I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 40

From that moment on, he began to doubt what Meryl's purpose was.

First of all, shortly after that important figure appeared, Mei Li followed Ji Ling to this world and, without saying a word, encouraged him to attack Ji Ling.

Although Merlin discovered that Ji Ling was really dangerous, attacking him as soon as they met, Merlin was still confident that he could talk to her, but the appearance of Merlin left him with no choice.

Despite being an alternate entity from another world, Merlin had no way of knowing what Merly was thinking. And what methods she later used to help Yue Zhengling cross the limits of the Distant Tower, allowing him to leave this world line and reach a place unknown to him, remains a complete mystery.

Unfortunately, Merlin lost contact with her after that time.

"So, where did you go after you were shot?" Merlin asked casually, but inwardly he was on high alert, ready to get the answer from him.

"I went to the end of the century, met the savior, and learned a set of boxing techniques. Hmm, that's it." Le Zhengling said with a mischievous smile, like a cat playing with a mouse.

"..." Merlin looked at him speechlessly, "Don't joke around, I really want to know."

Le Zhengling shook his hand, stood up and said, "Don't believe me? Come on, let's have a few rounds of bare-handed fighting."

Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, Merlin stood up, and the two of them went to an open space and stood still, and then the battle began.

Two minutes later, Merlin collapsed to the ground, his face filled with disbelief. Although he hadn't used his full strength, he hadn't managed to hit Yue Zhengling even once in the previous exchange, which was simply illogical!

"Who did you learn this from?" Merlin couldn't help but ask, looking at Yue Zhengling who stood next to him with an indifferent expression. This skill, which was more like a movement technique than a fist technique, was unimaginable if it were to develop further.

Just now, Yue Zhengling, like someone showing off a new toy to a friend, dodged all of Merlin's attacks with all his might, and then took advantage of his opening to kick him down.

"It's not that I learned from anyone. I just specialized in my greatest strength according to that person's guidance. According to that person, no matter how powerful the attack is, it's meaningless if you can't hit the target."

Le Zhengling shrugged, recalling the dark and relentless training, and couldn't help but feel that it hadn't been in vain. Now, he was able to fight back against Merlin, who was unarmed.

Seeing his smug look, Merlin's curiosity grew even stronger. "I didn't expect that you would have reached this point in such a short time."

Although he wasn't taking it too seriously, at least with his current strength, Yue Zhengling could easily retreat from the high-ranking knights of Britain back then—of course, this high-ranking knight refers to those other than the twelve members of the Round Table and their guards.

In other words, the current Yue Zhengling is a squad leader level figure, no longer cannon fodder, and stronger than the average knight, but he can still fight to a draw against centurions.

Merlin could see that Yue Zhengling currently lacked a method to deliver a fatal blow.

"By the way, where's the weapon the Lake Fairy forged for you? Let me see it." Looking at the unarmed Yue Zhengling, Merlin suddenly remembered that he had asked him to forge a weapon. Why wasn't he using it?

"Ah, that thing... it was left in that post-apocalyptic world."

Le Zhengling turned his face away guiltily, and before Merlin could ask further, he quickly said, "By the way, the Lake Fairy told you that you must go to her place, or she will come to find you herself and die in front of you. What does that mean?"

Upon hearing Yue Zhengling say that the weapon was lost, Merlin was about to get angry, but when he heard what she said next, his face turned pale, and he quickly got up from the ground. "What? She said she would come to find me herself?"

“Yes…” Upon seeing Merlin’s flustered state for the first time, Yue Zhengling immediately told Merlin about what had happened when he left there.

"You're saying that the altar has been sealed?" Merlin's panicked expression eased upon hearing this news. He then explained, "Vivian cannot leave that lake. If she leaves, she will die. That's why she said she would come to me in person and die in front of me."

Pressing his temples with a headache, Merlin looked towards the Fairy Lake. Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided to go and check it out sometime. But just to be safe, he sent a messenger first, lest she impulsively come out.

