Chapter 1, Day 1 of the Great Homecoming Operation
Life is dull and tasteless; murdering humans at 8 a.m.
As a lucky female engineering student with a full schedule of courses, she naturally has early morning classes every day.
With an empty stomach, Zhuge Tongzhi walked into the classroom with lifeless eyes. Relying on muscle memory, she sat in the last row of the lecture hall. Her thick dark circles under her eyes startled her roommate who sat next to her.
"Zhuge, what time did you go to sleep last night?" She poked Zhuge Tongzhi's arm worriedly. The pale-faced girl swayed like a soft jelly, her eyes already closed peacefully.
My roommate, who lives locally, went home yesterday. After charging up all night, she rode her bike to her early morning class full of energy this morning.
After exercising, the girl's fair face was rosy and radiant, and her ponytail swayed playfully behind her head. Sitting there, she was the epitome of youthful vitality.
In contrast, look at the girls her age around her.
"Sleep?" Zhuge Tongzhi snorted coldly upon hearing this. His withered and bloodless face twitched into a single corner of his mouth. His bloodshot eyes were visible through his disheveled long hair. His voice was hoarse. "Darling, your imagination could be a little more vivid."
"You stayed up all night!"
The roommate was immediately heartbroken and slapped a hair tie off Zhuge Tongzhi's hand, yelling, "Stop imitating the crooked-mouthed war god! Tie your hair up right now!"
Zhuge Tongzhi slowly grabbed a hair tie and hastily tied his hair up, revealing his haggard profile, which was almost unrecognizable from his original delicate features.
She slowly slumped onto the table, feeling a burning sensation in her empty stomach.
My roommate next to me was still chattering away.
"Zhuge! Did you even eat breakfast?! I came all the way from home today without even bringing a piece of candy. You can't keep abusing your health like this. You've been staying up for three nights in a row. What's wrong...?"
The 8 AM bell interrupted his roommate's conversation, and the professor's voice followed, evolving into a meaningless white noise that drilled into Zhuge Tongzhi's ears.
Advanced but outdated knowledge simply slips through the smooth surface of the cerebral cortex, stopping and moving on in an instant.
Zhuge Tongzhi tried to fall asleep with the campus-limited paid white noise, but her still burning stomach made her sleep very restlessly.
She was half-asleep for an unknown amount of time when her roommate shook her awake; the bell for the end of get out of class had already rung.
"I'm going to line up at the cafeteria first. Come find me at our usual spot later. Walk slowly, or you might trip over." The girl finished speaking and walked away with light steps.
“...Okay.” Zhuge Tongzhi shook his head, propped himself up on the table, and felt that his vision was particularly blurry today.
The two blackboards in the distance were covered in a solid green, and the professor in the shirt appeared as a small, oval-shaped blue figure bobbing on them.
The good news is that my stomach is no longer burning; it's just very empty.
Also, my legs seem a bit weak, probably because I just finished the 1000-meter physical fitness test yesterday.
Never mind, let's go eat first.
Zhuge Tongzhi lifted his foot and took a step forward, but his legs went weak uncontrollably.
She fell from the top floor of the lecture hall.
In her dizzying vision, all sorts of indistinct colored blocks overlapped together. Her panicked shouts and screams were drowned out by the muffled thuds of her body rolling down. The colored blocks swirled and mixed, eventually becoming a large black mass that filled her field of vision.
Just before his consciousness faded, Zhuge Tongzhi closed his eyes and suddenly thought of something.
If there is an afterlife, I wish I would not be born at eight.
Just as she was about to peacefully fall asleep with her eyes closed, she felt herself being roughly pulled by the arm and lifted up.
Zhuge Tongzhi, forcibly awakened by the tearing pain in his arm: ?
Stop messing around, are modern CPR procedures really this painful?
She just had to stay up late and had low blood sugar, but she's not mentally disabled. Who was it that was carrying her to the infirmary like that?
Zhuge Tongzhi suppressed his pent-up profanities, struggled to open his eyes and was about to start cursing when he looked up and met the gaze of a masked man wearing black stockings over his head.
Or rather, her gaze met the two indentations in the black stockings. Although she couldn't see the eyebrows and eyes clearly, she could see a distinct fierce and menacing look in those expressive black stockings.
