“What are they doing? Destroying the city’s power grid?” Kou Tong held the small pair of binoculars from Huang Jinchen’s pocket, narrowing his eyes and looking into the distance. “It seems to be that little girl…riding that Godzilla? Is she putting on a monster invading the city story?” 

Huang Jinchen didn’t answer, slowly changing the direction of the muzzle of his gun. 

Kou Tong looked at him and suddenly felt a slight chill instinctively go up his spine. He felt that when this person was holding a gun, he seemed to change into a man-shaped killing device. 

This…“person” had such frightening abilities and lacked anything that could restrain him. Was it really a good thing that the Seed had produced a man-shaped weapon like this? If he was left to his own devices, would he become some kind of anti-social element? 

But just then, Huang Jinchen turned his head and grinned at the thoughtful Kou Tong, a standard grin that showed teeth and no eyes, with the soundtrack “heh-heh.” 

Kou Tong: “…” 

So he found that stupidity was a virtue, seemingly with some indescribable connection to constraining a person’s violent actions… This truly was a whole new field of study. 

Police sirens were already starting to wail in the streets. Many armed policemen ran out and started dispersing the nightlife still blocking the streets, rushing around in all directions. Luckily it was night. 

Many people were alerted and opened their windows one after another. Those who still had power turned on their lights. Many people crowded at windows and on balconies, craning their necks to watch the peep show. 

“This has really got people fired up.” After Huang Jinchen said this, he squeezed the trigger, so fast that Kou Tong hardly had time to say anything. For a moment, he felt worry, afraid that Master Huang’s bullet would send Miss Qin Qin to the Western Paradise. Then he heard a heartrending roar. 

Kou Tong quickly picked up the binoculars and looked over there. He saw that the monster’s already blinded eye had been shot once again. This time, it seemed to have caused it great harm. It struggled fiercely, knocking down the electricity poles and trees around it, crashing into a building. 

Qin Qin fell straight off its back, then was propped up by a group of crows and suspended in midair. 

The Magician’s glance came their way. 

Huang Jinchen, neither fast nor slow, hefted his gun with one hand and picked up the control box and computer Kou Tong had put on the ground with the other. He quietly said, “Come on. One shot, and we switch places.” 

Kou Tong asked in surprise, “Why was the hit so powerful this time?” 

“Look.” Huang Jinchen took a bullet from his pocket. It sparkled in the light. It was actually a legendary silver bullet. “Looks like watching some TV shows and cartoons isn’t completely useless. Our little monster gave me an introduction.” 

Kou Tong incredulously asked, “Silver bullets? Manman? She got you an arms procurer?” 

Huang Jinchen looked at him and thought for a while. “I don’t want to shock you, darling, but according to your theory, this takes a certain degree of imagination—of course it’s not from the black market. I bought these at the supermarket.” 

Kou Tong was blank for a moment. “What kind of supermarket?” 

Huang Jinchen shrugged. “She drew me a map. Actually, it’s that sticky street all made of candy that we passed through when we got here. Supposedly the supermarket on that street doesn’t sell items that Earthlings use, but if you have a special request, you can stroll around. I got the silver bullets from there. There were also gold ones next to them, ones with chili pepper mixed in, ones filled with syrup… I think Manman’s keeping those last ones to shoot herself with.” 

While fleeing, Kou Tong took a moment to glance at the monster again and saw that it was gone. He couldn’t resist patting Huang Jinchen’s sturdy shoulder. “That’s dependable! According to normal logic, since that thing came out of a playing card, if it’s killed, it ought to turn back into a playing card. If that thing had gone down just now, such a big heap couldn’t have disappeared all of a sudden. It probably turned back into a card.” 

Huang Jinchen shook his tail. “Aren’t I awesome?”

Kou Tong said unstintingly, “So awesome I’m feeling a little fucking worshipful!” 

Huang Jinchen instantly felt like he was floating. “Then will you kiss me as praise?” 

A big crowd of crows flew over, charging right at the two of them. Kou Tong pulled Huang Jinchen aside by the arm. The two of them went one after the other into the little passage on the roof and closed the door behind them. Slamming noises instantly came from the metal door. The narrow passage squeezed the two of them together. Kou Tong caught Huang Jinchen around the neck and kissed him, adding in a line of dialogue: “Darling, you’re amazing!” 

Then Kou Tong took his laptop and went along the narrow passage. The whole building was already without power. He was planning to return the two important items to a safe area. 

Huang Jinchen leaned against the wall, reveling for three seconds. After thinking back repeatedly, he found that something was a bit…off—why did what Kou Tong had said sound so familiar? 

Kou Tong darted back home. All the members of the household were awake. Manman was standing at the entrance. In deadly earnest, she asked, “Is there an enemy attack?” 

