Chapter 225 In reality—Dawn?
【My life is brilliant】

【My love is pure】

【I saw an angel】

【Of that I'm sure】

【She smiled at me on the subway】

……

The resident singer, wearing a jacket, shook her long hair on the stage.

The glutinous red wine in the glass is shining.

Su Beixun sat on a high stool, slowly stirring the ice ball with an iron straw, listening to the crisp sound it made when it collided with the wall of the cup.

Su Beixun sipped the spicy wine down his throat and slowly rubbed his temple, his expression looking a little distressed.

"These past two days, I don't know why, but I keep thinking about things that happened when I was a kid. Especially the experiences I had in the orphanage."

He propped up his chin, tilted his head, and smiled at the child beside him: "It's really strange, isn't it?"

"Eh? I didn't realize, brother, you're still a nostalgic person."

The kid pretended to pick up a glass of blue-green wine and swayed it slowly, sitting at the bar very impolitely, relying on the fact that no one could see him and doing whatever he wanted.

"Yeah, I really can't tell."

Su Beixun narrowed his eyes, turned his gaze away from the child's face, drank the wine in the glass, and called to the bartender again: "Give me another Bloody Mary, thank you."

The bartender smiled and nodded, put two ice cubes into the glass, added vodka and tomato juice in turn, then sprinkled with spicy soy sauce, fine salt, black pepper, put in a slice of lemon, and finally stirred it with a celery stalk.

"Guest, your wine."

The bartender pushed the glass over steadily.

A middle-aged man sitting next to him looked at Su Beixun curiously and said, "I ordered a second cup... I didn't expect you to be so used to this kind of taste?"

"is acceptable."

Su Beixun raised his glass to him: "Sweet, sour, bitter and spicy, I really like the taste of this color."

The middle-aged people also clinked their glasses.

In his glass was a Screwdriver, a cocktail made with orange and vodka.

"When you reach my age, you might also prefer this milder wine."

The man sipped the wine in his glass.
“Is your work stressful?”

"Who says it isn't?"

The middle-aged man sighed.

Perhaps it was the slight smell of alcohol, or perhaps it was the peaceful ending of the song, he couldn't help but complain to this stranger he met for the first time.

"Do you know what happened in Brixham these days?"

"I heard about it." Su Beixun nodded, "It is said that several people died, but fortunately the criminal hiding in the sewer was arrested by the police."

"Listen to the government's farts!"

The man suddenly spat loudly.

"How many people died? Ha! I guarantee that the casualties in the past few days are at least in the tens! And what about the arrest... that person was dead when he was caught! Who knows if he is a scapegoat put forward by the police?!"

Su Beixun was a little surprised: "You know so much?"

"Because I work for the Brixham newspaper."

The man was indignant: "My headlines, my breaking news, my bonuses... The damn government actually banned us from publishing news! The editor-in-chief is also a spineless wimp!"

As he spoke, he downed most of the glass of wine in one gulp and choked and coughed repeatedly.

"Calm down, sir."

Su Beixun handed him the tissue on the bar and patted his back: "I think you need a more comfortable sleep now."

"What do you know!"

The man wiped his mouth and turned his head, but suddenly felt that in the hazy light, the pair of bright eyes were so beautiful that they seemed unreal.

The complaint that was about to come out of his mouth was blocked in his throat. He was stunned for a moment, then staggered to his feet and put the money for the wine and the tip into the glass.

"Yeah… I mean, you might be right."

He straightened his turned-up collar and walked away with unsteady steps.

The sound of the glass door opening was drowned out by the next song.

The child sitting at the bar could watch the man slowly walk away.

"Brother, did you hypnotize him? Like that fat policeman?"

Su Beixun did not answer.

He half-closed his eyes, looking sleepy, and tapped his fingers on the counter to the rhythm.

The child sighed, "Okay, let me change the subject... What exactly do you want to see in this story? A funny suicide full of determination and courage?"

Su Beixun remained silent.

The light breathes slowly, and the halo keeps changing before your eyes.

He suddenly felt a little dazed.

The scarlet wine rippled in circles, shattering the blurry features on it, just like a story that came to an abrupt end in memory.

Boom!
The slender fingers suddenly stopped on the table.

Su Beixun opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth were as tight as a knife.

He started thinking about that again.

##
The stars disappeared.

The night was as dark as death.

