Chapter 508: “Snow” Piece by Piece

At the edge of the dilapidated, crumbling rooftop, the hot, dry wind blew through the girl’s long silver hair, making it sway. Beneath her gently swaying dress, her slender legs were exposed, their fair skin dazzling to the eye, but the burn scars upon them drew even more attention.

Those burn scars made her look as if she had just escaped from a fire.

Lu Yibei gazed at the PL girl, whose body was scattered with burn marks, and after a few seconds of silence, asked expressionlessly, “Why do you need to rest again?”

“Come on, could you stop acting like a capitalist spreading blessings?” The PL girl patted her on the shoulder, grumbling, “Do you think these burns of mine don’t need recovery?”

“In power leveling, we sell our skills, not our lives. If it’s reasonable service, of course I’ll do my best for you, but you can’t expect me to risk my life every time, right?”

“……”

Don’t rely on me too much, Lu Yibei!

Not long ago, you were in Tang City by yourself, and didn’t you handle things just fine?

If you make every decision based on my thinking, then what’s the point of all this?

Thinking this, the PL girl lowered her head ever so slightly, her eyes dimming.

“……”

After a few seconds of silence, Lu Yibei pursed her lips and nodded, “Alright! Also, I have another question. About face sculpting… is there really no room for negotiation?”

Even if she couldn’t make a grand comeback, she still really wanted to sculpt her face. Honestly, how many kids her age don’t like face sculpting?

The PL girl frowned, put her hands on her hips, leaned forward, and said sternly, “Let me tell you, don’t even think about it. Make it quick! Got it? Make it quick!”

“Oh.” Lu Yibei replied lifelessly.

If she couldn’t take her time to carefully craft the perfect model, then no matter how much freedom the face sculpting systems offered, it would be meaningless.

“I’ve said all I need to say,” the PL girl said. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” Lu Yibei nodded.

“Then let’s get going!”

As she spoke, the PL girl suddenly shoved Lu Yibei’s back, as if committing premeditated murder.

Caught off guard, Lu Yibei fell from the rooftop.

And then…

Time seemed to stop for a moment.

In the next instant, she was swallowed by light.

——–

After a brief lapse of consciousness, a gentle squeezing sensation roused Lu Yibei from her slumber.

It was as if she were submerged in water, her body wrapped in clear, pure liquid, the temperature just right, making her feel utterly comfortable.

Then, an invisible force swept in, pulling her body upward, as if buoyed by the water, drifting weightlessly with the current.

Soon, as if finally breaking the surface, she gradually became aware of her surroundings.

She felt a strong heartbeat and the familiar psychic energy filling her limbs and the sea of her mind.

She felt the breeze brush past, carrying a hint of heat, like a pair of slightly warm little hands gently caressing her face, bringing a faint scent of blood mixed with a pungent burnt odor.

But she couldn’t see anything, as if a thin film covered her eyes, everything before her shrouded in dim, hazy light.

After spacing out for a few seconds, Lu Yibei came to her senses, realizing she had entered the body the PL girl had rebuilt for her. Following the PL girl’s instructions, she began to outline in her mind the appearance she had during her haunting transformation.

About thirteen or fourteen years old, petite but not frail, with a bit of baby fat, a delicate, small oval face…

“King covers the land, Baihua is one-fifty tall!” As soon as Lu Yibei sketched the outline of her appearance, this phrase flashed through her mind, and she couldn’t help but think of Bai Xiaohua’s character portrait.

And then…

She had only thought of something irrelevant for a moment, but her thoughts immediately scattered like a runaway dog, turning chaotic.

For a moment, it was as if two little figures with opposing views were pulling hair and yanking collars, arguing and fighting, neither willing to give in.

Little White said: No, no, now’s not the time to think about Bai Xiaohua!

Little Black said: But Meow Meow-chan is nice too…

Little White said: Watch out, Meow Meow-chan might kill you!

A little Yellow, who popped up from who knows where, said: What about Muscle Golden Wheel? Didn’t you want to make a grand comeback? Just model your body after that, guaranteed to be mighty and imposing!

