“Yvette, aren’t you happy?” Lianna glanced at Zero, puzzled by the sarcasm in her tone.
Zero smiled sweetly and replied, “Lianna, I’ve told you many times, you’re too naive, too kind, and too easily trustful of this world. This world is far dirtier than you imagine.”
“Head transplant surgery, live cloning, biological brain transplantation, illusion techniques… There are countless ways to reinvent oneself in this world. To think that a mere face could earn trust—how could it be that easy?”
“Besides, the abilities this girl uses likely also come from ‘God Transformation’ or something similar, right? Isn’t that already enough proof that she’s connected to the organization? Even if she is just another experimental subject like us who managed to escape, isn’t she still a potential threat?”
Lianna hesitated, realizing how reasonable Zero’s words were. She looked at Yvette, and her expression immediately shifted, no longer the same trust as before.
At that moment, the sound of metal clattering on the ground drew all three of their gazes toward the alley entrance. A mechanical magic puppet with an industrial aesthetic, rusty and worn, walked in, holding an umbrella in one hand and two steaming portions of food in the other, appearing to be some kind of noodle dish.
Its face was an electronic screen that displayed a simple drawing of a smiley face. Upon noticing the three pairs of eyes focused on it, the screen’s smile shifted to a timid expression as it said, “Uh, am I interrupting something?”
“No, just in time. Lunch is here, Lianna. Let’s eat first,” Zero said, clapping her hands with a cheerful smile.
Lianna looked puzzled, thinking that the situation hadn’t been resolved yet, so why had they suddenly shifted to eating? Was it really such a relaxed time?
However, given Zero’s established safety protocols and careful planning, which she had always relied on, Lianna trusted her instincts. Since Zero said it was time to eat, it must indeed be safe.So, she turned to Yvette and asked, “Sister… Is it okay if I call you that?”
Once Yvette agreed, she invited, “Why don’t you come in and sit for a while? You’re also an experimental subject; we might be able to exchange information.”
“Sure,” Yvette replied.
Meanwhile, the mechanical puppet looked slightly confused, its electronic face displaying a question mark: “Yvette, Lianna, what’s going on? Who is this silver-haired lady? No one’s going to introduce me?”
As none of the trio paid it any mind and walked inside, it could only display a pitiable expression and silently follow behind.
Once inside the room, after taking a seat on a small wooden stool, Lianna introduced the situation to the mechanical puppet, then turned to Yvette, saying, “This is Firefly, our companion.”
So this was the central intelligence brain of the Abyss Base? It had indeed escaped alongside Zero and One. Perhaps both of their escape plans were orchestrated by it…
Yvette extended her hand and said, “Hello.”
Firefly shook her hand and, curious, asked, “You’re Yvette’s sister? You really look so much alike!”
“How likely do you think it is that I’m a clone?” Yvette inquired.
“Absolutely impossible,” Firefly replied without hesitation. “With current human technology, even companies like Black Tower Pharmaceuticals and Linmetamorph Biotech, who specialize in biotechnology, cannot make a clone develop faster than a normal person. Even if they started growing a clone the day they escaped, with some catalysts, it would still be far from enough.”
“Great.” Lianna felt relieved, and her expression toward Yvette grew even more trusting. “You really are my sister.”
Firefly glanced at her and added, “But if it’s merely facial alteration, that would be much easier, whether through cosmetic surgery or illusion spells…”
“Firefly, you’re the central intelligence of the Abyss Base, right?” Yvette suddenly said.
“You… how did you know?!” Firefly’s face displayed shock, and slightly taken aback, it shrank back and cautiously asked, “You’re not from Black Tower Pharmaceuticals, are you?”
“No, what I mean is, you can check the public surveillance records for the Blackwater District in Ishi City. You should be able to find me there; it will show I was living in Room 1809 on the 18th floor of the Light Apartments on Acid Street during the latter half of 2124,” Yvette explained.
This was her strongest evidence, because at that time, the original host was only four years old, a poor little orphan diagnosed with a genetic disease. She hadn’t participated in the Transformation Plan or anything that followed.
As long as she could prove that she existed back then and hadn’t changed in appearance, it would perfectly validate her identity.
As for why she hadn’t aged… there were many possibilities from potion-based cosmetic maintenance to being naturally ageless, none of which were particularly concerning.
“Wait a second! Let me plug in a network cable! There’s no Wi-Fi here!” Firefly said, seeming anxious. “This could get complicated; I’ll need a moment—”
As the puppet hurriedly walked into an adjacent room, the atmosphere in the living room grew quiet for a bit. Lianna began to eat her noodles, but after a few bites, she felt it might be rude and carried the bowl over to Yvette, cautiously asking, “Would you… like to eat together? I could share half with you.”
