Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 261 - 244 Non-Human Discussion

Chapter 261: 244 Non-Human Discussion

Being accused by others of not being human is arguably a very rare experience in the lives of most people, or perhaps an experience they have never had. Although I don’t know whether Dong Che has experienced this before, I think he wouldn’t simply admit it. Throughout the entire time, he has been speaking to us from a human perspective—if he admitted it just because I asked, it would be akin to negating all his efforts.

I observed his facial expressions very carefully, and sure enough, his eyes revealed vivid confusion, even with a touch of bewilderment and grievance. Indeed, in everyday life, if someone bluntly accuses you of "not being human," more often than not, it’s a criticism of moral degeneration. Such a reaction is reasonable.

It seemed as if he was pondering whether he had somehow offended me. After a moment, as if terrified, with a hint of feeling wronged, he asked, "Um... why do you say that?"

"It’s an intuition," I said. "Just like you know, I’ve been in contact with Yinyue not long ago, and you give off a feeling somewhat similar to Yinyue. Neither of you seem like humans."

"So, Senior Zhuang Cheng, you’re not angry with me for anything?" he asked cautiously.

"I assure you, I’m not," I said.

He let out a long sigh of relief, and Fu Feng started speaking on the side, "Could it be that your criteria for judging humans are different from ours?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He explained, "Purely in terms of biological strength, humans can’t shatter steel with flesh and blood, nor can they run faster than trains, let alone fly in the sky... But for demon hunters of achieved levels like Dong Che, these things are very easy to accomplish.

"Most Residence Level demon hunters also exhibit certain overt characteristics that completely surpass ordinary people, and although members of Human Bureau often transform into demon-like figures with unknown powers, they still fall under the category of demon hunters according to Luo Mountain’s classification. In fact, many demon hunters possess magics that allow them to transform into monsters, and even without transforming, their bodies show signs of having been modified by Mana and spells. Some demon hunter heritages might even cause certain changes to genetic factors.

"Ordinary people who know nothing about demon hunters might also think that we’re a different species entirely, set apart from humans. However, for us at Luo Mountain, the most important criteria for judgment are not biological evidence but cognition, thinking, spirit... As long as the soul still belongs to the realm of humanity, then they are still human."

Dong Che nodded repeatedly and then added, as if mustering courage, "Also... Just to clarify, Senior Zhuang Cheng, I mean no offense by saying this. It’s just that, when it comes to not seeming human, I’m afraid there’s no one here who is less human-like than you."

"Me?" I asked.

"Yes. Currently, you’re not even made of flesh and blood, but rather a lifeform created from the condensed mimicry of flames," he said.

There’s a saying that the hardest thing for a person to see clearly is oneself. I’ve always naturally regarded myself as human, so when this young man who vaguely does not seem human tells me "you’re the least human-like," I surprisingly can’t find the words to argue.

Hearing their conversation, I found myself involuntarily reflecting on my own doubts. Still, I found it difficult to let go.

Because Dong Che’s non-human temperament was not like other demon hunters. Take Chen Long and Divine Spear for example, their power is so immense they don’t seem human, but I have never doubted their humanity. The feeling I got from Dong Che was not an intensity beyond human, but a sort of heretical otherness, completely at odds with his seemingly innocent and adorable appearance.

However, the power inheritance of each demon hunter is different. While everyone uses Mana, that’s just a general term. According to Zhu Shi, the Mana some demon hunters use may not even come from their souls, it could be an essence of life that has been refined or a mysterious energy absorbed from outside. This lack of uniformity results in a diverse and highly individualized group of demon hunters.

The number of demon hunters I’ve met who are of the achieved level and above is actually not many, and just because one suddenly comes along that I find peculiar isn’t enough to conclude they aren’t human.

Moreover, if Dong Che’s concern for Mazao is because he himself is a strange being, then why did he not show concern from the beginning, and rather he paid special attention to me instead? This also seems somewhat illogical. It couldn’t possibly be because he is my fan and has overcome the attraction Broom Star Physique has to bizarre beings with fan spirit, could it?

Thinking it over and over, I still find Dong Che’s human component very doubtful. Without so much reason and logic, I simply prefer to trust my own evolving intuition.

