Chapter 96: Five Hearts

The door to room 4-1 was open.

Soft light shone onto the mirror, reflecting the scene in the corridor.

When Wen Xishu was bathed in that light, he first looked at the mirror.

Only then did he begin to look at the owner of the crying, who was very young, only about twenty-five, but looked to be about the same age as Wen Xishu.

The girl’s arms were covered in scratches, and there were scars on her face. There were long-standing friction marks on her wrists from being locked in chains.

However, today, the girl was not looking at Wen Xishu, but rather facing diagonally away from him; Wen Xishu noticed that the girl and the mirror were oriented in the same direction.

"Airplane? You... how did you get out of bed?" The girl, who had been wailing, was startled when she saw the man next door get up, and she temporarily stopped crying.

Wen Xishu said:

"I'm better."

"What does that mean?" the girl asked.

"I no longer fantasize that I am an airplane, and I know that there was a problem with that. I have forgotten many things, but I remember the reason I came here, and now... I am better," Wen Xishu said.

The girl shook her head and said:

"You have had moments of clarity before, but not long after, you would... no, that is not the most important thing, Airplane, go quickly and notify everyone—"

Before the girl could finish her sentence, Wen Xishu heard the sound of a radio not far away.

[Mo Yuan is very sad; the appointed time has arrived, but Ding Dong has not returned to the hospital. And the floor has been completely blocked off.]

As the sound from the radio faded, a voice of an old woman came from room 4-8:

"Don't panic, don't panic, little Mo, don't be afraid, Ding Dong will definitely come back, Ding Dong will definitely come back!"

The old woman, leaning on a cane, walked out wearing somewhat loose hospital pajamas with a kind smile.

"It's alright, it's alright..." The old woman seemed unable to bear seeing the young girl suffer any grievance, constantly muttering words like "don't panic," "will come back," and "it's alright."

Mo Yuan, however, shook her head and said:

"It's blocked... the floor is blocked, the words on the door have changed! Something has happened to Ding Dong!"

There was a door in the stairwell. Originally, the words on the door were "Return Home." But now, the words on the door had changed to "No Entry."

This door clearly had some special function, but the Airplane Man he was roleplaying only had memories of flying and fighting in bed. He could not recall the specific function of this door.

However, judging from his experiences in the Ghost Tower, this door was eventually opened. It was highly likely that it was opened by people from the lower three floors.

Wen Xishu seemed to understand something.

At this moment, someone else spoke; this time the voice was that of a child—a chubby little boy, drooling at the corner of his mouth, holding a pipe in his hand:

"Big sister is telling the truth, Grandma is telling a lie, hehe, big sister is telling the truth, Grandma is telling a lie."

This was the child living in 4-18, who happened to hear the conversation between Mo Yuan and the old woman because he was playing in the hallway.

The little boy began to giggle foolishly, but as he laughed, he started to wail:

"Brother Ding Dong is dead, Brother Ding Dong can't come back, waah, he doesn't want me anymore."

The crying was sorrowful, drawing empathy from the blindfolded girl, who also began to sob:

"I want to find him!! Let's go find him together! Lele, don't cry, I don't believe he would die, how could he die?"

The old woman panicked at this moment too:

"Oh my... little Ding Dong is dead? No, that can't be, he said he would come back. He must be... he must be lost. Let's go find him, let's go pick him up and bring him home."

Wen Xishu did not move the entire time, just listening to the conversation between these patients and pondering the whole story.

A new character soon appeared:

"Grandma Wu, little Mo, Lele, I will go with you... I know the places he likes to go."

"When Ding Dong was making shoes for me, we talked about the places we wanted to go most! I know where he wants to go!"

A middle-aged man wearing a rider's helmet appeared.

The shoes he was wearing were the very ones Wen Xishu had found with footprints on them. This was a resident from 4-12.

At the same time, a chef carrying a rice cooker and holding a dinner fork also walked out from 4-16:

"I'll go with you, it'll be good to have each other to look after on the way. I can make food for you, we'll take the mirror, and we'll leave together. No matter what, we have to find him, dead or alive!"

The chef was tall and burly with a face full of flesh, looking very fierce, but the moment he appeared, everyone clearly felt a bit more at ease.

His name was Xiang Yang, and he could be considered the one with the mildest illness among this group.

That was everyone.

Wen Xishu looked at the chef, the rider, Grandma Wu, Lele, and Mo Yuan; these five people corresponded to the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and feet...

And the task of the Desire Tower was as follows:

Perhaps you can find something that can respond to those longings. Please make the patients in 4-1, 4-8, 4-12, 4-16, and 4-18 feel happy.

