Why Can't I Kill All People Like This?

Looking at the muddy mess in front of him, Fen Li felt a headache coming on.

His subordinate, who was following behind him, whispered, "Minister, this should be... a contaminant, right?"

Upon hearing this, Fen Li turned his head and gave the subordinate who had spoken a murderous glare, silencing him.

Damn it, how could he not know it was pollutant?

Although he commands the Skeleton Corps, not the Devil Squad, he shouldn't be so bad as to not recognize the corpses contaminated with pollutants. If it were crushed a little more, it could be used directly as source oil.

But is that the point? Is the focus on a contaminated corpse?

Of course not.

The key point is that the body of this contaminant appeared in the Tower of Babel, and what exactly this contaminant was before it died...

With a "snap".

Fen Li pulled out a match, trying to light a cigarette to calm his nerves, but his trembling hands made it difficult for him to light the cigarette, almost burning his fingers, before he finally succeeded.

The swirling smoke gradually calmed his mind.

He naturally noticed that his subordinates were looking at him strangely.

After all, smoking is not allowed in the Tower of Babel... but who cares about that now? Even the remains of polluted corpses can appear inside the Tower of Babel. In the past, this would have been the greatest blasphemy. So what's wrong with him smoking a cigarette inside the Tower of Babel now?

Moreover, the presence of contaminated remains Tower of Babel is not the most important point.

The most important point is... the corpse was wearing a uniform.

This indicates that he was once an employee of the Tower.

The discovery of a contaminated employee Tower of Babel would have been a serious oversight that would have resulted in his immediate dismissal in the past.

What frustrated Fen Li even more was that he also knew who the corpse belonged to.

... Yong Xin.

In less than a minute, Fen Li finished his cigarette. The dissipating smoke could no longer conceal the worry and exhaustion in his eyes. With that one puff, he looked as if he had aged decades in an instant.

As the Minister of the Skeleton Corps, it would be impossible for Fen Li not to understand Yong Xin or what Yong Xin and New Pursuit Society wanted to do.

Whether by choice or by force, Fen Li is now a member of the New Pursuit Society, and he is naturally aware of and prepared for the impending transformation of Lyra. He knows that it won't be long before the city changes its name and faith.

But it was precisely at this critical juncture that Yong Xin died.

He could naturally guess who did it.

There could be no one else but Jie La Er.

That's really... a brilliant scheme.

He used his daughter as bait to lure away the vast majority of the Skeleton Corps's Knight, and then came here to deal with Yong Xin, who was alone.

This series of actions made Fen Li admire the former Evening Star Knight.

But aside from admiring him, Fen Li didn't know what else he could do.

With Yong Xin dead, Fen Li found himself in an awkward situation: he didn't know what to do or who to turn to.

Fen Li's connections within the New Pursuit Society were weak, and due to his special status, all his communication with the New Pursuit Society was through Yong Xin. Meanwhile, on Lyra's side, after the Five Archbishops entered the Thought Amber slumber, Yong Xin, through a series of means, became the most powerful person in the city.

In other words, regardless of whether he was black or white, Yong Xin was Fen Li's direct and only "superior".

But now, Yong Xin is dead.

Fen Li looked around and realized that, whether it was Lyra or the New Pursuit Society, the person with the highest status and the most power now seemed to be... himself?

Thinking of this, Fen Li's hands began to tremble again, and he had to take out another cigarette to calm his nerves.

"Minister..." the subordinate asked, "What should we do now?"

What should I do?

How did he know?

All he knows now is that something big is about to happen.

But he had no idea when it would happen or what to do now.

All he knew was that Lyra was in a complete mess, with both his job and his job suddenly laid out in front of him.

His job is to Jie La Er. Jie La Er has not been caught yet, so should we continue to issue a warrant for his arrest?

As for his work, the Source Oil Processing Plant had already been destroyed, and the Devil Squad were carrying out another mission. If nothing was done, the entire Lyra would come to a standstill in a few days.

Furthermore, what was the outcome of the clash between Lyra and the New God?

Yong Xin is dead. Should he stand on Lyra's side or on the side of the New God?

Fen Li didn't know.

