Chapter 38: "I'll Take You to the Moon"

Chapter 38: "I'll Take You to the Moon"

Amid Lin You'an's heavy thoughts and suspicions, as well as the joy of Gu Qianli, Lin Qingshan, Li Zhiqiu, and others, the group dinner ended smoothly.

The weekend after the dinner, Gu Qianli bid a reluctant farewell to Lin Qingshan and Pochita before returning to her hometown. It was only after that dinner that Lin Qingshan learned Gu Qianli's hometown was in Yuhang and that she was currently a sophomore majoring in computer science.

It's rare these days to see a girl majoring in computer science, isn't it?

Come to think of it, even though they've known each other for almost a year, it's the first time he found out about this… Mostly because he never asked, and Gu Qianli never talked about her studies.

After Gu Qianli left, Lin Qingshan returned to his mundane and boring life. Before he knew it, nearly half a month had passed, and it was time for him to submit his work again.

A few days later, the latest issue of *Comic World GoGo* was published, featuring the latest installment of *Edge Runner*.

This chapter was quite nice; it was purely a sweet, romantic storyline. At least, that's what Ayumi Ito, Lin Qingshan's editor and meal companion, thought as she grinned like a fool after reading the manuscript.

As usual, Fan Siwei brought up the new issue of *Comic World GoGo* along with his dad's newspaper, and immediately flipped to the *Edge Runner* page.

Although the previous episode had shocked him with Pila's unexpected death, after half a month of discussions with online fans and classmates who also read *Edge Runner*, he had come to accept it. After all, it was Pila who died—a character who, despite being less annoying after Lucy's explanation, wasn't particularly likable.

His death was something everyone could accept.

Moreover, fans and readers have proven to be pretty resilient over time; this plot twist wasn't enough to turn Fan Siwei away.

Fan Siwei flipped to the latest page of *Edge Runner* and saw the title of the chapter: "Growth."

What does that mean?

Without overthinking it, he began to read.

The story continued from the previous episode, after Pila was killed. Besides David, Lucy, and Pila's sister Rebecca, the rest of the team remained surprisingly calm.

Lucy and David were both covered in blood, but the blood on David's face was from the cyberpsycho, while Lucy was actually injured.

Mann coldly ordered, "Dorothy, take Lucy to see a ripperdoc."

"I'll stay here with Kiwi to wait for the NCPD. This place is a mess, and someone needs to stay behind to explain, or we'll have trouble later."

"You heard him," Dorothy said.

"David, you go with them," Mann added.

"What?" David looked at Mann.

"Just say Kiwi and I did it. They'll list this as a cyberpsycho incident," Mann said calmly. "Our Pila got taken out too; it's a pain."

"But…" David hesitated.

Mann's expression turned cold as he looked at David and said, "You fired your gun too. Stop thinking like a rookie!"

David had no choice but to keep quiet.

In the next scene, David, Lucy, and Dorothy arrived at a ripperdoc's place for treatment. Lucy walked into the clinic and said coldly, "I can handle it myself."

Dorothy, however, smiled meaningfully, "David, she's all yours." Then she walked offscreen.

"Hey!" David panicked.

"Mann said you can use his car," Dorothy's dialogue bubble responded.

In the next scene, Lucy, treated by the ripperdoc, walked out with a cigarette in her mouth, seeing David waiting outside for her.

David, driving Mann's car, gave Lucy a ride back to her place. On the way, the neon lights reflecting on their faces gave Fan Siwei a dreamlike feeling.

The artwork in *Edge Runner* is just too good, making you feel like you're looking at a series of artworks rather than just reading a manga.

[Translator: sauron]

When David dropped Lucy off, she said coldly, "Drop me here."

David, trying to appear casual, said, "Ah… okay."

"Goodbye," Lucy said coldly as she entered her place.

At this point, David finally panicked, "Ah… can we talk?"

"…"

"Come with me," Lucy finally said after turning her face slightly toward him.

