Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 58 - 55 Doomsday Girls Dating 4

Chapter 58: 55 Doomsday Girls Dating 4

And, is that friend of yours male or female?

Although I was indeed a little curious about the answer, it felt like the nature of the matter would change if I asked, so I swallowed the question.

Mazao seemed stumped by my question and only after a while did she reply, "...She is an exception."

"What kind of exception?" I pressed.

"She’s just a ten-year-old girl. In such a dangerous environment, if no one is there to protect her, she’ll only die sooner," she explained. "Although my presence might also bring her danger, it’s still better than letting her fend for herself."

"A ten-year-old girl..." I nodded. "Then, do you remember her name? Since you were with her until the very end, you shouldn’t have forgotten her name. We can look up the information on soul loss patients later to see if her name turns up."

She seemed to consider the idea but then sighed and denied, "I don’t know her real name; she had forgotten it herself."

Yet again, we hit an unexpected roadblock. I asked, "Why is that?"

"I mentioned before that I’ve forgotten a lot about my past, right? It’s a common phenomenon during the Doomsday Era," she said with a reminiscent look. "The world of the Doomsday Era was shrouded in an invisible madness. Those who lived in it gradually had their hearts invaded by madness, lost themselves, and forgot their past experiences. The people whose deaths I was responsible for, I can’t remember their faces or names either.

"When a person forgets their own name, and even forgets everything, they lose themselves, fall into insanity, and become monsters that selectively prey on others.

"These people turned monsters are referred to as ’monsters’ or ’Sin Demons.’"

The name "monster" sure is visual.

As for "Sin Demon"... I remember this term has its origins in Buddhism.

Buddhism refers to the obstacles that hinder practitioners from achieving enlightenment as "demons." And the so-called "Sin Demon" is what provokes practitioners into committing bad karma — or, put simply, what fundamentally drives them to do evil deeds. Buddhism holds that the reason people commit evil is because they have been invaded by this demon inside their hearts, which is the Sin Demon.

"The reason I travel with a friend is partly to prevent myself from forgetting everything and becoming a Sin Demon," Mazao continued. "In the Doomsday Era, it’s best to move in teams of two or more. That way, you can call out each other’s names and confirm each other’s memories. Even a temporary code name would do — the important thing is to have a name."

"I see..." I digested this information, then said, "However, even if you don’t know your friend’s real name, you must remember her face, right? There isn’t the madness you mentioned in our world now, so you shouldn’t forget again."

"I remember," she nodded. "I’ll do as you suggested and look into the information on soul loss patients... Although I don’t think the souls lost by the soul loss patients have gone to the Doomsday Era."

It seemed she still planned to go it alone, so I had to make her give up that idea.

After touring the aquarium, I took her to the abandoned construction site near Saltwater University.

"This place is..." Mazao pondered.

This was where we first met, and for me, it was the Land of Destiny. Though it had dramatically changed, she should not have forgotten that she had been here before.

Now, this place had become a danger zone. The half-completed building, split in two, still stood but was literally a dangerous structure. A cordon was set up around to prevent people from recklessly approaching the area. In a little while, it would likely be demolished.

If I couldn’t persuade Mazao by any means, then I would reveal my identity as a supernatural power user right here.

I led Mazao past the cordon and into the dilapidated building, ascending the staircase that hadn’t been destroyed. Although she looked puzzled, she followed me.

"I suggest it’s better for you not to show yourself in public for the time being. The forces tracking you are not only the official ones visible on the surface. According to information my friend gathered, there seem to be formidable forces investigating you in secret," I tried once more to persuade her with words. "The police who came accusing you of being a serial killer a while ago are probably just the tip of the iceberg. Once you show up, you won’t be able to continue gathering the information you want."

"Secret forces... Even if such forces do exist, they are something I must face," she said resolutely. "I made my purpose very clear from the beginning, which is to spread the news of the impending apocalypse to as many people as possible, to prevent the apocalypse from happening in this era."

"If that’s the case, why then was the first thing you said to me ’Don’t call the police’? Wouldn’t it be best to hand over the news of the impending apocalypse to the official forces first?" I asked.

She answered without hesitation, "Because I need to gather sufficient evidence to convince people first."

"Let me gather the evidence for you on the outside," I said. "You can hide out at my place for now. At least lay low for a while."

"No, you can’t do it," she stated firmly.

"Why not?" I asked, puzzled.

As we spoke, we had reached the middle section of the dilapidated building.

Mid-section, in reality, meant the rooftop. The structure above was a criss-cross of reinforced concrete skeletons, with charred marks from fire damage visible everywhere.

