239. Clones
"Tell me about your and Fu Hua's relationship, and maybe I'll let you out if I'm in a good mood," Kongming said, narrowing her eyes at Yun Ling.
"About Watson and me… If you're going to talk about that, then I'm not sleepy anymore!"
Yun Ling suddenly stood up, almost causing Kongming, who was sitting on him, to fall on his backside, but thankfully, he steadied himself in time.
"Uh…sorry." Yun Ling apologized, seeing Kongming's subtle anger.
"Go on," Kongming took a deep breath, not taking it to heart.
So Yun Ling began to recount how he met Fu Hua and how they solved cases together.
Of course, the majority of the story focused on how he solved the cases, with very little mention of Fu Hua.
As she listened, Kongming's expression gradually brightened. This guy was a complete workaholic!
And his relationship with Fu Hua was clearly not that of lovers, just detective and assistant.
When recounting Moriarty's story, Yun Ling described his selfless heroism in incredible detail, as if he had truly become a 'hero' in that moment.
Kongming's assessment was with only one word:
"Foolish."
"Cough, Miss Kongming, I don't understand how it's foolish to exchange my life for the survival of so many others? Besides, I'm not dead yet!" Yun Ling asked, puzzled.
"Heh, do you think those people will be grateful to you? They'll only be thankful that you, this fool, helped Fu Hua choose, and they survived, that's all."
"And you? Besides having your name in the newspaper, what else did you get? Praise? Honor? Or gratitude?"
"Don't be so self-righteous! The dead don't enjoy those things." Kongming scoffed.
"Trying every possible way to survive is the most correct choice."
Her words were sharp, filled with an unexpected anger.
He had thought Kongming would be a very calm person, but now she seemed a bit...obsessive.
"What if that person wasn't me?" Yun Ling asked.
"What does that person's life or death have to do with me?" Kongming seemed to realize her lapse in composure and discreetly covered the lower half of her face with her feather fan.
Yun Ling's eyes widened slightly. This was blatant hypocrisy.
"Humans are selfish. Never test humanity at any time. If it were you, and just you, I hope you would choose to live."
"But as a bystander, I would stand on the moral high ground and let the majority live, because… it has nothing to do with me. Why shouldn't I establish a good reputation?"
Kongming's attitude was completely different from before.
"Then what about the person who was asked to die?" Yun Ling blinked.
"Didn't I say it? It has nothing to do with me." Kongming emphasized again.
At this point, Yun Ling understood what kind of person Kongming was.
When family and friends were involved, she would choose 'selfishness'.
When family and friends were not involved, she would choose 'fairness'.
It's so real, so exactly like the masses in this world.
No, perhaps this is what humans are supposed to be like.
"It seems that 'Yun Ling' is significant to you." Yun Ling crossed his arms and nodded.
"Can you tell me about 'Yun Ling'?"
He suddenly had a whim and wanted to ask about 'Yun Ling'.
"No." Kongming refused without even thinking.
"That's not fair!" Yun Ling was furious. He had just told her about his experiences with Fu Hua!
Wasn't it enough to satisfy his curiosity in exchange?
"Here, I am the rule." Kongming exuded an imposing aura.
"Fine, I won't tell you!" Yun Ling angrily sat down to the side, sulking.
He was as willful as a child who hadn't gotten his favorite toy, but that was just his personality.
He often risked his life while solving cases, and Watson had lectured him many times about it.
Driven by a thirst for truth, he was always like this; only when his curiosity was satisfied would he reveal a contented smile.
Looking at Yun Ling's expression, Kongming almost laughed in exasperation; she was acting like a child.
"Hmm~..." A faint sound rang out; the vampire seemed to have been awakened by their voices.
Kongming lightly waved her feather fan, and an array appeared beneath the vampire's feet, trapping her.
"You..." The vampire was about to say something when she saw a face identical to her own.
The instant she saw Kongming, a feeling of sorrow and heartache crept onto her face.
"Who are you? Why do you look exactly like me?" Kongming was unmoved by her emotions, asking in an almost coercive tone.
"I (孤)?" Yun Ling frowned upon hearing this self-reference.
He had seen it when studying the Shenzhou language; "I (孤)" was generally a self-reference used by ancient kings and nobles.
Why would Kongming use such a self-designation?
"Did you also escape from there?" the vampire asked, looking at Kongming.
"Explain yourself clearly," Kongming pressed.
"Sigh, go aside first, I'll talk to her." Yun Ling suddenly grabbed Kongming's hand and pulled her aside.
Surprisingly, Kongming didn't resist at all and obediently stood aside waiting.
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Yun Ling. What's your name?" Yun Ling asked.
"I…I'm called A-017," the vampire girl said, her voice trembling.
"A-017? That's hardly a name…Never mind, how did you end up here?" Yun Ling continued to ask.
"…After I escaped from that place, someone has been chasing me…I had to hide everywhere, and that's how I ended up here…"
The vampire girl looked at Yun Ling pitifully, her appearance heartbreaking. Yun Ling touched his nose, wondering why his emotions were unusually heightened.
"Where is that place?" Yun Ling continued to press.
"I...don't know...there are many, many people like me there, all locked up in transparent glass domes."
"Clones?"
After the vampire girl's description, Yun Ling immediately considered this possibility. Although he didn't want to believe in things that only existed in science fiction, he had encountered quite a few strange things today.
Yun Ling's gaze unconsciously drifted to Kongming, who stood beside him.
"I'm not a clone. I know my origins very well," Kongming glared back defiantly.
"Then are you the blueprint for clones? Perhaps the person who cloned you wanted to obtain that special power you possess, called 'Array,' right?"
Yun Ling looked at Kongming, then glanced at the vampire girl. They looked...too similar.
"That's impossible. 'Arrays' aren't something you're born with; they're learned." Kongming refuted Yun Ling's point again.
Besides, cloning her was completely unnecessary. If someone were really going to do that, she could predict it through astrology.
"Is it really just a coincidence?" Yun Ling stroked his chin.
Seeing Kongming's confident demeanor, he had nothing more to say.
Suddenly, the vampire girl's pupils turned red, staring blankly at Yun Ling.
"Woo-wah!"
She let out a cute cry, then lunged forward, only to be firmly trapped by Kongming's array.
Yun Ling took a few steps back, maintaining a certain distance from the vampire girl. He didn't know how strong Kongming's array was; what if it accidentally broke?
This... does she want to drink blood?
...