Chapter 15.3 – Rainy Night in Hua City (7)
◎Saved a Lunatic◎
From the eruption of the battle to its conclusion, the man in the corner hadn’t shown any astonishment. Neither the unusual attack methods of the two nor her unconventional weapon, the enchanted umbrella, seemed to evoke any emotional fluctuations in him.
Meeting her gaze at this moment, the man’s lips curled upward. “Cutting the grass… cough, cough, without uprooting it, there will be endless troubles.”
Song Ke furrowed her brows.
Almost as his words faded, a multitude of test tubes flew at her from behind.
Not this move again? Song Ke countered by opening the umbrella in her hand, her line of sight momentarily obstructed. When she moved the umbrella away again, she found the woman gone. A faint sound came from the back of her head. In a life-or-death situation that left no room for delay, Song Ke swiftly turned around, her eyes on Wu Yarou, whose hair was disheveled. The ferocious pen was aimed straight at her eyes. “Die!!!” she shouted.
Song Ke’s eyes remained calm and composed. Unfazed, she drew a short sword from the umbrella’s handle.
A move upward thrust!
She blocked and deflected the pen, sending it spinning in reverse, crashing into the wall and shattering.
A move to repel!
Wu Yarou was first struck by the fierce sword energy, and then the short sword that followed impaled her sternum, pinning her harshly against the wall.
After dealing with Wu Yarou, Song Ke turned around and swung the iron umbrella in her hand, sending its several-hundred-pound weight crashing down on the frail Yang Bo. He was pressed down, unable to move, and promptly spat out blood before losing consciousness.
In less than a minute, the battle was decisively over. Song Ke looked at the man in the corner for the third time. He put away his smile and began slow applause.
“Quite impressive, easily taking down two C-level awakeners.”
“Is your power related to that umbrella? A weapon-based ability? No, it seems like it can transform…” The man’s raven-like eyelashes fluttered as he analyzed, muttering to himself. Gradually, he seemed to understand. “Ah… I see, it’s a metal-based ability.”
Song Ke’s initial reaction was, “…”
Then, “???”
In the next second, “!!!”
While her expression seemed impassive, a storm was raging inside her.
Observing her astonishment and confusion, the man’s expression registered a hint of surprise. “Huh? Don’t know anything, do you…”
This little girl who seemed to know nothing, yet had managed to survive unscathed in the apocalypse, dared to wander outside during such a torrential rain? Perhaps… she wasn’t just incredibly lucky; she might be incredibly powerful and fearless as well.
Judging by her performance just now, she most likely belonged to the latter category.
A lone, powerful, yet naive top-tier awakener? Heh, indeed… she seemed very easy to manipulate.
The man’s gaze shifted, and a few thoughtful traces appeared in his eyes.
Song Ke snapped back to reality, casting a wary glance at him. She silently picked up the iron umbrella that had been on top of Yang Bo and was about to leave.
Her grandfather had once said that the secret to his longevity of 103 years was minding his own business. Since the advent of the apocalypse, due to various unexpected situations, Song Ke felt like she had aged several years prematurely. This man seemed to be trouble, and her rationality reminded her it was best – no, it was imperative – not to get involved with him.
After all, the danger here had been eliminated. She should hurry back and meet up with Tian Yi and the others.
“Hey,” the man called from behind.
“You forgot your sword,” he said.
Song Ke turned her head and saw him struggling to stand up on his almost disabled right leg. He limped to the wall, pulled out her short sword, and then, right in front of her, forcefully stabbed it back into Wu Yarou’s heart!
Wu Yarou trembled all over. Within a few seconds, she lost her breath. The man withdrew the sword, then turned to thrust it into Yang Bo on the ground. Hot blood sprayed out, adding a cruel, bloody touch to his handsome profile.
A chill ran down Song Ke’s spine. She stared at him with frosty eyes.
The man lifted his head, revealing a weak smile. He explained to her in a mocking tone, “Do you think I’m ruthless? But if I don’t kill them, then it’s me who dies. The feeling of being at the mercy of others is truly unpleasant…”
This person could kill and still smile without a care. He was without a doubt the most cold-hearted person Song Ke had ever encountered.
The man tossed the sword back to her. Song Ke instinctively caught it. Then, he calmly retrieved a handkerchief and wiped away the blood stains, all the while lifting his eyelids to observe her.
Outside, the pouring rain drummed against the windows, creating a continuous sound. The two stood there, one by the window, the other leaning against the wall, quietly facing each other in confrontation.
Yes, quite composed. Unshaken even when Mount Tai collapsed before her, her mental resilience was quite impressive.
The man set aside his probing thoughts, and a smile curled on his lips. “Little girl, you saved me. I don’t have much to repay you with. After thinking it over, how about offering myself to you?”
Song Ke stared at him as if he were insane, slowly brandishing the short sword in her hand. “You, you, you are sick, do you want to seek, seek death?”
Emotions were finally stirring within her, and her stammering tendency escalated at this moment, revealing her unease.
“Haha…” The man laughed like a malevolent character causing calamity for the nation, his dark trousers completely soaked with blood. Leaning against the wall, he appeared anything but embarrassed. Instead, he radiated an eye-catching brilliance, as elegant as a nobleman. He gazed deeply at Song Ke and said confidently, “You won’t kill me.”
This person… Song Ke felt exasperated. She sheathed the sword and turned to run, one foot already on the windowsill.
“Hey,” he called after her.
Song Ke didn’t stop, silently reciting, “I won’t listen, I won’t listen, I won’t listen,” as she popped open the umbrella and prepared to leap into the rain.
