It took nearly an hour and a half for Carlil to slowly return to the shelter. The exhaustion and pain caused by overusing that power was one thing, but more of a factor was the fact that he collected a little information about his prey.

A hunter should always be on top of these things, or at least some traces...... Otherwise, where does hunting begin?

With his hands pulled up, he reached the top of the building, and as he expected, the ghosts were crouching at the top of the shelter staring at their rain filter.

He likes to drink filtered water with a slightly bitter taste, so he is very precious about the rain filter.

The cold wind blew, and the torrential rain poured down wildly. The cloak could no longer stop the violence, and Carlil's clothes were already soaked. Nostramo on a stormy night, even for him, is very difficult.

He was cold and his rain-soaked skin was sore, but it didn't matter.

The blue light flashed, and Carlil, who was standing on the top of the building, appeared.

"Spirits."

The huge black shadow crouching at the top of the shelter jerked its head back, and then rushed down, shattering the rain curtain: "Carlil! You okay? ”

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Ghost. Also, go into the house...... Didn't I say that you should stay inside when the weather is bad? ”

"But......" the Wraith said hesitantly, stepping out of his way and behind Carlile. In the house, I can't see you coming back. ”

Carlil paused as he walked forward, and then, casually, he continued, "You can hear my footsteps coming back, can you?" ”

"It rained heavily." Wraith said. "And the wind. I didn't hear you come back just now. ”

“......”

Carlil didn't speak, but walked to the door of the shelter, and then gently lifted the new door of the shelter up before pushing it open.

It's a little more complete than its predecessor. It's limited, but it's enough.

There are always not many options.

Walking in slowly, Carlil took off his cloak and threw it into a corner. The rainstorm has washed the blood away, it doesn't have to be cleaned, and it can't be washed anymore.

It's almost broken.

The ghost quietly closed the door and expertly returned to his corner and began poking his plank with his fingernails. Seeing this, Carlil couldn't help but sigh.

"Carlil?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you sighing?"

There was a palpable caution in the Spirit's tone, which silenced Carlil, who was facing away from him.

“...... Because, my mood is more complicated now, ghost. ”

"Is it because I'm not doing my job?"

"No, no, you're doing a great job. I looked at it when I came back and every guard was cleared. You're doing well, Ghost. ”

"But ......"

"I'm fine, ghost."

Carlil turned his head and smiled at the ghost. He sat down in the tattered chair and looked at the notched tin cup beside him.

There is a glass of bitter filtered water waiting.

He reached for it and took a small sip. He is in terrible shape now, and he really needs a glass of water, or a piece of nutritional paste. And Carlil still prefers the former to the latter.

"Thank you for the water you prepared for me, Spirit." Carlil said. "Plus, our plan was a success, thanks to you."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

"But......" the ghost said hesitantly. I don't feel like clearing the sentry will be of much use to the whole plan. The focus is on the people of the Skolewalker family, and they are your target. ”

Carlil didn't answer the sentence first, he just took a second sip of water. In the bitterness that permeated the tip of his tongue, he asked, "How does it feel?" ”

"Huh?"

"Your first free play. How does it feel, Ghost? ”

The ghost was silent, and rightfully so. Carlil wasn't surprised by the result — he didn't expect a one-and-a-half-year-old to say what he thought. Even if the child is already more than two meters old, he can shred the armored car with a wave of his hand.

Strength and mind are never linked.

However, communication like this is a must.

There is no real empathy between people, even relatives. The ability to communicate perfectly is one of the most precious things that humans have ever evolved, and Carlil doesn't waste it.

"I ......"

The ghost stared blankly ahead, and at this moment, his gaze was not on Carlil. He looked at the darkness, and the darkness stared with equal intensity.

Carlil waited patiently.

"I... It feels bad. The ghost said slowly.

"Because you killed them?"

"No, because ......"

"Because?"

"Because they're all crying." The ghost pursed his lips. "Carlile, they're not human, but why are they crying?"

Good question.

Carlil put down the glass.

"Because of fear."

"Fear?"

Carlil smiled.

"Yes, because they are afraid of death. Like anger, fear can push people to do things they may not want to do. Let me guess, someone is begging you for mercy tonight, right? ”

“...... Yes. The ghost whispered. Barry, his name is Barry. ”

The ghost was silent for a moment, and Carlil just listened quietly, without attempting to interrupt or ask questions.

