Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Highest Reward for Consecutive Kills

In Borough City, within the Clock Tower Lane District, inside a factory under construction.

The heavy rain continued unabated, growing even heavier after a night of downpour.

Raindrops, as large as beans, pattered against the temporary oilcloth roof, creating a continuous sound of splashing.

Water seeped through the gaps, dripping onto the simple wooden floor, making the entire factory muddy and wet.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, casting an oppressive shadow. The few weak kerosene lanterns inside the factory were the only source of light.

Under the dim glow of the kerosene lanterns, a shadow stretched infinitely long, its reflection dancing on the walls of the factory. The dark silhouette swayed and twisted with the flickering flames.

A petite figure knelt beneath the shadow, trembling slightly. She seemed to be muttering something rapidly under her breath, but her voice was drowned out by the rain.

If one listened closely, they could hear her murmuring what sounded like prayers, repeating them over and over.

Tap, tap, tap, tap…

A step echoed along the shadow towards the kneeling girl. A girl with emerald green hair, around twelve or thirteen years old, summoned the courage to lift her head and saw the figure shrouded in a black cloak.

It was a stunning red-haired girl. Her purplish-red eyes, webbed with faint spiderwebs, were filled with fatigue. Dark circles under her eyes made her look like she had been poisoned, her lips pale and tinged with purple.

The girl lifted her hand listlessly, pressing the brim of her round top hat, and spoke wearily, “Let’s go… I’m tired…”

“Xia’er… Xia’er… Miss Xia’er, what about me?”

Tara’s voice trembled, and anyone could sense the fear in her words.

“Go wherever you want…”

Xia’er sighed slowly.

Ever since she finished digesting the potion, a sense of despair and pessimism had enveloped her completely.

Xia’er discovered a rarely mentioned point: if the potion was digested poorly, she would hear more delirious voices in her mind, and her body would undergo strange changes. These delirious voices destabilized her mind, and the more unstable her mind became, the easier it was for her body to collapse, forming a negative cycle.

However, if the potion was digested too well, it would also cause problems.

As the name “Replication” suggested, digesting the potion too well made her feel as if she truly entered the emotional state of the potion itself, thinking and feeling exactly as the potion intended. This perfect replication from emotion to thought made it hard for her to find herself.

Both the “Tempter” and the “Inspector” experienced this.

Xia’er struggled with the urge to end her simulation torment by stabbing herself right then and there, but she staggered towards the factory exit, passing by Tara, who was still kneeling.

Only when Xia’er moved aside did Tara, who had been staring ahead, see the figure sitting at the table.

It was her shadow, which had always loomed over her. The source of the shadow came from the kerosene lanterns behind it, casting over the bloody limbs and dismembered remains scattered on the floor.

“Not enough… Tara… Call your trusted subordinates here…”

“Still not enough… Tara…”

“Almost there… Tara…”

“Tara…”

The piles of bones and flesh stimulated Tara, and Xia’er’s low voice seemed to echo in her ears, reinforcing the delirious whispers in her mind.

Plop —

An eyeball rolled off the wooden table, rolling across the muddy wooden floor, its pale blue iris lifeless as it looked toward Tara.

This was Gema, Tara’s confidante, and strictly speaking, her student, someone who had grown up under Tara’s watchful eye.

Now, a part of her had already merged into the creations of the Mother Goddess.

Tara slowly raised her head, looking at the “person” sitting at the wooden table.

If this could even be called a person.

Its tall frame reached nearly one meter ninety, its body as pale as a corpse. Its white hair, curly and matted, hung down from its head, tied in knots at intervals, falling to the ground like countless human hairs intertwined.

Its black eyes rolled in their sockets, with a single crimson pupil at the center, sinister and chilling.

Its belly bulged high, resembling a pregnant woman, except the huge belly was grotesquely writhing, as if about to explode.

Beyond its humanoid appearance, nothing else could be considered human.

Plop —

It landed on the ground, its huge belly splitting open. Six slender arms, made of human arms, supported itself on the ground. Its legs bent and merged together behind it, like a giant spider’s abdomen.

The “human-spider” raised its head, looking toward Tara with a hint of confusion.

It crawled toward Tara using all fours.

Seeing this terrifying creature approach, fear grew exponentially in Tara’s heart. She backed away, falling to the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably, even forgetting how to use her abilities.

