The banquet will eventually come to an end.
After the cups and plates were messed up, Yan Qi left a table of food waste and was the first to leave the house.
He had had two drinks tonight, his face looked slightly drunk, and he walked a little slower than usual. This small amount of wine won't make him stumble, but when he is walking alone, there is no one to talk to. No matter how drunk he talks, it will be boring if there is no audience.
Perhaps it was due to the impact of today's dragon disaster, or maybe it was already dark at this time. Except for the stranded security guard at the gate of the community, no pedestrians were seen. He walked for a while and was attracted by the shining advertisement on the bus stop, so he walked to the bench under the stop sign and sat down.
Yan Qi looked at the appearance of the platform and then looked at the content of the advertisement.
Silent electronic advertisements rotate on the platform: the new album of a popular idol, recruiting new students in a university laboratory, safety promotions about using super powers with caution...
He scoffed.
"If you change the soup but not the dressing, it will still be the same thing as outside."
Then heavy footsteps broke the silence, and a broad figure emerged from the darkness into the light.
He habitually wanted to wipe his head with a handkerchief, but he took it out as soon as he put his hand in his pocket. The weather was warm and cool in early February, and even a fat middle-aged man like him wouldn't have to walk a few steps without getting his forehead wet with sweat.
This man was wearing a loose purple official uniform and a small official hat on his head. He was Liu Zhongwu from Cangshou District. He took a closer look and saw that the man on the bench had blue eyes. He hurried forward and asked with concern: "Master Yan, is he injured?"
"Don't do this." Yan Qi took out a scroll and threw it at him, "Here, the emperor's letter."
Director Liu respectfully stretched out his hands, bowed his waist to take the scroll, and placed it in the jade box. His movements were light and fast, as if if he were to slow down a little, the things in his hands would be stained with dust.
After doing all this, Liu Zhongwu breathed a sigh of relief.
He sat down next to Yan Qi, used his size advantage to push the tall man to the other end of the bench, and said in a completely different tone from before: "Did you get beaten up?"
Yan Qi laughed and scolded: "Master Yan has an edict, but he is a stinker without an edict? Look at the fat bureaucrat like you!"
"We officials should be able to distinguish between public and private affairs." The middle-aged bureaucrat said without changing his expression, took out a pack of cigarettes, and handed one to the gangster next to him.
Yan Qi waved his hand. Mr. Liu put the cigarette into his mouth, lit it, and blew out the white smoke.
"Sigh... Mr. Yan made a decisive decision and helped the building to collapse. It was forced by the situation to bring a bunch of dangerous people there. I pretended not to see it. But why did you bring Mr. Qin's granddaughter with you..."
The tall man waved away the smoke in disgust.
"Young people need to gain a lot of experience and broaden their horizons! I can't bear to come here to replace her."
"I'd like to think that the ceremony hall can't even move a pedestrian from top to bottom. Who can I ask to replace her?" Mr. Liu frowned, "If it moves, it will become an international political incident. People say that our Yongguang Empire secretly caused the dragon disaster. , who should I talk to for reasoning?"
"Are you stupid? Who dares to say who you cursed to death?" Yan Qi yawned, "How was the investigation?"
"It's not that good. Everyone in the Shigure Research Institute is dead, and all the clues have been cut off. What do you think, Mr. Yan?"
Tianji sneered: "The Qiyao Shinto people still have some troubles. How can those mentally retarded people try to come up with the Heyi Technique?"
"Modun accepted your favor, and it will be much easier to do things. Even so, we still haven't found out how the glass beads fell into the hands of Madman Long. It will be difficult further down to Zero Island..."
Yan Qi touched his chin and asserted: "There is a problem with Zero Island."
"There is no evidence. They don't have many impermanent magicians in the local area. No. 0 was able to escape after killing all the lunatics, which is very reasonable."
"What kind of bullshit evidence do you want? Let the emperor put pressure on him and send someone over! With such a big deal this time, how dare they refuse!"
