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Japanese novelist Keigo Higashino has left us. A writer who has accompanied Asian readers for decades has finally written the last page of his life. Keigo Higashino passed away on July 23rd of this year, at the age of 68. After this news was announced, I have been thinking, if I were to choose one novel to commemorate Keigo Higashino today, which one should it be? Every great writer has a representative work. When you mention Jin Yong, many people will think of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." When you mention Haruki Murakami, "Norwegian Wood" might be the answer for most people. What about Keigo Higashino? Some will choose "The Devotion of Suspect X," while others believe "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store" or "Malice" are the best. But if I were to choose, I would unhesitatingly choose "By the Firelight." Because in my heart, "By the Firelight" is Keigo Higashino's most profound and cruel dissection of human nature. There is another more important reason, which is that this novel can even connect to the current situation of Hong Kong people. In the last part, I will explain in detail why I have this view. Welcome to the "While There Are Still Bookstores" YouTube channel, I am your host Billy. Keigo Higashino's status in the Japanese literary world actually needs little introduction. Starting from winning the Edogawa Ranpo Prize for "After School" in 1985, to later winning the Mystery Writers of Japan Award for "Himitsu" (The Secret), and "The Devotion of Suspect X" winning the Naoki Prize. He has won almost all the most important awards for Japanese mystery novels. But I believe what truly makes him great is the influence of his novel creation. In the past, when people mentioned mystery novels, many thought they were just entertainment novels. But Keigo Higashino changed this. He gradually transformed mystery novels from "Who is the killer?" into literature that discusses family, society, human nature, and moral choices. Therefore, "Himitsu," "Malice," "The Devotion of Suspect X," "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store," "By the Firelight," and even the "Galileo" series have attracted a large number of readers who originally did not read novels. Another reason is that his works are extremely suitable for adaptation. The characters are vivid, the pacing is fast, and the visual sense is very strong. Each novel is like a movie with a script already written. In the past few decades, dozens of Keigo Higashino's works have been adapted into movies, TV dramas, and stage plays. There are adapted versions in Japan, South Korea, mainland China, and many other parts of Asia. Many people may not have read the original novels, but they have definitely watched the film and television adaptations of his works. It can be said that Keigo Higashino not only wrote a batch of best-selling novels but also established a story world that spans novels, movies, and TV dramas. However, if I really had to choose one work that best represents Keigo Higashino, I would still choose "By the Firelight." The reason is simple, because this novel has always been asking a question: How does a person degenerate step by step, and how do they find a seemingly reasonable justification for every time they cross the line? This question is more terrifying than any murder case. The story of "By the Firelight" begins with a murder case. During the police investigation, their attention is drawn to two children. One is the son of the deceased, Ryoji Kirihara, and the other is the young girl Yukiho Nishimoto. The case eventually becomes a cold case due to insufficient evidence. The story then jumps forward many years, where the female protagonist rises to become a beautiful, elegant woman who knows how to manage her life. Fame, marriage, career, every step seems to be smoother and smoother. But the male protagonist is the complete opposite. He has always lived in the shadows of society, surviving by using computer technology, the underworld, and various gray areas. On the surface, the two seem to have no connection, but as the reader continues to read, they gradually discover that whenever Yukiho encounters an obstacle in her life, someone always secretly clears the way for her, and Ryoji's every adventure seems to be lived for another person. The most brilliant aspect of this book is that the author hardly directly depicts how the two meet or how they discuss things. Readers can only piece together the whole picture by observing the experiences of others, the police investigation, and scattered clues. And there is a most famous line of dialogue in the novel, which I believe many readers who have read this book will remember vividly: "There is no sun in my sky, it is always night, but it is not dark, because something replaces the sun. I have never had a sun, so I am not afraid of losing it." The first time I read it, I thought this sentence was about love; the second time I read it, I realized it was about life. When a person has never truly seen the light, the night becomes the only world they are familiar with. Why has "By the Firelight" become Keigo Higashino's most representative work? I believe the reason is that it has long surpassed mystery novels. What truly attracts people is no longer who the killer is, but why human nature degenerates to such an extent. The story spans nineteen years, and the inner thoughts of the two protagonists remain mysterious. Readers feel both sympathy and repulsion towards them, both understanding and unable to accept them. This complexity has made the story of "By the Firelight" still widely discussed today. Therefore, it has been repeatedly adapted into TV dramas, movies, and stage plays. Taiwanese literary critic Chen Guo-wei once described the female protagonist as a glamorous queen who walks the line of morality, and the male protagonist as a social ghost hiding in the shadows of social justice. What impressed me most is actually a later comment: They spare no effort to achieve themselves, sacrificing the happiness of others. I think this sentence has summarized the entire novel. Because the most terrifying part is not just how many things the two people did, but that they gradually came to believe that as long as they could achieve happiness, the happiness of others could be the price. In "By the Firelight," what Keigo Higashino truly wanted to write about was the degeneration of human nature. But the degeneration he wrote about did not happen suddenly. The first time might be to protect oneself. The second time might be to keep a secret. The third time is not wanting all the previous sacrifices to be in vain, so they can only retreat step by step. Many people think that those who have been hurt will understand the pain of others more. But the author proposes another possibility: some people, because they have been hurt, are more afraid of becoming victims again. In the end, they choose not to be victims anymore, but to become the ones who hold power. So-called evil, every time it crosses the line, there is a seemingly reasonable justification. Over time, people begin to believe that everything they do is out of necessity. Therefore, when I reread "By the Firelight" today, what shocked me most was that I discovered the novel had already become reality, and it was the reality of Hong Kong. In a previous video on "While There Are Still Bookstores," we talked about the "broken window theory." When a window pane is broken, but no one repairs it for a long time, people gradually feel that social order is disintegrating. In fact, the story of "By the Firelight" is about the same thing, but it might be happening in the hearts of Hong Kong people. When more and more people in a society believe that being a good person only leads to being taken advantage of, and following the rules only leads to losing, others will only treat you as a fool. When a system itself is unfair, why should I obey the law? Everyone starts to find excuses for themselves, to rationalize their behavior. I just want to protect myself, I just don't want to lose. Everyone is doing this. If I don't do it, someone else will. All of these sound very reasonable. But precisely because every reason is reasonable, the so-called moral bottom line will become lower and lower. I think what is most alarming in Hong Kong today is not necessarily that there are suddenly many bad people, but that more and more people are beginning to believe that they have sufficient reasons to no longer need to be good people. From officials, civil servants, police, to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, when people in a place are filled with this kind of thinking, people's hearts will slowly enter a world without sunlight. There is no sunlight, but everyone still lives their lives as usual. No one believes that the light will return, and no one believes that this place can be restored. So people have to learn to adapt. "By the Firelight" reminds us that trauma can explain why a person degenerates, and the environment can explain why a person needs to protect themselves. But it should never be a reason to harm others. Keigo Higashino wrote countless cases in his life, but what he truly wanted to explore has always been the human heart. Why do people cross the moral bottom line? When do victims become perpetrators? How much light does a society have to lose before people believe that darkness is normal? Hong Kong people should really think about this question. "By the Firelight" may not be an easy novel to read, but after you finish it, you are likely to not forget it for many years. Just like me. Today, I want to use this book to commemorate a Japanese novelist who has accompanied countless readers and who best depicts the darkness of human nature. We will talk about it here today. If you agree with the philosophy of "While There Are Still Bookstores," you are welcome to subscribe and join us in protecting words, protecting history, and protecting memories. While there are still bookstores, while memories remain.