Chapter 105: Unbearable Truth
Education was the foundation of a stable society. Destroying a place of learning was an attack on that foundation. Su Yao had a matter of principle to resolve.
The canceled exams left a quiet void, threatening to fill with memories of a self she had buried. This investigation gave her something productive to focus on.
Su Yao phased to the smoldering ruins of the campus building. The acrid scent of burnt wood and melted plastic filled the air, now laced with more microplastics than it had ever carried before. She stood amidst the blackened debris and pulled out her phone to call Zhang Wei.
“I want the preliminary reports of the campus fire from the human fire investigators. Cross-reference them with our spiritual anomaly logs from last night. I will find out who is responsible for this.”
Zhang Wei’s voice crackled over the line. “The initial report from the fire department is in. They’re ruling it an electrical fire.”
He paused, shuffling papers on his desk. “The security camera footage from the surrounding buildings shows no signs of forced entry or individuals near the building at the time of ignition. There’s no evidence of foul play.”
Su Yao’s eyes scanned the charred remains. “Security camera footage can be manipulated,” she said. “The absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence.
Her fingers flexed once at her side, ash lifting from the scorched floor as a faint ripple of energy passed through the air. “Send me the raw footage. And have your team do a spectral residue sweep. I want to know if any active spiritual signatures were in the area just before the fire started.”
She ended the call. They looked for broken locks and gasoline. She would look for the echo of a malicious spell or the lingering heat of foxfire that belonged to someone else.
Zhang Wei’s report came back an hour later. “The raw footage has no temporal gaps or signs of digital tampering. Our spectral residue sweep is complete. There are no traces of external spiritual energy or any malicious spellwork.
He paused. “The only energy signature we detected was the building’s own faulty electrical wiring, which shows clear evidence of degradation and a power surge consistent with an accidental fire. Forensics also found rodent gnaw marks on the compromised wiring insulation.”
Su Yao stood in the ashes. The truth that the fire had been nothing more than an accident settled around her. There was only faulty wiring and a power surge, leaving a group of lucky students to pass their semester without taking any exams.
She phased back to her apartment. A stack of textbooks sat on her desk, now useless. The structured problem that had given her direction was gone, while the convenient enemy she had imagined proved to be nothing but fiction.
Silence filled the room. Without distractions left, the ghost of the Handmaiden of Nuwa and the memory of someone who believed strength was kind had all the space it needed to haunt her.
Her phone buzzed. It a notification in the FFF chat.
Kayo: So, no midterms. What is everyone doing with their sudden free time? I’m thinking of starting a streaming series where I react to historical dramas and point out all the inaccuracies.
Yuzuriha: That sounds chaotic. I will be spending the time with my family.
Xie Jing: ...I don’t remember what I was supposed to be doing.
Su Yao stared at the screen. She dialed Zhang Wei.
“The fire is concluded. We move on to a new task. I want a full dossier for the Oprichniki including their suspected current leadership and last confirmed location. Prioritize any connection to the comet or to historical events involving celestial phenomena,” Su Yao ordered.
“Understood,” Zhang Wei replied “I’ll divert resources from the comet monitoring. Is there a specific threat?”
“The situation demands it,” she said. “I’m attending to matters that require my full attention.”
Then she opened her contact list and called Yuzuriha.
“The Russian Empire’s secret police,” she said the moment the call connected. “You mentioned whispers from your time in Harbin. I need names and locations. Your husband’s business connections may have crossed paths with them.”
She needed a target.If the world would not provide a conspiracy, she would dig until she found the most hidden one and drag it into the light herself.
This internal pressure to accept the Handmaiden was a weakness.
Perhaps she should just reject it outright and force it to manifest. According to Kayo’s game, denial created a monster you could fight in a dungeon. That was a problem she could solve with her Void-Severing Glaive.
Focusing her will inward, Su Yao closed her eyes. She projected the message into the depths of her own consciousness. Fine.You want to be acknowledged? Then stop whispering. Become my Shadow and manifest. Let us have our boss fight. I will grant you a dungeon level all your own.
She waited. Her spiritual energy coiled.
I refuse to fight you. I’m not a monster to be slain.
The presence faded.
