Chapter 116
Ever since he could remember, his parents had high expectations for Kamado Miru.
Because his father is one of the senior executives of Hope's Peak Academy and his mother is a senior researcher at the laboratory.
When he was one year old, his father would often hug him and smile.
When he was 5 years old, his father often looked at him with doubt and scrutiny.
When he was 10 years old, his father would often sigh at him.
At the age of 15, Kamado Miru became a student in the preparatory department of the private Hope's Peak Academy high school.
Although both of his parents possess super high school level talents, he can only be considered an ordinary person with excellent grades.
However, this excellent result only ranked him in the top ten of the class, and was far from the level of a "super high school-level top student".
What's more, this is not Shen Du Jianliu's talent, but the result of his daily study.
Because his father was a member of the decision-making committee of Hope Academy, Kamado Miru knew in advance that the school wanted to create "Hope" through human experiments.
When preparations started, his resume was submitted to the "Hope Cultivation Program", but for some reason he did not become the first case.
In the same year, despair broke out from Hope Academy, and the whole world was gradually infected with despair. His father, as one of the senior executives involved in the plan, was hacked to death by the students, and Kamado Miru was sent out through the secret passage opened by the other party before his death.
Later, in that dilapidated research institute, he was sent to the operating table by his mother, and he became the second generation of artificial hope by the operation performed by his mother who worked in her own experimental research institute.
Kamado Miru could no longer remember what his mother said to him just before the experiment began.
My memory of that period is very vague.
The other party seemed to have been repeating one sentence at the beginning -
“You must be hope.”
"From this moment on, your name is Shen Du, Shen Du Jian Liu."
His mother's tearful face made him think that perhaps she was happy that she was finally going to have talent.
The name Kamado Miru was something that his father had discussed with his mother, who had successfully escaped, before he died.
In fact, Kamado Miru had never had much of an impression of his memories before he became the "Hope of the Super High School Level".
He only knew that he had to have the talent to become the "Hope of Super High School Level".
Because in this doomsday world overrun by a virus of despair, everyone is killing each other, and the sky has not seen the sun for a long time. He, who was born as "Shen Du Jian Liu", is the only hope in this broken world.
Spreading hope is everything to me.
…
It should be like this.
At this moment, the streets of Yokohama are full of debris.
The once neat and clean prosperous streets have now become a ruin. The wreckage of high-rise buildings is scattered everywhere. The cars on the roadside are only twisted and deformed skeletons, surrounded by deep and shallow potholes.
Against this desperate backdrop that could be described as the end of the world, the white-haired boy who was strangling Dazai Osamu's neck was tightening his fingers and increasing the strength in his hands.
His palm seemed to show no mercy at all because of the other party's words.
Everything around them was still, leaving only the extremely tense atmosphere between the two of them.
No, rather than solemn, it would be more appropriate to describe it as open-minded.
The black-haired young man's face had begun to turn pale, and his breathing was weak and powerless. Perhaps in less than a second, his neck would be completely strangled.
However--
At the last moment when Dazai Osamu was about to strangle his neck, Kamado Miru suddenly loosened his grip.
Friends...
Killed by a friend...
The sound became louder and louder as it penetrated into his ears. The boy's eyes, shrouded in darkness, were filled with blood and were so blurry that he could not see clearly what was around him.
No one else noticed that his slender hands, stained with his own blood, were actually shaking slightly uncontrollably, as if some force deep in his heart was stopping him from going on.
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Shen Du saw that his chest was gasping for breath due to the blood clots, and his mind seemed to recall all the memories that were once engraved.
[I want to become very good friends with Mr. Dazai. 】
[See the flow, take a nap. 】
[Don't worry, as your best friend, I will always be by your side. 】
[Because Jay is my second friend, I care about you very much. 】
[Gojo is my third friend. I can’t just leave you alone. 】
[Whether it's the cursed spirit or Jay and I's mission, what I said back then was that I hope you can take care of yourself! 】
[Jianliu, it’s my fault that I didn’t protect you well.] Can you call me brother again? 】
[Jianliu, if you want to assassinate anyone, come to me. 】
…
…
The voices in his head continued, and did not stop even though the boy let go. There were men and women, young and old, so many that it was impossible to tell them apart.