Upon hearing this news, Yue Zhengling was truly startled. Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten to tell Merlin about it. But at the same time, he wondered, if he left this world and couldn't return, wouldn't Merlin become an indirect murderer?

Thinking of this, Yue Zhengling asked Merlin again, "Merlin, if I hadn't returned, wouldn't you have missed this message?"

"You can't say that. After all, as soon as Vivian leaves the lake, I'll know that she's just forcing me to see her." Merlin gave an embarrassed smile.

"Alright, this is my personal privacy, don't tell anyone else." He put on that friendly smile again, and seeing him like this, Yue Zhengling couldn't help but complain.

"So, you and that person are the same person, aren't you? Both of you are playboys!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Merlin looked at him in astonishment.

“I was sent to the post-apocalyptic world by Merry, where I met her prince, yes, the male version of King Arthur who has the same voice as you.”

Le Zhengling looked at Merlin with a delighted gaze. The [Fate Knot] at his waist glowed with a red light similar to his pupils. Unbeknownst to him, something began to deepen.

Merlin watched as Yue Zhengling suddenly became strange and became subtly wary. In his eyes, Yue Zhengling's temperament had become somewhat similar to Ji Ling's.

"That's right, I met you as a woman—well, that's not quite right, since if I were to confirm it like that, I feel like I'd be digging my own grave."

Le Zhengling smiled innocently like a child, but that smile sent a chill down one's spine.

"In short, I encountered a male red dragon belonging to Merry, and King Arthur, who is of a different gender from your Artoria."

Upon hearing this news, Merlin's eyes widened in surprise, and seeing his expression, Yue Zhengling laughed even more heartily.

"Guess what I said to him?"

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Observer Driven by Interest

Looking at Yue Zhengling's malicious smile, Merlin suddenly felt uneasy. This unease was not about what he had just said, but about Yue Zhengling's inexplicable change in personality.

As a magician, Merlin could certainly guess that this was the reason for the mutual influence between Ji Ling and Yue Zhengling, but even though Ji Ling had already left this world, why did this influence not seem to have subsided?

No one knows what kind of relationship exists between Ji Ling and Yue Zhengling. The "Fate Bond" will affect both of them by the traces of the other's existence in the current world.

Just like when Ji Ling entered Avalon and suddenly became listless, and when Yue Zhengling entered Chaldea and had an impulse towards Olga Marie.

Yes, Yue Zhengling, or rather Ji Ling, doesn't actually dislike Olga Marie. It's because of her unique upbringing that she can't help but tease the people she likes.

Just like when boys bully girls in elementary school, it's actually to attract the girl's attention.

Merlin's current dream environment is an extension of Avalon, so the residual information left by Ji Ling was attracted into Yue Zhengling's soul by the karmic bond, which is why his personality has become problematic.

"Hey, Merlin, are you even listening to me?" Yue Zhengling seemed to notice that Merlin was a little distracted and became dissatisfied.

"Ling, I'll be blunt... Have you noticed anything unusual about yourself?" Merlin couldn't think of a solution, so she had to ask him directly.

"Ah, what did you say... It's just like usual..." Yue Zhengling looked at Merlin with a strange gaze, about to say something, but stopped halfway through, tilting his head, his expression becoming very confused.

"What... what's going on? Something really seems off..." He seemed to realize his own abnormality and tried to calm himself down.

"What's wrong with me?" His eyes were very confused, as if he had sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out why.

Merlin did not disturb him, but instead looked at the world outside the dream through his clairvoyance. When he saw that Leonardo had moved Le Zhengling to a safe place, he also saw that Rafe was heading towards Leonardo's workshop.

There was still some time left. Fortunately, the dream world was his domain, and here, they were communicating through thought, so time could be controlled and extended.

"Merlin...is there something you're hiding from me? What happened to me? I feel like I'm not myself anymore, and this has happened several times already." Yue Zhengling calmed his thoughts and said to Merlin.

Merlin frowned. Ever since he met this guy, his troubles had been increasing day by day, and several times the situation was just like now, where the two of them simply couldn't have a proper conversation. Only now did he understand the importance of honesty.

