The Sense of Ritual

After leaving the milk tea shop, Brother Qi hailed a ride-hailing car, and the two headed towards Pingyang county town.

The sky was getting dark, and night was about to fall.

Passing by the ring expressway, then turning onto the rural road at the junction of the Ruyun Mountain Scenic Area, and driving another twenty kilometers towards the satellite town, they would reach Jiang Xueming's hometown.

Xue Ming and Brother Qi sat in the back seat, chatting idly.

Jiang Xueming still had many questions about the Armadillo Hunters group and wanted to ask Brother Qi for advice.

"Xiao Qi, you said you're new? How old are you? How long have you been at the station? Have you ever seen a living Armadillo Hunter?"

"A woman's age is a secret. As for how long I've been at the station, that's also inconvenient to tell you." Brother Qi crossed her arms, glancing sideways at Mr. Xue Ming, "As for the Armadillo Hunters, I guess I've seen one."

Jiang Xueming: "What do you mean, 'guess you've seen one'?"

"We have to undergo training before we start working," Xiao Qi explained. "How to protect new passengers, how to keep an eye on old passengers, these things, we have to watch video materials to rehearse. In these materials, there's information about the Armadillo Hunters."

Xue Ming took out paper, a pen, and his phone, ready to jot down everything Brother Qi said.

Outside the window, the setting sun dipped below the peaks of Ruyun Mountain.

Heaven and earth darkened, leaving only the occasional lonely streetlamp flashing by.

Brother Qi took a milk candy from her bag, tore open the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth.

She spoke unhurriedly.

"In the video materials, we saw that most of the hunters were already dead, and their deaths were usually not pretty. These people are very difficult to deal with and require unconventional means. Regarding this point, Mr. Jiang Xueming, after you completed the safety check of the polarizing sextant, you must have felt it during the armed test, right?"

Jiang Xueming asked, "Are you referring to the part where I was taming my own limbs?"

Xiao Qi nodded and continued.

"That's right. Armadillo Hunters could also be passengers, people with extraordinary inspiration. They would more or less undergo a transformation. Just like you suddenly learned exquisite marksmanship. Just like an ordinary person suddenly gained supernatural power. This extremely rapid and intense change would cause the inner world of some passengers to begin to inflate."

"When they returned to the mortal world, they already believed they were no longer ordinary people. Like a lottery winner, they saw themselves as gods, above the common people."

At this point, Xiao Qi's small eyebrows furrowed, as if recalling something she strongly disliked.

"Speaking of which, many passengers, after gaining this power, return to their previous living environments and become completely different people. There are several classic examples among the hunters shown in the video materials alone."

"One hunter, before becoming a passenger, was a small boatman in Kolkata, India. He was forty-three years old and had a happy family. Because his daughter had a kidney removed by local criminal forces and required exorbitant medical fees, his mental power and inspiration were extraordinary. The ticket naturally found this struggling father and successfully provided him with Panacea and money."

"However, after returning to the mortal world, he did not use the Panacea on his daughter. Instead, he left a paltry sum for treatment and abandoned his wife and daughter. He believed all this was a grace bestowed upon him by the god Shiva, and that the Black Cat was Shiva's earthly incarnation. He never considered himself mortal, but a chosen son of destiny."

"He couldn't find his place. The boundary between the real world and the station began to blur. He never took the rules and regulations on the passenger guide seriously."

"In three years, he successively killed forty-one ordinary people and three passengers, and stole four Panaceas. Whenever something in his life didn't go his way, he would act like a capricious evil god, issuing death sentences to others. As a supervisor of the station, his attendant was the first to be murdered."

"Didn't anyone at the station notice that an attendant was murdered?" Jiang Xueming's eyes widened in disbelief.

Xiao Qi patiently explained, "The materials in our training videos are all extreme cases. This hunter was very cunning and good at acting."

"A few months after joining the station, he gained the trust of the attendant and completely understood the attendant's personality, likes, dislikes, even dining habits and daily routines. They even slept together, and were almost engaged."

"The day before their wedding, this damned hunter poisoned his attendant wife. Then, from his followers, he chose a fanatical female fan. He used drugs, combined with brainwashing, hypnosis, and plastic surgery, to make this fan resemble the attendant. Following the attendant's usual habits, she went to the station for routine record-keeping and announcements. He also used the excuse of pregnancy to take a year-long maternity leave."

Jiang Xueming was stunned. He couldn't imagine how a father who risked his life in the depths for his daughter could turn into a murderer in just one or two years.

Brother Qi's face showed anger, and she continued.

"Due to the successive deaths of passengers, the station also raised its security level. We attendants not only had to undergo fingerprint checks and personality assessments, but also, like passengers, go for safety checks at the polarizing sextant. It was only during the DNA verification that this impostor attendant was finally exposed."

"However, it's a pity that by the time our external affairs department contacted local law enforcement to arrest this hunter, he had already committed many murders. His safety inspection scores at the station had entered the danger zone, and our medical department had also conducted many rehabilitation training sessions for him. But after he resisted arrest and was shot dead, we discovered that he had been taking various psychotropic hallucinogens and sedatives, as routinely as drinking a cup of soy milk every morning. These drugs allowed him to forcibly pass the polarizing sextant tests."

