By what scale do people define "alive"?

People fell to the ground amidst the smiles around them, and greeted death amidst the cries around them. Does it indicate that a person's life is a process from comedy to tragedy?

Since when did you feel that life lost its meaning? Since when did you feel that life has lost hope, that there is no future, and there is no change?

Since when did you feel like you were just a walking dead?

They pushed open the door, and the pouring rain came with a flood of sorrow. Under the rain curtain is a dark and dilapidated city, and there is no light to be found anywhere. I thought that after entering the door, I would see a bustling city, and elegant and treacherous people would open their arms and introduce to them the significance of this world. However, after entering the door, they found that only dilapidated ruins and boundless loneliness greeted them. The city under the rain looks secluded and dilapidated, and the roads are muddy under the rain.

What kind of ruins is this? Walking in the middle, looking around, as if looking at a corpse made of steel and iron. As far as the eye can see, the building collapsed and the square withered. A few people couldn't describe the "dead silence" in words. It stands to reason that the dilapidated ruins will grow new vegetation after time has passed, but this ruins seem to be cursed, and there is not even a single piece of moss. If you observe carefully, you will find that even the wind refuses to pay attention to this place. The raindrops pour from the sky and fall straight down, and you will feel a sense of suffocation when standing in the middle.

If it weren't for the only light source in the field, Jian Shenxiu and his group might not be able to find the target they were looking for. The boy was dressed in black, almost blending into the gloomy city. But there was only a little light, revealing his position, it was the only lighted window in sight. Looking from a distance, it is a shop selling TVs that shines brightly. Rows of TVs are placed on the window showing various movies. Outside the window, a little boy was standing in the rainstorm, looking at the brightly colored screens through the window, and stretched out his hand to caress the glass of the window. From a distance, everyone could see an emotion called "longing" in that small body.

The whole scene has a surreal sense of shock. Layers of gray buildings cast huge shadows, ruins, streets, buildings... In front of the only tiny light source in the entire space, there is a longing boy lying on his stomach. Even people who have no artistic ability at all can see the emotions that the scene wants to express, and the shadows of the picture reveal a soul-stirring sadness.

"Wow--"

Among the crowd, Shenxiu took the first steps to break into the rain curtain, and walked towards the boy across the muddy and wet road. Accompanied by the sound from the side, the others followed as if they had just woken up from a dream, and followed the two people from the search bureau who were walking in front towards the boy. The two girls walking behind hesitated for a second, then walked straight into the rain.

"..."

No one spoke along the way, only the sound of pouring rain hitting the ground. Under the reflection of the dark sky, the rainwater also had a dark color, which reminded the three of Hino Minoru to think of the black water on their bodies when they saw Shenxiu break through the door earlier, and they didn't know if it was the same substance. The place where everyone opened the door was several hundred meters away from where the boy was, neither far nor near. They trudged silently in the rain for a few minutes until they reached behind the boy.

The pouring rain is an excellent barrier. Even though many people in the group have far superior eyesight, they can only see the pictures on the screen clearly when they get close—the celebratory banquet, the bustling port, the arrival of people, etc. The beach that people go to... Those screens are clearly the dreams they saw before, especially when Hino saw that scene, his face was clearly moved.

As if he didn't hear the movement here, the boy didn't respond until everyone arrived behind him. Just lying on the window and staring at those screens. After the crowd came to him, he didn't show any signs of being afraid or about to run away, and he still left his back to them. The boy stood in the heavy rain, but was delighted by the sweet dreams of others. The huge contrast gave the scene a sense of religious sacrifice. The people who arrived here couldn't bear to disturb the scene, as if they would break the dream if they made a sound.

So no one spoke for a while, they just watched the boy silently, watching his joyful back.

"...At what point do you think human 'life' is considered to be over?"

It was the boy who opened his mouth to break the calm first. It turned out that he didn't ignore the appearance of the visitors, but just quietly waited for them to watch those screens with him. He stood on tiptoe with his small body, looking at the crowd laughing wantonly on the screens in the window, and after watching a certain point, he asked such a question with a little ecstasy.

"Is this a philosophical question?"

