Chapter 33

"Waaah-That answer is cheating!" Nobara Kugisaki wiped her nose, sobbing at the top of her lungs, with none of her earlier tomboyish confidence or swagger. "What do you mean, 'By then, I'll already be dead'? Damn it, you have to stay alive! Even if it takes everything you've got, you have to live!"

"If you give your life and never even get to see the dawn, then what meaning does that dawn have?!"

Nobara Kugisaki outright shouted that last sentence.

"Ugh, that really pisses me off." Maki Zenin flexed her hand around empty air, as though stroking her blade. "No matter what, surviving should come first."

"No, it's not that they don't want to live. They've simply made their peace with it." Kento Nanami knew that look all too well. "If kindling a spark of hope means paying with their lives, they're prepared for that."

"To sacrifice themselves." In exchange for a possibility.

"What a godforsaken world," Mai Zenin said, looking disturbed as well. "Even the Zenin Clan isn't that disgusting, right?"

"Death is just the worst-case outcome. They still have a chance to survive! I believe they'll make it!" Yuji Itadori clenched his fists.

"But even saying one in ten will survive is probably too optimistic." Megumi Fushiguro's words were no different from throwing cold water over them.

Yet Megumi Fushiguro understood those people very well, because he was the same kind of person. He would give everything to save others, and if he faced an enemy he couldn't defeat, he could always take them down with him. It was only death. Deep down, Megumi Fushiguro valued his own life far too little.

"That's not it at all." Ranpo Edogawa glanced at Megumi Fushiguro. "They're nothing like you, sea urchin head."

"S-sea urchin head?!" Megumi Fushiguro froze.

"I suppose this is a Chinese attitude: consider defeat before victory," Mori Ougai remarked. "They're simply speaking with death as the premise."

"It's more than that, though," Chūya Nakahara added. "It's conviction-the conviction to carve out a future even if they have to stake their lives and everything else on it."

The Sea City An Xinyi and Osamu Dazai were heading toward was called Dawn. Its name alone conveyed the good wishes invested in it.

It was proof of humanity's worldwide unity, and an experiment as well.

As the environment deteriorated further, the nations of the world would have almost completely lost contact with one another-if not for the Superhumans.

Precisely because there were Superhumans who surpassed common sense and human limitations, the nations had maintained contact even under such dire conditions. By now, they had realized that the horrors of the apocalypse were not something any one people or nation could withstand. Moreover, there would be even more problems of survival after the disasters. They needed to unite and truly build a community with a shared future for humanity.

This Sea City was one of their attempts at international cooperation.

This seemingly ordinary Sea City brought together people from across the world, and would carry citizens of more than ten nations through the natural disasters.

That was why it had been named Dawn-not only the dawn of life, but also the dawn of human cooperation and unity.

Osamu Dazai liked this atmosphere, where everyone held on to hope as they fought for their own survival. Earlier, he had felt the weight of life and sacrifice. Now, he felt life's vitality and resilience.

But wherever there was light, there were shadows. Humans were incredibly complex creatures. They possessed not only the light of humanity, but its evil as well.

"Yiyi," Osamu Dazai told An Xinyi about his discovery. "I've heard some troubling rumors from people on the ground."

"Someone is spreading a Doomsday Declaration."

Before the apocalypse, the major religions had all made Doomsday Declarations. Even the Mayan prophecy had once become common knowledge. Most religious Doomsday Declarations, however, were meant to encourage people to do good. Yet there were also people who maliciously spread fear of the apocalypse to profit from it, or... simply to indulge their desire for destruction and bloodshed.

Those were cults.

An Xinyi naturally understood the gravity of the situation. He questioned Dazai at length, his brow furrowing deeply. "I've heard of this sect. They believe that only souls forgiven by their god can escape the apocalypse... In reality, their method of gaining divine forgiveness is self-immolation. They're extreme and insane. It's unquestionably a cult."

Osamu Dazai wore an indescribable expression. "To think creatures that stupid and poisonous can still be classified as human. I really don't know what to say."

Compared with the people Osamu Dazai had met before, such as Chen Zhongming and the nameless young man, whose very souls shone, those twisted, insane creatures who wantonly destroyed things purely for their own selfish desires were a desecration simply by being placed in the same category.

