Chapter 53: A Person Always Worth Saving

“I can’t believe this is happening.”

“No Occupation, Deceased Name: Li Wei, Age 27, Associate’s Degree.”

The scene had already been taken away for identification and testing.

At that moment, the captain was crouched at the spot where the victim had died.

His body had already been removed from his home, and several Youxun were surveying the residual Nether Breath left within the room.

According to records, it was his neighbor, a couple in their thirties, who had noticed he hadn’t been seen in a long time and called the police.

Although they had previously had conflicts with the deceased, it had never escalated to anything particularly intense.

Now, beside him, a police officer assigned to assist with the investigation was briefing him on the victim’s life and recent circumstances.

Under normal circumstances, the Association didn’t require much police assistance when dealing with Guiyi.

However, this time, because the recent victims with the same cause of death all shared commonalities, they needed to synchronize some information with the police.

“I see? We understand… Captain, the police have finished checking the chat logs and browsing history on the phone and computer.”

The person who approached the captain was a Youxun who had just confirmed the situation with the police via communicator.

“This victim, Li Wei, also participated in the online bullying of Chen Yuan during his lifetime. Furthermore, the cause of death is identical to the other bodies discovered earlier.”

“It seems we’re dealing with a Guiyi born of obsession.”

The Youxun captain murmured softly, a hint of lament in his tone.

“What are the results from the Bole Detector?”

“Reporting. According to the Bole Detector’s reaction results, the target’s rank is… ‘Mei’.”

“It’s already reached ‘Mei’…”

The captain muttered to himself.

He clearly remembered that when the first case of this type occurred, this Guiyi was only at the ‘You’ level.

“It’s growing fast… It seems we need to submit a request for a replacement cleanser. Can the police side confirm all the members who participated in the online bullying of Mr. Chen Yuan?”

“With the Association’s cooperation, most of the individuals involved in the cyberbullying have been identified. We have already issued emergency evacuation notices, instructing them to take shelter at the nearest Youxun Sentry Post.”

“We will conduct the follow-up investigation from here.”

The assisting police officer nodded.

“Alright then… I’ll leave it to you. We’ll take our leave now for the follow-up investigation.”

With a salute, he turned and left.

After all, he was only responsible for catching people; catching Guiyi was ultimately a job for the professionals.

After the police officer left, the Youxun who had approached looked at the captain crouching on the ground, observing the residual traces at the scene.

His lips moved beneath his helmet.

“Um… Captain…”

“I know what you want to ask.”

The captain interrupted suddenly, turning to look at the young Youxun.

His eyes behind the goggles held the weariness and determination of experience.

“Remember, don’t let your emotions overwhelm your rationality. Our goal is to eliminate Guiyi and protect humanity. Whatever wrongs they committed should be judged by the law, not by us.”

“Understood.”

“Good. As long as you understand.”

The captain straightened up and patted him on the shoulder.

“The human heart and Guiyi can sometimes coincide. But even so, don’t lose hope in humanity itself. Just because you’ve seen the darkness doesn’t mean you deny the light’s existence. That’s a lesson I’ve learned in my years as a Youxun.”

Then, he called out to the other Youxun in the room, telling them to gather outside once the investigation was finished.

The young Youxun nodded.

The captain gave a slight nod in return.

“Let’s go. In a little while, it’ll be time for the outside patrol.”

The captain turned, walked to the door, and just as he reached out with his strong hand…

“Captain… have you encountered something similar before?”

The voice that came from behind was still that of the young Youxun, now tinged with a hint of confusion.

The Youxun captain’s steps halted.

He stopped at the door, his hand still resting on the doorknob.

Of course, he had.

Having been a Youxun for so long, he had seen countless Guiyi born from similar reasons.

Guiyi born from injustice, Guiyi born from hatred… he had seen many.

He too had once doubted, like this young Youxun: Were some people really worth protecting?

Until that one time.

The specific time and place had blurred, but that scene was etched deep in his memory.

It was a powerful Guiyi, born from a human soul that had completely twisted, carrying immense hatred.

After it was eliminated by the Association, at the spot where it dissipated, they found a fragment of its remains that hadn’t been completely contaminated and buried it according to its vague, living will.

And at that simple, nameless grave, the captain saw with his own eyes a figure—a perpetrator confirmed during the investigation to have inflicted long-term, vicious harm on the person the Guiyi had been in life.

After everything had settled and the legal procedures were complete, that person, alone, placed a small bouquet of dewy white wildflowers on the grave at dusk.

He didn’t bow, didn’t speak.

He just stood there for a long time.

So long that the twilight stretched his shadow far.

Then he turned and left, his back hunched.

“What I’m telling you might just sound like dry platitudes, even preachy stories.”

The captain finally spoke, his voice low but clear, reaching every corner of the room and the young Youxun’s ears.

“Some things, some realizations, you have to experience, collide with, and even get hurt by for them to truly sink into your bones. All I can tell you is one thing, a phrase I’ve repeated to myself countless times—never lose hope in humanity itself.”

“Even if they make mistakes, even if they sometimes seem foolish, apathetic, or even ugly. Because hope itself is the most important reason we stand here, facing those unnameable things.”

He turned his head one last time, looking at the Youxun who had somewhat lost his way.

