From the end of the world

Chapter 55 Doomsday Girl Date 4
Also, is that friend a boy or a girl?
Although I did care about this issue, I felt that if I asked it, the nature of the matter would change, so I had to swallow it.

Ma Zao seemed to be stumped by my question, and after a while she answered: "...She is an exception."

"What exceptions?" I asked.

"She is only a ten-year-old girl. In such a dangerous environment, if there is no one to protect her, she will die faster." She explained, "Although my presence will also put her in danger, even so, it is better than leaving her alone."

"A ten-year-old girl..." I nodded. "So, do you still remember her name? Since you were with her until the last moment, you wouldn't have forgotten her name. We can look up the records of amnesiacs later to see if there is such a person as her."

She seemed to be moved, but then she sighed and denied it: "I don't know her real name, and she herself has forgotten it."

I encountered an unexpected obstacle again. I asked, "Why is this happening?"

"I mentioned before that I have forgotten many things in the past. This is a very common phenomenon in the apocalypse." She revealed a look of reminiscence. "The world in the apocalypse is shrouded in invisible madness. People living in it will gradually be invaded by the madness, lose themselves, and forget their past experiences. I can no longer remember the appearance and names of those people I killed.

“When a person forgets his own name, or even forgets everything, he will lose himself, fall into madness, and become a monster that preys on anyone he chooses.

"People who transform into monsters are called 'monsters' or 'karma demons'."

The name "weirdo" is quite descriptive.

As for "karma demon"... I remember it is a term derived from Buddhism.

Buddhism calls the obstacles that prevent practitioners from achieving enlightenment "demons". The so-called "karma demons" are the root causes that make practitioners unable to resist committing evil deeds - or in layman's terms, the root causes that make practitioners unable to resist doing bad things. Buddhism believes that the reason why people do evil is because demons have invaded their hearts, and this demon is the karmic demon.

"Part of the reason I work with my friends is to prevent myself from forgetting everything and becoming a demon." Maha continued, "In the apocalypse, it's best to work in teams of two or more, so that you can call out each other's names and confirm each other's memories. It doesn't matter if it's a temporary code name, in short, you have to have a name."

"I see..." I digested this and then said, "But even if you don't know your friend's real name, you should remember her face, right? There's no such madness in this world now, so you shouldn't forget it again."

"I remember." She nodded. "I will do as you said and investigate the data of patients with amnesia... Although I don't think that the lost souls of patients with amnesia have gone to the apocalypse."

It seems that she still intends to fight alone. I must make her give up this idea.

After visiting the aquarium, I took her to the abandoned construction site near Saltwater University.

“This is…” Ma Zao pondered.

This is where I first met her, and it is also the place of destiny in my heart. Although it has changed beyond recognition, she should not have forgotten that she had been here before.

Now this place has become a dangerous area. Although the unfinished building that was split in half is still standing, it is already a dangerous building. A cordon has been set up around it to prevent anyone from approaching it rashly. It will be demolished in a while.

If I can't persuade Ma Zao no matter what, then I will reveal my identity as a person with super powers here.

I led Ma Zao through the cordon, into the unfinished building, and up the stairs in the undamaged part. Although she looked confused, she still followed me.

"I suggest you stay out of the spotlight. It's not just the forces out in the open that are tracking you. According to the information my friend got, there seems to be a powerful force investigating you in secret." I tried to persuade her again with words. "The police who came to your house some time ago and accused you of being a serial killer are probably just the tip of the iceberg of their power. Once you show up, you won't be able to continue to collect the information you want."

"The forces behind the scenes...even if they really exist, I must face them." She said firmly, "My goal has been very clear from the beginning, which is to announce the news of the approaching doomsday to as many people as possible and prevent the doomsday in this era."

"In that case, why was the first thing you said when you met me 'Don't call the police'? Wouldn't it be the best option to hand over the news of the impending doomsday to the authorities first?" I asked.

She answered without hesitation: "Because I need to collect enough evidence before I can convince people."

"I'll collect the evidence for you outside," I said. "You can hide here first. At least you can avoid the limelight for a while."

"No, you can't," she asserted.

"Why?" I was puzzled.

As we were talking, we had already arrived at the middle section of the unfinished building.

Although it is called the middle section, it is actually the rooftop. The structure above is a criss-crossed reinforced concrete skeleton, with scorch marks all around.

