Hi Everyone! Don't know if anyone is shipping A and B?
I am so obsessed, so I plan to write a story about their past in an alternative universe. It will be around 8~9 chapters. Trust me I will complete it.
I am too busy to translate it, so everything is Google without revision. Read it if you like. L won't appear until Ch2.
When she chases him, she can be found no matter where she goes. If he cannot keep up with A's pace at this time, he will be far away, maybe forever.
Chapter 1
"commander!"
Among the ruins of the Eighth City District, the "sanctuary" built by the Red Witch Gang was crowded with people. In the center of the crowd is a woman—a rarity in a society where the fertility rate has dropped below 0.05% and the ratio of men to women is extremely imbalanced. Unlike others, she did not wear any protective clothing, only a single suit, standing barefoot on the ground, her light golden curly hair swaying slightly in the night wind.
The helper knelt before her.
"B disappeared."
In order to avoid being noticed and to hide their identities, members call each other by letters. The woman - a girl who looked to be in her early teens - did not have the airs of a "commander" and tilted her head.
"Did you say Beyond?" She never calls Beyond B. But that's not the issue now.
"He is the gang leader in name only. Address me properly!"
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I was rash."
The man laughed, not showing any fear. Then he said it again.
"Commander, our leader is missing."
"Yes, yes, I understand."
The girl waved her hands impatiently, but a smile appeared on her face.
—Why do you only use honorifics for the commander and not the gang leader? This is probably because she is much more likable than B. Even though she never deliberately tried to please them, never flattered or flattered them, her followers gathered more and more behind her, and even formed gangs.
This is how the "Red Wizards" gang was established.
"All I did was give you some suggestions when you were in trouble..." the girl murmured, "The biggest contributor is Beyond, isn't it?"
"That guy B is not as good as you," the man said leisurely, "because he only follows your 'suggestions'."
"...Really? In that case, I have to give him some 'tips'. If this continues, it won't be strange if I become the gang leader one day, right?"
"To be honest, this is everyone's expectation."
"Oh, that's too much. I must be the last person to like him."
"I'm going to find that idiot." The girl known as the strategist turned around and started running barefoot before the man stopped her. She shouted as she ran, "When he comes back, please call him 'leader' too!"
B exhaled.
White puffs of smoke disappeared into the air. This is the lowest quality smoke, so it has no taste. Eager to soothe his brain that was in severe pain, he called the waiter to the side. Without speaking, he simply pointed at the menu column with his index finger.
Soy sesame wine. It sells for one thousand palazzos a bottle. This is also inferior. Real hemp is a precious product that is in short supply in the upper class. A concentration of 20% can cause death.
"This cup is at most 1%, no..."
He put down his cup and sighed.
This is a fake.
Not only did it not relieve the tense emotions, it actually caused the severe pain in my head to explode. He called the waiter over again, but the waiter refused to admit the existence of fake wine. Instead, he kept urging him to pay.
Snapped.
B crushed the glass. His expression was calm, but his eyes were fierce.
—The strange thing is that when the scarlet eyes were scanned, the waiter felt his whole body stiffen, as if he had been petrified and found it difficult to move. Scarlet... red eyes, the rumored leader of the newly rising gang had such eyes.
—However, it is said that he himself has no fighting power and is just an illusion. In that case, there is nothing to be afraid of.
"Hello, sir!"
The body returned to normal after two seconds. He slammed the bill on his desk.
"We'll be really bothered if you don't pay and I'll call the bartender..."
"I won't pay."
How dare he declare this so brazenly? The young man grabbed his loose collar, as if to release the long-pent up fighting spirit, but all the muscles in his body were very relaxed. How much power can be released from a body with thin muscles?
"There's no money anyway." He said shamelessly, lazily spreading his hands. "You sold me fake wine. It's good that I didn't cause you any trouble. If you still want to hold you accountable, oh. - Isn't there a lot left on the ground?"
"Kneel down and lick them clean." The young man raised the corner of his mouth with a ferocious, devilish smile. "Consider this wine as a gift to you."
"What did you say?!"
Located on the corner of a dilapidated street in the Eighth City District, this bar called "Entertainment Paradise" often encounters this kind of customers. To be precise, I meet a dozen of them every day. In places where chaos and violence are rampant, with the aid of alcohol and pornography, abnormal excitement is deeply rooted in everyone's body like a cancer. Losing just a bottle of wine and a waiter is a small thing.
The bartenders surrounded him with familiarity. Their hands were on their waists, where they held the source of their confidence - a Lese-88 gun that could shoot a laser stream with anesthetic effects. If touched by this flow of light, even the limbs will be severed by the roots.
Therefore, once the perpetrators are targeted, they will immediately cry and beg to surrender. As for the most drunk group, they fainted with a hammer blow.
"Ha!" The black-haired boy smiled with great disdain. He is probably the only person who is not afraid of being targeted by deadly weapons. "Does it not matter if your store is destroyed?"
"Is it just you?"
Those red eyes are indeed very bright, but I am just a little kid who doesn't know the heights of the world.
"If you want to fight, go out and fight. But, first of all," B hooked his fingers and then made a gesture of wiping his neck. "Even if you kill me, you won't be able to find any money."
"You really only have one life to die!"
There is no shortage of such people in District 8. But it was this clamorous arrogance that exposed his naivety. The bodyguards laughed loudly: "You kid may not know, but you have a lot of valuable things on you!"
