfill his wishes."
"What's his childhood like?" Mary asked. "What did you all talk about in the first layer of the false world? How did we not realize it at the time? We foolishly thought we had entered a Vegetative State! Honestly, my mind was completely blank back then; it felt like I wasn't thinking at all, yet it seemed like I was thinking about so much."
"Exactly!" Juan Juan said seriously. "At that time, I thought this is what it feels like to be in a Vegetative State. You can't feel anything from the outside world, but your thoughts can still move. It was as if I was the only person left in the world. I thought to myself, if it's going to be like this for a lifetime, it would be better to just die."
Yan Junde nodded and said, "I felt the same way; really, it would be better to just die. But even death isn't something we can control..."
The group chattered about their experiences of becoming Vegetative State in the first layer of the false world. I didn't share that feeling and could only sit on the couch listening to their reflections. The sunlight streamed in warmly, and I felt content.
Perhaps this is the best ending. Whenever I close my eyes, I seem to think of that little boy. Through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, he endured each day with great suffering. Yet deep down inside him, he enjoyed playing with stray dogs and sincerely thanked those who offered him help. He treated this world filled with despair with kindness.
Let that little boy become the most beautiful hope in each of our hearts. If Feng Tang Song no longer had that little boy in his heart, how could he leave clues at the crime scene? Perhaps from the very beginning, Feng Tang Song hoped we would capture him and awaken him.
Buddha said: A flower is a world; a tree is a fleeting life; a blade of grass is paradise; a leaf is enlightenment; a grain of sand is bliss; a place is pure land; a smile is a connection; a thought is tranquility.
Indeed, every person's heart holds this vast and magnificent world.
The Young Man went hunting with his grandfather in the Mountain and unexpectedly saw Mouse Burning Incense and Wild Cat Worships at the Temple—statues made from human corpses. When he returned home late at night, his Biological Mother was chasing him with "people," because his grandfather had committed unspeakable acts against her!
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