The powerful tentacles of the Parasitic Hydra suddenly tensed and then went limp. The massive, semi-transparent body, like a melting jellyfish, covered Chay's corpse. It was indeed dissolving, transforming from a combined octopus-jellyfish organism into a viscous gelatinous liquid.
Parasitic Hydra can only survive for a short while after leaving its host, it is powerful yet fragile, and has low intelligence. Chay is the next host it has chosen, and when it fails to parasitize Chay, it also loses its life.
Ming is speaking intermittently on the communication channel. He fell from the sky but did not die, however, he is trapped inside the police car.
Lila saw Xue and Liu rushing towards the spot where the police car had crashed, trying to rescue Ming who was trapped inside. The bulletproof glass of the police car was shattered, and the car door was tilted.
Xue kicked open the car door, and he and Liu worked together to drag Ming out.
Luckily there was rain, so the police car didn't burn that fiercely.
"Great job, Lila!" Lan praised her loudly, patting her on the shoulder, "Let's pack up the equipment and go meet the captain. The police car broke down, but the backup team will be here soon. We..."
He suddenly fell silent.
Because he saw that Lila's hand holding the gun was trembling slightly, and she had been rigidly maintaining this posture since firing the gun.
"Are you alright, Lila?" Lan asked, gently holding Lila's shoulders to help her stand up.
"I... I'm fine." Lila gripped the barrel of the K80 gun tightly, using it as a crutch to support her body as she stood. She had been aiming and firing the gun for a long time, and her legs had gone numb.
This killing feels different from the last time I killed two robbers.
Last time she was unconscious, before she could react, the two people were already dead, and she was shrouded in a sense of unreality from beginning to end. This time is different, this time she took the initiative to open fire, she fired the fatal bullet, watching it hit Chay's head.
Lan said understandingly: "Don't feel burdened, Lila. Chay brutally murdered his wife and children before his arrest, he deserved to pay with his life, but our laws..." He patted Lila's shoulder, as if hoping to convey courage and strength through this action, "He got what he deserved, you rid the people of a menace. Moreover, the Parasitic Hydra had entangled him, he had no chance of surviving anyway."
This is the most important point, Lila cannot help but pay attention to it.
This "Chay" is not that "Chay".
The criminal Chay was replaced by the player Chay, the soul residing within the criminal's body is a soulless one, Chay is not an NPC of the Second World, he is Lila's kind. Lan's words did not bring comfort to Lila.
She silently carried the K80 down the steps of the signal tower: "Let's meet up with the captain."
The mission is over, Chay is dead, and the unexpected crisis of the Parasitic Hydra has been resolved. Once the backup security personnel arrive, they can return to the headquarters.
Lila took off her helmet, the heavy rain soaking her through. She looked up at the overcast sky and let out a heavy sigh.
She started to hate rainy days, this was her third day in Heihai City, it had been raining for three days there.
"What's with that Xenobiotics?" Lila asked Lan.
"Clearing them is the job of the emergency response team, you're still an intern security guard, you shouldn't know too much about it." Lan said, "When you become a formal employee, you'll learn more about Xenobiotics. That day is not far away, you've made a contribution through this operation, and the captain will help you apply for a formal position. The main work of our Investigation Department is to maintain public order in the city, clearing out aliens is not a common occurrence, after all, they are quite rare."
Lila said: "You say they should not appear in the city, but should be on the coast..."
"Well, the Parasitic Hydra cannot survive without water. I guess it's because of the increased rainy weather, causing seawater backflow, that gave the Parasitic Hydra the opportunity to come ashore." Lan furrowed his brow in contemplation.
Lila decided to ask directly, "I've never heard of Xenobiotics before, how are they produced?"
"I don't know either." Lan shook his head, "It was an accident that you encountered Xenobiotics this time. You are a newcomer, you shouldn't face these directly, the visual impact of that thing is too strong.....it's really disgusting, right?"
"It's quite disgusting." Lila felt a bit nauseated when she recalled the scene of the tentacles going wild before she exited the shooting state.
Generally, Adam will track down their traces in time, and the emergency team will then take the stage to clean them up. Lan said, "Sometimes the emergency team doesn't move out for a month, and sometimes several times a week..."
"Do the members of the emergency team have to face such dangers every time they carry out a mission?" Lila asked.
"Not every time," Lan explained, "the emergency response team members are not fixed, there are situations where members are drawn from other teams to form a temporary squad, like me..."
