Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Whole Person Split Apart
Zhuo Huang is the real-life name of the Brazilian Warrior God.
Since Pharaoh shouted downstairs at his house that one time, it wasn’t long before he moved away with his family from that villa community.
His family said that a better environment would be more beneficial for his growth; continuing to live there would only lead him to learn bad habits from the Zhao family.
But…
They used to think that Zhao Ke and Zhao Ming were both excellent kids! He had even felt inferior because his friends were the “other family’s” kids they talked about.
Why had everything changed in just a year or two?
The Brazilian Warrior God felt he might know the reason; all these changes were probably due to Zhao Ke being bullied at school, something he saw but chose to remain silent about.
He was afraid, afraid of becoming a target for bullying like Zhao Ke.
…
The night before going to Shihhekou Middle School.
The Brazilian Warrior God had just finished a soccer match and returned to the dormitory, turning on his computer, ready to play some games with his roommate.
At that moment, his phone suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out and took a look, frowning immediately.
Pharaoh: “Huang Ge, my girlfriend has been acting a bit strange lately. I don’t know why, but she suddenly suggested going to Shihhekou Middle School to play a courage-testing game. Do you think I should agree?”
Although the Brazilian Warrior God’s family went to great lengths to prohibit him from continuing to associate with Zhao Ming, he had never lost contact with her.
They rarely met in real life but often communicated online.
At first, they were just analyzing the reasons for Zhao Ke’s disappearance and had entered Shihhekou Middle School several times without finding anything.
Gradually, words like Shihhekou Middle School, Zhao Ke, and disappearance began to fade from their conversations, and the topics returned to normal. They talked about life, worries, and how to flirt. Perhaps influenced by Zhao Ke’s disappearance, they occasionally discussed urban legends.
Staring silently at the mobile phone screen for a while, Zhuo Huang smiled and replied to Zhao Ming.
Brazilian Warrior God: “I think you’re overthinking it. She probably just heard the name Shihhekou Middle School somewhere and wants to check it out.”
Pharaoh: “Really? I don’t think it’s that simple. I’m worried this might be related to my brother’s disappearance.”
Brazilian Warrior God: “What’s there to worry about? You’re not scared, are you? If you are, I can go with you! If we can find out the reason behind Zhao Ke’s disappearance through this courage-testing game, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
Pharaoh: “Then I’ll count on you.”
“Pharaoh invites you to join the [Courage-Testing Game] chat group.”
The Brazilian Warrior God and Pharaoh thought that this time the courage-testing game would be like the previous times when they went to Shihhekou Middle School, only to see an empty, abandoned campus with no special discoveries.
But this time, they were wrong.
…
Uncertain if it was due to the interference of two different sources of urban legend core or if the memories stored in half of the urban legend core were incomplete, Lu Yibei saw the influences becoming chaotic. She felt her role shifting between Pharaoh, the Brazilian Warrior God, and a blend of both personalities.
Then…
The dream became clear one last time.
She saw Pharaoh and the Brazilian Warrior God in their final moments.
…
In the dimly lit stairway, a tall, pale figure wrapped its arms around the Brazilian Warrior God.
Even from a distance, Lu Yibei could feel the pain emanating from that figure, a pain that seemed alive, drilling into her mind, vivid and penetrating.
In that malicious embrace, the Brazilian Warrior God struggled desperately, his eyes gradually becoming hollow and vacant, suddenly his muscles tensed, and then his limbs went limp.
In that moment of life fading, he saw Zhao Ke’s figure in the empty corner of the hallway, silently watching him, filled with intense resentment, spectating like he once did while Zhao Ke was bullied.
“I’m… sorry…” The Brazilian Warrior God used the last ounce of his strength to say.
…
With a light sound, Pharaoh carried the bl**d-soaked Brazilian Warrior God into a room.
On the floor of that room, wrapped in gray-white soft skin, lay some dirty dolls.
Pharaoh placed the Brazilian Warrior God atop those dolls and spoke softly, “Brother, you should rest well. We can talk about everything later.”
After a pause, he continued, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry for dragging you into this, but I just want to know the reason for my brother’s disappearance…”
Hearing this, an eerie smile suddenly flashed across the Brazilian Warrior God’s face. He sat up, leaned close to Pharaoh’s ear, and emitted a familiar voice, reminiscent of his brother’s voice.
“You will know soon; he’s inside my body. Do you want to see him?”
Pharaoh was taken aback, then as if recalling something, he swiftly turned to charge out the door and shout.
At that moment, a pale, slender hand stretched out from the darkness and slammed the door shut with a “bang!”
A foul smell surged from behind him. He turned around abruptly, and before he could see the situation behind him, the swarm of dolls tore his body apart.
bl**d gradually soaked those dolls, and in a daze, Pharaoh heard whispers coming from among them.
“Did you see me?”
“You shouldn’t have come, my dear, foolish brother…”
…
In the dimly lit living room, Lu Yibei stared blankly at the ceiling, her consciousness seemingly stuck in that terrifying time at Shihhekou Middle School.
Having swallowed almost a complete urban legend core, she finally sensed something unusual happening to her body.
Sharp pains throbbed in her head, and the memories of those four individuals lingered in her mind, making it hard for her to distinguish between reality and dreams, her thoughts tangled like a mess.
It was as if someone had forcefully cracked open her head, stuffing in four fragmented personalities and four segments of unfamiliar memories spanning nearly twenty years.
At times she clearly acknowledged herself as Lu Yibei, while at other times, she vaguely felt herself as Yun Meng or Liangyue, and sometimes she felt like that pitiful boy desperately searching for his brother.
This sensation felt as if cursed by their lingering spirits.
It made her feel terrible.
If it was merely the influence of Pharaoh or the Brazilian Warrior God, wanting to smoke a couple of cigarettes or to fulfill that promised soccer match would be one thing.
But she, a solid six-foot man, continually felt as if she had a boyfriend or would surge with an impulse to go to the dance room, wear a ballet tutu, and dance a swan lake piece.
What a fucking situation is this?
Is this the side effect of devouring the urban legend core?
Lu Yibei thought, glancing at the three halves of the urban legend core left in the suitcase, a wave of worry and doubt rising in her heart.
Though her body constantly craved, her rationality told her she could not swallow anymore; if she kept doing so, she might go insane on the spot, and her whole being would split apart.
Yes, the splitting of personalities!
