Chapter 54: Reincarnation
Li Ang said calmly, "That’s quite a melodramatic story."
"It is melodramatic," Zou Zhengze smiled and said. "When I came to terms with it and returned to that city, I discovered she had completely left. I started looking for her, wanting to apologize. It’s just that when I heard news of her again, twenty years had already passed. Naturally, she had become a wife and a mother. I didn’t hate her for it; on the contrary, I felt genuinely happy for her and wished her well.
"I began collecting their household trash. People can lie and deceive, but their trash does not. I saw her kitchen waste and knew she still liked millet porridge for breakfast, and still enjoyed sweet and sour ribs and sautéed meat with mushrooms. I saw her shopping tags and knew she still preferred Bee Flower Sandalwood Soap and Peony Hand Cream. I knew they went to a concert hall once a month, and every Wednesday night, they would dance slowly in the living room to music from the vinyl record player. Seeing her living well made me very happy."
"If that’s really the case," Li Ang asked, "why would you then attempt to harm them?"
"Just like I said before... because of love." Zou Zhengze gave a bitter smile. "Do you know about the Chinese Heterodox Academy?"
Li Ang nodded.
The Heterodox Academy, or Society of Extraordinary Matters and Phenomena, traceable back to the Qin and Han dynasties, is one of the earliest superhuman organizations in this country formed by Slaughter Game Players. Ancient ’Necromancers,’ or ’Players,’ naturally established contact with rulers after acquiring superhuman powers. However, the royal family also possessed top-tier Players. Consequently, the Necromancers’ several attempts at usurpation failed. Ultimately, under the guidance of royal Transcendents, an organization named the Heterodox Academy was established.
This organization was loyal only to the current rulers. When the Slaughter Game began and Spiritual Energy resurged, the Heterodox Academy was responsible for recruiting civilian Players and assisting the royalty in eliminating demons roaming the world. When the Slaughter Game ceased and Spiritual Energy withered, the Heterodox Academy took on several responsibilities. They compiled books, mapped demon atlases, and recorded missions. Furthermore, they attempted to bypass the Slaughter Game to document and transmit superhuman powers despite the depleted Spiritual Energy. This could also be understood as transmitting their teachings.