Chapter 145: Welcome to Hell (Part Two)

After explaining the situation to the elven girl, F伦 entrusted her to the care of the three Allura sisters. Officially, she was placed in Allura's charge, but privately, F伦 instructed Franka to keep a close eye on the elven girl, sticking by her side at all times to prevent her from causing any trouble. Although the elven girl currently seemed to have calmed down, no one could predict what she might do.

More importantly, F伦 needed to extract the secrets of the Cataclysm from her. This was something he could never keep from her permanently; she would inevitably find out sooner or later.

When that time came, how would she react?

F伦 harbored no optimistic illusions about this. Imagine the shock experienced by someone whose common sense was frozen in the pre-Cataclysm era, upon witnessing the post-Cataclysm reality—it was a blow beyond anything those born after the disaster could ever comprehend. Take Allura and her sisters, for instance: for them, pulling a trigger to kill someone over a disagreement required no moral guilt; their only concern was calculating whether it would bring them trouble or benefit. But for an ordinary person from the world before the end times, killing was by no means a trivial matter. Many of them would struggle intensely, and some would ultimately choose denial and escapism. To the eyes of those hardened by the apocalypse, such behavior seemed utterly foolish, yet it was precisely the natural reaction of pre-Cataclysm ordinary people who simply could not bear the terrible, dangerous world born of the great disaster.

Judging by his recent interactions with the elven girl, her mental maturity was roughly on par with a college student who had yet to step out into the real world. For an ordinary person like that, the psychological pressure of surviving a catastrophe was already immense. If she were told, "You might be the root cause of the destruction of the world," a complete mental breakdown was entirely possible.

That was why F伦 assigned Franka to watch over her. Franka possessed the appearance of a primary school student and looked completely non-threatening. Yet beneath that exterior, whether in terms of strength, speed, or reflexes, Franka as a familiar far surpassed human limits. Having Franka follow the elven girl would undoubtedly yield the best results.

As for Kurona... well, after the previous incident, the mere sight of the small bear in Kurona's arms caused the elven girl to turn pale and look as though she were about to suffer an epileptic seizure. It was best not to provoke her further. Besides, despite Kurona's obedient, fragile, and delicate appearance, she was someone who could slaughter without batting an eye. If F伦 ordered her to keep watch over the elven girl, the conversation would likely break down and result in drawn weapons within seconds.

At least a magical wand appeared somewhat less violent than a firearm, didn't it?

Fortunately, although the person he had brought back was an amnesiac, F伦 still had something to show for his efforts.

However...

"New York..."

Gazing at the address written in his notebook, F伦 couldn't help but grind his teeth. This was the information he had obtained through a process of elimination during his final conversation with the elven girl. Although she had lost her memories, F伦 was certain from her series of reactions that even if she couldn't recall them immediately, those memories would undoubtedly exert a profound psychological influence on her. Thus, he had started naming locations one by one to see if she would have any reaction. Ultimately, the elven girl revealed that upon hearing the name "New York," she felt deeply uncomfortable and even somewhat distressed...

As things stood, this was the key, but...

Go to New York?

At this thought, F伦 felt a chill run through his teeth. New York was the largest city in the United States, with a population approaching ten million. Before the disaster, it was a symbol of prosperity, but after the Cataclysm... it was practically a forbidden zone!

District 9 had practically exhausted its entire livelihood just to barely secure a single block in a third-tier city. And with the vast, sprawling commercial network of the Fortune Guild, conquering Vegas had taken a full twenty years! A city like New York—just how terrifying could it be after the Cataclysm...

F伦 suspected that even a ten-thousand-man hell-tier epic raid dungeon couldn't handle a place like that...

"Are you truly determined to go to New York, Master?"

Standing before F伦 at this moment, the cat-eared maid wore an expression of utmost gravity. They knew better than anyone just how horrifying a metropolis like New York would be post-disaster. Countless zombies, mutated variants, all sorts of crazed familiars, and even phantoms... The reason places like District 9 seemed relatively easy out in the wilderness was due to the uniquely American pattern of regional dispersion and town planning, which kept the population density low. Naturally, the dangers were correspondingly fewer.

But in a mega-city like that...

"Of course we're going."

Closing his notebook, F伦 curled the corners of his lips into a smile laced with madness and a lack of restraint.

"Don't you find this interesting, Dirin? Just drifting along and wasting time in one place is far too boring. A place like District 9 is perhaps somewhere I'd choose to retire when I'm old. But I'm still young right now, and youth should have a young person's drive, shouldn't it?"

"I fail to see any connection between actively marching to one's death and having the drive of youth, Master."

"Don't be so rigid. Remember, before the disaster, plenty of people used to climb onto rooftops to dance disco and upload self-portraits to video sites purely for the thrill of it? At least we have a very lofty and glorious goal..."

"In short... you are determined to go whether you like it or not..."

Hearing this, Dirin sighed once more, and her cat ears drooped down in tandem.

"Since you have already made your decision, I will say no more... As for Miss Allura..."

"It makes no difference whether they know or not; they'll find out sooner or later anyway."

Since F伦 had put it that way, Dirin saw no need to press the matter further. What kind of place was New York? Allura and her companions likely had zero impression of it. For girls born after the apocalypse, simply knowing the names of the settlements within their own tiny patch of territory was already a blessing from the heavens. A sprawling metropolis thousands of miles away like New York was still far too distant a concept for them.

Precisely because of this, when F伦 announced that their next destination was New York, the three Allura sisters showed no particular reaction. On the contrary, the elven girl was practically vibrating with excitement. After all, she still lacked a full understanding of the harsh realities of the wasteland, but regardless, being able to travel to a place familiar from her memories filled her with profound anticipation. Perhaps she harbored hopes that in New York, she might encounter familiar people or things, or even glean more information and intelligence.

Yet, that beautiful fantasy was soon to be utterly shattered by the cruel reality.