Among his many pressing affairs, Kou Tong gave an affirmative and stroked her little head. Then he saved several copies of the signal he had carefully received, turned off the laptop and the control box, and locked them into a strongbox—in the interests of saving electricity. 

He heard Manman say in a childish voice to the others in the living room: “Everyone prepare yourselves. This is not a drill. I repeat once again, this is not…” 

Huang Jinchen came in through the entrance, interrupting Manman’s robotic toneless speech. “Enough, little monster, I know you’re a future Oscar winner, there’s no need to keep demonstrating.” 

Manman asked, “I can act? What can I act as?” 

Huang Jinchen lowered his head and looked her. “For example, how about all those moronic supercomputers in sci-fi movies?” 

Manman considered it for a while. In her fluffy slippers, she trotted over to Kou Tong’s study. Hugging her big doll, she said pitifully to Kou Tong, “Uncle, don’t marry him! He doesn’t have wifely virtues, and he can’t have babies!” 

Huang Jinchen bristled. Kou Tong’s mom quickly came to the rescue, picking up Manman the troublemaking little nuisance. Standing on tiptoe, she still couldn’t reach the top of Huang Jinchen’s head. She could only settle for second best, patting the back of his head in consolation. “Be good.” 

The mother-in-law had appeared… Huang Jinchen was conflicted for three seconds, then decided to abandon self-respect on this point and be good. 

“Look there!” He Xiaozhi suddenly said. Everyone’s gazes moved to the window. They found that the sky full of crows had surrounded the whole building. They couldn’t even see the street and sky.

“What is her goal?” Yao Shuo quietly asked Kou Tong.

Kou Tong crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “It’s likely that destruction is only a means of venting her emotions. She may be rational or she may be irrational, but there’s no way for you to determine when she’s being rational.” 

Yao Shuo frowned.

Kou Tong said, “There was a delusional disorder sufferer who was betrayed by his imaginary ‘lover,’ and that very day broke into that person’s house, killed them, and took their head back as a keepsake.” 

Yao Shuo nodded, considered for a moment, then said, “Then look at this. Can’t we act on the basis of these cards? I think that these cards have their original attributes. They haven’t entirely come out of that girl’s fantasies.” 

Kou Tong turned his head to look at him. The power was off, and they couldn’t turn on the lights. Through the cracks in the encirclement of crows, weak light shone through the windows onto Lao Yao’s face. The middle-aged man’s features were sharp and inflexible, like a slightly rusted knife that still showed its skill.

“The tarot cards themselves have an inherent logic, and she has her own delusional logic. If these two clash in the end, what will happen?” Yao Shuo asked slowly. 

Kou Tong leaned by the window, finding in this old man a trace of the daring and calm ease that he ought to have had or had once had before. He followed along with his words. “For example?”

“For example, I’ve researched for a few days and found that much of the time these tarot cards have a kind of balance within themselves. For example, in the Magician card, the roses and lilies are a balance, representing two extremes. I personally think that it’s a little like the idea of yin and yang,” Yao Shuo said. “But this little girl is a little lunatic to start with. In your words, she’s paranoid. A paranoid person has a hard time reconciling with the word ‘balance.’ I think that these cards will one day leave her…if that logic still holds water in this space.” 

Kou Tong nodded and remembered the High Priestess sighing and seeming on the point of saying something but holding back. 

“I can’t help with the rest, but I can help think through these things, see whether there are any good ideas,” Yao Shuo said, turning his head towards him. 

Kou Tong was silent for a while, then suddenly said, “Actually, that document has nothing to do with you, right?” 

Yao Shuo was jolted. Almost at the same time, a chill full of wariness appeared on his face. “What, you still haven’t forgotten about investigating me?” 

Kou Tong stood leaning by the window, his expression very calm, though beside him the crows were constantly slamming against the window—they all knew that the space was hidden. Even if the crows really did break the windows, they still wouldn’t be able to fly inside. But there were still the visual effects. Even though these birds were made of paper, they still felt extremely oppressive. 

“I have no ill will,” Kou Tong said, his tone not changing at all. 

Yao Shuo looked at him silently, like an enraged bull. After a long time, he slowly calmed down. Not saying a word, he turned and went back to his room and closed the door, cutting off everyone’s lines of sight. 

Kou Tong laughed in spite of himself and shook his head, feeling that this man’s self-respect was so powerful that he was simply like a hedgehog. If he one day had to choose between survival and dignity, he would certainly choose the latter without hesitation. 

A sense of justice, a sense of responsibility, a sense of ethics, dignity, and a desire for control—these were his shackles. One after another, they kept him locked up, making this once venerable man turn into an unreasonable monster who would harm others and himself.