“It’s like that, huh…”
Ashley curled up under the covers, not daring to move.
Though she had guessed it was a human hero, she never imagined it would be her—the legendary figure who changed the course of history in this world, the Varian Wrynn of this world!
Without a doubt, that skeleton fused from two bodies was an epic in life and a monument in death.
“However, when I inspected the Underground Sanctuary, I discovered that the heads of the Twin Stars had been removed. The A-Grade Relic ‘Angel’s Kiss Mark’ at the connection between the skull and torso had vanished without a trace,” Letisia said leisurely.
“Who?! Who did this?!” Ashley shuddered all over, shouting indignantly.
“I want to know too. Who could commit such an act of forgetting one’s ancestors, utter madness, and utter inhumanity?” Letisia’s tone grew strange, as if she were holding back laughter.
“Is it the perversion of human nature, or the collapse of morality?!” Ashley looked heartbroken. “To do such a thing to our heroes… such a thing… wuu wuu wuu… They must be arrested!”
Amber’s little face turned pale. She hadn’t known beforehand that the Twin Stars’ holy bodies had been desecrated. She thought her teacher was just holding Ashley accountable for digging the hole, so she had started to liven up a bit, less serious.
Could it be… Ashley who did it?
Blood rushed to Amber’s head, her thoughts growing heavy and sluggish. It was someone else’s crime, yet she felt an inexplicable terror.
At the same time, she sensed the small body clutched in her arms trembling nonstop. The abnormal pulse from her fingertips indicated palpitations, panic, and a flight instinct.
“Was it you?” Letisia stared into the Blue-Haired Loli’s eyes. “Don’t worry, the punishment is light—no pain, just a painless euthanasia. Sounds nice, right?”
“Guh woo…”
Ashley shuddered again, burying her head in the pillow. She wasn’t really afraid, but she was genuinely angry. It was just a trivial matter, yet Letisia had to come investigate personally. Was this something the head of the Tribunal should be doing? What was the meaning of this? Targeting her, huh? Just you wait…
“Aren’t you a lie-detection enthusiast? Then just answer, and Amber will make the judgment.” Letisia crossed her hands over her knees.
Now it was Amber’s turn to tense up.
Me… me?
Amber panicked instantly, her eyes widening.
She had guessed it was Ashley. If she told the truth, euthanasia might not happen, but social death was certain—the kind where she’d be a public enemy, spat on in the streets.
But lying in front of her mentor to cover for a criminal, all because of her own selfish feelings… w-would that even make her human?
What to do…
The agonizing choice weighed on her, leaving her breathless, her mind in chaos. Adding insult to injury, she felt a finger slowly tracing across her thigh, spelling out words—save me…
Amber’s heart trembled. Memories of her time with Ashley flooded her mind—the lies from those thin lips that somehow sounded so sweet, the playful sway of her skirt revealing her calves as she walked, the glistening slickness of her little tongue swirling around a glass bottle neck, the light, seductive flick of her fingertips brushing back her soft hair by her ear, and those tasty little ears…
But she also had many fond memories with her teacher. Her teacher’s care always seeped silently into her heart, her teacher standing in front of her to confront enemies, her teacher seeing through her little schemes and gently scolding her, her teacher recommending books and discussing their ideas and depths with her…
What to do…
Overwhelmed with emotions, Amber’s nose stung, hot tears spilling from her eyes, dripping onto Ashley’s cheeks and neck.
Ashley’s lips moved, tasting the warm saltiness.
“Waaah—!”
Once the tears started, her emotions spiraled out of control. Amber sat on the bed sobbing loudly, her little hands frantically wiping her face.
“That’s enough for today.” Letisia stood up, casting a deep, chilling glance at the Blue-Haired Loli. “If I catch anyone using that ‘Angel’s Kiss Mark,’ I’ll twist her little head right off. Got it?”
Ashley nodded like a chick pecking rice.
Letisia led the sniffling Amber away.
Ashley, having escaped death by a hair’s breadth, lay limp on the bed.
Saved…
She grabbed a pillow and covered her face.
If not for the silly loli breaking down in tears, her little life would’ve ended right there.
Damn it…
Ashley gritted her teeth. An indescribable shame burned inside her. Forced to write a distress signal on a loli’s pantyhose—what humiliation! And she made the silly loli cry too. What a mess.
At least she kept that big ‘sea cucumber braised with scallions.’
Ashley sat up, rolling her sleeve to her elbow. On the inner side of her pale arm, a string of vivid, dripping red root-like tendrils gradually emerged, with a soft, bizarre spinal-cord-like bulge in the middle—the ‘Angel’s Kiss Mark’ was hidden inside her arm.
“Baby, my baby…”
The Blue-Haired Loli’s eyes gleamed with obsession as her fingers brushed the surface of the ancient relic, which resembled congealed blood clots.
Preliminary research showed that this relic could seamlessly integrate into flesh. Whether separating or fusing, it left no wounds.
Pulling it apart from the center expanded its area, up to the size of a plate— no wonder it could connect heads.
Rip—
She tore it from her arm, then stripped off her pajamas and cartoon camisole, affixing the ‘Angel’s Kiss Mark’ diagonally from her ribs to her chest.
Then, her right hand passed through the relic and reached into her chest cavity!
Ashley’s little face paled. Amid uncontrollable terror, she gasped for breath. She touched her lung lobe!
Slippery, soft, expanding with each breath—this sensation was utterly horrifying!
No one wanted to see their own organs, let alone touch them with their hands.
But she adapted quickly. Her trembling fingers slowly groped toward her heart.
Her fingers weren’t in direct contact but encased in a thin membrane formed by the relic, fitting tightly to prevent bacterial infection inside.
Thump, thump…
“So amazing… Could this enable non-invasive surgery? Or remove bullets and shrapnel from the body, or reach lesions directly with medical tools, or even steal someone’s kidney… No wonder it’s an A-Grade Relic.”
The standard for A-Grade Relics was their ability to upset power balances—epoch-making biotech tools that could change a city or region’s environment.
Driven by morbid curiosity, she touched all her organs. Finally, she bent down, her slender fingers shakily reaching toward a fig-like object two or three centimeters in diameter…
“Mm, smaller than I imagined. Not fully developed? If I press down, will it prolapse? So scary…”
Ashley trembled and panted, cold sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down her youthful little face. Her azure hair stuck in damp strands, but her eyes shone brightly.
She withdrew her hand. Hmm… She had to cherish her body, not use herself as a guinea pig. Better to do animal tests first… Or test on the silly loli—squeeze it out, stuff a glass bead inside, then use the fourth way to drink Pop Soda. The silly loli would totally break down… Nah, she saved her life today, so no teasing.
Ashley stowed the ‘Angel’s Kiss Mark,’ checked out of the hospital, and returned to the Saint Dormer Community.
The community was eerily quiet, as most of the juvenile offenders had been taken away for investigation.
It was a group crime, and cross-referencing confessions was complex work. By the time court convened and they returned, at least three to five months would pass.
Ashley, the true instigator, enjoyed the peace. Those guys had been noisy all day, fighting, smoking in secret, fouling the air, and hogging public facilities, keeping others away.
Now Ashley could fish in the pond, use the spacewalker in the fitness area, and catch crickets in the northern wasteland—total freedom.
At the community entrance, a melancholic red-haired girl blocked her path.
“I… I want to make you a pair of shoes.” The girl clutched her hands to her chest, mumbling.
“Eh? Do I know you?” Ashley asked in surprise.
