Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 54 - 51 friends 2

Chapter 54: 51 friends 2

Changan suddenly became panicked and stood up from the long table.

"Is there anything I can help with? Or just tell me the truth, and we’ll figure it out together! Don’t worry about dragging me into this!" he said, very anxiously.

The surrounding guests and staff members looked over at us before returning to their own affairs, showing no particular interest in what was happening here.

Seeing how flustered and eager Changan was, even I couldn’t help but feel my face heat up with a wave of shame and guilt.

But having already told a lie, I had no choice but to stick to it.

"Don’t be so nervous." I consciously took on a strong and confident tone, "This situation isn’t as dangerous as you think, I have prepared a foolproof strategy. Just think of me as if I’ve caught a particularly contagious disease. Recently, it’s not convenient for me to interact casually with acquaintances... especially with those who have seen that cave like I have."

"The fact you’ve seen the cave matters too?" he pressed.

"I can’t reveal any more," I resorted to mysticism.

In fact, it was all a fabrication from start to finish. The patch I added was just a consideration in case Changan happened to see me interacting normally with others later on.

My plan was very simple: to distance myself from him "temporarily" at first, then gradually extend this period until our relationship faded. If he tried to reach out to me during this time, I could come up with more reasons like, "Getting closer would only aggravate the situation and put us in danger."

I felt terrible about it, but it was also to avoid him getting involved.

Changan took his seat again, still not reconciled, asking, "Is there really nothing I can do to help?"

I answered decisively, "There is not."

"I see..." He sounded dejected.

This time it was my turn to stand up.

"Then, this is goodbye."

Looking at his face, thinking this might be our last serious conversation, I didn’t know what to say and ended up repeating an old lecture: "You should also stay away from nightclubs. Take better care of yourself. It’s not like you can’t find a girlfriend – isn’t it much better to have a real relationship with a female classmate than to look for women at nightclubs?"

He laughed dryly and retorted, "How can you compare those? Going to nightclubs is about establishing a pure relationship based solely on physical and monetary exchange. Getting involved with female classmates means dealing with messy emotions. I’m not foolish enough to fall into that trap willingly."

This was a conversation we had repeated many times before. I wasn’t angered by his rebuttal; instead, feelings of nostalgia and sadness arose, and then I left the place.

-

Walking home, I pondered, head down.

Given Changan’s stubbornness, it’s unlikely he would give up so easily. He’s always been that way. Perhaps he’ll go again to the room on the fifteenth floor, but the ritual array there has been erased by Zhu Shi.

Even if the ritual array still existed, which was a defective product with astronomically low activation probabilities, there was no need to worry... No, I still needed to be concerned, because Changan had also triggered the ritual array alone before.

If my ability to open the cave was due to Firefly’s patronage, was it the same with Changan? Was it just because he was someone close to me, who had previously been affected by Firefly’s Broom Star Physique?

Fortunately, the ritual array had been erased, removing the last element of danger. Although I had felt a loss over its disappearance, I still possessed video recordings of the ritual array, not ruling out the possibility of reopening the entrance to that "space not existing in reality" elsewhere.

On the way, I bought two spicy grilled pig trotters, then entered the community where I live. First, I went to the parcel locker to pick up a package, and then I returned to my front door.

Using the "Firefly" devices I had installed in my apartment, I checked in on Mazao’s condition. She remained as usual, sitting on the sofa, gazing out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, lost in thought like a canary trapped by a villain.

When she was alone, she read books and turned on the TV to understand how modern society worked through news and politics. Moments of daydreaming like this were frequent – I didn’t know if she was recalling her life in the Doomsday World or if she simply enjoyed passing time in silent tranquility, like a plant.

I had now designed "Fireflies" capable of storing preset instructions, which could monitor Mazao’s activities even while I slept. But just as human memory fades over time, the "Fireflies" would gradually forget my instructions and required regular adjustments.

The preset instruction saved in the "Firefly" stationed near Mazao was, "If Mazao steps out of the house, send me an alert." And indeed, in recent times, Mazao had upheld the agreement, never once attempting to leave.

However, sometimes other worries plagued me. In the past, I didn’t let the "Fireflies" follow Zhu Shi, fearing they might be detected by her, but since Mazao was also a supernatural power user (at least that was my belief), was there a chance she could detect the "Fireflies"?

