Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

"It's the Fierce Ghost Clan... So the Director of the Executive Bureau has been secretly colluding with the Fierce Ghost Clan since that time?" Yuan Zhisheng murmured. "The leader of the demon slayers actually has such a deep connection with 'demons'. How ironic! The family has been infiltrated so thoroughly!"

"He doesn't want to betray his family...but who told him to have a sister who is a 'ghost'?" Miyamoto Noyuki laughed at himself.

"But the 'Ghost Potion' you created killed your own brother and indirectly killed many others. Even now, your modified potion is still circulating among the ghosts and on the black market. You also killed a law enforcement officer," Yuan Zhisheng said. "Many people have died for you. No one has the right to deprive others of their right to live for their own sake, whether directly or indirectly."

"But I don't regret it," Miyamoto Noyuki said. "My mother died of complications when I was born. I was judged to be a 'ghost' who shouldn't exist in this world. I'm of no use to the Sheqi Eight Clan and will only bring trouble to society. Even Satan hates me. Only by dying can everyone be free..."

"But why?"

"Since my birth, human society has pushed me to the edge of a cliff. If it weren't for my mother's persistence, I would have been pushed off the cliff into the abyss as an embryo. My life only lasted five years: the time before I turned five. I'm thirty-eight now, but my deepest memory is still the snow in Kagoshima. During the coldest winter, the white snow would dye the roofs and bamboo forests white. It was beautiful, like the snow country in Hayao Miyazaki's comics. I still remember the days of growing up, eating food from hundreds of families. It was hard, but there was no worry. I only lived through those five years."

"But those five years were so short. What could a five-year-old understand? I never went to school, never fell in love, never got married or had children, and never had a home... It was as if I had only taken a fleeting glimpse of the world at the most ignorant age, and then all my rights as a human being were taken away from me."

"Because I'm not a human, because I'm a 'ghost'."

"My brother didn't cooperate with the ghosts voluntarily, but I did. Human society cannot accept me, so as you wish, I will work with the ghosts... Since I can't integrate into the light, I might as well become a part of the darkness. That way, at least it can prove that I really existed." Miyamoto Noyuki said.

Even if they were to incarnate darkness, they still needed to prove their existence. Yuan Zhisheng wasn't surprised; this was a common refrain among the Fallen. Unable to find meaning in human society, they resorted to causing destruction, as if that would attract attention, tell the world: Look, I am valuable! Even if my existence was so illogical, no one could deny it...

"One last question," Gen Chisheng said, "Why did you let Ogata go? You should have guessed that she was also one of the law enforcers. She was very close to you just now. You could have killed her or taken her alive as a hostage. But you didn't. It even seemed like you deliberately sent her away."

Honestly, Miyamoto Noyuki's attitude completely surprised Gen Chisheng. It would have been easy for her to take Ogata Madoka hostage, but she never seemed to have considered it, even offering to let Ogata Madoka leave. She'd clearly been injected with the demon potion before.

According to the Ganliu Research Institute, Miyamoto Noyuki's bloodline was inherently unstable. Add to that the demonic potion coursing through her veins, and she should have long since shed her human soul and transformed into a violent ghost. Just as she tore through the heart of the law enforcer visiting the monastery and the electrified iron fence a week ago, she should have been bloodthirsty. Yet, she seemed so sane now. She had spent fifteen years trying to break free, and now, sitting obediently in this enclosed iron carriage, like a child waiting to be picked up, she wasn't running away?

What made this woman stick to her position as a "human being"? Yuan Zhisheng couldn't figure it out, but time was running out. The next train would pass by in thirteen minutes, so he didn't have time to think about it.

The carriage, having lost power, slid along the track by inertia, slowly slowing down and finally stopping in a deep canyon.

This was the execution site chosen by the Execution Bureau. On either side of the track were forests and ridges of boulder-heavy mountains. This was Mount Kenshin, western Japan's second-highest mountain, at 1955 meters. The pristine forest spread out like a verdant hidden treasure, dotted with pinks and crimsons. Over six thousand cherry trees bloomed along the winding mountain road, and the canyon beneath them split like a knife. This would be the perfect execution site, and a fitting grave for a woman.

"From your perspective as law enforcers, humans must be kind and 'ghosts' must be evil, right?" Miyamoto Noyuki seemed to want to take a look at the outside world through the gap, but the steel plate sealed the window tightly and she could not see anything.