Su Yao’s jaw tightened. The refusal was a form of defiance she hadn’t anticipated. “Fine.” Su Yao whispered into the silence of her mind. “Then I will become the monster. If you refuse to fight me, then I will force you to defend yourself. I will carve a dungeon from my own soul and I will be the final boss you must face.”
She stood up. Her spiritual energy flared around her. “You want acknowledgment? You will acknowledge my blade. You speak of kindness? I will show you the kindness of utter obliteration. Prepare yourself.”
Two other voices surfaced within.
This isn’t you, Xiao Ling said. You don’t solve internal conflicts by declaring war on yourself. The comet’s amplification is still twisting your rationale.
Exhaustion followed, Madam Li’s sorrow settled over her. I’ve known grief that devours from the inside. What you’re doing now feels the same. Please calm down. This path only leads to more fractures.
The combined weight of their presence pressed against Su Yao. Her flaring spiritual energy stuttered.
She was allowing an external phenomenon to dictate her internal state. It was undignified.
Around her, the dark energy dissipated. She took a measured breath. Her fists unclenched. The self-created dungeon crumbled before it was ever built.
A sudden wave of weakness crashed over Su Yao. Her vision swam. She pressed a hand to her temple.
You’re tired. Let me handle things until you’re stable, Xiao Ling said.
Control of their shared body shifted. The tension drained from Su Yao’s shoulders. She blinked, looking around the apartment as if seeing it for the first time in a long time.
She picked up the phone and typed a message to Zhang Wei.
Xiao Ling: Disregard the previous order regarding the Oprichniki. Return all resources to standard comet monitoring and city stability protocols.
Zhang Wei: ...Understood. Is everything alright?
Xiao Ling: Everything is fine. The situation is under control.
Su Yao put the phone down, filing her past selves as a problem for another time. A more immediate physical need presented itself. She walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, inspecting its contents with a critical eye.
The goal was now simple: find lunch.
Her aunt’s refrigerator offered little. It held leftover ingredients, but nothing prepared.
She pulled out her phone and opened a food delivery app, choosing a nearby noodle shop. Then she placed an order for dan dan noodles with extra chili oil.
A confirmation message appeared. Order Received. Estimated delivery: 25 minutes.
With that, she put the phone down on the counter and sat at the kitchen table to wait.
Twenty-five minutes was too long to sit. She walked to the living room and turned on the large wall screen. With a few clicks, she opened a streaming platform and found Osakabehime’s channel. The stream title read, “Silent Hill F Playthrough, Let’s Find the Weird Endings!”
Su Yao leaned back on the sofa. On screen, Osakabehime was guiding her character through a bizarre sequence that wasn’t part of the main game. She watched as Osakabehime’s character was beamed aboard a flying saucer, triggering a nonsensical credit roll.
Her phone buzzed.
Your order is 5 minutes away.
She turned off the stream. The doorbell rang. Su Yao opened the door to find Wong Lei standing there, holding a thermal delivery bag.
“Your noodles,” Wong Lei stammered, thrusting the bag forward.
Su Yao took the bag. Her eyes scanned Wong Lei’s face for a moment. “Come in. I will get you some tea.”
Wong Lei’s eyes widened. “Oh! No, I couldn’t. I’ve other deliveries—”
“The tea is already steeping,” Su Yao said. She turned and walking back into the apartment, leaving the door open.
After a moment’s hesitation, Wong Lei shuffled inside and closed the door behind her.
Su Yao poured tea from a simple ceramic teapot into two glasses. She pushed one across the table toward Wong Lei. “Don’t worry. It isn’t poisoned.” She picked up her own glass and took a sip. “See? I drink from the same pot.”
Wong Lei stared at the glass. Her hands trembled. “But there’s this thing I read about called an assassin’s teapot. It has hidden compartments. You can pour safe tea for yourself and poisoned tea for the victim from the same spout.”
Su Yao placed her glass down with a soft click. “That is unnecessarily complex for a noodle delivery. If I wished you harm, I would not require such theatrics. Drink the tea.”
Wong Lei shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her fingers traced the rim of the tea glass. “I really should get back to my deliveries. The app tracks my time and if I’m late—”
Su Yao watched her. “The tea will cool. Drink it.”
