Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 455 - 425 Show of Strength

Chapter 455: 425 Show of Strength

Xiaoqiao first nodded, then shook her head, and said cautiously, "If you have a way to save me, I hope you can help me...

"However, I don’t mean to drag you into this. I just hope you can give me some advice... Of course, if you can directly reach out and save me, I will definitely repay you with all my strength..."

She looked very conflicted. It was clear that she was terrified of the situation she was in, hoping someone would save her at any cost; at the same time, she worried that doing so might transfer her misfortune to me, making it impossible for me to escape unscathed.

This kind of contradictory mindset is completely understandable, and I naturally have no intention of turning a blind eye. She is Zhu Shi’s classmate and indirectly the benefactor who brought me and Mazao together; since she is in mortal danger, I will certainly step in to rescue her.

Moreover, if it’s purely a case of a bizarre phenomenon causing trouble, that’s one thing, but if it’s a human-caused phenomenon and it meets me, the Impermanence, solving it is basically a given. I also have a sense of déjà vu regarding the mysterious man’s displayed abilities as Xiaoqiao described; I want to investigate further.

Manipulating shadows to create clones, and possibly opening a Teleportation Door... Maybe this mysterious man is a weirdo.

Speaking of weirdos, that’s the Human Bureau.

Although the Human Bureau has been destroyed, its technology might not have been lost. The seed of the heart, which is its raw material, is probably still controlled by Taoyuan Village. If the mysterious man’s true identity is a weirdo, the mastermind could be Taoyuan Village. Or, expanding further, perhaps the "newborn Human Bureau" Fa Zheng mentioned has already sprouted, with the rumor being a harbinger.

With deep contemplation, my mind leans towards a certain idea. Zhu Shi hasn’t spoken abruptly and quietly waits for me to respond.

Meanwhile, Xiaoqiao’s gaze wandered back and forth between me and Zhu Shi and suddenly said, "Speaking of which... Do Little Zhu and you know each other?"

Zhu Shi cleared his throat and explained, "It’s like this: my brother and Zhuang Cheng are friends. Over time, I got to know Zhuang Cheng too."

"Your brother... I remember he’s the second-year Zhu Changan, right? The playboy rumored to frequent nightlife spots... Oh, yes, I did hear he gets along well with Zhuang Cheng." Xiaoqiao suddenly realized, "So, to Little Zhu, you are just ’a brother’s friend’?"

"That’s right, that’s right." Zhu Shi nodded.

"Is that all?" Xiaoqiao asked suspiciously, "I feel like your attitude in front of him is different from when you’re with us. Usually, you feel more light-hearted..."

Zhu Shi awkwardly shifted his gaze, "Is... is that so?"

Lately, I often forget that Zhu Shi actually has a light-hearted "Sister Zhu mode". In that mode, Zhu Shi appears like a noble lady from an ink painting, completely unrelated to violent antics and even more unlikely to get so excited at seeing someone act unconventionally that she’d loudly retort. I suddenly have a bit of nostalgia for that Zhu Shi in her "Sister Zhu mode."

Xiaoqiao added with a sly remark, "And you’re sitting right next to him quite naturally."

"—Uh!" Zhu Shi seemed to just realize.

"So... what exactly is your relationship..." Xiaoqiao scrutinized Zhu Shi.

Without hesitation, I answered, "Zhu Shi is my fiancée."

"Fiancée!?" Xiaoqiao’s mouth dropped open.

"Wait, why did you have to say that out loud!?" Zhu Shi was shocked.

"I believe that being ambiguous in a situation like this is irresponsible," I said, "Or do you feel that having me as your fiancé would bring you shame?"

"That’s not it... though not exactly..." Zhu Shi covered her face with her hands.

Xiaoqiao wore a look of eager curiosity and regarded Zhu Shi as if she’d found an intriguing toy. Suddenly, I suspected that this side of Xiaoqiao might not be as innocent and well-behaved as she had initially seemed and subtly realized why Zhu Shi did not want to expose our relationship in front of her.

But that’s Zhu Shi’s problem to worry about later, and I decided to irresponsibly steer the conversation back on track.

"That mysterious man told you to go to the abandoned construction site afterward to undergo the trial he set with others, right?" I asked, "Exactly when is this happening?"

Xiaoqiao adjusted her posture, maintaining a hint of nervousness, and seriously answered, "It’s tomorrow night."

"Then, regarding why, unlike others, you weren’t brainwashed by the white book, do you have any clues?"

I originally did not expect Xiaoqiao to provide any significant clues, but to my surprise, she nodded and pulled out a wooden sculpture, slightly larger than a thumb, from her pocket.