So she gave up, and also gave up her stubborn argument.

She turned her head and looked at Yuan Zhisheng. "Even though I know now that the girl was pretending and acting for me, her words... reminded me of my mother who died in childbirth after escaping her family alone so that I could be born. It really made me feel for a moment that the world is warm. That's enough... It's stupid, right?"

In the limited time, Yuan Zhisheng spent a whole minute in silence.

"I've asked all my questions. Thank you for your cooperation," Yuan Zhisheng took a deep breath. "But I can't express sympathy, because a law enforcer can't have sympathy for a 'ghost,' and you don't need sympathy."

"Yeah... no need." Miyamoto Noyuki smiled slightly.

Miyamoto Noyuki rarely smiles, but she actually has a fair and beautiful face. Whenever she smiles, it's like falling snow pressing on wild cherry blossoms in the suburbs, which makes people tremble.

"If I ask you to face death calmly, wouldn't that be unrealistic?" Yuan Zhisheng slowly pulled out the hilt of the sword. The inscription on the sword read "The evil lurks at night in Spider Mountain". This ancient sword has tasted the blood of "demons", and the arc of the blade is so elegant and gorgeous.

Miyamoto Noyuki also gently opened the white porcelain bone jar in his hand. Yuan Zhisheng stared at it with wide eyes, his pupils filled with surprise, and he even lost consciousness for a moment because of shock.

The jar the woman had been holding contained neither her brother's ashes nor his clothing or any other items related to him. It contained a tube of potion, the purple liquid oozing with a sinister allure. By the time Yuan Zhisheng realized what was happening, the woman had already plunged the syringe into his vein!

Miyamoto Noyuki's beautiful face instantly became hideous, like a true demon. Scales and bone spurs burst from beneath the woman's skin, and blood drenched her iron-blue bones like blooming poppies.

At the same time, Yuan Zhisheng jumped up quickly, and the blade cut through the air and swung into a circle!

The blade light tore through the air, presenting a strange green color. It seemed that what Yuan Zhisheng was wielding was not a blade, but a cold air!

At the same time, a golden sun enveloped him. He stood in the center of the glorious sun, like a King Kong descending to the earth. The ancient knife cut out an arc, drawing the edge of the sun!

A series of sparks flew from the blade as Miyamoto Noyuki's deformed claws clashed with the ancient sword's edge. The blade slashed across the face, no longer beautiful, blood seeping from the scales, but the sharp claws only tore the air around Yuan Zhisheng's ear.

Gen Chisheng opened his windbreaker, unsheathed his dagger from his waist, and the incredible golden sunlight enveloped him. The dagger pierced Miyamoto Noyuki's heart... But the huge body still did not stop. She let the dagger penetrate into her heart, still stretching her deformed hand forward... as if trying to grab something.

With a loud bang, Yuan Zhisheng turned around suddenly and his body suddenly froze.

The steel plate sealing the window was violently torn open by the dragon-like claws. The towering woman knelt on the ground, trying to squeeze her huge, ugly head out of the window. A sharp short blade was stuck in her heart, and scarlet blood was dripping slowly along the edge of the blade.

Yuan Zhisheng instantly understood that the claw that brushed past her face wasn't meant to kill her; she simply wanted to open the window. Not to escape, but knowing her life was coming to an end, she wanted to see the world again.

At this moment, falling cherry blossoms drifted past the window like a flurry of snow. In the sunlight, the petals were as pale as faded lips. The woman's ugly face was filled with deep calmness. She whispered hoarsely through her deformed throat, "I let... Xiaoyuan... go because I felt... that she had given me... just a moment longer than my five years... to live..."

"In this world... there is only so much sunshine... Some people live in the light... Some people are destined to never see the light... So is it because... darkness shrouds those who cannot see the light... that they are ghosts... or is it because they are suffering from darkness... that they become ghosts..."

"Executive Officer Genji... what do you think... Amaterasu... can illuminate everyone... and demons..."

"It's so good... at the very end... I can live for just one more moment..."

The woman said this with all her might, and died facing the sunlight and cherry blossoms.

