Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

"Zhou He, your deduction is correct."

Deputy Director Dai stared at Zhou He, his eyes, hidden behind his glasses, were tired and the corners of his eyes were a little red, as if he had stayed up for several nights in a row.

But there was a glimmer in those eyes. Someone had kept a secret for too long, and finally found someone to confide in, yet was afraid of what would happen after they told the truth.

That's how you get that look in your eyes.

Zhou He didn't meet that look.

He raised his hand and pressed down on his fisherman's hat, pulling the brim down to hide his face in the shadows.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a gentle, subtle smile.

"Is that right?"

His voice was very soft, as if he were asking a question that had nothing to do with him.

Dai Liangxuan sighed.

A heavy breath rose from my chest.

He looked away and turned to look out the window.

The June sun was shining brightly, spreading across the grass below, making each blade of grass stretch out, a dazzling green.

half an hour.

Dai Liangxuan reached into his suit's inner pocket, pulled out an envelope-like object, and placed it on the table.

The envelope was pure white, without any writing, and a small section of cotton rope was sticking out from the seal. It didn't look very delicate and looked like it was handmade.

Zhou He saw it, but did not reach out to take it.

Dai Liangxuan took out a metal kerosene lighter from another pocket.

The silver-white casing is covered with fine scratches, indicating that it has been used for many years.

With a flick of the thumb, the lid was opened, and a crisp "ding" sounded. The flint was struck, and a cluster of flames jumped out, blue and yellow in color.

He opened the envelope and held the flame close to the cotton rope.

The cotton rope caught fire.

The flames slowly licked forward along the cotton rope, so slowly that Zhou He could see each fiber curling, turning black, and turning to ash before burning.

A faint scent of cypress wood rose from the burning cotton rope, initially faint, then growing stronger, like incense in a temple, yet more serene and cool.

The aroma filled the entire room, permeating the nostrils and reaching every corner.

Dai Liangxuan just waited there.

He didn't speak, and neither did Zhou He.

The two people sat across the desk, watching a piece of cotton rope slowly turn to ash, and watching the scent of cypress fill the entire room.

Dai Liangxuan only spoke when the aroma became so strong it was almost pungent.

"In the past six months, I have traveled to about a dozen cities and met hundreds of elderly men."

When he said the words "hundreds of elderly men", his eyelids twitched.

He glanced down at the envelope again.

The cotton rope was still burning, the flames had moved down about halfway, and half of the envelope had turned black.

"Do you know what I found?"

"What did you find?" Zhou He grinned, asking the question, but there was no eagerness in his tone to know.

He's in control.

His hands were on his knees, slightly clenched, but his facial expression was relaxed.

Dai Liangxuan adjusted his glasses.

The lens reflected the light from the window, so Zhou He couldn't see his eyes clearly, but he saw that Dai Liangxuan's lips were pursed into a line.

Then, he spoke slowly and deliberately, word by word.

"I've discovered that none of the existing technologies came about in a normal way."

Zhou He admitted that he couldn't keep smiling.

In that instant, a crack appeared in his expression.

A bead of cold sweat seeped from my forehead, sliding down my skin, feeling chilly.

His heartbeat echoed in his ears.

He calmly wiped away the drop of sweat.

He quickly mentally considered his role, what his reaction should be, and what he should ask.

"Is it related to meat?"

Dai Liangxuan nodded.

He tapped very hard.

"We all used to think that the memories of wild meat couldn't be absorbed."

Zhou He tapped his finger lightly on the table.

He remembered the day he killed the old hunchback.

Zhou recalled that when he killed the old hunchback and ate him, he had skimmed through the old man's memories as if watching a movie.

After being killed by Grandpa Taochuan, he was unconscious when absorbing that piece of wild meat.

No memory fragments were obtained.

But now, listening to Dai Liangxuan's words, it seems that his current state is not normal?

Is it because I am the eyelid?

He didn't think about it any further.

Stop tapping your fingers, raise your head, and speak in as calm a tone as possible:

"You mean to say,"

Zhou He paused, organizing his thoughts:

"Is this technology derived from the memories of those wild animals?"

He regretted saying that as soon as he finished speaking.

That's too direct.

But it can't be taken back.

Dai Liangxuan did not give a direct answer.

He kept staring at the cotton rope; the flames had burned down to the last third of their length.

Most of the envelope was smoky and turned grayish-black, with only a small ring near the cotton string retaining its original white color.

"Based on previous research,"

His voice slowed down:

"When domesticated meat is absorbed, it transmits memories and emotions, which is why people in those industries are often crazy."

"From the moment they left home, they were no longer just one person; with each person they ate, that person's soul moved in."

"As more and more souls are consumed, more and more souls are crammed into the same body, and most of those souls are eaten by the main soul itself."

Dai Liangxuan's voice grew softer and softer.

"Imagine you kill someone with your own hands, then swallow their memories, stay with them day and night, and endure their fear, resentment, and despair as they die."

"One year, two years, ten years... no one can hold on, no one."

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the lighter's casing, the metallic scratches making a soft rustling sound under his fingertips.

"So we've always believed that wild meat is the best meat, the highest quality meat. Why? Because it doesn't need to absorb memories and emotions; it's pure energy, the best natural source of sustenance."

"But if—"

He paused for a moment.

The flames on the cotton rope flickered, almost burning to the bottom.

"What if the memories of these wild animals could be absorbed?"

The sound was very soft.

But Zhou He felt that every word was heavy.

More importantly, Dai Liangxuan clearly had more to say.

Zhou He guessed what he was going to say.

His back began to feel cold.

The coolness seeped from my spine, climbing up little by little, until it turned into a tingling, stinging pain at the back of my head.

He pressed his fisherman's hat; this pre-set hypnotic prompt could no longer suppress his inner fear.

He looked down at his left hand, then reached out with his right hand and pinched the web between his thumb and forefinger.

They pinched the flesh with all their might.

This is the second switch he set for himself.

When this action is triggered, you must force yourself to calm down.

three

two

One

Three breaths.

The air filled my lungs, and the scent of cypress had not yet dissipated.

Zhou He spoke up.

The tone was calm:

"There is another possibility."

His voice was so steady that even he was a little surprised.

"The wild meat wasn't absorbed; on the contrary, it was the consciousness of the original being that was absorbed."

"Wild meat, disguised as human."

He said it voluntarily.

It exists as wild meat, yet carries the body of a "human".

Dai Liangxuan stared at the cotton rope.

The cotton rope burned to its end, leaving only a few sparks.

Ashes fell onto the pure black envelope; the white ash against the black paper was starkly contrasting.

He gave a wry smile.

The smile was faint; her lips merely curved slightly, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes.

"What's even more terrifying is—"

He put the lighter back in his pocket, his fingers lingering inside for a couple more seconds.

The speaking speed is getting faster and faster:

"We can't tell the difference."

He raised his eyes and looked at Zhou He.

"And we have no idea where all this wild meat is."

The weariness in those eyes suddenly became very heavy, so heavy that Zhou He felt that the person had aged ten years at that moment.

"I even suspect," Dai Liangxuan pursed his lips, paused, "that among the old men I've met, there might be wild meat among them."

The dust from the cotton rope was blown away by a gust of wind that seemed to come from nowhere, slid a short distance across the table, and then disappeared.

Dai Liangxuan stopped and remained silent.

He pursed his lips, shifted his gaze from Zhou He's face, and looked out the window again.

The sun was still shining brightly, and the grass blades swayed gently in the wind, their green leaves glistening in the light.