Zongman: Beginning and Snow under the Rain Escape from Raccoon City

The heavy glass door was pushed open, and the wind chimes tinkled softly.

Nakano Miku walked in.

She was wearing a beige knitted cardigan over a neat white shirt, with a dark red bow at the collar hanging down her chest.

She wore a gray-blue plaid pleated skirt, the hem swaying gently at mid-thigh, and black pantyhose that hugged her long, slender legs, gleaming softly under the light.

He still habitually wore those familiar headphones around his neck, their lines faintly visible between his shirt and cardigan.

She was carrying a light gray coat in her arms, and only when she reached her seat did she gently fold it and place it aside.

His movements were slightly restrained.

In that instant, his gaze did not fall directly on her face, but instead traveled upwards along her legs, which were covered in pantyhose, stopping at the edge of her swaying skirt.

It was an almost instinctive scrutiny, imbued with a possessiveness unique to men.

Miku Nakano seemed to notice, and she paused slightly.

Her cheeks weren't noticeably red, but her ears were slightly tinged with red.

"good evening."

Ye Hai greeted him.

Nakano Miku nodded slightly. As she sat down, her skirt slipped open slightly, revealing the clear lines of her calves under the light through her pantyhose.

Ye Hai's gaze did not avoid hers; it lingered there for a few seconds before returning to her face.

"You're looking for me."

Nakano Miku placed her hands on her knees, her fingertips gently twisting the hem of her skirt, her voice very low: "...That one hundred million, you gave it to me, didn't you?"

"Didn't you already know that?"

Ye Hai smiled faintly.

She remained silent, her eyes slightly lowered.

They gripped it even tighter with their fingertips.

After a few seconds, she looked up and asked, as if gathering her courage, "...What is the price?"

Ye Hai didn't rush to answer, but slowly picked up his coffee and took a sip: "You should ask your sister."

She bit her lip, her gaze lingering on the table for a long time before she softly uttered, "...Ichika and Nino."

Ye Hai did not deny it, and even turned the coffee cup around, his voice calm: "They are smart and understand reality. Rather than wasting energy waiting for a miracle, they would rather take the initiative to choose a way to change the situation."

0 ··Requesting flowers····· 0

Nakano Miku's eyelashes trembled slightly. She remained silent, her shoulders hunching slightly.

Ye Hai turned his gaze back to her, a cryptic smile on his face: "So you came to me. Are you here to confirm the truth, or... are you planning to end up like them?"

After a long silence, Nakano Miku finally spoke in a low voice: "...Do I have any other choice?"

"It's okay to refuse."

Ye Hai sat upright, his fingers clasped together on the table, his tone still unhurried: "It's just that the bank won't stop. Once the loan withdrawal goes to court, your father's decades of hard work will be gone."

"With the hospital closing down, your family will be completely bankrupt."

"And then you sisters will be homeless."

"Hmm, let me think. Maybe if I come back to you then, the cost will be lower."

0 . ....

A playful smile appeared on Ye Hai's lips.

He paused, his tone even softer: "And I, with just one sentence, can bring all of this to a halt."

Nakano Miku looked up at him, her eyes filled with struggle.

Why...does it have to be this way?

Ye Hai's gaze shifted downwards, settling once more on her legs, tightly encased in black pantyhose. His gaze was frank and direct, carrying a hint of aggression.

"Because, Miku, you are very tempting."

Nakano Miku bit her lip, her fingertips gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.

She gripped the hem of her skirt with her fingertips, and after a long while, she finally uttered a sentence:

"...I'll think about it."

She got up and pushed the chair back to its original position.

Ye Hai did not get up, but leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced in front of his chest, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Think it over carefully.

His voice was extremely low, yet so clear it seemed to penetrate directly into her ears.

“I have plenty of patience… but banks don’t.”

Nakano Miku paused in her steps.

She didn't turn around, but simply hummed in agreement, then pushed open the glass door and walked out.

The wind chimes rang again, their clear tones piercing the night.

When I got home, the light in the entryway was already on. My father's shoes were by the door, dusty, and the leather looked unusually dull.

Nakano Miku took off her shoes and quietly walked into the living room.

She saw her father sitting on the sofa, looking completely drained of energy, his back slightly hunched, clutching a stack of documents in his hand.

A cup of tea that had gone completely cold sat on the table.