Little Red said: If it’s going to be mighty and imposing… have you considered the style of <Baki>?

Lu Yibei, “???”

What the heck? Where did you all come from? Why are you all making things more chaotic?

As all sorts of people, hauntings, characters from movies and anime, game portraits, and even scenes of petting cats, teasing dogs, and raising lions flashed through her mind, Lu Yibei suddenly realized that the process of rebuilding her body was much more difficult and dangerous than she had imagined.

This situation couldn’t help but remind her of a story her dad once told her.

The story was about an immortal who created a well full of gold in a village, but to get the gold, the villagers absolutely could not think of the crooked-neck old tree at the village entrance while drawing water.

After the immortal left, the villagers joyfully went to fetch gold, but couldn’t help thinking of the crooked-neck old tree.

In the end, the villagers brought in excavators, dug up the well, opened a gold mine, and everyone lived happily ever after.

But…

Whether the villagers were happy wasn’t the point. The point was, just like the immortal telling them not to think of the old tree, some things just can’t be said aloud. Once spoken, people can’t help but think about them, and once you start, it’s impossible to stop.

Wait, is it okay to think about gold?

Lu Yibei, “……”

Damn it! According to the PL girl, once you get distracted, there could be irreparable consequences.

But how could anyone possibly keep their mind completely blank about this?!

I’ve really given up on face sculpting, but I just can’t help thinking about it! Lu Yibei thought bitterly.

On the other side.

After enduring the dual baptism of the Beast of Inheritance’s flesh and the Black Sun Fire Seed, in a city ravaged and in ruins.

Nanling Rao Hua chased in the direction where that bizarre meatball had fallen, sprinting all the way, darting through the streets, leaping into a building, then passing through an empty office, finally stopping before a floor-to-ceiling window whose glass was completely shattered.

From above, she looked down at the meatball that had smashed a deep pit into the asphalt road, her lips twitching uncontrollably.

At this moment, the meatball was writhing violently, constantly splitting into various organs and morphing into all sorts of shapes.

First, it grew a slow-motion, anime-style girl’s face, then a thin, limping girl’s body.

That body didn’t last long; soon, after another bout of intense fleshly writhing, it became strong and muscular, the lines of muscle growing more defined and graceful.

“Guchu–guchu–guchu–!”

With a series of soft sounds, a pair of orange ears sprouted from its head, a Shiba Inu tail grew from behind, then came the black horns of some unknown creature, colorful flowers and mushrooms, a chitinous shell, panda fur… In short, all sorts of things were growing out, making it unbearable to look at.

Then, that already grotesque body suddenly began to shine.

At first, it was just like a bodybuilder oiled up, the skin turning glossy, but soon the sheen grew more pronounced, taking on a metallic texture, and within seconds it had completely transformed into an abstract golden statue.

Indeed, Lu Yibei had obediently refrained from pinching her face, but she seemed to have accidentally set foot on another path–a path that challenged the graphics processor.

After that, the meatball kept changing, but Nanling Rao Hua silently raised her slender hand to cover her eyes and turned away.

That thing was simply too grotesque, developing entirely in the direction of a psychic contaminant–she really couldn’t bear to look anymore.

If it weren’t for the fact that this meatball had just saved the city she loved, she would probably have rushed down with her sword and, with her sharpest moves, rid the people of this menace.

But…

Letting that thing keep developing wasn’t a solution either!

It might even cause other disasters…

Nanling Rao Hua thought, glancing sidelong at the distant meatball for just a second before quickly looking away, rubbing her eyes as if sand had gotten in them.

Just then, the psychic energy drifting in the air suddenly trembled.

A dull rumble came from the sky, spreading throughout the city, as if this entire little world was trembling and buzzing.

The humidity thickened abruptly, the air turning hot and sticky, just like the moments before a torrential downpour.

Sensing this subtle change, Nanling Rao Hua’s willow brows furrowed as she looked up at the sky.

Above the gloomy sky, clouds gathered, lightning flickered, sending out waves of pale blue halos, rippling like an ocean floating in the sky, enveloping the entire city; she could even vaguely see schools of fish swimming by.