A light was turned on in a wooden house by the sea.

Silvery white dust could be seen swirling in the humid air.

Chu Zihang, wearing the fireproof suit that John had gotten, closed the pried-open wooden door, looked around for a moment, and decided to use this place as the address for his action.

——He did not choose underground again. After all, due to the requirements of visual tracking, the dark and complex terrain of the sewers should not be one of the options.

This place is where the lifeguards stay when tourists go to the sea on weekdays. The facilities are simple, there is no fancy furniture, only a wooden table and a few chairs.

Chu Zihang pulled away the wooden stool closest to the inner wall, sat down expressionlessly, took out the bullets and loaded them into the magazine one by one.

——After death, the body will be possessed by the last person seen.

This was the most hasty speculation he could make based on his own situation.

But he knew very well that this condition was absolutely inaccurate! A huge and effective alchemical ritual must be accompanied by harsh conditions!

If the condition is just seeing, it is too loose and too unsolvable for the effect it can produce.

So, there must be other constraints!

Chu Zihang pushed the magazine into the pistol.

So... is it time?
Is it the last person seen within a certain period of time before death?
Or does close contact have to happen?
Chu Zihang took a deep breath and suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart. His blue pupils were cold and determined.

He pulled out a black fire mask and put it on his head.

Then take out the phone.

Slowly press the number icon on the screen.

drop~
drop~
drop~
The sound of number input surrounds you.

Like someone's beating heart.

……

Click! !

suddenly!

A shadow shook violently under the light!
The wooden chassis slid quickly and made a harsh friction with the floor!

Chu Zihang looked up.

At the door that suddenly opened——

A black robe emerges from the darkness!
Chu Zihang stared at the face under the hood, which was difficult to identify, and calmly raised his gun at the same time as the other party.

He was not in a hurry, and even had the mind to daydream.

--really.

It is impossible for my body to hit the target perfectly with a sniper rifle through an opaque wall like [Caesar].

Hmm... In a way, is this a failure for the Lionheart Society?
……

boom!
The first shot rang out.

Metal fragments flew in the air.

Only half of the phone was left and flew to the ground.

boom!
This was the second sound that no one heard!

The sound of gunfire was masked by the sound of gunfire.

The two are connected, like the lingering sound of a bell.

The bright red blood spread out instantly!

The man in black robe was shot in the knee and his body involuntarily leaned against the porch.

But Chu Zihang had no time to be happy.

The next moment!
The golden light outshines the incandescent lamp!
The cool temperature is gradually rising!

Chu Zihang knew that this was what Caesar meant by "removing restrictions" after being injured. He did not hesitate at all!

While firing, he quickly pounced towards the black robe, trying to achieve the prerequisite of close contact.

But it’s not that simple!
The orange-red flames formed a circle and spread rapidly!

The orange bullet burned into liquid.

Chu Zihang felt that the gun in his hand had become as soft as plasticine.

The air is filled with the pungent smell of metallic vaporization!

Chu Zihang kept walking.

The sweat soaking under the clothes turned into white smoke.

He crossed the line of fire, rolling to avoid the oncoming fireball, stumbling and running with his Achilles tendon.

Everything is on fire!

table!

Chair!

wall!

Burn it!
Only the redness remains!

Chu Zihang smelled the stench of burnt hair under the fire helmet.

The surging heat wave penetrated through the mask and rushed into the dry lungs, raging so fiercely that even the blood seemed to be burned dry!

This is definitely a temperature of over 1500 degrees!

Chu Zihang could even feel his skin swelling, hurting and cracking!
The black robe at the door looked distorted through the slightly melted mask glass.

Like a pitch bent by flame!

But Chu Zihang knew that they were very close to each other!
He stretched out his hand, wanting to pull out the mask and see the other person's hidden true face - to prevent the alchemical ritual from failing.

But the next moment!
The raging fire bit towards him like a dragon or a tiger!

Sharp fangs tear apart clothes that can't bear the weight!

Special fibers and composite materials that are heat-insulating and flame-retardant are as fragile as ordinary cloth in the crimson fireworks.

The exposed flesh dried up quickly, turning black and charred like a colony of ants that kept spreading upwards.

but!

Chu Zihang still knocked him down!
He used his intact hand to remove the mask on the other person's face, completely ignoring the fact that the other hand had broken off during the struggle!

at last.