[Young man, thank you for buying flowers for me. Now I can go visit my deceased daughter! 】
[Little boy, there is a small cake I bought for you in the refrigerator. Remember to eat it in the evening. 】
[Thank you, kid.] 】
[Shen Du, I made some health-promoting corn silk tea for you, remember to drink it. 】
[Divine ferry!] Come back with me to the Special Powers Division, we can live together like our father, and I will take care of everything! 】
[Thank you, brother. I finally found my mother. 】
[I really don’t know how to thank you. Thanks to your first aid on the subway, my husband was able to survive.]
[Four years ago, thank you for helping me find my missing granddaughter. 】
[Mr. Shen Du, thank you for taking us to the Transportation Bureau! 】
Don't say anymore.
My brain hurt so much as if countless sharp thorns were drilling into it, and all sorts of chaotic sounds intertwined into a noisy ocean.
They continued to echo, forming a powerful impact force that forcibly broke through the white-haired boy's fragile mental defenses.
Shen Du Jianliu covered his head with his hands, veins bulged on his forehead which was mixed with sweat and blood, and his calm pale face rarely revealed an extremely painful expression.
Those voices behind...
Who are they all?
He doesn’t know, he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know at all...!
The young man closed his abyss-like dark purple eyes and held his head tightly with both hands, as if this could prevent those voices from invading his mind.
However, the pain beyond the spiritual level became more and more intense, as if an invisible hand was tearing his soul apart, making it impossible for him to even breathe.
"cough!!"
Dazai Osamu, who was lifted into the air, fell down unexpectedly.
He touched his neck which was pinched red and purple, and sat down on the ground with one hand on the cracked ground. His cheeks had lost some color but he did not show any surprise.
The black-haired young man just kept his eyes downcast and laughed softly in his almost hoarse voice.
Shen Du Jianliu in front of him was half-kneeling on the ground. He couldn't help but curl up into a ball, his body trembling in pain, and the red liquid soaked him into a bloody man.
In this endless darkness and chaos, the boy seemed to be in a desolate land. There was no light around him and no way out. He could only struggle hard in pain, trying to find the dawn of light that could bring him relief.
"See the flow."
Dazai Osamu's voice was as hoarse as fine sand and very soft.
His tone was extremely calm, but it was this soft and gentle voice that powerfully broke into the white-haired boy's confused thoughts.
Dazai Osamu did not continue to talk about what happened just now, but smiled and asked the boy to turn back.
"Look behind you—"
…
Shen Du Jianliu still maintained his original half-kneeling position on the ground. He slowly put down his hands and unconsciously turned his head to look behind him as the black-haired young man spoke.
This should have been a pure, meaningless action.
The congested brain was still confused and painful, and the eyes blurred by blood were still struggling to break through the fog covered by darkness.
Just one glance and he stopped all thoughts.
Nakahara Chuuya, Suguru Geto, Gojo Satoru.
Sitting in the car, Ieichi Nishiko and Ichichi Jieko...
People from the Armed Detective Agency, old faces from the Port Mafia, and a few students who had met Gojo Satoru before.
Everybody is behind me.
It seemed that the military and police had put up yellow warning banners outside the area of 100 miles. All the civilians who had escaped gathered around. They did not run away. Many of them were looking at this side with worried eyes.
Because, since the destruction of the city more than ten minutes ago until now, Shen Du Jianliu has not taken the initiative to hurt anyone.
Because there were several elderly people he had helped before, and young people who had the patience to help them solve some problems...
There are also countless men, women, and children who were rescued by Kamado Kenryu in the subways, streets, and shops. They are all countless ordinary people who have been helped by him.
The white-haired boy's kind act has already spread throughout Yokohama, and he has a unique place in the entire city.
