Who left their last words here?

Chapter 79 Which kind of tofu pudding; A new last words: "Save me" (5k)

A long whistle blared in the distance.

Dawn breaks.

Startled awake, Bai Zhou stretched and yawned, then noticed the cloak he was wearing.

Did I wear this to bed?

Bai Zhou, somewhat puzzled, looked around.

Finally, they found Miss Crow sitting sideways on the air conditioner unit, overlooking the city view.

...Tinghai City was just waking up in the morning.

As the warm sun rises, smoke billows from a huge chimney in the distance.

This city made of steel is regaining its vibrant energy.

Good morning, crow.

After exchanging greetings, Bai Zhou roused himself and began tidying himself up at the edge of the rooftop.

He put on gold-rimmed black glasses, fastened a special silver necklace and watch, and with a couple of quick flicks, shook the dust off his trench coat.

Bai Zhou, fully armed, was just going to have a hot breakfast.

There was no other way; without the disguise of the glasses, the roadside surveillance cameras would have discovered Bai Zhou's location.

He certainly didn't want his breakfast stall to be surrounded by a group of fully armed soldiers in helicopters with machine guns while he was eating.

Heaven knows how terrified the uncle making steamed buns must have been.

From time to time, Ya would glance over from the air conditioner unit next door.

She felt once again that the white boat really should look in the mirror.

After putting on the glasses, the collar of the trench coat stood up.

They look like they're doing something nice.

not bad.

……

Bai Zhou randomly picked a nameless roadside stall nearby, where there wasn't even a proper shop, and was able to enjoy freshly steamed pork dumplings.

The stall owners were an elderly couple, and this kind of stall had the most down-to-earth, human touch. Bai Zhou had been craving it when he passed by as a cat.

No one can resist a basket of lightly fried, translucent, and generously filled xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) with a thin skin and a generous filling early in the morning.

The outer skin is fluffy and soft, while the inside is sizzling with oil. The moment it enters your mouth, it's so hot it makes your tongue tingle, as if it's about to melt. The aroma fills the air, instantly bringing you a feeling of pure bliss.

Served with a side of pickled vegetables and a bowl of steaming hot, clear millet porridge...

There's a saying in their city at night—

A bite of steamed bun with pickled vegetables—I wouldn't trade it for anything, not even a god!

Back in Wancheng, resources were scarce, and fresh meat was reserved for sacrificial offerings.

After the sacrifice, the meat became tainted by the dead, and only the black robe could purify it.

With a small sacrifice every three days and a large sacrifice every five days, the men in black robes worked very hard, having to bring these offerings home for worship every few days.

This is also one of their selfless contributions and many acts of kindness to Wancheng.

As for ordinary people, they can only eat meat that has been frozen for two or three years and has long lost its flavor.

Even these are the only supplies available; the black robes will be supplied in limited quantities.

Inferior quality meat often tastes terrible when eaten alone, and you can't even taste the fiber.

So people minced these frozen scraps of meat of unknown origin into a very fine powder, mixed them with a lot of fat, soy sauce, and pepper to make buns.

—This is the best food Bai Zhou has ever eaten in Wancheng. He can only get a few pieces from his neighbors during the Chinese New Year.

"The steamed buns from Tinghai are better than the ones from our hometown..."

The city's most wanted criminal, dressed impeccably, sat at an inconspicuous roadside breakfast stall, engrossed in a hearty meal.

The scalding hot meat juices burst on the tongue, the marbled meat filling was elastic, and the aroma was pure and domineering. Bai Zhou, who was sizzling from the heat, showed a satisfied and happy expression, stuffing his cheeks full.

Slightly choking, Bai Zhou took another sip of rice porridge.

The rice porridge at the bottom is hot, but the rice oil that forms a film on top is at just the right temperature.

The aroma of millet mingled with the flavors of braised meat and steamed bun skin, making your stomach feel warm and cozy.

Bai Zhou loves drinking porridge, probably because his name contains the character "Zhou".

But the crow had a different opinion:

"Actually, next time you eat xiaolongbao, you can try tofu pudding."

"Personally, I feel it goes better with millet porridge."

"Tofu pudding?"

Bai Zhou blinked.

