Die Reise einer Wahnsinnigen durch die Song-Dynastie

Kapitel 11

"My computer gets incredibly slow when running several programs at the same time. The human brain is mysterious, but it's not that powerful."

"You just saw me hold up two fingers. That's true, but do you know how those two fingers were held up?"

When I try to answer such a simple question, I don't know where to begin.

"Do you know how your muscles move, and how many things are involved in this movement?"

"this……"

"You only see two fingers move, but in fact, countless billions of cells are working together to make that movement, and none of them make a mistake. But that doesn't mean that your brain has to directly command so many cells."

"You mean, Six Ears doesn't directly control every single hair?"

"Yes, I think his brain simply issues instructions on what to do, and the nervous system automatically executes the commands, arranging the appropriate hairs to do the appropriate things. Even so, it's amazing enough. It means that all the hairs on his body have developed nervous systems, and their tissue composition is very different from ordinary hair. The brain has also recognized this newly added, massive system. This series of changes is truly a miracle in biological history. What's most incredible is that all these changes occurred spontaneously!"

"Yes, if he were willing to cooperate with your research, who knows how many new discoveries would be made. Unfortunately, he's very satisfied with himself now and refuses to come no matter what."

Liang Yingwu sighed; clearly, I had struck a chord with him.

"Alright, I've reported the matter of Liu Er to you. If things come to light later, you can't let the police cause me any trouble."

Liang Yingwu asked curiously, "What's the use of telling me?"

"I don't believe you wouldn't report this truthfully to Agency X. After all, Agency X is an official body, isn't it? Even if you're not as eager to arrest Liu Er as the police, you still want to keep him under control, right?"

Liang Yingwu smiled wryly: "You're overthinking it. The higher-ups might want to control everything, but they don't have that kind of power. Take Lu Yun, for example, we were helpless, weren't we? However, maintaining a good relationship is necessary. Find an opportunity to talk to him and let him make contact with the organization. Of course, we don't want to use him as an experiment."

I nodded: "Give it a try, but he's quite wary."

Liang Yingwu had finished his cold noodles and reached out to put his hand on my shoulder: "Young comrade, you should pay attention to your methods when doing things."

I slapped his hand away: "Cold noodles should look like cold noodles. Where did you learn this nonsensical nonsense from?"

"I only learned a little bit from you." Liang Yingwu looked at my hand that I had slapped open and revealed a malicious smile: "This time you're clean."

I quickly checked my shoulder; thankfully, there wasn't a real pig's hoof print. Looking up, I saw a banner that read "Seven Scoundrels Descend from Heaven," and thought to myself: This noodle dish is really something else; after just one and a half bowls, it's become incredibly cheap.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, shadowy figures kept moving around Yang Hua's seat. Various figures came and went many times, looking longingly at his empty chair.

The daily Yang family storytelling show hasn't started today yet, and the main character hasn't returned to the troupe. A few days ago, he was back by 3:30 at the latest.

"There must be some breakthrough," said Tang, the Japanese soldier.

I didn't say anything, but I had a pretty good idea of why.

At 4:20, Yang Hua finally appeared in the lobby of the news center.

Under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen people, he opened his computer and quickly typed the title in Word: Latest Developments in Shanghai Urban Legend: Mysterious Man Shot Himself the Night Before!

As expected, I sighed inwardly.

The onlookers immediately became excited and started asking all sorts of questions about what had happened.

"The specifics aren't very clear either..." Yang Hua often started his articles with this ridiculous statement, which showed that the municipal bureau was indeed tight-lipped and it was difficult to get information. However, his articles always turned out to be quite professional and coherent, as if he knew the inside story well, without fabricating anything that would be criticized for his professional ethics. This definitely demonstrated the profound skills of a veteran reporter.

"The mysterious man was ambushed the night before last. This time it was an extremely burly, muscular man, over two meters tall."

"Another one has popped up."

“At a construction site on Longming Road, more than 130 people participated in the attack, at least half of whom were experts in karate, taekwondo or other martial arts.”

