Chapter 215
The system panel before her seemed to glitch, layers upon layers stacking up in her vision, nearly obscuring all the mist and sight. In an instant, all that remained for Xia'er was a sea of silver-white.
“Xiao Zuo…”
As her consciousness began to fade, Xia'er silently called out a name in her heart.
With permission granted, her left hand swiftly grabbed the collar of Xia'er’s shirt, pulling her directly toward the ever-shrinking crimson vortex, instantly throwing Xia'er out of the other realm.
At the moment Xia'er was completely expelled from that realm, the blood-red whirlpool dissipated.
……
“Miss, do we really need to go so early?”
Niya, who had been following Aivina, 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 the nobility.”
Aivina, walking ahead, didn’t turn back but replied coolly, “I just want to take a look around.”
What’s there to look at in a factory… Which one are you planning to buy this time?
Niya buried this thought deep in her heart, knowing she couldn’t sway this young lady.
Ever since the replication ritual was completed, Aivina had been unusually excited, as if she could hardly wait to show off Xia'er to her friends.
Like a girl eager to flaunt her new doll in front of her peers.
Though Aivina appeared indifferent, Niya, who had watched her grow up, could see through her thoughts.
For a moment, Niya felt a pang of emotion.
Miss Aivina had never had a close friend growing up, which had shaped her somewhat reclusive and taciturn nature. Now, having someone to share with was a good thing.
But that Xia'er… her background was a bit mysterious, she had too many cards up her sleeve, and Niya was unsure of her feelings toward Aivina, which made her slightly worried.
Even though Aivina didn’t have a partner, in Niya’s eyes, she was practically a granddaughter, and naturally, Niya didn’t want Aivina to suffer in her social interactions.
“By the way.”
Aivina, recalling something, turned to Niya and said, “Niya, you wait for me nearby. I’ll go alone—Xia'er is still under a curse, so it’s better if you don’t get too close.”
“...Alright.”
Niya nodded.
She had already instructed the detectives to set up defenses around the area, and since this was the territory of the Goddess of Salvation Church, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
Most importantly, with so many cultists having been slaughtered, it was unlikely any would dare to cause trouble in the short term. Besides, Xia'er seemed quite capable of dealing with cultists, so Aivina’s safety shouldn’t be a major concern.
As her line of sight fell on the factory under construction, Niya stopped, leaping onto the roof of another factory, leaning against the chimney, watching Aivina walk through the mud.
But soon, her gaze shifted back to that factory, her brow slightly furrowing.
Just a moment ago, a faint spiritual alarm had sounded in her mind. It flashed so quickly that if it weren’t for her unusually sharp perception, she might have missed it.
What’s happening over there?
Clouds of doubt gathered in Niya’s heart. That faint spiritual alarm kept her on edge, but thinking of the now-promoted Aivina, she managed to suppress her worries a bit.
Miss Aivina had successfully advanced to “psychologist,” and the quality of the replication ritual was high, significantly enhancing her self-defense capabilities.
Mental attacks would hardly affect Aivina, and physical attacks wouldn’t breach her protective extraordinary items in the short term—at least, they would hold until Niya arrived.
She couldn’t protect Aivina forever.
Niya raised her hand, looking at the silver-glinting arm armor, falling into silence.
Reflected in the armor, besides the gloomy weather, was an overwhelming fog.
……
Aivina was briskly walking to the entrance of the factory.
She paused at the door, peering into the pitch-black interior, curiously observing her surroundings.
The sky was overcast, and there were no lighting fixtures inside the factory. Coupled with the roof’s cover, nearly half of the factory was shrouded in shadow.
For safety’s sake, Aivina took out a slender glass tube from her handbag, filled with a dark liquid.
She held the glass tube, warming the liquid slightly with the heat of her palm, then gently shook it. A faint warm yellow glow emanated from within, gradually becoming bright and intense.
Holding the wooden handle at the cork, Aivina stepped into the factory with her makeshift lantern.
Why did Xia'er choose to meet here?
It felt like a… mob deal location.
The light from the tube dispelled some of the darkness. As she ventured deeper, a figure kneeling in the corner, head bowed, caught Aivina’s attention.
This is…
Recognizing the familiar hair color, Aivina hurried forward, almost running to the figure’s side.
“Xia'er?!”
She tossed the light tube aside, half-kneeling before Xia'er, reaching out to cup her face in her hands.
There were no visible injuries, but…
So hot…
At that moment, Xia'er’s eyes were fixed ahead—her gaze seemed to penetrate through Aivina, looking far away, and she was murmuring something under her breath.
A flush had appeared on her forehead. When Aivina reached out to wipe it away, she felt Xia'er’s skin burning, as if her brain were on fire.
“What are you saying?”
Aivina leaned in closer to hear Xia'er’s words, but as she strained to catch the chaotic, rapid speech, a sudden spiritual alarm blared in her mind.
The shrill sound, like a banshee’s wail, seemed to scream at Aivina to stay away, to not listen.
Startled by the shriek, Aivina instinctively took a step back and fell to the ground. She quickly calmed herself as she looked at Xia'er, who appeared like a soulless puppet.
What’s going on?
Xia'er’s condition seemed less like brainwashing and more like… contamination?
In this situation, she couldn’t rashly intervene, but she had to think of a way; doing nothing wasn’t an option…
Aivina quickly picked up the light tube she had discarded earlier and began to scan Xia'er’s surroundings.
Soon, she spotted a luxurious corpse lying on the ground—its body was broken in half at the waist, blood pooling around it, and the corpse itself was withered, its muscles a sickly purple, clearly having been dead for some time.
This outfit… wasn’t it made by the tailor I recommended? She remembered that a few days ago, Xia'er had indeed taken her family crest to commission a female thief…
But the corpse bore no trace of extraordinary energy.
Aivina’s gaze continued to search, not missing any detail.
Before long, her eyes landed on a notebook.
It was Xia'er’s notebook and pen.
She hurried over, bent down to pick up the notebook and pen, and quickly opened it in front of Xia'er.
The notebook should contain some useful information…
But when Aivina fully unfolded the notebook, she was left dumbfounded.
It was filled with characters she couldn’t comprehend, entirely different from any foreign language she had studied… it was an ancient script.
Yet from the elegant handwriting, Aivina could accurately recognize it as Xia'er’s notes—after all, she had been communicating with Xia'er for days.
Setting the notebook and pen aside, Aivina knelt in front of Xia'er, taking her hands in hers.
Wait… Xia'er…
A faint glow flickered in Aivina’s dark purple pupils. She held her breath, focusing all her attention on Xia'er’s vacant eyes.
……
What is this?
Xia'er gazed at the silver-white light before her, lost in thought.
Have I come out of the other realm?
But where is this?
The system space?
Silver-white frames continued to pop up in front of Xia'er.
These frames were supposed to display the system’s messages for communication, but now they were filled with unfamiliar characters.
She tried to turn her head, only to find that the frames were piled up everywhere; no matter where she looked, there were heaps of system boxes.
“Is this really a bug?”
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