Gennosuke's long black trench coat was open, the lining patterned after a magnificent ukiyo-e painting. A giant's skeleton lay on the ground, a spring flowing through the skeleton's left eye, and from within emerged a naked goddess, draped in her long golden hair as a veil, holding the sun in her hand.

At this moment, the setting sun was shining obliquely outside, and the setting sun shone through the broken car window onto the lining of Yuan Zhisheng's windbreaker, reflecting the brilliance of the morning sun, and reflected on the pale face lying against the window.

Yuan Zhisheng stood there for a long time until the urging sound of a crow was heard outside the door.

He took off his black windbreaker and put it on the woman whose heart had stopped beating. Silently, he picked up the broken white porcelain ossuary she had left on the ground. His eyes flashed, and he tore off the three words "Kenjiro" on the label... The sunlight penetrated the carriage, illuminating the name "Miyamoto Noyuki".

It turns out that from the very beginning, the woman went to Kagoshima to bury herself. It was a pity that she died in the depths of the beautiful Jianshan Mountain. Fortunately, there were 6,000 cherry blossoms here to keep her company.

Miyamoto Noyuki died in the most beautiful grave in the world as the cherry blossoms faded away...but she failed to leave behind a tombstone to commemorate her short life.

Chapter 178 Threesome

The crow lay on the roof of the carriage, watching flocks of white clouds floating past his sight. The clouds between the mountains were so low that they seemed within reach.

In a family that prized knife fighting, he was an exceptional marksman, but the extended heavy pistol at hand seemed useless. So he lit a cigarette and smoked leisurely, occasionally reaching out to rub the sky, looking at the soft clouds, as if grasping a soft chest.

Yasha was watering a cherry tree. Watching his water seep into the soil beneath the tree, he said proudly, "Do one good deed a day! Do one good deed a day! Next year, this tree will be bigger than the ones around it!"

There was a teeth-grinding sound in the carriage beside them, that was the steel being torn apart, and a large hole was opened in the layers of steel behind them, and a hideous head was trying hard to drill out. But they turned a blind eye, as if this was something that happened all the time.

"You think you're bigger than everyone else, and that the tree you watered will also be bigger?" the crow sneered. "Even if it grows bigger than the other trees, it's still dumber than them! Do you think the tree really wants you to water it? If it had legs, it would definitely run away the moment it saw you were about to water it."

"Jealousy! I smell the thick jealousy in your words." Yaksha shuddered a few times. "People always like to slander those who are better than themselves, as if that can make them stand out. If slandering me and this elite tree, destined to be thicker than the others, can even slightly satisfy your pitiful self-esteem, then you can do it."

"All I can smell is a strong, pungent scent." Crow blew out a puff of smoke. "It's not that you smell pungent, it's your words that are pungent. I'm saying, Yasha, have you been secretly reading prose poetry lately? You're talking more and more like a philosopher."

"It's bullshit. Even dogs won't read that."

Their conversation was devoid of substance, like the idle chatter of thugs standing on the street waiting for their boss to do something. They were indeed thugs, but they were of status, as the boss they followed was the young master of a major underworld family. They were always so relaxed and at ease when Yuan Zhisheng was killing his enemies. Although they were supposedly responsible for finishing off the enemy, there was rarely any tail to be dealt with. They simply wiped their bloodied knives and burned the scars of the battle, along with the bodies, and left it there. They had been with Yuan Zhisheng for some time and were well aware of the power of the head of the Executive Bureau.

The young master of the Sheqi Eight Clan, Amaterasu's destiny, is undoubtedly the emperor of the mixed-bloods. These lackeys are solely responsible for bolstering the young master's prestige, much like the ancient daimyo who would always bring a few guards and maids with them when traveling...

Speaking of the maid, she just happened to walk out from the shadows wearing a black combat uniform and a high ponytail.

Ogata Madoka threw her school uniform and black stockings, landing squarely on the head of a crow on the roof of the train. Her demeanor had completely changed, and so had her appearance. The pure, innocent high school beauty from just ten minutes ago was now no longer childish. Her skin was as white as snow, almost bloodless, and her features were beautiful, somewhere between girlish and womanly. Her aura was like a short sword in its sheath, its edge slightly visible; her sharp aura was restrained, not scorching.

