IWYTBW - Chapter 35

 Chapter 35

There Are Always Difficulties in Life.

The next day dawned bright and clear. Yi Zhen pressed his side; though still slightly sore, his internal energy flowed smoothly. He figured he was mostly recovered.

He left the hotel, giving Anji a brief heads-up, then strolled along the beach. Spotting a group sharing a rented aircraft, he approached, intending to hire one back to Rong Manor.

The beach was crowded. Yi Zhen picked a random aircraft and discovered that a solo rental back to the seaport cost two thousand StarCoins – a blatant tourist trap. No wonder everyone was sharing rides. He had money now, yes, but it was hard-earned, and every cent had to be carefully budgeted.

Just as he was looking for someone to share the cost, a small, nondescript girl quietly stood beside him and said to the owner, “Renting an aircraft.”

Perfect. Talk about timely. Yi Zhen smiled at the girl. Today, he wore a high-collared jacket, pulled up to cover half his face. “Are you going to the seaport too? Could we share?”

The girl looked surprised. She thought for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, two people is fine. I don’t like crowds.”

“Wait, you two!” A panting young man ran up from behind. “Can I share with you? Um, I spent all my money on accommodation, so I’m a bit tight on funds right now…”

Yi Zhen turned and glanced at him. The young man was plainly dressed, wearing a worn optical computer on his wrist. His competition wristband was still attached. Yi Zhen thought for a moment, then said to the girl, “What do you think? If you feel it’s too crowded, I can share with him and you can take another one. It’s no problem.”

The girl frowned, scrutinizing the newcomer before hesitantly agreeing. “Fine, let’s ride together. But if someone else comes along, I’ll just rent another one.”

They boarded the aircraft together. The rental aircrafts on Moon Deer Island were all unmanned, pre-programmed with fixed routes and registered with the seaport police. There was no need to worry about anyone having malicious intentions and flying off with it.

The three swiped their optical computers. The girl quickly paid seven hundred StarCoins, so that Yi Zhen and the young man could split the remaining amount evenly. The young man was both grateful and touched, repeatedly thanking the girl. She remained indifferent, staring out the window, only nodding in response.

Interesting. A cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside type, perhaps?

Yi Zhen thanked her, intending to transfer the extra money to her later. He sat opposite the girl, next to the young man.

The sea breeze was pleasant, the waves like white foam. Unidentified silver fish leaped from the sea, attracting the cries of seabirds… He’d been tense on the way there, but now he was relaxed on the way back. Yi Zhen watched the scenery, a smile playing on his lips.

“You’re in a good mood?” the girl asked abruptly.

“Ah… yes,” Yi Zhen hadn’t expected her to speak to him. He looked up. The girl was ordinary-looking, with a slightly sallow complexion, faint eyebrows, and slightly thick lips – the type who could easily blend into a crowd. “Of course I’m in a good mood. I passed the preliminary selection afterall.”

Yi Zhen had always wanted to learn the art of disguise. For an assassin specializing in stealth, his appearance was far too eye-catching. Being as ordinary as her would be ideal. But that would come later. After his sculpting and mechanics lessons were over, he could begin studying disguise techniques.

“That’s strange,” the girl said thoughtfully, tapping a finger on her chin. “Given your identity, you shouldn’t be in such a good mood.”

Yi Zhen looked at her, his eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Tai’a said: [Be careful, Player. Something’s not right.]

“Why?” Yi Zhen laughed, shifting to a more relaxed posture in his seat. “Given my identity? What identity?”

The girl’s expression remained unchanged as she continued in her calm tone: “Some things are better left unsaid, wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Yi?”

“No, please speak clearly. Don’t hold back like you’re constipated. No need for politeness, say whatever you want! I’m giving you permission.”

The girl was taken aback. But even so, she looked at Yi Zhen head-on, her eyes gleaming with the smugness of someone who believed they possessed the truth.

“You’re definitely not him.”

Yi Zhen’s heart skipped a beat.

Here we go. Transmigrator, you’ve finally arrived.

“I’m not who?” he asked.

The girl ignored his question, looking down at her hands, her voice as soft as if reciting poetry: “If you’re going to pretend, at least try to be more convincing. Don’t leave such obvious flaws. Since you’ve already revealed such a glaring weakness, what’s the harm in being more cautious? Yet, you insisted on leaving the hotel alone, even buying a return ticket alone, even willing to share a ride with strangers.”

Yi Zhen remained calm: “It sounds like you know my movements very well.”

“I knew you must be a very self-centered person. A self-centered person would never tolerate being controlled or monitored. Even if you’re pretending to be Yi Zhen, you wouldn’t obediently stay within that person’s sphere of influence. You can’t stand being treated like a weakling. Am I right?”

Completely wrong. Yi Zhen nodded, pretending to be impressed. “You’re quite perceptive.”