"I heard that the empire is recruiting troops in District 8 recently. Although they only want loyal cannon fodder, it wouldn't be a bad idea to send a guy like you there as a slave."
Organ trading, slave trading - in such a lawless place, nothing is forbidden, and power is everything. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, young people have joined independently established gangs and obtained a humble guarantee by working their lives.
The Red Witch is different. Most of the Red Witch's helpers are former mercenaries recruited by A and left behind on their own initiative by A's own knights. The so-called former mercenaries are soldiers who have been eliminated from the upper echelons, or combat experts who have experienced many battles in other gangs but are not taken seriously. They suppressed with absolute force and consolidated the dominance of the "Red Witch" gang.
B, who had average fighting ability and was unsociable, was marginalized in this way. In the center of the encirclement, B, who was targeted by the laser gun, recognized similar emotions in the eyes of the group of people.
Contempt, disdain, jealousy...
The last thing he saw was a white skirt. The old style that did not include protection has long been out of fashion in today's society, but A has been wearing it, as if it was a standard outfit that she could not live without, or a physical symbol of a certain dream. A chases it.
—Must be... hallucinating, or maybe drinking too much...
B thought as he was pushed outdoors and had a gun aimed at his eyes.
The laser grazed his left cheek, and another laser pierced his right shoulder. His eyes suddenly brightened as if they were on fire. Enduring the pain of being hit by metal in the head, he diverged his sight to the surrounding air, encompassing everyone in the surrounding circle.
Snapped! Crack! Guchi!
When the commander, or rather the girl, arrived, this was what he saw.
Outside the bar, in an unregulated area, under the setting sun, the black-haired boy kept swinging his fists and punching the faces of the five long-lifeless men on the ground.
Crack! The sound of fists hitting bones. Guchi! More blood came out.
He slapped, laughing wildly with hatred, and roaring sharply at the same time.
"Idiot! Stupid-idiot! Haha, hahaha, hahahaha!"
"You don't have to think about it with your rusty brains. The boss sells fake wine. How can he equip you with real guns? Quack, quack, quack! How stupid! Who is getting retribution now?"
"Beyond! Beyond!"
The girl ran to him and held his wrist.
"Stop fighting, he will die if you continue to fight!"
"So what if I die?"
The young man turned his face gloomily. Blood dripped from his forehead and along the side of his scarlet eyeballs. He looked terrible at that time.
—Strange, that's what I should say.
"Even dead people are scum. They are rubbish, and society treats them as indifferent rubbish."
"No. Because human life is important." A's lips trembled for a while, almost feeling a deep pain. She went to hold his shoulders, "You're hurt, Beyond."
"Yeah?"
B looked calm as if he had just noticed. The blood pouring from his body only deepened his disgust. He assumed a superior posture, pushed A's hand away, and stood up alone.
"Those losers used fake guns. At most it's a little burn. Well, it'll be fine in a few days."
"Speaking of it, Amania." The gaze from the scarlet eyes moved to the girl. He said in a resistant and arrogant tone, "I didn't ask you to come over. Stop meddling in my business."
"...You are too impulsive and risky. If I hadn't come, how much trouble would you have caused? No matter where you go, you are like this..."
It was more helplessness than rebuke.
"In that case, just pretend that I am not one of 'you'."
B interrupted her.
"I never wanted to join. It was you who forced me in. If you want me to be the 'leader' that no one believes in, it would be better for me to wander in District 8. That way I will be very comfortable every day, and I don't have to worry about you all the time. "
"...Consider me?"
"Yes," the young man gritted his teeth and said angrily, "I was afraid that you would die one day, so I reluctantly stayed in the 'Red Witch'."
"You don't even care about your own death, but you actually care about my life and death?"
The girl asked him with a straight face, but the latter turned his face away. She chuckled. Because B will become particularly anxious after being forced to tell the truth, and she still understands this.
She had to grab the boy's shirt and lift him up, but the boy's thin body was like straw in the wind, swaying with resistance.
"Beyond, you used 'that' move on them..."
The girl looked around in surprise.
Four broken guns lay beside the five big men sprawled out. One of them was still intact, but B stepped on it and crushed it roughly back and forth.
"There's nothing I can do." B complained in a strange voice, "Although they are all fake, there is only one that is very close to the genuine article. Without that ability, I would have ended up here today."
"It doesn't matter, they didn't notice."
A said thoughtfully:
"There are drugs that can have similar effects. I'm afraid they think it's a colorless smoke bomb, right? They can't guess that it's a special talent, and they won't take precautions."
"But, promise me, you won't use it again. Absolutely, absolutely you won't risk it again."
He lowered his head angrily. "I see."
"Don't be impulsive!"
"I think I'm pretty calm most of the time..."
"go home with me."
She didn't know what made A angry, so she hit him on the head, and instead of pulling on his clothes, she started pulling the hair on the back of his head. B bared his teeth and screamed. At this time, the girl gave him a gentle push and asked him to walk in front.
She quietly put her palm on B's injured shoulder. From the contact surface, a wave of warmth came over her, driving away the burning heat and easing the pain in the injured area. B immediately felt that his shoulder began to heal.
This is a healing skill at the genetic level. Every time he witnesses it, he will think of the ancient, healing and noble god that A believes in.
