Chapter 22 Friends

The next morning.

"Now that you're awake, open your eyes." An Lai, who was standing beside the bed and looked tired with dark circles under his eyes, said to He Jingtong, who was lying on the bed with his breathing disordered for a moment.

An Lai didn't wait for He Jingtong to open his eyes. He just said to himself, "To be honest, we haven't known each other for more than three days and 72 hours. Do you have to trust someone like me who you don't know very well?"

As soon as the words fell, the person on the bed opened his eyes with a slightly confused look.

An Lai looked at the mist in He Jingtong's eyes and sighed in his heart, but he said expressionlessly, "Don't say anything. You don't trust me. Otherwise, how could you run to death in a playground where no one was passing by?"

"Aren't you just expecting me to find you unconscious and send you to the hospital for treatment?" An Lai took the initiative to step down to He Jingtong.

He looked both ordinary and credible.

But in fact, the subtext of this statement is that you can't really want to die on the playground.

The young man sitting on the hospital bed closed his eyes again. An Lai pretended not to see it and shook the controller of the hospital bed, raising the bed board behind He Jingtong's back, changing him from lying flat to sitting up half-leaning.

"Speak? If you didn't trust me, how dare you go crazy in the middle of the night?" An Lai looked at He Jingtong who still had his eyes closed, and raised his voice a little. I gave him a chance to avoid it.

"……sorry."

He Jingtong kept his head down while talking, so An Lai couldn't see the light in his eyes. But An Lai saw a trace of decadence from He Jingtong, who was wearing a hospital gown, which was not supposed to be a sign of youth.

An Lai had actually seen the scene where He Jingtong was fighting against a ghost in the hospital.

All kinds of intelligence on campus will be filed with him as a backup.

In the video at that time, when faced with that invisible supernatural monster, He Jingtong did not show a collapse of his worldview, but instead took action with a confrontational attitude.

The young people's bloodiness, bravery, and even ferocity are all obvious at a glance.

But what about now?

Dejection and depression, these negative emotions surrounded He Jingtong like a spider web.

An Lai felt that he should be upset about this.

He has always been hypocritical and can't stand those who indulge in depravity. Although he can play games all night in the office when he is sad and depressed, he just doesn't want to see He Jingtong continue like this.

"What's there to be sorry about?" The man in the wrinkled Tang suit stood up directly.

The overly fast movement caused the chair he was sitting on to slide back a distance. A harsh sound rang out in the infirmary. An Lai took two steps, his legs almost touching the edge of the bed. At the same time, he stretched out his hand with a slightly stiff movement.

The warmth of the palm was not placed on He Jingtong's head, but was placed intimately on his forehead.

Confirming that his body temperature was normal, An Lai continued in a hoarse voice, "Is it people like me who should feel sorry? Adults are the ones who should stand in the front to resist danger, but the reality is that I am the one who sits in the back, leaving you, a child, to face life and death in the front..."

"That's not the same thing at all." He Jingtong raised his head, the lines on his palms covered his eyes, and the dim world made him blurt out his thoughts uncontrollably, "I may know better than you why you are restricted in school."

"You were confined to the school because you had no choice. Even Cui Tong chose to stay in the school to prevent the same incident as yours from happening to the new generation of students? You stayed in the school just to help future students better adapt to the spirit world, right?"

As he finished speaking, An Lai covered He Jingtong's eyes tightly. The trembling of the boy's eyelashes and the touch of his eyeballs moved An Lai's heart slightly, and his tone softened a lot: "Isn't this a good excuse?"

"You know that we stayed in school for various reasons, so why don't you know that you killed Jiang Nan because you had no other choice due to the reality?" An Lai really wanted to scold He Jingtong for being so stubborn.

But he still couldn't say it.

The time he and He Jingtong spent together was really short, so short that it shouldn't be so easy for him to see the character traits of a child so clearly.

But the fact is that An Lai couldn't even bear to reprimand a child who hated him.

An Lai released his hand, looked into He Jingtong's eyes, and said seriously, "Indeed, my ability to awaken is program-oriented, a modern ability, but this does not mean that I, whose ability is program-oriented, will not look up the prophets who appeared in history."

Those deeds were enough for An Lai to refer to and explain He Jingtong's actions.

"You chose to kill Jiang Nan at that time, not just because Jiang Nan didn't want to become a monster, right?" An Lai carefully observed all the changes in He Jingtong's expression. The distance was too close, and the boy's pupils contracted clearly, and everything was clear at a glance.

"Do you need me to tell you the customer flow of that mall that day?"

When An Lai was watching over He Jingtong at night, he was not doing nothing.

