Chapter 67 Lu Chan's Travels 2
Perhaps it's because I feel guilty, but whenever someone asks me about my morning routine, I always feel like they're trying to probe me.
Lu Youxun's gaze was fixed on my face. This focused posture could be described as both a polite expression of respect and a form of scrutiny.
Why did he ask me such a question? Did this investigator, who is skilled at investigating things, discover something from me? I couldn't stop my wild thoughts.
"What aspect of opinion are you asking about?" I threw the question back at him.
“Since you’ve fought Kongda, you should know very well that these strange people possess the ability to teleport using shadows as a medium,” he said. “Coincidentally, this girl named Asahi, suffering from amnesia, likely disappeared from the hospital using this teleportation method. And now, during our investigation of the strange people, she has reappeared in our field of vision…”
"You suspect she's a weirdo?"
"This possibility cannot be ruled out."
After careful consideration, I gave my answer: "I think the possibility is very low."
"Why is that?" he asked curiously.
“I’ve actually fought these weirdos, and I know their destructive power all too well. They can throw streetlights like javelins, and manipulate shadows to attack enemies from a distance. To them, even real guns and ammunition are just toys,” I said. “Yet this girl with amnesia infiltrated the police department specifically to steal guns and ammunition. Would a real weirdo do something like that?”
“That makes sense,” he admitted. “But she must be inextricably linked to the strange incident, don’t you think so too?”
"Yes." I couldn't deny it.
"If you come into contact with the girl suffering from amnesia on the front lines, or obtain any clues related to her, I hope you can share them with me." He humbly made the request. "To be honest, I am on the mission of finding the girl suffering from amnesia. If you help me, I will do my best to repay this favor in the future."
It seems that in the search for Ma Zao, Lu Youxun was not the decision-maker of his mountain stronghold, but rather the executor.
I didn't answer immediately, but glanced at Zhu Shi first. The latter replied expressionlessly, "Okay."
That was a completely insincere agreement; I doubt Zhu Shi ever intended to help. But I felt the same way, so I replied, "Me too."
"Let's get back to the case," Lu Youxun said, sensing the awkward atmosphere. "I need to use divination to track the killer's movements, and to improve the accuracy of the divination, I'll need your thoughts on the case. Could you share your opinions?"
Perhaps worried that I wouldn't understand, Zhu Shi added from the side: "Lu Chan's divination techniques are essentially based on predictions and deductions from his own perspective. However, if you only have your own perspective, it's easy to become one-sided, so you need other people's perspectives to supplement your divination."
"Also, I have a question now." She then looked at Lu Youxun. "According to my memory, although the murderer targeted local dignitaries, he never involved anyone outside the target group or their family. Why did he suddenly change his ways this time?"
She pointed to the indoor scene photo of the middle-aged man, his wife, and son being murdered together, the three of them dying with their eyes wide open in disbelief.
This is the first time I've ever heard of something like this. Looking at it this way, the murder scene is indeed quite strange.
“This seems to be an accident,” Lu Youxun provided his information. “The mother and son who were murdered had originally planned to go on a trip on this day, but the trip was canceled at the last minute because the mother had a fever.”
"Then the murderer, mistakenly believing the target was home alone, broke in..." I thought, "If this direction is correct, the murderer is a friend or relative who knew about the mother and child's travel plans?"
“Not necessarily. My mother has a habit of posting her recent schedule online. Even with people she’s not that close to, it’s still possible to find out if you investigate carefully,” Lu Youxun shook his head.
“Since the murderer investigated so diligently, it means he really didn’t want to get involved with that mother and child. If that’s the case, why did he still kill them at the last minute?” Zhu Shi asked curiously. “It couldn’t be because they saw his true face, could it? After the monster transforms, it wears a mask, and you can’t even see its original physical characteristics. There’s no need for him to kill them to cover it up.”
Lu Youxun looked at the photo thoughtfully.
"Has the killer's motive been figured out yet?" I changed the direction of my question.
“That’s quite clear,” Lu Youxun explained patiently. “Luoshan has tried to capture strange beings in the past. And these strange beings seem to have a self-destruct mechanism; whenever we capture them, they self-destruct. This process seems to be beyond their control.”
"However, through the study of the remains, we still managed to figure out the monsters' motives for killing. They were able to devour the souls of their targets by killing them and permanently convert them into their own power. This is what is known as the ability to kill and refine souls."
"The more souls they devour, or the higher their quality, the greater the power they gain. If they devour the souls of demon hunters, it will help them advance by leaps and bounds."
