Chapter 106: Home |
'The end... of the world...?'
Ever since discovering the existence of anomalies, Shi Rang had never once considered this question.
In his understanding, a delicate balance existed in this world.
Given that hundreds of thousands of anomalies, large and small, existed in the world without it vanishing with a sudden boom at some point in the past, and considering he had lived twenty-eight ordinary years to know nothing of them, this state of affairs had to be the norm.
Much like an ecosystem, as long as it was sufficiently complex, it could resist various external influences and protect itself.
The Alliance, the Bureau, the Ascension Society, and countless other anomalous organizations were all simply components of this overarching system.
Therefore, upon hearing this topic, he reflexively asked, "What is the background of those people?"
"Have you ever heard of unorthodox sects? I am referring to the belief systems that the major districts define as cults."
The name of an unorthodox faith he had recently learned of popped into Shi Rang's mind, giving rise to a sudden, subtle premonition.
'It really is those guys?'
Shi Rang had to turn his head, pretending to hear a noise in the bedroom to hide the corners of his mouth turning up.
He had experienced far too much tragedy today, so upon hearing this familiar group name, he actually could not hold back a laugh. He truly could not connect the memory of those few figures fleeing in panic under the drone with the destruction of the world.
True, the cultists of the Star Child Order were terrifying with their bizarre abilities, and they had nearly wiped out the N4 Squad. But that disaster was mostly the result of a Divine Item; the cultists themselves were merely catalysts.
Moreover, the Eye of God was different from the Divine Body. It was already contained and heavily surrounded by the Bureau. Any suspicious person who approached it would be shot dead.
He simply could not fathom how these cultists, who had been chased all over the world, were supposed to bring about the apocalypse.
Jing Zi did not notice Shi Rang's expression. Staring into the empty paper cup in his hands, he continued speaking to himself.
"A few years ago, we discovered signs of the Star Child Order's activities during an operation, and the Bureau found the place at roughly the same time. That was the first time I saw the Bureau completely ignore us. The Deacon also ordered us to assist the Bureau and prioritize dealing with those cultists. I did not understand it at the time, but after those people... took action, I realized that if they were left unchecked, humanity would have no future."
Reaching this point, the aloof man actually began to tremble uncontrollably.
This reaction caused Shi Rang to reign in his levity.
From a conventional perspective, the containment of the Eye of God was foolproof. But if the Star Child Order possessed some supernatural methods...
'It is too early to think about this now.'
He was exhausted.
Since Jing Zi seemed like a decent guy, Shi Rang could finally rest easy.
'Let it be.'
If the other party had been lying the entire time, he could only curse his own bad luck.
"So, Shi Rang, the information you possess is incredibly important. Until the Deacon arrives, I will do everything in my power to protect you." Jing Zi seemed to have lost all his strength. He glanced at the longer section of the sofa, no longer bothering to hide his drowsiness. "I will sleep in the living room. Once the martial law is lifted, I will contact the Deacon immediately."
Shi Rang stood up. "I will get you a blanket."
Jing Zi did not refuse.
Only after this "guest" fell asleep without the slightest vigilance did Shi Rang have the time to enter the bedroom and check on the miniature town.
The town was slowly expanding, showing signs of covering half the bottom shelf of the cabinet, and the foundations for many new houses had already been laid. Leader Jack stood at the edge of the cabinet, with the Sheriff perched on his shoulder. Seeing him approach, the Sheriff used Leader Jack's help to quickly climb up to Shi Rang's ear.
"Go get some rest, Shi Rang. Everything is normal here. I will maintain order, so you do not need to worry. I will keep an eye on the man in the living room. If he tries to harm you, I know what to do."
Shi Rang's anxious heart finally settled.
"Thank you."
This was the second piece of good news he had heard today.
'It feels good to have someone helping me.'
Shi Rang was filthy from head to toe, but his bed was not much better off. A large footprint stained the pillow, to say nothing of the quilt and mattress. He stripped off his clothes, which were ruined enough to be thrown straight into a fire, flipped the pillow over, and fell asleep the moment his head hit the bed.
"Do you plan to go home for the New Year?"
While he and Ying Shang were taking a stroll together in Central Park, she brought this up out of nowhere.
