Wang Xiaoming watched Ryunosuke coldly from the side. He had no doubt that Ryunosuke would stab him next, but...
Wang Xiaoming glanced at Ryunosuke, then quietly took a roll of film from his coat pocket. He replaced the film in his camera—the one containing evidence of Ryunosuke's crimes—then tucked it into a hidden compartment in his inner coat pocket.
"A roll of film is as indispensable to a foreign correspondent as bullets are to a soldier."
Wang Xiaoming recalled the advice given to him by that buddy whose name we still didn't know.
Looks like we won't get to see each other again~ Before I left, we even said we'd have a drink together when I got back...
Wang Xiaoming sighed. He hoped Fuyuki's police were competent. For the sake of this roll of film, he hoped they'd at least give him an honorary citizenship award after he kicked the bucket.
"Oh, right!"
Ryunosuke suddenly slapped his forehead, then turned to Wang Xiaoming. "Wang-san, don't worry. I won't hurt you."
After saying this, Ryunosuke Uryu opened the door to another room and went inside, leaving Wang Xiaoming alone in the living room, utterly bewildered.
You're leaving me here alone. Aren't you worried I'll run away?
I'll run?
Will I really run?
While Wang Xiaoming was still debating whether to flee, Ryunosuke had already come back out of the room. He was dragging a boy of about eight or nine by the right hand, and muttering:
"I originally wanted to give you as a 'welcome gift' for the Demon, but I suddenly ran out of paint. What a shame."
Ryunosuke's words sent a chill through Wang Xiaoming. Was this man planning to kill the child, too?!
Looking at the terror in the boy's eyes, Wang Xiaoming couldn't bear to imagine what it would be like if the child died in front of him... To watch a child be brutally murdered with his own eyes and do nothing... That kind of thing... That kind of thing...
Are you kidding me?!
Wang Xiaoming felt the blood rush through his brain. Overcome with emotion, he blurted out, "Stop!"
"Hm? What is it?"
Ryunosuke had the boy pinned down and was lining up his knife when Wang Xiaoming's voice made his raised hand freeze. He looked up at Wang Xiaoming. The bloodthirsty look in his eyes made Wang Xiaoming shudder.
"..."
Wang Xiaoming opened his mouth, but couldn't get a single word out.
What was he supposed to say? Put the child down? Give me a break! This lunatic didn't seem like the sort to take anyone's advice.
"Wang-san?" Ryunosuke muttered with some disappointment as he watched Wang Xiaoming rack his brains for an excuse to save the boy. "I thought you'd have an interesting suggestion..."
Come on, I'm not a damn murderer. How would I have any suggestions?!
"I've got it!"
Ryunosuke suddenly grew excited. He tossed the boy aside without another thought and walked toward Wang Xiaoming with the knife in his hand.
Shit, you bastard! Didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?!
Watching Ryunosuke approach with the knife, Wang Xiaoming panicked. No one could stay calm when faced with death.
But Wang Xiaoming never expected Ryunosuke to hand him the knife. As he gripped the heavy blade, he heard Ryunosuke say:
"Wang-san, you do it for me!"
For Justice
"Wang-san, you do it for me!"
Ryunosuke Uryu looked at Wang Xiaoming expectantly. Wang Xiaoming was completely stunned. What kind of move was this?!
Wang Xiaoming felt that he'd never be able to understand this lunatic's thought process in his entire life.
Watching those children meet their end in terror was such a wonderful feeling! Though he was reluctant to give it up, if he wanted Wang-san to truly understand his art, he'd give him this opportunity.
Ryunosuke felt rather pleased with his own idea. "That's right! Exactly!"
Come on, if you hand me the knife, the first thing I'm going to do is kill you! Wang Xiaoming glanced at the standard butcher's knife from the kitchen and grumbled inwardly.
Wait!
Wang Xiaoming looked down at the knife in his hand again. A few streaks of blood still stained its silvery blade. The dried blood seemed like the vengeful accusations of the dead, listing all of Ryunosuke Uryu's crimes.
In that moment, Wang Xiaoming knew he wasn't alone! Behind him stood the souls of countless victims Ryunosuke Uryu had slaughtered!
Wang Xiaoming raised the knife and charged at Ryunosuke in the name of justice!
For justice!
"Ugh!"
Because of the pain in his abdomen, Wang Xiaoming knelt on the ground, curled up as tightly as he could, and felt like he was about to throw up last night's dinner.
Ryunosuke Uryu looked at Wang Xiaoming with disappointment, then shook his head. "Wang-san, you've really disappointed me." He bent down, picked up the knife Wang Xiaoming had dropped, and staggered over to him. "Wang-san, you're still too weak for me."
In reality, this was what had happened:
Wang Xiaoming had charged at Ryunosuke with the knife. The few steps between them had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Almost there! If he just thrust his knife-wielding right hand forward, this nightmare could end!
Even Wang Xiaoming was surprised. It seemed to be going... too smoothly? Only then did he notice the corner of Ryunosuke's mouth curl slightly upward, revealing what looked like a mocking smile.
Framed by the darkness around him, that smile made Wang Xiaoming feel as if his blood had frozen.
Ryunosuke Uryu chopped the edge of his palm into the joint of Wang Xiaoming's right wrist. The knife flew straight out of Wang Xiaoming's hand. Ryunosuke crouched slightly, then clenched his other hand into a fist and punched Wang Xiaoming hard in the abdomen!
That single blow was enough to knock Wang Xiaoming out.
Too weak, too weak, too weak.
Ryunosuke Uryu's words echoed in Wang Xiaoming's ears like a demon's whisper. His heart grew bitter. He'd probably die here today.
Clang!
