Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 70 - 67 Lu Chan Patrol 2

Chapter 70: 67 Lu Chan Patrol 2

Perhaps it was because I had a guilty conscience, but whenever someone took the initiative to ask me about Mazao, I always felt that they might be spying on me.

Lu Youxun’s gaze focused on my face, and this attentive posture could be seen as a matter of courtesy, or possibly scrutiny.

Why would he ask me such a question? Could this Patrol agent, skilled at investigating matters, have noticed some clues from me? I couldn’t contain my wild speculations.

"What aspect are you asking about?" I threw the question back at him.

"Since you’ve fought with Kong Da, you should be very aware that the demons all have the superpower to use shadows as a medium for Space Transfer," he said. "Coincidentally, this soul loss girl named Mazao likely disappeared from the hospital through Space Transfer. And now, during our investigation of the demon incidents, she has once again come into our view..."

"Do you suspect she’s a demon?"

"I can’t rule out that possibility."

After considering, I gave my answer, "I think that possibility is very low."

"Why is that?" he asked curiously.

"I’ve actually fought with the demons and am very aware of their destructive power. They can hurl lampposts like javelins and manipulate shadows to attack their enemies remotely. To such people, even real bullets are mere toys," I said. "Yet this soul loss girl snuck into the public security department specifically to steal guns and ammunition. Would a real demon do such a thing?"

"That makes sense," he admitted. "But you also agree that she must be intricately linked to the demon incidents, don’t you?"

"Yes," I couldn’t deny.

"If you come into contact with the soul loss girl at the front line or obtain any clues related to her, I hope you can share them with me," he requested humbly. "Truth be told, I am tasked with finding the soul loss girl. If you assist me, I will definitely do my utmost to repay this favor in the future."

It appeared that in searching for Mazao, Lu Youxun was not the decision-maker from his faction, but the executor.

I didn’t reply immediately; instead, I glanced at Zhu Shi. The latter responded with an expressionless face, "Okay."

Such an insincere agreement—probably Zhu Shi hadn’t even considered doing this favor. In that regard, I was the same, so I answered, "Same here."

"Let’s go back to the case then," Lu Youxun, sensing the awkward atmosphere, brought the topic back, "Later, I need to use Divination to trace the killer’s whereabouts, and to enhance the accuracy of the Divination, I need your reflections on the case. Would you let me hear your opinions?"

Probably worried I wouldn’t understand, Zhu Shi added from the side, "Lu Chan’s Divination Skill essentially involves predictive reasoning based on his own perspective. But if only his perspective is used, it tends to be biased, hence the need for others’ views to supplement his Divination."

"Also, I have a question now," she continued, looking at Lu Youxun. "From what I remember, the killer targets local elites but avoids involving people outside of his targets, including their families. Why has he suddenly changed this pattern?"

She pointed to a photo of the crime scene featuring a middle-aged man and his wife and son, all three murdered and with eyes open in death.

It was my first time hearing about this. Looking at it in this context, the crime scene indeed seemed strange.

"This appears to be an accident," Lu Youxun provided his insight. "The mother and son who were victims originally planned to travel that day, but the trip was canceled last minute because the mother had a fever."

"And then the killer, assuming the target was home alone, barged in..." I pondered. "If this is the right direction, then the killer must be someone who knew the travel plans of the mother and son?"

"Not necessarily, the mother had a habit of posting her upcoming schedules online. Even people who aren’t very close could still investigate and find out, " Lu Youxun shook his head.

"If the killer went to such lengths to investigate, it shows he genuinely didn’t want to involve the mother and son. So why did he end up killing them at the last moment?" Zhu Shi wondered queerly. "It couldn’t be because they saw his true face, could it? Demons transform in a way that they have their own masks, even their original physical features can’t be discerned, so there’s really no need to kill to silence them."

Lu Youxun thoughtfully looked at the photograph.

"Is the killer’s motive now clear?" I shifted the question.

"That is quite clear," Lu Youxun explained patiently. "Luo Mountain in the past attempted to capture demons. But it seems the demons have a self-destruct mechanism; whenever we capture them, they self-destruct. This process seems to be uncontrollable even by themselves.

"But, through researching the remains, we’ve managed to understand the motive behind the demons’ killings. They can absorb the souls of their victims through murder and permanently transform it into their own strength. This is the so-called kill-and-soul-refining ability.

