Chapter 52 A Post-Apocalyptic Girl's Date 1

The GPS wristband I bought online was originally intended to prevent my child from getting lost. It's red and looks somewhat like a toy, but you could also call it a delicate decorative item suitable for a middle school student.

Someone familiar with these kinds of gadgets would probably recognize their true purpose at a glance. However, based on my observations over this period, while Asaho has some knowledge of modern appliances, it's generally quite superficial. For example, she knows about refrigerators and televisions, but is unfamiliar with smartphones. When she saw the fitness tracker I bought in my spare time, she curiously asked me what it was. It was then that I came up with the idea of ​​giving her the GPS tracker.

Admittedly, thermal energy markers are certainly more concealed than GPS bracelets, but since I already have some doubts about whether the "firefly" based on superpowers will be detected by Asaho, I naturally won't be completely at ease with thermal energy markers, which are also based on superpowers.

We need to use superpowers, and we also need to use modern technology.

Keeping Ma Zao by my side is the most important thing in my life; how can I feel at ease with only one layer of protection?

Upon hearing my voice, Ma Zao was startled at first, then got up from the sofa in confusion and walked over.

"A gift for me?"

"Yes, this is it." I handed over the red GPS bracelet that looked like an ordinary decoration.

She didn't take it immediately, but hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"I know. You don't need to feel embarrassed. Consider this a farewell gift." I spoke with the utmost sincerity I could muster. "Even though it was only for three days, we still ate and slept under the same roof."

“You are a criminal being pursued by the authorities, and I am your accomplice who is protecting you. In this sense, we are also hiding a common secret that cannot be known to others. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call us accomplices. Don’t you think so?”

Upon hearing this, she thought for a moment and could only nod: "That makes sense..."

“Even if you leave, I will not forget you; similarly, I do not want you to forget me after you leave.” I continued, “And this bracelet is a keepsake for you.”

She seemed to be almost convinced: "...But I can't afford a return gift."

"It's alright. As long as you remember me in the future and are willing to come back and see me again, I'll be content."

As I spoke, I slowly reached out and grasped her left arm.

When I touched her, I could feel her reflexive tension. But soon, she relaxed intentionally, letting me take her arm. She was still wearing my gray long-sleeved T-shirt, and I rolled up the overly long sleeves to reveal her slender, fair wrists, then carefully put the red GPS bracelet on them.

She withdrew her wrist and examined the GPS bracelet with a curious look.

Seeing her scrutinizing me so closely, I couldn't help but feel uneasy and blurted out a few more words in the hope of getting her attention: "I'm just a student, and my financial situation isn't great. If I had the means, I would have liked to buy you a more expensive accessory. But right now, I can only afford this toy-like bracelet."

"No, it's okay, I like it very much."

I don't know if she genuinely likes it or not, but if someone gives her a gift, she certainly wouldn't say she doesn't like it to their face.

As she responded, she smiled with delight and stroked the insidious GPS bracelet.

"How many years ago was the last time I received a gift?" she said, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

It seems she didn't recognize the true function of the bracelet.

Honestly, giving a GPS bracelet as a regular accessory to a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl is probably the most perverted thing I've ever done in my life. Even I'm astonished by my own depravity. The teenage me I dreamt of last night could never have imagined that I would become such a despicable and shameless man.

Seeing that the atmosphere was gradually improving, I decided to press on and launch the next attack.

"Ma Zao, although you just said you're leaving tomorrow, I hope you can wait a little longer tomorrow."

Hearing this, she snapped out of her daze and asked suspiciously, "Why?"

“Look, aren’t you still wearing my clothes?” I pulled out my prepared excuse. “A normal girl wouldn’t walk around outside wearing men’s clothes that are so much bigger than herself. You’re not like you were in a blood-soaked hospital gown like before, but walking out like this would still arouse suspicion. Besides, there’s a warrant for ‘minor girls in possession of firearms and ammunition’ out there, which would make it even easier to get into trouble.”

"But as long as I avoid being seen by passersby..."

“I don’t know what the population density is like in the post-apocalyptic world, but in today’s society, cities are very densely populated. If you just want to hide, you might be able to avoid being seen by passersby. But once you want to do something outside, it’s impossible to avoid everyone’s gaze.” I said very seriously, “You might say that you can steal other people’s clothes, but I don’t want you to steal other people’s clothes outside; that’s bad behavior.”

