Can You See Me?

Beneath the bloodstained high platform, where headless corpses lay everywhere, smoke curled upward.

Bai Zhou solemnly raised three Furong Kings above his head, bowed toward the bloody execution ground, and devoutly bowed three times.

Then, the three lit cigarettes were neatly planted in the ground.

[I really want to smoke a Furong King before leaving!]

As the smoke rose, the crimson characters glowed ever brighter.

There really was a change! Bai Zhou stared fixedly at the line of characters in the pool of blood.

Suddenly, the light reached its peak, and the crimson characters in the center of the blood pool exploded into fragments.

The fluttering shards rushed at Bai Zhou all at once.

Before Bai Zhou could dodge, his consciousness grew hazy. The scene before him shifted, and one image after another appeared like a revolving lantern...

"Want one?"

In Evening City after nightfall, two Black Robes, one fat and one thin, patrolled at a leisurely pace.

"The rules say we can't smoke while working," Fat Black Robe reminded him.

"You're right."

The thin Black Robe stopped, squatted down in a dark corner, and spoke with perfect confidence.

"So I wasn't planning to work while smoking either!"

A match flared beneath the Red Moon. The thin Black Robe lit a Furong King, his eyes hazy.

"Tell me, what's the meaning of life?"

Fat Black Robe squatted beside him and lit a Furong King too. "To slack off and smoke during patrol."

The thin Black Robe froze, then repeatedly waved his hands.

"You misunderstand me, brother. I mean our ultimate goal in life."

"Ever since joining the Blood Worship Cult, I've always wondered what people live for."

"Mm." Fat Black Robe nodded. "To slack off and smoke during patrol."

As he spoke, he slowly raised the Furong King and looked toward the Red Moon in the sky.

Pale blue smoke rose from the flickering ember, as though he were offering incense for his own memorial.

At that moment, his movements overlapped with Bai Zhou's as he offered incense.

With a boom, the scene shattered.

Bai Zhou looked up. Before him was once again the bloody Public Trial Execution Ground, blood dripping from the high platform.

Then, the headless corpse of Fat Black Robe on the execution ground suddenly sprang upright and gave Bai Zhou a thumbs-up.

The sight was deeply horrifying.

"Smoking is harmful to your health, Youth! I remember you—the top student of the Training Corps who likes adventure stories."

"You asked me about matters beyond the city during that lecture."

Heaven knew how the headless Black Robe spoke. His voice seemed to come from his navel.

"Don't investigate any more of Evening City's secrets. Live well on Blue Star."

"I hope these can help you," he said. "A new adventure has begun."

The headless corpse threw something over from afar, and Bai Zhou instinctively raised a hand to catch it.

Once Bai Zhou realized what had happened, his face went pale as he looked at the Soldier beside him. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"The headless corpse... He stood up!"

"Are you okay?"

The Soldier frowned and quietly moved farther away from Bai Zhou.

"Damn it, I knew there were no normal people in Evening City. I hope you didn't pass the contamination on to me!"

"The contamination in the Reflection Ruins Realm is too severe. It can cause mental abnormalities and hallucinations." The girl in the windbreaker with a Crow perched on her shoulder took over, sighing.

"At the end of the day, that place simply isn't somewhere normal people should go."

"Even you can't see him? But... huh?" Bai Zhou turned his head and suddenly froze.

Headless bodies covered the high platform, and blood had spilled everywhere, but there was no headless corpse standing up, nor was anyone speaking.

Everything just now seemed like a hallucination.

But Bai Zhou knew it wasn't.

Lowering his head, Bai Zhou opened his right hand. Three lollipops lay plainly in his palm.

The instant the fresh milky scent entered his nose, a message appeared in Bai Zhou's heart.

[Alpaca Lollipop]

[Smoking is harmful to your health, so have a lollipop and quit smoking!]

[A gift from a Lost Soul slacking off. It can temporarily suppress the user's contamination, stabilize their mental state, and briefly make them forget all negative desires.]

["Reason is the most precious treasure of intelligent life. Thus, God bestowed the Golden Lacquered Apple to demonstrate the blessing of wisdom."

...What does that have to do with lollipops? It's because this one tastes like a golden apple.]

"What is this?!"

Bai Zhou muttered to himself.

He had seen those two Black Robes before. The Training Corps had invited them to give a lecture.

If that line of blood writing was Fat Black Robe's Last Will, then were these three lollipops Fat Black Robe's gift to him for helping fulfill it?

Then if he fulfilled other Last Wills, what else could he obtain?

Bai Zhou's gaze swept across the high platform.

The densely packed Last Wills all over the ground were far dimmer than that highlighted line from before, and none were things he could accomplish right now.

[Ha, no one would ever guess that beneath the Great Tree before the main entrance of Yongning Life Care Center on Dongxing Road, the Dead Sea Scroll they want is buried... They'll never dig it up in their lives!]

