Zongman: The post-2D era

The pages are yellowed and the edges are slightly curled, and they record the legend of the "Sakura Witch".

She was a mysterious woman living in London in the 19th century. She used cherry blossoms as her symbol and moved in a mysterious way. She could control people's hearts and predict the future.

Feng Feng gently stroked the pages of the book, as if he could feel the atmosphere of that era. A picture seemed to emerge in front of his eyes:

The Sakura Witch stood by the Thames, the night breeze gently ruffling her long hair, and the cherry blossom petals drifting down in the wind. She looked back and smiled, with an indescribable light flashing in her eyes.

Shokuhou was standing aside, her eyes fixed on the text, her brows furrowed, as if she was thinking about something.

"Knowing the future, has she foreseen everything that is happening now?!"

Feng Feng and Shokuhou tightly grasped the yellowed ancient book, with determination and curiosity flashing in their eyes.

They carefully compared the map of London in the 19th century with the streets of today. Each name was like a code that traveled through time and space, leading them forward.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the ancient map. The golden light and the yellowed pages are intertwined, as if casting a mysterious veil over this journey of exploration.

Finally, their eyes fixed on a quiet cemetery where the Sakura Witch was said to rest.

As the night deepens, the cemetery is shrouded in mist. The ancient tombstones glow faintly in the moonlight, like silent guardians, quietly telling the secrets of the past.

The two found themselves in a cathedral next to the cemetery. The flickering candlelight illuminated the crowded refugees.

They were either sitting or lying down, their tired faces full of helplessness and despair. Feng Feng and Shokuho walked among them, and every step seemed particularly heavy.

The tall priest stood in front of the altar, brows furrowed, obviously displeased with the arrival of the two.

"What time is it now? What historical secrets are you looking for here?"

His voice was filled with reproach. "Can't you see that there are people here who need help? Come back in a few months!"

Feng Feng looked at the refugees with mixed feelings. He gently took Shokuho's hand and motioned for her to leave first.

The two men slowly left the cathedral, with the priest's dissatisfied sigh and the refugees' low coughs behind them.

Outside the door, the night was as dark as ink, and the chaos and unrest after the London earthquake seemed to swallow them up.

In the darkness of night, Feng Feng and Shokuho traveled through the broken streets of London, looking for a place to stay.

The street lights were dim, casting mottled shadows, and every step was trembling with the aftershocks.

Just when they were about to give up, a photo hanging outside a shabby photo studio caught Shokuhou's attention—it was the Sakura Witch standing by the Thames with a mysterious smile.

The old owner of the photo studio, an old man with silver hair and gentle eyes, noticed their stopping.

He walked out slowly, playing with a yellowed piece of photo paper similar to the one in the photo, with an imperceptible hint of deep meaning in his eyes.

"Young men, are you looking for something? Perhaps I can help."

The old man's voice was low and warm, as if it could soothe the chill of the night. He pointed to the hut behind him and said, "If you don't mind, you can stay here tonight."

It was a dark night, and in the shabby photo studio, the dim lights flickered, stretching the two people's shadows into long ones.

Feng Feng and Shi Hou stared at the yellowed photo in the old man's hand, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

The old man's face was full of traces of time, but his eyes were extremely deep, as if he could see into people's hearts.

"The Sakura Witch, that's just a legend. But I saw this rebellious 19th century British princess when I was a child!"

He sighed softly and spoke slowly, with an imperceptible tremor in his voice.

The old man led them to a table full of old photos, and gently ran his fingers across the yellowed photo papers, finally stopping on a photo that was very similar to the one in his hand.

"Look, this is what she looked like when she was young. At that time, she was just an ordinary girl. But suddenly one day, she began to predict the end of the world."

Beside the ruins of London after the earthquake, the Thames River flows quietly, reflecting the last rays of sunlight on the horizon.

Fengfeng and Shokuhou tightly grasped the photo of the Sakura Witch standing by the river, and the low and mysterious narration of the old man in the photo studio echoed in their ears.

The witch in the photo has an elusive smile, as if she could penetrate time and space and look them in the eye.

