Chapter 78 The Strange Man Closes His Eyes
Possessing great power, they consider themselves superhuman and even aspire to become gods on earth, enslaving mortals.
The words spoken by the head at this moment were exactly the ideology of the mountain where Lu You was stationed.
Zhu Shi glanced at Lu Youxun, whose expression remained unchanged, as if the contents of the head had nothing to do with the mountain he was on.
"If it weren't for you hypocritical people of Luoshan, I could kill and invade as I pleased, completely free... If it weren't for you!" The head continued to spout nonsense.
Zhu Shi said with extreme disgust, "You call yourself Superman, but you have to prey on the souls of ordinary people, otherwise you'll go mad and lose control sooner or later. What kind of being are you that transcends humanity? You're clearly a vampire parasite clinging to the collective body of humanity!"
"It's just a different way of saying it. This is the food chain, the predator-prey relationship. Lions and tigers will starve to death if they can't catch their prey, but even so, they are still more arrogant than their prey because they are at the top of the food chain." The head said dismissively, "Besides, isn't this how the world we live in is? It's not just animals that eat animals, humans also eat humans, it's just that the latter eat in a different way, and their eating manners are more 'civilized'."
"You compare yourself to an animal, so at least you have some awareness that you're still living like a primitive animal." Zhu Shi seemed to be challenging her. "The current civilization was built by countless ordinary people you look down on, and the technological conveniences you enjoy in your daily life were also developed by countless ordinary people."
"In comparison, what can you, a guy who calls himself a superman, do? Can you build a civilization all by yourself? Or develop technology all by yourself? You can't do anything."
“Those adorned in silk robes are not the ones who raise silkworms. In the end, the more violent people are considered noble in this world. Don’t you even understand this simple truth?” The head said without wavering. “I used to be the one being eaten, exploited and treated like an animal by my superiors. Now I am more powerful than them. I can eat whomever I want.”
"Judging from the power you displayed earlier, and the descriptions of monster powers in the files, this shouldn't be your first time killing someone," Zhu Shi asked coldly. "Just how many people have you killed before?"
"Not many, less than ten. Those who used to bully me, those who rode on my head and acted arrogantly, those who only knew how to treat me like a sucker... their souls have all become my food." The head revealed a cruel smile.
"So many people have died, yet we haven't received any reports about it... Have you disposed of all the bodies?" Zhu Shi asked.
“That’s right. I’ve sunk all those bodies into the shadow world.” The head answered frankly. “As long as the bodies can’t be found, they can only be considered missing persons for the time being.”
"You cowardly criminal who dares to do something but not admit it..." Zhu Shi seemed to have run out of harsh words, so he could only turn to me and say, "Senior Brother Zhuang, why don't you say something too!"
Ah, me? You want me, a convict who attempted to imprison someone?
I thought for a moment, then took out photos of the murder scene: "So... what about the family of three you killed not long ago? Did you have any grudges against them either?"
The photo shows a middle-aged man whose body was torn apart and brutally murdered, as well as his mother and child who were shot dead not far away.
“I didn’t know them before; they were just prey,” the head said.
"Since they had no grudge against you, why did you kill them?" I asked. "I'm not saying you shouldn't kill innocent people; saying that wouldn't make a difference. It's just that, based on my observation, your strength is probably inferior to Agent Kong's, meaning you haven't reached your limit yet, right? If that's the case, why choose such a high-risk target as a local powerful figure, instead of a homeless person on the street or something?"
The head said in a deep voice, "Because I need to test myself."
“Test?” I asked.
“I am already Superman, yet I still can’t help but feel awe when I see those police officers and high-ranking officials. I know very well why; it’s because of the social norms instilled in me from childhood, and the so-called ‘morality and law’ that bind me. What kind of system is this?” the head said. “I must kill at least one person in power to prove that I am truly capable of transcending the mundane.”
"So it seems your test failed," I said.
He said in a somber tone, "What did you say?"
"You meticulously investigated that family of three beforehand, patiently waiting until the target's wife and child were to leave before taking action, to avoid getting involved with that mother and child, right?" I said, recalling the previous case analysis. "But that mother and child didn't go on their trip as planned, and during the execution phase, you discovered that the entire family of three was..."
"No, you should have assumed at first that only the target was at home. If you had found a family of three together right away, you would probably have waited until the target was alone before making your move, because that's what you did before."
