Chapter 54 Apocalyptic Girl's Date 3
“Ma Zao, I’ve investigated your identity over the past few days,” I said. “Not as a visitor to the apocalypse, but as the body you’re currently in.”
"……Um."
Ma Zao continued sucking on her bagged sweet soy milk, her eyes showing no surprise. As an accomplice, it was perfectly normal for her to investigate those around her. She had also investigated my room, wanting to know more about me.
“You must have woken up in a hospital at first, and then you immediately disappeared from the ward. At that time, you must have used the spatial teleportation ability you mentioned? But perhaps you don’t know that the body you are using now originally belonged to someone named ‘Mazao’,” I said. “She was a person in a vegetative state who was unconscious for unknown reasons. Before you arrived, she had been in a coma.”
Upon hearing this, her ears slowly perked up, and her attention became very focused.
It seems that what I'm saying now is information she doesn't know, and she's already captivated.
But the more important part is yet to come.
“I know a few well-connected friends in college, and I asked them to do some research. Although they only managed to get a few bits and pieces of information…” I said, while watching her reaction.
As expected of a doomsday visitor who hasn't experienced the internet's toxic influence, she didn't seem to have any reflexive suspicion about my "making friends out of thin air." Seeing this, I continued, "...I heard that the original owner of the body became a vegetable because of a mysterious disease called 'soul loss syndrome'."
“Aphasia…” She seemed both confused and enlightened.
“I’m not entirely sure what exactly ‘loss of soul’ is, but I do know that many people are now suffering from it. And based on the name, I’ve made some connections…” I said, “You previously mentioned that your soul was damaged and that you wanted to recover it. So, can you sense the existence of a second soul within your body?”
“I can’t feel it.” She shook her head. “Logically, a body without a soul should be in a state of death. But when I enter this body, the body itself is still functioning normally, but the soul seems to have already disappeared.”
By saying this, she was essentially admitting that she had experienced "soul transmigration."
Perhaps because I provided information she didn't know, she was willing to say more: "And for some reason, this body is extremely similar to my original body, and its compatibility with my soul is also extremely high, as if it was specially prepared for me. If the original owner of this body didn't have her own identity in this world, I would even mistakenly think that I had transmigrated here with the original body."
"In that case, is there a possibility—" I revealed my true intentions, "that you were a person of this world from the very beginning, but you were just having a nightmare called 'the end of the world,' and now you've finally woken up?"
She answered without wavering: "If it was all a dream, then there is no way to explain where my blessing power comes from."
"Since you can't use the power of blessing right now, how will you prove that your power of blessing truly exists?" I deliberately probed.
“Didn’t you mention before that I disappeared from the ward using spatial teleportation?” she said.
"That's just hearsay; I believe more in seeing is believing."
“…Alright.” She thought for a moment, “Right now, I should be able to use the power of blessing without damaging my soul. I’ll use this to prove it to you.”
After saying that, she slurped up the whole bag of sweet soy milk in one go and then showed me the empty bag.
I didn't understand its meaning, but at the same time, I watched quietly with great anticipation.
What happened next completely convinced me of her claim of "blessing power".
She held the empty packaging bag in both hands, her gaze fixed on it. The next moment, the small space where the packaging bag stood visibly distorted, as if the surface of water reflecting a landscape had been violently stirred up with a stick.
This distortion lasted only a moment. After the space returned to normal, the bag full of sweet soy milk reappeared in her hand.
Time has been reversed!
No, is this really time reversal? Or is it some other seemingly plausible phenomenon?
What does this have to do with "spatial teleportation"? Or does she possess more than one kind of "blessing power"?
In any case, she finally fulfilled my long-held expectations. Although I knew she was very special, it wasn't until now that she had finally revealed her specialness to me in such a direct way.
She's absolutely radiant in my eyes now.
“I’m not at liberty to reveal the core of my abilities to you, but as you can see, this is the best proof that my experience is not a dream,” she said earnestly.
“Since you’ve gone to such lengths, I have no choice but to believe you.” I could only accept it wholeheartedly, and then I said, “Could it be another possibility: that you are still a person from our world, but your soul traveled to the post-apocalyptic era, forgot your true past there, and then traveled back to the present world?”
"Forgotten...?"
I brought it up casually, but I didn't expect her to fall into deep thought.
Is there a chance?
