How Am I Still Alive?

Before dawn, there were a group of people walking silently along the mountain path that should have been beautiful during the day.

The black-clothed brigade was silent, and thirteen brown coffins rested on their shoulders, steadily and gently.

"Snapped!"

This remote hill is not high, and the funeral team reached the top of the hill very quickly.

With one shovel after another, gravel was sprinkled into the pit, and coffins without corpses were buried one by one.

Except for a few men in black who were wielding shovels, the others just watched silently, without gunshots or music.

Keepers don't need these extra possessions, they know what death means.

What they fear is that death does not end everything.

The coffin was empty as usual, and most of the Keepers themselves were high pollution sources, and their bodies had been destroyed long ago.

The clothes in the tomb should not be touched too much. Tomb robbers know that there is nothing in the cemetery of the secret keeper.

"Perhaps, soon, I will be buried here too"

Seeing the sand falling into the deep pit, Xia Qin among the crowd was a little dazed.

She saw that on other hills, there were already many tombstones.

It seems that it won't be long before the Authority will find a new hill.

"salute."

The host's voice interrupted Xia Qin's thoughts.

The uniform salute ended, and the ceremony came to an end.

No eulogy? For the polluters, words themselves are a curse.

Past experience has proved that the accumulation of unanimous and emotional eulogies by the "polluters" is also a kind of pollution, a very deadly pollution.

"farewell."

"Brother, drink together in the next life."

But rules are rules, people are people, and the secret keepers sent their wishes in a low voice.

And among all the "blessings", the most is still.

".I will remember you."

Information is inherently a kind of pollution. Remembering the lives of comrades-in-arms is probably the only thing that fellow polluters can do.

"I will remember you, Xiao Min, Xie Wancheng, Aaron, Min Ta'an"

Among the thirteen coffins, four belong to the third team of Zion District.

Out of the ten-man establishment, two more "retired" after this incident, and Xia Qin, the captain, has only two soldiers under him.

Xia Qin, the vice team, has become a full-time member, and just received an urgent notice.

The original captain died in battle, and most of the other teams were vacant, and there was no way to transfer captains.

Most of the other teams were like this. The seventh team directly canceled the organization and added personnel to other teams.

Originally a deputy team with relatively low qualifications, they were directly promoted to captain without assessment. This actually meant that the management bureau was extremely short of personnel, and the official combat power of the ancient city was once again reduced.

"It's an eventful autumn"

Looking at the coffin on the burial, Xia Qin naturally thought of the ZZZ-level pollution incident half a month ago, the night that almost wiped out the third team

In the arena shaped by white jade, there are happy holy beasts on the rostrum, all kinds of monsters and ghosts in the auditorium, and the protagonist is a sad human being.

The two keepers are fighting brutally, guns and swords are causing wounds and plagues.

The old one clutched his wounded chest, already cornered by his younger apprentice.

The rules of the secret realm are simple and brutal. The first rule is that two pairs fight each other, the winner lives and the weak dies.

The selected masters and apprentices fight each other for a place to survive.

"Great mother tree (mother), I, Rust Ax Leyun, would like to dedicate ten years of life in exchange for strength"

But how could the weak die willingly, he prayed to the mother tree, and activated the second rule - exchanging life for strength.

The old Keeper grows older, but gains a boost of power.

The situation was reversed, but how could the original winner be willing?

".I can sacrifice too, I am younger"

The final result is that the two sides continue to sacrifice their lives, and the old man dies, becoming a part of the icon of the mother tree, and becoming an "example" of the truth of the Lord of the Secret Realm.

The victor lost most of his lifespan and became a new old man. Among the thirteen victims, two died of old age shortly after leaving the secret realm.

In the desperate situation, everyone is waiting to die, and helplessly waiting for the expansion of the disaster.

The result was that it was doomed from the very beginning that the secret keeper of the three teams with the highest fourth rank could not stop the ninth rank quasi-god's plan to ascend to heaven.

Familiar figures are forced to "connect life" with the closest people, and then usher in the end of life or society.

Until the skinny teenager came.

He smiled, and he spoke wild words that no one dared to utter.

"The one I want to challenge is you. That big cat with a silly smile is you. Quasi-god? Hehe, that's great."

result? Exceeding everyone's expectations, when he opened his mouth, it was

"I exchanged all my lifespan for strength. Since you said that the Mother Goddess is loving and looks at every child equally, then she won't let the weak have no chance of victory, and take all my life away. Let me see if your mercy is real"

The figures that suddenly appeared in front of her interrupted Xia Qin's memories.

They were a group of staggering old men who were going up the mountain with their heads down, while the other keepers were going down the mountain silently.

The two teams intersect each other, but there is no communication, obviously not long ago they were colleagues and comrades-in-arms.

"Only seven?"

These few are all former young people, aging "winners" in the secret realm, and they have just completed the early retirement procedures.

