"I told him to go to the kitchen to make something to eat," Rena said. Due to the stress accumulated over the last few days, there were a few pimples on her usually smooth, youthful skin. Rena touched her cheeks rather nervously as she uttered urgently, "We need to act quickly."
When Lin Sanjiu saw Reno walking into the kitchen, she sighed silently. It had been a few days since they noticed Reno's abnormality. Despite the tension, Lin Sanjiu and Rena had to act relaxed and try to pretend nothing had happened while constantly observing 'Reno.' Even though he did not exhibit any odd behavior after that, a fight was inevitable.
Consequently, Lin Sanjiu trained very hard over the past few days. She had already developed her thoracic vertebrae and about four rib bones. Her collarbone also nearly reached the scapula. She was sure her shoulders would start appearing if she had a bit more time. Her progress was so fast that even Mrs. Manas was surprised.
Unfortunately, the situation did not play out in their favor, and Lin Sanjiu did not have enough time to prepare fully.
"Say something," Rena looked at Lin Sanjiu anxiously, "What about tonight?"
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help sighing—the skull's mouth opened slightly before closing again. She was still unable to speak. After all, a skull couldn't make a sound. However, Lin Sanjiu could now write words with one of her ribs. It was more efficient and secretive compared to a few days ago.
There wasn't anything wrong with Rena's suggestion; it was time for them to end this quickly after dragging it out for several days. However, Lin Sanjiu still couldn't figure things out. With a nagging sense of worry, Lin Sanjiu couldn't make a decision. Under these circumstances, was there still something important she didn't know?
When the skull in front of her didn't respond, Rena couldn't help feeling antsy. She wanted to urge Lin Sanjiu again, but Reno walked out of the kitchen, holding two dishes. His expression was visibly more relaxed than it had been two days ago after Rena handed him two boxes of instant food. His reaction baffled Lin Sanjiu.
Rena had been carrying the siblings' food supply ever since they left Red Nautilus. Since she was able to bring out the food provisions from Red Nautilus, her identity was somewhat proven. If the Reno with them was real, it was logical that he would feel relieved. But if the Reno with them wasn't the real deal, why would he show that expression? Was it possible that the duoluozhong was so meticulous that he covered every tiny detail?
"Come, let's eat," Reno said, putting the dishes on the table. The food looked unappetizing, resembling a greenish-yellow mixture with white pieces. It was compressed into brick-like shapes and cut into small pieces, with uneven surfaces and some dregs, resembling jellified vomit at first glance.
Rena sat down and somehow found a fork, sticking it into one of the pieces. "No matter how many times I see this, it looks disgusting. Yet, it's quite expensive."
"We have no choice. Who knows if we can find anything edible here," Reno said, taking a bite. "It tastes bland, but it isn't that terrible."
"Yeah, who knows if there's still any food in this world that isn't contaminated by dark matter." Rena cut her food into little bits but didn't put anything into her mouth.
Reno didn't notice his sister's delay as he continued eating and asked, "Probably not... That's right, Lin Sanjiu, why have you been running around these last two days—"
Reno hadn't yet swallowed his food when the situation in front of him changed instantly. Rena flipped the table and kicked it, sending plates and cutlery flying toward Reno. Before he could react, Rena rushed forward with a fly whisk in hand, slapping Reno across the face with it. Reno fell from his chair, stiffening and becoming immobilized.
It happened in a split second. When Reno fell to the ground, Lin Sanjiu suddenly understood everything, almost as if struck by lightning. She lunged forward and extended one of her ribs to stop the fly whisk from hitting Reno. Then, she flattened herself into a sheet and squeezed between the siblings.
"Why are you protecting him?" Rena's eyes glowed with anger when her well-aimed attack missed. "Are you also a duoluozhong?"
It was apparent that the fly whisk was a powerful Special Item; Reno remained immobilized. Lin Sanjiu knew the next few minutes were crucial. She hurriedly began to write her reply.
Unfortunately, she couldn't write as fast as she could speak. When she had just written the word: HE, Rena had already lost patience. The girl waved her flywhisk once again.
Lin Sanjiu had just written, IS, when she was interrupted. She gathered much of her Higher Consciousness and rushed over, taking on the attack directly. She didn't know what sort of item the flywhisk was, but that attack was very powerful. With just one hit, Lin Sanjiu could feel a small amount of her Higher Consciousness on the verge of dissipation. This scared her so much that she quickly withdrew and condensed it.
Rena seemed even more shocked. She gaped at Lin Sanjiu and then at her fly whisk. Her face turned pale.
Lin Sanjiu was anxious and agitated. While Rena was in shock, Lin Sanjiu quickly wrote: IS YOUR. However, Rena seemed oblivious to those words as she prepared for another attack with her fly whisk. Lin Sanjiu knew she couldn't block the attack this time.
As Rena rushed past her, Lin Sanjiu compressed herself into the size of a soccer ball. Using Rena's momentum, Lin Sanjiu shot forward and hit Reno's shoulder. Still on the ground, Reno slid away just in time to avoid Rena's attack.
This time, Rena finally stopped. She stared at Lin Sanjiu doubtfully, her gaze fixating on the final word: BROTHER.
"He's my brother?" The teenage girl laughed softly. "Are you crazy? My brother is a human. How can he turn his head 180°? If he did that, he'd be dead!"
Lin Sanjiu didn't have time to explain further. She only wrote a curt reply: IT'S TRUE. Ignoring Rena's confusion, Lin Sanjiu turned and flew to Reno. She stretched her body into a rope-like shape and tied his ankles, then quickly glided to the balcony.
With the fly whisk's effect still active, Reno could only watch helplessly, wide-eyed, as Lin Sanjiu dragged him to the balcony's edge. Lin Sanjiu didn't know what he was thinking but didn't have time to consider his feelings. She smashed the low wall of the balcony and threw Reno's body down along with multiple pieces of concrete off the 26th floor.
"What are you doing?!" Rena cried out in alarm, her heart missing a beat as she dashed to the balcony's edge as fast as she could. "The flywhisk still has ten seconds—"
A force hit her back. She screamed, finding herself falling off the building. 'So, Lin Sanjiu was the duoluozhong—'
Feeling a sense of weightlessness, her mind froze with shock. The next second, she saw a skull jumping off the building, growing larger before her eyes.
The top of the skull elongated, displaying words: GRAB ME! WE NEED TO ESCAPE! Simultaneously, the other half of Lin Sanjiu's 'body' had transformed into a rope, encircling Rena's waist. The rope raced past her, securing Reno in a similar fashion. With that, Lin Sanjiu reduced the speed at which they fell.
'Escape? Who's chasing us?' Rena puzzled, her gaze darting from Lin Sanjiu to the residential building. There, she spotted two familiar, expressionless faces peering from the balcony's edge—her and Reno's faces.
Rena was just about to shout, "They're duoluozhongs!" when Reno suddenly said, "We have to change directions!"
YOU ARE READING
Kisaragi Station || Apocalypse Paradise #3
HorrorHer skin was warm and moist when she was alive, always with a honey-colored tan. It had only been an hour, but her body had stiffened, and her skin was pale white. At first glance, one could even imagine how cold her skin would feel. Her eyes were w...
