My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 131 - 109: Madman’s Diary

Chapter 131: Chapter 109: Madman’s Diary

"Brother?"

"Ah? Oh! I’m fine."

Meng Lang came back to his senses, somewhat dazedly picking up his hoe and continuing to walk forward.

The feeling of two overlapping timelines had lingered stubbornly in Meng Lang’s mind.

He knew this wasn’t an illusion of his own...

But... this isn’t scientific!

Why would Mr. Meng want to kill me? Just because I have dementia?

This doesn’t make sense; even if there’s no saving me, there’s no need to make my death so painful, right?

At least give me a quick end!

Meng Lang quickened his pace and approached Mr. Meng.

"Cough! Dad, may I ask you a question?" he said tentatively.

"What question?" Mr. Meng glanced at him.

"If... I mean if, if someone close to you were sick, incurably so, and their life was painful and they were a burden on others, would you choose a quick end over prolonged agony, and send them on their way by your own hand?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Meng turned his head and sized up Meng Lang from top to bottom.

"Did you get AIDS?"

"I...," Meng Lang nearly spewed a mouthful of old blood.

What kind of thought process is this?

"Nah, it’s not that! Just a psychological test."

"Test what, how heartless and ruthless your old man is?"

"Um... kinda, can you just give me an answer?"

"Well, of course not, murder requires atonement, right!" Mr. Meng rolled his eyes.

Huh? Although off-topic, this answer actually hits the nail on the head.

Even in 2043, murder was still illegal, wasn’t it?

"Then let me change the question. If you were on the battlefield, and a comrade you were very close to was gravely injured, the kind beyond saving, would you choose to give him a quick end?"

Thinking it over, Meng Lang brought up a scenario often seen in movies as a simulation.

"This...," Mr. Meng pondered seriously for a moment.

"Was the situation dangerous at the time? Was there a field hospital nearby? How far were the enemies from us? How many bullets did I have in my gun?

If I fired a shot, would it attract the enemies? Besides, would someone vouch for me that it was out of necessity and not murder with intent?"

emm...

Is it too naive and stupid of me to discuss specifics with someone who nitpicks?

"Don’t worry, the enemy was eliminated, the field hospital was bombed by the enemy, you’re out of guns, and it was the captain who told you to do it, so you won’t face a military court," Meng Lang said earnestly.

"How am I supposed to do it without a gun?" Mr. Meng continued to nitpick.

"You have a knife! And..." Meng Lang looked at him, "you could even bite him to death."

Mr. Meng: "..."

After getting kicked in the behind, Meng Lang settled down.

It seemed he wouldn’t get the answer, but it wasn’t necessary anymore, because Mr. Meng’s response was spot on—there were too many holes to nitpick!

No matter how you looked at it, Mr. Meng couldn’t possibly make such an unimaginable decision.

If it wasn’t Mr. Meng acting on his own initiative, then what was it?

There was only one answer... Mr. Meng had been controlled!

With the rapid pace of technological advancement, it was already 2043; it might not be impossible, maybe even mutants had appeared?

So was it Professor X who took the action?

But for something that could be settled with a bullet, was there a need to deploy nuclear weapons?

He dragged his thoughts back from the realm of wild imagination.

The question arose, no matter how it was accomplished, who would go to such lengths to take down a dying man? What kind of deep grudge was this?

Xu Jingsong? Or Yuan Li, who had been released from prison? Surely it couldn’t be Wang Zhiping, could it?

Even if Yuan Li and Wang Zhiping had the motive, they likely lacked the capability.

Yet the Xu Group...

But even if they had the means, would they really go to such lengths just to hasten my departure? That seemed like overkill.

This wasn’t a game; killing someone doesn’t result in dropped loot, does it?

Furthermore, under those circumstances, taking me out didn’t clearly qualify as murder or as giving me mercy by ending my pain.

It’s incomprehensible! Completely incomprehensible!

He tried guessing at all possibilities, but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Checking his watch, it was nine in the morning, with presumably three more hours to the truth....

...

When the group arrived at their destination, the morning dew had not yet completely dried up in the mountains.

From among the half-human-tall lush grasses emerged a tomb built of stone slabs.

