Chapter 8: Despair Heavenly Girl

Lin Rui had just defeated Wei De when Lin Xi sat in the waiting room of "Lu Qing's Private Clinic" on Longze East Road, her eyes looking listlessly at the main entrance.

Lin Xi was thinking about Lin Rui. It was twelve o'clock sharp now, and there was still an hour until the end of the heterotype combat exam. She wondered what Lin Rui's final ranking would be.

Lin Xi estimated that her brother's score would definitely not be lower than the top three hundred in the city.

Although Lin Rui had seemed very unconfident when talking to her in the past few days, Lin Xi thought back to last night when she had seen Lin Rui's slash. It indeed possessed a bit of the charm of General Xue's style.

Lin Xi had a high martial arts talent so remarkable that all her school's martial arts teachers felt regretful. They believed that with Lin Xi's natural ability, if she had enough money to implant an inner core and meridians, she would definitely become the most outstanding enhanced Martial Artist.

Therefore, she could tell that there was something extraordinary about Lin Rui's slash. Especially the fierce killing intent coming with the blade's light, which made her shiver and goosebumps rise whenever she thought about it.

The problem was that her brother hadn't been this strong before. His progress in martial arts had been so fast, too fast—

Just at that moment, a female doctor wearing a white coat and smart glasses walked in with a report in her hand.

Lin Xi immediately came back to her senses and stood up, "Qing Sister!"

Her eyes were filled with both anticipation and fear.

"The test results are out," the female doctor said with a serious look, glancing at Lin Xi, "But before that, I must remind you again, according to current regulations, except for law enforcement agencies, any unauthorized DNA testing of a Federal citizen or their guardian's consent is illegal. Me sending those two strands of hair you brought in for testing without permission was an act against procedures. If this gets out, I could very well have my medical license revoked."

Lin Xi gave an awkward smile, then put her hands together in front of her as if praying to a Buddha, and bowed to the female doctor, "Qing Sister, you care about me the most. Help me out this time. I understand the rules, and I promise I won't tell anyone."

The woman she called Qing Sister was named Lu Qing, who had been their family's doctor and was also the owner of this clinic.

After her family's tragedy, she and Lin Rui couldn't afford Lu Qing's fees, but they didn't completely lose touch.

Lu Qing had always looked after her, hiring her each summer to work at the clinic.

"You!"

Lu Qing shook her head with a helpless expression and handed over the test results, "According to the test results, the two strands of hair you brought belong to the same person, with a DNA similarity of 100%."

Lin Xi's heart relaxed instantly. 'Brother's' DNA didn't change?

Does that mean that the current Lin Rui is the same as the old Lin Rui?

But then she heard the female doctor's tone change, "However, there are some slight differences in the electromagnetic fields attached to the two strands of hair."

Lin Xi's emotions plummeted like a roller coaster ride, "Differences in the electromagnetic field? Qing Sister, what kind of situations usually cause this?"

She knew that the electromagnetic field was closely related to the souls of enhanced Martial Artists.

"Quite a few," Lu Qing pushed up her glasses and explained with a smile, "Such as significant emotional fluctuations, recent serious injuries, or a substantial increase in spiritual power, for instance. There are also two more dangerous possibilities which are the legendary 'cloning' and 'spiritual possession.'

"Cloning and spiritual possession?" Hearing these words, Lin Xi was taken aback, her complexion turning pale.

Does that mean there's still a high probability that someone has replaced her brother?

At that moment, she didn't notice the strange look in the female doctor's eyes across from her.

"Cloning doesn't need to be explained, but as for spiritual possession, it refers to one's body being taken over by another person's soul. It's the method the people of Tianjixing used when they first infiltrated the Federation. Subsequently, our Federation developed soul digitization technology, which allows people's souls to be uploaded to computers for preservation. Spiritual possession has become relatively common and is a substantial judicial issue plaguing the Federation," explained Lu Qing casually.

Lu Qing paused, her expression turning suspicious as she looked at Lin Xi, "But let's get back to the point, Lin Xi. What is this all about? Whose hair is this? And why must you ask me to get it tested? It's not your brother Lin Rui's, is it?"

"No! How could it be?" Lin Xi laughed stiffly, then quickly grabbed the report and headed towards the door, "Thanks, Qing Sister. I have to go now, but I'll treat you to a meal later."

Lu Qing watched Lin Xi leave in a daze, her elegant face gradually becoming cool and detached.

She then used her terminal bracelet to make a call, "Chief, what exactly is going on with Lin Xi's brother? Is he dead or not?"

"How should I know?" came a somewhat hoarse voice from the speaker, and he seemed very troubled, "He clearly died, yet he is alive again, and Lin Xi, the Despair Heavenly Girl who should have been driven to despair by this, has not fallen into despair."

Lu Qing frowned slightly, her voice cold as she said, "This is the biggest obstacle to the awakening of the Despair Heavenly Girl. I suggest we remove this obstacle."

"No!" the hoarse voice immediately retorted angrily, "Lu Qing, don't act recklessly, you do not know the terror after the Despair Heavenly Girl awakens. If the organization wants to truly control her, not to be backlashed by the future Despair Heavenly Girl, they must not personally get involved in Lin Rui's blood. Lu Qing, if you want to die, I can kill you right now!"

Possibly feeling he had been too harsh, he softened his tone, "Don't act rashly. I've already arranged for someone to investigate Lin Rui's situation, to verify if he is alive or dead, if he is himself or has been possessed. In short, wait for my message. If you really can't wait, you could also help Lin Xi investigate the truth. If she could kill her brother by her own hands, that would be the best—"