Dickinson lay quietly on the sofa. Everything happening in this room was no longer his concern, even though it was indeed his home.
On the coffee table sat an Apple he had peeled halfway; the flesh had turned brownish-yellow from oxidation.
Qingmu walked over, picked up the Apple, and handed it to the Crow overhead.
Crow was pondering its claim to be Children of Gaia, a large Apple suddenly appeared before it. It immediately tossed Gaia back into the Orion Nebula and began pecking at the Apple.
"Look, would you rather go to the Nebula M42 and become part of Gaia, or stay on Earth and be a talking, gluttonous bird?" Qingmu said to the Boss Coal, his eyes fixed on Ronald Cohen.
The Boss Coal, pecking at Apple, instinctively exclaimed, "Of course, it's good to have something to eat!"
After saying that, he complained, "Oh, it tastes good, but it's not fresh enough."
Qingmu picked a fresh fruit from the fruit bowl, peeled it with a fruit knife, cut it into small pieces, and placed it on the coffee table for the Crow to eat.
Crow swooped down from above his head, jumped onto the coffee table, and ate while saying, "Oh, not bad... Guagua... coo... hey, do you think Vancooouver has any braised pork knuckle... coo..."
Qingmu laughed, "You're here and still thinking about braised pork knuckle? You're really missing out on a good meal!"
He walked to the corner of the room, opened the refrigerator door, looked around, and said, "Would you like a butter tart, a beaver tail, or some Canada bacon?"
"Croak, I want..." The Boss Coal suddenly remembered that the owner of the place was dead, and the body was still on the sofa. He hesitated and said, "Croak... wouldn't what we're doing be considered taking advantage of someone in distress?... Taking advantage of someone's misfortune?... Stealing what we can...?"
It turned to look at Ronald, "How about we solve the case first, catch the murderer, bring him to justice, and then have a feast?"
Ronald Cohen looked at the man and the bird with a sense of helplessness. He wondered if he had made a mistake. This was somewhat out of sync with his plan, and even looked a little ridiculous. He felt like a complete fool standing there.
Qingmu didn't answer the Crow's question, but instead asked again, "Butter tart, beaver tail, or bacon?"
"Bacon!" the Crow cried without hesitation. "Beaver tail will do too, but I don't want it raw. It's best fried in oil, or roasted."
Qingmu took out a large piece of bacon, returned to the table where the Crow had been standing, and sliced it with a fruit knife. As he sliced, he said, "Actually, it's fine if you eat it raw. It's similar to the smoked meat we have back home; it tastes pretty good when it's half-cooked."
The Crow stubbornly raised its head. "No crow!"
Ronald Cohen sighed and said, "Looks like there's nothing more for me here, so I'll be leaving. Remember who you are; Earthlings won't tolerate you. Besides, Gaia will descend soon, and no one can stop it. Goodbye, Mr. Hua."
After listening, the Crow whispered to Qingmu, "Hey, shouldn't you stop him?"
Qingmu asked, "Why should I stop him?"
The Crow said, "If he goes out and calls the police, what if they mistake us for the murderers?"
Qingmu said, "Then let's hurry up and go."
The Crow gazed longingly at the freshly cut bacon bits on the table, "But caw..."
At this moment, Qingmu stood up and blocked Ronald Cohen's path.
Ronald laughed and said, "I won't call the police. They can't possibly catch you. Besides, what good would it do me to have you arrested? If you're worried, you can leave first, and I'll handle the aftermath."
Qingmu said, "No, I'd better handle the aftermath. I think the Boss Coal is right," he glanced at Dickinson on the sofa, "We ate the host's food, so we should do something for him."
Ronald asked, puzzled, "What do you want to do?"
The Crow fluttered down and landed on Qingmu's head, saying, "Don't you understand? You just called him Watson, so now, I— Shercrow Holmes —and my assistant— Hua Sangsheng —are here to solve the case. After my advance infiltration and meticulous investigation, we have finally caught the murderer."
It pointed at Cohen with its wing, "After a fair trial by this judge, the facts of this case are clear, the evidence is conclusive, and the logic is rigorous. I hereby declare you— Ronald Cohen —guilty of intentional homicide, fraud, and disturbing another's appetite, and sentenced to—"
Execute immediately!
The last three words were emphasized, uttered in the distinctive trembling voice of Crow, resounding with force.
Ronald Cohen finally understood; this was an incomprehensible Crow. But thinking about it, it made sense. It had been separated from Qingmu's consciousness, and must have suffered trauma during the separation. He just didn't know why it had become so gluttonous.
He ignored the Crow and looked only at Qingmu, asking, " Mr. Hua, you don't really want me to stay, do you?"
Qingmu said, " The Boss Coal has made it very clear; his meaning is my meaning."
Ronald's face darkened, and he sneered, "Your Mental Power is indeed very strong, but don't be overconfident. There's a saying in China: 'To injure the enemy eight hundred, you'll also lose a thousand of your own.' Our strengths are roughly equal. Unless you combine your powers and return to your former state, killing me won't be easy."
Qingmu knew that what was said was true. Ronald was able to enter Ramla and orchestrate so many things, completely deceiving him and Situ. This was something that ordinary people could not do.
"Of course, it would be wonderful if you could really merge and become Children of Gaia again!" Ronald added.
Qingmu fell silent.
