635 Meat

 

“I am always afraid of the dark, but the dark would still come despite my fear. Once you’ve contracted fear, you can’t shake it loose. Perhaps it is my weakness that fear has the chance to fester. I was not like this in the past. At least I wouldn’t hate the emotion of fear.” Han Fei pulled the pet store boss before him and shared the thoughts in his mind. The man was stunned. He had no idea what Han Fei was talking about. He could only keep on nodding his head.

“Don’t call the police. I owe you the medical bill. I borrow your phone. I will return them to you.” Han Fei was very polite. “If there’s any damage, I’ll compensate you accordingly.”

“They are yours. Consider them a gift among friends. I really think those who save strays are living saints. Everyone who does that will have a 20 percent discount.” The man wasn’t as harsh as before.

“Thank you.” Han Fei said sincerely. He let go and slowly retreated. The boss’ heart also slowly dropped down to his stomach.

“If possible, I wish to ask you another question.” Han Fei’s voice came from the door. It caused the boss to shudder.

“What is it?”

“What kind of person do you think I am?” Han Fei had forgotten about himself, so he wanted to use others’ eyes as his mirror.

“You have empathy, love, and…” The boss didn’t know what to say after that.

“Just tell the truth. Tell me your first impression of me.”

“At first, you look quite sunny. The kind who is easily bullied and not good with words, but after more interactions, I realize you’re a… very special person.” The boss was good at reading and dealing with people.

“Special?” Han Fei shook his head. “Thank you for the cat feed.” Han Fei placed the cat into his backpack and left the pet store. He switched off the boss’ phone and then ran down the other direction. “The phone can be traced. I can’t use it willy-nilly.” Han Fei slowly considered what to do next. “This whole world is hostile against me. Only that woman thinks I’m not bad. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that clear-headed this morning, and due to the time crunch, I didn’t get the chance to ask many questions.” Han Fei didn’t know the woman’s contact info. He had only given her an address. “If she really does care about me, she might come to find me. I can’t stray too far from the neighborhood. It’s good if I can find a vantage point that allows me to watch over the neighborhood.”

Han Fei picked the path that had no surveillance. At the end of the alley, he saw a fast food place. Normally, this place should have good business, but today the boss was quite unlucky because two groups of young men with wooden clubs sat inside the store. They were in a conflict. They should be the nearby ruffians.

Han Fei hadn’t eaten for the whole day. His body was weak. If this continued, he would have collapsed. The fragrance of meat assaulted him. The smell of meat stew gripped him immediately.

‘Meat?’ Han Fei didn’t understand why the smell of meat was so alluring to him. ‘I’ve eaten two meals at home, and they’re both vegetarians. My ‘mother’ said meat is not good for my health. They are monitoring my diet seriously.’ Han Fei walked into the shop. He was a bit out of control because he hadn’t had meat for a long time already.

The two gangs were at the height of their heated discussion when a man appeared at the door. They all turned to Han Fei. They thought Han Fei belonged to the other, so no one spoke. After losing his memory, Han Fei learned to follow his instinct. Actually, Han Fei’s thought was simple. If the gangs got into fights, the meat might go to waste. In that case, he might as well eat them. If the gangs didn’t fight, he could finish the meat and then escape. He’d come back to pay later. This was a chance to eat, so Han Fei wouldn’t let it go.

Han Fei got the attention of the waiter hiding in the kitchen. He pointed at the large plate of stewed meat. “Bring that over.” The waiter was confused, but he heeded Han Fei’s orders.

The two gangs assumed Han Fei was the other party’s reinforcement because what normal person would come in to order food at this moment. The delicious meat was placed before Han Fei. His suppressed instinct exploded. He grabbed the meat and bit heavily on it. The smell of meat spread through his lips. Han Fei’s eyes narrowed. In his mind, he knew meat was very important to him. ‘I think I just remembered something. I love the meat made by a specific someone!’

