Who left their last words here?

Chapter 4, its name is Raven.
"?"

Bai Zhou looked around, his heart suddenly racing, the echo in his chest so intense he could hear it himself.

The officers looked puzzled, their gazes completely fixed on the girl in the trench coat.

Instead, they all looked at Bai Zhou strangely, as if they were looking at a patient who was talking nonsense.

This is strange.

Bai Zhou will never forget the image of the girl in the trench coat wielding a long, fiery sword, descending like a god from the heavens; no one could ignore such an existence.

—Unless they really can't see the girl in the trench coat.

Thinking about it carefully, although the girl in the trench coat had been in her sight the whole time, it seemed that no one had actually interacted with her.

She was always talking to herself.

Even the main gate at the entrance couldn't sense her.

—She was like a ghost.

A ghost that lingers in the underground base, visible only to White Boat.

"Shirazusa, right?"

The girl in the trench coat stood there, seemingly shrouded in a hazy mist, her clear, cold voice like a chilling, secluded spring.

"Here's a piece of advice: pretend you've never seen me."

The girl in the trench coat crossed her arms.
"Otherwise, they'll think you're too polluting and that there's something wrong with your head."

At this moment, an officer indeed spoke in a harsh voice—

"Has he been corrupted by the pollution of the Reflection Ruins and is now hallucinating? This is no ordinary mental illness; he must be placed under control and dealt with!"

"I trust the judgment of [Bloodthirst Legacy]." The major frowned slightly and waved his hand as he spoke.

"Whether someone has a mental problem or not is irrelevant; I only value talent!"

Bai Zhou: "..."

It seems the trench coat girl's advice was correct.

"You've successfully piqued my curiosity, but unfortunately, this isn't the place to talk."

The mysterious girl spoke again, turning around as she spoke, seemingly to leave.

"Caw!" The crow turned its head on her shoulder and flapped its wings toward the white boat, as if waving goodbye.

"I will come back to find you."

She left a message, winking at Bai Zhou, "See you tonight."

The moment she finished speaking, the girl took a step and vanished from the spot.

Like ripples spreading across water, causing the moon's reflection in the water to shatter.

"..."

Bai Zhou stood still, blinking at the empty air.

She really was a ghost; appearing and disappearing unpredictably was Miss Ghost's privilege.

"Someone come and take him to complete the onboarding procedures."

The major's voice brought Bai Zhou back to his senses.

The major glanced at his military watch and frowned.

"It's getting late, we need to hurry up with the remaining tests!"

"--efficiency!"

"How many times have I said it? Wasting one minute of one person's time is wasting hundreds of minutes of all of our time!"

"Yes, Major!" The resounding thud of military boots immediately rang out.

……

Unable to watch the rest of the test, Bai Zhou was taken to complete the onboarding procedures, followed by envious glances from the crowd.

After passing many solemn gray-white buildings, completing the procedures and signing the contract, Bai Zhou put on an identity badge on his chest that read "Bai Zhou, P1 Level Specialist," with a QR code at the bottom.

With this, Bai Zhou officially became a part of this underground base.

The five- or six-story pale yellow dormitory building was a rare sight among these buildings, its warm hue a welcome contrast. The guide led Bai Zhou to the dormitory entrance.

"You're lucky. All the six-person dorm rooms are full. But since the major values ​​you, I'll give you this empty single room."

"It even has a separate bathroom."

"Sorry for your trouble!"

After receiving the keys, Bai Zhou was finally able to settle down in the dormitory.

With a "snap," the lights switched on, their pure white brilliance a stark contrast to the dim, yellowish glow of the old city lights, like a holy light only heard of in the doctrines preached by the black-robed law enforcement team.

Upon arriving in the unfamiliar environment, Bai Zhou calmly observed every corner of the dormitory.

The dormitory room was small, with a set of desks and chairs arranged quietly. A new set of white bedding was placed on the small iron bed. The floor was fairly clean, except for a thin layer of dust.

In fact, Bai Zhou has a slight obsession with cleanliness. Normally, he would immediately clean the house, take a shower, and prepare to go to bed.

But not now.

With a "swishing" sound, Bai Zhou moved a chair over and sat down facing the door.

...He was waiting for someone.

Time passes slowly.

Leaning back in his chair, Bai Zhou subconsciously raised his hand to stroke the nameplate on his chest, feeling the rough texture on his fingertips, letting his thoughts drift away.

The city where he grew up was shattered, and he was told that Blue Star was his true home.

The black-robed idols I once longed for now lay dead in pools of blood, along with their blood-written last words…

—Before we could even mourn the collapse of the Black Robe Dream, a new commissioner named Bai Zhou made his debut!

...But is there really any difference between a commissioner and a black-robed official?

Shirashu holds a conservative attitude.

They say that Night City is a cult's testing ground, a place of ignorance exploited by those in black robes.

But so far, Bai Zhou hasn't really felt that the organization is much more civilized than the black-robed Confucian scholar.

This is why Bai Zhou remained vigilant and observant even after arriving at the dormitory.

However, getting ashore is better than having no choice at all. Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it.