At this point, Wen Xishu understood a part of the trajectory of fate.

These patients all had deep feelings for the great inventor, Ding Dong. And Ding Dong seemed to have died outside.

The closing of that door meant that Ding Dong had met with an accident, triggering some kind of protective measure.

There were many ways for these people to find happiness; it was possible that a bit of comfort from him would complete the task.

But they had not yet confirmed that the great inventor Ding Dong was dead; if they found out later... or were targeted by people from the lower three floors, they would surely die as well.

The final completion rate would inevitably be low.

Achieving their current heart's desire was the greatest happiness, and their happiness was to find the great inventor, dead or alive.

Or, to find something else that could respond to their longing.

Wen Xishu said:

"Why are you so certain that something happened to him?"

The others were all startled, because in their impression, the patient in 4-2 would only make "fufu" sounds and fantasize that he was an airplane.

Sometimes a bird of prey, sometimes an F-22, sometimes a Boeing 747, sometimes a helicopter.

Seeing everyone’s gaze fixed on him, Wen Xishu explained patiently:

"Everyone, I am... Wen Xishu, um, given that you are all used to calling me Airplane, you can call me A-Fei."

"I am better. My brain is no longer filled with airplanes. I know you might suddenly not believe me, but that is not important. You can just treat it as me being temporarily clear-headed. Before you all leave this building to go find Ding Dong, I want to ask, why are you so certain that Ding Dong is dead?"

Based on the initial character favorability, Wen Xishu chose to ask directly; they were all patients on this floor, so there was nothing to hide.

Although surprised that the Airplane's style had suddenly changed, Mo Yuan still said:

"Airplane, that door... if anyone on this floor leaves, the door will say 'Return Home.' If everyone has returned to this building, or if someone who left the building meets with misfortune outside... the words on the door will change to 'No Entry.'"

Mo Yuan's fingernails were a bit long; she hugged her arms in loneliness, her nails digging into her skin, and she tilted her head and said with a sobbing tone:

"I keep the mirror facing the door every day just to see the words on the door change."

Now Wen Xishu knew that the desk lamp could also provide a view from the mirror.

Wen Xishu said:

"The door has turned to 'No Entry.' So people outside cannot come in, right?"

The one who spoke this time was the rider, whose real name was Lei Yihong:

"Yes, Airplane. If this door says 'No Entry,' only Ding Dong can come in from the outside."

Wen Xishu nodded:

"Everyone, is it possible that the door also has a sensing range? Perhaps Ding Dong just left the door's sensing range. First, we cannot assume that Ding Dong is dead."

"Secondly—"

Wen Xishu was actually already convinced that Ding Dong was dead, but he could not say it directly like that.

He walked to the door of the stairwell: "Besides Ding Dong, none of you should have left this floor, right? You should understand the significance of Ding Dong building this door."

Wen Xishu still had some of his own guesses.

"The world outside is very dangerous, and many of Ding Dong's items are hidden here. If... I mean if, Ding Dong is truly dead, then his wish must be for us to be able to live well."

"If the outside were not very dangerous... I am afraid Ding Dong would not have built this door, would he?"

Wen Xishu stood horizontally in front of the door:

"I, like everyone else, long to find Ding Dong, but the premise is that we can all stay alive. So, why don't we sort out what Ding Dong left for us? Whether there are any means to deal with the danger."

Now Wen Xishu's understanding of history was this—

The great inventor Ding Dong awakened his abilities very early on and could create all kinds of magical items.

But these items were not well-regarded—here Wen Xishu had doubts; according to the level Ding Dong had shown, this person was absolutely a Doraemon in the true sense.

Why were his previous items not well-regarded... why would so many people frantically flood into the hospital later?

And now, the entire building, except for this fourth floor, was quiet.

Later, Ding Dong moved into the mental hospital, where he got to know a group of patients, became friends, and had attachments.

Ding Dong also opened a museum on the fourth floor. But the museum was actually for the patients on the fourth floor to see and was not open to the public.

And Grandma Wu, Mo Yuan, Lele, Lei Yihong, and that chef here had all received special items with "body" elements.

Ding Dong must have cared about them very much, and they loved Ding Dong too.

Here, Ding Dong left behind the most valuable item mentioned in the Ghost Tower task introduction...

The current trajectory of fate was that Ding Dong did not tell everyone how to activate that item or where it was hidden before he suddenly left the hospital and died outside...

And Grandma Wu, Mo Yuan, Lele, and the others all learned that Ding Dong had died outside through the change in the door, so they were very worried about him.

They eventually decided to go look for Ding Dong, even if it was just to find his corpse.

The trajectory of everyone's fate was likely headed toward death because of this decision.

