Free Web NovelChapter 165: Chapter 165: The Legacy of a Hero
Over seven hundred years ago in the alleys of Food City, a deadly escape initiated by monsters and humans unfolded.
Upon seeing an idiot who appeared to have given up and stopped running, even going so far as to attract the monster’s attention, some of the students were ecstatic, while others felt a sourness in their noses.
But no one stopped in their tracks.
Whether it was out of a simple desire not to die or an unwillingness to let someone down, they did not cease their flight.
The lizard-like monster ran faster than them, and their only hope was to run into a terrain complex enough to hide in—hoping that the creature would then go off in search of other prey.
As they sprinted madly, some had a premonition that they might soon hear the wails of Lin Rui, or perhaps... he wouldn’t even have time to scream?
While they were thinking this, a powerful tremor surged through them.
Cheng Shishi, who was running at the front, unexpectedly tripped and fell. She instinctively looked back and witnessed an unbelievable scene.
Huge vibrations came one after another, making the entire street seem as if it were experiencing a mild earthquake. Everyone thought a more formidable monster had appeared and instinctively turned their heads in fear.
Next, everyone’s expressions froze in astonishment, just like Cheng Shishi’s.
The gigantic lizard was being manhandled by a Masked Strange Person, clad in a black robe, who grabbed its tail and kept slamming it repeatedly!
They did not know how much pain the lizard was enduring, but seeing the cracks where the ground had collapsed, they understood just how terrifying the strength of the Masked Strange Person was—
It was a human being who caused the earth itself to tremble!
The lizard-like Evil Fallen was about to emit a sharp, piercing cry, which related to a rare term involving sound waves.
But before the sound could escape, the Masked Strange Person anticipated the movement. Hands that appeared human tore through the defense as easily as a gutting axe, piercing directly into the lizard’s armored throat and ripping apart its vocal cords.
This bloody spectacle chilled the group of students, yet it also filled them with a profound joy of being alive!
Everything before their eyes felt too shocking.
"Is this... could this be..." Fei Bo couldn’t believe his own eyes.
"How is this possible, does the Masked Strange Person really exist? That foolish... Lin Rui, the thing he always believed in, is real?"
"Too strong, so this is what a hero looks like! Amazing, woo!" Shui raised his baseball bat, expressing his excitement. He had seemingly forgotten that he was usually the one who mocked the Masked Strange Person the most.
Watching the lizard get crushed and the familiar mask everyone recognized, they finally believed that a miracle had occurred!
Lin Rui was in tears, so moved that he wanted to cling to Bai Wu’s leg to see if what he was witnessing was a hallucination because he was about to die.
It wasn’t until the lizard’s body emitted a stench of blood and decay, until Bai Wu turned around and extended his other clean hand to pull Lin Rui up.
Then he truly confirmed that the Masked Strange Person had appeared!
"Are you... are you really... the Masked Strange Person?"
Lin Rui, shivering, seemed more frightened than when he saw the Evil Fallen, but it wasn’t fear, it was excitement that he couldn’t contain.
"Genuine as can be. Let’s go, we’ll join your friends and explain the situation. The city is very dangerous right now, if you want to live, you have to learn to save yourselves."
Lin Rui felt everything was so surreal.
Not everyone is granted such luck.
Being saved by something you believe in can feel like all the bitter memories, frosted like snowflakes, suddenly turning into golden sunshine.
Bai Wu understood the overflowing sense of happiness in the boy’s heart.
In his past life, he too was fond of Ultraman, although after being abused by his father, the names of monsters were what he would repeatedly mutter.
At that time, he too hoped that he could be rescued.
He remembered there was once, overwhelmed by the sadness of not being accepted by his father, he had made a phone call.
It was the number for the Universe Defense Team from a tokusatsu drama—a number that was utterly unattainable and led to nothing but a dead line.
It’s a strange thing to think about because back then, under his father’s perverse tutelage, he had already become better than many of his peers.
Deep down he also knew that some things simply didn’t exist, yet he had dialed the number as if possessed. He couldn’t explain why, not knowing what he was expecting.
This was one of the few rather childish actions he took in his younger years.
Subsequent events proved that no one would come to rescue him. He had to continuously meet his father’s demands, enduring and eventually becoming accustomed to all manners of pain and torment.
And then, to seek an opportunity to get far away from that man.
No one redeemed him in his childhood. Nor did anyone redeem him when he was a green young man.
Yet, oddly enough, he was able to understand the feeling of being redeemed by others.
...
...