The food Firefly bought was pasta, which Yvette didn’t particularly like, and she was about to decline when she suddenly felt a cold stare. She turned her head to see Zero grinning at her, yet her eyes were sharp with obvious hostility, making the moment quite unnerving.
“Thank you,” Yvette calmly turned away and smiled as she accepted Lianna’s offer.
Faced with such a blatant provocation, Zero indeed reacted surprisingly. She suddenly strode over, snatched the noodles from Yvette’s hands, and shoved her portion back into Yvette’s hand.
Looking at the pasta that Zero had taken a few bites of, Yvette fell silent, hearing Zero cheerfully say to Lianna, “She’s my sister, so of course, she should eat from my share.”
A moment ago, didn’t you think I was your sister? Yvette thought.
Lianna looked at her in astonishment and then said, “Alright… then let’s share!”
“Mm-hmm, we’ll divide it.”
Watching the two girls sit at the table, dividing a single serving of pasta, Yvette looked down at the food in her hand, which she hadn’t been particularly interested in, and sighed inwardly.
Alright, let’s just eat first.
…
Half an hour later, after cleaning up the mess, Yvette saw Firefly emerging from the adjacent room and confirming with Zero and Lianna, “She’s right. Six years ago, she was already in her current form, making the probability of her being Yvette’s sister exceed 95.27%!”
“Awesome!” Lianna exclaimed joyfully. Zero also ceased to deny it, glancing at Yvette before reverting to her playful demeanor, saying, “Is that so? Then it must be.”
“Sister, did you come all the way to Rustbone specifically to find Yvette?” Lianna asked curiously. “And what about your abilities? Are they similar to ours?”
“Besides the ‘God Transformation’ from Black Tower Pharmaceuticals, Linmetamorph Biotech also has a similar thing called ‘Corruption Seed.’ I obtained this ability in a lab over there,” Yvette explained, presenting her prepared narrative. She had already tangled with Linmetamorph Biotech, so it was easy for her to pin the blame on them.
She continued, “…Currently, I am a professional mercenary. I came here to combat human trafficking organizations and uncover the masterminds behind them. It so happened that I discovered your traces along the way and decided to come see you.”
“A professional mercenary?” Lianna uttered in surprise. “Aren’t you afraid of being caught by the big companies? We have to hide everywhere to avoid them!”
Of course, it was because I could disappear without a trace, and Linmetamorph Biotech wouldn’t be able to find me… Yvette said, “Yes… it can be quite troublesome, so sometimes I do get into dangerous situations.”
Lianna displayed an expression of sympathy, possibly relating through her own experiences, forming a sense of resonance with the sister before her.
Suddenly, Firefly interjected with a neutral synthetic voice, “Sister, are you the ‘Nameless’?”
Yvette nodded gently, “Mm-hmm.”
Seeing Lianna look at her in confusion, Firefly explained, “The biggest piece of news in the United New Eden recently is about the incident where the human traffickers’ industrial park was taken down by the well-known mercenary ‘Nameless.’ One of the parks was the very place you and Yvette temporarily stayed at before Yvette bloodily wiped it out.”
“If there’s no misunderstanding, we can only conclude that Yvette Sister is indeed the famous and mysterious mercenary ‘Nameless.’ Moreover, her gender and various rumors match up perfectly.”
“How impressive…” Lianna marveled, thinking to herself, despite being experimental subjects pursued by the large corporations, how could her sister live so coolly and unconcernedly?
Meanwhile, Zero wore the same smile as before, seemingly lost in thought.
Following this, at Lianna’s strong insistence, and also in order to enhance mutual trust, Yvette briefly recounted the process of taking down the two human traffickers’ industrial parks.
By the time their casual chat concluded, the rain outside had ceased, and the evening glow set the clouds alight, painting the sky with an amber tint.
“It’s getting late; I’ll be taking my leave now,” Yvette said, glancing at the time as she stood up. “Also, I have rented a villa in the city center of the Firth. I will send you the address later… it’s just me living there, so if you wish to move over, you’re always welcome.”
This was merely casual talk; judging from Zero’s attitude, it was highly improbable that she would want to live where Yvette was.
After all, trust couldn’t be built overnight; even siblings could fall out. Sisterhood would merely pave the way for dialogue.
Moreover, today’s revelations had been significant: she now knew that One’s powers were surprisingly similar to hers… yet Zero’s abilities remained unclear. Firefly had reported that the second industrial park had been wiped out by Zero. Could it be that the one who mastered the ability to create aberrations was Zero?
This was inconsistent with her own situation…