Death Spiral [Infinite Flow] - Chapter 81

Chapter 81 – Three People Make a Tiger 17

When he opened his eyes, Xu RenDong found himself in an abandoned city.

The city was deserted and the streets were overgrown with grass. Huge vines climbed all over the tall buildings and even snaked through the broken glass windows and went into the interiors of the buildings. It seems that this place has been abandoned for a long time. Not only is it occupied by plants but even animals used it as a home. Deer and wild boars walked on the cracked asphalt road and occasionally lowered their heads to nibble on the grass growing from the cracks in the ground. Birds chirped gently in the shade of greenery and, from time to time, large flocks of birds were startled and streaked across the sky. This is a scene that cannot be seen in modern cities.

Xu RenDong was shocked by this scene as soon as he opened his eyes. He never imagined that an abandoned city would have such a beautiful vista. Buildings, streets, rusted cars, there were traces of human life everywhere but nature has come back, step by step, to reclaim it. Wild animals and plants have become the masters here, strolling around here and growing wildly, as if this place has been their home since ancient times.

There were no human voices around or noises of a modern city. All that haunted his ears were the whispers of the wind blowing through the grass and the flapping wings of birds flying in the sky.

The philosophical implications of this moved Xu RenDong but right now he didn’t really have time to think about it. He looked around, looking for traces of Lian Qiao’s whereabouts. Soon, at the edge of a water pond in the center of the city, he saw two figures.

It was a piece of clear and translucent water that appeared in the middle of an abandoned city. It didn’t seem strange at all. Xu RenDong looked from a distance and recognized Lian Qiao at a glance. He was wearing a black combat uniform with a pure black katana sword on his back and he was holding a long fishing rod. He was probably taking a break between battles.

And behind him, there was someone with wings…

It was himself with wings!

Xu RenDong opened his eyes in disbelief. He took another look to make sure that the bird man behind Lian Qiao had a face exactly the same as his own!

No, it was not exactly the same. That Xu RenDong not only had a pair of white and flawless wings but even the holy light slowly sprinkled from the top of his head. There was a silver notch between his eyebrows, which was really beautiful. Although his facial features and demeanor were very similar to his own, with the addition of the pair of wings and the holy light, the Xu RenDong next to Lian Qiao really seemed like an angel from mythology and was shockingly beautiful.

…Is that what he looked like in Lian Qiao’s mind?

Xu RenDong couldn’t help blushing.

As he stood stunned, Lian Qiao’s fishing rod was hooked. With a twist of his wrist, the fishing rod drew a beautiful arc in the air. A big fish landed in front of him. He took off the fish and happily showed it off to the angel beside him. The angel smiled at him but said nothing.

Lian Qiao took the angel’s hand, said something with a smile, and then the two walked in a certain direction.

The angel slowly flapped its white wings and floated gracefully in mid-air with both his feet only lightly touching the ground with his toes. The holy light above his head scattered all the way and fell into the grass and turned into silver-white debris. Lian Qiao was all in black, from his battle uniform to his long sword. Occasionally, small robots appeared on the road, roaring “I’ll kill you” in an electronically synthesized voice  and waving their robotic arms towards the two of them. Lian Qiao pulled out the long katana behind his back and cut the little robot into pieces neatly. The mechanical parts were scattered all over the place and soon they automatically flew into the small backpack around Lian Qiao’s waist.

“There are mechanical lifeforms everywhere, it’s so annoying.” Lian Qiao put away the long sword and took the angel’s hand. He curved his eyes and smiled again, “Let’s go, I’ll take you someplace.” 

The angel smiled back at him in return.

Xu RenDong followed from a distance and saw Lian Qiao and the angel kissing each other and experienced the wonderful sensation of growing green grass on his own head. He wanted to send Lian Qiao away as soon as possible but all along the way, he didn’t see the elevator. He could only wait and see what would happen.

As he walked, the scene in front of him changed and a playground appeared. It was unknown when it got dark and there were mechanical clowns parading around in the playground. They played different musical instruments and passed by Lian Qiao and the angel but didn’t appear to want to attack them. From time to time, ribbons floated over the shoulders of the two of them and Lian Qiao gently brushed them away for the angel.

In the night sky, fireworks rose one by one, illuminating the castles and roller coasters in the distance. The castle has a very unique shape, with a huge love-shaped hole dug out in the middle and had a strange beauty. The roller coaster rumbled onto the track and rushed down quickly but there was no one on the roller coaster. The thrilling track could not elicit any screams so it seemed empty and lonely.

Lian Qiao turned his head to the side and said something to the angel.

Xu RenDong didn’t hear a word. He only saw the fireworks in the air illuminating the angel’s face. The angel raised the corner of his mouth slightly and his eyes were full of smiles.

That smile was like the spring breeze blowing the willow branches, so soft and intoxicating. Even Xu RenDong, who was used to seeing his own appearance, couldn’t help but be taken aback.

Lian Qiao stared blankly at the angel and, as if being pulled by an invisible thread, leaned over bit by bit. He closed his eyes, raised his head and kissed the corner of the angel’s lips reverently. Then he opened his eyes carefully to see the angel’s reaction.

