A common tavern that connects all fantasy worlds

"His last heart has been exhausted... Now even a helpless photographer can deal with him."

The conductor turned off the faucet in his hand, looked back at the female police officer who was avoiding the sewage flowing to the sides of the carriage, and replied: "The photographer's side has been branded... If Mahagony dies, it is just for him to to replace."

The female police officer shrugged her shoulders: "It may be too late in time, so what if I can't catch up? Moreover, those two unusually tall guys have never appeared again last night, and the subway station has been blocked since last night. If it was still there, it would have popped up a long time ago.”

This train should not have been running last night... Those two guys don't know what their origin is, and they may be creatures like the person in front of them and themselves that mortals can't understand; they destroyed the entire carriage. The structural frame also damaged the front part of the train, which almost caused the train to fail to operate normally.

And the consequences of this train not being able to run are very serious...

"What you have in your hand is the photographer's information, let me take a look."

The conductor took the stack of reports held by the black female police officer, frowning, and flipped through them under the pale light in the carriage.

Had photographer Leon been here, he would have been astounded by the level of detail in the report—everything he's experienced since he came to the city has been documented, including his friends, his girlfriend, and his ex. A few days meeting with art gallery owner Susan.

"...Why would he be desperate?"

The conductor murmured to himself.

On the other side, in the subway station at the other end of the slaughterhouse, Xue Li, Max and three guests were following the silent butcher far away, and walked into the starting point of the subway without attracting anyone's attention. stand.

This "Mahagni" is different from other people in the slaughterhouse. After get off work, other people either go to the bar for consumption, or drive home tiredly. He just put on the neat suit and put on Bao, with his tie neatly tied like those white-collar workers in the middle of Manhattan, sat on a bench on the subway platform, just waiting for that special train to arrive.

A subway line that is still in normal operation, of course, there cannot be only one train... Generally speaking, subway trains passing through the bustling areas will depart every short time, and during peak hours during off-duty hours, there will be a train every 4 minutes ; However, obviously not many people who work here live in the urban area, and there are very few shifts on the line, so that they often have to wait for a long time before the train enters the station.

All the trains on this line look very old. They are the old-fashioned car bodies that have been in service for an unknown number of years and have not even been painted on the surface. You can also see the silver body shaking back and forth on the track.

However, Mahagni has not been in the car.

It didn't take long for the people coming and going in the subway station to take the train and go back to their homes. Only Mahagni was still sitting, with his square bag on his knee, motionless like a statue.

Even the workers who work in the same workshop with him are obviously used to his isolated appearance, and no one wants to come over to say hello or chat... It's not because they don't like him, as a workshop The oldest skilled worker in the village, it's not bad that the other party can't understand them; it's just that he spares no words outside of work, and keeps even the necessary communication to a minimum.

It is speculated that his prudence may be due to some oral or throat diseases.

Because the few times I heard him speak, I only felt that his speech was vague.

Soon, there were not many people in the subway station.

The time pointed to ten o'clock in the evening, and even the few people who were staring at him in the dark were getting impatient, when the train that Mahagni was waiting for finally arrived.

I don't know how he could tell the difference between this train and other trains with the same old silver body. Anyway, he stood up slowly, walked into the last section with a square bag, or pressed forward In terms of direction, it is the first carriage.

The blond train conductor with combed back came down and looked around, using the routine security check before departure as a cover, trying to see if anyone was following the butcher...the result was that there was no one.

Compared with Mahagni, his expression and demeanor were much more vivid. He pursed his lips and made a tangled expression, and finally returned to the cockpit at the front of the car, and pressed the button to close the door.

As the air compressor began to work "chichi", the train slowly picked up its speed and drove towards the next station.

Mahagney sat in his seat, looking up at the empty carriage with a blank expression.

The standard mezzo-soprano voice of the MTA has been heard from the loudspeaker hanging on the side wall of the carriage overhead: "Please note, passengers, the 112th Street subway station has been fully repaired and can continue to be used. The terminal station of this line Reverting to 112th Street Station.  …Attention, passengers…”

At the other end of the train, several people were fully squeezed into the cockpit of the other front, as well as big men like Dosten and Cassia.

As mentioned earlier, each train is actually equipped with two locomotives - but in a one-way operation, only one locomotive needs to be active.

Of course there will be no one in the cab at the rear of the car.

