Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 39 – The Girl in the Dream
Falling.
Falling endlessly…
Luo Yan slowly opened her eyes.
No, I can’t open my eyes, something bad will happen…
But… she couldn’t help it.
Where… was she?
Her vision was filled with dark, grayscale images, an endless wasteland, cracked earth…
Countless cries and wails echoed from the horizon, pain and despair spreading as far as the eye could see.
“This is all your fault…”
“All the disasters, all the suffering… because of you!”
“—Destroy you completely, and the world will be saved.”
Ethereal whispers echoed in Luo Yan’s ears. She turned sharply and saw a tall, silent figure.
But she couldn’t see its face…
However, Luo Yan could feel the figure’s hateful gaze, burning into her soul.
“Me?”
Luo Yan paused.
Were those words… directed at her?
She struggled to approach the figure, but her steps were heavy, each movement a struggle.
But Luo Yan persisted, her mind fixated on a single thought: to ask the figure for answers, to ask why.
So many questions…
She might finally get some answers…
She couldn’t… miss this opportunity!
After an unknown amount of time, seemingly both an instant and an eternity, Luo Yan finally reached the tall figure.
But then, she was startled to see that the figure had vanished.
Only a back remained.
A small… dark figure… seen from behind.
“You’re awake,” the dark figure whispered.
Luo Yan felt a strange familiarity in its voice.
“Yes, you’re awake… It seems she and I have failed. All our efforts… wasted…”
“Our sacrifice… meaningless…”
“—Can gods truly… be exiled…?”
Luo Yan stared at the figure, forcing out a few words.
“What… are you saying…?”
The moment she spoke, Luo Yan’s pupils constricted.
Wait…
Only now did she realize why the voice sounded so familiar.
Because her voice… no, the figure’s voice…
Their voices were identical!
“But… we haven’t completely failed.”
The dark figure slowly turned around, and Luo Yan clearly saw its face.
Identical to her own!
Except for the long black hair, the cold, deathly aura, and the completely black eyes, there was no other difference.
The dark-haired girl stood silently, her expression blank.
She looked at Luo Yan and whispered,
“Seeing you now… I know we haven’t failed.”
“So, for us… for you… please live…”
“—Miss ‘Luo Yan’.”
“…This world… is so beautiful… it shouldn’t be destroyed.”
The dark figure slowly dissipated, and the surrounding scenery faded.
“Why?” Luo Yan murmured. “Why… would destroying me save the world?”
“Why… do you want me to live… so that this world won’t be destroyed?”
She still had no answers.
…
The hospital.
Luo Yan felt her consciousness returning to her body, a warm wetness in her eyes as she opened them slightly.
“Am I… crying?”
Her mind was blank.
The memories of the dream vanished like mist, leaving no trace.
“Wow, Luo Yan, you’re finally awake!”
A voice beside her interrupted her thoughts, and a power connected with her, clear vision returning.
—”Eagle Eye.”
“Good afternoon, Hua Qiling,” Luo Yan composed herself and greeted her softly.
Warm sunlight streamed through the window, birds chirping outside, hushed conversations echoing in the hospital corridor. It was an ordinary afternoon.
Yet, Luo Yan felt a sense of unreality, strangely unaccustomed to this peaceful atmosphere.
Hua Qiling looked much better, although she was still in bed, the injuries from the electric shock not to be underestimated. She was taking a well-deserved break.
“How long was I out?”
Luo Yan sat up slightly, supporting herself with her hand.
“About… three or four days. You were talking in your sleep the whole time, mumbling things I couldn’t understand,” Hua Qiling scratched her head, a worried look in her eyes. “Was the Flower Street incident really that serious? The doctor said you’re in bad shape…”
“No, it’s just me,” Luo Yan shook her head and said softly.
She had been feeling her body deteriorating.
Even walking was becoming difficult now; she might need a wheelchair soon.
—This day would come eventually; Luo Yan had anticipated it.
Even in the town, her condition had been worsening.
The demonic power was eroding her body, making her stronger, but also bringing unavoidable weakness.
There was no known cure for this, even Dawn, with their extensive research, could only slow down the process.
After all, if there were a cure, the Misters wouldn’t have died.
“What happened at Flower Street in the end?” Luo Yan asked softly.
She had lost consciousness before learning the outcome.
“What else could happen? My dear Miss Luo Yan, you took down the big boss,” Hua Qiling sighed.
“All the Disaster Response Department’s preparations were only useful for the cleanup, and even that was unexpected. Who would have thought it would end so quickly?”
“That’s good.”
Luo Yan relaxed slightly, leaning back against the pillows.
“Good? You’re seriously injured!” Hua Qiling said, exasperated. “Do you know that all you had to do was—”
She stopped abruptly, realizing she had said too much.
“All I had to do was make contact with the enemy, report back to the Disaster Response Department, so they could confirm his… and my… situation, right?”
Luo Yan turned to Hua Qiling, her closed eyes seeing clearly.
“Uh…”
Hua Qiling shrank back.
“I know, Yan City never truly trusted me, but I needed their help to learn more. And the situation was dangerous; delaying any longer might have resulted in civilian casualties,” Luo Yan said softly.
