Chapter 129: Portland Town Rules
Tina blinked, somewhat unable to believe that Rong Le actually came to pick him up with an umbrella and said such intimate words. She seemed to be in a good mood.
Is there any breakthrough in the plan?
Thinking about the task that would be assigned to him next, Tinasi slowly walked up to Rong Le and whispered, "Teacher, the task is completed."
Even though Rong Le was holding an umbrella, he had no intention of going under it. Instead, he kept a certain distance. The rain wet his black hair, and he was extremely restrained and calm.
Rong Le's heart ached slightly.
Rather than seeing Tina's look of being hurt and not daring to approach, he would rather see Tina's stubborn and impulsive look. At least her eyes were full of vitality.
He looked at the wounded Tina in front of him, took the initiative to step forward and put him under the umbrella, and said softly: "Well done."
With just these words, Tina's face changed from bloodless indifference to a slightly rosy complexion, as if she was happy about his words.
Rong Le was planning how to make the injured black cat look good again when she heard Tina say, "Teacher, what other tasks do you need me to do next?"
The white-haired Rong Le sneered loudly in his mind, as if saying that Rong Le was overestimating his own abilities.
"No, you can have a good rest." Rong Le saw Tina's face turn pale in a second, and immediately changed the subject, "However, I have a personal mission here, are you willing to take it?"
Tina: "Any task is fine, teacher."
Rong Le smiled and said, "Then come watch the rain with me."
He ignored Tina's surprised expression and said to himself, "Sometimes, besides resting your body, it's also important to rest your mind. Everyone gets tired sometimes."
Tina hesitated for a moment: "Teacher, are you tired? I can help you share some tasks."
“…”
You really are stubborn.
Rong Le sighed slightly, and didn't say anything more, but pulled him to watch the rain.
There are few people in Portland under the rain, and no one will approach the place where the battle took place, so it is very quiet here.
As the air grew quieter, silence also filled the space between the two of them. Tina quietly raised her head and looked at the gray sky with rain falling outside the umbrella.
Staying here with Rong Le and watching the rain, Tina felt as if her soul had been cleansed by the rain.
If only this kind of thing could happen more often.
Rong Le suddenly asked, "Do you think you are a lucky person?"
Tina replied: "Of course I am lucky."
Rong Le: "Why?"
Tina didn't say anything, but just looked back at him silently and calmly.
Rong Le also asked this question to another Tina and got the same answer.
But they didn't tell him why.
Rong Le never understood Tina's thoughts.
Why do you think you are lucky when you have suffered a lot and never tasted happiness?
And the answer Tina will never tell him is: Because I met you, teacher.
I am very happy.
…
The blood gradually dripped into the soil, Tina's face was covered with blood, and the vision in her right eye was blurred.
He half-knelt on the ground, holding his sharp long sword beside him, panting while vigilantly confronting the enemy opposite him.
The young man standing opposite, dressed in a prosecutor's uniform and holding a long knife, was like an insurmountable mountain, so powerful that it made it impossible to even think of resisting.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered the time when he was on a mission with Rong Le. He and his teacher stood on a high place, looking down at the logistics team cleaning the battlefield below.
It was almost time for the teacher to leave the University of Michigan. He no longer remembered the look in the teacher's eyes that day. He only remembered the feeling when the sun was shining brightly and Rong Le gently asked him to kill herself.
Tina's long sword has drunk the blood of countless humans and monsters, and has also seen the expressions of many people when they are on the verge of death.
His heart had long been cold, as sharp as a knife and indifferent. He could cut off anything in the world. Holding a weapon, he had the sole intention of moving forward.
The only thing he never thought was that one day he would be standing opposite Rong Le with a knife in his hand.
Warm blood would spurt out from that soft throat and fall heavily on his face. That was the life of the person he cherished most, and he could only watch the young man's life gradually slip away.
Unacceptable.
This is the only thing that is absolutely unacceptable.
Even if Rong Le stared into the abyss for too long and eventually crossed that line and went completely crazy, becoming a pagan, he would not take his life like he did to others.
If Rong Le is on the side of light, he will also stand in the light. If Rong Le plunges into endless darkness, he will follow without hesitation.
The only thing I absolutely don't want to take is your life.
Tina gripped the hilt tightly and once again blocked the oncoming long sword. The two pairs of sharp long swords intertwined with each other, making a sharp buzzing sound!
In his slightly blurred vision, a young man with the same appearance as him looked at him with the same indifference.
Tina exerted force with her arms, suddenly bursting out with even greater strength, and pushed him back fiercely!