However, even if he wanted to be honest now, there are many things that cannot be explained simply by being honest.

"I have my own difficulties... my friend." There are some things that Merlin could not say, even if he wanted to. The more you know, the more you have to be careful about.

Only now did he realize what his friend was involved in. Fortunately, the person holding the most important thing was unaware of Ling's existence. Even more fortunately, Ling was currently in a soul state. Although he was greatly influenced by Ji Ling, the chances of him being discovered were much lower.

“Ling, listen carefully, I can’t tell you the specific reason… it concerns your life or death.” Merlin spoke with a conflicted tone, “I can only tell you now not to investigate Ji Ling’s affairs, and not to look for anything about… never mind, I can’t say this, I’m afraid you’ll be even more curious and investigate.”

"In short, don't try to figure out Ji Ling's affairs. If you unfortunately run into her, you must run away immediately."

Yue Zhengling simply said "Oh," not taking the instruction to heart. Seeing this, Merlin said again, "Don't think I'm joking; I'm doing this for your own good..."

“I’ve already said it, don’t say such selfish things again. If you don’t want to say them, then forget it.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I will listen to you and obediently go back to Avalon to be a lazy bum. That’s the life I want.”

"...I'm sorry, you can no longer enter Avalon." Even though Merlin knew that saying this would make the atmosphere awkward, he still said it.

"reason?"

“When you first entered Avalon, even I didn’t know where you came in from, but it must have been a coincidence. Now that you’ve entered the surface world, you won’t be able to enter Avalon again unless something unexpected happens.”

“I think it would be more suitable for you to stay in Chaldea. Even if Ji Ling reappears there, I don’t think she will go there. Moreover, I hope you stay there so that we can work together to stop the burning of humanity and save the world.”

Seeing that he wasn't angry, Merlin also shared his thoughts.

However, he did not know that Yue Zhengling did not actually intend to return to Avalon. He was just testing Merlin. Although he knew it was wrong, he couldn't help but do it, simply because he found it amusing.

The reason why groups exist in this world is because it's unpleasant to exploit people, and it's also unpleasant not to exploit them. Humans are creatures that combine sadism and masochism.

The only deviation is in the perception of the matter. If you are not being used, you feel that you are not needed; if you realize that you are being used, you will feel resentment.

Merlin knew what was going to happen in this world, and it seemed that he had already made plans. He said this only to see if Merlin intended to exclude him.

Fortunately, he knew that Merlin did not intend to abandon him. "Merlin, saving the world, that sentence really hits the nail on the head and makes people feel a sense of mission. But I don't think I have the ability to save the world."

"Then what do you want to do?" Merlin had no idea how to communicate with Yue Zhengling now, because the influence that Yue Zhengling was receiving from Ji Ling was too great.

“I want to watch the show quietly, just like you,” Yue Zhengling smiled slightly. “An invincible bald man once said that he was just a hero driven by interest. Well, in that case, I’ll be an observer driven by interest too.”

Completely unaware that he was being influenced more and more deeply, Yue Zhengling gave Merlin a meaningful smile.

Merlin sighed, rubbing his forehead. After saying all that, was the result still disappointing?

"Alright, stop making that face. As compensation, I'll tell you what happened to me after I was forced to leave Avalon."

In a completely capricious state, Yue Zhengling abandoned her desire to continue teasing Merlin and began to tell him the story of what happened after she was shot out of Avalon.

Chapter 100 The Apocalypse

After Meili activated the Tower of Distance and Yue Zhengling was launched, he once again entered that white sea of ​​flowers and the universe within reach.

Here, Yue Zhengling remembered everything again, "Ah, so that's how it is."

Looking at this place I've visited for the third time, I feel the world of Type-Moon.

"This reason is truly frustrating." Looking at the countless stars, and as he approached the nearest one, Yue Zhengling shook his head. "If this is the reason, I will make you pay the price one day..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was accelerated into that world by an unknown force, and after leaving this place, some of his memories were once again blocked.

