Ultimate Evil

S City is a densely populated metropolis, a place of constant flux and a relentless pace of life. Within this steel-bound city, every person faces the pressures of work, daily living, and family; there is always something left undone, some unfinished business to attend to. Beyond the exhaustion of the body, an immense mental strain weighs heavily on its residents. Behind the dazzling façade, dark seeds quietly take root.

June is the very essence of summer, the harbinger of heat. Everyone living in this city has switched to light and scant summer attire. On the streets, sandals, camisoles, miniskirts, and bare legs are an everyday sight.

On this particular day, Xu Lang awoke from an utterly deep sleep at home—woken by hunger. After getting up, he opened the refrigerator only to find it completely empty. Resigned, he closed the fridge door, his hair a wild mess, and shuffled into the bathroom in his slippers.

Standing before the wash basin, he gazed at his reflection. His tangled hair formed a bird’s nest atop his head, greasy from days without a wash. His face was lean, his chin shadowed with stubble. Though his eyes weren’t fully open, they were strikingly bright and deep, agleam with intelligence. He wore a shirt whose original color was long lost—now a faded beige that might have been white once—and a pair of shorts. It was unclear whether the shirt was meant as sleepwear or a t-shirt.

He turned on the tap; cold water gushed forth. Xu Lang cupped his hands under the stream, splashed his face, grabbed a towel to wipe himself dry, then tossed the