Zongman: The post-2D era

A faint smile appeared on Feng Feng's lips. In his eyes, which were unusually deep under the dim blue light, there was no trace of fear. Instead, they flashed with a transcendent light of wisdom.

He spoke softly, his voice was as quiet as the morning bell and evening drum, shaking every corner of the room: "I am Oreki Houtarou at this moment."

This sentence seemed to have some kind of magic, which instantly froze Spider's cold smile. A trace of doubt and uneasiness flashed in her eyes, as if at this moment, the Feng Feng she knew became vague and unfamiliar.

Under the light of the fire, the dark blue spider web began to emit unstable waves, as if disturbed by some force.

The spider lady's consciousness seemed to travel through thousands of worlds in an instant and landed on a tree in the ice cake world, becoming a weak spider.

The spider girl's anger and unwillingness turned into a more fierce counterattack. She controlled the dark blue spider web, which surged out like a tide and instantly enveloped Oreki Houtarou under the tree.

The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the sudden blue, but failed to dispel the slightest chill.

Oreki Houtarou's figure gradually became blurred by the spider web, but his eyes were still clear and bright, revealing an extraordinary calmness and indifference.

He did not struggle, but slowly closed his eyes, as if he was having a silent conversation with some force.

The spider web clung to his skin, each thread seeming to seek out a crack in his soul, attempting to bind him completely.

However, at this moment, a faint light suddenly emanated from Oreki Houtarou's body. It was from the matches given by Fengfeng.

As the flames flickered, Oreki Houtarou's fingertips gently twisted the match that looked ordinary but contained extraordinary power. With a light stroke, the red flame instantly leaped up, like the rising morning light penetrating the cold night.

He smiled calmly, a smile that showed both calmness towards the unknown and contempt for challenges.

The moment the match flame touched the dark blue spider web, it was as if an invisible flame of war was ignited. Where the two clashed, the dark blue and the fiery red intertwined into a strange and spectacular picture.

The spider web made a hissing sound under the licking of the flame, just like ice meeting the scorching sun, and it quickly melted and dissipated.

The spider girl's roar became sharper and she tried to fight back with more violent force, but the fire was like a wildfire, unstoppable.

The Spider Girl's screams echoed in the room, her figure appearing twisted and desperate in the chaos of firelight and dark blue.

She suddenly realized that she had been caught in a carefully designed trap. A hint of ruthlessness flashed across her resentful eyes, but she had to face the reality of failure.

Her body trembled violently, and she kicked her feet hard, breaking free from the entangled spider web, turning into a blurry black shadow, trying to escape through Feng Feng's mobile phone screen and into Li Huayin's eyes - her last refuge.

However, just as she was about to escape into the virtual world, Feng Feng's voice, as cold as ice, pierced through the air: "Burn her."

When Junxun heard this on April 1st, the candle in his hand suddenly shone brightly, as if responding to some ancient and sacred call.

With a flash of his body, he was already on the path where the spider girl was escaping. He held up the candle, and the blazing flame turned into a fire dragon, roaring and pouncing towards the black shadow.

"Ah! Feng Feng, Oreki Houtarou, you have schemed against me like this. I curse you to have no peace and to lose the sight of your right eye forever!"

Chapter 824 The Second Spark

Saturday, October 8

In the school clinic of Hyouka World, Feng Feng, wearing a white coat, stroked his chin and said, "Oreki Houtarou-san, there is a foreign object in your eye, which caused the redness, swelling and pain in your eye."

"

Chitanda Airu's fingers trembled slightly, but she finally grabbed the edge of the strange school uniform and asked anxiously, "Teacher, can Oreki-kun's eyes be cured?"

"Trust me, the doctor." Feng Feng turned the chair and made a confident pose.

These five words were like a ray of warm sunshine in winter, penetrating the haze in her heart.

Chitanda Airu's hand unconsciously touched her chest, where it seemed as if her heart was slowly relaxing and returning to peace with her breathing.

She let out a sigh of relief, a feeling of relief as her long-tensioned nerves finally released.

However, this tranquility did not last long. Doctor Feng Feng's next "but" was like a fallen leaf suddenly blown up by the breeze, which made her heart hang in the air again.

Her eyes were instantly fixed on the match in Feng Feng's hand. It was just an ordinary object, but at this moment it seemed to carry some mysterious power.

