Chapter 847: Someone?

Su's first reaction wasn't "Where did this thing come from?" but "It looks just like the one from the Past World Paradise bath."

Before her second reaction could form, she saw something moving on the back of that yellow rubber duck.

Black, blue and pink—tiny patches of color flickered over the yellow background.

A person.

Su sat up abruptly.

The canvas chair let out a creaking wail as her weight shifted suddenly.

Her toes instinctively tightened the sole of her cool sandals, the peacock‑blue thin straps leaving a faint mark on her ankle.

The fingers that had just been comfortably holding the pineapple‑juice cup went stiff for a moment.

"Anyone?"

Su's voice rose an octave.

She lowered her head to glance at herself: the soft‑white neckline of her swimsuit, the skin beneath tinged faint pink by the sun, the waist ribbon flapping heedlessly in the sea breeze, and the strip of soft flesh on her thigh outlined by black‑white straps.

All the fabric of her outfit combined was probably not even as big as a handkerchief.

Blood receded from Su's face faster than the tide.

"No—what we agreed—absolutely—no—others——!!"

Every word was forced out between her teeth.

Can Ailixiya be summoned right now to explain it herself?

Su set the pineapple juice down on the table and sprang up from the beach chair.

Her long legs left two messy tracks in the sand, the fine grains squeaking under her cool sandals.

She first ran two steps left, then three steps right, spun around in place, and her long hair swept a gray‑brown arc through the air, the tips nearly brushing the coconut shells on the table.

Hide where? In a tree? The coconut trunk is too thin to block anyone.

Into the sea? Swim and soak? She glanced at how the swimsuit turned semi‑transparent when wet, and instantly tossed that option into the trash.

Behind the parasol? The parasol is see‑through.

Under the beach chair? There's not enough space to fold her 1.7‑meter‑plus body into.

Su steadied herself.

She took a deep breath.

Calm.

The duck was still quite far, roughly one or two kilometers away by eye.

Visual estimates aren't always accurate; distance perception at sea differs from land, and her current visual parameters differ from her original body, but either way she still has time.

After all, Su is a former Fusion Warrior of a past civilization, so she still has some adaptability.

She snatched the neatly stacked towel from the beach table, shook it out, and wrapped it around her shoulders.

The soft white cotton covered most of her body; the swimsuit outline beneath was still faint, but at least it was better than before.

She grabbed her sunglasses again, fastened them over her face to hide the most recognizable brows and eyes, then pulled her long hair out of the towel so the strands fell over the towel, covering her chin and cheek lines.

Disguise complete.

Not really.

Deep inside, Su made a quick assessment of her current situation:

First, her looks now only bore about three to five points of similarity to her original self; gray‑brown long hair, wine‑rose pupils, an egg‑shaped face—quite a gap from her former short gray hair and purple‑red eyes, which works in her favor.

Second, her current build is a notch smaller than before, with a finer skeleton; her gait has subtly shifted due to a different center of gravity, another favorable factor.

Third, the outfit is so exposed she feels like digging a pit to bury herself, yet it makes it hard for anyone to associate her with the composed Su of Past World Paradise, which counts as a favorable factor.

Conclusion: As long as she doesn't voluntarily reveal her identity, the chance of being recognized should be low.

However, this premise assumes none of the arrivals are familiar faces.

Su pulled her sunglasses down a bit, letting her gaze pass over the top of the lenses, fixing on the yellow rubber duck drawing nearer.

The distance had shrunk from a kilometer or two to a few hundred meters; the duck's outline sharpened: a round yellow body, exaggerated painted eyes, a mouth‑corner curve forming a textbook smile, reflecting light opposite the sun.

Several silhouettes stood on the duck's back; Su squinted her violet‑red eyes and began identifying them one by one.

The one at the front was tall, long hair streaming in the wind, an aura so imposing that even from a few hundred meters it pressed down with a cold, stern weight.

Su's eyebrows twitched.

Heimu Lady?

And beside Heimu Lady stood a blue‑haired girl; she wasn't close enough yet, but that hair color, that familiar vibe even across half a bay—could it be?

No way!

Impossible?

Su's gaze lingered on that face, and her memory began auto‑matching.

Ge Lei Xiu?

Su's heart missed a beat.

That was Ge Lei Xiu? Though the girl's facial features retained their original base, her height had leapt to nearly match Heimu Lady's, and her figure shed childlike roundness for a slender, mature line.

A random thought popped into Su's mind: how long had she actually "slept" for, that a child could already be this grown?

Then Su suddenly realized the most pressing issue wasn't why Ge Lei Xiu had grown so fast.

The current issue was that the suspected Ge Lei Xiu was also among that crowd.

Ge Lei Xiu knows her; even though Su now looks vastly different, Ge Lei Xiu, being an instinctive natural‑type player, can bypass all rational disguises and hit the truth directly.

No abnormal reactions allowed.

No exposure.

Su tightened the towel a bit more, her shoulders involuntarily hunching as she tucked her chin into the folds.

She stood where she was, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and wondered whether to turn and walk away outright or to stand as if nothing were wrong and wait for them to come.

Turning and walking away would look too suspicious; on the beach there's only a sun umbrella, a beach chair and a small table—where could she possibly go?

Running into the coconut grove would only make the ruse even more obvious.

She can't get away.

Then she won't leave.

She took a deep breath, and her chest rose and fell beneath the towel.

She lowered her shoulders, shifting her demeanor from "ready to run" to "the confused, annoyed posture of an ordinary vacationer faced with uninvited guests."

Then she pushed her sunglasses back up over her forehead, exposing her whole face; after all, half‑hiding only looks more suspicious, so she decided to be bold, betting that they wouldn't recognize her behind this new façade.

Su's toe nudged the sole of her flip‑flop.

She knew exactly how she looked now: a girl in a swimsuit wrapped in a towel, standing under the sun umbrella, a half‑drunk glass of pineapple juice still in her hand, her hair tousled by the sea breeze and strands clinging to her cheeks, exuding the vibe of "Miss Here is enjoying her vacation, what are you even doing here?"

Perfect.

Character established.

Just play the part.

Her heart was beating far faster than it appeared.