thefictionvixens Page 86
Page 86
"But I must also say that power is a two-way street. If you can't control Honkai energy, you'll become a madman who only knows how to kill, or you'll end up like those outside. Whether you want to inject it or not is up to you."
Zhou Ye did not provide a detailed explanation.
Nanri closed her eyes. She was making a difficult choice in her heart: freedom and dignity versus life and strength versus the opportunity to protect her friends.
She wasn't the kind of person who would easily give up her life for the sake of so-called dignity. Only by living can one have a chance.
Moreover, the man said that the Stigmata could kill the T-virus. This was the only hope.
"I choose... to live."
Nan Lixiang opened her eyes and looked at Zhou Ye with a resolute expression.
"Become your slave."
Shizuka Marikawa stopped crying and looked at Rika Minami in shock.
"Rika! You..."
Nanri Xiang shook her head at her, signaling her not to speak.
Zhou Ye nodded, seemingly unsurprised by the choice. He raised his hand, revealing a small, tattoo-like pattern on his palm.
[Herrscher of Reason Fragment], [Talking Tom Fragment]
This forms the basis for his construction of Stigmata. The Tom Cat fragment provides the irrational ability to "change," while the Herrscher of Reason fragment provides the understanding and construction ability of matter and energy.
A stigmata is the product of the fusion of two abilities. It is an energy imprint with restrictive properties.
Zhou Ye walked up to Nan Lixiang and imprinted the holy mark pattern in his hand onto the wound on her calf where she had been bitten.
The [Stigmata] emits a faint blue light the moment it touches the skin.
Nanri Xiang's body trembled violently, and she let out a muffled groan. She felt a cold force surge into her from the wound, quickly spreading throughout her body.
The spreading purple tinge quickly faded, replaced by a tingling and burning sensation. She could feel something inside her body being reshaped.
On the surface of her skin, fine, circuit board-like patterns began to appear, shimmering with a faint blue light. These patterns quickly disappeared.
Everyone in the carriage watched Nan Lixiang's changes with bated breath.
Zhou Ye stood before her, calmly sensing the operation of the Stigmata within Nan Lixiang's body. The T-virus was swiftly suppressed and eliminated. Honkai energy began to reshape her body.
Nanrika's complexion gradually regained its color, and her breathing became steady and strong. She moved her calves, and the pain had disappeared. In its place was a feeling of strength.
"How are you feeling?" Zhou Ye asked.
Nanri Kaori clenched her fist, feeling the power surging within her. This feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
“Very strong,” she replied.
"I...I'm alright?"
Shizuka Marikawa looked at Rika Minami with surprise.
Nan Lixiang nodded. She looked at Zhou Ye with a complicated expression.
She survived. But she also lost her freedom.
"From now on, you will obey my commands."
Zhou Ye gave the order directly.
Nan Lixiang did not resist; she felt a connection from the depths of her soul that made it impossible for her to disobey Zhou Ye's orders.
"Yes, Master." She lowered her head.
That cry of "master" once again shocked the others in the carriage. Slavery was no ordinary term.
Saeko Busujima licked her lips, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Stigmata… Honkai energy… the secrets surrounding this man were becoming increasingly alluring.
Zhou Ye ignored everyone's reactions. He looked out the window.
More zombies are surging in from afar.
"Let's go," Zhou Ye said to Nami.
Nami nodded and got into the driver's seat.
The armored vehicle started up and slowly drove away from the playground.
Nan Lixiang looked up at Zhou Ye's back. This man was her savior and her master.
From that moment on, her fate was completely changed.
..
Chapter 65 Koichi Wisteria
The armored vehicle drove away from the training ground, crushing the scattered debris.
Nan Lixiang sat in the carriage, feeling the unfamiliar power within her body, and also the invisible constraint. She looked at Zhou Ye's back; this man was now her master.
An armored police car followed closely behind, driven by Nami. Saeko Busujima wiped her wooden sword, while Shizuka Marikawa glanced at Rika Minami every now and then, her expression complex. The Takagi mother and daughter remained silent.
The vehicle quickly sped out of the playground and into the college's parking lot. The area was relatively empty, but still contained many vehicles, some with broken windows and bloodstains.
Just as Nami was about to accelerate and drive away from this troublesome place, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the other side of the parking lot, near the exit of the teaching building.
There were quite a few people, about twenty or thirty, including students and teachers. They looked disheveled, some with bloodstains on them, but the wounds did not appear to be fatal.
