Art Gallery

Chapter 26

Zhou Xiangzhe doesn't know that a few words from Shen Wang left The Caged Birds speechless; by now he's already on the second floor.

He and Shen Wang had been to the second floor before. Back then it was similar to the first—just a living room and a few rooms, nothing special inside, still filled with birdcages everywhere.

This time when he came up, Zhou Xiangzhe immediately spotted a portrait on the wall.

The portrait wasn't large, just a bit bigger than A4 paper. It showed a woman in a pale moon-white dress sitting in a chair, holding a birdcage in her arms. She was smiling eerily out from the painting. When Zhou Xiangzhe got closer, he saw two birds painted inside the cage, their shapes blurry and indistinct.

The painting had no frame, wasn't mounted, and even looked freshly painted—the pigment still wet, with a strong, pungent smell.

The woman in the painting seemed alive. Her smile grew wider and more twisted, her eyes brimming with malice.

Her hand gripped the cage in her arms, as if ready to seize the person standing before the painting.

“This must be it.”

Zhou Xiangzhe wasn't scared by a painting. Hardly anything in this world could frighten him.

He reached out to take it, but the moment he touched the painting, a sharp sting pricked his finger. He instinctively pulled his hand back.

But it wasn't the woman in the painting who stung him—it was the thorny brambles creeping over the canvas, their tendrils extending outward. That small patch of thorns bore a drop of crimson, and in front of Zhou Xiangzhe they bared every spike, bristling with menace.

“Blood Thorn?”

The thorns instantly retracted their spikes, looking half scared, half craving. The moment Zhou Xiangzhe hesitated, they swiftly dragged the painting and fled.

‘This is our prey!’

‘Scary, tasty human who also steals our prey!’

‘Waaah, master, hurry!’

‘Let master eat it! Master, come eat!’

The thorns were incredibly fast. Even tangled around a painting, they zipped up to the ceiling in the blink of an eye. Zhou Xiangzhe looked up just in time to see them sweep the canvas away and dart out of this floor.

Zhou Xiangzhe hurried after them, but with a bang, the last trailing thorn didn't forget to shut the door—and even locked it.

He yanked hard on the door, confirming it was truly locked, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Even now, Zhou Xiangzhe was still amazed by the human-like intelligence of the Blood Thorn. If even a tiny parasitic fragment possessed tactics, what must the Blood Thorn’s main body be like?

Zhou Xiangzhe had only seen the Blood Thorn’s main body once, inside a Grade C contamination source. It didn't seem to want a fight, and after one glance, it vanished. It never appeared again, leaving only these parasitic fragments to constantly assert its presence.

Zhou Xiangzhe mused: The Blood Thorn's danger level should be rated even higher.

He drew his gun, aimed at the locked door, and shot the lock to pieces. Zhou Xiangzhe chased onward, then found the stairwell door also locked.

Crafty contaminant, locking doors behind it!

Meanwhile, Shen Wang was still sitting on the sofa downstairs, playing mind games with the caged bird behind him.

The caged bird was practically spitting blood in rage.

The candy in his mouth was strong. While eating, Shen Wang idly wondered if he'd need a dentist soon, then went back to refusing the bird’s plea. “No need to waste time. Let him die.”

“Who's the contaminant here—you or that woman?!” The caged bird’s feathers bristled. “He's your teammate, and you're just letting him die?!”

“Yeah.” Shen Wang said it with absolute conviction. “People can be scarier than contaminants. And calling me a contaminant is a huge insult—I could sue you for slander.”

The bird flapped its wings in fury, shedding feathers all over the cage. “Then let me out, I'll go kill him for you!”

“No.” Shen Wang replied calmly. “If you kill him, how will the painting get destroyed? It's way more cost-effective to let him destroy it first, then let him die.”

“Then let me out, I'll help him destroy the painting, and then I'll kill him for you!”

“That's too much trouble. I don't like owing favors.”

The caged bird: …

Its beak was twisted with rage.

Just then, a loud crash came from the second floor. The noise made Shen Wang and the caged bird turn simultaneously toward the stairs.

Shen Wang watched as a tangle of thorns, wrapped around a painting, came rushing down from above.

