novelraw Chapter 74 : Fairy Tale and Reality
Chapter 74 : Fairy Tale and Reality
Chapter 74: Fairy Tale and Reality
In animation, anthropomorphized objects were very cute.
Of course, this anthropomorphism did not mean turning a mobile phone into a beautiful girl, placing a keyboard on her chest, and then having the protagonist plug in a charger.
Nor did it mean a white-haired refrigerator elder-sister feeding you drinks while also cooking meals for you.
Although that was also interesting, it was not suitable for children to watch.
But those teacups, teapots, chairs, tables and such that grew eyes and mouths, could speak, and could walk—whenever they appeared in animation, they were always filled with innocence and fun.
But in reality………
“Hey—————ya!”
Katie swung a punch, smashing the chair that lunged at her into scrap, while she herself rammed forward headfirst, crashing open the tightly shut door.
At the same time, Levi swung his hand as if playing baseball, smashing the cup flying from behind into fragments with his stick.
The latter let out a pained wail before falling silent completely.
Hmm, if this scene were in animation, Levi and Katie would simply look like terrifying killers mercilessly smashing those cute, soul-bearing objects into pieces.
But as far as Levi was concerned, he had a headache.
These things were simply too noisy!
Anyone with children knew: when kids got noisy, even a single one could be unbearable.
Two or three shrieking at once would make one’s ears buzz, and if it was a whole crowd, it turned into a sonic weapon—enough to be fatal.
Levi even felt his ears ringing so much now that he could not even hear what Katie was shouting.
Perhaps because this monster was condensed from children’s nursery rhymes, the behavior of these objects was almost no different from that of children.
When they saw strangers, they would hop and jump around, desperately trying to stop Levi and Katie from moving forward.
Whether they themselves were hit, or their companions were struck down, they would scream sharp enough to pierce eardrums.
And even if they did not attack, they still screamed………
Some objects, upon hearing others scream, would also start screaming………
If sound could kill, Levi and Katie would already have been torn to pieces.
But even now, just hearing their screams, Levi felt his brain being tortured to death.
“Hu……………”
Levi panted as he followed behind Katie.
His stamina was not great to begin with, and although Katie blocked most of the objects’ attacks, making his role theoretically easier, the endless shrieking had nearly broken him down.
“Detective sir, how much farther?”
“Just above!”
Hearing Katie’s question, Levi gritted his teeth and once again used 【Soul Sight】 to scan, confirming the position of the red glow.
Then he lifted his leg and ran upwards.
What was up there?
As Levi climbed, he recalled the memory of using puppets for a carpet search.
This bridge tower was fifteen stories high.
They were already at the twelfth, heading to the thirteenth.
And on this floor—what was it again? Right, he remembered the engineer saying, for safety, and also for defense………
“Careful!”
As the two stepped onto the thirteenth floor stairs, just as Katie was about to rush out, Levi grabbed her collar and yanked her back.
Almost at the same moment, with the sound of “dadadadada,” gunfire blazed, bullets striking the wall, scorching it black.
If Levi had not pulled her back in time, Katie would have been turned into minced meat!
“In-intruders! Don’t come closer!”
Pressing himself against the wall, Levi carefully peeked ahead.
At the corridor’s end, a heavy machine gun stood proudly, aiming at them with a fierce expression.
“Why is there a gun here!”
Katie shrieked.
Though she could smash through a wall with one punch, that did not mean she could block bullets with her body.
If she got shot, she would still die!
“They say it was designed as an anti-air weapon, so they installed it……… Of course, why it’s here, you’d better ask the designer directly.”
As Levi spoke, the machine gun reloaded by itself, aiming forward again.
“Leave here, intruders! Or—or I’ll shoot you into pieces!”
“………………”
This thing could reload itself.
More outrageous than artificial intelligence.
So this was the final barrier.
Levi quietly drew his revolver and judged the distance.
“Katie.”
“Mm? What is it?”
“If you can get close to that machine gun, can you throw it out?”
“Mm, I can.”
“……………You can……………”
Levi only caught a glimpse, but the thing looked much like an ordinary cannon—two giant wheels, front armor, and a gun barrel.
It had to weigh dozens if not hundreds of kilograms………
“I’ll try to rush over and control it, then you come in. Understand?”
“Got it, Detective sir. Be careful.”
Katie nodded, reminding him.
The passage was extremely narrow; if the machine gun fired, Levi would have nowhere to dodge, just be shredded.
“I’ll do my best.”
Levi locked his gaze on the corridor, taking a deep breath.
The problem was—he had to rush across nearly a hundred meters of corridor without being riddled with bullets.
And the corridor was so narrow it only fit one person—no place to dodge………
And this was an anti-air gun—the bullets’ power……… Although now it looked as cute as a Disney character, if its bullets hit his body, he would definitely not become as cute as in a cartoon.
Levi inhaled deeply, then sprinted forward.
