Artifact Report

Chapter 30 Jin Xueli: Attack Methods and Identification

Now that she thought about it, perhaps because of the "Virtual Guide to Infinite Fantasy", Jin Xueli had hardly ever had any real confrontation with the residents - let alone a fight for life and death.

It wasn't until she was released from death that she finally came up with a guess.

She knew that every resident had a different way of survival and means of attack.

However, the four words "means of attack" alone are still very vague and general: for example, hitting you with a fist is an attack, and splitting your neck with a sentence is also an attack - then, squeezing out your existence bit by bit is also an attack.

"You said it yourself. The residents will change the details of their memories to fill in the gaps and loopholes. Therefore, the residents are absolutely convinced that they are the real masters."

Jin Xueli was almost unable to hold down the towel; if the strength used by the resident under her in the struggle was also her own, then the results of her physical exercise were really good, enough to make her grit her teeth and tremble her arms at this moment, not knowing when she would be thrown down.

But not a single word should be omitted.

There can only be one Golden Snow Pear in the world, the residents are right.

"When I think about it, I realize I'm not like that. Ever since I discovered there was a 'Golden Snow Pear', I've been plagued by self-doubt, especially after I came back to life... I can't explain why I copied your wounds, or why I can't remember where I bought those pants. If I were the resident, I would have had smooth answers to these questions long ago."

"Jin Xueli" had a towel pressed deep into her mouth, her lips stretched into two long, thin, shiny strips, her teeth half hidden and half exposed, saliva, retching sounds, and her tongue struggling and stirring deep in her mouth, as if she still wanted to speak - her face looked like this, it was almost unbearable to look at.

Jin Xueli knew what it wanted to say.

"You're saying that, because I'm a resident, when I'm faced with questions I can't answer, I see it as proof that I'm the real boss, right?"

A whining sound came from its throat, like an angry "yes".

"Amazing... Whatever doubt I raise, you can turn it into my own doubt."

The resident punched her side, and in an instant, it seemed as if all the air and light were gone.

Jin Xueli's eyes went dark, and she endured the pain, her hands still holding it down. She just barely turned around, curled up her legs, and used her thighs as a moat to withstand its pounding fists - her other knee had to press on its other arm, and her muscles were throbbing with pain.

"That's your attack mode, right?"

She had to speak out. Only by speaking out could she have a glimmer of hope. "Of the two of us, you are the one with absolute conviction, while I am the one with fear and uncertainty. It is with this little bit of doubt in my heart that your words can have devastating power and become reality."

The reason her neck was split by a single sentence was not because she was a resident; it was because of the tiny bit of doubt in her heart.

The residents' attack is "verbal"; but the way it attacks is like holding a syringe filled with poison, which must be inserted into the skin for the poison to take effect.

And that tiny bit of self-doubt is the incision on the skin - without the incision, the residents' verbal attacks will not be effective.

If the residents said the same thing to Anthony, his neck would certainly not be broken, because his self-awareness was clear and had nothing to do with the "residents".

"...Your instinct is to squeeze out my existence. That's why you repeatedly remind me, point out various problems and flaws, and want me to think that I am the resident. 'Jin Xueli' is a seat. When I die or disappear, the seat will be vacant, and you can sit there forever and truly become Jin Xueli.

"For this, you slit my throat with one sentence, and then tell me that the 'replication' of residents is time-limited - even if there is no such thing, because you said it, I will gradually start to become a resident after a while, right?"

The slight doubt she had just had about herself had served as an entry point for this sentence to seep in; there wasn't much time left for Jin Xueli.

If she still couldn't get rid of the resident in front of her in a while, she would probably start to replace it as a resident...

Even though she thought she had sorted things out, when this thought came to her mind, a small voice still arose in her heart: Really?

Will you then "replace" it and become its resident, or will you "restore" yourself to being a resident?
...No, now is not the time to think about this; she is almost unable to control "Jin Xueli".

Jin Xueli shook off the voice deep in her mind and spoke faster, wanting to pour out everything she wanted to say before the opportunity slipped away.

"When you said there was a time limit for being a 'resident,' it actually showed me the beginning of the truth. Because the real 'Jin Xueli' didn't know this information at all—I even doubted whether this information actually existed. Or was it something you made up on the spur of the moment, just to make me become a resident in your place?"

The syllable of the last word was stretched out into a broken sound.

As the residents suddenly struggled and mobilized more space, it punched Jin Xueli on the temple; amid the sound of golden gongs and white stars, when she regained her clear vision, she found that she had been thrown to the ground without knowing when.

Jin Xueli was coughing dryly as she climbed to her feet. The long towel, soaked with saliva and heavy, lay on the ground beside her.

