RITW 7: Rebirth

Han Shuzhu had already intended to strike up a conversation. The two quickly started talking. They overcame various obstacles and finally entered the shelter’s vicinity. Both of them fell silent subconsciously as they passed through the medical area because it was like a living hell.

“I’m human… I’m human! I’m not a monster!” a man with several abruptly protruding hands shouted in despair.

“The level of mutation is only LV1…” the nurse checked and rechecked, constantly examining the diagnostic instruments. The nurse’s hands trembled, and the creature before their eyes could only be described as a humanoid anomaly. According to the shelter’s regulations, individuals with an LV of 5 or below still possessed human rights. The nurse could only reluctantly examine the injuries.

Another doctor hurriedly pushed others aside and said, “It’s impossible for me to treat that person; I don’t have a green label! I’ll be affected! Dr. Chen said that the mutations in the mutants are irreversible, and they will continue to grow as long as they are exposed to radiation! If LV1 doesn’t become LV5 eventually, LV5 will inevitably become a calamity! The instruments have determined that person to be LV2, so there must be a lot of radiation…”

“I’m going! I was interning in the burn unit before.” The intern grabbed the first aid kit and rushed towards the critically injured area.

The patient was identified as LV2, the highest level within the entire shelter. In the mission two days ago, their hands were severely burned, and they were also caught in the aftermath of an explosion, causing them to remain unconscious for two days and two nights.

The medical tent was filled with the smell of disinfectant and burnt residue. The patient lay on the bed, with a handsome face but horrifying wounds. The name “She Lulang” was written on the bed label.

She Lulang furrowed his brows, as if still trapped in a raging fire.

In his memory, thousands of tons of ammunition cascaded down, and fuel drums exploded in the narrow mine shaft, igniting what seemed like a hundred suns. Now, the sun was silent, leaving behind a sea of flames. The sound of drums and gongs echoed outside, while liquid nitrogen sprayed onto the charred earth, covering everything in frost. People clamored to “find the traitor’s corpse,” their weapons glinting with sharpened edges in various colors.

“After we leave, don’t be confused by other people again,” She Lulang whispered, “I… I won’t let anyone get close to you again.”

The other person responded, “The future can wait. For now, I want to give you my most precious possession.”

She Lulang’s expression flickered.

“This is the key to the riverside apartment I worked for five years to pay off the down payment since my junior year. It has an excellent location, three bedrooms, and two living rooms. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to live there for long before the disaster struck. I have always cherished it. It embodies my obsession, the fire of my soul, my past, and future. Now, I officially present this key to you…”

She Lulang gritted his teeth, filled with resentment. “Don’t you want to survive?”

The other person replied, “I don’t think too far ahead.”

He slapped the blood-stained key onto She Lulang’s body, but due to his unstable posture, it landed on She Lulang’s collarbone instead. The slightly warm key slipped along the skin, sliding into the gap of his clothes and settling on his chest, right over his heart.

The other person said, “Don’t lose it. The fight is about to begin.”

Suddenly, a white light appeared before their eyes, accompanied by a wave of heat. The mountains trembled as if Gonggong, the mythical figure, was angrily colliding with Mount Buzhou. She Lulang tightly closed his eyes, inexplicably shedding two hot tears, as if he knew he was about to lose the other person. But he had so many hidden thoughts that remained unspoken, so many silent nights where overwhelming emotions sliced through him like a blunt knife. His mind remained rational, yet a profound sorrow surged like a torrent from the depths of his soul, scorching a hole in his heart.

Suddenly, when the pain reached its peak, he became numb, and his body floated upward. His hands seemed to tingle, but compared to the torment he had endured, it was insignificant. As time passed, She Lulang felt himself becoming smaller, and his surroundings suddenly became vivid, while his hands burned intense pain!

She Lulang opened his eyes and saw the pale ceiling of the medical tent.

“What is this? Where… have I returned to?” She Lulang remained in a daze. As he made a slight movement, a blood-stained key slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, producing a crisp sound.

