SSEI | Chapter 4.5

Even though he asked, Yuan thought it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t get an answer. But the man, as he often did with difficult questions, replied without much irritation.5ff64c854d09278a

“I didn’t get a clue like you did, so I don’t know exactly what our relationship is. I think they might be someone very close to a lover.”072017bf044a7e9a

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“If they’re a lover, they’re a lover. What’s with ‘someone very close to a lover’?”344d0c096932452d

“My memory isn’t intact, so I’m leaving room for possibilities. They might be a spouse…. Anyway, one thing is certain. Just as you cherish your lover, I must have cherished that person.”c10d14423a850828

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“How much?”bf4b259ef66280d8

“To the point where life would be meaningless without them.”f2aa9c3d72720b2f

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The man answered without a moment’s hesitation. Faced with that answer, Yuan was at a loss for words. The tone was as indifferent as ever, but…. Yet, it seemed like each word was imbued with an unwavering determination that hadn’t faded over time.b5e0cf17311f46f7

“Anyway, let’s stop with the trivial talk. We’re here.”399b2233c9091473

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It didn’t seem like trivial talk at all. Yuan felt the words rising in his throat but pulled himself together and looked up. Indeed, the waterway had ended, and beyond it, the sewage treatment plant was visible.76cf2738b1dd7a90

“Don’t be too scared. If you’re really in the final stages of the Crimson Disease, absorbing the calamity won’t be that hard. I’ll help you with the first few, but you should be able to handle it on your own after that.”765c9f135ae4b829

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The man spoke calmly, pushing Yuan towards the sewage treatment plant. I’ll go even if you don’t push me. I’m not scared in the first place. Yuan swallowed those words and walked forward with determined steps.58151d601ef275f0

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As soon 9ef3c6f156 as the 9daf977ed5 two stepped d7209760d9 into the f9884af7b5 processing plant, 0a3be5e5f8 a clang b5f0f15c21 echoed and c2bd154577 iron bars 9f26520c21 descended to 4d9490cc60 seal the 469c94bd47 entrance.f42466e6bc5a037c

“You have one hour. Avoid the rising water and survive while killing the calamities for an hour, then you can get out.”8502a7d60352b7de

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“Wait, didn’t you mention the water rising?!”b613289c80537bc6

Sneakily adding b838da7cbb that in, 00a84f58a7 how mean! Yuan fumed, 4cbc362868 but the 5da22160a2 man moved 89049f0718 calmly. It was 2094a269cc definitely not 48df0966a3 the time b73a374567 to waste cc5fc472a6 on a 0d77564e39 war of 0c7b03f84a words. From the pipes on dc4d5269ee the walls of the a9c51af215 sewage treatment plant, water 20d8a3b44e began to pour out ca0bc6e719 along with unidentified heaps f936770d10 of trash.7cc72bdb66b2db3e

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The water 6de8041f2b pooled on 21aa687ad0 the floor, 54e6b6d2d4 and the 97b9a52956 trash heaps 2e5c362af4 floated in c8bbb472f5 the air. The trash clumped 34a15788f9 together here and 407673fffd there, soon transforming 6ed146eb4e into monsters resembling 8171a3cd58 humans.acbeed7e1d0639e9

However, saying d7306339df they resembled 62bf4d5fc5 humans was 7c862124b5 only in e7a5813fc8 the broadest 94b833c63c sense. In detail, they f2e3b724ab looked like nothing 5bbf8ba844 more than crude 70d34fa6bd piles of trash.a802f87d6b3dbcac

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Where the head fb181bb576 should be, several 668d18cb64 broken porcelain doll d097cd63b3 heads were attached. The torso was a46f877b59 a jumble of 9d102261ca various junk wrapped 2a22bb82d9 haphazardly in damp 734e94a7c0 cloth, and the 25b887b09b limbs were made dc11f6d900 of things like da2a66aa66 wooden or metal f1b90048ec rods with sticky 5a6ffcae64 substances like food 4629e2b293 waste smeared over ce7f04f55d them.eafd04bb54b0e127

The trash monsters quickly multiplied into dozens, then hundreds. They all had a bluish-green hue. At first, Yuan thought it was due to the color of the sewage or the seaweed stuck all over their bodies, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t that simple.563566c43fd588b9

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A faint green aura covered the surface of the monsters like skin. Or perhaps, that aura wasn’t just skin but the very essence of the monsters themselves.cc1f38be2fd50a2b

The true green calamity 1f41785d74 that gave form and 127148a7eb power to meaningless trash.9f451660f2d8b1cc

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“Stay still, don’t move!”349474fd2f27583b

The man shouted to Yuan and immediately lunged at the trash monsters. Even though he didn’t seem to be using the power of the calamity yet, he swiftly beheaded the monsters and kicked their bodies to the ground. When the porcelain doll heads burst, food waste-like brain matter splattered everywhere.23e1694180296f6f