The leader was a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a teacher's uniform, who was tightly gripping a baseball bat with a dark red substance at the tip. Behind him were several people, some of whom were holding handguns and pointing them haphazardly, showing their tension.
"Wait! Wait for us!"
The man in the lead saw the armored vehicle and the police car, his eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted and led his men over.
"We want to go up too!"
A boy joined in the shouting.
“We’re not infected! We’re safe!” another girl added in a shrill voice, her tone trembling with tears and an undeniable urgency.
They rushed to a spot not far from the police armored vehicle, but were stunned by the cold metal on the vehicle and the dark weapon platform, and stopped in their tracks.
The man in the lead pushed up his glasses, trying to appear calm, and said loudly:
"I am Koichi Fujito! A teacher at Fujimi Academy! My father is Representative Fujito of Raccoon City!"
He specifically emphasized his father's identity, seemingly believing it could be a bargaining chip for their rescue.
Inside another police armored vehicle driven by a mechanical soldier.
In this vehicle, besides the mechanical soldiers responsible for driving and guarding, there were also several students who had been "casually" brought out by Zhou Ye's robots during the chaos of the teaching building. Among them were Miyamoto Rei, her childhood friend Komuro Takashi, and Hirano Toda.
Through the car window, Miyamoto Rei saw the man who called himself Fujito Koichi. Her pupils contracted instantly, and her face, which had been slightly relaxed because of escaping, was immediately filled with frost and anger.
"Koichi Wisteria..."
She gritted her teeth and forced out the name, her voice trembling with anger.
Takashi Komuro noticed her unusual behavior:
"Li? What's wrong? Do you know Teacher Zifang?"
Rei Miyamoto didn't answer Takashi Komuro. She stared intently at Koichi Fujito in the distance, her chest heaving violently. Her forced repeating of a year, her father's suspension and investigation—the very man who was responsible for all of this, the man she wished she could tear to pieces, was still alive!
The mechanical soldier in the driver's seat turned its head slightly, its eyepiece flashing red light, recording Miyamoto Rei's reaction and the name she uttered.
The information was instantly transmitted to the armored vehicle where Zhou Ye was located via the shared network of [Herrscher of Reason Fragments].
"Report. The leader of the target group is named Koichi Fujito. Inside our vehicle, survivor Rei Miyamoto is showing strong hostility towards him."
The mechanical soldier's voice rang in Zhou Ye's ears, devoid of any emotion.
Immediately afterward, Miyamoto Rei's voice, suppressing her anger, came through the communicator:
"Sir! That Fujiwara Koichi is no good person! He's a complete scumbag! He's a cancer on the academy! He's harmed so many people!"
Zhou Ye listened without any change in expression.
Koichi Fujito? Son of a congressman? Scumbag? A cancer?
He remained completely unmoved. He had seen plenty of these kinds of people; whether they lived or died was none of his concern.
He saved Shizuka Marikawa because of Nami's request and because of Shizuka Marikawa's potential value as a doctor.
He went to rescue Yuriko Takagi and the others because he was interested in whether the Takagi family could still be squeezed dry.
These people, at present, are at least not a complete burden.
But those outside...
Zhou Ye looked through the car window at the group of noisy survivors and at the man named Fujiwara Koichi.
"Can you guarantee that those people aren't brain-dead?"
His previous words to Shizuka Marikawa resurfaced in his mind.
"Naive, foolish, and self-righteous, they will only hold back in critical moments and may even drag rescuers into the abyss."
He didn't want to drag himself and Nami into danger because of some unrelated people.
Armored vehicles and riot control police cars have limited space and cannot accommodate so many people.
And why should he save them? Just because Koichi Fujito is the son of a congressman?
ridiculous.
Zhou Ye scoffed inwardly. In this apocalyptic world, identity is the least valuable thing. Power is the only passport.
"Boss?"
Nami looked at Zhou Ye through the rearview mirror, waiting for his instructions.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat heavy. Shizuka Marikawa had also heard Rei Miyamoto's accusations. She looked at Zhou Ye, wondering what decision this man would make.
Nan Lixiang lowered her head; she was Zhou Ye's "slave" and had no right to express her opinion.
Saeko Busujima, meanwhile, was fiddling with her katana, seemingly unconcerned about these matters; she was only interested in the battle.
Yuriko Takagi looked at Zhou Ye, this man who held their lives in his hands. She knew very well that if Zhou Ye was unwilling, they, including herself, could be abandoned at any moment.
"What? Koichi Fujito?"
Zhou Ye finally spoke, his voice calm.