In a panic, the man took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled.
When he opened his eyes again, they were not much more stable than they looked before, and his mental energy was still at an extremely low level.
"Confirm that you are awake... temporarily awake." The familiar voice sounded on everyone's channel.
Qin Zhilu paused, raised his head, and looked deeply at An Yu.
"Black Tower, maybe you need to find a stronger cage, such as something that has the opposite effect to the dome, to cover me inside."
Qin Zhilu said in a hoarse voice: "I'm sorry, I can't guarantee that I am stable and controllable."
Chapter 102 World Line·102
Siena disappeared completely, as if she had never existed. But the rough ravines left on the ground still remind people that the main city is no longer safe.
Human defense collapsed.
Overnight, these few words became the craziest meme, quickly sweeping the world through social media and word of mouth.
Xu Shanshan complained on the phone that the bakery was back to being sold out as soon as it was put on the shelves. It's just different from the past. Nowadays, people can no longer accept the purchase limit rules peacefully. When she had the courage to ask the customers to put the extra bread back on the shelves, the vicious look in her eyes made her heart tremble.
"I'm glad that I'm in the main city and people haven't completely torn off the last layer of civilized pretense, otherwise he would definitely hit me."
"It's not just our store, it's the same in all supermarkets and bakeries. Hoarding is not a good sign. Isn't the main city really going to be doomed?"
"I heard that someone was robbed after returning from shopping last night. This is crazy. This kind of thing has never happened in the main city. How could the human elites rob?"
"..."
"Boss, human beings' fragile sense of order and morality automatically fall apart in the face of chaos. This is a spiritual entropy of the entire society."
An Yu listened to her complaints quietly. The elevator descended rapidly, and through the transparent glass door, he saw people wearing protective clothing appearing in every corner of each floor of the minaret.
"Boss, that... former decision-maker from the steeple, you know him, right?" Xu Shanshan's words suddenly became cautious, "Humanity's last line of defense, ever since everyone discovered that he would be infected by non-biological aberrations, They are already questioning him. Now everyone is saying that the root cause of the main city’s fall was the collapse of his human will..."
An Yu paused slightly as he stepped out of the elevator.
"For your own safety, don't show up with him recently." Xu Shanshan lowered her voice and warned, "Although you are also deeply relied on as the second line of human defense... but people's hearts are unpredictable. People with superpowers are a sensitive topic now. Don’t show up in the store either, Mrs. Maddie and I can still handle it.”
An Yu felt his chest was pressed heavily and felt depressed.
"Is there anything else?" He frowned and looked at another group of researchers who filed in from the side door. This time, he did not greet them from a distance, but strode directly towards them.
"It's nothing, and the other thing is... you are not good at dealing with people, so after much thought, I still have to remind you..."
Xu Shanshan's words were hesitant. When An Yu walked to the team of researchers, she finally took a deep breath and finished her words quickly - "Even if this is the main city, human stupidity is still inevitable. That is a guardian A person who has been a human being for more than 20 years, his will will never collapse easily. He has done so much in the bakery and behind your back. Now that he is weak and vulnerable, please stand by his side and hold on for a while. .”
"Although doing this may not do you any good, boss... this is how interactions between people should be."
An Yu held the phone in his hand, his eyes suddenly dazed.
"Sir?" the researcher asked softly, "Do you have any orders?"
An Yu quickly came to his senses, whispered "thank you" to the phone, then put away the terminal and looked up at the long line of people wrapped in bulky protective suits.
"How's it going, sir?"
The researcher and his colleague exchanged glances, and after a moment, the other person cautiously replied: "Lyu's human will is very strong, and his brain has also tried its best to help him maintain his will within the scope of humanity. But unfortunately, we cannot eliminate him. Although the impact on his mental power is declining slowly, his mental power is still gradually losing."
An Yu's heart tightened and he asked in a low voice, "Has he been resisting?"