The angel smiled and acquiesced to him.

Lian Qiao laughed, stretched his hand around the angel’s neck and kissed him affectionately. Fireworks bloomed behind the two of them and the castle was bright and dark. It was as romantic as a fairy tale.

Xu RenDong hid in the dark and peeped, feeling that the top of his head was green. But the angel did have his face and this was in Lian Qiao’s dream, so to Lian Qiao, it was Xu RenDong himself… Strictly speaking, this really can’t be counted as a betrayal. 

Xu RenDong fell into a strange philosophical thinking.

The two clingy people finally separated and there was even a trace of water on the corner of their mouths. Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment and, when he realized what was going on, he blushed madly.

“You are so sweet.” Lian Qiao rubbed the corner of the angel’s mouth obsessively, his eyes darkening, “Let’s do it, shall we?”

… This was too much!

A burning sense of shame surged up. Xu RenDong couldn’t take it any longer, and decided to break up this dog male and male pair. He looked at the shapes of the mechanical clowns around him and, after thinking a bit, changed his clothes.

As his body grew larger, the viewing angle gradually increased. The surrounding scenery was constantly sinking. He looked down at himself, at his all-metal body. The joints were constructed of gears and there was a mechanical core inside to provide energy, so it was not difficult to drive this huge mechanical body.

When he took a step, the ground shook.

“What’s that sound?” Lian Qiao was immediately startled. He turned around and saw the huge mechanical creature  that was dozens of meters high. The expression on his face changed from dissatisfaction to surprise.

“Elite monsters?” Lian Qiao took out his katana and said to the angel eagerly, “Switch to defensive mode, don’t take the initiative to attack. Wait for me to come back.”

A few lines of code flashed in the angel’s eyes. He closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, he nodded towards Lian Qiao.

Lian Qiao kissed the angel on the forehead and then charged towards the giant machine aggressively.

A certain giant machine: “…” I made myself green. I really want to “eat vinegar” (be jealous) but I can’t, I’m angry!

Xu RenDong decided to take out his anger on the scumbag Lian Qiao. He waved his heavy mechanical arm and smashed it hard at Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao was very responsive, and his movements were so fast that he almost turned into two people. He avoided the punch long before he landed. The fist of the huge mechanical lifeform smashed into the air, causing a burst of dust. Xu RenDong turned to look for Lian Qiao’s whereabouts  but heard a metal crash behind him. Then, the thick steel plate was split open, revealing the internal gear structure.

… Katana swords can also cut steel?! This is too unscientific!

The huge mechanical lifeform turned around lumberingly and saw the nimble black figure wielding a long knife in mid-air, slashing everywhere. The samurai sword looked inconspicuous but it slashed the huge machine incarnated by Xu RenDong into flames. Xu RenDong tried to catch Lian Qiao several times but, because of his slow movement, he always missed the air.

Although Lian Qiao’s movements are agile, unfortunately the difference in body size between the two is too great. For a while, the samurai sword was still unable to inflict fatal damage to the huge machinery. While fighting against Lian Qiao, Xu RenDong surveyed the surrounding terrain.

Even though he had already stood so high, he still didn’t see the elevator. Where was the elevator in Lian Qiao’s dream?

Lian Qiao’s movements are agile, his offensive is fierce and the huge machine really can’t kill him. Xu RenDong wanted to give up and didn’t want to waste any more time. But he heard Lian Qiao excitedly say: “This monster is so hard, it will definitely drop good things!” He turned his head and shouted at the angel: “RenDong, switch the attack mode! Cover me, I will hack him!”

Two silver-white long knives appeared, flapping their wings and flying towards here. At the same time, Lian Qiao stood still, clenched his hands loosely and placed his fists in front of his chest. Sparks burst out from the electromagnetic gloves and a laser shot directly aimed at the inner core of the giant machine!

Xu RenDong was startled, knowing that Lian Qiao was coming now, so he quickly turned his head and ran away. Suddenly, a red box jumped out in front of him: “Warning! Hacker invasion detected!”    

Xu RenDong tried to eliminate the hacker program running around in his body, but a red box popped out in front of him:     

“Warning! The control of the left robotic arm has been lost!”     

Xu RenDong was shocked and then there was a loud bang on the left. He was shocked to find that the left mechanical arm had been forcibly separated from the giant mechanical body. It was controlled by an aperture and was floating in the air.     

Before Xu RenDong could react, the robotic arm had already clenched its fist and slammed into his own face! The head of the giant machine was smashed to the side and the whole body lost its balance and fell heavily onto the ground. This move is no better than a samurai sword. It was simply a huge lethal force and, all of a sudden, Xu RenDong, who was hiding inside the machine, was dizzy.     

…you, this is domestic violence!

Hacker programs multiplied frantically in Xu RenDong’s body. He has done his best to resist the virus but he can’t resist all of it.

