How are monsters born?
Duan Mingyuan had pondered this question more than once, yet regrettably, until he gave up the industry, he had not found an answer to this question.
There were many objective factors involved. For instance, when he was in school, his daily available time was only about two hours. School ended at half-past five in the afternoon, and he had to ensure that he was home by eight o'clock, buying some food on the way, and then completing the homework assigned by his teachers.
As he said himself, there were many things in this world far more terrifying than the existence of monsters, not turning in homework being one of them.
The strict headteacher limited his performance.
But now, the arrival of Fu Ling offered him a new perspective.
If, the sanitation workers and the band's drummer's comas were directly related to the dissipation of the monsters, it would mean that the birth of monsters was not an independent entity but rather an anomaly bred by humans.
If we were to understand it in simpler terms...
"The sanitation worker and the drummer were actually proxy messengers."
The death of the "proxy" caused their real bodies to fall into comas, turning them into vegetative states.
Once said, the living room fell into complete silence. Everyone looked at Duan Mingyuan with eyes full of shock, especially Jiuyue, who really hadn't expected someone as serious and earnest as Mr. Mingyuan to suddenly make a bad joke in such a situation.
How to describe it?
A straight-faced joker!
The kind of person who seems serious on the surface but would suddenly make a bad joke out of the blue!
Seeing this, Duan Mingyuan patiently explained, "This is a concept from a comic book I was very fond of in high school. Suppose monsters are an extension of human spiritual energy, their existence is closely related to humans themselves. Then, if one side perishes, it will inevitably have a profound impact on the other."
"An anomaly bred from the negative spiritual energy of humans... "
Fu Ling made a note of the important information she had extracted from the bad joke and decided to have her assistant send her the entire comic book series Duan Mingyuan mentioned when she got home tonight.
If the concept of the proxy messenger is disregarded, Duan Mingyuan's view on the matter aligns highly with hers. Their difference in identity led them to refer to the same phenomenon with different terms.
She secretly rejoiced, feeling truly vindicated by her visit.
The company's materials had described the death omen as a monster that predicts death and brings disaster to people, yet this time it had brought her good fortune.
"One of the research topics of the Life Science Department is the life energy of humans... no, it should be said, of all living beings."
Unlike the fanciful settings in fictional works, the company's research has achieved phase results, the studies conducted thus far have proven the existence of Life Energy, and both Duan Mingyuan and monsters serve as the best proof. "According to the company's records, individuals in Yunlong City have emerged who are different from ordinary people. They can see things invisible to the normal eye and even sense anomalies beyond our reality. Mr. Mingyuan, you are one of them.
"When I was transferred to this city, I noticed this phenomenon. However, in contrast to ambiguous gifts or bloodlines, the company places more trust in tangible data. Therefore, over the past few years, I have conducted in-depth research on this group and have concluded that their ability to connect with worlds outside our reality is due to their genetic structure being different from ordinary people's.
"However, we have yet to discover the hereditary patterns of such sequences, and the company has always advocated pragmatism. 'Seeing anomalies' is not yet compelling enough."
With the technology that the company currently holds, there is no need for them to rely on such special individuals to detect the presence of monsters and monsters.
Being able to see monsters, aside from bringing unnecessary burdens to one's life, offers no tangible benefits. Those individuals who have been documented do not possess the ability to contend with monsters. In incidents of monster attacks, the only difference between them and normal people might be that they know how they died.
The company hasn't made smooth progress in researching monsters either. A lack of focus on the project means the company won't allocate more resources to them, and experiments have proven that the equipment currently provided by the company is of little effect against these physically intangible entities.
However, the emergence of Duan Mingyuan has brought a turnaround for the entire research project.
Among these special populations, there would also be individuals born who could control this kind of energy like him.
"Assuming this theory is valid, that a monster is an extension of human spiritual energy, is there a possibility that we could help them control this energy through some means?"
Fu Ling's eyes sparkled with a dazzling brilliance, as she fixed her gaze on Duan Mingyuan's eyes, eager for constructive advice from this industry insider.
The sudden excitement made the death's-head hawkmoth in her arms tremble, making her realize that this meeting was not as simple as she had described, merely a casual greeting.
The topic had suddenly become extremely dangerous, shifting quietly from "how to unite to fight against the monsters" to "how to create monsters."
"I don't know."
This undoubtedly touched Duan Mingyuan's blind spot in knowledge, he had received such an answer when he posed this question online during high school.
Perhaps sanitation workers or drummers needed to be struck by an arrow marked with an insect sign in order to completely master this strength, otherwise monsters would be like a wild and blood-filled dream to them, allowing them to fully indulge their evil thoughts within this dreamland.
The above was the conclusion he drew from two reports Fu Ling had placed on the table.
Besides personal information and interpersonal relationships, these two stacks of documents also detailed everything that the two of them had done in the past month, leaving no privacy before the company, even their private habits and craftsmanship were under the company's surveillance.
The reports also mentioned several disappearances that had occurred over the past month, the victims forever lost in their "dreamlands."
The sanitation worker had no idea what was happening to him, while the drummer was vaguely aware of the changes happening to his body.
In his diary, he referred to it as a "Wild Dream," where he became the master of these dreamlands, removing some people he disliked using brutal methods. In the end, he mentioned finding a dirty companion in that cruel world.
"Wild Dream," the drummer drew inspiration from the dream, intending to integrate these bloody, sinful elements into the creation of the band's next album.
"Really?"
Fu Ling did not hide her disappointment, "I thought an expert like you would definitely know."
She did not continue to press the issue, she had never expected to solve all problems with just one visit.
For the company's people, a friendly meeting was the beginning of cooperation.
She took out a prepared gift from the inside pocket of her garment—a metallic looking, blue-framed monocle with "Universe Manufacture" inscribed on the frame.
"This is an Energy Detector developed by the Life Science Department, it's capable of detecting general levels of energy fluctuations. It's a meeting gift I prepared specially for you."
With that said, she took out a business card and placed it under the monocle.
"The company needs people like you, feel free to call this number if you're interested."
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and adhering to time was a basic virtue of company employees.
Fu Ling stood up and walked to the door, reluctantly glancing at Jiuyue's fluffy tail, "Looking forward to our next meeting, Mr. Mingyuan."
She lowered her eyelids, lost in thought.
Names might be mistaken, but nicknames never are.
The proverb she heard in Yunlong City did make some sense.