The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 208 Little Bird
"It's unbelievable! Xi He actually let Xiao Hei go," Wu Shanqiu said incredulously.

Zhong Kui appeared in the room at some point. While Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu were happy for Xiao Hei, a shadow crossed Zhong Kui's face: "We can't look at Xi He's behavior with normal thinking. He couldn't have released Xiao Hei out of pity. There must be another reason."

Sure enough, the cheerful atmosphere didn't last long, and Xiao Hei's words started to take an increasingly strange turn.

“Little Rain, we have a baby.” It suddenly said, its voice deep and emotional, “We have a baby.” Clearly, it was imitating Xihe’s tone again.

On the other end of the phone, Liu Binjie asked in confusion, "Who is Xiaoyu?"

But for those in the police station, this name was like a thunderclap: "Xiaoyu" and "Xiaoyu." There was almost no doubt who Xiao Hei was saying this to.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu both turned their gazes toward Zhong Kui.

Zhong Kui shrugged: "I don't know what happened between Zhong Xiaoyu and him, but judging from my physical condition, it's unlikely that I've had a child. Don't make wild guesses."

"Little Blackie has laid eggs!" Liu Binjie's voice came from the other end of the phone. "When it came back, I checked its condition and found that it had laid eggs."

"Huh? Little Black is a female bird??" Wu Shanqiu was greatly surprised. "Its way of speaking is completely like a 'real man'."

"However, Xiao Hei came back by itself. I don't know where it laid its eggs. Maybe it meant having children when it said that."

“Mynah birds can only imitate, they can’t really understand reproduction like humans and explain it so clearly, right?” Zhong Kui said with some doubt.

Just then, someone brought up a cardboard box, saying it contained an urgent package addressed to Zhong Xiaoyu of the Criminal Investigation Brigade.

The recipient was "Zhong Xiaoyu," a scene so familiar, exactly like the diamonds she received at Guiyue Apartment before.

Without a doubt, the only person who would send the package to Zhong Xiaoyu was Xi He.

Zhong Kui decisively grabbed the express box and tore it open in a few quick movements.

This time, it was still wrapped in layers of packaging, making Wu Shanqiu, who was standing to the side, curious: "Last time it was diamonds, what kind of surprise is it this time?"

Finally, a small pull-out wooden box was revealed. Zhong Kui placed the box in her palm and slowly pulled open the drawer. Inside, nestled in cotton wool, was a tiny egg.

"Little Black's egg?!" Wu Shanqiu blurted out upon seeing it.

The speakerphone in her hand was still on, and the little black guy on the other end was still persistently repeating, "Xiaoyu, we have a child!"

Upon seeing this, Zhong Kui suddenly burst into laughter: "I know why he let Xiao Hei go."

"Because you found out the bird was pregnant? Did you have a change of heart?" Qi Fei was puzzled as to why Zhong Kui suddenly burst into laughter.

"Of course not. Zhong Xiaoyu's biggest mistake was that she thought Xi He would change."

"He..." Zhong Kui said, his eyes sharp as knives, "will never change. He let the bird go because Xiao Hei's birth enhanced his sense of control. I know why he offered this egg to Zhong Xiaoyu. It's his morbid fantasy of nurturing life with his soulmate."

"So, this little myna bird..." she said, picking up an egg no bigger than a lotus seed. "It's his confession. The bond between them is a bond of life itself; no one can make him give it up."

"Wow, what a weirdo!" he exclaimed. "Well..." Qi Fei was more concerned about the unique gift Xi He had given Zhong Xiaoyu. "Shouldn't we return this egg to Nancheng Zoo? It was laid by Xiao Hei, right..."

Zhong Kui smiled mischievously: "Why do I get the feeling that someone's being a little jealous?"

Qi Fei's face flushed red instantly: "Don't talk nonsense, who's jealous?"

Zhong Kui's smile vanished. Suddenly, she reached out and, taking advantage of Wu Shanqiu's momentary lapse in attention, pressed the call button. Then, she coldly said to Qi Fei, "You still don't understand Xi He. If this egg is returned to the zoo, both Xiao Hei and Liu Binjie will die."

"Then, what should we do?"

“That’s great. He wants to have a child with Zhong Xiaoyu, so let’s raise a child together,” Zhong Kui said nonchalantly. “It’ll give Luosha a playmate.”

“Birds and cats?! Are you sure they can be playmates?” Wu Shanqiu asked, her eyes wide with doubt.

"Dealing with madmen is such a hassle, and now I have to raise a bird too." Zhong Kui put the egg back in the wooden box with a look of disgust.

Qi Fei moved closer to her and said, "You're just saying one thing but doing another. If it weren't for protecting Liu Binjie and Xiao Hei, would you have bothered raising a bird?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint cracking sound came from the wooden box.

The surface of the bluish-gray eggshell cracked with spiderweb-like patterns, and to everyone's astonishment, a wet beak pierced through the shell.

The newborn chick struggled to break free of its restraints, and with a "crack," the eggshell split completely in two, and the little creature, covered in slime, trembled as it crawled out.

The newborn bird had no feathers, and beneath its tender reddish skin, its pulsating organs were clearly visible. No matter how you looked at it, the little creature seemed ugly, yet everyone present was still filled with affection for it—that's perhaps the wonder of life.

Zhong Kui suddenly gripped Qi Fei's hand tightly, which moved Qi Fei deeply: "You can be moved too, can't you?"

Unexpectedly, Zhong Kui said without any change in expression, "My hands are too cold, can I borrow your body heat?" It was as if, for her, this was just a physical problem.

And so, the two of them held hands tightly, each with their own feelings.

After a while, Zhong Kui used her hands, which had been warmed by Qi Fei, to lift the newly hatched bird: "Let me give you a name. He likes to quote Plato so much, so you can be called Plato."

Qi Fei looked meaningfully at Zhong Kui holding up the little bird, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether the bright and beautiful woman in front of him was Zhong Kui or Zhong Xiaoyu. Then he felt a sense of loss. The myna bird toy that Zhong Kui had given him was on his desk, while Xi He had given her a real little bird.

Zhong Kui, Zhong Xiaoyu, and Qi Fei were unsure if they could really tell the difference so clearly.
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All the birds were settled in. The manager checked each place repeatedly. The recent events at the aviary had made him a little paranoid. Finally, he turned off the lights and walked out of the staff passage.

As the door behind him closed, the last ray of light disappeared.

In the darkness, a shadow appeared like a ghost and "floated" to the front of Xiao Hei's cage.

The usually noisy Xiao Hei was unusually quiet at this moment.

It was the shadow that spoke first: "Hmph, you silly bird, I actually want to hear you talk when I'm bored."