51

Capítulo 4

The silver light rushed over, and without thinking, I pulled back the slingshot, which slowed it down.

I finally saw it clearly. It was something like a snake. It was about the length of my forearm, with two horns on its forehead. I stared at it, a deep chill running down my spine.

On the face of this snake-like thing, a pair of human eyes were looking at me.

I drew the bow again, but it nimbly dodged it, its target not me.

It nimbly seized the desolate calamity, which often boasted of how powerful it was, but the calamity seemed paralyzed, letting it sweep it away at will.

This was so sudden.

I immediately climbed onto the window, wanting to chase after them... Suddenly I realized that my dilapidated little apartment was on the ninth floor. If I jumped, I wouldn't be smashed to pieces, but I would definitely be dead.

I've been having such bad luck lately. Why do I keep facing the threat of jumping off buildings?

I carefully stepped back and looked at my left shoulder. It was empty. I looked at it again.

Yes, I hate desolation, and the inescapable fate of being bound to it. But I never imagined it would end so absurdly and suddenly.

My left shoulder is so light that it's almost unbalanced.

Honestly, I don't know what I'm thinking. It's like something has been forcibly ripped out of my flesh, leaving a huge void.

Finally freed from this fate, what surged up was not the sweetness of freedom, but a strange panic.

Finally, someone's taken her, right? Why am I panicking? But what does the person who took her intend to do with her? And is she dead? Was she tortured before she died?

I hate her. Yes, I hate her. But she's been with me for over a decade. With this unfortunate soul who's practically an orphan.

No, I don't want her back. I argued with myself. I just can't let strangers use her for evil. I had already decided to tie myself to this calamity and personally prevent her birth.

"Wang'e, I command you to come back immediately!" I shouted meaninglessly as I rushed out.

My left shoulder sank. I hadn't even opened the door yet. She actually came back because of my order!

She looked at me with fear and dread, and I looked at her with even greater fear.

Whatever it was that took her away hurt her terribly. She originally had a beautiful, alluring face, but from her nose to her chin, it was torn off in a bloody mess, revealing her tongue hanging down to her throat, and fresh blood dripped continuously onto her rotting breasts.

Its long tail feathers were plucked out in pieces, making it look extremely disheveled.

“…Wasteland.” I lifted her off my shoulders and held her in my arms. She was trembling with fear.

Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. Why didn't I take this opportunity to dump her? She's so weak now; she might die if I just left her alone.

She's dead, and I'm free.

Instead, I carried her to the desk, cut my finger, and made her lick my blood. She licked it, confused, carefully observing my expression.

We can sense each other's emotions, though not as precisely as with language. But we are both confused and bewildered.

Although she wasn't fully healed, at least her tongue could retract, and the wound had scabbed over. She looked completely unrecognizable.

I closed the window and sat on the bed, lost in thought. In my shadow were four little devils staring blankly at me; I guess they didn't know what to do either.

“…Go to sleep.” Huang’e’s voice was hoarse and broken. “I’ll watch over them.”

"Are you alright?" I blurted out, and she jumped in surprise.

We stared at each other for a long time, our confusion deepening.

"...It will be alright." She flew away from my left shoulder and landed on the bedpost, trying to comb her scattered feathers.

I sat there in a daze for a while, then went to take a shower, completely forgetting about the four little devils in the shadows. They were probably too terrified to realize that it was a perfect opportunity to strike.

I didn't remember it until I was lying in bed, but I put it aside as if it were something unimportant.

I need to think about it carefully, really think about it.

Why did I save Huang'e? And why did I feel such overwhelming anger when I saw Huang'e so badly injured?

I need to think about it carefully.

I racked my brains, but I still couldn't come to a conclusion.

Finally, I pushed all my confusion aside and pretended it never happened. I started eating lots of vegetables and fruits, and taking vitamins. If the calamity is harmed, it will drain a lot of my life force. Prevention is better than cure if you don't want to die from illness.

But to my horror, that monstrous bird, so wicked it could be described as anything, seemed to have suddenly learned the meaning of "politeness" and was putting it into practice. She only absorbed the necessary life force, and so politely that she halved the amount. This prolonged her weakness, and I had to feed her my own blood again.

"...It's not that bad." She swallowed hard as she looked at my blood, but still hesitated and turned her head away.

