novelbin Chapter 15 Follow Me
Chapter 15 Follow Me
In 2022, a mysterious meteorite fell to Earth, and some scientists began to study it.
Soon after, scientists discovered that the meteorite contained a strange "apocalyptic" virus.
This virus causes the infected human body to transform into a metallic-like crystal, leading to death.
Seven years later, on Christmas Day in 2029, for some reason, the Apocalypse virus broke out.
The Roppongi area of Tokyo was instantly transformed into a death zone.
This day was later known as the "Lost Christmas" event.
As a result of this incident, a special organization called GHQ, composed of people from all over the world, took over the work of the Japanese government.
From then on, the Roppongi area was sealed off, and the Japanese government was gradually taken over by the GHQ.
Ten years have passed, and it is now 2039.
Tianwangzhou Middle School campus.
Shu Ouma sat by the window, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside, but his mind was elsewhere.
The teacher on the podium was explaining something, but the sound seemed to be muffled by a layer of water, reaching my ears without a single word being heard.
He was a seventeen-year-old high school sophomore with slightly messy short brown hair, a few strands falling across his forehead. His features were delicate but expressionless. His school uniform was a little too big for him, and he exuded a lazy, out-of-place aura.
Ouma Shu doesn't like this place, not that he hates it, but he doesn't quite know how to get along with his classmates.
During the break, while the people around him chatted, laughed, and joked in small groups, he sat alone in his seat, looking down at his phone, pretending to be looking at something very important.
Occasionally, someone would strike up a conversation with him, and he would respond briefly, his tone polite but distant, as if there were a transparent glass separating the two of them.
It wasn't that he was deliberately cold; he genuinely didn't know what to say.
How can I keep the conversation going? How can I laugh in a way that sounds natural?
he does not know.
Being alone means I don't have to rack my brains to guess what others are thinking, or carefully consider every word I say; it's so much more relaxing.
Ten years ago, he was seven years old.
On "A Lost Christmas," he was in Roppongi.
All I can remember is a red light, screams, collapsing buildings, and a blurry, pink figure.
Those red eyes, that gentle smile, and those words he could never remember.
These fragments of memory occasionally appear in my dreams, but when I wake up, nothing is left but an indescribable emptiness, like a piece of my chest has been ripped out, and I feel cold when the wind blows.
Shu Ouma looked away and glanced down at his phone screen. The wallpaper was a picture of a girl with long, light pink hair, deep red eyes, and a delicate profile.
Yuzuriha Inori, lead vocalist of Egoist.
A virtual idol on the internet, a mysterious songstress who never shows her face. She doesn't have many songs, but every one of them seems to have magic; her ethereal voice penetrates the headphones and directly strikes the softest spot in his heart.
Some say she's just a voice synthesizer and doesn't exist as a real person. Others say she's a newcomer secretly being groomed by a record company, waiting for the right opportunity to officially debut. I don't care about any of that.
All he knew was that every time he listened to her songs, the restlessness and unease in his heart would slowly subside, as if he were being gently stroked by a tender hand.
When the lunch break bell rang, Shu Ouma took out a bento box from his schoolbag. The bento was prepared by his stepmother, Haruka; the dishes were simple but nutritionally balanced.
He glanced at the students who were eating in small groups in the classroom, picked up his lunchbox, stood up, and walked out of the classroom alone.
He has a fixed place to go.
The school is located near the edge of the Roppongi blockade, about a ten-minute walk from a cluster of abandoned ruins.
The area was originally part of a commercial district and was placed under lockdown after "The Lost Christmas," but GHQ's perimeter wall did not completely cover the area. The main structure of the building is still there, the exterior walls are mottled, the windows are broken, and rubble and glass shards are scattered on the ground.
Nobody comes here. The students find the ruins eerie and terrifying, and the nearby residents avoid it because it's close to the cordon.
But for Shu Ouma, this place was more than just a lunch break spot. He hid some things in one of the abandoned buildings, where he liked to be alone, listening to Egoist music with headphones on, or doing nothing at all, just staring blankly at the cordoned-off area outside the window.