The mask fell off!

The golden pupil's eternally burning indifferent expression was reflected in the blue eyes.

Chu Zihang breathed a sigh of relief and opened his mouth to breathe.

But the air couldn't suppress the sticky blood rising in the throat.

He lowered his head.

Only then did I discover the hand wrapped in flames...

It has pierced his chest!

##
problem occurs!
John knew something was wrong when he saw a figure coming out of the burning cabin and leaving without looking back.

He left the reef where he was hiding and ran towards the hut in front, but was pushed out by the hot air waves.

The dust was sent up into the sky and then drifted back to the ground.

John took out the fire extinguisher he had prepared long ago and turned on the spray.

White dry powder mixed into the beach.

The dancing flames were dying.

"Chu Zihang!!"

John roared, took off his coat, fanned the remaining ashes, and rushed into the dust with a faint hope.

but.

He had no time to change what had happened and could only be a helpless witness.

Chu Zihang was lying on his back at the exit of the wooden house, with his legs and feet pressed by the half-black door. Through his empty chest he could see the debris-covered ground.

Failed!
John clenched his teeth, but the emotion in his pupils only fluctuated for a moment before he suppressed it all.

No time to be sad.

The crying at a funeral should also be after the fight is over.

【Feel sorry. 】

He said silently in his heart, and did not choose to take Chu Zihang's body out as soon as possible, but instead observed the scene.

The body fell at the door, indicating that there was contact between the two people.

Chu Zihang was holding a black mask in his hand, indicating that he had seen the other person's face.

……

So, what is the reason for failure?
John closed his eyes and recalled the possession process that Chu Zihang had specifically described to him before, comparing the two with each other.

seriously injured.

Contact passing by.

A quick death...

It seems that every one of them matches!

John's thoughts were in a mess.

He took a deep breath and memorized the surrounding scenes in his mind before he bent over to pick up Chu Zihang's body, preparing to leave here first.

The body in the arm was very light, even including the incomplete fireproof suit, it was still much lighter than a normal 13-year-old child.

I guess... all the blood has evaporated...

He looked down at the charred flesh on Chu Zihang's broken arm, smiled bitterly and said to himself.

But slowly.

John's steps became smaller and smaller.

Until the end.

He came to a sudden stop on the empty beach.

blood……

blood?!

John's pupils suddenly trembled violently.

He remembered that the last time Chu Zihang was possessed, half of his body was bitten by a monster in the sewer, and blood was dripping.

So much so that when he found Adam, the gray ground of the path was covered with blood.

that……

When Chu Zihang passed by Abbott, there was a high probability that he would leave his blood on the other person!
But this time...

John lowered his head and looked at the granular charred matter left on the surface of the body and the cracks with a dim gaze.

So...is this the reason?
What is really important in this alchemical ritual is not [seeing], but the blood stain and connection? !

"Damn! I should have thought of that!"

John cursed angrily, quickly put Chu Zihang's body back in the back seat, sat in the driver's seat and stepped on the accelerator to the bottom.

The car roared, kicking up sand and leaving two deep dents in the beach.

——He’s going to the police station!

Right now!
When Ian committed suicide by jumping off a building, he asked all the reporters downstairs to stand still and take pictures of the scene. He could tell who the blood had fallen on just by looking at it!
……

Half an hour later.

The police station rose into view in the darkness.

John took out the key to the front door, turned it quickly, turned on the light, and immediately ran to the second floor.

He could feel the bandage on his abdomen getting wet, but at this moment he couldn't stop, as if he had taken stimulants.

Open your own office.

Pushing aside all the files piled up on top, John began to look for the crucial photos.

soon.

In the files on the bottom floor, he found the stack of photos taken at the scene of Ian's death.

——Seven or eight reporters carrying cameras stood around the white circle, and in the white circle there were traces of blood spurting out when Ian's head fell to the ground.

He unfolded all the photos and scanned them one by one.

Following the direction of the blood splatter, John saw a flaxen-haired young man, about 25 years old, wearing a denim jacket.

【is it you? 】

John narrowed his eyes.

He put the photo into his pocket, found the identity information left by the young man when he was questioned, and then left without tidying up the desk and looking back.

The sky in the distance gradually turned pale.

Under the attic.

The engine, which hasn't cooled down yet, roars again!
(End of this chapter)