Shen Wang: …

This familiar feeling.

The thorns bolted like their lives depended on it, then shoved the painting into his arms, so urgently it seemed like a ghost was chasing them.

‘Master, hurry and eat!’

‘Quick, quick! It's going to get snatched!’

‘Hungry, hungry, eat food!’

Bang!

A second loud noise echoed from the second floor. That sound was very familiar to Shen Wang—he'd used it too. It was the gun issued by the Anti-Contamination Center. Now he knew exactly who these little things were frantically running from.

They'd gotten bold, actually snatching things right out of Zhou Xiangzhe's hands. Last time they saw him, they'd run away like he was plague.

He clicked his tongue twice, then realized something was off.

If these parasitic fragments acted on the main body's will, then didn't it mean that he'd previously been wary of Zhou Xiangzhe, but now he'd completely stopped caring mentally?

Damn…

Shen Wang quietly ignored that thought. He took the painting off the thorns and, taking advantage of Zhou Xiangzhe not coming down yet, unrolled it. The next instant, he saw the woman in the painting with that eerie smile.

It was the female contaminant’s self-portrait.

Before Shen Wang could even think about how to handle it, the caged bird let out a piercing shriek.

The caged bird cried out in terror, “What?! Why is that painting here!”

“Run! She absolutely can't find out.”

Shen Wang raised an eyebrow slightly. “You're afraid of this painting.”

He seemed to know exactly where this painting should go.

The thorns froze for a split second. They wriggled in the air, wanting to refuse, but this was the main body's will. So, reluctantly, they took the painting from Shen Wang and, looking utterly wronged, shoved the freshly stolen prey straight into the caged bird's cage.

The caged bird's screams grew even louder.

“No! Let me out!” It started bashing against the cage.

Bang! Another gunshot, this time very close—aimed at the first-floor hallway door.

When Zhou Xiangzhe kicked the door open, those pitiful little thorns fled on their own. Even in their misery, they remembered to quickly avoid this terrifying human.

The bird’s screams were enough to draw everyone's eyes, including Zhou Xiangzhe's. He first looked at the screeching cage, then saw that the painting stolen by the Blood Thorn had been stuffed inside. Shen Wang was standing about three meters away, watching.

“What happened?” Zhou Xiangzhe asked.

“Not really sure. It just started screaming, and when I looked, there was something extra in the cage.” Shen Wang feigned puzzlement. “What's this? A painting?”

“The Blood Thorn suddenly appeared and dragged the painting away.” Zhou Xiangzhe said as he walked over, reloading his gun. “But this works too.”

The crisp sound reached the caged bird’s ears.

After reloading, Zhou Xiangzhe aimed his gun at the caged bird and the painting inside the cage.

The click of the safety being released was impossibly loud.

“What are you doing?!” The bird flapped frantically.

“Destroying the painting, obviously.” Zhou Xiangzhe didn't pull the trigger immediately. His voice had returned to its usual calm, cool tone. “You said as long as we destroy this painting, we won't be contaminated, we can leave. Of course I'm following your instructions.”

“But if you shoot, I'll get hit too!”

“What's the big deal.” Zhou Xiangzhe’s tone was so calm it was chilling.

“You can't recover anyway. The Anti-Contamination Center’s protocol for fully Aberrant individuals is extermination. Even if you could leave, how many days would you last in Sector S like that?”

“Dying for justice is so glorious.”

The caged bird was so scared its cries trembled.

Shen Wang, watching from the side: …

He's saying that Zhou Xiangzhe becoming the strongest Mutant in Central City, still able to move freely outside even while contaminated by the Deer God, is definitely down to his power. Simple kindness isn't enough to earn him so many privileges — his sheer strength is the source of those privileges, and that's not just because he's a Grade S Mutant.

“Everything's been explained. Time to say goodbye.” Zhou Xiangzhe deliberately deepened his voice.

“No, wait! I was lying to you!” The caged bird was terrified. “You can't destroy the painting! If you destroy it, you'll never be able to leave!”

Zhou Xiangzhe fired directly, the bullet grazing the bird and hitting the edge of the painting without damaging it.

