Monster - Chapter 155
Chapter 155: Center City - A Zero is a Zero
Although she was already quite strong mentally, her body was still in a weak state. Lin Sandie didn't rush to clean up after the meal, instead letting Lou do it. She went back to her room, put on a sweater and a coat, and sat on the living room sofa, waiting for Lou.
"Are we going out?" Lou came out of the kitchen. Seeing how Lin Sandie was dressed, she immediately walked to the door and grabbed her own coat from the rack.
"Let's go to the rooftop for some air." Lin Sandie got up and also walked to the door. The apartment Lou bought in Black Goat Walled City was on the top floor, so it was very convenient to go to the rooftop.
"Alright." Lou had already put on her clothes. She took Lin Sandie's shoes out of the shoe cabinet, then casually put on her own slippers. Since they were just getting some air on the roof, she couldn't be bothered to wear other shoes.
Lin Sandie followed her, and the two went up to the apartment's rooftop. It was a bit dilapidated, with junk piled in the corners. Fortunately, there was no strange smell. Ropes were strung up in some places—that's where the other residents of the building usually hung their laundry to dry. But since it was nighttime, the clothes had already been taken in, leaving only a few bare lines.
Lou sometimes came to the rooftop for air, so she was familiar with the place. She quickly moved two small plastic stools with backrests from a corner and found a spot that was sheltered from the wind and had a view of the city lights.
The buildings in Black Goat Walled City were densely packed, and the surrounding structures were of varying heights, so the view wasn't as open as on other rooftops. Of course, it wasn't as windy either. From here, they could only vaguely see the distant lights twinkling. Across a wide street was the prosperous district of Center City. The peripheral Black Goat Walled City was like an inoperable tumor on Center City.
Sitting on the stool, Lin Sandie could faintly hear the sounds of nearby residents talking, arguing, and laughing. She could also hear the honking of cars as they shuttled along the bustling street. All of this was separated from the quiet, dark rooftop.
She was no longer part of that prosperity.
Lin Sandie was lost in thought for only a moment before shifting her gaze to the towering building in the distance—one that was impossible to ignore from any angle, at any time. That was the heart of Center City, the Salai Building, and also the suspected location of Tree's main body.
To prevent Tree from taking desperate, mutually destructive measures, Lin Sandie decided not to provoke him any further. But that didn't mean she would stop paying attention to his actions.
"What's wrong with that building?"
"Tree is probably going crazy in there, or trying to figure out a way to deal with us."
"Does he have a way?"
"He won't," Lin Sandie replied with great certainty.
"That's good. Saves me time." Lou rested her chin in her hand, looking at the brilliantly lit skyscraper with Lin Sandie. "Speaking of which, when you were thrown into the fighting pits there to battle those crazy monsters, did you ever think that one day, when you had the power, you'd kill the spectators yourself?"
If it were Lou, she would have. She would have used a dull knife to kill every last one of those cheering, betting spectators.
"I thought about it, but none of that matters anymore." Lin Sandie put her hands in her pockets, her knees together. She thought back to that time in her life. Back then, she had indeed wanted revenge—on Yan Ting, her husband, the spectators. Later, in Disorder Land, when she learned her mother was killed by Zhao Jie, she had wanted revenge for that too.
And in a sense, her revenge had already succeeded. Whether she did it with her own hands had become less important, because she was the one who had pushed the entire plan for revenge forward. Those people wouldn't be alive for much longer anyway.
"Guides are suited for pushing things from behind the scenes. Bayonet charges on the front lines are a Sentinel's job, right?" Lin Sandie looked at Lou. After learning her identity as a Guide, she began to speculate about some of the rules Guides had to follow. She'd learned from Miu that she would still need training when she got to the Main World, but she could start familiarizing herself now.
"You don't look like someone who stays behind the scenes," Lou complained. Lin Sandie's body was now covered in scars, especially with that damn scorpion on her back. The scorpion probably couldn't be removed until Tree was completely devoured. Fortunately, as long as they could get to the Main World, there would be a way.
"How about I just go find Tree and stab him to death?"
Lin Sandie chuckled softly. "Killing him now would still affect Leviathan. Let's wait until I've taken over. If you can get a 100 on the test, why settle for an 80?"
"As long as you get an 80, that's good enough. Why go for 100?"
"Isn't it better to have more time to spend with me?" Lin Sandie looked at her, smiling.
Lou was suddenly speechless.
"Anyway, you still have a year in Leviathan. If you're interested, we can look around. This is where I started."
"I'm very interested."
"Honestly, you've been looking for me for so long. Did you ever think about what it would be like after you found me?" Lin Sandie looked at Lou with a smile.
"I actually thought about it a lot. Like what it would be like to travel with you, to eat with you, to go shopping with you… So many things, I thought about it until there was nothing left to think about. But after I really found you, all of that felt unreal."
