Division

Chapter 45: Schism

Feng Xiuxue seemed stunned, her head bowed and her body trembling. Although she no longer retreated, she was unwilling to draw any closer to Bai Yanliang.

Bai Yanliang stared at the tall, gaunt monster. Its exposed skin was covered in human facial features, and a dense cluster of eyes all stared in the same direction—the thirteenth floor of the apartment building.

Even though it wasn't looking at them at all, Bai Yanliang did not believe he was safe.

Because... the surrounding sounds had not returned; this remained a world of excessive silence.

But... he was not entirely without options in this situation.

"Close your eyes, cover your ears, and hold your breath." Whether Feng Xiuxue heard him or not, Bai Yanliang had said his piece.

Whether she chose to follow his instructions was her own business.

Besides... Bai Yanliang was already doing exactly that.

Generally speaking, there are two ways to induce hallucinations: one is to deceive the human senses, and the other is to act directly upon the cognitive nerves.

The second method is more troublesome because you must break free from your "established" way of thinking and reconstruct a new concept.

But this was not difficult for Bai Yanliang. He had just tried to convince himself that everything before him was a hallucination, yet it had no effect.

It seemed that it was the relatively simpler first category after all.

Bai Yanliang closed his eyes, covered his ears, and held his breath.

Gradually, a change occurred...

"Whoosh..."

It was the sound of the wind.

There were also voices, the sound of cars, and honking horns...

Bai Yanliang opened his eyes calmly; he was back.

It was indeed a hallucination.

He looked straight ahead, where Feng Xiuxue remained with her head bowed, saying nothing.

Behind her was the road with its bustling traffic; if she had retreated any further just now...

Bai Yanliang did not look at her again, instead turning to face the thirteenth floor of the apartment building.

He remembered clearly the eyes of the monster from the hallucination; all of them had been fixed on that spot.

This was not Mist Gathering, and Bai Yanliang would not choose to walk into danger when he knew it was there.

After a moment of thought, he prepared to leave.

The case was technically closed for now, though too many details remained unexplained.

The police could not explain it at all; some bizarre occurrences were not meant to be shared with everyone.

Bai Yanliang was in no rush; he would return to the thirteenth floor of this apartment building sooner or later.

"I'm leaving now. You'd best not go in there." Bai Yanliang glanced at Feng Xiuxue.

But she still kept her head bowed, silent.

Bai Yanliang felt a flicker of doubt. Was she still trapped in the hallucination?

Just as he gradually approached Feng Xiuxue, she suddenly raised her head.

Bai Yanliang's pupils constricted, and he stopped in his tracks, wary. "Who are you?"

"Feng Xiuxue" raised her head and looked at him quietly.

Although she still wore Feng Xiuxue's appearance, Bai Yanliang could clearly sense that "she" was different... different on the inside.

"Feng Yiru." Her voice made Bai Yanliang's brow furrow.

He remembered clearly that Feng Xiuxue's voice was very gentle, but the "she" before him had a voice that was chillingly cold.

And the three words she spoke were even more peculiar.

Feng Yiru? Wasn't that Feng Xiuxue's sister?

"Don't believe her words." She looked at Bai Yanliang, her tone indifferent.

A thought stirred in Bai Yanliang's mind.

Could it be a split personality?

"What do you mean?" Bai Yanliang looked at the "stranger" before him.

"Do not look for them in reality." Her gaze was deep and cold, completely different from the impression Feng Xiuxue gave.

"You are not the only smart person, and you are not the only one who wants to know everything."

Her warning was beyond Bai Yanliang's expectations.

Feng Xiuxue's stance should have been the same as his, but... the other personality within her seemed to think otherwise.

"Stay away from her; she will die by her own hand sooner or later."

When she spoke of death, she seemed to have no awareness that if Feng Xiuxue died, she would also cease to exist.

"Are you... my sister-in-law?" Bai Yanliang suddenly asked.

She seemed not to have expected Bai Yanliang to ask this; her expression visibly froze for a moment before she stiffly shook her head.

"No."

Before Bai Yanliang could respond, she spoke again, though this time, her pace was much faster.

"She is about to wake up. Remember my words."

"Remember... do not trust her."

She gave Bai Yanliang one deep look, then closed her eyes.

Then, right before Bai Yanliang's eyes.

Feng Xiuxue's temperament shifted abruptly. She opened her eyes, which held only confusion and terror, her face pale and her lips trembling.

"Bai... Bai Yanliang, there is a ghost here..." Although Feng Xiuxue's voice was trembling, it had returned to the soft tone Bai Yanliang had heard the first time she spoke.

Bai Yanliang watched her quietly.

What exactly was going on with this woman?

Inside her body existed a personality named "Feng Yiru." Logically, Feng Yiru was her own sister, and since she was willing to actively engage with bizarre and grotesque matters for her sister's sake, the bond between the siblings should have been good; consequently, the relationship between the primary and secondary personalities shouldn't have been so contradictory.

But... judging from just now, that "Feng Yiru" seemed filled with distrust toward Feng Xiuxue, or even... malice!

This woman was full of contradictions and suspicious points from head to toe. Bai Yanliang even began to doubt whether what she had said about Bai Yanren and her "sister" was true at all.

If it were false, what could she possibly gain by deceiving him?

Bai Yanliang did not believe anyone could extract any benefit from him as he was right now.

However, regardless of anything else, "Feng Yiru's" warning coincided with his own thoughts at this moment: that was... to avoid making contact with them for the time being.

According to "Feng Yiru," it seemed that someone in the Mist Gathering had already investigated those anomalies in reality. Who were the "clever people" she spoke of among the members of the Mist Gathering?

Thinking of this, Bai Yanliang said to Feng Xiuxue, "It is too dangerous here. We cannot go in for now."

Feng Xiuxue opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.

But Bai Yanliang had already turned and walked away, showing no intention whatsoever of going to see what was inside.

Her gaze dimmed slightly, but she had no standing to demand that Bai Yanliang do anything.

The two of them went their separate ways, heading in different directions.

Bai Yanliang suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked back at her retreating figure.

Feng Xiuxue... seemed completely unaware that she possessed another personality.

Furthermore, that personality used the name of her sister.

Bai Yanliang withdrew his gaze and looked once more at the tall apartment building.

This time, he couldn't say he had come away empty-handed.

At the very least, he could now confirm that there was a monster in this apartment capable of creating multiple hallucinations, its body covered in human facial features.

Was it a ghost? Or some other kind of existence...

And what connection did it have to Li Degang's abnormality?

Moreover... Feng Xiuxue had manifested another personality, and that personality seemed to know quite a few things that Feng Xiuxue did not.

Things were becoming increasingly interesting.