The funeral procession became more and more silent, and there were faint cries from behind, painful and hoarse cries.

No one looked back, let alone blamed or scolded, it was just that the two teams finished their own way with each other.

Some people can continue to move forward, and some people stop after crying bitterly.

Xia Qin took a deep breath and continued walking.

"Captain, we need to talk about the man you supervise."

As soon as I got back to the office, someone came looking for me.

It was Thunder Huo Ren, one of the only three remaining members of his team.

At the same time, he has always opposed his own "regulation" proposals.

"He is very dangerous, very dangerous. I'm not talking about his ability to survive in that secret realm. His ability will definitely be quite beyond the standard, but the most dangerous one is himself."

Xia Qin still remembers when she proposed to guarantee the "savior" at the handling meeting.

The always fast man in front of him immediately expressed strong opposition.

This time, I found it again, and it seemed that there was no difference.

"Captain, you know my ability. I act quickly because of my ability, which allows me to instantly see through a person's hidden emotions, make decisions and react instantly, and in that desperate situation"

Can't understand, can't read, can't identify with.

Thinking of that young man, Lei Huoken was filled with worry and uneasiness.

"I have seen many deceased people, whether they were saints or villains, no matter whether they spoke generously or begged for mercy, at the moment of death, they would be filled with negative emotions, such as anger, restlessness, hatred, or at least reluctance and peace. Fear, reluctance to leave this world, fear of the unknown of death, and that boy... only joy, complete joy."

"Didn't you read his profile? He is a terminally ill patient. He must have thought of a pension. Death was a relief to him at that time."

This topic has been repeated many times, and Xia Qin doesn't want to talk about it anymore.

"No, in order to exercise my ability, I have observed countless terminally ill patients dying. As long as they are still human, they will have negative emotions when they leave, no matter how nice he said before. Death is an unknown, and fear of death is the instinct of life, but he Different, he has only joy and joy, he seems to know what is behind death, I have never seen such a dying person."

Lei Huo Ren couldn't understand, so he was worried or even afraid.

"Pollution will only be covered by stronger pollution." The winner of the crazy secret realm, the ability in his hand is definitely not as simple and harmless as he showed, and he...every time after that, he Still only full of joy, abnormal, too abnormal, he is acting so well now, just because he is still weak, just a seed. "

"In our world, the crazier people are, the stronger they are. When normal people are stepping on the brakes, they are stepping on the gas pedal. Lu Pingan is dangerous. He simply removed the brakes. He will destroy everything around him. Get involved. He reminds me of 'The Sophist', there's always someone who just wants to see everything burn. But even he's not as good as Ping An"

This was a topic that they had agreed not to mention, and Lei Huo Ren's voice became smaller and smaller, and both of them fell silent.

The memory of that title, that former companion, was too painful to recall.

The A-level wanted criminal brought disasters to this city, no less than this ZZZ-level pollution.

Is it the painful past that caused the Lei Huo Ren in front of him to worry too much? Really not.

In Lei Huoren's eyes, just being extreme and crazy in character may not be able to cause serious harm, maybe a piece of policeman can handle it.

If it is just pollutants above Z level, it can also be regulated. There are a lot of numbered banned objects in the archives of the Administration Bureau.

But the combination of the two, when a dangerous ability meets an unlimited holder, like a nuclear bomb falling into the hands of a terrorist, it reminds me of the person who caused countless tragedies.

Xia Qin knew that superficial explanations were meaningless.

Perhaps, it is time to explain to him, after all, there are fewer people available in the team.

"Lei Huowen, do you know how much pollution incidents above level three have increased this year?"

".It seems that there are quite a lot. The frequency of our dispatches is much higher."

"It's 35% more than a year ago, and 300% more than 20 years ago. In the past few years, the annual growth rate has exceeded 30%. If I remember correctly, this is the fourth mass funeral attended this year. .Now the administration has two teams, without even a vice-captain leading the team, so they can only stay in the bureau to do logistics."

The facts are already in front of us. The current environment is getting worse and worse, but the manpower is getting worse.

Three years ago, the captain rank of the Special Service Team of the Ancient City Administration was an average of 3.2 ranks, but now it is only 2.5 ranks.

Although rank cannot be equated with combat power, it is a fact that several squads have lost their mainstays, and the decline in deputy teams and team members is even more serious. Many low-threat jobs can only be left to the police. The result is that a large number of police officers are polluted or permanently sexual retirement.

"If there is no accident, in addition to the normal expansion of enrollment and the introduction of social forces, the ancient city administration will apply to several first-class colleges such as Guda to allow more students to go to the front line for internships. In our Zion district alone, seven secret service Squad, expand to ten."

This is actually a notice from above rather than a possibility. Xia Qin, who only got the captain's authority, also only knew the news.

