A crimson moon hung low over the chaotic skyline of the city, nearly filling half of the sky. <br>A dark-colored, rust-streaked Metropolitan Ring Express train sped through the city under the watchful gaze of the red moon. Inside the train, passengers wearing clothes of all colors either read newspapers or dozed under the dim lights. <br>"Ding, we have arrived at Moonlight Station!" <br>Luke Sin jolted awake from his nap, grabbed his bag, and followed the crowd of people out of the carriage. <br>With his bag slung over his shoulder, he descended the dirty, dilapidated steps and traversed the newspaper-covered platform until he reached the ground level of the city. Looking up, he saw the neon lights casting a bizarre blend of colors over the streets and the people moving on them. Yet no matter how vibrant the streets were, the red moon perched over the city embodied the essence of the world. <br>Since the Blood Moon Phenomenon occurred thirty years ago, the world had remained in this state. <br>Naturally, Luke Sin didn't know anything different. Born after the Blood Moon Phenomenon, the world had always been like this for him. <br>Carrying his bag, he crossed an alley still wet from rain and climbed a decrepit old building. With the elevator broken again, he had no choice but to take the stairs. Gradually, he reached room 401 on the fourth floor, retrieved his key, and unlocked the heavy door. <br>The hallway was silent and chill, but inside, warmth and gentleness prevailed. <br>In the kitchen, his father was simmering meat. <br>His sister lay on the sofa, snacking while watching an old cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants. <br>His mother, elegant and poised in a white wool cardigan, stood by the window on a phone call. <br>"Brother Nine, you're back!" <br>Seeing Luke Sin enter and set down his backpack, his sister greeted him with a sweet smile. <br>"Was Little Seventeen well-behaved at home today? I brought back the teddy bear you wanted." <br>Luke Sin patted her head and handed her a brown teddy bear. <br>"Oh, I love it!" <br>His sister leapt up in joy, hugging the bear tightly. <br>"You're back?" <br>His mother looked up at Luke Sin, smiled, and nodded. "Sit and rest for a while; dinner will be ready soon." <br>Luke Sin nodded, taking a seat by the dining table. <br>... <br> <br>Four sets of bowls and chopsticks already adorned the table, alongside several dishes of green vegetables, and rice sitting in bowls, now somewhat cold. <br>However, no one in the family seemed intent on sitting down to eat. <br>Continuing her gentle phone conversation, his mother remarked, "Sister Zhang, today's situation was indeed my fault. Please don't be upset. Though, this grey wool sweater is outdated... but how could it be unattractive? Yes, that's exactly why I called you... Of course, you didn't say it out loud, but I know it's what you thought... " <br>"No, no, don't misunderstand... I just wanted to apologize... You're not one to insult others, it's so uncivilized..." <br>The sound of chopping bones grew louder from his father, accompanied by his grumbling curses: "Scum, worthless, barging into people's homes... damn it all, won't stop eating, and the bones never end, can't cook it clean!" <br>Over on the sofa, his sister gleefully sat cross-legged, methodically tearing apart the brown teddy bear. Using both hands to pull and her sharp, pearly teeth to bite, she detached the bear's ears, eyes, and arms one by one. Watching the arm separate from the bear's body, she displayed a look of excitement and fulfillment. <br>"We'll have to wait a bit longer for dinner!" <br>Laying down the phone, his mother spoke gently, "I had a misunderstanding with our neighbor Mrs. Zhang. I’ll go offer an apology." <br>With that, she gracefully pulled a pair of scissors from the drawer and elegantly walked out, closing the door behind her. <br>... <br> <br>Luke Sin sat quietly by the dining table, waiting. <br>He considered himself fortunate. Following the Blood Moon Phenomenon, the world endured a prolonged period of chaos. Many lives were lost during that time, resulting in numerous orphans like Luke Sin. A significant portion of them vanished upon reaching adulthood. But Luke Sin had the fortune of being adopted by his parents, gaining a loving family many envied. <br>Admittedly, there were quirks in this family, and these relatives could be a little odd at times. <br>Nonetheless, in this small, broken, and dirty Satellite City, the family remained content and whole. <br>His mother soon returned, her face wearing a satisfied smile. "Mrs. Zhang and I have reconciled!" <br>Luke Sin noticed a fresh and barely discernible bloodstain on the collar of her white wool sweater. <br>The family began their meal. <br>His sister still cuddled