Then he pressed down on the doorknob and opened the door.

Rushing in from outside was the evening breeze and the light from the corridor.

The captain’s figure stood at the boundary between light and shadow.

After a moment, he stepped forward into that bright light.

That night, after Qiu Qiqian and Li Meng had finished eliminating a Guiyi as usual, they went to the Youxun Sentry Post to log this experience, then headed downstairs towards the exit.

But as they passed one of the break rooms, Qiu Qiqian happened to notice Yao Xueyue and the others gathered around Isana’s computer screen, watching something.

Only… the expressions on Yao Xueyue and Mo Ling weren’t very good.

As for Isana, Qiu Qiqian had never seen her expression change before.

“What… are they watching?”

Li Meng noticed too, a bit curious.

Qiu Qiqian pointed to the back door, whispering, “Let’s go in and see.”

So the two of them sneaked into the break room like thieves.

When Qiu Qiqian reached them first and looked at the screen from the gap between them, her pupils contracted sharply from sheer shock.

In the video, a man was sitting in front of a fixed camera, holding a chopping knife in his right hand.

After saying something that sounded like a final testament or an apology, he raised the knife and cut off his own legs, then his left arm.

Blood spurted, blurring the entire screen… but it wasn’t over yet.

At the end of the video, the man, using his remaining right arm, cut off his own head.

“Ugh…”

A suppressed retching sound escaped Qiu Qiqian’s throat, her stomach churning.

“No way… How can you guys watch a video like this… and be so focused…”

Her voice startled Yao Xueyue and Mo Ling.

“Whoa! When did you two sneak in?”

Mo Ling nearly jumped, the peaked cap on her head wobbling.

“Don’t worry, it’s not some weird hobby.”

Yao Xueyue waved her hand in explanation.

“Just doing some research.”

“Research on what?”

Li Meng leaned in and asked.

“On a recent Guiyi incident that’s been circulating quite a bit within the Youxun Sentry Post. This Guiyi that was born seems to be formed from a twisted soul. And the reason for its birth…”

Yao Xueyue glanced at Isana, who was still focused on watching the video, and, not wanting to disturb her, signaled the two to go outside to talk.

Over with Isana, she was still studying the video over and over again.

This Guiyi incident wasn’t assigned to them but to Xia Xinglian, an external Lingxun temporarily stationed in the city.

But even so, there was still one thing Isana couldn’t understand: Was it really possible for a human being, relying solely on willpower, to cut off their own head after severing both legs and a left arm?

From a human physiological and psychological perspective, it was impossible.

Yet in the video… the deceased named Chen Yuan had truly done it.

Isana instinctively felt that there must be another Guiyi involved in this.

But… the Youxun’s investigation results showed that only the Nether Breath of one Guiyi was detected, which should be the Guiyi formed after Chen Yuan’s death.

So, she decided to start from this video, to see if she could find any clues.

“I’m just saying, why are you so sure there’s another Guiyi involved?”

Mo Ling sat wearily at the edge of the sofa, chin resting on her hand, looking at Isana.

“Couldn’t it just be because of resentment?”

“If it were just because of resentment, wouldn’t the world be filled with Guiyi ever since the war periods?”

Mo Ling was left speechless.

She could only sigh and walk to the window, gazing out at the nighttime city.

On the other side, Li Meng, having understood the situation, was the same.

She leaned against the railing, looking at the flowing stream of pedestrians in the distance, then raised her head to look at the stars in the sky, a hint of indescribable melancholy in her eyes.

“What are you thinking about?”

Qiu Qiqian walked over and also looked up at the night sky.

Stars dotted the sky, glistening and dreamlike, as if waiting for the unreachable moonlight.

“Xiao Qian, you know?”

Li Meng suddenly spoke, her tone filled with emotion.

“Sometimes, I feel… like we’re losing something beautiful. Honesty, kindness, tolerance, harmony… these are the most precious qualities that belong to humanity.”

As she spoke these words, there was nostalgia and regret in her gray eyes.

“Are you feeling lost? About protecting humanity?”

Li Meng shook her head, still looking at the starlight in the sky.

She reached out her hand and waved it gently in the air, as if trying to catch one of them.

“I just… don’t understand. We all live under the same sky, breathe the same air. Why is there sometimes such immense malice between us?”

Her voice choked slightly.

Qiu Qiqian gently patted her on the back.

“Everything in the world has two sides. There are good people, and naturally, there are bad people. But most of the time, they’re just ordinary people who have gone astray due to wrong guidance.”

She spoke slowly.

“As someone who was once a human, I’ve seen all sorts of incidents online. Even if they don’t deserve death, if they’ve done wrong, they must eventually pay the price. That’s how humans are; they always need a few knocks to understand what they should and shouldn’t do, to keep moving forward.”

“So…”

Qiu Qiqian turned to the side, reached out, and gently placed her hand on Li Meng’s head.

Her fingertips were still cold, but Li Meng felt a profound warmth and comfort from the heart.

“Don’t dwell too much on these things. Don’t forget your initial intention.”

“Don’t forget the beauty of the human world.”

Li Meng turned her head back, the original light returning to her eyes, and nodded firmly.

“Mm.”