"After brutally killing your target, your ailing mother and child, who were recuperating in their room, appeared before you. Only then did you realize something was wrong, and you immediately killed them... I'm not mistaken, am I? Why did you change your mind at that moment? Was it because they saw your true face?"
My deduction seemed to have hit the mark, but this time the head couldn't answer. Instead, it opened its mouth, revealing a blank expression: "I...don't know."
Upon hearing his answer, Lu Youxun showed a surprised expression.
“Of course it wasn’t because they saw your true form, because you were in your transformed state at the time.” I looked at the head. “But you felt like you were being seen, right?”
"What's going on?" Zhu Shi asked, puzzled.
I've considered things from the perspective of this criminal.
Let's say I'm this weirdo. I want to kill my prey, but I don't want to get involved with their family. However, I change my mind at the last minute. What would be my reason in this situation? It's not because the other party wants revenge, as their revenge is insignificant to me. It's also not because my true face has been seen, because not only my face, but even my body has been deformed.
However, before the rational judgment that "there is no need to worry about the true face being exposed," what will first come to mind will definitely be more direct emotions.
He had brutally murdered a wife's husband and a child's father; and then, unexpectedly, the other man's wife and child appeared before him.
Their bewildered, fearful, and hateful eyes reflected their own bloody and terrifying figures.
What would he think about and what would he do in such a situation?
The truth may not be so complicated.
"You don't have time to think about why you have to kill them, your body just moves first... Is that right?"
"I..." The blankness in his head deepened, and gradually turned into pain.
Unlike Zhu Shi, I don't really want to condemn him from a moral and legal perspective, because I myself lack respect for morality and the law. It's just that I generally don't flaunt this to others. I think people who constantly talk about their lack of respect for morality and the law are somewhat rebellious and immature.
Even if it's rebellious immaturity, if a person understands the karmic consequences of their actions and can fully accept them, then they can do whatever they want. Saving, killing, helping, violating—anything is permissible. They can even recklessly venture into a cave of no return. If they can laugh heartily until their death, that too can be considered a kind of exhilarating experience.
However, I think he doesn't seem to be the one who will have the last laugh.
He can't be a good person, and most likely he can't be a completely evil person either.
He was probably just an ordinary person whom he looked down upon.
Do you regret it?
I really want to know his answer.
"..."
His head clenched its eyes in pain and even trembled, but it still did not give any answer, only remaining silent.
A moment later, he fell from the sky and crashed to the ground.
Lu Youxun picked up the head from the ground.
After observing him repeatedly, he said, "His time has come; he is completely dead."
Upon hearing this, I felt a sense of disinterest.
"Although I don't know what you were saying, Zhuang Cheng, it seems you managed to talk him out of it?" Zhu Shi still seemed a little confused, but she was still happy. "Well, seeing how upset he was just now, it's good that you vented your anger!"
Lu Youxun looked at me and sighed, "Although your reasoning about his crime involved a lot of assumptions, I didn't expect you to actually hit the nail on the head. Perhaps that's a talent. Maybe you have the potential to become a criminal... I mean, a detective."
You just mentioned criminals, right?
“Well then, I’ll take this head back with me. He said he’s met with another strange person, and I want to see if I can use this head to divine the locations where they met, as well as the other strange person’s possible future activity routes.” He continued, “However… this task might encounter some obstacles.”
"Is there a problem?" Zhu Shi asked with concern.
“We found this place through divination, following a series of past murders of local dignitaries. The strange man should have only killed that one family of three; the real culprit was another strange man,” Lu Youxun said. “So, from a causal point of view, the person divination revealed should also be another strange man. But the result was not so.”
"The other strange person likely possesses the power to hinder divination. Even if I were to be able to divine it, it would probably take quite a while. Tonight is probably out of the question."
"Is tomorrow okay?" Zhu Shi asked.
"I will let you know when the results are out," Lu Youxun said. "You can all go home tonight."
“Alright…then you guys go back first.” Zhu Shi could only nod. “I need to stay here and do some things.”
"What are you going to do?" I asked curiously.
"It's just some stuff," Zhu Shimian said, trying to get away with it, but then seemed to realize something. "No, Lu Chan, you have to stay too. You can only leave after Zhuang Cheng has gone far away."
"Why is that?" Lu Youxun asked curiously.
Zhu Shizhen said in a deep voice, "Of course, it's to prevent the two of you from spending time together in private!"
(End of this chapter)
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