Dongxing Road, Yongning Life Care Center!

Bai Zhou fell into thought, his gaze lingering on that Last Will for a long time.

"What are you looking at?"

Wancheng Sister leaned over, curiously looking at Bai Zhou's seemingly empty palm. "You know palm reading too?"

Bai Zhou blinked and looked down at the three lollipops in his hand.

She couldn't see them either?

"...Yes, I know a little."

Bai Zhou nodded and quietly closed his fist.

Feeling the solid hardness pressing against his palm, both of his hands trembled slightly.

"Don't investigate any more of Evening City's secrets..."

Fat Black Robe's words echoed in his ears.

Bai Zhou suddenly felt that Evening City was shrouded in too much fog. Even after living there for eighteen years, he still did not understand it well enough.

That included himself.

Without a doubt, the answers to these secrets might also be hidden in Evening City, in the "Reflection Ruins Realm" they spoke of.

Fat Black Robe had told Bai Zhou to live well on Blue Star, and Bai Zhou wanted to live well too...

But if he could not even understand the fog surrounding himself, how could he keep moving forward?

"..."

After glancing at the Soldier beside him, who no longer paid him any attention, Bai Zhou turned toward the Officer standing on the high platform.

Cleaners in protective suits climbed onto the platform to clean it. White foam covered the ground, and the smell of disinfectant mixed with Bloody Scent that would not disperse.

The girl in the windbreaker, who had been standing among the crowd just moments ago, had somehow returned to the high platform and was standing with several Officers.

Bai Zhou's gaze lingered on her the longest.

Whether he wanted to survive here or uncover the many mysteries, the key undoubtedly lay with them.

Since that godlike Maiden could lead an army to crush Evening City, she naturally could lead people back into the Reflection Ruins Realm.

But the problem was—

Even the Soldiers were barely willing to acknowledge him. Bai Zhou could not think of any reason to approach these high-ranking figures from Blue Star.

"Welcome back to Blue Star, wandering travelers."

Once no bloodstains remained on the Execution Platform, the cleaners withdrew one after another. The Major seated on the high platform spoke, his voice carrying across the plaza.

"The criminals have been executed. Logically speaking, all that remain are victims abducted and deceived by the Blood Worship Cult."

"According to the <Management Measures for Victims of Illegal Association Cases>, after you learn Federal Law and basic common knowledge, I should release you back into society to begin new lives."

New lives? The sensitive phrase stirred the crowd into unrest.

Only Bai Zhou sensed something wrong.

What did he mean by... logically speaking?

"—But that won't be possible."

Sure enough, the Major's cold words fell like another bucket of ice water.

"The contamination of the Reflection Ruins Realm entangles everyone equally."

"You have stayed in Evening City for too long. In the Present World, you are like carriers of a Class A infectious disease in its terminal stage, capable of bringing disasters more terrifying than plague and cholera to others!"

"For that reason, I must place you under temporary control. Only after your contamination falls below the safety threshold can I allow you to return to society."

"Perhaps this process will not be brief, but please believe that the Federation will never abandon you!"

His words were forceful and resonant. Combined with his upright bearing, they inexplicably inspired trust.

Of course, some troublemakers still muttered quietly.

"Our Evening City's sanitation is just fine. What contamination are you talking about..."

But a Soldier beside him glared at him, swinging an Electric Baton with a fierce whistle. He immediately shut his mouth and became a simple, honest villager.

"But as we often say, there is more than one road to Sky Light. It only depends on whether you are willing to choose."

The Major continued.

"After staying in the Reflection Ruins Realm for too long, some people develop bodies highly resistant to contamination."

"—Such people are the talents we need!"

Behind him, the people in White Coats and Masks had just packed the oil painting into a black box and carried it away. Now, they brought up another large Black Box.

The Black Box was carefully opened, revealing a thick, hardened hose drooping inside.

It resembled a Blood Vessel inside the human body. Its walls were covered in wrinkles, each one Entwined with blackish-purple veins that twitched now and then in a rhythm resembling breathing.

A White Coat reported to the Major.

"Black Box catalog number F-1120, [Legacy of Blood Thirst], stable condition, ready for use!"

"Black Box!" Bai Zhou's attention sharpened.

He had already realized that the large black boxes bearing strange serial numbers all contained sealed mysterious items with special effects.

Like the Forbidden Objects of Evening City—perhaps even more terrifying!

The Major casually pointed into the crowd below. It happened to be the troublemaker who had muttered earlier.

"You. Yes, you. Come up!"

The Soldiers, fierce as wolves and tigers, immediately dragged the man onto the high platform and pressed his hand against the Blood Vessel.

Sensing a living person nearby, the Blood Vessel seemed to come alive. It lashed around the back of the man's hand.

