The black night sky. There wasn't a single ray of light.
The stars, looking at the blood moon, which was a complete change from its usual appearance, fearfully dimmed their lights and hid themselves within the endless night sky.
Zombies, Honkai Beasts… Shu wandered the empty streets, not seeing a single person or living creature. The world seemed to have become empty, leaving only Shu and the two people he was carrying.
If only these two could chat with him normally, at least it would help dispel this chilling silence.
But it seemed that only the pain in his arm could be his company. But now, even the pain was starting to fade.
He was carrying Mei on his back and Bronya in his arms. He didn't know how long he had been walking, but he remembered that before sunrise, Mei woke up.
"Ugh…" A small groan mixed with pain came from behind Shu. He stopped and quickly looked back. "Mei?"
Then, Shu realized how hoarse his voice had become, deep and rough, almost unintelligible.
He coughed twice before asking, "Mei, are you okay?"
Behind him, Mei slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she felt was the discomfort in her body and the warmth from the person in front.
Was it Bronya? Mei remembered the person she was hugging before she passed out. Until Shu's call, did Mei remember the door that was kicked open.
"Shu?" Mei's voice was also hoarse. "We… are saved?"
"Yes!" Shu eagerly replied. "We're safe now, don't worry, and we'll find a safe place soon…"
"Hmm..." Mei's vision slowly recovered. She saw Bronya in Shu's arms over his shoulder. The tension in her heart was finally relieved.
Everyone… Is okay. That's good…
Mei closed her eyes tiredly. She had little strength to open them, so it would be better if she closed them.
"Shu…" Mei softly called out. Shu responded immediately.
Mei was silent for a moment, then softly, barely audible, with a slight anticipation, said, "I think I heard Kiana's name when I was unconscious…"
The words that Shu wanted to say were trapped in his throat.
He had imagined many situations, prepared countless answers. But he hadn't prepared an answer to this…
Not that he had forgotten this question. But Shu really didn't know how to answer it.
Should he tell the truth, or lie for a while?
Mei and Bronya's conditions were not good. If they were to be given more stimulation, Shu didn't know what would happen.
He had seen and heard too many cases of people's mental states affecting their injuries.
So, should he just change the subject? Shu didn't know either. There were three different paths in front of Shu, asking him to choose again.
He had said that he hated these multiple-choice questions.
"Mei, do you know the way back to the academy? I'm not sure how to get back." After coughing again, Shu decided to change the subject. He felt that Mei had little energy left to press him on that issue, so if he just asked for her help, she would use that energy to help him.
As expected, Mei opened her eyes and looked around tiredly. After a moment, she said, her voice even softer, almost whispering into Shu's ear.
"Go straight ahead, you'll… see a hotpot restaurant called… Fragrant Pot Base… Turn there… then walk a bit… you'll see the academy…"
Mei's voice sounded like she could fall asleep at any moment. Shu couldn't help but feel scared. He was afraid that even a moment of silence would cause Mei to lose consciousness again.
Repeatedly losing consciousness was not a good thing, so Shu immediately said something after Mei finished.
"Haha, didn't expect you to remember it so clearly. Is the food there that good? You don't seem like the type to remember a restaurant."
"Hmm..." Mei responded weakly, Shu felt that she seemed to be laughing, and he couldn't help but rejoice.
It seems that I've found something that she's interested in. As long as I keep it going, then Mei can…
"Not me… It's Kiana… She… likes… their… pot base…" As expected, Mei responded. Shu could hear a hint of joy in her voice.
Shu: "…"
Why is everything leading back to Kiana?!
"Kiana… She… also likes another restaurant… She likes… their beef… She always said that… it would be great… if those two combined…" Mei said. Shu didn't know what to say.
He also remembered the two hotpot restaurants Mei mentioned. Kiana also introduced them when they first arrived there.
"Haha, so that's what happened." Shu laughed awkwardly and asked, trying again, "Mei, can you tell me why you were there? Where did you guys go after we split up?"
"Where did we go..." Mei slightly opened her eyes, glanced at the sweat flowing down Shu's face, and then looked away. "We looked for you… But we couldn't find you… So we decided to leave… We looked for Kiana… Then… We found the… storage room… There were… traces of Kiana… but… Kiana was not there…"
Shu: "...*We can't escape this Kiana!!*"
Suddenly, Shu was shocked and quickly asked, "Mei, when did you get to that storage room?"
Mei was silent for a moment. It seemed that thinking took a lot of energy for her. After a long time, when Shu was starting to suspect that she had lost consciousness again, Mei slowly replied, "It was… noon? The sun was high… I remember… Bronya… said… Kiana left that morning…"
She left in the morning, after we separated…
Shu trembled. That meant the place Mei and Bronya went to was… the place where they spent the night?!
Did they miss each other?!
If he wasn't holding Bronya, Shu would've slapped himself twice.
Why did you make that stupid decision?! If only you'd listened to Fu Hua and rested before leaving, you would have met them!