"The more souls they devour, the stronger the power they obtain. If they devour the soul of a demon hunter, it can help them make rapid progress."

Killing to harvest souls? Was it the reason why Agent Kong previously went against me, wanting to devour my soul?

After thinking for a moment, I asked, "If that’s the case, why is the monster we’re currently tracking choosing the elites of Saltwater City as targets? Isn’t targeting ordinary citizens less risky?"

"This is also the direction we are investigating. I even suspected that this monster might be some kind of ’folk corruption fighter,’ but among the elites he killed, there were officials who were both reputable and incorruptible. Like this victim who got his wife and son involved." Lu Youxun helplessly pointed to the photo, "Before the murderer left, he also took some valuables and cash, and there have been records of valuables being stolen in previous cases as well. Maybe part of the motive is financial gain."

"To kill an entire family for money, such evil people—" Zhu Shi showed strong anger and then tried to compose himself before suddenly asking me, "Zhuang Cheng, what do you think?"

Why would you ask me what I think?

However, I understood why she suddenly asked this.

She is a person with strong moral beliefs and also cares about the moral stance of the people around her. Maybe because I confessed to her last time that I thought supernatural power users were superior to ordinary people, she now values my feelings toward wrongdoers more.

However, maybe this will disappoint her, but I myself am someone willing to commit evil acts for personal gain; I even nearly imprisoned an underage girl. The reason why I say ’nearly’ is not because I had a last-minute change of conscience but because she escaped on her own.

Hence, it’s hard to say that I clearly draw a line between myself and evildoers.

Of course, if you ask me whether I detest sexual offenders, I certainly do. I also can’t stand petty thieves, and I find criminals who break in and even murder for money unbearable. But my dislike for these people stems more from their generally ugly and weak motives than their evil actions.

About this, I don’t think it’s only a unique thought that has occurred to me. I believe many have been attracted by powerful evil characters in fictional stories, who possess unique aesthetics, steadfast hearts, or shining ideals. Some might criticize that "only immature thinkers are attracted to such fictional evildoers," and I can’t deny this because I do have an immature side to me.

So, if it’s motivation rooted in seeking a path, evil deeds are not unacceptable to me.

Actually, I’m well aware. From other people’s perspective, whether it’s the so-called "path-seeking motive" or vulgar desires for money and lust, they are fundamentally "selfish desires," and the actions resulting from them are undeniably evil. Objectively speaking, there might be no difference between me and that criminal monster. If there is any difference, it’s that he has succeeded, and I have failed.

The reason I like to portray myself as a good person, occasionally helping out when I see injustice, is not because I have a strong conscience, but because I want to be friends with good people. I absolutely do not mean "good people are easier to bully" by saying this. After all, I have to admit, making friends with good people is certainly more pleasant than with evil ones.

I kept pondering the differences and similarities between that monster and myself.

While thinking, I suddenly wanted to meet that monster. I wanted to ask about his mindset when committing evil deeds and know what he thinks.

"Zhuang Cheng?" Zhu Shi called me again.

"Let’s hurry and defeat that monster, before another victim appears," I said.

"Ah? Yes!" She nodded vigorously.

Then, Zhu Shi, Lu Youxun, and I discussed for a while longer. It seemed that Lu Youxun felt it was about time to conclude our discussions, so he stopped us and began to start the Divination Work.

Though it was called Divination Work, he didn’t take out a Compass or any other tools—instead, he raised his hands and kept moving his fingers as if he were calculating numbers. This appeared to be a kind of palmistry; ancient people believed that human palms, with their many lines and joints, contained a person’s fate and could be used to calculate the future. The term "fingertip arithmetic" mentioned in some books originates from this.

A few minutes later, he ceased his calculations, then nodded his head, and told us, "I’ve figured it out; I’ll now transmit the results to your consciousness."

What does transmitting to our consciousness mean?

Before I could figure it out, I saw him reach out with both hands, as if to shake our hands. Zhu Shi confidently reached out and shook his hand. I followed suit and shook hands with Lu Youxun.

In my expectation, this was supposed to be a method that directly transfers information into our conscience, which I found intriguing.

However, when I made contact with Lu Youxun, I didn’t feel anything at all.

Instead, he suddenly cried out as if he had accidentally touched a flame and quickly pulled his hand back, overthrowing himself and the chair in the process.

Then he trembled all over, looking terrified, as if he had seen some sort of horrific entity, staring at me.

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