The night in Los Angeles was just as it had been when they first arrived—this city would not change its rhythm for anyone's coming or going.
Not for outsiders like Chu Lian and the others, nor even for this nation's celebrities or heroes. Even if they passed away, the city would remain exactly as it was, indifferent and unaltered.
Though this might be an inevitable result of human limits, was it not also one of the unfortunate side effects of how fast modern society had developed?
"Lian, I get the feeling you don't like this city very much," Inori said softly as she sat beside Chu Lian, watching her expression. She could sense that something was on her mind.
"Mm, this is a city that doesn't feel friendly to me. Every time I see it, I get this urge to escape as far away as possible. The way it treats me... I just don't like it." Chu Lian fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Inori's eyes were filled with curiosity. Why did Chu Lian feel such deep aversion toward this city? She wanted to ask but didn't know how to begin.
Noticing her hesitation, Chu Lian took the initiative to explain, "It's not something easy to talk about. Let's just treat it as one of my secrets for now."
Yes—how could she easily speak of her experiences from her previous life? Those memories, shattered into fragments and pieced together only through painful effort, were nothing more than a broken picture.
She didn't want to, couldn't, and refused to speak of them again. If the one asking hadn't been Inori, she wouldn't have explained even this much.
Now that she was leaving this place, that was already better than anything else.
As she thought this, the oppressive feeling that had lingered in her heart since she arrived in the city slowly began to fade.
When the plane took off, she looked through the window at the city she had once sworn never to set foot in again in her previous life—yet had returned to in this one. Her emotions were mixed and indescribable.
"Big Sis, if you hated it so much, why did you choose to come here in the first place?" Chu Chu, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn't help but ask when she saw that Chu Lian's expression had softened a little.
"Simply because I had reasons that made it impossible not to come," Chu Lian answered calmly. Her thoughts drifted back to what she had left behind in this city before boarding the plane.
If, in the 'City, of Sin' Chu Lian had planted a seed of destruction, then here, in the so-called 'City of Angels,' she had buried seeds of corruption.
Those translucent, glass-like seeds that Ayase had personally entrusted to her—that was the true reason Ayase had sent her to these two cities.
Chu Lian didn't quite understand what the result would be, but she knew Ayase would never make her do something harmful to herself. Whatever it was, it must be closely tied to her future path.
Still, such matters were even harder to talk about than her past life. Thus, Chu Lian simply let the subject drop and ended it there.
"Speaking of which, flying from the West Coast to the East Coast of America is quite a long distance. We won't arrive until tomorrow morning, so let's take this chance to rest properly," Chu Lian said after glancing at the clock—it was already ten at night.
"We're fine! These past few days, all we've done is eat, sleep, and play. After that, we got on a plane and slept again. We've barely spent any energy at all, and with how much we've slept, I don't even feel tired anymore," said Li Xiu'er, the little loli who, as an ordinary human, had the most authority to speak on such matters.
Her words made Chu Lian pause before smiling wryly and shaking her head. "Other people go on study trips, and the studying part takes up most of it. But us... it seems we've done nothing but eat and play, without anything remotely related to studying."
"Big Sis, that's not a problem! The school gave us this chance to go on a study trip to experience the world ahead of time. But they never said we couldn't just eat, play, and sleep, right?" Chu Chu said cheerfully. Her grades were average, but her talent for painting was extraordinary, so she had no worries about academics and didn't mind it at all.
"Chu Chu, that's only because your talent for painting is so extraordinary that the school's attitude toward you has changed. They don't require you to maintain top grades, which is why you think it's no big deal," Li Xiu'er said softly, her eyes drooping slightly with a trace of bitterness.
Though she was a gifted student, she wasn't to the point of having a photographic memory or breezing through every exam effortlessly.
Unlike Chu Chu, Chu Lian, or Cai Ya—each possessing an exceptional talent in a particular field—Li Xiu'er didn't have such an advantage. She still struggled with the pressures and frustrations of exams and assessments.
Because of that, she bore the greatest pressure among their group. She also understood the true purpose of this study trip most deeply, and was the most anxious of them all.
Even so, she never felt that this journey was bad in any way. On the contrary, she cherished every moment of it, keeping every memory close as something precious—something she would treasure as one of the most beautiful memories of her life.
Even if it offered her no help academically, experiences like this were beyond what any ordinary school trip could ever offer.
So though her words carried a hint of complaint, there was no discontent at all. She knew how rare and valuable this experience was.
