Yama Reborn-Chapter 438 - 435 [Who Am I]

Chapter 435: Who Am I?

We have all indulged in many fantasies at some point in our lives.

Especially during our teenage years.

For example, the well-known fantasy that many have had: I am so poor, but there are billions of people in the world; if each one gave me a dollar...

I believe many people have had similar fantasies.

After reaching adulthood, such fantasies become less frequent. Yet, there are some professions dedicated to crafting dreams for humanity, like movies.

We have never seen aliens, and yet science fiction movies have created numerous images of extraterrestrials.

These images, without exception, are all confined within the realm of human cognition:

Most aliens are depicted as bipedal, humanoid creatures.

They are either very similar to humans or include elements of certain animals.

Therefore, the term "fantasy," despite seeming boundless, is actually constrained—mentioning this seems somewhat dispiriting.

So-called fantasies also have to draw from the inventory of human cognition and perception.

You can never dream about something you’ve never perceived or comprehended.

This might not be entirely accurate; to be more precise: you can never dream or imagine something that doesn’t exist in your "perception and cognition" inventory!

That is the limitation.

"Right now, we are living in such a ’limited’ world," Chen Nuo said, smiling at Xicheng Xun.

Xicheng Xun frowned at Chen Nuo. "So what do we do now? In this so-called ’your world,’ do you have a way to use this to defeat that opponent?"

Chen Nuo didn’t directly answer the question but once again fell into deep thought.

Then, he suddenly chuckled lightly. "I suddenly think this is a great opportunity."

"Opportunity?"

"Yes," Chen Nuo said in an enigmatic tone, pointing to his own head. "Right here! I’ve always known that there are some memories here, but I don’t know who or by what means they’ve been sealed away. I can’t recall them, nor can I know what they are. And this world, since it was excavated by The Fourth Seed... it even managed to recreate my old home from my memories. So, I want to see if the other things hidden in my memory have also been replicated. That’s why... I want to go and see."

Xicheng Xun looked at Chen Nuo doubtfully and asked, "We?"

"We’re leaving this place," Chen Nuo said, taking a deep breath and speaking in a determined tone. "The journey might be a bit long... but I must confirm some things!"

"Lin Sheng, take a break for a while," Brother Lei suggested, spitting on the ground. He gathered up the walkie-talkie, unscrewed his water bottle, gulped down half, and poured the rest over his head.

He had just left a watch shop, and when Brother Lei came out, he had two Rolex watches on his wrist. But after looking at them again and again, he couldn’t help sighing and casually threw them on the ground.

"Damn it, what’s the use of having them," Brother Lei muttered, looking up at the pitch-black sky.

The sky seemed as if it would never light up again.

As an ordinary person, Brother Lei was feeling quite anxious inside.

He looked at the two Rolexes on the ground, thought about it, sighed, and went over to pick them up.

On another street in the distance, Zhang Linsheng stood in front of a store display, looking at the clothes on the plastic mannequin and then at what he was wearing.

He had come out wearing only a tank top and shorts, having grabbed a jacket in a hurry, and was now covered in dust.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Linsheng picked up a rock and smashed the glass display window.

A few moments later, the clothes from the mannequin in the display were on Zhang Linsheng.

He fastened his belt, glanced at a nearby shoe store, and went inside.

When he came out, he was wearing a pair of hiking boots.

Zhang Linsheng found a bus stop to sit at for a while. He took out some dry rations from his backpack and had a few bites, chewing slowly, his mind preoccupied.

Then, Zhang Linsheng picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Brother Lei, wandering aimlessly like this isn’t a solution," Zhang Linsheng expressed his thoughts. "I have an idea."

"What idea?"

"Let’s meet and talk about it," Zhang Linsheng said.

A few minutes later, Zhang Linsheng saw Brother Lei walking over, keeping close to the wall.

Brother Lei noticed Zhang Linsheng’s new clothes, and Zhang Linsheng also noticed the two gold Rolex watches on Brother Lei’s wrist.

After a mutual glance, both men cracked a smile.

"How long has it been night?" Zhang Linsheng suddenly asked.

"Probably seven or eight hours," Brother Lei replied with a wry smile. "It never gets light here; this pitch-black sky always makes me nervous."

Zhang Linsheng had only graduated from high school a couple of years ago and had read some stories and novels, so he suggested, "Maybe the flow of time is different in this place... Hmm, I seem to remember a movie mentioning something like this. What was it called... Time flow rate?"

"Never mind what it’s called. It’s not getting light out, so there’s definitely a problem." Brother Lei sat next to Zhang Linsheng. Feeling his mouth dry, he subconsciously reached for the mineral water again.

Zhang Linsheng handed him a carton of milk. "Stop just drinking water," he said. "Get some nutrition instead."

