Chapter 206: They are Indeed Themselves
Translator: Pluto Editor: Vermillion
If Lin Sanjiu really wanted to verify the identity of this Reno, she knew what she had to do. She flew toward the siblings and put herself between Reno and Rena, pretending that it was unintentional. Rena was annoyed that she had to tilt her head to look past Lin Sanjiu just to see where she was going that she kept grumbling. However, Lin Sanjiu didn't care. She followed the siblings up to the 15th floor—which was where Lin Sanjiu found Rena just minutes ago, and what she assumed was the 16th floor.
To be honest, she wasn't quite sure which floor was which now.
When they opened the door to the apartment unit, Lin Sanjiu saw the familiar dimly lit living room with a little light pouring in through the windows.
Reno reached for the light switch casually and asked, "Why didn't you switch on the lights?"
"Yeah? Why did Rena sit alone in the darkness when she was waiting for us? If she was a little scared, wouldn't it be better to switch on the light?" Just as this thought surfaced, Lin Sanjiu heard Rena complaining, "And you said this was a good apartment, the lights are spoiled!"
Click. Click. Click. Reno tried the switch a few times but the ceiling light remained dark.
"Isn't this too much of a coincidence?" Lin Sanjiu suddenly grew suspicious.
They weren't that concerned that the light bulb had fused as they had some level of enhanced night vision as posthumans. After a troubling night, the two humans and a brain no longer had the mood to sleep. They sat cross-legged in a circle on the bed and starting chatting.
"I think there is something weird about this building," Reno stroked his nose, maintaining his non-serious attitude, "But, I don't understand we can't see them."
"Weird is an understatement," Lin Sanjiu thought quietly to herself. "Right now, I can't even be sure if either one of you is something else entirely…"
If Lin Sanjiu wanted to figure out if they were imposters, there was no way she could use the 'ask a question only the real person knows' method. After all, she got acquainted with the siblings not long ago, so there was no way she was going to know what questions to ask them. Furthermore, she didn't know who to trust and who to suspect. But, there was certainly one thing that could determine their identities and allow them to prove themselves.
When the siblings were bickering and discussing, Rena noticed the gray brain by their side with her sharper intuition. After Lin Sanjiu had regained more higher consciousness over time, her brain form had become larger. At some portions, a skull seemed to be forming. With more 'materials', Lin Sanjiu could write longer sentences.
At that moment, Lin Sanjiu spelled the words: "Can you two activate your abilities now?"
"Why? Everything seems fine," Rena did not expect Lin Sanjiu to make such a request, and her brows slowly furrowed, "I can only activate my ability with a target, who should I use it on?"
Lin Sanjiu already thought about this question. Reno's almanac ability would affect his target with a 'curse'. Even though it was dangerous, that would only work if there are enemies who would hurt her. With her current 'body', no duoluozhong would attack her, so it shouldn't be a problem if she received another 'curse'. Meanwhile, Rena's [No depiction of body parts below the neck] could be used on Reno. If she was the real thing, she wouldn't use her full strength. If she was a fake, she wouldn't be able to activate that ability.
After thinking for a while, Lin Sanjiu figured there wasn't anything wrong with the plan. She immediately spelled out the plan tediously for the siblings. Even though the siblings were confused, they jumped off the bed and acquiesced. They didn't follow her instructions because they were sensible but rather because they found it entertaining. While Lin Sanjiu tried her best to ensure that nothing would go wrong, Rena had already thrown Reno to the ground many times, laughing out loud.
Actually, the fact that Reno could be hit by Rena's [No depiction of body parts below the neck] already proved that he was a human being. Lin Sanjiu let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, countless questions surfaced in her head. If both of them were living human beings, the 'people' in the first 15th floor she went to were all not humans!
Thinking about that sent shivers down her non-existent spine, but she was glad. If she wasn't in her current form, those two things would have targeted her there and then.
