×××
…
Were they harboring bad intentions?
— What does that mean? "
Hong looked at the petite figure condescendingly, unable to make a proper response.
For a moment, he could not make any appropriate response. He knew that he had never been good at reading the atmosphere and guessing the thoughts of others.
So at this moment, he was more cautious than usual.
Prunus looked at the young man standing in front of her and noticed that he was not good at this atmosphere. She opened her mouth.
Finally, she gave up the idea and walked past him in the direction of home. She said with a smile, "… Well, let's go back!
Little Bombardment Scorch, let's not talk about it.
It's late now. If we pass the curfew, we may be punished by the dormitory manager. "
Looking at her stubbornly leaving, he didn't know why she looked a little lonely, but he finally made a decision in his heart. He rushed to catch up with Bai Jian who was leaving quickly.
He reached out and grabbed her wrist. Prunus felt his hand tighten and stopped.
"No … Say it, Prunus. I believe you." Hong looked down at her hair. At this moment, her back was facing him.
He could not see her expression.
"… Do you really want to say it?" Prunus asked him softly.
"Yes." Hong nodded.
He knew her. When had she ever harbored bad thoughts?
Even if it was true,
He was her friend,
As long as he faced it with her.
"Even if,
You may be disappointed in me because of this? "She asked carefully.
"Even if that's the case, I still believe you." He still answered.
Prunus looked down and thought for a while. She finally made up her mind, "Well, since you said so.
In fact, I feel that I can't hide it from you anymore. After all, you always support me. I have to be honest with you. "
…
"This secret is another important reason why I worked hard to get into the Xiong Ying Department."
"Reason?" Hong's heart skipped a beat.
Prunus looked down and seemed to take a while to sort out her emotions. Then, she said the secret buried deep in her heart, "… I have always wanted to be a hero like my parents. But at the same time, I have an impure motive in my heart. A hero should not have an idea."
"… I have a person that I want to capture with my own hands no matter what. In order to defeat him, I will do everything in my power to become stronger. I have even thought that if I see him, I will have to be prepared to kill him. After all, he has killed many heroes and destroyed many families."
"I do want to be a hero, but more … before I become a 'real hero', I feel that I have to do this."
As she said this, she lowered her head again. After all, what she had just said were thoughts that were hard to come by in a hero's life.
Revenge and killing — these were obviously not the ideas of a hero, and were not allowed.
A hero should use his personality and power for others. If a hero used his identity as a hero to satisfy his own selfish desires, he would be disqualified as a hero.
Whether it was in the classroom or in the laws of the entire country, these were clearly stated.
The expression on his face froze, and he couldn't help but think of what happened to Iida before the workplace experience last year, but now it's not the time for him to interrupt Hakushan, what he cares more about is the person who made Hakushan have such thoughts.
"The person you're talking about, could it be …" Hong looked at her, and his mind naturally floated to the clipping of the interview program just now, the picture of the serial killer. "Logically speaking, that person should still be in prison right now."
"No."
Prunus was stunned. She shook her head and looked a little upset, "… I have a secret that no one believes."
Hong paused. Who else could it be if it was not the murderer who killed his parents?
…
"I was at the scene of the case ten years ago."
Bai Jian's tone was very calm. As she spoke, she finally turned around and stared at Hong Jiao Leng with a pair of clear red eyes. There was obvious astonishment in his greenish-gray eyes, as if he was a little surprised that she was at the scene. Thinking about it, she had never discussed the details of the accident with him, and the report had never mentioned the hero's daughter.
It was very normal that no one noticed her presence. Only the police officer who was in charge of recording her statement knew that she was at the scene.
Therefore, Prunus had to describe more information about the accident to Hong in person. "… That day, Dad and Mom were on vacation. So, our family went to the country park in Chiyoda to play. It was also in the amusement park that we encountered the murderer 'Stola' in the report."
"At that time, Dad and Mom, who sensed the danger, immediately handed me over to the hero who was in charge of leading the evacuation. Because Dad and Mom were suitable to deal with 'Stola' and had a lot of experience, they stayed at the scene."
Prunus looked at Hong and repeated the scene calmly, "At first, I waited in a safe place with other uncles and aunts.
Because I always believed in Dad and Mom's experience and strength, I thought … they would definitely be able to settle the matter and return to me safely. "
"But later, the news of a hero being seriously injured spread among the people who were waiting. When I heard the news, I felt afraid again … I was afraid that it was my father and mother, so …" At this part, Bai Jian's voice, which had always been calm when narrating the events, gradually became weaker.
Hong did not know if it was an illusion, but he felt that her clear red eyes were filled with sadness and loneliness.
Bai Jian paused for a moment, adjusted his emotions, and continued to narrate the situation at that time.
At that time, because she was afraid that her parents would be hurt in the incident, she ran away from the crowd in tears due to the uneasiness in her heart. Then, she secretly ran back to the scene of the accident by herself.
Then, because of this decision of hers, she saw something unbelievable.
...
She clearly remembered that when she ran back to the scene of the accident, she saw her parents who were beaten to the ground and covered in wounds, and the enemy 'Stola' who raided the park.
At that time, Stola was emitting an unsettling aura. His hands were stained with the blood of many people, and many heroes who were responsible for 'suppressing' him were lying beside him.
Because it was the first time she saw such a violent scene, the young Prunus was too scared to react. She could only watch everything that happened from afar. She saw that the skin on 'Stola's' face was gradually shrinking and crumbling. Then, like a snake shedding its skin, a layer of human skin peeled off.
Then, the human skin peeled off and turned into ashes in an instant.
A muscular man with a completely different appearance appeared again.
The man was dressed in black and held a thick book in his hand. After the skin peeled off, he approached her parents and the other heroes with a gloomy expression. He picked up their hands and left a bloody handprint on the page in his hand.
