Volume One: The Spiral Carving, Chapter Eight: Mom Just Wants You to Be Happy, Not Sad

He looked at his parents and younger brother on the ground; perhaps due to emotion and obsession, their state remained unchanged.

He forced himself to sit up, gasping for air, and looked at Zhou Qiyuan outside the iron gate. In his eyes, Zhou Qiyuan had already become a skeleton, grinning at him grotesquely.

"What exactly is your experiment?" Chen Fan asked, his voice hoarse as he fought against intense pain and the urge to kill. He felt himself losing control.

"The experiment is simple. I need to observe how human nature evolves under extreme conditions. Our Black Rock Organization loves these bizarre experimental projects! Didn't you know? Hahahaha!"

"You bastard, I'll kill you!" Enraged, Chen Fan lunged forward, attempting to strike him down.

Chen Fan was not panicked, but Zhou Qiyuan was. Because Chen Fan was his most important experimental subject at the moment, he could not allow him to be electrocuted to death. He quickly cut the power, stepped back, and stared at Chen Fan inside the cell with the gaze of someone watching a clown, letting him throw things and curse wildly. He wasn't worried about Chen Fan breaking out, as the iron gate was made of a special alloy with a Vickers hardness of 1500; whatever Chen Fan did was futile.

After smashing against the gate of flesh for several minutes, Chen Fan gave up. At that moment, the voices of his parents and brother sounded behind him.

"Xiao Fan, why are you here? Why did he lock us in a cell? Is he a policeman?"

"Even if he is a policeman, he can't break the law! Doesn't he know this is illegal?"

"Brother, it's really Brother, hahaha!"

Chen Fan lowered his head, a sharp pain piercing his heart. He wiped the blood from the corners of his eyes, then curled his lips into a gentle smile and turned to face them. He looked them up and down, seeing that their appearance and state were exactly as he remembered, with no difference at all.

"Xiao Fan, who is this guy? I'm calling the police!" Chen Feng said angrily, unable to accept the situation. Then, he discovered a shocking fact—he realized his body no longer hurt.

"Xiao Fan, what's going on? Is our illness cured?"

"Hey, it really seems to be gone..." Beside them, Zhao Li exclaimed, finding it unbelievable.

Chen Zhi was overjoyed, clustering around them, having forgotten the fact that they were imprisoned.

Chen Fan felt his mind becoming a chaotic void. He looked at this cage of flesh, at the skeleton outside the gate, and at his own rotting, agonizing body. In the process of fighting the urge to kill within him, he laughed—a low, deep sound.

"Son, what's wrong? Why are you acting so strange?" Zhao Li walked up, trying to hug him, but he retreated. In his vision, his own body was highly decomposed, smelling foul and sickening. They appeared to be in the same place, yet they were in entirely different worlds.

"Son?" Chen Feng also approached, brow furrowed, staring straight at Chen Fan. The two of them had loved Chen Fan more than anything since he was a child; for him, they would sacrifice everything, including their own lives. They only wished for Chen Fan to live a happy, carefree life. Whether he succeeded or gained fame didn't matter to them at all. Not even a little. But now, seeing Chen Fan in such agony, their hearts plummeted.

After a long while, two streaks of striking black blood spilled from Chen Fan's eyes. "Are you... real or fake?"

"Xiao Fan, of course we're real. What nonsense are you talking about? Don't let your parents worry, okay?" Zhao Li walked toward him again, ready to embrace and comfort him. Her pace was slow but firm; every step felt like it was trampling on his heart.

Chen Fan's eyes stung. He longed to reach out and pull her into his arms. At this moment, he didn't care if she were real or fake, as long as he could hold her. But why... he looked at his own hands and saw that there was little flesh left, with thick pus dripping onto the ground. He shook his head in pain and backed away again, refusing her embrace.

Seeing her son in such a state, Zhao Li was devastated. She covered her mouth and nose, tears streaming down her face, blurring her vision. Though they could not see or feel what Chen Fan was experiencing, they saw the black blood flowing from his eyes clearly.

"Son..."

Like steel needles piercing his eyeballs, his eyes burned with agony!

"What have you done to him? I'll kill you!" Chen Feng, in immense pain, wiped his tears, his eyes turning red, and charged toward the iron gate.

Zhou Qiyuan sneered, feeling delighted, but if this were all, it wouldn't satisfy him! He took a glass bottle from his pocket and threw it into the cell. With a thud, the bottle shattered, and thick purple mist instantly filled the room. Zhou Qiyuan laughed, pulled out a gas mask, and covered his face.