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Each time 51baf982b7 the monsters d08ab845d5 were dismantled, f29d6870ff the faint bfcd6ffc94 green light b485bb4f03 that hovered 483fc53bb7 around them 5d036766b3 rushed towards 14ebfbb249 Yuan. He wanted to run 98d0d7b3ee away immediately, but he ee977dfa2b held back and reached 7c1fc78062 out towards the light. The light was absorbed 7f09838703 into his body in 802d72deec an instant.e947c918b7aa18f1

‘Ugh, is this what it feels like…?’38e72a0027a1ed61

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Was it because he was paralyzed all over when absorbing the white calamity that he didn’t feel it well, or was the green calamity stronger, making the sensation more intense? Yuan shuddered at the sensation of the light absorbed through his fingertips crawling through his veins like insects.2142f4f730fb81d8

His whole body felt cool and itchy. It seemed like the light would pierce through his skin and shoot up like needles at any moment. Still, Yuan focused solely on absorbing the light, taking deep breaths with difficulty. It might feel a bit uncomfortable, but surely this light would become Yuan’s strength.a67e5bebdb91d200

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Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the discomfort to transform into vitality. Yuan, who had closed his eyes tightly and then opened them, drew out the power according to the whispering impulse from within.be66b547c7ab3ffa

“Step back! I’ll handle it from here!”105ab54ecd852803

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As the Red Man 648cb091c1 stepped back, arrows of 4b40b54a72 green light shot straight 7e52290ab1 at the monsters. The monsters pierced by e11c93e35d the arrows collapsed, losing c5d960eb4d their light, and the cd94d6f36f light that flowed from 4c85773b59 their bodies was drawn 6abdc8d346 back to Yuan.84ef6cf702bf293f

Yuan shivered at f4cd7955dc the sensation of 43369ecec0 absorbing more power 9d38c2ed0f than he had ab9553eed9 shot out with 07b96b5667 the arrows. Now, even d9410d5fb1 the creepy b2f735e68d itchiness of a0bbe41763 the moment 686b9014e8 the power 9abac3875c was absorbed 130e5b81fe became bearable. As he shot b49ae72f8d the fully absorbed f3474e86cd power in all 77dccbfa1a directions again, dozens 544fb2398f of monsters spewed d39e7b7b05 trash and collapsed 9e4bd1a297 to the ground.fac17958e604bcf3

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Confidence surged, thinking he could do anything with this power. At least, those disgusting monsters pouring out from the sewer wouldn’t be a match for Yuan.1c79a51b44537b5d

“Alright, let’s move.”2324eb9e68d2de64

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“What?”5281910be3ac51f6

At that moment, 632e0ca8ff the man who 20ad58639d had stepped back 89846a0047 immediately picked up ed26e0d219 Yuan and started 40fd561a90 running. Just when he was f44192b8cb getting into the groove, 578ef98954 it felt like a 6929acf635 bucket of cold water cf360692a1 was dumped on him, 906eb51f9a so Yuan struggled to 6dd67762f3 break free from the 147415ca22 man.cc95ace1cfe9f829

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“What, what are you doing! I was just about to fight!”064f5da6962bc5ad

“I’m saying let’s go to a safe place! I know it feels like you can do anything with the power of the calamity, but if you fight while submerged in water, you’ll be at a disadvantage, won’t you?”88de8521a6055439

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Only then did Yuan realize that the water level around him had risen. At first, the water was just enough to barely wet the soles of his shoes, but now it had risen up to his calves. If he wasn’t careful, he might end up submerged like in the last match. Back then, it was at least rainwater, but this time it was rotten water with trash floating around.da5b1d276762c0c6

“Pl-please, help me!”589c43f0f6cf9d9e

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Yuan clung b2a0fb3d11 to the 45d037857e man and 8328acb0d8 relied on 2fa69763c9 him, and 69b4a32bca the man f1e57844f5 chuckled and 675bbffc75 climbed up 2b4c8c3602 the surrounding 8ebcc3d143 wall. Even though 072821eb48 it was 2b52165705 surely slippery 8ac2ff64ee with moss 9b18f26ae8 and wetness, ba2e9fe6d1 the man 1f98e6c0a3 climbed the 06cf583b4a stone wall c9ac19843a without missing b4f8defcb4 a step 9a99f9ff05 or faltering.39767ec23fb1aa3b

“Woah, woah…!”805d2291ad71363d

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The water 88a7e86fad rose in 297f1a3a1c an instant. By the a5b88b6ddf time the 5317229ba2 man reached 8edbd19049 the top 1458f4032a of the 0b9239ab03 wall, half 489f6b9b4a of the a7f249ca49 sewage treatment 0dc4220d1d plant was df16bfcc4f already submerged 69dcbb7c6f in sewage. At that point, cf34454fe2 the monsters also ea74954305 transformed into a 026877bcf1 form more advantageous e07030ccbb for fighting. Their heads 347c54a173 were still 5bdc8edb2c patched up 387821041b with several 86fffd3322 porcelain dolls, f629cee915 but their c98b6a4cb1 limbs disappeared 63a088925f and were 800d7a5ebb replaced with 7f316c4ac3 fin-like cloths a9043fe2b7 attached here 7c7a0e0652 and there, 1e8c049401 resembling fish.0dd980e8321a49f4