"1,862 people, 1,862 people were in life-threatening danger without knowing it. The cinema's surveillance was indeed problematic. No matter how I hacked in, I couldn't retrieve the data. But according to what you said, Jiang Nan personally told you that he would self-destruct once he became a complete spirit. That should explain it, right?" "You saved more than 1,000 people." An Lai held He Jingtong's shoulders with both hands. The man standing next to the bed was not very strong either. He never took off his handcuffs. But at this time, he said without hesitation, "So, what basis do you have to hate a guy who saved 1,862 people and should have been thanked by 1,862 people?"

"Don't you think you've gone too far?" An Lai loosened his hand and sat back on the stool, waiting quietly for He Jingtong to digest his words, waiting for him to regain his youthful spirit.

No matter how much he said that He Jingtong was crazy, An Lai would never think that the boy who dared to confront the ghost when he couldn't see it would be someone who couldn't get out of the shadow and the trough.

He should force the sun to come over, and then let the entire sun shine on the valley where he is, and tell everyone outside the valley loudly that I have never stood in the valley, but you are the ones who always stand in the shadows.

.

"Actually, there are 106 people." He Jingtong finally said.

But he did not bow his head, but spoke in a calm manner.

"I don't know any of those 106 people, but I can't let Jiang Nan become a complete spirit." He Jingtong clenched the white quilt covering his body with both hands.

But he still looked up at An Lai and said, "I killed him with this hand."

He Jingtong raised his trembling right hand.

"I can still recall the feeling of the force blasting out from my fingertips."

"And then... he died. He never saw the sun again."

He Jingtong's tone was too harsh, but even so, An Lai did not choose to interrupt.

"When he fell, his whole body was like a firefly in a bottle. The lid was opened and it scattered everywhere."

"But, in the end, he disappeared completely with a smile on his face."

"I don't know why he was smiling, was it to comfort me not to be sad about his death, or because he didn't regret his death... I have thought about it and tried to give an explanation, but no matter what, I can't figure it out."

"No one would think about how to die without regrets at an age when they should be looking forward to the future without any worries, right?"

He Jingtong still looked at An Lai.

An Lai could only see calmness in his eyes, not the fragility that was trying to gain approval.

"I can't understand him," said He Jingtong.

An Lai finally couldn't help but speak up: "But you don't have to understand him."

It’s not that it’s incomprehensible, but if the price of understanding the death of Jiang Nan is to drive He Jingtong crazy, then An Lai will always hope that the living are safe and healthy.

"Yes, that's right." He Jingtong loosened his hands that were tightly holding the quilt. He raised his head and looked towards the ceiling.

Like a voice that penetrated the cracks in the sand, "So what I have to do is not to understand Jiang Nan, but to send Fu Zexun and all those filthy people behind him to see Jiang Nan."

He Jingtong's head, which had been raised high, fell straight down. An Lai looked at those eyes that had regained their light and could not help but be dazed.

After a long while, he finally laughed out loud at an inappropriate time: "Ha——!"

But the expression that suddenly appeared also disappeared suddenly. An Lai looked at He Jingtong with sharp eyes: "So what are you going to do?"

In this school, perhaps everyone is a wolf, and everyone has the potential to become a companion.

"Become stronger, and disrupt Fu Zexun's next action plan." He Jingtong walked down from the hospital bed.

Dressed in a hospital gown, he walked to the water dispenser, took out a disposable paper cup from the small square at the bottom, filled it with water from the cold water outlet, and drank it all in one gulp.

Throwing the paper cup into the trash can beside him, He Jingtong turned around and looked at An Lai who was facing him sideways.

"Fate will not favor me. It will only repeatedly show those who spy on him that your resistance is not worth mentioning."

"Disrupting Fu Zexun's plan is only a mid-level strategy. What I really want to do is to prevent his plan from coming into being."

He Jingtong sat back on the bed and pulled the quilt over himself before continuing, "Just like the next incident."

"Fu Zexun was involved in the incident, which led to the 'Elite Academy General Science Student Alienation Incident'."

That is not something that will appear in the fourth chapter of the comic, but that matter can already be planned from now on.

After the Jiang Nan incident, the psychic department will inevitably strengthen the security protection of students. In the short term, Fu Zexun cannot continue to attack students in the psychic department, so his new target is the students in the ordinary department.

"An ordinary science student was eventually successfully alienated by him, and was even manipulated by Fu Zexun to influence the student's parents..."

The current college situation is like a pound of white sesame seeds mixed with half a pound of black sesame seeds. The flaws do not outweigh the merits.

But once that student is transformed into a spirit, Fu Zexun will indirectly control too many resources and interests through the student's own personal connections and family ties.

At this time, not every student and parent knows about the [Longevity Plan].

Secondly, the previous multiple-angle observations of Fu Zexun going crazy also indirectly showed that he might not still use the carrot of immortality to seduce those rich and powerful donkeys.

