Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

The memories of Shigure Kira and Kiana appearing could be understood; after all, they were the people he loved most. But why did Fantasy MEI appear in his memory for no reason?

Li Mo carefully searched his feelings for the Fantasy Ghost, but there was no factual basis to speak of.

In other words, the appearance of the Fantasy Ghost in his memory was a bug.

But could rules have bugs? This situation would only occur when rules collided.

"I feel a little tired..."

Li Mo held his head and sat back on the bed. He didn't know where this feeling of fatigue came from, and there was no sign of it disappearing.

"I'll sleep first. If I don't rest well, my reactions and thinking will decline in the next few days, which is very dangerous."

He got under the covers, closed his eyes, and controlled his brain to fall into a deep sleep.

————

In the primeval world, MEI stared coldly at a rotten blade in her hand.

A few strands of silver-white hair were wrapped around the blade, constantly emitting a strong smell of rust, very raw.

The eyes on it wanted to open, but they were suppressed by the pressure of "divinity."

"Then, it's time to meet ahead of schedule."

MEI's eyes were sharp. She used the blade to cut through the space in front of her and walked in, carrying a gray-green candle.

Clearly, this rotten blade was a special kind of bizarre object.

The space it created was a dilapidated city ruin, with no humans and no ghosts wandering.

There was no moon in the night sky, but blood-red eyeballs filled the sky like stars.

The orange-yellow candle had the function of shielding or interfering with a ghost's perception. When a ghost approached, it would constantly flicker and the fire would weaken.

But the gray-green candle showed no abnormality since entering this space, until MEI threw the fragments of the sixth page of the notebook into it as fuel. The gray-green candle began to decay continuously, and the extinguished candlelight turned into a long thread, leading to an unknown distance in the boundless night sky.

After a while, the candlelight completely went out.

A well-dressed girl with long blue-black hair appeared in front of MEI.

"A strange space... Who are you?"

A self-introduction was necessary. The best way to persuade the other party was to present conditions and information that only the other party would recognize.

Originally, MEI planned to wait for the other party to come to her door, at least as the notebook predicted.

But who knew what changes would occur? Following the fate predicted by the notebook would always put her in a passive state. By then, the so-called choices would only be helpless compromises.

Knowing her purpose, and then using the information revealed by the notebook to achieve her purpose in a better way, the risk was much smaller than following the notebook's instructions.

"Let me introduce myself. I am MEI. As for my identity... you can think of me as Li Mo's superior."

Upon hearing Li Mo's name, the girl's eyes brightened significantly. She opened her mouth, just about to say something, but was interrupted by MEI.

"I know what you want to ask. I don't know where he is right now. The only thing I know is that he is currently dealing with a supernatural incident."

"My initial plan was to wait for you to find me, but by then, I'm afraid some new problems that must be faced will appear. So I used a few bizarre objects in advance to summon you to this special fantasy space."

"I need you to do one thing, Seele Vollerei."

MEI stood with one hand on her hip, the other hanging naturally, studying the girl in front of her who could easily take her life.

"What do you want me to do?"

Seele, whose real name had been called out, was a little surprised, but she didn't react much.

After all, being with Li Mo was equivalent to being contaminated by the Bizarre.

So, even if she knew her name, it didn't matter if she had another contamination on her. What's more, the woman in front of her was just an ordinary person.

Without the precipitation of time, unless there was a rule that directly assimilated her, it was difficult to become a real ghost.

Becoming a killable derivative was not worth worrying about.

MEI pointed to her forehead and said coldly, "Kill me here, then say my name: MEI. This is not difficult for you. No, for any ghost, killing is a simple matter."

As soon as she said this, Seele was stunned. She asked half-believingly, "I can do it, but... do you know what this means?"

"You are just an ordinary person. People will die if they are killed."

Seele repeatedly checked if the person in front of her had the aura of a fellow kind. In the end, she determined that she was just an ordinary person, without any bizarre不死 rules.

In addition, MEI claimed to be Li Mo's superior. Wouldn't killing her cause Li Mo a lot of trouble?