"Alright, Lan." Xue interrupted on the communication channel, "Wait until Lila becomes an official member, then you can fulfill your role as a senior and explain things to her, okay?"
"Go on! I'm sorry, I accidentally said too much. Lila, please pretend you didn't hear that." Lan said with a smile, "Some content needs to be kept confidential."
"I understand." Lila said.
She seems to have gained Lan's trust. Fighting side by side can indeed rapidly advance a friendship.
"Our people are here." Xue said, "Let the police car come to us, Ming needs treatment."
Adam said: "The instructions have been conveyed, Xue."
Ming was seriously injured, with a broken right arm and severe burns on his thigh. As he got into the car, the pain made him break out in cold sweat: "I need to get a mechanical arm for myself, so I won't have to worry about this in the future."
Broken.
"I think it's okay." Lan leaned in and sat inside the car, "I heard that Lila has changed to an iron head, envious, regular bullets can't even penetrate it, right?"
"Then you also change one? Dr. Huang's surgery was well done, and there is no difference in using my skull compared to the original one." Lila glanced at him.
"Once I've used up the original version, I'll go switch to a metal version."
The police car takes to the sky, Lila sits in the last row, K80 laid flat on her lap, and even through the bulletproof combat suit, she can feel the cold temperature and the heavy, solid touch of the gun.
"How do you feel, Lila?" Liu of the Silent Declaration initiated a conversation with Lila.
"Not very good." Lila said honestly.
"Normal." Liu said calmly, "This is my first time too."
"What's the matter, you almost shot your teammate with the gun." Ming snorted mockingly, "Lila is much better than you."
Liu's face flushed red, and he fell silent.
"Well, don't be so hard on him, Liu is a quiet person and it's not easy for him to speak up," Lan said.
The members of the Seventh Squad were no longer as serious as when they were on a mission, and the atmosphere had relaxed. Lila occasionally agreed with them in their conversation, but most of the time she was lost in thought, not really present.
Listen to what they are saying.
The police car descended from the sky, the teammates got out one by one, and she also got off carrying the K80.
The doctors and nurses stood by with a stretcher on the tarmac, and as soon as Ming was helped out, they lifted him onto the stretcher.
"Treat the wounds, treat the wounds, the rest can go change equipment." Xue said, "Go to the rest room and take a shower, don't catch a cold from the rain."
Lila followed Lan, who was chatting nonstop, to the equipment room, took off her equipment and changed into her regular clothes, and then followed him to the resting room.
Before entering the rest room, Lan stopped in his tracks, and Lila, unable to evade in time, nearly collided with his back.
Lan smiled and pointed at the door sign: "This is the men's restroom, the women's restroom is next door. What are you thinking about, you seem so distracted?"
"Oh, I didn't notice." Lila turned and ducked into the next room.
The rest room has a bathroom, with all kinds of items available. Lila took a shower, dried her hair, and sat down on the sofa.
"Intern security guard Lila, Xue is waiting for you outside." Adam said.
Lila got up from the sofa like a wandering spirit and went to open the door to the living room.
"Captain, is something wrong?" Lila said.
"Mm, follow me." Xue turned and led the way.
They proceeded forward and arrived at a metal door marked "Psychological Counseling Office".
"Today happens to be Chief Yang's shift, you can talk to him about it." Xue said gently.
Lila wanted to refuse: "I don't have a problem, captain, I'm just a little tired, I just need to rest for a bit."
"When the body is tired, it can be restored through proper rest; when the mind is tired, it needs to find a therapist." Xue said, "You have experienced too many things in these past few days, and your mental state is not right."
The strength needs to accept psychological counseling. Go in, Chief Yang is an excellent therapist.
Lila hesitated for a moment and came to the door.
The metal door opened, and she walked in.
"Welcome," the man in the office said gently, "You must be Lila? I'm an old friend of your captain."
His voice was deep and melodious, evoking the soothing tones of a cello.
Lila saw his name badge "Yang" on his clothes.
"Hello, Chief Yang," Lila said.
"Sit, don't be so formal. The therapy room is a place to relax."
Lila sat on the swivel chair across from him as instructed.
The psychological counseling room is indeed very relaxing. The decor is completely different from other rooms. The floor is actually made of wood, and the walls are covered with warm-toned wallpaper. There are two walls
The walls have been turned into bookshelves, with various paperback books arranged in a disorderly manner, and even the lighting tone appears warm and gentle, unlike the cold, icy blue of the lights in the hallway.
