"So tired…"
Stepping out of the school gates, Bai Yuze muttered about his fatigue, but instead of heading straight home, he caught a bus across the city of Yeqiu to the Akihabara Nursing Home.
He was going there as a volunteer.
Most residents at the nursing home were victims of the Third Black Tide Disaster, having lost their loved ones, children, and friends in that tragic event.
As soon as he entered, the elderly residents looked over, and faint smiles appeared on their wrinkled faces.
It seemed that the presence of a young person lifted their spirits.
"Xiao Ze, you're here! What funny stories about your mischievous students do you have for us today?"
"Thank you, Xiao Ze, for coming every day to help us old folks with this and that."
Bai Yuze exchanged friendly greetings with the elderly residents and headed into the courtyard.
"Zeke, you're here," a tall young man in the courtyard called out.
He was around 1.8 meters tall, dressed simply in a light blue shirt and black shorts. Despite his casual appearance, he worked swiftly, and in no time, he had finished taking down the sheets drying in the courtyard. Seeing Bai Yuze enter, he greeted him with a smile.
This young man was named Peng Liang, around twenty years old.
The two had met by chance. At eighteen, Peng Liang lost his parents and younger brother in the Black Tide, leaving him alone. When he was on the verge of jumping off a bridge to end it all, Bai Yuze, who had just started working, saved him. Bai introduced him to Akihabara Nursing Home, and over time, inspired by Bai's dedication, Peng became a volunteer there too.
Having lost his family, Peng Liang treated these elderly residents as his own, and they, in turn, came to view him as family.
Most of the residents had no one left. Despite numerous government welfare programs, the smiles of old were gone from their faces.
They were like kites drifting in the sky, their strings long since broken.
Bai Yuze and Peng Liang saw their work as reconnecting those strings, helping the residents find new anchors, so they could enjoy life once more.
Not long after Peng Liang started volunteering, he received a recruitment notice from the Special Task Force. His hatred for the disaster beasts ran deep, and he didn't hesitate to enlist.
There, he seemed to find a renewed purpose, moving past his trauma soon after starting his work.
And he did well. He often bragged about his achievements, saying he'd become a captain in a year and a director in two.
In the courtyard, Bai Yuze and Peng Liang busied themselves back and forth.
The elderly gathered together, chatting and sighing.
"Xiao Ze is handsome, thoughtful, and he's a teacher. I wonder which lucky girl will end up with him. My granddaughter would have loved him—if only that damned disaster beast hadn't taken her away…"
"Sigh, it's all in the past."
"Bai Yuze and Peng Liang are both good kids. Xiao Bai teaches at Qiuyuan No. 1 High. Back before the Black Tide, Qiuyuan High wasn't much. But after the crisis, with resources consolidated from other cities, it's now the top school in Yeqiu City."
"And Xiao Peng is with the Special Task Force…"
"Good pay, sure, but he's hardly ever home, and it's dangerous. Still, they're both great prospects with stable jobs."
Then, an elderly woman leaned over, lowering her voice. "Why let some stranger get such a good catch when one of our own could? What do you all think of my granddaughter, Xiao Huan?"
"Oh, please," another resident interjected. "Your daughter hasn't visited once since she went overseas after graduating college. If she doesn't care about her own mother, don't let her ruin these good boys."
"She may not have visited, but she sends me money every month, quite a bit, too. She's still filial," the elderly woman insisted. However, she knew deep down that if she wanted Xiao Bai to meet her daughter, she'd need her companions' approval.
"No way. We're not lacking money; we need care. What if she spoils them, and then who will look after us lonely old folks?"
…
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Bai Yuze and Peng Liang chatted casually.
"Xiao Peng, I heard your department's having a celebration feast. Everyone's eating and drinking to their heart's content. Why did you slip away?" Bai Yuze asked, somewhat nonchalantly. By now, he had a few guesses about Peng Liang's role, and Peng had never tried to hide it from him.
"You want me to invite you?"
"If Captain Peng sincerely invites me, I might consider it."