The one who spoke was Izumi Saori who was standing next to her. Looking at the boy's back, she raised her hand to wipe the rain off her face while speaking, and replied slowly in a similar tone.

"If you are asking about death in the 'meaning', then there is a more classic answer - a man's life ends when his influence on the world disappears. So the influence of great men can last for a long time, but ordinary people Before the end of life is ushered in, you will lose your own possibility first."

"So... at what point do people start to lose all their possibilities?"

The boy was also sighing when he spoke, but he still didn't turn his head, but you could feel the sadness pouring out of him. In fact, from the moment you walk into this room, you can feel the sadness. A kind of sadness that seemed to be substantial poured out of him, spreading and soaking the entire space in the rain.

It's not surprising, this should belong to his dream.

"Ten? Twenty? Thirty? Forty? Go to school? Graduate? Work? Marry a wife and have children?" The boy stretched out his hand to caress the screens through the window. Flowing and sliding over it.

"Many of them hadn't really laughed for a long time before they came here. Looking at their lives, you even have an illusion that time doesn't seem to flow, but freezes on a certain day, in The same repetition keeps repeating and repeating. The life of the next few decades can be seen at a glance. From the perspective of a bystander, you can't even find meaning for this kind of life, or is life actually such a miserable thing? "

"...I can't answer this question for you." Izumi Shaori shook her head silently, "Man is not a creature that is easily satisfied, and life suffers because of it. But I don't think the possibility of life should be decided by others. Hope And maybe, it should actually belong to the person himself.”

"Really? But I'm so tired," the boy said with tiredness in his voice, looking down at his soaked clothes, "As happy as they are in their dreams, they are as sad as they are in reality. And all these sorrows I helped them bear it, and it turned into this rain."

"So after seeing all this, are you still determined to destroy this place?" The boy finally turned his head to look at everyone, "No, I shouldn't ask you, I know the answer."

He seemed to have known the purpose of everyone's visit for a long time, and after asking, he gave an answer on his own. The rain fell on his face, and his expression seemed to be crying and smiling.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred, and the scattered wreckage around suddenly lit up, and the intense light illuminated the entire city! Glass, walls, screens, water surfaces... the faces that were celebrating on those screens before, are projected to every surrounding place that can be called "sections" at this second, countless familiar or unfamiliar Human faces surrounded them from all sides. The boy's voice echoed in the space, and suddenly it was as loud as a bell, as if a person was speaking, or as if countless people were resonating in the void.

"I'm so envious, I'm so envious of you people who don't choose to escape in the face of suffering! But people are different, some people are in the grave from beginning to end, and we have to climb out of the grave if we want to welcome happiness ! Live to die."

"How sad! How unfair!"

The ground suddenly began to vibrate, and the shimmering scene shattered with the boy's roar. After the surrounding environment collapsed, they suddenly returned to the previous building and arrived at the dilapidated hall that they had gone back and forth many times. They all knew this hall, and they had all seen the dilapidated mural on the top of the hall, but this time the ground under their feet trembled loudly, and something was screaming to break through the ground and get out!

"Congratulations! Ladies and gentlemen! You are a day late!"

A voice came from the highest floor of the building. The voice was sharp and distorted, so piercing that it seemed to cut through the entire night sky.

"It's just right to meet the revenge we have been preparing for a long time!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of explosions sounded.

"Something is about to rush out!" Hino Mi yelled at the crowd, calling for them to retreat.

But in fact, without him shouting, the crowd was also spreading out in all directions. At the same time as the scene changed, shocks burst from the ground to the ground one after another. Under the tremendous force, the sand and gravel on the ground began to bounce, and the accumulated dust was crazily lifted up. The hall where they were standing began to crack from the middle. . Under the bursts of loud noises, the entire ground trembled and screamed, the masonry shattered and spread at an extremely fast speed, spreading to the entire hall in an instant.

"Damn, is there a pile driver down there?"

