death of hope

Chapter 1022 "Psionic Storm" (96) Soaring Far Away

(So, I've finally been found out...)
Faced with Yuna's questioning gaze, Li Ang's inner angel and demon were locked in a fierce battle, his hand gripping the nerve agent opening and closing repeatedly.

(This injection will continue to hurt and deceive this poor girl, perpetuating this shameful lie until every last drop of value is squeezed out, until she dies...)
Should I listen to the director, or follow the call of my heart?
Future prospects, or love?

Emotion or reason?
Morality or self-interest...

·
Just as Li Ang was struggling with his feelings and feeling lost, he heard a voice:
"Sorry…"

Yuna held her forehead, her golden eyelashes drooping, as if her whole being had turned into black and white, withered into a puddle of lifeless mud. Filled with self-reproach and deep regret, she repeated:
"I'm sorry... Tetsuya-kun..."

After my brother went to jail, you were the only one who treated me well... You protected me from bullying and paid for my medical treatment...

And I… I was so ungrateful… that I actually questioned Tetsuya-kun, who was so kind…”

As she spoke, Yuna swung her hand and slapped herself hard across the face.

"I deserve to be beaten! I'm a complete scoundrel!"

Red finger marks appeared on her cheek, and just as she raised her arm to slap the other side,

"Don't!"

Li Ang's large, iron-like hand gripped her slender wrist tightly.

"Don't do this..."

Jinguji Yuna was visibly agitated, overwhelmed with guilt and shame, and large tears streamed down her face.

"I'm such a... incurable... mentally ill person..."

I just... said such a lousy thing... It was awful... Unforgivable...

Tetsuya-kun must really hate me... You must be very disappointed and want to break up with me...

Her voice trembled; she was on the verge of collapse and despair.

·
"Silly girl! Nobody hates you. I love you more than I can ever love you enough!"

Li Ang grabbed Yuna and let her cry in his arms. He then grabbed the nerve agent from his pocket with his left hand, threw it forcefully into the surging river, and left it there.

(I'm done with this act! I'm never doing this again! It's so despicable!)

Her right fingers gently stroked her soft, silky golden hair, feeling a warmth on her chest; tears soaked her shirt.
"Silly girl, I'm bringing you to see the sights, it's a happy thing, why are you crying?"

I'm scared...

I'm afraid Tetsuya-kun will dislike me... and won't want me anymore..."

Yuna's large, silver-gray eyes dared not look directly at Li Ang. Like a child who had done something wrong, she was uneasy, her gaze constantly shifting, and she secretly glanced at Li Ang.
"I'm not even 20 yet, and I've already been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, along with a whole host of other neurodegenerative diseases... I might end up paralyzed or in a vegetative state someday... just like those elderly people in hospices..."

·
Don't be silly~

Li Ang flicked Yuna's forehead:
"I've seen people curse others, but I've never seen anyone curse themselves like this, you silly girl~ Your childhood has been miserable enough, can't you say something nice~"

"No, I'm not badmouthing myself for no reason..."

"Lately, I feel like things are getting worse every day..." Yuna looked up at the reinforced concrete bridge piers:

"The night before last... my hands and feet were numb, my nose was bleeding uncontrollably, my incision was throbbing with pain, and my head felt like it was going to explode. It was the same the day before yesterday, and it was even worse yesterday..."

It's so uncomfortable...it hurts so much...I can't even concentrate on my homework...

I... feel like I'm about to die...

"Don't talk nonsense! Dr. Joseph said it wasn't Alzheimer's disease,"

Li Ang appeared completely certain: "It's caused by a malignant glioma compressing the nerves..."

Li Ang talked on and on, numbly repeating the lies the director had taught him. After months of honing his acting skills, he had become a lying machine.

·
As they were talking, Li Ang was horrified to discover that those jewel-like eyes had dimmed, becoming dull and lifeless, their skin was cold, and their breathing had become weak.
"Yuna?! You…"

Yuna Jinguji was so weak from muscle exhaustion that she was like an empty shell, only managing to stay upright thanks to Li Ang's support.

The hand resting on the back of Li Ang's neck twitched and spasmed as if it had been electrocuted; this was a symptom of epilepsy caused by severe brain damage.

"What's wrong?!"

He put his finger near his nostrils to check for breath; there was still air. Even though it had only been a few seconds, the torment Li Ang felt felt like an eternity.

In the suffocating silence, Yuna's stiff, convulsing, and trembling epileptic symptoms made Li Ang feel extremely uneasy.
Li Ang couldn't imagine how he could accept a world without her.
Finally, those silver-gray eyes slowly opened, seemingly forgetting the previous topic, and said something out of the blue:
"Is this the Seto Ohashi Bridge...? I want to see the night view of Shin-Sapporo..." "Phew...that really scared me...okay, my little darling...okay, okay..."

