When Lin Sanjiu thought back to that moment, she marveled at her own quick reaction.
When the words "I know" left Wu Yiliu's mouth, she didn't waste a second being surprised. It was as if, deep down, she had already guessed his response and the words in her throat were prepared. Without a moment's hesitation, the item had returned to its true form in her palm, and her response met Wu Yiliu's revelation.
"Have you heard of Route 300?"
1
Wu Yiliu's expression faltered. Though he didn't yet grasp the meaning of the words, he understood their effect.
His hand instinctively brushed over the trinkets wrapped around his fingers. In the next instant, he grabbed the nearby railing and sprang into the air before Lin Sanjiu could close the distance. Like a great bird kicking off the ground and soaring into the sky, he vaulted over the railing, disappearing into the open air below, the wind howling around him.
Lin Sanjiu rushed to the railing, gripping it tightly as she leaned out and shouted, "Wait—"
She barely got the word out before a shadow surged upward from below, crashing into her face. In an instant, she knew she had been tricked.
Wu Yiliu hadn't leapt into the open sky beyond the railing. As he jumped, he had grabbed onto the underside of the railing and waited for the moment she leaned out.
Lin Sanjiu knew Wu Yiliu's abilities well. She also knew she had no way to resist [Human Concerto]. She had always been someone with rich, delicate emotions. Even if her Higher Consciousness was at full strength, which it wasn't, facing Wu Yiliu was like delivering herself on a platter.
1
She absolutely couldn't give Wu Yiliu the chance to unleash his ability.
Lin Sanjiu's advantage was that she understood Wu Yiliu and his ability intimately, at least the basic level of [Human Concerto]. She knew exactly how it was triggered, what happened afterward, and what he needed to do now.
She didn't dodge. Instead, she lunged directly at Wu Yiliu's incoming right hand.
Wu Yiliu clearly didn't expect her to stand her ground. As her metal gauntlet-covered fist struck his chest with a gust of force, his right hand also slammed into her face.
The sensitive nerves in her face seemed to explode into a sky full of sparking fragments. In that instant, her skin, facial bones, and brain all throbbed and hummed as if singing a painfully costly song.
The pain was intense, but Lin Sanjiu could endure it.
To her, it was just pain. The force she delivered to Wu Yiliu in return was several times stronger. She had once been Wu Yiliu, so she knew that even if he had evolved and upgraded, her punch could still render him temporarily immobile.
One was a strategist, the other a fighter. When they clashed head-on, the outcome was clear.
1
Wu Yiliu let out a muffled grunt of pain, his hand slipping away from her face. Lin Sanjiu could almost feel his [Human Concerto], poised to activate, being shattered by the blow. If she had dodged his attack instead of landing her punch, her emotions would have already fallen into his grasp. ⱤáƝôᛒĘS
But now was no time to celebrate.
Her nose and face throbbed with pain, her eyes brimming with tears, but through the blur, Lin Sanjiu quickly bent down and grabbed the falling Wu Yiliu with one hand. She hauled him back up to the railing with all her strength, her other hand clamping firmly over his eyes. Gasping for breath, she finally seized the chance to speak, her voice hoarse, "I mean you no harm. Grab the railing now!"
The moment she finished, she let go of his collar.
Wu Yiliu immediately gripped the railing again. With nothing beneath his feet for support, he had to rely entirely on his hands to keep from falling. His breathing was heavy and rapid, shaken by the shock and the searing pain in his chest. After coughing several times, he managed to ask, muffled under her hand, "How did you know...?"
Lin Sanjiu understood what he was asking.
The activation of [Human Concerto] required one essential condition: Wu Yiliu had to see. Even if the target was invisible or intangible, he needed his eyes to perceive their emotions in order to manipulate and influence them.
For someone as sharp as Wu Yiliu, being interrupted before using his ability for the first time and then having its activation conditions blocked would make it obvious—Lin Sanjiu knew him extremely well.
She didn't trust him for a second. Keeping one hand over his eyes and the other pressing against the back of his head, she lowered her voice and said, "Did you willingly have your memories altered? Don't you want them restored?"
"Who are you, really?" Wu Yiliu asked, his tone calm despite the situation. "What difference does it make to you whether I want my memories back?"
It was a difficult question to answer. Logically, whether Wu Yiliu regained his memories or not made no difference to her. Unsure of how to respond, she repeated her question. "Are you telling me you chose to have your memories altered?"
"This back-and-forth of asking questions without answering won't lead us anywhere," Wu Yiliu said evenly, his voice betraying none of the effort it took to maintain his precarious position. "Answer my question, and I'll answer yours. What is your purpose in seeking out our organization? How do you know me?"
Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath. "You probably won't believe me, but I have to tell the truth anyway. I never intended to find your organization. No, in fact, I didn't even know the Shark Nexus was behind the memory pocket dimension until I ran into Pete. Before that, I'd never heard of the Shark Nexus. As for how I know you... it's because I've seen your memories."
She faltered, unsure how to articulate the bizarre experience in the memory pocket dimension in a way that made sense.
"You're connected to the memory pocket dimension, and you must have seen my memories there, right?" Wu Yiliu didn't need her to finish; he had already pieced it together. "So, it has the function of storing old memories too. While I don't know the specifics yet, your appearance and your conflict with Pete must stem from the memory pocket dimension, not from hunting Shark Nexus... I understand now. Let me answer your question in return."
Lin Sanjiu unconsciously straightened her back. The wind continued to howl along the sky highway. The occasional passersby and vehicles paid them no attention. Perhaps in the Twelve Worlds Centrum, such scenes were far from unusual.
"The memory alteration happened without my knowledge, so of course, it wasn't voluntary at the time," Wu Yiliu said, still blindfolded by her hand. "But after learning the truth, I decided there was no need to undo it. My current state is actually more to my liking... you could say it's a kind of retroactive consent. Also, if you've seen my memories through the pocket dimension, I know which ones you saw. And you're completely unaware of my second ability, aren't you?"
Lin Sanjiu realized the danger too late.
Wu Yiliu hadn't moved, but in that instant, she felt her body resonate with the railing of the sky highway. She swayed slightly in the wind as if her bones, flesh, and even the particles of her being were vibrating in unison with the material of the railing.
The eerie sensation of her body melding and intertwining with the structure lasted only a split second before vanishing. And when it did, Wu Yiliu was gone too.