Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 60 – When Stars Shine Brightest
“Miss… Luo Yan…”
Hua Qiling murmured in her coma, seemingly dreaming.
“I’m here,” Luo Yan whispered.
She was carrying Hua Qiling on her back, a large floral umbrella shielding them from the rain, as she walked towards Yan City’s core district.
After the battle at the southwestern front line, almost all the defenders were incapacitated.
The casualty rate was over eighty percent, the remaining twenty percent seriously injured and unconscious.
Reinforcements hadn’t arrived yet, but Hua Qiling’s condition was worsening; they couldn’t wait.
So, Luo Yan carried her, following the map of the core district she had memorized, towards the nearest hospital.
However, Luo Yan was also incredibly weak, her pace slow.
This short journey seemed to stretch on forever.
“Mm… mm… Miss Luo Yan…”
For some reason, Hua Qiling kept murmuring Luo Yan’s name in her delirium.
“Like… Miss Luo Yan…”
“Hm?”
Luo Yan touched Hua Qiling’s forehead with the back of her hand.
It was burning up.
“She’s delirious with fever…”
The relentless rain, the prolonged battle, and her exhaustion…
Even a “Ruin” level ability user could catch a cold.
Luo Yan sighed, her crimson eyes looking ahead.
“Thankfully, we’re here.”
A white building stood before them, medical personnel bustling around, tending to the wounded soldiers being brought in.
“War…”
Seeing this, Luo Yan recalled Alyxsia’s words.
She had only read about “war” in books before, never expecting to witness a battlefield so soon.
Unlike the epic, grand, and glorious descriptions in the books, the war Luo Yan saw was filled with death, grief, and sorrow.
Countless lives, extinguished in an instant, as fragile as grass.
“It’s… Miss Luo Yan…”
Hua Qiling opened her eyes slightly, her nose twitching.
Her bloodshot eyes, usually so lively, were now filled with exhaustion and pain.
Her prized ability was useless now; she couldn’t even see clearly, her vision a blur of red, only the silver near her standing out.
And…
Miss Luo Yan’s scent.
A faint fragrance, just like when they first met.
But… shouldn’t Miss Luo Yan be resting at home?
Why was she in the core district?
This thought crossed Hua Qiling’s mind, and she immediately realized something.
No… Miss Luo Yan is so weak she can barely walk… how can she be in the dangerous core district…
She struggled to speak.
“Miss Luo Yan… leave… quickly…”
“Don’t…”
Hua Qiling’s mind, clouded by pain and exhaustion, could only focus on this one thought.
I can’t… let Miss Luo Yan… stay in danger…
“Don’t move, Hua Qiling,” Luo Yan gently tapped Hua Qiling’s head, preventing her unconscious struggles from causing them both to fall. “We’re almost at the hospital.”
“Mm… Miss Luo Yan… staying… hospital…”
“I’m not staying at the hospital, you are.”
“No…”
Luo Yan rubbed her temples. Why was she arguing with a delirious patient?
Hua Qiling’s injuries were from overuse of her ability, exhaustion, mental strain, and a cold from the rain.
Luo Yan understood her incoherent ramblings and struggles.
But…
Luo Yan had her own mission; she couldn’t stay at the hospital to take care of Hua Qiling.
The guards ahead noticed Luo Yan approaching the hospital, and a patrol quickly came to investigate.
This was a crucial location; an enemy attack here could have dire consequences.
If the hospital fell, the wounded on the battlefield couldn’t be treated and would die.
“Rest well,” Luo Yan whispered, then gently leaned Hua Qiling against the wall.
Before the soldiers arrived, she activated her “Envy” ability, minimizing her presence, and slipped away.
“Who’s there?!”
“Quick, look, there’s an injured person…”
“It’s Director Hua Qiling of the Disaster Response Department! Wasn’t she on the front lines?”
“Never mind, it looks like Director Hua’s injuries are serious. We have to get her treatment immediately!”
The soldiers quickly carried Hua Qiling towards the hospital.
As they ran, Hua Qiling opened her eyes with difficulty.
In her blurry, red-tinged vision, a bright, silver figure grew smaller and smaller, then vanished.
“Miss… Luo Yan…?”
She lost consciousness again.
…
Yan City Government Temporary Command Center.
“Xiao Hua… oh, Director Hua Qiling is out of danger? Good, good.”
Li Ping sighed in relief, hearing the news.
He had been worried about Hua Qiling’s fate during the battle at the southwestern front line.
This news lifted a weight from his shoulders.
“However… Dawn’s attacks are intensifying. It seems it’s time to consolidate our defenses.”
Li Ping stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the screen displaying the constantly collapsing and rebuilding defense systems, his expression turning serious.
Although Yan City had successfully repelled the first phase of Dawn’s attack, inflicting heavy casualties, the situation was only temporarily stabilized. The true crisis hadn’t been averted.
Except for District One, the core district, Yan City had lost control of all other areas.
Due to the torrential rain and Dawn’s lightning-fast attacks, Districts Two through Nine were now under their control.
These areas were completely silent to Yan City; their forces could only hunker down in the core district and defend.
Even so, the various defensive lines were under immense pressure.
If this continued, their collapse was only a matter of time.
However… Yan City had been prepared for this.
The first line of defense was merely a delaying tactic, buying time for the construction of the second and third lines.
Yan City wasn’t a fortress; maintaining defensive lines required significant resources. They couldn’t afford to build extensive defenses during peacetime.
Under normal circumstances, maintaining the first line of defense was already pushing their limits.