Halfway through, A stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"Nonsense. You are not the only injured person. Moreover, the damage to the store must be fully compensated."
At this time, the mysterious halo disappeared, and B, like the helper, couldn't control the desire to sigh when facing her back.
Red wizard.
It only took less than three years for this small gang with a ridiculous name and only about twenty people in District 8 to grow into a large gang that everyone feared and dominated.
There are many rumors about this gang. Some people say that their military advisor is a weak woman and their leader is a coward who never shows up and has zero fighting ability. In that case, how did they reach their current heights?
What is most praised is their mysterious fighting method, which often appears from unexpected corners and launches surprise attacks. Also, the mysterious smoke bombs that appear along with the battle have the effect of paralyzing limbs and making people unconscious. Even if you wear a mask, you can't resist its effects. That's why some people call it "devil's smoke."
That night. Standing on a ruined wall, B—the black-haired young man—twirled the knife in his hand and sneered. If people simply thought it was smoke, that would be fine.
The blade of the sword, glowing with cold light, reflected his own figure. In the past three years, he has not changed. Wear a black V-neck shirt, a pair of leather pants and a pair of studded shoes, just like A, without any protection. His eyes were still as scarlet as blood.
—But, when facing the mirror and seeing himself like this, he will neither be paralyzed nor comatose. This ability works on everyone except A. Afterwards, the more intense the use, the more severe the headaches that follow.
"Devil...?" Throwing the knife upward, he raised his arm and caught it steadily. "Might as well call it a curse."
Is this similar to the petrifying power of Medusa in old legends?
not only that. When looking at humans with red eyes, B could clearly feel that he had stolen something else. Vitality, energy, or...life.
If used excessively, it can steal all lifespan and turn oneself into an undead monster. It's a mind-numbing ability. Except for A, he has not found anyone with similar special abilities, so in a sense, he and A became companions when guarding this secret.
But what's the point?
Looking up to the sky, it was a false starry sky. The sky is just a false barrier, a psychedelic film projected over their heads by the controllers of the world. —The real starry sky, or rather nature, has long been destroyed and is as riddled with holes as District 8.
When he raised his head and stared in trance, he was suddenly knocked on the back.
"Amania."
Too. Three years later, A no longer has the height advantage to knock him on the head. Now she is still a girl, but her face has lost its childishness, and she is now a slim and graceful woman.
"There's a cocktail party down below. Aren't you going?"
"Not going."
"I have your favorite soy sesame wine!" B had her back on her back, so we couldn't see her expression or what she was holding in her hands behind her back. "It is said that the concentration is a full 3%. It is no longer the fake that once made you angry."
"I'm not angry."
"You do. Do you know how much mental energy I spent trying to treat them!"
"Amania...don't you have a headache?"
Suddenly something occurred to her, and B caught her eyes. Each time, A was not seen suffering from using his ability. The headache is really a punishment for yourself, right?
A smiled strangely.
"No. But I probably have to bear other 'prices'." She stopped talking when B asked eagerly. "It's okay, Beyond. We are 'wizards' blessed by the gods."
B frowned.
"There is no magic in this world, and I also..." I don't believe in the gods that Amania believes in.
—Because if there are gods, why is the world in ruins?
Could it be that what is happening here, under the artificial barriers faked to look like the starry sky, is nothing more than a noisy circus show for those in the upper class? B didn't want to and didn't understand what the higher-ups meant, but A was very interested in this topic.
The original intention of establishing the "Red Witch" and the courageous followers are all heading towards the same goal, which is to set off a revolution and change the rot of the world from the bottom of the rot. However, B lost interest when he thought that no matter how vigorous the changes were, they would turn into a pool of stagnant water and a land covered with smoke and dust under his feet that seemed yellow but not yellow.
A grabbed his wrist and pointed upward.
At that time, the bright starlight seemed to merge with her clear eyes.
"There is a tall tower outside this sky, did you know? We are in the eighth area, which is also the lowest area, so we can't see it. However, there are seven areas above us, and the first area... ...the tower itself."
"..."
"I heard that the ruler of the world lives there."
A chuckled. "Is he some kind of princess?"
"...I can't tell whether it's human or not."
B looked at the sky and said listlessly.
"I want to take a look. Isn't this what it means to be born in a slum? Climb up." A said softly, "With greater power, there is greater power to change. I want the eighth district to be the same as the first district." The district's resources are distributed equally."
Wishful thinking - no, it should be said that it is as beautiful as a fairy tale where the ruler is a princess.
"I don't want you to follow me. No. You must not follow me...Ah, if I say this, Beyond will follow me because of my rebellious psychology. Ah!" The woman grabbed her hair in distress.
"Who wants to follow you?" B lowered his eyelids and consciously took a step to the right, one meter away from her. "You were the one who forced me in in the first place...I absolutely don't want..."
"Then you promise me?"
"Wait...what did I promise?!"
"I won't leave District 8." A snorted as if he had achieved something. "Just live your life here with yourself, Beyond."
"Which time is this..." The young man tapped his temples in confusion, wondering how he had offended her again. A stuffed a box of strawberry jam into his arms, quickly jumped off the ruins, and left.
"We are short of funds, you will never have strawberry jam again!"
"Ha...?!" His expression froze for a second, and then anger emerged. He jumped down quickly and ran quickly behind A, "Amania! Were you joking just now? You must be joking, right?! Stop!" He fell, but he was still running on the ground. With.
