Chapter 290: Are You Crazy?
Spirit Police Headquarters, conference room.
All the Spirit Police had gathered. Among them were naturally Talisman Master Wang Yiming and Array Master Child Tong. However, none of the Spirit Police looked particularly well at this moment.
Luo Dui sat in the main seat, and Zhou Fudui took the first seat below him. Both wore grim expressions, their faces as troubled as those of the other Spirit Police.
The reason for this grim atmosphere was that three of their brothers had sacrificed themselves today. For them, this was a considerable blow.
The atmosphere in the conference room was oppressive. After a moment of silence, Luo Dui spoke, breaking the quiet.
"Today, we didn't just lose three Spirit Police officers; we lost three brothers. If Emissary Yang hadn't gone with them, we would have lost several more brothers today."
The meeting began with Luo Dui's words. Throughout the entire meeting, he recounted the merits of the three fallen Spirit Police officers over the years, and reminded all Spirit Police to ensure their safety when responding to calls.
After the meeting, the other Spirit Police withdrew, leaving only Luo Dui and Zhou Fudui in the conference room.
"We must be extra careful lately. I'm worried that Evil Spirit you mentioned might target ordinary people," Luo Dui said, his face etched with worry.
"The souls of ordinary people are not very useful to Evil Spirits. Even if it wanted to devour souls to enhance itself, it would likely seek out Evil Spirits of the same level, or Evil Spirits of a lower realm. Wánglíng hold no value in its eyes anymore, and the souls of ordinary people are even less valuable," Zhou Fudui said.
Luo Dui shook his head, not entirely agreeing with Zhou Fudui's assessment.
"There's some truth to what you say, but we must remain vigilant. Such extremely crazed Evil Spirits are quite dangerous; we never know what they intend to do, or what they might do. Moreover, not even Emissary Yang is confident he can take down such an Evil Spirit. If it truly targets ordinary people, even if I were to intervene personally, I would certainly be no match for it. There's no harm in being cautious."
Zhou Fudui nodded and replied, "Don't worry, Luo Dui, I'll have the brothers pay more attention to this matter. However, compared to that Evil Spirit, I'm more concerned about the snake demon that Emissary Yang brought back. Evil Spirits might selectively devour targets, but demons won't. They eat people just like we eat meat. I'm very worried that snake demon will cause great trouble in Lecheng. Sigh, if Emissary Yang hadn't protected her, I would have killed her even if it meant my own death."
Luo Dui didn't speak immediately. Instead, he furrowed his brow in deep thought, and only after a moment did he slowly begin to speak.
"The reason humans consume animals and plants is because animals and plants can provide the nutrients humans need. However, when demons eat people, it is to absorb the Human Spirit within the human body. The more powerful a human is, the stronger the Human Spirit contained within their flesh and blood."
"The existence of Human Spirit is very unique. Aside from its usefulness to demons, it has no effect on any other race or group, not even humans themselves."
"When demons eat people, they can absorb the Human Spirit within human flesh and blood to increase their cultivation. However, when other races or groups eat people, besides being able to supplement a certain amount of nutrition, it can only fill their stomachs; there is no other purpose."
At this point, Luo Dui couldn't help but let out a low sigh, gently shaking his head before continuing.
"This world is inherently a bloody and cruel one. Once one enters this world, they must abide by its bloody rules. No one can escape them. Therefore, you shouldn't hold such strong prejudices against demons. It's not the demons who are wrong; it's the bloody rules of this world."
Zhou Fudui hadn't expected Luo Dui to utter such words. The Luo Dui he knew was a man of few words and great integrity, but at this moment, Luo Dui gave him an unfamiliar feeling.
Seeing Zhou Fudui's shocked expression, Luo Dui smiled, patted his shoulder, and continued, "Don't be so surprised. I am human, and I am Spirit Police. I will not forget my duty, nor will I forget my stance. I am merely stating a fact. No matter how bloody and cruel this world is, I will always stand on the side of humanity—that much is certain."
Zhou Fudui breathed a sigh of relief, though some doubts still lingered in his mind.
"Then why don't you want me to hold such strong prejudices against demons? Leaving aside the question of right and wrong, our stance as humans is different from that of demons. It's perfectly normal to hold prejudices against them."
Luo Dui shook his head and chuckled, "Humans are divided into good and evil, and it's the same for demons. Not everyone is a saintly person, and not every demon is unforgivably evil. Some people are far more terrifying and cruel than demons. So, I hope you don't paint everyone with the same brush."
Zhou Fudui remained silent, his brows tightly furrowed in deep contemplation, his thoughts unknown.
"Not all demons eat people. Some demons increase their cultivation by consuming various spiritual treasures rich in spiritual energy. Others choose places abundant in spiritual energy to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to improve themselves. While such demons are few, they do exist, just as the number of vegetarians among humans is far less than those who eat meat."
