novelraw Chapter 130: I Am Not a Heart Element
Chapter 130: I Am Not a Heart Element
"Jiang Si, Jiang Si, do you know what festival the Xuanwu Gate Incident is?"
"There's no festival on July 2nd."
"It's Halloween!"
"Why?"
"Because, if you don't give 'Tang', you'll get a trick! So it's Halloween."
Looking at Lu Ya, who started laughing on her own and collapsed onto the bed, Jiang Si sometimes wondered if the girl in front of him was some kind of mutant.
She was truly beyond ordinary.
But this point was actually no different from his memories.
The original Lu Ya was indeed like this.
Always having a sense of humor that was different from ordinary people, and very enthusiastic about sharing jokes she found funny with him.Although most of the time Jiang Si found them inexplicable, Lu Ya never tired of it.
After all, when Jiang Si told her web novel stories, sharing plots he himself found very interesting and exciting, Lu Ya would also listen very cooperatively and quietly.
So, reciprocity in courtesy. Even though he didn't understand where the humor was, Jiang Si still listened seriously and nodded after she finished.
"It seems Li Yuan's problem was not knowing the customs of Halloween."
Lu Ya, who had just sat up, couldn't help but smile again on her face, her voice even becoming a bit hoarse, "Indeed."
Then she lay down on Jiang Si's leg—Jiang Si was currently sitting on the bed, a quilt covering his legs. Lu Ya pressed down on the quilt like this, essentially lying on his legs, half her face buried in the quilt, softly reciting jokes she found interesting.
But Jiang Si had basically stopped listening.
He looked at the garden outside—he had been looking at it for several days. Opposite the garden was a small river, flowing outward. Looking further, he could see the small river passed through the estate and flowed into the distance.
He could leave this large estate by following this small river...
Lu Ya had confined him to a large estate to recuperate. He hadn't yet figured out exactly where this large estate was, but it was huge.
Jiang Si knew Lu Ya was wealthy, but at school, there wasn't much opportunity to display financial power.
Everyone knew she was rich, but they didn't know how rich. Judging from such a large estate...
Her family's wealth probably wasn't much worse than Bingtang's.
Lu Ya didn't restrict his freedom. It was just that no matter where he went, the girl would follow him. Whether going to the toilet, eating, even bathing and sleeping, she would be by his side.
Like a ghost.
"Don't you have anything else to do?"
"Not for the time being."
"You should do something else."
"Being on vacation and staying by your side lets me play a bit more," Lu Ya said somewhat slyly. "Before, my family always made me go to school. Later, I said you saved my life, that I would have died if not for you. If they didn't let me take care of you, I would give my life back to you. My family agreed, so I don't have to go to school now!"
So even children from wealthy families dislike going to school.
Jiang Si thought of Bingtang. That girl seemed quite interested in school.
When he was in his first year of high school and often went to school, she also went almost every day, looking happy every day.
The gap between people is quite large.
"Your family is so rich, yet you still have to go to school?"
"My parents didn't make me go to learn, but to interact more with peers. But now, there are no friends left to make at school."
Lu Ya lay on the quilt, tilted her head, looked at Jiang Si. Her beautiful, smiling face brightened and dimmed with the sunlight filtering through the curtains.
"So there's really no need to go to school anymore. If they force me to separate from you, to go to school and interact with those meaningless people, I'd rather die."
Although she was still smiling, Jiang Si always felt there was a bit of lifelessness in this girl's pupils.
Especially when she walked away from him, that intense aura of self-destruction was so thick it was almost impossible to conceal.
Is this girl even alive?
No wonder she could say those kinds of things.
She chattered on about meaningless things, and Jiang Si didn't listen to any of it.
They played games, watched TV shows and movies. Lu Ya even found many Magical Girl animations for him to watch.
Jiang Si did catch up on a lot of knowledge about Magical Girls. There really weren't any level divisions, for the most part.
They didn't even have the most basic four major ranks.
Every time they got stronger, they would change clothes—or rather, their Magical Outfit. This point interested Jiang Si greatly.
He also felt that the current Magical Girl promotion lacked a sense of ceremony and symbolism.
The clothing change was indeed a very good point.
He could have the Azure Cloud Sect promote it when he got back.
Lu Ya beside him talked until she got a bit tired. So, Jiang Si looked at the small river outside and suggested, "I want to go out for a walk."
"Again... go out?"
The girl's pitch-black eyes looked at him as she whispered, "Can... can you not go out? Is there something I'm not doing well?"
