From the end of the world

Chapter 61 Ma Zao's Friend 4
Number Two is really Ma Zao’s friend!

Am I dreaming? Although this is indeed a dream...

Ma Zao must have never imagined that I could actually contact her lost friends in the future. She probably never thought of contacting them. It's not that she doesn't care about her friends, but the idea itself is a dead end.

Just like the protagonists of online novels about rebirth, they often don't think about whether the world of the original future will continue to develop after they are reborn in the past, and how it will develop. If you ask them if they want to talk to people living in the original future, they may be tempted; if you don't ask, it is difficult for them to even have this idea. Even if they think about it, they can't treat it as a realistic problem and deal with it seriously.

I deliberately read out loud: "Are you the little girl who was in a two-person group with her that Ma Zao mentioned?"

Hearing this, No. 2 was stunned at first, but then he seemed to forget even his sadness, and said in surprise and joy: "Mr. No. 3, have you met Sister Ma Zao and talked to her?"

"Yes, I have seen her." I said as I organized my words in my mind, "Also, you misunderstood one thing."

"What's the matter?" she asked quickly.

"I am not a person living in the apocalypse," I said. "Like No. 1 and No. 4, I am a person living in the era before the apocalypse."

She said in disbelief: "How is it possible? If she is not from the same generation as me and Sister Ma Zao, how could she have met Sister Ma Zao..."

"Perhaps you can't believe it, but Ma Zao traveled to our time..."

I told him what happened between me and Ma Zao.

Needless to say, all these things were embellished. I couldn't openly say that I was a bad person who wanted to use Ma Zao to satisfy my own desires, but I embellished myself as a kind person who couldn't sit idly by and watch Ma Zao, a "girl who dragged her weak and immature body deep into the darkness alone."

I don't know if it's my illusion, but I seem to have been lying to everyone around me during this period. I lied to Chang'an, I lied to Ma Zao, and now I'm lying to a ten-year-old girl.

When I count them up, the only person I have had sincere communication with recently is Zhu Shi, with whom I don’t have a very deep friendship.

However, I am not lying out of malice. I really intend to help Ma Zao. Especially after confirming the concepts of "Divine Seal" and "Doomsday" from other people, I really have the desire to explore Doomsday.

More importantly, if Ma had known earlier that I had the fragment of the divine seal in my hand, or even knew that I could contact No. 2 through the fragment of the divine seal, perhaps she would not have left me this time, and I would not have had to continue trying to imprison her.

While I was narrating, No. 2 asked questions from time to time.

Her voice was innocent and childish, and her way of speaking was in line with that of a child her age, but her questions were actually quite calm. Some of the questions seemed to be probing, trying to test whether I was making up lies to deceive her, especially to test the relationship between me and Ma Zao.

Yes, I guess in her opinion, even if I communicated with Ma Zao, it was not necessarily as a friend. Maybe I was Ma Zao's enemy, and she had to test my position first.

The excitement and joy she showed when she thought I was a person from the apocalyptic era might have been a bit of acting.

This is really amazing for a child of this age, maybe it's the precocity brought about by the doomsday environment. If this kind of acting skills can be combined with her childish appearance, I may not be able to realize it. It's a pity that she is now a blurry shadow, which allows me to consider her words more objectively.

When I finished my story, she fell silent for a while, and I patiently gave her time to digest the information.

Maybe she is feeling very upset now. Now she has lost her name and is facing the desperate situation of becoming a demon in the near future; while Ma Zao, as her protector, unexpectedly came to a peaceful world before the end of the world.

There is no madness or demons here, and you can even eat delicious food and enjoy all the conveniences of modern society.

Many times, the last straw that breaks the camel's back is not poverty but inequality.

After a moment, No. 2 let out a breath, but made a very relieved voice: "... So, Sister Ma Zao really went there..."

There was no resentment in her voice. Sometimes there are kind-hearted people like this, or maybe it's because children don't have such devious thoughts. Seeing the person who Ma Zao protected with his own hands react like this after knowing Ma Zao's whereabouts, I don't know why I feel a little happy.

Come to think of it, No. 2 even forgot his own name, but was still thinking about Ma Zao's name, which shows his sincere feelings.

At the same time, I was also surprised by the details in No. 2's words.

"You said 'as expected'?" I didn't miss these two words. "Did you know she would travel to the modern era?"

"Rather than saying I know, it's better to say I have this feeling..." She seemed to be recalling seriously, "...I'm sorry, I forgot a lot of things. Now I can't even remember my own name...I only remember that Mazao-sister's return to the past was related to me, but...I really can't remember why I had this thought."

