Chapter 69: Diamond gradually develops his own identity

Unconscious.

Returning inside her body, the first thing she felt upon opening her eyes was something held tightly in her hand.

Opening her palm, it was a single fruit from the World Tree—only one.

Jin Luan also noticed she had woken up and turned to look at her.

“Don’t you owe me an explanation? Why were you calling out just now—”

It seemed she, like Diamond, couldn’t see the soul form.

How should she explain it to her?

“I’ll tell you later.”

Her mood was sour; she didn’t want to explain.

Jin Luan also noticed something was off about Yin Lin now.

Her entire being radiated an unmistakable sense of loss, completely different from the Yin Lin seen just a dozen minutes ago.

Her tone carried a forced calmness, as if she was holding back despair.

That kind of aura affected Jin Luan as well.

Some words she intended to say remained unspoken, swallowed back.

“Alright then, tell me when you want to,” she said, leaving the ward.

Inside, only Yin Lin and Diamond remained.

Diamond even kept its coughs to a whisper, afraid to attract Yin Lin’s attention.

But Yin Lin didn’t let it off.

She tossed the World Tree fruit over to it.

“Eat it.”

Diamond failed to catch it, and the fruit fell beside it.

“Yin, are you angry?” It sensed Yin Lin’s mood.

“Answer me honestly. When the Contract Goddess gave you orders, were they from a long time ago, or did she just give you instructions now, and you started acting immediately?” Yin Lin’s question was a bit tangled; it needed sorting out to understand.

But this time, Diamond understood.

It knew what Yin Lin was referring to.

“I can no longer see the Goddess. Since leaving Contract Island, I have not been able to meet her again.”

Diamond’s answer was unexpected—not a direct response but a sideways one.

It was almost like a smooth-talking human.

Even if just imitating, it was done convincingly.

Though it didn’t openly answer Yin Lin’s question, it was essentially the same.

Diamond’s recent behavior wasn’t due to new instructions received after meeting the Contract Goddess recently, but orders given the last time they met many years ago.

That single encounter laid out the action plan for Diamond years in advance.

What an astonishing level of strategic planning.

Yin Lin pressed on: “So, you forcibly dragged me into becoming a magical girl, made me sign the contract—not by accident, but intentionally designed by you?”

“It wasn’t me.”

Diamond scratched its itchy head and added, “I only realized what I was waiting for after you transformed.”

It was hard to tell if Diamond was lying.

It always spoke without emotion, as if stating facts.

Probably, Diamond had no need to lie; it could choose to answer or not.

Yin Lin asked angrily, “And then? What other tasks did the Contract Goddess give you?”

Diamond scratched its head again before replying, “There is one final task, but the Goddess said I can’t tell you.”

Hearing “final task,” Yin Lin felt a pang of sadness.

Diamond was very weak now, its voice faint and often curled up, no longer moving.

“Eat, I brought this fruit back for you.” She picked up the fruit lying nearby and brought it in front of Diamond.

Diamond pushed it back with its little paw.

“The Goddess said you need to eat it because tomorrow, Lightning Man will attack again, targeting all hospitals.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Lin clenched her other fist tightly and slammed it hard on the hospital bed.

It hurt her own hand, muscles throbbed painfully, and she coughed continuously.

What Diamond said was like an unintentional remark, a casual utterance.

But to Yin Lin, it was a prophecy conveyed through Diamond’s mouth from the Contract Goddess.

If Lightning Man attacks tomorrow, Jin Luan is still injured, Huan Hong must remain bedridden, and Yin Lin herself can barely turn over in bed.

Recovery is far from complete.

The World Tree fruit was almost her only hope.

Bad news came from Huan Hong’s side as well.

She mobilized her small circle, hoping others would help search, but they found no trace.

Seeing this, Yin Lin decided to use more power.

From her hospital bed, she deliberately recorded a video showing her weak and sickly state.

She used some secret methods to send the video to Liang Tai of the Magical Girl Support Association.

Liang Tai didn’t respond—probably overwhelmed with information, unable to see it immediately.

Suddenly, she remembered Huang Yijun had been recruiting people into that Heavenly Father Organization, which might have some manpower.

She sent the video covertly to Huang Yijun.

That guy stopped showing up for work as soon as he got the video and immediately spread it everywhere.

Within just two hours, somehow, tens of thousands had responded, beginning the search for the so-called [Railgun Magical Girl].

The video showing her exhausted state from the hospital bed actually worked.

She admitted it was a little manipulative—just moments ago, she had scolded Diamond, and now she was turning around to ask for help.

A little bit despicable.

Looking at Diamond, who had finally fallen asleep beside her,

Yin Lin didn’t bother to justify herself.

If it wasn’t righteous, then it wasn’t righteous.

No need to pretend to be a saint.