Tofu is tofu, but what is "brain"...?
If he had just left Night City, he would have definitely thought this was a terrifying fetish of the Blue Star people.

After all, just like stir-fried pork with chili peppers, "chili peppers" and "stir-fried pork" are two separate terms, and tofu pudding is, of course, tofu mixed with human brains...

But from the next table, Bai Zhou saw what tofu pudding looked like.

It smells delicious.

At that moment, a solemn question rang in Bai Zhou's ears:

"Tofu pudding comes in both sweet and savory varieties. Which one do you think you would choose?"

For some reason, Bai Zhou always felt that when Ya asked this question, his expression was unusually serious, and there was even a hint of chilling murderous intent in his eyes!
Bai Zhou shivered, pondered for a moment, and then asked a question that seemed completely unrelated:
Why wait until next time?

"What?" Crow was taken aback.

"Can we order this time too?"

Bai Zhou glanced at the tofu pudding being eaten by the guests in the distance:

"This tofu pudding looks like a side dish, doesn't it? It doesn't clash with the millet porridge at all."

crow:"……?"

Bai Zhou shook his head, turned to the boss, and called out:
"Boss, give me a bowl of tofu pudding!"

"Okay, do you want it salty or sweet?"

There it is again.

Bai Zhou's answer was:
"I want it spicy!"

crow:"……"

Tofu pudding...is it a dish?

She's a fan of spicy food.

There's no time to argue about whether sweet or salty is more "authentic".

Making a dazzling appearance are the truly "heretical" diners!
Looking at the mysterious person in front of him, who was eating millet porridge and tofu pudding, Ya was speechless for a moment, and could only say in a cold voice:

"...You have a good appetite."

Bai Zhou had a good appetite; he ate three baskets of xiaolongbao in one go and still wanted more.

"So, you really aren't going to eat?" After finishing his meal, Bai Zhou glanced at Ya, who was sitting upright to the side.

The crow was putting two dark, unremarkable coffee beans into its mouth.

The rich, slightly bitter fragrance was even more pronounced on her.

"You can eat it yourself."

With a disdainful glance at the quirky tofu pudding piled high with chili oil in front of Bai Zhou, Ya said in a serious tone:

"Maintaining one's existence through the feeding behavior of traditional organic life forms is a manifestation of lower life forms."

"Once you advance to a certain level in the future, you will begin to avoid this inefficient metabolism."

Before he could finish speaking
Then I heard a "click" sound—

Miss Crow's sharp canine teeth just happened to crush a coffee bean.

The smell of burning nearby grew stronger.

But only Bai Zhou could smell it.

……

After having breakfast, feeling full and warm all over, Bai Zhou got up from the small stool in front of the broken wooden table.

I walked to the roadside, watched the sanitation workers passing by, and breathed in the fresh morning air...

Bai Zhou experienced a long-lost sense of happiness and good mood.

Indeed, people cannot live without food.

In this respect, he could never empathize with someone who only ate black beans.

For Bai Zhou, the enjoyment of eating is not only a necessity for sustaining life, but also a necessary means of "making himself feel good".

Life is bitter enough. If he can't eat something sweet or something spicy, salty, or sour, Bai Zhou would feel like he has no will to live.

At this point, if you make him chew those bitter "black beans" again...

He really did jump off the rooftop last night!
...But unfortunately, Bai Zhou's good mood didn't last long.

Because being full means the end of the time spent stealing moments of leisure amidst a busy schedule.

Like adventurers, there are wonderful times spent roasting chickens and making mushroom soup and stews in the jungle...

But once the rest is over, they must set off again, embarking once more on the journey to find the Demon King.

Tinghai City Dream Middle School...

It is currently the only clue in Bai Zhou's possession that may point to the major's industry chain.

Thus, the adventurer Shirazumi, having recovered from his injuries—

Embark on another adventurous journey.

……

Transformed into a black cat, Bai Zhou embarks on his journey "alone".

Miss Crow naturally had no interest in trivial matters like exploring the school.

She just yawned, and a moment later, another black ribbon bow appeared on the black cat's head.

Bai Zhou had just woken up when Ya fell into a deep sleep.

Their rest times were cleverly staggered, as if they were actually separated by distant mountains, seas, and even time zones.

