Pure Darkness

Chapter 27

This animation park located west of Beijing stretches over a large area. The high arched roof of the main stadium is like a white pigeon with outstretched wings, giving the building a spacious and tall feeling. A cluster of buildings of various heights surrounded him in an irregular manner. Furthermore was the farmland and forest on the outskirts of Beijing, a serene green expanse.

There were several cars parked outside the stadium, but the number of visitors today was decent. According to An Yan, the animation convention will be held for several days.

Jian Yao had never been to such an event before. He held onto Bo Jinyan's arm as they walked down a small white walkway towards the main stadium. On the way, they meet many students and cosplayers dressed like giant armored warriors holding hammers, pink-eared bunny girls, palace ladies in fluttering white period costumes. . .

“When you were at university, did you ever dress like that?” Bo Jinyan asked with interest.

“Of course not,” replied Jian Yao. “How do I have the courage to do it?”

A hint of laughter appeared in Bo Jinyan's eyes. “You're too smart and adorable.”

Jian Yao looked at him. “Do you praise me or express regret?”

“This is the person I love.”

Jian Yao was silent.

An eye-opening experience awaits them inside the stadium. Space fighter model, a very detailed VR game with a huge landscape, a song and dance performance filled with antique flavors. . . Jian Yao held onto Bo Jinyan's hand as they wandered around, trying this, seeing that. Bo Jinyan arrived with little interest, but, her interest was gradually aroused, and she began to try various attractions with him. Although they were humiliatingly slaughtered in a game by opponents who looked like they were still in high school, they left it after enjoying a fresh new experience.

Bo Jinyan's hard attitude, coupled with her tall and slender appearance, made her stand out from the crowd. Sure enough, the girls were also watching him. Jian Yao heard a girl whisper as she passed them, “Very handsome.” “He looks like a Black Butler*. .”

*T/N (hei zhi shi) – Black Butler, a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. View https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black\_Butler

Jian Yao stole a glance at him.

His gaze was fixed on what was in front of him, so he heard nothing.

However, the more time they spent in the stadium, the more Jian Yao gradually discovered. . ahem, there were many female cosplayers in open clothing. Many of them wore game costumes that half showed their chests, showed off their seductive long legs, and were accentuated with their delicate makeup, large eyes. They will find some of these every few steps they take, followed happily by otaku who might beg them to take a group photo.

The group in front of them was in the process of taking such a photo. Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao paused some distance away and waited.

Jian Yao asked, “Hey, do you want to take pictures with them too?”

Bo Jinyan looked at him. “Do you think of me as an idiot who wants to stand next to a bimbo in untidy clothes, begging for a photo together?”

Jian Yao paused for a moment before saying, “I'm just kidding.”

After walking for two to three hours, the two of them exited the venue and sat down to rest in an open-air cafe.

“Are you satisfied with today's date?” Bo Jinyan asked.

Jian Yao smiled slightly. “Puas.”

Bo Jinyan laughed lightly, and said nothing more.

Jian Yao asked, “Are you still thinking about Ziyu's situation?”

“Ya.”

Jian Yao tilted his head to look at the sky, the clouds and the trees in the distance. Sometimes, the truth is like what we can see in front of us, so clear, yet so far away.

His gaze was fixed on the two cosplayers who were not too far away. They were both standing in the corner of a low building. There was no one else around.

Jian Yao acknowledged that her previous understanding of cosplay was very shallow. From what he saw in the television news report, they seemed to be a group of people dressed in strange clothes. However, today, he has seen many cosplayers who clearly bring anime or game characters to life, and with great class. The palace lady in period costume standing there with her head bowed was as clear as the image. The armored soldier, covered in blood, stood there quietly with his head bowed, seemingly revealing that this entire chaotic stadium, to him, was merely a ruthless battlefield.

That was what happened to the two boys that Jian Yao noticed.

A young man had a side profile towards them, with his head bowed and silver hair flying in the wind. The traditional robes she wears are also silver in color.

The other boy had softer and more pliable hair than Jian Yao, and a red dot between his eyebrows. Beautiful and delicate, with a slim body that was entirely dressed in black. Half kneeling in front of the silver-robed boy, he slowly raised his head, and one tear fell from his eyes.

The same amazing way and beautiful setting. The two of them were just facing each other in silence, and it felt as if a great atmosphere of sadness was seeping around.

Jian Yao was fixated as she looked at them.

What the hell are they doing?

Suddenly, the expression on the black-clothed, half-kneeling boy's face turned into pain and fear. He held his hand to his chest while a trace of fresh blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. With his other hand, he pointed at the person in front of him and gasped, “You. . . You . .”

The silver-robed boy's face showed an extremely cold and indifferent expression.

The black-clothed boy collapsed on the ground and started to crawl forward slowly with painful breaths. He grabbed the boy's boots and said, “How can you .

The silver-robed boy placed one leg firmly on the boy's chest, his face hard and fierce.

No one nearby noticed what was going on.

Jian Yao could hardly believe what she saw and immediately shot up. Bo Jinyan noticed his movements and turned her head to look.

That was when the boy in black looked up and laughed out loud as he jumped off the ground, using his tongue to lick the trail of ‘darah’. The silver-robed boy's evil face disappeared, and he also laughed lazily. The two of them clasped each other's shoulders and walked back to the main stadium.

Jian Yao heaved a sigh of relief, and could not help but laugh.

“Nothing,” said. “I'm too sensitive.”

After finishing their coffee, the two of them walked towards the exit of the animation garden, passing through several buildings on the street. From time to time, they see signs stating ‘XX Animation Studio’, ‘XX Manga Company’, and ‘XX Animation Society’. Perhaps, some of the small and medium-sized companies associated with the animation industry are all located here.

Usually, there is nothing strange about this place. Passing through the buildings, they would reach the parking lot, and then head for the house.

However, when they were in the middle of the building, with very few people around, Bo Jinyan suddenly stopped and looked into the distance.

“What is it?” Jian Yao asked.

“Why is he here?” Bo Jinyan muttered, half to herself, and stepped forward with big strides. Jian Yao also noticed an indistinct figure that appeared in the corner of the wall and then disappeared again, following behind someone or something else.

Both ran the rest of the journey.

The sun set, and a sloping beam of light shone on the area behind the building in golden light, accentuating the green of the hills. Before long, Bo Jinyan had caught up with a familiar figure in the corner and stopped him.

As Fu Ziyu turned around and recognized them, his face showed a relieved expression. Then, he immediately looked around in all directions, but there was no one around the scattered building or on the street.

He breathed a heavy sigh.

Bo Jinyan looked at him. “Is that him?”

Jian Yao's heart stiffened.

Fu Ziyu looked both annoyed and excited. “Yes! I just walked around, and I saw it again! I saw him again, and he took a taxi, so I ran to pick up my car and followed him all the way here. But, as soon as we approached the animation park, I lost her. .”