“Knights of the Round Table of the Cradle, ‘Surtr’…”
“Is that the fire giant from Norse Mythology who burns everything?”
“Mm.”
Ling Ling gently moved the mouse and pulled up a personnel file. On the file was a blurry photo—a side profile of a woman with red hair. Her facial features weren’t clear, but her long hair, burning like a blazing flame, was highly recognizable even in the blurry photo.
“S-class ability user, ability: ‘Burn Out,'” Ling Ling read the file in a flat tone. “Capable of converting any matter she touches into combustible material, and continuously releasing high heat during the combustion process. Maximum temperature can even reach 3,200 degrees Celsius.”
Hearing this, Lin Jiu’s blue eyes narrowed slightly.
3,200 degrees Celsius. That temperature was enough to melt most metals, including military-grade alloy armor. An ordinary fire-type ability user would look like an amateur in front of her.
“So, what does big sister plan to do?” Lin Jiu asked.
“The Countermeasures Section and Defense Department will send out their S-class, ‘Iron Wall’ Artyom Volkov.” Ling Ling switched to another file. “Ability: ‘Absolute Rigid Body.’ His defensive power ranks first among known S-class users. If he can hold back ‘Surtr’ head-on, the others will have a chance to break deep into the facility and seize the ‘Divine Remains.'”
“So it’s S-class versus S-class.”
“Right.”
“What about us?”
Ling Ling’s hand, which was moving the mouse, stopped.
She lifted her head, her crimson eyes meeting Lin Jiu’s gaze. Her sister’s face wore her usual smile, but those sapphire-blue eyes held a hint of excitement.
“We’ll be the monkey wrench.”
Lin Jiu blinked.
“Sister, that word is so crude.”
“…Couldn’t think of a better one.”
“Spoiler? Third party? The bird that catches the cicada? The fisherman?”
“They all amount to the same thing.”
Ling Ling pulled out two black masks from under the bed and placed them on top of the computer desk.
These masks were made of a special material that could completely cover the face, leaving only the eyes exposed. The surface of the masks had been specially treated to interfere with most electronic surveillance devices in the city.
“These are ‘White Night”s masks.” Lin Jiu picked one up and flipped it over to look at the inside. “When did sister buy them?”
“Last week. I had them custom-made through Ye Fengxue’s connections.”
“So, the other one is mine?”
“Mm.”
Lin Jiu pressed the mask against her face to compare. It fit perfectly.
The corner of her mouth curved into a dangerous arc.
“Sister, to what extent are we going this time?”
Ling Ling didn’t answer immediately.
She stood up, walked to the window, and quietly gazed at the old district at three in the morning. The streets were very quiet at this hour, and moonlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, casting faint shadows on her fair face. Under the play of light and shadow, she looked like a mastermind pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
“The target is the ‘Divine Remains,’ but we can’t let anyone know we took it.”
“So, frame someone?”
“No.”
Ling Ling turned around, her crimson eyes glinting coldly in the moonlight.
“We make them guess.”
Lin Jiu tilted her head.
“Sister means…”
“‘White Night’ will appear there. But not alone.” Ling Ling walked to the computer desk and picked up one of the masks. “It will be you, me, and could also be ‘other people.’ We’ll appear with different appearances, different abilities, different fighting styles. Let the Countermeasures Section see multiple ‘White Nights.'”
She paused.
“Make them think that ‘White Night’ is an organization, not a person.”
Lin Jiu’s eyes lit up.
“How fun.”
“It’s fun, but it’s also dangerous.” Ling Ling stared at her expressionlessly. “S-class ability users are not to be trifled with. If it really comes to a fight…”
“I know.” Lin Jiu interrupted her, her smile unchanged. “I’ll protect big sister.”
Ling Ling opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but looking at her sister’s earnest blue eyes, she ultimately swallowed the words back.
“…Do what you want.”
“Mm!”
Lin Jiu happily picked up the mask and turned it over in her hands.
Ling Ling sat back down at the computer desk and pulled up a building facility map. Several locations had been marked on it.
The Seventh Underground Facility. According to the Countermeasures Section’s files, it was located eighty meters underground at the junction of the Seventh District and District 6. Originally a weapons research base for the Cradle, the facility had been abandoned by the organization after Ling Ling and Lin Jiu escaped from the Cradle six months ago—or so it seemed on the surface.
In reality, they had simply moved the research deeper underground.
The facility had seven floors. The above-ground three floors were buildings disguised as abandoned factories, while the underground four floors were the true core area. According to intelligence, the prototype of the ‘Divine Remains’ was stored on the fourth underground floor—the deepest laboratory.
And from the ground to the seventh underground floor, each floor was guarded by the Cradle’s sentries.
“Sister.” Lin Jiu suddenly spoke. “What if that ‘Surtr’ is really strong?”
Ling Ling’s pen stopped for a moment.
“Then we run.”
“…Huh?”
“If we can’t win, we run.” Ling Ling lifted her head, her expression very serious, not joking. “The ‘Divine Remains’ are important, but not important enough to trade lives for. If the situation goes bad, prioritize evacuation.”
Lin Jiu looked at her, a hint of complex emotion flickering in her blue eyes.
“Sister has changed.”
“Changed how?”
“Back in the facility, sister never would have said the word ‘run,'” Lin Jiu said softly. “Back then, sister would keep fighting until everyone fell.”
Ling Ling was silent for a few seconds.
“…That was then.” She said, her tone flatter than usual, as if thinking about something. “Back then, there was no place to go back to.”
Lin Jiu’s eyes widened slightly.
Then her eyes quickly filled with tears.
“Sister—”
“Don’t cry.”
“But—”
“If you cry, I won’t take you.”
Lin Jiu’s tears retracted within three seconds.
Ling Ling stared at her expressionlessly, reached out, and flicked her on the forehead.
“Ouch.”
“Go to sleep. We’ll start preparing tomorrow.”
“Yes, big sister!”
Lin Jiu stood up, hugging the mask, and walked briskly toward the bedroom. Just as she was halfway there, she turned back.
“Sister.”
“Mm?”
“I’m really happy.”
Ling Ling looked at her.
“To be able to fight together with sister, come home together, eat together.” Lin Jiu tilted her head, her smile as gentle as a ray of moonlight. “I will always protect this kind of daily life. No matter who it is, they can’t destroy it.”
Her voice was very, very light, as if stating something obvious.
But Ling Ling understood the weight behind those words.
And in her heart, she silently agreed with her sister’s words. Any force that dared to destroy their daily life was, to her, unforgivable.
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