After a long pause, his gaze fell on the bleeding gray rabbit, and he sighed, saying, "You've still disappointed me. You think I don't know what you've done?” He pointed to his head and continued, "This... is not something you can defeat. Everything will proceed according to pn. Although I absolutely despise being judged, since even blood silver bullets couldn′t take your life, then stay and watch this great transformation unfold.”

  He moved to the west wall, pressed a button on his wheelchair, and a rectangur section immediately recessed, revealing a passage.

  "Remember this,” he said, turning back to look at both Lu A'cang and the gray rabbit before entering the passage. “If you can create a world, you are a god.”

  "Why do you want to be a god?” Lu A'cang asked.

  The wheelchair stopped moving. The man didn′t turn around, but chuckled and said, "You′ve thought about it too, haven′t you? It′s just that you never succeeded.”

  A very old booklet with a leather parchment cover was thrown in front of her.

  "It's been with me for a very long time, always reminding me of what I should do. But now, I no longer need it. Take it as a gossip magazine to read. Hahaha.” After he disappeared into the passage, the wall returned to normal, and the entire rge room turned into a solid prison. He must be a madman, Lu A'cang was certain.

  However, madness and genius are often separated by a thin line.

  She picked up the booklet and ran to the grey rabbit's side, asking, “Rabbit, are you okay? You can’t even speak anymore?”

  The grey rabbit turned its fluffy ears, weakly replying, “Blood silver bullets are really nasty. Let me rest for another hour. If you're bored, you can look at the things he gave you. Maybe you′ll find the answers to the questions in your mind.”

  Alright, Lu A'cang admitted, her mind had been full of question marks for a long time. From the moment she saw the deep underground boratory beneath her feet, she realized that this kidnapping was never about kidnapping in the first pce.

  She pced the grey rabbit on the sofa and nestled into the other side, flipping open the yellowed booklet.

  It was a diary, and on the inside cover, there was a name—Sean.

  Lu A'cang could understand any nguage, but the handwriting in this booklet was the most beautiful French she had ever seen.

  March 1st, Weather: Clear

  I heard the birds on the roof talking, saying it would rain tomorrow. I told my mother, and she said children shouldn't lie, that birds don't talk. But I heard them.

  From the day I was born, I heard the nurses screaming, whispering that my mother had given birth to a deformed yaokai.

  At that time, I was lying in the crib, bored out of my mind. My crib was in the farthest corner of the nursery. Other children had many visitors every day, but I had none—except for my parents.

  Two ants crawled up to the head of my bed, and I saw them turn into two little girls wearing flowery dresses. It was so fun. They chatted with me, saying I was the only one who could see and hear them, and they said I was amazing.

  I was so happy; I was no longer bored. The little ant girls came to see me every day, and they even brought me sweet berries. But that morning, only one of them came. Was the other one still sleeping in? It turned out that her partner had been stepped on.

  She told me that life was very hard for the ant family, that they had to be very careful because they were so small and weak. A single movement from a human could be fatal to them. I told her, "I won't hurt you."

  The next day, my mother took me home. I never saw the little ant girl again.

  September 13, weather: Rain

  My parents had a fight with the town mayor because he wouldn't approve for me to go to school. I'm already ten years old this year, and the kids my age walk by my house every day, carrying their school bags and pying around.

  I heard that school is a pce where you can learn a lot, meet many people, and have a lot of fun. I want to go to school.

  Yesterday, I told David, who lives next door, that I wanted to go to school with him, even if it was just to watch. David agreed. I was so happy.

  David is my only friend. Although he sometimes pys pranks on me.

  September 14th, weather: Rain

  David pushed me to the empty space behind the school. He took me out of my wheelchair and dragged it into the ditch.

  The children at school threw stones at me. They ughed and said, "Let's see who can hit the best." I heard someone shouting, "Kill the yaokai!"

  Yes, they are the brave knights, and I am the ugly yaokai. The lines are clearly drawn. Mom brought me home, crying, with all my wounds.

  From now on, I will never say things like "I want to go to school" again.

  In fairy tales, yaokai eat humans, but I don't eat humans. Does that make me a yaokai? I don't really understand.

  January 8th, weather: Overcast

  David got married. His bride is very beautiful. They moved to Paris.

  The house next door has new owners. I saw an old man with white hair, followed by a small girl with golden curly hair, carrying a neat travel case. Her face looked like a ripe apple in the fall.

  I hid behind the curtains, quietly watching.

  January 19th, weather: Sunny

  Crisse made me apple pancakes.

  She's the only girl who didn't scream when she saw me. She said she heard me pying the piano and that the music was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard.

  Yes, I have a second-hand piano. I bought it with the money I earned writing papers and manuscripts for others.

  I've never been to school. My parents taught me how to read. But when I see those troublesome math, physics, and chemistry problems and all sorts of tough questions, I can easily write down the answers. I wrote a graduation thesis for someone studying physics, and it caused a sensation at his school. They said it was impossible for a university graduate to have written it. Indeed, it wasn′t, because I′ve never attended a single day of school.

  I'm happy because I can make money. I don't really like helping people write these things, though. I prefer pying the piano. Chopin's Nocturne—I fell in love with it after hearing it just once.

  No sheet music, no fingerings—on my second-hand piano, I py it over and over. Crisse says she likes the way I look when I py the piano, like I'm glowing.

  March 27th, Weather: Rain

  Crisse was locked in the attic by her grandfather.

  It is forbidden to associate with me. A good girl should not be involved with a youkai like me.

  I dragged the piano to the spot closest to the window.

  From morning until dusk, I pyed Nocturne over and over again.

  I know she is very close, just on the other side.

  My music is only pyed for her.

  April 26th, Weather: Overcast

  The room next door is empty.

  Crisse was forcibly taken to Pond by her grandfather. I heard there's a rich and handsome man there, waiting for his new bride.

  In my hand, I hold a pocket watch, a birthday gift from Crisse. She said that every time she listens to me py, time is frozen.

  I fell asleep on the piano. Tears flowed from my eyes into the gaps between the piano keys.

  June 28th, Weather: Sunny

  Mom had a dispute with the mayor. It's still because of me.

  The mayor and the others "suggested" that we leave the town. He said all the residents expressed that they didn't want to see a "yaokai" who could scare children at any moment in this "peaceful and happy" town.

  Mom refused.