"So, what should I do according to your logic?" she countered.

“It’s very simple. I’ve already ordered a few outfits for you online, and the size is based on the hospital gown you’ve taken off,” I gave directly. “It just takes a while for the courier to deliver them. They haven’t arrived yet today, but they should be here by tomorrow at the latest. Then you can wear your new clothes outside.”

I dare not say the day after tomorrow or the day after that, otherwise she might turn around and leave.

We can only delay for a while, and then use the extra time to persuade her to stay longer.

She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then nodded with difficulty: "Okay, then I'll wait until tomorrow... By the way, where is that hospital gown now?"

"Because it was too dirty and too worn out, I threw it away."

Actually, I treasured it as a "souvenir of encountering a bizarre event".

To avoid being misunderstood as a pervert by her, I decided to keep this a secret.

-

Ma said he would leave tomorrow, but through my persistent efforts, I managed to extend the time to the day after tomorrow.

While I was harassing her, I was also researching the information I needed online.

Although the official platform has not yet made a formal statement, there have been numerous wanted news articles online about "underage girls in possession of firearms and ammunition," and fabricated victims of fictitious incidents that have appeared in recent days have even made it onto the trending search list. All sorts of rumors are running rampant.

Just as Detective Kong said before, Luo Shan's search for Ma Zao has expanded to the entire country. This is merely ripples on the surface; Luo Shan must be carrying out many more unseen actions behind the scenes, and the latter are likely the real main force.

I also subtly inquired with Zhu Shi about it, and the answer was pretty much the same. In addition, I also asked her about the "jinx" phenomenon.

It's true that a jinx constitution attracts strange entities, but strange entities naturally attract each other, and witchers with strange powers also attract strange entities. From a witcher's perspective, is Asaho's jinx constitution actually not that special?

Zhu Shi, however, rejected my idea.

Witchers do indeed possess the ability to attract the supernatural, but this ability does not affect those around them, let alone those close to them. Furthermore, Witchers do not attract the supernatural particularly frequently, perhaps only a few times a year. At most, it only ensures that "Witchers cannot truly live a normal life."

Such an immediate and dramatic event, like "finding a hemp seed at night and being immediately plagued by strange occurrences the next morning," can only be attributed to being cursed by something. Moreover, if all witchers possessed such an absurd constitution, combined with the six degrees of separation theory (meaning that a person can know any stranger in the world through a maximum of six degrees of separation), human society would probably not have survived to this day.

She also told me another very important piece of information—that in the last two or three years, the frequency of strange events occurring around the world has been increasing significantly.

The authenticity of this information can also be verified through the internet. In the past two or three years, there has been a significant increase in ghost stories, urban legends, and sightings of paranormal events. Needless to say, I had already noticed this anomaly and had conducted on-site investigations of the locations where these sightings were recorded multiple times, but to no avail.

If Zhu Shi hadn't told me personally, I would have thought that all those eyewitness accounts were nonsense, just a new kind of ghost story culture that has emerged on the internet in the last two or three years.

Whenever I think about it, I find it unbelievable. Even though this wave of bizarre occurrences has lasted for so long, I've missed it time and time again. If I hadn't met Asahi, I'm afraid I would still be mistaken for a new phenomenon in ghost story culture today.

Incidentally, the scene where I cleaved through the unfinished building during my fight with Detective Kong was also witnessed by passersby, and some even filmed it and uploaded it online. The person who filmed it claimed with certainty that the scene was not processed with any special effects, and some locals commented below the video saying they could testify to it. However, most viewers believed it was some kind of unexplained explosion that could be explained by common sense, or simply that it was a well-made special effects video.

I never imagined I'd become the protagonist of such an event. Who knows, other enthusiasts of ghost stories might even come to investigate.

Now that I've stepped onto the stage of the Witcher world as a superpowered individual, I naturally won't talk about hiding my powers anymore. I won't continue to be secretive or adhere to any rules about "not using superpowers in public." I won't show off when I don't need to use them, and I won't dwell on this taboo or that taboo when I do need to. I'll just let things take their natural course.

However, in front of Asahi, since I had previously established the image of an ordinary person, revealing my power now might arouse her suspicion. I can't keep it a secret forever; I need to find a suitable opportunity to speak up.

And now it has been five days since I met her.

This time, I could no longer find a reason to persuade her to postpone her departure.

She was determined to leave.

(End of this chapter)