In the next scene, David and Lucy were sitting on a platform overlooking the neon-lit Night City. The vibrant city lights illuminated the night sky, and the skyscrapers with their modern beauty made everything seem so surreal, as if this place was paradise.

In the night sky, the moon that Lucy longed for appeared, partially visible through the clouds, perhaps symbolizing someone's emotions.

These frames were so beautifully drawn that Fan Siwei couldn't help but admire them. The artist's composition and drawing in *Edge Runner* are simply stunning!

"The clouds are too thick…" Lucy said, disappointed, as she looked at the moon obscured by clouds in the night sky.

"The moon in that braindance you showed me was beautiful," David recalled, smiling, "I had a great time."

As the moon was completely hidden by the clouds, Lucy spoke again, "I actually have something I want to talk to you about."

"Really?"

"What I told you that day wasn't a lie."

Lucy's back appeared in the frame, looking cold and sad.

"That was really the first time I told someone."

"That's great," the scene shifted to David, who seemed to be looking at Lucy, smiling as he said, "I didn't want to believe that everything you said was a lie."

"And what if I'm lying to you now?"

"I wouldn't believe it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to believe it."

The dialogue continued as the frames shifted between the two, with Lucy always shown from the back, while David's right side was always facing her.

"Idiot," Lucy chuckled, "You should've said that sooner."

The next frame zoomed in on David's face, occupying most of the panel.

"I couldn't," Lucy remained a silhouette in the panel.

"Why not?"

"You were so angry with me."

"I wasn't angry."

"You were."

"I wasn't angry, just…"

David lowered his gaze, "Alright, maybe I was."

"See, you admit it," Lucy said.

"I was angry, but…"

"I won't hate you for it," David said sincerely.

"If I hated you, I wouldn't have saved you."

"Liar."

"It's true."

"No, it's not…"

Lucy stated firmly, "You're the type who would rush into danger to save anyone without a second thought."

"So you think I can't do it?"

David looked at Lucy, puzzled, "Mann thinks I can, but you…"

"It's not that," Lucy replied, "I think you'll become an outstanding cyberpunk… probably."

"Then what's the problem?" David asked, confused.

"You'll become famous, not because of your glamorous cyberpunk life…"

"But because of the tragic moment when you die in battle."

David was thoughtful, but Lucy stood up.

"That kind of life isn't for you."

"But I'm not that different from you," David said.

"I have nowhere else to go."

At that moment, a moon rocket slowly ascended in the distance where Lucy was gazing.

"Neither do I," David said.

"We're very different people," Lucy insisted.

"How?" David didn't understand and shouted.

At that moment, Lucy grabbed a strand of her hair, and the moon rocket continued to rise, its tail flames glowing brilliantly.

She seemed to be contemplating how to explain to David the real difference between them…

But before she could, David shouted at her, "I'll take you to the moon!"

His words were firm, almost like a vow.

Lucy seemed stunned for a moment.

David continued to look at her with determination and said, "I promise you!"

In the next frame, Lucy's hands cupped David's face.

And then, Lucy closed her eyes and kissed David directly!

Fan Siwei's heart skipped a beat as he watched.

At that moment in the manga, the two kissed under the massive moon, with the moon rocket soaring toward it in the background.

At this moment, the moon was no longer obscured by clouds, and the ascending moon rocket continued to rise higher.

"I don't want you to die…" Lucy whispered, lowering her hands from David's face.

Her beautiful face was directly facing David's as they stared into each other's eyes.

David suddenly leaned in and kissed Lucy again.

Lucy responded passionately this time.

Fan Siwei watched the scenes unfold with a wide grin.

The final scene showed David and Lucy on the moon, with Earth in the background.

Their shadows stretched long across the moon's surface.

"I won't die," David said.

"The End."

After finishing the chapter, Fan Siwei was left with a foolish smile.

He was completely swept away by the sweetness of this chapter—David and Lucy had finally confirmed their relationship.

However, he was a bit concerned about the sad atmosphere and the flag-like dialogue between David and Lucy.

"Lucy… she won't die protecting David later, will she?" Fan Siwei worried.

(End of Chapter)