Diary

"July 13. I felt somewhat hesitant. This was strictly forbidden, and once I was exposed, I would be finished. My reputation, my family—perhaps prison would be my final fate. But I made up my mind anyway. Using an assignment as an excuse, I planned to leave for another world tomorrow, because it was closer to the 'Spirit of All Things'..."

"July 15. After following the ritual taught by the Spirit Worshipping Society for three days, I finally saw it... Cold, magnificent, vast—my impoverished vocabulary could never describe it. It was the ruler of all things, the spirit of the world. Yet for some reason, I felt deeply uneasy."

"July 25. My wife and I had another huge argument. She took our child back to her parents' home. This was already our third quarrel in half a month. I regretted it somewhat. I felt that these days, I could never suppress the irritability in my heart. Perhaps it was a negative effect of contact with... the Spirit of All Things. This couldn't go on."

"August 3. My strength had begun to advance by leaps and bounds, but... I found that I was becoming less and less like... a normal person. I was afraid. I should never have joined that damned Spirit Worshipping Society."

"(Undated, the handwriting abnormally disordered.) My wife is dead. I killed her. My son was terrified and tried to run away. After I caught up with him, I twisted his neck. The sound of his cervical bones being crushed was very crisp. I think I've gone insane."

The night was hazy, and the lamplight dim.

The office was utterly quiet, save for the rustling of pages as the notebook was read.

Huang Jiaqiang's brows were tightly knitted, and he found it somewhat difficult to understand.

The man was