That was astonishing power, and it was an absolutely shocking debut. Under normal circumstances, who would choose to break through a floor and attack the enemy? But under that impact, just a few hits, the 30 cm thick floor was already showing signs of collapsing. Under the huge impact, everyone could hardly even stand up. Minoru Hino even needed Gentaichi's support to prevent him from falling.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The other party obviously came prepared, because during the interval of the impact, they even heard someone beating a drum. The drum was high-pitched, maintaining an impassioned rhythm, and every time a bombardment was made, the drum would make a heavy sound.

"Run outside!"

In the confusion, they heard someone shouting like this. Among the noisy voices, everyone couldn't even tell who was speaking, but at that moment they all made the same decision. Windows, corridors, doorways... At the moment when the impact below was about to blast the ground, the figures of the people rushed out in all directions and fled. Fortunately, the hall is on the first floor, and those who chose to open the window went directly to the garden outside, while those who chose the corridor also ran towards the gate amidst the trembling of the ground, and fled to the open area first.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The opponent is not going to let them go because of their running. It seemed to be a huge thing, and it couldn't pass through the corridor normally, so it smashed through the walls layer by layer in pursuit. There was a series of groans and roars from the building behind them. Something is dismantling all the walls one by one, trying to break through all the barriers on the way to them!

"What the hell is that!" Minoru Hino and the others ran along the corridor, and they ran the distance that would have taken several minutes to walk in a dozen seconds. However, the loud noise behind him continued to ring, which shocked Hino and asked.

"I don't know!" Minamoto shouted in response while running. His current actions are also a bit embarrassing. Under the huge impact, the lamps and even the wall on the corridor wall were falling crazily, and the sand filled inside flowed down the gap like a waterfall. He was pulling Hino Minoru to stagger to avoid those falling objects, and from time to time he raised his hand and drew his knife to split something.

"Almost at the door!"

Among the three, Saori Izumi was the one who ran at the front. Maybe this is why the Kaidan Investigation Agency dared to let her act alone. The girl was surprisingly agile, and she didn't hesitate when she ran in the corridor. Looking at the light ahead, she shouted to the two people behind her, reminding the two people behind her amidst the loud noise of gravel and rubble.

"Rush!"

Yuan Taiyi also pulled Hino Mino to speed up, the door was close at hand, and the light source outside could already be seen. Ten seconds later, the three of Izumi Saori directly smashed open the half-closed door and broke out. Behind them, the western-style building was collapsing at an accelerated rate.

"There is an ambush next to it, don't stop, run outside!"

After rushing out the door, they immediately heard someone shouting to them in front of them. That turned out to be Asahina Hana. After she came out through the window from one side, she immediately circled to the front to meet the three of them. At the same time, they could still hear noisy battles and gunshots around them, and the duo from the search bureau actually helped them escape from nowhere.

"Stand up!"

Under such circumstances, the three of them didn't even dare to take a breath after reaching the door, and then rushed out sullenly. In the process of running, their peripheral vision glanced to both sides of the road, and they could see countless black shadows with splashed ink standing on both sides of the garden, and found that they were about to attack them. However, under the thin clothes, the two teams of the search bureau were able to hide the heavy firepower. At this moment, they did not know where to take out the hand-held bazooka. Screaming in mid-air, it smashed into the crowd of black shadows, blasting the ink-like black shadows with roar and flames.

On the other side of them, Asahina Hana in red also swam like a gust of wind, brandishing a long knife to block the attack for them. This extreme leader has always been famous for his swordsmanship and is the head of the school's kendo club, but if her members see this scene here, they will be shocked to find that they have never seen the true strength of their own head. At this moment, she stepped forward and swung her sword, fighting in the shadows, but she was as graceful as a beauty dancing, and when she turned around, her clothes swayed in the shadows, like a red camellia in full bloom.

In this kind of support, the three of them ran towards the door. They never thought that the garden of a courtyard could be so wide, and they could not reach the goal after running for so long. But after all, they were getting closer and closer to the door, and the broken door was only a short distance away.

"Wait, I can't get out there!" However, just as they were about to reach the goal, Izumi Saori suddenly slowed down, looking at the front door with trembling eyes. This change came so suddenly that she was almost hit by two boys behind her. But in the face of this situation, she remained indifferent, but still stared in that direction intently, as if she was silently thinking about something, until now she finally decided on a certain answer.