Feng Feng's tone was filled with a subtle tenderness: "However, in order for Oreki-kun's eyes to recover faster, I need you to do a small thing."

"I got this match during a trip. It is said that lighting it at a specific location and praying sincerely can bring unexpected good luck and healing."

Feng Feng gently placed the match, which seemed ordinary but carried hope, in Chitanda Airu's slightly trembling palm. The two people's eyes met at this moment, as if they had exchanged some kind of unspoken promise.

He whispered, as softly as a stream in the forest: "Airu, please follow this path eastward, through the cherry blossom forest, and when you see an ancient shrine gently embraced by the spring sunshine - that is the April First Shrine. There, light it and pray for your Oreki-kun."

Chitanda held the match tightly, and a barely perceptible warmth came from her fingertips. She looked deeply at Oreki Houtarou, and there was both reluctance and determination in her eyes.

Oreki Houtarou tried to sit up and wanted to stop this seemingly ridiculous arrangement, but was gently pressed down by Doctor Feng Feng with unquestionable force. There was a helpless smile on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were shining with trust and encouragement for Chitanda.

Feng Feng's hand paused lightly in the air, and the snap of his fingers that was about to fall seemed to freeze the air. The tranquility around him was torn apart by Oreki Houtarou's sudden roar.

Oreki Houtarou seemed to have torn off the tape on his mouth and said in a loud and fierce voice, "Don't involve Chitanda in this."

His voice, like a long-suppressed flood that suddenly burst through a dam, carried with it an unquestionable force that shook the entire infirmary slightly.

Oreki Houtarou struggled to break free from his restraints, his eyes bloodshot with anger, intertwining with the previous redness, swelling and pain to form a strange light.

Chitanda Airu, who was walking hurriedly in the school corridor, was startled by the sudden change and took a step back. The match in her hand almost slipped, but she quickly calmed herself down and her eyes stopped at the infirmary where Oreki and Feng Feng were, full of worry and confusion.

In the infirmary, Doctor Feng Feng did not respond immediately. He just slowly put down his hand, his eyes deep, as if he could see into people's hearts. "Oreki-san, are you worried about her?"

His voice was low and magnetic, with a barely perceptible smile, "But please believe that sometimes, faith and courage are more effective than any medicine."

After saying this, he patted Oreki's shoulder gently. The strength was just right, which both soothed his emotions and conveyed an irresistible firmness.

Chitanda Airu was walking hurriedly in the school corridor with curiosity in her eyes, still holding the match and walking towards the shrine that Fengfeng mentioned.

In the infirmary, Feng Feng calmed Oreki down temporarily with a few words. Oreki then introduced the abnormality of this world:

From one day on, all criminal activities, from stealing mobile phones to terrorist attacks, are carried out in the name of the Girl Spider Society, but no one thinks there is anything wrong!

Inside the infirmary, the light was a little dim due to the sparse clouds outside the window, but it just happened to highlight the solemnity on Oreki Houtarou's face.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his rapid breathing due to excitement, and slowly spoke in a low but clear voice: "This world has become different since a few months ago."

"The Spider Girls Club, this name hangs over everyone's head like a dark cloud. Whether it's a street corner thief or a terrorist incident that shocked the world, they are all given this name. The strange thing is that people seem to be accustomed to it and no longer even ask about the truth behind it."

As he spoke, he stood up and looked through the window, as if he could penetrate through layers of obstacles and look straight into the depths of that society shrouded in shadows.

“Information was manipulated, the truth was buried, and everyone’s life was shrouded in an inexplicable fear and numbness. I tried to uncover all this, but found that my power was so small.”

Doctor Feng Feng's movements were gentle and focused as he carefully bandaged Oreki Houtarou's eyes, with each bandage wrapped with hope and caution.

The bandages gradually covered the pair of eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything in the world, temporarily isolating the light and shadow from the outside world. Oreki closed his eyes, a self-deprecating smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his voice was filled with a bit of helplessness and teasing:

"Look, now I'm officially admitting that I'm the president of the so-called Spider Girl Club. This crappy club was just something I made up to trick Chitanda."

"All the news today is about me being cursed by spiders. How ironic."

As he spoke, he slowly opened his eyes. Although it was pitch black in front of him, his eyes seemed to still flicker in the darkness, revealing an unyielding light.

The air around them seemed to freeze because of his words. The only sound in the infirmary could be heard from the gentle friction of bandages and the occasional bird calls outside the window, which added a sense of loneliness and tragedy.