They did not find the items "capable of responding to their longing." So not long after leaving, they all died outside.

Or...

They would face a crisis the moment they opened the door, to the extent that many items remained in the museum.

And in the Strange Tower world, the reason he had always felt a sense of crisis coming from the lower three levels... was likely due to this.

What Wen Xishu did not understand was why Ding Dong had left in such a hurry without telling them what that most powerful item actually was.

Why was the entry point for this mission's invitation after Ding Dong's death, rather than before? Ding Dong was undoubtedly more valuable than anyone here, yet Ding Dong had died.

Therefore, Wen Xishu had to clear up these doubts; he stood before that door and said:

"What awaits us after opening the door is a danger that even Ding Dong might not be able to handle. I understand everyone's desire to find him, but we cannot recklessly open the door."

Everyone was surprised; the Airplane was actually so calm today, speaking with clear articulation, and his thinking was far more logical than before.

"There are many miracles in this world... sometimes, before we do something foolish, fate has many ways of hinting at us."

"I don't know what happened to Ding Dong, but I suddenly woke up today, no longer crazy, and I think I have a mission. You can just consider it an arrangement by Ding Dong."

Everyone here believed that Ding Dong was a miracle, and these words from Wen Xishu made everyone calm down.

Mo Yuan said:

"What do you want to know?"

Wen Xishu said: "I want to know about everyone's past. And how Ding Dong helped each of you."

"I always feel that Ding Dong must have left something behind. Only with this item could he have felt at ease leaving. This is an item that can protect us."

At this moment, Lele suddenly said:

"Airplane brother is telling the truth, hehehe, it's the truth."

Lele was somewhat mentally challenged and always had drool hanging from the corner of his mouth; he could not judge whether someone was telling the truth or not, and could only rely on his pipe to judge.

That pipe was just like Pinocchio's nose, the difference being that it wasn't that Lele told lies and the nose grew, but that Lele would never tell a lie, and the pipe would only grow when others told lies.

"Lele, can you bring over a few stools?"

"Okay, okay." Lele ran off to various rooms to fetch stools.

Before long, everyone had a seat, and they sat in a circle, having quite the air of a support group.

Wen Xishu said:

"Let's start with... you, Mo Yuan."

Thanks to an extremely high initial favorability, Mo Yuan, Granny Wu, Lele, the chef Xiang Yang, and the rider Lei Hongyi, the five of them finally decided to listen to "Airplane" and tell their own stories, as well as the influence Ding Dong had on them.

Wen Xishu was also about to learn what kind of person the Great Inventor really was.

Mo Yuan began her story.

When she was a child, Mo Yuan's parents worked away from home and rarely gave her companionship; she had always lived with her grandmother.

She could basically only see her parents during the Lunar New Year. After entering middle school, Mo Yuan had the ability to take care of herself and began helping her grandmother with chores.

She was very sensible and very grateful for her grandmother's company; her grandmother would also tell her those love stories from their era, when carriages and horses were slow.

Mo Yuan listened with envy; a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl actually had many beautiful fantasies about such things.

Her grandmother died in the year Mo Yuan was in her third year of middle school. Her parents returned, and after attending the funeral, they had Mo Yuan board at school. They were truly busy, and Mo Yuan didn't actually blame her parents, because so many families were like this, with parents busy earning money away from home.

She was a sensible, good girl who knew that it wasn't easy for her parents to earn money, and she also knew that being able to study was in itself a manifestation of her parents' love.

But she was not good at studying.

Her grades were never very good; it was the kind of situation where they wouldn't improve even if she tried hard. If a person is always doing something they are not good at in an environment, and they don't get positive feedback, while also being in a repressive or even somewhat suppressed atmosphere—their mindset will change.

It was also at this time that Mo Yuan fell in love with a senior from outside the school.

The process of this romance was actually not worth noting. For Mo Yuan, there had never been a romance in her life that she didn't put her heart into.

Puppy love is bound to be terminated, and since Mo Yuan hoped to receive encouragement and companionship, while studying only gave her pressure...

So she loved passionately and crazily; she was always thinking that she only needed to fall in love once in her life, just like the stories her grandmother told.

But the more she did so, the more her grades plummeted, and her parents finally had to return because of a call from her teacher.

Her father and mother were very disappointed in Mo Yuan; they talked about their hardships away from home and talked about how difficult it was to support Mo Yuan's education...

This relationship naturally had no result. It wasn't because Mo Yuan gave up, but because that boy gave up, with the reason being that he still wanted to study hard.

Mo Yuan accepted it silently.

