Crowd Frenzy
"Gun? Trouble."
Ji Liuxing didn't waste time asking where this conclusion came from. He just pulled his hair in annoyance.
"Do you learn about firearms in high school? Things like range and lethality... a brief description is fine."
"No, high schools in any world don't teach this kind of thing. What do you think high schools are? Last time, you asked us if we wanted to learn how to make explosives."
"I've never been there, so of course I don't know... I don't know how to use modern firearms, and I don't understand them at all. Wait for me to ask, and by the way, see who's here now."
According to the Investigator Code, investigators from aristocratic families are prohibited from learning knowledge related to hot weapons. As for the reason, it can only be said that it is for management needs. This group of strange people who have no modern thinking and legal awareness are difficult to manage.
Going deeper, it is impossible for a country to cultivate a group of marginalized people that cannot be checked and balanced. This regulation may be intended to guard against them.
Ji Yunding stood up and first drew the curtains, then sighed.
The rules of ghost stories are twisted, so the more precise and orderly things are, the less usable they are. Therefore, the mobile phones used by investigators are like bricks, with messy circuits and large tolerances, which is why they can barely be used.
However, it can indeed be used as a brick in critical moments, so it cannot be said to be completely without advantages.
As for guns, the consequences of firing a gun are probably that the barrel will explode, the gun will be dud, or the bullet will hit the back of your head and fly everywhere. The probability of success is very small. Therefore, investigators usually do not carry guns.
Speaking of which, Ji Yunding felt a little strange. Although there weren't many people in a building in general - after all, there were many floors and the crowds were relatively scattered, but now there was no one here, which was rare.
Even if no one has any tasks to complete today, at least someone should come over after hearing the alarm.
"What's going on..."
Ji Liuxing looked at his phone and frowned. Ji Yunding walked over to take a look, only to find that many people in the research group group were arguing.
There was nothing happening in Group 1, except that Zheng Nuo sent a message.
——Group enthusiasm is spreading and increasing in intensity, be careful. The leaders of other groups are gathering people away from you to avoid unnecessary risks.
If Ji Yun were to play a battle royale with a few hundred ordinary people, she would definitely be able to stay unharmed for a whole day and night, but if an investigator got involved, she would probably have to fight back.
But now, Ji Yunding can't do anything.
——Yunding, try not to take action while ensuring your own safety. The person in charge of public opinion at the Ghost Story Bureau said that any of your actions now will be over-interpreted or judged, and it is very likely to cause a second wave of backlash.
Even for Ji Yunding, killing all these people would not be that difficult, but the subsequent pressure from the civilized world would be unimaginable, especially when there were monsters manipulating the public's emotions.
Don't respond, don't prove yourself, there is no escape, no end.
Ji Yunding yawned, opened a corner of the curtain and glanced down.
There are so many people. The scattered photos from all directions on the Internet can't tell clearly, but now I see that the downstairs is densely packed with heads.
"The last time I saw such a large crowd was at the high school flag-raising ceremony. From this perspective, several thousand people is indeed a lot."
Ji Yunding lowered the curtain and complained calmly, and opened the refrigerator and took out a box of blueberries.
"Team leader, do you want to eat? You seem a little stressed out by the crowd."
"It's okay... don't worry."
Ji Liuxing took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then returned to normal and walked around the room anxiously.
Ji Yunding thought that the habit of walking back and forth among the investigators with the surname Ji was probably a legacy from when they were locked in a small dark room and played the four-corner game with monsters when they were children - it seemed that as long as they kept walking, they could always think of a way and always be able to get out.
However, compared to the crowd, Ji Yunding was more concerned about the gunshot he had heard and the reason why Ji Liuxing became weird.
In short, it’s better not to go to the rooftop.
Ji Yunding was thinking this when he heard Ji Liuxing put away his phone and sigh.
"Administration said they've sent a helicopter for rescue. We'll go upstairs later."
“Are the people over there reliable?”
"I don't know..." Ji Liuxing pulled his hair again, "But now the school is surrounded by people. This city should not be safe."
"Team leader, stop pulling your hair. It will cause it to fall out. Although you have a lot of hair now, considering that you are a mixed-blood, you should cherish your hair a little."
"…I can even grow my hands back, so I don't think I should have to worry about this."
Ji Liuxing was distracted for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come to think of it, you are quite calm. Do you have the space to spare for thousands of years of memory?"
If he was facing a monster, even if it was thousands of strange and disgusting flesh and blood monsters, Ji Liuxing would not have any reaction, but facing the red-eyed crowd rushing over, he obviously didn't know how to deal with it.
"I don't support the overly optimistic idea that things will work out when the time comes, but being impatient won't help either."
Ji Yunding's tone was still relatively calm. She sat on the sofa and thought.
"What about the rules? However, there is no way to break through this rule. At present, whether it is according to Zheng Nuo's statement or according to the rules, anything I do publicly may make things worse."
"So, if we consider it as an open-ended ghost story, maybe the standard is that you leave this area? And during this period, you cannot be seen by more than a certain number of people."
Ji Liuxing rubbed his temples and continued along the lines of Ji Yunding's words.
"Anyway, by this standard, it's unrealistic to escape in a normal way. Oh, by the way, I was also affected just now."
Ji Yunding was stunned for a moment, stood up with a little caution, and looked at Ji Liuxing, but since he hadn't made a move yet, Ji Yunding just looked at him and waited for what to do next.
"I just had a sudden thought. It seemed that if I killed you, everyone would be safe for a while. Then some of the deaths of people around me flashed through my mind."
Ji Liuxing thought hard for a while, struggling over how to describe it.
"This thought is very natural, just like... the feeling of occasionally thinking about embarrassing things you have done before going to bed. I think this is how to incite group emotions?"
