Chapter 38 Midnight Subway (7) It hurts so much! ...
It hurts so much!
Zhu Yi's consciousness and vision gradually blurred. His body's will to survive made him try his best to call for help, but only his eyeballs could move.
If someone were to open the first carriage, they would see a person with twisted limbs and a bent torso, with an unidentified red substance spilling from its mouth onto the ground, and its wide, red eyes trembling and turning.
I'm afraid anyone who even glances at it will scream and run away.
The seal set up by Yozo using the power of the [Book] gradually cracked and spread. Then, an indescribable power, even more indescribable than the contaminated fragments that had just entered Takeichi, surged from the seal, devouring the outsider who had entered from outside the soul.
After consuming half of the fragments, the power became even stronger. It then began to break free from the seal's restraints. Meanwhile, Zhu Yi's eyes rolled back, more bloody tears streaming from them, and his body trembled violently.
The "weak" human consciousness that belonged to Zhu Yi's body was also slowly replaced.
His body continued to twist uncontrollably, his bones making a sickening, dislocating sound.
Is Zhu Yi even human now?
Judging from its current appearance, it looks like a twisted lump of flesh.
Zhu felt her vision filled with red and chaotic fantasies.
He saw that the familiar people around him were being mentally corrupted, turning into monsters who were no longer human.
He saw another Zhu Yi kill one person after another called Player.
He saw the familiar world become distorted and bizarre, brought to the brink of collapse by some higher-dimensional being.
The world's timeline was reset time and time again, and he saw the madness and despair in Oba Yozo's eyes once more.
He also saw himself as one of the world's strange tales, Takeichi... those cold, all-seeing red eyes.
In that instant, he met the gaze of [himself], who stared at him expressionlessly as he extended his hand.
"Will I just be swallowed up like this?" A thought flashed through the dying consciousness of humanity. With a sense of relief and exhaustion, Zhu Yi, having repeated the tragedy countless times, perhaps succumbing to the essence of the strange tales and indescribable madness was the end?
Just when things were at their most critical moment.
"Meow--!!!"
The cry of 001 pierces the soul, containing the power of the rules of the supernatural that is turning everything around.
Its snow-white fur emitted a powerful light, illuminating the entire carriage.
The rule skill 【Xue Ding'e's Cat】 is activated. It does not directly confront the awakened ghost story essence and external pollution, but rather forcibly intervenes in Zhu Yi's own state.
001's goal is to forcibly reverse the predetermined state of collapse, where Zhu Yi's humanity is annihilated and another Zhu Yi's consciousness dominates, back to a superimposed state where humanity still exists, consciousness is clear, and form is stable.
This is the insurance left by Ōba Yozo.
Creak... Crack.
The sound of bones breaking rang out again. Zhu Yi's twisted body was forcibly straightened by an invisible force. Although his body was still limp and convulsing violently, he had at least regained a basic human form.
The bleeding from his seven orifices slowed down, and the frantic babbling and fantasies in his mind subsided.
Zhu Yi slumped to the ground, panting heavily, his wine-red eyes slowly focusing.
The moment consciousness returned, Zhu Yi clearly sensed a change. His own memories, emotions, and sense of morality still existed. He was like a well-preserved database. However, the processing of his brain, which was driving this body, had changed.
The feeling of being resurrected is one of terror, fear, and resistance to pain. These instinctive human reactions are still there, but they are separated by a layer of glass, becoming something that can be observed, rather than emotions becoming the dominant force in action and influence.
Instead, a more detached and inhuman way of thinking has taken its place.
Based on my current physical assessment, I am severely injured, my energy is disordered but my basic physical condition is stable, and the threat level I am assessed by the subway ghost stories is S.
Zhu Yi slowly stood up, reached out and shook the unconscious 001 lying on the ground, then hugged him back. His wine-red eyes looked at the other side of the carriage connection, and the approaching footsteps and voices made him make a quick decision.
He looked at 001 in his arms, then let go of it, and 001 fell to the ground.
What I need to do now is survive, hide my identity, and incidentally use the advantages of that identity to benefit myself.
camouflage.
penetration.
use.
This is a survival instinct he learned through countless reincarnations while facing various [players] and [world rules].
Just then, the carriage door was opened.
Footsteps and exclamations came at the same time, and almost instinctively, Zhu Yi adjusted his posture and expression before being touched.
When Nakajima Atsushi's hand touched his shoulder, he let out a painful groan at just the right moment, his body slumped against the other man, his head drooping limply, his messy black hair covering part of his face and also concealing the fleeting coldness in his eyes.
"Mr. Takeichi, are you alright? What happened?" Atsushi Nakajima's voice was full of worry. This boy was simple-minded and kind, and it was also easy for Takeichi to gain his trust.
