Chapter 130

The One-of-a-Kind and the Corruption from the Other Realm.

A few fragments of the Other Realm flashed through Xia’er’s mind.

These were some of her few memories of the Other Realm.

They were also memories of herself traveling to the Other Realm within a simulation.

At that time, her goal was to find the Sealed Object named “The Glimpse of Death” whose name she only knew later on.

In those few fragments of memory about the Other Realm, Xia’er roughly witnessed the anomalies there, but back then, she had mentally collapsed after confirming the coordinates of the Sealed Object.

Even when her real self entered the simulation later, she was still affected by those fragments.

So, Xia’er’s current purpose was clear.

After entering the Other Realm, she intended to use every means necessary to dismantle the “Corrupted Fate Touch of Betrayal” as quickly as possible and extract the One-of-a-Kind.

Even if she died, she could not die within the Other Realm; she could not let her real self remain trapped there once she returned.

It seemed that Xia’er’s thoughts were understood.

After Xia’er was dragged into the Other Realm by Xiao Zuo, Xiao Zuo immediately climbed onto her back. As long as Xia’er’s mental state faltered, it would drag her back to reality.

It was like having a safety harness on during bungee jumping.

As Xia’er was fully pulled into the Other Realm, the buildings around her crumbled instantly, and the world before her eyes was shrouded in a gradually thickening mist.

Xia’er did not have time to pay attention to the changes in the surroundings. While she could still think, she quickly surveyed the area, searching for the location where the quill pen Sealed Object might appear.

Soon, a silver-white glow mixed with a faint blue appeared in Xia’er’s vision.

It was the quill pen Sealed Object!

Now, it had transformed into the form of a raven, though it looked different from what Xia’er had seen before.

In the Other Realm, the shadow of the raven seemed to revert to its most primitive form, but one of its pupils showed an abnormal silver-white color.

That was a tiny silver gear, no larger than a quarter of a fingernail.

That’s it.

“Xiao Zuo!”

Xia’er quickly issued a command in her mind.

Instantly, the heavy sensation on Xia’er’s back disappeared. A swift figure pushed through the mist and charged straight towards the raven, which was still standing in place a short distance away.

Back in the Other Realm, Xiao Zuo acted as if it were home. When outside, Xia’er could track Xiao Zuo’s position, but in the Other Realm, Xiao Zuo moved as if teleporting.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Xiao Zuo clamped the quill pen Sealed Object with four fingers and rushed straight to Xia’er’s front.

Seeing the raven fixed in front of her, Xia’er hesitated not at all. She stretched out her hand towards the raven’s eye direction.

At that moment, the raven in Xia’er’s vision began to twist and distort.

Its pupil, filled with silver gears, seemed like a monster covered in tentacles, with countless tentacles bursting forth from its eye, almost exploding the raven’s head.

The number of these flesh tentacles instantly exceeded the size of the raven itself and continued to surge outward.

Xia’er’s right hand paused for a moment, but soon she reacted, thrusting her hand into the mass of tentacles. Even as the tentacles drilled into her muscles through her skin, Xia’er did not retreat.

This is fake… This is fake…

Everything I see is not real…

Xia’er felt unbearable pain in her right arm, as if every nerve in her arm was snapping one by one. She could no longer feel her right hand.

The tentacles pierced through Xia’er’s arm, drilling directly toward her neck, and if they touched her spine, Xia’er would likely be paralyzed instantly.

The pain seared through her spine, striking her soul. Xia’er’s vision began to double, and amidst the blur, she seemed to see in front of her not a pile of indescribable tentacles and an invisible raven…

But rather, her sister.

The ethereal figure squatted in front of her, curiously watching her actions.

Ah!!!

Xia’er couldn’t make a sound, but her heart screamed. She used all her strength, ignoring the tentacles that kept spreading upward, and lunged forward, her right hand continuing to probe ahead!

Her right hand finally regained some sensation.

In a mass of sticky tentacles, she touched a hard but warm object.

Click —

Ignoring the fact that her fingers were completely twisted, Xia’er tried her best to grip her fist, using her palm to hold the hard object and pulled it back fiercely.

Pak —

A crisp sound echoed. The tentacles covering the ground almost instantly retreated toward the center, like a tide of tentacles retreating.

