Three hours ago, in Iceland.
The morning had just passed, and the slightly cold wind blew from the distant mountains, and the birds on the branches flew into the air.
In the town, the door of the fast food restaurant was pushed open, making a jingling sound.
The boss at the counter looked up, pushed his glasses, and saw a familiar customer.
Outside the door, in the light rain, the man with the round-framed tortoiseshell glasses put away his umbrella and put it on the shelf. After stepping on the cushion, he walked in and sat beside the bar.
After taking off his hat, his gray hair was revealed.
"Good morning, Mr. Lu."
The boss with the coffee pot came up and poured him a cup of steaming coffee to dispel the chill. "What do you want today, the usual?"
"Yes, another pack of toast. Take it away."
The man called Mr. Lu was slightly old, but his specific age could not be seen. He just held the coffee cup and took a sip, waiting quietly.
In this town, many residents were familiar with each other. When they saw him walk in, they greeted him warmly, and he responded gently one by one.
Soon, the boss, who returned from the kitchen, put down the plate and packed toast. He was not in a hurry to get busy. In the old jazz song of the jukebox, he chatted casually with Mr. Lu.
Anyway, business was leisurely.
"It's rare. I've never seen you order toast before." The old boss leaned on the counter and asked curiously, "Why, do you want to try a new taste?"
"Yes."
Mr. Lu nodded. "Life is long. There has to be some new fun."
When eating, he was always in a hurry. It was obviously an ordinary fish and chips set, but he still held a knife and fork and ate calmly. There was a kind of gentle beauty.
Unlike others, he did not look at his phone when eating, nor did he pay attention to the picture on the TV. He just focused on eating, as if there was a delicious meal in front of him that deserved to be treated seriously.
"What day is it today?"
After finally putting down the knife and fork, he looked at the strings of colorful lights that were about to be hung in the corner of the shop and asked curiously, "Is it Christmas?"
"No, it's still early."
The boss smiled and sighed softly. "It's just celebrating the 30th anniversary of the opening of the shop. It's not a big deal."
"30th anniversary? So soon? "
Mr. Lu nodded slightly and understood. "So, I've been here for more than 30 years … How's Peter? I heard that he just got married a few days ago. "
"That's right. Living in a big city like London isn't far away, but I don't have much time to come back either. After a few months, when I have a child, I may come back even later."
"When are you retiring?"
Mr. Lu sipped his coffee slowly. "You're getting old, aren't you? It's about time for someone new to come. "
The shopkeeper's expression froze for a moment, and he didn't say anything.
He seemed to be lost in thought as he looked at the light rain outside the window.
The shop gradually quieted down.
Soon, there was a vibration on the table. The phone screen next to the coffee cup suddenly lit up, and an unfamiliar phone number popped up.
But Mr. Lu did not seem to be in a hurry to pick up the phone.
He just drank his coffee quietly.
The screen dimmed and lit up, then dimmed again.
What was strange was that the number displayed was a jumbled mess, constantly changing.
"There's a call," the store manager said.
"There's no rush. Let's wait for a while."
Mr. Lu stared at the reflection in the coffee cup and said softly, "I still want to be quiet for a while. I'm afraid there won't be such a quiet and leisurely life in the future."
He said, "Wait for me to finish drinking."
"Then take your time."
The shopkeeper nodded, wiped his hands on his apron, and walked in the direction of the kitchen.
His footsteps were hurried.
However, after turning around, he heard the sound of someone falling to the ground behind him.
He stiffened on the spot. Under his apron, he gripped the heavy handle of his pistol tightly.
Soon, the shop, which was not very spacious, returned to silence again. There was only the hoarse and damaged melody of the gramophone.
Finally, the shopkeeper slowly turned around and stared at the man sitting next to the counter drinking coffee.
"There's no need to do this."
He said, "It's been thirty years, Lu Baiyan. Why do you have to do this?"
"It's been seventy years."
Lu Baiyan calmly corrected him, "Before I came here, I served nine years in prison. Then, I lived in London for more than thirty years. It rained every day, and I went back and forth every week. I wore a tracking ring on my leg, and I lived in a specific area. Inspectors would come to visit me at random times. I was like an ornamental animal living in a cheap motel.
Later, someone thought I was old, so they let me come here. I went from an ornamental animal to a wild animal … … Actually, it's all the same. It's just that I can't see the cage anymore.
That chain is still around my neck, and it's been with me for seventy years … … until today. "
Behind him, the residents who had fallen to the ground no longer made a sound. Only countless purple capillaries appeared on their faces, quickly turning into wax.
In a few people's hands, their pistols and alarms fell to the ground, and clumps of mold grew on them.
The Origin Substances that spread out were poisonous, causing strange colors to appear on the floor, table, and sofa. They spread rapidly, like a bucket of paint that had been knocked over.
The store manager took a step back and subconsciously pinched his collar.
"There's no need to contact the surveillance team."
Lu Baiyan said, "Before I came here, I already went there."
He thought for a moment, then said softly, "Before I came here, I went to a lot of places … …"
Outside the window, the cold and cheerless town was bathed in the rain. There was no longer any sound.
The once noisy road was deathly still.
Only the store manager's suppressed breathing could be heard.
"Are you crazy … …" He pressed down on the pistol, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. "You should know that you can't escape! Even if you can live, the rest of your life won't be good! "
"It's the same as staying here. It's all in hell. There's no difference."