MEI saw through Seele's confusion and said unhurriedly, "Have you heard the story of the 'Paper Man's Return'?"

Seele shook her head, "No, it sounds like a ghost story."

MEI stepped forward and took out a paper man without eyes from her body. It was shriveled and fragile, as if it could be torn into pieces with a gentle pull.

But Seele became alert, because she felt a Bizarre aura on it, although it was very weak.

It seemed that this was not the main body, but a branch.

MEI: "This is the main body."

Seele: "???"

MEI: "In fact, every paper man is the main body. There is no such thing as a substitute."

"Bizarre File: 'Paper Man's Return'."

"'Paper Man Ghost'."

"Activity time: All day."

"Rule: Resurrected after being painted with human blood eyes, and kills the 'painter'."

"Killing method: Finds the target's weapon and attacks when the target is not paying attention. Very weak, can be easily guarded against."

"Characteristics: Retains all the memories and consciousness of the 'painter', and has a strong immunity to external cognitive interference."

"Rating: D-."

"..."

Seele hesitated for a long time before she couldn't help but ask, "Is there any point in you saying this?"

MEI paused, "In the process of dealing with the Bizarre, a person's cognition will be interfered with by various rules, causing hallucinations and making wrong judgments."

"Thinking that the surrounding environment is hot, thus undressing in the ice and snow, and dying of frostbite on the snowfield half an hour later."

"Mistaking a trap for an escape route, unknowingly walking into a trap set by a ghost, and dying in a daze."

"Thinking that you are still alive, and only realizing it when you see your own corpse..."

"Humans are too fragile, too small. Even the most incomplete rule can easily occupy the high ground of consciousness."

"But as a leader, you must maintain absolute clarity and rationality, even if it means resorting to unscrupulous means."

Seele suddenly interrupted, "Wait, what you mean is..."

MEI calmly replied, "When Li Mo dealt with the source Bizarre Thing in my world, his cognition had already been severely interfered with, and he could no longer clearly perceive the world."

"After entering the night, wherever there were people, there was a ghost ten meters away. Once the line of sight left, the ghost would rush to the back at an extremely fast speed and break the neck."

"Before this phenomenon had completely spread to the city I was in, I found the Paper Man Ghost alone."

"After I cracked its rule, I found that the Paper Man Ghost could be used by me, so I took a gamble."

"Just like the situation I am facing at this moment, should I believe that Li Mo can solve everything alone? Or should I silently push from behind, using my own life as a beacon, barely dispelling the chaotic darkness."

Seele: "..."

"I understand. Although I don't know what you want to do, it must be an incredibly difficult thing."

"You really should get a good night's sleep. Your dark circles are very heavy, MEI."

Seele didn't ask any more about what had happened at that time.

To gamble with one's own life, with fear and hope, was to have no other choice, to be at a dead end.

Li Mo probably still didn't know about this matter. He might have vaguely guessed it, but he would never have thought of what it was specifically, because that past was based on his cognitive interference, and the original appearance of things had long become blurred.

Seele extended her finger and gently slid it across MEI's neck.

MEI's body couldn't help but tremble, which surprised Seele greatly.

She had originally thought that MEI was the kind of absolutely rational survivor who was not afraid of anything and no longer feared death...

Seele: "Are you afraid of death?"

Seele quietly watched as MEI collapsed to the ground, black blood seeping from the crack in her neck.

MEI felt her body growing colder, her consciousness gradually fading.

The pupils in her eyes quickly disappeared, as if she had turned back into a paper man without eyes, leaving only the turbid white sclera, empty.

At the last moment before her life faded, MEI finally spoke, her voice trembling, "I don't... want to die."

If she died, there would be nothing left. She had not yet proven the "topic of love," the value of her existence.

In her dying moments, MEI thought not of Li Mo, but of Shigure Kira.

The girl who could be carefree and truly live with Li Mo forever.

She was very envious, even... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say jealous.

Although MEI had never shown it in front of others, she wanted to switch identities with Shigure Kira from the bottom of her heart.

Both Shigure Kira and Li Mo could willingly die for each other, and die willingly.