Into the light.
This is a celebration banquet set up by the "Red Witch". It is essentially an open-air dinner where you can drink as much as you want. The stage was improvised and the tents were made of plastic and wood found on the roadside. The flames lit on the rags bring a festive atmosphere.
—A declared to the outside world that he made the "smoke" that had miraculous effects on the enemy. In this way, there were fewer disrespectful people in the gang. Others gradually get used to the solitary and disparate habits.
The gang members clapped. "Commander, you still have the best idea."
"That's right," there was a roar of laughter. "Finding the missing leader counts as one item, and bringing the Boss back counts as another item."
...
Back to the red wizard rumors. Their rise relies on outstanding tactics, mysterious fighting methods, excessive arms and the excellent strength of mercenaries.
In fact, there is another important-perhaps the most important-thing, namely human feelings.
District 8 is a place where no laws are followed, a place of chaos and violence divided among heroes. The primary way to win over people here is their innocence that distinguishes them from other gangs.
The so-called gangs are similar to the underworld in the old days. They are organizations that commit murder, arson, and are full of crimes. However, they do not steal or rob, nor do they sell drugs, and they disdain activities such as human body trading and pornography. Most of the jobs for red witches are to work as bodyguards and guards. It's a thankless job and a meager salary.
If you have money, you can do things; if you have revenge, you can take revenge. If enemies come looking for you, they will naturally respond with violence. If the other party does not kill him, he will leave him alive in exchange for a ransom and compensation for the loss.
In the jungle society, following a set of norms and rules that are unusually strict, not only did the gang not become the target of public criticism, but it actually won a good reputation and gained favor.
Some people are curious about the identity of the commander and leader and want to find out.
Someone was spared his life and transferred from his gang as a favor.
Some people were moved by the revolutionary goal of "renovating slums."
Someone...
It must be mentioned that the fairy tale of A's Arabian Nights has become a spiritual antidote in the decadent District 8. No matter how small the hope is, it is precious in this closed society where the upward path is blocked. of. What this prison under the illusory sky lacks most is people as innocent as stupid.
Among the distant gods from the old world that she believed in, and the truth, goodness and beauty that the believers chanted about, did any trace of them exist in the real world?
As the team grew, this group of dying people held high the banner of revolution and purged the "sin" of the slums. They forgave sinners, rescued children, punished evil and promoted good, making everything develop like a fairy tale.
At the same time, the myth that the Red Witch suffered no casualties was maintained, causing more people to flock to it.
Finally, one day.
It collapsed suddenly, without warning, and easily.
As if they were being punished by God, hundreds of charred corpses were lying on the land of the Eighth City District. The "nobles" could have used a more humane method to eliminate them, but compared to poison gas and new-age weapons, they used the most cruel and painful method.
—To show strength.
—To kill the chicken to scare the monkey.
The dregs of these slums are like weeds that can grow new sprouts after being burned away with a fire. Rather than taking lives, the nobles want to burn out their ideals. They made the charred corpses with their blood burned dry lie on the ground, like beheaded and hung witches from the old times, openly declaring this fact:
Resistance is futile and will lead to death.
In the end, they used the method of raining down a raging fire to prevent similar seeds from taking root and sprouting again, and exposed the barren, dirty, and blood-filled land of District 8 to its original appearance.
The banquet continued with the sound of fun and slapstick.
The gang members tested their strength, fought with knives, drank and chatted happily.
B had just drank half a bottle of sambal wine, his vision was blurred, his eyes were dull, and unswallowed saliva flowed down his lips.
"Be careful, Boss! Are you so drunk?"
The person next to him handed him a tablecloth, originally intended to wipe his mouth, but it hit his eyes.
"Sorry, I'm a little... dizzy too..."
—3% is indeed very impressive.
He thought as he drank the remaining half of the bottle.
The hot alcohol irritated his throat and burned along his esophagus, and B held back so as not to spit it out.
Uneasiness coiled around the back of his neck like a thick snake. He reached out to touch it and came across some prickly hair.
It's as long as A's.
The crowd made noise, and it turned out that the woman in the white dress walked onto the stage. Instead of going barefoot as before, she wore a pair of old-fashioned transparent diamond-encrusted high heels. She plugged in the stereo that had been discontinued a hundred years ago and hummed softly into the antique microphone:
"When peace like a river, attend my way"
"When sorrows like sea billows roll"
"Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know"
—What language is that? Judging from the pronunciation, it is Old English. However, this long-lost language has left too few written records in modern times, and B can only vaguely recognize a few words. River, sadness, sea,...
The melody is melodious and melodious, and has the power to soothe people's hearts just like A's healing technique. Before she could speak, everyone's eyes were focused on her.
Under the influence of alcohol, B's eyes became hazy. But because of this, it seemed to be coated with a layer of mysterious brilliance, becoming as shining as the stars.
Her voice, which he had never thought was different, was now like an elf from old world legends whispering in his ear, making people drowsy and intoxicated by psychedelic drugs.
"It is well, it is well, with my soul..."
Driven by the strong impulse of his heartbeat, the young man discovered that the former girl was so tall and lively, which he had not noticed even after following her for ten years. Does the pale blond hair swaying in the wind actually have such a soft texture? Why do shoes studded with fake diamonds dance like this and reflect such luster?