After guzzling down the milk, Brother Lei said in a low voice, "Bro, I’m getting more and more scared. You don’t think we might get trapped in this forsaken place forever, do you?"

Zhang Linsheng didn’t respond.

Brother Lei continued in a low voice, "Damn it, I just got married tonight! I don’t want my wife to become a widow when we haven’t even spent one night together."

After a pause, Brother Lei gave a bitter smile. "It’s been seven or eight hours. Don’t you think they must be going crazy with worry by now?"

Zhang Linsheng thought for a moment. "Maybe we’ve been here for seven or eight hours, but outside... maybe only a few minutes have passed. It’s like time is frozen here, since it never gets light."

"Frozen?"

"Yeah, there’s an upside to time being frozen," Zhang Linsheng said, thinking aloud. "For instance, food. We’re stuck here, but at least we have plenty to eat and drink. The streets are full of places to find food, and any supermarket would have enough to last a long time... But if we’re stuck here for too long and the supplies spoil, won’t we eventually starve to death?"

"Uh... you make a good point. So, the food won’t spoil because time is frozen?"

"Maybe," Zhang Linsheng replied with a wry smile. "But if we really had to wait that long, even if we don’t starve, I bet we’d both go insane."

Brother Lei fell silent, squeezing the milk carton flat before tossing it aside. After composing himself, he asked, "You mentioned you had an idea. Let’s hear it."

"It’s no use searching aimlessly like this," Zhang Linsheng shook his head and looked up at the buildings on both sides of the street. "Look, even if Chen Nuo is hiding nearby, hiding in a room in one of these buildings... If we walk by, it’s not like he’d be watching out the window constantly, right?"

Brother Lei’s face turned grim. "You mean... maybe..."

"Maybe he was hiding in a building we already passed, but since we were just walking on the street, he wouldn’t have known," Zhang Linsheng said.

Brother Lei nodded. "Let’s hear your idea."

"First, we make some noise!"

"What? Aren’t you afraid of attracting that thing that even Chen Nuo couldn’t beat?"

"Hear me out," Zhang Linsheng sighed. "So, this is a gamble on probability. Making noise just once won’t cut it; we need to make a lot of noise, multiple times... We won’t confront him directly... We’ll just make some noise to attract attention. Whether it’s Chen Nuo or the enemy who responds, it’s fifty-fifty. Do it a few times, and eventually..."

"Got it. It’s like flipping a coin; toss it enough times, and it can’t always land on the same side," Brother Lei nodded. "What’s next?"

"Then, at the place where we make the noise, we’ll leave a coded message that only Chen Nuo can understand. We’ll use it to tell him to meet us at a place only we know."

After pondering this for a moment, Brother Lei nodded. "I think this plan is worth a try!"

After discussing for a while, the two split up to find usable supplies.

Half an hour later, Zhang Linsheng returned with two buckets of paint, while Brother Lei rode up on an electric bicycle, with a gas cylinder tied to the back.

「On the rooftop terrace of a high-rise in the city center.」

The Fourth Seed sat cross-legged there, eyes slightly closed. As his spiritual consciousness expanded, he slowly scanned the city again and again. Soon, a strange smile appeared on his lips.

"Ready?" Zhang Linsheng turned to Brother Lei.

Brother Lei’s expression was solemn. He pulled out a cigarette, stuck it in his mouth, took out his lighter, lit it, and took a deep drag.

In the darkness, the glow of the cigarette tip flared brightly before dimming again.

Brother Lei quickly tossed the still-flaming Zippo lighter to the ground.

A strip of cloth on the ground, soaked in kerosene and gasoline, ignited with a WHOOSH.

Brother Lei straddled the electric bike with Zhang Linsheng riding behind him. He then wrenched the handlebars, and they sped off down the street.

On the ground, the strip of cloth burned a trail leading to the door of a shop by the roadside. The shop’s curtains were quickly ignited—it was a curtain store. Inside the store, a gas cylinder with its valve opened was HISSING...

After the electric bike had gone a block, a BOOM sounded from behind them, and the firelight flared intensely!

Brother Lei, with Zhang Linsheng on the back, rode the electric bike for hundreds of meters before stopping beneath a building. They raced upstairs to their previously prepared observation point, picked up binoculars, and aimed at the distant fire.

"The fire seems a little small, doesn’t it?"

"It’s about right. Don’t be impatient," Brother Lei said, quite composed.

Sure enough, a short while later, the fire intensified, gradually engulfing the entire three-story building where the shop was located, burning it to the rooftop. In the darkness, it resembled a giant torch...

"Let’s go. To the next location."

After observing for a sufficient amount of time, the two immediately went downstairs, got on the electric bike, and left.

And on an advertising billboard under a streetlight, across the road from the burning building, several large, crooked characters were written in red paint: "Keke’s School, Dormitory."

