Gun of Ashes

This is something Lorenzo had also said before, and Selyu was slightly moved.

The conversation was neither shallow nor profound, like small talk, with both of them maintaining a necessary tacit understanding, avoiding the cruelty of deeper issues.

"What will you do next?"

"Do what?"

Red Falcon was a bit confused.

The girl adjusted her words and spoke again.

"I mean, what about him?"

She reached out her hand and pointed at the still-unconscious Lorenzo.

In Selyu's mind, they would recognize Lorenzo as some kind of monster. Maybe this poor guy would spend the rest of his life in some heavily guarded prison.

"Oh! That, well, we should drag him back to headquarters for a full examination, then isolate him for observation."

Red Falcon recalled that this was pretty much the follow-up process with Lorenzo before. Looking at it this way, their cooperation with the demon hunter really was close, the demon hunter struggling at the front, and they just had to pick him up when he passed out.

"Won't you kill him?"

Selyu was a bit worried.

Even though she was a small shareholder in the mysterious department, just a small glimpse of the department had already allowed Selyu to sense their dreadfulness.

They were a group of machines acting solely on absolute will, using any means to achieve their goals. It was hard to imagine what might happen if Lorenzo, almost assimilated into a demon, fell into their hands.

"Kill him? Why? People like Lorenzo are a rare breed. Without him, the cost of this operation would be much greater."

Despite feeling scared, Red Falcon still held deep respect for this demon hunter. After all, not everyone has the courage to launch a suicide attack with a train full of oil tanks.

Lawrence was so terrifying, cunning, and bizarre. In the previous entanglement, if Lorenzo showed even a hint of cowardice, Lawrence might have discovered their intentions, leading to the operation's failure.

But in the end, it all succeeded. Not only did this demon hunter succeed in dying with Lawrence, but he also released Selyu early. In fact, in the original plan, Lawrence's only shown flaw was when he invaded another's consciousness.

At that time, Lawrence would not perceive external matters, the perfect time for assassination. This means that in the original plan, Selyu was the one who should have died in the explosion.

But Red Falcon wouldn't say such things. The plan succeeded, so there's no need to let the girl know the world's darker side. After all, there are still many beautiful things in the world.

"But he turned into that."

Selyu slowly spoke.

Actually, everyone saw it, that terrifying black-winged angel, that twisted and abhorrent form, which had already surpassed human understanding of demons, breaching the unknown beyond logic.

"You think he looks like a monster, so you worry we might kill a monster?"

Red Falcon accurately spotted the issue within the words.

Selyu was stunned for a moment, then after a while, she nodded.

"Don't worry. The value Lorenzo brings is enough for us to overlook his risks. Let alone kill him; we might even invite the best doctors to ensure he can recover quickly and continue working. After all, there are so many demons, and they're not getting rid of them soon. Seeing his excited look, he seems to like this job."

Selyu's eyes were strange. In the face of Red Falcon's nonsensical talk, her worry for Lorenzo turned into a state of, "Is this some unscrupulous company? How could I invest in this thing?"

The atmosphere relaxed a lot. Red Falcon also liked it this way, much better than the previous heavy feeling, that constant atmosphere giving him a sense of when Lorenzo might suddenly rise uncontrollably, fully demonized, taking everyone with him to death.

It was much better now, like escorting a dangerous target, turning into sending Lorenzo to the crematorium, picking an excellent grave in Old Dunling in the meantime, and saying goodbye to this damned guy amid laughter and joy.

Red Falcon chuckled foolishly, and the sudden burst of laughter made Selyu a bit creeped out.

Actually, Red Falcon was also a scoundrel, breaking into nonsense when nervous as if this could relieve his stress. It's like telling cold jokes in front of demons, turning even the most repressed atmosphere into a pile of crap.

"You still don't understand us people. We are fools gathered for the same goal, not caring even a bit for our lives for this goal. Do we still care if the coworkers are monsters or not?"

Although he said this, Red Falcon was still clinging to the Aluminothermic Rifle.

"What do you think is the standard for judging a human as human?"

He immediately asked.

"Looking like a human, having a human physique, able to speak, able to think, or possessing a human-like body structure?"

Red Falcon's series of questions left the girl at a loss.

"Do you know about the Ship of Theseus?"

"The large ship sailing the seas, constantly replacing its planks from the start, until all the original planks are replaced... is it still the same ship?"

Selyu loved reading and she knew what this meant.

"Actually, demon hunters are like the Ship of Theseus. From the moment they implanted the Secret Blood, they began heading towards becoming non-human."

"The Secret Blood continuously transforms them, with greater power, a stronger physique, longer life..."

Red Falcon said while looking at the unconscious Lorenzo in the center. Rather than saying he was human, he was more like a human-shaped, state-stable "demon."

"Do you think Lorenzo is still human? Who could survive such trauma? What do you think?"

Red Falcon looked towards the girl again, and she obviously didn't know how to answer Red Falcon. She had never encountered such a world, a mysterious, dark world.

"But can you say that Lorenzo isn't human?"

Physiologically, Lorenzo indeed doesn't belong to humans. He is a hybrid of demons and humans, roaming between two worlds, not belonging to either side, nor will he ever belong.

But how could he not be human? He always fought demons from a human perspective, maintaining the rational world, wielding flames that consumed all fears.

"Ultimately, this thing is quite philosophical. Put it another way, if a person's brain is removed and soaked in nutrient fluid to sustain his life... he no longer has a human form or even the basic ability to communicate, so is he still human?"

Or a disabled guy replacing his lost parts with steel and machinery; how is that different from a demon hunter transformed by Secret Blood? They are all altered by external forces, but are they still human?"

Red Falcon stated emphatically.

"No, these are not the standards for determining humanity. The true standard for being human is willpower."

"Willpower?"

Selyu asked.

Red Falcon nodded earnestly and said,

"Yes, willpower, human willpower, indomitable willpower."

He mockingly stated.

"Do you think those who commit crimes are still human? They have human bodies, human structures, human shapes, but do you think they're truly human? No, they're beasts wearing human skins."

Red Falcon looked at the slumbering man in the center.

"Lorenzo Holmes is the real human, though a monster, a highly dangerous demon hunter, he is still a human, a human through and through."

"In that monster's carcass lies human willpower, pure willpower, and that is an unchangeable fact."

"Although he is, in some way, quite talented yet lacks moral fiber, you have to admit he indeed has his bottom line, an insurmountable bottom line, which forges the human will, thus raising a burning flame in the darkness."

"Willpower is the standard for judging a person, and that is humanity; even knowing oneself is a fool, still, proceeding without hesitation."

"Launching an assault towards the hopeless death ground!"

Red Falcon said furiously, yet still clutching the Aluminothermic Rifle tightly, and he laughed as he spoke.

"Of course, fear is normal, after all, we are humans, destined to be imperfect humans; fear and cowardice are too normal."

But this is also a point Red Falcon deeply respects about Lorenzo, the demon hunter seemingly never knows what fear is, with the fire of anger burning fiercely, like a hell-bent brat; ignoring fear or darkness, setting it all aflame at anytime."

And it ended in peace, in silence.

Selyu looked at the peacefully sleeping guy in the center, as if getting to know Lorenzo again.

Inside that monstrous body is a stubborn heart.

A bit ridiculous, a bit of a lunatic, and full of rage, a human heart.