I am not human

The distance between the research institute and the security department is not too close, and there is no passage in between. Liao Qingshu and Jiufang Ziyan rode all the way there, and it took nearly 10 minutes.From afar, they saw people coming and going in and out of the research institute, constantly moving things out. The window glass on the right side of the first floor was completely broken, and there was a strange smell and smoke coming out of it. uncertain.

Parking the battery car nearby, the two hurried towards the gate of the research institute, and within a few steps, they suddenly saw a person lying under the shade of a tree beside the road, with his eyes closed and his collar open. Sweating profusely, it was Hua Fei who worried Liao Qingshu so much.

There was a circle of strange spells drawn around Hua Fei. Jiufang Ziyan glanced at it, but couldn't recognize the source. He was about to go up and take a closer look, when a male voice suddenly sounded indifferently behind him: "Don't go there."

The two turned their heads and saw a tall and thin man walking towards this side, wearing a brand new smoky gray uniform with the hang tag still on.He held a piece of pink ice in his hand, seemed to be chewing gum in his mouth, and his pair of three white eyes were like half-unsheathed knives, coldly slid across the faces of the two of them, then leaned over and put the pink ice cube in his hand. to Hua Fei's forehead.

"This is Yang Shini's unique technique, which has a calming effect." He turned his back to the two and said, "It's very chaotic inside now, there is no place to put him, so I can only put it here first, and use these spells to calm down."

Jiufang Ziyan looked at him thoughtfully, and suddenly raised his eyebrows: "I remember you, you are Fu Li, the one who failed to get the exorcist license after taking the exam fourteen times."

"I remember you too." The man got up and looked back at him. His face was as sharp as a knife, and his height was a few centimeters taller than Jiufang Ziyan. "You are the former chief of the exorcism department. I have received it five times in total." You snubbed the interview opportunity five times. You still call me mentally retarded."

Jiufang Ziyan: "..."

"Well, can we put the old grievances aside?" Liao Qingshu finally found a chance to intervene, sitting next to Hua Fei and asked, "What's wrong with Hua Fei?"

"I don't know him. I just accompanied him to the lab to have a look, but when he turned his head, something went wrong with him." The man folded his arms and replied, "He was running around on the first floor while breathing fire with his eyes, knocking over the Less things. I don’t know how much I will pay.”

"It's not a matter of money." Liao Qingshu frowned, "What kind of compensation is there at a time like this..."

"I paid for the money, why can't I mention it." The man took it for granted.Liao Qingshu's expression became weird: "I'm sorry to ask one more question, you belong to Huafei..."

"Research object." The man replied without changing his face, "He is my companion and prop."

Liao Qingshu opened his mouth slightly, with a look of astonishment on his face: "When did it happen?"

"After he was dumped by his girlfriend fourteen times." The man continued to keep his expression unchanged, Liao Qingshu's mouth opened even wider.Seeing that the momentum was not right, Jiufang Ziyan hurriedly brought it back to the topic: "Okay, don't talk about what's missing. Liao Qingshu, just watch here. I'll go in and ask about the situation."

As he spoke, he gave the man a warning look, turned around and was about to walk into the research institute.Suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint blue light from the corner of his eye, he turned his head sharply, moved his eyes down, and saw a little bit of blue powder stuffed between the thumb and index finger of Hua Fei's right hand.

Something seemed to flash through his mind, Jiufang Ziyan frowned, asked where Tsinghua University's office was, and turned around to look for it.

Hua Fei's office is very small, with documents, utensils and various materials scattered all over the floor.Jiufang Ziyan bent down and fumbled under the overturned desk for a while, and as expected, he took out a small bottle containing blue shards.