“I am a researcher at the Qinglan Institute.”
The Qinglan Institute.
Song Ke was familiar with this name. She had heard it on the television at the martial arts school. It was said to be the most top-tier and enigmatic research institution in the Alliance, renowned internationally for its achievements.
“Aren’t you curious? About the apocalypse, about your powers, and even… about the origin of this torrential rain in Hua City.”
“No one has told you anything about these matters so far, right?”
Song Ke’s back stiffened. She retorted with the stubbornness of a dead duck, “I’m not, not curious.”
“If you weren’t curious, you wouldn’t have shown up here today.”
The man’s lips were pale due to blood loss, but he seemed oblivious to it, still attempting to seduce her.
“You want to know the real truth? I know everything.”
“Or rather… I know even more than you could imagine.”
“How about we make a deal?”
Three sentences made Song Ke stop in her tracks. She stood by the windowsill, the sound of pouring rain in her ears, while a struggle raged within her. What Song Ke urgently needed right now was the truth. She stayed in District F, isolated from the world since childhood, living a life at odds with everyone around her. She knew very little about this world. This man seemed to have unraveled her thoughts, grasping her lifeline and leaving her with no way to retreat.
If there really was someone who knew all the secrets about the apocalypse and was willing to tell her, she wouldn’t be able to refuse.
“How can you, how can you prove it?” Song Ke’s heart was already wavering.
The man smiled, pulling out a work badge from his pocket with the name “Qinglan Institute” on it and his own photo.
Song Ke took a glance and found the photo not as good-looking as he was in person.
“How do you want to, to trade?”
“If I’m not mistaken, you have companions, right? Transfer me to a safe zone and then find a healing-type awakener for me.”
“Okay.”
There was a safe zone; the sports field of No.1 Middle School would do. As for a healing-type awakener, she hadn’t seen one, but she could look for one gradually.
The man’s request wasn’t unreasonable.
Song Ke retracted her leg hanging outside the window and jumped back into the room.
The deal was struck, and the man seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He sat down weakly, asking, “Do you have any first aid supplies?”
Song Ke rummaged through her backpack, taking out some bandages and medical supplies. She pushed them toward him. Without changing his expression, the man quickly did a simple job of dressing his wounds, swaying a bit when he stood up.
With such a major injury, jumping out of the window was clearly out of the question. Song Ke had no choice but to head towards the door. The man followed behind in silence. She walked a dozen meters, turned around to look, and found that the man had only moved less than two meters.
Trouble, this was truly troublesome.
Song Ke took a deep breath, turned around, and approached him with determined steps. She stared at him from top to bottom, then reached out and grabbed his waistband.
“What are you doing?!” This was the first time the man had lost his elegance since entering the room. His expression was no longer composed; instead, his handsome face bore a cold and stern look.
Ignoring his outburst, Song Ke held onto his collar with her other hand. With a slight effort, she lifted him off the ground, his heels hovering about two inches above the floor.
“You, you’re too slow!”
The man grabbed her wrist, veins pulsing on his forehead. “Turn left after leaving the main entrance of this building. It’s the second building there. You’ll find a medical equipment production line for assistance devices. Go look; there should be a wheelchair.”
“The door downstairs, it’s locked,” she reminded him.
She could freely come and go through the window, but a wheelchair was too big to fit. Going through the main entrance would require her to spend time and effort dismantling the door. It was better to just carry him down directly.
The man took a couple of steps forward and pulled out a silver-white access card from a drawer. “Here, use this to swipe.”
Song Ke went to the place he indicated and indeed found a variety of finished wheelchairs. They came in various styles and looked state-of-the-art, with a bunch of complicated buttons. She grabbed two with her hands, one in each hand, and hurried back to the main building.
In the laboratory, the man propped himself up and sat in the wheelchair, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.
“Can we, can we go now?” Song Ke urged him.
“Just a moment.”
Before leaving, he maneuvered the wheelchair to the bodies of Wu Yarou and Yang Bo, bending down without avoiding Song Ke and purposefully patting them down. Finally, he took off Yang Bo’s valuable watch and Wu Yarou’s string of pearl necklaces.
Song Ke was absolutely astonished, her worldview shattered! What kind of person was this? Even at a time like this, he was still thinking about seizing a few things?
Facing her incredulous gaze, the man smiled wryly, his voice slightly trembling, “It’s not what you think.”
Song Ke nodded absently a couple of times, avoiding his gaze with unease. She began to reflect on whether her impulsive decision was correct.
Or… should she just leave him here and sneak away?
She glanced somewhat guiltily at the man. After plundering the belongings of the two deceased, he sat with his hands neatly placed on his knees, smiling at her.
Song Ke: “…” Oh no, she couldn’t run away now.
With a sigh, she resignedly walked towards the man.
…
At the entrance of Qingsong Biotech, the majestic signboard stood tall and unwavering, like a silent witness to the bloodshed and conflict that had taken place here.
Song Ke opened her umbrella, firmly shielding both of them. With one hand, she pushed the wheelchair and stepped into the endless rain curtain.
The muggy sea breeze blew against them, instantly wetting the man’s knees and her back. The pouring rain gradually swallowed their figures, leaving only faint traces of conversation in the air.
“I forgot to ask earlier, what’s your name?”
“Song Ke, Ke.”
“Song Ke Ke? Hmm… quite cute.”
“Not, not that! It’s Song Ke!”
“Alright, got it, Song Ke. Hey, could you move the umbrella a bit over here? Don’t just keep it to yourself.”
“Also, my name is Zhuang Qingyan.”
