Chapter 189

189: This Time, I'll Be the One to Save You

After that photographer left, Lina took the negatives he had left behind and found an opportunity to secretly sneak out to a photo studio to have the photo developed.

This matter, let alone Jasmine, even the teachers at the orphanage had not noticed.

A secret gift, after all, required proper secrecy~

She had even carefully commissioned someone to handcraft a custom picture frame with Church-style reliefs. This had nearly exhausted what little pocket money she had.

Finally, she had also very earnestly written her blessings for Jasmine on the back of the photo.

Although it was a bit painful for her wallet, the Lina of that time still thought that when Jasmine received this gift, she would definitely be super happy.

But the final result... left her deeply disappointed.

She vaguely remembered that back then, she had sat in her room holding this white box containing the photo until very, very late. Her state had gradually shifted from initial excitement to eventual exhaustion. In the end, she really could not hold on any longer and just collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

And Jasmine never came back.

However, when she woke up the next morning, she discovered that someone had covered her with a blanket.

No need to guess. It must have been Jasmine covering her after returning.

Lina had been so excited at the time. She immediately rolled out of bed, ready to give the gift to Jasmine.

But the result was that when she turned around, she discovered Jasmine had already gotten up and gone to eat breakfast...

But Lina did not give up. She prepared to give the gift to Jasmine when she came back for her midday nap.

However, the result of doing so was that she was completely and utterly devastated.

When Jasmine returned at noon that day, she was extremely exhausted and just collapsed onto the bed, ready to sleep. That was when Lina approached her, smiling, saying she wanted to give Jasmine a birthday present.

The result was naturally the same as what happened in the illusion today. Jasmine coldly rejected her and said something that hurt her quite deeply.

Lina no longer remembered exactly what words were said, but it was probably something similar to today's words, something like "I don't need your gift."

The Lina of that time did not know mind reading and was unaware of Jasmine's true thoughts at the time. She only knew that the gift she had carefully prepared for so long had been rejected by Jasmine. She ran back into her blanket and sobbed for the entire noon.

As for Jasmine, she was probably truly tired. Not long after Lina ran back under the covers, she fell asleep.

And that picture frame remained silent under Lina's bed, never brought out again.

Even when they left the orphanage, Lina never thought to take it out again.

Now... perhaps it had already been thrown away as trash by the new occupant of the room...

The memories ended. Lina gazed at the photograph before her, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

The questions that had once swirled in her childhood heart now had answers.

Why did Jasmine come back so late? Why did she appear so exhausted when she returned to the room at noon?

The answer was obviously only one. That very night was the time when Howard first conducted Death Magic experiments on Jasmine.

"Zophi... no, perhaps I should call you Father? Hehe, I really have to thank you..."

Lina placed the picture frame back into the gift box and carefully set it on her bedside.

Originally, the regret had already formed. No matter how much she regretted it, there was no chance to make amends.

But now, Zophi's [Genesis] had given her a new opportunity.

This illusion, realistic enough to be indistinguishable from reality, was it not the perfect chance for Lina to make up for her regrets?

Zophi, you really deserve the title of Dream Fulfillment Master.

A smile slowly formed on Lina's lips. She looked at the full moon hanging high outside the window. A dark night with high winds, perfect for killing. There was no night more suitable for an Executor to take action.

The only pity was that Lina at this time had not yet joined the Executors, so she did not have the Executor's specialized stealth cloak. She felt like something was missing in terms of atmosphere.

But that was ultimately a minor issue. After all, with her skills, hiding her tracks was still very simple.

Thinking this, Lina solemnly pushed open the door and walked out.

Her target was clear: the back mountain of the orphanage!

Normally, basically no one at the orphanage would run toward the back mountain. But an illusion could not create a completely meaningless area. Therefore, as part of the accessible range, the back mountain must hide clues related to the "main quest."

Combining the matter of Jasmine with what she had seen and heard in reality today, it was easy to reach the conclusion that "the Death Magic experiment site is located within the back mountain."

"Jasmine... hold on... this time, I'll be the one to save you!"

Lina thought to herself as she sprinted through the corridor at a speed far exceeding what her appearance suggested.

Just then, a somewhat familiar angry shout came from ahead.

"Who is it!? Who the hell is running in the corridor at this hour..."

Before Hagen could finish speaking, Lina's figure had already arrived behind him. With a clean, efficient karate chop, Hagen's pupils instantly dilated. He, a Church Father, could not even make any reaction before collapsing.

He obtained sleep as peaceful as a baby's.

"Sorry, old geezer. I'm in a hurry. I'll apologize to you in reality next time."

Lina glanced at Hagen lying unconscious on the ground, casually kicked him to the side with one foot, and resumed her sprint mode.

Along the way, she encountered quite a few patrolling teachers and teachers getting off work.

And these teachers, without exception, were all instantly knocked out by Lina with a single karate chop.

She had to ensure her actions would not be disturbed, even if this was just an illusion.

After all, she did not know how much of his real-world strength the Howard in this illusion retained.

A Cardinal had to be guarded against.

Just like that, Lina was like a game player who had turned on "musou mode," effortlessly knocking out nearly half of the teachers in the orphanage as she quickly arrived at the back mountain.

"Good, not yet eight o'clock. I hope I make it in time."

Lina glanced at the watch she carried with her to confirm the current time.

The experiment might have already begun. She had to find the experiment site as soon as possible.

"Haven't used this in so long. Hope I'm not too rusty..."

Lina took a deep breath, slowly crouched down, and gently pressed her palm to the ground.

In an instant, countless golden threads extended outward underground with Lina at the center, gradually spreading across the entire back mountain.

Through these root-like God-given threads, she could easily sense the condition of the entire back mountain, even the terrain structure.

But such a powerful reconnaissance magic still had its drawbacks, namely that it consumed quite a lot of magic power.

However, as the minutes and seconds passed, a confident smile gradually appeared on Lina's face.

She had found it.