Is she sick? Is it said that monsters can grow brain tumors?

I coughed. "Just think of it as donating blood to improve blood circulation. You've already made the incision...it must hurt, so at least lick it a little." Her saliva has a numbing effect, so at least it won't hurt that much.

She then timidly began to lick it, glancing at my expression as if she had something to say.

Please don't ask me any questions, I don't even have the answers myself, please don't ask!

She probably sensed my emotions and swallowed the question down with her blood.

A few days later, she reverted to her arrogant, conceited, and noisy self. I was reluctant to admit it, but I felt much more at ease.

Since there are no hospitals that treat monsters, I really wouldn't know what to do if I actually had a brain tumor.

But I still noticed something different about her. Unlike her malicious mockery and deliberate flattery, there was a subtle hesitation that made her seem a bit vacant. I guessed she didn't know what to do either, so she drowned it out with even more gossip. I'm sure she's completely lost hearing in her left ear.

But I resolved not to think about it. It was just an accident, and we were about to leave the city. My grades were really bad, but it would be difficult to do well in school if I lived with all this noise and distractions. But there were always schools that wanted me. Even though they were expensive private universities in very remote mountain areas, finishing my student loans would probably make me "piled up in debt."

But we are finally leaving this city and all the disasters behind.

Although I didn't have much luggage, I still had to pack, call for freight, and register and figure out how to apply for student loans myself. Being forced to live in school dorms in my first year is actually a good thing; it's better than having to find a place to live in an unfamiliar area.

While everyone else was having fun during summer vacation, I was frantically trying to sort things out before starting school.

I have so many things weighing on my mind, and I need to resolve them all. I need to terminate the lease on this apartment, contact the landlord, and figure out how to stay until September. A whole host of chores that should be my parents' responsibility have fallen on my shoulders. Looking at all the books in the room is giving me a headache; I also need to decide which ones to take and which ones to sell…

To make matters worse, these four little devils are sticking to me. My anger alone can't sustain five different kinds of people, so I have to sacrifice even more of my health. My "cold" hasn't fully healed yet, and I'm already getting a more serious "wind-evil." I've been blowing my nose so much that my skin is peeling, and it hurts so much when I apply lanolin that I want to cry.

“…Set up an altar for them to rest in.” Huang E hesitated for a moment, “Otherwise you will die. If you die, I die. At least show some respect for this body, I have a share in it too!” Her voice became shrill.

I didn't want to argue with her anymore. "What am I going to do when I go to university? I can't exactly set up an altar in my dorm, can I?"

“You can leave it with the local earth god,” she said firmly. “I know the people in that area are easy to get along with.”

I glanced at her helplessly and sniffed. She's not difficult to get along with, of course. I've personally witnessed her driving away the local deities and earth gods, showing absolutely no respect for them being civil servants.

"I've never handled anything like that." I pulled out an expensive wet wipe and blew my nose with a pained expression. Of course, I wouldn't expect Huang E to teach me; why would she teach me anything? She'd rather I were sick and in a vegetative state, so she could manipulate me so easily.

"I'll teach you."

I tried to speak, but I choked, coughing until my face turned red and I almost vomited.

She actually taught me how to set up the altar, how to store things, and even taught me in great detail how to manage these four little devils.

“…I never wanted to raise a ghost.” I said in horror.

“This isn’t a matter of whether you want to or not.” Huang’e refused to look at me. “You saved them, and they swore an oath to you. We are not despicable humans who would forget an oath they made.”

…Why do I feel that you're interpreting your "oath" unusually loosely? But I didn't say it aloud.

But I really didn't expect that Huang'e was such an extreme person (uh... demon), and extremely capricious. When she reluctantly made a vow, she was determined to make me suffer. But when she wanted to fulfill the vow to the fullest, she would be extravagant and do it without any loopholes.

So, the passerby who bumped into me and was rude to me inexplicably dislocated his shoulder. The impatient bank teller immediately developed a severe sore throat and couldn't even speak.

Even when I tripped over Ronald McDonald and fell, she immediately blew the puppet off the bench.

"...I beg you to go back to being that heartless person you used to be!!" I screamed desperately, clutching my head.

Her hurt gaze seemed to be accusing me. "You broke my heart."