"Yes." The researcher nodded quickly, "Law is a lawful person with a strong will."
Lawful ones.
An Yu chewed on the meaning of this title.
He found that humans living at the top of society were indeed, as Ling Qiu said, careful to organize every word. Those seemingly random words often revealed their stance. They would use language to pave the way for their subsequent actions, and also Leave a way out for yourself.
Another researcher Shen said: "You should know the fable of Area 95. Law carries the main body of the chaos that came that year. To put it offensively, he is not essentially different from those super abnormal bodies, but because he is more complete and larger, so He has been sleeping for so many years. Unfortunately, Siena woke him up this time. This is not only a disaster for him, but also a disaster for mankind."
An Yu stared at the man, "Lawful ones, human beings. So, what do you want to explain?"
The man paused, "No one questions Qin Zhilu's loyalty. He will always deserve our respect. But - if the will is as strong as his, it will be difficult to resist the invasion of chaos in the end, then..."
He didn't finish speaking, but his eyes subconsciously circled the hall and finally landed in the distance. An Yu looked over and saw the statue of the Oath of the Order.
He was a little unbelievable for a moment, "You doubt all lawful people?"
"We have never doubted it." The man said in a serious tone, "But we must evaluate whether human will can compete with the abnormal destiny."
Before the team left, the man patted An Yu on the shoulder and said, "The thousands of law-abiding people in the minaret have never been tools, but friends. No one is willing to betray a friend in a polite way."
*
On the way to visit Qin Zhilu, An Yu deeply realized what top threat protection is.
Behind him were 30 core personnel from the Black Tower and the Brain. On the tenth floor underground of the Brain, each gate required identity verification from one of them. The structures of those gates were different, but each one belonged to Qin Zhilu. Death's door.
He knew nothing about high technology, but when he recognized a power grid with electric arcs on its periphery, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, as if someone had stabbed him in the heart endlessly.
"How long?" An Yu glanced at the terminal.
Nearly two hours had passed since he came out of the elevator, and he still didn't know how far away the cage of this underground maze was.
There were only two people left behind him, and one of them stepped forward to verify the irises and reassured: "Just ten more minutes."
An Yu's fingers hanging by his side curled up, resisting the urge to tighten.
This is the penultimate gate. The walls on both sides are inlaid with huge metal cans, and metal pipes bend out of them and converge towards the door.
The body of the can is engraved with a complex serial code, followed by the four words "neurotoxin."
The mechanical door opened, and the superior stayed outside the door and gestured to him, "Please."
An Yu looked tense and strode in. The ground was covered with channels that released neurotoxins. Before the superior wanted to remind him to try not to step on them, he had already crushed them.
The researcher following him shook his head slightly at the man.
Ten minutes later, An Yu finally stood in front of the last gate leading to Qin Zhilu.
The researcher next to him bowed gently to him and said gently: "I am Lu's exclusive researcher this time, and the last verification is my palm print."
Watching him step forward to open the door, An Yu suddenly said softly: "The brain must have dealt with some abnormal species before. I remember Yan Xi said that he lost his eyes because the test subject lost control."
The researcher nodded, "Of course. Black Tower will provide professional training, and we also have specialized equipment."
An Yu raised his head and looked around the tall gate, "What is the most cruel method you use when killing freaks?"
The other party was stunned for a moment, "Do you want to..."
"When an unknown super abnormality appeared in Bai City, did you and the Black Tower come up with 30 countermeasures against it?"
An Yu's question was sharp, but his eyes were very calm and toneless, as if he was still the inhuman little beast from before, simply expressing doubts.
But for some reason, the emotionless gaze of those golden eyes caused sweat to pour down the researcher's back.
"These are all signed by Lu." The researcher avoided looking.
An Yu raised the corners of his lips and whispered, "Of course. Of course he will sign."
The heavy gate opened, and An Yu passed by the man expressionlessly, "Thank you. He is very dangerous, you don't have to follow him."
