I woke up to the familiar sight of my ceiling, bathed in the soft glow of morning.
Sitting up with a groan, I rubbed my head. Looking around, there was no sign of that white-haired girl.
I guess she already went home after sending me back.
But speaking of yesterday, that bright flash really did a number on me.
However, at least it seemed that effects of that energy- Honkai- was gone, no doubt due to the efforts of the adaptations that my dharma wheel had brought me as well as my natural healing factor.
Leaning back onto my bedboard, I let out a soft sigh.
Now that I was in a better state, I needed to lock in and start piecing the clues together.
That light from the Honkai energy- how did it poison me? Was it through some kind of radiation?
If that were the case, then why did it hit me so hard? I've deliberately exposed myself to radiation before to adapt.
And yet, this still got through.
Perhaps the effects of Honkai radiation affected cells differently from how ionizing radiation damaged cells? That made sense considering the whole, "Haha, girls get turned into zombies" bit.
I still don't get why that happens though. It's ridiculous, even in an anime world!
But regardless, I don't need to worry about that anymore. My adaptation had given me some nice... Honkai resistance? Was that what Kiana called it?
Whatever.
Speaking of my adaptation though...
An eight-handled wheel appeared in front of me.
Holding it in my hands, I let out a hum. The wheel seemed to be a bit bigger than before. Not so much so that one would notice if they saw it from a far(assuming they could see it), but just enough that it was quite obvious when I held it in my hands like this.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
Honkai huh?
So that's what was missing all along.
In the past, the wheel was like a 5090 hooked up to a crappy power supply. Sure it ran and it still worked, but it sure as heck wasn't doing its price's worth.
Now, it was giving me better adaptations than before and at a much faster rate.
No wonder it started getting stronger when I came into contact with Kiana. The wheel was probably getting exposed to Honkai energy, albeit low amounts, when I was with her.
Well that answers that question.
But now here comes the main problem...
Who planted that device?
I normally wouldn't want to stick my finger into a mess like this. After all, this would probably put me in the view of some unsavoury eyes. The worst thing that I could do was to get the attention of some of the higher ups before I adapted enough to become invincible but still.
There was no guarantee that this thing that was being done right now, wasn't the start of something far bigger than just zombies.
I didn't want to one day wake up to see a second sun in the far distance of my home. No way.
Bzz bzz
My phone?
Who would message me now? I don't have any contacts. I pushed myself off the bed...
ONLY TO FIND MYSELF SENT FLYING???
As I found the walls approaching me rapidly, I quickly raised my arms.
With that, I immediately began to slow, coming to a complete halt just a few inches away from colliding with the wall.
Whew. Thanks Infinity.
Fixing the walls would have been quite a pain.
I landed gently on the ground and looked back at forth between my bed and the wall I was about to collide into.
This... was a surprise but not an unwelcome one.
My fists curled, letting me feel the power humming underneath my skin.
This does put a smile on my face.
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[Kiana: R u ok? Still sleeping?]
[Kiana: Halo. Anyone there?]
[Kiana: If u dont reply, the drinks r on u]
[Gojo: How tf did you get my number?]
[Kiana: I used ur phone to call me]
[Gojo: How you get past my passcode?]
[Kiana: I guessed lol]
[Gojo: ...]
[Kiana: Anyways u gud now?]
[Gojo: Ye]
[Kiana: Nice. The thing at the park gone though]
[Gojo: Wtf?]
Rubbing my forehead with a palm, I let out a sigh.
I was already expecting something like this, but I had really hoped that this wasn't the case.
It was very likely that the huge reaction last night caught the attention of the people behind that device....
Well that or some gal with Honkai resistance is probably scrapping that thing for parts.
Both were annoying scenarios and equally difficult to deal with.
As for the government finding it and taking it?
Let's be honest here. That place would probably be quarantined and then given the gas leak label if it were them.
I guess it would be better to regroup with Kiana first. Given the things that she has said and done thus far, I'd reckon that she'd be a willing ally.
[Gojo: Oh well. You wanna meet first?]
[Kiana: K. Starbucks?]
Ehh... not the best coffee in the world, but it'll do I guess.
[Gojo: Ok]
As I walked, the streets started to get crowded.
Office workers rushed past with coffee in one hand, phones in the other. Students loitered near convenience stores, chatting away. Some tourists stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, gawking at the skyscrapers, completely oblivious to the traffic of people flowing around them.
It was getting hard to move freely.
Especially when I knew that one little accident in self control would probably result in scene that came straight out of a horror movie.
Perfect...
It was just then that something caught my eye.
A very, very familiar glint in some girl's bag?
Haha
HAHAHAHA
What were the chances?
Who would have thought that things would be like this?
I had thought of so many ways this would go. Maybe I'd have to track the device down. Maybe my adaptations would lead me to it.
At the very least, it would take some form of effort.
And yet.
The way I found it… wasn't through ingenuity.
Or strategy.
Or even my abilities.
It was through incompetence.
Seriously? You're just carrying it around like this? In broad daylight?
A slow easy grin stretched across my lips.
You really should have taken another route...
--------------------------------------------
Asuka was a girl who didn't ask questions when asked to do things. Questions got in the way of easy money. And money, in her experience, was almost always worth more than momentary curiosity
Today was no different. Just another job. Just another payday.
This was supposed to just be a simple task. Just pick up that little device from the park, drop it off before work.
Boom. Easy 10K USD.
How could anything go wrong?
And yet… something gnawed at the back of her mind.
It didn't feel like the usual, "Ah crap, was I gonna get caught?" type of thing, but something... more...
She just couldn't put her finger on it.
Asuka exhaled slowly, steadying her nerves. She rubbed her arms as she pressed down the goosebumps on her arms.
Stop overthinking. Just get the job done.
'C'mon. One more and I can buy that bag I saw...'
She adjusted her grip on the strap of her bag, taking another step forward-
And a gentle touch on her shoulder stopped her cold.
The contact was light. Somewhat like a tap from an old friend trying to get her attention.
Yet...
Yet—
Her limbs wouldn't listen.
Not even a twitch.
She tried to turn her head. Nothing.
Her breath hitched, her heartbeat slowing, as if even that was being restrained.
She didn't think that she was a person would freeze like that from the slightest contact with someone. In fact, she was actually quite outgoing.
Still...
"Thanks"
The voice drifted from behind her, light, effortless, detached.
Just like a man handing change to the cashier.
Like he didn't even process her as a person...
Then, just as suddenly as it had come-
The hand was gone
Like it had never been there at all.
And yet... she still couldn't move.
--------------------------------------------
Placing the device into my pockets, I took a glance back at the girl again. I raised an eyebrow at the sight of her just standing there, unmoving.
Not even gonna try to look for me?
Not that it would matter anyways. I was already deep in the crowds.
But still...
ME Corp employee uniform?
I let the thought roll over in my head for a moment before I stifled a laugh that came to my throat.
Guess I have a lead.
With that, I turned my back to her and walked away, fully blending into the crowds like a spectre that was never there to begin with.