"The 'door' is not in that direction!" She trembled suddenly, "I can't go there!"

"What are you talking about?" Hino Shin was shocked by her sudden reaction, "Why not?"

"I said the 'door' to leave this space!" Izumi Saori turned her head abruptly, looked past the two people around her, and looked behind the roaring buildings in the distance. There was a mysterious glimmer of light in her eyes, and she looked around the entire area , as if looking for a weak node.

"We haven't returned to reality yet," she shouted to everyone, "The node that left this space is not here."

"Where is that?"

Asahina Hana, who was supporting her from the side, also ran over. Those black shadows were endless, and entanglement with them was also a rather difficult battle for Asahina Hana. After hearing Izumi Saori's cry, she directly recoiled with a black shadow in a knife-to-knife relay, drifted back from the front, and returned to the side of the crowd, staring at the black shadows that were gradually approaching as she left, moving Panting heavily with a somewhat numb wrist, she asked Izumi Saori.

"Sister, you know the answer I don't want to hear the most."

Accompanied by the roar, when Hana Asahina spoke, the things inside that building were about to burst out of the wall. But the person who manipulated that thing didn't seem to have a very bright mind, and chose the most stupid way of forcibly dismantling it. But even so, the building that was specially reinforced with reinforced concrete and has a very high explosion-proof level can only withstand the opponent for a few tens of seconds.

The sound of the bombardment became louder and louder, and the last wall panel was also crumbling under the opponent's attack. Seeing the movement over there, Hana Asahina's face turned pale, and she was shocked by what kind of monster was hiding in the building.

"Don't tell me that's really the answer."

"I can probably guess the answer you don't want to hear." Izumi Saori's expression was not very good, her eyes kept wandering around the building, "but I want to say it's a little worse than the one you thought."

"What?" Asahina Hana was stunned upon hearing this, "Where is it?"

"At the very top of that building, the place where the previous man spoke." Izumi Saori squinted her eyes slightly and looked far away, her eyes passed through the entire garden and locked on to the clock tower at the highest point of the building, looking at the empty window of the clock tower The boy with the distorted face.

"The door is behind him, inside that bell tower! He also knows where the nodes of the space are, so he guards it himself and blocks it!"

"Tsk, is it actually in that position?"

Asahina Hana's expression was quite ugly, she was silent for a while as she watched the approaching black shadow. In this case, there is almost no option to bypass the opponent and escape. The only option is to break through head-on.

"Roar!"

At this moment, the monster finally broke through the wall, roaring and appearing in the sight of everyone. The thing that forcibly demolished the entire reinforced concrete building was not a large device at all. It was a creature, a giant ape-like monster! It is more than five meters high, with the sharp blade of a lion, the fangs of a tiger, and hair like steel needles all over its body. When it broke through the wall, its roaring sound waves swayed in the air, almost as real, and when it shook its arms and hammered its chest, its muscles as thick as steel pipes stretched and contracted.

But is that really a living thing? Just looking at it from a distance, they could all feel the breath of curse and hatred from that monster. Its dark shadows flowed like ooze, viscous as oil. When I stare at it, it seems that my soul is trembling and in a trance. It is not a sense of oppression that can be described only by "pressure". It has no eyes, and the eye sockets are huge holes, but you cannot look at it. When you look into the holes, you will feel that there are countless blood pupils in the air. , staring at you resentfully. The moment it appeared, even the black shadows around stopped moving and began to kneel down. Standing there, your legs are as hard to move as if they have taken root, and you can feel your teeth chattering in this place. It's the fear of higher creatures, the panic facing the upper layers of the food chain. When you see it, you can only feel your genes trembling, and all your primitive instincts are urging you to flee.

It was a monster that was simply invincible, and one would definitely make such a judgment just by looking at it. When walking towards the crowd, the pressure it produced was boundless, with a terrifying sense of suffocation.

"Aren't the two gentlemen from the Search Bureau ready to come out?" Under the tremendous pressure, Asahina Hana spoke with difficulty, and shouted to the shadow beside her, calling for all the forces that could unite in the field at the moment.

"Have you heard our conversation? Use whatever means you can."

"It's time to give it your all."

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