But coincidentally, they both entrusted their most vulnerable and defenseless moments to each other...

"Da da……"

With its footsteps pattering, the black cat groped its way across several streets.

Finally, an hour later, following the map of the bus stop, he found the real-life Yuanmeng Middle School.

Completely different from the one in the Reflection Ruins—

What appeared before Bai Zhou was a magnificent and splendid campus.

Even in the bustling, crowded areas, it occupies a large area, and the dilapidated iron gate of the Reflection Ruins has become a shiny alloy gate here.

Even a cursory glance inside reveals rows of Western-style buildings resembling clock towers, with the solemn little red buildings standing out with their vibrant colors.

...So, how many years ago did the Dream Realm Middle School in the Reflection Ruins look like?
As the black cat passed by pondered, it nimbly scaled the wall and skillfully slipped into the school grounds.

Although the turnstile was closed.

But what is the road?
Walking along the green belt at the edge of the wall, the black cat shook its head.

—Actually, there was no road in the world to begin with, but as cats walked more and more, it became a road. Venturing deeper into the campus, Bai Zhou began his investigation.

Since it's only been a short time since the start of the school year, students can still be seen undergoing military training at the school.

Students dressed in military training uniforms and wearing glasses practiced military boxing in a very professional manner.

One, two, three, four, hum hum ha hey.

Seeing the children's vibrant youth... Bai Zhou reminisced about his own lost youth in Wancheng.

Forget it... let's not dwell on the past.

The youth training group run by the black-robed man believes in the law of the jungle.

Bai Zhou wasn't initially the top student in the youth training group.

It's just that after being bullied so much, in order to protect himself, he keeps fighting back...

With more and more people being challenged, Bai Zhou became the new leader of the children.

Later, the leader of the children's group became the chief of the youth training group.

That period of youth, filled with brutal violence, is not a glorious history worth remembering.

In contrast.

Here, everyone listening to the sea perfectly embodies Bai Zhou's imagination of youthful innocence.

At this time.

A scream suddenly rang out from afar—

"Oh no! A mouse! A mouse!"

Several girls in military training uniforms walked by together, pointing and shouting at a mound of earth covered with fallen leaves and weeds by the wall.

A white boat passing by turned its head curiously for a glance.

"What's so surprising? This isn't a classroom."

A girl in military training uniform with round glasses and a baby face stepped forward in time to calm everyone down.

"Squad Leader Fang, what is that little mouse doing?"

A girl timidly pointed to the little mouse, asking a question with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
The pitch-black rats were frantically digging at the wall, their claws swirling like wheels.

It looks like it's digging a hole, but this stupid mouse has obviously dug in the wrong place, scraping the reinforced concrete for ages.

"First of all, it's definitely not for exercising."

The class monitor, with his youthful, baby-faced features, adjusted his large, round-framed glasses and analyzed the situation with a serious expression.

"It probably wants to get out."

"Perhaps it once dug its way out through that place, so it now believes that it can do the same thing again."

"The foolish mouse does not realize that all its efforts are in vain in the eyes of humans."

"—Just like we always believe that hard work will lead to success."

The students who heard this were speechless.

Bai Zhou, who was listening nearby, thought: "...?"

What happened to our youth, our passion, and our hope for the future?

You middle school students from Earth...

Are they all precocious like this?
Is this bespectacled, baby-faced guy some kind of toxic motivational speaker?
Which teacher made her the class monitor?!

Didn't you see her classmates suddenly start sighing and looking heavy-hearted?

...I don't know if it was just Bai Zhou's imagination.

He suddenly felt that the serious-looking baby face and delicate features seemed familiar.

It feels like I've seen it somewhere before.

Yes……

Is it a breathing Charmander?

Bai Zhou blinked.

……No way?

Although their personalities are completely different, this person does seem to have some resemblance to Fang Xiaoxia in terms of facial features.

Is it an illusion?

What did the other students call her just now?

...Class Monitor Fang?
Suddenly.

"Squad Leader Fang" noticed the white boat squatting by the roadside.

A lively black cat with a bow in its hair is a rare sight on a dull campus.