Ryunosuke threw the knife in front of Wang Xiaoming again. His voice rang in Wang Xiaoming's ear, impatient. "Wang-san, I'll give you one more chance. Make the most of it. Please go kill that child! Also..."
Ryunosuke came over to Wang Xiaoming again and crouched down. After feeling around inside the lining of Wang Xiaoming's clothes, he waved his prize in front of him like he was showing off.
"Wang-san, don't try any more clever tricks."
In Ryunosuke's hand was the roll of film Wang Xiaoming had secretly hidden earlier!
"..."
Wang Xiaoming struggled up from the ground, picked up the knife, and shuffled toward the boy with his back hunched.
Watching the man with the knife approach, the boy saw him take one step, then another... His eyes welled with tears of terror.
Wang Xiaoming finally reached the boy. He didn't bother to sit properly; he simply dropped onto the ground and pulled over the iron bucket they'd used to collect blood. Then he reached out and patted the boy's head.
But from where Ryunosuke stood behind Wang Xiaoming, it looked like Wang Xiaoming was feeling around for a place to stab!
"Ha ha, that's it! Wang-san, find the artery and stab it! Then you'll get to see the beautiful sight of blood spraying everywhere! It doesn't matter if you pierce a vein instead~ It's a pleasure just to watch the blood gush from the wound~"
Ryunosuke narrowed his eyes, looking almost intoxicated. In his mind, he was already imagining the boy's expression as the blood drained from him, changing from terror to blankness and then going empty...
Compared to adults who made all kinds of ugly faces before they died, children really were the best!!!
When the boy saw Wang Xiaoming reach out with his "claws," he shut his eyes in despair. But instead, he felt a cold, large hand resting on his hair.
"Don't be afraid."
The cold touch made the boy shudder, but it also quietly raised a trace of hope in his heart.
Squish—
The sound of a knife plunging into flesh made the boy's heart clench, but he didn't feel any pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw something that astonished him:
Wang Xiaoming hadn't stabbed the boy. He'd stabbed himself! The knife had plunged deep into Wang Xiaoming's thigh.
"Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."
The boy's gaze was a complicated mix of confusion, gratitude, and surprise. Wang Xiaoming, his face pale, looked up at him and managed a smile. At the same time, he thought to himself:
At least until I die.
The boy didn't know that the man in front of him was already on the verge of breaking down.
In this man's eyes, there wasn't a single glimmer of hope for survival. Ryunosuke's actions had completely crushed his original desire to cling to life. And as a human being, his final shred of decency wouldn't let him obey Ryunosuke and kill a child.
Just then, a timid thought suddenly rose from the depths of the man's heart:
What if I died first...
That's right. If he died first, then he wouldn't have to watch Ryunosuke brutally murder the child. It was a cowardly thought, but an honest one:
As long as the child doesn't die before me, I can live with myself. As for what happens after I die... I don't give a damn if the world floods.
Like an ostrich trying to escape reality by burying its head in the sand.
"E-Eh?! Wang-san, why did you..." Ryunosuke cried out at Wang Xiaoming's actions. He had no idea how the scene had taken such a turn.
"Ryunosuke..."
Wang Xiaoming pulled the knife from his wound with a muffled groan, then placed the iron bucket beneath his leg to catch the blood. After he finished, he lifted his pale face and stared at Ryunosuke Uryu. "If you need blood, you can take it from me. But I don't want you to hurt this child again."
Otherwise, even if I die, I'll bite a chunk out of you!
Eek—
Ryunosuke Uryu had killed so many people and seen all kinds of expressions on their faces before they died: terror, anger, tears, even people so frightened they'd wet themselves. He'd seen it all.
Whether it was the aura that came with being a transmigrator or something else, Wang Xiaoming's gaze was the first to make Ryunosuke feel a chill.
I only need the materials, after all. It doesn't matter who they come from. As for that child...
He's a sacrifice for the Demon anyway.
"Fine."
Ryunosuke Uryu actually nodded in agreement. It was the first time he'd ever agreed to a request from one of his "materials."
This is enough. I just have to hold on like this until I die...
Only after he'd relaxed did Wang Xiaoming feel the effects of losing too much blood—
The world spun around him.
Summoning Ritual
"I'm finally~~ done!!!"
Looking at the elaborate Summoning Circle in front of him, Ryunosuke Uryu dropped his paintbrush and raised both arms in a loud cheer.
He'd drawn it so many times, but this was the first time Ryunosuke had managed to complete the Summoning Circle perfectly.
Before this, he'd always lost himself in the pleasure of slaughter. By the time he came back to his senses, the blood would have dried, and Ryunosuke Uryu would be left fretting over it.
He propped his right hand under his chin and admired his own handiwork, rather pleased with himself. Then Ryunosuke Uryu looked toward the other end of the room, where two figures were pressed together, and muttered to himself with some regret:
"Hmm... It's a shame Wang-san is going to be 'wasted'..."
Never mind! Compared to Wang-san, I'm more excited to see if the Demon can teach me something even more cooool~~!
All right, let's begin the summoning ritual!
(Flips through book)
"Hmm, let the silver and iron be the origin, let the stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation..."
As for Wang Xiaoming—
Wang Xiaoming wasn't doing too well. He was slumped against the corner of the wall for support, weak from blood loss. All the color had drained from his face. He could even feel part of his body gradually being pulled away...
"Mister..."
The boy Wang Xiaoming had saved was leaning against him, his eyes full of worry. He was still young, but he understood that his parents had been killed. The man beside him had saved him.
Though he hadn't yet emerged from the shadow of losing both his parents, the boy understood that this man was the only person he could rely on in the world.
"Brat, don't call me Mister. I'm still young and don't even have a girlfriend. Call me Big Bro." Wang Xiaoming laughed weakly. His mind was still clear.
Before you continue