Zhu Yi coughed violently, a cough that seemed to tear his lungs out. He raised his trembling hand and used the back of his hand to wipe the blood-tinged saliva from the corner of his mouth. Zhu Yi displayed his wretchedness and vulnerability to those around him.
“I… cough cough. I don’t know.” Zhu Yi’s voice was hoarse, each word breathy, full of weakness and lingering fear: “I thought the human head balloon could purify… I tried to purify it using the item, but that item weakened my soul… something was hidden in that power, cough cough, it retaliated against me.”
He spoke haltingly, deliberately obscuring key information. His account was half-true and half-false, making it highly deceptive to armed detectives who were unaware of the inside story.
"When I was attacked, all I could think of were strange sounds and images... It hurts so much." Zhu Yi showed a pained and bewildered expression at the right moment.
"Uh." He rubbed his temples, closed his eyes, shook his head, and his body trembled slightly.
Zhu Yi weakly opened her eyes, slowly squatted down, held 001 in her arms, lowered her eyes and pursed her lips: "If I hadn't been so reckless, 001 wouldn't have fainted while saving me."
Looking at him like this, anyone would think he was a victim who had some skills but suffered a backlash because of his reckless actions.
Kunikida Doppo frowned as he carefully examined 001's condition and Takeichi's external injuries, then cautiously looked around.
The surrounding scene resembled the damage caused by some enormous energy, resulting in broken walls and seats in the carriages, consistent with the characteristics of a violent impact.
Some remnants of talisman paper were found nearby, which was arranged in advance by Zhu Yi.
Kunikida Doppo's doubts lessened slightly, and his tone softened: "Let's not talk for now and conserve our energy. It seems this ghost story is more troublesome than we thought."
Izumi Kyoka silently handed over a clean handkerchief, and Takeshi paused for a moment before accepting it.
Izumi Kyoka pointed at Takeichi's face. Takeichi understood and looked at Izumi Kyoka with his wine-red eyes, saying gently, "Thank you. I look scary, don't I?"
Izumi Kyoka shook her head: "It's not scary."
Zhu Yi smiled, wiped the blood from her face, which was bleeding from all seven orifices, and looked at the handkerchief she had dirtied: "I'll give you a new one next time."
Izumi Kyōka nodded.
Edogawa Ranpo's emerald green eyes scanned the entire carriage. He noticed some inconsistencies, but for some reason, he ignored them.
This feeling made Edogawa Ranpo uncomfortable, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
For example, 001's fur is white. Was it white before?
There were also inconsistencies, such as Takeichi's weakness and the feeling that he was too standard... but under the influence of the system, Edogawa Ranpo subconsciously ignored them.
Moreover, Edogawa Ranpo's super reasoning is based on logic and clues, not mind reading, and all the surface evidence currently points to Takeichi as the victim.
He tilted his head and finally said, "Hmm... the energy around us is all jumbled up from the impact. It seems that what happened in the carriage just now was caused by you. The famous detective was right after all."
"It seems there's no need to worry. Although the surrounding area is quite damaged, it's fortunate that he's still conscious. Let's quickly deal with this wrecked car and get out of here; the famous detective wants some snacks!"
He chose to suppress the slight sense of unease for the time being and prioritize dealing with the more definite goal at hand.
Meanwhile, Dazai Osamu, standing on the other side, leaned against the connecting area between the carriages the entire time, his hands in the pockets of his sand-colored trench coat, quietly observing.
Zhu Yi's performance was almost flawless; he perfectly captured all the emotions: weakness, pain, confusion, guilt, and relief at surviving the ordeal.
However, Dazai Osamu possessed an almost perverse insight into the subtleties of human nature.
He always felt that something was missing from Takeichi's reaction, a genuine, uncontrollable tremor or breakdown that came from the depths of his soul.
Zhu Yi's pain is more of a display than a catharsis.
This sense of unease was subtle enough that Dazai Osamu's intuition couldn't ignore it. He didn't voice his doubts, but buried them deep inside. When Takeichi came over, Dazai Osamu's expression returned to its usual somewhat unreliable state. He stepped forward and said in a relaxed tone, "Ah~ it seems that Takeichi-kun has made a rather dangerous attempt."
"Can it still move? We need to find the vehicle's final stop or make it stop as soon as possible."
With Atsushi Nakajima's help, Takeichi struggled to stand up. Holding 001, his legs gave way and he almost fell, perfectly demonstrating the state of someone who was physically exhausted.
He lowered his head, using a cough to conceal the barely perceptible curve of his lips.
The first step of the disguise was successful.
Takeichi looked up and met Dazai Osamu's gaze once again. He blinked at Dazai Osamu with a puzzled look and touched his face.
“A handkerchief won’t get it clean,” Zhu Yi said.
“I have wet wipes.” Dazai Osamu handed Takeichi a bag of wet wipes from his pocket; he had taken them from Sakaguchi Ango’s car.
"……Thanks"
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