Apocalyptic Forecast Chapter 71: Questions and Answers

When Huaishi opened his eyes, he saw a ceiling as white as snow. Steel railings, and an IV drip nearby.
He knew immediately that he was in a prison.
To be precise, this was a detention center of the Special Affairs Bureau. There was no one pointing a gun at him, and he was not forbidden from using his soul abilities.
Could it be that Director Dian wanted Huaishi to escape?
If he did that, he could openly execute Huaishi by firing squad...
Huaishi slowly moved his limbs. His body was weak, and he was hungry.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"Two days."
Outside the cell, the girl sitting in a wheelchair reading a book answered without even looking up.
"Oh."
Huaishi nodded, yawned, and propped himself up on the bed. Waking up after a long sleep, he felt an indescribable fatigue and lethargy.
He felt dazed.
As his consciousness gradually cleared, he noticed shouting coming from beyond the wall.
"Let me out! I'm innocent! I don't know anything!"
Huaishi looked toward the next cell.
"Who's next door?"
"Qi Wen's son, Qi Yuan. A useless coward who lost his nerve the moment he learned of his father's death. I poked him a little, and he confessed everything."
Even though Qi Yuan was right nearby, there was no restraint in Ai Qing's tone. She stared at Huaishi and added,
"Thanks to you, we were able to investigate the Qi family. It might have been an unpleasant scene for some people, but overall, it went smoothly."
"You're welcome," Huaishi smiled honestly. "I just did what I had to do."
"I didn't say I was thanking you, did I?"
Ai Qing retorted coldly.
"If you were truly grateful to me, you should have changed locations after throwing away your gun to kill Qi Wen.
You attacked Special Affairs Bureau staff, looted the armory, and committed atrocities in a public place. You threatened public safety, killed sixteen ordinary people and one Sublimator, and tortured a suspect whose guilt had not yet been determined, leading to his death by lynching... Even if evidence of Qi Wen's involvement in crimes surfaces later, this is a serious overreach and violation of regulations.
Even just a few of these would be enough to send you to the Trench Prison for life.
You were still an employee of the Astronomical Society at that time. The Jinling office is in an uproar... Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"
"Ah..."
Huaishi fell silent, and after a while, he sighed and hung his head.
"Sorry."
"That was the most sincere apology you've given so far."
Ai Qing "admired" him from the bottom of her heart, closed the book in her hand, and asked mockingly,
"Then tell me. After sacrificing everything for revenge, what did you gain?"
Huaishi was silent for a long time, then scratched his head awkwardly.
"I was going to say something like revenge doesn't create anything... but in truth, it was very enjoyable."
As he said this, Huaishi immediately put his hands together.
"Sorry, I accidentally said that like a pervert."
Huaishi thought of himself as a pervert.
Don't normal people feel empty after finishing their revenge?
Why did he feel it was enjoyable?
Something was wrong...
"I wouldn't go so far as to call you a pervert, but isn't it natural to feel joy in revenge?"
Ai Qing glanced at Huaishi.
"If it were me, I'd be moved to tears with joy. Maybe even more unsightly than you."
Before Huaishi could breathe a sigh of relief, Ai Qing continued,
"Also, defeating a second-tier Sublimator with a fully armed mercenary unit is a magnificent achievement. No, I should say it's astonishing... As your unlucky boss, should I be happy about your skills?"
Ai Qing finally called him by that name.
"Mr. 'Piggy of Huaihai Road'."
"..."
Huaishi fell silent. He didn't know if he should apologize for this. He just shrugged.
"I know what you want to say. Besides, there's no need to apologize for such a trivial thing, and there have always been secrets between you and me. Isn't that right?"
Ai Qing stopped speaking and said abruptly,
"But you should feel regret."
"Eh?"
"Qi Wen is like a disposable glove. He's the same as a dog on a leash that can't even decide who to bite."
Ai Qing took a deep breath and said frankly,
"The person who pushed the Huaishi family of that time into the pit of fire is the current head of the Yin family, my great-grandfather. In other words, I am also one of the enemies who drove your family to bankruptcy."
Huaishi was startled and looked at Ai Qing in a daze. Then, he nodded slightly.
There was no sign of anger or surprise.
On the contrary, he seemed to have realized something.
"Is that so?"
Huaishi scratched his head, but he seemed to have finally understood. Then he widened his eyes again.
"Wait a minute. Then your surname wasn't Ai?"
"..."
That's what you're concerned about?
"Are you frustrated that you couldn't kill me?"
"Aren't you frustrated that you couldn't wipe out my family?"