"Then have you ever thought that being sought by someone for several hundred years is a very heavy burden for the other person?" Lin Sandie's voice, as clear as water striking ice, sounded as if she were blaming Lou.
Hearing Lin Sandie's words, the smile on Lou's face instantly fell. What Lin Sandie was saying was something she had always avoided talking about. A bond was a bond, it had nothing to do with the length of time. She didn't want to delve too deeply into it.
At a loss, Lou touched her neck and nodded slightly. "I know. Pie warned me long ago that a bedevilment that's too strong is not only harmful to oneself but can also trouble others. Excessive love can make the other person feel suffocated."
"It's true. Right now, I have no idea how to respond to your feelings. My heart is always filled with guilt. I can't help but think about what you've been through all these years looking for me, and I can't help but resent Pie for making such a mess of your life."
"I-I've never resented her. I'm very grateful to her for bringing Little Rabbit to my side."
"Not even a little resentment?" Lin Sandie pulled her stool closer to Lou, looking straight into her eyes. In the darkness, her eyes were exceptionally bright.
"Well, maybe when I couldn't find Little Rabbit, when I was really frustrated." Lou avoided Lin Sandie's gaze, lowering her eyes to Lin Sandie's knees.
Lin Sandie reached out, pinched a stray lock of hair hanging over Lou's forehead, and sighed softly.
"If-if you feel it's too much to bear, I-I'll let go." From behind the lock of hair, a pair of red-rimmed eyes looked up.
"Really?" Lin Sandie tucked the lock of hair behind Lou's ear, her eyes calm as she looked at the verge-of-tears Lou.
"No, it's not true! I'll kill you and then kill myself!" Lou grabbed Lin Sandie's wrist and said viciously. The only way she would let go of Lin Sandie again was if she died.
"Really?" Lin Sandie's eyes widened, surprised that Lou, who was always so bright and lively in front of her, could have such a yandere-like thought.
Lou tilted her head and leaned against Lin Sandie's shoulder. After a long silence, she said weakly, "No, it's not true. After knowing you're Little Rabbit, I could never hurt you again…"
As Lou spoke, her voice choked up again. She buried her face in Lin Sandie's shoulder. "If you love me, I hope it's because you choose to stay by my side, not because I forced you to."
But who could be content if a long-held love bore no fruit?
But Lou knew Lin Sandie loved freedom. She hated unfair treatment, and she hated Yan Ting. So Lou could never be like Yan Ting and force Lin Sandie to stay.
Seeing Lou's crying face, Lin Sandie's body and mind were enveloped in an extreme pleasure. Her own face, identical to Lou's, was usually expressionless, but now it was flushed with a hot blush. Her heart pounded. Lou couldn't leave her. She had spent her entire life loving her, searching for her. This realization made Lin Sandie's soul, which she considered to have fallen to the earth's core, ascend to heaven.
"I was joking. I'm very happy you came looking for me, and I'm very happy I found you." Lin Sandie's voice was no longer as cold as it had been just now. She gently stroked Lou's back.
…The air fell silent, filled only with the scent of the cold wind and snowflakes.
"I know. You just like to bully me." Lou released her arms from around Lin Sandie's neck and sat up straight to look at her face. The latter's face was just as red and hot, clearly telling Lou that Lin Sandie was not at all as cold and troubled as she pretended to be. Lou could hear her heart pounding like a galloping wild horse, even through two or three layers of clothing.
In that instant, the shyness that had existed between them these past few days vanished completely.
"You…" Lin Sandie stared blankly at Lou. The cold wind made her aware of her own blatantly revealing face.
"Because I also like being bullied by Lin Sandie," Lou said with a wide grin, revealing her cute canine teeth. Her eyes were still misty. "I'd cry if I assumed you were going to leave me, of course, but that's just a hypothetical~ Lin Sandie is starved for love and insecure, and has a difficult personality. If I weren't around, you'd definitely never be happy again. I'm very clear on that."
Lou didn't like to think, but that didn't mean she was a fool. While Lin Sandie was observing her, she was also watching Lin Sandie's every move intently.
Seeing Lin Sandie's bashful expression, she once again pressed her own face, slightly cold from being washed by tears, against Lin Sandie's. It was a patch of scalding heat and softness.
"You were acting!?" Lin Sandie's face grew even redder. She covered her face. Now that Lou had seen through her, she really couldn't hide her true feelings anymore.
This made the difficulty of teasing Lou skyrocket.
"You started it~" The smile on Lou's face grew wider. "I know perfectly well how much Lin Sandie loves me."
Lou might not be able to leave Lin Sandie, but the same was true for the latter.
"Stop talking… You're such a masochist."
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