Picking up the bottle and looking at it carefully, Jiufang Ziyan felt that it looked very familiar.Turning his face, he saw a familiar small bag not far away on the ground, with a few jars of mummy paste and some other strange medicines rolling down the mouth of the bag, and he suddenly remembered - the fragments of the bottle were the ones he took from Fang Zheyi back then the one.At the request of Liao Qingshu, he temporarily put the fragments of the bottle into the medicine bag Hua Fei sent, and never took it out afterwards.Until a while ago when Liao Qingshu was discharged from the hospital, he returned the whole bag to Hua Fei who came to see him off...

With a jump in his heart, Jiufang Ziyan seemed to realize something, turned his head and rummaged for a while, picked up a small flashlight-like device from the ground, and shone at the bottle fragment for a while, his face gradually became solemn.

His chest heaved violently, and he suddenly threw the small flashlight on the ground, grabbed the bottle fragment and rushed out the door.

There is no channel between the research institute and the security department, but there are shortcuts between the research institute and the exorcism department, and between the exorcism department and the security department.Jiufang Ziyan found the entrance of the passage with ease, stepped in, and walked directly to the hall of the Exorcism Department, then went upstairs and turned left and opened the door, and saw Fang Zheyi's leisurely back.

Holding a coffee cup in one hand and stroking the pistol at his waist with the other, Fang Zheyi stood in front of the window and looked out, still humming an untuned song.

In the past, Jiufang Ziyan also liked to do this.He believes that Qiao Xiren will have the same habit, because in this building, there is no room with a better view than this chief office.

Although this office has already belonged to Fang Zheyi, the furnishings in the room still retain a lot of Qiao Xiren's atmosphere.The bookcase was filled with Qiao Xiren's books and notes, and a whole box of his wife's oral liquid was piled up in the corner. A flower stand was erected near the door, and on it was You Qua Shikai's favorite work, "The Bastards".

Even the coffee cup in Fang Zheyi's hand was left by Qiao Xiren, and there was a small gap on the rim of the cup.Hearing the sound of Jiufang Ziyan pushing the door and entering, he turned around and put the coffee cup on the table, raised his eyebrows slightly, and the corners of his mouth seemed to be proud: "The former chief, come over to play? It's not me, the guests still need to have some guests." It looks better. I know you used to be very familiar with this place, but you are already an outsider after all..."

Noticing that Jiufang Ziyan's eyes paused briefly on "Bastards", he raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly: "Do you still remember this? I gave it to the teacher, and he likes it very much."

"I didn't come to listen to your nonsense." Jiufang Ziyan interrupted him impatiently, raised his right hand, and a small half bottle of blue fragments glistened between his fingers, "Tell me, what did you do to Qiao Xiren?"

Fang Zheyi didn't answer, but his eyes were firmly glued to the bottle fragments, and the corners of his mouth froze.After a long time, he lightly raised his hand and patted his forehead: "Tsk, I knew it, it won't work until I get it back."

"So there really is something hidden inside, right?" Jiufang Ziyan stared at him closely, his muscles tensed.The things hidden in the fragments are not simple. Even Hua Fei's small flashlight for detecting curses can only confirm that there is a "curse" in it, but it is not clear what it is.However, at this moment, Jiufang Ziyan didn't mind making a guess.

"Before I entered Shanhaijie, I discovered that Qiao Xiren's condition was not normal. I always thought it was the sequelae of being struck by lightning, but now it seems that it should be the sequelae of taking drugs." Jiufang Ziyan said, walking Going forward, he slapped the scarred little glass bottle on the table: "What curse did you cast in it? Lost your mind? Chaos? Or just a simple and rude curse? Fang Zheyi, you are very good, I know you I've always wanted to climb up, but I didn't expect you to be able to do this in order to climb up."

Fang Zheyi glanced at him lightly, sat on the swivel chair, and the chair swirled slightly. It took a long time before he said: "You think I did this just for a chief position?"

"Isn't it?" Jiufang Ziyan asked without thinking, and then realized something was wrong—after the attack, Qiao Xiren disappeared, Fang Zheyi made great achievements, and the chief position was already in his pocket, so why bother?

