Chapter 53: A Peculiar Confession and a Lingering Question

Listening to Duan Yulan’s words, which sounded almost like a confession, Qiao Xia instinctively raised a hand to touch his nose. He found himself at a loss for what to say.

Though he found Duan Yulan peculiar, her words struck him like a sharp blade.

They possessed an unstoppable keenness, piercing directly into him, leaving him utterly unable to parry.

Her level was simply too high!

He needed to retreat, and fast.

After his mind swiftly issued the command, Qiao Xia steadied his emotions. Observing the earnestness in Duan Yulan’s eyes, he gathered his thoughts before finally speaking. “Ahem… Duan Yulan, your way of expressing affection is truly unique. However, I can survive perfectly well without your protection.”

Finding his words a bit too sparse after that statement, Qiao Xia promptly added another sentence.

“Rather than protecting me, you should pay more attention to yourself! In such a dangerous situation, no matter how strong a girl is, she’ll still be seen as vulnerable. It would be terrible if someone attacked you.”

Qiao Xia wasn’t speaking idly. While he didn’t know about other cities, he was certain that after U City descended into chaos, ill-intentioned individuals would emerge to exploit the confusion, engaging in all sorts of petty thievery and worse.

Without even mentioning anything else, the current situation on the rooftop alone offered a glimpse into the pervasive disorder.

Despite Duan Yulan’s strange behavior towards him, she had never actually harmed him. This made it impossible for Qiao Xia to speak harshly to her with a cold face, leaving him to rely solely on verbal persuasion.

However, upon hearing Qiao Xia’s words, Duan Yulan merely blinked at him, offering no reply.

Her beautiful face, softened by the fragmented moonlight, lost its usual cold indifference. Her eyes seemed to hold a galaxy within them, shimmering with countless unspoken secrets.

Though Duan Yulan remained silent, the tight clasp of their intertwined hands clearly conveyed that her decision was unchangeable.

Regardless of Qiao Xia’s thoughts, Duan Yulan would never abandon something she had set her mind to.

This left Qiao Xia to rub his forehead with his free hand, resigned to discussing it again tomorrow morning.

Perhaps after a night of calm, Duan Yulan would have returned to normal by the time she woke.

Despite the urgency of leaving U City, Qiao Xia had no intention of acting while visibility was low at night. Instead, he planned to rest and conserve his energy, waiting until daylight to depart from the school.

Not to mention, U City’s area was quite extensive; walking out would be a pipe dream.

Therefore, leaving the school was only the first step; next, he would need to find a vehicle for transportation.

He also needed to find some more effective weapons.

After witnessing Duan Yulan’s skilled use of the sharp Tang Dao, Qiao Xia felt his small fruit knife was utterly inadequate, its power severely lacking.

Yet, Duan Yulan truly seemed intent on staying with Qiao Xia. As Qiao Xia leaned against the wall to sleep, she simply sat down beside him, naturally resting her head on his shoulder.

Her movements were so practiced, they startled Qiao Xia.

Even with the rampant outbreak of the Red-Eyed Disease plunging U City into chaos, and the relaxed emphasis on maintaining distance between genders, Duan Yulan’s intimate actions still made Qiao Xia uncomfortable.

Crucially, he and Duan Yulan had genuinely had no prior interactions. How had it come to this?

He looked down at Duan Yulan’s flawless profile. She was silent, her long eyelashes fluttering gently. She looked every inch a goddess, yet her current behavior, almost like throwing herself at him, made Qiao Xia feel as if he were dreaming.

Amidst the gradually diminishing clamor on the rooftop, their relaxed posture seemed utterly out of place.

Qiao Xia’s mind was a jumble of thoughts. The sleepiness that had vanished, disturbed by the Red-Eyed people, now stubbornly refused to return.

Unable to sleep, he could only keep his eyes open, gazing at the rooftop under the night sky. He watched Li Lin Guan, the punk-haired man, and his subordinates beat and kick the crowd, quickly quelling the unrest on the rooftop.

Half of the previously stolen food was returned, and the injured were bound hand and foot, gathered together under special watch for signs of the Red-Eyed Disease. If any showed signs of mutation, they would have to be expelled for the safety of others.

Although the Red-Eyed people killed with insane ferocity, the people present were merely ordinary students.

If they were truly asked to kill, they wouldn’t be able to do it.

While Qiao Xia and Duan Yulan had killed effortlessly, others, even with weapons, dared not strike the Red-Eyed people. Having grown up in a civilized society, they understood the importance of law.

Alternatively, in truly dire circumstances, killing might not feel difficult.

However, now that they were safe, no one wished to stain their hands with blood and become a murderer!

Compared to these people, Qiao Xia, who had experienced numerous events in his premonitions, had no difficulty in taking lives. After all, if these Red-Eyed people didn’t die, he would.

Therefore, apart from an initial discomfort, Qiao Xia adapted very quickly.

He just didn’t know how Duan Yulan had overcome it. Her actions during the killing were as fluid as flowing water, showing no psychological burden whatsoever, as if she had already slain thousands of Red-Eyed people.

Perhaps Duan Yulan had prior knowledge of many special tidings?

Just as Zhou Li’s father had urged him to leave U City, he must have learned about the widespread outbreak of the Red-Eyed Virus through some channel, but was forbidden from publicizing it, not even fully informing his own son.

He wondered if asking Duan Yulan now might resolve some of the questions in his mind.

“Qiao Xia, do you have anything you want to ask me?”

Just as Qiao Xia was pondering this, Duan Yulan’s sudden question startled him. He then looked down at her, dumbfounded, wondering how she had guessed his thoughts.

‘Was it that obvious on my face?’ he wondered.

“Hmm, yes, there is something I’ve wanted to ask you, but I never found the chance before. Where did you buy this black bracelet you gave me yesterday morning at the school gate?”

Looking at Duan Yulan’s beautiful eyes, Qiao Xia uncomfortably averted his gaze, not wishing to continue their eye contact. Yet, he immediately voiced the question that had been buried in his heart.

Qiao Xia had long suspected that the sudden appearance of his ‘golden finger’ ability came from the black bracelet Duan Yulan had given him. However, because Duan Yulan always came and went so quickly, he never had the opportunity to ask.

Now, Duan Yulan was right beside him.

If it was confirmed that the golden finger came from Duan Yulan’s black bracelet, Qiao Xia felt he should be kinder to her. Even if Duan Yulan often said strange things and flirted, the golden finger she gifted had helped him immensely, repeatedly pulling him back from the brink of death.

“The black bracelet, you say…”

As Duan Yulan heard Qiao Xia’s question, her gaze immediately shifted to his wrist. Looking at the simple black bracelet, her expression became a mix of nostalgia and sadness.