In the eighth district of Eternal Night, any home is a prison, so B is living in a state of confusion, eating and waiting to die. A is the complete opposite. She recruits friends, forms cliques, and works hard for even the smallest change.
So, in a place where people rot and stink, she first became the first caller, and then a ray of light, which made the pure black have different shades. She brought even fragments of false dreams, Became a fly lantern.
—So, are the people flying over chasing the afterglow of hope, or something else, more vivid and carnal?
A severe headache that was different from the past made B almost groan. This is the end of the song. "I dedicate this song to everyone," A put the microphone on his chest and bowed deeply.
"Lord, I pray for you all, luck and prosperity, peace and happiness...I pray in your name, Amen."
B feels thirsty, but the wine bottle in his hand is empty. He had no choice but to immerse himself in the shock just now. Without even knowing the name of the emotion he felt, he kept following the crowd and making mechanical clapping movements.
—At the end of the banquet, due to excessive drinking, he could only crawl on the ground. He was ridiculed by everyone and could not get up and walk for three days. This is a story for another time.
—-
"Headache!"
"Stop it, Beyond. I left my job for three days specifically to take care of you, but all you did was lie on the bed and on the floor. Did a bottle of Sima burn out your brain?!"
"I..." B hesitated and said in a low voice, "I also drank two bottles."
A hit him on the head angrily.
"Then you quickly recover for me. We are about to go on a mission. How can we do it without you?"
"I try my best."
Although I don't know why B would avoid looking at her face when he saw her face, A still pulled him up and dragged him away by the waistband of his pants.
Several gang members were sitting in the room, drinking, chewing "Greta", a fruit dessert unique to District 8, and chatting about current events.
"I heard that the empire is still recruiting troops."
"In District 8? No one will go there." The speaker couldn't help showing a look of hatred.
—This is because the Imperial Army appears to be a regular escort corps, but is actually a tool to suppress slum riots. Using money and status as bait, they transform people into humanoid weapons, and then ask them to kill their original compatriots, or sneak in secretly to report, capture, and "purify" potential rebels.
They are the most hated traitors.
"Those imperial lackeys!"
The member spat. "Even the brain has been implanted with a chip, and it can no longer be called a human being. Will anyone really believe the promises from above?"
District 8 is the slum. Above this, with the five districts as the dividing line, are the nobles and the ruling class.
"But becoming soldiers is the only way for us to climb up..." someone said weakly.
"Isn't that the commander's dream?"
A was silent.
"If you want to leave District 8, there is another way." When this was mentioned, everyone's expressions were a little strange. If becoming an "Imperial Soldier" who specializes in hunting down poor people is the worst option, then the other way is the most dishonorable, shameful and obscene option.
"Become a pet..."
The silence settled like substance, and everyone's expressions were as disgusting as if they had swallowed flies.
—Let's not talk about how slim the possibility of being chosen by a noble is. Putting aside all self-esteem and being trained to become a sex doll voluntarily, in District 8, one is more despicable and despicable than a simple lackey of the empire, and has nothing to do with objects. Different existence.
"If that kind of thing dares to come to District 8, I'll kill every one of them on sight!" one person yelled angrily.
"Hahaha, they have nothing useful except their sexual organs, right? I heard that nobles with strange interests would even cut off the limbs of their pets and make them into furniture..."
"Even if it means death or my organs being sold, I definitely don't want to be taken advantage of."
"Idiot! All pets are women, who would fall in love with a rough guy like you?"
"There are also male pets. However, the ones that can fetch high prices at auction are usually women." One person said, "Especially beautiful women who are in adolescence or just mature..."
At some point, everyone's peripheral vision focused on A, but they quickly moved away as if being stabbed by a dark subconscious.
B's face turned dark and cloudy.
At this time, someone said in confusion: "I heard that the more noble your bloodline, the lighter your hair color will be. Don't you think... the commander's hair is very light? Uh, I, I am Said this golden color is very beautiful..."
"Is that enough?"
Dead silence. It wasn't that everyone kept silent intentionally, but that they didn't make any sound at all.
An unnatural stiffness shot through the body like an electric current, numbing the brain painfully.
—When they came back to their senses, they found that B, whose nerves should have been damaged by alcohol, was standing upright, with a murderous look in his eyes, and his eyes turned a terrifying scarlet red.
The creepy coldness and strange numbness dissipated after five seconds. It was just like when they were immersed in the red smoke... When everyone woke up, they still felt that their limbs were stiff and their thoughts were as heavy as lead.
"B."
A broke the silence first, pulling the black-haired young man to sit down. She took out a strawberry-flavored Greta, followed it to her lips, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The latter just chewed mechanically without saying a word and his eyes did not focus on her.
—Could it be that...the dumb people realized something that they had not noticed before, because B had never shown a violent expression, could it be that...their leader was angry just now?
"Okay, okay," A said easily, clasping his hands together as if the episode didn't happen. "None of us want to join the army, right?"
They all shook their heads.
"No one wants to become a pet." The light-blond woman smiled very calmly, "Of course, including me! Why are you all looking at me? Could it be that I, who act as a think tank, am no better than those who only have superficial appearance? Are pets better able to lead you and capture your hearts?"
Hahaha! The commander was joking again. Who can compare to you, and who can compare to pets? The gang members laughed, and the tense atmosphere ended in peace and fun.
Only B was still squatting, staring blankly at the ground, drawing unknown patterns on the air with his fingers, and then put it to his lips and licked up the remaining jam.