The speed 8d8e64e52b at which 758615b0d1 the fish 0cf274f6f7 monsters swam a1ecff93a9 was incomparable 5827d8f9e9 to their 6c2c500b01 movement speed 696f309a02 in human f05a492837 form. If they ec2a53eb3b had stayed d1a1bee8a2 there without b54d6e0796 knowing anything, a19625951e they might 4d87a9ff82 have become 3694f1cc21 fish food 45de393386 before absorbing ec87f4b7a7 all the 4133c58a5a power of b7ee5a4b7b the calamity.ad5c9c7684fe09a8

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“Fight those calamities from here. It’s advantageous to keep your distance from calamities in that state.”51f7b285f8634817

The man was clinging to the wall with Yuan on his back. Was there a handle he was holding onto? Yuan glanced back, but the man wasn’t holding a handle; he was supporting himself by embedding the blade on the back of his hand into the wall.f07565dbfe864514

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“Uh, are you okay?”673397e38d55c541

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is the best place to grasp the movements of the calamity. When there are too many calamities, they tend to gather and combine their strength, so don’t focus on strange things and suppress them in time!”e4367f712254deac

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Even though Yuan was worried, he was told not to focus on strange things…! Yuan grumbled in frustration but decided to do as he was told. He focused on attacking the calamity, completely relying on the Red Man. Just concentrating on absorbing and releasing power made sweat pour down his body.df63913399d5e5f6

And while circulating that power, something like an impurity gradually accumulated in a corner of Yuan’s mind.de212ee7506cff8f

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“What is this? A memory…?”b239197a722290e7

It was a vague and ambiguous image, like a scene from a dream, but Yuan realized it was similar to the “clue” he had seen before. In that memory, Yuan was also being carried around by someone, defeating monsters and making their power his own.02f47998401f8f9f

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“Don’t overdo it, you idiot! You’re worsening the symptoms!”27fa341c1becd75c

“Even if it worsens, it’s only a matter of months. Anyway, we’re both just meat shields, so what’s the point of being cautious?”372c01d456440598

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He didn’t seem to be very close to that someone. They probably only fought together once or twice. Yet, they kept nagging and being bothersome, so despite relying on that person, he found them annoying.13a6743f8305fc62

“Don’t talk as if it’s just a few months. Do you even know how much someone can do in a few months?”fb17e4e054864a31

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“I don’t know? I don’t have friends or a lover, so what can I do alone?”da211da78e2a3191

“Then you can make them in those few months. Or, I could become one of them for you.”ad21bd4d5662723f

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“What are you talking about? Are you joking?”0844fd9ee20b03b2

“Why do you think it’s a joke?”dcf360f0389d31b4

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“Because I don’t believe you’d go that far. How long have we even known each other?”aacef09392ea9009

It seemed he was also angry because that person kept making ridiculous promises. They kept pestering him, saying they’d be his friend, even though they barely knew each other. Acting as if they were someone important!a6a126d9f4c74b18

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“There’s something oddly similar to the Red Man. Maybe this past memory resurfaced because of my interactions with this man?”0c321aeb763c401d

Though it was a bit of an unexpected revelation, the fact that he regained a memory was undeniable. Yuan thought to himself that he had received a lot of help from this man in various ways. Of course, he had also suffered a lot, so if he had to categorize it, it was more of a love-hate relationship….0412287296390d36

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Being with bc7a045675 this man 68142d86bb allowed him ffd00fb423 to regain 12538b5fa9 his past. No matter what happened, a038d0c78f that fact seemed certain.69f655f82768fafc

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Even while his mind was distracted by all sorts of thoughts, Yuan mechanically absorbed and exhaled energy. As time passed, the water rose almost to the ceiling, barely touching the Red Man’s toes.a2f594deb12ff540

The calamities merged together, d5a2027a58 transforming into a form 72f7f002ca that was hard to e70559f08a determine if it was b83697ce43 even a living creature. It was clearly a 6c74eb0053 pile of trash, yet 2dfa7dd6d6 the legs squirmed disgustingly 9adde3536c like a real cephalopod, db9830e0b1 and the torso, grotesque 958f8b9689 with numerous doll heads bdf5c2f804 clustered together, was unsettling c014956e7c to watch.ae72af29c5bd1447

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The most overwhelming part was that no matter how much strength he used, he could only momentarily hold them back. Even if he tore off a leg and absorbed the opponent’s power, it was only temporary. The scattered trash heaps would be enveloped in a green light and return to their original form. They seemed to be getting even bigger…78cba89d0c5a9149