"Are meat-eaters necessarily bad people? From our human perspective, of course not. So, are demons who eat people necessarily unforgivably evil? From a demon's perspective, certainly not. Ultimately, it boils down to differing stances. But what if we could change their stance? What do you think would happen?"
When Luo Dui uttered these words, Zhou Fudui didn't grasp their meaning at first, but after a moment, he seemed to realize something, looking at Luo Dui with disbelief.
"Luo Dui, do you mean to make demons change their stance and side with us? How is that possible? " Zhou Fudui said, his face filled with disbelief.
"Whether it's possible depends on whether the offered benefits can sway the other party. Whether it's humans or demons, as long as sufficient benefits are offered, what's a change of stance? While not everyone is as I've described, there are certainly many such people, and demons, monsters, and ghosts are no exception," Luo Dui said.
The shock on Zhou Fudui's face didn't dissipate because of Luo Dui's words. He looked at Luo Dui and continued to ask, "What do you plan to do?"
"I plan to invite the snake demon to join our Spirit Police! " Luo Dui declared resolutely, as if he had already made up his mind on the matter.
The shock on Zhou Fudui's face had not yet faded. Upon hearing Luo Dui's words, the shock on his face instantly intensified, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"What? ! Luo Dui, are you joking? The snake demon is a demon! How can it join the Spirit Police?"
"Why not? Do you still remember what our duty is? " Luo Dui retorted.
"Of course, I know! That's precisely what I want to ask you: Do you still remember what our duty is? " Zhou Fudui's emotions grew agitated.
"Of course, I know what our duty is! Not only do I know, but I will never forget it for the rest of my life! " Luo Dui answered with utmost certainty.
"Since you remember our duty, why do you still have such a thought? Inviting a demon to become Spirit Police—are you crazy?"
Zhou Fudui usually held Luo Dui in great respect and never spoke to him in such a tone. But now, agitated, he paid no mind to whether his words and attitude might offend Luo Dui.
It was no wonder Zhou Fudui reacted this way. First it was Yang Haoran, and now Luo Dui—both their ideas left him utterly baffled. It was precisely this incomprehension that caused his emotions to become agitated at this moment.
"I'm not crazy. On the contrary, I am perfectly rational," Luo Dui said.
"Rational? You want a people-eating snake demon to join the Spirit Police, and you call that rational? " Zhou Fudui retorted, agitated.
"The snake demon has indeed eaten people; this is an unchangeable fact, and it is her sin. But as long as she is willing to join the Spirit Police, she can protect more ordinary people alongside us and slowly atone for her sins."
"The ordinary people devoured by the snake demon are indeed pitiful, and I deeply sympathize with them. However, I will not, because of their deaths, give up an opportunity to strengthen our Spirit Police team."
"Our duty as Spirit Police is to protect ordinary people. But there are so many ordinary people, and our Spirit Police are limited in number and ability. We simply cannot protect all ordinary people; it's unrealistic. We can only do our best to protect as many ordinary people as possible."
"Achieving this is also no simple feat. Because if we want to protect more ordinary people, we also need powerful strength, not just empty words."
As he spoke, Luo Dui's face clouded with worry, and he seemed to age several years in an instant.
"The strength of our Lecheng Spirit Police is simply too weak. Apart from you and me, the other brothers can handle minor issues, but they will die if they encounter even slightly stronger opponents. Every time one of them sacrifices themselves, it feels like a knife is twisting in my heart. I believe you can also understand this pain. If this continues, before long, only you and I might be left of the Spirit Police."
Zhou Fudui remained silent, his expression complex, because at that moment, he simply didn't know what to say.
"To protect more ordinary people and reduce casualties among our Spirit Police, the best approach is to strengthen the power of our Spirit Police. It's unrealistic for individual strength to be greatly enhanced in a short period. However, it's not impossible to recruit more experts to enhance our team's strength. Therefore, whether they are human or demon, as long as they are willing to join our Spirit Police, I will accept them without hesitation!"
Luo Dui's expression was grave, his voice low. From his words, it was clear that he had made his decision.
At this moment, Zhou Fudui had completely regained his composure. Looking at Luo Dui's worried face, he began to somewhat understand Luo Dui's painstaking intentions.
While Luo Dui's idea was indeed unfair to a minority of victims, for the sake of protecting more ordinary people, his approach was indeed a viable method. It was just a method that some people would find hard to accept.
"Even if you want to invite the snake demon to join us, she might not agree," Zhou Fudui said.
"Whether she agrees or not, I have to try. It's not just the snake demon; I'll even try with the Black Talisman Master we rescued this time, even if she's from the Talisman Order!"
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