It is now mid-September of 2023, and the time I awakened my superpowers was in early April of 2019.

It's been about four and a half years. At that time, I was in the second semester of my third year of middle school, still at an age full of fantasies.

Although people around me still say I'm someone who loves to fantasize, I was even more naive back then. So, when I awakened my superpowers, I had no doubts about the existence of supernatural powers and was able to wholeheartedly search for mysterious things that others believed were impossible.

The legendary fairies, demons, and gods might actually exist, and superpowered individuals like me undoubtedly exist in some corners of the world.

I never thought of myself as the only superpowered individual in the world. Where there’s one, there must be more—it's a very simple logic. Although I don’t know how I ended up awakening my powers by sheer luck, even if the probability was one in a billion, with a global population of eight billion, there should still be at least a few dozen other superpowered individuals. And if I expand the search from “superpowered individuals” to “supernatural forces,” who knows how many more there could be. My reasoning shouldn’t be wrong.

However, despite more than four years having passed, my search progress is still at zero.

Only my own powers have been advancing rapidly on the evolutionary track.

---

This time, unlike the previous occasion, Ma Zao didn’t sleep for an entire night.

It hadn’t been long before she groggily opened her eyes, looking at me as if she were still half in a dream.

I took the initiative to show goodwill.

"You must still be very tired. It's alright, you can rest for a little longer."

However, upon hearing this, she didn't respond. She simply watched me silently, her gaze growing clearer by the moment. After a brief pause, she pulled the covers off and got out of bed, stumbling toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I quickly stepped in front of her.

"Move aside." She glared at me like a wounded pup.

"Are you really trying to leave?"

"I told you, I'm done with bothering you."

"But I still have something to say. After all, I took the risk of harboring you, even at the risk of being arrested by the police. I can't just sit back and let you act recklessly now." I gave a valid reason.

She ignored me, trying to quickly step around me.

However, after just one step, her body swayed involuntarily, and then her knees buckled, causing her to almost fall to the ground.

I hurriedly stepped forward to catch her, but she stubbornly shrugged me off and immediately retreated two steps, putting a cautious distance between us.

"What can you even do in this condition?" I pressed on, "You can't even walk properly; you could faint at any moment. Not to mention you're covered in blood, wearing that barely covering hospital gown. If you go outside like this, the police will catch you in no time."

"I won't tell anyone about you. Is that okay?" She frowned in response.

"What I mean is... don't you plan on taking a bath first?" I racked my brain, trying to buy some time to figure out how to persuade her to stay. "You can throw that outfit away. You can wear my clothes, and I'll get you new underwear."

"Take a bath?" She was puzzled, then seemed to remember something, retreating two steps and looking at me with even more caution. "You mean...?"

"Don't misunderstand," I quickly dispelled her suspicions. "If I had those kinds of intentions, I would've already done everything."

"That's true..." Although she said that, she still checked her body again before reluctantly admitting, "A bath... I guess you're right, I can't just walk out like this..."

After some persuasion, she finally agreed, walking into the bathroom while glancing back at me every few steps.

I brought her the spare slippers, then took out my clothes, new underwear, and a towel from the nightstand, handing them over. I followed her to the bathroom door and watched as she closed it behind her, the frosted glass door shutting with a soft sound.

Behind the door, I could hear the crinkling of the towel’s plastic wrapping being torn open, followed by the sound of clothes being removed. The frosted glass reflected a faint, small shadow of her. She seemed to be sorting through the bathing supplies, with the quiet sound of bottles being picked up and set down.

The shower turned on, and the sound of water splashing on the floor came through the door. At first, the water was definitely cold, and she let out a short, cute squeal, like a startled little animal.

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Soon, the water must have warmed up, as she fell silent and emitted a comfortable sound.

Just a door away was a living, naked beauty, and I suddenly realized I shouldn't be standing so close. I quickly moved to the sofa in the living room, sat down, and began thinking about what to do next while pulling out my phone to ask for leave from university.

At that moment, I noticed a few text notifications on my phone. They were from my only friend at university. The time was from last night; he had asked if I was free in the evening. I had been busy with Ma Zao's situation and hadn't seen the messages.

Why was he suddenly reaching out to me? Was there something urgent?

It seems Ma Zao, being a survivor from the apocalypse era, may have developed a deep habit of conserving water resources. I had initially thought that since she was a girl, she would take a long time in the shower. That would give me plenty of time to think of ways to keep her around with my words. However, Ma Zao's shower speed was surprisingly quick—just as quick as I, a rough man, would be. It wasn’t long before she was dressed in my clothes, leaning against the wall for support, and slowly walking out of the bathroom.

I had prepared for her a gray long-sleeved T-shirt and long pants, and black boxer briefs. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any upper-body undergarments designed for girls, so I wasn’t sure if this might cause her any discomfort or have a negative impact, especially for someone her age.