However, these weren’t normal circumstances…
Fortunately, the victories at the southwestern front line and the core district had bought them valuable time.
The second line of defense, stronger and more fortified due to its proximity to the “Ember,” was nearing completion, and large quantities of weapons and equipment, stockpiled since Yan City’s founding, were being deployed.
Dawn’s weakened forces would face a much tougher fight breaching the second line of defense.
Dawn’s objective wasn’t to conquer Yan City.
They had to advance, to reach the “Wall of Resentment” at the city’s heart.
“Even though Yan City is weak, and Dawn is strong… we will fight in our own way,” Li Ping murmured, then, recalling the sudden appearance of the “Witch of Envy’s” aura and the strange battle at the southwestern front line, he frowned deeply.
“Could it be… related to that ‘Miss Luo Yan’ that Xiao Hua brought back from ‘Ghost Town’?”
“Or… is it possible… that there truly are… benevolent Devil’s Apostles in this world?”
Although Yan City hadn’t interfered much with Luo Yan, they had been observing her.
The several appearances of the “Witch of Envy’s” aura were all connected to her, and although the current situation wasn’t clear, it was likely her doing as well.
“Her existence… is it a blessing or a curse…?”
Li Ping sighed, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on such questions.
He looked at the defense systems and issued a command.
“All defense forces at the first line, immediately retreat to the second line and reinforce the defenses.”
…
The rain gradually lessened.
A thin, elderly man walked slowly down the deserted street.
His steps were measured, each one careful and deliberate.
The relentless rain soaked him to the bone, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“It seems… you’ve met her?” A beautiful figure appeared beside the old man, walking alongside him. “She seems like a good girl.”
Mister, his hands clasped behind his back, didn’t turn, seemingly ignoring the woman.
“Don’t be so aloof, tell me more, we might not have much time left,” the woman chuckled.
“…What should I call you this time?”
Mister’s voice was raspy and low, his tone indifferent.
“—Elise will do,” she replied. “It’s been three or four hundred years since we last met, hasn’t it? The last time… let me see… it must have been during the ‘Witch of Absolute Death’ war, right?”
“She’s not the Witch of Absolute Death,” Mister whispered.
“I guessed as much. The Witch of Absolute Death wouldn’t be so reasonable,” Elise said, pursing her lips. “But she looks exactly like her, and her name is also ‘Luo Yan’.”
The old friend Elise and Mister kept mentioning, the one Luo Yan resembled, was the Witch of Absolute Death.
Although almost all memories of the “Witch of Absolute Death,” including her appearance, had been erased…
How many people could Mister and the Twelve Saints find familiar, yet not be able to recall?
The Witch of Absolute Death was one of them.
Or rather… the only one.
“She’s not ‘Luo Yan’ either… not the Luo Yan we knew,” Mister whispered, the rain masking his expression. “She has nothing to do with that conspiracy, at least… she wasn’t the one who caused my brothers’ downfall.”
“You’re quite protective of this little girl~”
Elise teased, raising an eyebrow.
“I’d prefer it if you used a different puppet to talk to me. I don’t like this personality very much.”
Perhaps because Luo Yan had complained about Elise earlier, Mister also found this “Illusion” rather annoying.
Whenever “Illusion” used a puppet, she would pre-set its personality and backstory, then play the role.
This time, she had chosen to play “Elise,” a café owner, with only “Ruin” level strength.
For various reasons, Elise hadn’t intervened in this war; her current strength wouldn’t allow it.
However, she was helping Yan City as much as she could.
She had even dealt with a disaster event in secret, which was when she had encountered Luo Yan and Anna.
But the war between Dawn and Yan City…
Wasn’t something “Elise” could participate in.
Elise’s expression turned cold, the playful demeanor gone.
“Your juniors are attacking Yan City, and that ‘Luo Yan,’ seemingly because of your help, has recovered and repelled Dawn’s attack.”
“I didn’t help Luo Yan,” Mister shook his head. “On the contrary… she helped me. As for her condition, I merely offered some guidance, as someone who has… been there.”
He looked up, his gaze distant. “Actually, I know… I’ve been deceiving myself all along…”
“No matter what, my sister and I can never truly rest… From the moment she fell into your hands, or perhaps even earlier… this war was inevitable.”
The original cause no longer mattered; this unavoidable war had finally arrived.
Witnessing this in his final days… it was bittersweet.
“This endless journey… it’s almost over…”
Mister closed his eyes slowly, but his steps didn’t falter.
Elise stopped, watching Mister’s frail figure disappear into the rain, her eyes flickering.
Centuries ago, Dawn and the Free Federation had cooperated, to fight against the awakened Witch of Absolute Death.
The Twelve Saints, several Misters, and several Slumberers had participated in that war.
In the end, only one Mister remained in Dawn, the Twelve Saints were reshuffled, and almost all the Slumberers perished, only a few remaining in “Noah.”
And all they achieved… was the Witch of Absolute Death’s slumber.
A single Primordial Demon was already so terrifying…
“How did humanity survive in a world with ten demons…?”
“And ‘Luo Yan,’ who unleashed the ten demons, why did she do it…?”
“And in the end, why did nine of the ten demons fall into slumber, leaving only the mindless Witch of Absolute Death to wander the world…?”
Elise—or rather, “Illusion”—knew Mister’s ability.
He would uncover the answers to these mysteries.
Just like his final words.
“…It’s time for it to end.”
As for Dawn…
“Dawn without Mister, although still powerful, has lost its brilliance… among the stars of this era.”
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