...

Ahhhhhhh!!

The screams of his parents and brother rang out, followed by heavy, ragged breathing echoing in the cell.

The purple mist dissipated. Their eyes had turned crimson, staring fixedly at Chen Fan like terrifying demons, ready to tear him apart at any moment. A massive urge to devour consumed Chen Feng. He stared at Chen Fan, uncontrollably swallowing his saliva.

"No!" The next moment, he regained clarity, clutching his head with his fingers, almost tearing his own skin.

"Son..." He walked toward Chen Fan step by step, tears streaming from his scarlet eyes. He was struggling; his expression shifted between madness, distortion, and terror. *He is my son. Since he was a child, he is the one I have loved the most. Why have I changed?* He felt like a falling leaf in the ocean, completely unable to control his actions or thoughts.

In that brief moment of clarity, golden memories surfaced. In his mind, he was caring for infant Chen Fan day and night. Though he had worn down his 170-pound frame to less than 100, his heart was filled with satisfaction. Perhaps the boy had been too dependent on him; after carrying him for hours, the moment he placed him in the stroller, the baby would cry. After trying seven or eight times, he had no choice but to carry him on his back everywhere he went, even to the restroom.

The memory faded as the urge to devour returned like a mountain, ruthlessly suppressing and obliterating everything. He wept, sighed, and said, "Xiao Fan, from now on, take care of yourself. Do you remember how Dad taught you to ride a bike? Be brave, be strong, and most importantly, don't look back, and don't be afraid of falling! You are always my pride. Dad... is proud of you!"

Rumble!

Endless red lightning instantly engulfed his body. The red light reflected everywhere like millions of fireworks, turning the entire cell a brilliant, deep crimson. When the light faded, Chen Feng's body disintegrated into layers of golden light particles, floating in the cell, swaying, and slowly dissipating.

"It's not like this, it's not like this..." Chen Fan cried out, losing his mind. He looked around blankly, reaching out with both hands, trying to grab something, but he could hold onto nothing.

"Why..." He knelt on the ground, pressing his rotting forehead against the floor tiles, his entire body trembling. Endless pain wrapped around him; this was a billion times worse than death by a thousand cuts!

...

A massive urge dominated Zhao Li, but at this moment—perhaps due to the strange power of "a woman is weak, but a mother is strong"—she overcame the urge to devour. She finally saw Chen Fan's current state, saw his rotting, pus-filled body!

Her scarlet eyes filled with tears, and a tearing pain pierced her body. "Xiao Fan..." She stumbled to his side, knelt, and wrapped her fair, soft hands around his... severely rotting body!

She finally held him in her arms!

Being near Chen Fan was like placing herself in concentrated sulfuric acid; the pain was indescribable! Pain to the extreme! But she... didn't want to let go, and she never would!

Her delicate body began to tremble uncontrollably, her skin began to peel, and bright red blood slowly seeped from her.

"Mom!" Chen Fan's eyes bled as he gasped, his whole body convulsing. It hurt so much; he struggled, trying to push her away so he wouldn't hurt her.

"It's okay! It's okay! Mom isn't afraid!" She soothed him gently, her voice as soft as water, using her fair right hand—not yet melted—to stroke his hair. "Xiao Fan, didn't you ask me earlier if I was real or fake? Forgive Mom for being clumsy; I didn't answer then. Let me answer again, okay?"

She touched his cheek and said, "Even if I am fake, my love for you is definitely real! Xiao Fan, did you hear that clearly?"

Chen Fan nodded forcefully, lowering his head. At this moment, he finally determined that they were his family! Of this, there was no doubt!

Her body was like snow, melting rapidly. She had a strong premonition that this farewell would be final—that they might never meet again. She was in so much pain, so sad, so reluctant to leave!

"Xiao Fan... I'm sorry. Because of our existence, you must be in such pain? Mom doesn't want this either!"

"Sometimes, I really wish you could be a heartless, unfilial person who could just walk away. If you did, your life would be so easy... Mom only wants you to be happy, not sad!"

"From now on, keep walking forward bravely. Mom... will always love you!"

With a boom, her body dissolved into a sky full of red mist, shrouding the entire cell.

"No!!!"

Chen Fan's eye sockets cracked, his body convulsed violently, and he coughed up mouthfuls of black blood, reaching out with his right hand, groping, trying to catch her hand! But it was empty—he could grasp nothing!

