Chapter 23: Visiting and Investigating
The girl in the mirror looked slightly pale, but not sickly, just a result of long-term malnutrition.
Her previously striking dark gold eyes had faded, appearing only slightly brown unless examined closely. The canine teeth that Luo Ling worried about most had also shortened.
It seemed these inhuman traits had receded after her demonic transformation.
…Luo Ling didn’t know if this was a good or bad thing.
At least she didn’t need any extra disguise; she looked like an ordinary high school girl.
As for her other form…
Luo Ling took a deep breath and mentally reached for the other power within her.
She didn’t close her eyes but stared intently at her reflection.
A coldness surged from her bone marrow, spreading throughout her body. Her short, black hair began to turn white and grow longer.
Her already pale skin became deathly white, almost sickly.
Her plain features shifted slightly, taking on a captivating, ghostly allure. Combined with her pale skin and hair…
Luo Ling thought that if she went out for a walk late at night in this form, she could probably scare someone to death.
At the same time, her height shrunk from a little over five feet three inches to around four feet seven inches.
The transformation was complete when Luo Ling sensed the Spores she had planted earlier reactivate. The entire process took only about two seconds.
“Ah, ah—just like last time, even my voice has changed.”
Luo Ling tested her voice, still not quite used to the childish tone, which was a little… too young for her.
Looking at her reflection again, Luo Ling noticed that her skin was even paler than last time. Combined with her alluring, almost ethereal beauty, she looked like a deadly ghost from a storybook.
Just a bit too young.
“Is this because of the ability upgrade? I look much better than last time… but a bit too eye-catching.”
Luo Ling frowned and decided she should wear a mask when going out to avoid attracting too much attention.
More importantly than the change in appearance was the new skill, Proliferation.
With this skill, Luo Ling could now be considered a First-Order Awakened One… or a First-Order Grotesquery?
“Let’s test its effects.”
Luo Ling released a Spore, just like before, and controlled it to land on her desk.
The Spore attached itself to the desk, sharing a part of its perception.
Then, Luo Ling activated Proliferation on the Spore.
An amazing scene unfolded. The wooden desk began to sprout new branches and small, green leaves at the point where the Spore had landed.
“This…”
Luo Ling was stunned, then noticed cracks appearing on other parts of the desk, spreading rapidly. A faint cracking sound echoed.
“Oh no!”
Luo Ling quickly stopped Proliferation, and the cracks on the desk stopped spreading, but the entire desk was now ruined.
A sapling stood on the desktop, while the rest of the desk had turned into decaying, cracked wood, seemingly ready to crumble at the slightest touch.
Luo Ling examined it for a moment and murmured,
“Proliferation, Spores begin to grow and can assimilate to a certain extent… So this is assimilation.”
The Spore had absorbed the desk’s life force as nourishment for its growth, and the new growth had assimilated with the desk. This was the effect and cost of Proliferation.
“If this is the effect on a desk, what about on a person? Would it… make an extra arm or leg grow or something?”
Luo Ling shuddered at the thought of such a grotesque image.
Grotesquery abilities… were truly abnormal.
However, besides this grotesque use, there seemed to be another application.
Like repairing severed limbs or healing external injuries.
Luo Ling wasn’t sure, and she didn’t want to experiment on herself.
If the injured Ji Ying were here right now, she might be willing to try it as a last resort.
“I’ll find a guinea pig next time.”
After testing her new ability, Luo Ling immediately switched back to her original form.
At least for now, she still had to be an ordinary high school girl.
The less connection between “Bai” and “Luo Ling,” the better.
“Oh right, I need to buy some new clothes… I can’t keep wearing the same outfit with a different identity, it’s too easy to be recognized.
“And I need to change my personality too… I can’t be too much like myself…”
Lost in thought, Luo Ling pulled out a battered notebook from the drawer of her broken desk and frowned.
“No, I can’t write these things down in a notebook.”
Luo Ling had always had the habit of recording things in a notebook, but from now on, she had to change this habit.
Who writes diaries anymore?
With that thought, Luo Ling put away the notebook that documented her recent changes, intending to burn it later.
Just then, a knock sounded downstairs.
“Who is it?”
Su Wan, who was doing housework downstairs, called out.
“Police, open the door.”
A muffled voice came from outside.
Luo Ling was startled. Had the Lambs found her?
She immediately left her room and met Su Wan’s anxious gaze at the top of the stairs.
“Xiao Ling, this…”
Su Wan was still puzzled by the previous events and hadn’t completely put them aside. Hearing the police at the door made her even more anxious.
“Don’t worry, Sister,” Luo Ling said softly. “They’re probably not here for me.”
“Is anyone home?”
The police officer’s voice came again, more impatient this time.
“Coming.”
Luo Ling calmed herself, touched the dagger in her pocket, and went to the door.
With a creak, the door opened.
Two tall, burly police officers stood outside. Seeing Luo Ling open the door, they took out their IDs and said,
“Jiangcheng County Public Security Bureau, conducting a neighborhood inquiry.”
Luo Ling glanced at their IDs. They were auxiliary police officers.
…Not the special police who were chasing Ji Ying.
Hearing this, Su Wan, who had been on edge, relaxed and said hospitably,
“Officers, would you like to come in for some water?”
“No, thank you,” the two auxiliary police officers waved their hands. “We still have to cover the rest of the neighborhood this afternoon, so we won’t trouble you.”
“Officers, what are you investigating?” Luo Ling asked.
“Oh, we’re just asking if you’ve seen this person?”
One of them took out a photo from a surveillance camera and handed it to Luo Ling.
Luo Ling’s breath hitched when she saw the photo.
She glanced at Su Wan, who was leaning in, her nervousness evident.
In the clear surveillance photo, a young girl with long white hair was hurrying somewhere. It was Luo Ling in her “Bai” form.
***
“Bai” (白) in Chinese means “white”.
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