He was breathing heavily, and even though he was in adversity, his posture remained calm. The young man in black was like a piece of ice emitting cold air, and only the crazy look in his eyes showed that his heart was burning like a raging fire.
"Even if it's 'I', I must never stand in the way of the teacher."
He spoke word by word.
Perhaps it was from that time that he decided to defend it with his life.
…
Rong Le looked up at the sky.
The rain kept falling from the sky, and sometimes he wondered if the rain could flow backwards.
He travels across time and space, constantly returns to the past, and wantonly plays with the world line. Is the ultimate price he can pay?
The kids who stayed there didn't know what the situation was, they just hoped to take care of themselves and wait for him to come back to deal with the situation.
Although they also deserve the experience of growth, only the pain of setbacks and failures can make them stronger.
But as expected, even Rong Le would make the same mistake that all parents make, and wouldn't have the heart to let go and let them fall too badly.
Although the ability to handle incidents independently is the most important thing for investigators, whether working in a team or working alone, they need sufficient experience to promote their growth.
Rong Le also often felt that after having them by his side, his heart became softer.
Perhaps, concern is something that is indispensable for everyone living in this world. It is like his anchor point, always there, shining, and guiding him on the way back.
But in the eyes of white-haired Rong Le, everything Rong Le did was in vain.
Just as he said, the development of this world line will soon come to an end, like a dead tree being destroyed. Rong Le can't even react in time, and everything is over.
Portland was forever frozen in the moment before Christmas Eve.
Rong Le watched this scene through the eyes of the white-haired Rong Le. The white-haired Rong Le looked indifferently at the corpse lying on the ground and looked at the inky black sky in the sky.
It was as if the deep sea was hanging in the sky, about to flood back and submerge the entire town, and everything on this small island would be completely destroyed in the face of this doomsday-like natural disaster.
"I've already told you." White-haired Rong Le said indifferently in a declarative tone, "No matter how you jump world lines, you're doomed to fail."
So it doesn't matter.
Everything is false, and the last change can be overwritten by going back again. Only he will retain all the memories and then step into the eternal sea of time and space with these memories.
"If that's the case, why do we have to go back over and over again? Why do we have to try to save it?"
Rong Le was not affected by his words and keenly discovered his true feelings hidden.
"Who knows? But if failure is inevitable, then everything is meaningless. Time travel may seem useful, but in reality it's useless. No matter how hard we try, we can't find a glimmer of hope."
White-haired Rong Le: "Sometimes I feel as if the world has set the rules, countless possibilities are demarcated into a limited number of possibilities, and within this demarcated range, there is no path to victory."
Rong Le frowned slightly.
If this is the time point that is bound to happen, then no matter what efforts are made, it will eventually be corrected by time and space.
He could understand why White Hair Rong Le had no motivation to continue.
"In that case, then..."
Before he could finish his words, the white-haired Rong Le had already raised his gun calmly and pointed it at his temple.
With a bang.
Rong Le's unfinished words were cut short by the sound of gunfire.
*
"I say, even if you are very sad, at least listen to what I have to say."
A familiar voice in my head grumbled somewhat dissatisfiedly.
The white-haired Rong Le blinked, as if he had not expected to hear Rong Le's voice in his mind. He sat up suddenly and spoke to Rong Le before he had time to observe the surrounding environment.
"Are you still here?"
He was slightly surprised.
There was a smile in Rong Le's voice: "Why, did you think I would disappear with Hui Su? It's a pity that you didn't get rid of me."
The white-haired Rong Le was quiet for a while, and after a while he let out a soft "ha".
He covered his forehead and laughed softly: "It's really crazy."
Rong Le didn't say anything. He knew that with the white-haired Rong Le's suspicion, she would never completely trust his words.
But no matter what his origins were, after confirming that he would not cause any impact, White-haired Rong Le didn't want to pay any attention to him. He thought that the time and space reversal would cover everything, but he didn't expect Rong Le to still follow him.
This proves that what Rong Le said was correct, he is indeed another version of the white-haired Rong Le.
Only you will not be affected by the backtracking and will retain everything that happened before.
White-haired Rong Le: "So, what did you want to say before?"
Rong Le: "Let me try it this time."
The white-haired Rong Le said with a hint of sarcasm: "You are so confident. Do you treat this as a game? If others haven't done it, you must do it?"
Rong Le asked back: "You think you can do anything. If it were you, could you really end it all?"
The white-haired Rong Le seemed to be hit in the sore spot and instantly quieted down.
"You're such a difficult guy..." Rong Le said with a sigh, "Forget it, why should I bother you?"