The “human-spider” dragged its tangled white hair, crawling to Tara’s side. It stiffly revealed a terrifying smile, speaking in a layered voice, “Teacher?”

“High Priest?”

Tara’s eyes widened. She didn’t realize that tears had already begun to stream down her face.

At this moment, a deep-seated strand of her mind almost instantly melted. The frenzied delirious whispers almost shattered her, distorting everything she saw.

“Ah!!!

Tara screamed madly, her deepest faith in the Mother Goddess becoming her sole support. She crawled towards the factory door on all fours, rushing into the pouring rain.

Soon, Tara caught up with Xia’er, who had just left. She fell to her knees in front of Xia’er, banging her head frantically and shouting desperately, “Mother Goddess, don’t abandon me! Mother Goddess, please don’t leave me!”

At this moment, Tara was almost completely insane. As the most devout member of the Arrival Sect, it seemed as if some protective mechanism in her brain had triggered, selectively erasing everything else, leaving only “Mother Goddess Xia’er” in her mind.

“Get up…”

Xia’er sighed softly.

She could sense some of Tara’s emotions, but under the influence of the potion and the Replication ritual, Xia’er couldn’t control her own feelings.

When she regained her senses, everything had already happened. The members of the Arrival Sect guarding outside were all killed without resistance.

No, it was more like they willingly offered themselves.

In the rain behind her, a fleshy, palm-sized spider crawled out of the factory, climbing up Xia’er’s cloak and finally entering her hat. Behind her, the terrifying “human-spider” was nowhere to be seen.

“Sigh…”

Looking at the sobbing Tara on the ground, Xia’er sighed again.

Too troublesome…

Xia’er remembered her initial conversation with Yulis about dreams.

Xia’er didn’t say much more, only bending down to grab Tara’s arm, pulling her up and forcing her to look at her.

“Tara, look at me…”

Xia’er took a deep breath and patiently said, “This is all just a dream from the Oracle. In reality, none of this has happened. Your trusted subordinates are all alive and well.”

Tara stared blankly at Xia’er, unsure if she had heard her words.

Xia’er sighed lightly, then reached up to adjust her hat, looking up at the sky.

One hour left… Is Doom on break? Why isn’t it coming yet…

Xia’er’s left hand released Tara’s arm, reaching into her soaked coat pocket, pulling out two sealed objects.

They were the “Evil Eye” and the “Strong Fortune Coin”.

Although the process was quite different from what she had imagined, she had successfully obtained these two sealed objects that could potentially solve the puzzle.

“Sigh…”

Xia’er felt that she had sighed more in this one hour than she had in the past three years combined.

Negative emotions constantly clouded her mind, making her feel as if she had no strength left to breathe.

“If I die, let me see what you really are…”

Xia’er’s right hand also reached into the pocket, pulling out an ancient silver-colored stopwatch.

This was Xia’er’s exclusive sealed object, the “Echo of Silver White Time Binder”.

She brought her hands together, letting the three sealed objects touch each other, wet with rain — but nothing happened.

Why…

Everyone else was already dead…

She had collected all three “Life Weapons”, and even violated numerous rules, seeing many second and third-tier Extraordinary Persons.

Just as Xia’er was about to sigh again, she sensed something unusual.

The rain stopped.

To be precise, the rain around her had stopped.

Xia’er looked up at the sky again.

If she could look down from above, she would notice that the area without rain formed a projection, and the content of the projection was a giant raven.

“Tsk…”

Xia’er felt a bit discouraged.

If she hadn’t come out, she could have happily finished the last hour of the simulation and returned to reality.

The storm suddenly intensified. Amidst the strong wind, a feather, overall black with a gradually transitioning azure tip, slowly drifted down.

Not just Xia’er, even the spiritual alert in Tara’s mind suddenly blared. Xia’er looked at the feather with disbelief.

Even third-tier Extraordinary Persons hadn’t given Xia’er such a threat before.

Xia’er instinctively gripped her “Echo of Silver White Time Binder”, placing her thumb on the knob at the top of the pocket watch.

Xia’er’s simple action seemed to disturb the feather.

It no longer cared about graceful drifting, transforming into an arrow, piercing Xia’er’s head and drilling into her body in an instant.

