The choking smell of dust was slowly dissipating.
But at this moment, a warm, moist breath spread, enveloping them.
Gao Hai opened his eyes.
He saw burning flames spreading across a nearby pile of trash.
It was the pyre ignited when the torch held by Kaguya Shinomiya—or rather, the thing wearing Kaguya's face—had fallen. Now, the fire was spreading throughout the entire apartment building, looking as if it could no longer be easily stopped.
Lao Guo's miserable howls had not yet stopped.
Although he was screaming miserably, he didn't seem to be completely powerless, still struggling to escape from the creature's grasp.
"A formless monster with only footsteps that can kill silently; a door-knocking monster that can communicate telepathically, trapping people in a deadly situation through conversation; a monster hidden inside a room in the form of a corpse that will follow survivors out to attack them; and a fully corporeal monster that takes on the appearance of a survivor, revealing its inhuman side after suffering a fatal wound..."
Just from what they had seen so far, there were at least four different types of entities.
There was no telling what other terrible things might appear next.
This is just too hard. If only I could save my progress and try again, like in a video game.
"Nngh..."
The girl lying on top of him let out a pained whimper.
Already aware of what had happened, Gao Hai looked down, helped Maki sit up in the pile of trash, and his gaze fell on her abdomen, where a dark red color was gradually seeping through. A significant amount had also splattered onto Gao Hai when they fell together, staining his clothes red.
"It looks pretty bad."
Gao Hai stared at the bloodstain on Maki's abdomen for a moment, then sighed and said.
"Of course I know... it looks bad... you don't have to tell me..."
Taking deep breaths, Maki Shijo managed to sit up with Gao Hai's help, her small body trembling uncontrollably.
"Don't try to act tough at a time like this. Being too tsundere isn't cute."
Gao Hai shook his head, retorting, then cautiously looked around.
So far, nothing had come their way. Although the smell of smoke and ash was getting stronger, it was generally still safe.
Lao Guo, currently getting beaten by the fake Kaguya, was probably drawing a lot of attention away from them. If that was the case, they needed to move quickly. After all, no one knew how long that veteran player could hold out.
"Leave me... here. I'm a burden now. I'll only slow you down."
Having finally recovered a little, Maki clutched the bullet wound in her stomach and spoke in a low voice.
Judging by the look on her face, the girl had clearly made this decision in earnest.
"Yeah, I know."
As Gao Hai spoke, he grabbed the hem of his own t-shirt and tore off a piece with a *rip*. Of course, he avoided the area with the red-and-white stains; he figured his own brain matter probably couldn't accelerate Maki's healing.
"What are you doing? Didn't I just say you can leave me here? Finding the wall clock is the most important thing! This is no time for this. Besides, you didn't choose to save me before. Aren't you supposed to be the rational type? Why are you choosing to do this?!"
Realizing what Gao Hai intended to do, Maki struggled, but the intense pain and weakness from her injury prevented her from breaking his grip. Thus, she could only question him angrily.
She knew that a short while ago, when she had interacted with the information she was reading and was subsequently dragged into this twisted world by a dark shadow, Gao Hai had made a move. At that time, he hadn't chosen to save her but had instead taken the backpack off her back. It was only because he failed to retreat in time that he fell into this place with her.
It would be a lie to say she didn't feel a little upset, but Maki knew perfectly well that it was the optimal choice Gao Hai could have made at the time. There was nothing wrong with the decision itself. If it happened all over again, she would still think he had done the right thing and would support his actions.
So, why isn't he doing that now?
In this unknown, dangerous place, helping a weak, injured person who had lost most of her mobility was simply asking for trouble.
You're supposed to be more rational, aren't you?
"Look, shouldn't you be asking yourself that question? How long have we known each other? Ten hours? Probably only three or four at most, all told. To be blunt, you and I are just strangers who've exchanged a few words, forced to team up because of our current predicament. To get shot just to save a stranger like me—did you ever think about how stupid that was? The rational thing to do would have been to just abandon me and run, right?"
Faced with Maki's questions, Gao Hai simply spoke in a calm tone, quickly tying the torn piece of his t-shirt tightly around her waist. His emergency bandaging was clearly not very professional; it barely managed to staunch the bleeding and caused her immense pain. But even so, though Maki's body shuddered several times and cold sweat beaded on her forehead, she grit her teeth and endured it without crying out.
"That's why I said it, I'm different from you. I'm the eldest daughter of the Shijo family, recipient of the finest and most comprehensive education, born to be a leader of others. How could someone like me allow my follower to just die? I was just one step behind this time... Also, what does 'tsundere' mean? I get the feeling that word has some ill intent..."