The tentacle tide surged toward the center, eventually converging into a small point — the bloodied eye socket of the raven.

And in Xia’er’s right hand, which already revealed bones, she held a crushed eyeball, with a silver precision gear lying quietly in her palm amidst the bloody mess.

Xia’er’s consciousness began to fade. She looked around dazedly, and through the mist, she could still tell that this was an unfinished factory, but deep within the mist, countless shadows surged.

Their silhouettes were distorted and indescribable, their whispers like loud delusions in Xia’er’s mind. Xia’er, like a puppet without a soul, knelt motionless, letting the shadows wrapped in mosaic-like dense fog approach her.

Sss —

A hissing sound like a snake’s tongue flickered in Xia’er’s ear, slightly restoring her wits.

She turned her eyes and saw the terrifying left hand that had been crouching beside her, urgently facing away from her, hissing, as if trying to drive away the approaching shadows.

The One-of-a-Kind… cannot be taken out… it will be discovered…

What should I do…

Xia’er’s thoughts began to stall, leaving her with no more energy to think.

She raised her hand and instinctively swallowed the precise gear with a biological action — swallowing.

Hum —

A terrifying hum reverberated in Xia’er’s mind.

The system panel in front of her seemed to glitch, layering up in her vision, almost blocking out all the mist and sight. For a moment, Xia’er’s vision was filled with silver.

“Xiao Zuo…”

As her consciousness was about to dissipate, Xia’er silently called out a name in her heart.

With permission granted, the left hand quickly grabbed Xia’er’s collar, dragging her towards the constantly shrinking blood vortex, instantly throwing Xia’er out of the Other Realm.

When Xia’er was completely thrown out of the Other Realm, that blood vortex also dissipated.

…

“Miss Nia, do we really need to go so early?”

Nia, who had been following behind Aviana, couldn’t help but speak up. “You and Miss Xia’er agreed to meet at five, right? It’s only three thirty now…”

“Punctuality is a virtue of nobility.”

Aviana, walking in front, didn’t turn around but replied calmly, “I’m just here to take a look.”

What’s there to look at in a factory… Which factory are you planning to buy?

Nia buried these thoughts in her heart. She knew she couldn’t persuade the young lady.

Since the replication ritual was completed, the young lady had been unusually excited, as if she couldn’t wait to see Xia’er and show off in front of her.

Like a girl showing off her new doll to her friends.

Although Aviana showed no concern on her face, Nia, who had watched her grow up, couldn’t be fooled by such expressions.

For a moment, Nia felt a bit sentimental.

Miss Aviana had never had any close friends since childhood, developing a somewhat solitary and quiet personality. Now, having friends to share with was quite good.

But that Xia’er… Her background was mysterious, and she had many cards up her sleeve. Nia was slightly worried about how Xia’er felt about the young lady.

Even though Aviana had no partner, Nia considered her as a granddaughter, and naturally didn’t want Aviana to suffer in social interactions.

“By the way.”

Aviana, who was walking ahead, suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Nia, saying, “Nia, wait for me nearby. I’ll go alone — Xia’er still has a curse on her, it’s better if you stay away.”

“…Alright.”

Nia nodded.

Nia had already alerted the detectives to patrol the area, and since this was the domain of the Salvation Goddess Religion, there shouldn’t be major issues.

Mainly, with so many cult members killed, it would take some time before another cult member dared to cause trouble. Moreover, Xia’er seemed quite adept at dealing with cult members, so the young lady’s safety shouldn’t be too much of a concern.

When Nia could see the construction site of the factory, she stopped and leaped onto the roof of another factory, leaning against the chimney, watching the young lady walking through the mud.

But soon, her gaze shifted to the direction of the factory, her brows slightly furrowing.

Just now, a subtle spiritual alert sounded in her mind, but it was too quick. If not for her extremely sensitive perception, she might have missed it.

What happened there?

Doubts clouded Nia’s mind, and that slight spiritual alert made her uneasy. But thinking of the advanced Aviana, Nia slightly suppressed her worries.

The young lady had successfully advanced to the role of a Psychologist, and the quality of the replication ritual was high, significantly improving her self-defense capabilities.

Mental attacks were basically ineffective against the young lady, and physical attacks would struggle to breach her protective extraordinary items, at least until Nia could arrive.