"Well, Miami should be the end of all this busyness. After that, we'll be able to face everything with a lighter heart. Mm, I'll tell you the details once we arrive—it's related to what I mentioned before," Chu Lian said. Though she still had concerns about many things, she had a feeling that tomorrow would be the time to cut all lingering ties once and for all.
"If we can settle everything early, that'd be wonderful. But even if things remain hectic afterward, I don't think anyone would mind," Inori said, giving Chu Lian's hand a gentle squeeze. Her gaze toward her was full of tenderness.
"It will be resolved—I can feel it..." Chu Lian's bright eyes swept across them, and she smiled with quiet confidence.
"No matter how troublesome it gets, I believe we'll make it through." As she spoke, she turned her gaze back toward the airplane window, looking at the city growing smaller and smaller beneath them. "We'll definitely get through this..."
Her confidence and composure seemed to spread through the others. In that moment, her seemingly delicate figure appeared to them as radiant as the brightest star in the sky.
"Lian, I believe in you—as always..." Inori's eyes shimmered, the wine-red, orange-red, and violet hues briefly intertwining before parting again. Her voice carried a faint, ethereal tone.
Kurosaki Satsuki, who had been silent until now, stared blankly at Chu Lian's back and murmured to herself, "So a true strong one is someone who can give others strength just through their words and actions..."
"No wonder she's so admired and grows so quickly. I fought and struggled for five years, even with all my encounters and battles, yet I still can't compare to her. So that's it... I've been walking the wrong path from the very beginning, haven't I?"
"I only focused on making my body stronger, forgetting everything else. Those five years of running taught me so much—but also made me forget even more."
"When will I ever gain the kind of strength that can move others the way she does?"
"A strong one begins from the heart, not the body," Chu Lian said softly, turning her head as though sensing the change in the girl's heart.
"The heart... You mean willpower and conviction? Yes, that's true. If someone possesses great strength but lacks the heart of a true warrior, then no matter how powerful they are, they'll still crumble easily. On the other hand, if one has an unshakable heart, then even the weakest power will someday shine with its own brilliance, like the stars in the night sky."
After following Chu Lian for several days, the once-lost girl had finally found her path toward true strength. Inside that narrow airplane cabin, the heart of a warrior began to take root.
So fragile—like a candle flame flickering in the wind. Yet so resilient—like a rock standing firm in a raging torrent. Chu Lian didn't question whether this heart would one day fully mature; she only looked forward to the day it would.
Not long after their plane took off, a massive head broke through the surface of the ocean somewhere along the West Coast.
The dragon that had been imprisoned for so long now emerged, its eyes gleaming brighter than ever after devouring its first meal in ages.
Even though the air around it reeked of destruction and fury, nothing could conceal the burning rage reflected in its gaze.
After breaking free, the massive dragon, no longer restrained by the special laws of its sealed space, began to feel hunger once more. Without hesitation, it dove into the ocean and wreaked havoc—devouring every living creature it came across. It stayed submerged for six full hours before finally resurfacing.
Of course, it wasn't acting without purpose—it ate while advancing toward its intended destination.
However, just moments ago, it sensed that its prey was gradually moving farther away.
Unaware of the true situation, the dragon thought its presence had been exposed and that its prey was fleeing because of it.
So it abandoned its feast without hesitation, shooting up toward the surface. Amidst the stormy sea, its enormous form half-emerged from the dark waters, faintly visible yet unnoticed by anyone.
Its pair of amber-gold vertical pupils locked firmly on the direction Chu Lian's plane had gone. With a thunderous flap of its wings, it surged into the sky.
It would not allow its prey to escape—not when that prey was the key to its ascension to godhood. How could it possibly let her go?
And yet, the United States, so proud of its status as the most technologically advanced nation in the world, had no idea that a terrifying creature—undetectable by any modern means—was flying through its night skies. Hidden by the darkness, it pursued the faint trail of another aircraft bound for Miami on the East Coast.
"Why do I suddenly feel something bad is coming? Like... something terrifying is watching me. I can't explain it, but... I can feel it... a fear like a rising tide—it's going to drown me..." Chu Lian murmured, clutching her head in pain as she sat in her seat. The discomfort in her voice immediately alarmed Inori and Chu Chu beside her.
"What's wrong?!" Inori asked urgently, her face pale with worry.
"This feeling... an ancient creature?" In the System Space, Ayase immediately realized what was happening. Unlike Chu Lian, who had no idea what was going on, Ayase instantly recognized the presence that had fixed its gaze upon her.
A completely unforeseen development had occurred—and now that their plane was heading for Miami, the question remained: when they arrived, how would they deal with what was coming?