...

Beside the iron gate, Xiao Zhi's eyes were scarlet, but he was listless. He couldn't fight the massive urge to devour, yet he was unwilling to eat his brother. So, he reached out a hand and... pierced through his own chest!

Though his vision was blurred, his mind became clear. Scenes from childhood swirled in his mind—every frame was warm and filled with love.

By the swing, his brother laughed, telling him to hold the ropes tight, then pushed him with all his might—that was the first time he felt the sensation of flying!

In a narrow alley, to avoid a crazed large dog, they hid behind a blue tricycle, his brother hugging him tightly, pressing his chin against his small head.

At the end of the month, in a fried chicken shop, because their wages hadn't been paid, his brother only bought one portion of chicken and a burger. He ate greedily, while his brother watched him with a smile, his eyes full of doting love.

It had been many years, and these memories had faded, but now they were so vivid, as if they had happened only hours ago.

A pure smile appeared on his lips—innocent and naive. "Brother, if I can help it, I don't want to eat you. I'd rather choose the fried chicken; fried chicken tastes better than you. I really hope there's a next life; we'll be brothers again. If that wish can't come true, then if we meet on the road, you must say hello to me first. We'll get to know each other, or I won't let you go... Goodbye!"

He reached his hand toward the iron gate!

Boom!

Dazzling, brilliant light illuminated everything, and the place instantly turned into a golden ocean!

"No!!!"

Chen Fan's eyes bulged; his eyeballs were about to explode into the air! He had lost his spirit, leaving only a shell.

"Real and fake, fake and real!" He lowered his head and laughed, a low, chilling sound.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a loving family. I've conducted this experiment over a dozen times, but they all failed; none satisfied me!"

"But this time is different. I am so satisfied with the result! It's simply an incomparable piece of art! Too bad I didn't have a camera to record it, what a pity!"

"By the way, the experiment is over. Why haven't you died yet? Now that you have no experimental value, what use do I have for you?"

Zhou Qiyuan walked out from the side, staring straight at Chen Fan on the ground. "One more question: after being hit by my catalytic poison mist, why didn't you have any reaction? You really have quite a few quirks!"

Chen Fan did not answer him. Like a marionette, he stared blankly at the empty cell. His eyes were hollow...

Meanwhile, his mental pollution index finally reached 6%. A massive amount of energy accumulated in his body, as if a bomb had been planted within him; he felt he was about to shatter into the air. The whole world was filled with mangled flesh; he floated in the foul-smelling remains, surrounded by skeletons! And these skeletons were laughing at him!

His thoughts were in complete disarray, a thick paste. He dug his fingers into his skull, and when the black blood spilled out, he finally regained a sliver of clarity.

After regaining his senses, he walked toward the iron gate and placed his palm on the iron pillar. When the time came, he would press down!

Zhou Qiyuan sneered, "I didn't know how to deal with you anyway. Start quickly; I'll be waiting!"

The countdown began!

Five!

Four!

Three!

Two!

With one second left before his body would burst, amid Zhou Qiyuan's perverted laughter, Chen Fan, expressionless, pressed his right hand directly onto the iron gate.

A striking red light illuminated everything again, as if they were at the core of the sun; he couldn't even open his eyes. Zhou Qiyuan was excited, quickly putting on goggles, staring straight at Chen Fan, wanting to see his death.

He was horrified. In his eyes, Chen Fan's right hand had turned into a golden-red black hole; no matter how much electricity was generated, it was rapidly swallowed by his hand.

Looking closer, he was even more shocked. Behind Chen Fan stood an extremely beautiful woman. She placed her right hand on Chen Fan's shoulder, her brows slightly furrowed, seemingly helping Chen Fan absorb the electricity.

He had never seen such a bizarre sight! This was beyond his comprehension!

However, his mind remained functional, and he knew clearly that if he didn't retreat, he would surely die. So, he turned and ran quickly out of the building. This was a two-story house; there was a motorcycle in the yard, and as long as he got on it, he could escape the danger.

With a boom, Chen Fan used the power of the high-voltage electricity to melt the iron gate into molten iron, then lunged toward Zhou Qiyuan at top speed.

He had finally turned danger into safety. His mental pollution index had dropped to 0%, and the black abyss within his mind had blurred significantly. A translucent, golden-red panel appeared on his retina, emitting a faint light.

Infinite killing intent surfaced in his eyes. He would use the most cruel means to torture this person to death! Otherwise, he could not vent the hatred in his heart!