A Core Ship From The Start
/ A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 1221
Chapter 1221: Chapter 828: Hall Chapter 1221: Chapter 828: Hall After determining their target, the Gang of Thieves hit the streets to discuss their next plan of action.
“We know her name now; all we need to find out is what she considers to be where, and we can make our move!”
Sakamoto Ryuji danced around in high spirits, while Yugong Lian and Yoshikawa Yuki wore helpless expressions.
They had become Phantom Thieves and managed to inspire personal reform in people through a strange mobile app. This app, similar to a navigation tool, allowed them to enter another person's inner world–what the members of the Gang of Thieves referred to as the “Palace”–by inputting the target's name and identifying their location and key buildings.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough. The Gang had to infiltrate the target's inner world and find the source of their desire. However, they couldn't steal it just yet because without feeling threatened, a person's source of desire was ambiguous and uncatchable.
So, the next step was for the Gang to send a calling card in the real world. Only then would the source of the target's desire manifest in their inner world. Once the Gang stole that source, the target would regret their ways and reform.
Now, they only knew the name of Duanmu Ai but had not yet figured out what she saw in what location.
So, the next steps involved investigating precisely that.
But…
“Does anyone have any ideas?”
Faced with Yoshikawa Yuki's question, both Yugong Lian and Sakamoto Ryuji shook their heads.
“Isn't she your classmate?”
“That's true, but she hardly interacts with anyone in class, not exactly approachable,” replied Ryuji, shaking his head. Then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, he looked over at Yugong Lian.
“Right, didn't that post say she went off to become an actress or something?”
“I asked the teacher, and she said Duanmu had taken leave until the end of the month without specifying why.”
“Then let's check… she didn't go to the TV station, did she? So it's got to be the TV station!”
As he spoke, Sakamoto Ryuji entered “TV station” into the app, but nothing happened.
“Theater?”
“Cinema?”
“Bustling Street?”
After inputting a plethora of words and getting no response, everyone was at a loss. They really didn't know much about Duanmu Ai, who also had little to do with them. In class, Ai's relationship with everyone was lukewarm at best, and she didn't have any close friends.
“It's not possibly the entire world, right?”
Just as Sakamoto Ryuji said this flippantly, the app suddenly reacted.
[Destination set]
The group was taken aback as they heard the app's indifferent electronic voice.
“Come on, you've got to be kidding. The whole world? What does that woman consider this world to be?”
“It's hard to believe that there are such people…”
Even Yoshikawa Yuki couldn't hide his astonishment. Their previous targets had only ever focused on a single building. For instance, Kamoshida saw the school as his castle and Banmu regarded his rundown apartment as a splendid art gallery.
But what did it mean if the target was the entire world?
What on earth was this woman thinking?
Generally, a person's abilities and ambitions are proportional. Did this woman possess the power to influence the world?
“A world, eh… Could it be a ship?”
“Maybe an amusement park?”
“A vault?”
While Yoshikawa Yuki and Ryuji were contemplating, Yugong Lian suddenly looked up at his phone.
“A graveyard.”
[Navigation initiated–Destination reached]
Before Yugong Lian could even finish speaking, the world around them began to distort, everything warping, deforming, and in a moment, completely overturned.
“What is… this?”
Staring blankly at the scene before them, Yugong Lian, Ryuji, and Yuki all wore indescribably stiff expressions. The reason was clear from the spectacle in front of them.
The once bustling street now lay in total disarray, consumed by raging fires. Dead bodies littered the streets as gravestones sprouted from their bellies, towering toward the sky. Every building was in ruins, and a massive sun, ablaze, nearly covered half the sky, emitting no warmth whatsoever.
Despite being surrounded by flames and bathed in the sun's brilliance, all they felt was a chill as if trapped in a cold storage room.
“What is this exactly?”
Sakamoto Ryuji's legs trembled uncontrollably, and even Yugong Lian and Yoshikawa Yuki's faces were equally distressed. The world was so horrifying, utterly silent, showing no signs of life, as if swept only by traces of destruction.
“Regardless, we need to get out of here first!”
Yugong Lian grabbed Ryuji and Yuki, quickly withdrawing from the world.
Lonely and cold winds dissipated, and the clamorous street once again appeared before them. At that moment, the three were drenched in sweat, as though they'd escaped from the jaws of death.
“What does that woman ultimately want?”
Ryuji, face pale-green, was panting too hard to speak.
“That world… was it really that woman's Palace? What does she really want!?”