Its hollow tube wrapped around him and wriggled, gulping greedily.

"W-what is this?!" The man began struggling with all his might.

"Just think of it as blood flowing back into the needle while getting an IV. It's fine." The Soldier restraining him wore a kind expression.

"Relax. Dizziness is normal. Take a deep breath!"

"Ah!!!" The man's face visibly turned deathly pale.

But gradually, his screams grew quieter, and his expressions became fewer and fewer, as if he had entered some mysterious state free of joy and sorrow.

In the end, his shoulders drooped as he stood there quietly, like a... Walking Corpse.

"This is a test."

The Major's voice reached everyone's ears.

"Touch it, and those who can remain standing will be given a chance to join us!"

The moment he finished speaking—

The man collapsed to the ground with a thud. Medical personnel who had been prepared beforehand carried him away on a stretcher.

"H-he-he... Did he just die like that?" The people from Evening City panicked.

"Don't worry, he merely fainted!" The Major immediately clarified and reassured them.

"But unfortunately, he failed the test."

"It seems the contamination has eroded him quite deeply. For the sake of everyone's future, as well as his own, he will receive the best treatment in the hospital."

"—Until the contamination is removed and he recovers enough to be discharged!"

"..."

Behind the Major, an Officer looked deeply worried.

"Is it really okay to use [Black Box] to test contamination levels? What if the Ordinance Hall finds out..."

"You know the Major comes from a distinguished family and has always pursued efficiency." Deputy Han spoke lightly.

"[Legacy of Blood Thirst] is only interested in people whose minds are in disorder. The deeper the contamination, the more disordered their minds, and the more blood it draws."

"Although it causes blood loss and a brief loss of emotion..."

Black Cat Detective's whiskers twitched in his arms as he continued.

"The researchers obtain valuable experimental data, while the civilians are sent directly to the hospital without going through additional procedures."

"It's a win-win! What does the Ordinance Hall know?"

"The Major has repeatedly emphasized that as long as the intent is good, it is acceptable to bypass some rules and regulations."

"Cumbersome procedures mean frontline personnel must come into contact with more contamination."

"The safety of all six departments of the Black Box Special Management Department rests on the Major's shoulders, not the Ordinance Hall's!"

At his words, the officers all nodded.

"Deputy Han is right!"

"..." Only the girl in the windbreaker seemed to want to say something, then stopped herself.

In the end, she merely frowned and shook her head, casting the Major a cold glance. "You're still the same... But this is an internal matter of your branch. I won't interfere."

"Take care of yourself!"

Fragments of voices from the High Platform drifted over on the wind.

Below the platform, Bai Zhou blinked once, his expression unchanged.

Taking advantage of no one paying attention, he lowered his head and looked at his open right hand. Three lollipops lay quietly in his palm.

They temporarily suppressed the user's contamination level and stabilized their mental state.

Now,

he understood what Fat Black Robe had meant by, "I hope they can help you."

One nervous Evening City resident after another lined up to climb the High Platform that had just been used for executions.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, they were carried away one after another on stretchers.

Before long, it was Bai Zhou's turn.

He clenched his palm tightly and stepped onto the platform under everyone's gaze.

The High Platform had been scrubbed spotless. Only the crimson Last Will by his feet and the lingering smell of disinfectant in the air proved what had happened here moments ago.

Bai Zhou looked at the Blood Vessel.

Having drunk its fill of blood, every vein on the Blood Vessel bulged fiercely. Its stiff blackish-purple hue had turned into a thick crimson purple.

After blinking, he saw a line of dark-red bloody words hovering above the Blood Vessel.

The glow of those words was dim and nearly transparent; one would not notice them without looking closely.

[I eat eat eat eat eat... I'm so hungry, so hungry!]

Another Last Will.

Bai Zhou raised an eyebrow.

It was understandable for the dead to leave behind Last Wills, but why did a mysterious item have a "Last Will" too?

Or had he misunderstood the bloody words all along?

But...

A flash of Spiritual Light struck Bai Zhou.

Did hunger and greed count as negative desires?

The lollipops could make the user forget all negative desires, right?

Even with the lollipops, he did not want this disgusting Blood Vessel sucking his blood. It just felt extremely dangerous...

Then—

Bai Zhou lowered his eyes and reached inside.

Before everyone's eyes, he opened the palm he had kept clenched before the Blood Vessel.

A lollipop lay conspicuously upon it.

But only he could see it.

The Blood Vessel wriggled upright and tightly wrapped around Bai Zhou's hand, just about to open its mouth and suck—

when Bai Zhou shoved an [Alpaca Lollipop] straight into its mouth.

"?"

The Blood Vessel was plugged up at once.

Here, have a bite. Don't be shy... Bai Zhou muttered silently.

The next second, the choking Blood Vessel began writhing frantically.

