Chapter 1144
Ritsuko: This is the feeling of being moved!
In the center of the ruins not far away, a tall figure was fighting fiercely, covered in blood—a warrior wearing a red scarf, the scarf standing out starkly against the gray environment, fluttering in the wind. He held a strangely shaped weapon, his movements swift and deadly, each strike aimed to kill, as he single-handedly fought off a tidal wave of enormous creatures. These creatures were bizarre in shape, with bared fangs, roaring as they pounced on the warrior, each strike kicking up clouds of dust and destroying large swaths of rubble.
What chilled Ritsuko most was that the warrior fought entirely as a human. Without any mech armor or special abilities, he relied solely on his flesh and blood to carve a bloody path through a horde of monsters vastly different in size. His movements carried a seasoned composure and ruthlessness, every dodge and strike precise to the extreme. Even with several wounds on his body, his eyes remained sharp as an eagle's, showing no sign of retreat.
"Where am I?" Ritsuko murmured to herself, her voice breaking in the cold wind. She looked around at the unfamiliar ruins, the strange creatures, and the warriors who were stronger than she could imagine—everything was eerie. She tried to move, but found herself rooted to the spot, forced to watch the brutal battle unfold, her unease growing stronger.
No! Something's wrong! Something really serious! Ritsuko's heart pounded, alarm bells blaring in her mind. This dream was too real, so real that she could feel the biting wind, smell the blood in the air, and even see the taut lines on the soldier's face and the stains on his red scarf. What bothered her even more was the soldier's calm yet weathered demeanor, which inexplicably felt familiar—it was strikingly similar to Cui Ming in real life!
She tried desperately to see the soldier's face, but no matter how hard she tried, her vision was blocked by a thin mist; she could only see a blurry outline and that dazzling red scarf. The roars of monsters, the clash of weapons, and the suppressed breathing of soldiers intertwined, creating a suffocating atmosphere. Ritsuko felt a heavy weight in her heart, as if some important secret was hidden in the ruins and fierce battle, within reach yet impossible to see clearly.
In reality, Ritsuko, fast asleep, had her brows furrowed tightly, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the blankets, her breathing becoming rapid, and fine beads of cold sweat appearing on her forehead, clearly experiencing a significant shock in her dream.
Misato rolled over beside her, mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, but did not wake up, completely unaware that her friend was deeply immersed in a secret dream woven by the world's consciousness.
In her dream, Ritsuko was still desperately trying to break free from the invisible bindings, attempting to see the warrior's face clearly. Just then, a violent roar rang out, and a giant ant lunged at the warrior. As the warrior dodged to the side, the cold wind dispersed the thin mist obscuring his vision, and the face finally came into clear view of Ritsuko.
It was Cui Ming?! Ritsuko's mind went blank for a moment, her pupils contracted sharply, and a storm raged in her heart. She never imagined that the soldier fighting bloodily in the ruins was actually Cui Ming! But the Cui Ming before her was completely different from the gentle and calm person in reality who could cook and take care of household chores—his face was devoid of warmth, only an icy indifference remained, as if the battle before him and the wounds on his body had nothing to do with him.
"This is not a place for you." Cui Ming's voice suddenly rang out, low and cold, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if stating a given fact. He did not turn around, his gaze still firmly fixed on the approaching monster, his tone carrying an unquestionable aloofness.
Ritsuko snapped back to reality, her throat tightening. She instinctively asked, her voice filled with barely concealed panic and confusion, "Ah, where...where exactly is this?" She simply couldn't understand why she would see Cui Ming like this in her dream, or what secrets this ruined world held.
“The dream world, in a sense, is also a dimension,” Cui Ming explained casually, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather. As he spoke, his gaze swept over the massive, dark swarm of ants closing in, and he slowly raised the Gatling gun in his hand—a sleek weapon, the Raven. The cold muzzle was aimed at the monster horde, exuding a deadly intimidation.
"Today's been relatively quiet," he murmured, a hint of habitual感慨 in his voice, as if these days of battling monsters were already commonplace. Before he finished speaking, his fingertips twitched, and the raven instantly emitted a piercing roar, unleashing a barrage of bullets like a torrential rain, sweeping towards the approaching giant ant.
"This..." Ritsuko froze, speechless at the sight before her. The sound of bullets piercing the monster's body and its shrill roar echoed through the ruins once more, but her attention was entirely focused on Choi Myung. This indifferent, bloodthirsty, and shrewd demeanor was completely different from the Choi Myung in reality, who was tolerant of Misato and treated her gently. Which one was the real him? And why had this dream brought her here? Countless questions surged within her, making her increasingly certain that Choi Myung harbored a past she could hardly imagine.
Meanwhile, the world consciousness controlling the dream from the shadows was observing all of this with great interest, its fluctuations filled with excitement: Hehe, the effect is not bad! Let you slowly uncover his secrets, and get more and more entangled! It did not make any further moves, but just watched quietly, waiting to see Ritsuko's reaction, and also waiting to see if Choi Myung would reveal more unknown aspects in the dream.
The cawing of ravens echoed through the ruins, and a hail of bullets felled swarms of giant ants that approached, splattering their dark green sap across the ground with a pungent, fishy stench. Cui Ming stood amidst the corpses, his arm gripping the gun as steady as a rock, until the last monster crashed to the ground. Only then did he slowly cease firing, and the cawing of ravens gradually dissipated in the cold wind.
He casually slung the Raven over his shoulder, expertly inspected the gun, his face remaining expressionless, as if the fierce battle just moments before was merely a matter of cleaning up some debris. Blood and dust stained his robes, and his red scarf fluttered in the wind, making his aloof aura even more pronounced.
Ritsuko finally broke free from that invisible bondage, staggering to a spot a short distance behind him. Looking at the devastation and Choi Myung's lonely figure, her throat tightened, and she was momentarily speechless. Only when Choi Myung turned and walked deeper into the ruins did she instinctively follow, traversing piles of corpses and broken walls, finally stopping in front of a relatively flat clearing. (End of Chapter)