The river breeze blew the loose hair on their foreheads, and seemed to be telling the forgotten history.

All around were collapsed buildings and messy rubble, but at this moment, all the noise seemed to be still, leaving only the old man's vicissitudes of life voice, echoing among the ruins, leading them step by step towards the mysterious and distant past.

"The prophecy was even adapted into a musical by a third-rate opera composer. In our time, 'The Foggy City of the Nineteenth Century' was quite popular for a while."

"Everything in the prophecy seems to be coming true: if the prophecy is correct, the earth will be split by the sword of the mountain, the young saint will meet the foggy city of the nineteenth world, and under the cherry blossom tree in the mist, the Sakura Witch will travel through time and space to meet the saint!"

It was foggy in London in the early morning!

Chapter 896 Fog London

Wednesday, December 14

Feng Feng is participating in earthquake relief activities in London, but he is actually still looking for the place predicted by the Sakura Witch, the previous life of Matou Sakura.

In Academy City, Shirai and Misaka Mikoto are keeping an eye on the news about the great earthquake in Britain, and are very distressed by the visits from the three princesses.

The topic of discussion for most students turned to the heavy fog in London, England. As usual, during class breaks, some people would occasionally say something meaningless like "The saints are so great."

At the Heart Realm Morning Light Second Research Center, Accelerator and Morning Light Yui stared at the fog on the surveillance screen and detected the space-time distortion phenomenon.

"The great earthquake in Britain is only the beginning of the disaster. The world has begun to collapse! Sakura Witch..."

Kamijou and Index began the rescue operation in the disaster area, living in a tent and starting working at six in the morning.

Feng Feng saw the two people from afar, and was busy working in the ruins, looking for clues at the same time.

On the afternoon of December 14, the sun tried hard to penetrate the thick fog in London, but could only cast mottled light and shadows.

Inside the British Library, the ancient bookshelves are like silent giants, guarding endless knowledge and secrets.

While Feng Feng was sweating profusely among the ruins, Shokuhou Misaki took light steps and stepped into this palace of knowledge again.

She was wearing a well-tailored dark windbreaker, her eyes as sharp as an eagle, and she ran straight to the dusty corner of history.

His fingers gently slid across the yellowed history books, and finally stopped on an ancient volume labeled "The Secret History of Royal Elizabeth in the Nineteenth Century". A gleam of determination flashed in his eyes, as if he was about to uncover a past buried deep in time.

Feng Feng sat beside the ruins, holding a big pot of steaming hot rice in his hands, his tired face filled with satisfaction.

Not far away, Shokuhou Misaki stood in the shadows, the dim light from her cell phone screen illuminating her focused expression.

She softly read the clues she had found in the ancient books: "In the foggy city of the 19th century, deep within the royal family, there is a young girl hiding. It is said that she is the illegitimate sister of the previous queen, and her fate is closely linked to an unsolved fog."

Shokuho's eyes seemed to have traveled through time and space, falling on that distant and mysterious era. The hustle and bustle around her gradually faded away, leaving only a hint of historical incense slowly spreading in the air.

Feng Feng put down the bowl in his hand, and in the midst of the hot steam, he looked at Shokuhou with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Shokuhou Misaki stood in the dim light, the dim light from her phone screen illuminating her focused face. She spoke slowly, her voice low and magnetic:

"Historical records state that this elder sister, Elizabeth's secret relative, died of illness when she was only in her thirties."

"Her life seemed dull and ordinary, giving me a feeling that it was embellished by writers. The only moment that was remembered by history was a meeting with the great detective Sherlock Holmes."

"In that yellowed photo, she had a pretty face, and her eyes revealed a depth that was inconsistent with her age, as if hiding countless unsolved mysteries."

As she spoke, Shokuhou turned the screen of her mobile phone towards Fengfeng. On the screen, there was an old blurry photo, but the mysterious figure could be vaguely recognized.

"I want to go to that cemetery and take another look. The earthquake caused cracks to appear on her grave. I don't think her body is inside. She is the Sakura Witch."