The shirt I had originally intended for myself was obviously too loose on her. The sleeves were long enough to cover her hands, and the hem of the shirt was so long it almost looked like a short dress. She simply rolled up the sleeves and pants, exposing her fair, slender forearms and calves.

I led her back to the bedroom. The dirty sheets and blankets had already been removed. She sat down on the bed, still carrying the warm steam of the water and the fragrance of lemon-scented shampoo.

It was rather unbelievable—her lemon scent, which was exactly the same as the shampoo I use most often, now seemed different as it wafted from her. It created an entirely different, subtle atmosphere.

The clothes, so ordinary and commonplace, now seemed to exude a strange charm just because they were on her.

This must be what the internet calls the "boyfriend shirt" look, though she and I were not that kind of relationship. Just thinking about it felt like I was deluding myself.

"Thank you, I can't even remember the last time I had such a comfortable bath."

Maybe the hot water had softened this "hedgehog's" prickly demeanor, as her attitude toward me had become gentler.

Then she asked me to return her handgun.

Without thinking, I refused.

"By the way, how did you end up with a handgun? Did you bring it with you when you traveled through time?"

"...That's none of your business." She remained uncooperative, though her tone was softer. "Since you won't give it back to me, keep it. I'm leaving now."

"You're planning to investigate the cause of the apocalypse, right? But do you have any leads?"

"No. But the apocalypse didn't just suddenly happen. It has signs and forewarnings. It's just that people today haven't paid enough attention to them. Strange phenomena, or bizarre monsters... things like that must have already appeared openly in this era." She became a little more patient, then issued a warning. "You also need to be careful. If you encounter any suspicious signs, don't hesitate. Get as far away as possible. And..."

"What else?"

"...Don't come any closer." She seemed to consciously speak in a calm tone. "I... am different from you. I am a harbinger of misfortune.

"People who are around me, who get involved with me... they always end up being far more likely to get caught up in bizarre events that defy common sense, until they tragically die.

"If you value your life, then don't continue to get involved with me."

Huh? There's such a good deal?

I was suddenly filled with energy.

"How can that be?" I immediately said with righteous indignation. "I told you from the start, the reason I saved you is because I couldn't just stand by and do nothing for you — for a girl lying in the night in tattered clothes. And now you want me to just forget about you? Isn't that like killing me mentally? If I do that, would I even be me anymore?"

"Anyone can say such grandiose things. When death is looming, you will regret your decisions," her tone became heavier.

"Don't underestimate me. If I say I won't regret it, then I won't. It's you who should reconsider yourself," I replied. "Right now, you can't use your powers, you can't move freely, and you still need to rest, but you're planning to go out and keep running around? Isn't that just making things worse?"

"Instead, why not stay here and recover? That way, you can better serve your mission to prevent the apocalypse, right? Or is it more important for you to satisfy your need to show off?"

"Besides, even if you really are a harbinger of misfortune, capable of bringing unpredictable disaster to those around you, there's no need to rush. Not even a few days' wait should be unbearable, right?"

"This..." She seemed to be moved by my words. "Just a few days..."

"Well?" I probed.

"..." She fell silent.

I waited nervously for her response.

If...

If I couldn't persuade her no matter what, then, to put it bluntly, I would break her legs and chain her up if I had to, keeping her imprisoned in my home.

Although illegal imprisonment of a minor is both a crime and perverse, even to avoid having my criminal history discovered by the authorities, this might be necessary. After all, I already possess illegal firearms and ammunition, and am hiding a "serial killer." Adding one more crime wouldn't make a difference.

I didn't want to resort to such extreme measures until the very last moment. For me, it would require overcoming a huge psychological barrier to do so.

After a long pause, she finally exhaled and reluctantly nodded.

"... I understand," she said, sounding as though she had been defeated. "But just in case, I won't stay here for too long. No matter how my recovery goes, I will leave in no more than five days... no, at most three days."

"Also... thank you."

By the end, her voice had become very small.

The tension in my heart finally eased, at least for now.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door from the hallway.

We both fell silent, staring at each other in shock.

Could it be the police again? Has the same officer returned?

Why would he come back? Did he finally realize something was off here? How many officers are outside now?

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I called toward the door, signaling for Ma Zao to stay quiet with a hand gesture.

She nodded and curled up on the bed.

I reached the hallway and, instead of peeking through the peephole, I stayed alert and slowly turned the doorknob.

There was no sudden forceful attempt to open the door.

I gently pushed the door open and saw the person standing outside.

"It's you?" I was surprised.

Standing outside was my only friend from university.

However, his face looked quite bad, with traces of lingering fear, as if he had just gone through some inexplicable and bizarre event.