"I just want to go out for a walk."
"...Okay."
In reality, Lu Ya could indeed be considered completely obedient to him.
Lu Ya found a wheelchair for him and pushed him out of the bedroom.
This estate was truly enormous. Just getting out of the ridiculously large villa made Jiang Si feel a bit dizzy.
Then, when he was pushed into the courtyard, the originally planned route was immediately lost. Because the garden, plants, trees, pavilions, and all sorts of messy things in the courtyard quickly messed up his sense of direction.
Her tone held no fluctuation as Lu Ya softly recounted the previous events.
"Later, you were even pronounced dead. So, don't worry about the police looking for you. It was originally ruled as Self-Defense anyway. The main trouble is with your family, but I've been helping too..."
Jiang Si didn't comment. When Lu Ya pushed the wheelchair through the garden, he finally saw the river.
Then, he sensed it.
The sound of rushing water in that river.
He closed his eyes, listening more carefully to that faint, subtle sound.
It sounded like the buzzing of insect swarm Disaster Beasts in flight.
The sound here was too faint. Also, he could feel that the sense of reality in this area was too strong.
So strong that if he committed suicide here, he might truly die completely.
It was about time to figure things out.
It wasn't a simple hallucination. After all, it was the Heart Image Remnant of a Full Bloom Magical Girl.
Jiang Si wasn't naive enough to think of this thing too simply.
It wasn't as simple as one side being real and the other fake.
Trying to treat people like Heart Elements...
But he was different from a Heart Element. Heart Elements would always be confused, but Jiang Si would not be confused.
"I want to go look at the riverbank?"
"The riverbank?"
Lu Ya pushed him for a while, then stopped and asked, "Are you... thinking of jumping into the river, then swimming out from there?"
Jiang Si nodded. "Yes."
"You can't get out. There are railings on both sides of the river. Also, your legs aren't convenient, and you have injuries. Jumping in, you could easily drown."
"That makes sense."
"There are surveillance cameras in the courtyard, and security guards. Trying to sneak out is basically impossible."
"That is a bit troublesome."
The two of them chatted softly, as if discussing trivial household matters like eating or drinking.
"I have to go."
Jiang Si finally said this. "I've pretty much figured out what's going on."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. It's just that time is running out."
Jiang Si stood up. When he turned to knock Lu Ya unconscious, he didn't expect the girl to react, immediately stepping back to avoid his chop.
She really had practiced properly.
However, Jiang Si had no intention of holding back. One move missed. He kicked the wheelchair away and threw a punch. Lu Ya raised her hand again, blocking the punch, then stared at him in a daze.
"Jiang Si..."
In just that moment of stunned hesitation, Jiang Si had already raised his knee and struck her soft abdomen.
As she curled up her body, the back of her neck was struck by a heavy blow, knocking her out on the spot.
Jiang Si hoisted the unconscious Lu Ya onto his shoulder and began walking towards the main gate.
He had been looking for the main gate along the way. Now that he found it, he couldn't be bothered to waste time with Lu Ya.
As he headed straight for it, people naturally tried to stop him. Jiang Si, carrying the unconscious Lu Ya, pressed the scissors against her throat.
The security guards shouted and made a fuss. Jiang Si just pushed the scissors a bit deeper against Lu Ya's throat.
These people immediately obediently opened the gate.
After exiting the gate, Jiang Si threw Lu Ya down and started sprinting wildly, running straight out.
As expected, people from the estate behind him gave chase. He vaguely heard the sound of motorcycle engines.
A voice urging him emerged in his mind, constantly urging him to run.
Run! Jiang Si!
—Shut up.
Jiang Si didn't speak. He just plunged headfirst into the layers of forest.
He ran through the woods, then over rocky hills. Yet, the sounds of the pursuers behind him still didn't fade.
Lu Ya's people even appeared ahead, calling out, trying to block him.
"Grab him!"
"Don't let him get away..."
Someone was sent flying by a collision.
Jiang Si ran out of the mountain forest.
The surrounding environment was bizarre and chaotic. He didn't know where that estate behind him was located. But relying on his senses as he ran wildly, he knew where he needed to go.
The whistles of security guards, honking, roars, and curses followed closely behind, but Jiang Si turned a deaf ear, just running towards the place he wanted to go.
He ran to the foot of a large mountain. This was the destination of his elementary school's spring outing.
He kept running, passing through the city's gateway highway.
Then, without stopping, he continued running towards the bustling city center.