"Yakura, you are so unfair. Why do you only reward Crow?" Yasha looked at Sakura's graceful curves hidden under the ultra-fine fiber and metal wire mixed textile armor, and then looked at Crow who refused to take off his school uniform and socks from his head, his face full of indignation.

"You know shit! This is a hint Sakura gave me. No, no, no, this is already clear! If I don't get it, I'm no longer worthy of being a human being!" Crow put the clothes Sakura took off to the tip of his nose and sniffed them fiercely, saying with enjoyment, "Ah! The body fragrance of a female ninja, with a hint of cherry pink and malt... It's the smell of childhood!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, Crow, your fetish is much more severe than I thought!" Yasha smacked his lips.

The law enforcer Sakura Yabuki ignored the two perverts. She snatched the school uniform and socks from Crow's hands, rolled them together with Sailor Moon's hairpin, and put them into a plastic sealed bag together with a pink backpack. The number "14-Miyamoto Noyuki" was taped to the edge of the bag.

The carriage doors opened, and as they expected, Minamoto Chisei walked out, seemingly safe and sound. However, this time, his usual tightly wrapped black windbreaker was not on, revealing the lining that symbolized his Amaterasu identity.

Not only was his windbreaker not on him, but this time it took much longer than usual. The fatigue in Yuan Zhisheng's eyes was ten times more intense than in any previous mission. He said nothing, so silent that he almost looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"Are you okay, young master?" Ying asked.

Yuan Zhisheng shook his head and handed the blood-stained ancient knife to Crow.

Crow carefully took over the handle of the knife. He was very experienced. After collecting the blood sample, he used flames to burn the blade. His lighter was a modified high-temperature spray gun with two modes: regular use and task use. When necessary, it could be transformed into a half-meter-long fire sword.

"Yaksha, be careful when you finish. Burn the carriage and that...woman separately. Remember to gather the ashes together." Yuan Zhisheng ordered.

"Okay!" Yaksha was a big shot. He didn't care at all why he had to gather the ashes of the woman who had turned into a dragon. Yuan Zhisheng was his boss, so he had to do whatever his boss told him to do.

"Glue this bone china jar and put her in it." Gen Chisheng handed Sakura a pile of white fragments. The largest piece of porcelain had a label with the name "Miyamoto Noyuki" on it.

"So this is the urn she prepared for herself. She went to Kagoshima to bury herself." Ying took the white porcelain fragments and said softly, "She broke free from the cage just to choose a grave site? This is probably the greatest freedom she has ever had."

"Yes, but it's a pity that it didn't come true at the last moment of her life." Yuan Zhisheng put a thin cigarette in his mouth, and the smoke curled up. He looked up at the sky in a daze along the trajectory of the cigarette, and cherry blossom petals floated over his head.

"She's very grateful to you, right? At the end of her life, because of your words, she lived a moment longer. Before she died, she saw the sunshine and cherry blossoms as she wished, living another moment longer. That's what she told me." Yuan Zhisheng flicked the ash away. "Your description made her feel very warm."

"Will she feel satisfied just like this? It's a wish as thin as cherry blossoms," Ying said softly. "She seems different from the other 'ghosts' we've met. Power, wealth, desire... She doesn't pursue these. She only yearns for freedom, but her freedom seems to be more humble than that of ordinary people."

Yuan Zhisheng suddenly remembered the last words of that woman's life. She stubbornly raised her broken face and asked him.

"There's only so much sunshine in this world. Some people live in the light, while others are destined to never see it. So, is it because darkness shrouds those who can't see the light that they become ghosts? Or is it because they suffer from darkness that they become ghosts?"

"Can Amaterasu illuminate all people and ghosts?"

This series of questions was profound, like the dedication on the title page of a philosophical book that contemplates life, tinged with a frost-like sadness. These were perhaps questions condensed from the bitter cold of this woman's life. Yuan Zhisheng felt that these plaintive questions were familiar, as if someone was asking him questions through the woman's life...

That person is also like this, as fleeting as a thin cherry blossom, as pure and beautiful as wild snow...

Yuan Zhisheng shook his head vigorously, as if trying to shake these strange thoughts out of his mind. "We are law enforcement officers. Our mission is to kill 'ghosts'. We don't need to understand their thoughts... Only 'ghosts' who have suffered through darkness can understand. We who stand in the sunshine will never understand."

