Chapter 552: [A Godless World] (20)
"So you’re saying you’ve identified the prime suspect in this case. And right now he’s preparing some kind of exorcism ritual in Lotus Park? We need to stop him?"
John looked at Ember with obvious suspicion. He could hardly imagine someone like Ember saying something like this. His first instinct was that Ember was lying. But when he pieced everything together, everything strangely made sense—even the secret that only he himself knew...
He couldn’t help frowning before letting out a faint chuckle, though the humor never left his voice.
"Then why are you telling me all this, Ember? What do you want?"
Elle, standing off to the side, let out a quiet snort of disdain. Perhaps it was only an illusion, but she seemed even more ferocious than before. Her eyes had turned blood-red, and the fangs she could normally hide inside her mouth were now fully exposed. The malice in her gaze toward Adrian and Ember was impossible to conceal.
Ember paid her little mind.
"Help me kill him. Didn’t you say it yourself? The more people we have, the stronger we’ll be."
This was probably the first time Ember had ever proposed working together with someone else. It was also the first time he had spoken this much.
Even John couldn’t hide his surprise as he stared at him.
[???]
[Ember has finally grown up?!]
[I honestly never thought I’d see the day when he’d be the one suggesting we team up to kill the boss.]
John curled his lips into a slight smile as he looked at Ember. After a moment’s thought, he said,
"All right. I’ll consider it. After all, our goals are the same—we both want to get out of this place."
John’s meaning was perfectly clear. Even if they didn’t cooperate, he would kill the boss regardless.
Ember nodded.
"Please pass this message along to the others."
John smiled and nodded in agreement.
Just then, Adrian kept staring at him with a furrowed brow. There was something so strangely direct about his gaze that John couldn’t help glancing back. But before he could say anything, Ember had already pulled Adrian away.
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, John let out a scornful smirk.
"A fool who’s been protected by Ember all this time... Whatever. Sooner or later, they’ll both die."
He reached out and gently ruffled his "little sister’s" hair with one hand, smiling as he said,
"We’ll be the only ones who make it out of here."
Meanwhile, Ember and Adrian had already gone some distance away.
Ember walked ahead, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something about the atmosphere was off.
Unable to help himself, he subtly tilted his head, pretending not to, and stole a glance at Adrian.
Adrian had his eyes lowered as he walked forward at an unhurried pace. He really was a strange person. Sometimes he talked and laughed so much that it became irritating; other times, when he fell silent, he seemed colder than anyone else, as though he were completely unapproachable.
But the moment Ember called his name, Adrian immediately looked up at him, wearing an oddly mysterious expression.
"Ember, don’t you think something’s strange?"
Ember’s eyelid twitched. Still, remembering how withdrawn Adrian had seemed just moments ago, he decided to play along.
"What’s strange?"
"Where did everyone else go? Weren’t there a lot of people around John earlier?" Adrian asked.
Now that Adrian mentioned it, Ember also found it somewhat odd. But he quickly remembered why he hadn’t paid much attention to it in the first place.
"We don’t even know how many people have died, Adrian. Besides, the closer we get to the end, the more people tend to split up and act on their own."
Somehow, it felt almost unbelievable that he could now hold a calm conversation with Adrian.
Adrian looked at him.
"That’s true. But then why did you ask John to work with you? And you specifically said he should work with you, not with us."
Ember lowered his gaze, meeting Adrian’s clear, translucent eyes.
"Where did I go, Ember? Where did you throw me?"
Adrian grabbed Ember by the shoulders and gave him a shake, so hard that Ember felt as though the space around him had begun to warp.
In a low voice, Ember said,
"Stay out of it. Find somewhere to hide until everything is over."
Adrian immediately let go of him. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked at Ember with an amused expression.
"Because you’re worried I’ll die? So you asked John to work with you instead? After all, it doesn’t matter whether John lives or dies, right? I knew it..."
"No," Ember replied.
Adrian couldn’t help staring at him.
Meeting his gaze, Ember nodded.
"I don’t want you getting in my way when the time comes, Adrian."
"Getting in your way? Do you even hear what you’re saying, Ember?" Adrian shot back at once.
Ember answered simply,
"Either way, I don’t want to work with you."
[AAAAAAAAA!!!]
[What is this? What is this?!]
[I feel like this is something Ember has wanted to say for a long time.]
Adrian’s smile disappeared.
"I especially hate people who say hurtful things."
He looked straight at Ember, his expression making it seem as though he’d been deeply wounded.
No.
Remembering all of Adrian’s usual behavior, Ember realized that perhaps Adrian was simply the kind of person who was easily affected by other people’s words.
Ember couldn’t help frowning.
Then he heard Adrian mutter gloomily,
"If you don’t know how to talk to people, you could always just stay quiet."
Ember said nothing.
Adrian looked at him for another moment before turning around and walking away without another word.
Ember watched his retreating figure.
He had chosen to stand still, yet at that moment it felt as though his feet had been buried in the ground, unable to move even an inch.
Each of Adrian’s footsteps seemed to fall into a pool of still water, sending ripples spreading outward without end. The scenery itself appeared to blur and dissolve, and for a fleeting moment, Ember was reminded of why he had become the way he was.
He watched Adrian’s silhouette grow smaller and smaller in the distance.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Then he turned around and began walking as well, even though he didn’t know where he was supposed to go.
Just keep walking.
[Why does this feel like a farewell scene? My heart hurts...]
[Someone please tell Adrian that Ember doesn’t actually hate him!]
[Ember is trying to protect Adrian! I don’t want them to misunderstand each other! Turn around and hug each other already!]
[I’m new here, so I don’t get it. Is something wrong with Ember? Why is he deliberately pushing Adrian away?]