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

This was incredibly appealing to a young girl living in the Whitechapel district who was just beginning to experience romantic feelings.

"You should be able to tell from her name that she's my sister."

Hachiman Hikigaya was somewhat speechless, wondering what was wrong with Mary looking so jealous.

But... it was actually quite enjoyable.

Hachiman Hikigaya was secretly quite pleased with himself. After all these years, finally a girl had taken a liking to him!

Hachiman Hikigaya wasn't born a loner; he was simply rejected when he confessed his feelings in middle school, which caused him a huge blow and forced him to become a dark loner.

Chapter 78 Jack the Ripper Prepares to Strike

Over the past few days, he has seen how good Little Mary is to Hachiman Hikigaya.

He's not stupid, nor is he emotionally idiotic; how could he remain unmoved?

Especially since the other party is a young girl.

"Huh? Hachiman has a younger sister? I've never heard you mention her before."

Little Mary blinked her eyes.

She really didn't expect that Hachiman Hikigaya had a younger sister.

In Europe, there are actually a lot of people with the same surname, so little Mary didn't initially think of them as relatives.

"Yes, in the future..."

Hachiman Hikigaya originally wanted to say that he would introduce you to him sometime in the future, but he suddenly realized something and stopped abruptly.

He... will only stay in this world for thirty days.

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at Mary with a complicated expression, wondering if he shouldn't have gotten so close to her.

"Oh, right, I remember Eriri Sawamura left with you, didn't she? Where is she?"

Hachiman Hikigaya awkwardly changed the subject.

Ye Hai's gaze swept back and forth between Hachiman Hikigaya and Little Mary: "She was too tired last night and is resting at the hotel. I came out to take care of some business."

"Huh? A hotel?"

Hachiman Hikigaya, his face filled with shock: "Could it be that you've already..."

"Hmm~"

Ye Hai did not deny it.

A hint of envy flashed in Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes. How annoying, these popular people.

Just blow them all up already!

Seeing Hachiman Hikigaya struggling to carry two large bags of flour, Ye Hai suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He patted the frame of a carriage next to him and said, "Hey, Hachiman, carrying flour must be tiring. Do you want me to lend you a carriage? So you don't have to run back and forth like an ox."

Hachiman Hikigaya was taken aback by what he heard. He looked up at Ye Hai, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes once again.

He frowned, his tone wary: "No need, I'm fine as I am."

Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't believe that anyone would be kind to him for no reason.

"Hey, don't be so nervous!"

"You wouldn't want the girl next to you to walk with you every day, would you? Boys with cars are more popular with girls."

Ye Hai didn't give Hachiman Hikigaya a chance to refuse, and directly stuffed the reins of the two carriages into Hachiman Hikigaya's hands: "It's settled then. Remember to feed the horses hay, and I'll come to pick them up in a few days."

After saying that, he jumped into the remaining carriage and rode away.

"Hey! When did I say I agreed?"

Hachiman Hikigaya shouted at Hajime's retreating figure.

But Ye Hai did not respond, leaving Hachiman Hikigaya and Little Mary standing on the dock, staring at the two carriages with wide eyes.

Hachiman Hikigaya bent down to inspect the carriage. The frame was sturdy, and although the horses were not of any particular breed, they were in good spirits and had no injuries.

He frowned and muttered, "What exactly is this guy trying to do? Is he really that kind?"

He glanced at little Mary again, seeing her curiously touching the horse's head, and couldn't help but sigh: "Well, a free carriage delivered to our door, might as well take it. Let's go, Mary, take it back first."

Little Mary nodded and happily pulled on the reins of a carriage: "Hachiman, now you don't have to carry flour anymore! This horse looks so cute!"

Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head helplessly, took the reins of another carriage, and muttered, "That Ye Hai guy, I always felt he wasn't as simple as he seemed... But, for now, I'll just use him."

Although he couldn't drive a horse-drawn carriage, it made things much easier for him to put the flour on the cart and lead the horse back.

"Huh~ Hachiman can't drive a carriage?"

Little Mary, who had already jumped onto the carriage, suddenly saw Hachiman Hikigaya, who was about to lead the horse away, and asked him curiously.

These days, driving a horse-drawn carriage is considered a basic skill.

Although there are differences in quality, driving a horse-drawn carriage forward is something that most people can do.

Oxen, horses, and donkeys are actually quite similar.

"Um... I've never been in contact with this before."

Hachiman Hikigaya scratched his head somewhat awkwardly; the last time he saw Mama was at the zoo.

"Then I'll teach Hachiman."

Little Mary jumped off the carriage happily, seemingly very excited about becoming Hachiman Hikigaya's little teacher.

……

At dusk, the Whitechapel district was shrouded in fog and looked somewhat dim.

The streetlights were turned on early.

During this period, streetlights in London, England, were still powered by gas lamps, requiring a specialist to light them with an open flame.

Although this type of light is not as bright as an electric light, it is still enough to make people barely see the road.

Jack the Ripper was hidden in the shadows of a narrow alley, his tattered coat wrapped tightly around him, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, staring at the docks not far away.

His fingers were rubbing a sharp folding knife in his pocket, and a newly purchased revolver was hanging at his waist.