"Why are you suddenly asking that?"
"Does the Second District not have a custom of meeting the parents before getting married?" Ying Shang held onto his arm with one hand while fiddling with the pom-pom on her scarf with the other. "The Charity Foundation assigned me to a foster family in the Tenth District, but my biological parents should be from the Second District. After all, I look like the people from there. I was thinking, maybe we could drop by and visit while we are at it? Maybe I can find a sense of my hometown? Perhaps I could even..."
Whenever the topic of family came up, Ying Shang always appeared uneasy.
She had a terrible relationship with her foster family and had cut ties with them long ago, refusing to acknowledge the place she was assigned to as her home. She had even earned her own college tuition.
However, Shi Rang knew she desperately craved having parental figures in her life, so much so that she hoped to call Shi Rang's parents "Mom and Dad," a desire she had mentioned to him on more than one occasion.
This time, Shi Rang remained silent, staring into the distance with a desolate expression.
Realizing she had made him sad, Ying Shang pulled a small bread roll from her pocket and dragged him to the lakeside to feed the water birds together.
The weather was freezing, turning both of their faces a rosy red. Yet, watching the flock of birds take flight on such a day brought a unique sensation, as if the vitality from those flapping wings was being transferred to them.
Shi Rang rolled breadcrumbs into little balls between his fingertips and tossed them onto the lake. As he watched the water birds fight over the food, he mentally wove a travel plan that could make Ying Shang's dream come true.
Once he finished his management trainee rotation, obtained local citizenship in a few years, and saved up enough money, they could take a trip to the Second District.
But that would be a world for just the two of them. It absolutely, positively, unequivocally must not involve those two people. It would be best to avoid their province entirely.
He had never mentioned those two names to Ying Shang. Those two people would destroy anything beautiful, and they had once nearly destroyed him. Once they were mostly done throwing the bread, they split the remaining pieces between themselves. Snuggling together in the bitter wind, they walked toward the park exit, carrying a shared warmth in their hearts.
"My superior seems to know some staff at the Charity Foundation," Shi Rang said. "They must have kept some records. Once we find out where your hometown is, we will go there for a vacation next time. How does that sound?"
"Sounds great!"
She drew out her words playfully, squeezing against him so hard that she nearly pushed Shi Rang into the bushes. He immediately initiated a "counterattack."
The two of them walked home, laughing and joking all the way.
Shi Rang woke up to the echo of her laughter, a faint trace of joyful afterglow still lingering at the corners of his mouth.
After that day, she never brought up Shi Rang's parents again.
Ying Shang understood him. She knew that although his family had not been destroyed in a car crash, he had still suffered immense trauma because of them.
'Did I remember this because there is a chance I might head to the Second District before her?'
Back then, Shi Rang had failed to get any useful information from his superior. Perhaps returning to the Second District this time, relying on the Ascension Society, would be a good opportunity to search for her hometown.
He had promised to help her find her original home.
Shi Rang got up, threw on an old shirt, and walked out of the bedroom. He found Jing Zi already standing by the balcony, observing the situation outside. As Shi Rang walked past, Jing Zi shook his head at him. "There are patrol cars out there. It is still not safe today. It is best if you do not go out."
He gave a sound of acknowledgment, walked into the bathroom, and locked the door. For now, he should be temporarily safe...
Unable to go out, he suddenly found himself with a surprising amount of free time.
'This is nice. If I had to spend another few days on the run, I would definitely go crazy.'
Sitting on the toilet lid, Shi Rang opened up his Sensing. After confirming that no Mini-Humans had followed him and finding that he could not sense Jing Zi—who was not actively using his abilities—he peeked through the crack in the door to verify the man was still on the balcony. Only then did he sit back down, connect to the Terminal Station, and search for "Ascension Society".
[1 result found]
[Bureau Combat Instruction Manual, Edition 1663: "...Upon confirming that hostile combatants belong to the Ascension Society, agents are permitted to abandon their primary objective and execute any enemy personnel exhibiting Anomalous Effects."]
Shi Rang read this chapter of the combat manual twice over, then returned to the Terminal Station to search more carefully.
'Is there really only this one entry?'