"Young Master, since we're already here, why not go to Kagoshima and bury this poor woman? Bury her under the cherry blossom tree where Yasha sprinkled water. She'll die with regret," Crow suggested. "And take a short vacation while you're there? Kagoshima is famous for its shochu and hot springs. It's said there are torii gates from the Kamakura period. There's a rumor that beautiful female ghosts with stunning figures emerge from the torii gates deep in the mountains. But they don't harm anyone. Instead, they choose handsome men to spend a night with, and from then on, they'll rise to great heights!"

"You don't even let go of the old ghost from the Kamakura period? Crow, your hobby is really unprecedented." Yasha poured twenty gallons of kerosene into the carriage. There was also a small fire next to it, burning slowly next to the cherry tree.

The wind whipped up overhead, growing stronger and stronger. A massive helicopter flew in from the back of the mountain and hovered overhead. Steel cables descended from the sky, and Yasha and Crow leaped onto the roof, securing the hooks to the carriages. As they leaped, Crow flicked his cigarette butt precisely through the shattered window, sending a raging fire soaring into the sky.

The rapidly spinning propellers whipped the trees around, sending flakes of cherry blossoms tumbling like heavy snow. Birds, startled, scattered in all directions from the emerald green forest. The four law enforcement officers watched as the helicopter flew away, disappearing into the mountains. Once the flames died down, the officer in charge would abandon the burned-out iron frame into a deserted valley.

Yuan Zhisheng's cell phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a text message marked in red.

"As much as I'd love to take a vacation, it seems I can't." He crushed out his unfinished cigarette. "Mr. Masamune has reported that a trio from Kassel Academy headquarters will be heading to Tokyo soon, and we've been assigned to receive them."

……

A black behemoth named the Gulfstream G550 streaked across the sky, like a deep-seated eagle lurking on the other side of the sky. Above was the brilliant Milky Way, below were endless clouds, and below that, the inky black sea.

Authoritative magazines indicate that over a quarter of the Fortune 500 companies choose to operate Gulfstream business jets. The Gulfstream G550 is a world-class long-range business jet, boasting an ultra-long range and a large cabin. While ensuring comfort, it also offers the Gulfstream series' advantages of low noise, short takeoff and landing distances, and high speed, making it a true fighter among Gulfstream long-range business jets.

But none of the three people in the cabin could feel any comfort or noise reduction technology on the Gulfstream they were riding.

The sound of the wings tearing through the air was like long fingernails scratching on a blackboard, a heart-wrenching sensation. Every time the engine erupted with a crackling roar, the fuselage vibrated like a sieve. They felt as if they were sitting on an old tractor from the last century, the engine still belching black smoke from the front hood, plowing them through the rugged fields with a "thump thump thump" sound!

"Is this thing really not going to suddenly disintegrate in mid-air?" After a violent shake, Lu Mingfei suppressed the churning in his stomach and asked vigilantly.

"That's the style of those lunatics in the Equipment Department. To them, extreme speed and explosive power are the true embodiment of the finest craftsmanship; comfort and user experience are nothing compared to that," Caesar said. "They even claim this thing is comparable to the eight-legged steed of Odin in Norse mythology, swift and powerful as a flaming fireball. So, they've given it the rather arrogant nickname 'Sleipnir'."

Caesar sat across from Lu Mingfei, legs crossed, a glass of red wine fresh from the freezer in hand, looking like a high-ranking official about to attend some important meeting. He was probably the most relaxed person here. For him, who was used to flying, the loud noise and shaking of the Gulfstream was no different from the rocking chair at the entrance of a shopping mall.

Caesar had never sat in a rocking chair before, but he had seen one recently while choosing a wedding dress. Many shopping malls had little cartoon cars displayed at their entrances, some featuring Patrick Star, others the Green Turtle. These novelties rocked up and down, emitting red, orange, yellow, and green light, and constantly playing nursery rhymes like "Dad's dad is Grandpa, Dad's mom is Grandma." Children flocked to them, which struck him as both absurd and amusing.

"At least it's really fast. At the speed of this Gulfstream, it will only take us about six hours to fly from Chicago to Tokyo." Chu Zihang looked down at his watch. "There are still three hours and thirteen minutes left. We are crossing the center of the Pacific Ocean."