Although she was in so much pain she was about to cry, Maki Shijo stubbornly refused to show any weakness, even putting on a fiercer front.
"That's why I said don't be a tsundere at a time like this, milady. I may not be a good person, but I can't bring myself to abandon the savior who just saved my life. Alright, be good and listen to me now. I'm going to carry you on my back. You'll be responsible for watching our sides and rear, and I'll watch what's ahead. We'll try to find the wall clock or a way out of here as quickly as possible. Don't forget, I can't turn the clock's hands anymore. I need to keep you alive, even if it's just to have a tool-person to turn them."
Seeing Maki act like this, Gao Hai couldn't help but sigh again. He reached out, flicked her on the forehead, and said bluntly.
What is this?
An anime-style romantic teen bloody horror drama?
If possible, could we drop the last two adjectives?
"W-Wha—You! Y-Y-You actually flicked my forehead! What, you think you can act like an elder just because you're a couple of years older...? Nngh, ugh, don't you regret this. I really am just a burden who will drag you down now..."
Maki's indignant voice didn't last long, interrupted by a pained whimper as Gao Hai somewhat roughly pulled her up onto his back.
She knew the man before her had made up his mind, so she just muttered sullenly, then wrapped her arms around Gao Hai's shoulders and neck, pressing her upper body somewhat unnaturally against his back.
Being carried on a man's back other than her father's... this was the first time. She had hoped it would be a romantic experience, but instead, it was in this godforsaken place, with a man she'd known for only a few hours, and she even had a bullet in her stomach that hadn't even been removed yet.
This is the worst...
It's really the worst...
"Whatever little mood you're in, put it aside for now."
Standing amidst the garbage, Gao Hai had no idea what Maki, on his back, was thinking. He could only guess at her mental state, probably something like indignation, discomfort, and feeling wronged. Even though he'd read the entire original manga, honestly, understanding a girl's thoughts when face-to-face was still quite difficult.
Not that his own mood was any better at the moment.
"If we run into a dangerous situation we can't escape from, I won't hesitate to drop you as bait. That's the limit of my benevolence. So, until then, please exert all of your remaining value and be a proper watchtower for me. Show me the spirit of a young lady from a prestigious family."
He deliberately imitated the chuuni tone of the people from Japan.
Gao Hai casually picked up a burning piece of wood to use as a torch, handed it to Maki on his back, and then started moving forward, running out from the piles of trash and into a completely chaotic and distorted architectural area.
"That kind of thing, hmph, I know without you telling me. Don't underestimate me, you jerk..."
This statement seemed to have irked Maki somewhat, so she huffed a few times before starting to carefully observe her surroundings.
No matter what, this man chose to bring me along, even though I've lost my mobility and am basically just dead weight.
So, until true despair arrives, I absolutely cannot fail to live up to his decision.
Her expression turning serious, Maki's resolve became ironclad in that moment.
And Gao Hai, carrying her forward, was feeling equally stirred up.
His thoughts right now were simple:
Wow, these legs are so soft, so warm, so smooth, and they smell nice. I feel like I could play with them for a year and not get tired of it.
Maki Shijo was accustomed to wearing white ankle socks, and because her uniform was a dress, her entire thighs, knees, and the upper part of her calves were exposed. As Gao Hai was now carrying Maki Shijo on his back, his hands were supporting her thighs.
Of course, these lecherous thoughts only lasted for a short time in Gao Hai's mind. He quickly grew serious and picked up his pace, starting to traverse this distorted area.
It was impossible to determine what floor they were on now, or rather, whether the original concept of 'floors' even had any meaning in an area like this. It was really hard to say.
But their immediate objective remained unchanged: find the wall clock, find a way to undo everything.
As long as he could find the wall clock with Maki, everything could be restored to how it was at the beginning.
Hah, for now, that's all I can believe in...
*Thud—*
Heavy footsteps echoed through the twisted architecture.
It was at this moment that a scorching hot torrent suddenly surged from behind.
Sensing something, Gao Hai abruptly dodged to the side, adjusting his position in mid-air to protect Maki as they both landed under a slanted double bed.
*BOOM!*
The next moment, there was a violent explosion. A sweeping blaze spread out, causing the nearby floors to collapse. Large sections of the floor and ceiling came crashing down.
Lao Guo's tattered backpack flew high into the air and then fell, revealing several homemade bombs inside that hadn't been activated, their detonation mechanisms already destroyed by the intense heat.
And beneath the collapsed ground, amidst layer after layer of rubble, a door on the lowest level revealed itself. It flickered with a faint red light in the darkness, as if it were a gate from hell itself.
On that door was a rusty, grimy number plate.
304
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