“Ugh… Cough…”

A mouthful of blood spurted from Xia’er’s mouth. She didn’t resist much, casually dropping the three sealed objects, letting them fall into the mud.

At this moment, Xia’er felt a flood of unfamiliar and strange knowledge surge into her brain, accompanied by a powerful consciousness.

Even powerful Xia’er found herself almost powerless in front of this vast consciousness, directly entering a bizarre state — she completely lost control of her body but could still see and hear everything happening outside through her eyes and ears.

It was like watching an incredibly realistic movie.

“Miss Xia’er! Miss Xia’er! What’s wrong?!”

Tara’s eyes widened, seeing Xia’er covered in blood, panic-stricken. Xia’er was her sole pillar of spirit; without her, Tara would truly go mad.

In Tara’s vision, Xia’er’s originally red hair instantly turned black from the roots, then gradually transitioned, finally showing an azure hue at the tips.

The familiar, warm aura of the Mother Goddess also

It dissipated without a trace, replaced by a more aggressive aura.

The current “Xia’er” slowly raised her right hand and looked at her delicate fingers, revealing a satisfied smile on her lips as if she was very pleased with this body.

She then shifted her gaze to the three Sealed Objects on the ground, reached out directly, and picked up the silver pocket watch.

(Ancient An Su language) So you are part of me… No wonder you know so much.

Xia’er’s mouth uttered the Ancient An Su language, which she had never learned before and which few people now could pronounce.

(Ancient An Su language) I will become more complete…

Xia’er, with a mesmerized expression, gazed at the pocket watch in her hand. Above her head, the raven’s shadow vanished, and the heavy rain continued to pour down.

Holding the pocket watch, she rubbed it against her face, then lifted her hand and pressed the top button of the watch.

Nothing happened.

“Hmm?”

Xia’er emitted a puzzled sound.

Why wasn’t it working?

She bit her finger, directly touching the ancient silver pocket watch, but the blood was quickly washed away by the rain, still nothing happened.

Xia’er furrowed her brows, seemingly not expecting such a situation.

Feeling the faint struggle of her spirit, she curled her lips and said, (Ancient An Su language) Stop struggling; in another day, you will completely dissipate.

(Ancient An Su language) And I have at least three hundred years to study how to repair this body… although time is limited, it should be enough.

(Ancient An Su language) Just wait quietly for your death. As a vessel, you should feel honored.

Holding the pocket watch, Xia’er prepared to leave, but at that moment, a white figure appeared in front of her.

“You are not the Mother Goddess… Who are you?”

Tara’s voice came from behind.

When the Mother Goddess’ aura suddenly disappeared, Tara realized something was wrong. She blocked Xia’er’s path, her hoarse voice filled with anger.

Xia’er did not stop. A fleshy spider emerged from under her hat, rapidly swelling and transforming as it fell to the ground.

The fully formed giant spider-man lunged toward Tara. In this desperate situation, Tara recalled the white shadow, barely blocking the spider-man.

(Ancient An Su language) Why must it be the power of nature…

Xia’er shook her head, clearly displeased with this method, but seemed to have no better options.

She continued walking, disappearing into the rain.

…

Ka-dak —

Ka-dak ka-dak —

Walking along the road, Xia’er continuously pressed the pocket watch but received no response.

If not for feeling that the object in front of her was truly a Sealed Object, she might have thought she had taken the wrong one.

(Ancient An Su language) Do I need to wait for its consciousness to completely dissipate… waiting this long, a few more days won’t matter.

She put the pocket watch back in her pocket and continued aimlessly walking, searching for a place to take shelter from the rain.

…

Blinding blue light flashed.

A raven with black-blue feathers appeared in place, its wings supporting its body, head turning, eyes gradually shifting from confusion to shock. Its beak opened wide, emitting human-like words.

(Ancient An Su language) Impossible… This can’t be true!!!

(Ancient An Su language) You are fake! I am the real one!!!

…

A silver light flashed.

Xia’er felt a return of control over her body.

In front of her was a familiar silver-white world, and standing before her was a version of herself with black-blue hair and purple-red pupils, looking at Xia’er without hiding her despondent and world-weary demeanor.

[Save character save file?]

A system message appeared in front of Xia’er, bringing her back to reality.