Jiang Xueming sighed, "Why would a good person choose to become a ghost?"

"It's not just that," Xiao Qi said worriedly. "This boatman also had many followers in Kolkata. He could perform all sorts of spiritual rituals with his extraordinary inspiration."

Jiang Xueming: "For example?"

Xiao Qi rubbed her temples, getting a headache just thinking about the case.

"Many people, to see deceased relatives, lovers, or enemies, or simply for amusement, came to this hunter to witness his divine power. But you know, we always treat supernatural phenomena as spiritual disasters. And disasters never bring anything good."

"This case led to many cases within cases. There was a wife looking for her deceased husband's soul, who offered her uterus to the hunter just to see her husband again. There was also a terrifying family who, to ensure their son got into a certain high-caste noble school, stole and removed the brain of the neighbor's child, then gave the brain to the hunter to perform some inexplicable spiritual ritual. In short, it was extremely chaotic."

Jiang Xueming held his forehead, feeling a chill run down his spine. "Could he really do these things?"

"What does the station have the most of?" Xiao Qi pointed out. "Tickets. To deceive ordinary people, tickets can achieve many, many 'miracles'."

Jiang Xueming still couldn't understand and gritted his teeth in anger, "He didn't lack money, so why did he still harm people?"

"Because of that vague sense of ritual," Xiao Qi said. At this point, like Xue Ming, she wore an expression of utter hatred. "Because these hunters all have one common characteristic. It wasn't obvious at first, but over time, they grew further and further away from ordinary people."

Jiang Xueming: "They stopped seeing themselves as human?"

Xiao Qi nodded and explained carefully.

"That's right, Mr. Xue Ming. Think about it carefully. When BOSS saved this boatman, he only saw him as a father in desperate need of Panacea to save his life - but what did he become later?"

"Mortal things held no value in his eyes. Mansions or luxury cars couldn't fill the emptiness in his heart. Abandoning his wife and daughter was done on impulse. He wanted to indulge himself beyond all the rules of the station and the human world. He wanted to become a god, but couldn't find the way. He thought that by building an evil temple and gathering evil followers, he could sculpt a divine statue of himself."

"Listen to this, Mr. Xue Ming." As Xiao Qi spoke, she rummaged through her handbag and found her phone, playing a recording of what was said in the video material for Jiang Xueming.

It was a recording of BOSS, whose deep voice was easily recognizable.

"In the rituals of many ancient civilizations, many savage and bloody sacrifices involved the offering of livestock or living people, with hearts or various organs presented as offerings to various gods. Why is that?"

In people's subconscious common sense, life is the most precious thing among all living beings. Offering the most precious treasure to the gods was also an opportunity for the sacrificed, the high priest, the initiator of the ritual, the participants, and even the audience to get closest to the gods.

Most hunters believe they possess extraordinary divine powers that grant eternal life and longevity, and they also like to perform many inexplicable rituals, which is very dangerous.

Homo sapiens are gregarious animals that help each other, use tools to make tools, and are willing to strive for a long-term coexistence goal – but all of this has nothing to do with gods. In other words, as the BOSS of this station, I have always been an atheist. Perceiving animism and dealing with spiritual disasters has always been a process of dispelling superstition.

To the passengers who have betrayed and turned into terrorists, the hunters, all attendants must take this phenomenon seriously. Once they fall into obsession and delve into various magical theories, divine doctrines, spiritual disasters, and spiritual bodies, it will be difficult to turn back.

The station itself is not a lawless place for Homo sapiens civilization. Everyone has the citizenship of a natural person before becoming a member of the station. We respect every natural person.

When these hunters persecute other natural people, every Panacea we hand out, just like the Madness Butterfly and Vita Imprint that have been troubling us, will become a weapon for the murderer to abuse the victim.

Although the road ahead underground is terrifying and dark, please attendants help the passengers light up new astral nodes.

The recording ends here.

Jiang Xueming finished taking notes, "Your corporate culture is quite novel."

"Yes, when I first joined, I had a lot of trinkets on me and even a skull tattoo on my arm," Xiao Qi recalled. "The HR guy repeatedly told me not to get any more tattoos or bring things like crosses in the future. Just be clean."

Jiang Xueming asked curiously, "How did you answer him?"

"I was a rebellious, chuunibyou girl back then," Xiao Qi said with a laugh, then felt a bit embarrassed. "I said, since no gods can enter this station, is it like hell, a place where no one is in charge?"

Jiang Xueming: "And then?"

Xiao Qi replied mysteriously.

"Hell is not a place where no one is in charge; hell is in charge of everything. That's what the HR guy said. If you think the underground world is hell, then it is. The BOSS is both the most difficult king of hell to deal with and an annoying little devil."

"On every journey, we must keep our eyes wide open. Look closely at its lava lakes, the ancient runes on the rock walls, the colossal statues, and the starry sky."