In an instant, Zhuge Tongzhi, whose mind was filled with question marks, blinked and froze, a string of curses stuck in his slightly open mouth.
In her blank state, she could only feel the wetness on her cheeks. Subconsciously, she reached out and touched the corner of her eye along the wet trail, her hand still damp.
Was she crying? The girl stared blankly at her hand, and in her blurry vision, she saw a small hand with short, stubby fingers.
What? Whose hand is this?
The tearing sensation in her left arm belatedly reached her brain, and Zhuge Tongzhi instinctively struggled, only to be thrown onto the tiled floor by the masked man holding her.
The position of landing on her back was enough to give her a hard time. Zhuge Tongzhi knew in his heart that this was bad, but it was too late to adjust her position. Fortunately, a short-haired girl rushed over and cushioned her fall.
"ah!"
"hiss."
The two young girls rolled around in a ball, crying out in pain. But the short-haired girl quickly covered her own mouth and then used her other hand to cover Zhuge Tongzhi's mouth, and the scene returned to its original quiet.
"Quiet down! You wretched brats."
The masked man shouted sternly. Zhuge Tongzhi tried to hold his breath and regulate his heartbeat, suppressing his panting with the help of the short-haired girl's hand.
The burly man glanced down at the trembling girl with her head bowed on the ground, then walked away with a heavy gait, gun in his hand, satisfied.
Although she was cushioned, Zhuge Tongzhi still fell quite hard, and the tearing sensation in her left hand made her wonder if she had dislocated her shoulder.
Amidst the intense pain, my eyes uncontrollably filled with tears, which splattered onto the smooth tiles in front of me, blurring part of the reflection in the polished surface.
Gently removing the short-haired girl's hand, Zhuge Tongzhi, who had forced himself to calm down, wiped away his tears and, as his vision gradually cleared, saw the young girl's face on the tile.
With black hair and black eyes, and a delicate face, her cheeks were flushed from crying, and a few strands of hair clung to her forehead with fine sweat, making her look quite disheveled.
But that's not what Zhuge Tongzhi was concerned about.
Damn it!
Why did she turn into someone who looks six or seven years old?
Zhuge Tongzhi wanted to slam his fist on the floor tile, but he was afraid of attracting the attention of the person who was definitely a robber or gangster. So he pinched his thigh hard, and in the pain he created, he finally confirmed that this was indeed not a dream.
What on earth is that thing in front of me? Is it a navigation system?
The girl with a small head and a lot of doubt looked up, her eyes lingering in the air for a moment before quickly looking away.
She turned to observe the reactions of those around her. Good, it was something dirty that only she could see.
Zhuge Tongzhi, whose life had suddenly been 80% deleted, took three deep breaths.
Inhale, exhale; inhale, exhale; again, inhale, exhale...
Zhuge, calm down first.
The girl with long black hair slowly sat up, her right hand supporting her left arm, which was still throbbing with pain. She had to calm down and start observing her surroundings.
I am currently in the lobby of a shopping mall, and without a doubt, judging from the environment, it is a high-end mall that sells all kinds of luxury goods.
Because the air around her was still filled with a mixture of perfume scents, she could tell that a fierce business battle had taken place here, and she was now sitting slumped in front of a gold shop, while masked men with guns were looting gold and silver jewelry inside.
Zhuge Tongzhi glanced around to see how many people were in control of the situation.
There were three robbers: a short, stocky man loading the goods, a burly man watching people, and a tall, thin man on the phone. All of them were masked and carrying guns, but only the man watching people had a gun in his hand; the other two had their guns strapped to their waists.
The situation is quite clear: she suddenly shrank to the size of a primary school student for some unknown reason and was taken hostage by armed robbers who were robbing a shopping mall.
But that didn't make sense. Zhuge Tongzhi quickly glanced at the people in front of and behind him.
There were men, women, young and old, all around her. Closest to her was a chubby old man with white hair from the Mediterranean, surrounded by several children who looked about the same age as her. One of them was the short-haired girl who had just caught her, and she was now smiling at her, her innocent face still streaked with tears.
But it's still not right.
Zhuge Tongzhi wiped his face again. How could there be so many people with guns? Is there only this many people in a shopping mall? Where are the police who are supposed to be dispatched immediately and the loudspeaker?