The tall man slapped the stool, and the fat bureaucrat shook his head.
"We've done it all this time, and we've already given many people a voice. Just wait until the opportunity is right."
Liu Zhongwu blew out the last puff of smoke, put out the cigarette butt, and said: "There are still half of the crystals in the Abinos Mountains..."
"We have agreed with the emperor to leave you to conduct research and use it as negotiation material."
"well."
Liu Zhongwu was speechless for a moment, staring at the dark night sky in a daze.
That was the direction from which the Glazed Dragon appeared.
He held it in for a while and then said very decadently: "When will it be the end?"
In stark contrast to the fat man next to him, the tall man's face was beaming with joy.
"From Superbia to now, there has been no spiritual dragon disaster for three years."
The obese middle-aged man turned his head sharply, the flesh on his face trembling: "Really?!"
"What's true or false? I guessed it! It's only taken three years to tell the truth." Yan Qi pinched his chin and laughed, "But I, Yan Qi, have never guessed wrong."
"Tsk, tsk, if nothing else, I believe this..." Liu Zhongwu stood up on his knees. At this time, he swept away the fatigue on his face and looked energetic, "Where will you stay at night?"
"Fuck! I forgot this after a busy day. Book me the most luxurious hotel!"
"Oh, it's a high-end hotel. I also have a small villa. You can just go there. It has a nice view, a cook and a garden, and a study with all four treasures. I'll keep you busy..."
The last bus of the night came and stopped at the station. The driver rubbed his eyes.
He just seemed to see two figures, one tall and one fat, sitting on the bench, but when he got closer, there was nothing on the platform.
Maybe he saw a ghost, or maybe he was hallucinating because of the dragon disaster tonight.
If such a big thing happens and you are not allowed to take a break from work, it's such a disgrace to the unit.
The driver muttered in his heart, following the old rules and pretending that nothing happened if he didn't see it.
The bus closed its doors and drove away.
No one got on the train, and no one was waiting on the benches on the platform.
·
At 11:40 at night, Mo Yuankai's residence.
After a hasty meal, everyone left one after another. Mo Yuankai declined the guests' offer of help, leaving only the gray-haired young man to clear the table with him.
Superpowers are extremely convenient at this time, and you can clean up without using your hands.
The two sat side by side on the sofa. Mo Yuankai pressed the remote control, and a strange painting was displayed on the big screen in the living room.
Gongsun Ce knew what it was. Every time he had a nightmare, he would see the incarnation of despair engraved deep in his memory.
The one-eyed beast entrenched above the seven bell towers is the Nether Dragon that arrived three years ago.
He heard his elder brother say: "It's all over, Ace."
The Nether Dragon died three years ago.
The Glazed Dragon that could not be solved at that time was also killed today.
The tragedy called the collapse of the kingdom, an event that affected the lives of two people... was ended by the person involved personally just over an hour ago.
"I have no real sense." Gongsun Ce said slowly, "I always feel like I am in a dream. It took half a day... a series of battles... I didn't have time to feel tired... I just followed the situation and killed it."
Black Sword was also sealed again by Yan Qi.
There should be no more nightmares from now on.
The gray-haired young man blinked and repeated unconsciously: "It's over."
"You did a good job. The incident three years ago has been resolved." Mo Yuankai patted his younger brother on the shoulder, "But not everything is over. A Ce, from the past to the present, what have we been acting for? of?"
"In order to maintain peace and tranquility in this city..."
He saw Mo Yuankai giving him a thumbs up, just like before.
The gray-haired young man smiled and said together with his friends: "In order to one day allow all superpowers to leave this prison!"
Mo Yuankai said encouragingly: "You will succeed one day!"
"Yes, although we often prevent others from leaving, which makes me embarrassed to say so in front of others."
"Is there any way? The pursuit of personal freedom cannot override the interests of the public. We are partners of justice, not an evil party."