"See every mysterious and eerie place."

"See it."

"Understand it."

"Tear off its veil and terror, and do so carefully, like lifting a bride's veil, slowly revealing it."

"I understand," Jiang Xueming put away his notebook and phone. "That ferryman, the hunter you just mentioned, what happened to him in the end?"

"The local government cooperated with the station's armed personnel and used two helicopters to raid his den. As for him, he had a bunch of messy things, like an alchemy workshop, a private laboratory for researching Panacea, and many dangerous weapons. But humans have limits. Any carbon-based life form can't withstand a strafing from a 20mm autocannon." Speaking of this, Xiao Qi remembered something and said half-jokingly, "You're not going to follow suit and poison me, are you, Mr. Jiang Xueming?"

Jiang Xueming: "What are you joking about?"

Xiao Qi suspected with a knowing look.

"Then have you ever thought about it? Even a little bit of evil thought? Have you ever felt for a split second that I, your attendant, am very annoying? Let me be clear, attendants not only have to protect you but also keep an eye on you, because I don't know your past."

"If you were like the protagonist in Doraemon, constantly bullied by Gian, perhaps the first item you'd get from that manga would be a 'Restart Life Gun'."

"Once you got the weapon, you'd turn it on your former bullies and shoot all that ferocity back at them like bullets. If I tried to stop you then, I'd probably be the first one to get shot."

"I have thought about it," Jiang Xueming replied seriously. "I've never held a grudge overnight against people who have taken advantage of me or bullied me. It seems I wouldn't need that gun."

"So, if you had the chance, you still would..." Xiao Qi remained vigilant, after all, the BOSS had told her that Jiang Xueming was a special person.

Jiang Xueming turned his head to look out the window, not wanting to meet Xiao Qi's interrogating gaze.

He simply explained, "I won't do anything extreme. Just for that Gian thing, why would I poison you?"

Under this subtle crisis of trust, the atmosphere became awkward.

To ease the tension, Xiao Qi said with a grin, "According to the story outline, if you don't poison me, then we're going to get married and get our certificates, right?! You continue with that. What would we do during our maternity leave? You're so smart, make up a fifty-yuan story for me."

Jiang Xueming didn't pick up on the topic. "I hope you are safe and healthy."

Xiao Qi felt rebuffed and put on a straight face, typing into her phone for her log.

She wrote silently.

"He's poisoning me but still cares about my safety and health. He's so gentle, I'm crying."

"About the sense of ritual," Jiang Xueming still had one thing he didn't understand. "Why did the BOSS make us walk through Moon Lane? You said it was for the sense of ritual, but what's the point?"

When this was brought up, Xiao Qi felt a surge of inexplicable anger. She suppressed her inner rage and explained patiently.

"This is an unnecessary but necessary path the BOSS specifically left for every new passenger. You might have various reasons to rush to the station for urgent matters. For example, saving your sister, you'd definitely be in an agitated, panicked, and fearful state of mind."

"You walk for almost an hour, see such a large building and bronze sculptures, and encounter so many strange people. You might have a glimmer of hope, thinking, 'Great, someone else has come to this station like me. Someone more capable will help me.' At least you'll calm down and won't disturb the brothers and sisters working in the Council of Five Kings, nor will you act like a desperate patient at a hospital."

"When we put on the attendant's uniform and formally meet you passengers for the first time, we want to tell you – after you complete this journey, you will realize that the ritual of '[walking]' itself has no meaning; it's just moving from one place to another."

"What matters is yourself, your goal, and the methods you use to achieve your goal. Dispel your superstitions. We entered the station as natural people, and we leave as natural people."

Jiang Xueming nodded. "Quite interesting. I'm starting to like the BOSS."

Xiao Qi muttered along, "So you're a cat person. I'll get a cute cat later to charm you, hehe."

At this moment, Jiang Xueming just silently looked at the fields in the dark night sky outside the window.

He noted down a few characteristics in his mind.

Armadillo Hunters: Carbon-based life forms.

Minimum solution: Can be killed using a 20mm autocannon. For individual weapons of the same caliber, an anti-materiel rifle can be considered. The kinetic energy of the shell is similar to that of an anti-aircraft machine gun using 14.5mm ammunition, and its lethality to humans is also similar. However, obtaining these weapons should be difficult.

Attemptable solution: Mud Truck Iaijutsu. A sixteen-wheel cargo truck with a license plate costs less than 200,000 yuan. According to National III emission standards, most cities allow them on the road after 10 PM. With current financial resources, it can support at least thirty Iaijutsu releases. The cargo can be chosen to be high-density earth cubes or gravel, which are easy to obtain, but it has strict terrain requirements.

Upon arriving at the health clinic in Pingyang county, the two had just gotten out of the car and hadn't even steadied themselves – the car door wasn't even fully closed.

The driver slammed the accelerator, and the car sped back into the boundless dark road with a whistling sound.

Xiao Qi scratched her head vigorously, the sound echoing far across the clinic's concrete yard.

"What's going on? Why was the order canceled? I can't find the driver's information either. I haven't even paid yet."