Although the channel of interests is solid, the relationship is also fragile, so fragile that partners can easily hide key information.

Otherwise, how could Fu Zexun learn about the experiment of artificially creating spiritual masters when the experiment of transforming alien spirits had already been basically successful?

The bridge built through interest cooperation can no longer gain Fu Zexun's trust.

Therefore, his control/desire and domination/desire will be greatly enhanced.

…

In the picture displayed by the multi-view function, Fu Zexun was currently searching for a suitable experimental subject in the school's student archives.

His fingertips slid across various files, and his nails were covered with pits and grooves, all of which were marks left by the bites caused by raging emotions.

The man's gloomy expression was clearly visible in the dim archive room, until Fu Zexun, just like in the comics, picked the same name as expected.

Looking at the young boy with a bright smile in the photo, Fu Zexun uncontrollably put his thumb into his mouth again...

This time, the slightly neurotic bite not only injured the nail, but also left a bloody mark on the thumb.

The blood flowed and stained the gaps between the fingers. The excess red blood also dripped from the fingertips, creating a blood flower on the one-inch photo on the file.

In the photo covered in red, the child has a similar face shape and the same bright eyes as He Jingtong.

In the dim light, Fu Zexun, with bloodshot eyes, said word by word: "Found it..."

…

"It's not that difficult to save the child before something happens, but what about after you save the child? What will you do? Besides, in your opinion, saving the child is not the most important thing."

Almost as soon as He Jingtong mentioned the general affairs incident, An Lai instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

At that time, He Jingtong was sitting on the hospital bed with his legs slightly bent. When the quilt bulged, he also said: "I need to let the event that was led by Fu Zexun be controlled by me instead."

"Do you want to expose Fu Zexun's true identity?" After An Lai asked this question, he had the answer in his mind, so he said, "It's not a bad idea to do this. Only with solid evidence can we expel him from the academy quickly and accurately."

The venomous snakes have been living in their own territory, and it's not just a matter of keeping people awake at night.

"No." He Jingtong shook his head. Seeing An Lai's puzzled expression, he said, "You ignore the fact that the school may not be able to control Fu Zexun."

"We already know that someone in the school wants to live forever and provided Fu Zexun with the convenience to take Jiang Nan away."

"On the other hand, even if Fu Zexun is exposed, he will not die on the spot. Because no matter whether it is those people or people inside the academy..."

"There must be people who believe that he didn't do those things."

After He Jingtong finished speaking, he laughed without any emotion.

As far as students know this, An Lai knows it better than He Jingtong. Why does no one believe it?

Even for himself, if the prophet had not self-destructed on the spot, An Lai would never have believed that his best friend would be the kind of person who secretly stirred up chaos and created disasters.

Fu Zexun's appearance is enough to give people a good first impression.

Secondly, he is a person who is extremely good at winning other people's favor through details.

He Jingtong knew this, probably only from the perspective of prophecy, but in fact, only An Lai knew how terrifying Fu Zexun was when he gained the favor of others.

You may have surrendered your trust without realizing it while speaking.

It is also possible that when he knew nothing, he had already determined that Fu Zexun was someone he could rely on.

Fu Zexun's official identity is not only a teacher of the first-year paranormal department, but also a school doctor.

Last night, An Lai directly told Cui Tong that there would be no school doctor on duty during the summer vacation, which also misled Cui Tong's thoughts.

So as to avoid reminding him that Fu Zexun also has the identity of a nominal school doctor.

Otherwise, who can guarantee that Cui Tong, who knows nothing about the actual situation, will not call Fu Zexun over?

That's not the way a sheep walks into a tiger's mouth.

With the dual identities of a doctor and a teacher, coupled with Fu Zexun's own "personal charm" and external image, it would be impossible for a large number of students in the school to immediately believe someone else's suggestion that Fu Zexun was a bad guy and a cruel and vicious human experimenter.

Those bystanders who don't know the truth will only believe how terrible the guy they trust is if they see it with their own eyes.

However, the prophet must never reveal his identity.

Otherwise, who can guarantee that while Fu Zexun still has the image of a good person, he will not suddenly capture He Jingtong and bring him to the laboratory like Jiang Nan who was taken away before.

When someone asks him why the transfer student is missing, he will probably just tilt his head and tell the questioner in a worried tone: "Things are chaotic recently, you must protect yourself."

An Lai didn't want to see that kind of scene at all.

In the end, he just exhaled deeply and said, "I understand. I will act according to your idea."

He Jingtong nodded silently.

About three minutes passed, and the depressing atmosphere eased a little with the passage of time. When He Jingtong opened his mouth to ask An Lai, "Do you want to take a break?", a series of footsteps were heard outside the door of the school infirmary.