Nia couldn’t protect the young lady forever.

Nia raised her hand, looking at the silver light reflecting on her arm guard, lost in thought.

Reflected in the armor, besides the gloomy weather, was a vast sea of mist.

…

Aviana walked lightly to the entrance of the factory.

She stopped at the door, looking inside which was pitch black, and curiously observed the surroundings.

The sky was overcast, and there were no lighting devices inside the factory. The overhead cover further obscured most of the area, enveloping it in darkness.

To be safe, Aviana took out a slender glass tube from her handbag. Inside was a black solution.

She held the glass tube, warming the solution with the heat of her palm, then gently shook it, causing a faint yellowish glow to emit from within, gradually becoming hot and bright.

Holding the wooden handle at the end of the tube, Aviana carried the makeshift lantern into the factory.

Why did Xia’er choose to meet here?

It feels like a… gang meeting spot.

The light from Aviana’s tube dispelled some darkness. As she continued deeper, a figure kneeling in a corner, with its head bowed, caught her attention.

This is…

Seeing the familiar hair, Aviana quickly approached, almost running to the figure’s side.

“Xia’er?!”

Aviana threw the tube aside and half-knelt in front of Xia’er, reaching out with both hands to lift Xia’er’s face.

There were no external injuries, but…

So hot…

At this moment, Xia’er’s eyes were staring ahead — her gaze seemed to penetrate beyond herself, looking elsewhere, while Xia’er was muttering something quickly under her breath.

Her forehead was flushed, and Aviana could feel Xia’er’s scorching skin, as if her brain was burning.

“What are you saying?”

Aviana leaned in to listen to Xia’er’s words, but when she heard the chaotic and rapid speech, a spiritual alert suddenly rang in her mind.

The shrill alarm, like a banshee’s scream, seemed to be urging Aviana to stay away, not to listen.

Startled by the shriek, Aviana instinctively stepped back, falling to the ground. She looked at Xia’er, who was now like a lifeless puppet, and quickly regained her composure.

What’s going on?

Xia’er’s condition now seemed more like she was… contaminated?

She couldn’t rush to help, but she had to think of a way; doing nothing wasn’t an option…

Aviana quickly picked up the discarded light source and began to rapidly observe Xia’er’s surroundings.

Soon, she saw a corpse dressed in luxurious clothing lying on the ground — the corpse was broken in half from the waist down, blood spilling everywhere, and the body itself was dried up, muscles turning purple, clearly dead for some time.

This outfit…

“Is it made by the tailor you recommended?”

She remembered that a few days ago, Xia’er had indeed taken her family crest to retrieve a female thief…

But there was no trace of any extraordinary aura on the corpse.

Aivana’s gaze continued to search, leaving no detail unchecked.

Soon, her eyes settled on a notebook.

It was Xia’er’s notebook and pen.

She quickly walked over, bent down, picked up the notebook and pen, and approached Xia’er, flipping through it rapidly.

The notebook should contain some useful information…

But when Aivana fully unfolded the notebook, she was utterly bewildered.

It contained square characters she couldn’t understand, unlike any language she had ever learned… This seemed like a very ancient script.

However, from the delicate handwriting, Aivana could accurately recognize it as Xia’er’s notes—after all, she had been communicating with Xia’er these past few days.

Aivana placed the notebook and pen aside, ignoring the dust scattered around, and knelt in front of Xia’er, reaching out to take her hands.

Wait… Xia’er…

Aivana’s dark purple pupils flickered with light, holding her breath as she focused entirely on Xia’er’s lifeless eyes.

…

What is this?

Xia’er gazed at the silvery-white light before her, lost in thought.

Did she come out of the Other Realm?

But where exactly is this?

The System Space?

Xia’er’s vision continued to display silvery-white frames.

These frames were supposed to show text used for communication, but now they were filled with unfamiliar characters.

She tried turning her head, only to find that everywhere she looked was filled with these frames, stacking endlessly.

“This is really messed up.”

Xia’er tried to speak, but heard no response—she couldn’t even open the system interface, which was unprecedented for her.

After a while, the frames finally stopped increasing.

Gradually, the system interfaces before Xia’er started to fade away, one by one. After a long time, Xia’er saw something other than the system interface.