"If I remember correctly, you got separated while escaping from the great demon, right?" I asked, "Ma Zao took you to perform the final spatial transfer, and an 'accident' occurred during this spatial transfer. As a result, Ma Zao's soul was transferred to the modern era, and to a person with amnesia who looked and had the same name as himself... You mean, this 'accident' was caused by you?" "I can't remember... I'm not lying, I really can't remember." She shook her head.

"It seems that I have to help you recover your memory first... at least let you remember your own name." I thought, "If I find Ma Zao, I should be able to find out your previous name from her, and then tell it to you... Is this method feasible?"

"It's doable." She seemed to have a desire to survive, and she asked, "If conditions permit, Mr. Three... I hope you can do it as soon as possible. I can only hold on for another ten days at most."

"Ten days? I see." I nodded. "But if you're sorry, judging from your current mental state, it doesn't seem like you'll turn into a monster in ten days at most?"

"Well, just like you imagined, I was originally unable to communicate normally... I don't know if it's because of this dream, but now I can make an exception and communicate with people in a normal mental state." She seemed puzzled by this, but could only accept the status quo, "And once I return to the real world, it will be difficult for me to maintain a clear consciousness."

"I see..." I had no choice but to accept this explanation, and then asked, "By the way, isn't the name 'Number Two' okay? I heard from Ma Haya that as long as there is a name, it doesn't matter even if it's a temporary code name. When you were with Ma Haya, you probably didn't use your real name, right?"

"Yes, I used the name that Mazao-nee gave me before. And it is because of the code name 'Number Two' that I can hold on for another ten days." She said dejectedly, "But this name has nothing to do with my past memories. I can't enter the foggy dream every day. If no one is around to call me, I will eventually become a monster..."

This is a really tricky question. Regardless of whether I can find Ma Zao within ten days, even if I can, how can I guarantee that I can enter the misty dream again within ten days? Listening to the tone of No. 1's mention of this matter, it seems to be a random event.

My real time limit is not even ten days, but five days. This is the time that Ma Zao and I have spent together, and this is also the time that the influence of Ma Zao's jinx physique on me will last after she leaves me. After it is over, I will return to a state of no connection with strange things.

Number Two seemed to notice my stress. She said softly in a childish voice, "Mr. Number Three, don't be so nervous. I'm alone now. Even if I get my name back, I won't be able to survive the apocalypse for long. Maybe after becoming a monster, I can live longer."

"…It's too early to give up now. I will definitely find Ma Zao and do my best to save you," I said.

She just smiled and said, "By the way, Mr. No. 3, what do you think of Sister Ma Zao?"

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"Sister Mazao brings disaster to those around her, and is therefore feared and hated by countless people. Even her former companions drove her out of the team. She always appears very strong in front of me, but in fact she cries secretly behind my back or when she thinks I'm asleep. I know that." She whispered, "She treats me so well, but no one has ever treated her so well. Then, Mr. No. 3, you appeared in front of her...

"Maybe one day, you will feel that you can't be with her. Maybe it's for your own safety, or for the safety of those around you. By then, I hope..."

I interrupted her: "That day will never come."

She blinked.

"Next time, I won't let her run away from me again." I said seriously, "If she says she doesn't want to stay with me, then even if I have to put her in prison... I mean, even if I have to use some crazy means, I have to make her stay.

"No matter how much others curse her and regard her as a disaster, I will never regard her as such. I swear.

"So, don't worry."

"Really? That's good..."

She seemed to smile silently.

Before we knew it, the fog had grown thicker.

I could no longer see No. 2 clearly, and I gradually lost the feeling of my own body. Layers of gray mist turned into darkness in my vision...

Then, I woke up in my own home.

I returned to the real world.
-
After waking up, I immediately set out to verify whether the foggy dream was true or false.

The foggy dream is undoubtedly a phenomenon caused by a strange force, but even if it is strange, it does not mean that everything that happens in it is real. As the premise of everything, I must first figure this out.

The simplest method is to practice the information obtained from the dream. I tried to place the black jade I carried with me far away, and then distanced myself from it. And just as No. 1 said, there is indeed a binding relationship between the black jade and its owner. After a certain distance, the black jade automatically returned to my pocket.

The foggy dream is real, Number Two is also real, and I really had conversations with characters from the apocalyptic era... Although my previous practice may not be sufficient as material for judgment, I have already emotionally believed these things.

Two days later, the clue of Ma Zao's whereabouts finally appeared in front of me.

(End of this chapter)