"Mhm. We're going to my place today. Don't ask why."
Li Wu kept his voice low and stated it in a very firm tone.
The kidnapping incident hadn't been resolved yet. In the plot, the ones kidnapping Raiden Mei were just a bunch of ordinary street thugs, not as formidable as mercenaries, but their sheer numbers were a problem.
Moreover, the opponents could call for backup instantly. One shout in the street, and hundreds of their "bros" would swarm out from all directions.
To prevent this from happening, Li Wu specifically called a taxi and took Raiden Mei directly back to the entrance of his apartment building. The journey was safe and uneventful.
Looks like it's resolved smoothly. As long as we keep avoiding them, there won't be a death crisis.
As he thought this, a wave of delicious aromas wafted over. Li Wu turned around and realized that the surrounding street stalls were already open for business.
Right, it's evening.
Suddenly, Raiden Mei let go of his hand. Taking advantage of the green pedestrian light, she quickly ran toward the opposite side of the street.
"Wait for me a sec!"
Raiden Mei turned sideways to speak to him, her smile surprisingly normal, indistinguishable from any other high school girl. Her every gesture radiated the aura of youth.
Li Wu chuckled. Since she acknowledged him as her master, aside from her occasional perverse behavior, she had become much more normal overall. Those traumas that were difficult for ordinary people to heal seemed to have been wiped away, thoroughly cured.
But scars don't disappear immediately; they just get buried.
But if they stay buried for a lifetime, that's no different from disappearing, right?
Li Wu had just started to relax and waved back, replying, "Okay, be caref—"
The accident struck like a blast of cold air, catching him completely off guard.
Before he could even finish his sentence, a black sedan sped straight out. Even though it was approaching a crosswalk, it didn't slow down in the slightest, ramming straight into the crowd crossing the street.
One, two...
The speed was so fast that no one even had time to react. There was no crying, no screaming. Just a massive BOOM, and then several bodies fell from the sky, smashing heavily onto the asphalt. Limbs severed, faces unrecognizable.
[Raiden Mei is on the verge of death.]
The system narration appeared.
An uncontrollable heat surged up, threatening to burn his chest to ash.
Li Wu bit his lip hard, his gaze instantly locking onto the fleeing black sedan, memorizing the license plate number and the blurred face inside.
"Mei!"
Li Wu threw down his schoolbag and rushed over. Arriving at Raiden Mei's side, he didn't dare to help her up. He could only brush away the stray hairs on her forehead, his touch as light as a dragonfly skimming water as he grazed the cut on her face made by glass shards.
It was ice cold.
Her whole body was broken, limbs twisted. Blood from her forehead covered almost her entire face. A shoulder bone protruded through the flesh, the stark white base mixed with a few severed nerves and blood vessels.
Raiden Mei seemed to know she was dying. Without a word, she just quietly looked straight at Li Wu, wanting to firmly etch the image of him worrying about her into her memory.
But the human body has its limits. In such a violent collision, many died on the spot. Those lucky enough not to die were only half a step away from death's door.
Soon, Raiden Mei's eyelids drooped lower and lower. Her light purple pupils became increasingly unfocused. Her ears were filled with a roaring noise; she couldn't hear anything.
She struggled against her fading consciousness, trying to keep her eyes open. Blood flowed slowly from the wound on her skull, seeping into her eyes.
"This kind of... ending... isn't bad."
[Raiden Mei reluctantly welcomes her ultimate ideal.]
[Raiden Mei has died.]
...
...
"Wait for me a sec!"
Consciousness returned, and the familiar line echoed in his ears once more. Without any hesitation, Li Wu shot out like an arrow, grabbing Raiden Mei's wrist tightly.
Then he pulled her back onto the sidewalk, taking a few extra steps inward.
"Wait a moment."
Li Wu's face was expressionless, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold and gloomy.
Raiden Mei had never seen him like this before. Even back in the cabin when they were acting together, she hadn't seen Li Wu with such genuine resentment and anger as he showed now.
"But the pedestrian light is about to change."
"Then wait two more minutes."
Li Wu stared at the road with rapt attention, counting down the time in his head.
Raiden Mei was stunned for a moment, then let out an "Oh." "Alright, you really beat me~"
However, the time of the accident from the previous loop arrived, but the black sedan didn't lose control. Instead, it stopped quietly before the white line, waiting for pedestrians to cross.
The only variable was that Raiden Mei hadn't walked across. That meant the driver had aimed for her deliberately...
But what event is this?
While thinking, Li Wu noticed the tattoo on the driver's shoulder and instantly realized what was happening.
It was the Kidnapping Incident.
To make it easier for the audience to recognize them, every thug in the kidnapping incident had a tattoo.
According to the plot development, they were supposed to wait on Raiden Mei's way home. Why did they appear here?
No.
A word surfaced in his mind, and Li Wu realized instantly.
Traitor. They already know internally that there's a traitor, so they prepared an alternate plan.
"I want to take a picture of you. Just stand there and don't move."
Li Wu pretended to take a picture of Raiden Mei, but in reality, he photographed the sedan driver behind her. Then, along with the license plate number, he sent it to Ruslan, asking him to investigate the situation.
Half a minute passed. The traffic light changed, and the black sedan drove off normally, showing nothing unusual.
"Li Wu? Li Wu?"
Raiden Mei kept calling him.
Li Wu just stood there dazed, staring unblinkingly at the black sedan until it left.
However, receiving no response, Raiden Mei puffed up her cheeks. Suddenly, she opened her mouth wide, cupped her hands around it like a megaphone, and shouted loud and clear: "Master!! Hurry up and pay attention to me!!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, almost instantly, countless burning gazes shot over from all directions, converging on the two A youthful, beautiful high school girl and the young boy beside her.
"Are young couples these days so bold? Starting their play before they even get home."
"What do you know? Maybe we're just part of their play too!"
"Why don't I ever get lucky like that? I want to do roleplay with a beautiful high school girl too..."
"Isn't that boy your neighbor?"
"Yeah, he is. He usually looks pretty honest, even helps me take out the trash sometimes. But kids will be kids, haha..."
By the time Li Wu snapped back to reality, he realized that everyone waiting for the light was smiling significantly at them, their expressions full of nuance.
Some were even filming with their phones, clearly watching the drama for the fun of it.
"L-Let's talk when we get home," Li Wu stuttered, a rare occurrence for him, unable to speak smoothly.
"But there's takoyaki over there."
"Takoyaki? What does that have to do with anything?"
Raiden Mei pointed to the small stall across the street. "A boy bought some for me before. Now I want to buy some for you."
"A boy? Who?"
Li Wu frowned. Is this another crisis event?
"Pfft..." Raiden Mei suddenly burst into laughter.
The traffic light changed again. Raiden Mei pulled Li Wu forward. At first, Li Wu resisted, but several hands pushed him from behind, accompanied by voices saying, "Don't let such a good girl down, you silly boy."
So, he had no choice but to walk forward with Raiden Mei.