area51novel Page 463
Page 463
However, there were a few ants that had just crawled onto my hand...
761 Respect my choice
P.S.: I recommend playing "Pieces of Me" by Aviators below. It's a really nice song, and the lyrics are very relevant to the following content. I will provide the lyrics translation at the end of the article.
If I hadn't planned to get involved in this mess, or even if I had never come to this world that doesn't belong to me, would the story have unfolded very differently?
......
Why are you only waking up now?
"...!!"
The first thing he did after regaining consciousness was to reach inside his coat. He fumbled around and realized that he didn't have a coat at all, just a plain black jacket.
It's nothing like the layered coat I used to wear all the time...
Did you accidentally drop something?
Luo Fan was stunned. The voice asking him came from the girl with short yellow hair beside him. Her face still had a youthful look, with a hint of naivety. Her simple white dress was out of place with the surrounding yellow earth and mountains, so much so that Luo Fan almost didn't remember who she was.
"No, nothing..." Only after regaining consciousness did Luo Fan realize the cold sweat on his forehead. He shook his head and said, "Ying Que...?"
"Well, what happened?"
The girl nodded quickly, looking excitedly at the boy's next words.
"It's nothing... I'm just a little dizzy..."
Luo Fan pressed his temples hard, and a strange dizziness filled his mind. More importantly, where was he, and why was he here?
What was I doing before?
However, the girl before him was Ying Que; she was Ying Que, and she should be Ying Que...
Was this how she was originally? In my memory, she had long white hair, wore a long black dress, and had a seemingly gloomy appearance, but was actually very warm-hearted towards her family... or something like that...?
"not comfortable?"
She raised her hand and placed it on Luo Fan's forehead. Fortunately, the warm touch remained unchanged.
"A little bit, but it'll be fine in a bit... Huh?"
Yingque quickly pulled himself up from the ground, brushing the dust off his pants and, of course, the ants on his hands.
She said with concern, "Lying on the ground for too long without anything to lean on will make you dizzy. Get up quickly, you've gotten all dusty, and you might get scolded when you get back."
But this time, Luo Fan did not focus his gaze on Ying Que, but rather on the scenes that floated around him, which looked like a dream, yet were incredibly real. He seemed to still have some impression of those things.
Mountains, streams, stone bridges, and of course, a few ducks swimming in the water, their calls sounding like they're laughing.
This might be some unknown remote mountain village, but why am I here? I shouldn't be here... here...
Where...?
......
"Let's go home."
"go home?"
Where is home?
......
The girl took his hand, like children walking together after school, but instead of the lively skipping, she walked with a steady gait, as if she had been so melancholy for a long time.
Only when she was alone would she occasionally show a gentle smile. He truly loved her smile; it was neither unrestrained nor hypocritical, but rather a silent understanding that existed between family members—that is, just looking at each other could bring them joy.
This is how it should be between her and me, right? Nothing can stop them, Luo Fan thought. This natural harmony is so intoxicating. Gradually, where I was and where I was going didn't seem to matter anymore... or so...?
After walking along a dirt road for a while, Luo Fan had gradually adapted to the rare tranquility of the countryside, but neither time nor fate would grant him much favor at these moments.
【boom】
A terrifying loud noise came from afar, and Luo Fan instinctively covered his ears.
The explosion actually occurred a long distance away, and by the time the sound reached this point, there wasn't much energy left. However, the sound gave Luo Fan a completely different feeling.
Familiarity, resistance, and a splitting headache—he clenched his teeth, trying to banish all the discomfort, but it was pointless; he could only let it slowly dissipate with the passage of time.
When Yingque opened her eyes just now, she didn't seem to be affected by it. She was just looking at the black cloud that was spreading in the distance. It was caused by an explosion, which should be a terrifying thing for any teenage girl.
Luo Fan asked hesitantly, "What just happened?"
“It’s nothing, just a minor explosion,” she smiled and slowly shook her head. “It’s just an explosion, it has nothing to do with us.”
......
My life path dictates that I often have to make choices, but that doesn't mean I enjoy making trade-offs, especially in certain matters, which can be very difficult for me.
......
Although he resisted these headaches, they stemmed more from a strange sense of familiarity. He knew he had frequently encountered these scenes at certain times in the past, and he had an inexplicable premonition that it was where he truly belonged.
His legs seemed to have broken free from his consciousness. Luo Fan strode forward as if possessed, heading towards the dusty ground, until the invisible chains, the hands that bound him and her together, kept him in place.
He turned around, his eyes, though slightly full, seemed to hold some reluctance, but more so, confusion.
Are you curious about that place?
"Hmm...maybe."
"Why are you curious? Do you know what might be there?"
"I don't know, I just feel a sense of familiarity... It's like there's something there that I still care about a lot, I just can't remember what it is..."
......
Yingque swallowed hard, pulling Luo Fan back a little while later: "But there might be many dangers there that we don't know about. Why don't we turn back now, go home? Look..."
She raised her hand and pointed to a spot on the hillside. Luo Fan stared intently, and there it was, amidst the shadows of trees and the overlapping mountains...
He saw two things: one was an earthen house in the early Donghuang style, and the other was a bar with small lights on, with the words VA--11---HALL written on it.
......
"But I... still want to go and see..."
