Chapter 30: Identity

Upon hearing this, Xingyu felt a strange sense of inevitability.

She pondered for a moment, already forming a plan, and spoke with caution.

"I have heard that the Council is currently investigating 'acquired transcendents'."

After saying this, Xingyu carefully observed 020’s reaction. To her surprise, 020 reacted as if it had heard the most ridiculous joke.

"Acquired transcendents...!" Its body shuddered, its viscous voice laced with mockery. "The Council here is like ants gazing at the galaxy, forever unable to reach the edge of truth. Let them grope in the dark! And we shall endure in the shadows."

"Then... what do you want me to do?" Xingyu asked cautiously.

After a long silence, a series of discordant noises sounded again: "You have obtained control of this shell. Inhabit it, infiltrate those ants, and monitor their movements."

Before Xingyu could speak, 020 asked again: "Youngest Sister. What is your ability?"

"Faith—"

She was about to answer reflexively, but a sudden surge of vigilance made Xingyu stop abruptly. She remembered that the transcendent ability of the monster numbered 087, which she had killed, was [Shadow Shift]. And the ability of the monster numbered 020 before her was [Shadow Displacement]... There seemed to be a subtle connection between these two abilities.

With this in mind, Xingyu decided to use a more cautious approach. 020 seemed to perceive her hesitation; its body leaned forward slightly, those unfathomable eyes fixed directly on her.

"In the eternal void, secrets are merely the dust of illusions. Truth should flow between us like an eternal undercurrent."

Her throat tightened instantly, as if an invisible force were squeezing her vocal cords, compelling her to speak.

"It is... limb... deformation." Xingyu resisted the words struggling to escape and spoke with difficulty.

After the first day, she had indeed noticed an entry in her information: [Conversion Inheritance: Limb Deformation]. She had tried this ability once, but it only brought a sense of deep disgust, and... it had no effect. Her [Information Reading] was a purely passive skill. According to the Mediator's previous introduction, most people's abilities required active activation. However, she had no idea how to "actively use" an ability.

"Deformation?"

An inexplicable chill crept up Xingyu's spine. She suddenly felt that she might have inadvertently touched upon something crucial.

"Only that?" 020’s words were interspersed with a series of incomprehensible noises. "It seems you have yet to grasp the true meaning of mercy. Youngest Sister. Have you been influenced by humans?"

Just as she was weighing how to respond, 020 suddenly looked up, as if listening to a summons only it could perceive.

"...Enough. The time has come."

It turned its head one last time, its gaze like the stare of a black hole.

"We shall meet again at this time in two days."

"In the eternal night, our mission never ceases."

Then, its figure vanished into thin air without warning. The suspended shadows seemed to be torn by an invisible force, decomposing into countless fragments before finally descending and merging into two ordinary shadows on the ground.

Silence.

Xingyu slowly relaxed her tense body, feeling like a string pulled to its limit finally being released. She let out a long sigh, leaned back against the cold wall, and slowly slid down. Her legs were still trembling slightly, as if they might betray her at any moment and fail to support her weight.

She took out her agent terminal. The screen, which lit up suddenly, was blinding in the darkness. She squinted, making out the time displayed:

[Seventh Era, Year 952, Week 45, Day 3, 23:30]

The memories... and the conversation made her realize certain things.

"God's blood."

The term echoed in her mind like a key, as if trying to unlock a long-sealed door of memory. A certain power was flowing in her blood, changing her essence.

Xingyu forced herself to calm down and tried to organize her thoughts. Assuming she... had indeed become a being like 087 and 020, what was her current state?

Under the light of the night sun, her skin took on a nearly translucent fairness, as if she could see the blood flowing beneath. Although abnormal, it was not enough to attract too much attention in daily life; perhaps it would be mistaken for the pallor of illness.

To test the changes in her body, Xingyu picked up a sharp-edged stone and squeezed it firmly in her palm. The sharp edges, which should have cut her skin, felt as if they were sinking into soft modeling clay, unable to pierce her palm.

Xingyu tightened her fingers. A faint vibration and the sound of cracking came from her palm. Looking down, she saw the hard stone gradually crumbling in her grip. She applied a little more pressure, and the entire stone shattered, turning into fine powder. The crushed stone dust flowed through her fingers like quicksand, piling up into grey-white sand on the ground. She slowly opened her hand, leaving only a few irregular stone chips in her palm.

"..."

Taking a deep breath, Xingyu forced herself to stay calm. She closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten, trying to soothe her racing heart. When she opened her eyes again, she drew her black dagger.

Xingyu stared at the blade, not knowing what she was confronting. The blade reflected a cold light, as if mocking her hesitation. She pressed the edge against her right arm. After a brief moment of hesitation, she cut down decisively.

A sharp pain flared the moment the blade sliced her skin. The flesh exposed beneath the wound was an unnatural white; though not as extreme as her left arm, it still appeared abnormal.

At least it still hurts—she whispered to herself.

Suppressing the instinct to pull the blade away, she forced her hand to remain steady, slowly sinking the black blade deeper into the muscle. Every inch of penetration brought intense pain, torturing her nerves.

Cold sweat soaked her forehead, but her expression remained calm, as if she were dissecting not her own body, but an entirely strange experimental specimen.

The incision was deep enough to see the bone, with the pale muscle turned outward. However, surprisingly little blood flowed out; only a small trickle of bright red blood ran slowly down her arm.

...Any deeper and she would hit the bone.

Xingyu finally stopped when she reached the edge of her own bone. Only then did she truly and deeply realize that she could no longer live like an ordinary person. If she suffered a serious injury, anyone might discover the abnormality of her body...

However, along with this fear, a strange sense of excitement quietly sprouted.

...Her body had become stronger; this was an undeniable fact.

If...

If she could control this transformation, make herself more powerful while maintaining a human form... Perhaps it wasn't entirely a bad thing?

Once this thought emerged, it immediately made Xingyu feel both excited and terrified. Rationally, she understood that she should feel disgust at this inhuman change, but deep down, an indescribable attraction welled up. This was merely a 10% to 20% change.

She stared at her hands; the power contained within them both frightened her and filled her with an uncontrollable, secret anticipation.

Her mind was in complete chaos. She felt as if she were standing at a dangerous crossroads, with every path leading to an entirely unknown abyss. If discovered by the agents as an "acquired transcendent," she would die. If discovered by 020 that she was not its companion, she would die. If she did not obey the supervisor and pay the "rent" in four days, she would also die.

As an agent, she had to guard against the Council obtaining more information on "acquired transcendents" and locating her. As 020's "Youngest Sister," she had to assist it in achieving some inexplicable goal—perhaps to kill all the agents?

Although she had not yet understood the stakes of these identities, these two vastly different personas hung over her head like two sharp blades, ready to fall at any moment.

The pressure was like a black tide, nearly drowning Xingyu. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts churn.

What should... she do?

The night sun sank lower. After an unknown amount of time, a chilly night breeze blew by, stirring her hair. This tiny sensation was like a signal, waking Xingyu from her tangled thoughts.

She slowly opened her eyes, and her confusion and hesitation were gradually replaced by calmness. She could not judge what direction her future would take...

But at least she would live until tomorrow.

Exhaling a long breath, she covered her wound and stood up. Picking up the parcel she had dropped to the side, Xingyu merged into the night.