What a True Monster Was

"That movie yesterday scared me to death."

"Weren't you the one who insisted on watching it?" Chen Xi glanced at Lin Yue, who sat across from her.

Lin Yue had even used that excuse to spend the night at her place.

The two of them chatted as usual in the café.

No Legend had descended, and no superpowered criminals were around. They were just two ordinary girls having afternoon tea.

"I've skipped so many classes that my teacher's practically blown up my phone." Lin Yue propped her chin on one hand and scrolled through her messages.

At first, she'd made excuses to cover for herself, but after thinking it over, she couldn't be bothered to waste her energy dealing with it anymore.

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

So that was the real point.

Ignoring her, Chen Xi monitored the typhoon's movements in real time.

"Probably around ten tonight." She took a sip of coffee.

Lin Yue asked, "How well have you gotten the hang of controlling Rain Lord?"

"Eight tonight." The black-haired girl confidently laid out her plans.

"I deliberately left myself two hours to practice my abilities."

Lin Yue put her phone away and simply admired her in silence.

"As expected of you. You've thought of everything."

Chen Xi was just about to say something when a familiar voice sounded beside them.

"Hellooo~ Mind if I join you?"

Wu Xin stood beside their table, smiling at them.

When had she gotten there?!

Lin Yue's nerves tightened instantly. A shadow silently spread beneath Chen Xi's feet, ready to carry them away at a moment's notice.

"Hey, don't be so nervous. You're making me sound like some terrifying beast."

Wu Xin gently cupped her cheeks. "This face is pretty cute, if I do say so myself."

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

"Me?" Wu Xin pointed at herself.

"Why, to introduce myself, of course." She spoke as if it were obvious. "Aren't you curious about my past?"

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

She looked from one to the other with a solemn expression.

Chen Xi kept her distance without drawing attention to it. She also shot the wary Lin Yue a look, telling her to calm down.

"Of course. You can't expect to understand the thought process of a lunatic."

Chen Xi regarded her with composure. "Go on, then. Tell us the boring story of how you became the piece of trash that makes people gag just by being near it."

Wu Xin chuckled at that. "Such biting words. Little Xi must really hate me."

She took the nearest seat on the left side of the round table.

Just having Wu Xin sitting beside her was enough to give Lin Yue goosebumps.

"Do we really have to listen to this weirdo?"

Chen Xi had thought it through.

"Maybe she'll give us something useful. Anyway, aren't all crazies like this? They don't care if they let information slip."

Wu Xin cut in at just the right moment. "Are you two done? Then it's my turn."

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named..." Wu Xin scratched her head. "Oh, sorry. I forgot."

"All I remember is that she was ugly, and she came from a single-parent family. So people often bullied her."

The white-haired woman's eyes grew distant with nostalgia. "Trash. Monster..."

"They'd shove the girl's head into the toilet. Every filthy word you can imagine came out of the bullies' mouths.

"Every day, she'd go home with her body covered in grime.

"'You're so filthy.'

"Her mother would spit the words at her in disgust. The look of contempt in her eyes was one she probably wouldn't forget for the rest of her life.

"Ever since her mother divorced her father, she'd been drinking constantly. She never cared about what the girl was going through.

"'Why did I ever have you? You're nothing but a burden. If it weren't for you, I would've...'

"And so resentment spread through the girl's heart like wildfire, until it consumed her completely.

"'Do you want to kill them?'

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

"The girl froze. It was the first time anyone had asked her something so bluntly.

"That cold gaze seemed ready to tear her skin away, leaving nothing but her bare, broken heart.

"The big sister crouched down and continued, as if it were nothing.

"'Do you want to kill them? Get revenge or whatever? I can see it, you know—the hatred welling up inside you.'

"Decades of living like that had completely robbed the girl of her reason.

"'I do.'

"'I want to kill them right now.'

"She answered, nodding eagerly.

"Then... as she watched expectantly, I peeled off her skin with threads.

"The girl screamed and died in despair."

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

Spider silk rained down across the round table.

Lin Yue froze with her coffee in hand, staring at Wu Xin in disbelief.

"How'd you like that ending?" Wu Xin rested her chin in her hands and pouted.

"I picked the happiest story from all the skins I've ever experienced."

She suddenly remembered something and raised a finger. "Oh, right. I forgot the epilogue."

"The epilogue is that nothing bad ever happened to the girl's mother. I even gave her five hundred thousand under the pretense of a donation, so she could spend it however she wanted."

"Of course, I did it right in front of the poor little thing. I even deliberately kept her alive so she could watch the money land in her account."

The more she spoke, the more comical Wu Xin's expression became. She could barely contain her laughter.

"Not only that, I even tracked down the people who bullied her.

"If someone was unemployed, I found them an easy, comfortable job with a generous salary.

"If they didn't feel like working, I'd just transfer money straight into their bank accounts.

"There's one person I remember especially well. Her mother had terminal cancer, so I even used my threads to repair her body..."

Wu Xin's face flushed. She lightly bit her lip, as if savoring the memory. "There's something about it that's just so intoxicating."

Chen Xi listened, her brow furrowing.

There was no doubt about it: the Wu Xin sitting beside them was a monster in human skin in the truest sense.

"That's enough, Lin Yue. Let's go."

After paying, Chen Xi took Lin Yue, who still hadn't recovered, by the hand and started to leave the café.

Wu Xin's true nature was far more horrifying than she'd imagined. Lin Yue shouldn't have to bear hearing any more of this.

Wu Xin took a moment to blow them a kiss. "Remember, rooftop of Building 6 tonight."

Seeing Lin Yue keep her head down, Chen Xi tried to comfort her. "Lin Yue..."

"Don't." Lin Yue pushed her hand away and looked back at Wu Xin, who was still sitting where she was.

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

"What was her name?" she asked, each word distinct.

Wu Xin picked up her coffee and smiled. "Oh, who remembers something so trivial?"

"It's all in the past. No matter how many times you ask, it won't mean anything."

Lin Yue didn't argue with her. She closed her eyes, her expression settling into calm. "Wu Xin, this was all an act, wasn't it?"

"You were just putting on a show to provoke Chen Xi and me. I could tell. There wasn't a ripple in your heart."

"That's why you can wield this ability."

"You keep taking other people's identities and emotions, hoping to give your pitiful self even the tiniest bit of comfort."

"The real you is just a pathetic wretch, incapable of feeling anything at all."

Wu Xin's hand froze as she lifted her coffee. The colorful expression on her face turned cold in an instant.