Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 233 - 219 Will you kill me?

Chapter 233: 219 Will you kill me?

The governmental powers that be surely wouldn’t want to see the rapid approach of an era’s change, and would undoubtedly do everything they could to cover up the related news. How effective can this effort be?

Undoubtedly, countless people unaware of the abnormal world’s existence will want to investigate the truth of the incident. Although the nuclear explosion itself can be explained scientifically, numerous incomprehensible traces were left on the site of the explosion. For example, the old Human Bureau outpost was destroyed by some other forces despite being just a bit over one kilometer away from the explosion and unaffected by thermal radiation and shock waves; another example is the forest fire that raged and then inexplicably vanished in the forest (I have now removed the Fire Sea from the forest).

It certainly can’t be said that the state used a nuclear bomb to extinguish the forest fire, can it? Though the Soviets did indeed use a nuclear bomb to extinguish a fire, the incident did not happen in a forest.

A nuclear explosion within a country’s borders isn’t a small issue that can be easily covered up with a few words, as panic will spread within societal interiors, and might have even spread among the upper echelons already.

It is said that the logic of nuclear deterrence between major nations is that if anyone dares to launch a nuclear missile at them, they would obliterate everyone together. When the nuclear explosion summoned by Yinyue occurred, those who had control over the nuclear button might have already placed their fingers on it. Since there has been no information of this sort yet, it means the situation hasn’t escalated to its worst.

It’s possible that the conflict between me and Yinyue nearly led to the curtain rising on World War III—though even I’m somewhat unsure how to assess this situation.

The two or three diners discussing this at a nearby table are unaware that one of the main figures in the nuclear explosion incident is sitting right beside them.

They also didn’t notice the human head at my feet—the head of the Divine Spear, which I had placed in a plastic bag I picked up on the roadside.

After finishing the late-night meal, I took Mazao to a nearby hotel to stay the night.

Fortunately, unlike restaurants and other places, the majority of lodging places were still open.

However, I faced a slight issue along the way. To others, Mazao is just a child, and as a young adult man almost in his twenties, taking a girl who clearly looks to be of middle school age to check into a hotel would seem suspicious in any case. Without an ID card for Mazao or myself looking like a guardian, when the front desk inquired and I couldn’t explain clearly, under the service smile seemed to lurk a scrutiny for potential criminals.

To avoid trouble, I had to quickly change to another, further hotel, check in alone, then let Mazao use the Power of Return to teleport into the room, and I locked the door from the inside.

Additionally, since it was my first time booking a double room alone, I didn’t know whether it was a unique rule of that hotel or a common rule that booking a double room required showing the IDs of two individuals. So in the end, I could only book a single room.

Being a single room, it naturally had only one bed. I had to share it with Mazao. This wasn’t the first time we’d done so, yet the feeling was still quite strange.

Or perhaps, to put it in a way that’s not embarrassing, I feel a bit guilty yet somewhat excited. It’s because I do harbor some intentions toward Mazao, and now, secretly bringing her to a hotel lends a somewhat immoral atmosphere. Even though I now possess powers far beyond the mundane laws, I still feel immoral when committing acts that go against the law—a sign of my immaturity.

But, perhaps saying this might make me sound bizarre—even to maintain the sense of immorality for the future, I think it’s necessary to retain some moral thinking in my heart. Only those with morals have the privilege to be immoral.

Having confirmed the place to stay overnight, I used Flame Transmission to return home in Saltwater City and brought some medication for healing soul trauma to Mazao, helping her to continue her treatment. Currently, she still needs to continue nurturing her soul, and the tool that Lu Youxun gave her to bear the soul burden has been discarded by us.

Taking this opportunity, let me talk about the situation with the Zhu family. The reason I haven’t taken Mazao to reopen the Black Mist Teleportation Door at the old Human Bureau’s base and helped Zhu Shi bring Changan back to Saltwater City is naturally due to specific reasons. Currently, the Zhu family must inevitably cut ties with me.

This was agreed upon from the beginning. In case I killed Luo Mountain’s Great Success Rank or stood against Impermanence, the Zhu family could no longer continue to interact with me. On the way to the city with Mazao, I contacted Mr. Zhu through the "Firefly" in Saltwater City and informed him of my situation, also notifying Zhu Shi through the Human Bureau’s old base "Firefly". Both immediately coordinated.

In fact, I still have some concerns. Even if Mr. Zhu publicly states that the Zhu family doesn’t have deep interactions with me, would outsiders really believe it? However, it seems neither Mr. Zhu nor Zhu Shi saw any issues here and provided me with detailed explanations.

