The Decaying Dream of America: I Assemble Corpses and Confront Madness

Lin Zheng and Smith walked through the tree-lined path, the slightly intoxicating heat transforming into an unusual warmth under the winter sun.

The two walked side by side, Smith dangling the silver flask in his hand around his lips again, the Christmas carols playing on campus becoming their accompaniment to their drinks.

Their conversation shifted from the professor's sermons to lighter jokes, occasionally interspersed with complaints about past experiences.

Smith talked about his family, how he was the youngest son without inheritance rights, neglected and living a life of debauchery. Lin Zheng talked about why he came to the United States to study, but the United States was not as wonderful as he had imagined, and there were too many strange things.

Their conversation was interrupted by the cheerful laughter coming from the central square of the campus. It was the students' unique, unreserved, and clear laughter, mixed with a few variations of Christmas carols.

"Oh, looks like there's a party. I love parties, especially slutty parties with lots of beautiful women." Smith pointed towards the square and chuckled at the end.

Lin Zheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw a festive scene in the center of the square.

The giant Christmas tree was piled high with gift boxes printed with snowflakes, colorful lights wrapped around sculptures and benches, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of cinnamon, gingerbread and cake.

A group of students surrounded a Santa Claus, jumping excitedly.

To allow more people to celebrate Christmas together, Miskatole University has allowed students' parents and parents accompanying their children to enter the university grounds for Christmas.

The Santa Claus was dressed in the classic red and white wool suit and wore a white fake beard, but he had a rainbow-colored belt around his waist.

That stylishly dressed, infectiously smiling figure is Rowan Casey, a very popular queer teacher at the school.

"Mr. Rowan, my Santa Claus!" a student in a blue down jacket exclaimed excitedly, holding up a gingerbread man cookie.

The students' voices were filled with joy, and Lin Zheng felt a long-lost sense of relaxation. The fatigue and nausea he had felt from the previous lectures gradually dissipated in this warm and harmonious festive atmosphere.

He watched as the students, one by one, accepted the sweet gifts from Mr. Rowan, carefully holding them in their palms, then eagerly unwrapping them and stuffing the candies or cookies into their mouths, their faces beaming with pure happiness.

Mr. Rowan's smile was sincere and warm, possessing a charm that could infect those around him.

For Lin Zheng, this scene seemed to validate Smith's earlier assessment that "you like sunshine, so you seem like a nice person."

Ms. Rowan then took out an irregularly shaped cake from the wicker basket, decorated with snowflake patterns outlined in white icing. She gently patted a student on the head and handed him the cake.

The student carefully took it, holding it in his hands, which were slightly red from the cold.

He took a bite, chewed a few times, then his eyes widened, and an expression of surprise and confusion appeared on his face.

"Teacher, I saw so many rainbow-colored butterflies!" The student's voice was clear and innocent. He pointed to the sky, his eyes sparkling with an unusual light.

Ms. Rowan remained all smiles. She bent down, gently stroked the student's head, and softly replied, "Yes, my little darling. That's your most beautiful scenery."

Rainbow-colored butterflies? Lin Zheng watched this scene.

This description stirred a sense of unease within him, even though everything in the square seemed so beautiful and innocent at that moment.

Smith handed the flask to Lin Zheng, gesturing for him to take a sip. Lin Zheng took it, tilted his head back, and sipped a small amount of the cool, fruity liquid as it slid down his throat.

"Does such a good teacher really exist?" Smith's voice was tinged with emotion as he looked at Mr. Rowan and his students.

Lin Zheng's gaze swept over the students again.

Some students had already finished their candy or cookies, and their faces showed the same surprised expressions as the students before them. Others began to look around curiously, as if searching for something unseen.

The commotion in the square did not last long.

A few minutes later, a discordant sound began to spread through the air.

A sharp cry shattered the harmony under the Christmas tree.

A student in a red coat suddenly rushed out of the crowd, her eyes wide open, her fingers flailing wildly, and she screamed in terror.

She was trying to avoid something, her body trembling, when she finally lost her footing and fell to the ground, curling up in a ball and letting out soft sobs.

Then, more anomalies began to appear.

The student who had previously mentioned seeing a rainbow butterfly gradually froze, his expression of surprise turning into an indescribable astonishment. He stood there blankly, his lips slightly parted, his eyes unfocused.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He collapsed, whimpering in pain.

The smiles on everyone's faces turned to terror in an instant; panic spread faster than any virus.

Then came the others, who also suddenly clutched their heads, rolled on the ground in agony, and uttered incoherent babbling.

Other students burst into laughter without warning. The laughter was uncontrolled and shrill, not their usual cheerfulness, but rather a kind of frenzied, nerve-wracking madness.

One student even started chasing butterflies that weren't actually there, swaying his body as if he were in a distorted illusion.

The once cozy Christmas square instantly turned into a boiling pot of porridge, filled with screams, cries, maniacal laughter, and the acrid smell of vomit, creating a hellish scene.

"Fuck! Seeing a butterfly, could this guy have smuggled something into the food he's feeding the students?!" Smith, his usual nonchalant demeanor vanished, and he started making an emergency call.

Lin Zheng did not answer. He rushed over to help with first aid, making the students drink plenty of water and induce vomiting.

Soon after, several ambulances bearing the school emblem rushed into the square, their sirens blaring deafeningly.

Medical staff in uniforms rushed out of the vehicle and, guided by panicked parents, carried students who were seriously unwell onto stretchers.

Campus police followed closely behind, setting up a cordon in an attempt to control the situation.

Lin Zheng saw that Teacher Luo Wen was standing still, his smile gone, replaced by an incomprehensible blankness and confusion.

A policeman bent down and picked up the half-eaten cake that was scattered on the ground.

He put it under his nose and took a deep sniff.

His face instantly turned bright red, and an unbelievable rage erupted from his eyes.

He abruptly raised his head and roared into the walkie-talkie, his voice distorted by the loudspeaker, piercing everyone's eardrums: "Calling command center, a contamination incident has occurred at Miskatole University!"

"Pollution..." Lin Zheng's body stiffened. The word struck his brain, and he instantly recalled the frenzied expressions of the people in the experience center earlier.

He turned sharply to Rowan Casey, the queer teacher, who was still looking at the commotion with a puzzled expression. There was no panic or remorse in her expression, only a hurt feeling of being unjustly accused.

"Arrest her!" The police rushed forward and grabbed Ms. Rowan, who was not resisting. She was pinned to the ground, her eyes glazed as she looked at the students.

He kept repeating, "I just want them to feel happiness and joy."