My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 181 Xia Pingzhou: Who is more important, me or the Ripper? (Seeking monthly votes)

The Devil on the Train arrived in London at 7 p.m. local time on July 25.

It was just getting dark, with only the last rays of the setting sun still lingering over the Thames. Exactly on the hour, Big Ben chimed three times, its sound echoing throughout the city.

The brightly lit carriages illuminated the weeds on the tracks, and Black Chrysalis was the first to push open the door and step out.

He stretched and yawned, then stretched the muscles in his arms: "It's unexpectedly tiring."

Just then, a dark red text prompt box popped up in front of the black pupa.

Main Quest 3 (Phase 4) has been updated – Assist the Ghost Train crew in capturing the rampaging evil exorcist "Red Light".

"As expected..." Black Chrysalis shrugged and closed the panel. He had guessed the contents of this timed mission a few days ago.

"See you tomorrow morning, Mr. Black Chrysalis." Ke Qirui stepped out of the car, his hands in his trench coat pockets. "I'll contact you by phone before the operation begins."

"Ok."

Black Chrysalis casually replied, then raised her hand and stretched out the restraint straps to tie the eaves. She then distributed her entire body weight onto each restraint strap, and like a light paper doll, she pulled herself up and flew away, disappearing into the blood-red sky.

Su Zimai looked up as he left, then turned and exchanged a glance with Ke Qirui.

"Commander, can we really trust him?" she asked.

"What are you talking about? Aren't you the one who trusts him the most here?" Ke Qirui patted her head.

Xu Sanyan stepped out of the carriage. "So, we finally got rid of that big bug?"

"Instead of complaining, why not think about what good food London has to offer?" Lin Zhengquan followed and walked out, standing on the platform.

Ke Qirui smiled slightly: "At times like this, of course our MaiMai should lead the way. She's a food expert."

"Let's go." Su Zimai slumped her head, silently opened Xiaohongshu on her phone, and said as she walked towards the exit of the abandoned train station, "It's a rare trip to London, so we definitely have to try all the good things, especially since the group leader is treating!"

"Heh, so the leader's wallet isn't a wallet anymore?" Ke Qirui asked, turning to look at her with a cigarette in his mouth.

"No."

"I understand, our Mai Mai only feels sorry for her brother."

"Neither of my two older brothers is like a human being. Wouldn't it be torture to feel sorry for them?"

"Here she comes, Mai Mai is a typical hypocrite."

"Shut up, from now on, leader, you need to remember your role: you are a giant mobile wallet."

"Okay, okay, Mai Mai can eat whatever she wants."

At the same time, in another corner of London.

A cruise ship was slowly moving forward on the Thames River. Xia Pingzhou and Ayase Origami sat on the deck, quietly gazing at the Westminster district at dusk.

Xia Pingzhou looked up at the giant Ferris wheel in the distance, searching his mind for memories related to "traffic lights".

That happened two years ago, not long after Xia Pingzhou joined the Exorcist Association. A young exorcist named "Shi Yimin" became attached to him.

Shi Yimin enthusiastically invited Xia Pingzhou to join his team. Even after being rejected by Xia Pingzhou multiple times, he didn't get discouraged. Each time Xia Pingzhou gave him a cold shoulder, he would turn around and laugh awkwardly at his teammates behind him, muttering to them:

"What kind of looks are you giving me? Even Zhuge Liang had to visit Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage three times. It's no problem for me to visit him a few more times, is it?"

At that time, Xia Pingzhou still had a complete family. In addition, he was outstanding in talent and was praised by the president when he first joined the Exorcist Association. He had no ambition or pressure and just wanted to get by.

Seeing that his repeated refusals to Kazumi Kaki had failed to dissuade him, he simply accepted Kazumi Kaki's invitation and joined his exorcist squad.

Most exorcists believe that such a low-level team is not worthy of Xia Pingzhou, who is judged to have the potential of being a double S-class.

But whenever Kazumi heard these voices, he would pat him on the shoulder and promise that he would lead the team to the top of the Exorcist Association and not listen to their nonsense.

No matter how much pressure there was from public opinion, Shi Yimin never considered giving up Xia Pingzhou.

After spending some time together, Xia Pingzhou gradually got to know the people in the team.

Captain "Shi Yimin" is a cheerful and straightforward person. He said that when he was a child, he thought the traffic police standing on the side of the road were cool and he always wanted to be a policeman directing traffic. As a result, his Tianqu naturally evolved into a street lamp that can turn red, yellow and green.

When he told the story, the team members laughed so hard they couldn't breathe, and he just scratched the back of his head and laughed along.

Xia Pingzhou was aloof by nature. Ke Qirui, who was also a double S-level potential member of the association, wanted to befriend him, but he flatly refused.

However, he and Kazumi Kaki had a fairly good relationship. Kazumi Kaki would often invite him out for drinks after an operation, and they would chat about their life ideals.

Shi Yimin often praised Xia Pingzhou in front of his teammates, saying that he was an unparalleled genius and that he would become the strongest exorcist in time. He also said that he wanted to become someone worthy of being called "captain" by such an exorcist.

The atmosphere in the team was quite harmonious until one day during a mission to exterminate demons, Shi Yimin suddenly went berserk. He knelt on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, scratching his face as if he wanted to tear it apart.

His teammate, who went to his aid, was smashed to pieces by Shi Yimin using the streetlight. Blood and gore filled the street, and mutilated corpses littered the ground, leaving Xia Pingzhou alone, bewildered in the wind. In the end, Xia Pingzhou did not choose to confront the crazed Shi Yimin, but instead had the Queen's statue take him away, and they fled the scene.

Xia Pingzhou became the sole survivor of that incident.

Not long after, Kazumi Kaki became a notorious serial killer and was given the title of "Red Light," an evil exorcist.