Jack the Ripper had a sinister smile on his lips. For the past few days, he had been secretly observing the young man named Hachiman Hikigaya.

Every evening, this thin fellow would carry two large bags of flour, trudging back from the dock to the Whitechapel district, accompanied by a little girl named Mary.

Jack has figured out their routes and habits and is ready to make his move tonight.

Jack's gaze was fixed on the pedestrians, hoping to see that familiar, thin figure appear.

He likes prey that is tired and unsuspecting, making it easy to strike in a quiet alley.

However, as time passed, the workers at the dock gradually dispersed, and only a few pedestrians remained on the street. There was still no sign of Hachiman Hikigaya.

"Damn it, why didn't that kid come today?"

Jack cursed under his breath, spat, and frowned: "Did we take a detour?"

He waited patiently for a while longer, and after confirming that Hachiman Hikigaya had not appeared, he spat in frustration.

His attention was entirely focused on the pedestrians, and he didn't notice at all that two horse-drawn carriages were slowly passing by in the distance, with several bags of flour piled on them.

"Hachiman, look, don't hold the reins so tight, loosen them, the horse will walk on its own!"

Little Mary gave instructions with great enthusiasm, her voice carrying far through the mist.

Hachiman Hikigaya frowned, his face full of helplessness: "It's easy to say, but this old horse is trying to run to the side, it's exhausting..."

He complained, but his eyes unconsciously glanced at little Mary, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Jack the Ripper waited a while longer, but still no one showed up. He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly and thought to himself, "Fine, I'll go check their bakery when it's completely dark."

Jack pulled his coat tighter, turned, and disappeared into the thick fog, vanishing into the depths of the alley, leaving behind a whispered, "Just you wait, kid..."

I wonder if a man's intestines are longer than a woman's when they're pulled out. I'm really looking forward to it.

A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Jack the Ripper's eyes.

Chapter 79 One blow won't knock someone unconscious

(It's broken. I wanted to schedule it for the early morning of the 17th, but the date was automatically set to the 16th. I can only post one more chapter QAQ).

"Why did you bring back two horse-drawn carriages out of the blue? Where are we going to get hay to feed the horses?"

Inside the room, a kerosene lamp provided a dim light.

"Mommy~ Without a horse-drawn carriage, we could only carry back two bags of flour at a time. Now that we have a horse-drawn carriage, we can bring back so much more at once~"

Little Mary spread her arms out and made a big circle.

"We can't sell that many, so what's the point of transporting more?"

The landlady gave Little Mary a light tap on the head, annoyed: "Go, let that guy go to the attic to rest. Remember to barricade his door with a wooden stick."

"Oh……"

Little Mary covered her head, pouted, jumped out of bed, and went out.

In the dimly lit corridor, little Mary tiptoed up the narrow staircase leading to the attic.

The old wooden planks underfoot groaned softly, a sound that was particularly clear in the quiet night.

She was still clutching a small piece of thick wooden stick that her mother had given her to prop open the door.

The attic door was ajar, and a faint light shone through the crack—probably moonlight leaking in through the small vent.

There was a rustling sound coming from inside; it was Hachiman Hikigaya tidying up his almost empty corner.

He didn't originally have a mattress, but luckily he had bought a lot of flour recently, so Hachiman Hikigaya was fortunate enough to use the flour bags to make a mattress for himself.

Little Mary stopped at the doorway, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rough surface of the wooden stick.

"Hold the door shut! You can never be too careful! Who knows if that kid might get up to something in the middle of the night?"

Her mother's voice still echoed in her ears; for the past few days, she had obediently followed her instructions.

But today... she hesitated.

Over the past few days, she has been secretly observing Hachiman Hikigaya.

Little Mary felt that Hachiman Hikigaya wasn't a bad person.

Instead of bending down and inserting one end of the stick into the specially left groove in the door frame, she pressed the other end against the floor as usual.

She simply leaned the piece of wood against the wall by the door, letting it lie quietly in the shadows.

Then, she carefully and almost silently closed the slightly ajar attic door.

There was no "click" sound of the lock closing, nor the dull thud of a wooden stick being driven in.

She patted her chest, tiptoed down the stairs like a cat, and quietly slipped back to her slightly warmer little room.

In the attic.

Hachiman Hikigaya actually heard Mary's footsteps going upstairs, as well as her brief pause and breathing outside the door.

The expected "click" and the dull thud of the wooden stick scraping against the floor did not come.

There was only the soft sound of the door closing gently, followed by the light footsteps of little Mary as she walked away.

Silence returned to the attic, with only moonlight filtering through the small, dusty window and casting a hazy square patch of light on the floor.

Hachiman Hikigaya turned around with some surprise, his gaze falling on the tightly closed door. There was no trace of that familiar wooden stick under the crack. After a moment's hesitation, he tentatively reached out and gently pushed the door.

squeak-

The door is open.

Outside was an empty, dark corridor.

He stood silently for a while, without going out, and gently closed the door again, leaving a barely noticeable crack.

He returned to his meager bedding and curled up.

The attic was still cold, and the air was filled with the smell of dust and old wood.