"You are a righteous partner." Gongsun Ce pointed to the intelligence dealer and then to himself, "I am the student boy who helps the righteous partner."
"Throw it away, a 230-pound righteous partner."
"You are now like a seal in an aquarium, proudly showing off to everyone 'Look, I'm fat again' every day."
"Save some words, glasses guy." The information dealer spread out on the sofa, "Do you want me to give it to you?"
"Thank you, I'll just go back by myself."
·
After saying goodbye to his old friend, Gongsun Ce left his house.
He walked on the deserted street, thinking about the past, thinking about the previous conversation, thinking about the freedom they wanted, and from this, he thought about the freedom Shigurei wanted.
Who doesn't want freedom?
Probably only Yan Qi didn't want to, and that man would only laugh and say that everyone is bound in this world, and life is just about moving forward with hands and feet tied.
But the young man didn't have such thoughts. Like people of his age, he also longed for an unrestrained life... Therefore, to a certain extent, he could also understand the woman's thoughts.
At the moment when she became one with the dragon, when she gained incomparable power, did Rei Shigure really get the freedom she wanted? Or……
He thought again of the birds in the sky and of her laughing on the back of the dove.
Perhaps humans long for the sky because they envy the freedom of birds. But the birds that are envied by people on earth may also be longing for the power of hands and feet. Even if they have wings to soar in the air, they are still bound by invisible gravity...
all the same. No matter whether people or birds, they are all unhappy and not free.
He had to agree with Yan Qi's words, but this made him feel annoyed.
"Thinking too much!"
Gongsun Ce said to himself.
How could he know about Asuka's troubles? How could he know Rei Shigure's thoughts?
It was a vain imagination, a guess that could not affect reality. Just like many of the words he usually talked about, they lacked practical meaning and were just for self-satisfaction.
Even so, he couldn't control his thoughts. if……
At this time, the visual message brought him back to reality from his fantasy.
In reality, there are no pigeons or hunters, only a girl in green clothes and yellow skirt, looking at her mobile phone under the street light.
Qin Qianbai put away her phone and waved to him: "Oh."
"You're already expressionless, so don't hesitate to speak like gold."
"That was an unexpected exclamation. I was pretending to encounter it by chance."
"Don't tell me that there won't be such an ordinary encounter as yours in this city and this world."
Miss Qin walked backward beside him. It's like having eyes on your back, bypassing all obstacles on the road.
A little further ahead—a little further back for her—were the flower beds by the roadside. How to deal with this. He thought he should avoid this, but unexpectedly the other party jumped up lightly and stood on the edge of the flower bed like walking on a balance beam.
How awesome. This guy will be very popular with the kids at the park.
Gongsun Ce didn't know what to say to the other party for a while. He was really exhausted. To talk about the details of today's incident would be tantamount to mental torture. Besides, even if they are just friends, it should be considered rude to keep talking about other women when chatting with girls.
He remembered that he had not asked the other party why he was involved in this matter. You don't need to ask to know that she was brought here by Yan Qi, but when did she meet that man? I don’t know how Shigure Reiichi met Yan Qi.
These are all personal details that are not easy to ask. As soon as this thought crossed his mind, his elder brother's advice to him rang in his mind.
——"What's a private matter? Don't you understand what friends are, Ace? It's a life-long friendship!"
Should he change his ways? But in that case, it would be impossible to maintain a unilateral position... because knowing more about others also means exposing yourself more.
From this perspective, what should he say?
Gongsun Ce cleared his throat: "Ahem. The nightmare I have been having before is actually not what I told you this afternoon."
"oh."
After the opening remarks, it becomes difficult to say the next words. Telling others about yourself always brings an inexplicable sense of shame.
"The real content of that nightmare...do you want to hear it?"
"To be honest, I'm not very interested."
The gray-haired young man was speechless and covered his face.