"Even the police couldn't catch a glimpse of the mysterious person, so how did those people manage to ambush him?" Zong'er was very clear-headed and immediately asked a crucial question.

"It's said that a pickpocket gang that was recently busted by a mysterious figure was affiliated with a certain power. The gang leader was beaten half to death and, in a fit of rage, tried to intimidate the mysterious figure, and is now in a deep coma in the hospital. The mysterious figure followed the trail to find the power behind the pickpocket gang, but the power behind them was well-informed. One of their underlings who was present spread the word, and after thinking it over, they guessed that the mysterious figure, who claimed to be a champion of justice, would come knocking on their door in the next few days, so they gathered a large number of people to lie in wait."

"And then what happened?"

"That muscular guy was incredibly tough. He didn't panic at all when he realized he was surrounded, and he took down most of the men in just fifteen minutes. But he didn't expect that someone was carrying a modified pistol and shot him in the back. According to the shooter, it left a huge hole in his back. Everyone who saw it was stunned, not expecting the gun to be so powerful."

"Ah!" Lin, the great beauty, covered her mouth and exclaimed softly.

"Logically, that mysterious man should have been seriously injured, but after being shot, he suddenly went berserk, snatched the gun, and broke it with a twist. Within two or three minutes, half of the remaining people were dead, and the other half were seriously injured." Yang Hua looked puzzled as he said this.

"Even the police haven't figured this out yet. It seems he used some kind of mysterious weapon. Many people were pierced through by thousands of thin steel needles, and their deaths were extremely gruesome. But this weapon didn't leave any trace. The people who were knocked down earlier didn't see what the weapon looked like. They only saw some people get punched and blood spurting out of their bodies, while others, who weren't punched, just had the mysterious person pass by them and then collapsed, spurting blood."

Everyone, including myself, gasped in shock.

"Even more bizarrely, the forensic experts at the scene, working until this morning, still haven't found any blood on the mysterious man. This means he had a large gunshot wound in his back, leaving very little blood, or perhaps none at all. The bullet wasn't found, but it's believed it remained inside his body. Someone else claimed to have seen the gunshot wound on the mysterious man's back heal, but the police believe he was too nervous and misjudged. Another strange thing is that, based on the footprints left at the scene, this person's weight couldn't have exceeded 150 pounds, but judging from his appearance, he should have weighed at least 180 pounds. Previous scene analyses have also mentioned the mysterious man being underweight, but this is the most exaggerated case."

“This is definitely not a normal person,” Guizi Tang said with certainty.

"The police are also quite puzzled by this," Yang Hua nodded.

“This is a family of superhumans.” Tang’s next words drew a chorus of boos.

I quietly slipped out and went back to my seat.

Liu Er was indeed injured yesterday.

I watched as he closed his eyes and, by feel, used the hairs near the wound like dancing soft tweezers to pull the bullet out of his back muscles, his hands trembling with pain.

The bullet was embedded about two-thirds of the way into the flesh, with a tail still sticking out. He had previously wrapped the wound tightly with fur, and the man wasn't hallucinating; the wound did indeed appear to be healing quickly.

The injury wasn't serious; after disinfecting it with alcohol, Liu Er "stitched" the wound shut. He said he has a strong recovery ability; the last cut on his hand healed almost completely in just one day.

Now he knows he really can't stop bullets.

In fact, just a moment before the man fired the gun, Liu Er sensed danger behind him. It seemed to be the instinct of a wild beast. Almost at the same time the bullet was fired, he tensed the muscles in his back and caused the fur around him to clump together layer after layer.

But it was still no use. The high temperature of the bullets scorched the hair in the first few layers with a touch. The makeshift defense formed by the later layers provided some protection, but the bullets still managed to penetrate the body.

Therefore, even with prior preparation, it would be difficult to block the fire of this pistol at close range, not to mention that there are many more powerful guns with a faster rate of fire.

The injured Liu Er was furious.

He wouldn't listen to my advice at all; he couldn't even wait for his injury to heal.

