I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 47
From Shenzhen City’s central district to the convention center in Dadong district, there are two buses that can take you directly. One of these buses treats these two stops as its starting and ending points, and you need to head to the main bus terminal to catch it.
For some reason, during the time it took me to return home to have breakfast, the bright sunshine that was there a moment ago seemed to have dimmed a bit. There was a faint hint of moisture in the air.
Is it going to rain?
As I stepped out of my rented apartment, I felt that the weather outside was not quite right, so I went back inside and placed a small umbrella in my backpack.
The little rabbit backpack, crammed with so many things, instantly puffed up. Carrying it, I felt like a little girl going mushroom picking.
Speaking of which, why does this situation feel so familiar?
Leaving the rented apartment, with the plump backpack on my back, I walked along the small road near the apartment. I watched the hurried pedestrians around me and felt an unusual sense of warmth in my heart.
When was the last time…?
I glanced at the pedestrians not far away.
Coming out of the apartment, a short walk brought me to the main road outside, and across the street was the urban village, followed by the commercial street and the pedestrian street. There were also my favorite large supermarket and a street full of snacks.
It was all so familiar, the same streets and familiar scenes as always, so why did I have this feeling of “having seen it in a dream” today?
As if at some point in the past, I, too, had walked like this… carrying a backpack, moving through the crowd, and slowly advancing toward the dimming sky ahead.
I looked up at the sky, which already had a few dark clouds forming.
Is it related to the dream I had last night? Vague fragments of memories began to surface in my mind— a black sky, a desolate world seemingly devoid of “hope,” weary-faced pedestrians and villagers surrounding me, and a never-ending muddy road ahead.
It seems… there should be a little companion by my side?
I looked to my right.
Naturally, there was only an old stone pedestrian path there.
And if we’re talking about a “little companion,” it seems like I would be the one fitting that description now.
So, my previous life and that Grim Reaper are acquainted?
She didn’t come to me and transform me into this form because of reasons like “sudden death” or “reckless words,” but rather, she came prepared?
After all… I believe that there are probably many people every day who are “rude” to her, and can it be that Miss Grim Reaper herself has “punished” all those people? That would throw the world into chaos, wouldn’t it?
Let me think… last night’s dream seems to be…
“…”
I can’t recall it.
I only have a vague memory of arriving in a different world, one with magic and martial arts. And then, that world was like many traditional fantasy novels, with an evil overlord bent on destroying the world or something like that.
At the time, I seemed to silently grumble in my mind – if a world like that were written as a novel and posted on any website today, it would be a complete flop.
That’s because that world was just too dark and too despairing.
Lost in my thoughts, I spent about ten minutes walking to the starting station for the bus with the rabbit backpack on my back.
Fortunately, the bus I needed to take had just been cleaned and disinfected, and its doors opened at the stop. The display screen at the rear also showed “waiting.”
“Little sister, where are you headed?”
I had just stepped onto the bus when the ticket seller, a young lady, greeted me.
It’s not a self-serve ticket machine?
“To the convention center.”
I pulled my thoughts back from “the encounter with the otherworld and Miss Grim Reaper.”
“That’s the final stop.”
“Okay, International Convention Center, four yuan.”
The ticket seller pulled out a ticket from a pile around her waist and handed it to me. “Cash?”
“Just scan it, I’ll use Alipay.”
I took out my phone, scanned the QR code on the ticket seller’s chest, received the receipt, and went straight to the back of the bus.
This time didn’t seem to be during the rush hour, and the starting station was quite remote. There weren’t many people willing to wait for the bus here, so there wasn’t a single person on the bus. I could choose any seat at my leisure.
Without much thought, I sat in the back, on the left side near the window.
One downside to sitting in the very back is that it’s a bit bumpier compared to the middle. However, the advantage is that you can see everyone on the bus, and as long as you keep an eye on the people on your right, there’s little chance of things like phone theft or surreptitious photos.
Since I need to ride from the starting station to the final stop, it’s better to be cautious.
“Hmm…”
I moved the rabbit backpack from behind me into my lap and took out my phone, unlocking the screen.
There’s no point in thinking about things I can’t figure out.
In the current situation, it seems inevitable that I know something about the grim reaper, but I don’t know what kind of relationship I have with her.
“I just can’t stand you guys, big guys using a girl’s avatar, so what?”
As I waited for the bus to start, I had just opened QQ on my phone, and the messages popping up in the Editor Tuzi’s signed author group left me with a lot of question marks.
In theory, aren’t authors supposed to be night owls? Why are they having such an intense discussion so early in the morning?
With various questions in my mind, I scrolled through the group messages:
?Bro, I’ve seen you arguing with so many people. What’s the problem with guys using girl avatars??
?In the group of several hundred signed authors, I’ve seen at least 8 out of 10 using anime girl avatars. Do you really want to individually verify their gender??
?What are you guys talking about? I can’t see anything… Is it that troublemaker again? Oh, I’ve blocked him a long time ago, out of sight, out of mind.?
?Love to block? Go ahead and block. I dare say many people in the group, just like me, can’t stand a bunch of grown men using girl avatars and posting those cute pictures. Isn’t it disgusting??
?Classic sentence ‘Many people are just like me.’ I’ve been in this group for a year, and you’re the only odd one out so far.?
?Stop bickering, all of you. Editor Tuzi is really busy these days. She has to manage the booth at the convention and review author’s drafts and handle various matters. Can’t you guys stop arguing in the group??
“…”
Huh? It seems… that the author “Uncle Bei” had gotten into an argument with other authors in the group over the issue of “whether males should use female avatars.” And it seems like this topic may have started because of me?
At that time, I was busy packing my things to leave, so I didn’t reply to that author. Other authors in the group saw the argument and joined in, and that’s when the argument escalated.
?I didn’t argue, I just said it’s inappropriate for them to use this avatar.?
?Then what’s your avatar? Isn’t it also an image from the world of 2D? You want to use a handsome guy avatar. Oh, do you think you’re handsome? Do you look exactly like the person in that picture? By your logic, everyone should use selfies.?
?Why are you picking a fight here? I only said that guys are better off not using cute girl avatars. Did I ask you to use a selfie? Sakamoto uses a cat avatar, did you see me complain about him??
?Why is your face so big? You want to manage what avatars others use. Really weird.?
?Hehe, maybe it’s you guys who are weird? Whatever, I’m ready to head to the convention. Use it or don’t, I don’t care.?
“…”
It seems that no matter where you go, arguments are bound to happen. It reminded me of online battles over gender, debates over whether tofu pudding should be sweet or savory, debates between southern and northern cockroaches, and various regional conflicts.
I know that I can’t change others’ views and worldviews online, and even if I convince someone, it won’t benefit me in any way. So my attitude towards such matters has always been… to go with the flow.
After briefly checking other QQ groups’ messages, the comments section and critiques for my new book, and confirming there were no important matters to attend to, I opened my writing app on my phone.
—You guys can keep arguing, I’m going to sneakily update my book while you’re fighting. I’ll crush you with new chapters.