Chapter 22 Precarious Days (3)
The time that followed was terrible. I dodged and weaved, but Zihua was like a shadow, constantly pursuing me, attacking from unexpected angles.
Although I managed to escape last time by using sanitary pads to absorb water, I knew I wouldn’t be so lucky again.
So, it was time to use my last resort: blending into the crowd. With so many ordinary people as cover, as long as I avoided walking near manhole covers, Zihua wouldn’t have a chance to attack.
To prevent people from avoiding me due to my injuries, I went to the most crowded place, the central plaza, thinking it would be a temporary escape.
It was also rush hour, meaning more people, and Zihua definitely wouldn’t attack then; she’d have to wait for the next samsara.
But I was wrong.
The barrage of water bullets, like rain, swept through everyone…
Indiscriminate firing!!!
Screams erupted as people dropped. They had no idea what was happening. Unlike guns, there was no distinctive sound to signal a shot; only the sound of water slicing through the air.
Those hit cried out in pain and fell, while those around them screamed in terror, unaware of what was happening. The scene descended into chaos.
I was caught in the stampede, pushed and jostled by the fleeing crowd, unable to break free.
I had intended to use the crowd as cover, but instead, they had become a series of roadblocks.
What confused me most was Zihua…
How could she commit such an act of trampling on lives!
Wasn’t she afraid of Juncheng…
No, Zihua’s actions were simple. If you thought about it purely, she simply no longer needed to consider anyone else.
So that’s how it was.
If you assume from the start that time can be rewound, then killing anyone is meaningless.
Mass slaughter to achieve her goal… Zihua had completely lost her mind, her illness had progressed to its critical stage.
Her illness had reached its extreme, but there was no sign of her being spoiled.
Does she only act spoiled in front of Juncheng? This is difficult. It seems everyone can only get along peacefully if Juncheng is here.
I was lucky. Perhaps Zihua didn’t have my exact location pinpointed. I managed to slip into a shopping mall amidst the scattered crowd.
I took the elevator to the top floor.
Leaning by the entrance to the balcony, my body could no longer hold on. I slid to the floor, gasping for breath.
Just a little longer…
The critical time was approaching. She should be preparing to use time backtrack.
Based on my experience from these past few encounters, Zihua always used it in the evening, around 5 or 6 PM.
If 6 AM was the save point, Zihua’s ability seems to have a duration of about 12 hours.
I glimpsed the time at a fast-food restaurant earlier; it was around 5:40 PM.
I was finally nearing the end of this samsara…
She pressed forward relentlessly against my injured body. Each time, I escaped by a narrow margin. It seemed like luck, but in reality, Zihua was intentionally letting me go.
From her indiscriminate attack earlier, it seems she can manipulate not just a ball of water, but any water. This means she could have taken my life instantly, but she didn’t.
This was to prevent me from resting, to keep me constantly on edge, exhausted from fleeing, wearing down my spiritual power.
Her goal was achieved. I’m truly… and my pants are wet and sticky, which is very uncomfortable…
Being targeted by such a stalker is terrifying. This is beyond the level of stalking, it’s half-hunting, half-torture, like a fox playing with a captured mouse.
Her personality is truly vile…
But there’s still a very dangerous issue.
I’m carrying a tool that allows Zihua to find the Yata no Kagami… the skein of thread in my backpack.
Because my question was about how to revive Juncheng, this thread would always lead to the Yata no Kagami.
If Zihua got it, she wouldn’t need to interrogate me like this. But by the looks of it, she doesn’t know that Ariadne’s Thread is in my possession.
I wanted to see if I could cancel the current question and replace it with another to mislead Zihua, but after trying, I found it impossible.
But this can’t go on. She’ll sense it eventually… Hiding elsewhere is also not an option. She saw me carrying my backpack earlier, she’d definitely suspect where the important SF Light Novel items are.
This won’t do. I need a way… to the next…
Speaking of which, why hasn’t Zihua attacked me since earlier? Why is she giving me a chance to breathe?
As if to confirm my thoughts, Zihua ‘pulled the net’!
I don’t know when, but a water net had been set up around me. Before I could even react, the net tightened, trapping me.
Ugh, this is so embarrassing, this posture is too perverted! N-no rubbing.—
“Ugh, mmm! —- Ahhhhhhhh!” Serrations extended from the water ropes, cutting into my skin. From the serrations, micro-blades extended, moving under my skin, severing my tendons, tearing my muscles—
It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!!!