“Sorry, my aim is bad.”

“I'm telling the truth this time!” The bird fluffed into a ball of feathers. “That painting really is the key item!”

Zhou Xiangzhe said, “You think I'd believe you again?”

“W-why?” The bird was still puffed up, completely unable to understand why the person who had trusted him so much just moments ago suddenly wanted to kill him.

What happened?! Weren't they completely fooled by him?

“You have two fatal flaws.” Zhou Xiangzhe said. “Kong Zehua’s name is indeed in the key suspect handbook, but he's not a dispatch team member—he's a security guard member. Both belong to the Anti-Contamination Center, but their duties are entirely different.”

“You actually forgot your own profession.”

“And, Kong Zehua isn't a Grade B Mutant. He's just an ordinary D-class.”

The caged bird stiffened. He hadn't expected Zhou Xiangzhe to not only know the handbook but to actually memorize all its contents.

“You're not Kong Zehua at all.” Zhou Xiangzhe said. “So what are you?”

Shen Wang spoke from the side, his voice mocking, “Who cares what it is. It's not human, so of course it should be eliminated. That's Anti-Contamination Center protocol.”

“You're right.” Zhou Xiangzhe nodded.

“You can't do this!” The bird banged its head against the cage. “You should save me! You're dispatch team members, you're supposed to rescue us! I'm a victim!”

“I'm a victim! You have to save me!”

“Same with Kong Zehua! I begged him to save me, begged him to open the cage, just open it and I could leave. But he said I wasn't human, said all contaminants should die. I hadn't done anything! So soon after, he died—he turned into a bird just like me, and the woman gouged out his eyes and strangled him!”

“Hahaha! Good riddance! Serves him right, serves him right!”

“That's what he gets for not saving me!”

“You'll be the same! You'll die too!”

Intense contamination surged from the caged bird. Shen Wang, sensitive to contaminants during his episode, immediately felt the bird's entire contamination level spiking.

D-class? No, it should be C-class.

A Grade C Contaminant with some intelligence, bound by the gallery's Rule Restriction, turned into a pawn by Hundred Eyes here.

The contamination that turned people into birds wasn’t the female contaminant’s Contamination Talent—it was his!

Shen Wang quickly looked at Zhou Xiangzhe. He was still holding the gun, his golden eyes reflecting the caged bird. Seeming to sense Shen Wang’s gaze, he turned his head and met Shen Wang’s eyes for a moment.

Platinum-white feathers slowly pushed out from his collar and cuffs.

The long, sleek feathers piled up bit by bit, bulging out his combat uniform a little, but Zhou Xiangzhe’s expression didn’t change at all.

He seemed to realize Shen Wang was worried, so he undid the top two buttons of his collar, letting the feathers on his neck fluff out.

“You're turning into birds! Die! Just die!”

“Everyone who doesn't save me will become a bird, just like me!”

“Don't worry.” Zhou Xiangzhe’s eyes were still calm. “Although my talent isn't Contamination Immunity, and I am affected by some contamination, no contaminant can fully corrupt me.”

Because his body wasn't just his body—there was also a terrifying monster inside.

The forced contamination of the S-class contaminant Deer God.

It had reached a peculiar equilibrium with Zhou Xiangzhe: Zhou couldn't digest it, so he exhibited contaminated physical traits; the Deer God couldn't fully contaminate Zhou, so it just remained inside his body.

There's no way a mere Grade C Contaminant could replace the Deer God's contamination.

Getting an “I'm fine” message from Zhou Xiangzhe's eyes, Shen Wang finally pulled his gaze away from the white-gold feathers.

“It's very afraid of that painting.” Shen Wang spoke up, adding the clue he hadn't had time to mention. “It started screaming as soon as the painting appeared.”

“It said earlier that the woman tortures and kills birds. That part was probably true.” Zhou Xiangzhe holstered his gun. “Whether or not this painting can be destroyed, it has a big connection to that woman. The bird is afraid of her and afraid of this portrait.”

As soon as he said this, Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe saw the canvas tremble.

It wasn't from the bird jumping around—the canvas itself was moving, inching bit by bit. A hand shot out from the painting at an extremely fast speed.