So far, she had always seemed unaware, but was that really the case, or could it be due to her soul’s injury, rendering her unable to detect them?

Or perhaps... she had always known I was monitoring her?

Once I considered this possibility, my heart couldn’t help but quicken.

Compared to that issue, there’s a more immediate and serious problem facing me right now.

It’s "Day Three" now.

Three days ago, Mazao made a promise to me that she would stay at my house for only three days, and today is that "Day Three." In other words, she would be departing tomorrow, yet I still haven’t found a convincing way for her to stay longer.

If it were just about extending her stay for another two or three days, that might still be achievable. The progress in her recovery hasn’t been ideal, and she’s still temporarily unable to use the so-called "blessing power." But what about after any extension? Naturally, my hope is that she would choose to stay with me on her own.

Of course, it’s not that I couldn’t keep her here if she doesn’t want to, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone to say goodbye to Changan just now. If there’s no other way, I can resort to forceful measures. Even if she could use Space Transfer to leave, it would be of no use, for I have already left my own "mark" on her, allowing me to grasp her location at any time and, when necessary, enter "Second Form," directly transporting myself to the target location.

It’s not just Mazao and Agent Kong who can do "Space Transfer"; I can also emulate similar abilities.

And the so-called "mark" isn’t referring to the "Firefly." Ultimately, the "Firefly" is a tool for external surveillance of her, unable to penetrate into her inner body. In other words, when she uses the power of Space Transfer to leave, the "Firefly" will no longer be able to locate her.

The true identity of the mark is a measure of "heat."

My superpower is not just about transforming spirit into flames; I can also separate out the heat from the flames without the rest, and this heat is also a manifestation of my spirit. The reason I was able to track down Agent Kong, who had escaped through the Shadow World last time, was also thanks to the residual heat from the flames formed in his body.

The thermal energy marker left on Mazao would theoretically be easier to reveal than the "Firefly." If you think about it, anyone would find it strange if part of their body was inexplicably warmer than the rest and the heat wouldn’t subside. However, it was the fight with Agent Kong that opened up new possibilities in my mind.

Why do I have to place the thermal energy marker on the surface of the body? Why not directly into the inner organs?

The internal organs of a human body are less sensitive to temperature changes than the skin, and since the organs are inherently warm, a slight increase in temperature in one area would likely go unnoticed. To be safe, I placed the thermal energy marker while Mazao was asleep, hoping she would have adapted to the change by the time she woke up, making it even harder to notice any difference.

I decided to place the thermal energy marker in her stomach; it’s like a way to keep it warm.

However, I feel that just doing this isn’t secure enough.

I need to take an additional precaution...

With that thought, I opened the door and stepped into the house.

Mazao, as always, was highly sensitive to changes in her environment. The moment I opened the door, she reacted, turning her head this way.

She then jumped up from the couch and hurried over to me, her steps thudding on the floor.

I held out a plastic bag in front of her, containing two spicy grilled pig’s trotters.

"Did you buy food again? I’m not a child. Don’t keep feeding me; it makes me seem greedy," she said resignedly.

No, you actually are a child.

"Don’t want it? It’s really delicious, and it’ll get cold if left out," I said.

Despite her earlier words, she still treasured food. At my prompt, she reached out, about to take a trotter. Then she suddenly hesitated.

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

"...Nothing."

She took one of the trotters and glanced at me again. After I bit into my own trotter, she reluctantly began to eat and returned to the couch, heavily burdened by her own thoughts.

I had a good idea of what was on her mind. I had been showing my eagerness to retain her, and she was leaving tomorrow.

If it had been early in our acquaintance, she would have outright spoken her plans. It seems she has a low defense against "kindness from others"... no, that’s not quite right. It’s possible she’s not good at dealing with kindness, but she’s even more cautious before verifying whether that kindness is genuine or not.

Perhaps she expects more from those living in a peaceful society, which is why she might somewhat agree with me. Right now, she’s probably thinking about how she can bid me farewell without breaking my heart.

Facing her like this, I chose to walk over to the table, pick up a pair of scissors, open the package I’d just retrieved from the delivery locker, and take out a well-made red bracelet.

It’s a GPS bracelet I bought online.

With my back to Mazao, I paired the red GPS bracelet with my phone, then turned around.

Attracted by the noise, Mazao looked over curiously.

And I said seriously, "Mazao, I have a gift I’d like to give you."

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