At least for now, Bai Zhou, as a newly promoted P1-level specialist, is in a much better situation than his fellow villagers in Wancheng who were sent to the hospital for treatment.

I wonder how everyone is doing now...

Bai Zhou muttered to himself until a "click" sounded—

I heard the soft sound of military boots hitting the floor behind me.

A peculiar yet familiar burnt aroma wafted into Bai Zhou's nostrils.

Bai Zhou had smelled a similar aroma in Uncle Xiang's shop, which was called coffee and was ridiculously expensive; usually only the black-robed men would buy it.

For Bai Zhou, it would be better to buy a few more packs of Four Delicacies Yi Noodles and eat them with two cloves of garlic to fill his stomach.

But in Bai Zhou's memory, there was often another person who accompanied this smell—

Unsurprisingly.

When Bai Zhou turned his head, a slender figure wearing a black trench coat came into view.

The light from the incandescent bulb cast a glow that made her appear as a hazy goddess enveloped in pure white holy light, standing directly beneath it.

His imposing and upright figure, like a straight sword without a sheath, made the ordinary dormitory look like a samurai's mansion.

"You came."

Bai Zhou slowly stood up and cautiously examined the other person.
"Although I guessed you probably wouldn't come in through the main entrance, I still have absolutely no idea how you got in."

"meet again."

The girl in the trench coat emerged from the shadows in the corner, the crow on her shoulder tilting its head as it sized up the white boat.

She said, "Actually, I'm very curious."

The girl's cold face made her seem unapproachable; she couldn't discern any expression on her face.

Only the look in his eyes towards Bai Zhou revealed a hint of doubt.

"From Tinghai City to the Reflection Ruins, from the Supernatural Response Countermeasures Bureau to the Black Box Special Administration, from ordinary people to extraordinary individuals who can control lightning."

“I have been to many places and met many people in this posture, including mysterious beings who are no different from gods in the eyes of ordinary people.”

"Everyone ignores me."

"—Except for you."

She looked into Bai Zhou's eyes and said, slowly and deliberately, "You are the only special case."

"So, Bai Zhou, who exactly are you?"

Bai Zhou remained silent.

Shouldn't I be the one asking this question?

If I said I don't know why I can see you, would you believe me?

Even Bai Zhou himself found it unconvincing, but that was the truth.

So much happened to him, but he didn't understand any of it.

For the past eighteen years, "ordinary" has been Bai Zhou's biggest label. If giving up illusions and accepting mediocrity is a lesson, then Bai Zhou, who has no parents, has already gotten full marks eight hundred times. But suddenly, his "ordinariness," along with everything he has believed in for the past eighteen years, has been completely shattered.

The woman in front of him was the culprit who had chopped his daily routine to pieces. It shouldn't be her asking him this, right?
...But Bai Zhou didn't expect the other party to believe his answer, nor did he intend to ask them any questions in return.

After all, the other party has a knife, so they have a stronger case.

Therefore, he could only rack his brains to think of a way to deal with the girl's next questions.

but--

Faced with Bai Zhou's answer, which even he himself couldn't convince, the girl in the trench coat lowered her head and pondered seriously.

Then she nodded. "I believe you."

You actually believed that?

Bai Zhou looked up and met those ruby-like eyes.

"Human exploration of the real Earth is less than 5%, and there are always some people who are born with special talents that are unknown to others."

"Perhaps, that's the kind of person you are."

She met Bai Zhou's gaze and said firmly,
"Because I'm certain there are absolutely no traces of contact with the supernatural on you, which rules out the influence of the Blood Worship Cult."

"The only explanation for why you can see me is that it is a talent that you were born with and that you have never developed yourself."

"But that's not important."

The girl's voice paused, and she took a light breath.

"The important thing is that I need someone like you with this talent."

"...Do you need me?"

Bai Zhou pointed to himself, feeling even more puzzled.

Appeared!
The mysterious person that everyone fantasized about as a child has appeared.

A girl in a fiery trench coat shattered the moon and fell from the sky, then told him that he actually had a special talent and that she needed him.

Perhaps the next thing this ghost lady will say is that there is a holy sword stuck in the millstone, and only he can pull it out and become the destined savior.

Bai Zhou had heard this story before: a brave man once pulled the sacred sword from the millstone at the village entrance and became the miller destined by fate.

But later I heard that he was arrested by the Black Robe Enforcers for monopolizing the mill business with his Millstone Knights.

“To be precise, it was a transaction,” the girl added.

"A deal... what do you want me to do?"

The deals made by ghosts are often ill-intentioned.

But this mysterious trench coat ghost was nothing like the kind of devil who tempts you to make a deal; instead, his whole aura was like a sharp, exposed blade.

It was as if she was telling Bai Zhou in broad daylight that once he agreed to her deal, his life would take a wild and unpredictable turn, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his normal life would end there.

...However, Bai Zhou's normal life had already ended long before that.

"As is customary, a colleague will take the newcomer to visit the 'black box' tomorrow."

