“So, witnesses saw the scene after Phainon cleaned up the Xeno?
That was fast.”
After hearing the System’s explanation for the source of the 100 Memory Imprints, Cyrene blinked, her azure, diamond-shaped eyes filled with surprise.
She had assumed it was just an unnoticed corner, never expecting an “audience” to arrive so quickly.
But soon, her surprise settled into confusion.
Cyrene sat cross-legged on the bed, unconsciously twirling a strand of pink hair at her temple.
“One hundred Memory Imprints…
According to the System’s algorithm, that’s definitely not a number one or two passersby could provide.”
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting to the deep darkness outside the window.
“It’s the middle of the night, and that alley is remote and eerie.
Why would a large group of people venture into a place like that?”
“Could it be official government personnel?”
Just as Cyrene was deep in thought, Phainon, who had been standing quietly by the balcony, suddenly spoke.
The young man leaned against the railing, his fingers stroking his chin, his eyes glinting with contemplation.
“That’s right!”
Phainon’s words struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly piercing the fog in Cyrene’s mind.
She slapped her hands together, the crisp sound echoing in the quiet bedroom.
“Considering the news articles I saw online—the ones trying so hard to cover things up—the government must have known about the Xeno for a long time, and they’ve probably been conducting secret cleanup operations.”
Then, she leaped off the bed, her bare feet padding on the floor as she paced back and forth, her mind racing.
“That Low-Level Xeno was likely being hunted by the government and fled into that alley in a panic.”
“But it had bad luck and ran into Phainon halfway, who intercepted it.”
Cyrene stopped pacing and turned to Phainon, her tone becoming urgent.
“When the government followed the trail, all they found was a corpse that had been instantly killed…
That level of shock is definitely worth 100 Memory Imprints.”
Having deduced the truth, the excitement on Cyrene’s face quickly faded, replaced by deep worry.
Her brow furrowed slightly, and she bit her lower lip.
“But this also means we’ve entered the government’s field of vision.”
“They won’t follow the clues and track us here, will they?”
Cyrene knew almost nothing about the official powers of this world.
All she knew was that in any novel or film, for “unstable elements” like her—who possessed supernatural powers and could summon humanoid weapons—exposure usually led to a grim end.
In the best-case scenario, she’d be recruited, lose her freedom, and become a mere grunt; in the worst-case, she’d be dissected for research or eliminated as a threat.
With Phainon by her side and the “Physical Data Space” she could retreat into at any time, self-preservation might not be an issue.
But her foundation was still too weak.
The 100 Memory Imprints were freshly earned cash, and if she had to start living as a fugitive now, her perfect plan to “lie low and develop” would be completely ruined.
This was the last thing Cyrene wanted to see happen.
As if sensing Cyrene’s unease, Phainon straightened up and took two steps toward her.
“They probably won’t.”
His voice was steady and powerful, carrying a reassuring calm.
[I have already overwritten all surveillance data captured along Phainon’s travel path.]
Besides the corpse, they won’t find any clues leading here.”
Phainon’s and the System’s voices rang out almost simultaneously.
Cyrene froze for a moment, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Phainon and the panel in the void, before she let out a long sigh of relief.
Her tense shoulders slumped, and she patted her chest.
“So you’re saying that both the physical footprints and the digital video footage have been completely erased?”
[Yes, you need not worry.]
“That’s good…
You scared me to death.”
Cyrene sat back down on the edge of the bed, the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head finally gone.
With her safety secured, her mind began to race again.
She looked up at the floating panel, her eyes glinting with curiosity:
“System, since you can clear surveillance footage, can you freely hack into nearby electronic devices?”
[Yes, but it consumes energy.]
[Currently, I am limited to hacking ordinary civilian-grade electronic devices.
If you are willing to spend Memory Imprints to upgrade my processing power, I can open the doors to even military-grade, high-security systems for you.]
“Got it.”
Cyrene snapped her fingers, the corners of her mouth curling into a sly smile.
“So you’re saying I’m carrying around an omniscient super hacker who can get me anywhere, as long as the price is right.”
[You can understand it that way.]
With this confirmation, the light in Cyrene’s eyes grew even brighter.
In this information age, controlling the network meant controlling the intelligence web.
“Amazing!
This will definitely double my efficiency in gathering intel on the Xeno!”
“But before that…”
Cyrene refocused her gaze on the top-right corner of the panel.
There, the number “100” glowed with an alluring golden light.
“First, I need to spend this windfall.
Converting it into immediate combat power is the way to go.”
She clasped her hands together, bowed playfully toward the void, and said in a teasing tone:
“I don’t know which kind-hearted official agent contributed these Shock Points, but thank you for your generous donation~”
After completing this quirky ritual, Cyrene’s expression turned serious as she issued a command to the System:
“Spend 100 Memory Imprints to unlock Basic Abilities.”
[Command confirmed.]
The moment the words left her mouth, the number on the panel instantly reset to zero.
Immediately after, a cool stream of air materialized from nowhere and poured into Cyrene’s mind through the crown of her head.
The sensation was like suddenly popping a strong mint candy into her mouth on a scorching summer day.
Her brain, originally groggy from staying up late and being nervous, instantly became incredibly clear, and her thought process seemed to speed up significantly.
[Ability Unlocked: Memory Imprinting]
Several lines of light blue descriptive text appeared on her retina.
[Description: Allows the extraction of a memory segment from a living being, condensing it into a page made of Memoria.]
[Trait: The page is automatically stored in the brain.
The host can expend mental energy to materialize a duplicate page for other beings to view and experience.]
[Limitation: This ability is harmless to the target, provided their mental defenses are completely open, or they are unconscious and incapable of resistance.]
Cyrene carefully read every word, her brow furrowing slightly.
“So, I can turn other beings’ memories into books to read?
And even share them with others?”
She reached out and made a grasping motion in the air, as if trying to seize the nonexistent page.
“But this limitation is pretty significant…”
Cyrene puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
“Completely defenseless mentally?
Isn’t that useless in combat?
I can’t expect monsters to just stand there and let me channel this.”
As for non-combat situations…
She was currently “unregistered,” with no one else alive around besides Phainon.
Where could she find a guinea pig willing to open their mind for her to read their memories?
“Having a skill to view others’ memories is great, and it’ll definitely help with intelligence gathering later, but it’s not immediately useful.
I feel like those 100 Memory Imprints would have been better spent entirely on Phainon…”
Thinking this, Cyrene sighed, flopped onto the bed in frustration, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Her gaze swept over the line of text again.
[Allows the extraction of a memory segment from a “living being”…]
Suddenly, Cyrene’s pupils contracted sharply.
She shot up from the bed as if electrocuted, her eyes fixed on that word.
“Living being…”
“It didn’t say it had to be another living being, did it?”
Cyrene’s heart began to race.
If that was the case…
“Could I…
extract my own memories?”
Once the thought surfaced, it was impossible to suppress.
If she could extract her own memories and review them repeatedly…
Wouldn’t that be like gaining a photographic memory?
“Let’s try it!”
Without hesitation, Cyrene immediately closed her eyes and regulated her breathing.
She sank her consciousness deep into her mind and activated the newly acquired ability on herself.
“Memory Imprinting.
Target: Myself.”