The arm wore a moon-white sleeve, and around the slender, pale wrist was a familiar bracelet. Fingernails still had remnants of red polish.

It grabbed the caged bird’s wing, gripping so hard its fingertips turned bone-white.

“No!” The bird struggled frantically. “Save me, save me!”

“I don't want to die! I'm sorry, I was wrong! Please save me!”

The hand didn't hesitate at all. It dragged the bird with force, slowly but resolutely pulling it into the painting. The bird struggled and screamed, making a sickly squelching sound as it was pulled in, its cries turning into distorted shrieks.

Once the hand finally pulled the bird inside, the whole world fell silent. The sudden absence of that sharp noise left Shen Wang momentarily blank.

“Confirmed, C-class contaminant eliminated.”

Zhou Xiangzhe murmured the official closing line.

The white-gold feathers on his body receded, quickly returning to normal human skin.

“Is it an associated contaminant of Hundred Eyes, or a primary contaminant formed after being contaminated?” Shen Wang asked Zhou Xiangzhe.

“Doesn't matter. It's a contaminant either way.”

Zhou Xiangzhe rebuttoned his collar, covering his exposed neck again. But Shen Wang had already seen a chain around his neck, delicately designed, not an ordinary piece. Whether it was a personal accessory or another custom Contamination Suppressor, he couldn't tell.

He really takes good care of himself.

After tidying his clothes completely, Zhou Xiangzhe added, “Kong Zehua was a security guard member. He once requested to join the dispatch team, but wasn't accepted because his Mutation level was too low.”

“He was a complete extermination supporter, believing all contaminants in this world deserve to die.”

The complete extermination of contaminants was a new movement that emerged after the apocalypse, a hot topic on the fractured internet. Shen Wang had seen plenty of it.

They believe contaminants are absolute evil, no exceptions, and must be exterminated on sight. Sometimes they even attack the Anti-Contamination Center for delaying an extermination in order to control contamination.

They've caused incidents and even given rise to contaminants, so the Center finds them a headache.

“He's a security guard member. It's normal for him to have such views.” Shen Wang said.

“It's more than that.” Zhou Xiangzhe shook his head. “Actually, like you, he's a survivor of a contamination incident. His entire family of five, including his three-month-old daughter, died in that incident.”

“After that, he became a supporter.”

He hated all contaminants in this world, desperate to kill with his own hands the monsters that caused countless tragedies.

But his ability was weak, so he couldn't join the dispatch team.

His deteriorating mental state made him leave the Anti-Contamination Center to seek revenge alone outside the city. He never expected to stumble into Hundred Eyes' gallery and die here.

/

The caged bird died. Soon after, the painting vanished from the cage.

Not long after, the revived female contaminant came downstairs again. She seemed to have forgotten she'd died once more, twirled for Shen Wang, and asked if this dress looked pretty.

Shen Wang and Zhou Xiangzhe observed the female contaminant together.

“If turning into birds isn’t caused by this contaminant, and she's a special contaminant that can endlessly revive, then what's the meaning of her existence here?”

The candy in his mouth was finished. Shen Wang took out another, unwrapped it, and popped it in, making his speech a little muffled.

Zhou Xiangzhe stood beside him and let out a soft sigh.

“We must have overlooked something.”

“What do you think?”

“Where is her child?” Zhou Xiangzhe mused. “This painting is clearly depicting a family. A cowardly mother who doesn't dare to fight back, so she vents her resentment on the weak birds and her child. Now we have the bird, we have the mother—where's the child?”

Shen Wang looked at him strangely. “Isn't it me?”

'But you're not affected by the contamination,' Zhou Xiangzhe says, meaning the Chains on his ankle. 'A woman treats her children like The Caged Birds, so if it were her child, they'd definitely be chained up, just like when I first came in.'

Shen Wang recalled the room he first entered.

The cramped room was filled with scattered paintings, a window sealed with red bricks, and a light that couldn't be turned on.

“Come on, let's check over there.”

Shen Wang pulled Zhou Xiangzhe toward the room he'd first appeared in. Zhou Xiangzhe had grown used to being led by him from the very first painting and no longer stiffened at the sudden touch, following his pull naturally.