These planets are actually nodes in the world line, or record points. They are either exceptionally developed or have left behind a world with a trump card that can bring the dead back to life.

Therefore, when Le Zhengling looked at the endless yellow sand, the collapsed buildings, and the scorching sun overhead, he did not know what important things existed in this world.

"With this end-of-the-century art style, should I sing a song called 'A Bowl of Shrimp'?" Standing on the rooftop of a skyscraper, Yue Zhengling exclaimed.

I never imagined that after leaving the beautiful and scenic Avalon, I would return to this post-apocalyptic world, completely desolate and lifeless.

Fortunately, it was daytime; otherwise, this place would have been pitch black. He didn't believe that the power supply facilities were still intact in this devastated world.

Moreover, he had just arrived in this world and didn't even know how it was destroyed. Even if there was electricity, he wouldn't be foolish enough to create a light source, would he?

"I guess I'll have to explore this place first." Since he'd already come to this world, he decided to take things as they come and gather the necessary information from the heart first.

Without hesitation, he cautiously approached the rooftop door. The metal door was rusty, suggesting that this apocalypse had existed for a long time.

For a history major with a liberal arts background, who had attended archaeology training courses and gone on field trips with professors, the interesting but usually useless knowledge finally came in handy at this time.

He tried to open the door, but unsurprisingly, it wouldn't budge. He had expected this. Except for those rooftops where helicopters can take off and land, elevators usually only go down to the floor below the rooftop, and these rooftop doors are usually locked.

"What a nuisance." Knowing it was a problem, and anticipating it, didn't mean he didn't find it troublesome. In this situation, he could only pray that what caused this apocalypse wasn't some monster.

After all, he's dead and still a spirit, so those things probably don't have any effect on him, right?

Step by step, as he pondered the matter, Yue Zhengling looked at the stick wrapped around his hand with two thin iron chains and decided to use this door as its debut.

Picking up the unassuming stone pillar, Yue Zhengling raised his hand, intending to knock on the door, but after thinking about it, he decided to reconsider.

After walking around the entire rooftop, I discovered a row of windows on the other side of the door, and they were large, slanted windows.

He glanced over there and things seemed pretty good; at least he didn't see anything strange.

He smashed the outermost glass with the stone pillar, revealing the floor underneath. After jumping in, he went to the rooftop door and saw that it had a combination lock and the door was quite thick.

Meanwhile, all the indicator lights on the elevator side were off, proving that there was truly no power.

After examining the area, he found no information whatsoever, so he had no choice but to proceed to the next level.

It took Yue Zhengling three hours to do a quick search of the building, going from initial caution to later recklessness, and finally to utter boredom.

After this search, he roughly knew the situation: this was London, the building was a huge shopping mall, and the current date was July 7, 2018, UK time.

He got the time from the clock counter, and the location from the newspapers in the lounge where people could read freely; after all, he could read the newspapers with "London Daily" written in large characters.

There were no special reports in the newspapers, and no bodies were found anywhere, but all traces of human life had vanished.

"There are no people, no other animals, not even insects... What on earth has happened to this world?"

Le Zhengling randomly picked out some useful items from the store; most of the drinks and food were expired, and he didn't need them anyway.

But it was precisely because it had expired that he realized there was something wrong with the world.

The meat in the freezer was rotten, but there were no parasites, and there were no mosquito larvae or other insect larvae in the stagnant water.

This situation can only mean one thing: there is no longer any life in this world or this region.

All life seemed to vanish completely at the same time, leaving no trace.

"It doesn't seem to be a biohazard... But judging from what I saw on the rooftop just now, was it because of a war? But why did the people disappear so completely, and why are the goods here so neatly arranged? What exactly happened?"

Le Zhengling sat on a sofa, quietly pondering, "If that Force Detective were here right now, even with just this information, he could deduce a lot of things, right?"

As an ordinary person, reasoning is really too difficult. I'm not a police officer, and I haven't systematically studied investigation. It's really too difficult to collect information on my own.