That was his secret base.
He didn't know when he developed this habit.
Perhaps it was because some corner of these ruins reminded him of something vague and inexplicable.
Walking along a familiar route through abandoned streets, the gravel underfoot made a soft sound.
The afternoon sun streamed through the cracks in the damaged building, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
A faint smell of dust filled the air, mixed with the smell of concrete and rust.
He can already see the building he frequents.
Just as I was about to cross the last stretch of road, a figure suddenly emerged from the shadows beside me.
Shu Ouma stopped in his tracks.
He knew the other person.
Their new physical education teacher is He Quan.
He's supposed to be a physical education teacher, but he doesn't look like one at all.
Shu Ouma had met his previous PE teachers before. Most of them were middle-aged men in their forties or fifties, wearing faded sportswear, with thinning hair and out-of-shape figures. They would blow whistles and shout slogans in a hoarse voice during class.
Teacher He Quan, however, is completely different.
He was at most in his early twenties, tall and upright, with broad shoulders that accentuated the sharp angles of his dark tracksuit shoulder line.
His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a section of his well-defined forearm, with the faint outline of blue veins visible beneath the skin. He had short black hair, deep-set features, and a striking handsomeness that was hard to look away from.
He caused a stir on his first day at the school.
The girls were the first to get excited. During breaks, people would always be peeking into the direction of the PE teacher's office in the hallway.
Some people pretended to be passing by, some pretended to ask questions, and some didn't make up any excuses at all, but just stood not far away with their friends, covering their mouths and whispering, their cheeks flushed and their eyes darting around.
"Teacher He Quan is wearing a black tracksuit today!"
"He just smiled at me! Really! He smiled at me!"
"Stop dreaming. That's just a professional smile; it's the same for everyone."
"Then I'd like to!"
"I really want to take Professor He Quan's class!"
Shu Ouma hears this kind of conversation several times a day.
The boys' reactions were much more complex. Some were envious, saying that Teacher He Quan's muscle definition showed that he had worked out. Some were jealous, saying that what's the use of being handsome when he's just a PE teacher? Others tried to imitate his clothes and posture, but the results were always awkward and out of place.
Ultimately, with that face and that figure, she looks good in anything.
Upon seeing his teacher, Shu Ouma paused for a moment and asked, "Mr. He Quan... what are you doing here?"
"patrol."
He Quan said casually, "This area is close to the restricted zone, and occasionally some restless people wander in. I've come to check it out."
Ouma Shu nodded, preparing to walk past He Quan and continue forward.
But he found that He Quan had no intention of moving aside and remained standing there, like an unmoving mountain.
"That won't work," He Quan said.
"Teacher, I'm just going over there to eat."
Shu Ouma explained, "I go there every day, and I've never encountered anything..."
"The edge of the lockdown zone is not safe."
He Quan interrupted him, his tone still not harsh, but carrying an undeniable air: "It would be troublesome if we were mistaken for suspicious individuals. Let's go back to school to eat; the benches over there on the playground have nice sunshine."
Shu Ouma opened his mouth; he should have said "okay" as usual, and then turned and left.
This is his consistent way of doing things: no rebuttal, no questioning, no insistence.
Doing things the way others want is the easiest.
He lowered his head, looking at the lunchbox in his hand, then raised his head and glanced at the familiar ruined building not far away.
The building stood quietly in the afternoon sun, its exterior walls mottled, its windows empty, just like always.
But today, he felt there was something there.
I can't quite put my finger on it; it's just a vague, inexplicable feeling.
Very important.
Shu Ouma explained, "I'm just going to eat; I won't stay long."
Snapped!
A crisp slap echoed through the empty ruins.
Shu Ouma's body was slapped to one side, he covered his face, his pupils dilated slightly, his mind blank.
Are you questioning the teacher's judgment?
He Quan withdrew his hand. The slap landed squarely on Ji's left cheek, leaving a rapidly reddening handprint.
