Chapter 55 A Post-Apocalyptic Girl's Date 4

Also, is that friend male or female?

Although I was indeed somewhat concerned about this issue, I felt that asking it would change the nature of the matter, so I had no choice but to keep it to myself.

Asa seemed stumped by my question, and after a while she answered, "...She is an exception."

"What exception?" I pressed.

“She was only ten years old. In such a dangerous environment, she would have died much faster if no one had been there to protect her,” she explained. “Although my presence would have also put her in danger, it would have been better than leaving her alone.”

“A ten-year-old girl…” I nodded. “So, do you remember her name? Since you were with her until the very end, you couldn’t possibly have forgotten her name. We can check the records of patients with amnesia later to see if there’s anyone like her.”

She seemed interested, but then sighed and denied it: "I don't know her real name, and she herself has forgotten it."

We encountered yet another unexpected obstacle. I asked, "Why is that?"

“I’ve mentioned before that I’ve forgotten a lot of things from the past, which is a very common phenomenon in the post-apocalyptic world.” Her eyes gleamed with reminiscence. “The post-apocalyptic world is shrouded in an invisible madness, and people living in it gradually have their hearts invaded by this madness, lose themselves, and forget what they’ve experienced in the past. I can no longer remember the appearances and names of those people I killed.”

"When a person forgets his own name, or even everything else, he will lose himself, fall into madness, and become a monster that devours people."

"Those who transform into monsters are called 'freaks' or 'karmic demons'."

The name "weirdo" is quite apt.

As for "karmic demons"... I remember that this is a term originating from Buddhism.

In Buddhism, obstacles that hinder a practitioner's enlightenment are called "demons." These "karmic demons" are the root causes that compel practitioners to commit evil deeds—or, in simpler terms, the fundamental reasons that make them unable to resist doing bad things. Buddhism believes that people commit evil because their minds are invaded by demons; these demons are karmic demons.

“One of the reasons I travel with friends is to prevent myself from forgetting everything and becoming a demon,” Asaha continued. “In the post-apocalyptic era, it’s best to travel in groups of two or more so that we can call each other by name and confirm each other’s memories. Even temporary code names are fine, as long as we have names.”

“I see…” I processed what I’d just said, then added, “But even if you don’t know your friend’s real name, you should at least remember her face, right? There’s no madness in this world like you’re talking about now, so you shouldn’t forget her again.”

“I remember.” She nodded. “After that, I will do as you said and investigate the data on patients with amnesia… although I don’t believe that the souls lost by patients with amnesia have gone to the apocalypse.”

It seems she still intends to go it alone; I must make her give up that idea.

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

"Where is this..." Asahi pondered.

This is where I first met her, and it's also the place of destiny in my heart. Although it has become unrecognizable, she shouldn't have forgotten that she came here before.

This area has now become a danger zone. The abandoned building, split in two, still stands, but it's a truly dangerous structure. A cordon has been set up around it to prevent anyone from approaching recklessly. It should be demolished soon.

If I can't persuade Asahi no matter what, then I will reveal my identity as a superpowered person here.

I led Mazao through the cordon and into the unfinished building, walking up the stairs along the undamaged section. Although she looked confused, she still followed me.

“I suggest you avoid showing your face in public from now on. It’s not just the overt forces tracking you; according to information my friend gathered, there seems to be another powerful force investigating you behind the scenes.” I tried to persuade her again. “The police who came to your door recently, accusing you of being a serial killer, are probably just the tip of the iceberg. Once you show your face, they won’t be able to continue gathering the information you want.”

“The forces in the shadows… even if such forces really exist, it is something I must face.” She said firmly, “My purpose has been very clear from the beginning, which is to announce the news of the impending apocalypse to as many people as possible and stop the apocalypse in this era.”

"If that's the case, why was your first thing to me 'Don't call the police'? Wouldn't it have been better to hand over the news of the impending apocalypse to the authorities first?" I asked.

Without hesitation, she replied, "Because I need to gather enough evidence before I can gain people's trust."

“I’ll gather this evidence for you from outside,” I said. “You should hide here with me for now. At least let things cool down for a while.”

“No, you can’t do it,” she asserted.

"Why?" I was completely puzzled.

As we were talking, we arrived at the middle section of the unfinished building.

Although it's called the middle section, it's actually a rooftop. The structure above that is a crisscrossing reinforced concrete frame, with scorch marks from flames all around.