Her eyes immediately lit up, and the girl, who had always been mysterious and unfathomable, suddenly lost all her maturity. With a shout, she pounced on the white boat.

"Kitty! It's Kitty!"

"Kitty, don't run away! Come and have some fun with your older sisters!"

Bai Zhou: "?"

Shivering, Bai Zhou turned and ran away in fright.

Confirmed by eyes...

This perverted behavior towards the cats on the street does indeed resemble "that old friend".

They are definitely relatives.

"..."

Running left and right, moving swiftly all the way.

After a long and arduous effort, Bai Zhou finally managed to shake off the girls' frenzied pursuit.

The jet-black bow on its head swayed in the wind, and the melancholy black cat let out a long sigh.

Being too charming can also be a problem.

Not only Class Monitor Fang, but every girl who passed by saw Bai Zhou was like an eagle seeing a chick, spreading her arms and swooping down towards him.

It's really scary.

Are these people suffering from cat phobia? They act like they've never seen a cat before...

Otherwise, it's Bai Zhou's "Life-Stealing Cat" and "Heart-Stealing" succubus attributes.

But the latter is definitely impossible; at least Bai Zhou has never seen the perpetually cold-faced Crow and has never been affected by it.

"rustle……"

White Boat emerged from the bushes, surveying the tranquil surroundings.

He jogged along, not knowing where he had arrived.

This must be some inconspicuous corner of the campus; no one has passed by here for quite some time.

There was a public toilet next door, and the loud sound of running water flushing could be heard from time to time.

"This is……?"

Bai Zhou suddenly stopped and turned to look at the entrance of the public toilet.

The heavy, strip-shaped plastic curtain hanging at the entrance rustled in the breeze, its dim yellow color resembling stains.

Just now, when I passed by the entrance to the public restroom—

Bai Zhou's spirit flickered slightly.

This is a privilege of Level 2 Extraordinary.

Those extraordinary individuals who have mastered "spiritual power" can not only sense life-or-death crises through spirituality, but also provide guidance on certain things they are pursuing through "intuition."

This public toilet...

Perhaps it is somewhat unusual.

Frowning, Bai Zhou cautiously circled the public restroom for inspection.

No abnormalities were found.

It seems we have no choice but to go in and take a look...

A cautious black cat peeked its head out from behind the curtain at the entrance.

The public restroom was empty, covered with densely packed, shiny white ceramic tiles.

Each of the stalls was empty; there was no one there.

A gust of wind blew in, bringing a foul odor that almost suffocated the breath.

At first, Bai Zhou thought it was just the smell of public toilets.

But he soon realized something was wrong.

He had also used the dry toilets in Wancheng, but they didn't smell this bad.

Compared to the sharp, pungent smell of feces.

The faint smell emanating from here was more like a rotten, disgusting sour stench.

It was very bland, but quite unsettling.

It will immediately evoke a feeling of disgust, an instinctive urge to stay away, and may even cause some unease because of the smell.

yes……?
Bai Zhou frowned and stood quietly at the entrance, his wary green eyes slowly surveying the environment inside the public restroom.

Suddenly.

With a "whoosh"—

The rushing water surged through automatically again, creating waves, and a huge echo reverberated throughout the empty public toilet.

Amidst the echoing rushing water, Bai Zhou's alert ears suddenly caught a faint, almost imperceptible...

A woman's crying voice.

Where did that crying come from?

Bai Zhou paused for a moment, then held his breath and took two steps back, revealing only his vertical pupils at the doorway as he cautiously looked in the direction of the sound.

The sound came from behind the door of the innermost stall in the public restroom.

The door was tightly closed, as if someone was inside.

However, the gap under the door panel is clearly empty.

But Bai Zhou suddenly felt a jolt, his heart skipping a beat.

Because, through the gap under the door, he saw the blood-red words, mixed with water stains, slowly seeping out.

That is……

It's someone's "last words"!
The scarlet words could only be seen by the white boat.

After carefully examining and reading the contents of the "last words," Bai Zhou immediately perked up.

Perhaps, the clues he came to Yuanmeng Middle School to find...

Right here!

Because the "last words" were clearly written in dense, squares:

[Save...save...me...]

No, please don't save me—

I don't deserve to live!

(End of this chapter)