First came a black-and-white silhouette of a woman, her appearance indistinguishable—only a well-proportioned figure was visible.
【Codename: Zero】
“What zero? That’s nonsense,” Bai Xiaonuo couldn’t help but say when she saw the first line of text. “It’s obviously 1.”
“…It’s a codename, not an attribute,” Xianzu ( or Ancestor ) replied, speechless.
Next were several old, grainy photos.
In the center of the pictures sat a young girl, surrounded by bloodstains, with several grotesque, malformed figures pierced by steel rods lying around her.
【1999, Yecheng City suffered a violent attack incident. Three Mutants lost control in an outer city residential area, killing 34 people after breaking in. In the last household, the surviving little girl’s powers erupted, manipulating the metal in the walls to kill the Mutants.】
“Mutants? What kind of things are those?”
“Probably some kind of monsters, most likely created by experiments,” Xianzu answered casually. “Anyway, I never saw any back then.”
At that time, people were still simple and innocent.
【They took her back to the Base, promising to take good care of her and help her get revenge… But they lied to her.】
Xianzu eagerly urged Bai Xiaonuo to turn the page, but as soon as she glanced at the next page, she jumped up: “Ah!”
The second page contained some shocking photos.
【They tried all kinds of methods to uncover the secret behind her ability to suddenly multiply her energy output by several times when facing Mutants. Hunger, pain, weakness from blood loss—Phase One experiments were futile.】
Bai Xiaonuo’s heart throbbed painfully, especially at one photo where a white-coated experimenter whipped little Zero, who lay on the ground like a dying puppy, utterly motionless.
Around them, five or six medical staff with healing abilities stood ready.
Even if Zero was left barely breathing, they would restore her to normal within an hour, leaving no scars.
Of course, this was to get her ready as quickly as possible for the next “stress test.”
“So cruel! Those bastards!” Bai Xiaonuo seethed with righteous anger. “They’ll get their comeuppance sooner or later!”
Xianzu nodded in agreement.
Flipping further, the third page of data had no pictures—only cold text.
【After she turned six, Phase One experiments ended. In Phase Two, they stopped harming her body and shifted to psychological trials. They aimed to recreate the trauma of witnessing her parents being torn apart.】
【From that day, her treatment improved: a relatively spacious single room, gentle caretakers, friends her own age, and cute animal companions.】
【Half a year later, under scent guidance, the puppy she raised “accidentally” fell into experimental machinery and was crushed by a hydraulic press, witnessed by her in person.】
【Amid the sound of cracking bones, her energy output broke saturation for the first time, increasing about 0.5 times.】
【Another six months passed; a former friend, driven mad by drugs, slit their own throat in front of her.】
【Energy output rose by approximately 1.7 times.】
【On her tenth birthday, they arranged for her foster mother to attempt murder. The one who had cared for her tenderly now showed only cold murderous intent. The foster mother followed orders: told to care for the girl, she did; told to kill her, she tried. But the little girl couldn’t understand or believe it.】
【In the unbearable despair, the brain’s defense mechanism birthed a personality called “The Killer.”】
【Phase Two experiments ended without any relevant data retrieved. The branch suffered total casualties, leaving behind only a Metal Jungle and a killer.】
“Born like that!” Bai Xiaonuo angrily judged. “I’ll tear their skulls open sooner or later!”
She had lost her family at a young age too and empathized deeply with her big sister’s pain, mentally putting herself in Zero’s place.
Besides, her big sister treated her so well—not only providing living expenses but also granting her Metal abilities.
In Bai Xiaonuo’s heart, she had long considered her big sister one of her own.
“Calm down, Xiaonuo. This organization is deeply rooted; don’t act impulsively,” Xianzu advised.
She remained relatively calm—after all, she’d seen many farewells between life and death, and she herself was practically a walking corpse.
Bai Xiaonuo snorted coldly: “Don’t worry, I’m a mature adult. I don’t fight unprepared battles. If it comes down to it, I’ll outlast them.”
Her big sister was the Měi mó Nǚhuáng; and Xianzu—what kind of Longevity Race are you?
(PS: There are ways to extend lifespan, so the wives won’t be cut down by lifespan debates.)
“When they die of old age, I’ll go to their graves, raid their offerings like a maniac, then dig up their urns and sell their ashes to their descendants at a high price. Boom!”
“Alright, alright, alright,” Xianzu called out to stop her. “Finish reading first.”
There was one last page in the dossier—
【Subject: Zero. Ability: Metal Manipulation.
Normal energy output estimate: 2000–3000
Killer personality fusion state: 3000–?】
“This is the measurement method used by the Demon Clan. Two to three thousand is equivalent to that little fox’s level,” Xianzu proactively explained. “The other big fox is around 4500. But the normal state is meaningless because, according to rumors, once she starts seeing blood, the Killer personality gradually awakens until full loss of control.”
Bai Xiaonuo blinked: “Did it awaken that night too?”
“Of course,” Xianzu said firmly. “I was watching.”
At first, so fast, so fierce, so intense—that was behavior influenced by the Killer personality.
Later, accidentally splashing your spring water into her mouth put the Killer back to sleep, making her slow and gentle again.
If she kept up that high intensity from the first few minutes for an hour and a half, would you even wake up the next morning?
“Alright then…”
Having finished the dossier, Bai Xiaonuo lay on the bed, lost in thought, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
“What are you thinking about?” Xianzu asked.
She didn’t reply but instead took out her phone, opened QQ chat, and was about to type when her fingers hesitated slightly.
“Xianzu, do you think if I called her Sister Zero, she’d rush over overnight to scold me and clear things up?”
“…I think you should stick to your previous title.”
“I thought so too.”
But Bai Xiaonuo didn’t type.
Instead, she switched on her phone camera, aimed it at her upper body, and, feeling it wasn’t enough, pulled down the strap of her lingerie.
Click, click.
Xianzu looked confused: “What are you doing?”
“Xianzu, I’ve also experienced losing my family and home. I know how that feels.”
The girl slightly lifted her head, gazing skyward at a 45-degree angle, striking a pose for the photo while expressing a hint of sorrow.
“After losing your loved ones, there’s no one around to care for you unconditionally anymore. You become a rarity in your peers’ eyes, sometimes isolated and bullied. In those days with no light at all, do you know how I got through it?”
Xianzu was momentarily stunned: “How?”
“I randomly joined a novel chat group back then. They sent lewd pictures every day. Beautiful, pure, magnificent lewd pictures that made me feel warm through the screen,” Bai Xiaonuo said nostalgically. “That was the first time I realized life still had beautiful things.”
“…Are you sure it was warmth you felt and not just your phone overheating?” Xianzu muttered softly. “I remember your first smartphone was a Coolpad—a cheap model…”
“In those pitch-dark days, nothing was better than lewd pictures. For the first time, I had hope in life,” Bai Xiaonuo continued undeterred. “Even just thinking about what pictures would come tonight gave me a sense of happiness during class.”
“I think you should focus on class instead… So, what exactly are you trying to do?” Xianzu finally couldn’t take it anymore.
Bai Xiaonuo brought the phone closer and tapped out: “I just want to say, Sister Zero’s life has been too hard. I want to show her better things and increase her happiness.”
【Nuo Nuo: Sister, are you asleep? If not, go ahead and enjoy before sleeping.】
【Nuo Nuo: (pictures) (pictures) (pictures) (pictures) (pictures)】
Half a minute later—
【Zero: ?】