The girl smiled: “Alright, enough small talk. Where’s the real protagonist?”

She stared at Yi Zhen, a murderous intent gradually seeping from her eyes.

“W-wait!” The young man was bewildered by this cryptic conversation. “Don’t fight! Let’s talk things over… So you guys know each other?”

He looked around in confusion, unsure what was happening. Why did his two seemingly ordinary travel companions suddenly become so strange? Was the aircraft emitting some kind of mind-altering magnetic field?

Yi Zhen glanced at him, knowing that since this transmigrator dared to speak so openly about the protagonist, she must intend to silence any innocent bystanders. Besides himself, this young man would likely be eliminated as well.

Yi Zhen maintained a casual demeanor: “What if I don’t tell you?”

The girl smiled calmly: “Then I apologize for being rude, senior.”

—Flames erupted!

Amidst the deafening explosion, Yi Zhen reacted instantly, kicking the young man out of the aircraft while simultaneously transforming into mist and retreating rapidly, minimizing the impact of the blast wave. But he was still flesh and blood. His Illusory Body of Mo Luo was only at the most basic level. Seeing that it wouldn’t work, Yi Zhen circulated the Eastern Sea Jade Alchemy, hardening his skin to withstand the high temperatures and the onslaught of shrapnel.

The young man screamed as he plummeted into the ocean, creating a splash of white spray. Yi Zhen also plunged into the water. His not-fully-healed internal injuries ruptured again, compounded by new external injuries. Dark streaks of blood seeped into the deep blue water.

Strangely, despite the commotion, the other aircrafts on the route remained oblivious, none stopping.

The battle beneath them was as if vacuum-sealed, a world unto itself.

[Host, you have eight minutes and forty-one seconds to resolve this.]

“I know,” the girl said. “It’ll be over soon.”

While he was alone, she had to force him to reveal the real protagonist’s location!

She stood in mid-air, descending step by step as though invisible stairs supported her weight. Yi Zhen gritted his teeth in the water: “Tai’a, is that also a system ability?”

[Yes, Player.] Tai’a said. [Items awarded by the system are perfectly capable of supporting such actions.]

“That’s so cool!” Yi Zhen exclaimed. “Why can’t I have such a cool entrance?!”

Tai’a’s tone was unusually sullen: [You can survive in shallow water without breathing, the Illusory Body of Mo Luo allows you to turn into mist, and the poisons you possess are enough to lay waste to an entire mountain… Even with all that, you’re still envious of someone who can walk on air?]

“It’s not a matter of envy, I just want to have it all.” Yi Zhen said sheepishly. “Don’t make me sound like a fickle scumbag, okay?”

The girl had descended to within thirty centimeters of the sea surface. The sea breeze gently brushed against her, waves breaking at her feet. She smiled: “Dead already, senior—?”

No response.

Her voice turned cold: “System, scan for human life signs within a hundred-meter radius underwater.”

[Host, there is one adult male floating approximately 97.6 meters northeast of you.]

“That poor guy? I’ll deal with him later.” The girl waved dismissively. “Besides him?”

[None.]

“None?” The girl was taken aback. “Impossible. He was so skilled during the competition, but he died from a single explosion? Could his wounds not have fully healed yet…?”

Thinking about it, she scoffed inwardly. If he was truly that injured, why waste precious escape time saving that poor guy?

Such a bleeding heart…

She waved her hand dismissively, releasing a silvery net from her palm: “Dead or alive, I need a body.”

[Host, be wary of a trap.]

The girl scoffed: “Before, I might have worried about him escaping into a spatial refuge, but now…”

She sighed: “The Twelve Arbitersqq: Also called the ‘Twelve Judges’ but this sounds cool... hoard all the spatial escape items; none ever get out. No matter how capable this kid is, he probably can’t conjure up a space to conceal himself in. I just don’t understand, even at the level of the Twelve Arbiters, they’re still afraid of death?”

As she spoke, the net in her hand lunged downwards like a living creature. She was both hunter and fisher. The hunter hunts, and the fisher, well, fishes.

But this fisher didn’t catch a fish. Amidst the white sea foam, a hand, whiter than the spray and more substantial than moonlight, burst through the waves, seizing her ankle!

—The fisher was dragged into the depths by her prey.

The seawater shimmered, distorting their faces into wavering phantoms. Startled, the girl tried to retaliate, but Yi Zhen’s hand parted the water, his fingers like needles piercing the currents, instantly clamping around her neck.

Underwater, movement was resisted. No matter how strong one was on land, underwater, one needed time to adapt. The girl didn’t see Yi Zhen’s movements clearly. She only caught a glimpse of his arm, supple as a white fish, flashing before her eyes.

[Host, it is recommended that you immediately redeem a breathing apparatus.]

