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PAVILION - Chapter 16 (City Eyes)

This...really is a brand new reality.

Martial Kim never believed it, even after all that time in the mountain and Keekee’s camp. But somehow, the moment the film assistant brought him into the town – the weight of the world delivered a one-inch punch into his gut.

Square buildings covered in armour of glass that reflected the morning sunlight; horse wagons racing left and right – without any horses to pull them! People never wearing any robes, hanfu, kimono, hanbok, or traditional gowns and tunics – all some sort of mis-match of cloth and rags that showed every frame of a human body. And don’t get started on the ladies of this town wearing scandalous outfits only Courtesans of Brothels would be daring enough to show off in public eyes.

Martial Kim didn’t know where to start, so he let the cultural shock kick him while he was down.

Is this their heaven...or my hell?

Meanwhile, Keekee had her mind somewhere else as she raced through the streets on her bicycle. “Oh my god. Oh my god! Kim, do you have any idea what this means! This is big! Really big!”

“Eyes on the road! Please Miss Keekee!”

Martial Kim bit his tongue to keep from screaming when Keekee’s bike swerved waaay too close to a horseless wagon. He swore he saw his own reflection off the metallic scales and glass covers. A deafening sound flooded his ears from mechanical roaring and honks cackling in the air.

It was like the young master was tossed into a pen of bulls and geese, both arguing over something absolutely petty with gusto.

Lights blasted into his eyes: moving green, slowing yellow, full stop red. Every twist, turn, stop, go, made his insides churn and slosh around like fish in a barrel. He felt, by the time they reach wherever Keekee was taking him, he would be dead inside the dried barrel.

No amount of martial arts training, master or immortal, can help him overcome this hellish tribulation.

“We have to tell the police!” Keekee squeaked, not from the monstrosities roaring past her on the road, “We have to tell them, a murderer is still on the loose! I wonder, is it the serial killer that’s been on the rise lately?”

“S-serial killer? Uurk.”

“Yeah! They call him the Belt Rapist!”

“Belt—” Martial Kim gagged.

For ten long seconds the world around him faded, swallowed by the flood of memories from that day—the day he witnessed the strangling. Every noise and cacophony was muted, as if the present had been ripped away from his body. It left him with only the weight of a human life haunting his shoulders. The events played out in his mind, as clear as day. He could even felt the strange leather belt burning against his finger tips, the trembling of the victim’s skin in her final moments.

To think, even in this strange perfect heaven – such vile acts against humanity still exist....Ah.

“M-Miss Keekee. Left, left, LEFT!”

VRRRRRRRRRROOOOM!

“Let’s hope the police listen to reasoning. They’ll think we’re just a couple of conspiracy theorists or whatever so they can keep the case closed, but we got to convince them no matter what!”

“R-Right! Right!”

“I knew you’d agree with me, Kim!”

“No! I mean TURN RIGHT!”

VRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Keekee finally arrived in this space of concrete and buildings that had many empty bikes clipped in metal racks. After offloading herself and her passenger, she would shove her vehicle into a racked slot and clip a lock on it.

“Come on, the police station is right this...Kim? K-Kim are you alright?”

Martial Kim’s stomach churned, bile rising in his throat, but years of ingrained etiquette forced him to swallow it down. He staggered to a nearby streetlight, gripping it for support as his body trembled. All he could manage was to suck in deep ragged breaths in order to steady himself.

I swear, if this mode of transportation were to ever come to the Jade Empire – I will personally petition against them. There are some conveniences in life that are too dangerous to exist! Uuuurk!

Keekee felt bad. She wasn’t sure if she should approach the young master and rub his back, afraid she would make matters worse. “S-sorry Kim. H-have you really never rode a bike before? Not even as a kid?”

“Uuuuurk. Aaagh.”

“I-I’ll give you a minute. O-once you get your bearings we’ll—HEY! YOU GUYS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? S-STOP FILMING!”

Filming? What did she mean by that? Actually the world sounds familiar...film work, Director...The man who cried cut and people rose from the dead? Oh no.

The young master spun around, half-expecting to be surrounded by dangerous jiangshi—those eerie, hopping vampire ghouls. But instead, he found himself encircled by a crowd of pedestrians and civilians of all shapes and sizes. They all held up glowing devices, much like Keekee’s, illuminating their faces in the dim light like ghosts in the shadows. With strange fascination, they waved their devices in front of Martial Kim's face like torches.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

My eyes! Wh-why are they blinding me!? Wh-what did I do to them? An-and how could they laugh and enjoy this like I am some sort of street performance!

The young master was drowned alive by the blinking light of their devices. An image of his fear and panic would show up on their screen and the people continued with wide smiles and giggles. All the while chanting and calling out!

“Bro, nice lock of hair! Real hippie like!”

“What’s with the toga? You came out of a frat party or something?”

“Nice cosplay man! How long did it take you to make it!?”

“I wonder what anime character is he playing as. You play Final Fantasy?”

“Hey, yo, buddy. You look like those guys in the kung fu movie. Hey, can you do a Bruce Lee impression!?”

Wh-who in the world is Bruce Lee!? And why is he making weird screaming noises?

Keekee was doing her best to fight back this horde of people, but she was just one girl with zero martial arts training. “G-guys! Quit it! It’s rude to take pictures right in someone’s face! Come on you Karens, knock it off!”

Please, please make it stop, Martial Kim pleaded as he covered his eyes with his sleeves. I am not an attraction in a petting zoo!

Without any other options, Martial Kim was forced to use Sun Tzu’s Art of War’s greatest strategy:

Retreat!

With a swift kick, he launched himself into the air, escaping the horde with a surge of inner energy and flying mastery. Despite his blurred vision, his movements were nothing short of graceful. He soared across the tops of street lamps, kicked off town banners, and vaulted with a flip over the open top of a passing tourist bus—earning more oohs and aahs by accident. Each leap carried him higher and farther, until he sailed beyond the town’s edge, vanishing out of sight and gone like the wind

“KIM! Wait Kim!” Keekee gasped. As much as she wanted to stare in amazement to such a graceful flight – she knew very well: social media was gonna have a field day with this content! “S-stop! Guys! St-stop tweeting and filming! No pictures, no live stream! D-don’t vlog it! Come on guys knock it off! Leave him alone!”

Martial Kim felt like the world was against him; just for existing.

What do I do?...Fae Fae...What do I do?

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