While roaring in anger, Ryuji clenched his fists and hammered them against the wall, drawing the attention of the passersby. Yugong Lian shook his head and quickly stopped him.
“Alright, let's go somewhere else.”
Soon, the three of them left the bustling street and arrived at a deserted alley.
“I've never seen a temple like that before.”
Yoshikawa Yuki was pale, his eyes lifeless.
“That was pure destruction… a world without any survivors within. I really can't imagine why such a temple would exist.”
“It must have been… just an illusion.”
Sakamoto Ryuji swallowed hard, speaking with trepidation.
“She's just an ordinary girl, no matter how strong she is, she can't possibly destroy an entire world… that must be right, right?”
Yugong Lian didn't speak but fell into deep silence. Putting other things aside, the scene they had just witnessed was too shocking. They were simply high school students who had happened to gain strange powers and become members of the Gang of Thieves; that didn't mean they could face such bizarre situations without changing their expressions.
“Do we continue?”
“I need to think about it.”
Faced with his companion's question, Yugong Lian hesitated for a moment before responding.
The situation this time was too different from before, and he had a bad feeling.
Moreover…
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Yugong Lian shook his head, not knowing why, but since just a moment ago, he seemed to have had an illusion. A strange whisper seemed to be floating in his ear…
The Gang of Thieves temporarily disbanded, but Duanmu Ai was completely unaware of this.
Because at the moment, she was facing her biggest headache.
It was acting.
She really couldn't act at all.
To this, director Yoshikawa didn't care, saying, “Your temperament is very fitting for the angel from the legend, so when the time comes, just perform however you feel like.”
Since he had put it that way, Duanmu Ai didn't care either, especially since her role was less than ten minutes at the end–oh, thinking about it that way, she could understand why the actress had been so upset with Li Shi. With only ten minutes to perform, even as the finale, it was just a passerby role.
Just a few lines.
At the moment, Duanmu Ai was just standing aside, watching the others' performances–these actors seemed quite nervous, but that wasn't surprising. Li Shi had said that this performance was going to be the most famous one at the end of the month, and it would affect others' future opportunities. Even Li Shi herself had fought hard to secure the leading role; if she didn't perform well, those who had been selected for reasons of their own wouldn't let them off easily.
So, right now, everyone was acting very seriously, very focused.
As the leading actress, Kujikawa Rise was naturally even more focused.
“Ah——–!”
Along with a scream, Kujikawa Rise fell to the ground–well, it was part of the performance, she wasn't really hurt.
This was the final stage of the scene where the heroine and her lover were surrounded by the Cybernetic Madman. The lover risked his life to stop the Cybernetic Madman, allowing the heroine to escape. She fled in tears and eventually came to ruins, surrounded by monsters. Then the Angel appeared and wiped out the nearby monsters in one attack.
Now was the moment.
Duanmu Ai stepped forward, casually extending her hand and waving–according to the director, there would be lighting effects on site, so a simple gesture would suffice.
Thus, the actors playing the monsters around the heroine fell to the ground screaming, some even doing a three hundred and sixty-degree spin as they fell.
Quite the scene-stealers.
Next, she just needed to say a few words to Kujikawa Rise, and then she could leave the stage.
So, what to say?
Duanmu Ai thought for a moment.
Nevermind, she'd just go with the feeling she had initially on the battlefield.
At that moment, Li Shi turned her head, looking towards Duanmu Ai–but in the next instant, she froze.
It wasn't just Li Shi; the other actors, including the director and staff, all changed their expressions, for they could feel that the moment Duanmu Ai stepped on stage, an incomparable aura of dominance emanated from her. It was a presence that provoked an involuntary reverence in others–not because of her appearance, but because of an instinctual understanding that she was a being far more powerful than themselves.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Duanmu Ai stood in front of Li Shi, who lay on the ground, staring at her.
“You're still alive.”
“I… am I still alive?”
Perhaps it was the intimidating aura, but at that moment, Li Shi had almost forgotten her lines.
“Yes, you are still alive.”
Duanmu Ai looked at Li Shi indifferently and spoke.
“Is it… you saved me…”
“I didn't come to save you. I came to destroy these monsters.”
Duanmu Ai said and then turned around.
“Make your choice, survival or destruction, it's your problem.”
Having said that, Duanmu Ai turned and walked off the stage.
At that moment, the whole stage was silent.
Chapter end
|
Report
|
|
Donate
Oh o, this user has not set a donation button.
|