Including the twisted Corrupted Kiana, her predecessor, Kiana, and Li Mo also had an incomparably sincere and pure love, even if the result was a complete tragedy.

Then, what kind of relationship did she and Li Mo have?

Were they fellow patients in the same boat? Companions who protected each other? Or saviors who walked side by side for a verbal agreement?

But... but... these were not what she wanted.

What she really wanted was to be like Kiana and Shigure Kira, to have that fleeting, firefly-like—small happiness.

In the primeval world, Pardofelis stood guard in MEI's room. On the bed was a pile of paper men.

After seeing the head and body of the paper man separate, Pardofelis immediately took out the blood MEI had prepared, dipped her finger into the container full of MEI's blood, and then gently dotted it twice. Two eerie red lights appeared in the new paper man's eyes.

Time passed minute by minute, but the paper man still showed no signs of resurrection.

Pardofelis nervously swallowed the canned food, her teeth biting into the cat's brain.

"Oh no, oh no, Dr. MEI's plan didn't fail, did it? Then when Boss Mo comes back and sees Dr. MEI is gone, wouldn't he..."

Pardofelis was so scared that she stretched out her hand, wanting to add a little more blood to the paper man's eyes.

Before Pardofelis could realize her idea, the shriveled body of the paper man quickly expanded, and fluffy, gorgeous deep purple long hair grew from the bare paper.

The only flaw was that there was a crack on her neck, and the visible dark circles were still there.

"Dr. MEI, you're back! You scared me to death, I thought you weren't coming back! Thank goodness... it's good that you're back, otherwise Boss Mo would definitely hold me responsible, and I would be beaten severely if I lied again, boo hoo hoo..."

Pardofelis hugged MEI tightly, burying her head in MEI's generous chest and rubbing against it.

MEI looked at the familiar surroundings and reached out to touch her neck.

The crack was rapidly healing.

But that wasn't the key.

The most important thing was—her consciousness was clearer, the opposite of blind and foolish.

"..."

"There are still two left."

"Huh? What two? Dr. MEI, what are you talking about? Let's not do such dangerous things in the future, okay?" Pardofelis carefully raised her head and looked at MEI innocently.

MEI perfunctorily placed her hand on Pardofelis' head and rubbed it.

"Don't tell Li Mo about today's matter. You just need to pretend you don't know anything, or... I can help you erase this memory."

MEI looked at Pardofelis with a look of nuclear kindness, slowly stood up, walked to the corner and opened a drawer, taking out a strange comb from inside.

"Ah... haha, did something happen today? Wasn't I sleeping in Elysia-neechan's room all along? How did I end up in Dr. MEI's room? How strange... mhm, how strange... ha, haha..."

Pardofelis laughed foolishly as she moved her position, approaching the door and then immediately bolting out, returning to Elysia's room.

In Pardofelis' memory, MEI had never combed her hair with that comb.

The comb was clearly a bizarre object. Being combed might not kill her, but she would definitely forget a certain memory.

The reason was also very simple. Pardofelis had seen her own hair on the comb...

So she had been punished by Dr. MEI before, but her memory had been erased, so she couldn't remember.

Anyone in this house could be offended, except Dr. MEI.

After all, as long as Li Mo was rational, he wouldn't just hit people. When Dr. MEI was ruthless, she had countless ways to make people suffer without daring to talk back, or rather, unable to talk back.

In the bedroom, only MEI was left alone again.

A wave of fatigue rushed over her. Her consciousness was extremely clear, and the clearer it was, the more clearly she could feel the fatigue and drowsiness.

MEI took out the prepared medicine and swallowed it, forcing herself to stay awake.

She knew very well that once she fell asleep, all her previous efforts would be in vain.

Everyone could relax, but she couldn't. She had to stay awake and hold on until the moment Li Mo's Bizarre awakened.

————————

In Yae Village, in Grandma Chiyo's courtyard, a rooster crowed loudly. In a few nearby houses, the chickens raised there also crowed loudly.

A knock on the door sounded. Li Mo instantly woke up from his deep sleep and heard the rooster crowing.

"I suddenly feel uncomfortable all over."