This Gulfstream was the principal's prized possession, rarely deployed. Angers would only have the equipment department polish and maintain the aircraft and refuel it beforehand, except when traveling to auctions or meeting with the leaders of European mixed-race families. However, this wasn't done to show off his power, but rather to avoid inspection. Using a private jet made it more convenient to carry forbidden dragon-related items and meet with certain individuals.

In addition, this Gulfstream has been kept in the hangar, otherwise the maintenance and repair costs for each flight would be sky-high.

But this time, Ange was unexpectedly generous and even called Caesar back from his internship in the Executive Department. His partners were all the most elite and influential figures in the academy. This trio was Cassel's trump card, and this was the most direct proof.

The level of this mission is definitely high enough, very confidential and serious. In the land ahead of them, there are enemies that are no less powerful than the Dragon King.

The land shrouded by a huge black curtain...will be turned upside down because of the arrival of these three people!

Chapter 179 Tachibana Masamune

The mountain breeze sleeps with the pine forest, and the drizzle wets the bright moon.

Yuan Zhisheng walked through the forest and spotted from afar a single candlelight, like a spark, in the pitch-black forest. Raindrops pattered on pine needles, creating a melodious sound. His expensive leather shoes slid through the mud as he quickly stepped forward and pushed open the door of the single lighted hut.

The candlelight flickered, and an old man in white linen sat beside the fire. Plain white rice paper was spread out in front of him, and he was meditating with a brush in hand.

"You informed me that our headquarters was coming, but you yourself were hiding away in the cabin in the woods, enjoying yourself." Yuan Zhisheng skillfully found a towel and wiped himself, then sat down on the floor beside the old man by the stove. "Why are you painting instead? No swordplay today?"

"It has nothing to do with the season, and it has nothing to do with the method." The old man stared silently at the rice paper spread out before him, smooth as jade. He said in a deep voice, "Forging a sword is a form of spiritual practice, and so is painting. There's an old Chinese saying that no matter what situation you encounter, if your mind is pure, free from attachment, selflessness, and distractions, you will be at peace and your mind will be free from worries."

The old man remained silent for a full half-hour before finally beginning to paint. The soft brush hairs sometimes pressed hard, sometimes skimmed lightly across the supple white paper, drifting like floating clouds. The jet-black tip seemed like a floating thread connecting fantasy and reality, drawing the scene from the artist's mind onto the plain white paper, making it clearly visible.

"You're talking about ancient Buddhist teachings, right?" Yuan Zhisheng stared at the old man's elegant painting skills and said, "Dad, when did you start believing in Buddhism?"

"When people get old, they start to believe in everything, including what they can and cannot believe, what they should and shouldn't believe." The old man sighed slightly.

"Dad, you're just living a boring life. You should go out more often."

"When I was young, I traveled far and wide, thinking the world was vast enough for a lifetime of exploration, and naturally, I had no worries. But now that I'm no longer young, I realize that the world is actually just a corner of the forest. Your world is as big as the living area you're accustomed to. For example, I'm exhausted just walking from my family's ancestral hall to here, so my world is only this big." The old man said softly, "A dying person should only occupy this palm-sized space. Any more is a waste. The bigger world should be left to young people like you."

"Dad, what were you like in your youth? I don't think I've ever heard you mention it," Yuan Zhisheng asked. "You must have been an executioner back then. Before you killed a 'ghost,' you must have learned about that person's past, right? Knowing how tragic their life was and why they fell, did you hesitate before striking? Did you ever feel lost looking at the glaring crimson blood?"

"Not an executioner, but a law enforcer."

"Of course I was confused at that time, but I had to wield the sword and kill the 'ghost'. I told myself in my heart that this was the right path. If I hesitated, more innocent people would die. If I lost my way, more people would fall into depravity." The old man said calmly, "Gradually, I came to see killing as a form of spiritual practice, just like swordsmithing and painting. The only difference is that swordsmithing and painting wear away patience, while killing wears away compassion."

"What will become of a man if his compassion is exhausted?"

"I don't know, but this is the fate of law enforcers," the old man said. "The fallen have their own fate, and law enforcers have their own fate. Fate has already paved countless roads before us. Each of us must find our own path and follow it to its end. Once a half-blood embarks on the path of a dragon, there's no turning back. Abandoning that original path is fallen, and the fallen are no longer worthy of being human."