"If that is the case, there is another issue. Why did those two things impersonate the siblings?" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself. She decided to think about that later.
Seeing that the two kids had already caused enough trouble, she floated toward Reno to receive his attack. But just then, the teenage boy, who had been flung so many times he couldn't get up, shouted, "Rena! You better don't overdo it!" Lin Sanjiu suddenly felt that things were going to awry. Before she could fly over to stop him, she saw a yellow paper whirring in the air. It hit Rena and then disappeared with a swoosh.
The attacked landed. The three of them fell silent for a second.
Rena froze on the spot for some time before she could react, "Hey, what did you do to me?"
From Reno's expression, he apparently activated the ability by accident. He stared at his sister a little vacuously and took out the carbon copy of that almanac page. When he saw what was on it, he turned a little pale.
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help feeling anxious and worried. She secretly prayed that the 'curse' wasn't too serious as there were two other 'things' in the same building.
"Tell me!" Rena said anxiously as she also sensed that something was wrong.
Reno looked at his sister and then at Lin Sanjiu before sighing, "I think you shouldn't move around in the next few hours. My almanac attacks are strong, but I had no idea you would get this…"
With that, he showed his sister and Lin Sanjiu the paper in his hand.
"Energies for the day make it unsuitable for going out, meeting friends, being in the dark, using electronics, exercising, wearing accessories, being with others. Suitable for funerals."
It was only then that Lin Sanjiu realized how lucky she was when she was hit by the teenager's attack. After reading that, Rena's face turned white as a sheet. Since she grew up with her brother, she knew her brother's ability very well. She sat on the bed and started removing her accessories one by one, "How can I get the worst one with a single draw! What kind of grudge do you have against me, Reno! Look, I don't dare to do anything now!"
This particular page was totally different from Lin Sanjiu's. If Lin Sanjiu's curse gave her bad luck, this was definitely a very lethal curse. Not only must the target avoid doing anything stated as "unsuitable", it also created the possibility of a "self-fulfilled prophecy".
Once that happened, the energies would definitely be suitable for a funeral.
Right now, they had to act according to the almanac so that they could ensure Rena's safety. After Reno left his sister with a [Self-glowing wicker lantern], he opened the door and went into the corridor with Lin Sanjiu.
Lin Sanjiu suggested they guarded the entrance for a night. Unfortunately, Reno started to display his 'spoilt brat' behavior.
"Isn't there another apartment in front of us? If I sit on this ceramic floor all night, my bones are going to hurt." After saying that, he smashed open the door of the apartment stubbornly and entered it.
Lin Sanjiu didn't really mind as she didn't need to sleep. However, she couldn't help being worried for both of them in different apartment units. After flying a few times between the two apartment units and checking that everything was fine, she found a corner in the corridor and started training again.
Her training was tedious so it required her full attention. Once she entered that state, she would lose track of time in the outside world. When Lin Sanjiu felt that she had fully regained her higher consciousness and that it even grew a little, Lin Sanjiu finally stopped. Right now, the structure of her brain was completed with all the parts fully developed. A skull had started forming, though the facial structure had not fully appeared. If her higher consciousness granted her a bit of color, she could seriously scare many girls if she floated around like that.
However, Lin Sanjiu was unsatisfied. Considering this speed, she didn't know when she would have a mouth. She had to find another method to inform the siblings about what she experienced so they wouldn't fall into another trap. Just as she was considering what to do, she heard a click. Reno opened his door.
Reno stood at the door and looked at Lin Sanjiu with a grim, serious expression. "I have a question. Why did you ask us to activate our abilities?" Reno whispered intentionally, as if afraid that the person in the other apartment unit would hear him. Before Lin Sanjiu could reply, he spoke again. Evidently, he had already guessed the answer, "Do you suspect that one of us is an imposter?"
When Lin Sanjiu was still thinking about her answer, Reno stepped forward and said quietly, "I think that is not my sister."