Entering Doomsday

After finishing the fried rice, Maza patted her stomach again.

This time it wasn't hunger, but a feeling of being full. Yet, she still seemed a bit unsatisfied, her eyes lingering on her empty plate. Not a single grain of rice remained.

At first, I expected her to be amazed like a primitive person, but seeing the fried rice I made with my own hands treated with such care, I felt flattered. It was the first time anyone had ever valued something I made so much.

Did I really make it myself? I just heated up pre-made takeout with rice and stirred it together. My own contribution was probably less than ten percent.

"This is all I can manage tonight. I'll prepare something better tomorrow," I said, intending to learn from my shame and strive for improvement. "So there's no need to be reluctant. There will be tastier things next time."

"Really?"

She suddenly looked up, her eyes shining brightly. Realizing she had been too excited, she coughed shyly.

"Really." As I said that, I revealed my true intentions. "If you stay a few more days, you can try even more delicious things."

Her expression turned somber at my words.

"...You're very kind to me. I don't know what your intentions are, but you've treated me well and cared for me. I must thank you. Thank you." She spoke slowly. "That's precisely why I must stay away from you. Otherwise, you'll eventually despise me, curse me, see me as an enemy, and regret ever getting involved with me."

"I will absolutely never do that," I said, trying my best to make my promise sound sincere.

"If you don't, it means you'll die before you even have the chance to."

She seemed to have erected thick walls around herself, and my words couldn't reach her closed-off heart.

I only regretted that I wasn't a smooth talker skilled at charming women. I couldn't find the right words to open her heart at such a crucial moment. Despite my reluctance, I could only give up persuading her for now.

Besides, I didn't have much free time anymore. The sun had completely set outside, and it was pitch dark. My only reason for coming home initially was to report my itinerary to Maza and to ask about her Jinx constitution and the details of her transmigration. I had to investigate the cave in the Fifteenth Floor room before tomorrow morning.

As I stood up, I said, "I have to go out again. I might not be back tonight."

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice laced with caution.

"Going to a bathhouse with a friend. After bathing, we might grab a late-night snack there and stay the night," I lied, making things up. "If possible, I'd love to take you with me, but it's probably inconvenient for you to go out right now, isn't it?"

"Yes, I'm currently a wanted fugitive by the official forces," she said, nodding with great regret.

"So, please rest assured and recuperate at my place. Like I said before, you can use anything in my home. You can watch TV, use the computer, or read some of my collected novels."

As I spoke, I walked over to the cabinet next to the TV, took out a suspense novel, and handed it to her, asking tentatively, "Have you ever read this type of book before?"

She looked at the cover and flipped through a few pages before shaking her head. "No, I haven't. But since you recommended it, I'll give it a read."

With that, she got up from the dining table and sat on the nearby sofa, then lowered her head and began to read.

It seemed she could read.

Assuming Doomsday is real, I wondered about the literacy rate of humans in that era. Would she understand the many modern concepts mentioned in the suspense novel? She hadn't shown any signs of not understanding when we spoke. Perhaps she had received a good education in the Doomsday era.

There probably wasn't any concept of "calling the police" in the Doomsday era. When we first met, she asked me not to call the police, which could be explained by her previous encounters with police officers. However, there were other parts that were difficult to explain. For instance, even in peaceful societies, people from different eras can experience communication gaps. How much more so between people from a civilized era and the Doomsday era? Yet, I rarely felt a generation gap when communicating with her.

That said, she did naturally reveal traces of a Doomsday survivor in certain details...

Once again, I felt that I genuinely wanted to believe her. That's why I had unconsciously overlooked many suspicious points earlier. Even now, I was actively searching for evidence that she was a Doomsday transmigrator. Unknowingly, I found myself increasingly fascinated by her—this girl shrouded in mystery.

I picked up my backpack, walked out of the house, and then turned back to close the door.

Through the narrowing gap of the door, I quietly gazed at her small figure engrossed in reading on the sofa, until the gap completely closed.

I entered the neighborhood where the Fifteenth Floor room was located once more.

Using "Firefly" to control it, I first scouted the area around the Fifteenth Floor room.

