PSW - Chapter 51
Chapter 51
"I was lying to you." Zheng Yi's casual words drifted lightly into the curtain of rain. "Getting stronger just by standing in the rain? There's no such wonderful thing in the world."
[Huh? But you weren't lying to her.] Zero One didn't understand why Zheng Yi would say that, just as it didn't understand why Yu Yinan, knowing it would be painful, still went down to try just because of Zheng Yi's deliberate words.
But Zheng Yi didn't wait for Yu Yinan to come back. The woman stood stubbornly straight in the rain, refusing to let out another scream even as her muscles trembled in pain.
After a long time, Zheng Yi finally heard Yu Yinan speak with difficulty through the chaotic sound of the rain: "You go to sleep first…"
Her voice was strained, as if she couldn't suppress a pained groan, but she still tried her best to say, "Pain… concentrate… ability…" The intermittent words were occasionally drowned out by the rain and her suppressed agony, but Yu Yinan's meaning was not hard to understand.
Even if it was useless, being able to concentrate and use her ability under this baptism of pain would allow her to take her control over her power to the next level. The human spirit is finite, and it is the spirit that limits an ability user's upper potential. It was a very mysterious thing—it existed, yet it didn't, and could only be vaguely perceived.
To break through the limits of one's spirit, one had to endure repeated training and build immunity to pain time and again. And as for how to concentrate and continue using one's ability freely amidst spiritual anguish… this cruel, torrential rain was the best training ground for an ability user.
After trying to adapt to the pain, Yu Yinan struggled to concentrate and conjure flames in the rain. But the soaking rainwater drenched her body, and she even felt a cold chill she hadn't experienced in a long time. Not only could she not conjure the flames, but she couldn't even raise her temperature slightly.
But she didn't give up. Or rather, she had nothing to give up. This pain was something she was meant to endure.
She had to hold on a little longer, and then a little longer still. It was just enduring pain. She wanted to become stronger. As long as she thought of Zheng Yi watching her, Yu Yinan couldn't let the word "quit" gain the upper hand.
In the pitch-black night rain, cold and darkness swallowed her whole. An invisible hand choked Yu Yinan's throat, causing her to gradually suffocate in agony. The rain hammered down on her, soaking her from her scalp to her entire body, as if a flayed person had been submerged in concentrated saltwater. There was no smell of blood, yet it was appallingly cruel.
What was she holding on for?
What if this rain could also turn ability users into zombies, into even more powerful, mindless monsters?
In this drop-by-drop torture, as cruel as death by a thousand cuts, did some kind of shortcut truly exist? This endurance of pain and tempering of the spirit was perhaps a whetstone in itself. Even if all ability users were told they could become slightly stronger in the rain, most would probably be unwilling to touch a single drop.
Or, to put it another way, was it really worth it to endure such prolonged pain in exchange for a small increase in power?
Zero One couldn't provide an answer; it was just a system. It silently watched the stubborn figure in the rain alongside Zheng Yi. Many metaphors had crossed its mind—like green bamboo or a white poplar, like a steadfast rock or an impregnable fortress. But in the end, it couldn't picture anything. It didn't associate her with any image; it only saw Yu Yinan.
Perhaps, for Yu Yinan, it was worth it.
Perhaps the pain would sober her up, allowing her to find her own value amidst her confusion. Accepting pain, facing pain, could also give her the courage to face life head-on. Zero One watched her try and fail again and again. It didn't know how difficult it was for ability users other than Zheng Yi to concentrate and use their abilities while enduring pain. It couldn't empathize, but it felt a pang of heartache for her.
[Zheng Yi, what have you been through before?] Zero One wondered. If it was this difficult, then how could Zheng Yi use her abilities as usual under the backlash, and even use two abilities simultaneously at her limit?
'Are all systems this emotional, or is it just you?'
Although Zheng Yi's tone was as indifferent as ever, Zero One detected a great deal of disdain in it.
[Maybe the systems from the Saint Growth series are just exceptionally emotional…] Zero One felt a little wronged. [Do you prefer a cold program that's just a functional template with no consciousness?]
Zero One didn't get an answer from Zheng Yi.
The heavy rain continued to fall with no sign of stopping. The long night seemed endless, and during the downpour, they probably wouldn't see the sun for days.
An unknown amount of time passed. In the inky-black night, a faint flicker of light appeared, blinking in and out of existence. Yu Yinan had bent over, trying to shield against the rain with her own body. In her pain, she carefully focused her spirit, maintaining that weak cluster of flames.
She actually managed to do it?
Zero One was a little surprised. But the flame was as fleeting as a night-blooming cereus, quickly extinguished by the rain. The downpour was too, too heavy; even with Yu Yinan bent over, she couldn't block it completely. Watching the flame being mercilessly snuffed out, an indescribable, strange feeling welled up inside Zero One. It felt a little upset, but it saw that Yu Yinan still hadn't come back, stubbornly continuing to try.
Until that faint flame slowly lit up a second time.
This time, the flame lasted longer.
But after only three to five seconds, it was abruptly extinguished again, vanishing from Yu Yinan's hand without a trace. All that remained was a palm full of wet rainwater and the stinging, burning pain where it touched her skin.
A viscous, dark liquid mixed with the rain and was washed away. Yu Yinan didn't know how wretched she looked at that moment. The stabbing pain in her mind intertwined with the ache all over her body, densely binding her completely. She couldn't escape, nor did she want to.
