Chapter 383: Little Sun Orphanage |
Ye Xingyuan raised an eyebrow. He did not see anything wrong with the tactic of taking a hostage; instead, he found the other party's unbelievable expression to be quite baffling.
But there was no time for him to ponder. In the next moment, a massive repulsive force suddenly erupted from the girl he was holding. Ye Xingyuan considered using a sword finger to pierce the hostage's neck, but in a flash of lightning, a strong intuition surged within him warning that he would regret doing so.
He pulled his hand back, allowing this repulsive force—which seemed to burst from some kind of protective item—to launch him off the building.
Fierce winds rushed past his ears, and the countless water droplets filling the sky began to flow against the current.
However, this was not a mere optical illusion exclusive to him, caused by his falling speed exceeding that of the descending rain.
Instead, the rain was truly flowing backward.
When Ye Xingyuan was blasted away by the repulsive force and plummeted off the roof, Shirayanagi Ayaha jumped in fright. As soon as she turned around, she was met with this magnificent spectacle.
Illuminated by the dim, yellowish lights of the rooftop, the reversing water droplets made her feel as though she were trapped in a dream.
Her small mouth parted slightly. She then watched as the black-haired, dark-eyed Ye Xingyuan slowly ascended into the air. The endless water droplets gathered around him, orbiting, stretching, and transforming into transparent water swords.
Mirroring the sheer density of the downpour, thousands of water swords deliberately bypassed Shirayanagi Ayaha, who stood caught between Ye Xingyuan and Carole, and shot mercilessly toward the hacker girl.
Like a barrage of arrows facing an enemy army on an ancient battlefield, the sky-blotting torrent of water swords made even the intentionally spared Shirayanagi Ayaha turn pale. Yet, the true target, Carole, merely let out a laugh. "You really are good at using the weather!"
Carole had naturally noticed the subtle choice Ye Xingyuan made to spare Shirayanagi Ayaha when he was blown away, which was why her expression was so relaxed right now.
She shifted her stance nimbly, evading one killing blade after another. As the watery edges crashed against the ground, they burst into brilliant splashes. Carole looked as if she were elegantly dancing a waltz amidst the blooming and wilting of these glass-like flowers.
During a brief opening, her silhouette melted into the pitch-black curtain of the night, much like an opera singer taking a final bow on stage.
A faint prickling sensation struck Ye Xingyuan's forehead. Without a second thought, he retreated. In that exact instant, the water sword beneath his feet drifted right into his grasp. He held the blade horizontally, perfectly blocking the tip of a silver rapier that thrust out from a ripple in space.
Carole's figure materialized, a smile playing on her lips. Mechanical wings spread wide behind her back, and she kept a tight grip on her ornate silver rapier. "I don't know what happened to you, but since you don't even recognize Ayaha, could it be that you've lost your memory? Do you still remember who you are?"
Ye Xingyuan certainly did not believe he had lost his memory. Although his thoughts were a bit chaotic, he knew his own name, knew where he was born, and knew exactly what he had experienced.
He met Carole's gaze with indifference and threw out a Palm Thunder with a backhand strike.
Carole retracted her sword and dodged to the side, laughing. "Alright, it was my fault for using an appraisal skill on you, but I had to adapt to the situation to confirm your identity!"
"I have no idea why you changed your appearance or why you are treating your childhood friend like a complete stranger, but the results of the appraisal never lie. The facts prove we didn't track down the wrong person. Plus, I am sure you also feel like something is slightly off right now, do you not?"
Ye Xingyuan lowered his right hand after unleashing the Palm Thunder, leaving only his left hand gripping the long water sword.
While being hunted by the American military, Ye Xingyuan had encountered an endless stream of varied means and tactics. It would be entirely laughable if he allowed himself to be shaken by a few simple words at this point in his life.
It was just... the moment he opened his eyes, he had found himself in an unfamiliar city. He inexplicably knew Japanese, a language he had barely touched before, and his mind felt hazy and chaotic. These were all undeniable facts.
"..."
"Looks like I hit the nail on the head." Noticing Ye Xingyuan's reaction, Carole giggled. "Back to my earlier question—do you still remember who you are?"
Ye Xingyuan looked at her calmly. Instead of answering, he countered, "Seeing how you vow solemnly like this, it seems you are completely convinced I am the person you are looking for. Then tell me, who do you think I am?"
"Oh?" Carole seemed a bit surprised by his response. "Your guard is certainly up."
However, right after saying that, she smiled again and looked toward Shirayanagi Ayaha, who was staring over from the rooftop with a look of concern. "Ayaha, be a dear and tell your childhood friend exactly who he is."
The pale, slender figure of the girl on the rooftop was reflected in Ye Xingyuan's eyes, his gaze completely indifferent.
However, a scarlet hue unconsciously surged within his left eye. Neither Ye Xingyuan himself nor Carole, who was hovering opposite him with crossed arms, noticed it in the slightest.
Instead, it was Shirayanagi Ayaha, who was currently meeting Ye Xingyuan's gaze, who suddenly trembled all over as her vision faded to pitch black.
She saw an eerie woman wrapped in red ribbons appear before her. The figure floated in a circle around her, and absolutely no emotion could be seen in her ruby-like eyes.
Shirayanagi Ayaha opened her mouth to speak but could not produce a single sound.
She only heard a playful yet ethereal voice drift from the woman's lips, "A suitable one. The second..."
It was spoken in Chinese, and Shirayanagi Ayaha could understand it perfectly. Because she had been frail and sickly since childhood, largely cut off from all physical sports, her academic and cultural accomplishments were absolutely peerless for her age group.
In terms of languages alone, she did not lose out to Hoshino Rin or Sasaki Ayane. She had naturally dabbled in Chinese, a language world-renowned for its incredibly high level of difficulty.
Yet, despite knowing exactly what the woman had said, Shirayanagi Ayaha's mind was filled with baffling questions, even making her doubt her own grasp of the language for the first time.
But she had no time to dwell on it.
Because in the next second, the woman vanished. The pitch-black space suddenly became blindingly bright, prompting Shirayanagi Ayaha to instinctively shield her eyes.
As waves of dizziness washed over her mind, the searing white view gradually gained traces of gray and black.
The colors balanced out, finally becoming less harsh on her eyes.
Shirayanagi Ayaha suddenly felt as if someone had shoved her from behind, sending her stumbling and falling right into this monochromatic painting.
"Ah!"
Crying out in pain, Shirayanagi Ayaha shook her head as she lay on the ground. She lifted her small head, which now had a dead leaf resting on top of it, and was stunned to realize that the world before her had turned completely gray, exactly like the image she had just seen.
In front of her sat an old, dilapidated building. Above its main gate hung several large Chinese characters.
— Little Sun Orphanage.