“Intruder! Repel him!”
The boy-like voice rang out again, like a child playing a war game.
But the gunfire that followed was no game.
【Eye of the Reaper】!
Time slowed before Levi’s eyes.
He could see the storm of bullets flying toward him.
Were these bullets anthropomorphized too? He did not care.
He only stepped forward, plunging into the swaying shadows!
Cold, pitch-black shadows surged like a tide, swallowing his body.
The next moment, Levi emerged at the edge of the darkness, bullets whistling past him, burning pain grazing his arm.
Then he vanished into shadows again.
Once……… twice…………… The third time Levi emerged, he was beside the machine gun, grabbing it!
“Uuuuuuu—————!”
The moment he gripped the barrel, searing heat burned his hand.
He clenched his teeth, twisting the machine gun desperately, while the latter struggled like a disobedient husky, trying to break free.
“Let go of me, you bad guy! Big bad guy! Let go!”
“Katie!”
While forcing the barrel away from the corridor, Levi shouted.
Katie rushed forward at once, seized the machine gun’s wheel, and lifted it high!
“Smash it here!”
Levi pointed at a wall nearby.
To the eye, it looked no different from the others.
But through 【Soul Sight】, Levi saw something inside flashing red!
“Hee-yah———!!”
Katie cried out, smashing the machine gun into the wall.
In her hands, the heavy weapon became a hammer, blasting open a huge hole.
The machine gun twisted and deformed, turning into lifeless scrap.
At the same time, the red glow inside the wall vanished.
“—————————!”
Silence fell instantly.
The noisy, soul-like objects all shut their mouths, motionless, as if they had never moved.
“It’s over?”
“No, one more.”
Levi looked out the window.
The opposite tower had noticed, its glowing eyes turning toward them.
“We have to do this again?”
Even Katie was exhausted, nearly unable to run.
“No need.”
Levi flexed his wrist.
“Give me the model.”
“Alright.”
Katie handed over the model.
Levi placed his hand on it, staring at the opposite tower, then raised his hand.
The tower they were in moved again, its auxiliary bridges lifting high like arms, fists clenched.
“You bullies—————!”
As the opposite tower screamed, Levi thrust his right hand forward.
The auxiliary bridge smashed into the opposite tower, piercing it through.
The screaming stopped.
“Rumble rumble rumble……………”
The tower shook.
With the “death” of both bridge towers, something had changed.
The river roared, and the towers began collapsing like a villain’s lair at the end of a movie.
“Eh? Eh? What do we do now?”
“Do you need to ask?”
Levi opened a window, looked at the raging river, clenched his teeth.
“Jump!”
He grabbed Katie, leaping out.
Wind howled past, then a massive impact struck from below, as the icy river swallowed them.
Levi felt himself sinking and floating, unable to tell directions, only keeping his eyes shut as the current tossed him and Katie around.
The river grew colder, heavier, suffocating—————until finally, the end.
“Puh-ah!”
Levi burst from the surface, gasping, looking around.
The bright Imperial Bridge, the noisy shouts, the clear surroundings—all told Levi———they were back.
When Levi and Katie, drenched, returned to the bridge control room, it was still in chaos.
“How could this be? Why no results? Impossible—there must be something wrong!”
The burly engineer shouted in fury, his face red, veins bulging.
Seeing Levi, he finally calmed, saying:
“Thank you, Mr. Levi.
If not for your proposal, we wouldn’t have known this tower bridge had such a grave problem.
We must find the source of the issue and fix it at once!”
“Then come with me.”
Levi crooked a finger at him.
The engineer froze.
“Mr. Levi?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted the source? Just follow me.”
If it were anyone else, the burly engineer would have scoffed.
But Levi had just proved with his own experience the bridge’s dangers.
Though confused, the engineer followed Levi out of the control room, taking the lift to the thirteenth floor.
Levi led them through the corridor to the central room, pointing at a wall against the tower’s inner side.
“Break it open.”
“Eh? But……….”
“Break it.”
The engineer still hesitated.
Henry could not wait; he swung his hammer at the wall.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Soon the other workers joined in.
Levi and Katie stood silently beside Anthony, watching.
“Detective sir, what do you think is inside?”
Wrapped in a warm coat, Katie widened her eyes.
On the “other side” tower bridge, she had smashed only a hole, seeing nothing inside—or so she thought.
“You’ll know soon enough.”
Levi’s face was grave.
Nursery rhymes, the anthropomorphized towers, the childlike objects—he could already guess what was hidden.
“Bang!”
Henry struck again, breaking a huge hole.
At once, several skulls rolled out like flowing water.
“Eeeek—————!”
Katie cried out in fright.
Levi stepped closer, examining carefully.
Small in shape, about three to five years old……………
Having reached an answer, Levi sighed quietly, then looked to Anthony.
“Send men to smash the same wall in the other tower.
Then bury these remains.
Our task is done.”
He spoke calmly.