This way, Lian Qiao manipulated the captured mechanical arm and pressed the giant machine to the ground and beat him wildly. Xu RenDong, who suffered domestic violence, was furious. He heard his body being smashed, parts and firelight flying around. It didn’t take long for the huge machine dozens of meters high to be dismantled to the point of iron lumps and a lot of sparkling rare props exploded around.

As for Xu RenDong, he abandoned the body long before he was divided and hid back in the darkness.

Xu RenDong was deeply in pain. He didn’t expect Lian Qiao to be so strong in his dream, he actually couldn’t beat him! He could only wait angrily for Lian Qiao to pick up the props, watching Lian Qiao happily holding a lot of things to show the angel. Then he took the angel’s hand again, ran to the castle where the love heart was dug out, and watched the fireworks tirelessly.

…It was really irritating!

Fine, don’t leave! You two stay here and continue to be clingy and crooked!

Xu RenDong mobilized his thoughts angrily and was about to leave Lian Qiao’s dream, when he heard Lian Qiao say: “Actually, I wanted to bring you here for a long time but I was afraid that you would call me naive. Although it’s just a game…” 

The roller coaster rumbled. The ground passed in front of you and the gorgeous fireworks lit up the night sky. The huge castle stood silently, the heart-shaped void filled with fireworks.

“…But it’s really beautiful here.”

Xu RenDong stopped and turned around. He looked at Lian Qiao from a distance, and found that when Lian Qiao said this, there were stars flashing in his eyes.

Lian Qiao is like an innocent and sincere child, holding his favorite things out to the person he likes the most, wanting to share with him, but he was afraid that the other person would not like it and that he would laugh at him.

That cautious appearance was like a green fruit stained with dew, sweet and sour, and the juice was full of the sweetness of first love.

How can he not be distracted?

 Xu RenDong raised the corners of his mouth slightly, stared at Lian Qiao from a distance and said silently, “It’s beautiful.”

“That’s right!” Lian Qiao suddenly remembered something and smiled with curved eyebrows, “There is a hidden easter egg in the castle. Let me show you!” Then he took the angel’s hand and ran towards the castle.

Xu RenDong disappeared and followed quietly. Passing through the ornate castle gate, you would be greeted by a spacious ballroom. Different from the gorgeous exterior, the interior of the castle is scattered, as if there had been a war, and the ground was full of corpses of mechanical creatures.

Lian Qiao ignored these and went straight to the small door beside the ballroom. It was a downward staircase and the long and narrow corridor spread to the depths. Several mechanical creatures sprang out of the darkness, all of which were quickly killed by Lian Qiao’s sword.

“The protagonist of this game is an artificial man, which was created to fight against mechanical creatures. The game officially announced a theme song. The MV was shot with real scenery. Press the button to smash and destroy the dolls. All the corpses are piled up together, like a mountain of garbage. The whole MV has a kind of cruel and violent beauty.”

Lian Qiao cleaned up the mechanical creatures that jumped out, whilst simplifying the game plot and explaining it to the angel. In the dark corridor, the samurai sword slashed a lot of sparks on the metal body of the mechanical creature and the sound of metal collision was endless. The scene that was supposed to be gloomy and depressing was less terrifying because of Lian Qiao’s beautiful fighting moves.

“When I cleared the level for the first time, I was so shocked by the ending that I couldn’t fall asleep all night.”

“Later, I found this hidden easter egg when I played the second time. It’s this inconspicuous little door. You just go all the way to the end and take the elevator down. Then you will arrive at the wreckage mountain from the MV.”

Xu RenDong had been quietly following and, when he heard the word “elevator”, he suddenly raised his head.

The two finally came to the end of the corridor. He saw an elevator standing at the end. The elevator was different from the one they usually saw. It was rusted and very shabby, and matched the surrounding scene very well.

Xu RenDong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He looked for the elevator that he couldn’t find for a long time and it turned out to be hidden here. It’s no wonder, this is Lian Qiao’s dream. Lian Qiao restored the game scene in the dream, so it is reasonable for the elevator to appear as an easter egg.

Lian Qiao pressed the button. With a heavy roar, the elevator door opened. He and the angel smiled at each other and stepped into the elevator hand in hand.

The moment he walked into the elevator, Xu RenDong’s heart tightened, for fear that Lian Qiao would be cut in half by the elevator again. Fortunately, there was no abnormality this time. The elevator door slowly closed and Lian Qiao and the angel disappeared behind the door.

Immediately afterwards, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, everything around was stirred and twisted.

Xu RenDong finally felt at ease, knowing that Lian Qiao had left. Sure enough, when he returned to the room, Zhong Xiu was the only one left on the bed.

Everything went very smoothly and it was just a matter of driving everyone into the elevator one by one.

Xu RenDong came to Zhong Xiu’s side and gently pressed her arm. The familiar attraction pulled him into a dream and, at the same time, a strong emotion poured into his chest, cold and sharp. The pain made him breathless and tears flowed instantly.

What is going on? What kind of dream is Zhong Xiu having?

Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and there was a bad premonition in his heart.

***

The author has something to say:

The game is “Nier: Mechanical Age” {probably Nier: Automata} and the theme song MV is Amazarashi’s Life にふさわしい.