After torturing and killing the exorcists, the Red Lights would leave behind a string of Latin letters that meant "Salvation Society" at the scene, which was what Ji Minghuan cared about most.

Xia Pingzhou initially joined the White Raven Brigade not only to seek revenge against the Ripper, but also to investigate why Shi Yimin suddenly went mad... and now it seems that this reason must be related to the "Salvation Society".

Then, time moves to the present, which is July 25th.

By tomorrow morning, the Ghost Train Group and the Salvation Society will officially begin their operation to capture "Red Light".

The outcome of this operation will involve many things. If Ji Minghuan can finally catch the "red light," it will mean that he has caught the Salvation Society by the tail for the first time and is no longer in a passive state of ignorance.

Even...to uncover the truth about the Salvation Society.

"The kitten... is spacing out again." The girl in the kimono beside him suddenly spoke, interrupting his thoughts.

"I'm admiring the scenery," Xia Pingzhou said casually.

Following his gaze, Origami Ayase also looked up at the Ferris wheel on the south bank. The setting sun slowly sank below the horizon, gradually withdrawing its afterglow from the city and casting a dim shadow over the Ferris wheel cabins.

A breeze blew by, and the cool strands of hair around the girl in the kimono swayed gently like bird feathers.

"Go sit there." After a long silence, she said softly.

"can."

Shortly after, the two disembarked from the cruise ship and entered the amusement park on the south bank of the Thames. After paying the staff, they boarded the giant Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel began to rotate, and the cabins slowly rose.

Sitting in the bumpy train carriage, Origami Ayase pressed herself against the window, looking down at the city bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

“This is…good,” she suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Xia Pingzhou looked up at her profile, which was bathed in sunlight.

"Traveling around the world with my kitten."

"What's so good about it?"

"Tokyo, Venice, London... I want to go to many more places in the future."

Xia Pingzhou was silent for a moment: "Then... how about we bring someone along when we travel around the world in the future?"

"Who?"

"A white-haired girl, dull-witted, like a penguin."

"who is she?"

"She is my...family."

The girl in the kimono was silent for a moment: "Your family?"

"Correct."

“You never mentioned it to me.”

Her voice was as clear and gentle as ever, yet it seemed to carry a hint of loneliness.

“Because the White Raven Brigade doesn’t need to have a past.” Xia Pingzhou lowered his head, looking at his clasped hands. “We are just a group of outlaws, and we could die at any time. If we die, we will be replaced immediately, just like Lan Duoduo.”

Origami Ayase looked up at him, then looked away, remaining silent for a while: "If she is your family, then I will treat her as my family as well."

Xia Pingzhou was taken aback, then turned to look out the window: "But...maybe a month from now, you'll suddenly not want to travel the world with me anymore."

"why?"

Xia Pingzhou shook his head and did not answer.

At that moment, the setting sun completely disappeared below the horizon, taking away the last rays of sunlight, and the city was plunged into boundless darkness. Then, lights began to illuminate the streets, and soon the entire city was brightly lit.

When Xia Pingzhou came to his senses, he realized that the doll girl sitting opposite him had been staring at him the whole time, her eyes, which seemed to be veiled in mist, reflecting his face.

She seemed to still be waiting for his reply.

With a "thud," the carriage returned to the bottom of the Ferris wheel, and the noise of the amusement park poured in from outside the window. In the silence, the laughter of children gradually faded away.

The sky darkened completely, and only Xia Pingzhou's faint voice remained in the carriage.

“Let’s go back and rest,” he said.

"why?"

She asked again.

Xia Pingzhou tilted his head, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly reached out his hand to her.

The girl in the kimono remained silent for a moment, like a white doll, before taking his hand. Xia Pingzhou led her out of the train car, off the Ferris wheel, bought her a bunch of cotton candy from a street vendor, and then the two walked across the 325-meter-long Millennium Bridge back to the hotel.

Origami Ayase remained silent after that, simply sitting by the window, quietly reading the haiku collection.

Xia Pingzhou sat with her on the windowsill, tilting his head to quietly watch the night view of Westminster, London. The spires and towers of the Houses of Parliament were illuminated by the golden light emanating from Big Ben, reflecting in the Thames.

Before we knew it, it was midnight.

"Dong dong dong..." Big Ben rang. This giant clock strikes once every fifteen minutes, and three times on the hour.

Amidst the melodious chimes, Xia Pingzhou suddenly asked, "Between me and the Ripper... who is more important to you?"

Origami Ayase paused for a moment, looked up from the book, and stared at his face.

"Is she being coquettish?" After thinking for a moment, she could only come to this conclusion.

Xia Pingzhou remained silent for a while before saying, "You've been so good to me. No one has ever been so good to me before."

"Actually, I don't have parents. I'm just an... orphan who grew up in an orphanage. Everyone hates me. To protect the only person I care about, I always have to pretend to be strong. But actually, I'm so tired, yet I can't tell anyone..."

He lowered his voice: "You've always wanted to know what my past was like, haven't you? This is my past."

The evening breeze blew by, ruffling Xia Pingzhou's hair and turning the pages of the haiku collection high.

Origami Ayase looked up and then down, quietly watching him. For some reason, she felt that Xia Pingzhou seemed to have suddenly become a different person when he said those words, letting down all his guard and revealing his vulnerable side... just like a little child.

This was the first time she had seen a hint of unease and anxiety on this robot-like human face.

"Even if I..." Xia Pingzhou's lips moved silently, "even if I betrayed you, deceived you... and used you, would you still stand by my side?"

The girl in the kimono didn't hear him; she simply moved forward slowly, like a kite being blown by the wind, and hugged his head to her chest.

“You…are more important than anyone else,” she whispered.

(End of this chapter)