The rooftop and the upper frame were also split in half, with the broken edges about ten meters apart. We stood on one half of the rooftop. The ground was slightly tilted. She walked to the outer edge of the rooftop. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. A cool breeze blew over from above, and her medium-length black hair swayed in the wind.

She took off her black cat whisker mask and turned to face me with a very peaceful expression.

"Because, Zhuang Cheng...you don't actually believe in doomsday." "Why do you say that?" I asked back.

But her next words left me speechless.

"Have you ever asked me 'When will the end come'?"

These words struck my head like lightning.

"If you truly believe in the end of the world and feel taboo about it, you will definitely care about when the end of the world will come. Will it be in a few years, a few months, or a few days... It is impossible not to ask, because this is the countdown to destruction." She stared into my eyes, "But you have never asked once. This is natural, because you don't believe in the end of the world, so you won't have a sense of crisis, and naturally you won't have the concept of countdown."

"So in your opinion, it's impossible for me to collect evidence for you that the end of the world is near..." I read.

"I'm not blaming you, nor am I accusing you of lying to me just now." She said in an unwavering tone, "Because just a few days ago, you had already emphasized to me that you 'can't believe' me, but 'want to believe' me. Until this moment, you have been trying to believe me, so you talked to me so much about the end of the world.

"I am very grateful for your kindness, but just wanting to believe is not enough. I will prevent the end of the world and protect your future.

"But we can't be together."

"..."

Her assessment of me was generally correct, but she misunderstood one thing.

In my mind, the end of the world is not a taboo. Even if I really believe in the end of the world, I am probably looking forward to it.

So, the reason why I haven’t asked about the countdown to the end of the world is because I’m not looking forward to it enough?

That's not the case. In my mind, the end of the world is undoubtedly something worth looking forward to. However, this is probably just like someone who wants to become a millionaire by buying lottery tickets. While dreaming of winning the jackpot, it is hard to imagine that such a scenario will actually happen in reality, and it is impossible to look forward to it realistically. The end of the world is something that is out of reach for me.

Whenever I think about what Ma Zao said about the end of the world and time travel, I always prefix it with "hypothesis" or "if". If it is true, if it is true... how can I not think that way? Admittedly, everything she said before has been verified to be true, whether it is the jinx physique or the power of blessing... However, the end of the world is an event of a different scale after all, and it is not enough to say that it is "a world of difference".

No matter how much I want to believe her, the reality is that so far, there is really no clue to prove that the doomsday really exists.

Rather than pinning our hopes on the "end of the world" that is far away, it is better to keep an eye on the "jinx" that is close at hand. This is my irrefutable sincerity.

"Do you want to just walk away?" I asked.

"You've done me a favor. I will definitely repay you for it. But I can't repay you by your side. Otherwise, it wouldn't be repaying a favor, but repaying evil for good." Her tone was as solid as iron.

"...If you are worried that your bad luck will harm me, then there is no need to worry."

I was finally pushed to the last step.

"I have to be honest with you. I have been lying to you in the past..." I said slowly, "Actually... I am a person with super powers."

"--What?"

Hearing this, she showed an expression of great confusion and surprise.

I let out a breath.

In front of her, I raised my right hand, palm facing up.

A blazing fireball appeared in the palm of my hand, and the firelight reflected on Ma Zao's face, which was filled with surprise.

However, this level alone may not be enough to convince Ma Zao. In the eyes of Zhu Shi and Agent Kong, the people of Luoshan, the fire ability is usually only a deformed power that can attack the long board, and it cannot help the user survive for a long time in the strange world. Maybe Ma Zao will have the same view on the fire ability, so I must go further.

I backhanded the fireball and hit my chest.

As the fireball touched my chest, my entire body was on fire. Skin, muscles, bones, blood, internal organs... every part of me was burning. A long time ago, I ignited myself like this, and that's how I was able to realize the second form. Now, my body was instantly enveloped in the exploding flames.

The flames did not harm my body. On the contrary, my body was assimilated to the same color as the flames, and it became slightly transparent. Not only my body, but even my clothes were assimilated to the flames. In the past, I have changed my body countless times in front of the mirror. In this state, I am like a ghost woven by orange-red light, and the outline of my body is swaying like a flame. This seemingly unstable form is actually my strongest trump card.

This is my second form - the fire element form.

(End of this chapter)