Later on, Mo Yuan went to college, a very ordinary private university. In school, Mo Yuan fell in love again; there was nothing worth saying about the object or the process of that romance. The final outcome was that Mo Yuan treated the love seriously, but the man was in another school and had another girlfriend.

After learning the truth, Mo Yuan was naturally very sad, but she had always been a girl who dared to love and hate; in this situation, Mo Yuan decisively made a clean break with her second boyfriend.

Mo Yuan missed her grandmother very much and really wanted to ask her how one could have someone who was always willing to accompany them and stay with them for a lifetime, just like her and her grandfather.

At twenty-two, Mo Yuan started working and began her third relationship.

This time, Mo Yuan's romantic partner was a civil servant. This civil servant was indeed not handsome, but Mo Yuan's parents liked him very much.

Because he was seven years older than Mo Yuan, the man took great care of her.

Mo Yuan's requirements had actually always been very low: as long as he was good to her, that was enough.

This civil servant finally did not give up on Mo Yuan, nor did he flirt or leave feelings everywhere; he looked very honest and did things very seriously. Every task Mo Yuan entrusted to him, he did very well.

Working within the system also made him more excellent in social sophistication than his peers, and Mo Yuan's parents also received many favors.

They once reached the stage of discussing marriage, and the boyfriend successfully upgraded to fiancé.

But it was precisely at this time that Mo Yuan's eyes... could no longer see. She went to several hospitals, but none could find a result. Mo Yuan only felt that her eyes were very painful, as if they would hurt terribly when shone upon by sunlight.

Even at night, Mo Yuan felt the moonlight was stinging, and she had to wear an eye mask.

This change had a great impact on Mo Yuan, because after spending tens of thousands on treatment to no avail, her fiancé became her ex-boyfriend.

"I am grateful to God for giving me such a young and beautiful girl... I have always felt that your appearance brought me a lot of happiness; I never thought that someone like me could have such a beautiful girlfriend, and even reached the stage of discussing marriage... but I'm sorry, I cannot accept that she will be unable to take care of herself in the future."

At the darkest moment of her life, the love she thought she had also dimmed along with it.

This incident made Mo Yuan mentally inferior; she couldn't help but wonder if she was unworthy of love, and if there was no such thing as love that lasted a lifetime at all?

Interestingly, Mo Yuan felt that it was right for the other party to leave her, and that it was the correct thing to do. She shouldn't delay someone's life.

But she really hoped that the man would be willing to stay, at least try, or persist a little longer...

Being unable to see light for so long caused Mo Yuan to begin to have some other special changes.

She felt that she was incomparably longing for light, yet she was afraid of the stinging pain when she opened her eyes. She didn't dare to lift her eye mask, but deep down there was an inexplicable restlessness.

Once, by chance, because she couldn't see, Mo Yuan was injured while walking on the road; the wound was like a flower blooming in clean, white soil.

In this process, Mo Yuan actually felt a trace of peace. The pain made the urge to tear off her eye mask fade away completely.

When blood welled up from her skin, she finally no longer felt that sense of inferiority, nor did she feel her eyes stinging anymore.

To verify this, Mo Yuan began to self-harm.

This terrified her family, and because of this, Mo Yuan was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, specifically the fourth floor of the Jiangcheng Psychiatric Hospital.

Here, to prevent Mo Yuan from self-harming, the doctors and nurses locked Mo Yuan up with chains.

When the restlessness could not be quelled... Mo Yuan would begin to become hysterical; she would roar like a madwoman.

Many times, to stop Mo Yuan from roaring, the hospital staff would forcibly inject Mo Yuan with sedatives.

As time went on, Mo Yuan's heart became more and more restless, and she looked more and more like a... lunatic.

This was Mo Yuan's story.

After hearing Mo Yuan's story, Wen Xishu had a strange feeling. It was as if the first half was a girl's youth, and the second half suddenly became eerie.

From Wen Xishu's perspective... Mo Yuan's sudden blindness, perhaps it wasn't due to a disease? But some kind of eerie power.

Mo Yuan continued her story:

"At that time, I felt that I was suffering inside and out, as if something was crawling inside my body... I longed for the light, but I was afraid of the light."

"I wanted to self-harm to gain peace, but I couldn't gain peace."

"I was very lonely, I wanted someone to accompany me..."

Mo Yuan was very lonely; if someone could accompany her to distract her, that would be good.

At this time, Ding Dong appeared. When speaking of Ding Dong, Mo Yuan was clearly much gentler:

"Ding Dong's arrival was simply a miracle. You might not believe it, but the first sentence Ding Dong said when he arrived here was—"

"'The compass of fate tells me... that I can find the meaning of my existence here. Hello, my name is Ding Dong. Thank you, fate, for letting us meet; perhaps I can help you.'"