"You are wrong,"

Its voice was hoarse, as if its lips and tongue were still heavy and numb, not quite working. "...The real Jin Xueli knew this information. I was listening to the radio last month, and the host mentioned it as a rumor. I remembered it..."

Fire axe, these three words popped into Jin Xueli's mind.

Don't let it get the fire axe.

Unable to stand up, she supported herself on all fours, staggering towards the fire axe. The resident, who had apparently seen her target, sneered softly and turned to kick her. Just as Jin Xueli dodged and fell back to the ground, the resident strode towards the fire axe. It seemed there was only one way to delay it.

Even if it's just a few seconds to give yourself some time to relax.

Staring at the back of her other self hurrying towards the fire axe, Jin Xueli screamed:

"Then why don't I have it?"

The other "Jin Xueli" suddenly stopped. It turned its eyes and looked at Jin Xueli from under its eyelids.

"You said the real Jin Xueli knew this information, right? If you are the real one and I copied you, then it stands to reason that I should also have this information in my mind."

Jin Xueli gave a low, dry laugh to her other self. Her throat felt as if it had just rolled through sand and was covered in it.

"...When you said this message, I suddenly realized that I didn't have it in my mind. I'm not a replica, you are the replica."

The residents stood there in a daze, as if they didn't know how to react for a moment.

"Don't forget, there is another key."

Jin Xueli didn't dare crawl toward the fire axe anymore. She was afraid of awakening the resident from his daze; the more confused he was, the better it would be for her. "...Aren't the residents immortal? But I died once, right?"

The resident lowered his head and shook it vigorously a few times.

"No, you might be lying to me. You clearly know, but you say you don't know. Isn't that too simple?"

It said in a voice almost whispering.

If sound had form, it would be like a worm burrowing deeper into the darkness, never seeing the light of day. "The idea that residents are unkillable is just a rumor. Before I killed you today, I'd never actually tried to kill a resident... The truth of that is always debatable."

"Look," Jin Xueli said with a faint smile, "A resident will indeed find all sorts of excuses and reasons to improve his memory and logic, to convince himself that he is the real him."

After the words were spoken, the hall was silent for a second or two.

She watched as she slowly raised her head towards herself.

People are not very familiar with their facial expressions, unless they look at themselves in the mirror all the time; so it is difficult for Jin Xueli to describe what the expression that flashed across her face meant - if she really had to describe it, it would be as if something that had been hanging high in Jin Xueli's mind suddenly fell down.

The next moment, she knew.

"No matter who of us is the resident," that self's face twisted slightly as he said, "As long as I kill you, I will naturally become the real Jin Xueli."

Before the words fell, it had already pounced, grabbed the fire axe not far away, turned its head and cast its gaze on Jin Xueli again - Jin Xueli cried out in pain, quickly pulled off her other sock, turned over and got up, and ran away.

As expected of someone who copied her, when faced with the same problem, she gave the same answer.

Jin Xueli originally thought that after piercing the residents' confidence and making them doubt, things would turn around - but regardless of whether the residents were confident or not, they were going to kill her. Hadn't the essence of the situation remained unchanged?
The worst thing is that I can't kill the residents, but the residents can kill me. Can I still fight this war?
Although the exhibition hall is large, it seems too small when someone is chasing you with an axe.

Jin Xueli was barefoot and could not run towards the wood chips on the ground. If a splinter got stuck in her foot and she couldn't run away, it would be like losing her life. In this way, her only escape route was where the giant candle was.

...and the flickering flames of candlelight.

The residents did not turn off the fire, nor did they let the candle solidify - this thought jumped into Jin Xueli's mind.

When she was watching from a distance just now, she noticed that the part where it started to burn and melt seemed to be not far from the time when she first met Anthony, that is, six months ago.

Wait, the part from six months ago can be melted, so——

Jin Xueli hadn't finished her thoughts when her steps slowed down unconsciously because of her thinking.

A heavy, sharp pain severed her thoughts and her shoulder.

　Friends, I'm sorry, I was too tired yesterday. As an extremely i person, I have unexpectedly become a social fat butterfly in the past two days (I have really gained weight, I can't have a full meal for many times, and I am already 125 pounds). Yesterday I almost collapsed in bed.

　　But today I worked hard, and guess where I finished this chapter...

　　I opened the way, entered Yuewen's nest, and finished writing at their headquarters...

　　How should I put it? The pressure is really great, but it takes pressure to finish the update... After all, I have to get on a plane tomorrow, so I need a little pressure...

　　(Honestly, this trip to Shanghai completely developed into another storyline. I didn't expect that I would reveal my identity like this. I'll tell you about it when I have time.)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)