Girl, There's Something Wrong With You - Chapter 20

Xing Yuanzhi ran quickly through the tunnel.

She didn’t use any transportation, because the nearby network passage had sustained damage, allowing some puppets to infiltrate.

The noise from transportation tools could attract even more puppets from outside. Of course, being very close to Cheng Jinyang’s location was also a major reason.

Using the Mass Effect’s light-as-a-feather algorithm, she felt as if she were in a zero-gravity environment. Although the downward gravitational acceleration remained unchanged, a gentle push could send her flying long distances, allowing her to run at an astonishing speed. If she extended her arms behind her, mimicking an eagle’s dive, it would resemble a ninja run.

However, Cheng Jinyang did not see the approaching Xing Yuanzhi. He sat in the dark tunnel, his head bowed, slipping into a death-like coma.

“Jinyang!” Using her headlamp to find him, Xing Yuanzhi cried out in fear, rushing over to support and hold him.

So much blood… nearly cold and sticky blood…

But Ah Zhi didn’t have time to be squeamish. She urgently supported Cheng Jinyang, quickly checking his injuries.

The external wounds were mainly on his back, but there were clear signs of internal bleeding, with limbs twisted abnormally, likely massive fractures. His heartbeat and pulse were very weak, requiring immediate first aid.

She needed to get him back to the secret base quickly; there were medical tools and medicines there!

“Jinyang, hang in there.” Xing Yuanzhi lightened his weight and then carefully picked him up.

The heavy smell of blood lingered in her nose, with her hands, neck, and chest stained with a sticky sensation. Ah Zhi forced herself not to think about “dirt” or “filth” and carried Cheng Jinyang towards the base.

Her speed was not fast, as jostling would worsen Cheng Jinyang’s internal bleeding and injuries; but she couldn’t afford to slow down, as his condition was dire and every second counted.

An intense feeling of nausea surged in her throat again. Xing Yuanzhi bit her tongue hard, swallowing a mouthful of rusty-tasting saliva.

Calm, calm, calm.

Blood… isn’t something dirty, it’s a part of my body…

Jinyang isn’t…

Yet tears still fell uncontrollably.

She didn’t know why she cried—whether it was because she was covered in filth but had to continue holding Jinyang and traversing the dark tunnel, or because Jinyang, who was injured while saving another woman, was now in her care.

It was neither.

It was probably the fear that he might die.

“Jinyang, listen to me…” With a voice choked with suppressed sobs, Xing Yuanzhi said, struggling to hold back her grief, “Stay awake, just a little longer. My base isn’t far ahead; you’ll be safe there…”

“Ah Zhi…” A faint voice came from her arms, weak as a flickering candle in the wind.

“It’s me, it’s Ah Zhi.” Xing Yuanzhi looked down, sobbing, “You can call me that as many times as you want in the future…”

“I won’t, call you again.” Cheng Jinyang murmured, his lips barely moving, his voice as faint as a dream.

Relying on his unstable bodily functions to keep him alive, he had little strength left to speak.

“It’s alright, it’s okay…”

“Sorry, Yuanzhi…” He said with difficulty, his tone somewhat dazed, “I… at first, always called you like that…”

“Hmm, I’m listening.” Xing Yuanzhi trembled, “Don’t close your eyes, stay awake, alright?”

“…It’s because, I resented you for breaking off the engagement…”

“I know, it’s my fault. It’s okay if you resent me…”

“…I am a… petty person…”

“If you’re petty, then you should live a long life!” Xing Yuanzhi cried uncontrollably again, “It’s alright, I don’t blame you, but you need to live… If you die here, I’ll resent you for the rest of my life!”

“Do you hear me? I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!!!”

But there was no more response from her arms.

“Jinyang, Jinyang…” She muttered, continuing to move forward as if she had lost her soul.

She dared not stop, fearing that if she did, she might find that he had already ceased breathing, his body as cold as stone.

Just imagining such a scene left Xing Yuanzhi feeling profoundly empty, as if her heart had been completely hollowed out, unable to shed any more blood or tears.

The connection was still intermittent; she felt her consciousness sometimes within her own body, and other times within Jinyang’s.

Whenever she was aware of being within Jinyang, she rushed to activate physical activation, trying to heal his injuries, even if it was only for a fraction of a second.

Other girls were also doing the same. No one spoke. They knew that this unstable demonization state could deteriorate at any moment due to his injuries. They had to make the most of every moment of consciousness to keep him alive for as long as possible.

Suddenly, a hoarse roar came from ahead. The light from the headlamp attracted the attention of several puppets.

The network tunnel had been infiltrated by puppets…

Xing Yuanzhi stared at them in a daze, her tears, sweat, and the blood mingling on her face, but she felt no emotion.

The puppets began to charge toward her, about a dozen or so visible under the headlamp’s light.

A large-scale quicksand field unfolded, completely covering the tunnel ahead, avoiding the tunnel’s support structures.

Under nearly a thousand times gravity, these puppets were crushed into a bloody, mangled mess, their bones nearly shattered.

With a numb expression, Xing Yuanzhi continued forward. Her shoes, stepping into the bloody sludge, quickly turned a dull crimson.

No time to dodge. I’m in a hurry.

More screams erupted from the distance as the puppets, hearing the roars of their fallen comrades, surged hungrily toward her.

Xing Yuanzhi looked at them expressionlessly, not slowing her pace.

Mass Effect: Quicksand Field.

Efficient killing.

Soon, the area was covered in gore, with no solid place left to stand. Xing Yuanzhi silently held Cheng Jinyang, moving through this grotesque hell of flesh and blood, her speed unwavering.

Her shoes were soaked in blood, and she seemed to no longer notice the stench. Her body appeared to have fully adapted to the environment.

She continued to hold Cheng Jinyang rigidly, constantly activating the quicksand field to crush the blocking puppets into a bloody mess.

Then, she resolutely stepped over the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

……

After an indeterminate amount of time, Cheng Jinyang slowly woke from his coma.

The demonization connection state had ended. Opening his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

His body ached all over. As he attempted to sit up, he realized he had been cleaned, treated with medicine, and wrapped in layers of bandages, looking like a mummy.

Xing Yuanzhi sat in a chair beside the bed, her head lowered as if she were sleeping, looking utterly exhausted.

Her hair was tangled and matted with blood, tears, and sweat. Her clothes were dirty and bloodstained, and her exposed skin was grimy.

But in Cheng Jinyang’s eyes, her appearance is still pure and charming.

It seems like it was just yesterday when they first saw each other.