Murder to devour souls? Was the reason Detective Kong attacked me in the past also because he wanted to devour my soul?
I thought for a moment, then asked, "If that's the case, why is the strange person we're tracking targeting the powerful and wealthy in Saltwater City? Wouldn't it be less risky to target ordinary citizens?"
“This is also the direction we are investigating. I even suspected that this strange man might be some kind of ‘civilian anti-corruption hero,’ but among the powerful figures he murdered were officials who were both reputable and incorruptible. It was this victim whose wife and son were implicated.” Lu Youxun pointed helplessly to the photo, “Before leaving, the murderer also took the few valuables and cash that remained in the house, and there were also records of valuables being stolen in previous cases. Perhaps the murderer’s motive included the desire for money.”
"Killing an entire family for money, what a wicked person—" Zhu Shi revealed intense anger, then tried to calm himself down before suddenly asking me, "Zhuang Cheng, what do you think?"
Why are you asking me what I think?
However, I do understand why she suddenly asked that question.
She is a person with a firm moral stance, and she also cares about the moral stance of those around her. Perhaps because I once told her my honest opinion that superpowered people are superior to ordinary people, she now pays special attention to my feelings about evildoers.
However, this might disappoint her, because I am someone who would do evil for my own selfish desires, and I almost imprisoned a minor. The reason I say "almost" is not because I had a change of heart at the last moment, but because the girl ran away on her own.
Therefore, it is difficult for me to say that I have drawn a clear line between myself and evil people.
Of course, if you ask me if I hate sex offenders, I definitely do. I can't stand petty thieves either, and I can't accept criminals who break into homes to rob or even kill for money. But I hate these people not so much because they are evil, but because their motives are generally ugly and weak.
On this point, I don't believe it's a unique thought that only I would have. I believe many people have been drawn to villainous characters in fantasy stories who possess powerful minds and bodies—whether they have unique aesthetics, unwavering resolve, or radiant ideals. Some might criticize, saying, "Only immature people are attracted to such fictional villains," and I can't deny that, because I do have a naive side.
Therefore, if the motivation is based on seeking the truth, evil is not unacceptable to me.
Actually, I understand this very well. From other people's perspectives, whether it's the so-called "motive of seeking enlightenment" or the vulgar desires of greed and lust, it's essentially "selfish desire," and the resulting actions are undoubtedly evil. Objectively speaking, I'm probably no different from that strange person who committed the crime. If there has to be a difference, it's that he completed the crime, while I only attempted it.
The reason I like to portray myself as a good person and occasionally step in to help those in need isn't because I have an abundance of conscience, but because I want to be friends with good people. I absolutely don't mean to imply that "good people are easy to bully." After all, I must admit that being friends with good people is definitely more comfortable than being friends with bad people.
I pondered the differences between myself and that strange man, and the indistinguishability between them.
As I pondered this, I suddenly felt a strong urge to meet that strange man. I wanted to ask him about his motivations for committing evil deeds, and to understand his thought process.
"Zhuang Cheng?" Zhu Shi called me again.
“Let’s hurry up and take down that weirdo before the next victim appears,” I said.
"Huh? Yes!" She nodded vigorously.
Next, Zhu Shi and I discussed the matter with Lu Youxun for a while. Lu Youxun seemed to think that we had absorbed enough of the other people's opinions, so he called us to stop and began the divination process.
Although it was described as a divination exercise, he didn't actually take out a compass or any other props. He simply raised his hands and moved his fingers incessantly, as if calculating numbers. This seems to be a form of palm divination. The human palm has many lines and joints, which the ancients believed contained a person's destiny and could be used to calculate the future. The phrase "calculating with fingers" mentioned in some books originates from this.
A few minutes later, he stopped the calculation, nodded, and said to us, "I've figured it out. I'll transmit the result into your consciousness now."
What does it mean to be transmitted into our consciousness?
Before I could even think it through, I saw him extend both hands, as if to shake hands with us. Zhu Shida generously extended his hand and shook hands with him. I then followed suit and shook hands with Lu Youxun.
In my mind, this should be some kind of method that can directly transmit information into consciousness, and I am very interested in it.
However, after I came into contact with Lu Youxun, I didn't feel anything.
Instead, he suddenly let out a strange cry, as if he had accidentally touched a flame, and quickly pulled his hand away, falling off the chair.
Then he trembled all over, looking at me with extreme fear, as if he had seen some terrifying thing.
(End of this chapter)
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