At the same time, but the crazy

Chapter 484 Interlude
Head hurts.

It looked like someone had hit it hard with a wrench.

David suddenly opened his eyes, breathing heavily, his heart pounding wildly.

What comes into view is a familiar, somewhat mottled ceiling.

And then there's the smell of cheap air freshener mixed with dust that permeates the air.

This is...his home?

His apartment?

David jolted awake and sat bolt upright.

He looked around at the cramped room, the corner piled with clutter, the yellowed rock band posters on the wall... everything was exactly the same as he remembered.

Why... is he here?

The hospital… Oh right, Mom?!
As if he had just realized something, David's pupils contracted, and he stood up in a fluster.

Then, his gaze froze.

On that simple, even somewhat shaky, single bed, lay a figure.

It's Gloria! It's his mother!

"mom!"

David practically tumbled and crawled over to her.

He approached cautiously, afraid of disturbing the person in bed.

Gloria had her eyes closed. Although her face was still somewhat pale, her breathing was steady and long, and her chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath.

Her abdomen... there were no horrific wounds or soaked gauze on her abdomen, only the pajamas she often wore, which were a little faded from washing.

David reached out his hand, trembling, and gently checked her breath.

A warm breeze brushed against his fingertips.

Still alive... really still alive...

Overwhelmed by a surge of elation and lingering fear, his legs went weak and he nearly collapsed to his knees by the bedside.

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

so far so good……

and many more!

David suddenly realized what was happening and looked down at himself.

He quickly checked his body.

There were no gunshot wounds, no knife cuts, not even a scratch.

His usual jacket was intact, except for some dust.

what happened?
A bloody battle in the operating room... the bald man's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face...

Could it be... a dream?
A nightmare caused by excessive stress?

Or... is he in some kind of Mewtwo right now?

Just when David's mind was in complete chaos and he was almost questioning the meaning of life.

A deep, strangely magnetic male voice suddenly rang out behind him.

That wasn't a dream.

!!!

David's hair stood on end instantly!
He turned around abruptly, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat!

A tall figure appeared in his small apartment without him noticing.

The man was dressed in strange clothes that were out of step with the times. He had bulging muscles and a domineering and unrestrained physique. Just by standing there, he exuded a sense of oppressive power that made people's hearts tremble.

His eyes were deep, as if they held thunder and storm within them, and he was looking at him calmly.

It's him!

it's him!
In the operating room, the person reaching out their hand to him...

David's pupils contracted sharply, his throat went dry, and he instinctively took a step back.

But then, he remembered something.

This person... saved him, and also saved his mother.

That almost miraculous power...

"Was it...was it you who saved my mother?"

David's voice was somewhat dry, with a hint of disbelief in its tremor.

The mysterious man before them, or rather... being, nodded slightly.

His gaze, so intense it seemed to see right through David, swept over him as if he could read every thought in his mind.

"Your will has not been extinguished."

On the verge of despair, you let out a defiant roar.

He grasped my hand through his own will.

The man's voice carried little emotion, yet possessed an undeniable power.

"This……"

David was stunned, completely baffled as to what the other person was saying.

My appearance was not accidental.

I am here to give you strength. Strength to those who are in darkness.
Yet, a soul still yearns to break free from the shackles of fate...

A new option.

The man continued,

strength……

David muttered to himself.

He instinctively spread out his right hand.

The terrifying sense of control I felt in the operating room, the power to distort reality, still seemed to linger at my fingertips.

He focused his mind, recalling that feeling...

Shila-

A faint blue arc of electricity appeared and danced in his palm.

It's true...it's real! It's not an illusion!
David stared wide-eyed at the fleeting flash of electricity in his palm, his heart filled with turmoil!

This is not a prosthetic body, but his own power...

at this time--

"Um……"

A soft groan came from the bed.

Gloria's eyelids fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes were still somewhat confused, as if she didn't understand what was going on.

"David...?"

She spoke weakly, looking at her son.

"mom!?!"

David was startled. Almost instinctively, he turned around abruptly, spreading his arms to completely block the mysterious man behind him.

He didn't want his mom to see such a... well, a really "heavyweight" hunk suddenly appear in the house.

It's hard to explain!
Gloria was somewhat bewildered by her son's actions.

"David... what are you doing?"

She rubbed her still slightly throbbing temples and asked in confusion.

Ok?
David was stunned.

He glanced back cautiously.

The man was still standing there.

But his mother... seems unable to see him?
"My existence is based on the connection of consciousness."

Only you can sense me.

The man's voice rang directly in David's mind.

It turned out to be like this...

David breathed a sigh of relief, quickly turned around, and forced a smile that looked as natural as possible.

"No...it's nothing, Mom!"
I just wanted to check if you were awake! How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?

"I……

I remember...we think we were in a car accident...yes, a car accident! I was injured..."

Gloria frowned, trying hard to recall.

She instinctively reached out to touch her abdomen.

Her last memory was that she seemed to be injured...

“No, no!
"Mom, you just fainted from fright! You're perfectly fine! Really! See, I brought you back safe and sound, didn't I?"

David quickly grabbed her hand and hurriedly fabricated a lie.

He gestured to his surroundings, trying to make his point more convincing.

"We're all fine, the car might need some repairs... but it's good that everyone's alright, right?"

Gloria looked at her son's anxious face, and then at her own body, which was indeed normal. Although she felt something was off, she was still a little confused and didn't investigate further.

Perhaps... I really did remember it wrong?
"As long as it's okay...it's okay as long as it's okay..."

She murmured, then closed her eyes wearily.

David was finally relieved, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

……

night.

The rooftop of the apartment building.

David leaned against the graffiti-covered low wall, looking down at the bizarre city below.

Countless neon signs flashed, turning the sky a sickly purple.

The flying car, trailing a trail of light, weaves through the steel jungle.

In the distance, the Arasaka Tower stands like a silent behemoth, overlooking all living beings.

The City of Night, a city of desire that never sleeps.

His feelings were incredibly complicated.

Anger, fear, relief, confusion... all sorts of emotions intertwined, like a tangled mess.

The man who called himself Zhang Qi stood beside him, silently watching the city.

"Why...me?"

After a long silence, David finally couldn't help but ask, his voice slightly hoarse.

He learned everything from Zhang Qi...

"I'm just a... poor kid living in the downtown area, a good-for-nothing who could barely protect his own mother... Why are you giving me this... power?"

He couldn't understand.

Why would such a godlike power befall an ordinary, even weak, person like him?

Zhang Qi slowly turned his head, his gaze calmly landing on David.

"The distinction between strong and weak has never been based on physical strength, nor on how many weapons you possess, or how much euros you have in your bank account."

His voice was deep and powerful, carrying a sense of worldly wisdom and vicissitude.

"It is the heart."

"It is a heart that, even in the deepest darkness, even when trampled into the mud, still refuses to bow its head and still burns with the will to resist."

Zhang Qi stretched out his hand and pointed to the brightly lit city below, where undercurrents were swirling beneath the surface.

"This city is full of people like you."

Oppressed, exploited, ignored...

Some people are numb, while others, like you, still possess the will to resist.

"I will not make choices for anyone, much less impose my will on anyone."

"I'm just giving people like you... a new option."

"That's all..."

(End of this chapter)