Zongman I fight weirdness in everyday world

“That’s right…”

Yexing shook his head, saying each word distinctly.

“Absolutely impossible.”

Chapter 421: A Good Eater Doesn't Pick Food, High School Tennis Tournament

Hearing this answer, a clear emotional fluctuation finally appeared in the voice of the black figure.

“You bastard…”

“Scram.”

A pale ghost hand materialized out of thin air, grabbing the pitch-black figure, but this time it didn't choose to crush it. Instead, it held it and brought it to Yexing's mouth.

Looking at the black figure struggling in the pale ghost hand, Yexing leaned in and said with a smile.

“Still shouting?”

“Lowly human…”

“Still shouting?”

Yexing slightly opened his mouth, swallowing the black figure turned into smoke into his stomach. A mixed expression appeared on his face again, similar to when he ate Yui Yuigahama's cooking, but he nonchalantly wiped his mouth, looked at the viscous black mist reforming into a new figure, and shrugged.

“Although I haven't found your main body yet, judging by your size, you can at least reform hundreds of times, right? Then I'll just eat you hundreds of times, wouldn't that be good?”

The black figure was stunned upon hearing this.

It knew its spiritual power was difficult to eat. Otherwise, it wouldn't have dared to appear in front of Yexing. It thought that eating its spiritual power would be a torment for this guy, so it was so fearless.

But it didn't expect…

Are you really that hungry?

Having a part of itself devoured by Yexing was also an extremely painful thing for this black figure, almost like a punishment in hell.

And then…

The other party said they would eat it hundreds of times?

Is this a contest of whose will collapses first?

“Heh, you underestimate me too much.”

Although the black figure didn't have a face at all, Yexing seemed to be able to see its thoughts, and said with a confident look.

“In this world, apart from Yui Yuigahama's cooking, nothing else can make me feel afraid! As long as it's an evil spirit, I dare to eat it in front of you!”

The black figure was really scared now, and silently retreated a distance, its figure disappearing into the black mist. Before dissolving the fusion of the inner world, it couldn't help but leave a harsh word.

“Violating the laws between life and death, you will suffer…”

But before it could finish speaking, it saw Yexing conjuring black knives, forks, and tableware in his hand, looking like he was about to start a feast. It quickly canceled the fusion of the inner world and the real world, and didn't dare to continue uttering any harsh words.

At the same time, Ayaka Totsuka and the others in the carriage felt their vision suddenly blur. When they came back to their senses, they found that the train had returned to its original state. The sky outside was clear, and the scenery outside the window flashed by quickly, as if nothing had happened.

“This is…”

Looking at the scenery in front of her returning to normal, Ayaka Totsuka felt a little dazed. Just then, she suddenly felt someone pat her shoulder from behind.

When she turned around, Ayaka Totsuka couldn't help but show a look of surprise, and subconsciously wanted to hug Yexing's waist.

“Yexing-kun, that's great, you're okay!”

“Eh, eh, eh, dame dame, oyster oyster.”

Yexing placed his palm on Ayaka Totsuka's smooth forehead, preventing the other party from hugging him, and said righteously.

“Don't do such rude things.”

“Eh… but we're both guys… What's wrong with hugging…”

“It's because we're guys that I don't hug.”

… …

When the train finally arrived in Tokyo, naturally, police personnel came to investigate. However, apart from the missing passengers, they couldn't find any other traces. They could only attribute it to the same "spirited away" phenomenon as the previous strange incidents, where even the bodies were not left behind.

Yagami Light, who originally lived in Tokyo and was the host of this competition, saw Yexing and his group coming down. He first nodded slightly to Ayaka Totsuka as a greeting, then ignored the other Soubu High tennis club members and went directly to Yexing, speaking softly.

“Did you encounter another incident on the way?”

“Yes.”

“SERN?”

“SERN.”

A trace of scarlet appeared in Yagami Light's brown eyes. He still maintained a perfect, impeccable smile on his face, but patted Yexing's shoulder and lowered his voice.

“Through the clues of that manager from Shuchiin and the first-year freshman, L and I have finally caught SERN's flaw during this time. The people who had contact with those two were not SERN from the future timeline, but people who were originally in this timeline.”

“After investigation, we found that that person should be a member of SERN on this timeline.”

Yexing nodded and said lightly.

“Where is the person?”

The scarlet color in Yagami Light's eyes became even stronger, and the corners of his lips raised into a smile that made people feel chills.

“Already under control, just waiting for you.”

“Okay.”

Yexing also replied with a smile, then looked at Ayaka Totsuka.

“Ayaka, Yagami-kun and I are going to have a meal first. Let's meet directly at the competition venue tomorrow.”

“Eh? Yexing-kun isn't staying with us?”

“Not together.”

At the end, Yexing added a sentence, causing the tennis club members to grit their teeth, both angry and helpless.

“What is my status? How could I squeeze into a hotel with you guys? You guys can stay by yourselves.”

… …

After following Yagami Light to an abandoned unfinished building, Yexing saw a middle-aged man with an ordinary face, dressed in a suit and tie like a regular office worker, chained there. To prevent things like biting his tongue and committing suicide from happening, his mouth was also tied with hemp rope.

L, wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt, always in that outfit, stood beside him.

Seeing Yexing and Yagami Light walking in, L didn't say much polite words, just pointed to the SERN member disguised as an ordinary person, and said in a calm tone.

“Aren't you able to seize other people's souls? Seize his, that way you can get information.”

“Okay.”

Yexing nodded slightly, his right hand turning into the appearance of a pale ghost hand, slowly reaching towards the top of the middle-aged man's head. Watching the horror and despair in the other party's eyes, he suddenly stopped just a second before the ghost hand was about to touch the other party's head.