Objectively speaking, the Zhu family and I seem to actually have a superficial relationship. Although Changan is my friend, let’s not mention that he is unfavorably regarded within the Zhu family; we only started having interactions in university, and I have just begun my sophomore year. I usually keep to myself, and when it comes to outsiders’ impressions of Changan’s friendships, what comes to mind first is his "joyful daily life" with those fair-weather friends.

As for my interaction with Zhu Shi, it is even less substantial in outsiders’ view. Zhu Shi and I used to chat sporadically online, and I formally encountered her as a demon hunter in mid-September, while it has just turned October.

I recalled some past attitudes of Lu Yu, although I never hid my stance of standing by Zhu Shi’s side in front of him and others, he never seemed to take it seriously, continuing to draw me into joining Transcendentalism Mountain. Clearly, in his eyes, my support for Zhu Shi wasn’t firm, and those statements of standing were just going along with the crowd.

Thinking this way, although I always think in my heart how I am willing to do anything for my friends and fearlessly fight for them, how do they actually see me?

Take Zhu Shi, for example, when she faces me, does she also think I am too emotional, someone who whimsically speaks about going through fire and water for others?

At this thought, a rare unease arose in my heart.

At the same time, Dr. Silver Mask’s assessment of me also surfaced from my memory.

"You still care about your friends, and you can’t help but pay attention even to acquaintances you interact with somewhat."

"Because you are actually very lonely, craving companionship with those on the same wavelength..."

This conversation kept haunting me; I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I tried to indirectly ask Mazao about it.

Could it be true that I come off as very intense to others?

In response, she gave me a strange look.

"Zhuang Cheng, are you just realizing this now?" she said. "But don’t worry about it. We are partners who trust each other with our lives. No matter the difficulty, I would go through fire and water to help you."

No, actually, you’re not much better than me...

Hearing her words, I couldn’t help but have such a thought, and for some reason, I felt relieved.

It may have been the lingering effects of Lu Youxun’s Instant Hypnosis Skill, or perhaps it was simply because it was late, but Mazao yawned a big yawn like a kitten, and went to bed first. She even deliberately slept on her side, leaving me plenty of space on the bed.

I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her adorable sleeping face, and then at her left wrist.

The red GPS bracelet was still on her wrist. It had been frozen and damaged by an enemy demon hunter, and after waking up, Mazao had carefully restored it using the Power of Return, handling it as if it were a treasured possession.

But at that moment, I recalled the scene I had seen in the "illusion" in Yinyue.

On the vast Arctic glacier, Mazao, holding the Illusionary Curved Blade, stood before me.

Her left wrist was bare.

It seemed as if her slightly trembling voice was echoing in my ears again.

— Zhuang Cheng, I want to save the world...

— So, so... I must fight you.

Mazao, if I were to confide my true feelings to you...

Would you kill me?

For the next two days, Mazao was busy in the hotel room using the Power of Return to investigate the charred skull of Divine Spear, attempting to uncover the identity of the hidden enemy, Impermanence.

Meanwhile, Mr. Zhu took the time to help me learn about the situation at Luo Mountain and relayed the information to me. Although there was a public rupture between us, it was merely a facade; he seemed not to have truly given up on the idea of associating with me. The fact that he went this far surprised and moved me. Even though I truly have the potential to become Impermanence, this time the enemy is the real Impermanence, and exposure would mean utter disaster.

Our means of communication was the "Fireflies" left with him and Zhu Shi, and to prevent exposure, I thought about removing the "Fireflies" on their side, but he persuaded me to leave them be.

By the way, due to Chen Long’s destruction of the Zhu family estate, Zhu Shi was supposed to move next door to my house, but since I estimate it will be a long time before I can return to Saltwater City, I’m unable to welcome Zhu Shi as the new neighbor. After Zhu Shi and Mr. Zhu met up, we talked about this and felt somewhat regretful, and Mr. Zhu expressed even more regret than us.

"I missed it..."

For some reason, he seemed especially regretful, and then, again for some reason, he perked up and whispered, "No, there might still be a chance...!"

What kind of opportunity could it be? I wondered.

"What kind of opportunity?" Zhu Shi retorted.

Mr. Zhu sighed deeply, "That’s where you fall short, my granddaughter."

Never mind Mr. Zhu, who spoke oddly, next was about Lu Chan being transported back to Luo Mountain.

Using a contingency I had left on Lu Chan, I monitored his waking up.