This is it, this is what I fear the most! Things that you think are important are actually good things in the eyes of others. After you are mentally prepared, you will find the other person's face is "Ah, that's it...", which brings a feeling of frustration that is even stronger than losing a battle. ten times! Not only the atmosphere but also the delicate self-esteem of the person involved is dead, so at this time it is better to liven up the atmosphere by telling a lie that no one believes and pretending to be stupid! !
He had to say something quickly to lighten the atmosphere... While he was thinking this, he heard the girl say.
"Since it's a nightmare, it should be something that makes you unhappy. If Ace feels uncomfortable in retrospect, it would be better not to say anything."
He watched his friend jump off the flower bed, turn around, and walk side by side with him.
Miraculously, my mood calmed down.
"It's not like..."
He began to tell his dream.
When I mentioned the past, I had gray visions in my eyes.
The gray mist appeared silently and wrapped around his side, as if trying to catch him back to the past.
However, the events of that day were over.
Just today, he finally put an end to the tragedy three years ago with his own hands. At this time, the fear in my heart seemed to fade away with the end of reality.
So he stepped through the fog and continued to move forward in reality.
The gray-white fog was still there at first, but as the story deepened, it gradually became thinner, and finally completely disappeared from his sight, leaving no trace.
"...I woke up when I got here."
He finished telling his dream.
No beginning or end, just a fragment of that event. The knight rushed towards the evil dragon, and what happened after that was not what he saw in his dream. What would he say if he were to listen? I can't understand, it's puzzling, where are the antecedents and consequences, and what happened after that... Gongsun Ce couldn't help but smile bitterly, everyone would think so.
In this way, no matter what the other party asks, they should explain it well.
Even if it was about the sword, he had to talk about it, and he was mentally prepared for it.
The superpower looked at his friend.
Qin Qianbai looked into his eyes and asked, "Is that lady knight A Ce's girlfriend?"
"What are you thinking-?!"
Gongsun Ce was helpless.
Why do you want to ask this immediately after hearing this? ! It's not a matter of atmosphere. Your thinking is really out of the ordinary to a certain extent, isn't it, Miss? !
The gray-haired young man covered his face and sighed: "How could I be so good that someone would take notice of her? She has a boyfriend! Her boyfriend is a very good person, and the love between the two makes me fall in love even more than the light that Jin Jian emits when they stand together." Blind. I'm just waiting for them to announce their marriage and rush to be the master of ceremonies."
"It sounds like the loser's speech from the failed third party in a threesome, ah."
He reached out and knocked his friend on the head.
"Use an example that you can understand. Me and those two people are the same as me now, Caldesia and Shigure-kun."
Miss Qin covered her head and said, "I completely understand."
He somewhat believes that girls are more love-minded.
Qin Qianbai continued to walk with him, just like when he went back this afternoon.
Neither of them took a detour because they originally lived in the same apartment building - she lived in Room 6 on the 7th floor, which happened to be next door to the person with super powers. There is no special reason why we often move together, it's just that we live close to each other.
It's already dark now, the last bus has passed, and the Pigeon Station is probably closed...
They might have to keep walking back like this.
But, I’m so tired today anyway…
The person with superpowers controlled telekinesis, causing their bodies to float into the air.
They crossed the trees beside the road and the tall buildings until they ascended into the unobstructed night sky.
Qin Qianbai pressed her skirt and tilted her head to look at him: "Does A Ce still have enough strength?"
"To be honest, no, I feel like I'm going to fall in a minute at most. I can fly as long as I can."
A minute is probably too much.
45 seconds, no, maybe it will fall in another 30 seconds.
It’s also faster than walking.
They know that their bodies will fall in a few moments.
Even so, I still want to fly in the starless night.
Feel the wind blowing by you and see the sky, which is closer than the ground.
Before the inescapable bondage comes...
Enjoy the short-term freedom that will eventually leave.
(End of Volume 1)