Chapter 217 Abandoned Village

The cold wind felt like knives cutting my face. The snow crunched underfoot, and my shoes were soaked in just a few steps.

"Hey, Hachiman Hikigaya, are we really going to hike twenty kilometers?"

Hattori Heiji rolled up the map in his hand, his face full of dissatisfaction: "This is the snowfields of Siberia, not a stroll along the Osaka River!"

"If you find a means of transportation, I'll wholeheartedly support you."

Hachiman Hikigaya, carrying a bag, said with an unusually calm expression, "But apart from the wrecked old trucks and the scrapped tractors, there's nothing here."

"We should at least have a snowmobile!"

Hattori Heiji gritted his teeth.

"you think too much."

Hattori Heiji choked, nearly throwing the map in his face: "...Can you stop talking so sarcastically?"

"Sorry, this is how I breathe."

"Damn it! The Kansai's super detective is about to freeze to death on this wretched snow, and you're going to make sarcastic remarks about him!"

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at him but didn't continue the conversation.

His steps were not hurried, but the sound of his footsteps on the snow was steady and powerful.

Unlike Hattori Heiji's shouting, his attention was entirely focused on something else.

Deep within his chest, the faint, intermittent bloodline connection was stirring.

Ichiro Tanaka.

Hachiman Hikigaya could sense that he was somewhere not far away.

-

The two bickered as they walked, and finally arrived at the entrance to Zharnoye Village.

I had expected to see a snow-covered town at night, but what I actually saw was utter desolation.

There are no lights.

No one was around.

Several wooden doors were ajar, creaking in the wind.

Snow covered all the roads, obscuring even the slightest footprint, as if the entire village had evaporated from the world.

Heiji Hattori, flashlight in hand, lowered his voice: "...No way, it's so quiet?"

Hachiman Hikigaya walked slowly ahead, stopping at the door of a wooden house.

His nose twitched slightly; he could smell the lingering scent in the air.

It was cold, damp, and filled with the putrid smell unique to blood slaves.

"He's been here before."

Hachiman Hikigaya's voice was deep.

You mean Tanaka Ichiro?

"Ah."

Hachiman Hikigaya squinted, as if staring in a certain direction.

The pull of that bloodline was crystal clear, telling him that Tanaka Ichiro had indeed been active in this area, but was no longer in the village.

"Where is he?" Hattori Heiji looked around. "Where do you think he went?"

Hachiman Hikigaya looked up at the forest to the northwest, where the wind and snow howled past.

"They haven't gone far."

Hattori Heiji paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "Ha... this scene is starting to look like a horror movie."

Hachiman Hikigaya did not respond, but simply looked away.

The two walked into the village step by step.

The streets were completely covered in snow, so white it was blinding.

The houses are still there, but there's no sign of life.

The windowsills were covered with thick frost, and the snow at the doorway had not been trampled on, as if the entire village had been abandoned overnight.

"Has anyone ever lived in this place?"

Hattori Heiji couldn't help but mutter.

He couldn't stand living in such a freezing place for a long time.

Hachiman Hikigaya did not answer, but his steps suddenly stopped in front of a wooden stake.

The wooden stake was half-buried in the snow, with traces of red paint remaining on it.

Heiji Hattori crouched down and pulled up a half-buried section of white warning tape with red lettering. The lettering was blurred by the wind and snow, but the word "POLICE" could still be vaguely discerned.

"These are... Russian police?"

"Ah."

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded, his gaze sweeping across the alleyway ahead.

Several pieces of warning tape, broken by the wind, still hung under the eaves, swaying forlornly in the wind.

Hattori Heiji frowned: "It seems the police did come after the telecommunications repairman reported the incident, but I don't know if there were any results."

Hachiman Hikigaya walked to the door of a wooden house and pushed the slightly ajar door.

The door hinges were rusty, making a grating creaking sound in the wind and snow.

The room was frighteningly cold, and there were several ceramic bowls on the table, the soup inside frozen solid.

There was a blackened pot in the stove, and the charcoal ash remaining at the bottom of the pot indicated that it had indeed been burned a few days ago.

"The traces of life remain, but the person is gone."

Heiji Hattori shone his flashlight around.

"And there were no bodies. We don't know if it was Tanaka Ichiro who did it or if the police took all the bodies away."