Hermann, after witnessing these hallucinations, drew the map himself and then had the members of the Royal Academy of Sciences ingest Gonka as well. Over the course of seven days, around twenty people, one level at a time, experienced the hallucinations. Everyone was filled with terror at the sights they saw, and afterward, the Royal Academy of Sciences found themselves unable to make a decision regarding this absurd yet frightening reality.

First of all, it was a hallucination; everyone knew it was a poisoning reaction. But secondly, why was everyone’s reaction to the poisoning so completely identical, and why did the sights they saw feel so real that it was impossible to convince themselves that these things came from their own minds?

In the end, the Royal Academy of Sciences allocated a small sum of money to Hermann, allowing him to take his team to the location of the map that appeared in the hallucinations to see what was there. If it truly existed, they would destroy it. This was a compromise, but for Hermann, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the precious timber in the rainforest, the Gonka drug, the support of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and the chance to rid the world of evil for God—all of it was telling a legendary story.

Throughout the entire time, Weitoma never revealed what exactly was in the hallucinations. When Zhang Haiyan urged him to explain, he glanced at the pocket of his jacket. Zhang Haiyan pulled out a small leather pouch and opened it to reveal some red powder inside.

“Give it a try,” Weitoma said with a smile, “just a little bit is enough; it’s your first time.”

Zhang Haiyan smiled back, “Do you think I’m that foolish? You tell me a story and expect me to take some strange drug from you?”

“You can let me try first. It will take effect in half an hour; the hallucinations come on quickly. You might only experience a few minutes of hallucinations, but you’ll see everything.”

Zhang Haiyan thought for a moment, then looked at Madesun, and suddenly pinched Weitoma’s mouth open, pouring some powder inside. Weitoma began to cough incessantly, gasping for breath as he looked at Zhang Haiyan, then smiled.

“You’ll thank me for this.”

“You’re really annoying,” Zhang Haiyan thought to himself, but he smiled back at Weitoma. Slowly, Weitoma’s face began to turn red, becoming extremely congested, and then his eyes rolled back, the whites of his eyes starting to spin. Saliva flowed continuously from the corners of his mouth, pooling in his neck.

Zhang Haiyan placed his hand on Weitoma’s pulse; although Weitoma’s heartbeat was very fast, it was stable, showing no signs of failure. Gradually, after about three or four minutes, his heartbeat began to stabilize, and his consciousness started to return.

After the poisoning, his reactions were slow, his mouth full of saliva, looking at Zhang Haiyan but unable to speak, his eyes filled with anticipation.

In front of him, Zhang Haiyan took a bit of the red powder with his pinky and placed it under his tongue.

With just the first taste, he realized this was not some plant-derived drug. This flavor was incredibly familiar to him.

It was the taste of human flesh.

The powder melted instantly upon entry, rapidly dissolving in his mouth. Zhang Haiyan felt like he wanted to vomit but couldn’t; he choked himself, this taste flooding his mouth was one he had tried to forget for many years.

So delicious.

The cannibalistic desire, amplified by the extreme hunger he had experienced back then, surged once again in Zhang Haiyan’s heart.