Originally, in order to avoid the other party's eyes and ears, Xue Li planned to send a few people back to the tavern directly, leaving only Max, who had never met them face to face, on the subway, so that they could come back anytime if they wanted to; Sten and Cassia felt that there might be unexpected dangers, so they stayed.

Listening to the news on the radio, the photographer Leon was shocked, and said to the people around him, "That's right, today's train should still go to the real 'terminus'..."

Xue Li shook his head gloomyly: "It doesn't have to be, even if the 112th Street stop was not open last night, you saw other passengers being hung up in the car... It's strange, even if it's a cult Sacrifice does not need to be done so frequently. It seems that what Max said is probably right."

Several people invariably remembered what Max said just now. If the image of "the butcher prepares ingredients for consumers" is applied to humans, it would be too terrifying.

What kind of demon needs a dozen people a day for food?Why are the subway officials, conductors and police officers turning a blind eye to this, and instead helping the evildoers?

Taking advantage of the long journey and plenty of time, Xue Li told some stories he knew that might be helpful.

He's been doing a lot of reading lately because of Santa Nicole, D, the Countess, and "The Rope Girl."

He said: "Using people as food is not uncommon even in normal human history. The more primitive the tribe, the more likely it is to retain the custom of cannibalism, and the ancestors of civilized people are the same, and even There is a description of this in Greek mythology. The Titan Cronus, who was overthrown by his own son Zeus, once ate many of his children.

"The reasons for cannibalism vary in different cultures. It may be to express the 'total annihilation' of the enemy; it may be to seize the enemy's 'strength'; Bodily injury; it may even be for a benevolent purpose, which is to liberate the souls of the people.

"In this world, it is obvious that the meaning of this behavior is not only spiritual... The butcher can recover from such a serious injury, which is definitely qualified as a supernatural power.

"We can also assume for the time being that his strength is obtained through cannibalism... This may also explain why the authorities have acquiesced in the existence of this behavior. Who wouldn't want to obtain this level of self-healing ability and a strong body?

"Now we have to assume the worst, that there is more than one opponent with supernatural powers like this 'The Butcher'..."

The train was rumbling forward, and it was about to reach the next station.

And in the center of Manhattan, the black female police officer found the owner of an art gallery, the most famous collector, investor and connoisseur in the circle, Susan Hoff.

Susan had just finished her wonderful speech at the ball she held herself, walked out of the banquet hall, and was just about to take a breath when she saw a black female police officer walking towards her.

"Ms. Susan Hough? I'm a Senior Detective of the New York City Police Department and I'd like your help on a case. Do you know Leon Kaufman?"

As the female police officer spoke, she showed her ID to this charming lady.

"I know him...but I don't think it has anything to do with any case. He came to me with his work, and I asked him to improve his level, that's all."

Susan calmly replied that she has some connections among local celebrities, congressmen, and government employees. Even in front of the police chief of New York City, she can call her by his first name. What is a senior police detective?Want her to cooperate?Talk to a lawyer.

But the black female police officer on the opposite side seemed to know her very well, shrugged, changed the subject and said, "Is it hard to feel the passing of youth? No matter how much others flatter you, you also know that your most beautiful era is over."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Susan, known as the lingering artistic atmosphere, immediately uttered dirty words, and turned around to stare at the unknown female police detective.If the slut was out to piss her off, it obviously succeeded...

But the police detective just stared into her eyes, and said in a very uncomfortable tone: "You must have heard of it too? The thing about 'the chosen one can stay young forever'... Oh, it seems You've seen it with your own eyes.

"It's like this, if Leon Kaufman can't completely despair and take his own responsibility today, then there will be no such good things from now on.

"We either have to destroy his dreams, or his lover, or...both. Did you know that he already has a steady girlfriend?"

Chapter No.17 Desperate Raw Materials

What the female police officer said about "seeing it with my own eyes" is indeed true.

Susan is well-known in the art circle for her willingness to support young artists...but of course her money does not come from strong winds. In order to maintain a lavish material life while retaining her artistic interests, she usually put I invest my own property, so I have many friends in the financial circle, including a financial person who once worked for Goldman Sachs.

Although the former Goldman Sachs executive is only 47 years old, he suffers from a rare disease, which makes him unable to walk normally when he gets sick, and his immunity is far worse than ordinary people.

Last year, his condition deteriorated completely, causing several internal organs to fail. He spent two weeks in the intensive care unit, unable to move from the neck down, and the doctor said he could survive for another year at most.