The last door is very thin and has no mechanism.
When An Yu pressed the door handle, the researcher suddenly said behind him: "This entire set of plans was formed when Lu decided to build a spire at the age of sixteen, and he himself was one of the designers."
An Yu paused and squeezed the door handle, his joints gradually protruding.
"corner?"
"His self-judgment should be respected and redeemed, not exploited."
An Yu turned around and glanced at the man, "Sorry, I lack humanity and don't understand the black tower and the deep thinking of the brain. I only know the simple truths taught to me by these neighbors."
The monitoring room was no different from the laboratory that An Yu had stayed in before. The four walls were covered with monitors, and there was a cold metal bed in the middle of the floor. But Qin Zhilu was not here. An Yu stepped lightly and looked at the room leading to the inner room. A small door.
According to the drawings provided by the brain, Qin Zhilu has a small bedroom inside, which is his private space and is decorated like the room in the minaret. There is no surveillance in the bedroom, only a calling device. But once he enters the bedroom, he cannot come out without authorization. When he comes out, he must first call a professional to help him out.
An Yu approached the door and heard the heavy sound of metal inside.
Qin Zhilu was wearing soft pajamas and sitting on the bed, reading a book. Two steel rings protruded from his shoulder blades on both sides. The two branches of the Y-shaped chain clasped the steel rings respectively, and the other end was connected to the bed.
There is a steel cable between the two rings. It cannot be seen from the outside, but it passes under Qin Zhilu's spine. Once he breaks free, the steel cable will directly cut off the spine.
Qin Zhilu put down the somewhat old collection of essays. On the title page was written "Tang Ruzhu". It was a casual book written by his mother when Qin Zhishi was born, recording small things in life.
He looked towards An Yu and said, "What's wrong?"
The voice was low, with some helplessness and tolerance. That was the tenderness he showed when he spoke to An Yu in private after confirming the relationship.
An Yu was very nervous, but he had already keenly felt the change in his superior's attitude toward him, and that change made him very happy.
He glanced at the somewhat awkward display screen on the wall.
——35. Qin Zhilu’s mental strength at this moment.
When he looked over, the number dropped to 34, then flashed back to 35. It changed back and forth many times, and finally stopped weakly at 34.
Qin Zhilu also turned to look at the screen. Only then did An Yu realize that his eyes were a little distracted, like an old camera that couldn't focus. Every time he concentrated for a few seconds, he weakly scattered again.
"What's wrong with you?" Qin Zhilu asked again, his voice a little hoarse, and he turned back from the wall to look at An Yu, "It feels like I have a ton of temper in my heart. Heita should have told you that this is I designed an emergency plan for myself."
He said and gently plucked the steel chain hanging by his side, "It was designed when I was sixteen."
"What else did you design?" An Yu asked, only to realize that his voice was trembling.
Qin Zhilu paused and did not answer. He looked at An Yu, his eyes suddenly dazed, and his absent-minded black eyes finally focused. An Yu watched him put down the book, get up and walk slowly towards him from the bedside.
Qin Zhilu walked slowly and steadily, without any trace of embarrassment, and without making any sound from the steel cable behind him.
He stood quietly in front of An Yu, leaned over and kissed An Yu's cheek gently, leaving a wet and cool touch.
Then the kiss came to An Yu's lips. He pried open An Yu's lips and kissed her deeply. The slightly astringent taste made An Yu finally realize that it was a drop of tear that stayed on his face.
Qin Zhilu kissed him hard, and did not stop until An Yu wrapped her arms around his waist unconsciously. He whispered in his ear and asked, "Why are you crying again? I told you not to cry randomly, and to stop acting coquettishly."
"I'm scared, sir." An Yu lowered his eyes in front of him and looked at the lines on his pajamas.
"What are you afraid of?"
Afraid of losing the wooden stake tied to the bottom of the boat again.