He now envies those who know nothing.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and he quickly finished his second cigarette. But soon he took out a third one, looking like he wanted to be forever immersed in cigarettes.

This left the skeleton Knight under his command looking at each other, unsure of what to do.

But just as Fen Li was about to light his third cigarette, a weathered voice rang out.

"Are you trying to beat yourself to death here, Fen Li?"

The voice startled Fen Li, who turned around abruptly and saw an old man in a magnificent robe walking toward him.

At that moment, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

"This... how is this possible?" he murmured.

The other skeletal Knight also looked over, their eyes filled with the same confusion.

Most of them didn't recognize the old man; they just stared at his magnificent robes thoughtfully, as if they could guess what was going on.

The old man walked up to Fen Li and looked at him calmly. "What, after ten years, you don't even remember me? Minister Fen Li."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured directly over Fen Li's head, causing him to shudder as if electrocuted. He then quickly bowed down and spoke in the most respectful tone.

"Of course not, welcome back... Bishop Ao Li Wei."

Ju lay in bed, tossing and turning for a long time, but just couldn't fall asleep.

She would occasionally get out of bed and look out through the small window, like a little girl longing for a free life.

But actually, she was just waiting to see if there would be a huge explosion like the one a few days ago, preferably one that could wake up the entire Lyra City.

This is not an unfounded expectation.

Because Jie La Er always makes a big fuss, Tachibana believes tonight will be no exception.

But just how big of a commotion was it?

Orange doesn't know.

But considering that Jie La Er specifically asked her to help him repair his body today, as if he was going to do something very important, Tachibana felt that it couldn't be any less serious than destroying most of the branch tower in the fourth district before.

Is it possible to destroy the entire Tower of Babel?

Ju stood on tiptoe and looked towards the Tower of Babel.

That towering pagoda, seemingly connecting heaven and earth, can be seen directly from any corner of Lyra City.

In the hearts of the vast majority of Lyra People, it is a faith.

But for Ju, that's not the case.

Her greatest wish was to see the tower collapse with her own eyes, hoping that the collapsing tower would smash half of the Lyra and that the other half would be swallowed up by the dust kicked up when it collapsed.

As a result, the entire Lyra was no more.

She had been thinking about this for a long time, but she could never realize it because she was the daughter of a rebel. If her father hadn't left her this small warehouse, she would never have been able to come into contact with those machines in her life.

But Jie La Er appeared.

Ju felt that an opportunity had arisen.

Suddenly, Tachibana heard footsteps. When she turned around, Jie La Er was already standing beside her, looking at her with a slightly surprised expression.

"Aren't you asleep yet?"

Ju shook her head.

"I see."

Jie La Er nodded slightly, then slowly walked toward the corner where he had been staying these past few days.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel that Jie La Er's figure is a bit hunched and he looks very tired, even more tired than when I first met him, when he was covered in injuries and could barely stand.

He sat there blankly, his eyes devoid of any spirit.

What happened?

Ju was somewhat puzzled.

But she didn't ask Jie La Er directly; she just watched quietly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jie La Er finally seemed to remember something and belatedly asked, "Why aren't you resting?"

"I can't sleep," Ju said. "What did you go out to do again?"

Jie La Er was also somewhat surprised.

As far as he could remember, this was the first time Ju had asked him a question, so after a long silence, he said softly, "I... I killed someone."

"You only killed one?"

"That thing that's important to me... um?"

Jie La Er had expected Tachibana to ask who that person was, and he was prepared to answer, but the question Tachibana asked was something Jie La Er had never expected.

What do you mean... you only killed one?

Shouldn't we have killed many more?

Jie La Er felt that there seemed to be something wrong with the image he had in Tachibana's mind. He subconsciously wanted to explain, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he didn't know how to explain.

Because he thought about how he always seemed like a bad person when he came to see Ju.

Especially this morning, he had the blood of countless people on him. Although Bai Wei had done it, and there hadn't been any real indiscriminate killing, he obviously couldn't tell Ju about it.

So after hesitating for a long time, Jie La Er sighed softly, "What I'm doing now might cause you some misunderstanding, but please believe me, I'm not a bad person. I'm just... searching for the truth of what happened back then. In fact, I've already found it, and I'm just missing the last bit."