In fact, every time he walks out, someone would greet him with a smile.
It’s just that Shen Du Jianliu has always ignored it.
"Shendu!!"
A voice came from somewhere in the crowd. The young man with messy seaweed-brown hair that he often tied into a small bun couldn't help but shout loudly at the edge of the yellow line where the guards were blocking him.
"Come on, cheer up!!!"
If you look closely, you can see that voice and appearance...
It’s… a small island.
No, it's Haruki Eguchi.
As for those who stepped into the yellow line without any scruples and followed closely behind him, their eyes were purer than those of the crowd behind him.
No blame whatsoever.
Faced with the reality that the city has developed into such a ruin, whether it is Nakahara Chuuya who calls himself the brother, or Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru who rushed to Yokohama from other places in an instant, everyone has sweat on their foreheads from rushing here.
They showed no doubt or accusation towards Kamado Miru's current behavior. Their eyes only showed deep worry for the young man who was covered in blood and barely looked like a human.
Because, how could they...
Once again, he saw Shen Du Jianliu die in front of him like this.
"Keiryu, come to your brother."
Nakahara Chuuya reached out and took off his hat. He had stopped arguing with Gojo Satoru and the others and no longer tried to stop them. His handsome face was filled with self-annoyance and regret, and he took a cautious step forward.
"I promise, you'll be fine."
"I will never leave you."
"See the flow."
Xia Youjie's hoarse and magnetic voice followed closely behind, and he tried to keep his tone gentle and said: "Satoru and I are already developing a way to keep you alive. We will never let the past mistakes happen again."
"So calm down, okay?"
"That's my line!"
Gojo Satoru strode forward and directly tore off the bandage wrapped around his forehead, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes full of brilliance: "Did you hear——"
He bent down and without hesitation extended his heavy palm towards the white-haired boy who was half-kneeling on the ground.
"Didn't I tell you that we all hope you take care of yourself?"
"No matter what happens, it can't possibly develop to the worst. I'm the strongest, okay? Try to trust us."
“…”
The air fell into an extremely comfortable tranquility at this moment.
So, it’s not meaningless.
Even though Dazai Osamu, who had become mute behind him, did not say this sentence, it popped up in Kamado Miru's mind.
The layers of thick fog lingering in the eyes are being blown away, the endless confusion and darkness are about to be broken through, and the most desired dawn in the heart can be seen.
Shen Du Jianliu finally remembered.
The moment before the transformation experiment began, his mother said to him in tears:
Jianliu, you must become hope.
You must survive.
The name Shen Du Jian Liu means if God does not save me, I will save myself.
Even if God has not given you an innate talent, you must live tenaciously in this world.
…
Although his parents regretted that their child did not have super high school level talent, they transformed him into "super high school level hope" not simply for the purpose of spreading hope.
The white-haired boy who was half-kneeling on the ground looked up blankly, and his purple eyes, which were spinning like a whirlpool of despair, gradually became clear.
I don't know when, his face was already filled with tears.
Shen Du Jianliu lowered his head in a daze and raised his hand to touch the strange and salty liquid that kept flowing out of his eye sockets.
He suddenly couldn't help wanting to laugh, and a sentence naturally emerged in the mind of the boy with tears and blood on his cheeks -
It turned out that when I turned around, my companions were already behind me.
Those he once helped are now saving themselves.
The fog was completely dispelled, the shackles that restricted itself began to fall off, and a few dazzling rays of light finally sprinkled in from the hazy darkness.
The white-haired boy slowly raised his strained arm, as if trying to grab the hand that Gojo Satoru was still extending to him.
However, the time it takes to unlock the ability is too long.
Shen Du Jianliu had overused his body and was spitting out large mouthfuls of blood. His eyes began to unfocus, but he still tried hard to focus on his companion's face.
In the end, the boy couldn't resist the limit of his body.
His hand dropped limply just a few centimeters away from Gojo Satoru's palm, and he fell straight down as if all the life had been sucked out of him.
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