Within a few hours, large fires had broken out in three different locations in the northern part of Jinling City. The city was already pitch-black due to a city-wide power outage, so these fires were exceptionally conspicuous, clearly visible from several streets away.

Especially at the last arson site.

The two guys grew bolder as they went on, escalating their tactics.

After all, this was a strange world, not the real one, and both had shattered whatever restraints they had in their minds.

They even lit up a gas station!!

Moreover, due to their inexperience with explosions, the two hadn’t hidden far enough away. Consequently, when the gas station exploded, the resulting firelight and shockwave surpassed their estimations.

A building several hundred meters away, which was their hiding and observation point, was impacted by the continuous explosions. Shattered window glass and debris from the staircase nearly buried the two of them.

"FUCK!!" Brother Lei coughed, brushing off dust, as he dragged Zhang Linsheng out from under a broken door panel. Unable to see clearly, he first patted Zhang Linsheng all over. "Are you hurt? Anything broken?"

Zhang Linsheng coughed helplessly and swatted Brother Lei’s hand away. "I’m fine... I just almost choked to death. Fuck."

"Let’s go! The smell of burning gasoline from this explosion is too choking. We can’t get killed by the smoke after surviving the blast."

The two struggled out. The transport they had readied for escape—two electric bikes—was buried under a collapsed decorative wall, so they had to abandon them.

After running a few dozen meters, they frantically took out mineral water to wash their faces and heads. After gulping down some water, they supported each other and continued onward, panting.

"With such a huge fire, don’t you think the secret sign we left was also blown up?"

"How the hell would I know? We can’t just go back and check now, can we!"

"FUCK, let’s not set fire to a gas station next time. It’s too dangerous."

"When I suggested this spot, you didn’t object either," Brother Lei said with a helpless, bitter smile.

The two fumbled their way into a narrow alley, planning to enter an old residential complex to find some means of transport, like a bicycle or an electric scooter.

Zhang Linsheng walked in front, with Brother Lei behind him.

Just as they reached the entrance of the residential complex, Zhang Linsheng was about to squeeze through a gap in the iron gate. He had just poked his head through when... CLICK! In the darkness, a gun was pressed to his head!

Zhang Linsheng’s body stiffened! Then... THUD!

In the darkness, a heavy blow struck the back of his neck, and Zhang Linsheng instantly fainted.

"FUCK!" Startled, Brother Lei had just cried out when a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard. Brother Lei immediately tumbled to the ground, letting out a painful yell, "SHIT!!!"

His arm was dislocated!

Brother Lei, a veteran fighter with years of experience, instinctively protected his head upon feeling the pain. He then quickly rolled to the side. After rolling a couple of steps, he attempted to get up.

But he was only halfway up when a kick landed on his lower back, sending him sprawling to the ground again.

He felt a knee pressing into his spine from behind. His hands were quickly forced behind him, a plastic zip-tie was swiftly fastened around his wrists and pulled tight. Then, a strong force hauled Brother Lei to his feet.

Brother Lei struggled to turn his head to see who was behind him. The excruciating pain in his arm made him grit his teeth. "Who is it?!" he demanded.

He looked up to see a gleaming dagger pressed to his throat. Brother Lei immediately swallowed his spit, and the curse on his lips turned into: "Brother, let’s talk this out!"

From the darkness, a young girl’s face emerged, her expression cold. "Who are you people?"

Brother Lei focused his gaze and recognized her. He suddenly seemed to deflate, an annoyed expression appearing on his face as he cursed, "SHIT! Are you crazy, little girl?! Or have you lost your mind?! Attacking your own people!!! SHIT!!" Saying this, he glared angrily at her.

Li Yingwan narrowed her eyes, leaned in a bit closer, scrutinizing Brother Lei, but still keeping the dagger pressed to his throat. "You... know me?"

Brother Lei was stunned for a moment, then his anger flared even higher. "You little brat from South Korea! Damn it, I used to see you hanging around Master Nuo all the time. I wasn’t bad to you, was I! How could you be so vicious?! Why the hell did you ambush me?!"

Li Yingwan’s expression flickered. SWISH! She retracted the dagger, looking at Brother Lei with a strange expression. Then, she suddenly smiled. "Don’t stop. Keep talking."

"’Keep... talking? Talking about what?! What kind of crazy fit are you having, girl! Let me go!! And what are you doing here?! FUCK! What did you do to Zhang Linsheng?!’ Brother Lei stared at the young girl before him, utterly bewildered.

"The Chen Nuo you mentioned, that’s Chen Nuo, right? You know him? And... you also know me?"

"Uh?" Brother Lei was stunned. What the hell... was going on?!

