Unexpectedly, this guy ultimately ended up burning himself to death.
In view of his previous fireballs attack on us, it is not difficult to imagine that the current phenomenon of human spontaneous combustion is very likely also under his own manipulation, but why? Is it because he does not want to reveal more intelligence, so he wants to end his life before being interrogated? I must admit that in order to extract more intelligence from him, I have indeed considered using cruel means to torture him, and I have even seen a lot of torture techniques on paper and on the Internet; but after all, I only thought about it, and I have only seen the torture of prisoners on paper and on the Internet, and I am actually very hesitant about whether to implement it.
However, at this point, since he has already died, interrogation has become a futile endeavor, and further discussion is of no avail.
We got back in the car and left the battlefield.
All the way, I was thinking about what that person had said.
His words are both absurd and disjointed, and even if they were fully accepted, it would be difficult to piece together a complete picture. No choice, I can only first organize some of the information I currently know, and then proceed with the analysis.
To make my thoughts more articulate and organized, I took out a notebook and a pen from the car and wrote down my reflections on paper.
Assuming that the person's words are not delusional:
First, based on the terms he mentioned such as "great divine being," "living sacrifices," "heresy," "us," and "rituals," he seems to be from a cult that has mastered supernatural powers. His accomplices are residing in Beaver City, and their numbers are uncertain.
Second, he has a very detailed understanding of the current Red Eye disaster, knows the truth of the disaster, and even... this disaster was actually caused by them, and this possibility must be seriously considered.
Third, he claims that Beaver City has entered the stomach of the divine, and we will all be digested. This sentence sounds as if Beaver City has entered a non-reality dimension. If we combine this information with the fact that we cannot leave Beaver City, it seems that this could be the reason why we cannot leave. I will speculate a bit here: the reason why the edge of Beaver City has become a cliff is that this place is already inside the stomach of the divine.
Fourth, he will divide the heretics who do not believe in God within the city of Beaverton into two categories - the agents of the Emissary, and the prey. If we examine the current situation in Beaverton and simply replace the concepts, the agents of the Emissary can be understood as "patients who have contracted the Red Eye", and the prey as "survivors who have not contracted the Red Eye"; and the cause of this situation is the ritual he mentioned.
Is the outbreak of Red Eye due to a cult ritual?
The research staff at the research institute had previously mentioned that Red Eye is not a disease, but a curse
This way it can be reconciled, my idea seems to have gained an inexplicable persuasiveness; I even feel that it would be unreasonable if it were not like this.
Furthermore, that person also referred to us as living sacrifices, which is likely the position of this cult towards survivors. He also called me a heretic mage.
To get back to the point, I don't know how he activated the supernatural powers either. Since I don't know, I can only initially suspect that he is the same as me.
The super-powered person. This may also be the case for him. He probably doesn't know that I'm a super-powered person either, so when he sees me wielding supernatural powers, he probably thinks I'm some kind of heretic sorcerer. Could it be that in his mind, he himself is not a heretic sorcerer?
Master --
I also wrote this vocabulary in my notes, considering it as a second group that can use supernatural powers, different from superhumans.
Of course, I have also doubted that superhumans and sorcerers are actually the same thing, that they are all the same kind, just with different names. However, I will keep this idea in mind for now, and verify it if the opportunity arises in the future.
That's all for now with the notes.
Since I am writing while sitting in a car, not only is the pen tip prone to tearing, but after a while, I also start to feel dizzy and my eyes become blurred. I am now starting to feel uncomfortable. Aoba, who is sitting next to me in the passenger seat, has naturally also seen the content of the notes I have written.
"Ninghai, do you think... that this cult was the cause of the Red Eye outbreak?" she asked.
"I have this suspicion, but these are all some reckless speculations." I said, "That guy's mental state doesn't seem normal, if what he says is not reality, then what I've written would all be just waste paper."
That being said, to be honest, after writing all this, I also find it difficult to convince myself not to believe his words.
"Ninghai," Yukio suddenly said, "could I take a look at that notebook later?"
I looked at her.
Because she previously faced the enemy, she adopted a particularly tough and ruthless attitude; but now that the battle is over, apart from her, only I and Aoba are here, and she reveals an agonizingly weary and dispirited expression. The weariness and dispiritedness mentioned here do not mean that she looks tired, but rather a state of mind where she feels disheartened and discouraged about the path ahead. First, she failed to obtain the medicine, and then she failed to find the way, the successive setbacks have had a devastating impact on her morale.
She should rest well.
"I'll give it to you tomorrow," I said. "You need to rest, didn't you not sleep yesterday? Go back and take a nap first."
"Okay, I understand." Yukio said.
In the afternoon, we returned to Yukio's house, that villa.
When we got off the car, the Mr. Three-wheeler we had placed in the back seat had woken up again. I knocked him out again and then carried him to the empty room on the third floor of the villa. Yukio went back to the bedroom on the second floor to rest.
Then, Aoba and I gathered in the living room on the first floor and sat on the sofa together.
"Aoba, what are your thoughts on what comes next?" I set aside my notebook.
"Thoughts......" Aoba was slightly taken aback, and then started to ponder.
Our original plan was to leave Beaver City, away from the chaotic center, and go to a safe place; however, now this plan has failed, and we have no choice but to stay here and face the city full of patients again.
What does this mean?
The greatest danger for us is not the patients.
The patient is not difficult to handle, as long as I have my superpowers and Yukio's pistol, even if we are attacked by the patient here, we can cope with it. If the number of patients is really too many and we cannot cope with it, we can also flee by car immediately. The situation where we cannot confront directly and cannot escape is not completely impossible, but the possibility is relatively small, and as long as we are vigilant enough, it can also be avoided.
The most dangerous... are problems that cannot be avoided no matter what.