Unless… the girl with black hair and black eyes frowned.
At this moment, the short-haired girl moved closer to her, her trembling body pressed against Zhuge Tongzhi, seemingly trying to offer her support in this way, while her own panicked voice tried to calmly comfort the other person.
She said in Japanese, "Don't be afraid, the police will be here to rescue us soon."
Zhuge Tongzhi: ...
Damn it! How did she end up in Japan?!
Is this still in China?
While her heart was screaming in despair, Zhuge Tongzhi remained outwardly calm. She didn't have time to respond to the short-haired girl's words of comfort; she simply pulled the girl down to her feet.
The heavy footsteps of the burly robber sounded again, heading straight towards Zhuge Tongzhi's location, finally stopping in front of the two girls who were leaning against each other.
"What kind of script did I get?" Zhuge Tongzhi thought to himself, gritting his teeth. He had no choice but to put on a tearful expression and look up at the masked giant with a show of weakness.
The burly man held a thing covered in wires in his hand, fiddled with it for a few moments, then grinned maliciously and placed it in front of Zhuge Tongzhi.
"Little sister, be good, okay? Don't touch this bomb."
The short-haired girl visibly trembled violently when she heard the bomb, but the robber laughed and walked away.
After he turned away, Zhuge Tongzhi quickly wiped away her tears. She glanced at the empty space, then looked at the bomb in front of her as if guided by something, her eyes filled with clear doubt.
Without much hesitation, she squeezed the girl's shoulder to signal her not to move, and then approached the so-called "bomb" alone.
The crudely made wiring was blatantly exposed, and the detonator/tube inside could be vaguely seen. There was a thin layer of white reflection on the display screen, indicating that the bomb had been activated.
The situation was dire, but Zhuge Tongzhi wasn't too nervous. Instead, he glanced at the void again, then touched his shorts pocket with a strange expression. After reaching out, his expression became even more indescribable.
The girl with black hair and black eyes thought for a moment, glanced at the bomb and then at the three robbers with clearly defined roles, and slowly moved herself back to the spot near the entrance of the jewelry store, sitting down next to the girl with short hair.
"Arno," Zhuge Tongzhi whispered in the short-haired girl's ear, speaking in somewhat broken Japanese, "Is that round child your friend?"
She gestured with her eyes to the chubby little boy with a round head who was quite robust for his age and was now trembling.
“Yes, he is my classmate Genta Kojima, and I am Ayumi Yoshida.” The short-haired girl lowered her voice to confirm with Zhuge Tongzhi, then changed the subject and asked, “Do you have any plans? We can help you.”
Zhuge Tongzhi glanced at Bu Mei with some surprise. The girl who had just been terrified was now clenching her fists and looking determined. After hesitating for a moment, she leaned down and whispered something in the girl's ear.
After listening, Ayumi Yoshida nodded slightly and nimbly headed towards Genta Kojima.
After the two finished explaining, Zhuge Tongzhi waited a moment, then suddenly stood up and pointed at the short robber who was doing the free shopping, saying loudly, "Hey! Uncle, why don't you put that watch in your bag? Won't it feel uncomfortable in your pocket?"
A loud child's voice echoed throughout the mall lobby. The skinny man on the phone and the burly man guarding the hostage both looked over. After hearing what was being said, the two immediately turned hostile towards their companion who was hiding the jewelry. The skinny man strode over.
"Mind your own business, kid!" The short, chubby boy shoved Zhuge Tongzhi's shoulder hard, and the girl fell into the crowd as a result of his force.
But before the short radish could kick him again, the skinny guy stepped in and pointed at his nose, hurling a few curses.
Just as he was about to order his accomplices to hand over the hidden jewelry, his slender cell phone rang, along with the sound of police sirens outside the mall.
The police have arrived.
He quickly answered the phone to negotiate, signaling the big guy to come over and teach this bastard who was hoarding his spoils a lesson. The big guy shrugged, got up, and went over.
And so, Zhuge Tongzhi licked her dry lips, seized the opportunity to move closer to the bomb, using her body to block the view of the slender figure, while the chubby Yuan Tai took her place, blocking the two robbers who were arguing on the other side.