Lu Baiyan put down the cup in his hand and picked up the phone that was vibrating endlessly. "The time has come, old friend … … we have to say goodbye."
Bang!
The loud sound of parting burst forth, one after another.
Bloody holes appeared on Lu Baiyan's body one after another, but no blood flowed out. It was as if they had all been drained long ago.
And in his hand, the phone finally connected.
However, no sound came from the other side.
In that instant, the store manager took a step back in fright. He finally sensed the slender figure that had appeared beside him at some unknown time.
It was a teenager.
He had a face that was very similar to his son's when he was young, but his eyes and hair were black. There was a happy smile at the corner of his mouth.
The child sat on the bar counter and stared at the scene happily. Finally, he looked at Lu Baiyan.
"It seems that I came at a bad time?"
"It doesn't matter." Lu Baiyan took a last look at the broken porcelain cup on the table and said, "I just want to finish this cup of coffee."
"Are you so reluctant to leave, Lu Baiyan?"
The Roman teenager laughed heartily. "Then why don't you stay in this happy nest? Wait for Russell to come to your door and deliver the late liquidation and trial … … But, do you care about this kind of thing? "
"Actually, I'm not afraid of the trial."
Lu Baiyan stroked the sharp stubble of the coffee cup, feeling the slight tingling.
"I'm more afraid that no one will come to me," he said. "I'm afraid that they will forget me."
No one responded.
Only the sharp porcelain shard pierced his index finger, bringing the lonely pain of the forgotten.
On the floor behind the counter, the store manager, who was convulsing in pain, raised his head with difficulty and pressed the fatal switch.
There was a cracking sound from Lu Baiyan's body. A faint blue flame was ignited under the skeleton. It quickly rose and spread, covering the old body and engulfing it.
It was burned to ashes.
However, on the skeleton that was gradually turning to ashes, an ancient jade crown emerged. It was like an ancient cultural relic that had experienced the vicissitudes of life. It did not change color in the burning fire and glowed faintly.
Then, on the skeleton, flesh and blood grew again, and a brand-new face appeared.
It was just like returning to youth.
With the blessing of the crown, he shed the cocoon that he had woven for seventy years. His strong body was reborn from the flames.
Then, a black shadow rose from under Lu Baiyan's feet. Following the memory and instinct of the past, it formed a solemn suit.
"How nostalgic. This symbol …"
Lu Baiyan lowered his head and stared at the Utopia emblem on his chest. He looked at it for a moment and reached out to swipe it away. Thus, there was only a blank space left.
Just like that, he broke free from the last shackle.
He slowly got up and picked up the packed toast next to him. Finally, he looked around the deathly silent room and said solemnly, "Thank you for accompanying me for so many years.
"Thank you for the coffee too."
Lu Baiyan wiped the corner of his mouth and said softly, "I'm going on a trip.
"Everyone, goodbye —"
He pushed the door open and left.
Holding an umbrella, he walked towards the world engulfed by the cold rain.
It gradually disappeared.
In the silent town, there were only endless black butterflies crawling out from the cold corpses. Under the nourishment of the blood, they were like a surging tide.
After a long winter, they spread their wings, which were covered with giant eyes, and rose from this new hell.
They welcomed a new life.
Scale powder sprinkled down, and the rain of death fell.
.
.
Three hours later, in the roaring helicopter, Huai Shi had already connected to a conference call.
The surveillance video of the fast food restaurant appeared on the screen in his hand.
"This is a message sent by the school affairs office half an hour ago." In the earpiece, the vice principal introduced, "It has been assessed as a major vicious incident by the decision-making room of the Central Command Bureau."
"Who is this?" Huai Shi asked.
"Lu Baiyan, a former member of the Utopia." Isaac said, "The survivors after the fall of the Heavenly State. Now, it seems that they have completely surrendered to the Golden Dawn … If you ask me, I should have killed him 70 years ago."
"Just because he's a lucky survivor?"
Russell asked back, "There's no doubt about it, Isaac. We can't kill someone just because they talked to a member of the Golden Dawn, right? Besides, he's in prison. I can't just rush in and cut his neck, right? "
"Kill! Kill! Kill! "
On the other end of the phone, Marcus's voice suddenly sounded as he shouted vaguely, "Burn his whole family! Beat his mother! "
"Traitors must die!!!!"
"Okay, okay, don't choke. Speak slowly, give me the phone … give me …"
There was a mess of voices.
You old fogeys are really too much!
Isaac suppressed his irritation and continued to explain the details to Huai Shi.
"Seventy years ago, he was the only survivor in the core area when the Heavenly State fell … Other than him, all his colleagues and students died.
Because the relevant experience was vague and inconsistent with other people's reports, he was suspected of colluding with the Golden Dawn and was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
In the end, the internal court did not have direct evidence and did not sentence him. After five years of imprisonment, he was put under surveillance. Finally, after more than 30 years of investigation, he was allowed to leave London. After that, he lived in a small town in Iceland for 30 years until he killed everyone a few hours ago. "
"Ha, speaking of which, he's your colleague," Russell suddenly interrupted.
"Huh? What do you mean? "
"His Stigmata also belongs to the Road of Heaven's Inquisition," Russell said, "Coincidentally, he's the same as you, Huai Shi."
Huai Shi paused.
"The same?"
"Yes."
Russell said, "It's just that his level is higher than yours. In the past, he was regarded as the only Ascendant who could possibly become the new 'East King'.
Like you, he's the Great Judge of Heaven's Inquisition. "
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