"Since you told me this, does that mean you're not planning to kill me?"
"I'm not sure. I don't know if the impact will get worse. But the fact that this weirdness can affect me is a dangerous signal. So, I'll give you something."
Ji Liuxing took out a remote control device from his pocket and handed it to Ji Yunding.
"Don't just press it. I have a miniature bomb tied to my hand. The remote control in my hand is a simplified version. It will explode if you press it."
"……ah?"
Ji Yunding really didn't know about this. After all, there was very little information about Ji Liuxing left on the tombstone.
"Otherwise, why are the high-ranking officials in the civilized world so tolerant of my various actions - towards a monster who can change the world situation by himself.
However, this is just a means to ensure safety. After all, they know that I am not afraid of death and will not use this to threaten me. In addition, I am valuable enough to make them give in. "
Ji Liuxing took off his gloves. At this time, there were black meridians on his hands that could not be removed. The red marks left by the gloves were no longer visible. There was only something that Ji Yunding thought was a watch.
“You and I are the same kind. We… I’m sorry to call you that, but at least to most humans, we are all monsters in essence. The only difference between us and weird is that we are valuable monsters that can be used.
I don't want you to be like me, even though I'm not dissatisfied with the current situation. I don't know, I can't figure it out, but I don't have time to think about it. "
"But how do I know that what you say is true?"
Ji Yunding frowned and looked at Ji Liuxing. She was not someone who could be persuaded by a few words.
Under the current circumstances, it cannot be ruled out that Ji Liuxing believes that he cannot end the battle with Ji Yunding in a short period of time, or that he is worried that Ji Yunding will escape into another dimension.
"I can't prove it, because I have no way to let you see my thoughts, and I can't even completely guarantee that I won't be further affected later, but I think you should have a way."
Ji Liuxing shook his head, then just stepped back a few steps, raised his hand and smiled.
"The explosion radius is three meters. From now on, I will keep a safe distance of more than three meters from you."
Ji Yunding was silent for a while, put away the remote control, then turned and walked out.
"No matter what the situation is, Captain, how long can our building's defense formation last?"
"About an hour, let's change a few circuits. According to the blood volume... Do you know how to change the circuits now?"
"Yes, come with me and lend me some blood, okay?"
Ji Yun went downstairs and looked at the faintly glowing formation on the ground according to the knowledge he had learned from memory. He squatted down, bit his finger, and used his hand to change a few places.
Ji Liuxing watched from the side, nonchalantly cutting his arm and letting the blood merge into the formation - his self-healing ability was too strong, so he had to stab himself from time to time.
"It's over. There's another person who has higher attainments in formations than me, and he's younger than me. He's going to hurt people."
Ji Liuxing's face was a little pale, but he was still joking and seemed to be in a good mood.
"Team Leader, even though I've asked you many times, I still want to know what your motive is. I have no idea what you're trying to do."
"I don't know, but can't I do what I want if I don't know the reason?"
Ji Liuxing's tone was quite relaxed.
"You are someone who knows what you are doing all the time. I admire you for that. I don't have that kind of courage. For me, it's hard enough to just do what I want to do."
"I don't understand. Let's talk about it later."
Ji Yunding drew the formation and shook his head.
"You don't seem to want to live, but you always do things that make me want you to live."
"I remember you also said in this paragraph that what you want to do has nothing to do with my thoughts."
This conversation was not normal, but the repair work of the formation was finally completed. The half of Ji Liuxing's face that was not wrapped in bandages looked very pale, but he still looked at the circuit modified by Ji Yunding with curiosity.
"Do you think you can last an hour and a half?"
"About an hour and forty minutes, roughly. How long will it take for the helicopter to arrive?"
"It's said to be an hour, but there seems to be a problem over there."
Ji Yunding looked at a group chat where Zheng Nuo was updating the status of his negotiations with the administration. Zheng Nuo's words seemed to be as calm as possible, but he could still see some anxiety.
Unlike small, highly mobile organizations like research groups, just as the larger an animal is, the harder it is to be flexible, when a country wants to do something, even if the top leaders give direct approval, it takes time for that to be communicated - all countries have this problem to a greater or lesser extent.
And when there is a slight dispute, the situation becomes even more troublesome.
Ji Yunding heard a new wave of cheers coming from outside, the sound of blunt objects hitting him, and the sound of footsteps.
“There will be a stampede.”
Ji Yunding muttered to himself,
"Didn't these people have fire drills in middle school and high school? This is very dangerous."
"Fire drill?"
"I forgot you never went to school... It's okay, I'm just talking casually."
While arguing, Ji Yunding set up the defensive formation and sat on the stairs leading to the rooftop, thinking about what to do next.
If nothing unexpected happens, there will be no problem in making it until the helicopter arrives, but the problem is, what happened after we got to the rooftop and where did the gunshots come from.
Or was it that this week was actually different and she was just worrying too much?
As soon as this thought came up, Ji Yunding shook his head and dismissed it. Once the investigator had the thought of "worrying too much", he was not far from death.
"So, what exactly is this strange story I experienced?"
Ji Yunding raised his head, looked at the ceiling, and muttered to himself,
"The logic of this strange story doesn't seem to be much different from reality. If we apply this logic..."
In fact, the real world is a large-scale rule-based weird story. In other words, weird stories are part of the real world.
Ji Yunding suddenly stopped and looked towards the corner. In the corner, there was a tentacle similar to a human limb, with a lifeless fish eye on it, looking towards this side.
What the hell, cut it with a knife.
Ji Yunding pulled out his knife and threw it over, and the thing just disappeared.
At the same time, screams were heard from the crowd outside.
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