The mental battle between the two had begun. The surrounding scenery started to change, becoming unreal; the sofa, table, and cabinets all grew taller, and the ceiling began to move away from them, transforming into a giant dome. The dome was densely covered with twinkling stars.
A star suddenly lit up, like a tracer bullet illuminating the night. It was a huge star, spewing dark red flares, flying towards Qingmu.
Qingmu raised his hand, and a ping-pong paddle appeared in his hand. The rubber surface of the paddle was printed with the Milky Way, which was slowly rotating. He raised the paddle to block, and the star collided with the paddle, creating a silent but huge shockwave that bounced back and flew towards Ronald Cohen.
Cohen now had a racket in his hand, but it wasn't a ping-pong paddle; it was a tennis racket. He swung it forcefully, a powerful swing that struck the star, sending it bouncing back with a spin.
Qingmu remained calm and used his racket to gently swipe along the direction of the star's rotation, further accelerating its spin. As the star flew back, it traced an arc.
Cohen dared not be careless, holding his racket ready. When the ball came close, the racket in his hand suddenly disappeared and turned into a baseball bat. He hit it squarely, and the spinning fireball flew back rapidly. Because of its high speed and excessive energy consumption, it exploded when it reached Qingmu, turning into a supernova.
The light illuminated the entire space, and nothing could be seen except for the dazzling radiation particles.
The racket in Qingmu's hand melted, but the Milky Way on the racket face continued to spin. Several thick arms were gradually submerged in the light of the supernova explosion, while the black hole at the center of the Milky Way began to expand. The surrounding light was sucked into the black hole.
The black hole grows larger and larger, and the light in the event horizon decreases until space returns to its original state.
Qingmu and Ronald Cohen faced each other like primordial giants at opposite ends of the universe.
Ronald said, "You can't kill me."
Qingmu said, "That's not necessarily true."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the black hole of the Milky Way, which had lost its supporting arms, flew out of his sight. It was a somber, silent force, yet all the more terrifying.
Ronald clasped his hands together, and a glowing disk appeared on his chest— the Andromeda Galaxy of the Milky Way, which stood like a shield in front of Ronald.
The black hole emitted by Qingmu slammed into the fairy shield. The enormous energy exploded outwards, like an atomic bomb, with shockwaves reverberating throughout the entire space.
The black hole's power canceled out the entire galaxy, and everything vanished. Only Guagua sound remained as a Crow appeared before Ronald, its sharp claws reaching for his face.
Ronald realized then that the black hole wasn't purely composed of ethereal spirit; it also contained that damned Crow. By the time he realized it, it was too late. He tried his best to dodge the attack, but the Crow still managed to scratch his face.
Although the body is not actually injured in the dream world, the mental sensation brought about by this grab is exactly the same as in reality, and it is hard to say that the consciousness is not harmed at all.
Fortunately, the Crow's attack seemed to end there, and he could handle what came next.
He scoffed, "It's no use. This will only drain our Mental Power. Once we're both exhausted, we'll just have to wait for the police to come and take us to the station."
The Crow returned to the top of Qingmu's head and said, "Caw, I think the two of us can outlast him."
Qingmu said, "No need to waste time, just kill them."
The Crow cawed, "But..."
Ronald burst into laughter. "Kill him outright?! Hahaha, Huasheng Sang, you're far too arrogant! Even if your Mental Power is stronger than mine, it's not by much. If it weren't for your bird helping you, the outcome would be uncertain! If your Hua Family hadn't possessed the key to the Sacred Land of Wood, you wouldn't have been chosen Children of Gaia in the first place."
Qingmu nodded and said, "This is probably what you really think, isn't it? You've always been resentful that Gaia chose me! But I'm still very curious, Parasites are all monsters without emotional fluctuations, there shouldn't be someone as scheming and jealous as you! I'm very curious, just who are you?"
"Do you want to know?" Ronald Cohen took the opportunity to slowly recover his depleted Mental Power. "At this point, it won't hurt to tell you."
Qingmu shook his head and said, "I don't want to know. You're going to die anyway, what's the point of me knowing the identity of a dead person?"
As he finished speaking, he spread his hands, and a vast stellar power surged forth. Stars, nebulae, and galaxies flew from all directions toward his hands and gathered around him.
Ronald frowned, but said, "That's all!"
He was completely focused, and countless stars seemed to surge from behind him, gathering around him.
Both of them were surrounded by starlight, with countless energies surging within them.
Suddenly, Ronald realized that Qingmu was gone, and in the dazzling light opposite, there was only the black Crow, flapping its huge wings.
The star cluster surged in with terrifying energy.
He scoffed, "So you still have to rely on a bird!"
Then, with a wave of his hand, the star cluster behind him carried all his Mental Power to meet the enemy.
However, at that moment, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
The pain was so real that Ronald's mind suddenly relaxed, and the entire space suddenly collapsed.
The world returned to normal. The dead Dickinson lay peacefully on the sofa, with diced bacon scattered on the coffee table and an Apple that had been half-peeled and pecked several holes by Crow.
Ronald felt the pain in his chest getting worse and worse; his heart was about to stop beating.
He looked down and saw a fruit knife stuck in his chest, right in front of his heart, the handle held in Qingmu's hand.
Before his consciousness faded completely, Ronald Cohen heard Qingmu's lazy voice:
"Who says killing you requires exhausting your Mental Power?"
Then came the sound of Crow: "Caw, so that's what you meant by 'kill directly,' caw..."