They arrived at that room. The screwdriver used to jimmy the door was still stuck in the keyhole. Shen Wang gave a light push and the door opened.

The floor was covered in paintings—simple sketches that Shen Wang had never really examined closely.

Zhou Xiangzhe walked inside, bent down to pick up a painting from the floor, and discovered they were all portraits.

Men, women, adults, children, and also birdcages and birds.

“Well? Any signature?”

“No. But the feel of these is different from the first painting.” Zhou Xiangzhe looked at the scattered sketches. “I remember the first was more fantastical and eerie. These lean toward cute, healing children’s drawings. Can one person have multiple styles?”

“I don't know much about art.” Shen Wang shrugged. “But I also think these don't look like the same person drew them.”

Zhou Xiangzhe held the painting up to the light, his golden eyes even more brilliant in the glow.

“After getting news of Hundred Eyes, we investigated for a while. I told you, we couldn't find any artist signed as Hundred Eyes.” Zhou Xiangzhe said. “Ming Guang said it's because so much data was lost from the old era, and painter isn't a job normal people encounter much, so missing records is normal.”

“But I doubt whether there ever was a painter called Hundred Eyes.”

Zhou Xiangzhe put the painting down. “Maybe there never was a famous painter from the old era. This place is nothing more than a space born from desire.”

Shen Wang raised an eyebrow slightly. He still remembered that Lily's story came from empathizing with the contaminant, but he understood what Zhou Xiangzhe meant.

When intense human desire merges with contamination, it becomes an entirely different contaminant. Wanting eyes, so they grow many, many eyes. Wanting money, so they dwell in a gold mine. Constantly thinking about work, so they wander endlessly on the commuting path... Contaminants are both varied and simple.

If Hundred Eyes, after becoming a contaminant, firmly believes she is a great painter, then Lily, who empathizes with her, would naturally see her as a great painter too.

Of course, these are all just guesses. It could also be as Ming Guang said: they just haven't found the records.

Zhou Xiangzhe moved to the window, eyeing the red brick sealed opening.

“Why seal up the window?”

Shen Wang thought for a moment. “Because there's something outside you're not supposed to see?”

Zhou Xiangzhe's head shot up, his golden eyes lighting with sudden realization. Right—these bricks were laid from the inside. Meaning the person inside sealed the window because there was something out there; he was afraid!

“Let's tear them down.” Zhou Xiangzhe rolled up his sleeves.

With candy still in his mouth, Shen Wang shrugged casually, then went to help Zhou Xiangzhe dismantle the wall.

He thought: Almost out of candy.

Don’t let him lose control and gnaw on a contaminant in front of Zhou Xiangzhe—Zhou could see it now.

Really embarrassing.

He seemed to have been bought off by three pieces of candy, and kind of didn't want Zhou Xiangzhe to know his secret anymore.

Amid these wandering thoughts, he pried away the red brick layer. Shen Wang squinted slightly, feeling light shining in from outside—but it wasn't sunlight; it was the same fluorescent light as in the living room.

Through the window, they could see metal bars, each as thick as a finger, rising from the ground to form a rectangular metal cage.

They had seen such cages—in the rooms, the living room, right before their eyes.

The countless hanging birdcages holding bird corpses.

And looming over the cage, a woman so huge her face couldn't be seen placed her hand on it. On her slender, pale arm was a moon-white sleeve, and around her wrist, a beautiful bracelet.

Her pose was so familiar it sent a chill straight to the heart.

Zhou Xiangzhe hadn't expected such a sight and was momentarily speechless.

Finally, Shen Wang spoke.

“So that's why the bird said that painting was important.”

Shen Wang stared at the woman's hand. “...So that painting was a realistic depiction.”

And they were the two birds in the woman's cage—the true caged birds.

The woman seemed to hear voices. She moved, slowly crouching down, her moon-white dress pooling on the ground. Shen Wang saw her lean in bit by bit, her black eyes, as large as the window itself, pressing against the opening they had exposed, staring fixedly at them.

“Hee hee.” She laughed.

“Two little birds.”