"Sure thing, join the Abyssal Disaster Response Bureau, and I'll bring you along."
"Forget it. You know me—I'm just a slacker, waiting for my next meal. If I joined you, who knows, maybe I'd end up defecting to the abyss myself… and then you'd have the honor of 'righteous execution.' That'd be quite a loss for me."
Bai Yuze waved his hand, declining without a second thought.
This wasn't the first time Peng Liang had extended an olive branch, but each time, Bai Yuze had turned him down.
Peng understood; after all, Bai had a younger sister in high school depending on him.
As for Bai's joking words, Peng took them lightly. He knew that Bai Yuze, who'd spent years caring for the elderly here, wasn't someone who'd betray humanity.
"Fine, if you're not interested, you're not. The Task Force's doors are always open. At least the Third Black Tide is over, and the spatial rifts are closed. We can finally breathe easy. Though who knows when the Fourth Tide will come… damn Abyssal Gates, damn disaster beasts…"
"Stop complaining. Those lingering beasts could be lurking in some dark corner, just waiting for you to let your guard down. Also… never mind."
Leaning against the wall, Bai Yuze took out a pack of cigarettes. But seeing some familiar elderly faces, he put the pack away.
There were things he couldn't say, even if he wanted to.
Every time he tried to express something, an intense pain pierced his mind, as if needles were stabbing his brain, robbing him of speech.
It usually took a while for him to recover.
"Don't worry," Peng Liang reassured, observing Bai's hesitation. "Anything you can think of, we've already prepared for. Each district has an A-level Judicator squad on standby. If any of those pests show themselves, we won't hesitate to wipe them out."
Peng pulled two cigarettes from his pocket, offering one to Bai and lighting the other.
The flame flickered, and he took a deep drag. Pointing to the designated smoking area sign, he smiled, "Zeke, go ahead. This is the smoking area, no worries. But honestly, you should quit. As a teacher, what if you set a bad example for the country's future?"
"Ha! Look who's talking! Every time I ask you out for late-night snacks, you smoke like a chimney. Two or three packs in a single night. I bet you'll die of lung cancer before a disaster beast ever gets you."
"Shows what you know. It's stress. You have no idea how cunning those beasts are… but why am I even explaining this to a civilian?"
Peng Liang waved him off, adopting an air of weariness as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, too tired to explain to an average citizen.
"Hmph!" Bai Yuze snorted. "Yeah, right. And who was it crying on the banks of the Mijiang River?"
"You promised never to bring that up again after that last smoke I gave you," Peng grumbled, face instantly falling.
Bai just lit his cigarette, a faint smile on his lips.
The First Black Tide Crisis
The day after the Eastern Japan City, with the support of America, decided to continue discharging nuclear wastewater, a sudden time-space rift appeared in the Kyoto District. From this rift emerged monstrous creatures known as Disasters Beasts—thick-skinned and massive, they were voraciously carnivorous and inherently cruel.
The more they consumed, the faster they evolved.
What plunged humanity deeper into despair was that ordinary firearms could barely inflict any damage on them.
In the end, it was the Summer Nation that brought out its superweapon—the Space Orbital Particle Beam—that finally resolved the crisis.
As the countdown reached a critical point, a blinding light of pale blue shone in the sky, resembling a divine and terrifying lightning punishment descending from the heavens. With a resounding burst of light, the red dot on the radar vanished, and amidst the cheers of countless people, the Disaster Beasts were eradicated.
Just a year later, the Second Black Tide Crisis erupted.
Another time-space rift appeared, but this time not only in Eastern Japan City; rifts were appearing globally in many developed cities, such as New York, Washington, and London…
Faced with this situation, humanity felt a sense of hopelessness. They couldn't possibly drop mushroom bombs on their own cities!
At this moment, magical spirits resembling Pokémon emerged, capable of forming magical contracts with young girls, granting them the power to eradicate the Disaster Beasts.
Soon after, the Second Black Tide Crisis came to an end, and humanity finally found a glimmer of hope for resistance.