"Let's get down to business. I asked you to gather today to prepare for the next mission." A stood in the center of the crowd and naturally took over the tasks that belonged to the leader. She crossed her arms and sighed. "We have been doing unpaid jobs, and even our gang's financial situation has been in dire straits. Fortunately, this time the employer is generous and the task is not difficult... Everyone knows that we are going to the Sixth The district is responsible for cargo escort..."
"District Six!"
Because Districts 8 and 7 have thick barriers, the gang members were very excited to hear that they could go to other districts. "Wouldn't that mean we could leave the slums!"
"Theoretically, yes. However, in reality, we are within the interstellar route throughout the entire journey and cannot enter the interior of Area Six."
—If you want to go up, you must enter the pipeline-shaped traffic channel and pass through the two areas and the isolation door between the areas. Compared with the fortress defense within the empire, this area is the most chaotic and most vulnerable to attack and robbery, so escorts are needed.
"What a pity. Speaking of which, who is the boss? Can he get a permit to open a passage?"
The door to District 8 should always be closed. Those at the bottom should rot and die at the bottom - this seems to be the empire's governance philosophy.
"No need to worry about these. All we have to do is stay in the channel and wait for the cargo to be transferred from Area 6 to the upper level. The total time spent will not exceed one hour."
A straightened his back.
"I'll go with you."
—The seemingly easy and simple guard job is very rewarding and can be worth half a year's salary. Such a good thing may not happen once in several years, and it immediately gained the support of all employees.
B stood up, scratched the hair beside his ear, and said firmly.
"I object."
"Hasn't your brain been numbed by alcohol yet to recover?"
Laughter again. —Everyone always looks this frivolous towards a leader who is not doing his job.
B turned to the blonde woman and spoke calmly:
"This is not like you, Amania. You often tell me to use reason to make judgments, but this time, what I saw is that you ignored the risks and made a decision that was only in line with personal emotions."
"...Beyond, what does this mean?"
As if he was suffering from a pain that he did not want to express, or a pain in his head that was like being hit by a hammer, B pressed his temples and said:
"First of all, we don't know what the 'cargo' is, and we don't know the true identity of the 'employer', which is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, we don't know their purpose. This is different from all previous missions. In case the escort is just an excuse What? With their military strength, there is no need for people from the slums to serve as guards. In the end..."
"Beyond!"
"...Finally, no matter whether it is based on logic or intuition, it is denied. This matter is too suspicious, don't you think?" B raised his head, "Let Amania make mistakes and make wrong judgments. Isn't it your selfish wish to put everyone at risk?"
At that moment, from A's eyes, B understood... However, besides the pain, he felt a deeper sadness, which stemmed from the sadness of being a resident of District 8 and being unable to break through the barriers to advancement. It stems from the sadness I feel when I see the disappointment on A's face, and the sadness caused by some unexplainable and unexplainable uneasiness deep in my heart.
—A is not the only one who is affected by personal feelings.
"I firmly oppose it."
"Then don't go, B." She only didn't call B's name when she was angry.
"...Then let's remove the leader. This title is already in name only. It doesn't matter what I say or what I don't say, it will be the same to you."
"I didn't mean that."
"Bye, A."
The party ended on a bad note. The uneasy vortex gradually spread, so that the entire sky was enveloped and smeared into gloomy pure black. After leaving the camp, the young man had been sitting on the haystack, crossing his legs and getting lost in old memories.
—In the past, when he was very impulsive, A acted as a calm and responsible person, but now the roles seem to have been reversed. When she runs after him, she can be found no matter where she goes. If she cannot keep up with A's pace at this time, she will be far away, maybe forever.
"This is all her fault, isn't it?" He stared at the sky with gloomy red eyes, and angrily smashed the haystack, causing the weeds to fly in the air. "Because she is the only one who desperately wants to change the status quo..."
Even though they are separated by the barrier of the interstellar waterway, they are still standing on land that is not the Eighth District.
—B knows very well why it is sixth. Because the barrier in the seventh area is still very thick, only by climbing there can you get a glimpse of the tower through the false sky barrier. The silver-white building that symbolizes the highest power stands quietly in the center of every city, attracting people's ardent hopes and competition.
Compared with the lighthouse, it is more like a product that combines all the splendor, corruption and depravity. It is a collection of all the evils of 'Atez', with only the bones of flies under it.
—Regardless of how she approaches and how much power she can capture, if she really stands there, A will definitely have a mental breakdown because of the breadth of her crimes and the depth of the corruption involved, because she is just a human being. She is just a pure and innocent girl who thinks she has a special mission...
However, on second thought, if A were not like this, the light emitted by this fly lantern would not be comparable to the light of the tower. A is to the Red Witches just like the tower is to those outside the Eighth District. Residents are of incomparable importance.
B covered his eyes in pain.
Unable to get out of bed with a headache for three days after drinking...how is that possible. Although it was also affected by headaches, what was more important was that from a certain day, his vision seemed to be alienated by something, always flashing red light spots.
It was like noise appearing on an old-fashioned screen, with irregular red dots twisting and rotating to form patterns like words or numbers, floating around people like ghosts.
If it weren't for his unaffected thinking, B would definitely feel that he was crazy.
Every time he wanted to see clearly what the red letter was, he felt a sharp pain. When looking at the top of A's head, the chaotic red color danced wildly and suddenly disappeared again.