In front of her was a small gear floating in a vast silver space, rotating quietly.

Xia’er realized that the system frames weren’t disappearing on their own; they were being absorbed into the gear.

Once all the frames were absorbed, the gear slowly stopped rotating.

A new system interface appeared before Xia’er.

[Pretty, huh?]

For some reason, Xia’er felt the system’s frustration from this message.

“Are you malfunctioning?”

Xia’er asked curiously.

[…]

[Sigh…]

The system sent a series of ellipses followed by a sigh.

“Why are you sighing?”

[Just thinking about having to do everything again makes me feel terrible.]

“What did you do?”

[I sealed away all the knowledge and will within your uniqueness.]

“Sealing it away… doesn’t that make it useless?”

[Do you want me to seal it away or do you want to go crazy yourself?]

[Haha, you can even make puns now, top post ^^]

Seeing the familiar annoyed expression of the system, Xia’er felt a bit relieved.

It seemed the system wasn’t broken and was still functioning well.

[Next time, you don’t need to swallow it, just put it in your pocket.]

[Oh no~ I’m about to give up~ I can’t continue shielding you from the pollution ^^_]

As the last communication interface disappeared, the silver light before Xia’er rapidly faded away.

This was definitely intentional by the system—

Xia’er barely had time to think this before she tightened her mental state, preparing for possible “pollution” or “whispers.”

But what Xia’er didn’t expect was that the mental impact she anticipated never came.

Feeling the return of control over her body, Xia’er slowly opened her eyes.

Opening her eyes, she saw her right hand, torn and bleeding.

All the skin from her palm to her arm had been torn, some areas only connected by a few threads of flesh, and even the muscles themselves were beginning to turn purple.

Within the fissures between skin and muscle, tendrils writhed, seemingly part of her own flesh, already fused with her blood and tissue.

Looking further up, she saw another pair of pale hands gripping hers tightly.

Lifting her gaze, she saw Aivana, wearing glasses and kneeling before her.

Aivana was holding Xia’er’s hands, her eyes closed, her face showing pain, her forehead covered in fine sweat.

Was Aivana bearing this burden for her?

This had a significant impact on Aivana’s mental state… and Xia’er needed to know how severe her mental contamination would be without Aivana’s help.

“Aivana…”

Xia’er called out to Aivana.

Hearing Xia’er’s voice, Aivana’s dark purple pupils trembled slightly, clearly startled by something she saw.

Xia’er slowly withdrew her hands from Aivana’s, but Aivana’s grip tightened, reluctant to let go.

However, Aivana’s strength was far weaker than Xia’er’s, especially since Xia’er’s physical power was enhanced by Agility, making it impossible for Aivana, a non-combatant, to resist.

“It’s okay now, Aivana.”

Xia’er said after withdrawing her hands, gently embracing Aivana with her left arm, “It’s over.”

After leaving the influence of Aivana’s abilities, Xia’er began to see some double vision and hallucinations. The darkness in the factory seemed to be enveloped in a mist.

The warm yellow light from the liquid in the tubes dispelled some of the darkness, but in the faint mist where the light couldn’t reach, something seemed to whisper, luring Xia’er closer.

“Xia… Xia’er… I… I saw…”

Aivana’s chin rested on Xia’er’s shoulder, stuttering, “Why did you… too?”

Aivana’s confused spirit hadn’t fully stabilized yet. Xia’er didn’t speak, just gently stroking Aivana’s back with her left hand.

Under Xia’er’s gentle touch, Aivana’s heart gradually slowed, and her body stopped trembling.

Aivana seemed to realize something as well. Their current posture was somewhat ambiguous, but after hesitating, she slowly wrapped her arms around Xia’er’s back.

The liquid in the tubes cooled down, and the light gradually faded. The two held each other in the dim factory, feeling each other’s warmth.

Neither wanted to break the moment of peace.

But after a while, as the darkness completely enveloped them, the whispers in the darkness caused Xia’er’s mind to ache. She slowly spoke, “Aivana… can you turn on the lights?”

At this moment, Aivana slowly pushed Xia’er away, walked to the tube with almost no light, picked up the glass rod, and pressed it against Xia’er’s forehead.