If you are really worried that Qiao Xiren will come back and rob him, just kill him secretly when you find the seriously injured Qiao Xiren, why do you have to secretly prescribe medicine in the name of treatment?

"...You want him to make a mistake." Jiufang Ziyan seemed to grasp something, "You don't let Qiu Miaofei identify Qiao Xiren, not to protect him, but because a single witness can't convict him. You want him to Expose yourself."

He looked at Fang Zheyi incomprehensibly: "Why?"

"Because Qiao Xiren must fall off the altar." Fang Zheyi replied slowly, "It must fall hard, until there is no room for refutation. Only in this way, his image will completely collapse, and those who use him as a benchmark The demon will realize how big a mistake he has made."

"Then they will become more obedient, right?" Jiufang Ziyan frowned and suddenly realized something, "You already knew he was eating people, didn't you? If we hadn't gone to find Qiao Xiren, you What will you do? Just let him eat people like this, so that you can hunt him down under the banner of justice?!"

"Necessary sacrifices are unavoidable, I have minimized the casualties as much as possible!" Fang Zheyi suddenly raised his voice, but Jiufang Ziyan's voice was only higher than his, and he waved his fingers excitedly: "How low can it be! He eats people while heals his wounds. Do you think he will restrain himself and eat half a day! You know it, but you still let him go? Not to mention how many lives he has killed before because he is still a mentor! Human! Demon! Monster! Even those students in the isolation class who study obediently are all because of him—"

He was half-speaking, but suddenly stopped, his eyes glanced at the holster on Fang Zheyi's waist, and he put down his hand in astonishment: "...it's you."

Fang Zheyi turned his face away and did not speak.Jiufang Ziyan exhaled forcefully: "It was you who encouraged An Muxi to kill the isolation class, including that half-demon girl, including that blood race studying abroad..."

"Chief of Jiufang." Fang Zheyi interrupted him coldly, "Pay attention to your words."

"Pay attention to what!" Jiufang Ziyan said angrily, "You gave Gu Huo Langdon to Qiao Xiren, and you colluded with the radical blood—"

"Collusion or something, it's too ugly." Fang Zheyi leaned his head on the back of the chair and looked out the window: "It's just to give them a chance to let themselves go. As for the teacher...he always likes to pick up some cats and dogs to take home, I just hit it off and gave him two. It just so happens that these two have a bad temper."

"Is it because they have bad tempers, or are you making them bad?" Jiufang Zi Yanjun asked.Fang Zheyi chuckled lightly: "Don't be like this, ex-chief. People don't want to be dismantled."

He casually brushed his hair behind his ears, because the hair was too short, this action seemed a bit weird: "Gu Huo's performance is still worthy of praise. This kind of monster who can control all positions with a single child is simply pure and impressive. Don't worry. In contrast, Langdon's performance is not very satisfactory. I didn't like him from the beginning. He looks ruthless, but he is actually fragile. Can use him. In comparison, Bai Shiyu is easier to use, but a little brittle... But his refining demon is very good, as long as he masters the spell, it is a first-class weapon. Tsk, it is useless Come on, I've been reciting it for a long time."

"...You sent Bai Zhiyu to die just to bury the demon in the mentor's team?" Jiufang Ziyan couldn't believe his ears, "And the blood race...Fang Zheyi, what do you want to do? "

"It's not what I want to do, but what we should do!" Fang Zheyi suddenly turned his head to look at him, his eyes were cold and firm, "The blood race is arrogant, half-demons are rampant, and even the exorcism department is full of half-demons! The nine at the helm The Fang family had an ambiguous attitude and did nothing. Two of the most dangerous half-fierce beasts were demonized and fled in just over ten years! As the benchmark of half-demons, the chief of the exorcism department is still secretly cultivating forces to overthrow everything—wait for him Fully ready before it's too late!

He compared his eyes and exhaled softly: "Some things can't be let go."