Shu Ouma's lips moved slightly.
He wanted to loudly question He Quan about his right to hit him, but when he saw the look in He Quan's eyes, he gave up the idea.
That's not the look a physical education teacher should have. If he said one more word, he'd get a second slap.
Even if he tells other teachers about this, they will definitely think it's his fault, and maybe even his classmates will ostracize him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have questioned the teacher's judgment."
Shu Ouma's voice was hoarse as he bowed his head and admitted his mistake.
He turned and left, walking faster than he had come, as if fleeing.
The footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing at the entrance to the ruins.
Seeing that Ouma had completely left, He Quan withdrew his gaze.
After passing through a half-collapsed wall and around a pile of twisted steel bars, He Quan stopped in the lobby of an abandoned building.
Sunlight streamed down through the cracks in the broken ceiling, cutting large, bright patches of light across the floor.
Dust tumbled slowly within the beam of light, like countless tiny stardust particles.
In the center of the hall, a young girl was sitting next to a toppled concrete pillar.
Her outfit was quite unique: a performance costume dominated by orange-red hues, layered from the chest to the hem, hugging her slender curves. The neckline was low, revealing a glimpse of her fair collarbone and a hint of her curves. The waist narrowed sharply, accentuating her incredibly thin figure.
Starting from the waist, the skirt bursts open like a goldfish's tail, with layers of tulle and ribbons overlapping and stacked, each color—orange-red, vermilion, and light gold—shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
The hem of her skirt was trimmed with fine sequins, which shimmered with tiny sparkles when the light passed through it. The outermost layer of tulle was so light that it was almost transparent, and it rose and fell gently with her soft breathing, like the tail fin of a goldfish swaying slowly in the water.
Beneath the skirt, her long, slender legs were encased in dark over-the-knee boots. The boot shafts clung tightly to her shapely calves, and there were several obvious scratches on the boot surfaces, covered with dust and stains that seemed to have come from nowhere.
A small section of her fair thigh was visible between her long boots and the hem of her skirt, standing out against the dark boot shaft.
A thin red ribbon was tied to the left boot, the bow was half loose, and the end of the ribbon was stained with a dark water stain.
Her light pink long hair was loosely tied into pigtails and fell over her shoulders, with a red hair clip on the left side of her hair.
Her hair was a little messy, with a few stray strands sticking to her cheeks, damp with sweat and a darker color than the rest of her face.
A white bandage was wrapped around her left arm. It was made from fabric she tore off her skirt. The bandage wasn't professional, but it was tight enough, and you could vaguely see dark red stains seeping through the edges.
Her eyes were closed, her breathing light and slow, as if she were asleep, or perhaps resting with her eyes closed.
Sunlight fell on her face, turning her skin an almost translucent porcelain white. Her eyelashes cast tiny shadows on her eyelids, and her lips were slightly pursed, giving her a natural air of aloofness.
Yuzuriha Inori.
He Quan looked her over; she was exactly like the one in the anime. Light pink hair, deep red eyes, and features so exquisite they seemed unreal.
That iconic goldfish dress, those layers of skirts and ribbons, those over-the-knee boots that hugged her long, slender legs.
A 16-year-old member of Funeral Parlor, the lead singer of the online idol group Egoist, and also a connected experimental subject created to communicate with Mana Ouma.
She should be on the run right now. Not long ago, she stole something from GHQ's research institute: a test tube of the "Void Genome," which is what the original work calls the "Key."
He was hit by a stray bullet while fleeing and fell into the lake at the edge of the blockade zone. He then dragged his wounded body to hide in the ruins.
In the original story, Ouma Shu meets her here and is speechless with awe at her stunning beauty.
Then GHQ's pursuers arrived, and she entrusted the Void Genome to Shu Ouma before being captured.
Shu Ouma takes the test tubes to Gai Tsutsugami, the leader of Funeral Parlor, and unexpectedly gains the "power of the king" in the chaos.
But this time, Shu Ouma won't be coming.