Zhuge Tongzhi quickly pulled out a surprisingly complete set of tools from his pocket, put them into his weak left hand, pushed aside a bespectacled boy who was blocking the light too closely, grabbed the tools, and quickly began defusing the bomb.
His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
So, Conan, the bespectacled kid who was pushed aside, had no time to stop her actions, which appeared to be haphazardly cutting the wires.
Hey, hey... what are you doing?
Conan Edogawa gritted his teeth. He had just gathered the basic bomb disposal tools and was pushing his way through the crowd to examine the structure of the bomb.
But the black-haired, black-eyed elementary school student in front of me was moving too fast.
The robbers, having just finished their verbal battle, were now supervising their companions as they handed over the hidden jewels.
Zhuge Tongzhi had already completely removed the bomb from the high-explosive mine/tube.
Conan, who had been on tenterhooks, breathed a slight sigh of relief. The robbers behind him had just resolved the dispute and returned to their original duties. The big guy walked towards the crowd, seemingly intending to check the bomb's condition along the way.
The unfamiliar black-haired girl lowered her head and slammed the bomb cover shut, roughly pressing the screws in and quickly placing the display screen into the original recessed area of the casing.
The bomb, covered in a tangled mess of wires, looked just like before. Noticing the big guy approaching, Zhuge Tongzhi hurriedly started screwing on the screen. His heart was pounding, but his hands moved with perfect precision.
But...that's not right!
Conan, who had been watching the scene closely, suddenly noticed something. The boy jumped up and lunged at the bomb—the screen had lost power, and the lack of light would be noticeable.
But halfway through his lunge, he was grabbed by the collar by a large man who strode over.
The burly man lifted Conan up and faced him, raised his pistol and lightly tapped the elementary school student's head, snarling, "Kid, I told you not to go near the bomb, didn't you hear me?"
"Hahaha, I..." Conan chuckled twice, about to say something to stall for time, when he was abandoned by the robber.
The black-haired girl, who looked frightened, also moved away from the big guy in fear, revealing the faintly glowing screen of the bomb behind her.
Conan's eyes widened.
The robber, who knew nothing about technology, glanced down and then strode away to the tall, thin man. After exchanging a few words, he pointed his gun at the crowd and fired two shots.
The lobby was filled with loud screams and cries. The slender man answered the phone again with satisfaction to continue the negotiations.
Zhuge Tongzhi let out a long breath and slightly loosened his palm, which was holding a detonator.
I never expected it to actually work.
The girl, who seemed to have victory in her grasp, already had her back soaked with sweat.
She took a few more deep breaths and looked into the void.
There hovered a white arrow with a blue border, visible only to her. Three arrows were arranged in groups of three, overlapping each other, winding their way to the gun in the big robber's hand. Next to the route, several lines of white text were marked in blue boxes.
"Destination: Robbery at the Shopping Mall"
"Target may be touched in 50 meters ahead. Please be careful."
Below what appears to be real-time path guidance is a scrolling countdown, telling her how long until the next step begins.
"0 9:5 9:32"
She just used these street view prompts to defuse the bomb.
But even though surviving unharmed proves the navigation was correct, she still has to say
fart!
Zhuge Tongzhi cursed inwardly, "You told me to touch the gun and then told me to be careful!"
I don't know if it's safe.
But Ode Maps, you're really shameless!
Recognizing the classic blue and white page as his most frequently used navigation page, Zhuge Tongzhi's gaze lingered on "Destination" for three seconds, and the navigation prompt text naturally changed to "Final Destination".
Her eyes swept over the short line of text, her gaze shifting slightly.
"Final destination: To return to my parents alive."
"Final path generation progress: 0%"
Dragging her throbbing left arm, the girl gritted her teeth, stuffed the detonator into the deepest part of her pocket, and silently moved toward the big guy.
Okay...okay!
Since O said there is a way, there is.
So let's fight this hard to get home!
A note from the author:
----------------------
Ode led me into the field (which can be considered a source of inspiration).
Hehe, I hope everyone will leave lots of comments! (Grabbing Conan to send everyone hearts)
...
My next book will be: "My Portable Grandpa is the Boss of the Distillery"
This is a companion piece to the main article (it doesn't affect independent reading) (it's even better when read together).
If you like, feel free to browse the column (serving tea).
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