"So you made trouble?" Jiufang Ziyan laughed angrily, "Qiao Xiren is not ready, so you help him prepare? Fang Zheyi, don't tell me you don't know how many casualties that attack caused to the Wanwu Academy!"

"Chaos is the first step in the reconstruction of order. You can't be reborn without destruction. It's always been like this." Fang Zheyi said, "Besides, what is the School of Everything? I don't know that kind of thing. What I see is just an unrestrained It’s just a gathering place for half-demons.”

"...Do you really think so?" Jiufang Ziyan asked him, looking past the gaped cup, "You have been following him for so long, chasing him like an idiot——Do you really think so?"

"It's just a disguise." Fang Zheyi said indifferently, "Or you can call it mimicry. The teacher is very insecure. Unless you make him feel that you are his kind and are completely harmless, you can't get close to him at all."

"You've been imitating this for a long time." Jiufang Ziyan cut, "When did you follow him?"

"It's not me, it's us." With a swivel chair, Fang Zheyi stood up, "In the Qiao Xiren incident 16 years ago, several people were killed, Qiao Xiren turned into a demon, and his guardian died. The teacher insisted that it was his guardian." Infected with the disease, Jiufang's family believed, but we didn't."

Going around the desk, he walked slowly towards Jiufang Ziyan: "We have been paying attention to the teacher since then. Facts have proved that we were right and Jiufang's family was wrong."

"The Fang family." Jiufang Ziyan understood completely, "What do you want? Replace them?"

"Don't say that, I just want to help. After all, counting decades ahead, we can still be regarded as a family." Fang Zheyi leaned on the table and said, "Jiufang's behavior is still too gentle, this academy Need something new. Symbiosis? It’s beautiful, but not realistic.”

In a blink of an eye, he suddenly drew his gun out of its holster, and the bullet was fired silently, hitting the clay pot by the wall, and "The Bastard" shattered.Jiufang Ziyan was startled, stepped back subconsciously, and gestured with one hand, but Fang Zheyi didn't even look at him, and stretched out his hand like lightning, and grabbed the glass bottle on the table in his palm.

"Thank you for sending this back for me." He said to Jiufang Ziyan, "You can also turn off the recording function of your mobile phone-although you probably won't be able to record anything, this room is shielded."

Turning around and sitting back on the chair, he tapped the table with his nails, took a sip from the coffee cup on the table: "What kind of expression do you have, ex-chief? As I said, although you were familiar with this place, But now, you are an outsider."

"...I have already escaped." Jiufang Ziyan said slowly, "But you are still inside."

Fang Zheyi's movements paused for a moment, and then it was as usual. The coffee cup was put back on the table, and there was a crisp sound when it collided: "No one can escape. In fact, you and I have always been inside. We are inmates and jailers."

"It's your size." Jiufang Ziyan said in a deep voice, his eyes flicked across the pile of glass and clay shards, "Respect yourself, don't follow in the footsteps of the blood clan, Fang Zheyi. Don't repeat the mistakes of more than ten years ago —We all know what happened to the so-called epidemic.”

"This is not something you should care about anymore, the former chief." Fang Zheyi's lips curled slightly, making a gesture of seeing off the guests, "Go back and continue to love each other with your little Qiongqi. It seems that he helped me write the materials For the sake of it, I will continue to treat him preferentially."

"Because of the material, or because of Qiao Xiren?" Jiufang Ziyan took off his sunglasses and stared at him with his remaining left eye.

Fang Zheyi's smile disappeared, his seat turned, his back was facing Jiufang Ziyan, and he stopped talking.Jiufang Ziyan didn't say anything more, brushed his fingers lightly over the smooth edge of the phone in his pocket, pursed his lips, turned and left.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Fang Zheyi's movement of pulling his hair behind his ear again. He vaguely seemed to see that Qiao Xiren with long hair hanging down his shoulders who was always unconsciously reaching out to play with him.

Some things, hidden for a long time, will be covered with dust.In the end, the dust couldn't be photographed off, and the original appearance became blurred instead.