“Mr. She Lulang…” the intern trembled in the corner, holding the first aid kit. “Your hands just… turned into wings. Um, the instruments have also confirmed it. I believe you have indeed evolved into an LV2 esper. I hope you will follow the regulations and proceed to the Esper Hall for registration…”

Everything bore familiar traces.

　　***

Yu Qunqing accidentally fell off the beach chair and scraped his face against the trunk of a coconut tree.

He almost dreamed of his own death.

Yu Qunqing sat up and speculated that his death must have been too tragic, so his subconscious mind blocked out that memory.

However…

He glanced softly towards the door. Last time he returned home, he realized he had forgotten his keys when he reached into his pocket, so he sorrowfully used high-voltage electricity to damage his own door lock. After digging three feet deep in his home, he still couldn’t find the keys, so he placed a stool at the doorstep, providing a sense of security for his private space.

…It should be just an idle thought during the day and a dream at night.

In the dream, She Lulang told him to keep his eyes open when making friends in the future, and to live well. He would do his best to fulfill those words.

A tinge of melancholy filled his heart.

“Little bird, are you awake too? What a coincidence, I can’t sleep,” Yu Qunqing said as he went to play with the blue-bellied parrot.

In fact, as soon as he saw this little parrot, he couldn’t help but associate it with his deputy squad leader’s fondness for birds. Because of She Lulang’s esper form being bird-like, he naturally felt a connection to flying creatures.

But they didn’t know each other yet.

Yu Qunqing also didn’t know why he had the thought of wanting to share it with the other person as soon as he saw the parrot.

Could they still get to know each other in this lifetime, just like in the previous one?

Yu Qunqing was never one to dwell on distant matters. He quickly focused his thoughts on surviving in his current situation. The room had almost no light, as he was afraid of attracting light-seeking calamities. There was a good way to judge the strength of calamities: if they were large, active at night, or aquatic, it meant that junior espers should avoid them.

The little parrot’s beady eyes shimmered with a special charm, and the way it tilted its head to look at him was particularly adorable.

Now, with his in-game stamina not fully recovered and unable to sleep, he can only rely on moonlight to write down his plans on the balcony. The moon reflects on the surface of the river, shimmering with ripples, occasionally interrupted by shadows, while all is quiet and still.

There are only two days left until the heavy rain arrives. Many limited resources will be flooded and rendered ineffective, so he is truly racing against time. The approach he took today is simply not feasible; he needs to carefully plan my route.

As Yu Qingqun continued writing, he became more engrossed. His mind seems to have sprung to life, effortlessly extracting geographical features and road signs from the recesses of his memory. Feeling confident in his current state, he decisively bit into an apple and, under the bed covers, started tackling the challenges he would face.

Due to time constraints, he utilized many items and no longer acterd like a hamster on a road. He spent coins without hesitation, deducting thousands at a time. After all, his strategy has changed, and obtaining more hexagram stars is now the top priority.

The progression is smooth all the way, with a streak of four victories even. He obtainee 25 hexagram stars.

Because it was past midnight, the new player’s seven-day check-in reward automatically popped up. Today’s reward was a thirty-minute unlimited stamina apple.

Yu Qunqing became even more engrossed in the game. The scene of balloons and water guns going wild after completing each level was truly stress-relieving.

During these 30 minutes, he obtained 19 hexagram stars.

After playing the same game for an hour straight, Yu Qunqing got a bit tired of it and took out his PSP to play some Super Smash Bros. for relaxation.

The system couldn’t help but speak up, “You got tired of one game and decided to unwind with another game?”

Yu Qunqing replied, “Well, what else can I do? A person can’t live without playing games.”

The system chimed in, “Ding-dong! I have found a solution in the database. I recommend increasing your exploration points to unlock more game slots and download more games. That way, you won’t get tired of playing games on this system!”

Yu Qunqing: “Sigh, sometimes playing games feels like working too… It can be torturous.”

The system sulked and turned off its microphone.

T/N: It’s my birthday (and a national holiday in the US), so I decided to share a little something something to spread my good mood around a little