"What is even happening here... Hu—I mean, Little Xi." I wasn't going anywhere anyway, so I figured I might as well listen to what she had to say. My mangled hand and leg were in no condition to support any kind of escape attempt, let alone a long run.

　　"I’ll tell you everything in a moment. But first, I have to do what Papa said and tie you up, or he’ll be furious," Little Xi said as she slowly crawled behind me. "If he truly loses his temper, you won't have any hope of getting out of here."

　　Then, I felt something soft press against my back. Thin, elongated limbs—almost like tentacles—began to slowly coil around my waist. And just like that, Little Xi was "hitched" to my back. To an outsider, it would look like I was simply giving a girl a piggyback ride; there was nothing obviously strange about it.

　　Little Xi leaned in, her voice a whisper meant only for my ears. "I remember... your name is Chen Feiyu, right? So... can I call you Brother Chen? Before I was taken by the traffickers... back in my hometown, I had a brother too."

　　"What?" I was stunned. That was a lot of information to process at once. "Oh... sure. I mean, usually people just call me Feiyu or whatever..."

　　"I’d still like to call you Brother Chen. I think that’s what I used to call... my real brother. Anyway, enough about that. If you have questions, ask me while Papa is gone. I’ll tell you everything I know. After all... you’re the first person who ever... treated me like a human being." Her voice trailed off, thick with sorrow.

　　"Honestly, I don't know the first thing about you or Boss Hu. Just start from the beginning," I said. I didn't need to ask to know that the man was indeed Boss Hu, the owner of this studio.

　　"Okay, Brother Chen. It's like this... My earliest memory is playing in the rice paddies with my brother—my real brother. Then, we were taken by traffickers. They... they practiced caisheng zhege on us—mutilating us to make us better beggars. My brother didn't make it. He died... and they just threw him away. I survived, but I lost my legs. After that, I was forced to beg with the other children. Maybe it was because... I had a face people liked looking at, so they didn't leave me out in the rain and sun. Instead, they waited for me to grow up so they could sell me to men who needed to carry on their family line..."

　　"Stop! Please... stop," I cut her off. "Just tell me what happened after you ended up with Boss Hu."

　　"You're so gentle, Brother Chen," she whispered. "If only we’d met sooner... But anyway. Papa bought me. I don’t know how many hands I’d passed through by then, but I was covered in scars. Especially my stomach. Papa seemed to have some medical training. He removed some of my necrotic organs and bought me a wheelchair, telling me to stay inside until I healed. Back then, Papa was actually kind. He treated me so well, probably because... I looked a bit like his daughter. He even gave me a new name: Little Xi. But everything changed when those five girls showed up."

　　"You mean my sister and her friends?"

　　"I think so. I used to watch them from the second floor—so full of life, always smiling. We were about the same age, but I couldn't go out and play. They started coming by often and got close to Papa. At first, it wasn't a big deal. But one day, one of the girls came to ask Papa for a favor. That was the day I realized Papa had changed. When he came back that night, his face was manic, like he’d discovered a hidden treasure. He spent the entire night in the basement—a place he never let me enter. The next day, he told me excitedly that he had seen... a deity. A god that could grant any wish. He said he might be able to bring his daughter back. I thought he was just talking nonsense, so I just smiled and went along with it. He asked me then if I would help him at any cost if his daughter could really return. I thought about how, if it weren't for him, I’d still be living in that hopeless hell... so I promised him."

　　Suddenly, I felt a dampness on my shoulder. Little Xi was crying.

　　"Are you... are you okay? You don't have to keep going if it's too much."

　　"No... I have to tell you, Brother Chen. A promise is a promise, and you can't go back on your word. That's what my brother taught me. Anyway, the deity Papa spoke of was called Efisifanadu. Papa said that’s how the name translates. Some kind of god of dark prayers. I don’t know the details; I’ve never even seen the statue. On the morning of July 10th, Papa made me a surprisingly big breakfast. Then he gave me some sleeping pills, saying the time had come for me to help him. I didn't even think twice—I just took them and drifted off. When I woke up, I was wrapped in layers of heavy black plastic. My abdomen and lower body felt like they were on fire. I struggled with everything I had, but the plastic wouldn't budge. Just as I was giving up hope, these black limbs sprouted from inside me. I realized I could control them. They were powerful and sharp; they tore through the plastic in seconds. When I finally crawled out, I saw Papa just standing there, staring at me with hollow eyes. It means... from start to finish, he just stood there watching. He never intended to help me. That’s when I realized where I was: a morgue. Papa didn't say a word. He just picked me up and put me in my wheelchair. That was the first time I saw that twisted smile on his face... and the limbs growing out of my body."

　　"So, you're saying... those limbs aren't something you were born with?"

　　"No... I was just a normal girl once. But from the moment I was kidnapped, I... I lost my identity as a human. I was treated like cargo... bought and sold, used and discarded. Later on, Papa started going out every night to trap live animals. He would force something that looked like a human embryo into their bodies. If the animal survived the process, it turned into a 'rat' and sprouted those same limbs. Though... for some reason, the ones inside me are far more powerful. Those rats can't think for themselves; they just obey Papa blindly, as if he really were their father. Usually, they stay in the basement and never come out. Except for that one time... when Papa released them specifically to attack me. He wanted to test their strength. They bit me until I was clinging to life, and then my body just... moved on its own. By the time I came to, I realized I had torn them apart and... and eaten pieces of them. Ever since then, Papa decided that both the rats and I are just man-eating monsters—siblings of a sort. But I never wanted any of this. I never... I never wanted to hurt anyone..."

　　"I think I’m starting to get it. My sister, Xu Jiaxin, told me about a creepy statue in the Laoshan air-raid shelter. I'm betting that statue is the 'God of Dark Prayers,' Efisifanadu. And... though I’ve been bracing myself for the worst... is my sister already dead?"

　　"No, I don't think she is. Not yet. The final sacrifice has to be a living one. Look closely at the Hu Xi on the operating table—see how her chest is slightly sunken? She’s still missing a fresh, beating heart. Papa has already gathered the rest of the limbs and organs; the heart is the final, most critical piece."

　　"Really?! You mean Jiaxin is still alive?!"

　　"Yes. But she might not be for much longer. Not unless she can survive without a heart..."

　　"I’m going to save her. I have to. By the way, do you know why your 'Papa' targeted those specific girls?"

　　"Because of 'the guidance of Efisifanadu.' Papa says that all the time. I wonder... if that deity really exists, has it been pulling Papa's strings all along? Or was he always just an evil..."

　　I reached up with my left hand and gently stroked Little Xi’s hair, smoothing it out.

　　"Nothing is pulling your father's strings. He’s just a man who would sacrifice anything and anyone for his own gain. He’s not a man—he's a monster. Do you know the real difference between a human and a monster?"

　　"No..."

　　"A monster acts on malice; a human acts on kindness. It’s clear to me that you belong to the latter. Even if someone has a human face, if they are evil, they are a monster. And even if someone has the body of a monster, if they choose to do good, then they are a kind human being."