"Anyone who dares to ambush me should be prepared to pay the price!" he roared, making me worry whether the walls were soundproof enough.

"They have guns!"

"I'm not stupid enough to stop a second time and get shot. With my speed, they can't even aim at me."

At that moment, he resembled a tyrant who had been defied.

When I woke up in the morning, his wound had already scabbed over. As I was leaving, he told me he was going to set off in the afternoon to vent his anger.

"This cancer must be eradicated," he said.

The only compromise it made to me now lies quietly in my pants pocket.

I hope I won't need it.

As I walked through the neighborhood, it grew dark.

Carrying two orders of Eight Immortals Jumping into the Sea cold noodles, it was extremely inconvenient to fumble for my keys. I started searching as soon as I entered the elevator, and by the time I got to my room, my hand was still groping around in my bag for quite a while.

The lights were off in the room.

I closed the door and called out, but no one answered.

Liu Er has not returned.

I felt uneasy and hoped he was alright.

He left today filled with rage, and I'm afraid he won't hold back. From Yang Hua, I learned that Liu Er killed quite a few people after being shot yesterday. He didn't tell me this yesterday; he was just showing off his anger.

Perhaps those who died deserved their fate, or perhaps they only committed minor evils. But Liu Er's disregard for human life makes me uncomfortable. I've already decided that if he returns safely today, I'll let him move elsewhere.

By 8:30, I had finished my cold noodles, but Liu Er still hadn't returned.

His phone hasn't been used for a long time, so there's no way to contact him.

Could something really have happened?

His gunshot wound hasn't healed yet; if he were shot again...

Moreover, after what happened the day before yesterday, it's no secret that the once invincible mysterious man was thwarted by bullets; if he wanted to have a few more guns on hand...

I sat in front of the computer with several web pages open, but I couldn't concentrate on browsing them. I stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

Indeed, I don't entirely agree with his approach, but he clearly still considers me a friend. If something were to happen, I would never stand idly by.

The clock has already struck nine.

I took out a roll of paper from my pocket and unfolded it.

As I stepped out of the taxi, a few drops of cold liquid touched my face. A light drizzle had started.

Before me stood a magnificent and opulent restaurant.

I glanced at the restaurant's name again. Yes, it was the one Liu Er wrote down for me before he left yesterday.

This is his target for today, and also the most important stronghold of that force.

I walked towards the door, where the doorman greeted me with a smile.

"Is there one, sir?"

"I'm looking for a friend." I gestured to myself that someone was already waiting for me inside for dinner, declined their offer to show me the way, and walked in on my own.

This restaurant is doing good business; it's almost midnight, and half the tables are still occupied.

I glanced at the lobby on the first floor and went up the stairs to the second floor.

Liu Er's behavior over the past few days has made me realize that his temperament has become much more extreme than before. This time, he finally told me where he was going, but deep down, I'm afraid he wasn't sure himself and had left himself a way out.

This restaurant is enormous and in a prime location, which speaks volumes about the owner's wealth and influence. If Liu Er really gets into trouble, how can I possibly save him all by myself?

I walked from the second floor to the third floor, and then to the fourth floor, pretending to be looking for someone, but my doubts grew stronger.

Everything I see seems normal. There are several wedding banquets on the fourth floor. Given the scale of Liu Er's actions a few days ago, whether he left safely or not, he must have caused a huge uproar.

A sign that read "No Customers Allowed" was posted on the stairs leading to the fifth floor. I had only taken a few steps up when a waitress stopped me.

"Sir, the top two floors are the office area."

"It's right here," I thought to myself.

"A friend of mine got drunk, and I've searched everywhere but can't find him. Could he have gone up there?"

"I didn't see anyone go up there."

"Maybe he slipped up there when you weren't looking. My friend likes to act crazy when he's drunk, so I have to go up and check on him to make sure he doesn't break anything."

I had only taken one step when the young lady stopped me again.

"He definitely didn't go up there. Even if I wasn't looking, there are security guards up there. If your friend had really been acting drunk up there, he would have been thrown down long ago," the woman said with a smile.