“……”

That seemed to be some kind of seal–a very sophisticated seal–or perhaps some sort of anchoring used to stabilize this special space…

But who could have cast it? Nanling Rao Hua noticed something, but couldn’t figure it out.

“Wala–wala–!”

Suddenly, the rain began to fall.

In an instant, the curtain of rain swallowed the entire city. Under the dense veil of raindrops, except for the soft splintering sound of water, the whole city fell into silence.

It was as if the rain had extinguished all the recent turmoil.

Even Nanling Rao Hua felt that, thanks to the rain, this special space–made extremely unstable by the dark red flesh and the black fire from the sky–was gradually settling down.

In the rain, everything became misty, and amid this hazy drizzle, something else began to fall from the sky–white, petal-like, piece by piece, like snowflakes.

Looking out, in the devastated city, with rain falling, mist shrouding, and snow drifting down, there was an inexplicable sense of sorrow.

Nanling Rao Hua stepped forward, walked to the window, reached out to catch a “snowflake,” and brought it before her eyes–only to freeze in place.

In her palm was a small instant photo, showing a boy and a girl sitting on a stone block in front of an old iron gate, a big tree with lush branches overhead, sunlight streaming through the leaves.

The boy had several big bumps on his head and panda eyes, but a smile on his bruised lips; the girl was crying, wiping the blood oozing from his arm with a handkerchief.

Nanling Rao Hua remembered this scene–it was from her childhood, when she was bullied and Lu Yibei stood up for her and fought back.

But…

No one took a photo of us back then!

Where did this photo come from? Nanling Rao Hua wondered.

The next moment, the photo burst into dazzling light, engulfing her figure.

————

On the other side.

Shrouded in mist, on the deserted street, several cars had crashed into each other in a chain, twisted and deformed. On the asphalt road, covered in hideous cracks, a girl clad in makeshift silver armor lay unconscious.

Cold raindrops kept hitting her cheeks. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Staring at the rainwater splashing onto the muddy ground, Jiang Li felt as if she had returned to that day many years ago, when two members of the Eclipse Society broke into her home and took her away.

“……”

She actually fainted–how ridiculous…

Was it because of that black fire?

The black fire from the hands of the Eclipse Society’s top, core members, Jiang Li thought.

When that enormous pitch-black hole appeared in the sky, the tattoo on her back seemed to suddenly activate, vibrating intensely, causing countless terrifying illusions to surge in her mind, as if to shatter her sanity, making her faint instantly.

Even now, she could still feel the burning pain from the tattoo on her back, and the terrifying images lingering in her mind.

Only after she completely broke free from that state and regained full awareness did she realize that what was drifting down from the sky with the rain wasn’t “snowflakes,” but photographs.

She steadied herself, picked up a photo that had landed in front of her, glanced at it, and frowned.

The first photo showed her sleeping on her office desk in the morning, with Lu Yibei standing beside her, sneakily holding her enamel mug.

Jiang Li, “……” Who took this photo?

As she was thinking, the image in the photo suddenly started moving.

She saw Lu Yibei tiptoeing, pouring out the overnight tea from the enamel mug, putting in fresh tea leaves, pouring in hot water, then taking the coat from the hanger and gently draping it over her shoulders.

Jiang Li, “……”

That’s strange. When did this guy ever do these things?

Why do I have no memory of this at all? Jiang Li wondered.

Normally, with her alertness, even if she fell asleep in The Midnight Watchers Society’s office, as soon as someone approached, she would wake up immediately. For Lu Yibei to do so many things without her noticing at all should have been impossible.

Just as Jiang Li was puzzled, she caught sight of the image in the photo continuing to change, and her cheeks suddenly flushed red.

She saw that after Lu Yibei put the coat on her, she actually leaned down, her face inching closer and closer to Jiang Li’s, lips about to touch hers–only to suddenly stop, cover her face, and dash out of the office.

“……” After watching Lu Yibei’s social death highlight reel, Jiang Li was silent for a few seconds, then spat lightly, “Tch, coward!”

