Lost in the Otherworld

The grilled meat sizzled on the iron plate, smoke curling up in the air. The group at the table fell into a brief, yet subtle, silence.

It was Fat Jun who spoke first, swallowing a gulp, asking the question on everyone's mind: "Aren't the beasts... supposed to not attack ordinary humans?"

"Exactly," White Rabbit had been waiting for him to ask, "This rule applies everywhere, but evidently, the bride broke it."

"Why?" Gao Yang was confused.

"Who knows? Perhaps after becoming half-human, her mind underwent some change, or maybe the rune circuit had a strange effect on her," White Rabbit shrugged lightly, "After all, our understanding of the rune circuits is still quite limited."

"In any case, she became a bug. She likely used some sort of mental interference to awaken the village's beasts, tearing apart Hua Zi's family. Interestingly though, the bride also had the beasts dismember herself—essentially, a form of suicide."

"That’s bizarre," Officer Huang shook his head, "She went through all the trouble of becoming human, only to kill herself."

"What’s so strange about that?" Wu Dahai chuckled indifferently, "Maybe she regretted it. Thought being a beast was more fun, wanted to reincarnate and start over."

"That’s not out of the question," White Rabbit rested her chin on her hand. "From the outcome, the bride's suicide failed. Due to the rune circuit, her head remained 'alive,' retaining the powerful lingering will of the living, along with a degree of intelligence. After a long process of mutation, she became the hair monster we saw."

"As for the beasts of Gujia Village, they reverted to human form, erased all traces of their crimes, making everything seem normal again, and forgot everything. To the police, it appeared that Hua Zi's family was slaughtered, with the bride’s head missing. Afterward, the villagers held a funeral for Hua Zi's family, and then, overnight, they all disappeared..."

White Rabbit suddenly paused.

A few seconds later, the barbecue restaurant's owner came over, gracefully carrying a tray. Her figure was alluring, her body exuding a rich fragrance that was both intoxicating and irresistible. She placed the tray down, revealing seven glasses of drinks. "Our special sour plum soup, to quench your thirst and cool you down. Would you like to try it?"

"Thanks," White Rabbit was the first to take a glass.

The others followed suit, each picking up a glass.

Gao Yang took a sip, "Not bad."

"As long as you like it," the owner smiled faintly, her eyes full of seductive charm.

Several of the men lingered in her presence, momentarily forgetting she was the owner.

"Enjoy," she said before turning and walking away. It wasn’t until she had gone some distance that Officer Huang sighed, "What a terrifying talent."

*Snap.* White Rabbit clicked her fingers. "Alright, focus back here. Stick with me for a bit longer, and class will be over."

"Teacher, please continue." Everyone was fully absorbed, sipping their sour plum soup.

"A half-human, pulling in the village’s beasts to break the rules together. Even though the police couldn’t solve the case, they still couldn’t escape the punishment of Cangdao."

Gao Yang was about to speak when White Rabbit raised a hand to stop him: "I know what you want to ask."

"Cangdao is just a commonly used term," White Rabbit pondered for a moment. "It’s actually a collective name for the operating rules, laws, and order of this world."

"A considerable number of Awakened believe that this world, the relationship between humans and beasts, and the formation of various rules, are all controlled by an invisible, powerful force. This force is like the ‘Heavens’ or ‘Dao’ spoken of by ancient people—impartial, emotionless, incomprehensible, and inviolable."

"Of course, there’s also a minority of Awakened who believe it’s more akin to a cold and ruthless advanced AI, the product of an advanced civilization we cannot comprehend, with the rune circuits originating from that same civilization."

"These are the two main theories. Regardless, whether it’s Cangdao or an advanced AI, there are strict laws governing the beasts, the most important being—they must never attack an unawakened human. If they do, they will face punishment, which we call 'Heaven’s Punishment.'"

"So the entire village of Gujia suffered Heaven’s Punishment," Gao Yang understood.