Love Code At the End of The World

The tiny spider was crushed flat, circuitry spilling out like mechanical guts.

I took the spider from Ghostie’s hand and Lucifer looked at it curiously. It was a surveillance robot. Noah City had them too. It was tiny and hard to notice, but Ghostie had great hearing so he was able to hear even the tiniest insects.

So, they didn’t trust us either.

Ghostie shook his head while I looked at him, saying, “It’s alright. I have already made it clear to them: I will massacre this place if I see any unusual behavior, and only keep the women and children alive.”

Ghostie’s face turned pale. He pouted and looked as if he wanted to speak, but couldn’t. He then wrote on the ground: “Don’t massacre a city just because...” He tapped the ground for a while, as though he was at a loss for words.

I chuckled and looked at him. I said, “There’s a true story from my hometown. Once upon a time, there was a general named Xiang Yu. He was brave and skillful in warfare, but he enjoyed slaughter. After he massacred a whole city, all the other cities surrendered to him without resistance. Since I have the reputation of a butcher, I should really make use of it. It’s quite useful for threatening people.

Ghostie’s complexion darkened, and yet part of him seemed to be at peace because I had walked out from the darkness of my past.

“Plus, these people are afraid of death. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have surrendered back then. They would have been labeled as traitors in the world I came from.” I took out the heart box and said, “I will open the heart box when I go to sleep, so that no one can approach my room.”

Ghostie opened his eyes wide and looked towards Lucifer worriedly, as if he were worried that Lucifer would be hurt by my radiation.

I immediately reminded Lucifer, “Lucifer, there are spirits in this heart box, along with blue crystal energy. There will be powerful radiation once I open it. Can you follow Brother Ghostie?”

“Okay, Sister Luo Bing.” Lucifer nodded obediently, just like when he was young.

I looked at the chain on his neck and my face grew grim. I grabbed it and flung it into the lake.

“What are you doing, Sister Luo Bing? That is the Silver Moon emblem Brother Xing Chuan gave me,” Lucifer said anxiously.

“Listen. Xing Chuan is no longer your brother. Xing Chuan would be your enemy if you were to stay with me, because he killed my lover. Do you know what a lover is?” I asked him with a stern expression.

He looked at me, his eyes wide with shock. He hung his head sorrowfully, saying, “I know, just like daddy and mommy. But I always thought Brother Xing Chuan and you were lovers.”

I looked at his upset face as the cold mountain breeze blew against his messy, silver hair. I always knew that Xing Chuan was a different person in his heart, almost like a second father. He used to prefer Xing Chuan over me when he was a baby.

I had put him in a really difficult position by making him choose between Xing Chuan and me.

Ghostie looked at him quietly, his expression revealing heartache.

I hugged Lucifer apologetically while he leaned on my shoulder quietly. I stroked his messy hair, saying, “I’m not going to force you, but Brother Xing Chuan and I are now enemies. You’re still young. You should go back to Noah City and study hard.”

“Hnn...” Lucifer hugged me back, seemingl very upset.

“Bzz!” Suddenly, the alarm in the village went off. The women who had left the lake earlier ran out of their houses hastily.

The skylake in front of us bubbled and Ghostie crawled onto the shore, shocked. 

Then many women ran up, carrying babies in their arms or dragging teenagers behind them. I saw the blue-haired boy too.

They all exhorted one another, “Hurry! Hurry! Everyone, hurry!”

The skylake split apart and revealed a long stone staircase leading downward. The women carrying children were ushered onto the steps by the more capable women.

I hadn’t seen this sight for quite some time, the frantic energy of the humans in this world.

I had kept my guard against Koont Village up until then. Now, though, the sight of women and children rushing to hide made me believe the bearded man’s words. He hadn’t lied to me. He had chosen to be a “traitor” just to protect these women and children from falling into the hands of the Ghost Eclipsers.

One of the capable women came to me, ordering, “You go down too!”

She had a pair of lustrous blue eyes and shiny, pale blue hair. Her hair was tied up with a piece of cloth at the back of her head, and she looked like the blue-haired teenager.

I stood up as she gazed cautiously at me. She said, “The Ghost Eclipsers have sent their army here. You are the North Star. Either we hand you to them, or you’ll get us into trouble if you stay outside. We have over a hundred women and children here, and the Ghost Eclipsers cannot know of their existence.” She pointed towards the people hiding behind her.

I nodded and followed her into the secret tunnel with Lucifer. It was safer for Ghostie to stay in the water. He could also monitor what was going on above.

The secret tunnel was dark and musty, with moss growing along the walls. There were probably more children here than in the entirety of Noah City. The woman with pale blue hair took point to guard the others.

We soon arrived at an empty, dark, and humid room. The women curled up, hugging their children tightly. Then we heard a rumbling sound from above, likely the skylake closing up.

There was firewood stacked in the center. A woman raised her hand and summoned a handful of flames. She lit the wood and the place brightened up, lighting up the children’s anxious faces.

I stood to the side with Lucifer in my arms. Lucifer asked under the dim light, “Sister Luo Bing, when can we leave?”

I looked at him and recalled the collar on his neck earlier. I asked, “Did they bully you?”

Lucifer shook his head, answering “Nope. They knew I was a human. They gave me food but they restricted my freedom. Sometimes, they would send me to fight their people. All of them pretended to be fierce, but they are actually very weak.”

“Okay, I understand.” I patted his head. They were afraid of him because he was a flying corpse, after all.

The people of Koont Village kept their distance from me. When they saw me, they looked even more nervous, hugging their children tighter.

Suddenly, a woman asked, “What do you have to do with Noah City?”

It looked like the tiny spider was really their doing.

I did not answer. She frowned and looked away. She seemed annoyed, saying, “Forget it.”

“Mom! How much longer do we need to hide!?” The blue-haired boy stood up angrily.

The blue-haired woman shouted, “Shut up, Pelos! Sit down!” The boy was actually her son. What’s the relationship between the bearded uncle and the boy then? They look like father and son.

The boy named Pelos clenched his jaw angrily and returned to the group of boys and girls.

Lucifer whispered softly, “Pelos is the name of the Rain God. No doubt he can control rain.” It seemed that Lucifer had learned a lot in the past year.

I was surprised. Rain control could be a significant superpower.