The ability to freeze appears to be increasing.
Only the horizon is affected.
Red that is invisible to others.
No matter what it was, it was as if A had made the decision to go to District 6. This vision brought uneasiness deep into his bones. B becomes afraid to look directly at A's face. Sometimes, he even becomes afraid to look directly at other people's faces.
Only when facing the mirror, the scarlet letter will not appear.
The ubiquitous red made him feel the desire to dig out his pupils.
—This is not the only path to damnation and death. When B left the camp angrily, he also ignored another disturbing factor, which was the recruitment propaganda dropped by the Imperial Army via a weather airship in the air and a briefing printed on the back.
"Looking for superpowers:
"For those who report supernatural powers, there is a reward of 500,000 for Palaso."
Five hundred thousand - that is far more than ten times the salary of a guard job in the Sixth District, and it is enough to attract the attention of all the residents of the Eighth District. Although most people laughed it off and said, "How could such a person exist? The nobleman must have been kicked in the head by a donkey!" and tore up the flyers as a joke, there are still people who are interested in chasing unexpected results with false reports. fiscal.
Of course, the crowd of red wizards also felt the itching from the wound when touched by A. The Red Witch's record of no casualties, the unique fighting style and smoke, and finally, the unnatural stiffness and five seconds of silence that occurred in the meeting...
No one mentioned it.
Even when A read the back of the recruitment advertisement, he said nothing.
The atmosphere in the gang remains playful and playful.
No one mentioned it - and B was the only person who didn't see the announcement. If he saw him, he might pull A away and run away deep into the deserted, dilapidated slums. In that filthy garbage dump, a shelter was dug out and a paradise was built that only belonged to the two of them.
A will run away again, and he will chase after her, making this chase game impossible to end easily.
Far away from the centers of power, far away from the tower and the outer layers of District 8, there is enough freedom, food, spiritual antidote...
Unfortunately, everything backfired.
"Beyond, look." A pointed at the silver-white tower through the huge glass window in the metal corridor that resembled an old-era airport. "You can see it very clearly here. I didn't expect it to be so full of functions." Beautiful architecture."
The complex design of the tower body is like a delicate machine, glowing with a cool luster under the moonlight. A couldn't help but look forward to it as if he was intoxicated, but the black-haired young man still frowned and bit his thumb nail hard, making a "click" sound.
"What a pity, Amania. No matter how much you like it, you can't see the whole thing. Judging from its location," he smiled contemptuously, "the part we see is at most the bottom of the tower. "
"Ah! What a disappointment."
"Aren't you satisfied yet?"
"Hmm..." A pondered for a moment, "You really have to take an imperial spaceship to see the whole tower."
"Stop dreaming."
B poured cold water on her on the spot and raised his smile to a weird arc, "I want to blow up the tower more than seeing it."
"Terrorist Beyond? There was such an attack in the old times, but it's a pity that it was different from now..." A, who has a good history, pressed his whole body against the glass, completely ignoring the attention of the people around him. He happily pulled the young man over and said, "You really have such a temperament. If I hadn't brought you here, I don't know what you would have become."
"Like...what?"
"Ask you about governance, and you say, 'Destroy them all!' Ask you how to deal with recidivists who commit crimes caused by poverty, and you say, 'Kill them all!' I understand that you don't want to talk about these, but there is no way to erase the problem. To solve the problem. When will you be willing to talk to me in a more mature way?"
"No, A. It's you who are childish!"
"Look it's here again."
"...That's because there is no point in talking about these. Because your ideas are empty talk on paper. So I don't want to talk about it. Moreover," B tilted his head innocently, "Other people's problems, the world's problems Question, what does it have to do with us?"
"It's relevant. One day we live here, one day it's relevant. If no one is willing to do it, the slum will always be a backwater, full of sighing idlers."
—B can't refute it. If they don't even dream, the poor will sink deeper into the quagmire, indulge in physical desires, kill people for pleasure, and even go to the end of time without even noticing the alternation of day and night.
He was once one of them.
"I have heard such rumors." He put on a serious and calm face and said seriously, "This world is controlled by a computer, and the master of 'Atez' is also artificial intelligence. If this is true, the world How ridiculous is that? If District 8 can be destroyed with just one button, you can abandon those plans..."
A flipped her hair and turned half sideways. Her smile disappeared like morning dew or sunset.
"Maybe what you said is true, Beyond. It's not that I haven't thought about this possibility. In that case, I would be very desperate, so desperate that I don't even know why I exist. Now that you mentioned it, I thought about it again and found that ..."
"My purpose may not be noble or grand at all. I just can't stand the closed slums and want to stand higher and see what the world looks like."
—At the top of the tower, you can definitely see the whole world.
B said without thinking: "I will take you there."
"Hmm...really?"
"Yes."
B said it again seriously and word for word.
"I'll take you there."
"..."
"..."
"You didn't come here just to say such things, did you?" A pushed him hard, but her face turned red and she quickly turned away. At the same time, B's red eyes were fixed on the ground, staring at the outline of A's shadow and the shape outlined by his hair.
"B-Beyond, look at the people over there, they look like nobles, but are they too young?"