I wish I could! The girl struggled desperately, clawing at Yi Zhen’s wrist, bubbles erupting from her nose and mouth. She glared at him, her eyes filled with disbelief, frustration, and hatred, desperately trying to tear at his flesh.

But she was disappointed. To her horror, she felt as if she were clawing at smooth marble, not living flesh.

What kind of… monster is this…?

The struggle depleted her oxygen, and with her throat constricted by Yi Zhen’s grip, her vision darkened. Her grip on his hand weakened.

“Tai’a, what should I do in this situation?”

[You can kill her, or you can give her a chance and expel her.]

“Is there any difference between the two?”

[Not much. One annihilates her soul along with her body, the other merely destroys her physical form.]

“What happens if I just expel her?”

[Because she’s expelled by the protagonist himself, she won’t be able to seize this world again. However, doing so will expose your identity. She might be summoned by the Twelve Arbiters and reveal everything about youI was confused the first time I read it, so just in case you are too: Killing her = annihilating both her soul and her physical form. Expelling her= destroying the form present in this ‘world’, but leaving her soul intact, possibly to move onto another world, etc.]

Yi Zhen gazed at her through the flowing seawater. Distant schools of fish swam by, and the aircrafts in the sky resembled white birds coming and going. He said: “If I were to let you go, I’d ensure you left whole, body and spirit unharmed. But if I weren’t, there’s no reason to only destroy your physical body and leave your soul intact...”

The girl’s eyes widened as she heard Yi Zhen’s voice: “Unfortunately, I can’t let you go.”

The waves surged, and a figure slowly surfaced. Yi Zhen took a deep breath, then exhaled, wiping the seawater from his face and looking up at the smoke gradually dissipating from the sky above.

“Great, the aircraft is destroyed too. I’ll have to swim back,” he muttered.

[Don’t worry, look there.]

Yi Zhen looked up. A rescue boat was rapidly approaching from the horizon.

The young man, the one the girl called the “poor guy,” stood on the bow, waving frantically at him.

Yi Zhen floated in the water, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Are you alright?!” A rescuer from the seaport pulled him onto the boat and draped a blanket around him. “The aircraft… oh, right, debris everywhere. There’s blood on your clothes. You’re injured; we need to bandage you up!”

The rescuer turned back to rummage for the medical kit.

[Once an intruder who does not belong to this world dies, all traces of their existence will be erased by the world’s timeline.] Tai’a said. [Not even a corpse will remain.]

“I see,” Yi Zhen whispered, his voice barely audible.

The young man sat down beside him, handing him a bowl of hot soup. “Are you alright? That was really terrifying back there, the aircraft suddenly just...”

He sighed deeply. “Forget it, let’s not talk about that. Have some soup, warm yourself up.”

Yi Zhen stared at the bowl in the young man’s hands. In that instant, the girl’s face flashed before his eyes.

In the final moments of her life, all pretense had vanished from her face. Sunlight, filtering through the seawater, had illuminated her then, and only then had Yi Zhen realized that she, too, was a woman of radiant beauty. When she smiled, there should have been a small dimple on her cheek, a detail hidden, perhaps, to avoid drawing his attention. A beauty mark concealed, until the very end.

He removed the blanket and placed it on the young man’s lap, then took the bowl of soup.

“You know,” he began, his voice low and laced with a chilling calmness, “poisoning is also a form of art.”

The young man blinked, startled. “...What?”

Yi Zhen raised his eyes, gazing at the rescuer who was still searching for the medical kit. “Some are experts, able to flick a mere dusting of poison into a wine glass from dozens of feet away with just a casual run of their fingers through their hair. Others are novices, fumbling with dosages, their efforts less effective than spitting into the drink.”

“I presume you have great confidence in your own skills? To so boldly add this to the soup and then offer it to me,” Yi Zhen’s gaze didn’t waver, fixed on the scene ahead. “There’s a saying, one I’ve spoken to another before. And now, I’ll repeat it to you.”

The young man’s mouth opened, but no sound escaped. His face had turned a horrifying shade of puce, and the fingers touching the blanket were festering, emitting wisps of white smoke as flesh decayed.

He desperately raised his mangled hand, trying to claw at his throat, but he could no longer speak, only a rattling, gurgling sound escaping his lips.

“—If you had known just a little more about me, you would have understood what distance constitutes safety when dealing with me.” A muscle twitched in Yi Zhen’s jaw, the only outward sign of the turmoil within.

“Unfortunately, you knew far too little.”

The rescuer finally found the medical kit. He let out a sigh of relief, turned around, and smiled at Yi Zhen, who was now sitting alone on the bench. “Finally found it! Here, tend to your wounds. You were in the sea for a long time. Don’t want it to get infected.”

“Alright,” Yi Zhen said, his fingers tracing the smooth, worn surface of the medical kit. He didn’t smile. “Thank you.”

-------

 <Prev><TOC><Next>

-------