In that same month, humanity began to establish the Abyss Handling Safety Bureau. The magical girls who signed contracts were officially referred to as "Judicators," a term accepted by most older generations.
However, younger individuals preferred to call them "magical girls." The two-dimensional culture was particularly vibrant, with fans forming various clubs for their favorite magical girls, cheering them on during battles.
Often, one could see figures from the two-dimensional community among the ruins when these girls fought.
The authorities even issued regulations to ban such behavior, but it did little to quell their fervor.
Secretly, the Judicators also liked to refer to themselves as magical girls; the term was filled with youthful energy, radiating a sense of vibrancy—who didn't harbor a youthful heart?
Over time, apart from official notices, most people preferred the term "magical girl."
Moreover, during this continuous series of Black Tide crises, humanity categorized the Abyssal Disaster Beasts based on the extent of the destruction they caused to society and the difficulties faced by the magical girls in their struggles, establishing corresponding ranks for the Abyssal Disaster Beasts: Meteor, Moon Eater, Sunfall, Asura, Crystal Wall.
The Third Black Tide Crisis
In this third crisis, humanity believed that with the power of the magical girls, they could effortlessly defend against the Abyss's onslaught.
They grew somewhat complacent during their resistance, but the Abyss soon awakened them, exacting a horrific toll.
The strength of the Disaster Beasts emerging from the rifts had significantly increased; most of the creatures from the first two crises had strengths ranging from Meteor to Moon Eater.
With the start of the third crisis, the overall strength of the Disaster Beasts began to rise. Even the weakest among them now possessed the strength of Moon Eater, while Sunfall and Asura formed the core force. The pinnacle of power consisted of three powerful magical princesses at the Crystal Wall level, culminating in the Abyss Lord summoned by these princesses—a super Disaster Beast that could rival Godzilla in size—the Abyss Titan.
At a painful cost,
humanity ultimately triumphed, but the victory came at an exorbitant price. The population plummeted from a peak of 7.4 billion to 4 billion. Among the magical girls, their combat power was reduced by two-thirds. Out of twenty-four human defensive fortresses, fourteen were breached, and countless prosperous cities were reduced to ruins overnight.
Among them, Peng Liang's relatives were also sacrificed during this crisis.
"Let's stop reminiscing about the past. When can I finally meet your sister-in-law? The grandparents outside are in a terrible rush. If you really can't find anyone, I could introduce a few for you?" Peng Liang said with a mischievous grin as he looked at Bai Yuze.
"Tsk tsk, I'm not in a hurry. I'm more curious about what you plan to do with your two stunning girlfriends. I certainly hope that one day I won't have to mourn your headless corpse," Bai Yuze replied, glancing at his good brother, who stood at 1.85 meters tall—a towering, silly-looking guy.
Then he glanced at his own reflection in the glass.
At around 1.78 meters tall, with messy black hair and sharply chiseled features, he had a rather androgynous yet handsome face, his eyes glimmering with light. While he wasn't exceptionally tall, he at least looked more attractive than his friend...
How did they end up in this ironic situation of drought and flood?
"Your brother Cheng left early, and Cheng laughed at how little you get to see the sun. Don't worry; they're my wings, and I know what I'm doing. The sun is setting; you, the die-hard sister complex, should head back to prepare dinner. Otherwise, you'll have to crash at my place again, which would ruin my girlfriend's happiness."
When he mentioned happiness, Peng Liang emphasized his point.
"I'm just joking; why would I fear my sister? I'm merely accommodating her," Bai Yuze replied, maintaining an honest gaze at the darkening sky.
Unbeknownst to them, the moon rose high, and dusk had gradually set in—it was indeed time to head home.
"Damn, you treacherous bastard who prioritizes romance over friendship, as if I enjoy going to your house."
"Fine, fine, fine. You're so impressive and noble. Just don't come crying to me next time your sister kicks you out of your own home, begging for free food and lodging."
Bai Yuze: "..."