Chapter 597: First Rule Warning

    The shockwave brought forth by Prince Kaivia’s scream was comparable to the deadly force of a tsunami, cracking and shattering the glasses outside of the storage room.

    In an instant, the research facility’s alarm blared, the lights flashing crimson, and all the passages were shut automatically to ensure the researchers’ safety.

    Noir received the information almost immediately through the system planted in his cybernetic eyes, showing him the source of the commotion. Upon noticing that it had come from the storage room, his left eyelid twitched ominously and he quickened his pace, becoming the first person to arrive before the guards. And sure enough, his gut feeling was right. The room was in utter chaos due to the shattered tank, while water mixed with strands of blood soaked the floor.

    A young siren thrashed his tail on the ground, moaning and groaning in pain, while the main troublemaker, Jin Jiuchi, was cursing vehemently with his eyes squeezed shut, blood seeping out of his ears to soak his collar.

    Noir: "..."

    It’s only been half an hour, he held his forehead with a deep sense of exhaustion. How the hell did this man get himself in trouble in such a short time?!

    When Noir thought of how he might need to stay close to Jin Jiuchi for the next three days, he had a strong impulse to destroy the entire Cycle and unalive the other person while he was at it. But just as his emotional turbulence hit a certain point, a warning appeared in his line of sight like it did once when he first realized what kind of identity he had assumed.

    [Warning! It has been detected that body temperature and heartbeat has strayed from the normal range. Initiating calibration...]

    There it was again— that sensation, cold and wrong. His heartbeat was forcibly dragged back to normal and a cool sensation circulated throughout his whole body, causing white steam to billow out of his lips with each breath he exhaled. He could even feel a faint hum vibrating beneath his skin, deep in the synthetic bones of his spine. It was an unnerving sensation he could not put into words.

    At eighty-eight percent mechanization, he had become more machine than human. He didn’t even have a racing heart anymore. Only an advanced system counting his limits, issuing the same warning again and again every time he was judged to have gone too far.

    Noir’s emerald eyes flickered, and in less than two seconds, all the rising emotions inside him ebbed away like a distant storm separated behind the reinforced glass, leaving him calm and composed once more.

    He raised his head just in time to see the blood on the floor glimmering in a way that’s humanly impossible. It was faint at first, only to grow brighter and brighter until it filled every inch of the room.

    Fortunately, Noir’s cybernetic eyes were not affected. Through the dazzling lights, he could clearly see Jin Jiuchi rushing ahead blindly, almost stepping onto the blood. The corner of Noir’s lips twitched. With a push of his heels, he instantly appeared behind Jin Jiuchi and dragged him back by pinching the back of his collar with the tips of his thumb and index finger.

    "What the heck?!" Shocked, Jin Jiuchi reflexively swung his fist over his shoulder, only to be intercepted easily by Noir.

    "It’s me," he said before furrowing his brows. "Open your eyes and see. Something is wrong with the siren you caught."

    "I can’t!" Jin Jiuchi cried out dramatically. "I have a feeling they’re going to pop out! My poor eyes!"

    Noir felt deeply exasperated. He almost blurted out ’serves you right’ but he caught himself in time and swallowed the words down his throat. He didn’t want to stoop as low as to bicker childishly with the other person— absolutely not! Exhaling another mouthful of steam, he deadpanned, "Relax, it’s not like your eyes are real. Just let them drop."

    Jin Jiuchi’s expression turned horror-stricken as if he couldn’t believe such cruel words had come out of the other person’s mouth. "The fuck, are you still human?!"

    "Unfortunately, no," Noir countered expressionlessly.

    "..."

    While the two of them were bickering back and forth, the blinding light in the room subsided, revealing the fourth person that appeared out of nowhere.

    Prince Kaivia’s eyes lit up upon seeing the familiar figure of the sea witch, and he screamed while pointing at Jin Jiuchi, "Kill him! I want him dead in the most painful way possible! I’m willing to exchange anything you want if you grant this wish of mine!"

    Both Noir and Jin Jiuchi—with his eyes open only by a slit—looked over only to find a tall figure among them covered entirely from head to toe in a black cloak, exposing not even an inch of skin.

    Noir’s eyes narrowed dangerously. In one fluid motion, he tore a few metal components from his left arm and reassembled them into a handgun, his movements smooth and precise. Whereas Jin Jiuchi’s eyes snapped fully open, locking onto the newcomer with a menacing glare, "It’s you—!"

    He recognized the scent on the other person’s body in an instant. It was none other than the player whom he had placed in his blacklist— the Divine Oracle!

    "Uh." The Oracle only had the chance to let out a confused sound from his throat when Jin Jiuchi pounced on him like a cheetah, pinning him to the ground. He curled up by reflex and protected his vitals, all the while crying out for mercy, "Wait, wait— let’s talk about this in a civil way! Ouch, ouch, not my face! Don’t punch my face!"

    Prince Kaivia: "..."

    The young siren stared at the scene before him in disbelief, his pale lips trembling. H-How could the ever mysterious and omnipotent sea witch be overpowered and defeated... by a mere human?

    This was impossible— absolutely impossible! Something must be very wrong here!

    Noir had been keeping an eye on the door all this time, and thus he immediately picked up the flurry of footsteps heading their way. He once again picked up Jin Jiuchi by the back of his collar collar and hissed sharply, "Get your shit together! People are—"

    He froze midway.

    Not only him, but JJ and the Divine Oracle also halted their movements midair— one with his fist raised high while the other still curled up on the ground, creating a ridiculously comical image. It was all because of the floating screen which was thrust right in front of their faces, dominated by bold and ominous letters.

    [First rule warning— a native is suspicious of your identity! Please resolve this in less than ten minutes or you will be obliterated on the spot!]

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    A/N: Noir’s mood for this entire Cycle: (╯°□°)╯( ┻━┻