Feng Guang’s brows twitched. “Nangong Zhe?”
“Yes, Nangong Zhe.” At the mention of him, amusement flickered in Qi Wei’s eyes. “He said he wanted to save the patients in this hospital. For a doctor, that was quite an unconventional idea. But what interested me even more was that, when I saw someone so righteous, I suddenly came up with a very entertaining idea.”
Yes—Nangong Zhe had removed the collar around his neck that had been used to suppress his speech. Once Qi Wei could speak, his victory was inevitable.
There existed a certain kind of person in this world: natural persuaders and manipulators. They could quickly grasp the darkness hidden inside someone and magnify it endlessly. The best way to deal with such people was always to shoot them before they had the chance to open their mouths.
But Nangong Zhe had been too young. He hadn’t understood that truth.
So after the patients imprisoned the doctors, Qi Wei had once sincerely invited Nangong Zhe to join them. Nangong Zhe refused, because the justice he sought was not violence repaid with violence.
Qi Wei found that regrettable.
And then, inside Nangong Zhe’s mind, he created a second personality—a personality that belonged to Qi Wei himself. Nangong Zhe’s original personality was suppressed beneath it, and he became a false “Qi Wei.”
Nangong Zhe began thinking and reacting according to Qi Wei’s way of thinking. For example, when he first saw Feng Guang, he shared the same reaction as Qi Wei—he expressed a desire for her eyes.
Or rather, through Nangong Zhe’s mouth, Qi Wei had spoken his own desire.
Because the Nangong Zhe of that moment possessed Qi Wei’s personality, meaning he would react exactly as Qi Wei would.
It was an incredibly fascinating thing.
Qi Wei looked at this other “self” he had personally created. Having lost his own identity, Nangong Zhe became no different from the patients who had once been imprisoned there. After all, the hospital was enormous and filled with people, yet there were very few who truly interested Qi Wei. If he didn’t create something entertaining for himself, he feared he might one day blow the entire island apart with his own hands.
He liked the feeling of destruction.
It was only because finding another place to settle afterward sounded troublesome that the island still remained intact today.
The first time Nangong Zhe briefly regained his own awareness was during the flash of Feng Guang’s camera. The sudden burst of light had stimulated his brain in that instant, allowing him to temporarily break free from the hypnosis and regain his original consciousness. But it lasted only a short while. As long as Qi Wei didn’t release the hypnosis, Nangong Zhe could never truly become himself again.
To turn someone into a person unlike themselves was cruel and unforgivable.
Yet Qi Wei had never possessed that understanding. In his eyes, human beings were divided only into two categories: delicious and not delicious. And those who were not delicious were no different from livestock.
After hearing the entire story, Feng Guang found herself strangely unmoved. Perhaps no matter what unbelievable things Qi Wei said now, she would simply accept them calmly.
“So,” she asked, “why did you bring me here?”
“Come with me.” Holding her hand, he opened the door to another room.
Inside were countless cute stuffed dolls, all old and worn with age.
Like a child proudly showing off his treasures, he said happily, “I came to this island when I was thirteen. For over ten years, no one has ever seen the dolls I collected. Now, I’m giving all of them to you.”
Fifteen years ago, the Qi family discovered something was wrong with him and sent him to Diamond Island. Those so-called murder cases had all happened fifteen years ago as well. But within this hospital, aside from the old director, no one knew that he had been responsible for them.
The room full of dolls was astonishingly overwhelming.
Feng Guang couldn’t help stepping closer. Something so childish and innocent felt utterly out of place with him, yet at the same time, disturbingly fitting.
But before long, someone embraced her from behind.
Qi Wei rested his chin on her shoulder, tightening the arm around her waist. His lips brushed lightly against her ear as he softly asked:
“Feng Guang, do you like them?”
She didn’t answer.
He laughed again. “Whether you like them or not… since I’ve already given you my most precious things, then tonight… let me properly enjoy you.”
Taking one of her hands, he pressed a kiss to the back of it.