It looked like an ordinary Buddha sculpture. If it had anything special, it was the deep crack in the middle, almost splitting the sculpture in two.

In my perception, this Buddha statue was just an ordinary wooden sculpture, or more precisely, it "is now just an ordinary wooden sculpture." It used to have protective power in terms of mysticism, but that unique power was lost due to damage.

"This is a birthday gift Little Zhu gave me when we were in high school, supposedly purchased from a temple we visited on an autumn outing," Xiaoqiao said, "It’s said this mini Buddha statue received blessings from the temple and could protect one from misfortune. I’ve always kept it in my bag for comfort.

"After I escaped from the incident days ago, I noticed that the mini Buddha statue had inexplicably developed a crack. So I wondered if it had shielded me from calamity.

"I recently took a train to visit the temple we passed by before; they no longer sell mini Buddha statues. I asked the monks there, but they didn’t have much information."

Would a temple sell wooden Buddha carvings? I don’t have impressions of such things and glanced sidelong at Zhu Shi. Zhu Shi nodded almost imperceptibly.

So claiming "the Buddha statue was bought from a temple" was likely false, and it was in fact, a protective artifact Zhu Shi specifically gifted to a good friend, more than likely shielding Xiaoqiao from more than one misfortune.

Xiaoqiao might have escaped from the evil spirit of the abandoned construction site sometime ago, not because the evil spirit was weak, but because that mini Buddha statue secretly protected her.

And in the recent incident of the worry-free tale, the mini Buddha statue finally gave out from exhaustion and broke.

Xiaoqiao seemed not to have connected its power to Zhu Shi, after all, she wasn’t even sure if the statue’s damage had any real connection to the tales. Or, did she have some thoughts about it?

"—I understand."

Having organized the information somewhat in my mind, I said, "Firstly, I must tell you, regarding the weird phenomena you encountered, I can’t give you any useful advice."

Upon hearing my response, Xiaoqiao initially seemed disappointed, but then sensed something from my tone, "You mean..."

"So starting tomorrow, I’ll be protecting you closely," I said.

"P-Protecting me closely!?"

Xiaoqiao was shocked and looked at Zhu Shi, who showed a reassuring and approving expression.

"But..." Xiaoqiao said, "Even when I go to the abandoned construction site, will you protect me?"

"Of course," I said.

"But you weren’t even invited by the mysterious man, right? Wouldn’t appearing at that time and place be dangerous? Not probably, but certainly! If lucky, you might just be brainwashed, but if unlucky..."

Xiaoqiao paused, then continued, "While I appreciate your intent to protect me, bringing you into danger...

"I actually hope we encounter danger afterwards, but unfortunately, this time, there’s little chance of facing anything formidable."

I said while spreading my palm on the table.

A basketball-sized fireball whooshed into existence above my palm, raising a gust of hot wind and illuminating Xiaoqiao’s and Zhu Shi’s faces. Xiaoqiao involuntarily closed her eyes, shielding them from the glaring firelight.

Soon, she seemed to realize what was happening in front of her and lowered her hand slowly, staring in shock at the fireball burning out of nowhere.

"As you can see, I’m a superpower user," I said, "And, as you guessed, I’ve recently been missing because of strange incidents, time and again.

"As you see, I’ve overcome all that and returned to you unscathed. In matters regarding dealing with the supernatural, I’m an expert; you can rely completely on me.

"You’re Zhu Shi’s friend, so you’re my friend too. No matter what happens, I will protect you until it’s over."

Xiaoqiao gulped, then said, "But, but the others have supernatural powers too...and there might be more than one of them..."

"Don’t get it wrong; I’m not acting purely for your sake. This is in my interest too," I said, "Didn’t you forget? I’m Zhuang Cheng; to approach mysterious events, I’ll go to any length, so even if you refuse here, I’ll trail you completely, entering the scene with you.

"Since the outcome doesn’t change, don’t you think complying is better for you? It also conveniently allows me to protect you."

Xiaoqiao was stunned as if she escaped the wolf’s lair only to enter the tiger’s den: "Ah?"

And Zhu Shi couldn’t help but exclaim, "What do you mean by ’tailing’! Is that what someone who just said ’I’ll protect you no matter what’ should say? And since when did protecting my friend become a convenient thing!"

"It’s a tactic: if I say that, she has no reason to refuse," I said solemnly.

"Is it just a tactic? It sounded like a clumsy tsundere character at first, but I feel like it was all heartfelt..." Zhu Shi said.

Xiaoqiao looked at Zhu Shi who unexpectedly started jesting, seemingly realizing an unknown side of her friend, and for the first time, she laughed in my presence.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.