Feng Feng had just swallowed the last bite of rice when a hurried call suddenly came from the intercom:

"Feng Feng, there are signs of life under the ruins in the North District. We need your support immediately!"

He stood up suddenly and ran to the rescue scene without even putting away the pots and pans.

On the other side, Shokuhou Misaki stood alone at the slightly desolate entrance of the cemetery, staring at the tombstones torn by the earthquake, her mind lingering on Royal Elizabeth, the mystery of the nineteenth century, and the unsolved meeting with Sherlock Holmes.

She walked in slowly, and every step seemed to be stepping on the ruts of history.

The church bells rang in the distance, interweaving with the noise of the refugees nearby to form a heavy symphony.

The refugees were walking in and out of the church with exhaustion and hope, but Shokuho, like a traveler through time and space, stood silently in front of the tomb, staring at the crack forgotten by time, with a desire to find the truth in her heart.

Feng Feng rescued an old man from the ruins of the North District with great difficulty. He took out his cell phone covered in dust and quickly dialed Shokuho's number: "

Shokuhou, I have some clues. Maybe I know why Elizabeth became the Sakura Witch. Holmes, is he a real person or just the protagonist in the novel? "

On the other end of the line, Shokuhou's voice was calm and clear: "He really existed, but there are few records of him meeting with the secret relatives of the royal family Elizabeth."

"I am now at her grave. The coffin I saw through the gap is empty. When the church bells next to it rang, I felt an inexplicable chill."

As she spoke, Shokuhou looked up at the old church. The sound of the bells was melodious yet ominous, as if it could penetrate the soul and freeze the air around them.

Feng Feng's anxious voice on the other end of the phone almost penetrated the receiver:

“Shokuhou, run! The priest we met in the cemetery yesterday is not an ordinary person. There is something wrong with him! Run!”

Shokuhou Misaki's face turned pale in an instant. She turned her head stiffly and saw the priest walking slowly out of the shadow of the church. Every step was accompanied by the dull and distant echo of the church bell.

His eyes were hollow and deep, as if they could swallow up all light. Shokuhou's throat seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand, and she could only murmur two words: "Too late..."

The priest's silhouette became clearer in the sound of the bell, and a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, which contained unspeakable malice and pride.

Shokuhou felt a chill running down her spine, and the air around her seemed to freeze at that moment. She was unable to move and could only watch the priest approach step by step.

Shokuhou Misaki raised her phone with trembling hands. On the screen, Feng Feng's anxious face was compressed into a small piece, and his eyes were wide open, as if he wanted to see everything here through the screen.

The priest walked at an unhurried pace, each step treading on the dust of history. He greeted the two gently, with an indescribable magnetism in his voice:

"Good evening, I'm Sherlock Holmes, but, according to the Sakura Witch, I'm just a character in Arthur Conan Doyle's novel."

His smile looked particularly strange under the dim light, as if it could see into the depths of people's hearts.

"My existence made her realize that this world is fake, and made her determined to rebel against the king at that time and all injustice!"

Shokuhou felt a chill running from her feet to her head. She turned her neck stiffly and her eyes met the priest's empty eyes. She said in a lost voice, "Is this world fake?"

At that moment, she seemed to be drawn into an endless vortex. Everything around her lost its color, leaving only the priest's strange and profound smile, slowly blooming in the darkness.

Chapter 897 Second World

Thursday, December 15

Feng Feng disappointedly left his contact information at the London Earthquake Relief Missing Persons Center, and is still looking for the place predicted by the Sakura Witch, Matou Sakura's previous life.

In Academy City, Shirai and Misaka Mikoto spoke frankly to the three princesses and expressed that they did not understand politics and would not influence Feng Feng's determination in any way.

The topic of discussion among most students turned to the heavy fog in London, England. During class breaks, they began to worry about the "end of the world with smog covering the sky."

At the Heart Realm Morning Light Second Research Center, Accelerator and Morning Light Yui stared at the fog on the surveillance screen and detected an increase in space-time distortion.

"The great earthquake in Britain was only the beginning of the disaster. The Sakura Witch began to act as the documents brought by the three princesses recorded..."