The compass of fate?

Was it also something made by Ding Dong? Wen Xishu discovered some blind spots.

"Ding Dong came here on his own initiative?" Wen Xishu asked.

Mo Yuan nodded:

"He came here on his own initiative."

Wen Xishu felt more and more that something was wrong. He began to recite the mission description of the Strange Tower again—

Some works in this world are only valued by people after death. He once promoted his works everywhere, saying they would come in handy during the apocalypse; he even made them into small gifts to give away for free. It's just that people were all mocking him.

His heart was very strong, but he was never understood by people because of the various strange items he made and the various bizarre remarks he made. Geniuses are always lonely, and so are madmen.

He eventually moved into a psychiatric hospital.

At this moment, Wen Xishu discovered some differences.

"His heart is very strong, and he eventually moved into a psychiatric hospital. I actually ignored such key information in my previous understanding!"

"In my previous understanding, the Great Inventor had some mental problems because he was not understood and felt lonely, eventually entering a psychiatric hospital."

"But in that case, it doesn't fit the description of having a very strong heart."

The mission introduction uses "very strong" to describe a person, indicating that this person's mental world is truly rich and not so easily destroyed.

Wen Xishu felt it was getting interesting. He became more and more curious about Ding Dong.

Mo Yuan said:

"After Ding Dong arrived here, he began to listen to my past, and he was very moved at the time."

Ding Dong was very moved at the time, and said to Mo Yuan in a somewhat excited tone:

"I thought coming here was a calling of objects, but I didn't expect to find more content here."

Mo Yuan did not understand this sentence, but Wen Xishu, who was listening, understood it a little at this moment.

"What else did he say? Did he ask you anything?" Wen Xishu asked.

Mo Yuan said:

"He moved in here directly. Many of the later conversations were just daily chatter. After listening to my story, he made a lamp..."

"This lamp is too magical. Everything within the range of the light, including mirrors and what others see with their eyes, can be seen by me, but the images are projected into my mind... I don't need to take off my blindfold to see."

"My eyes don't feel stinging, but at the same time, I have seen the light, and the restlessness in my heart has slowly disappeared."

"I began to gradually become normal, and all of this stems from Ding Dong."

Wen Xishu asked again:

"Think carefully, before he made this lamp, did he have any other questions?"

Mo Yuan frowned slightly:

"Other things? Ah... it seems so, yes, there were. He asked me, after experiencing failed relationships one after another, do you still long for love?"

Wen Xishu said:

"What did you say?"

Mo Yuan smiled:

"Of course I long for it. When I was young, my grandmother was the person who treated me the best. I believe I can find the kind of person described by my grandmother, someone with whom I can spend my whole life. I just... had a period of doubting myself, but I never doubted that there are people in this world worth loving. If I meet one, I won't be timid or hesitant."

Mo Yuan's smile did not last long, because thinking of Ding Dong, the expression on her face clearly showed a look of loss again.

Wen Xishu said:

"Then what was Ding Dong's response?"

Mo Yuan realized that Wen Xishu seemed to have thought of something, and she also became serious:

"Ding Dong just said thank you to me... and said he envied me for having such a heart."

Wen Xishu nodded, having a rough idea in his mind.

"Grandma Wu, what about you?"

The radio in room 4-8 transmitted a new voice at this moment:

"The airplane is no longer an airplane, but he is indeed an airplane that changes the trajectory of fate. His current trouble is the longing to obtain the truth of the story."

Grandma Wu said:

"Oh, oh, me? I don't have any story... I just, I just feel empty inside, and I always want to do something for others."

Grandma Wu's story, indeed, could not be counted as a story. When Grandma Wu was young, she helped many people and taught many children. And because she had learned some medical skills when she was young, this also made Grandma Wu a famous person in the town.

She was not a teacher, but because she had followed her father to memorize prescriptions since she was a child and knew how to read, she would also teach the children in the town to read and write. If some families in the town had headaches or fevers, she would also help to take a look.

In everyone's evaluation, Grandma Wu was a warm-hearted person.

After getting married, Grandma Wu focused on her own children, and several of her children were very smart. Grandma Wu's husband was the principal of a primary school at that time.

They should have had a happy family, but Grandma Wu's husband was imprisoned because of an unfounded grievance. This also caused the life of Grandma Wu's family to plummet.

Everyone who had been cared for by Grandma Wu began to stay away from her, fearing that they would suffer the same grievance. It was not that they didn't know Grandma Wu's character, but no one would speak up for her.

Two of Grandma Wu's three children died of illness, and only the eldest daughter later married far away, avoiding that place as if avoiding a plague.