Many bigwigs on Wall Street feel very sorry, because this man can be said to be a rare investment genius, not only has an extraordinary sensitivity to numbers, but can also deduce the direction of the market from the slightest clues. The company has become an upstart in the financial circle in less than five years, and its career is on the rise.

Of course such a person would not be willing to die, but the current medical technology has nothing to do with his disease... He was already a top rich man when he got sick, and he had a lot of money on him, and he had already solved the problems that could be solved with money. solved.

When Susan heard about him, she was very moved by the impermanence of life for a while, and even visited him.

But a few months later, this guy appeared in front of everyone in good spirits again, not to mention that his body had completely recovered, and he was even more energetic than before.

When friends asked him, he just said cryptically, "I've had some kind of special treatment."

As a "friend" with an unusual relationship with him, Susan finally found out the truth from him.

It's not that he doesn't want to explain clearly...but that this matter is basically unclear.According to his own statement, he was able to attend a secret meeting after being introduced by a high-level executive of an investment institution that has always been optimistic.

At the gathering, he was introduced to other people as the protagonist of a certain ceremony... Only then did he know that there was a magical "healing ceremony" that needed to be displayed at the meeting, and he was the sample needed for the ceremony, a living being. advertise.This is the quota, if he hadn't been introduced by a real "important person", he still wouldn't have been able to get it.

At that time, he was almost desperate, so naturally he had nothing to say, wasn't he just a window model, a lab rat?How could Lao Tzu, who is so smart and can influence the world immediately, die now, as long as he can save his life, he can do anything!Any ceremony is acceptable!

He was deeply impressed by what the rally host who was wearing a burqa and whose face could not be seen clearly said.

"The world itself is dominated by the weak and the strong. The sooner people realize this, the better they will live. The strong should have everything of the weak, and the lazy, weak, and ignorant inferiors should of course be eliminated. All resources are being used better. It is more efficient in the hands of human beings, wealth is wealth, and so is life. It is only natural for higher life to treat lower life as food.

"In ancient times, human life and flesh and blood were sacrifices to the gods... As long as we find the right method, we can also get close to the gods. It starts with eternal youth."

So much for the story Susan's friends told her.

At this time, hearing the black female police officer mention similar things, Susan of course immediately understood what she meant.

Help us get rid of Leon Kaufman, then you can also become the "chosen one". Not only can you "freeze age", but you can also "reverse growth". At the age of 60, you can also be praised as a girl on social media .

"Do you mean what you say?" Susan finally asked cautiously.

"...Do you think the price of that kind of thing will be so simple? I am different from you, I am just a server; I have served you for an unimaginable number of years, and I am just a hopeful thing. You can get a chance now, don't you think? Isn't that enough?"

The female police officer shrugged.

She is the same as a certain conductor, and Maha Ghani, they are not qualified, they are just serving the city.Just as the workers who built the Empire State Building have no place in the building, those who serve any kind of order must never think of themselves as the order itself.

The conductor whose name no one knows is right, they're all jealous.Jealous of some people who can get what they dream of without putting in any effort at all, and jealous of some people who are chosen to be the most important part even if they are not qualified to be a member.

Why the photographer?What's so special about him?

Susan stared into her eyes for a while, and finally compromised... A young photography artist is really nothing to her.Her power in the circle has reached the point where anyone who says art will be art, and whoever is said to be kitsch will be kitsch. She doesn't need anyone's talent at all.

As for other aspects, judging from what the female police officer said so firmly, the photographer should really have lied to her, and he has a girlfriend.

So no matter how desperate he is, even if he dies, what does it have to do with her?

"What do you need me to do?"

"Call his girlfriend and tell her that you think Mr. Leon Kaufman lacks the talent to be an artist and that your gallery is no longer considering his work."

The female police officer replied.

On the subway, photographer Leon had no premonition that his fate was about to take a turn for the worse, and was still listening intently to Xue Li's explanation.

A few people came out of the cab at the rear of the train when the train was just starting... The butcher would only stay in the farthest carriage on the front side of the train and would not come here; There were no passengers, only an old man who got up from an unknown station was sitting there leaning on the handle and dozing off.

Although it was safe for the time being, Cassia kept looking around.

No matter what, someone still needs to be vigilant about the surroundings; in addition, she didn't get on the moving subway last night, so she inevitably became a little curious about the surrounding scene.