Wong Lei’s eyes darted toward the door, then back to Su Yao. She forced a smile. “It’s very kind of you. But I’m not thirsty, really.”
“You are trembling,” Su Yao observed. “That indicates stress. The tea may calm you.”
Wong Lei swallowed hard. Her throat was dry. “I remember what happened last time I had tea with you. That didn’t end well for me.”
“That was a different situation. This is simple hospitality.” Su Yao’s gaze remained fixed on her. “Drink.”
Wong Lei’s hand shook as she lifted the glass. She took a sip. Then another.
Nothing happened. It was just a bitter but normal tea.
She let out a breath. “It’s tasty.”
“Of course it’s tasty,” Su Yao said. “It is a blend from the Li family’s private stock. Overpriced, but adequate.”
Wong Lei met Su Yao’s gaze. “So, why did you really ask me in?”
“I was curious about your career path. From attempted exorcist to waitress, to hairdresser, back to waitress, and now food courier. It demonstrates a notable lack of focus.”
Wong Lei’s shoulders slumped. “It pays the bills. And it’s safer than other things.”
“Debatable,” Su Yao replied, taking another sip of her tea. “But your life choices are your own. The tea was meant to calm your nerves. You may leave now.”
Wong Lei set the empty glass down and bolted for the door.
Su Yao watched the door click shut. Wong Lei’s hurried footsteps faded down the hall. She picked up her own tea glass, frowning.
“What did I do wrong?” she murmured to the empty apartment. “I was only trying to be nice.”
She looked at the steaming container of dan dan noodles. The gesture had been straightforward, a drink for someone who looked stressed.
“She acts like I was going to curse her,” she continued, prying open the lid. The spicy aroma of chili oil and sesame filled the air. “I even drank from the same pot.”
Shaking her head, she picked up the provided chopsticks. Some people were determined to be paranoid. She took her first bite of noodles. They were adequate. The entire interaction had been a waste of good tea.
You are scarier than you realize, little mortal, the Hostess mused to Xiao Ling. Your offer of tea was viewed as a threat. Your normalcy is their uncanny valley.
Then, the Hostess’s attention turned toward the Handmaiden. Look. See what an act of kindness buys in this era. The recipient suspect a plot. They would rather believe in a poisoned teapot than in a simple gesture. This is the world you so fondly remember.
Xiao Ling bristled. I was just being polite. She was stressed. It was the logical thing to do.
Precisely, the Hostess replied. Your logic is alien to them. Therefore, you’re terrifying.
Can we stop this? Madam Li’s voice cut through. We are one person, one soul. These are just different masks the same face has worn. Arguing with ourselves is the height of insanity.
You, Madam Li continued at the Hostess, are the pride that survived betrayal. Her focus shifted. You, the human, are the resilience that endures. She addressed the silent presence. And you, are the ideal that was shattered but never truly died. We are all Su Yao. This internal civil war is a luxury we can’t afford.
Su Yao finished her noodle and put down the chopsticks.
She stared at the empty noodle container. The clamor within had faded. Their arguments had stopped. The borders between her past selves had dissolved into a coherent ‘I.’
A thought surfaced in the silence. Did I just have a character development?
The concept was absurd. It was something that happened to protagonists in the dramas Kayo forced her to watch.
Disposing of the container with a flick of her wrist, she stood up.
How inconvenient. A stable psyche might be more suitable for problem-solving, but it lacked the dramatic friction that made eternity less monotonous.
She resolved to ignore it. Perhaps leaving it unacknowledged would allow the development to reverse itself.
Zhang Wei had once indicated a preference for women with ‘good personalities.’ This presented an opportunity for a field test.
Su Yao could attempt to seduce him. The goal would be to determine if his purity was indeed the foundational source of his spiritual power as she had long theorized. Corrupting him would provide a definitive answer.
She dismissed the plan. The potential gain in knowledge was outweighed by a significant practical drawback. If Zhang Wei lost his power, he would become useless. Director Hao would then assign her the task of finding and training a replacement. Zhang Wei was one of the few competent agents. The resulting bureaucratic workload would be a net loss.
Her experiment would bring more administrative headache than it was worth. She would leave his purity and his power intact.