Her body grew colder and colder in the downpour, but the fire in her heart burned hotter and hotter. Her eyes were bloodshot, filled with red veins. Viscous blood seeped continuously from her nose, only to be diluted by the rain, leaving not a single trace. Her spirit was paranoidly persistent. She stared intently at her palm, once again, and again, experiencing the agony of having her skull split open and her brain stirred by a sharp object. And amidst this ever-amplifying pain, she remained lucid and urged the flames forth.
She already had nothing left. Why shouldn't she be able to do it?
Blood flowed from her seven orifices. A painful purgatory.
Her body temperature rose steadily. Her spirit was highly focused on her ability. Under this extreme burst of power, the falling raindrops began to evaporate into puffs of white mist. Yu Yinan gasped for breath unconsciously, her vision blurred by the blood. She trembled as a scorching flame bloomed in her palm once more.
In the hazy firelight, the rain hadn't weakened in the slightest. Yu Yinan maintained her ability's output and caught sight of a figure approaching in her peripheral vision. She was suddenly moved. Abruptly raising her head, she saw the rain rolling off Zheng Yi, soaking her long hair and dripping ceaselessly from her clothes.
Even in this rain, Zheng Yi was as calm as ever. Then, Yu Yinan saw her extend a hand.
"Let's stop here for today." Zheng Yi's voice was extremely gentle, her long eyelashes also wet with rain. "Jiejie, you did very well."
The flame finally dissipated. Yu Yinan stared at the outstretched hand, her head lowered so her expression was unclear, or perhaps it was all obscured by the rain. "Do you… truly think so?"
She staggered a step forward but didn't take Zheng Yi's hand. Instead, she stubbornly raised her head to meet Zheng Yi's gaze. The raindrops splattered the bloodstains across her face, leaving only a faint scent of blood lingering in the air.
Zheng Yi smiled. In that instant, Yu Yinan raised a hand and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her close. Her breath was faint, but she managed to murmur with difficulty, "Zheng Yi…"
Zheng Yi raised her hands to support Yu Yinan's body as it grew weak and started to slide down. Yu Yinan's body was burning hot, and as her consciousness faded, she could feel cool lips press against the tip of her ear. "A you like this… is not so uninteresting."
Because of the heavy rain, Zheng Yi wasn't in a hurry to continue with the next mission. She found an empty hotel to take shelter from the rain and stored the car back in her backpack.
The hotel hadn't had a guest in three months, and the overturned furniture, tables, and chairs were all covered in a thin layer of dust. Zheng Yi couldn't find the room keys in the front desk drawer, so she just broke down a door with brute force, replaced the dusty sheets and duvet cover, and settled in simply with Yu Yinan.
A water ability was very convenient. No matter how thoroughly drenched you were by the rain, you could easily make yourself dry again with just a bit of ability control.
Zheng Yi tossed Yu Yinan onto the other side of the bed and casually draped a quilt over her. Lying on her side, Zheng Yi stretched out her limbs, relaxed, and fell peacefully asleep.
When she woke up, the pitter-patter of the rain hadn't stopped, but it had become much gentler than the night before.
Yu Yinan's condition probably wasn't very good. After all, she had endured considerable stimulation, both mentally and physically. The overuse of her ability was also a burden for a typical ability user.
But when Zheng Yi got up to wash, she was startled awake.
Her eyeballs were covered in red veins. Yu Yinan's face was deathly pale, her condition visibly weak. After being startled awake, she even instinctively clutched her head with one hand, tormented by the residual mental pain.
But she still forced herself out of bed. As she raised her hand, she rolled up her sleeve to look at her arm, confirming that her skin was still there. Then she walked, slightly staggering, into the bathroom and leaned on the flimsy-looking glass door to look at Zheng Yi.
She didn't speak or approach, just stood there.
She waited until Zheng Yi had slowly finished washing up and had filled the basin with fresh, clean water. She waited until Zheng Yi looked at her. "You're awake? Come wash up."
In the apocalypse, water ability users were always clean and fresh.
Yu Yinan took the clean towel Zheng Yi handed her and said a quiet thank you. Even though she had held back her pained screams the night before, her voice was still terribly hoarse.
She washed up somewhat slowly and absently, as if phantom pains still lingered in her body. But when she thought of the flame that had bloomed amidst the pain, Yu Yinan felt an inexpressible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
After she finished washing up, she helped Zheng Yi light a block of solid alcohol fuel. Then she saw Zheng Yi produce a bunch of cleaned bok choy out of thin air, preparing to make a vegetable, egg, and vermicelli soup.
This vegetable was definitely not a pre-apocalypse product. It looked extremely fresh, as if it had just been picked from the ground. What kind of ability of Zheng Yi's was this?
Just as Yu Yinan was thinking this, she heard Zheng Yi speak casually, "When we get back from this mission, I'll give you all the contribution points."
"What? No, you don't have to." Yu Yinan had a bad feeling. Her heart felt like it was suspended in mid-air, and she refused instinctively. But Zheng Yi's hands didn't stop moving as she continued:
"Humanity's Light Shelter is a good fit for you. You can stay and live there. With your ability, you'll be able to live well."
"My dear Jiejie, let's part ways."
Comments
Post a Comment