Next to the orderly arranged seats, there are vertical grip bars for people to stand on the armrests, and the long cross bars running through the two sides of the roof form a structure like an iron cage frame.The handles hanging on the crossbar really look like the hooks used to hang meat in the slaughterhouse, even though the handles are hung by well-dressed living people.

I wonder what it would be like to sit in those all-white trains that I have seen at 112th Street Station before?

In fact, she didn't know that this train was essentially the same as other more modern and better-looking trains. The main frame of the new train was also a metal shell...just for the needs of aerodynamics, fire prevention, aesthetics, and routing. Decoration panels and interlayers have been added inside and out.

In other words, the train was nothing more than the superfluous camouflage removed.

Xue Li was not interested in observing the train.

After confirming that it was just an ordinary car, that it was not equipped with any mechanisms, and that there was nothing abnormal in its operation, he stopped paying attention.There was even a strange sense of familiarity, proving that he must have ridden on this kind of transportation before—even if he couldn't remember it.

He narrowed his eyes and continued to tell his inference:

"The symbol on Leon's chest is obviously a ritual of 'transformation'. Changing you from being a vegetarian to being able to eat raw meat is only the first step, and the end is to make you eat people."

In the tavern just now, the bishop really served him a plate of bloody raw meat, the so-called "zero maturity".The photographer was asked to describe his feelings frankly, and his answer was "it seems delicious".

At this time, Leon also raised a question: "If cannibalism can really make you stronger, then there are probably many people who want to eat it... After all, there are billions of people in our world, and fans of any trend of thought will be huge. You don’t have to pick on me, do you? Because my vegetarian status makes them have a sense of conquest? Like crusaders going to burn down temples of other religions?”

"It's a really bad analogy, and it's not realistic."

Max Tucao said, "I don't know what your world is like... In New York where I stayed, tens of thousands of people register with the Vegetarian Society every year and become officially certified vegetarians. The status of 'vegetarian' is not that special. .”

"...How about finding out what Leon and that butcher have in common?" Xue Li also interjected abruptly.

Leon didn't think he had anything in common with the butchers in the slaughterhouse, but Boss Xue turned to him immediately and asked him a question that surprised him: "You are a photographer, and what you photograph is the suffering in the world, and what you explore is The dark side of the city. So how did you feel while filming it?"

"……Feel?"

"That is to say," Xue Li approached and continued to ask, "what do you think of the suffering of the people of New York? Take the photo you showed us, a man who may be a homeless man is taking a nap and is about to Leaning against the office worker next to you, what did you think of at that time?"

Leon had to answer truthfully: "My first thought was 'this picture is really dramatic'."

[118. No. 118]

"You see, this is your instinct as a photographer. Because of your own inclination towards materials, you have actually seen too many such images, so that your first reaction will never be empathy for any party. You seem to have put yourself in a neutral position and asked yourself to use an 'absolutely objective perspective' to record these dramatic images."

Xue Li spread his hands, "Do you think the nature of your job is like that of a butcher working on an assembly line? It's just that he's cutting pork into pieces, and you're slicing New Yorkers' lives. Butchers don't have feelings for pork, just like You don't feel the same way about other people's lives.

"The butcher produces meat for people's eating needs, and you produce works for people's emotional needs. Coincidentally, the enthusiasm of these two kinds of consumers for the corresponding products is often only temporary, and there is only a momentary sense of satisfaction.

"Of course... maybe I think too much."

Everyone present was silent for a while, until the radio in the train started to broadcast: "Next stop, Central Park."

It was the closest stop on the line to my rented apartment in Lyon, across from the park was Susan's gallery... because Central Park is also one of the best places for outdoor exhibitions.

Chapter 18 Seeing the Devil

In fact, Maya completely obeyed her boyfriend's suggestion, pretended not to know anything, and even asked for a day off; even to the police officer who came to ask, she just said that her boyfriend hadn't come back until now.

She had great doubts and worries in her heart, but she decided to trust Leon.

However, a certain phone call at the end of the day broke her defenses.

The person on the phone politely informed her that Mr. Leon Kaufman did not need to visit Ms. Susan anymore, because the other party had decided not to pay attention to Mr. Lyon's works.I hope that Mr. Lyon can persevere on the road of art, and wish that Mr. Lyon can find other connoisseurs who are willing to appreciate his photography works.