He did this slowly and carefully until he collected the bloody handprints of all the heroes at the scene. Then, he left the scene of the accident unhurriedly.
Bai Jian's voice started to tremble as she recounted the most frightening thing in her childhood. She was stuttering, but she insisted on describing the scene as best as she could. Then, she stated her conclusion with certainty. "So, the murderer can't be Stola. The Stola who was caught is … 'fake'."
Prunus lowered her head, "But, among the police... no one believes me. After all, the wounds on my parents were caused by Stola's personality. Stola himself also has the memory of the accident and admitted to it. There's nothing suspicious about the case..."
"But I think it's really strange. Maybe it's because the criminal has a special personality?
If that's the case, it can be done. But no matter how I explain, the police still don't believe me.
Especially since I'm just a stupid kid, then my testimony is even more unreliable. "
Prunus bit her lower lip, "... The situation was very chaotic. The police didn't have much information. There were still people who exaggerated their subjective experience. Of course, they didn't believe my unsubstantiated testimony. So... so..." Prunus's shoulders started to shake, and tears started to fill her eyes. It had always been a knot in her heart.
"I... I don't want to accept it."
Prunus covered her face with her hands and continued sobbing, "Since no one believes me, I can only work on my own..." Because she was crying, she couldn't even speak calmly. Her voice was suppressed and sounded a little agitated, "I must catch the real murderer, or else..."
She didn't say anything else. Instead, she lowered her head, trembling and crying.
She looked so fragile and lonely. Standing in the empty street, her small figure was as pitiful as a child who had been abandoned by someone.
She was completely different from her usual smiling face. This surprised Hong. He didn't expect Prunus to hide such deep sadness under her strong and cheerful appearance.
Looking at the girl like this, even Hong's vision blurred for a moment. He actually didn't realize that she had suffered so much alone. As her friend, he was completely unqualified.
At least, from this moment on, he had to watch over her and protect her more seriously.
He couldn't let her cry such sad tears anymore.
With this thought, Hong inexplicably approached her and hugged her. "Prunus, you're not alone. I'll always be by your side."
Suddenly, Prunus felt that she was submerged in a particularly warm embrace. She cried even louder. She buried her head in Hong's chest and didn't say anything else.
"I also have something to say, but I don't know if you want to hear it..." Hong reached out and hugged her. He lowered his eyes and looked sad, "... In fact, I understand your thoughts very well. After all, I've always been like this. I had a grudge against someone in my mind, and I used that hatred as my goal to move forward. But later on, I realized that it was wrong."
"... It's not just hatred!"
Prunus heard Hong's words and somewhat unhappily corrected him. It wasn't just her hatred. If she let that person get away with it, it would definitely bring harm to more people. Although her personal hatred was one reason, there were actually many other emotions involved in this story. She choked with sobs, "At that time, I couldn't save mom and dad. I was very sad. No one believed in me. I was also very sad. I didn't find my personality at that time, so I couldn't do anything to help. I also... if it wasn't for my request, mom and dad wouldn't have taken me so far away on vacation... and..."
"So, not only do I want to... catch that person, I also..." Prunus's tears fell like rain. Various fragments of memories intertwined in her mind, making her feel like her heart was being cut by a knife. "I hate myself, so if I can't do this..." She might not be able to let herself relax for the rest of her life.
She spoke very hurriedly, but Hong gradually understood Prunus. Why did she work so hard to pass the Xiong Ying Exam? Why did she work so hard? Why did she work so hard? Why did she work harder than anyone else? It was all because after the Chiyoda incident, she shouldered a lot of responsibilities and emotions alone. Regret, self-blame, fear, loneliness... Unconsciously, various complicated thoughts formed a heavy shackle, restricting Prunus's path forward.
Thinking of this, he swallowed the words that he wanted to say to comfort her. Hong, he reached out and hugged Bai Jian. He had lost the words that could comfort her, so he could only promise her the only thing he could give her. "… It's okay. Before you figure it out, I will always be with you."
Bang! He pressed her head down and let her tears fall on his chest. "And I'm not denying your thoughts. It's just that I want to remind you as an experienced person … Hatred will blind you to many things. Bai Jian, I don't want you to miss out on many things that are more important than that."
Prunus's petite body trembled, and her tears suddenly stopped. It seemed that Hong's words had touched her heart.
"Don't worry. These things can't be understood overnight."
Hong's voice became more sincere and gentle. He reached out and hugged Prunus. His eyes gradually became gentle, "... Take it slow, Prunus. Just like before, no matter what, I'll always be with you."
"You're the most hardworking person I've ever met." Hong stroked her fluffy head, and his tone was filled with heartache. "Sometimes, you should look at the people around you. Everyone is happy to support your emotions and everything."
Hong patted her trembling shoulder. When he was young, as long as he was comforted like this, no matter how scared he was, he would gradually be calmed down, "I made an appointment with you, right?
I'll always be with you. "
Prunus's crying gradually became softer. Instead, she closed her eyes in Hong's arms and thought of many things in her mind. Hong had been saying some sincere comforting words to her in a gentle tone. His voice lingered around her, making her feel particularly at ease.
He still believed in her, and repeatedly said in a positive tone that he would be with her. There was nothing that made her happier than this.
Prunus trembled and closed her red eyes. She quietly rested her forehead on Hong's chest and did not speak, like a small animal that had been comforted.
She thought that Hong's body was very warm. Listening to his strong and powerful heartbeat, she felt very relieved.
She just needed to be willful a little more. From tomorrow onwards, she would become the unremitting Prunus again.
As long as he was with her, she could do anything. Even if it was an unattainable wish, it seemed that she could achieve it.
The two quietly hugged like this for a long time.
And this silent moment seemed to be the most relaxed she had ever been.
...