Zongman: The post-2D era

"We can get out of this place now!"

Chapter 848 A Necessary Evil

Monday, October 31

Sakura Matou looked up, her eyes flashing with surprise and confusion. When she saw Feng Feng coming, it seemed as if stars were dancing in her eyes.

"Sakura, the arrival time for a certain high school is 8 o'clock, let's go!"

He held out his hand to her, palm up, in an invitation that was both gentle and firm.

The winter wind blew, and the two people's hair gently intertwined. At this moment, time seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of their footsteps approaching each other, echoing in this quiet lakeside, and every step brought out the melody of hope.

"Feng Feng, what kind of school is a certain high school? Aren't we back in Utopia?"

"You played games last night? This is Academy City!"

Sakura Matou was full of doubts and her eyes followed Feng Feng's figure closely.

He was seen walking side by side with Kamijou Touma. The two of them entered the classroom and went straight to the back row of seats.

As soon as they sat down, Feng Feng and Kamijou Touma bumped heads and seemed to fall asleep instantly, sleeping soundly without any worries.

When the bell rang for the end of get out of class, they woke up suddenly, smiled at each other, their eyes flashing with the mischief and tacit understanding that only teenagers have.

Feng Feng grabbed Kamijou Touma and the two chased and played in the corridor. Their laughter was as clear and melodious as bells, forming a sharp contrast with the students hurrying around them.

They are completely immersed in their own little world, carefree, just like the most ordinary high school students.

Sakura Matou stood outside the classroom door, her eyes passing through the crowded classmates and fixed on Feng Feng's carefree back.

Her thoughts drifted back to the distant and vague past, the smoke of the Holy Grail War, the dark corners, and her own helpless eyes...

Those images flickered in my mind like broken lenses.

However, Feng Feng at this moment seemed like a person who did not belong to those memories at all. His smile was so bright and his movements were so free.

The sunlight shone through the window onto his body, giving him a faint golden glow. Matou Sakura couldn't help but squint her eyes. A feeling of unreality welled up in her heart, as if she was standing on the edge where dreams and reality intertwined.

Feng Feng noticed that Sakura Matou was still standing at the door, looking at him with empty eyes, and an inexplicable sense of uneasiness surged in his heart.

He gently stopped playing with Kamijou Touma, slowly walked towards her, gently took her hand, and asked with concern:

"Sakura, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

His hands were warm and strong, trying to convey all the reassurance he could.

Kamijou Touma saw this and whispered to Feng Feng:

"Hey, Fengfeng, girls always feel uncomfortable for a few days. You have to be careful."

There was a hint of teasing in his words, but they also revealed his concern for Matou Sakura.

Matou Sakura's cheeks instantly flushed, she gently pulled her hand back, her eyes flickering, and whispered:

"I...I'm fine. I was just a little distracted."

After school, the setting sun poured down like molten gold, dyeing the outline of Academy City gentle and blurred.

Feng Feng, Matou Sakura and Kamijou Touma walked side by side on the way back to the dormitory, their shadows were stretched out, interweaving into a picture of youth.

The dormitory building is tall, and the eight-story building looks more solemn in the afterglow. The eight single rental rooms on each floor are arranged in an orderly manner, like a small world, waiting for the warmth of the returnees.

The three people's rooms happened to be located on the left, and the house numbers were connected, as if it was a clever arrangement of fate.

They walked up the stairs, and each step was accompanied by a slight echo, which sounded particularly clear in the empty corridor.

Arriving at the third floor, Feng Feng gently pushed open the door, and a warm breath of home hit him in the face. The house was simple but full of life. The three of them smiled at each other, and the fatigue of the day seemed to be gently removed at this moment.

Sakura Matou returned to her dormitory and closed the door gently. The whole world seemed to become quiet in an instant.

She threw herself heavily onto the bed, and the soft mattress sank slightly, making a slight sound.

The chandelier on the ceiling cast a soft light, stretching her figure and projecting it onto the mottled wall.

Scenes flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern: the cruelty of the Holy Grail War, the despair of the evil greater than the world, the black lake where Alaya slept...

Those memories were like sharp claws in the darkness, silently tearing at her heart.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to erase those images from her mind, but those scenes were as deep as a brand and could not be erased.

At this moment, a slight noise came from the direction of the quilts drying on the balcony, as if something was gently touching the clothes hanging out to dry.

Sakura Matou's heart suddenly tightened, she almost jumped out of the bed, her eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, and finally stopped on the thick dictionary on the table.

She almost instinctively grabbed the dictionary and held it tightly in her hands, as if it was her only support at the moment.

Then she suddenly opened the glass door of the balcony, and a gust of cold wind blew in her face, making her shiver.

On the balcony, a nun in white was hanging on the railing, her clothes swaying gently in the breeze, making a rustling sound.

The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the clothes, giving them a light golden hue.

Sakura Matou stood there in a daze, the dictionary in her hand slowly dropped, her eyes full of confusion and puzzlement.

"This world is so strange! Why did I dream of a nun hanging here?"

The nun's white robe on the balcony glowed with warm light in the setting sun. She raised her head slightly, and her clear and bright eyes seemed to be able to see into people's hearts, looking gently at Matou Sakura.