“What’s wrong?”

L seemed unsurprised, and said lightly.

“Did you notice it too?”

“Yeah.”

Yexing retracted his hand, thoughtfully.

“With SERN's level of caution, and knowing that I have the ability to seize other people's memories, even so, they didn't choose to directly kill this person to silence him, nor did they brainwash him, but instead sent this flaw to us. This is completely unlike the mistakes they would make.”

“That's what I think too.”

L first agreed with a word of approval, then immediately changed the subject.

“But knowing it's a trap, it's no longer a trap, but information we can analyze in reverse, so…”

“So, we still have to take it.”

This time, Ye Xing didn't hesitate, directly using his pale ghost hand to seize the soul of the middle-aged man, as well as the memories in his mind.

After carefully chewing it over for a few seconds, he looked at L and Yagami Light and slowly said.

“A certain research institute overseas, that's a hidden SERN base camp, he's a researcher there, but only of the most basic kind.”

“That kind of information, huh…”

L rubbed the black bangs in front of his forehead, seemingly lost in thought.

“Since SERN possesses brain science technology, then modifying memories is definitely something they can do. Knowing it's a trap, without considering reverse logic, deliberately making us think it's a trap when it's actually not, if we analyze it according to normal logic, why does SERN want us to attack that research institute? Because they have a competitive relationship… or… are they setting up an ambush there…?”

Watching L seriously deduce, Ye Xing also told him the new information he had obtained while riding the train.

“The enemy knows my domain ability, and seems to have analyzed my personality, able to predict what actions I will take when facing certain situations, in order to arrange plans in advance, but they don't know that I possess the ability to foresee disasters.”

“Analyze your personality? Predict your next move?”

Noticing the tone of Ye Xing's voice when he said this, L frowned slightly and tentatively asked.

“Could it be that you already have a clue?”

“More or less.”

Ye Xing leaned against the wall and shrugged.

“According to Amane Suzuha's theory, the world line should have already changed, but that group of enemies from SERN hasn't disappeared because of it, which means that everything we've done so far, making Makise Kurisu an assistant, killing Makise Shouichi, this series of actions, although they are all major events enough to change the world line, aren't the 'cause' corresponding to SERN's 'effect'. Even without Makise Kurisu, the time machine would still be created in the future, SERN would still be the same SERN, without any change.”

Hearing this, Yagami Light's brown eyes had completely turned scarlet.

“Deliberately making us think that Makise Kurisu is the key person… then if we had chosen to kill Makise Kurisu at that time, but found that there was no change… you and I probably wouldn't feel anything, but the people around you would probably be unable to face the cruelty of killing an innocent person, yet nothing changed. SERN's plan is truly vicious… but from this perspective, what Ruka Urushibara said at the time, that Makise Kurisu was the key person, wasn't wrong either, it's just that the real key isn't her as a person, but the choices you make when facing her.”

L didn't focus his attention on Yagami Light's words, but muttered to himself thoughtfully.

“Analyze personality, predict actions, brain science…”

Speaking of this, L seemed to have thought of something, raised his head to look at Ye Xing, and frowned tightly.

“I remember, Makise Kurisu's main field of study isn't physics, but brain science. The information you just said reminded me of a concept that currently only exists in theory in science, which is…”

“Artificial intelligence, also known as AI.”

“But… how can an AI that can analyze your behavior and personality do it… unless it's someone who knows you very well, not just the 'mask', but truly understands you, has experience interacting with you, or even is very familiar with you, can see it, after all, analyzing from the 'mask's' behavioral logic, no one would think that he would have that obsession to save everyone, only someone who knows your tsundere, twisted personality can do this…”

Hearing this, Ye Xing looked speechless.

“Tsundere? Twisted? Isn't my personality very normal?”

L rolled his eyes and said lightly.

“It's not just me who says that about you, haven't many people said that?”

“That's because your personalities are all abnormal, only my personality is normal.”

“Alright, alright, you're right.”

L first casually responded, then seriously analyzed.

“If we say that, assuming the enemy has artificial intelligence technology in their hands, then it must be created based on one of us as a prototype. The problem is, in the future timeline, none of us sacrificed ourselves… If we reason according to normal logic, my brain is the best, and I'm considered familiar with you, so I'm the most likely person to be the prototype for artificial intelligence… Should we try it out… if I commit suicide…”

“Alright, alright, stop analyzing, I've already roughly guessed who it is.”

Ye Xing knew L's personality, he was the kind of person who, in order to solve a puzzle, would even disregard his own life, existing only for a nearly crazy thirst for knowledge, completely not caring about anything else, so it was indeed reasonable for him to say that he would commit suicide in order to change the world line and make SERN lose the trump card of artificial intelligence.

“The real mastermind is this person.”

Looking at the photo of the middle-aged Caucasian man with golden hair displayed on Ye Xing's phone screen, L and Yagami Light were both somewhat surprised.

“Alexis Leskinen? Isn't this person the director of Makise Kurisu's research institute… the mastermind is him?”

“Most likely.”

Ye Xing first nodded, then added with a smile.

“But not the current him, but the future him.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because I have the spoiler cheat, although I have never met him, I know that beneath this person's gentle and refined appearance lies a cold and ruthless, unscrupulous heart of madness for his own scientific research.”

L and Yagami Light didn't know what the spoiler cheat was, they only knew that since Ye Xing said so, then it must be true.

Looking at Alexis Leskinen's photo, Yagami Light's eyes had completely turned scarlet, his voice filled with undisguised killing intent.

“Which means… as long as we kill him, after the world line changes, SERN will collapse without being attacked?”