Although I had heard it would be cordoned off as a crime scene, it was clear that was just an excuse to drive away ordinary citizens like myself and Chang'an. No one was guarding the scene. It seemed Luoshan believed there were no clues to be found there, only negative remnants to be dealt with by tomorrow morning.

I had also specifically used "Firefly" to scout the surrounding area of the neighborhood, but I didn't see anyone resembling Luoshan members lurking nearby. Were they in hiding, or was there truly no one? If it was the latter, it would be quite negligent and careless. Even I realized that a fallen Demon Hunter might still be interested in the Fifteenth Floor room; it was even less likely that the official police would miss it.

But Luoshan wasn't the Public Security Department. The Demon Hunter woman had also admitted that Luoshan lacked experience in criminal investigation. Setting aside combat, at least in terms of investigation, they were far from comparable to the professionals I encountered while investigating feudal superstition forces outside the province.

What about Agent Kong, who claimed to be a police officer?

I tried to confirm the movements of Agent Kong and Chang'an.

Agent Kong referred to himself as "probe" to the Demon Hunter woman. From his words and the literal meaning, his role in the supernatural organization Luoshan should be to investigate supernatural events, report them to the organization, and then have the organization dispatch Demon Hunters to the front lines to handle the incidents.

"Police officer" should only be his cover identity, or more precisely, it was likely just a false identity. The information I gathered through "Firefly" showed that he wasn't doing any work that a police officer would do.

During the morning, he seemed to be tracking Maza under the guise of pursuing a Serial Killer, but now he was wandering around the city, occasionally entering secluded places to observe and taking notes with paper and pen. He was likely fulfilling his duties as a "probe."

I couldn't help but consider a possibility: what if the ones actively searching for Maza's whereabouts right now weren't the Public Security Department, but the organization Luoshan?

For what reason? Had Maza unknowingly revealed her identity as a Doomsday transmigrator, and Luoshan was searching for transmigrators?

I temporarily set aside my confusion and turned my attention to Chang'an.

Chang'an was currently at the hospital visiting his mother with his sister. I won't go into detail about his sister and mother here, but I noticed several suspicious men near him. They weren't tailing Chang'an, but rather the area around him. Although their actions were covert, they revealed minor flaws due to their lack of awareness of "Firefly."

I assumed they were likely Luoshan members. As for the Demon Hunter woman, I couldn't find her at all. According to what she told Agent Kong on the phone, she should have been here by now.

However, on second thought, this situation was quite reasonable. Agent Kong mentioned she had repelled a fallen Demon Hunter head-on. Perhaps her appearance was recognized by the enemy, and she was lying low to avoid alerting them.

If the fallen Demon Hunter (Serial Killer) was indeed Maza, then their precautions were in vain. Because Maza was currently not only unable to fight but also had difficulty moving normally.

While observing and thinking, I had arrived at the door of the Fifteenth Floor room.

Since Chang'an was being protected, I would be responsible for investigating the cave. Chang'an had encountered this unexplained strange phenomenon before. I wondered if this strange phenomenon, like curses in some ghost stories, would persistently entangle the person involved in an unfathomable way until they were dragged into an abyss.

So, for my friend, I had to find a way to investigate this thoroughly.

No, I still had to honestly face my own heart. I was doing it for my own desires... I myself wanted to explore this thing.

I was a villain who prioritized my own desires over my friends.

I grabbed the doorknob of the Fifteenth Floor room. The door was locked, and I didn't have the key to this room. But I hadn't worried about how I should get inside. Under the effect of my superpower, the lock cylinder melted quickly. I pulled the door open and walked in as if entering my own home.

The room was unlit, and since it was night, it was naturally pitch black inside. I beckoned with my hand, and several "Fireflies" that had arrived here beforehand flew out from the corners, emitting a bright orange-red glow that illuminated the living room with a mysterious, candlelight-like atmosphere.

I casually closed the door, then walked over to the black plush carpet and knelt down to lift it.

The black ritual magic circle appeared before my eyes, just as it had before.

The wooden lid, which had originally disappeared, reappeared on the floor.