The girl said, "One of them is a 'black box' containing the Crown of Thorns of Irina Shayk, the first female emperor of Europe and Empress of the Byzantine Empire."

"But their ban on the crown is not comprehensive, and it won't be long before the crown gets out of control and riots."

“At that time,” she said calmly, “a sea of ​​blood will engulf the entire base, and no one will survive.”

Bai Zhou: "...?"

Didn't he just join the organization?

What a bizarre turn of events! What does it mean that no one could survive?

"Therefore, I need you to take what I gave you and find the 'Black Chamber' where the crown is located."

"As long as you get close to it for a while, what I give you will react and complete the additional ban."

The girl lowered her eyes and said:

"This matter itself is not difficult, it is even quite simple, but only I know how to do it, and only you can see me."

"But why don't you do it yourself?" Bai Zhou asked, somewhat puzzled. "With your abilities..."

“Because others can’t see me.” Her answer was quite frank. “I can’t pass the identity verification, so I can’t even get into the ‘black room’.”

“Forced entry might work, but it would alert other secrets and cause more trouble.”

“I see…” Bai Zhou seemed to be deep in thought.

He looked up and met the girl's dark red eyes, which appeared unusually deep in the shadows.
"Of course, you can think I'm talking nonsense, or even just consider me your hallucination," she added.

“It is perfectly reasonable to refuse such a bizarre deal. Let me make it clear beforehand... if you get involved with me, the consequences could be even more dangerous than the crown itself.”

The girl said this:

"Behind me lies the inner world, truly bound to the Reflection Ruins Realm. Even if only a tiny fraction of its madness is revealed, it would be enough to cost an ordinary person their life."

She was very frank, even excessively so.

The almost exaggerated reminder was as if it were a deliberate attempt to push Bai Zhou away, hoping to make him back down.

However, Shirazuki had his own considerations and weighing of the pros and cons.

The crown thing is probably true. If we ignore it, Bai Zhou's soul might drift back to his hometown of Wancheng before he even wakes up from his sleep.

As the other party said, as long as the crown is found and not noticed by others, the transaction seems to be not too difficult.

...In fact, compared to the danger of the crown, after hearing so much, Bai Zhou is now more interested in another issue.

A crown that sounds so dangerous, so ancient and prestigious—

Could there be a blood-written message on its body as a last testament?

Just like the "Blood Thirst Legacy".

"Speaking of which," Bai Zhou asked, "this...Miss Ghost? I haven't asked yet, what's your name?"

“I’m not a ghost.” The girl shook her head. “But I don’t know what I am now.”

As for my name, you can call me [Raven]

"Crow." Bai Zhou glanced at the crow perched on the girl's shoulder and thought the code name was quite fitting.

Actually, this choice isn't difficult to make.

Alone in the underground base of a mysterious organization, who else can Bai Zhou trust besides the girl?

At least someone as powerful and special as her had no reason to deceive Bai Zhou.

Imagine this scenario:
If you are standing on a precipice in a desperate situation, with the world behind you collapsing, should you call for help in vain or simply jump off the cliff?

Bai Zhou didn't want to choose either one.

He saw a woman riding a mule, streaking towards him with sparks and lightning, slicing through power lines with a cleaver.

At this moment, even though Bai Zhou and she were complete strangers, he could only mount her rickety horse without hesitation and accompany her on her wanderings.

Even though she is a ghost that no one can see.

"So, what are the conditions?" Bai Zhou suddenly asked.

"What?" Crow asked, puzzled.

"Since it's a transaction, there must be a reward."

"In exchange for agreeing to the deal, what can I get from you?"

Bai Zhou raised his head and met the gaze of the girl named "Raven".

"If I were to gamble my entire life on one side of a scale, how many weights could you offer on the other side?"

"..."

The girl fell silent upon hearing this.

She suddenly pulled a few brown coffee beans from her pocket, tossed them into her mouth, and chewed them with her chubby cheeks.

The beans crunched, and the aroma of burnt beans became even stronger on her.

Bai Zhou's eyes met those ruby-like eyes.

His vision was somewhat blurred, and in a daze, he saw flowing flames swirling in the pupils of the "raven," burning fiercely and brilliantly.

Suddenly, the crimson flames turned pure white, and countless streams of light appeared, like a grand fireworks display, stinging Bai Zhou's eyes.

But everything vanished in the blink of an eye, and all that remained before Bai Zhou was the girl's frail figure.

"Extraordinary methods, forbidden books and secret techniques, mythological inheritances, hidden ruins..."

She finally spoke, her voice slightly hoarse, "And so on, and so forth."

With a "caw," the crow on the girl's body suddenly flapped its wings as if about to take flight.

The overwhelming wings spread out, blocking out the light and casting large shadows on the ground.

"Betting your life on the other side of the scale..."

The air currents were swirled up, and the girl's shadow was stretched long, as if a demon imprisoned by the gods for a thousand years was casting its gaze upon the human world once more.

A jet-black feather drifted slowly down from the sky.

It landed in the palm of the white boat.

The girl's soft whisper drifted over at that moment—

"It is my everything."

(End of this chapter)