When there was a knock on the door, An Lai, who had been relieved by He Jingtong's words, suddenly became frosty again. After three knocks on the door, Cui Tong walked in with a bad look on his face, followed by several people in pure black uniforms.

Perhaps the only noticeable thing about those people is the badge hanging on their chest.

It was a silver symbol that looked a bit like a crooked N.

As soon as An Lai saw the people, he stood up from his stool and the first thing he said was, "Let's talk outside."

But faster than him was the first one to subdue the man.

Before An Lai opened his mouth, the man had already explained: "According to the ability restriction contract, S-level spiritualist An Lai voluntarily stayed in the second office on the third floor of the eighth building of the Elite Academy's Parapsychology Department ten years ago. He was not allowed to go out without permission from the higher-ups. However, the investigation showed that An Lai, who was under the ability restriction contract, had left the office without permission at 21:40 last night and went to the playground inside the Elite Academy campus."

"He has not returned to the second office on the third floor of the eighth floor of the Paranormal Department since then. It is now 10:42 am the next day, and the total time he has violated the contract is 13 hours and 2 minutes."

"The upper level punishment is as follows: Send a specialist to supervise the ability restriction contract for three months. At the same time, the relevant spiritual abilities of the ability restriction contract will also be blocked for one month. The ability blocking time can be reduced or extended depending on performance..."

"That's all." After the man in the pure black uniform finished what he wanted to say, he was like a wooden stake, just staring quietly at An Lai, who had an ugly expression on his face.

The latter did not react to the punishment. Instead, his body became stiff and he did not dare to turn his head to look at He Jingtong who was sitting on the hospital bed.

No need to think about it, right?

Rather than getting rid of the shadow of killing Jiang Nan, in fact, in An Lai's view, He Jingtong is just trying to maintain normality from another abnormal perspective.

But if his life, which was already restricted, was once again locked up because of the so-called punishment... then An Lai really couldn't believe that He Jingtong could convince him this time.

“…”

There was silence.

Cui Tong said to the uniformed men with a smile, "Isn't this punishment a bit too severe? An Lai just left his office and didn't use his ability to do anything he shouldn't have done. He just left his office in a hurry to send the student to the hospital because he found out something was wrong."

"But as far as I know, you didn't get off work on time last night." The man in uniform was well aware of Cui Tong's habit of working overtime every now and then.

Cui Tong had not yet gotten off work at that time. After An Lai discovered the situation, he did not need to take any action on his own. He just needed to notify Cui Tong and ask him to help.

"Besides, the relevant punishment is also handled according to the contract requirements. The contract clearly states that as long as you leave the office, it will be considered a breach of contract." The uniformed man is not completely unkind: "You also know that the contract itself is made by a spiritualist with the power of restraint. If An Lai does not accept the corresponding punishment, he will only face more severe random sanctions."

The abilities of psychics are varied and bizarre, and the power gained after the soul awakens tends to be more like sci-fi supernatural powers than metaphysics.

At least judging from the phenomenon of random sanctions after the contract is signed, the so-called random sanctions will essentially be a punishment far greater than the weight of the contract.

It is not impossible to die randomly on the spot.

"It's no big deal." An Lai said with a grim expression, speaking to himself and He Jingtong, "Besides, having someone to sit in the office with me won't make me look too lonely."

"As for the restricted ability... I haven't used it in many years. It doesn't make any difference whether I have it or not."

But no matter how he explained it, An Lai didn't have the courage to turn around and look at He Jingtong.

What?

He Jingtong originally wanted to help the students but in fact he didn't help much. In the end, he decided to let it go.

But when he finally came to his senses, another huge rock hit him again...

An Lai actually hoped that He Jingtong would blame him, but that was simply impossible.

However, no matter how difficult it was to face He Jingtong, he still raised the corner of his mouth and turned around to tell the stiff boy on the bed word by word: "If there is anything, send me a message."

If He Jingtong, who was sitting on the hospital bed, had a body as stiff as a corpse, then An Lai, who seemed to be able to move freely, was actually like an old machine, with a feeling of lag every time he moved.

"We should go." The uniformed man was sure that An Lai had no intention of violating the terms of the contract, so his originally straightforward tone softened.

An Lai looked at He Jingtong's facial expression twitching several times, and the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them.

Comfort is the most useless thing at this time.

In the end, An Lai just said, "Let me help you contact Qi Xueyi and Jian Zirui."

Then the group walked out of the school clinic.

When the uniformed men led the people out of the infirmary, one of them

I also felt the strange atmosphere, so I said in a soothing tone: "Mr. An, you really don't need to worry too much. The one who is supervising you not to run around this time is your old friend."

"——Fu Zexun."!