What followed was a group of people rushing over excitedly, each of them filled with a barrage of questions because of the salvation they had witnessed and the unbelievable entity they had seen.
Like why the Masked Strange Person had disappeared in the previous few years.
Bai Wu didn’t know the reason; how could he know why that oddball who liked wearing a smiley mask appeared and disappeared at will?
In his heart, he tended to believe that the Masked Strange Person was dead.
But for these students, not much younger than himself, Bai Wu still told a kind lie:
"In a faraway place you know nothing about, there are others who need my protection more, I just went to a very far place, that’s all."
This lie easily fooled everyone; Lin Rui was deeply moved, for heroes were never lax, just busy doing similar things elsewhere.
He was grateful he hadn’t abandoned that naivety.
The truth was actually cruel, but this place didn’t need the truth... what constructed this world was nothing but an obsession.
After answering many questions, Bai Wu knew that this world would soon dissipate.
History had not been rewritten, but at least in this phone booth world, he hoped that this ordinary young man could survive as long as possible.
They asked so many questions, yet no one thanked Lin Rui. It seemed as if Lin Rui’s act of stepping forward to block the monster wasn’t worth respecting.
Because the real Masked Strange Person appeared, and had effortlessly resolved the crisis. Therefore, even that fool’s efforts seemed trivialized.
Thinking of this, Bai Wu patted Lin Rui on the shoulder:
"Today’s hero isn’t me; if you hadn’t stood in front of everyone and called out loudly, perhaps I wouldn’t have made it here. You were very brave, remember your willingness to face death for your friends today." freēwebnovel.com
"I am just a symbol; my appearance in this city might reignite hope in people, but what when I leave? Perhaps soon after, they will mock the faith in others’ hearts again. After all, we can’t always be saved by others."
Bai Wu removed his mask:
"This world is dying bit by bit, there are more twisted and evil monsters ravaging the cities in many places, and many weak humans are waiting for redemption. Unfortunately, I can’t be with you all the time, so you need to grow stronger. Face dangers with more calm and composure."
"Do not fear Evil Fallen or desperate situations, face them with courage and wisdom. The process might be lengthy, but when you can adapt to it, you will have become a hero."
The face behind the mask perfectly matched people’s fantasies of a hero.
In this moment, Bai Wu’s smile was as tender as a spring breeze, as he gently pressed the mask onto the young man’s forehead:
"I’m entrusting this mask to you, from today onwards, you will carry the responsibility of protecting them. Can you do that?"
The lowly boy grew up in that instant, as if all the luck of his lifetime were used up. He should have taken the mask with poise, yet he couldn’t help but nod while shedding tears.
At the same time, Bai Wu noticed that the way the people around looked at Lin Rui had changed.
It was only then that they realized, while everyone was thinking of their own survival, it was Lin Rui who had stood in front of them.
The items in the scene, once again, dispersed like a jigsaw puzzle. This signified that Lin Rui’s obsessions had been resolved.
Bai Wu didn’t know if this youth could lead the group to survive, especially since they didn’t have the qualifications to go to the High Tower.
According to the objective laws of history, they would eventually die.
But at least, from this moment on, within this parallel world of the telephone booth, he had become the successor of the Masked Strange Person, not related to strength or weakness, but to resolve.
As his consciousness was about to detach from this world and return to the telephone booth, his eyes began ’acting up’ again:
[Is there an inevitable connection between me and the universe? Does the universe have an end? Does time have a length? Where does past time disappear to? Where does future time stop? The questions I ask at this moment, are they still the ones you just heard? Cause and effect are interesting matters. Because we do not know if we inadvertently changed the cause or the effect~ but one thing is certain, if the cause is changed, the effect will surely vary.]
It was another strange conclusion, but it didn’t matter, he had long grown accustomed to the style of these eyes.
The consciousness of Bai Wu soon returned to reality.
In reality, the telephone booth was becoming transparent, bit by bit, fading away. He had once again successfully resolved a call, but what lingered in his ears wasn’t the overlapping sounds of telephones from around.
It was the soft murmur of Yin Shuang:
"Bai Wu... why has the telephone booth disappeared?"
"Awake? The game we’re playing now is called ’Gold Medal Customer Service’. People on the other end of the phone will seek our help or present some difficult questions. As long as we can properly address their needs, the telephone booth will disappear."
Bai Wu still carried Yin Shuang on his back, her fair and slender arms wrapped around his neck. Her consciousness hadn’t fully awakened. It was like the pain in her memories still left a faint residue.
