An unprecedented sense of crisis surged from within, and Xu Xiaoyou's face changed drastically as she immediately retreated.
The surface of the hundred-faced die began to change, its precise mechanical parts interlocking and shifting rapidly.
A cold flash of light, and a blood trail erupted on Xu Xiaoyou's neck!
She breathed heavily under the pale white light, a drop of sweat slowly seeping from her forehead.
Xu Xiaoyou reached for the blood trail on her neck; it was only a fraction of a millimeter away from her carotid artery. Had it been off by just a tiny bit, Tang Xin would have walked in next time to find a red-fleshed pomelo lying in a pool of blood.
The hundred-faced die remained on the table. The eerie blood-red color on the projected screen receded, and she saw the joyful glint in those crimson eyes as they slowly closed.
A sharp, bizarre laughter echoed in the air, lingering for a long time before finally fading.
The heaving of her chest gradually slowed. She exhaled a breath of turbid air and looked at the wall behind her. It was covered in dense cracks, and a bronze long needle was nailed into the surface, with only its end still exposed.
She reached out to pull the needle, but it was as if it had fused with the wall, remaining completely motionless. She judged that the needle had penetrated at least a dozen centimeters into the wall.
The feeling of having one foot in the grave left Xu Xiaoyou with a lingering fear. She hadn't expected her mimicry to bite the hand that fed it when the points were too low.
She had never heard of anyone being played to death by their own mimicry. If she had been a second slower just now, she would have been a pioneer of historical proportions—she wouldn't even have had a place to argue her case after dying.
Returning to the hundred-faced die, the words on the screen changed.
"Fortune and Misfortune: Probability of Minor Luck on the next toss increased by 30%, Luck increased by 10%, Fortune increased by 1%."
"Obtained one chance to draw a fortune."
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Xiaoyou chose to draw a fortune.
The hundred-faced die hovered in the air, each of its faces beginning to spin frantically. The clicking sounds of mechanical interlocking were clearly audible.
Amidst the rapidly jumping characters, Xu Xiaoyou managed to make out eight of them: Grave, Evil, Decay, Flow, Upright, Condense, Prosperous, and Divine.
"Today's Fortune: Flow. Easily noticed by urban eldritch creatures; 10% boost to good luck."
"Fortune Maxim: Suitable for official business, unsuitable for overtime."
"Fine, fine, fine," Xu Xiaoyou gritted her teeth. "You just finished messing with me, and you're not even going to give me a good fortune, are you?"
Taking advantage of the Fortune and Misfortune effect while it lasted, she chose to draw for the last time.
"Destiny points: 50."
"Fortune and Misfortune: All biological entities within a two-hundred-meter radius are freed from control and enter a minor frenzy with slightly boosted attributes."
"Record or Manifest?"
Xu Xiaoyou's heart stirred. A common team-buff type skill? She hadn't expected her mimicry to possess such a powerful support ability. One didn't even need to think to know that 'slightly' would likely double the attributes at the very least.
Wait, no!
She froze, carefully scanning the description. Her gaze landed on the word 'all'.
"Huh?"
Fine, fine, fine. If it frees everyone and sends everyone into a frenzy without distinguishing between friend and foe, doesn't that mean no one is effectively frenzied?
Doesn't that roughly equal being useless?
On second thought, she felt relieved. It seemed that whenever the destiny points hit 50, it would be this type of ability—carrying both benefits and drawbacks, with opportunity accompanied by danger.
"Fortune and Misfortune, so that's how it is." A look of realization crossed her eyes as she recorded it for future use.
After putting away the hundred-faced die, Xu Xiaoyou sat on the sofa, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She hadn't expected her mimicry to be such a die, but it actually fit her personality quite well.
"Does a mimicry link to the owner's temperament...?"
After gaining a general understanding of her mimicry's power, she confirmed that this was a mimicry with an incredibly absurd ceiling and floor. If she was lucky and drew Luck or higher in destiny points, she could instantly turn the tide of battle. Drawing points below Misfortune would similarly cause any established advantage to collapse, and there was even the danger of it attacking its master.
