# 590
**Chapter 591 – The Nation Reborn**
Lin Qiye looked around, his eyes filled with confusion.
He didn’t know what had happened.
His last memory was of standing at the edge of Great Xia’s borders, deep within the mist, facing off against that white-haired old man.
He remembered the man placing his hand on the hilt of his blade—then, as if frozen in ice, his body and mind both came to a halt. When he awoke, he was already here…
Where was this?
Where were the others?
His gaze swept across the area. It was an ordinary stretch of rocky beach. Aside from a strangely dressed little girl who looked terrified, there was no one else in sight.
The rest of the team wasn’t nearby.
Eventually, Lin Qiye’s eyes settled on the frightened girl.
He suddenly felt that her outfit looked familiar—like something he’d seen in a textbook… a course mentioned during training camp.
The girl warily studied Lin Qiye for a moment, then cautiously asked:
“君は死んでいないのか？” (“So you’re not dead?”)
“?”
Lin Qiye stared blankly after she rattled off the sentence, utterly bewildered…
He didn’t understand.
But at that moment, he finally remembered where he had seen these things before.
Back at the training camp, there had been a course specifically about the cultural differences of various countries before the arrival of the mist. It introduced myths and legends from different regions. He knew which countries had existed before the mist and had a general idea of their cultural differences. But it was all book knowledge—he had never seen it firsthand, so it hadn’t immediately clicked.
Now, though, he could basically confirm where he was.
Cherry blossoms, kimonos, the language… this was Japan?
Lin Qiye stood frozen for a long time, scanning his surroundings again.
A low, rocky beach. Beside it, towering cliffs. A narrow road ran along the top of the cliffs, and the faint hum of passing vehicles could be heard. The sky in the distance was a flawless blue, and waves rolled in from the horizon—pure and white. Clouds drifted lazily across the sky like something out of a painting…
How was this possible?!
Japan had long since been swallowed by the mist.
Lin Qiye clearly remembered the instructors at the training camp saying that Japan was now completely shrouded in mist, with no survivors. When the former [Blue Rain] squad chased Yamata no Orochi into the mist, they too confirmed Japan’s destruction.
This place should’ve been a dead city cloaked in fog—the entrance to Takamagahara, the homeland of Japan’s gods.
But now, looking around, there was no trace of mist—none at all.
It was as if the mist had vanished entirely from the planet.
Lin Qiye stood like a statue, staring blankly at the sea in the distance.
Yuzuri Nana blinked. When Lin Qiye didn’t respond, she spoke again:
“私はあなたと話しているのに、どうしてまだぼんやりしているのですか？” (“I’m talking to you—why are you still spacing out?”)
Lin Qiye snapped out of it and looked at the girl in the black sakura kimono. After a moment’s hesitation, he gave a polite smile.
He had no idea what she was saying, nor what was going on in this country… for now, it was best not to reveal that he was an outsider.
Seeing Lin Qiye smile at her for no apparent reason, Yuzuri Nana’s expression grew even stranger. She continued in Japanese:
“What generation are you? Where do you live? What’s your ID number?”
Lin Qiye just kept smiling.
Yuzuri Nana narrowed her eyes. “You… aren’t mute, are you? Or deaf?”
Lin Qiye’s smile widened.
Must be deaf.
Yuzuri Nana was now certain.
If he were mute, he could still gesture or show his ID number. But he hadn’t reacted to a single thing she said…
His ears must be broken!
With that realization, Yuzuri Nana looked at Lin Qiye with a hint of pity.
Lin Qiye had no idea what the girl was thinking, but something about her expression seemed off. Still, all he could do was keep smiling.
Yuzuri Nana reached out, about to gesture something, when a sharp siren blared from the road above.
A police car screeched to a halt. Then, two male voices rang out from overhead.
“This should be where the girl called from. Split up and search—see if she’s still here.”
“It’s been so long. If she was going to kill herself, she’s probably already done it.”
“Suicide is a serious crime. And she chose the beach—violating the Sea Ban. That makes it worse. If she’s alive, we arrest her. Life imprisonment. If she’s dead, we still recover the body…”
“Got it. I’ll go—”
Hearing this, Yuzuri Nana’s face paled, her eyes flickering with panic.
She knew suicide was a crime—but she had called the police hoping they would announce her death, to achieve some goal of hers. She hadn’t expected them to arrive before she could finish the job.
Now, on the beach, there was no way she could drown herself. Even if she tried, the officers would pull her out. Once imprisoned, she’d be trapped—unable to live, unable to die.
Her mind raced. She quickly made her decision, pressing herself against the cliffside in a blind spot and creeping along the shoreline.
Then, as if remembering something, she turned back and grabbed Lin Qiye’s arm, speaking seriously:
“Follow me. Don’t make a sound!”
She didn’t know who Lin Qiye was, but since he had washed up on the beach too, he might’ve also attempted suicide. Even if not, entering the sea zone violated the ban—he’d be arrested too.
And since he was deaf, he couldn’t hear the officers searching. Left alone, he’d be caught.
Might as well take him with her—no extra effort.
Lin Qiye didn’t understand her words, but she seemed kind enough. He nodded and followed.
Yuzuri Nana led him along the shoreline, familiar with the route. After a short walk, they reached a steep slope. Barefoot, she nimbly climbed up.
Once she reached the top, she realized Lin Qiye might not be able to follow so easily. Just as she turned to check, a black-clad figure landed silently beside her like a ghost.