The nun's stomach made a rumbling sound at an inopportune time. The sound was particularly clear in the quiet air, and it carried a bit of shyness and helplessness.

She smiled gently, and that smile was so pure and innocent that it seemed to be able to wash away all the dust in the world.

Index put her hands together and shook them gently, expressing a silent request to Matou Sakura in an elegant yet slightly shy manner. Her bright eyes revealed a bit of expectation.

"If possible, could you give me some food? I would be very grateful."

The afterglow of the setting sun gave her a soft golden edge, making the picture at this moment full of warmth and fantasy.

Matou Sakura stroked her forehead, looked at the uninvited guest on the balcony with a confused look on her face, and blurted out a series of questions:

"Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you hanging on my balcony?"

The nun jumped lightly off the balcony and landed in front of Matou Sakura. The white nun's uniform she wore glowed softly in the setting sun, making her look like an angel descending to the earth.

She folded her hands in front of her chest, bowed slightly, and introduced herself in a solemn yet playful way: "My name is Index, from the Church of Necessary Evil, and I'm a... um, magician, or librarian."

At the end of her speech, she blinked, and her clear eyes flashed with a bit of cunning and helplessness, as if to say that this identity is indeed a bit complicated.

"Necessary evil!?"

Feng Feng leaned his head out from his balcony and asked in unison with Matou Sakura.

Chapter 849 Academy City

Tuesday, November 1

Academy City's cleaning cylindrical robots and students were walking through the streets.

There was confusion in Sakura Matou's eyes as she looked at Feng Feng and Index, and she suspected more than once that he had recovered his memory.

Feng Feng introduced Academy City incessantly: "Here, every corner may hide a superpower beyond your imagination, and the level of technology is decades ahead of the world. Look at the cars floating in the air, and the sweeping robots that can think independently..."

He was dancing with excitement in his eyes, but Index looked blank and obviously had no interest in it.

Feng Feng sighed helplessly, then turned to look at Matou Sakura, with a look of seeking help in his eyes, as if to say:

"Help me, make her curious about these things too!"

Sakura Matou smiled slightly, with a hint of cunning in her eyes.

Before Feng Feng finished speaking, his sight inadvertently passed over Matou Sakura's shoulder and stopped on a figure——

It was a man wearing an ordinary windbreaker, who had quietly appeared at the edge of their sight for the fourth time. Feng Feng felt an inexplicable sense of alertness in his heart.

At this moment, Index seemed to notice the subtle change in the atmosphere. She suddenly tugged at Matou Sakura's sleeve, with a pleading look in her eyes:

"Matou, I'm hungry and want to eat croquettes. Can you take me there?"

As she spoke, she gently shook Matou Sakura's arm and looked at her expectantly.

Sakura Matou turned her head and met Index's big watery eyes. Her heart softened and she smiled and nodded.

Feng Feng found an excuse, patted Matou Sakura's shoulder gently, and said with a smile: "Xiaoying, can you bring me a portion of croquettes? I suddenly feel hungry too."

After saying that, he winked, signaling her to pay attention to her surroundings.

Sakura Matou understood what she meant, nodded, and then pulled Index towards the snack stand.

Feng Feng, under the pretext of going to the restroom, slowly walked to the shadow of a nearby shop, pretending to browse the merchandise in the window, but in fact his eyes were fixed on the movements of the man in the windbreaker.

The man in the windbreaker didn't seem to notice that he was being watched. He still kept a distance from Sakura Matou and Index, following them slowly and leisurely.

The wind from the street corner gently lifted the hem of his windbreaker, revealing a piece of silver metal edge, which flashed coldly in the sunlight, making Feng Feng's heart tighten.

Feng Feng walked quickly into a toy store and his eyes quickly locked on a highly realistic toy gun.

He quickly paid, gripped the heavy toy gun, and rushed out of the store.

After crossing several streets and alleys, Feng Feng finally caught up with the man in the windbreaker and stopped suddenly less than a meter away from him.

With one hand, he quickly and forcefully hooked the windbreaker man's neck and pulled him closer, while with the other hand he tightly grasped a toy pistol and pressed the handle of the gun against the windbreaker man's waist.

"Old Wang, long time no see."

Feng Feng's voice was low and powerful, and his eyes revealed unquestionable determination.

The man in the windbreaker was startled, a trace of astonishment flashed across his face, and his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, trying to find a chance to escape.

But Feng Feng's grip was as firm as an iron clamp, preventing him from moving.

The sunlight shone obliquely from the street corner, stretching the shadows of the two people long, and the scene seemed to be frozen in a corner of the bustling city.

"Go over to Little Girls Lane and I'll show you something nice."

In the dark alley, the dim street lights barely dispel the shadows in the corners.

Feng Feng escorted the man in the windbreaker toward the end of the alley with steady steps.

Next to the croquette cart, Index was holding a freshly-baked, steaming croquette in her hand, but her eyes passed over the crowded crowd and stared at Feng Feng's back as it gradually disappeared into the darkness, her face full of confusion.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and the croquette in her hand seemed to have lost its appeal due to this sudden change.

Sakura Matou was standing nearby and also noticed this scene. A hint of worry flashed in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. She just held Index's hand tighter, as if giving her silent comfort.