Chapter 260 260: The mystery of white [pt1]
Chapter 260 260: The mystery of white [pt1]
Sakura had tried to follow Amane on her trip, but Amane had stopped her from coming. One of them needed to be present back home in case any news regarding the case reached them.
Besides, only one of them going to the slums was enough for the officials to freak out. Amane did not want to deal with the aftermath of what would happen if both she and Sakura were found in the slums.
More than one official might faint or give them a hard time regarding this.
The slums were located a little distance away from the Tsurugi mansion and were more on the outskirts of the main city. And even though Amane said that they were located adjacent, it still took about 30-40 minutes to reach the slums.
The place was filled with diseases and dying people. Some people who still had their consciousness looked at Amane when she moved through the town. Their hopeless eyes made Amane frown.
However, considering what was going on and the overall condition of the town, it was safe to say that these people had the will to live.
'The slums are in a better condition than I thought they would be. There has been no massive outbreak suddenly and that is a good sign.'
Amane moved around a little more before she stopped to rest. She noticed how people started paying attention to her suddenly once she did that.
She relaxed and held herself loose. It made her look easy to approach and one curious person could not help himself from heading over to Amane.
"P-Please, help me. I do not want to die."
The man who begged for help had a tree coming out of his shoulder. It was obvious to see that he was in the end stages of his disease. Amane could feel the bud bug inside that man become restless.
This tree would bloom soon.
"I am sorry but there is nothing I can do to help you out today. But if you manage to survive until tomorrow, you might have a chance to live."
Amane assured the man as well as the other people around him. The man looked pissed off but resigned to his fate.
But unlike him, the other people around did not seem to agree. They looked at Amane as if she was their executor and ushered the young away from her.
"I…is there nothing you can do to save me right now? I am willing to do anything…"
The man begged with everything he had. And Amane was sure that this man would follow through on his words as well. He would do anything if it would keep him alive.
And it was not like Amane could not help this one man out. She could very well save his life. But that would mean exposing what she could do.
Helping one man would lead to others asking for help as well. And Amane could not keep on curing everyone individually. She did not have enough power of the time to do so.
"I am sorry. But it would be better for you to wait for the rescue operation that will be held tomorrow. That would be your best net if you want to save yourself."
Amane assured the man and he looked heartbroken. That was the end of things for Amane…
Or they should have been before she felt the man become angry and he lunged toward Amane. The action was so unexpected that it caught Amane by surprise.
Before she knew it, the man had a tight grip on her arm and was tugging it toward his body.
"You are a liar. You know how to cure me and all of us here. You just do not want to use your powers because it exhausts you. Isn't that, right?"
The man asked and he was spot-on. This was the main reason Amane did not want to use her powers.
"Let go of me. I will only warn you once to let me go before I act. And if you do not want to make your situation worse, you will follow my command."
Amane warned the man but he only laughed a pitiful laugh.
Hope seemed to have made this man hollow.
"Go ahead and do what you want to, Yoko Tsurugi. But nothing you do will help you out. I am going to die and I will take you with me."
Amane looked at the man and he seemed out of his mind. Flowers and other such things began to bud on the man's body in front of Amane's eyes and she tried to break his grip on her hand.
But the man was using all his remaining strength and then some to hold on to Amane. He looked up at her with a broken grin before the tree on his shoulder bloomed.
Amane broke the man's arm and gained some distance. Everyone else around her was running away in fright of this blooming tree.
The bud bug was about to release its larva in the air and there was no way for Amane to avoid meeting it now.
So, Amane did the only thing she could in this situation - she surrounded herself with a shield that would be impossible to penetrate for the larvae or the big bug itself.
"I have…news for you…. Y-Yoko Tsurugi…. what you are…looking for…does not…exist…"
The words coming out of the dead individual's mouth seemed to be directed at her. When those dead eyes looked up at Amane, it did not seem as if a human was speaking.
Someone or something otherworldly was trying to pass on a message to Amane at that moment.
'What I am looking for? All I am looking for is some peace and quiet. Does that not exist in this world for me?'
Amane was startled by the words but she held her defense in place and once the tree was done blooming, Amane used a sacred fire technique to burn it alive. It would put an end to the larvae of bed bugs as well.
Since someone had bloomed in this area, people avoided it like the plague. It was a wise decision on their part since it lessened the chance of being contaminated.
Once the place was finished burning, Amane dropped her shield and looked around. A giant tree stood where the human had once bloomed and now it was scorched from the ground up.
"May your soul find peace."
Amane gave a small prayer to the dead man before she decided to head back.
Amane was not paying much attention to her surroundings so she noticed the flash of white that crossed the next alley.
Usually, that was not enough to attract Amane's attention but her instincts decided to follow the white cloth this time. She felt as if she needed to help that person out.
And it turned out to be the correct decision on her part. Experience exclusive tales on empire
On the other side, the white-clothed figure seemed to be surrounded by the people of the slums and they all were infected.
"Whatever you have with you, missy, hand it over. If you do, then no one must get hurt. And you will also be allowed to head back home safe and sound."
The speaker was a middle-aged man with a huge belly and different roots emerging all over his body. That made him look not only weird but slightly comical.
Despite this, he had a knife held at ready and threatened the white-cloaked figure. But the white-cloaked figure did not even flinch when they were threatened. Instead, they only scoffed before taking out their weapon.
A gun was placed in front of the middle-aged man's face and he went pale suddenly.
"Look man, I am in a hurry and I cannot sit back and talk to you about all this. Now let me go before I get angry at you. Do you understand?"
In a single move, the threatened person had become the one to threaten. The middle-aged man flinched but he saw no point in backing off.
He was dead either way, so he might as well try and get something to eat for his family. That way, he could have a peaceful death.
"Oh, I-it's just a gun. I am not afraid. Bring it on, pretty boy. Let's settle this…"
The 'pretty boy' knocked the middle-aged man out by hitting him on the head. There seemed to be a pissed-off aura that came from the young person in front of her.
The person pulled his hood back and their short hair was the first thing Amane saw.
"You need to get your eyes checked out; you fool. I am a girl, not a 'pretty boy' and I am also 21 so do not call me that."
The cloaked figure panted as they finished speaking. Amane could see why this person would be often mistaken as a male. It was the lack of growth in the chest area.
"Do you have something to say to me as well? Hurry up and tell me before I knock you out as well. I do not have enough patience to deal with this shit."
Amane was not sure if the other person was talking to her or not. But she decided to make her appearance anyway. She wanted to know more about this person.
"I'm sorry for looking at you secretly, but you caught my attention. Do you mind if I look more into you?"
Amane asked as she came out of her hiding spot.