He Quan snapped out of his thoughts and stepped into the hall.
Footsteps echoed in the empty space. Yuzuriha Inori's eyelashes fluttered, and then she slowly opened her eyes.
Those were deep red eyes, clear as two deep pools, devoid of any superfluous emotion.
Without surprise, fear, or curiosity, she simply raised her head and quietly looked at the unfamiliar man before her, like a startled fish, neither fleeing nor moving, but simply staring with her eyes open.
Just then.
A white shadow darted out from beside Yuzuriha Inori.
It was a small robot, rounded like an egg, all white, with a small display screen on the front showing two pixelated eye patterns.
It hovered in mid-air, and the eyes on the display screen instantly switched from a curved "smile" to a sharp "warning".
Finaru.
He Quan knew about this thing; it was Yuzuriha Inori's companion robot, responsible for communication, reconnaissance, and assistance. At this moment, it clearly identified He Quan as a threat.
Two small hatches popped open on either side of Fenaru's body, revealing metal launch ports inside.
The next second, two metal tubes shot out from the launch port, heading straight for He Quan's face and chest.
He Quan didn't dodge. He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and grabbed the metal tube in his palm.
With a flick of his wrist and a gentle pull, Feinaru was dragged forward by an irresistible force, its small white body tumbling through the air.
Just then, Yuzuriha Inori moved.
She used the concrete pillar to support herself as she stood up. The movement tore the wound on her left arm a little more, and the dark red seeping from the edge of the bandage deepened.
But her expression didn't change at all, and there was still no extra emotion in her deep red eyes. Only in that instant did her body react.
She lunged at He Quan from the side. Unable to exert force with her left hand due to her injury, she closed her right hand with her five fingers together, the fingertips aimed straight at the wrist of the hand that He Quan was holding Fei Na Lu.
The movements were crisp and clean, showing signs of training.
She is a member of the funeral home, not a helpless idol singer.
He Quan didn't even look at her; his right hand was still gripping the metal tube of Finaru, while his left hand casually reached out.
Yuzuriha Inori's right wrist was precisely gripped by him, like a goldfish trying to break free of a net, its tail easily pinched.
She tried to struggle, bending her right leg slightly and pressing her knee against He Quan's waist.
But He Quan gently twisted his wrist, pulling her arm behind her back, while simultaneously pressing his body slightly to the side.
For an instant.
Yuzuriha Inori's body was pressed against the cement pillar.
Her back was pressed against the cold concrete, her right hand was tied behind her back, and her left arm was in excruciating pain due to the change in position.
Her breathing became rapid, her chest heaving, and a few strands of pink hair clung to her cheeks, damp with cold sweat. But her expression remained calm.
Her deep red eyes lifted from between her messy hair to look at He Quan.
He Quan looked down at her.
"Don't move."
The tone was not harsh, as if talking to a disobedient pet.
Yuzuriha Inori didn't move, not because she was obedient, but because she knew it would be useless to move.
He Quan released her right wrist; he didn't continue to restrain her, and he withdrew his hand.
Click.
The white shell of Finaru shattered in his palm, and tiny fragments fell through his fingers.
The small white body twitched twice, the screen flickered a few times, and then went completely dark. The pixelated eyes disappeared, leaving only a deathly black screen.
He Quan released his left hand, letting the shattered robot wreckage fall to the ground. In his right palm, there was something new.
A test tube, a void genome.
The seed of "the power of the king".
In the original work, Shu Ouma injected it into his own body in a desperate situation, thus gaining the power to extract "Void" from others. He could then materialize people's hearts into weapons, such as swords, shields, or all sorts of strange and wonderful tools.
Now, it has fallen into He Quan's hands.
He Quan glanced down. Then he had a supermarket shopping bag in his hand, put the Void Genome inside, and the shopping bag disappeared from his hand.
He looked up at Yuzuriha Inori.
"The GHQ patrol is coming soon."
He Quan calmly said, "Come with me."
(End of this chapter)