After a moment, she shook her head again: "There is a serious problem with your statement. Why would two bodies with such a high degree of similarity appear in two different eras, and even have the same name?"
I noted down her strange reaction and then replied, "Perhaps the apocalypse happened in another world, and you and the original owner of this body are the same person from different worlds; or perhaps the original owner of this body was your mother, who gave birth to you after the apocalypse and gave you the same name as herself, and the similar appearance is because you are mother and daughter."
"Leaving aside the former, if it's the latter, wouldn't that mean my daughter will become me, then travel through time to become my mother, and then give birth to me again?" She was first speechless, then quickly shook her head, "No, no, this absurd cause-and-effect relationship is based on the premise that the future remains unchanged, and my goal is to change the future..."
“Perhaps you think these assumptions are all wild imaginations, but I believe they are all things that must be seriously considered.” I was definitely not joking with her. “Doomsday, time travel, the supernatural, superpowers… aren’t all these things absurd? Compared to these, are the various possibilities I just mentioned really that absurd?”
“…Perhaps what you said makes sense, but I still can’t believe it,” she said cautiously. “Besides, you mentioned earlier that there are many patients with ‘loss of spirit’ syndrome…”
“If you truly are a soul that traveled from this era to the apocalyptic era and then back, then the amnesia is very likely the trigger for your journey. This also means that the souls of other amnesia sufferers may have also traveled to the apocalyptic era.” I offered my analysis. “Do you have any clues about this?”
“I’ve never heard of any time travel in the post-apocalyptic era,” she said firmly. “Besides, I was born and raised in the post-apocalyptic era. Although I’ve forgotten many things from the past, this is the one thing I’m very sure of.”
"What is forgetting?" I felt like I had grasped a very crucial piece of information, and added, "It's actually quite simple to determine whether patients with amnesia have traveled to the apocalypse. Just tell us the names of people you knew in the past, and then we can compare them with the information of patients with amnesia."
"It's a pity that I can't even remember the names of those people anymore..." she sighed. "Also, Zhuang Cheng, didn't you say we were parting ways today? Why do you keep saying it like we'll continue to work together in the future?"
After saying that, she stopped talking.
It seems my "interview" hasn't been successful yet.
I had no choice but to be patient and continue leading her forward according to the original plan, and then we arrived at the nearby aquarium.
Admission to the Saltwater Aquarium requires a ticket, which in turn requires showing an ID card. Needless to say, Asa didn't have her ID card with her. However, since I, as an adult, was with her, a minor, I was able to buy her ticket along with her.
I can't remember the last time I've been to an aquarium; the last time was probably during a primary school class activity. Stepping into the exhibition area's corridor felt like stepping back into my childhood. Transparent glass walls lined both sides, behind which all sorts of marine animals swam. The dimly lit walkway was filled with shimmering light, creating a dreamy and romantic atmosphere.
Mazao followed closely beside me, curiously watching the marine animals swimming around us. She couldn't help but ask, "Do we need to show our ID to enter this place?"
“Yes, but it’s normal for someone your age not to have an ID card yet. As long as I go ahead and help you buy the tickets, that’s fine.” I continued to demonstrate my value, “There are still quite a few similar places in today’s society.”
She must have seen through my intentions, and said in a persuasive tone, "Zhuang Cheng, you will only become unhappy if you stay with me."
"Perhaps you're thinking that even if something goes wrong, you can just back out later, but the negative impact I've had on you won't disappear so quickly. For example... are you still in contact with your friends?"
She must be asking about Chang'an... I replied, "We only met once after he knocked on the door last time."
“So, even if my influence affects the people around him, he’s definitely alright now,” she said confidently. “But you’re different, Zhuang Cheng. This is only the fifth day since we met. Even if I leave you now, you’ll have to wait just as long for the effects to completely disappear. We can’t stay together anymore.”
"Why can't I, but your friend can?" I asked back.
She seemed completely taken aback by my sudden question: "What?"
"You mentioned it when you first brought up the apocalypse, right? You originally had a friend, but you were unable to escape with your friend while being pursued by the 'Great Demon,' and were unexpectedly transported to this era."
I have never forgotten a single word she uttered in front of me.
"Or are you just saying that casually, and that such friends don't actually exist? If they do exist, why can't I be your friend?"
(End of this chapter)
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