Soon, the liquid inside melted again, and with Aivana’s gentle shaking, the light dispelled the darkness once more.

“Is it over…?”

Aivana asked softly.

“Yes, the curse-sealed object has been destroyed and permanently left in the Other Realm,” Xia’er replied.

Xia’er seemed to recall something and asked, “You mentioned ‘you’ earlier…?”

As she spoke, Xia’er changed her position, holding the light stick and leaning against the wall.

Aivana didn’t mind the dirt on the ground or the dust on the walls, sitting beside Xia’er, their shoulders touching.

“Nia’s situation is similar to yours.”

Aivana hugged her knees, her face buried in them.

“Other Realm pollution.”

Pollution from the Other Realm?

Expected result.

But at this level, it wouldn’t significantly affect Xia’er—though in the short term, she definitely couldn’t use Spirit Summoning or enter the Other Realm.

She must write this down in her notebook later.

With her left hand, Xia’er picked up the notebook and pen beside her. When she raised her right hand, she saw again her strange, terrifying, almost monstrous-looking hand.

Xia’er wanted to ignore her right hand, but when she gripped the pen, her trembling hand made it difficult to write.

When Xia’er finally wrote, she found that the words she wrote were illegible, as if all the fonts in her mind had merged together.

Finally, she gave up writing and handed the notebook and pen to Aivana, who was sitting to her left, saying, “Can you help me?”

“Hmm?”

Aivana took the notebook, puzzled, “I don’t know how to write these…”

“It’s fine, just write in An Su language,” Xia’er said, “I’ll say it, you write it.”

Thus, Xia’er said a sentence, and Aivana wrote it down, recording all that had happened—excluding the Uniqueness and the System—in the notebook.

“Who are you writing this for?”

Aivana noticed that the handwriting seemed intended for someone else, not for personal memory.

“For the organization.”

Xia’er replied.

That organization again…

Aivana’s grip on the pen tightened slightly.

Seeing Xia’er suffer such mental damage, regardless of how secretive the organization was, it piqued Aivana’s desire to investigate.

Aivana would confront whoever assigned Xia’er tasks and give them a harsh lesson.

“Congratulations,”

Xia’er said to the distracted Aivana, “You’ve reached Tier Two?”

“Mm.”

Aivana nodded.

“Did anything dangerous happen to you?”

Xia’er continued asking.

Though the plan succeeded, if it cost Aivana mental or spiritual damage, Xia’er would need to reconsider adjusting the plan.

“No.”

Aivana shook her head, “I was just afraid.”

“Afraid?”

“Afraid you’d become like Nia.”

“Become… a monster?”

“Leaving me at any moment.”

“Is my situation dangerous?”

Xia’er pressed on.

If her mental state was truly on the brink of collapse, Xia’er would need to consider changing plans, possibly even abandoning Uniqueness to avoid going insane.

Xia’er hadn’t yet experienced the benefits of Uniqueness, but she didn’t believe anything was more important than her life.

“No, your condition is much lighter,”

Aivana shook her head.

“As long as I’m alive, your mental state won’t worsen and can gradually recover.”

“On one condition.”

Aivana emphasized, “You can’t stay too far from me. If it worsens and I’m not there, treatment will be more difficult.”

“Add another note.”

Xia’er said.

Aivana picked up the notebook and pen, asking, “What?”

“After completing the task, I can’t stay too far from Aivana, ideally always staying close to her.”

Aivana’s pen paused slightly before she wrote it in An Su language.

“Is Nia coming with you?”

Xia’er asked.

“Yes.”

Aivana nodded.

“Can you wait for me at Nia’s place first? I’ll come soon.”

“But…”

“It’s fine, it won’t take long.”

“…Okay.”

Aivana obediently stood up, leaving the light tube in place, and walked towards the factory door. When she reached the door, she turned back to look at Xia’er, who waved her left hand at her.

Once Aivana left the factory and disappeared from sight, Xia’er leaned against the wall and slowly got up.

In reality, she couldn’t feel her current state, so she needed to thoroughly assess her body.

Xia’er glanced at the time—two and a half hours until reality caught up with her… The duration of unconsciousness was indeed quite long.

She couldn’t let Aivana overhear the details about the system; she had to write it all down herself—drawings included.