Chapter 87 – That Damn Yasashii

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Lin Xi did not go home. Instead, she went to find Qin Ling and the others.

After the operation ended, Qin Ling and the others had gone to the Safe House together.

Unlike the previous Safe House in the cemetery, this Safe House was located in a secluded place: an abandoned courtyard residence.

Lin Xi entered the courtyard and, following Qin Ling’s instructions, went down into the basement.

Once she was inside, the automatic sensor door shut with a click.

Lin Xi hesitated with every step. She still had not figured out how to face them.

After turning the corner, Lin Xi finally saw them:

Qin Ling, Zheng Mo, Lu Yi, and… one-half of Shi Yu???

The basement had been remodeled to look like an operating room.

Shi Yu, with only half her body left, lay on the hospital bed. All kinds of wires were plugged into her, and she wore a respirator, giving off full-on cyberpunk vibes.

“Shi Yu, you really got cut in half?!”

Lin Xi was beyond shocked. There was only shock left in her.

“And you’re still not dead?!”

Not only was Shi Yu alive, she could still move. She slowly took off the respirator. “Disappointed that I’m not dead?”

Lin Xi: “…”

“Come on, don’t put it like that…”

Shi Yu’s glare made Lin Xi feel guilty. “I do hate you, but not enough to want you dead. Anyway, if you turn into a vengeful ghost, whatever you do, don’t come after me.”

Shi Yu: “…”

“Lin Xi,” Qin Ling said. Dressed like an internist, she stood beside Shi Yu’s hospital bed, keeping watch over her. “Shi Yu won’t die. She’s an artificial human.”

“Huh???!!!” Lin Xi’s jaw dropped.

“To be precise, aside from her brain, every part of Shi Yu is made of artificial material.” Qin Ling clearly had a very strong interest in Shi Yu’s current condition.

Lin Xi did not snap out of it for a long time.

Aside from her brain, everything was artificial material?

They made an entire person with just a brain? What kind of Trisolaran technology was this?!

Lin Xi instantly remembered that Shi Yu had once said that before her parents were murdered, they had been senior scientific researchers at Shuguang Technology…

“Shi Yu, were your parents Trisolaran aliens?!”

“Has the Trisolaran fleet actually invaded this planet???”

“What nonsense are you spouting? What Trisolaran aliens?” Shi Yu had Qin Ling raise the hospital bed a little. “I’ll explain my situation to you later.”

Even if Shi Yu wanted to hide it, she could not anymore.

“Right now, our top priority is analyzing this operation and figuring out where things went wrong.”

Everyone else looked at Lin Xi. Lin Xi’s heart skipped a beat.

Crap. This was starting to look like a public criticism session.

Shi Yu was definitely going to chew her out…

But things did not unfold the way Lin Xi expected. The first thing Shi Yu said was not an insult, but a question.

“You went to save Zhao Xinning. Did you manage to?”

“Uh… it’s a little complicated.” Lin Xi planned to explain what had happened over on Commercial Street in a bit. “Anyway, Xinning is fine.”

“Then your trip wasn’t a waste.” Shi Yu did not say a word blaming Lin Xi for leaving the team on her own.

“You… You’re not mad that I left without permission?” Lin Xi asked guiltily.

Shi Yu said, “Good thing you did. If it had been me, you, and Lu Yi going into the bank, then when we came out, you might’ve been the one who got shot.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re an even unluckier unlucky bastard than I am. Doesn’t the unluckiest bastard have the highest chance of getting shot?”

Lin Xi: “…”

Shi Yu continued, “Fortunately, I was the one who got shot. Not Zheng Mo, and not Lu Yi. If it had been any one of you three, you’d definitely be dead by now.”

“I don’t want any of you to die before I do.”

“You’re all I have left…”

Lin Xi fell silent.

What Shi Yu was saying right now was clearly not something Shi Yu would say.

