Chapter Fifty-Seven: End of the Scroll—Present and Future (Part Two)

Death Row Paradise, Central Command, Monitoring Center.

Dongguan was standing on a scooter, a lollipop in his mouth, idly spinning a yo-yo in his hand. He hummed a tune, but his eyes never left the figure of Zuo Canglang.

Before Zuo Canglang, a holographic projection displayed Mu You's side. As she watched the aura of death radiating from his entire body, her grip on her saber tightened.

“Chief Warden Zuo, dangerous prisoner Mu You’s transformation has failed. Shall we initiate the prisoner elimination protocol?”

Zuo Canglang hesitated for a moment. When she saw nearly every death row inmate offering their blood to Mu You, her tone turned cold. “Wait.”

“But the Director’s orders were clear: the failed subject is to be dealt with immediately in such cases.”

The man pressed on, unwilling to offend either Mo Han or Zuo Canglang—one the unchallenged head of the facility, the other a government-appointed supervisor, neither to be crossed lightly.

By all accounts, this cold, ruthless woman would have swiftly eliminated every violator. Yet now, with chaos unfolding, she still wanted to wait.

“Chief Warden Zuo, if this continues, the situation will exceed our parameters. If the Director sends someone to intervene personally, your authority will be undermined,” he whispered, seeing her reluctance.

Zuo Canglang glanced at him impassively. A flash of silver—her saber was at his throat, the blade’s icy chill cutting short his words.

“Are you threatening me?”

“N-no, I wouldn’t dare…”

“See that you don’t.” Withdrawing her saber, she ordered, “Give him five more minutes. If anything happens in that time, I alone will bear the consequences. And stop using that old fox to pressure me. Even if you’re his man, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“Yes, Chief Warden Zuo,” the man replied, his heart pounding. She truly was one to resort to violence at the slightest provocation.

Zuo Canglang fixed her gaze on the screen, falling into thought. Mo Han, that cunning old fox, was always cautious. Such an obvious mistake left unresolved for so long—could it be intentional?

…

Deep underground, in a secret laboratory within Death Row Paradise.

“Bat baby, be good, listen to mama. Mama’s coming home—call out quickly, or mama won’t find you. The taste of blood is so wonderful, it carries mama’s scent…”

The familiar nursery rhyme drifted through the thick metal barriers, reaching a sealed laboratory.

Inside, hundreds, thousands of transparent tubes filled with colored liquids intertwined and converged upon a humanoid figure two meters tall. The creature’s body was covered in surgical stitches, and a massive, bloodstained zipper ran down its chest, something writhing beneath it like a tongue, making gurgling sounds.

This person had no head. Blood seeped constantly from its body. Suddenly, the headless blood-man gave a slight shudder and then emitted a chilling, cackling laughter that echoed sharply in the dark, sealed chamber.

…

At the heart of the explosion, where the condemned prisoners gathered.

A torrent of life force, using Mou You as a medium, poured unceasingly into Mu You’s body, nourishing his broken form and gradually awakening his dormant soul.

“Brother Mu You, please wake up.”

“Little brother, don’t sleep!”

“Mu You, wake up!”

“Boss Mu, wake up!”

The voices of Xuan Yao, Hu Lei, An Ruxiang, and others sounded in his ears. In a daze, Mu You opened his weary eyes, confusion clouding his gaze. He was half-kneeling, surrounded by darkness—no light, no sound, nothing but chaos.

In the haze, countless figures churned before him, voices growing louder, as if he’d heard them somewhere before.

Where am I? Who am I? Who are all of you?

“Big brother…”

Suddenly, a little girl in a red dress appeared before him, her smile sweet as she offered him a teddy bear. Mu You reached out, only to find his limbs tightly bound by chains of darkness, utterly immobile.

“Who am I? Can you tell me what’s happening? What’s our relationship? Why do I feel such a strange sense of closeness to you?”

Struggling in vain, Mu You called out to Mou You.

The girl smiled patiently, replying, “Hello, big brother. My name is Mou You—it sounds like ‘no one.’ That’s the name you gave me.”

“And then? Can you tell me more?” Mu You urged.

“There’s nothing more. These are the most precious things in my memory.”

The little girl continued to smile, her eyes filled with Mu You’s reflection.

“Then… who am I? Can you tell me?” Mu You pleaded.

Mou You stepped closer, kneeling to meet his gaze. She took hold of her skirt, rose on tiptoe, and gently kissed his forehead before retreating. This time, her eyes brimmed with barely contained sorrow and longing.

“Big brother, you must remember who you are. No one else can help you with that. But don’t be afraid—I’ll stay with you until you remember.”

With that, a wing of blood-red flames unfurled from her left side, folding around Mu You.

“Big brother…”

She called out with devotion.

“Yes…” Mu You replied, not knowing why, the words coming unbidden.

Those wings felt so warm, as if they shared the same root as his own being.

“I am…”

He racked his memory, a light beginning to glow in his chest as flames began to spill forth.

“I am…”

His head throbbed with pain—images of the headless blood-man, the classroom, Jiang Man’s death, the dissection, and everything that followed…

“I am…”

Again and again Mu You tried to remember. The wing on his chest slowly took shape, while Mou You’s feathers began to fall, her wings breaking apart.

She gazed at him, caressing his face, wiping away blood and tears. But where their skin touched, cracks appeared. Life force and spiritual essence seeped out as Mou You’s form faded into a gentle glow. Still, she gave of herself recklessly, drawing out fragments of memory to replay over and over for Mu You. Gradually, her own past became a blank—she no longer knew who she was, or where she came from, or where she was going. All she knew was that the boy before her was her brother, the one who had given her the lovely name, Mou You.

“My name is Mou You. You are my brother.”

As Mu You’s consciousness returned, Mou You’s eyes grew vacant and confused, her spirit body dissolving. Yet she could not stop gazing, wistfully, at the familiar yet distant boy.

“My name… what is it? You are my brother…”

“Who am I? I can’t remember—you are my brother.”

“…You are my brother.”

“…My brother.”

“…Brother.”

The bloody wing on Mou You’s left shoulder vanished, while the fiery wing on Mu You’s left erupted in a blaze of resurrection.

Looking at the girl before him, vacant as a child, Mu You’s tears flowed unchecked.

“Big brother, what’s this coming from your eyes? Oh, I think I have it too.”

Blankly, Mou You reached out to wipe his tears, still smiling foolishly—a smile that shattered Mu You’s heart.

“Mou You… little sister…”

He whispered, his eyes flaring with unstable light. A torrent of emotion surged through him, overwhelming, inexpressibly complex, shaking every cell of his being.

Mou You toppled backward, her body dissolving into light, her gaze never leaving Mu You as she closed her eyes with a smile.

“I have nothing… but I have my brother.”

“You are Mou You, my sister. I am… I am…”

As he watched her fading into nothingness, something within Mu You broke. An earth-shattering fury mingled with endless grief surged forth, sweeping away all the darkness that had bound him.

“You are my brother… Mu You!”

“I am Mu You—your brother!”