Later, the grievance of Grandma Wu's family was finally cleared, and she was innocent again. It was just that her husband had already died.

Grandma Wu, who had always relied on her own ability to be self-reliant, was too sad, so she changed to a new place and started her life over.

She never complained about the past. After coming to a new environment, Grandma Wu was still a warm-hearted person, and her kindness was not twisted. Her long-standing thrift allowed Grandma Wu to save a sum of money in the following years and open a small shop next to a school.

She liked the atmosphere of the school. A generation will always have some absurd things, and a person will always experience some ups and downs, but she did not resent the suffering that knowledge brought her.

Many people around had been cared for by Grandma Wu, and they were naturally willing to take care of Grandma Wu's business. Grandma Wu gradually made her life better.

It was just that the hardships of this old lady had not ended. After a few more years, the internet era brought everyone closer together.

Grandma Wu never expected... that her eldest daughter would hate her so much.

The eldest daughter's marriage was unhappy. Marrying far away in that era was a gamble in itself, and she bet wrong.

But she counted all this resentment on her mother, because her father was already dead.

Years later, she began to move herself, sighing about how difficult these years had been for her. She should have had a good husband and a good family, but because of her mother, these were all out of reach.

When she finally learned that her mother was actually living quite well and had managed to save a lot of money in such a desperate situation, she began to accuse Grandma Wu and began to fabricate some past events.

When Grandma Wu told this part, she just smiled bitterly:

"I did owe her, so I left her some money. I donated the rest of the money to a school. That was the school where my husband once taught. I wanted to be closer to him."

"But my daughter was very angry. In the story she fabricated, it was I who reported my husband... I betrayed my husband."

"The people around didn't know the truth, and naturally some believed me, but many others began to discuss me behind my back."

"People would say, how much grievance must there be for a child to treat a mother like this?"

"But I... really had no other way."

In this world, there are many people who don't know how to be parents. Tang Rui's story is not an isolated case. But there are also many children who cannot understand the difficulties of their parents.

Grandma Wu said:

"After that incident, I was stimulated. My daughter made me very sad. I felt that there would always be people accusing me in my ears..."

"I wanted to quell their accusations, so I thought about helping them do things. I heard someone saying their head hurt, and I wanted to take their pulse."

"I also heard children crying, saying the problems were difficult, and I wanted to patiently explain to them..."

"But in the eyes of outsiders, I looked like a lunatic. They thought I felt guilty toward my daughter... so I became like this."

"In their eyes, everything I did was atonement, all to balance the guilt in my heart."

"But I really want to help them. I feel that by helping them, I will gain peace and happiness."

"Later... I entered here, and various voices always appeared in my ears. I wanted to help the owners of these voices."

Wen Xishu said:

"What about now? Have you gained peace and happiness?"

Grandma Wu nodded:

"Yes, I have gained peace and happiness, because Ding Dong came, and Ding Dong gave me that radio."

"Speaking of which, it's magical... no, it's not magical, it's that Ding Dong himself is a miracle. After that radio came, I wouldn't hear any more noise, and my world became quiet all at once."

"But the radio will occasionally automatically play the worries of the people around, and I will go and ask these people if there is anything they need help with."

Wen Xishu had some answers in his heart:

"Grandma, did Ding Dong also ask you? Similar questions to the one he asked Mo Yuan?"

Grandma Wu nodded:

"He asked. He said, after experiencing being pointed at by thousands of people, are you still willing to help others?"

"Of course I am willing..."

Wen Xishu said again:

"Did Ding Dong also express his gratitude to you?"

Grandma Wu nodded again:

"That child Ding Dong is a bit lost. He doesn't know whether he should hold goodwill toward this world. He hopes to be like me, not to think about this question, but to always look at the world with a kind heart."

Wen Xishu sighed:

"Thank you, Grandma. People like you are really rare. Meeting Ding Dong is indeed a miracle, but it is also lucky for Ding Dong to meet you."

Wen Xishu looked at Le Le:

"Then what about you, Le Le."

It was not Le Le who answered the question, but Grandma Wu. Grandma Wu said:

"Hey, Le Le wasn't actually like this before. He just believed in people very easily. Whatever others said, he would believe. Once, Le Le went to play by the river with other children... those children hid, leaving only one child to say..."

Grandma Wu, who was so helpful, was a little angry at this moment:

"He said, 'Le Le, the others have fallen into the river, let's go save them quickly.'"

"Le Le jumped into the river without hesitation, but in fact, his swimming skills were not very good. At that time, the current was rapid, and that child was also scared silly, not expecting that Le Le would really believe it."