Huaishi asked back calmly.
"I don't know exactly what happened, but you and your great-grandfather are different people, right? Besides, I just took down one enemy, and even if I'm told there's a second round, I don't really feel it. Why don't we discuss it together later?"
"..."
Ai Qing didn't answer, nor did she try to make excuses. She just stayed silent for a while, then sighed softly.
"It's meaningless to say anything now, Huaishi."
Ai Qing shook her head.
"By becoming an employee of the Astronomical Society, you have become stronger and stronger, strong enough to settle everything... Looking back now, I made the wrong decision. I thought I could control your destiny, but I couldn't even control my own. I understand now."
Ai Qing no longer touched on the previous topic, returned to Huaishi's situation, and spoke like a lawyer.
"Even if you have the righteous cause of avenging your kin, what you did is still a crime. Fortunately, the Jinling branch has not yet made a decision on this matter. The Social Security Bureau will not pursue it too deeply either. The formal trial will likely begin after the matter of the people of Guijing is settled.
In the meantime, I will do my best to pull strings for a reduced sentence.
Until the situation is clear, you will be transferred to the Social Security Bureau. Considering your talent and potential, you should be able to get away with a light sentence."
As if she had to leave this place in a hurry, Ai Qing said everything at once.
"There are many people in the Special Affairs Bureau who sympathize with you. In a while, I'll get you connected to the internet so you can have some freedom while you're here. Rest assured and recuperate."
Finally, Ai Qing added,
"Is there anything you want? If it's not too strange, I'll bring it for you."
"Hmm..."
Huaishi thought for a while, then asked apologetically,
"Could I ask for a cello? If I don't practice for a long time, I'll get rusty."
"Is that all?"
"That's all."
Ai Qing nodded and turned to leave.
But before changing the direction of her wheelchair, Ai Qing suddenly asked,
"I have one more question."
"What?"
"Why did you decide to stay in the Astronomical Society?"
Ai Qing looked into Huaishi's eyes and asked again.
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been involved. Why do you stick your neck into the Astronomical Society's troubles?"
"I don't know."
Huaishi answered honestly. But Ai Qing was clearly not convinced and stared at Huaishi. Huaishi scratched his head and concluded,
"If there's a reason, it's your fault."
"Me?"
Ai Qing mocked that answer.
"You risked your life for a woman with bad legs? Is there something wrong with your taste? Or do you just like teasing people?"
"No, that's not it..."
Huaishi waved his hands in a panic.
"I just... I envied you."
Huaishi looked at the girl outside the cell and said seriously,
"Because you looked very brave."
In the silence, Ai Qing looked dazed and said nothing.
She just looked at Huaishi with a complex gaze.
After a while, she slowly shook her head.
"No, Huaishi."
Ai Qing turned her back to leave.
"I have never possessed anything so wonderful."
Ai Qing tried to leave the detention center and saw Director Dian smoking a cigarette at the gate.
It seemed that his attempt to quit smoking had failed, and he looked embarrassed.
"Is that idiot still alive?"
Ai Qing pointed in the direction she had come from.
"Why don't you go see him?"
"I'll pass. I'd be in trouble if I accidentally executed him."
Having written dozens of reports in the past two days, Director Dian's eyes were red.
"The higher-ups say they will keep him under surveillance for the time being. They intend to hold a trial after the matter of the people of Guijing is settled, right? Is the Astronomical Society allowed to have such a lenient attitude?"
"I am the representative of the Astronomical Society in Xinhai."
Ai Qing said clearly.
"He is my subordinate. Do you have any objections to the Astronomical Society's methods?"
Director Dian looked at Ai Qing in surprise.
"Are you crazy? You're not actually planning to protect him and get dragged into the mud with him, are you?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
Ai Qing asked back.
"You all think I'm crazy, don't you?"
"..."
Director Dian stared at Ai Qing in a daze, but then stepped on his cigarette butt, sighed, turned around, and left.
Ai Qing sat quietly in her wheelchair, staring at the sun illuminating the earth from afar.
For some reason, she remembered the past.
That happy childhood, the sudden disaster, the dim hospital room, the legs that stopped moving, and the boy of the same age she used to play with.
It was too far away.
Memories gradually became blurred and would never return.
She no longer knew. What was the truth, and what was a lie told to escape... Or were she and he from different worlds from the beginning?
Ai Qing pedaled her wheelchair and left the scene.
And then, a crow popped its head out from the bushes.

Translator's Note:
Huaishi, who doesn't feel empty after revenge... I like him.