The rooftop and the upper framework had also been split in two, with the broken edges about ten meters apart. We were standing on one half of the rooftop. The ground was slightly tilted. She walked to the outer edge of the rooftop. The sky was azure, and the sun was shining brightly. A cool breeze blew from above, and her medium-length black hair swayed in the wind.

She took off her black cat-whisker mask, turned around to face me, and her expression was very calm.

"Because, Zhuang Cheng... you don't actually believe in the end of the world, do you?"

"What makes you say that?" I asked in return.

But her next sentence left me speechless.

Have you ever asked me, "When will the end of the world come?"

These words struck me like lightning.

“If you truly believe in the end times and are afraid of it, you will inevitably care about when it will come. Whether it’s in a few years, a few months, or a few days… It’s impossible not to ask, because that’s the countdown to destruction.” She gazed into my eyes. “But you’ve never asked. That’s understandable, because you don’t believe in the end times, so you don’t feel any sense of crisis, and naturally you don’t have the concept of a countdown.”

"So in your view, it's impossible for me to collect evidence that the end of the world is near..." I read aloud.

“I’m not blaming you, nor am I accusing you of lying to me just now,” she said firmly. “Because you already emphasized this to me just days ago. You ‘can’t believe’ me, but you ‘want to believe’ me. And right now, you’ve been trying to believe me, which is why you’ve talked to me so much about the apocalypse.”

“I am very grateful for your kindness, but simply ‘wanting to believe’ is not enough. I will stop the apocalypse, and I will protect your future.”

"But we can't be together."

"..."

Her assessment of me was mostly correct, but there was one thing she misunderstood.

In my mind, the end of the world is not a taboo subject. Even if I did believe in the end of the world, I would most likely feel a sense of anticipation towards it.

So, is the reason I haven't asked about the countdown to the end of the world because I'm not looking forward to it enough?

That's not it. In my mind, the apocalypse is undoubtedly something to look forward to. However, it's perhaps like someone who dreams of becoming a lottery tycoon; while dreaming of winning the grand prize, they find it hard to imagine that scenario actually happening in reality, making it impossible to expect it with a realistic mindset. The apocalypse, for me, is something unattainable.

Whenever I ponder the apocalypse and time travel that Asaho spoke of, I always preface it with "hypothesis" or "if." If the hypothesis is true, if it is true... how can I not think about it that way? Admittedly, everything she said before has been proven true, whether it's the jinx constitution or the power of blessing... However, the apocalypse is ultimately an event of a different scale, and saying it's "the difference between heaven and earth" is an understatement.

No matter how much I want to believe her, the reality is that, so far, there is not a single clue to prove that the apocalypse really exists.

Rather than hoping for a distant "doomsday," it's better to keep an eye on the "jinx" right in front of us. This is my undeniable truth.

"Do you really want to just leave like this?" I pressed.

“You have been kind to me. I will definitely repay this kindness. But I cannot repay it by staying by your side, otherwise it would not be repaying kindness, but repaying kindness with enmity.” Her tone was as firm as iron.

"...If you're worried that your jinxed nature will bring me bad luck, then you don't need to worry at all."

I was finally forced to the last step.

"I have to be honest with you. I've been lying to you all along..." I said slowly, "Actually... I'm a superhuman."

"--What?"

Upon hearing this, she showed an expression of utter confusion and surprise.

I let out a breath.

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

A blazing fireball appeared in my palm, its light reflecting on Ma Zao's surprised face.

However, this level of understanding alone is probably not enough to convince Asaho. In the eyes of Zhu Shi and Detective Kong, those from Luoshan, fire abilities are usually just a deformed power that only attacks the weakest point, unable to help the user survive long-term in the supernatural world. Perhaps Asaho shares the same view on fire abilities, so I must go further.

I slapped the fireball at my own chest with my other hand.

As the fireball touched my chest, my entire body was ignited. Skin, muscles, bones, blood, internal organs… every part of me was ablaze. Long ago, I ignited myself in this way to achieve my second form. Now, my body was instantly enveloped in exploding flames.

The flames didn't harm my body; on the contrary, they assimilated it into the same color, making it slightly transparent. Not only my body, but even my clothes were transformed into flames. Countless times in the past, I've altered my appearance in front of a mirror, and in this state, I'm like a ghost woven from orange-red light, my body's outline flickering like flames. And this seemingly unstable form is, in fact, my strongest trump card.

This is my second form—the fire element form.

(End of this chapter)