It's no different than talking about yourself.
"Anyway, give up."
Rong Le could hear that he was a little tired, "There's nothing wrong with continuing like this."
"Nothing will change. I've had enough of this kind of life. Boring scenery, boring things. It's like the whole world is black and white. I can't fit in no matter what I do. Am I performing some kind of pantomime? It's ridiculous."
Rong Le: "But it's not static, you still get some things that are truly changed."
"What?"
Rong Le smiled and said, "Me."
He knew that White-haired Rong Le also wanted to save Polante and save everyone.
But this damn fate is always playing with everything in the module.
Everyone is caught in the trap, including Rong Le himself. He wants to change Polant's fate, but finds that this is an unsolvable part of his fate.
"Just do whatever you want." The white-haired Rong Le seemed to be a little uninterested. He retreated directly into his mind and handed over the control of his body to Rong Le.
Rong Le began to try to explore this strange yet familiar world.
Rong Le didn't realize the seriousness of the problem until he saw Thor's appearance in the basement.
He found the basement as if he knew the place well, and seduced Thor into talking to him like a wolf grandmother, and attracted the boy over with just a few words.
The young voice behind the door was as vigilant as ever, mixed with hope: "Will you take me away?"
"Of course, I'll take you away from here if you're willing."
But when she saw Thor's appearance, Rong Le's body froze, and the mocking laughter of the white-haired Rong Le in her mind was very arrogant.
Thor's condition was obviously not right. Compared to his youthful appearance but always calm inner self, the young man in front of him seemed to have been driven crazy by this dark environment.
If there was any difference between him and the crazy monsters beside him, it was probably that one had lost his humanity like a beast, while the other suppressed his madness in his eyes, as if afraid of being abandoned, and cautiously showed a false rational smile towards the only light that reached out to him.
...Thor is crazy.
Rong Le began to realize that something was wrong.
Baifa Rongle was no different from him at first, but environment can change a person's character. He was cold and eccentric because the world was as hopeless as he said.
Thor's life trajectory should have changed after meeting him, but now for some reason he has crossed that line and changed at the very beginning, becoming a sane madman.
This is the exact opposite side.
Rong Le couldn't imagine whether other people would also have different changes.
He performed perfectly, as if through a membrane, expressing his emotions just right, and brought Thor out of the basement and placed him next to his room in the hotel.
——Even after jumping the world line, he still didn't see another Baiyue in Baifa Rongle's world line.
Rong Le lowered her eyes and suppressed the thoughts in her eyes.
After accidentally exposing the differences between KP, he rarely mentioned the differences between the two worlds. He is now the consciousness that came out of Baifa Rongle's schizophrenia, and he should have the same common sense as him.
Rong Le began to try to find more differences.
He saw the crazed Harry, the suicidal boss slumped over the counter in the pub, the extreme Ollie and the exhausted military police, and the devout Kurosawa in the hospital...
While Fair seems unchanged, he is actually quite dissolute.
It's simply that everyone has turned evil.
"You seem to have changed a lot." Fairlight's tone was strange, interrupting Rong Le's thoughts.
He tilted his head and looked at Rong Le carefully, as if a slippery tentacle was licking him all over. Rong Le frowned a little uncomfortably, raised his head slightly and stepped back a little.
If he had known Fairlight would become so difficult, he would not have come to confirm the facts.
In Rong Le's impression, Fairlight is a dangerous man. The word "gentleman but villain" can be used to praise him. Under that noble appearance, there is a sin as thick as mud.
He said, "What do you want from me? I'm glad to see you."
"Of course there are some issues that require the Bishop's help. I am just a weak detective, and I am in danger all the time in a place like Portland."
Fairlight lowered his eyes and said calmly, "You've been too active in Portland. Many people are targeting you. They are very dangerous. You should pay attention to your own safety."
Rong Le said with a teasing smile: "I thought the most dangerous person in Portland was standing in front of me, Your Excellency the Bishop."
Fairlight smiled slightly as he asked, "I've always been curious about why there are so many pagans in this small town of Portland?"
He kept thinking about this question for the rest of his life. Now that he had an opportunity to obtain intelligence, he naturally couldn't let it go.
"Her Majesty, sending a bishop to this small town is a bit of an overkill. The size and configuration of this church could easily serve an entire city."
"The Truth Society has also attracted quite a few visitors, and even more mysterious beings have arrived. This town is a hodgepodge of good and bad people, unimaginable. I'm very curious, what secrets are hidden here?"