She was a mysterious individual from a disaster zone, possessing a dangerous power.
Even with Hua Qiling and Hua Qingling vouching for her, the Yan City higher-ups hadn’t been at ease until the Flower Street incident was resolved.
Luo Yan understood their caution, but she couldn’t empathize.
Hua Qiling opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Yan City was her home, and Miss Luo Yan was her close friend. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.
She understood Yan City’s intentions, but she was powerless to change them.
Although she was the Director of the Disaster Response Department, everyone knew that the true Director was Li Ping.
Li Ping’s status, however, was too high for such a position, so he had entrusted it to Hua Qiling, his most trusted subordinate, but he still held the true authority.
This was why Hua Qiling, barely in her twenties, could hold such a position.
Hua Qiling had planned to stand by Luo Yan, to not betray either her friend or her city.
Unfortunately, the incident at the research facility had changed her plans. Even though Hua Qiling had wanted to continue the mission despite her injuries, Luo Yan had seen through her intentions and insisted she stay at the hospital.
—It wasn’t just because I wanted to stay by Miss Luo Yan’s side!
“Anyway, don’t worry about that now. The files you requested have arrived, they’re all here!”
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Hua Qiling quickly changed the subject, patting the stack of books beside her.
“Oh? So soon?”
Luo Yan was surprised. She had thought Yan City’s decryption procedures would take longer.
As agreed, Yan City would provide Luo Yan with classified information, including top-secret files on the “Ice Coffin Weapon” and “Primordial Demons.”
She just hadn’t expected their administrative efficiency to be so high.
“They actually arrived a few days ago…”
Hua Qiling touched her nose.
In reality, Hua Qingling had arranged everything before leaving.
The files were ready to be handed over to Luo Yan immediately after the incident, so as not to waste any of her remaining time.
“Alright, please hand them to me, thank you.”
“Eh, you can just read them with ‘Eagle Eye,’ no need to be so troublesome.”
“I want to hold them in my hands, it helps me think.”
“Oh, okay…”
Luo Yan took the files and leaned back against the pillows, pulling out a few books.
She closed her eyes, but her slender fingers gently turned the pages, as if she were reading.
“You don’t actually need to turn the pages…”
Hua Qiling, slightly bored, commented.
With “Eagle Eye Vision” shared, Luo Yan could see the contents without turning the pages.
“It’s just a habit. Reading requires some kind of action,” Luo Yan whispered.
Although the recent mission had been troublesome, and Yan City clearly had ulterior motives, she was satisfied with the reward, and that was enough.
Not only had they provided the files on Yan City’s “Ice Coffin Weapon,” but they had also included all the files on “Primordial Demons,” although limited to Yan City’s access level.
It even included information on the “Witch of Absolute Death” war centuries ago, but it was fragmented and incomplete, as if much had been erased.
This wasn’t Yan City’s doing; the entire Free Federation’s records of this event were incomplete.
The few fragmented pieces of information, including the Sword Saint Sect Master’s heroic deeds, had been obtained from Dawn.
More precisely, all information on the “Witch of Absolute Death” war came from “Mister.”
It was said that this was because anyone who recalled the “Witch of Absolute Death’s” appearance would be sensed by her, even in her slumber, potentially triggering her awakening.
To prevent this, the human leadership had decided to erase those memories.
Of course, this was just speculation, as “Mister” still remembered, although he was reluctant to speak of it.
“After the successful establishment of the first mega-city, ‘Noah,’ nine of the ten Primordial Demons fell into slumber, perhaps fearing annihilation, leaving only ‘Absolute Death’ as the sole darkness shrouding the world.”
“The Twelve Saints, knowing her cruelty, sought a single ark in the vast ocean of despair, sacrificing themselves like moths to a flame, to bury the abyss of despair she had created…”
Luo Yan read through the files, finding the descriptions and wording strange.
“‘Noah’ is a mega-city with strong religious beliefs, so their records are often like this, don’t mind it,” Hua Qiling said, munching on sunflower seeds. “Basically, ten demons were around, nine of them went to sleep for some reason, and the last one, the ‘Witch of Absolute Death,’ was put down after a lot of people died.
“But what’s interesting is, although the Witch of Absolute Death was the last Primordial Demon to be sealed, there have never been any records of her followers…”
“Oh?” Luo Yan put down the files and looked at Hua Qiling, surprised. “Why?”
“Here, it’s written here.”
Hua Qiling casually picked up a thick book and handed it to Luo Yan.
This wasn’t one of the classified files from Yan City, but one of Hua Qiling’s personal collection… a novel.
“Kill That Demon”?
Luo Yan took the book and glanced at the title, her eyelid twitching.
This… was a novel?
Such a strange title… could the contents be trusted?
It seemed increasingly unreliable…
“Don’t mind the weird title, it’s just the author’s strange taste. The story itself is quite interesting, ahem…”
Hua Qiling coughed awkwardly and shrugged. “Of course, it’s not just a novel. It contains some very real and valuable information, at least the historical parts aren’t fabricated.”
Luo Yan’s lips twitched. She couldn’t imagine how reliable this book could be…
Leave a Reply