Li Yingwan took a deep breath, lifted the gun, and aimed it at Brother Lei’s head.

Brother Lei immediately sucked in a cold breath! That gun... it looked... it wasn’t fake, was it?!

"I ask, you answer."

"You... are not Li Yingwan?" Brother Lei was suddenly numb.

"Now, answer my question. First question: Who am I?"

Brother Lei’s expression at that moment was one of utter bewilderment! Who are you? You’re Li Yingwan, aren’t you! But for you to ask that... Damn it, now I’m even more confused about who you are!!

CLICK! The gun’s safety was disengaged.

Brother Lei no longer dared to hesitate. He immediately answered loudly, "You’re Li Yingwan! The little girl from South Korea! The little tail always following Master Nuo around! Damn it, I’ve seen you at least a hundred times! And every time you saw me, you’d politely call me Brother Lei! Oh, right! And!!"

"And what?"

"Well..." Brother Lei hesitated, his tone softening. "...Little girl, let’s talk things over, okay? Can we not resort to knives and guns? You... you... You even learned tongue-twisters from me!"

"Tongue-twisters?"

"Yeah! Don’t you remember? Brother Lei even taught you! That one, that... ’From southern parts a lama, with five pounds of plaice he came. From northern parts a mute man, with a trumpet to his name...’"

Li Yingwan was flabbergasted!!! What the hell is this nonsense?! Is there something wrong with my ears, or is he the one who’s nuts?! The Firefly, a renowned assassin under Yama in the Underground World for over ten years... was struck dumb!

Taking a deep breath to suppress the anger welling inside her, Li Yingwan gritted her teeth. "Those words you left, what do they mean? Who... is Keke?"

"Keke?" Brother Lei looked as if he’d seen a ghost. "Keke is Sun—"

Before he could finish, a thought suddenly struck Brother Lei. Wait! This girl seems to hate Sun Keke the most; they’re like oil and water. How does this little South Korean brat usually refer to Sun Keke? Ah, right!

"Keke is... is Sun Fatso!" Brother Lei answered.

"Sun Fatso?"

"Yes! Sun Fatso, that’s her." Although Brother Lei’s hands were tied behind his back, he still tried to straighten up, making a chest-puffing gesture that was rather awkward for him, thrusting his chest out a couple of times. "That one, that one, Sun Fatso."

Li Yingwan seemed to understand something. "A girl? What’s her relationship with Chen Nuo?"

"She’s... Master Nuo’s girlfriend."

"..."

Silence. A full five seconds of silence.

Then...

"FUCK!!!!!!!!!!"

Li Yingwan was enraged. A sudden inferno of anger surged within her. With a low growl, she lashed out with a kick, sending the iron gate of the nearby residential complex crashing down!!

"Then what about me! What’s my relationship with Chen Nuo?!"

"You..." Brother Lei swallowed hard. "I heard you recently became sworn brothers with Master Nuo..."

"Sworn...sworn brothers...?!!"

"FUCK!!!!!!!!!!" Li Yingwan erupted in fury once more!

Brother Lei suddenly understood a little. Did this girl take such a blow tonight that she’s lost her mind? Damn, this is bad, really bad! She can’t go crazy and do something terrifying! She’s armed with a knife and a gun! No, no, I have to calm her down.

Brother Lei, thinking fast in a moment of desperation, quickly tried to placate her. "Hey, girl! Don’t, don’t! It’s not worth it, really! I know you hate Sun Keke... but Sun Keke didn’t get a happy ending either, did she? When you think about it, she didn’t get Master Nuo either. Didn’t Master Nuo end up marrying another woman and even having a daughter? We’re all in the same boat, so don’t be angry with Sun Keke anymore."

"..............."

Li Yingwan’s body suddenly went completely rigid.

ACHOO!!

Chen Nuo rubbed his nose hard.

Xicheng Xun turned her head to look at Chen Nuo. "BOSS?"

"It’s nothing, probably just too much dust in this old house," Chen Nuo said offhandedly.

Xicheng Xun gently opened a crack in the door, then glanced down. "I’m going down!"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then quickly threw the rope to Xicheng Xun.

Xicheng Xun threw the rope outside the door and then climbed down along it.

After a brief moment, the rope was shaken vigorously. Then Chen Nuo began to reel in the rope, pulling Xicheng Xun back up.

On her return, Xicheng Xun immediately closed the door upon entering, then curled up into a ball.

Chen Nuo approached and covered her with a blanket.

Xicheng Xun, shivering, took a few breaths before calming down.

"How was it? What’s down there?"

"It’s very cold! It’s all a vast expanse of snowy land..."

After catching her breath, Xicheng Xun looked at Chen Nuo with confusion. "BOSS, where have you brought us?"

After thinking for a while, Chen Nuo said softly, "It should be... Antarctica!"