“You jerk, don’t go turning into one of those despicable nice-guy protagonists on me!”

Lin Xi had to admit, she was just the tiniest bit touched.

Shi Yu smiled faintly. “I’ve always been a gentle, beautiful girl.”

“Bullshit,” Lin Xi said, her expression complicated. “You’re not gentle, and you’re not a beautiful girl anymore either.”

“All right. Since you’re fine over there, and our side’s operation can be considered a success too,” Shi Yu said, “it’s time we analyzed why there was a sniper lying in ambush for us.”

“Could it be… that there is a traitor among us?”

Four pairs of eyes turned neatly toward Lin Xi again.

Lin Xi: “…”

She immediately fired off the classic three-hit denial combo:

“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, don’t talk nonsense!”

“How could I possibly be the traitor?!”

“I know, the fact that I backed out at the last minute makes me look really suspicious, but I swear I’m not the traitor.”

“If I were the traitor, I wouldn’t have dared come back here.”

Qin Ling spoke up. “The only recent additions to the organization are me and Lin Xi. Lin Xi isn’t the traitor, and as the planner of this operation, I naturally am not the traitor either.”

Everyone understood. If Qin Ling had been the traitor, she wouldn’t have needed to do anything at all. The rest of them would have taken the bait and fallen straight into the trap Shuguang Technology had carefully prepared.

Zheng Mo and Lu Yi were absolutely not traitors… Shi Yu couldn’t figure it out. How had they ended up being ambushed?

“I know who the ‘traitor’ is!” Qin Ling suddenly declared, as if possessed by Conan himself. “There is only one truth!”

Everyone turned to look at her in perfect unison.

“The ‘traitor’ is a sixth person besides the five of us!”

“When we held our strategy meeting yesterday, that person was listening in!”

Qin Ling’s deduction made everyone suck in a sharp breath.

Qin Ling hurriedly said, “This place may not be safe. We need to evacuate right away!”

“No need,” Zheng Mo said. “This Safe House can block signals.”

“Everyone, check yourselves quickly. See if there’s any kind of miniature listening device on you.” Qin Ling began patting herself down.

The others all checked themselves as well. Nothing.

“Maybe the other party planted a miniature listening device in something we’re carrying,” Qin Ling reasoned further. “It’s also possible they broke into our homes and installed one in secret!”

Everyone felt a chill.

Being monitored by some mysterious person was not a good thing.

Especially when that mysterious person had already made a move.

With a grave expression, Qin Ling said, “This time, that mysterious person shot Shi Yu. Next time, it might be one of us.”

“Think carefully. Have any of you offended any organizations or factions recently? Or maybe some enemy?”

“I just thought it over. I don’t have any enemies, and I haven’t done anything major lately.”

Zheng Mo shook her head. Lu Yi thought for a moment, then shook her head too.

Shi Yu had also been behaving herself recently, so everyone’s gazes gathered on Lin Xi once more.

Lin Xi slowly said, “Recently… I had some conflict with the Shock Shark Gang, and I also provoked the Dark Realm Alliance. Does that count?”

Shi Yu already knew about Lin Xi wiping out the Shock Shark Gang.

But the moment Lin Xi mentioned the Dark Realm Alliance, the Shock Shark Gang instantly seemed insignificant.

“You provoked the Dark Realm Alliance?!” Zheng Mo reacted strongly. “When did that happen? Are we being targeted by those dangerous people now?”

Lin Xi told them what had happened on Commercial Street today.

Zheng Mo’s brows knitted tightly. “Could it really be someone from the Dark Realm Alliance?”

“They sent the Evil Maid to attack Lin Xi, while also sending a sniper to ambush us?”

“An attack and an ambush at the same time? A double bloom???”

Footnote:

1. Yasashii(優しい／やさしい): A Japanese word meaning “gentle” or “kind” often used jokingly in Chinese internet slang to praise someone for being excessively sweet or considerate.