"After that incident, Le Le... became like this."

Wen Xishu guessed:

"Le Le lost the ability to distinguish between truth and lies?"

Grandma Wu nodded:

"I often chat with Le Le, and I found that he actually had some of this tendency before that incident, always easily believing those... lies that tried to hurt him."

Wen Xishu said:

"So Ding Dong came, and he also knew that Le Le would definitely continue to believe... so he made that pipe for Le Le?"

At this time, Le Le spoke:

"Hehe, Brother Ding Dong told me a story, a story about a child who lies and whose nose grows longer. He also said that there is a detective who likes to use a pipe and is very smart. He hopes I will become smart."

Wen Xishu smiled:

"Le Le, you will."

Wen Xishu did not ask another question, which was whether Le Le would still believe in others in the future.

He had the answer to this question, and he imagined that Ding Dong had the answer as well.

Obsession with love, obsession with the kindness of helping others, obsession with trusting others... Wen Xishu became increasingly convinced that Ding Dong had some sort of purpose in coming here.

Wen Xishu looked at the cook, Xiang Yang:

"Brother Xiang, what about you?"

Xiang Yang said:

"My story is actually simpler than theirs. I am a person who is somewhat fastidious about my craft... I have always delved into culinary arts, participated in many competitions, and won many championships."

"But I also always felt that food was becoming less and less delicious. I have my own disciples, and I am very strict with them—sometimes so strict that I would beat, scold, and use very harsh words to insult their intelligence."

"Everyone thought I was pathological. Once, in a high-stakes culinary competition, the dish I made was criticized as tasting terrible. So I started tasting the dishes they made..."

"I cursed, saying it was all dog shit, and that this was worthy of calling my cooking terrible? This also led to me insulting my opponents and the competition, and I was expelled."

"Later on, my disciples started saying that my sense of taste had developed a problem and that I could no longer make delicious food."

"My restaurant's business began to plummet, and negative news about me started appearing constantly."

"My mind was filled with those ingredients... they seemed alive. It was as if I could see the various changes after they were combined with different ingredients. Some changes I knew, and some changes... I was seeing for the first time."

"Does it sound like I was having hallucinations? I felt like an art student seeing various pigments automatically combine into new colors."

"I suspected I had gone crazy, and coupled with the fact that the pressure during that time was indeed too great, my family also felt that my pickiness about the taste of food had reached a pathological level."

"They once believed that the kind of food with the taste and state I expected did not exist. Or that it already existed, and it was just my sense of taste that had a problem."

"Sometimes... when too many people say it, the false becomes the true. I really thought my sense of taste had developed a problem."

"So I came here. And my short temper, combined with the fact that I thought my judgment of food was unbalanced, also made my mental state worse and worse."

"Later, Ding Dong appeared. He saved me with that pot that could transform various foods into my ideal state."

"Strictly speaking, this thing belongs to the realm of miracles. My skills could not yet delve to such a degree. The food made in this pot... perfectly met my standards. When I ate those things, I knew! My sense of taste had no problem!"

"And I also understood one thing! Above reaching the pinnacle, there is the realm of gods! My efforts were still far from enough!"

"Everything I suffered was just because I didn't have the ability to make it! My state of mind suddenly became open, because Ding Dong used a miracle to demonstrate what I was pursuing, proving that it wasn't my fastidiousness, but that it truly existed."

Wen Xishu was actually a bit impressed by such a person. Sometimes, if a genius moderately lowers their requirements... they become a genius in the general sense in people's eyes.

But if they are demanding of themselves, they are very likely to become monsters in people's eyes.

People hate monsters, expel monsters, and even less do they believe in monsters.

"To this day, Brother Xiang, do you still not regret your extreme dedication to your career? Clearly, if you took a step back, you could have taken back everything you once lost."

Xiang Yang shook his head:

"How could I regret it? I haven't reached the age of dying of old age yet, so you absolutely cannot say that I am unable to reach that realm!"

Wen Xishu applauded in admiration:

"You have a heart that reaches the pinnacle for your career... no, a heart that holds supreme enthusiasm for your career."

After Wen Xishu finished speaking, Xiang Yang was slightly stunned:

"These words of yours are actually quite similar to what Ding Dong once said to me. Feiji, you are indeed very different today from before..."

"Could this also be one of Ding Dong's miracles?"

Wen Xishu smiled and looked at the last person, Lei Yihong.

"Brother Lei, what about you?"

Lei Yihong felt that Feiji seemed to have found some kind of pattern. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he was willing to cooperate with Feiji:

"I was under too much pressure. I don't have a legendary story like Brother Xiang. I'm just a... useless father. My daughter suffered from cancer, and I was always delivering food to earn money."