He kept running and running. The sounds of Lu Ya's people could no longer be heard behind him.
It seemed his leg injury had also disappeared. His stamina became bottomless. In one breath, he directly ran onto the main road in the city center.
He didn't run along the sidewalk. Instead, he directly raced against vehicles on the main road.
Vehicles behind him frantically honked their horns!
He heard it—it was the roar of Disaster Beasts!
From a black vehicle behind him, the driver stuck his head out and shouted at him, "Where did this lunatic come from? Looking to die? Think the main road is your living room?!"
Jiang Si raised his already broken right foot and fiercely kicked the car's hood!
The entire vehicle shook, and even the windshield cracked!
The originally somewhat road-raged, shouting driver was dumbfounded. He immediately retracted into his seat, rolled up the window, stepped on the gas, turned around, and tried to flee.
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
Jiang Si immediately gave chase. Currently, the sound of this one Disaster Beast was exceptionally clear. He had to follow this Disaster Beast to find the way back.
Even with years of accumulated cultivation, it took Jiang Si some time to figure it out.
This side wasn't a simple illusion. As time passed, everything here was gradually becoming more real.
That is to say, if he didn't find a way back, this place might become his real world.
And the other side would become the fantasy.
If this was really just the power of a Full Bloom Magical Girl, it was a bit too exaggerated...
Even though his broken leg made a cracking sound after the kick, Jiang Si didn't care at all.
As long as he wanted to, he could still run!
And he ran faster and faster!
Barefoot on the road, he chased the fleeing vehicle in a mad dash. Bystanders on the side were also stunned. Many took out their phones to take pictures.
Some urgently called the police.
"Hello, 110? There's a lunatic here on Zhongshan Road too. Zhongshan Road Trade Building area, yes, yes. Hurry up! He's chasing a car!"
Just as he was about to catch up, that vehicle quickly turned into a small alley.
Jiang Si sneered.
Crafty Disaster Beast.
It was circling, trying to lose him.
Clearly, this Disaster Beast was alone. He couldn't hear the roars and panting of other Disaster Beasts nearby, only that one beast's sound was exceptionally clear.
But Jiang Si didn't intend to kill it directly. He wanted it to lead him to where there were more Disaster Beasts.
Only at the weak points between the two worlds, finding a loophole, could he return...
Even though it entered a small alley, Jiang Si didn't slow down at all. He continuously leaped over obstacles, even climbed onto walls and balconies, quickly jumping to catch up with that black car.
The surrounding curses and shouts, he ignored them completely.
When someone tried to grab him, Jiang Si casually stabbed them down with a knife.
The car soon exited the small alley and entered the main road. The sounds on the main road finally grew louder.
A large amount of roaring began to turn into the rising and falling roars of Disaster Beasts. The black car stopped and turned to look at him.
As if provoking him.
Jiang Si smiled slightly, using both hands and feet to climb onto the roof of a single-story house to the left of the alley.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Get down!"
An old man below roared, but Jiang Si didn't even look at him.
He just suddenly leaped from the rooftop towards the black sedan!
This leap drew screams and gasps all around, as the distance was over ten meters.
The driver was also greatly startled, hurriedly stepping on the gas to flee, but it was too late.
The lunatic slammed down onto the car roof!
The entire vehicle was crushed downward. Sharp honking sounded on the road. A car behind couldn't dodge in time and directly crashed into it!
The impact from the Disaster Beast sent Jiang Si tumbling out. But he immediately got up and looked back.
The Disaster Beast was on its last breath, but still clinging to life.
He rushed over, took out the Grief Seed. Because the Grief Seed was a bit large, he couldn't hold it properly, so he could only drag it.
The driver dragged out from the windshield fragments was covered in blood, struggling in terror, trying to kick Jiang Si away. "Let go! Let go! You lunatic! The police are coming soon!"
An active Grief Seed, though rare, wasn't unheard of.
Jiang Si saw another, larger Disaster Beast charging over as if protecting its young. He casually threw the troublesome Grief Seed aside first.
He charged head-on towards the incoming huge Disaster Beast!
"Holy crap, is he going to die?"
"Which mental hospital did he escape from?"
"How dare he collide with a bus..."
He felt a bit dizzy, but Jiang Si still stood up, looking at the Disaster Beast he had collided with, which now stood still, not daring to move recklessly.
Then he heard more Disaster Beast sounds.
In the distance.
Excitement surged in his heart. The place where he could hear more Disaster Beast sounds was the weak point of this world.