For example, infected with Red Eye.
So far, we don't know how to prevent Red Eye, nor do we know how it infects the human body. To put it another way, Red Eye is like a zombie virus that can be transmitted through the air, and whether or not you have been attacked by a zombie, you may still become one of them. Every second we spend in Beaver City, there is a possibility that I, Aoba, and Yukio could become patients. The most terrifying thing is, if Red Eye is not a disease, but a real curse, then the effort to find the infection channel will become a joke.
The fate of those who stay in Beaver City is either to be killed by the patients or to become one of them. It seems that there is no third possible outcome for our future.
What else could be considered despair if this is not?
Fortunately, at least Aoba and I still have hope, a breakthrough to break the status quo.
"Although I'm very unwilling to be manipulated by the dark forces, I think we should consider the matter of the text messages. I took out my phone and brought up the text messaging interface. From the five outposts on the map, select three and destroy them."
"Can I survive like this?" Aoba asked.
"At least we can find clues to survival," I said. "The focus is not on destroying the stronghold, but on exploring the things that exist within the stronghold."
Before encountering the person who attacked us with a fireball, I had always thought that the strongholds mentioned in the text messages were filled with patients, but now I feel this is likely a mistake. The strongholds may not necessarily be filled with patients, but could also be occupied by cult members. After all, would patients who are not adept at large-scale collaborative actions really establish strongholds? Based on the evidence we have witnessed, patients at most would only cooperate in small teams, a limitation inevitably caused by their symptoms of aversion to communication.
"The stronghold mentioned in the text message, could it be the hideout of a cult?" Aoba had also considered this possibility.
"That's right," I said, "If the cult is the mastermind behind this disaster, and the five key locations on the map are their establishments... then there may be clues there that could break the status quo."
There is no other choice but to face the dangers of the past.
"Aoba, you stay here. I'll go by myself."
"Take care on your way."Aoba looked worried.
Destroying the stronghold is obviously something I cannot do with her, I can only handle it myself.
Goodbye.
I then went up the stairs and came to the attic.
I then went through the attic skylight and climbed up to the villa's rooftop, facing the chilly evening breeze and looking around.
In the night around the villa, there were dimly visible pairs of red lights drifting, those were the red eyes of the patients.
It is said that the reason why the eyes of some animals glow in the dark is that they have night vision, and their visual cells can gather the weak light. This used to be a characteristic of nocturnal animals, but now it has appeared in patients. This suggests that these patients may also have night vision.
The researchers said they couldn't find the lesions in the patient, but isn't this peculiar eye condition a lesion itself? Of course, if I can see it, they surely must have noticed it. Perhaps the researchers didn't consider it a lesion, or they encountered an unexpected problem when studying the patient's eyes... Anyway, it's no concern of mine.
I stepped back a few steps, then rushed forward and jumped out abruptly.
Under the propulsion of psychokinesis, my jump was extended for a very long distance, directly from the roof of Yukio's villa to the roof of another house.
The sounds of takeoff and landing attracted the patients' attention.
It doesn't matter, they won't catch up with me anyway.
After jumping here, I did not stop running, and with another run-up, I jumped to the third rooftop.
Run, jump, run, jump, run, jump
Countless runs, countless jumps.
My mental focus made my approach run incredibly fast, and my jump incredibly far. My speed left the first group of patients who tried to chase me behind, and attracted a second group of patients; then I left the second group behind and attracted a third group...
The leaps between rooftops, the repeated escapes and lures.
The wind is blowing against my face.
This is the first time I've used superpowers so openly and grandly.
Since acquiring superpowers, I have been living a life of hiding my true abilities. Even when it is necessary to use them, I only employ methods that do not reveal my identity.
Why hide? Is it because you fear being dissected by research institutions? Maybe. Actually, although I also fear being dissected, I don't really think I would be treated that way. I often ask online, under the guise of writing a novel, "What would the government do if a superhuman was revealed?" The answers are varied, but surprisingly, those who believe that superhumans would be cruelly dissected are in the minority, and they often cannot provide a coherent analysis or convincing reasoning, only a sense of victimization. Over time, I've also come to believe that even if I were to be revealed, I wouldn't be dissected, but would merely sacrifice my freedom and certain rights, and then be treated as a valuable scientific case study. But is that really the case?
To be honest, even though I have seen so many comments saying "even if it's exposed, it won't be that bad," I still feel uneasy about exposing myself. Can I really trust the advice of the people who responded to me on the forum? What are their ages, identities, and life experiences in the real world?
The group is a motley crew, with some being immature and others mature, some having meager incomes and others high salaries and wealth, some with narrow horizons and others with broad perspectives. Among this mixed group, how many are truly working in government agencies, and how high can their positions be? Not being in their shoes and not devising their policies, perhaps the alarmist answer is just a bored policymaker's response, and the rest of the seemingly well-reasoned suggestions are nothing more than assumptions, which I lack the ability to discern.
On the other hand, although I previously said that some people only say "superhumans will be dissected after being exposed" based on a victim mentality, and it seems like I'm mocking it, I'm actually one of those people with a victim mentality as well.
Because I am the true superhuman, I am the one most closely related to the treatment of superhumans, and I am concerned about the potential for poor treatment.
Yes, even if the probability is very, very low, as long as it involves life and the future, I don't want to casually boast about it.
I am not brave.
My courage is supported by superpowers, my victories are established because of superpowers, and my composure is maintained by superpowers. I am a person who has no other talents besides superpowers, and without them I am useless. Even the action I'm taking now, heading to a suspected cult location, is something I dare to do because I have superpowers.
Without superpowers, I can't even handle the patients chasing after me.
It is precisely because of the great importance placed on superpower that I feel so uneasy about the disasters it might bring.
Not long after, I finally arrived at the outpost marked on the map.