"I ran countless red lights, hoping to run a little faster, to at least... take her on a trip before my daughter died."

"But..."

Lei Yihong turned his head away:

"But I was too slow. I still didn't outrun the Grim Reaper. After my daughter died, I kept thinking, why did it have to be my child?"

"Why couldn't it have been me? During that time, I always saw many distant places... I had opened my phone countless times to look at snow-capped mountains, deserts, the sea, and grasslands with my daughter..."

"Those scenes, after my daughter died... always called to me when I closed my eyes. I felt as if I could see my daughter's soul standing in those places, longing for me to come over."

"But..."

Lei Yihong laughed at himself:

"I haven't even left Jiangcheng. I am familiar with every alley in Jiangcheng. As soon as I see an address, I know which road is the shortest, but once I leave Jiangcheng, I don't understand anything."

Why did it have to be me...

This question, Wen Xishu had actually asked himself too: why was it that the person not loved by their parents had to be himself?

But in this world, there are also many parents who care very, very much about their children. To be precise, such parents are the vast majority. When a problem occurs with their child, they also think, why wasn't it me who had the problem, why did it have to be the child?

Lei Yihong said:

"Ding Dong gave me a pair of shoes... these shoes brought me peace. Perhaps none of you believe it, but these shoes allowed me to go to those scenes in my dreams, or rather, the scenes in my hallucinations in my mind."

"That place was incredibly real. When I put on the shoes and truly stepped onto that land, the feeling it gave me was truly incredibly real!"

"I thought Ding Dong was an immortal, but Ding Dong told me that those places were not real, but they were not fake either."

Wen Xishu believed it:

"It seems that was a pair of shoes that could reach the place one's heart longs for? To others, it might be fake, but to you, it was real."

Lei Yihong nodded frantically: "Feiji! You really have become a completely different person today!"

Wen Xishu said:

"Brother Lei, if your daughter were still alive, would you be willing to give everything again?"

"Of course I would! I am her father! From the moment she was born, I had that resolve and mission!" Lei Yihong was a bit agitated.

He had not let go of his daughter.

Wen Xishu said:

"Thank you, Brother Lei. At the very least, you made me believe that some people in this world are just unlucky. But it is not that certain things do not exist. Your heart, willing to give everything for family, makes me very envious."

*It is just that I did not meet spring when I arrived*—for Wen Xishu, this was no longer worth sighing over; at the very least, this world had a spring.

Lei Yihong sighed:

"Ding Dong also said that. During the time I was most sad, I wore those boots and cried bitterly in that snowfield that only existed in dreams. At that time, it was Ding Dong who comforted me."

"Now that something has happened to him, I must save him. I have already regarded him as my family!"

Wen Xishu nodded. He took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the five people. This trip to the Desire Tower had caused a subtle change in his mindset.

He developed a very strong, intense desire to see Ding Dong.

Because he felt that Ding Dong was very much like him.

In everyone's descriptions, Ding Dong redeemed them, but in a sense, they were also completing Ding Dong.

Almost everyone had been asked a question by Ding Dong—if you could do it all over again, would you still be as you were back then?

As you were back then—continuing to love someone, continuing to help those who might hurt you, continuing to trust others, maintaining enthusiasm for your career, giving everything for your loved ones...

And everyone's answer here was that they had no regrets.

These things, it is very likely that Ding Dong did not have, or... was questioning.

Just as Wen Xishu had once doubted whether all the virtues and happiness in the world were just beautifully packaged but already rotten candies? Just a means used for propaganda, essentially a way to weaken people's rational thinking.

But unlike himself, Wen Xishu believed that Ding Dong's underlying nature was kind. Unlike himself, an evil person who killed his adoptive parents.

Because the five people in the mental hospital were, in a sense, five thorough "losers."

They had all fallen to this point, so naturally, they couldn't be considered successful. One could even say they should be negative examples.

Not loving, not trusting, not helping, not giving, not raising... perhaps that is the way to alleviate their pain.

Just as Granny Wu said, Ding Dong was lost. He might have been thinking all along about what kind of life he wanted to live and what kind of heart he should have to face the world.

In the end, he followed the guidance of the Luo Pan he had created—and came to the place where the five special "Hearts of Failure" resided.

Which was this mental hospital.

Wen Xishu said softly:

"I think I already know part of the truth. Regarding the puzzle Ding Dong left behind, I can also solve it."

"Everyone, please follow me. Before we look for Ding Dong, let's head to 4-26 first."

(Only one update today. It came quite late; it was stuck in review for three hours in the middle, and I only found out after I woke up...)

(End of chapter)