After changing the last bandage, Doctor Feng Feng gently patted Oreki's shoulder. His eyes flashed with determination and depth, as if they could penetrate the darkness and reach the light.

“Everyone is blinded by spider webs, but please remember that even in the darkest night, a little starlight can illuminate the way forward and let the truth come to light.”

His words were like a spring breeze, gentle yet powerful, making the entire infirmary seem a little brighter.

Oreki felt the world in front of him, which was dark but seemed to have different colors, and an unprecedented courage surged in his heart.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he could smell the faint scent of cherry blossoms in the air, which was the smell of hope.

The bandaged eyes were originally dark, but at this moment it seemed as if a match had set the whole world on fire.

Chapter 825 The Third Cremation

Saturday, October 8

The School Clinic in the Hyouka World

Feng Feng, wearing a white coat, pinched Oreki Houtarou's hand and said, "Oreki Houtarou, do you want to kill your master?"

Oreki Houtarou said anxiously, "Kill the master? If Chitanda doesn't come back this afternoon, I might really do it!"

"Trust me, the doctor." Feng Feng let go of his hand and sat down, turning the chair around to strike a confident pose.

Oreki Houtarou frowned, his eyes revealing an unquestionable determination. He rubbed his wrist hard, stood up, and confronted Feng Feng who was sitting on the swivel chair. A subtle sense of tension filled the air. /

The sunlight shines through the window of the infirmary and shines on his slightly stubborn profile, adding a layer of golden glow to his persistence.

"Teacher Feng Feng, I must go find Chitanda. Her safety is of paramount importance to me. If you don't take me with you, I would rather go find her by myself, even if I have to search the entire campus or even every corner of the city."

As he spoke, he took a step forward and walked towards the door of the infirmary. Every step he took seemed so resolute and powerful, as if no obstacles could stop his determination to find Chitanda.

Feng Feng called Oreki Houtarou and said, "Go to the corner of the infirmary and pick up the package that was delivered on April 1st."

Oreki Houtarou complained as he searched for a package in the corner: "You might as well let Chitanda come back with the stuff."

Oreki Houtarou sighed and began to observe that corner.

In the corner were piled some medical supplies waiting to be processed and the occasional student item that was sent in.

The sunlight shone in through the window, giving this corner a warm and mottled light and shadow.

He bent down and began to search, muttering softly, "Really? Instead of telling me Chitanda's whereabouts directly, he asked me to find the package. Mr. Fengfeng really has his own 'style'."

His fingers shuttled among the messy objects, occasionally touching cold metal utensils or soft cloth bags, each of which seemed incompatible with the anxiety in his heart.

Finally, in a forgotten corner, he found a package with the words "Sent on April 1st" on it. The edges of the package were slightly worn and seemed to have been forgotten for a long time.

He grabbed the package and turned to look at Feng Feng, who was still sitting leisurely on the swivel chair. His eyes showed both dissatisfaction and expectation: "You can finally tell me something now, right?"

There was a barely perceptible urgency in his tone.

Feng Feng nodded nonchalantly, then stood up and walked towards the school's waste incineration site with an unquestionable firmness in his steps.

"The package contains the real body of the spider girl, her real body before she became a demon. Burn it with the third match, and Chitanda will naturally be able to return here."

Oreki Houtarou followed closely behind, his heart full of curiosity and confusion about the "true identity of the spider girl". He walked hurriedly but tried to remain calm, for fear of missing any details that Feng Feng was about to reveal.

The sunlight shone obliquely on the two people, lengthening their shadows, overlapping on the mottled concrete road, as if foreshadowing that the upcoming secret would unveil a mysterious veil.

The area surrounding the burning site was filled with a faint smoke and an indescribable smell, a mixture of the decay and rebirth of fallen leaves.

Feng Feng stopped at a corner filled with junk and motioned for Oreki to come forward.

"Burn it, the deal between us is done, and your world will return to normal."

Oreki's fingers trembled slightly, but he was extremely determined to open the slightly old wrapping paper.

As the paper slowly unfolded, an ominous black shadow gradually appeared before the eyes.

It was an eight-clawed black spider, about thirty centimeters long. On its abdomen, there was a pattern of a beautiful woman outlined with strange white lines, which was both weird and enchanting, as if it could suck away the souls of all those who gazed at it.