Being able to condense a mimicry meant she had a sufficient understanding of her own profession's characteristics and that her mental strength had reached the standard of a grade 2 fixer. As long as she applied to the association, she could enjoy the preferential subsidies and treatment they offered.
But...
Xu Xiaoyou touched her face. She had a secret that she couldn't tell anyone, no matter who they were.
If possible, she would try to avoid dealing with people from the association in the future.
She began to wonder how the hundred-faced die would change when she reached grade 3 or grade 4.
What would happen if she drew the maximum value of destiny points?
Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoyou quickly shook her head.
She'd be thanking the heavens if she didn't draw the minimum value of 1; her luck had always been quite poor.
Thinking about her fortune, Xu Xiaoyou's eyes cleared up.
She might as well use her current fortune to resolve the matter that had been troubling her these past few days.
Night, Monthly Rose Street.
Inside Private Room 319 of the Ocean Blue Whale Flower Shop.
A girl with a pretty face and a slender waist, dressed boldly and lightly, leaned against Xu Xiaoyou. The mermaid girl's face was adorned with shimmering pink spots, her smile charming.
Her slender fingertips slowly tilted Xu Xiaoyou's chin, then wandered from her neck down to her chest. Finally, her arms lightly encircled Xu Xiaoyou's shoulders as she brought her smiling face close to the other's eyes, her breath like orchids:
"Why have you been ignoring me since we started? The night has only just begun..."
As she spoke, the mermaid girl picked up a translucent green grape that looked like jade and held it against Xu Xiaoyou's lips.
"Baby, when do you plan to start the artistic creation?"
"Mm, right now," Xu Xiaoyou replied casually. Somewhat impatiently, she unwrapped the mermaid girl's arms from her body and pointed toward the glass stage where colorful lights converged. "Go over there."
The mermaid girl seemed to understand something. A faint, imperceptible blush flashed across her pretty face. After saying 'how mean' in a coquettish tone, she walked onto the glass stage. As the colors gathered, the scales all over her body reflected the light like shimmering crystal powder, giving her a distinct, exotic allure.
"When should I start..." She bit her lip, her hand already moving to her shoulder strap, only to be interrupted by the other girl's stern expression.
Xu Xiaoyou selected a song on the large screen, waved her hand, and ate a grape. "Sing."
"Happy Fishy, Pretty Fishy, Lazy Fishy, Bubbling Fishy."
"Don't look at me, I'm just a fish~"
The lighthearted singing echoed throughout the private room.
The mermaid girl: "???"
She froze on the spot, her beautiful eyes wide as she stared at Xu Xiaoyou in disbelief.
The latter remained expressionless, raising an eyebrow. "What, you don't know how to sing it?"
"Weren't you last month's top seller at Ocean Blue Whale, the pure and artistic mermaid girl? Show off your talent. I like how it sounds," Xu Xiaoyou said.
The mermaid girl was both ashamed and furious. Just as she was feeling humiliated, Xu Xiaoyou tossed dozens of flower vouchers onto the table.
"Got it! I love singing this song the most~" The mermaid girl's brow instantly smoothed over as she spoke in a sweet tone.
"Don't look at me, I'm just a fish~"
The singing reached outside the private room.
In the hallway, a blue-haired girl smelled the rouge-scented air of the flower shop, her brow furrowing. Flower guests, drunk and merry with disheveled clothes, occasionally walked past her.
As Tang Xin walked across the glittering floor, a mermaid girl pushed open a door, her face full of displeasure:
"Dammit, I ran into a psycho tonight. What a weird fetish."
Hearing this, Tang Xin paused. The mermaid girl sized her up from head to toe, rolled her eyes at her outfit, and walked past her.
"You're already at a flower shop, why act so pure? Pfft."
Tang Xin was dressed in a white shawl shirt dress with a beautiful bow tie, carrying a shell bag in her hands. No matter how one looked at her, she was completely out of place in this environment.
She kept her face slightly averted, ignoring the mermaid girl's words, and quickened her pace to the door of Private Room 319. After a brief pause, she pushed the door open and walked inside.
Rate on N.U.
