Chapter 46: The Seventh Day

Xingyu slowly opened her eyes, her blurred vision gradually coming into focus.

The familiar sight came into view—a crude shack built of wooden planks, damp air mixed with a musty smell, and the dazzling sunlight streaming through the cracks of a dilapidated window.

All of this gave her a strong sense of déjà vu, as if she had returned to the day she first woke up in this world.

...Could she really have gone back?

The moment this thought popped into her head, it was quickly dismissed.

"...Xingyu?"

She heard a familiar voice.

Xingyu turned her head and saw Qixue sitting by the bedside, staring at her nervously.

Qixue's eyes were terribly red and swollen, and her face was covered with dried tear tracks, obviously having cried for a long time. Her cheeks were red from repeated wiping, and some parts were even chafed raw, but she seemed completely unaware of it.

"You're finally awake!" Qixue choked out, using the back of her hand to vigorously wipe away the tears that kept falling, paying no mind to the fact that her cheeks were completely abraded.

She tightly grasped Xingyu's hand, as if afraid that if she let go, Xingyu would disappear once again.

Her voice was full of weeping: "Are you okay? What on earth happened?"

Xingyu supported her head and sat up.

The sky outside the window was beginning to turn pale; dawn was approaching.

It seemed... she hadn't been unconscious for very long.

Seeing Xingyu sit up, Qixue's level of tension seemed even higher than Xingyu's own.

Her voice turned sharp from anxiety, carrying a noticeable tremor: "Are you okay?! Do you want to rest a bit longer?"

Xingyu shook her head—

She did not feel any particular discomfort right now.

Although the pain before losing consciousness was impressive, right now... she really didn't feel any discomfort at all.

Without time to respond to the worried Qixue, Xingyu looked at her own hand hesitatingly.

She slowly moved her five fingers, making a gripping gesture, as if confirming something.

Human hands look like this... right?

She compared her own hand with Qixue's, observing every detail closely.

It could be confirmed that humans have five fingers, connected to the palm, with multiple joints that can bend flexibly.

There were many slightly cracked fine lines on the surface of the skin, countless tiny scars, and a clear bite mark in the middle of the second finger.

This observation made her heart settle just a little. Although her simulated skin did not have that many scars and cracks, the overall shape was consistent.

Just in case, she could switch to an identical state later.

As if forcing herself to remember, she repeated the definition of the shape of a "hand" in her mind over and over again.

Before losing consciousness, she had worried that she would lose control over her form—

After all, switching forms had brought her unbearable pain, and the human epidermis was merely her continuous mimicry and disguise.

Yet at this moment, her form was exceptionally stable.

The skin almost presented a true flesh tone, even more natural than before, without any feeling of needing deliberate control and imitation.

"...I'm fine," Xingyu sighed, answering Qixue.

Before Qixue could press further, she had already added, "I was just too tired... the travel time back and forth every day is too long, and I didn't get enough rest. Look, I don't have a single scratch on my body."

A flash of doubt crossed Qixue's eyes. She lightly bit her lower lip, as if hesitating whether to voice the worry in her heart.

Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke with a slightly trembling voice: "Xingyu, you... you have been unconscious for a whole day and night."

"A day and night?"

Xingyu was slightly stunned, instinctively beginning to search for something.

Understanding, Qixue handed her the terminal, her voice carrying lingering fear: "We clearly... agreed on it the night before yesterday. When the time was almost up, you still hadn't come back, so I had no choice but to look for you everywhere... and found that you had collapsed by the roadside, unresponsive no matter how much I called you."

The terminal screen lit up, and the time reflected in her eyes—

Week 45, Day 7, 07:44 AM.

Xingyu's gaze moved from the terminal to Qixue's face, only then noticing the dark circles under Qixue's eyes and her haggard appearance, and roughly realizing what had happened.

According to the "pact" Qixue mentioned, late at night they had to spend it within the jurisdiction of the Mutual Aid Alliance.

That night, Qixue hadn't waited for her return and had braved enormous risks to search everywhere.

Fortunately, she had actually found Xingyu before the deadline and somehow managed to bring her back to the Mutual Aid Alliance.

Otherwise, they would have died together for violating the pact.

The moment she realized this fact, a tiny bit of guilt welled up inside her.

This emotion was somewhat unfamiliar to her, but it was genuine.

Xingyu reached out and grasped Qixue's hand, trying to soften her tone: "...I made you worry."

Qixue tightly grasped Xingyu's hand back, as if to confirm that she was truly safe and sound. Tears swirled in her eyes, and her voice was filled with lingering fear and relief: "Xingyu, I was really scared... scared that I would never see you again."

She took a deep breath and continued, her voice trembling: "I could only think that, even if I couldn't drag you back... at least we would die together."

Xingyu lowered her eyes.

"I know."

However, Qixue suddenly let go of her, stood up quickly, and her voice was filled with panic: "Xing, Xingyu..."

"What's wrong?" Xingyu raised her head slightly, looking at Qixue.

She failed to understand the reason for Qixue's behavior.

Qixue's gaze flickered, as if she were desperately restraining something. Her eyes were still red, but her chest rose and fell violently, her breathing becoming chaotic.

Xingyu didn't say anything, just silently waiting for her to speak.

Qixue stared closely at Xingyu, her eyes once again faintly showing the expression of impending tears.

She took two steps back and choked out: "It's just... it's so good that you're okay."

That voice was clearly deliberately maintaining stability, and near the end, her weeping tone was almost impossible to sustain.

"I, I didn't go over there yesterday, and today also... tomorrow is rent collection day again, and my money is still not enough. I have to go... I'm sorry."

After dropping these words, she practically fled the room, leaving Xingyu alone inside.

The air seemed to still echo with Qixue's hurried footsteps and faint sobs, leaving a room full of confusion and unfinished words.

Xingyu sat up.

Qixue's departure did not cause her any impact; when alone, she felt safer and more peaceful.

Last night... no, the events of the night before yesterday had caused her the biggest impact in that she had skipped a whole day of time.

Her original plan was to drag a few gang members wandering near the Mutual Aid Alliance over after meeting with 020.

No matter what means were used, she had to cause a stir.

According to routine, the supervisor would appear the next day and launch revenge—

That would be an excellent opportunity; she could use her [Information Reading] to clearly see his identity, abilities, and much other information, and then start with the newly acquired information to choose the optimal handling method.

However now, due to the accidental jump in time, this plan had completely collapsed.

Aside from that, there were several other important matters...

Xingyu took a deep breath, examining her appearance in the mirror.

Ever since a moment ago, she had been thinking about two things.

First, she had to figure out what she currently was and what condition her body was in.

Second—

"The chip in her brain."