9: Chapter 8: Who Registered My Account?
Part 2 9: Chapter 8: Who Registered My Account?
Part 2 Unfortunately for it, its opponent was a former Sword Master with tens of thousands of real battles under her belt.
Even though Jiang Jianxin was older now and lacked the agility of her peak at age eleven, her reactions were still sharp.
Hearing the rush of air behind her, she quickly rolled, reversing her blade to block the attack.
CLANG—
The barbed tongue struck the sword with a sharp ring.
Seeing its first strike miss, the gecko monster had a follow-up.
It spat a mouthful of venom straight at Jiang Jianxin’s face.
Even against such a sudden assault, Jiang Jianxin swiftly tilted her head to dodge.
Seizing the moment while the gecko monster was stunned, she struck out with her sword from the side, thrusting swiftly.
SHLICK—
Jiang Jianxin’s reflexes were superb, but the gecko monster’s were not.
It couldn’t dodge in time and was decapitated by the swift, deadly blade.
The head rolled to the ground as black ichor erupted like a geyser, splattering all over the stairwell.
The once-massive monster was finished off by Jiang Jianxin in just a few moves.
She took a deep breath, feeling her heart pound violently.
The intense battle had left her a bit dazed.
She looked at the gleaming Tang Guang Sword, then glanced at the bloodstains and grime on her clothes.
‘…It feels like a long time ago… I used to live like this every day.’
Jiang Jianxin caught her breath for a moment, then set down the blood-soaked Tang Guang Sword and called downstairs:
“Come on up!”
Hearing Jiang Jianxin’s call, Lin Xin’an jogged up the stairs.
He glanced at the decapitated gecko monster, then at the wet marks on the wall, and understood the gist of what had happened.
He nonchalantly averted his eyes, pursed his lips, and urged:
“Let’s go, let’s go.
Do you have a hair dryer at your place?
I need to go dry my hair.”
Jiang Jianxin hadn’t expected that while she was fighting so fiercely upstairs, this doctor was just hanging out downstairs, still worrying about his hairstyle.
Cradling her sword, she walked ahead, going up one more floor to her apartment door.
There were three apartments on the sixth floor.
The doors to two of them had vanished, revealing a scene of utter chaos inside, along with a pool of unidentifiable blood.
Lin Xin’an knew with a single glance that the occupants had likely been eaten by that monster.
He looked at the door in the very center—Jiang Jianxin’s door.
A bright red “Fu” character sticker was pasted on the mahogany door, and the couplets on either side were neat, without a single trace of damage.
This was a stark contrast to the neighboring two apartments, which couldn’t even keep their doors intact.
While she was fumbling for her keys, Lin Xin’an reached out and touched the “Fu” sticker, saying:
“This set of Spring Festival decorations is quite something.”
Jiang Jianxin glanced at it and said:
“My brother came and put those up for me last year during the New Year.”
“You have a brother?”
Lin Xin’an asked, surprised.
Before the police department arranged for him to give Jiang Jianxin a psychological evaluation, they had told him the girl’s basic situation.
Her parents died young, she lived here alone, and she didn’t have any relatives to speak of.
‘How could a brother suddenly appear out of nowhere?’
Jiang Jianxin hummed in affirmation.
“He’s a ‘brother’ who sponsors my education.
My parents’ inheritance was frozen five years ago for some unknown reason.
The government’s living allowance wasn’t nearly enough for my tuition and living expenses.
He’s been the one sending me money these past four years of college.”
She looked at the neatly pasted “Fu” sticker before her, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
“He comes to be with me every Spring Festival.
We put up couplets, make dumplings, and watch the New Year’s Gala together, just like a real brother.”
“But he didn’t come this year, so I didn’t put up a new ‘Fu’ sticker.”
Jiang Jianxin sounded a little dejected as she said this.
She had no family, so this “brother” who accompanied her every New Year had long since become her emotional anchor.
Although her childhood memories were fuzzy, she hadn’t forgotten the time since high school and college.
Jiang Jianxin could still recall the first year he appeared.
Back then, every household had put up “Fu” stickers and couplets and hung large red lanterns by their front doors.
The residential buildings in the complex were brightly lit, and the continuous sound of firecrackers popping came from downstairs.
It was clearly New Year’s Eve, yet she was curled up in bed alone with the lights off.
The world outside her window and the one inside her room were like two different worlds.
Outside was the clamor of firecrackers; inside was Deathly Silence.
In that consuming silence, a young man as gentle as a warm breeze knocked on her door.
The bright light from the hallway poured in from behind him, stretching into a long line that fell upon Jiang Jianxin.
He said, “Jianxin, long time no see.”
Lin Xin’an heard the series of thoughts that flashed through her mind.
He looked at the “Fu” sticker and frowned.
“Have you ever wondered why your brother doesn’t spend time with his own family, but comes to be with you every year instead?”
Jiang Jianxin shook her head.
Lin Xin’an continued:
“Because he has no family.”
Jiang Jianxin: “?”
She picked up her sword and kicked him hard.
Lin Xin’an yelped, “Ow!” and shouted:
“Don’t kick me!
I didn’t mean it as an insult, I’m just telling the truth.”
Seeing Jiang Jianxin frown and raise her foot for another kick, Lin Xin’an quickly waved his hands.
“I was wrong, I was wrong!
I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.
This whole thing is actually really complicated… But if I told you now, you probably wouldn’t understand… Forget it, forget it.”
Jiang Jianxin shot him a glare and opened her apartment door.
The room was still in the same messy state as when the police had taken her away.
The only difference was that Su Dong’s body was no longer on the floor; the police department had already collected it.
Lin Xin’an showed no awareness of being a guest in someone else’s home.
He first went to the bathroom to check himself in the mirror, then asked frantically:
“Hair dryer, do you have a hair dryer?”
Jiang Jianxin pulled a hair dryer out of a cabinet.
She watched as he took it gleefully, then he even winked at her.
“Give me ten minutes.
I’m about to blow you away with my good looks.”
Jiang Jianxin, like a block of wood clueless about romance, remained expressionless.
After a quick change into some dry clothes, she went to the kitchen, planning to make some instant noodles to replenish her energy.
The residential complex outside had become a living Purgatory, but inside Jiang Jianxin’s apartment, it was unprecedentedly peaceful.
She turned on her phone, preparing to check the current situation in the complex’s homeowner group chat.
However, as soon as the phone turned on, a golden pop-up window appeared first.
“Attention, all survivors.
As of 12:00 PM today, the contamination zone has expanded to Binhe City.
It is projected to cover the entire Da Rong Republic within the next two days.
All survivors who currently have internet access are urged to join the [Peace Forum] immediately.
The TV Station will continue to ensure the stability and security of your communications and will promptly relay the latest announcements and statements from the major superpower factions.
Whether you are an ordinary survivor still struggling to get by, or a newly awakened Talent User who has developed a superpower, you can obtain the information you need from this forum.
The Peace Forum—safeguarding your peace and safety!”
At the very bottom of the announcement was a link.
Jiang Jianxin tapped it, and the webpage automatically redirected to the Peace Forum’s login interface.
Jiang Jianxin didn’t have an account, so she first clicked “Register.” But after inputting her personal information, a window popped up:
[You already have an account.
Please return to the login screen to sign in!]
Jiang Jianxin looked over her personal information two or three times in astonishment.
The information was correct…
This was the first time she had ever heard of this Peace Forum.
‘So now the question is—who registered her account?’