The last rationality was smothered by hunger. Han Fei’s eating speed was frightening. It felt like he was a man who had been starved for days and was given access to a free meat buffet. The meat awakened the monster inside Han Fei. He wolfed and engulfed everything. He didn’t stop. The two gangs looked at the bones that slowly piled up, and they licked their lips.

“Is the food here that delicious?” One of the leaders was dissatisfied. He slammed the table and roared. The other leader taunted him back. The verbal conflict soon became physical conflict. The two parties turned over the tables, grabbed the chairs, and clubs to start fighting.

Han Fei was too absorbed by the meat to intervene. He became more desperate in his consumption. The waiters and cooks in the kitchen were shaking in fear. The two gangs were already very terrifying, but there was now this strange man near the kitchen. They didn’t dare to go out now.

‘Consuming meat can help me forget pain and fear. I can get high from eating meat. This is a strange hobby!’ Han Fei realized he had a very strong digestive system. His weak body was recovering. His mind also cleared. ‘The killer of multiple cases, obsessed with meat, a glutton, and wrote down the crimes as stories and scripts. What kind of a scary person am I?’ Holding the meat with both hands, Han Fei guarded them. “The doctor and my parents said I have paranoia. However, sitting here, where I could be dragged into the fight at any moment, I didn’t feel any fear! I am not afraid of these people but certain specific things!” Han Fei combed through the memory he had, and a small detail popped up in his mind.

“When I was about to leave the hospital, I was afraid that the ceiling fan would fall, so I went hiding under the bed. It was dumb, but after I left that floor, I heard a sound from the fourth floor! It sounded like the fan falling!” Han Fei’s eyes were bloodshot. “The things that I fear are the things that might really kill me! This is not paranoia but an ability to predict death!”

“I feel less weak now. There are two reasons. One is the meat, and the other is because I have vomited the woman’s food.” There had to be something wrong with the food. Han Fei found his ‘parents’ suspicious. “They want to control me or use their own method to ‘cure’ me. If I’m really a serial killer, then I can understand why. After all, I am dangerous.”

Suddenly, Han Fei’s table was turned over. A bald ruffian fell before Han Fei. All the meat was scattered to the ground. Han Fei’s pupils were narrowed to a dot. Han Fei grabbed the ruffian. His bloodshot eyes were terrifying. Han Fei didn’t do anything in the end. He walked into the kitchen. The cooks and waiters all retreated when they saw the gluttonous monster. They encountered a customer like Han Fei for the first time.

“Do you have more meat?”

“Yes.” The cook quickly opened the pot lid. Han Fei didn’t mind anything. He walked over and continued to feast.

The ruffian was furious that Han Fei didn’t put him in his eyes. He climbed up and slowly approached Han Fei holding the club. Just as he was about to swing the club at Han Fei’s head, Han Fei turned around with meat dangling on his lips. The ruffian saw the scariest gaze in the world. It was bloody and cruel. It was like the devil that had just climbed out of Hell.

Han Fei didn’t say a thing, but the ruffian appeared to understand his meaning. If he went another step closer, the meat inside the pot wouldn’t be pork but his.

“So it’s an ally!” The ruffian turned around. He shouted loudly, but he stayed at the fringe. He was still coming down from the shock. The gangs fought until they moved to the street. Han Fei looked at the time. He believed the police was coming soon. He grabbed his backpack and left.

After the feast, he moved conspicuously faster. The body ruined by medicine was healing. After he left the alley, Han Fei heard the police siren. He immediately moved faster. He was guided by his body instinct. He was very good at playing hide-and-seek. He avoided the police perfectly. As the night fell, the fear in Han Fei’s heart returned.

‘Why is it like this every time at night? It feels like death is very close to me.’

Han Fei didn’t dare to stay in the alley anymore. He looked around, but every building appeared to be haunted.

‘Is there not a place where I can be safe and hide? This will be a tough night.’

 

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