I'll agree to anything you say... I'll even pluck the stars from the sky for you, okay?

(Dr. Lu Sikai is right. Project Zero is nearing its end. Most of the live data has been extracted, and the project team is preparing for a comprehensive autopsy of Zero after his death...)
·
Cold sweat beaded on Li Ang's forehead as he supported the weak and exhausted Yuna, as if he were helping a centenarian, as they crawled at a snail's pace to the viewpoint at the edge of the platform.
The downpour had ended, and it had turned into a light drizzle.
The magnificent waterfall beneath the bridge has vanished, and the tourists have all left by car. The massive bridge maintenance platform is now empty except for a young couple.

Looking into the distance, the dense streets and alleys are piled with neon lights and holographic projection advertisements, congested traffic, and bustling crowds, with intricate networks extending to the edges of sight.

On the other side of the bridge, in the distance, the people walking under the bright lights, holding transparent plastic umbrellas, looked smaller than insects, and the huge construction vehicles looked as tiny as matchboxes.

Having undergone repeated craniotomies and radiation tests, and suffering severe brain damage, Yuna Jinguji squinted her half-asleep, hazy eyes, her breathing weak, her voice slurred, and she seemed intoxicated.
"Tetsuya-kun... my mind is so confused, full of jumbled fragments, like a missing puzzle piece that I just can't put back together..."

How I came to this city
I always feel like I don't belong here.

I keep dreaming about my parents...

They love me, how could they be so heartless as to abandon my brother and me, leaving us to fend for ourselves as orphans...

It's too messy... I can't remember...

It seems I had a very, very long dream...

If it weren't for Tetsuya-kun's kindness in taking me in, I would have long since collapsed and died on the streets in the freezing rain, like those stray cats and dogs, like bankrupt homeless people...

I know I should be grateful, but... it's just too painful...

My head… my spine… every muscle in my body… a jumble of painful memories, endless nightmares, every day is torture…

Giving up treatment would be a complete relief for me.

Several times, I stood on the rooftop of the school gymnasium, and I really wanted to jump off...

Once it's over, it's all over...

But when I think of my brother, when I think of Tetsuya-kun… I just…”

·
At that moment, Leon Vilnius's head was buzzing.
Even he himself couldn't tell whether it was a sudden pang of conscience or a loss of reason:

"Yuna,"

"Ok?"

Have you ever thought about leaving this city? Just you and me…

"Huh?...But Dr. Joseph said...this treatment isn't over yet..."

"Forget about that bastard Joseph! What the hell! A bunch of academic scum! Beasts in human clothing!" Li Ang cursed.
"What glorious return to one's hometown, what shedding one's status as an illegitimate child, what inheriting the earldom... all that greed and self-interest! To hell with it all! I don't care anymore!"
Yuna! Just you and me! Let's run away together... okay?!

"Tetsuya-kun... what's wrong with you..." Jinguji Yuna asked, looking confused.

"I don't understand... why Tetsuya-kun suddenly..."

"Have you had too much to drink...? You still have a family business to inherit..."

"I didn't drink! I don't want any of my family fortune! You didn't fall in love with me for money, did you?!"

"Um…"

·
"As for your studies, the Terran humans have thousands of colonized planets, more than nine hundred of which have top-notch educational institutions. Finding a habitable one with less pollution would be much better than this run-down New Sapporo!"

"Uh... okay..."

Yuna was completely confused and thought her boyfriend had gone crazy. She was so scared that she didn't dare to breathe and just nodded tremblingly.

"And...healing...haha!"
What's the point of treating your illness! Your illness was caused by those quack doctors! You'll be completely cured a few months after being discharged from the hospital, thanks to your own healing abilities!
Don't listen to that old geezer Joseph's nonsense! You won't become a vegetable, and you certainly won't be in a wheelchair or on crutches!

I've got it all planned out. We'll take an interstellar flight to Signus V for a honeymoon, eat well, have fun, and be happy every day! It's settled!

Li Ang's rapid-fire, spittle-splattering speech left Yuna completely bewildered. She was dragged by the arm and unwittingly put into the car.

·
On the way back to the hospital (Psychic Research Institute), Yuna didn't dare to breathe loudly, shrinking into the passenger seat, afraid of provoking her crazed boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Leon Vilnius, who was gripping the steering wheel, gradually regained his composure.

The decision I just made remains unchanged:
(Running away directly is definitely not an option.)

He had a powerful confidant following him, and the company had eyes and ears everywhere.

We need to make a good plan and think long-term about how to rescue Yuna from this hellhole...