She raised her hand and looked at her own hands… in this space, her hands could move freely.

Recalling the experience, Xia’er still felt a lingering fear.

The situation where she couldn’t control her body and could only watch herself do things contrary to her thoughts… even if her feathers wanted to control her to kill those close to her, Xia’er could not resist.

What was this… Possession?

Since Xia’er didn’t understand Ancient An Su language, she had no idea what the feather-shaped Sealed Object had said.

But she remembered the words, and if she heard them again or learned the language, she would understand.

She believed that this was the key to solving the problem.

“System, is the feather still in this save file?”

Xia’er asked the system directly.

Xia’er was not in a hurry to save immediately. The flow of time in this space was similar to that of simulations and reality, allowing her to ask more questions and think longer.

Every second gained was valuable.

[The thing parasitizing the host is not considered part of the host itself, so… of course not.]

[This save file is at most a severe injury effect, considering the head is split open, you’ll need to sew it yourself ^^ D]

“What was that feather? What is its relation to you?”

Xia’er followed up with another question.

[Can’t you check the system store? Are you trying to buy time?]

[Do you want to save? It’s up to you!]

“Yes, No.4.”

Realizing Xia’er’s thoughts, the system stopped her from delaying further. She saved the file to No.4.

Soon, the blank No.4 slot began to flicker, and a name appeared on it.

[No.4: Xia’er Inspector]

After successfully saving, the Inspector Xia’er in front of her burst into dazzling silver light, and Xia’er momentarily lost consciousness.

…

[Reality]

[Sheng Year 741, June 24, 08:11]

[Evaluation: Well, good job stitching everything up, now it looks like a slaughterhouse. You scared the child, making him go mad.]

[Regardless, this is your most glorious victory yet. Not only did you slaughter a dozen Extraordinary beings without a scratch, but you also successfully completed the ‘Inspector’ replication ritual.]

[The answer seems to be surfacing… But how will you solve it?]

[Don’t disturb it—shouldn’t I remind you of that?]

[By the way, I just thought of a joke]

[Do you know why the Inspector Xia’er is so depressed? Because her pathway is called the ‘Pessimistic Official’ ^^_]

[Laugh? Why aren’t you laughing? Is my Chinese joke not funny enough?]

[Take it, this is what you deserve based on your performance.]

[Reward: Mortality Point ×77, [Hunter Level 2], [Overlook and Forget the Endless Manual], [Warehouse] +2]

[Mortality Points: 166]

Xia’er slowly opened her eyes and looked at the system settlement screen in front of her.

Slaughtering so many Extraordinary beings and successfully completing the replication ritual as an Extraordinary person resulted in such a high reward, reaching 77 Mortality Points, higher than when she broke the Mortal Death curse last time.

Mortal Death has varying levels of severity, and such a high reward indicates that the opponent’s rank must be high.

In addition to the Mortality Points reward, Xia’er was surprised to find that the [Hunter] had also upgraded… perhaps because she had cut off so many heads?

Xia’er thought about the blue feather and felt a headache coming on.

This was going to be a tough battle…

The opponent was a Sealed Object with intelligence, observing her all along… Xia’er could no longer let Aivana translate Ancient An Su language for her, and even her thought process should no longer be written down.

Luckily, the previous Xia’er only dared to write plans on paper during simulations.

Xia’er suddenly had an idea. She quickly opened her eyes, found her notebook, lit it on fire with a candle, and threw it into the metal trash can, watching it burn to ashes.

The notebook could no longer be used… Xia’er did not know how much information the opponent had obtained about her.

She needed to find a new way or tool to replace her notebook.

Right, the system’s rewards…

Xia’er looked at the [Overlook and Forget the Endless Manual] in the system rewards, which lay quietly in Xia’er’s system warehouse.

The system warehouse had increased from 4 slots to 6, giving Xia’er more space to store items, which was also one of Xia’er’s trump cards.

In the new slot, an old, black-covered manual lay quietly.

As Xia’er looked at it, a system introduction appeared in front of her.

[Overlook and Forget the Endless Manual]

[Ability: Can be infinitely flipped through, can record things]

[Side Effect: When closed, any creature that has seen the book will forget its contents]

Xia’er: “…”

Just writing and closing it would make me forget it, so why bother writing?