The So-Called True Monster

"That movie yesterday scared the life out of me."

"Wasn't it you who insisted on watching it?" Chen Xi glanced at Lin Yue sitting across from her.

Last night, Lin Yue had even used that as an excuse to stay over at her place.

In the coffee shop, the two were chatting idly as they usually did.

There were no Legends descending, no extraordinary criminals; they were just like any ordinary girls drinking afternoon tea.

"I've been skipping class for so long, my phone is practically exploding with texts from my teacher." Lin Yue rested her chin on one hand, scrolling through her phone.

At first, she had used excuses to cover it up, but after thinking it through, she couldn't be bothered to waste the mental energy dealing with it anymore.

"So, I might have to stay at your place from now on."

As expected, that was the real point.

Ignoring her, Chen Xi was monitoring the typhoon's movement in real-time.

"It should be around ten o'clock tonight." She took a sip of her coffee.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue asked, "How is your control over the Rain Lord coming along?"

"Eight o'clock tonight." The black-haired girl spoke of her plans with absolute confidence.

"I specifically set aside two hours to practice my ability."

Lin Yue turned off her phone and just watched her quietly:

"As expected of you, so thorough."

Just as Chen Xi was about to say something, a familiar voice rang out beside them.

"Hello~ mind if I join you?"

Wu Xin stood by the chair, smiling at the two of them.

When did she get here?!

Lin Yue's nerves tightened instantly, and shadows silently shrouded the ground beneath Chen Xi's feet, ready for them to escape at any moment.

"Hey now, don't be so tense; you're making me sound like some terrifying beast."

Wu Xin lightly cupped her own cheeks: "This face of mine should be quite pretty, after all."

Compared to Lin Yue, Chen Xi was much calmer: "What are you here for?"

"Me?" Wu Xin pointed at herself.

"To introduce myself, of course," she said as if it were only natural. "Aren't you curious about my past?"

"The story of how an innocent girl grew up to become a psychopathic killer."

She looked at the two of them with a serious expression.

Chen Xi kept her distance without a sound, giving a look to the vigilant Lin Yue to calm her down.

As expected, one shouldn't try to understand the thought process of a lunatic.

Chen Xi looked at her with composure: "Go ahead, tell us the boring past of a piece of trash whose very scent is nauseating."

Hearing this, Wu Xin chuckled: "Such sharp words; it seems you really hate me, Xiao Xi."

She sat down at the left side of the round table.

Just having Wu Xin sitting beside her made Lin Yue break out in goosebumps.

"Are we really going to listen to this thing talk?"

Chen Xi had thought it through clearly:

Maybe there will be some useful information. Besides, aren't lunatics like this? They don't care about leaking information.

Wu Xin interjected at the right moment: "Are you two finished? Then it's my turn."

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl, her name was..." Wu Xin scratched her head: "Ah, sorry, I forgot."

"I only remember that she was very ugly, and since she came from a single-parent family, she was often bullied by others."

The white-haired woman's eyes were filled with nostalgia: "Trash, monster..."

"They would shove the girl's head into a toilet bowl; any filthy word you could imagine would come out of the bullies' mouths.

Just like that, she would drag her filthy, ruined body home every day.

So dirty.

The girl's mother vented with a tone of disgust, and that look of loathing was something she would perhaps never forget in her entire life.

Ever since her mother divorced her father, she had been drinking heavily and never once asked about her situation.

Why did I give birth to you, you burden? If it weren't for you, I would have already...

Just like that, the emotion of Resentment spread like wildfire in the girl's heart, until it consumed her soul.

Do you want to kill them?

That day, she met a big sister with long, wavy hair.

The girl froze in place; it was the first time she had ever heard such a blunt question.

That cold gaze seemed to tear her skin to shreds, leaving behind nothing but a naked, shattered heart.

The older sister crouched halfway down, continuing to ask as if nothing were amiss.

Do you want to kill them? Revenge and all that—I can see it, you know, the hatred overflowing from your heart.

Decades of life lived like a single day had completely stripped the girl of her sanity.

I do.

I want to kill them right now.

She answered just like that, nodding with impatient eagerness.

And then... under her expectant gaze, I used silk threads to peel away her skin.

The girl screamed and died in despair.

"Surprise!" Wu Xin held up a party popper made of silk threads.

Spider silk rained down like droplets, covering the entire round table.

Lin Yue froze, her hand holding her coffee, staring at her in disbelief.

"How was that ending?" Wu Xin rested her chin on her hands, pouting.

"I picked the most beautiful story out of all the skins I've experienced."

She suddenly thought of something and raised a finger: "Right, I forgot to mention the epilogue."

"The epilogue is that the girl's mother didn't face any retribution at all. I even gave her five hundred thousand as a donation for her to squander."

"Of course, it was right in front of the poor little thing. I intentionally kept her alive just so she could watch the deposit hit the account with her own eyes."

As she spoke, Wu Xin's expression became increasingly comical, her words brimming with irrepressible laughter.

"Not only that, but I also specifically investigated those who bullied her back then.

For those who were unemployed, I found them easy, leisurely jobs with generous pay.

For those who were too lazy to work, I simply used a bank card to transfer funds directly to them.

There was one person I remember particularly well—her mother was terminally ill, so I even used my silk threads to repair her body..."

Wu Xin's face flushed, and she bit her lip lightly, as if savoring a memory: "This feeling is truly intoxicating."

Chen Xi frowned deeply after hearing this.

Without a doubt, Wu Xin, sitting beside them, was a monster in the truest sense, wearing nothing but a human skin.

"Enough, Lin Yue, let's go."

After paying the bill, Chen Xi pulled the still-dazed Lin Yue, intending to leave the cafe.

Wu Xin's true nature far exceeded her imagination; she didn't want Lin Yue to have to endure this.

Wu Xin took a moment to wink at the two of them: "Remember to meet me on the rooftop of Building 6 tonight."

Seeing that Lin Yue kept her head down, Chen Xi tried to comfort her: "Lin Yue..."

"No need." Lin Yue pushed her hand away and looked back at Wu Xin, who was still sitting there.

The blonde girl's eyes had never been more resolute.

"What was her name?" she asked, enunciating every word.

Wu Xin picked up her coffee, smiling: "Oh~ who would remember such a trivial thing?"

"It's all in the past; there's no point in you asking me that."

Lin Yue did not argue with her, but instead closed her eyes, her expression settling: "Wu Xin, actually, this is all just a disguise, right?"

"It's just a performance meant to provoke me and Chen Xi. I can feel it—there isn't a single ripple in your heart."

"That is why you are able to wield this ability."

"Constantly stealing the identities and emotions of others, attempting to give your pathetic self a shred of comfort."

"The real you is actually a poor wretch who cannot feel a single emotion."

Wu Xin's movement of picking up her coffee paused, and the colorful expression she wore just a moment ago turned cold in an instant.