"To put it bluntly, let the students replenish our troops. Don't be nervous, we won't give them too dangerous jobs, they just need to help us share a little."

"Has the situation gotten this bad?"

"Worse than you think."

There is even more serious information, Captain Xia Qin has just been qualified to contact, so he can't disclose it at will.

For example, "Several exotic-level secret realms are about to move, and the military is also facing a serious shortage of manpower."

For example, "In order to increase manpower, the difficulty of the secret keeper's qualification examination has been greatly reduced, and the number of new secret keeper in the coming year will increase by at least 30%.".

For example, "lower the entry threshold for private enterprises, let more private forces participate in it, and at the same time, increase bonuses and welfare benefits.".

For example, "publish more taboo knowledge to the public, and actively create polluters in several controlled secret realms."

Isn't there an old saying? "As long as the situation is bad enough, the so-called lower limit and rules mean that there is no lower limit and rules."

"It's very likely that Lu Ping'an will be admitted to the academy. After getting the temporary license, he will become our temporary colleague. If you still have worries, you can keep an eye on him. Just like you this time, take the initiative to apply for the experiment his ability."

"You see through?"

Thunder Fire Blade gave a wry smile.

"Hehe, I'm your captain. How could I not care about what you saw. At least, it's a win-win situation for him to get what's on the surface, and it's harmless. Actually."

As she said that, Xia Qin laughed, she really doesn't know Chai Migui if she is not in charge.

The captain-level intelligence authority let her know why Captain He always had a bitter face in the past.

The situation is ten times worse than it appears. Since fifty years ago, the whole world has long been in a quagmire, and has been sliding into the abyss irresistibly.

Unstable factors for not stepping on the brakes? A female god-type ability user with at least Z-level potential? Twenty years ago, it might have been obliteration rather than surveillance, but now

"This world is bad enough. I'm not worried that he's crazy. I'm just worried that he's not strong enough. To be honest, I hope he grows up as soon as possible. We can live longer. You have relatives too."

Pollution incidents in the ancient city are becoming more and more frequent, but Xia Qin's third team has only three "veterans" who have worked in the industry for less than three years, and the burden is getting heavier.

Counting on new reinforcements? There is a shortage of people everywhere, and everyone wants immediate combat power.

As long as the task of the sub-teams of the district-level different management bureau is still "security level", the sequence is not high enough. Even if there are high-quality soldiers, can they grab them by themselves?

Don't talk about the imaginary far, the immediate combat power that can be dug, is the last word.

"I heard that your younger sister has also applied for Guda. I will apply to transfer her here with Ping An. We will take care of you. It will be half a year at most. For your younger sister, I will work hard. You also want your younger sister to enter the university." When you were in the team, you were a third-tier vice-team, not an ordinary team member."

Thinking of his innocent younger sister who suddenly broke through the "lower limit of human beings", and the more frequent high-level pollution incidents, Leihuolen nodded silently, without further ado.

——

While the funeral was going on, an old acquaintance they mentioned had just walked out of a pet shop.

He sighed helplessly, a little speechless.

Since I was also born in this city, my guys inexplicably arranged a task for myself to get in touch with the local official secret keeper information.

"So, let's say hello to the old colleagues from the past? Tsk, they will kill me."

——

". Don't worry, I have enough money. Those debts? It's okay. I've told you to leave it to me. I'm a quasi-secret keeper. I have a scholarship after I enroll, and I can pay it off soon. It's okay. Yes, it’s really fine. By the way, there’s no need to send souvenirs, they’re enough to eat.”

I just got home and saw that "suspected Z to ZZZ level pollutant" was making a phone call in the living room.

Pulling the phone line, the joy in his words and the smile in the corner of his eyes could not be concealed.

in debt? All to him? Xia Qin looked at the bill, and it was not a small sum, even for a well-paid secret keeper.

But looking at the confident Lu Pingan, Xia Qin just smiled.

"Work hard, work hard to grow and work hard to make money"

In Xia Qin's view, there is nothing wrong with not stepping on the brakes, and it is the daily life of a secret keeper to hide something.

In order to survive in this world that is gradually entering twilight, there are indeed more and more people who cross the line and lunatics.

"Lei Huoren, you are right. There are always people who have nothing for a long time. They only want to hear the sound of broken porcelain, and they only want the world to burn. But he is different. Lu Ping'an is different from bastards like 'Sophists'."

She vouched for it only because of what she saw when she visited Lu Pingan after the incident.

She saw the juvenile in the ward when he was with his parents, the joyful look on his face when he said that he was "healed" and "our life will be better".

The joy and nostalgia from the heart for the parents who were crying with joy.

"No matter how hard you step on the accelerator and how far you run, as long as he has a home, he will come back sooner or later."

"And the job of our secret keeper is to keep that place for everyone? If we can't do it, there is nothing to complain about."

"Then, I'm just worried, he's not crazy enough, not strong enough!"