The two people walking along the silver-grey corridor were one behind the other, with golden and white hair respectively. Light hair is a symbol of nobility, because hair color determined by recessive genes is more noble in a secular sense. But they are just children, and their clothes are not luxurious. Rather than majesty, the demeanor of his gestures was more like a coldness that could repel people thousands of miles away.
As they passed by, they glanced sharply at A.
"What..." A froze as if being stabbed, "Are all nobles such unfriendly people?"
"If Amania doesn't like it, I will freeze them for you." B pointed to his eyes.
"Idiot, don't do stupid things to show off." A lowered his voice, "You don't know yet!"
"Probably not." Even if it is, that hair color is too earthy and not as good-looking as A.
B muttered.
The escort work simply ended with chatting and a metallic luster in the corridor.
All they did was transport a black box as tall as a man from one side of the channel to the other. The so-called taking an airship from District 8 to District 6 is completely different from what you imagined. It's like sitting in a fully enclosed elevator, rising vertically, and you can't see the outside world at all.
It is said that 'Atez' is a vertical world, with the whole being built up like several artificial islands.
Although it is a transportation hub, it is located in the Sixth District and is mostly populated by civilians who have a similar image to them. They have the identity cards of 'Atez', and while they have life support, they have to work hard for the empire all their lives. These people walk in a hurry, with sad faces, as if they have not rested for several years.
"You don't have to worry about resources, but you also lose your freedom..."
For them, the image of the tower's bottom that emits a dreamy light at night and shimmers with silvery white luster is probably just a bitter torture.
A nobleman with blond hair was also attracted by the color of his hair when he exposed his A. He scanned from bottom to top without missing a single detail, turning his observation into a long and explicit punishment of rape.
"What are you looking at!"
B protected her behind him, opened his arms, and stared back without flinching.
But the nobleman just squeezed out a contemptuous sneer from his nose and walked away.
Noble... That cold, hair-raising touch, like a poisonous thorn scratching on the skin, made the scarlet in B's eyes dance wildly again, and the look of a helpless insect aroused him Anger deep inside.
"Amania..."
Above A's head, the chaotic red worms seemed to form a clear pattern, a clear number. They squirmed, trembled, drifted, twisted and reorganized from the fragments, but B still couldn't see clearly.
"how?"
"Nothing, let's go."
Let's go back to District 8. B mouthed to her and held A's wrist. A was more excited and curious about this trip, but he felt uneasy and afraid.
The more red there is in front of you, the more arrogant the shadow that follows you like a ghost becomes. It opens its bloody mouth crazily, spreads its teeth and claws, and swallows the world into its belly.
Twenty hours later, he returned to consciousness on a familiar bed. A said that he fainted for unknown reasons and slept like this all day.
That night, the night covered the sky and the clouds hung low. The fake sky had never rained, but it presented an unprecedented scene before the storm.
"Beyond," when B was sleeping, because too much time had passed, A was beside him, patting him worriedly, and kept whispering, like to a child in the cradle, "Beyond, wake up."
B wakes up.
He saw A, her slender and pale face, and her curly hair as warm as the morning sun.
B also saw a whole new world.
—A blood-red world.
When the Imperial Army came to District 8 to take Amalia Alberto away, they encountered fierce resistance. The red wizard's gang obviously didn't know how to measure their own strength, thinking that they could fight with just scrap metal.
This is also understandable.
These bastards live in a world where science remains at the level of the old century, which prevents them from knowing and understanding the new generation of weapons.
The mission of "Hound" from beginning to end is only to kidnap A. Once upon a time, in order to find people with superpowers, the Empire distributed flyers to the Eighth District, but did not receive any effective reports.
This means that the members of the "Red Witch" gang did not betray.
This is somewhat surprising. What did they find in A as the leader to become so loyal?
Even if his arms are cut off, even if he is burned alive, even if he becomes blind and deaf...
What kind of beliefs support them and continue to resist?
A's appearance is in line with the reports of witnesses at the Sixth District Aviation Corridor. He has light blond hair, white skin, and wears a long, defenseless skirt. The Hound found nothing unusual about her except her hair color. They didn't even know she had a "gift" when they captured her. When the live capture was completed, it was ensured that she did not suffer any physical damage.
Eliminating the red wizard was a convenient decision to complete the mission.
First, they resisted too fiercely, and withdrawing their troops directly would affect the empire's prestige. Secondly, it was also a last resort - because other people with super powers appeared in the eighth district.
The young man protecting A was an unexpected surprise to the "hounds".
He has the most precious and urgently needed control ability that directly affects the spirit.
When he was found, his arm had been blasted off, badly injured, and burning. The Imperial Medical Corps has determined that interventional treatment is the highest priority.
...This is the beginning and end of the rise and fall of the Red Witch. This young man is their leader, and the Red Witch seems to be named after the color of his eyes. The name, age, and bloodline are all unknown.
As for the relationship between him and A, judging from the beast-like cry when the latter was kidnapped, their time together was not short, and they were by no means ignorant of each other's past.
Specific circumstances: To be investigated.
This ghetto organization, with its bad influence on the upper classes, has been cleared.
The remnants of the red wizard have been eliminated.
The legion withdrew its troops at 13:41 on June 5, 427 AD, and the connecting gate of the eighth area was closed. In the next few years, similar reform organizations should not sprout up. Next, the focus will be on the cleansing of other districts, the "zombie" disease and the rebellion of the nobles.
This concludes the report. Are you satisfied?
The noble Lord of 'Atez'.