Inside the basement.
Looking at Lu Zhaoran as she treated Xiong Lei's wounds, Cipher let out a silent sigh.
She didn't even know if she counted as a liar anymore. Deceitful Divine Power combined with the system's functions had essentially turned her words into Schrödinger's speech. If they believed her, it was the truth; if they didn't, it was a lie. She existed in the gray space between the two.
Although she had let slip a portion of the system's mechanics, at least the core of her Deceitful Divine Power remained a secret, and she had successfully justified the system updates.
I need to be more careful. Lying requires prudence.
"Sister Cipher, could I trouble you to perform the treatment one more time?"
Lu Zhaoran's voice interrupted Cipher's reflection. She looked toward Xiong Lei, who was lying on the basement bed, his body covered in various green medicinal substances.
What Cipher found strange was that she remembered some of the wounds had already partially closed during the previous healing session. Why were they open again? With a puzzled expression, she pointed at the wounds and questioned Lu Zhaoran.
"Uh..."
Upon hearing the question, Lu Zhaoran's expression became visibly awkward. Under Cipher's questioning gaze, Lu Zhaoran hesitated for a moment before revealing the reason.
"Because Sister Cipher's healing makes the wounds close instantly. The problem is they closed too fast. I didn't have time to take out the bullets... which meant I had to reopen the wounds to get them out."
"..."
Now it was Cipher's turn to feel awkward.
In her haste to save him, she had simply unleashed her power without thinking. She never expected her help to turn into a hindrance.
Amidst the awkward atmosphere, Cipher activated her Deceitful Divine Power, mimicking Feng Jin's ability, and cast a wave of healing over Xiong Lei. Watching the wounds knit back together at high speed, Lu Zhaoran marveled at the sight.
"Sister Cipher, your friends are incredible. One possesses such a terrifying aura of death, yet the other has such powerful healing abilities. They're total extremes."
Cipher remained silent, focusing solely on the treatment.
The more she said, the more mistakes she would make. After all, those two 'friends' didn't actually exist in this world. If she engaged in the conversation, she would have to use amnesia as an excuse again. It was better to say nothing.
A short while later, seeing that Xiong Lei looked much better than before, Cipher breathed a small sigh of relief. Aside from the paleness caused by blood loss, the once-horrific external traumas had mostly healed.
"He's mostly recovered. Let's head up and check on Luo Lin and the others."
Having finished, Cipher turned and walked out of the basement. Lu Zhaoran nodded and followed her back to the living room. Cipher looked at the two women who were still unconscious, her face clouded with worry.
"How are they? Even though they don't have many external injuries, they don't look well..."
"It's fine. I took a quick look earlier. They fainted because of ability overclocking. Different types of abilities have different consequences when pushed too far. For mental-type users like Luo Lin and Lin Wei, this is the standard result. They should wake up after a few hours of rest."
As she spoke, Lu Zhaoran began to unbutton Luo Lin's clothes.
"!"
Seeing this zero-frame-startup action, Cipher's eyes went wide.
"Wait... Wait a second! Why are you taking her clothes off?!"
Hearing Cipher's exclamation, Lu Zhaoran turned her head in confusion.
"To help them clean up by taking a bath together, of course. They're covered in blood and grime. Once they're clean, I can put them in the bedroom to rest."
"Taking a... bath... together..."
At those words, Cipher's face gradually turned a shade of crimson. Seeing Lu Zhaoran move to undress Luo Lin again, Cipher shouted in a panic.
"Wait... hold on! We're in the living room! Isn't it a bit inappropriate to just take off clothes in the living room!!"
"What's inappropriate about it? Xiong Lei and Shen Yan are both in the basement. Only you and I are conscious in the living room. We're all girls, what's the issue?"
Cipher was instantly silenced.
True, they were all girls... there shouldn't be an issue...
But!
She was a man in her previous life! This was extremely inappropriate!
At that thought, Cipher turned and fled the room as if her life depended on it, leaving a bewildered Lu Zhaoran standing there, not understanding the situation at all.
'Whew... they might not know, but I should still avoid this. I'll stay in here until Xiao Ran finishes washing Luo Lin and the others.'
Muttering to herself, she kept her hands busy. She opened her terminal and started a movie to kill time.
★ ★ ★
Knock, knock, knock...
After watching for about an hour, a knock came from the door. Cipher opened the bedroom door curiously to find Lu Zhaoran standing before her in casual clothes, her hair still slightly damp. In her hands, she held a white garment.
Before she could speak, Lu Zhaoran pulled Cipher out of the room.
"Sister Cipher, we've all finished our baths. You should wash up too."
Lu Zhaoran started leading her away. Realizing what was happening, Cipher hastily pulled her hand back. "I probably don't need to wash, right? I'm not that dirty... am I?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhaoran frowned slightly.
"How are you not dirty? Cipher, haven't you noticed all the bloodstains on your clothes?"
She pointed at Cipher's body. Cipher followed the finger and looked down, only then realizing that her sleeves and stomach area were splattered with blood.
Upon seeing the stains, Cipher's brain immediately stalled. She had been so careful during the fight to ensure no blood splattered on her... where did it come from?
Then she remembered. She must have stained them while treating Xiong Lei earlier.
It was only then that Cipher realized she was about to face a very serious problem—the bath.
Because she was a demigod, she didn't sweat or need to use the bathroom. Coupled with her immense strength and speed, she usually finished fights before a single drop of blood could touch her. For that reason, Cipher had been subconsciously avoiding the act of bathing.
But this time, due to an act of fate, she was forced to face the reality of her own body.
'Because everything happened so suddenly, Cipher's cat-brain had temporarily stalled. She didn't even realize she could use a lie to deceive others into thinking her body was already clean.'
★ ★ ★