When Jie La Er explained, Tachibana just said "Oh," seemingly not quite believing his explanation.

This left Jie La Er feeling somewhat helpless.

He then realized that he hadn't been communicating with Ju enough these past few days.

Jie La Er had always been unsure of what to do or what he could do for this daughter of his deceased friend.

He did help Ju deal with those thugs, but only that one time.

He did give Ju some money, but those were all fair transactions, so much so that, strictly speaking, he still owes Ju a sum of money.

He wanted to do more, but he is still a Wanted Criminal and the biggest sinner.

So, is there anything he can do right now?

Jie La Er looked around and then at Tachibana's bedside table, where there was a photo of them together.

He had an idea, so his tone softened. "You probably haven't met Ai Bu Er, have you? He's your father. How about I tell you about him? He's a very good man..."

She was only halfway through her sentence when Ju abruptly interrupted her, "I don't want to know these things."

Jie La Er paused for a moment. "So, do you want to know?"

Standing by the window, Tachibana looked at Jie La Er, the moonlight making her eyes shine brightly.

"When do you plan to destroy Lyra?" she asked. "Can I take you with me?"

"It's good that you're back, Bishop Ao Li Wei."

In Yong Xin's former office, Ao Li Wei sat there, Fen Li bowed to him very respectfully.

"If you don't come back soon, then I... no, I mean the entire Lyra will be at a loss."

Ao Li Wei always had a kind smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Fen Li, everything will be alright," he said. "For Lyra, the night is about to end and the sun is about to rise."

Fen Li cautiously raised his head and looked at Ao Li Wei.

Even though he hadn't appeared in public for ten years, the Tower of Babel bishop looked exactly the same as before, and even looked younger.

"Bishop Ao Li Wei, I don't know what you think of the current situation..."

"Rest assured, Minister Fen Li, although I've been inside the Thought Amber, I'm well aware of the situation outside," Ao Li Wei said. "I know exactly what we need to do, and we are doing it."

"You mean Jie La Er?"

"Well... he is a problem, but it doesn't matter anymore." Ao Li Wei shook his head. "We have more important things to do."

"Something more important?" Fen Li asked, puzzled.

"Yes."

From Fen Li's perspective, Ao Li Wei pulled open a drawer in his desk, inside which was a tentacle. He reached his hand toward the tentacle, and it seemed to suddenly come to life, quickly burrowing into Ao Li Wei's body and merging into his flesh. But Ao Li Wei's expression remained unchanged; he simply said...

"Let's convene National Congress."

"Notify everyone."

"Two days from now, we will welcome a new life."

Silence.

A long silence followed.

Looking at the orange not far away, Jie La Er thought he had misheard.

"Destroy the Lyra?" he said. "When did I say I wanted to destroy the Lyra?"

"You didn't say," Ju replied, "But haven't you been doing it all along?"

"When have I been doing this all along? Those are all..."

At this point, Jie La Er suddenly paused, feeling as if he had missed the most crucial information.

So he looked at Ju again and said softly, "The reason you helped me is because you think... I can destroy Lyra?"

Ju nodded.

So that's how it is...

Jie La Er finally understood.

He never understood Tachibana, thinking she was just a quiet, honest girl with few thoughts, like most Mechanic.

But then he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a fire in Ju's eyes.

There was a flame that wanted to ignite the Lyra.

When Tachibana finally revealed her thoughts, Jie La Er did not reprimand her. After a long silence, he gently asked, "Can I know the reason?"

Ju lowered her head, looking at her toes, and then said softly, "They say my father is a traitor, and I am the child of a traitor, and sooner or later I will be executed for betraying Lyra. So why can't I do as they wish? They say traitors will destroy Lyra, so I will destroy Lyra."

"But your father wasn't a rebel," Jie La Er said. "You are the child of a hero."

"Are you saying they're framing me?" Ju said. "Are they wrong to treat me like this?"

"Yes."

"Then..." Ju raised her head and said seriously, "Why can't I kill people like that?"

"Shouldn't such Lyra be destroyed?"