Also the place where he could break free from here!
He immediately abandoned the Disaster Beast in front of him and ran towards the place where the roars of Disaster Beasts were more numerous and clearer!
"He's running towards us!"
"He's coming, he's coming!"
"A real lunatic, a real lunatic! Run! He's crazy!"
At the intersection, the youth in a patient gown stood in the middle of the road like a traffic light. Vehicles streamed past him swiftly, but he could already vaguely see the Disaster Beasts charging over there.
A large number of horns kept blaring. A small sedan braked sharply to avoid hitting him. Many vehicles behind couldn't react in time and crashed into the sedan one after another.
Jiang Si looked back at the Disaster Beasts queuing up to crash, even spewing flames. He threw a punch at them!
Crack!
The bone at his wrist broke with the sound, piercing through the skin, white and exposed.
Jiang Si was also sent flying far away.
What a powerful Disaster Beast.
With just his physical body, he probably couldn't defeat it.
So he fumbled around.
The Miracle Seed was already gone. In fact, when he entered the Heart Image Remnant, the Miracle Seed had mysteriously disappeared.
But it didn't matter. He had anticipated such accidents.
There was still the Grief Seed.
Taking out the Grief Seed, Jiang Si swayed as he got up, covered in blood, smiled, and touched his forehead.
The Blood Cross was gone for some reason, but it didn't matter.
He picked up the Grief Seed and was about to stuff it into the space between his eyebrows when a graceful figure ran over.
She grabbed his Grief Seed.
Lu Ya looked at him with tearful eyes. "Didn't I say? If you want to die, kill me first..."
Looking again, the Grief Seed in his hand had somehow turned into scissors.
Lu Ya's right palm was pierced by the scissors, yet she still held onto them tightly, refusing to let go. "Come back with me. Let's go back and recuperate properly, okay? Jiang Si, wake up..."
He tried to drag Lu Ya's hand, wanting to snatch the Grief Seed back, wanting to kick Lu Ya away.
Police officers ran over from the vehicles, even drawing their pistols.
"Police! Drop your weapon! Raise your hands!"
The sounds of Disaster Beasts began to grow faint and weaken, about to be replaced by the honking of vehicles.
Jiang Si immediately pulled out the Grief Seed. Just as he was about to place it on his forehead, Lu Ya pounced on him again, hugging him.
"No!"
"It's all my fault. It's all my fault for getting you like this. If I hadn't insisted on following you back then, you wouldn't have been hit by a car, you wouldn't have become like this. It's all my fault..."
Her incessant, chirping crying lament began to turn into the low growls of a small Disaster Beast.
Her incessant, chirping cries began to turn into the low growls of a small Disaster Beast.
"Release the hostage! I repeat, release the hostage!"
Another woman ran out from behind the police. Her face was pale, even somewhat haggard.
Her eyes were red, bloodshot. As she tried to run over, police behind her hurriedly tried to grab her. But the woman just pushed the police away forcefully. "He's my son. He's my son. He's not bad..."
Her tone was weak and desperate. Amidst the police pulling at her, she shouted towards Jiang Si:
"Son, son... Can you please stop making trouble? It was Mom's fault before. I shouldn't have sided with your dad against you. Come home. Whatever novels you want to read, Mom will find them for you. Let Lu Ya go, okay?"
Jiang Si took another look at her.
She looked quite different from his memory—too haggard, too thin.
She seemed to be sick. After struggling with the police a couple of times, she fell to the ground, kneeling, unable to get up. The police tried to help her up but were pushed away.
Kneeling on the ground, she shuffled forward, two lines of hot tears continuously rolling down.
As she spoke, she lay prone on the ground, crying loudly, mumbling his childhood nickname.
Jiang Si glanced at Lu Ya, who was hugging him, clutching his right hand tightly, preventing him from transforming. Then he glanced at his mother kneeling on the ground.
So Jiang Si choked Lu Ya's neck and lifted her up.
"Stop! We will shoot!"
The police roared, raising their guns and shouting loudly, fingers on the triggers.
Lu Ya grabbed his hand, showing no fear or struggle. She just looked at him quietly, reached out, and wiped the blood from his face.
"Jiang Si..."
With a slight exertion, the girl's body lost its support point and went limp, falling to the ground.
His mother looked up, staring at him with despair and stupefaction. Tears and saliva kept flowing, as if she had lost her soul.
"Mom."
The sharp scissors pierced through the space between his eyebrows, stirring his brain.
Gunshots rang out one after another.