He has always been a good listener.

"He cried and begged me for mercy...... He said that he was forced by the Skolewalker family to oppress the workers. Like you said, I asked him. ”

The ghost looked up at Karil. He could see in the darkest of nights, so he could see the calm on Carlil's face at the moment.

"I asked him if the Skolewalker family had allowed them to eat people, run butcher shops, murder, abduct people, kill people in the streets, and rob wantonly...... He froze. ”

"I told him again that now that he had accepted himself as a servant of House Sklewalker and enjoyed the benefits, he should not complain about anything more."

Then, he said...... He joined the gang because he wanted to survive. ”

The ghost pursed his lips, "He's not lying, Carlil, he really thinks so." But why? Do people have to rely on oppression and violence to survive in Nostramo? ”

Another good question, and one that deserves to be explained by a long night of talk.

"That depends on how you define being alive, Spirit." Carlil leaned back in his chair and tilted his head.

The stinging pain continued to blow from the rain-soaked clothes, and he couldn't take them off, or else the heavy clothes from the acid rain would tear off a layer of his skin.

Carlil didn't have the power to heal himself now, and he didn't want to use it for it.

Moreover, this tingling sensation is actually a good thing in his opinion.

Pain awakens.

"Isn't it to be alive?" The ghost asked, puzzled.

"No, it's not...... Everyone has their own answer to this question. Since you ask, I'll give you my opinion, Spirit. ”

"You can listen to them, you can memorize them, but don't take them as your own thoughts. In the future, you will have your own answers to these questions. ”

Carlil spoke softly.

"It seems to me that there are two definitions of being alive. First, like the sawtooth beast outside the city. They only crave food for a full stomach, a cave to shelter in, and a mate to mate. Don't think anything else. ”

"The second is different."

"Pursuit of delicious food. The pursuit of not only shelter from the wind and rain, but also exquisite and warm home. Pursue the lover you love and love you...... And the continuation of life, child. ”

"Can you see the difference, Spirit?"

Once again, the ghost gave Carlil an answer with his characteristic blank expression.

The ghost couldn't help but laugh, and the voice echoed through the shelter. Outside the house, the wind howled bitterly, and his laughter was mixed in, but it was not terrible.

“...... I don't see the difference, Carlile. The ghost replied, slightly frustrated. He is so easy to read, all the emotions are written on his face, like a book spread out.

Still smiling, Carlil shook his head, "It's normal that you don't understand, and no one would ask a one-and-a-half-year-old to understand this, but I want you to remember one thing." ”

"What's the matter?"

Carlil spoke softly, "The man named Barry, what he's after is the second type. ”

The ghost's eyes widened in surprise - Carlil's description of the second life was so beautiful that he couldn't understand why Barry could have anything to do with the second.

"Actually, ghosts. All the gangs and nobles on Nostramo pursued the second type. But that doesn't mean the second is bad, they just use the wrong method, and moreover, it's horribly wrong. ”

"How?"

"yes, the way...... They can't be blamed entirely for this. There's something wrong with this world, ghosts. ”

Carlil tilted his head, closed his eyes, and sighed slightly tiredly. His voice then became softer, like a bedtime whisper, or a dream whisper.

"Everyone wants to live better, everyone wants to live with dignity. No one wants to endure the harsh conditions of eighteen hours in a factory, then drag their tired body back home, cough up blood in a foul-smelling shack, and bring their illness to their families......"

The ghost saw rain on Carlil's face.

"No one wants to put up with that, and no one should put up with that. But they had to endure. They have only two options, join a gang, or die late at night. ”

"Those who choose the latter can only swallow everything, suffering, sorrow, anger, despair...... Someone resisted, but their resistance was nothing in the face of automatic guns. ”

"It shouldn't be like this, Ghost." Carlil said in a deep voice. "This is not the way the world should be."

“...... Are you sad, Carlil? The ghost asked cautiously.

"Nope."

"But, you seem to be in—"

"—wake me up in seven hours, is that okay, ghost?"

"Huh?"

"I need to take a break." Carlil opened his eyes and smiled calmly. "There's one last step in our plans, so wake me up in seven hours, okay?"

“...... Okay, Carlile. The ghost replied in a low voice.

For some reason, at this moment, the ghost is a little sad.

But not because of Barry.