Closing the door, going downstairs, and entering the hall, you can see the familiar smoky gray everywhere.People come and go, they all look normal, without annoying fangs, horns, tails and ears, and there is no longer a ghostly atmosphere in the air. Suffocating.

Quickly walking out of the magnificent and bright gate, the smell of new paint on the door made him almost nauseous, and when he left the Exorcism Department, the feeling of suffocation only became stronger——

At this time, the sun will be extinguished and the sky will be dark. It is the time when the boundary between human and demon is the most blurred.However, groups of students walked silently in front of them, dressed in human skin, like pieces of meat carefully wrapped in fresh-keeping bags, and there was no trace of a "demon".

Someone said "Let me go" and pushed him aside.A team of human exorcists filed out from the gate, but their uniforms were not soot gray, but more bluish gray, with the "School Guard" logo hanging on their arms, shaped like fish fins.

The team of exorcists blended calmly into the crowd like sardines into the ocean.Jiufang Ziyan watched silently, and suddenly felt a little ironic - what would happen to Wei Ximing if he knew that the Wanwu Academy that he had saved with his life turned into what it is now?

It is also a creation of the leader of order. The once-abandoned world of mountains and seas can still grow wildly in the boundary of dreams. The Academy of All Things, known as the symbiosis of all things, has become a smaller and stricter cage.

Jiufang Ziyan closed his eyes forcefully, and was about to walk down when he suddenly heard the sound of the phone vibrating from his pocket.He picked it up in a daze, and Liao Qingshu's angry voice came from the receiver: "Are you still in the Exorcism Department?"

"Ah, um, that's right." Jiufang Ziyan remembered that Liao Qingshu was still in the research institute.He should have walked straight back through the tunnel. "Wait, how do you know I'm here?"

"Professor Yang told me that he saw you." Liao Qingshu said, "Why didn't you tell me? I've been looking for it for a long time."

"Sorry. Where are you now, still in the research institute?"

"I'm at the small flower bed in front of the Exorcism Department, come here, I'll wait for you."

"Okay." Jiufang Ziyan nodded, raised his feet to join the army of people dressed in human skin, and walked forward with the flow.On the phone, Liao Qingshu was still rambling: "The director called me just now, and he urged us to go to work quickly."

Jiufang Ziyan nodded: "Oh."

"He said that Director Xu still has a bit of a grudge about Juno Jupiter. But he is still persuading, and Xiao Lin is also helping. He asked me to tell you, don't worry too much."

"Ah."

"He also said that Xiao Hei and Thor are playing in Northern Europe now, and he also met Sur and Sol. This is very cool, isn't it?"

"Have."

"He asked if there was anyone he wanted to help with shopping, and I reported a bunch of snacks to him. Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Oh..." Liao Qingshu paused, and then said, "It is said that Suan Ni and the dog are coming back soon. Fotu sent someone to negotiate with the Somali chief of order, and sent a bunch of Buddhist scriptures, which he accepted. "

"That's not very good."

"Hmm... oh, yes, and, Lao Zhan has gone somewhere recently. The director said that Xiao Bu is a little unhappy..."

"Liao Qingshu." Jiufang Ziyan interrupted him, "What exactly do you want to say?"

The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent, only breathing lightly.After a long time, Liao Qingshu stammered: "It's... like this. I met Professor Yang just now, and he said that he wanted to apply for an experimental project, which was about how to let the hybrid beast survive the first demonization safely. .He asked me if I wanted to help, and I... said yes.”

Jiufang Ziyan let out a "hmm" and didn't speak.

Liao Qingshu's tone sounded weaker: "Jiufang, that's what I think. I...I think I've failed. I always wanted to have a chance to prove myself, but in fact I didn't even know what I was. I can't figure out anything. I spent so long struggling, contradicting, and making many mistakes before I came to an answer that I don't know if it is correct. I took a long detour, Jiufang, if you can , I hope others can take a few steps less."