The rooftop and the upper skeletal structure were also split in two, the edges about ten meters apart. We stood on one half of the broken rooftop. The ground was slightly slanted. She walked to the edge on the outer side of the rooftop. The sky was a clear blue, bathed in sunshine. The cool breeze from the heights swept past, causing her shoulder-length black hair to sway in the wind.

She removed her black cat whisker mask and turned back to face me, her expression was very serene.

"Because, Zhuang Cheng," she said, "you don’t really believe in the Doomsday Era, do you?"

"Why would you say that?" I countered.

Her next statement left me speechless.

"Have you ever asked me ’when will Doomsday come’?"

Her words struck my mind like lightning.

"If you truly believed in the Doomsday Era and feared it, you would definitely be concerned about when it will happen. Whether it’s in a few years, a few months, or even a few days... It’s impossible not to inquire, because that marks the countdown to destruction." She looked into my eyes, "But you’ve never asked. Of course, that’s natural, because you don’t believe in Doomsday. Without that belief, you have no sense of urgency, and, naturally, the concept of a countdown doesn’t exist for you."

"So in your view, I couldn’t possibly gather evidence for the approaching Doomsday Era..." I muttered.

"I’m not blaming you, nor am I saying you were lying to me just now." She spoke with unwavering certitude, "Because just a few days ago, you had already stressed it to me. You ’can’t believe’ me, but you ’want to believe’ me. Even at this moment, you have been trying hard to believe me, hence you’ve been discussing so much about the Doomsday Era with me.

"I am very grateful for your intent, but just ’wanting to believe’ is not enough. I will stop Doomsday, and I will protect your future.

"But we cannot be together."

"..."

Her judgment of me was more or less correct, but there was one thing she had misunderstood.

In my mind, the Doomsday Era is not taboo. Even if I really believed in Doomsday, what I might hold towards it is more likely anticipation rather than fear.

So, the reason I never inquired about the countdown to Doomsday is because my anticipation isn’t strong enough?

It’s not like that at all. In my heart, the Doomsday Era is definitely something to look forward to. However, it might be similar to how people who wish to become rich by buying a lottery ticket dream about winning big, yet find it difficult to actually imagine it happening in reality; they can’t wait with a sense of true expectancy. Doomsday is an unreachable concept to me.

Whenever I think about the Doomsday Era and the crossing over that Mazao speaks of, I always prefix it with "suppose" or "if." Suppose it’s real, if it’s real... how could I not think in such terms? Indeed, everything she’s mentioned before had been verified as true, be it the Broom Star Physique or the blessing power... but the Doomsday Era is still a different scale of event, "worlds apart" is an understatement.

Despite my wish to believe her, the reality is that so far, there has not been a single clue to prove that the Doomsday Era truly exists.

Compared to hoping for the far-off "Doomsday Era," it’s better to focus on the "Broom Star" within reach. Such is my undeniable true feeling.

"Do you intend to just walk away like this?" I pressed.

"You’ve been kind to me. I will definitely repay that kindness. But I can’t repay it by your side, otherwise, it wouldn’t be paying a debt of gratitude, it would be repaying kindness with malice." Her tone was as firm as iron.

"...If you are worried that your Broom Star Physique will bring calamity to me, there’s really no need."

I finally was forced to take the last step.

"I have to be honest with you, I’ve been lying to you all along..." I said slowly, "I am... a supernatural power user."

"—What?"

At my words, she showed a face full of confusion and astonishment.

I exhaled.

In front of her, I raised my right hand, palm up.

A blazing fireball appeared in the palm of my hand, its flames reflecting on Mazao’s astonished face.

Yet, just this degree of display might not be enough to convince Mazao. To the likes of Zhu Shi and Agent Kong, those from Luo Mountain, Flame Ability is usually seen as a deformed power that stands out only in its offensive capabilities, unfit to help its user survive long in an abnormal world. Perhaps Mazao would hold a similar view of Flame Ability, so I had to go a step further.

I flipped my hand and slapped the fireball onto my chest.

As the fireball made contact with my chest, my whole body ignited. Skin, muscle, bone, blood, organs... nothing didn’t burn. It was by igniting myself like this a long time ago that I came to understand the second form. Now, my body was instantly enveloped in explosive flames.

The flames did no harm to my body; on the contrary, my body assimilated into the same color as the flames, appearing slightly translucent. Not just my body, but even my clothes assimilated into the flames. I had transformed my body in front of a mirror countless times, and in this state, I was like a wraith weaved from orange-red light, my body’s outline flickering like flame itself. This seemingly unstable form was actually my strongest trump card.

This was my second form— the Fire Element form.