Why… why do I have to suffer like this…
How… how can I let her do this to me…
Just as my consciousness was about to fade, time finally stopped once more. But I couldn’t tell if it was my consciousness that stopped, or the time around me.
My mind went blank, my spirit dulled by the lingering pain, I felt utterly terrible.
No… I can’t be in this state!
At this critical moment, some unknown spiritual power seemed to flow into my mind as if to assist me. Was this a backup from my main body?
Yes, if I give up now, all my efforts will be in vain.
I need to recover, must recover immediately! My consciousness isn’t clear yet. In this state, if time flows again, I definitely won’t be able to withstand Zihua’s attack.
I returned to the same spot for the eighth time.
The moment time began to flow, Zihua immediately started condensing water to attack.
As expected, it’s a quick attack!
I wanted to dodge, but my body wouldn’t obey. The spiritual trauma wouldn’t heal that quickly. I could only use my last evasive maneuver—
A roll.
Zihua walked towards me step by step, grabbed me by the hair, and stared into my eyes with a vacant gaze, speaking coldly.
“Don’t make me repeat the question about the Yata no Kagami. Where is it?”
“Heh… Ask the ghosts!”
…
Zihua frowned slightly. She condensed two more water spheres and shot them at my uninjured areas, completely incapacitating me.
Then she dragged me away, and I lost consciousness from the pain, not knowing where we were going.
When I woke up again, I was splashed with water.
I jolted awake to find my hands and feet bound by chains and I was being hung up. Looking around, I could only see Zihua standing emotionlessly in front of me. The room was bare, except for a chair in front of me and a washbasin in the corner. There was nothing else.
My body was soaked, but I felt no pain.
Were my wounds healed? Did Zihua do it?
“I’m too lazy to play hide-and-seek with you anymore, Zi’ai An.”
“It’s 10 AM now. Until 6 PM, I have a full eight hours to torment… you. Do you think you can last until then?”
… How do you know?
“Well, let’s try it. I heard the FBI uses water to interrogate terrorists… they say the pain is unbearable. I won’t let you die, Zi’ai An… I’ll make you wish you were dead.”
Zihua walked to the washbasin in the corner of the room, slowly turned on the faucet. Water poured out with a gush but didn’t touch the basin.
I felt water touch my feet, my clothes becoming heavy from the water. But soon, the excess weight was offset by buoyancy, and my body even floated. Except for my head, my entire body was submerged in water.
Zihua turned off the faucet and came before me, looking at me with pity.
“Resent and curse, Zi’ai An. Resent yourself for coming into this world, resent that nameless soul for arbitrarily duplicating you as a scapegoat, resent… that you are still alive.”
Before I could retort defiantly, my head was plunged into the water.
I immediately closed my mouth, swallowing the water that had entered. The stinging sensation in my pupils and the impact on my eardrums were unbearable—
But with insufficient oxygen, I subconsciously opened my mouth. Even though I didn’t want to, my body instinctively craved oxygen.
My lungs were forced to absorb the unbearable liquid. My heart felt squeezed as if submerged in liquid, sending urgent distress signals to my cerebral cortex.
The sense of time stretched, my senses were devoured by the frantic liquid, gradually disappearing like light swallowed by darkness.
I’m going to die…
But even if I die, can I die a different way…
Drowning is too horrible.
I’m counting… Ah…
I think I heard a phone vibrating, but it was actually the sound coming from my heart.
My blood surged, my whole body felt incredibly hot. Although I hadn’t gotten any oxygen, I could feel my once-fading body rapidly regaining vitality.
That’s right… it’s like I’ve been reborn!
Like being born again!
The water engulfing me instantly evaporated due to the high temperature, even burning my clothes to ashes. The chains binding me melted and fell to the ground.
Naked, I landed on the molten iron.
So… so hot!
My whole body is so hot!
“Oh? This temperature… I see. You’ve borrowed ‘her’ body. I thought it was strange that neither you nor that blank soul had a body and couldn’t come to the outside world. I was wondering whose body you borrowed, but now the answer is obvious…”
“I don’t know what happened, but”
I clenched my fists and said to Zihua before me,
“Now I have the qualification to confront you! Zihua!”
