The ideal is one thing, while reality is quite another; those unable to withstand the pressure often lose their way while searching for their ideals, lured by reality into another world entirely.

After the words, "I am not the only one," silence descended upon everyone. Xiao Shu ripped away the tattered remnants of his clothes, sat bare-chested on the ground, hands covering his forehead, deep in thought. In that moment, the figures who had fallen in pools of blood in Quiet Village and Miao Village continuously flashed before his eyes; sorrow swept through his entire world, as if there wasn't an inch of clean ground left, only the helpless moans of vengeful spirits everywhere.

“Can you hear the wailing of the wronged souls?” Xiao Shu shifted his posture, resting his chin on one hand, and looked up at Bing Yu. Her eyes were filled with deep sorrow, as if reproaching herself for the slaughter of the innocent, or perhaps sighing over her own fate.

“I cannot,” she shook her head.

“If one day you were to meet those innocents you personally sent to hell, what would your thoughts be?” Xiao Shu continued his kind of admonishment.

“They would bow down to her in fealty!” a deep, heavy voice suddenly resonated from behind Bing Yu, startling both of them. Just as Bing Yu tried to turn around to look, a pair of large hands had already swept her up into an embrace. The voice continued, “The survival of the fittest is the eternal law of nature. If pity were to prevail, lions and tigers would starve to death; there would be no reason for carnivores to exist.” With that, the person turned and bolted towards the street corner, vanishing from Xiao Shu’s sight within two or three seconds. Xiao Shu couldn't even make out his full appearance, only knowing the man had long hair, perhaps reaching past his neck, looking middle-aged, about twenty years or so older than himself.

Truth appeared so pale and weak in the face of sheer power. Xiao Shu let out a deep sigh, stood up, and walked towards the old woman. After collapsing during the struggle, she had not gotten up again. Xiao Shu tried placing his fingers near her nostrils; there was no sign of breath—the old woman had already passed on. He shook his head, picked up the golden bowl that had been resting on the pile of rubble, tucked it into the old woman’s embrace, and covered her with her garment, considering it fulfilling one last wish for the deceased.

Half an hour later, a patrolling police car passed by, taking the few corpses and Xiao Shu, who was staring blankly beside them, into custody. He was sent back to the shelter where Old He was staying, while the bodies went into the incinerator; the golden bowl that had caused the conflict ultimately melted together with the old woman’s ashes.

“What’s wrong with you?” Seeing Xiao Shu’s downcast expression, Old He grew concerned. The other officers suggested he might have been traumatized by witnessing the massacre, leading to speech impairment. However, Old He knew that no amount of spectacle could compare to the grandeur of their confrontation with hundreds of zombies on Silent Mountain; being scared speechless was simply impossible for Xiao Shu.

Nearly half a day passed until a little girl offered him a piece of candy, saying, “Mommy says eating candy makes you happy. Uncle, have some candy.” Only then did Xiao Shu snap out of his own world, grasping the crystalline candy, and softly asking, “Where is your mother?”

The little girl was clearly not yet old enough to fully understand the meaning of the question; she unconsciously scratched the back of her head and replied, “Mommy wore a red dress today.”

Though an unrelated answer, it was profoundly shocking. That single word, “red,” made Xiao Shu’s eyes widen; comparing the girl before him with the woman in red lying on the ground, the two bore a slight resemblance. Tears instantly welled up, streaming down Xiao Shu’s face. He felt only that he was a coward for failing to save the life of the woman in red.