After a brief moment of thought, Luo Fan still spoke in the same way.
......
"Let's go then, we'll go together, but..."
Yingque maintained that serene smile, though a barely perceptible hint of melancholy flickered in her eyes.
"This time, I need you to take me with you."
"okay."
Luo Fan did not hesitate at all; any hesitation at this point would be unreasonable. She was glad that Luo Fan was willing to respect her own choice.
762 Opening Eyes
Pushing aside the bushes on the path, the two slowly made their way towards the direction of the explosion, with Luo Fan hoping to find out his current predicament from the scene of the explosion.
Everything here seemed too bizarre and fantastical. The scenes seemed to have appeared in my memory before, but when I saw them with my own eyes, they felt incredibly unfamiliar. It was as if someone had erased a part of my memory, but then maliciously left a scratch to torment me and enjoy my stammering embarrassment.
"Look, it seems to be right there."
Luo Fan was still searching for the next step, but Ying Que seemed to have spotted the target in advance and gently patted Luo Fan's shoulder to remind him.
"where?"
Luo Fan was puzzled. Wasn't this just an ordinary dirt road? But when he looked in the direction Ying Que was pointing, he was once again shocked by the scene before him.
What was just a weed-choked country lane has now transformed into a dilapidated city. Raging flames are devouring the creations of civilization, the roads are jammed with abandoned vehicles, and even more terrifying are the walking corpses that roam the city...
Luo Fan subconsciously reached for the inside of his chest again, but of course, it was empty, yielding no satisfactory result.
Ying Que observed his actions but did not use them as a pretext...
"That place looks dangerous, are you still planning to go?"
“Go,” Luo Fan said without hesitation, “I might remember, I know how to deal with these monsters, and… there seem to be people I know among them…”
Ying Que frowned slightly and looked into the depths of the city: "How would you know? Besides, those monsters... as long as we don't get close, there won't be any danger."
Although it looks bloody and horrifying, as Yingque said, as long as you don't get close and don't get discovered by them, there is probably no danger.
Korovan echoed Yingque's words, saying, "Yes, as long as we don't get close to them, there will be no danger. They are stupid."
Having said that, he was about to get up and rush out of the bushes, but just before he took a step, he turned back...
She was still behind him, the worry in her eyes hadn't faded, it wasn't the look a child should have, it was doubt, tension, trepidation, and longing.
But Luo Fan himself didn't realize that what he was thinking and doing was not the behavior a child should exhibit.
"You...don't come with me, it's too dangerous there."
Out of concern, Luo Fan said this, but Ying Que's usually kind brows furrowed even deeper.
"Is there anything more worthwhile for you to take such a big risk than the one between us?"
......
This question stumped me. Yes, is there anything more important than the relationship between her and me?
Is it for a few faces that vaguely exist in my memory, or for some greater goal, or... simply for my own selfish desires?
It seems that each one occupies a little bit...
......
"...It seems there isn't any left, but I feel that this is something I must do now."
He looked into the depths of the ruins, a mixture of determination and bewilderment appearing in his eyes at the same time: "If I don't do this, it's as if I don't understand why I'm here. I seem to be carrying the expectations of some people, including you, Yingque."
Finally, a hint of emotion appeared in Yingque's eyes. Keluofan changed the subject and looked at the innocent girl again: "However, I cannot let you be in danger. Not everything requires us to deal with it together, because... those things seem to be beyond your understanding and beyond my control."
I... lack the courage to guarantee my success. I seem to have already failed, and I'm afraid it will happen again...
......
"me and you togather."
A strange force came from her hand, and Ying Que took the lead and pulled Luo Fan out of the bushes. Luo Fan was stunned. He did not expect that she would be willing to face such danger with him.
"No, you can't go. It's too dangerous, and... there are many things you shouldn't see."
......
I tried to hide it, I trapped her in place with a cage made of gold thread. I was so selfish. I knew she wouldn't leave. She would be trapped in this cage like a cocoon around herself. Even though the gaps in the bars were enough for her to fly free, she still chose to stay, because I knew...
She loved me so much, and I loved her so much. I was afraid she would see the world outside the birdcage, and she was afraid I would be swallowed up by the darkness outside the birdcage. What she wanted...
But we're all in this birdcage together...
But the world isn't over yet; there's still hope, at least...
......
"It's nothing, it's something I shouldn't have seen. If possible, I hope you can tell me all the things you've been keeping to yourself."
She reached out and touched his face, her gentle smile revealing the beauty of a young girl. In her features, Luo Fan could see two faces.
Her blonde hair, her white hair, her eyes open, her eyes closed, white dress, black dress... ah... everything is so familiar...
Um......
"Then, let's start together."
Speechless, perhaps the only thing he could do now was to agree to her somewhat willful request and take her into that world that didn't belong to her.
......
"This is your world."
......
As expected, Luo Fan was quite adept at dealing with these zombies. He avoided the areas where they gathered, took secluded alleys, and used obstacles to avoid being seen, thus safely bypassing them.
Behind him, the tranquil little village gradually collapsed and disappeared from Luo Fan's sight. Or perhaps, he never looked back, and whether it collapsed or not was meaningless to him.
[Tap, tap tap, tap tap tap tap...]
"It's gunfire!"