her teddy bear, which she had torn apart and sewn back together. Now its mismatched body was riddled with coarse seams, but she liked it more than before. <br>Their father took his seat at the table, opening a bottle of liquor with a battered label, indistinct and unreadable. After picking up a chopstick-full of greens, he knocked back a glass in one gulp. There was no meat on the table. His father enjoyed chopping bones and simmering meat but never shared it nor allowed anyone near his pot. Clad in a plastic apron splattered with blood, a few flies buzzed around him. <br>From outside, approaching sirens grew closer, accompanied by incessant chatter, though the content remained unclear. <br>"Bang!" <br>His father abruptly slammed the glass down, eyes bloodshot and glaring out the window. "Noise, nothing but noise, can’t even eat in peace. Useless police station, figures out nothing, worthless neighbors, nothing but voyeurs!" <br>"Don't scare the children." <br>Picking up a piece of greens, his mother ate delicately, her bright red lips striking in the dim light. <br>Luke Sin remembered she hadn't applied lipstick. <br>"Damn the children, damn them all!" <br>His father was further incensed, gripping the liquor bottle so tightly the veins bulged on his hand, cursing, "Whore, damn you too!" <br>"In your eyes, everyone deserves to die, only you're exempt." <br>His mother laughed with elegant composure. "You plan on sticking around to handle the aftermath, yes? You enjoy acting as undertaker." <br>She said this, placing down her utensils, her smile warm as she looked at his father. "Because those people lived far better than you, more capable than you, so you can't stand seeing them alive. You prefer them speechless..." <br>"Shut up, won't you?" <br>His father, indeed provoked, shattered the bottle, lunging to throttle her. <br>“Gurgle...” <br>Despite her face turning purple from being choked, his mother laughed joyously, retaining her graceful demeanor: "Worth... worthless..." <br>"Pow!" <br>His father lost control, unleashing a storm of punches and kicks, shaking the dining area all over. <br>"Wow... Daddy, don't hit Mommy..." <br>His sister whimpered and clung tight to her teddy bear, her expression then abruptly switching as she cackled wildly, "Fun, fun, such fun..." <br>Laughing uproariously, she suddenly leaped up like a nimble spider, climbing the ceiling. Hooking her feet on the chandelier, she somehow stabilized her body. Twisting her neck down in an unnatural pose, she gazed at the chaos below, holding the stuffed bear in her mouth while clapping her hands in excitement, her voice whimpering incessantly, half laughing, half crying: "So fun..." <br>Their father's fury intensified, his body swelling as muscles tore through his shirt, revealing a blue, bristling hairy back. His visage morphed into something grotesque and monstrous, raining down blows with abandon. Their mother was battered and broken but maintained her elegant tone: "Such a lovely display of impotent fury..." <br>Holding his bowl of rice, Luke Sin sat amidst the toppled table, slowly eating the grains. <br>After the Blood Moon Phenomenon, having a loving family was a rare blessing... <br>Though at home, his family members had their quirks, and sometimes they fought, but it was still home... <br>... <br> <br>Outside, a room directly facing Luke Sin's living room had been set up as a simple studio. <br>An casually dressed short-haired woman was observing Luke Sin's room through a telescope. <br>In the scope's lens, she could see the vacant room where Luke Sin sat alone, eating. Although only he sat there, the room seemed seized by an earthquake—overturned tables and chairs, a swaying chandelier, and windows appearing periodically with spiderweb cracks, as if struck by unseen forces. <br>"The thirteenth Watcher of the Mind’s Whimsy is manifesting telekinesis." <br>Beside her, two young men in smart attire were busy, one rapidly calculating, the other recording. <br>"Does he have recruitment potential?" <br>"What's the measure of the threat he poses?" <br>"What are his specific abilities?" <br>The short-haired woman shook her head. "It's not clear yet. Unlike other mind variant individuals, he doesn't display glaringly powerful mutant forms at initial stages, such as entering others' dreams or inadvertently emitting psychic plagues. He seems perfectly normal, with a stable job and effective task management, though his mind occasionally falls into disarray." <br>"A promising candidate, receptive to guidance." <br>Behind them, a stern-faced man chimed in, "Ever tried having a Dream Maker enter his dreams for an assessment?" <br>"Yes!" <br>The short-haired woman in the red suit nodded lightly, "But the Dream Maker who entered his dreams never emerged again.")
