The Looming Underground City

How to best articulate this, she wondered?

Red Spider Lily mused for a moment, then produced two movie tickets, a hint of regret in her expression.

“There’s no need to set such a somber tone right away,” she said, a playful pout on her lips. “I’d still like to enjoy our date a little longer.”

Saint Lily blinked, comprehension dawning in her eyes, and turned to Red Spider Lily. “So there *is* something going on here, isn’t there?”

“Remember when you asked why there were so many calamity beasts in the city?” Red Spider Lily nodded slowly. “I took note of it then, and later sought out someone to verify my suspicions.”

“And?” Saint Lily watched Red Spider Lily’s serene expression, a sense of tension rising within her.

“These are all signs of the ‘Underground City’ emerging.”

‘Underground City?’ Saint Lily chewed on the words. It was a term she rarely encountered, but after a moment’s thought, her existing knowledge connected the dots, and she plunged into shock.

“!”

“Red Spider Lily, this…” Saint Lily grasped Red Spider Lily’s hand, desperate to ask for confirmation, but her words tangled before they could form coherent sentences. Yet, Red Spider Lily understood, nodding to affirm her unspoken fears.

Saint Lily gently released her hand, her mind racing through the routes of her past battles.

If this truly related to an ‘Underground City,’ then its scope was terrifyingly vast.

It encompassed more than half the city.

She wanted to laugh, finding the idea so contrary to common sense, yet the laughter wouldn’t come.

She could only stammer, “If this is true, why hasn’t the official government released any information?”

“Hmm… I don’t know,” Red Spider Lily mused, holding up her index finger. “Perhaps they haven’t set up the relevant detection instruments? Think about calamity beasts; they’re only warned about once they trigger a disaster fluctuation, aren’t they?”

“Furthermore, the ‘Underground City’ is a low-probability event. It’s probably quite normal not to have specific instruments for it, wouldn’t you say?”

“……” Saint Lily nodded. When put that way, it did make sense.

However, it was like a typhoon approaching. Because it never affected them before, typhoon prevention supplies weren’t sold, and preparatory work wasn’t done. If that were the explanation, would it be considered reasonable or normal? When human lives were at stake, how could they be so negligent?

The situation was much the same.

Saint Lily shook her head. She refused to believe, and simply couldn’t believe, that they were entirely unaware.

“Then, regarding the formation of this ‘Underground City,’ how much longer do we have?”

Red Spider Lily held up a single finger.

“A month?”

Her finger swayed. “A week. Or rather, within a week.”

“A week!!!”

Saint Lily cried out in shock, then quickly glanced around. Seeing that no one seemed to have noticed them, she patted her chest. The news was so startling, she’d forgotten she had already deployed her ‘Off-Limits’ barrier.

“Red Spider Lily, to evacuate an entire city, a week seems insufficient, doesn’t it?”

“Even if you tell me that, it’s not something I can decide,” Red Spider Lily said, spreading her hands. She then offered an example. “Besides, it might not be impossible. Think back to the Spring Festival travel rush; when there weren’t as many ability users, clearing and refilling a city took only seven days.”

“Now, almost everyone except children is an ability user. If organized, with spatial ability users handling transportation, it should be manageable in one to two days.”

“Mm…” Saint Lily pondered, then nodded, feeling a measure of relief. “As long as we find evidence and report it, as long as it’s taken seriously, it can be resolved.”

“So, this is what that child wanted to tell us?” Saint Lily nodded again, a smile gracing her lips. “They truly aren’t a bad child.”

“……” Red Spider Lily, ‘that child’ in question, ruffled her face, remaining silent.

****

As the movie began, the already dim cinema grew even darker.

Red Spider Lily, clutching a bucket of popcorn, approached the tense Saint Lily, chuckling. “Want some popcorn? And a cola?”

“Ah… yes, thank you.” Saint Lily accepted them, returning a small smile.

“It’s just us here; everyone else has been expelled by your ‘Off-Limits’ barrier, Saint Lily, so don’t be too nervous.”

“I’m not nervous…”

“Then are you scared? Do you want to hold hands?” Red Spider Lily had already settled into her seat, extending a hand with a smile.

“While I’m not scared, yes, I’d like to hold hands.” Saint Lily gazed at her, considered for a moment, and gave her answer, taking Red Spider Lily’s hand.

“It would be even better if you had a shy expression right now.”

“Rather than me, I’d much prefer to see Red Spider Lily blush. Yes, just like you did earlier.”

Their ability to joke and tease indicated a certain easing of tension.

The movie screen finally transitioned from a blinding white light, revealing a countdown from the number five.

The atmosphere gradually intensified. In the private screening, with only the two of them, their heartbeats seemed to synchronize with the pulsing numbers on the screen.

Red Spider Lily watched the screen, observing as the black and white images dissolved into color, signaling the start of the movie.

She had read the synopsis beforehand: a comedy about a girl who could travel through time, sparking a cross-temporal romance.

The female lead was incredibly cautious. After gaining the ability to time travel, she only wanted to earn money and avoid others’ affairs. When she saw the grievously wounded male lead in an alley, she decisively ignored him.

Unfortunately, the male lead was no easy opponent. He flung a flying knife directly into her shoulder, declaring it poisoned, and threatened that if she didn’t save him, they would both die.

Red Spider Lily propped her chin, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. ‘These male and female leads are truly intriguing,’ she mused. ‘Our fates were never intertwined, yet our shared doom brought us together.’

The female lead’s utterly bewildered, ‘WTF’ expression, in particular, could easily become a viral meme.

They were subsequently embroiled in a conspiracy. Despite the inherently perilous plot, the film managed to maintain a lighthearted, even absurd, tone throughout.

Through a series of events, feelings gradually blossomed between them.

A love transcending time, romantic yet fundamentally tragic, for their connection was incredibly fragile.

Once severed, it would be immensely difficult to rekindle.

As time passed, the plot reached this poignant point, and soft sobs drifted to Red Spider Lily’s ears.

She retrieved a tissue from her pocket and handed it over, listening to Saint Lily’s whispered thanks.

Her idol friend was simply too emotional and sensitive.

“Wuwuwu~ Host, they’re so pitiful! They love each other, so why can’t they be together? (╥﹏╥)”

‘It’s the same over here, too?’

Red Spider Lily shook her head helplessly.

‘Is my emotional threshold slightly higher than the average person’s?’

She only wanted to fast-forward through this part of the story, but alas, control was not in her hands.

The movie ultimately concluded with a comedic ending. The two returned to modern society together, bickering and joyful.

While many might argue that a tragic ending would have offered more depth and elevated the film’s message, Red Spider Lily was perfectly content with this resolution, finding herself in a lighthearted mood.

The hour and forty-odd minutes, nearly two hours, had been well spent.

“Red Spider Lily, that’s wonderful! They’re sure to have a happy and fulfilling life in the modern world.”

“Yes, indeed~” Red Spider Lily sat for a moment longer, watching the staff credits roll. This was truly the end; there was no post-credits scene.

“? Nothing seems to have happened? And we didn’t find any hidden passages?” Red Spider Lily murmured, perplexed.

“Could your friend’s information be mistaken, Red Spider Lily?”

“Hmm…”

“Meow~”

Red Spider Lily turned her head to see a small cat, seemingly appearing from nowhere, meow at her before darting out of the cinema.

“Saint Lily, let’s follow it.”