Chapter 196: Surely it's you!

That kind of power is hard to describe in words.

But Su Xiao xi can be certain that if she ever had any thought of betrayal, she could not hide it from her master Lin Yifan.

And if Lin Yifan wanted her dead, she would surely die, for she discovered she could not even muster the thought of resistance.

Lin Yifan is the same; he doesn't understand what happened, but he can be certain that with just a thought of his, Su Xiao xi would surely die.

This feeling of controlling his life genuinely stirs some emotion in Lin Yifan, and at the same time there is an indescribable allure.

After all, the feeling of being able to control others' lives and everything is naturally prone to addiction.

But for some reason, Lin Yifan faintly feels he must restrain this desire.

Perhaps it's because enslaving others goes against heavenly harmony.

But no matter what, he trusts his inner feeling: this desire must be restrained!

After taking a deep breath, Lin Yifan then spoke up:

"Now, can you tell me the truth? Your brother... is he really still alive?"

Su Xiao xi blinked slightly, her gaze drifting as she said, "Yifan brother, why do you ask that?"

"Heh!" Lin Yifan snorted, speaking with deep meaning:

"You said you were thinking of finding your brother, but from the moment we first met, I have never felt any urgency or worry from you about finding him."

"Moreover, your shelter shows no signs of having been flooded, so your earlier claim that you were forced to leave the shelter due to a flood simply doesn't hold."

"If I'm not mistaken, your brother is already dead, or perhaps there never was a 'brother' at all—Su Tianhao is you, Su Xiao xi is you, and the sexy little wildcat is you."

Su Xiao xi sighed with astonishment: "Lin Yifan brother, you being the District's number one is truly a perfect existence where wisdom and martial power coexist."

"Your guess is correct; these three roles are indeed all me!"

"So you've been using your brother's identity to interact with others?" Lin Yifan asked.

Su Xiao xi nodded, her eyes somewhat dim: "But I wasn't deliberately impersonating my brother; at first it was purely for safety—after all, a 13-year-old girl in this world is too easy to become a target."

"Later I discovered that using the brother's identity made it easier to gain others' trust and cooperation, and also made them wary of me."

"That's also true." Lin Yifan didn't think her approach was problematic; if it were him, he might do the same.

"So now? Since the contract is already established, you ought to tell the truth—where exactly is your brother?"

But unexpectedly... he actually approved of her approach?

Su Xiao xi fell silent for a moment, then finally lifted her head, her eyes calm in a way unbecoming of a 13-year-old girl.

"He's dead."

"He died on the first day."

Lin Yifan narrowed his eyes: "How did he die?"

"He turned into a Maggot Human Bone." Su Xiao xi's voice was soft, but her tone was unusually calm: "On the very night we first entered this world, I couldn't bear the cold, so my brother left the shelter to find me clothes."

"The result was that, just a few steps outside the shelter's door, I saw him engulfed by countless worms, which devoured him straight down to a skeleton, but those worms didn't damage his skin; instead they burrowed beneath it, replacing his brother's flesh."

"So, from the first day I knew this world contains very strange and dangerous things; if you step out of the shelter at night, you will be entangled by them and then replaced by those worms."

"So, do you hate them?" Lin Yifan asked.

A flicker of coldness passed through Su Xiao xi's eyes: "Hate."

"Good." Lin Yifan nodded, "Then from now on, you will follow me."

"I will make you strong, strong enough to kill those things with your own hands."

Su Xiao xi blinked, apparently not expecting Lin Yifan to say that.

She had thought that after coming clean, Lin Yifan would become more wary of her, possibly even punishing her for her deceit.

Even though she has now signed a master-servant agreement, in this world nothing is ever absolute.

A master-servant agreement—could it possibly not be undone?

No one dares to guarantee it.

"How? Is it surprising?" Lin Yifan saw her doubt and said lightly:

"This is a world of the strong devouring the weak; morals, values, laws—here they're all just empty talk."

"Only by surviving do you earn the right to discuss anything; you are inherently a frail little girl, and wanting to survive in this world is naturally more difficult, so what's wrong with using some means to stay alive?"

"As for whether your methods are honorable, that hardly matters; in the face of death's threat, I cannot even guarantee that I myself am honorable."

"As for me, I only need to ensure your value is usable by me, that you will absolutely not betray me—stabbing me in the back would suffice; nothing else matters."

Su Xiao xi stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Lin Yifan brother, you are even colder than I imagined, but perhaps only someone like you can become a true powerhouse."

"Rest assured, I am a very clear-headed and power-seeking person; for me, as long as I can live well, I will absolutely not betray you."

"Each to each, as for whether you will betray me—rest easy on that point, I won't give you the chance to betray me." Lin Yifan slowly raised his brows and eyes, smiling brilliantly.

But his words were icy to the extreme: "Because I will kill you before you ever betray me!"

Having said that, he turned and walked toward the shelter: "Come on, let's go see what secrets are hidden in your brother's shelter."

Su Xiao xi followed behind him, the corners of her mouth slightly turning up; looking at Lin Yifan's gaze, it was filled with a different kind of abnormality.

"By the way." Lin Yifan suddenly stopped walking, without turning back, he asked: "Your talent, besides being able to see through Maggot Human Bone and perceive others' personal information, what else can it do?"

Su Xiao xi blinked: "You guess?"

Lin Yifan gave a light chuckle: "It seems the contract's binding force isn't strong enough; I need to 'order' you to answer."

Su Xiao xi pursed her lips, finally speaking honestly: "My talent, Information Peeking, besides being able to view a target's personal information—including talent, weaknesses, and the like—can also probe the information of objects, as well as others' inner thoughts."

Lin Yifan's eyes narrowed: "Inner thoughts?"

"Mm." Su Xiao xi nodded, smiling: "For example, right now I know what you're thinking—'This little girl really can't stay; she's born with a rebellious bone.'"

Lin Yifan: "……"

Su Xiao xi looked at him with a smiling gaze: "But don't worry, the contract is already established; I have no way to betray you, and I won't betray you."

My talent has no combat power, I myself have no combat power; only by following a strong one like you can I survive in this world—I have always been clear about that.

"Moreover, my talent is ineffective against you."

"Ineffective?" Lin Yifan was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, there's a line in your info panel that reads: 'This target is under special protection and cannot be spied upon.' Su Xiao xi spread her hands, 'So I've actually never been able to see through you.'"

Lin Yifan fell into thought.

It seems his dual talent, or perhaps because his Life Tier is higher, thus gives a shielding effect against Su Xiao xi's ability.

However, no matter the reason, this is good news.

Who would want others to probe their inner thoughts, huh!

"Alright, no more nonsense." Lin Yifan pushed open the Shelter's door, "Let's see what's usable here..."

Before his words even fell, his pupils suddenly contracted!

Inside the Shelter —

A corpse, mangled beyond recognition, lay silently in the corner.

And clutched in the corpse's hand was a blood-stained note.

Su Xiao xi stood at the doorway, the smile on her face gradually fading.

"Brother... brother?"