"What if it's useless to take these few steps less?" Jiufang Ziyan asked, stopping slowly.He is currently standing on a long staircase. Below the staircase is a small Roman Forum. In front of the square is a small round flower bed lying in the middle of the road, like a stone lying in a stream.The half-demon students and the human exorcists split into two groups, and rushed around the flower bed in different directions. Only Liao Qingshu stood on the edge of the flower bed, holding a red battery car with one hand, and the two tiger ears on his head were restless. The subdivision rotated back and forth, like two small radars.

Looking down at Liao Qingshu, he said slowly: "If the constraints and shackles around you can never be removed, what difference does it make if you take a few more steps, take a few less steps, or simply stay where you are?"

"I don't know." Liao Qingshu scratched her face, "I just want them to know that they...are not monsters. No matter what others say or how to define them, they really are not. They must realize this and believe Only then can we continue on. I think this...is still so important."

"That's it." Jiufang Ziyan raised his eyebrows, "It's ok, it's pretty good."

"Then you agree?" Liao Qingshu turned her ears, raised her head, and saw Jiufang Ziyan above.He waved his hand at him, and heard the other party's deep voice coming from the phone: "Otherwise?"

"That's good." Liao Qingshu patted his chest, watching Jiufang Ziyan walk down the steps step by step, just like they met for the first time.

"By the way, you just said that you got an answer, what is it?"

"This, I'm not very clear." Liao Qingshu stared at him and scratched her face again, "How should I put it, although I feel like I 'understand', but if I really want to say it, I can't say it clearly. And I think this kind of answer is not a constant value, but a dynamic thing that requires constant self-correction, and it takes time to interpret and experience..."

"I don't understand." Standing still, Jiufang Ziyan interrupted him directly.Putting the mobile phone in his pocket, he reached out to support the battery car, kicked his feet, and stepped up, the windbreaker swung and fell.

After making a "up" gesture to Liao Qingshu, he exhaled: "But it's okay, I have time."

"You're a little strange today. Who provoked you again?" Liao Qingshu muttered and climbed into the back seat of the battery car.Jiufang Ziyan glanced at him sideways, took out a cigarette and lit it, and cursed softly, "You're the only one who talks too much".

The sound of starting up sounded, and the big red battery car, like a crooked old horse, made a few awkward noises, and passed through the two columns on the square unsteadily.

Jiufang Ziyan turned his head and looked into the distance, but saw that on the square, snow-white columns stood upright, like the railings of a birdcage.

"Jiufang." Liao Qingshu patted him lightly, "Why are you unhappy again?"

"I don't." Jiufang Ziyan said lightly, "I just suddenly felt that this world is very stubborn."

"Ok?"

"It's always been the same." Jiufang Ziyan murmured, "It's never changed."

Be it the Demon Slaying Division or the Exorcism Department, it has always been the same.

"There is nothing that cannot be changed." Liao Qingshu didn't know what he was talking about, so she just pressed his shoulder lightly, "Everything is dynamic and constantly self-correcting. Even if it is only a small change, the interaction, Influence each other, and in the end, it will always cause earth-shaking changes."

He leaned his head on Jiufang Ziyan's back, and said softly: "Fission will always cause qualitative changes, and this world is not as strong as you think."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course." Liao Qingshu moved her ears, "I'm the man who took care of the former exorcist!"

"Go to your sister's former exorcist." Jiufang Ziyan cursed, and breathed out a smoke ring.The misty green smoke obscured the scenery in front of me, and when it dispersed, the entire square was gone, only the old streets remained, with a little bit of popularity left.

"Let's go. I'm going home, and I'll go back to the mountain to take care of it." He said to Liao Qingshu, Sao Hong's battery car suddenly accelerated and sped past the street, the body made a rattling sound, and the whistling wind passed by the car .

Like a tired old dog still running wild.

Like a red lightning bolt piercing the silence.