The Meng lineage dates back to the nobility of Country Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period.

The origin of the Meng surname was from Emperor Lu Huangong’s illegitimate son, Qingfu, who deceived the monarch. To avoid the infamy of regicide, the descendants of Qingfu took on the surname Mengsun, which later shortened to Meng.

Subsequently, the Meng family tree honored Mengzi as the "progenitor."

The line to which Meng Lang belonged was believed to have migrated from Dongshan Province.

Meng Lang’s grandfather was an intellectual and reportedly the son of a landlord. He had even been sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution and became a recluse upon his return.

Down from the grandfather, besides Mr. Meng, there was an eldest uncle and Uncle.

The eldest uncle had set up a trading company in the town; the small business was quite successful and was the best among the three households. The grandfather now lived in the eldest uncle’s house.

Uncle had taken to developing his business in East Guang and rarely came home. It was said he worked for a construction company.

In past years during Tomb Sweeping Day more relatives would come, but this year it looked like Mr. Meng’s family would be the only ones sweeping the tomb again.

Setting down their belongings, Meng Lang and the others began to clear the weeds around the tomb.

Digging at the grass roots surrounding the mound, Meng Lang’s mind was again filled with strange thoughts as he looked at the grave before him.

He wondered where he would be buried after his death?

With burials no longer permitted, one would have to opt for cremation. Should one buy a cemetery plot in advance? He heard the price of graveyard plots was soaring faster than housing prices. It might be wise to buy extra plots for future use.

There was no helping it; having "died" so many times and seen so many ways to die, he couldn’t help but ponder over the matters that would follow his passing.

Hm... Should he also start to consider drafting a will?

In case of another sudden incident, it would be tragic if he died and his Bitcoins were locked in a hard drive with no one knowing the password.

They weeded and added soil to the grave, then tidied up the tombstone.

They lit incense and made offerings to the "earth god" first, then laid out the offerings in front of the tomb and paid respects to their ancestors.

Going through the whole process in the proper manner, by noon the gravesite was looking fresh, and everyone had worked up a sweat. It was time for them to rest and eat lunch.

The energetically buzzing Meng Qingqing, with a stuffed bun in her mouth, went around snapping photos with her new phone.

Meng Lang found a clean, flat patch of grass and sat down leaning against a tree. Biting into a beef-filled bun his mother made, he eagerly took out the next episode update.

Madman’s Diary

["Wanting to eat people yet fearing being eaten by others, we regard each other with deep suspicion.

I had never thought that in my lifetime, I would experience such a scene personally....

In 2043, my memory continued to deteriorate.

This time, I didn’t choose to go home. If someone was targeting me, it was better to keep innocent people away.

I stayed in my villa in the city, surrounded only by a few strong bodyguards, with security at the highest level.

However, the anticipated assault did not come; instead, chaos erupted outside first.

Screaming, wailing, lamenting....

I had never thought that in Country Hua, this safest of nations, I would hear such noises that seemed to come straight from Hell.

I slowly rose from my chair, astonished as I looked out the window.

Beyond the villa’s iron gate, I saw an elderly woman knock down a young man, and with agility and strength that didn’t match her age, she frantically tore and bit at the passer-by beneath her.

Until her mouth was bloody, until the young man’s cries eventually subsided into stillness....

People were screaming, chasing, biting, and going mad!

I watched it all, stunned.

This scene, did it seem familiar?

And then I noticed, weren’t most of the mad ones aged elders?

"Bang!" The Captain burst in, his action snapping me out of it.

With an urgent tone, he urged me to hide in the basement first, but halfway through, he suddenly looked at me with terrified eyes.

I, not understanding why, glanced toward the room’s floor-length mirror.

In the mirror, my eyes were whitening, pupils slowly shrinking to a pinpoint, as dark blood vessels began to creep across my forehead and around my eyes.

There was a strange sound buzzing in my ears, as if whispers from Hell.

An unmatched craving for blood surged over me. I turned my eager gaze toward the door....]

Emm...

Meng Lang was completely flabbergasted.

Surrounded by birdsong and the fragrance of flowers, his heart seemed to plunge into a freezing cavern, his body turning cold.