Bai Wu didn’t mind it and prepared to head for the next telephone booth.
"Tell me about the things you encountered on the phone."
The one who made the request wasn’t Bai Wu but Yin Shuang. Bai Wu also wanted to ask what kind of call Yin Shuang had received.
However, ladies first. While carrying Yin Shuang, he recounted the experiences inside the two telephone booths in concise language.
Yin Shuang listened to the stories Bai Wu had just experienced, her expression complex.
"So that’s how it is... I hope they find peace in the world of the telephone booth."
"Yeah, it’s just like that. Strange, isn’t it? Why have the phones suddenly stopped ringing?"
After Bai Wu resolved the first call, many phones began to ring at once. The feeling was like carelessly giving a copper coin to a beggar on the street, only to be swarmed by a crowd of beggars beseeching him for more. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
But after he finished the second call, Bai Wu found that all the surrounding phones had stopped ringing.
The eyes gave no answer, and it was a mystery even to him, so he simply started moving forward with Yin Shuang.
Luckily, he was also quite curious about whom Yin Shuang had spoken to on the phone, so he asked:
"The negative attributes on you have dissipated, and now both of us have time to pass."
"Thank you."
"You sound so weak, what exactly happened during that call? You seem as though you’ve been grievously hurt."
"Actually, it’s nothing... Dreams, huh? Some feelings can be quite real. If you have a nightmare, you’ll feel unsettled for a while after waking up."
Without waiting for Bai Wu to ask further, Yin Shuang continued:
"Bai Wu, have you really lost your memory?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Is it because you had some painful experiences as a child, and because you don’t want to think about them, you’ve lost your memory?"
"Let me tell you a joke."
"A joke?"
"Yeah, do you know about Mengpo Soup?"
"The thing you drink before you’re reincarnated after you die, that makes you forget everything about your past life?"
"Right, that’s the one. Meng Po had been working in the Underworld for countless years, and one day she didn’t want to do it anymore, so she told her boss Yama that she wanted to quit. Yama said, ’You’ve worked hard for so long, have a bowl of soup, and after drinking it go to the HR department to do your resignation paperwork.’ As a result, after drinking the soup, Meng Po forgot she wanted to quit, so she kept on working in this loop, living like a model worker for countless years."
"That’s... not funny, it’s cold."
Bai Wu said:
"It’s hard for people to realize what they have forgotten. Let me perform magic for you and make you forget the five hundred Tower Currency you owe me."
"When did I ever owe you five hundred Tower Currency?"
"See, the magic worked, you’ve already forgotten."
This time Yin Shuang laughed.
Bai Wu also laughed:
"I don’t like to talk about my past with other people. How can I talk about something I don’t have? I truly don’t remember what I’ve been through before."
This statement wasn’t an absolute lie, at least not for the memories of this body, which Bai Wu indeed didn’t have.
Heaven knows how this body, with its nine points of good looks, ended up as a little beggar and ultimately was sold to a gambling house as a slave.
Yin Shuang thought about the content of the phone call, hesitating about how to talk to Bai Wu about it.
They still had plenty of time. From a great distance, drawing on the powerful Innate Force, she heard the sound of the phone.
Bai Wu was actually looking forward to finding out where the next phone call would take him. The first two calls seemed to indicate that this was a port city about to be completely abandoned.
And the port was the boarding point for the Ark Project, full of hope in the Pre-Tower Era.
Wen Hao and Lin Rui’s timelines matched up too, only one was a child abandoned by his parents at the point of boarding, while the other was a student who never had the chance to board, wandering the city with a group of friends scavenging for survival resources.
Why they ended up as phone booths was still an unsolved puzzle. They would have to answer more phone calls to find out:
"Right, what kind of phone call did you actually answer? Tell me about it, and I’ll help you analyze it. Maybe we can figure out the problem with this area more quickly."
Yin Shuang said:
"Put me down, I don’t need to be carried anymore."
When Bai Wu put down Yin Shuang, he felt something strange about her attitude. Yin Shuang looked at Bai Wu and subconsciously thought of what that perverted middle-aged man had said—
Bai Wu, you are truly a failed creation. Was that Bai Wu’s father? If so... Bai Wu must have felt very awful, right? Maybe that statement hurt him more than those needle pokes did.
She was very afraid of awakening any unpleasant memories in Bai Wu, but after thinking it over several times, Yin Shuang felt the phone call was strange. From every angle, she believed she should tell Bai Wu about it and let him analyze the reasons.
So, after several seconds of silence in the car, she said softly:
"I received a call from you."