"Would you like to drink tea or the carbonated beverages that young people prefer? I have a wide variety of drinks here, and if I don't have what you want, I can have it brought over." Yang said with a smile.
The open tea cabinet behind him was filled with more than a dozen different types of tea, including colorful floral teas, green tea, and black tea.
"Any tea will do." Lila said.
Yang pressed the boil water button, "I'll make you a cup of wolfberry red tea, I drink this every day."
Lila: "......?"
This young Chief Yang has already started practicing health preservation?
Yang skillfully brewed a cup of wolfberry red tea, and even threw a piece of red sugar into the ceramic cup. He pushed the teacup over and said, "Do you like the decoration of my office?"
"I like it, it's different from other places." Lila took a sip of her tea.
"I dislike the color of metals, they are too cold, and looking at them for a long time makes me feel depressed." Yang said, "Nowadays, more and more people in our society are suffering from mental illnesses, not only because of the pressure of survival, but also because of the living environment. Metals and machines make people think of efficiency, rationality, and precision. People are always surrounded by metals and machines, and they can't relax. Therefore, I've changed the style of the psychotherapy room, making it warmer and more 'emotional'."
"This place is quite nice," Lila said, "Shall we start the psychological counseling right away?"
"This is psychological counseling, we are here to chat, to chat about everyday matters." Yang said, "The work of the Investigation Department must be very arduous, isn't it?"
"Fortunately, I'm a newcomer, and the team captain and the others take good care of me," Lila said dryly.
"You can confide your troubles to me." Yang said, "Lila, those who can join the field team are not passive people. If you have found a problem, you should actively solve it, instead of becoming passive."
Lila was startled.
"I do have a concern." She lowered her eyes and sipped her tea, setting down the cup. "I used to think of myself as a proactive person. I worked hard to study, get into university, and earn money... but recently I've become very passive."
"Most passivity is due to not establishing a good fighting goal," Yang said, "what is your goal, have you thought about it?"
"Becoming a rich person?"
Yang smiled and said, "You see, you're not even sure about your goal. A goal should fill you with motivation the moment you think about it. The tone you use to talk about your goal should be confident and decisive, not hesitant."
Lila furrowed her brow.
"Establishing a goal is indeed difficult, I know. I also went through a long period of confusion when I was in college, and only then did I know what I wanted. "Yang said, "You can take your time to think about it."
"Okay." Lila nodded.
"Let's focus on solving the immediate issues first," Yang said. "I heard from your captain that you are not very comfortable with killing."
Lila lightly "hummed" in response.
"Can you tell me your feelings?" Yang said.
"The feeling of harming different types and harming the same type is different, do you know this feeling, Chief Yang?" Lila said.
"Xenobiotics are foreign substances, so you can shoot without burden, but when facing humans, you find it difficult to shoot rationally, don't you?" Yang said.
Lila did not nod or shake her head in response to his question.
In Lila's conception, she and Chay are of the same kind, and she and Xi are of the same kind. In the second world, apart from the players, everyone else is an outsider in her eyes.
"Lila said: 'I have killed my own kind, although I know I have done nothing wrong, but this still leaves me somewhat unable to come to terms with it.'"
"The empathy of human beings determines that you will experience these emotions. As a security guard, you are destined to handle these emotions and struggle with this kind of emotion." Yang said, "Now let's make a hypothetical, Lila."
"If you don't encounter Xenobiotics or the threat of Parasitic Hydra during your mission, how would you treat Chay?"
Lila, without any hesitation, said: "If he picks up a weapon, I will blow off the hand he is holding the weapon with. If he tries to continue resisting, I will continue aiming at his other hand. Without his hands, he will also lose his legs, until he loses the ability to resist, at which point the captain can arrest him."
"You never considered the option of directly killing him, did you? You only wanted to make him lose his ability to resist, right?"
Lila nodded.
"You are a kind person, Lila." Yang said.
If Chay resists, Adam will determine that he poses a threat, and Lila's teammates will shoot him dead on the spot. The only way for Chay to save his life is to be completely incapacitated. He won't be able to resist or escape, and any struggle will be futile.
You can replace lost limbs with mechanical ones, and the mechanical ones might even work better than the original.
Life is gone, and it's truly gone.
"It doesn't make sense to make that assumption now, he's dead." Lila said.
"You will face many such situations in the future, you..."
Yang had not finished speaking when Lila said, "I am trying my best to control my empathy. This kind of situation will indeed often be encountered in the future, and I have already overcome it."
"You are also a strong person, Lila." Yang said gently.