In addition to other small and medium-sized pagan organizations lurking and watching here, people from the University of Michigan and the Collection Museum have also come here. Today, Poland has almost gathered all the top organizations on the continent, which is a very rare phenomenon.
Why can an ordinary small town form such a terrifying siphon effect? According to the rules of mysticism, it can gather so many complex forces. No matter what the reason for these forces to come here, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they are all subconsciously driven.
The more powerful the occult item, the more powerful the law of attraction.
Fairlight: "Your question has touched the core, Rong Le. I can't answer your question."
"Okay." Rong Le shrugged and didn't pursue the matter further.
His relationship with Fairlight is like both enemies and friends, but the latter is more like Fairlight's one-sided attitude. Rong Le is willing to talk to him calmly because he has enough value to use.
He was still concerned about Thor's changes and planned to go back to see how he was doing. After saying a few simple words, he was about to get up and say goodbye.
"Rong Le." Fairlight suddenly called him.
Rong Le turned around and heard him say, "Don't trust anyone here, including your companions."
He frowned slightly: "...Can I trust you, Fair?"
He was obviously doubting Fairlight's words, and perhaps his warning had already made Rong Le feel a little subtly unhappy.
Fairlight lowered his eyes, showing a rare sign of weakness: "I thought we were friends."
This man will still be his future enemy. He is standing in Rong Le's way. His current dormancy is only to better show his fangs in the future. Rong Le will not be fooled by his appearance.
"Be careful Christmas Eve."
Fairlight said so.
Rong Le frowned and said goodbye politely. After walking out of the church, the weather in the town seemed to be gloomy.
The depressing atmosphere in Portland seemed to have infected him as well. The surrounding residents hurried back to their homes along the edge of the road. Although it was approaching Christmas Eve, there was no trace of joy on the streets.
This should be a lively festival.
He quickened his pace and walked towards the hotel. As he moved, there seemed to be sticky and hidden gazes falling on him, but when Rong Le looked over coldly, he found that the residents had shifted their gazes and were no longer looking at him.
So subtle that it's almost disgusting.
Rong Le rushed back to the hotel, and after the reboot, everything returned to normal, including Tina who watched the rain with him and she would not remember anything.
The members of the University of Michigan investigation team who had no tasks stayed in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel for the time being. They gathered together in silence, each doing their own thing.
Tina lowered her eyes and wiped the shiny long sword in her hand, wondering what she was thinking.
They used to get together to laugh and play, and Rong Le didn't think there was anything wrong. However, when they were really quiet, he felt a little uncomfortable.
The relationship between white-haired Rong Le and the team members seems a little strange.
After Rong Le came back, a few people saw him and nodded slightly to him, while the others pretended not to see him.
Rong Le's eyes passed over a few familiar members, and Liu Guangye lowered his head to avoid his sight.
He raised his eyebrows and asked Tina: "How is the child I brought back?"
Tina said calmly, "He doesn't seem to be easy to communicate with. We didn't disturb him too much. He should still be in his room. He hasn't come out yet."
Upon hearing this, Rong Le went upstairs to find Thor. After knocking on the door twice, footsteps were heard in the room. The door was slowly opened, and the boy's face appeared behind the door.
Rong Le put his hands in his pockets and asked, "Have you eaten?"
Thor said obediently, "I ate it."
"Why don't you go out and play with everyone? They'll take you with them."
Thor blinked, thought for a moment, and then replied, "They don't want to play with me, and I don't want to be with them."
The main theme is that they dislike each other.
“…”
Rong Le felt powerless.
He still remembered that his team members liked Thor very much and often teased him. He didn't expect that there would be such a big difference in the new world line.
He considered and said, "I understand. I will come to accompany you more often."
Thor's eyes sparkled as he stared at Rong Le and said, "Really? That's great. I'm very happy, Mr. Rong Le."
Just accompanying Rong Le would still be enough to satisfy her. She didn't expect Thor to be so content. For a completely uncontrollable lunatic like someone with a SAN value of zero, he seemed too well-behaved.
Rong Le patted his head, and the boy's hair felt very soft under her palm.
…
It seems that no matter what you do, you can't change everything. Have you always felt this way?
After a few days, he suddenly understood what Baifa Rongle was thinking.
Rong Le looked at the bloody scene on the street outside the window. For some reason, the eve of Christmas Eve had turned into a carnival for the residents. A group of armed people would hunt down lone humans, as if the human elimination plan had come true.
The door of the hotel was closed and no one was allowed to enter, but as long as they were determined, nothing could stop these people from breaking in.
There was a sudden knock on the door behind me.
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