"There's not much we can do about that," An Xinyi said helplessly. "Every crowd has its share of rotten apples." All the more so when people from different nations were gathered together. Their beliefs, habits, and even languages differed. Without the latest Simultaneous Translation Device, even communicating would have been a problem. There were naturally plenty of conflicts, and with all sorts of people mixed together, a few bad seeds were inevitable.

"The problem is that one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel," Osamu Dazai snorted.

"We won't give them that chance." An Xinyi's expression was grave. "We have to deal with those people as quickly as possible. Otherwise, there's no telling what trouble they'll cause."

Just as An Xinyi had said, once the matter was reported, the leadership took it extremely seriously. They cracked down harshly on this pernicious movement and arrested quite a few members of the doomsday cult. Troubled times called for severe measures, and almost all of them were dealt with swiftly and decisively.

But Osamu Dazai still felt that something was wrong, because those they had caught were only small fry. Yet the entire Sea City had already entered its final sprint. They were about to face their greatest test.

Thirty days later was the final deadline predicted by all the world's scientists and Superhumans.

All the continents would collapse, and seawater would engulf everything.

Could the Sea City withstand such a natural disaster and carry humanity's history forward?

"Wait, I have a bad feeling about this." Momo Nishimiya's eyes widened. "They wouldn't bring up this cult now for no reason, would they? Oh god, don't tell me those people are going to cause trouble." This was the apocalypse. They were about to face the final disaster, and any problem could be fatal!

"Bastards!" The hot-tempered Teruko Okura had already drawn her whip. "There's trash like that at every turn. They'd better not let me catch them, or I'll make them experience my interrogation methods firsthand!"

Nobara Kugisaki's expression was savage too. "Do they think my Straw Doll Technique is just for show?!"

Akiko Yosano also stroked her cleaver, a smile brimming with malice spreading across her face.

"Heh. I am the head of the interrogation division, after all." Koyo Ozaki's smile was icy.

No one stopped their reactions. In fact, everyone was filled with righteous anger, wishing they could charge into the screen, round up every last one of those rotten apples, and torture them all. They were not merely an eyesore-they were utterly revolting!

"I remember you used to be quite skilled at interrogation, Dazai." Mori Ougai turned to look at Osamu Dazai.

For once, Osamu Dazai did not snap back. Instead, he replied with a smile, "I'm a little rusty after going so long without practice. It would be wonderful to have someone to practice on."

Mori Ougai did not take the bait.

"More than that, I'm worried... Didn't they say the Final Judgment was coming?" Atsushi Nakajima murmured. He was already completely immersed. "Can they do it? Can they withstand it? Everyone's worked so hard."

Atsushi Nakajima felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked up, and Osamu Dazai turned toward him, his gaze gentle.

"Believe in them, Atsushi."

They can do it!

"Yes!" Atsushi Nakajima nodded firmly, then suddenly felt a chill.

"That damned weretiger-"

Sure enough, Akutagawa was staring at Atsushi Nakajima's shoulder, his eyes almost red with jealousy.

Time passed quickly.

"Yiyi." Osamu Dazai took An Xinyi's hand, concern on his face.

"Sorry, I'm just really worried." An Xinyi forced a smile with all his strength, but it did nothing to conceal the worry etched between his brows. "This will be the moment of Final Judgment. All our efforts, all our sacrifices-it all comes down to that moment."

An Xinyi carefully fastened Dazai's Safety Rope. When the land collapsed and the great flood arrived, there would inevitably be violent jolts, winds, and waves. Everyone had to make sure their Safety Rope was secured so they would not be thrown out.

People also had to gather in groups, ensuring that they could help one another if anything went wrong. Beside Osamu Dazai, hundreds of people were fastening their own Safety Ropes, or securing them for family and friends.

"Stay safe, Aji." An Xinyi ruffled his hair. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah," Osamu Dazai said with a smile. "See you in a bit."

But as Osamu Dazai watched An Xinyi walk away, unease suddenly stirred in his heart. "-"

"What is it?" An Xinyi looked back.

"Nothing." The auburn-haired boy suppressed his unease. "Good Fortune in Battle, Yiyi."

There were six hours left before the Final Judgment.