I buried my face in my palms, unable to even let out a sigh.

I tried to make her understand the limits of the oath, and she was determined to make up for her past mistakes completely. I gained a new understanding of this bloodthirsty and evil bird; monsters are indeed much more straightforward than humans.

But this did not make my situation any better.

This is far worse than her being a heartless scoundrel. It took me a lot of persuasion to make her understand that I only help her when I ask for it.

We have almost completely forgotten about that disaster, and the Desolation never mentions it again. She seemed ashamed, only vaguely stating, half-arguing and half-explaining, that dragons were her natural enemies, especially since it was a Stegosaurus.

I looked at her suspiciously. I was thinking of the large, lizard-like Stegosaurus at the dinosaur exhibit.

"It's not that kind of thing," she said irritably, not intending to elaborate. "Anyway, just make sure the windows are closed."

Although I don't understand, I'm more sensible than most kids. Some things should be done without question; don't risk your life for pointless curiosity. Since Huang'e says so, let's do it that way.

But sometimes, you just can't avoid it, no matter how careful you are.

The night before I was to go to school, I went downstairs to the 7-Eleven to buy a pack of tissues. This was a very ordinary thing, but Huang E still clung to my left shoulder, telling me about the man in the fifth suite who was dating seven women at the same time.

I listened absentmindedly, but it was truly remarkable how meticulously this guy managed his time, managing to sever seven ships in a row.

Stepping off the elevator and out the main entrance, there's a 7-Eleven right across the street. This building is located in a corner of the eastern part of the city, in what's considered a commercial area with many office buildings. It's bustling during the day, but almost deserted at night. Despite its dilapidated state, the rent is still incredibly high. I was able to rent it for a very low price because the apartment I'm staying in is supposedly very haunted.

But you know, I live in a world of ghost stories. Every hour is haunted. That female ghost was also very shaky. Huang E glared at her, and she hid on the light steel frame and refused to come out, not even letting me hear a sound.

Lost in thought, I waited for the traffic light. It was a luxurious six-lane road with an even more luxurious traffic island, resembling a small grove of trees. Pleasant during the day, but somewhat eerie at night.

I glanced around and saw that there were indeed some strange creatures living there, but I wouldn't bother them unless they bothered me. I just kept my hands in my pockets, gripping my slingshot.

When she suddenly appeared, I almost shot her down.

She was a somewhat underdeveloped girl. Once I realized she was human, I sighed inwardly. Unlucky souls like us, who seem to have a connection with the supernatural, usually end up at two extremes. Either we're so frail we could be blown away by a gust of wind, or we're so fat it's unforgettable.

Humans, after all, have a survival instinct. Those who resist desperately will exhaust their energy, naturally consuming their limbs and bones; those who realize that resistance is a futile effort, in order not to be drained of their vitality, will be seized by hunger, fully digesting every bit of nutrition and hysterically leaving behind too much fat.

"Supernatural beauties" are truly just beautiful fantasies, one in a hundred. Perhaps Lin Moniang is the only one left?

Perhaps I was "thinking" too loudly, because Huang E chuckled.

The girl stared wide-eyed at Huang E. She raised her hand tremblingly, "Here." Only then did I notice a tall, slender beauty next to her.

Perhaps it's because of Aunt Huang, but I always have a deep-seated prejudice against beautiful women. Before I even saw her raise her hand, I instinctively shouted, "Huang'e, get out of the way!"

Whether it was my command or Huang E's quick response, the flash of light from the slender beauty's raised hand didn't hit Huang E; instead, it grabbed my shoulder.

I turned my head and saw my left shoulder was covered in blood, my clothes torn, and my skin ripped open. The horned snake, having missed its attack, lunged again, only to be knocked aside—Huang E, for some unknown reason, had actually rushed back to save me.

The horned snake hissed sharply at her, like a broken violin, and she slumped down, letting the horned snake grab her.

“Huang E, come back!” She immediately returned to my left shoulder, and I turned around and ran into the grove of trees on the safe island.

She was so frightened she was completely stunned. I had never seen her like this before. Her mouth was agape, she stared blankly at her own paws, and cowered on my left shoulder.

"Are you alright?" I asked myself, panting as I ran.

She seemed to be startled awake, examining the blood closely. "I scratched you!"