At first glance, it looked like it was greedily sucking blood, but it was actually rolling all over the ground as though suffering from indigestion.

Only Bai Zhou remained expressionless.

"Hm?"

The Major raised his brow, his gaze behind his sunglasses turning toward Bai Zhou.

Below the platform, the people of Evening City began to stir as well.

More and more eyes gathered on Bai Zhou.

Under everyone's watchful eyes,

Bai Zhou let the Blood Vessel swallow and suck, his expression so calm that he looked like a sage!

"Could it be..." The Evening City crowd grew increasingly noisy, and some people who knew Bai Zhou recognized him.

"Roar!"

Accompanied by a faint growl, the Blood Vessel released Bai Zhou as if electrocuted.

It recoiled, seeming to lose all energy in an instant. Only the characters above it, their pale red color, appeared to have become somewhat more vivid.

With a roar,

the crowd from Evening City below the platform erupted.

One armed Soldier after another also cast appraising, watchful looks his way.

—even the Major was alarmed.

"Congratulations, you've 'passed'!"

Dense footsteps rang out across the High Platform.

Bai Zhou turned his head and saw the Major and the girl in the windbreaker walking toward him side by side.

Behind them, a crowd of officers followed closely, while Soldiers along the way snapped to attention and saluted.

"Not bad."

The girl in the windbreaker, who had once slashed stars and moon in Evening City like a god or demon, was as sparing with words as ever.

Yet there was a trace of emotion in her eyes.

Perhaps she had not expected that the first person to pass the test would be the Youth she had first encountered in Evening City.

Two footsteps rang out as the Major came before Bai Zhou.

"You are the first person to pass the test. Perhaps you'll also be the only one."

Standing on the Stairs above him, he openly looked Bai Zhou over from on high, then smiled in satisfaction.

"You're a talent, and I like cultivating talent!"

"Everything should be put to good use. You'll go to the Black Box Maintenance Department." As he spoke, he had already arranged Bai Zhou's destination without allowing any objection.

"That place is perfectly suited to become your stage."

"Or..."

The Major suddenly paused, staring directly at Bai Zhou with a gentle smile.

"You may also choose to refuse and not join us."

"..."

Bai Zhou did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to look behind him.

Below the High Platform, very few of his fellow townspeople remained uncarried away.

They looked at Bai Zhou with envy and shock, perhaps never having expected that Bai Zhou would be the one to stand out in the end.

That inconspicuous poor child, raised on the charity of many households.

Drawing back his gaze, Bai Zhou stood alone upon the High Platform.

At that moment, he thought of everything in Evening City, as well as the mysteries shrouding him.

Then he looked at the smiling Major and slowly shook his head.

"No. I choose to join."

"You should be proud of your choice."

The Major's smile deepened as he raised a hand and lightly patted Bai Zhou's shoulder.

"Because we strive for the cause of all humanity. This work is supremely glorious!"

At that moment, Deputy Han handed over a disinfecting wipe, which the Major casually accepted.

"Has Evening City really been completely destroyed?" Bai Zhou suddenly asked.

"What?" The Major lowered his head and carefully wiped his hands with the disinfecting wipe.

"Do you have some idea? Do you want to go home?"

"Go home?"

Quietly studying the officers around him, Bai Zhou carefully chose his words. "Do you think I still have a chance?"

"If you work hard enough within the organization, perhaps you'll have an opportunity to enter the Reflection Ruins Realm again."

Deputy Han, holding the Doll in his arms, took over the conversation.

"However, even if you return there, you won't find anything familiar anymore."

"Evening City is now a field of ruins. Its coordinates have become chaotic, and without a new anchor point, we cannot locate it."

"Then... what about her?"

Bai Zhou looked toward the girl in the windbreaker and asked cautiously, probing,

"Can you locate Evening City?"

—Without question, she had to be the most capable person present, and the one most likely to help Bai Zhou unravel the mysteries surrounding him.

"Who?"

But the Major froze for a moment.

"Who are you talking to?"

He followed Bai Zhou's gaze and frowned—

"Isn't there nothing there?"

"...Huh?"

What did he mean...

nothing there?!

Bai Zhou stood rooted to the spot in bewilderment.

Then, as though a gust of chilling wind had swept past, a horrifying sensation crawled up his spine.

—At that moment, the Maiden not far away, who had once torn apart the sky and seemingly slashed the Blood Moon to pieces,

slowly turned her head.

Her slender figure stood there, half-real and half-illusory. Her windbreaker swayed around her with an imposing grace, and even in silence, she radiated a suffocating pressure.

The Pitch Black Crow on her shoulder spread its wings.

The shadow cast by those open wings fell over Bai Zhou's face.

"Surprising."

Staring at Bai Zhou, she narrowed her long, narrow Rainbow Eyes, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

"—So, you can see me?"