Apocalypse Forecast

Stop fighting already!

Even if I’m a cross-dressing pervert, I still have my reasons and dignity, alright!

”Ah, Miss Huaizhi, you’re finally back!”

Zhenxi tensed up when she heard footsteps behind her, but as soon as she saw who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief and, feeling like she was pardoned, rushed forward and dove into Miss Huaizhi’s arms.

”I was so scared, scared to death. If Senior Beelzebub hadn’t comforted me, I might have cried out of fear already…”

Stop clinging, little sister, stop clinging, big sis is scared.

Huai Shi’s face twitched as he looked down at Zhenxi, who had a blissful expression while taking advantage of him, but didn’t seem very scared at all.

On the contrary, the one on the ground is the one who’s really about to cry, right?

Never mind the concussion, who knows how many cracks there are in the skull already!

What on earth did you do?

”Miss Huaizhi, didn’t you say to shoot his limbs? But Sublimators are really scary. It was my first time using a gun, and I kept missing.

Then Senior Beelzebub told me to hit his head… I was afraid one hit wouldn’t be enough, so I hit a few more times.”

No, isn’t the scary one you…

Beelzebub, what on earth did you teach her while I wasn’t around!

As he examined Zhenxi in front of him, who seemed to be shaking but actually looked excited, he felt like she had gained some strange attribute.

It was as if he heard the sound of leveling up!

It felt like even without him, with a bit of effort, she could’ve handled it herself… Is this the legendary main character grace? And I’m just a passing golden finger, a grandma responsible for giving treasures?

Miss Huaizhi began to doubt life.

.

.

Next is today’s visitor survey at Nara Dreamland.

Just outside the Haunted House, an unshaven uncle in a very cozy and cute uniform was enthusiastically interviewing visitors, asking about their experiences with the recently opened ’Horror Curse Building’.

And distributing prizes.

”Please feel free to give advice and be frank so we can serve you better, I beg you!” Mr. Staff’s sincere enthusiasm made the visitors open up without hesitation.

”Actually, overall, it’s really good. The puzzle setup and the final part where we were chased by ghosts were amazing. Also, the little girl’s help was a true stroke of genius! If we hadn’t analyzed the background after coming out, we wouldn’t have known it was Sai-chan who wrote the ’Don’t come in’ sign in the lobby. She’s such a kind kid… I sincerely hope she can find peace.”

A female tourist in a close couple shared her heartfelt praise.

”But there were parts that were too exaggerated, which pulled everyone out of the experience.”

The stylish male tourist next to her said: ”On the fourth floor ward, when my girlfriend and I were trembling with fear, we suddenly saw a blood-soaked woman dragging a giant snake down the hallway.

It was just too exaggerated! How should I put it, it didn’t move me at all, instead I felt like laughing…”

He paused for a moment and then genuinely praised: ”But that escape sequence, the earthquake simulation was really well done, oh, something I’ve never experienced before, please keep it up.”

Earthquake simulation what?

Mr. Staff was stunned for a long time, feeling like a hundred thousand questions were floating above his head.

And, a giant snake? A woman covered in blood?

What on earth is this customer talking about?

Was this part of our Haunted House setup?

Before he could react, a middle-aged man in sunglasses squeezed in and enthusiastically started: ”The overall experience was very good, but… maybe it’s because there’s a very pretty girl among the staff, I didn’t feel scared at all!

By the way, buddy, can you give me that lady’s contact info? The one in the white dress, covered in blood, and carrying a katana… To be honest, I’m a talent scout. As soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew she had great potential. Even without any acting skills, she could become an incredibly amazing photo idol.”

”Huh?!”

Mr. Staff couldn’t hold back his shocked expression, incredulous, ”Do we have someone like that here?”

”Oh, come on, you don’t have to lie to me if you don’t want to tell.”

The talent scout said seriously: ”But I’ll definitely come back tomorrow! I won’t give up until I get that lady’s contact!”

No, I told you we don’t have such a woman here!

Customer, don’t go crazy!

The middle-aged Mr. Staff wore a complex expression, wanting to say something but stopping himself, not knowing what to say.

”Oh, I get it, the giant snake must be a hidden plot!” The young guy next to him said regretfully: ”A seemingly simple Haunted House actually has a hidden storyline. Wow, it’s such a pity, and I prided myself as a detective expert but missed some clues…”

”Everything else was fine, but that woman torturing the corpse was really scary.”

The middle-aged man smoking said: ”Obviously she looked small and a bit plain, but she was holding a hammer-like thing, squatting in the aisle, smashing a burned body’s head until it bang-banged! When she heard my footsteps, she turned and smiled at me!”

”Yes, yes, it scared the soul out of me!”

A lady with a thick Kansai accent chimed in: ”If I didn’t know it was fake, I might have called the police! Eh? You said there’s no such STAFF here? Wow, don’t joke… hey, why is your face whiter than mine? Even for a joke, this is going too far!”

In any case, although everyone gave collective praise, it felt like their play experience was all over the place for some reason…

Half an hour later, a middle-aged STAFF member, feeling rather existential, returned to the break room with a pile of suggestion forms and knocked on the director’s office door.

”Oh, have you sorted all the visitor feedback forms, Mr. Sasaki?”

”Yes, it’s all here. Although some of the feedback is outrageous, everyone still gave a lot of praise.”

”Very fast!” The director nodded, impressed. ”Although you’re new and have no relevant work experience, you’re surprisingly capable!”

”You flatter me, Director, I’m just a countryman who’s not afraid to eat bitterness.”

Mr. Sasaki smiled a little shyly: ”If it’s physical work, leave it to me, it’s the one thing I’m confident about.”

”There’s still a small matter to ask of you later, but Mr. Sasaki, you should take a break too. Did you take a night shift somewhere else? You’ve got dark circles under your eyes, take care of your body.”

The middle-aged man known as Mr. Sasaki nodded repeatedly.

Then, the endless cycle of work continued. Busy and tight up to the end of his shift, he picked up a thick stack of wages from the finance department.

”Sasaki, want to grab a drink after work?”

”Ah, I’ve got other work to do, so sorry, so sorry.”

Nodding and bowing apologetically, he declined his colleagues and received remarks like ’so diligent’ and ’the old guys are a bit rigid’.

Dragging his tired body, he left the Dreamland and couldn’t help but feel a wave of exhaustion watching the twilight settle in.

Passing by an ordinary family restaurant, he thought he saw a familiar figure.

Sasaki paused for a moment, stopping in his tracks.

In the hall behind the window, he saw a truly stunning back.

Facing away from the window, she was chatting with the girl next to her. Even without seeing her face, she had to be a real beauty, right?

But for such a beautiful girl, if he’d seen her before, there’s no way he wouldn’t remember, right?

Sasaki involuntarily looked twice, chuckled at his seeing-ghosts illusion, and continued towards his current home, a dilapidated, dimly lit apartment.

”I’m back, Zaotou Shi. There’s discounted char siu at the supermarket today, we can make ramen!”

He opened the door, and soon, smelled a heavy scent of blood.

Sasaki, startled, looked up and saw his old friend on the chair, breathing with difficulty, and the gaping wound on his chest.

”Are you hurt? Who did this?”

”Who else…”

The blind swordsman smiled wryly: ”The Agleam Murder Demon is appearing more frequently, Sasaki, we don’t have much time left.”

Sasaki fell silent.

For a long time, he nodded slowly.