It seems pointless to ask any further. For now, I can only apologize to Dong Che and soothe his emotions from being wrongfully accused "for no reason." He seemed to quickly let it go and showed an innocent smile. Could this smile too be part of his act? I wondered.

It seems that Dong Che still had daily practices related to his cultivation, and after eating, he said goodbye to us and went back to his room.

Fu Feng took Mazao and me away from the cafeteria and continued to show us around other parts of the base.

On the way, he suddenly asked me, "Do you really believe Dong Che is not human?"

After thinking for a bit, I replied, "Really."

"My Perception is quite good even among those of the Great Success Rank, but I didn’t notice anything particularly abnormal about Dong Che..." he pondered, "Rather, all demon hunters have a tendency towards mysticism. After all, we delve into the powers of the mysterious realm, which means we all possess a certain suspicious air about us. As the saying goes, it’s hard to spot a specific leaf that’s out of place in a forest.

"However, you are qualified as Impermanence, perhaps you really can notice things I cannot..."

"What are you planning to do about Dong Che?" I asked.

"How could I possibly? Even if Dong Che really isn’t human, that’s a problem for Gua Tianshi to worry about. He is a disciple of Impermanence; unless there’s a special reason, I wouldn’t lay a hand on him."

That’s what he said, but his expression seemed to suggest he had other thoughts about Dong Che. Maybe he truly was covertly conspiring with a traitor from the Human Bureau and looking for an opportunity to eliminate the suspicious Dong Che. However, if that were the case, he would likely need to deal with Mazao and me too, to avoid leaving loose ends. I didn’t believe his motives were strong enough to make him an enemy of me.

If he isn’t considering an assassination now, what is he thinking about? With the question "Could Dong Che actually not be human?" in mind, is there a deeper layer of thought he’s considering? Trying to think from his perspective, other doubts slowly began to emerge.

If that Dong Che isn’t human, then ultimately, whether or not he is actually the real Dong Che seems questionable. From their conversation, it appeared that, within common knowledge, Dong Che should unquestionably be human.

Could it be that the real Dong Che has already been killed by some unnatural being, and what’s in front of us now is that entity disguised as the victimized boy?

Fu Feng shook his head slightly and then glanced at Mazao, then looked at me curiously and said, "Speaking of which, Zhuang Cheng, you’ve mentioned before that you two are in a relationship..."

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked calmly.

Perhaps Fu Feng also thought that Mazao was too young, which would make my claim seem less credible in his view. Or maybe he suspected that I had a penchant for petite girls and judged me internally. He paused for a bit, as if figuring out how to talk to me, or perhaps realizing that he should not have brought up this topic. Then, as if he had suddenly come to a realization, his face showed enlightenment.

"I see, it’s for the convenience of acting together, right," he said.

That’s not quite it... at least not entirely for me. But perhaps that’s all Mazao thought of it.

Although she had acknowledged the "relationship" in front of Dong Che and Fu Feng, what she truly understood about being "lovers," having grown up in the Doomsday Era, remained unknown. She might have only come into contact with this concept after arriving in modern society. Or maybe she was well aware of it but held no romantic feelings for me and was merely playing along in front of others.

Fu Feng didn’t bring up the topic again and, focusing on his role as the guide, led us throughout the base.

After a while, we finally reached the last area, the medical sector.

For Fufeng Base, providing treatment to the wounded demon hunters returning from missions was a very important function. Additionally, this place did not only receive demon hunter patients but also provided treatment for ordinary people injured in strange events.

If ordinary people injured by abnormal beings only sustained common injuries, then transferring them to an external hospital afterward would suffice. But if they suffered from curses or soul-level injuries, they would need treatment using methods known to demon hunters. Extraordinary Fanatics might let those injured ordinary people fend for themselves, but Governance Realists, who claim to integrate into ordinary society, naturally have to shoulder the corresponding social responsibilities.

Speaking of the most widespread abnormal phenomenon affecting society nowadays, it’s the soul loss incidents. Therefore, Fufeng Base also accommodated a fair number of soul-loss patients. The three of us moved down corridors resembling those of a hospital. In contrast to the relatively bustling area that treated demon hunters, the sector designated for soul-loss patients was as silent as a morgue. Here, patients suffering from soul loss lay dormant like corpses, along with some silently working caregivers.

"Official forces plan to announce the existence of soul loss to the entire society tomorrow," said Fu Feng.