As her words fell, the photo emitted a dazzling light, swallowing her figure.

——–

Faculty housing, at Lu Yibei’s home.

Gu Qianqian was hugging that pitch-black, hideous bizarre fish, rubbing against it.

“Hehe, systems, you’re finally back! I searched so hard for you!”

“Hmph! Searched so hard for me?” systems said sarcastically, “You were freeloading at Calamity’s place… Oh right, and you even managed to trick her into giving you Roasted Pig Trotters! I don’t see you suffering at all.”

“I… I was just playing along, wasn’t I?” Gu Qianqian said weakly.

Systems sighed helplessly. “Fine, I’ll let it go this time, but you can’t do this again. She’ll lead you astray, you know?”

“By the way, systems, why didn’t you come looking for me?” Gu Qianqian suddenly asked. “Did you think I was already dead?”

systems, “……”

“No, no! I was looking for you too! We must have just missed each other, right? Hmm, this city is so big, and psychic energy fluctuation is restricted–it’s normal not to find someone right away!”

I absolutely can’t let Gu Qianqian know I already carved her name on the memorial stone, or I’ll die of embarrassment! systems thought.

“That’s true!” Gu Qianqian nodded. As she spoke, she suddenly caught sight of the “snowflakes” drifting outside the window, her eyes lighting up as she rushed over. “Wow, it’s snowing!”

“systems, look! It’s snowing in the middle of summer!”

systems floated lazily to the window, stretched out a slender fin, grabbed a photo, glanced at it, and its fierce dead fish eyes instantly trembled.

On that photo was recorded the scene of Gu Xinian’s family, who, when escaping the special space, accidentally caused the death of Gu Qianqian’s parents…

“systems, systems, what’s on your photo? Mine shows Calamity at the ghost market, swiping stuff from my stall! How could she do that? So annoying!” Gu Qianqian said through gritted teeth.

Hearing Gu Qianqian’s voice in its ear, systems didn’t even think–its big mouth opened wide and stuffed the photo on its fin straight in.

If the truth is too cruel, it’s better she never knows… systems thought, collecting itself, then looked at Gu Qianqian and said, “Didn’t expect the photo to taste pretty good… By the way, what were you just asking?”

Hearing systems say the photo tasted good, Gu Qianqian immediately forgot what she’d just asked, grabbed a few photos, and stuffed them into her mouth.

Then, those photos seemed to explode, bursting with intense light in her mouth.

——–

In the pouring rain.

Lu Yibei dragged herself along, her body now beyond description and still constantly changing, crawling forward, staring at the sky with over two hundred Kazilan eyes, mouths–more than forty of them–open, feeling that whether it was life or monster-life, the future was bleak.

I was wrong, I was really wrong. I never should have thought about Bai Xiaohua in the first place. If I hadn’t thought of Bai Xiaohua, I wouldn’t have remembered Meow Meow-chan, who cosplayed Bai Xiaohua. If I hadn’t thought of Meow Meow-chan, I wouldn’t have thought of cosplay streamers. If I hadn’t thought of streamers, I wouldn’t have thought of Muscle Golden Wheel. If I hadn’t thought of Muscle Golden Wheel, I wouldn’t have thought of all those weird things, and I wouldn’t have ended up like this.

This ghostly appearance is even weirder than an aberrant type haunting. Even if I regain my memory and return to Hua City, I won’t be able to survive!

If even one or two witnesses saw me like this and reported it to The Midnight Watchers Society higher-ups, just by looks alone, my threat level would go up several notches. After all, I could scare someone to death without doing anything.

“Splash–!”

Just as Lu Yibei was grumbling like a resentful woman, mentally rambling and causing her body to continue developing in unspeakable directions, a photo drifted down in front of her.

She stretched out an arm from the 30.23° angle on her left, picked up the photo, glanced at it, and all two hundred-plus eyes instantly reddened.

On that slightly yellowed photo was a young Mrs. Wang Meili, one hand resting on her slightly rounded belly, the other holding the arm of an equally young Lu Ming, both smiling sweetly…