Artifact Report

Chapter 325 Brianna - Completely smooth, beautiful and lovely

Jacqueline exercises for an hour and a half every day.

She has a personal trainer and Pilates instructor to design exercise plans for her; a nutritionist and private chef; and a health management doctor to comprehensively monitor every aspect of her physical condition—in terms of physical fitness, she is stronger than many twenty-year-olds.

So even though she had to run and be wary of her surroundings, she arrived at the scaffolding in just two hours and forty minutes.

She wasn't a reckless person; with Jin Xueli's reminder, she first hid, waited a few minutes to observe the situation, and made sure there were no "monsters" around before carefully walking to the scaffolding.

This is where things start to get complicated.

The scaffolding was too high, too big, and too heavy.

The scaffolding that Secretary Green kicked down was in the foyer of the house, and it wasn't even finished yet, only two or three meters high, so it wouldn't be difficult for it to fall down. But this one in front of her almost covered the entire building. Not to mention pushing it down, even if Jacqueline used all her strength, it still wouldn't budge.

Besides, Jacqueline wouldn't dare to actually withstand the force of a collapsing scaffold that's ten or twenty stories high; what would be the point if she returned as a corpse?
She circled the scaffolding for several minutes, found some bricks and stones to hammer the screws, and tried to see if she could disassemble a part of it... But all her efforts were in vain, like an ant trying to shake—well—like an ant trying to shake the scaffolding.

Jacqueline wasn't stupid. After standing there helplessly for a while, she slowly raised her head and looked up at the night sky.

The closer you get to the bottom of the scaffolding, the heavier it becomes, the harder it is to break, and the more dangerous it is if it is broken—after all, there are so many layers of steel on top.

What if we climb up?

The top floor looks like it's not finished yet. If you climb up and manage to dismantle one of the poles so it hits you, wouldn't that also be considered "being hit by scaffolding"?
That would be much safer and easier to handle.

Climbing up was certainly a nerve-wracking experience, but Jacqueline had no choice but to do so in order to get home.

She had always thought she didn't have a fear of heights, but after climbing almost ten floors, her hands and feet were weak, her muscles were trembling, and she was covered in cold sweat.

How long have you been climbing? At least twenty minutes, right?

Without even a safety rope, she relied solely on her hands, feet, and muscle strength to climb up little by little... With each inch she rose, a whisper seemed to echo within her, tempting her to let go and experience the freedom and lightness of surrendering to gravity.

It seems that there is a physiological self-destructive tendency hidden in human instinct?
She couldn't remember where she had seen the theory, only that she had once scoffed at it.

“I’m not like those ordinary, weak-willed mediocre people… I’m where I am today not because I would give up.”

Jacqueline gritted her teeth and muttered to herself to encourage herself; she supported herself on her trembling knees, climbed up from the floorboard, and gripped the scaffolding tightly once more.

"Isn't it just climbing up?"

Climbing upwards is what she does best.

She had to go back; she had a son and a daughter. If she were gone, who knew how many wolves would lurk into her territory…

Jacqueline warned herself not to look down, as this was a major taboo when climbing.

Seeing how high you've climbed can make your legs go weak with fear... but...

But if she didn't look down, how would she know what that rustling sound coming from below had been for the past few minutes?
Netting and plastic sheeting are hanging on the scaffolding... Is that the sound of the wind blowing through them?
She should wait until she climbs to the next level and steps onto flat ground before looking down, right?
You can't look down now; you're in mid-air, it's too dangerous. That sound—that sound—

Jacqueline lowered her head.

Brianna's face met her gaze.

Under her gaze, Brianna parted the corners of her mouth to both sides, giving a bright red smile.

Brianna stared at her, stretched out one hand, grabbed the uppermost scaffold pole, and climbed toward her.

Half of the skin that had peeled off and was hanging on the wrist was as dry as cowhide that had been exposed to the sun for too long and had hardened and curled up. It rustled as it rubbed against the steel.

Jacqueline had experienced fear, but she had never experienced such intense, primal, and irrational fear.

She froze in mid-air, unable to escape upwards or loosen her suddenly frozen fingers; she lowered her head, unable to move, and watched helplessly as Brianna climbed up a step and stretched out her other hand.

Behind Brianna, on the scaffolding, hung her long, fleshy body, like a stretching, overlapping shadow of a snake and a river.

Why is Brianna here?
Jacqueline thought blankly.

Hasn't Brianna already been cut out of her life a long time ago?

When a hand gripped her ankle, Jacqueline realized that those few seconds she was frozen in fear were probably the last few seconds of her life.

She finally found her lips and tongue.

"Please..."

Jacqueline pleaded softly, realizing she was crying. She hadn't cried in two or three decades. "No, no... your younger brother and sister are waiting for me to come home..."

Brianna's face, a face that undoubtedly belonged to a dead person, yet could still open her eyes and express herself, suddenly twisted.

Ah, right. I shouldn't have mentioned my child to her.

A huge mistake.

Jacqueline thought vaguely.

Her thoughts were no longer clear.

It seemed as soon as she finished speaking, she was grabbed by the ankle and pulled down from the scaffold.

Brianna also released the steel frame, and the two fell to the ground together; but Brianna's fall was smooth and controlled, just like when she was descending on a drop tower in an amusement park.

Jacqueline, on the other hand, was like a doll, being held by the feet by a little girl and swung around in mid-air.

One moment, she was hurled into the pitch-black sky; the next, she was swung back, her head slamming against the frame countless times, seeing countless points of white light in the starless, moonless night. "Ah, I have to be careful."

Why can Brianna speak? What exactly is Brianna?
She called her husband's name in her heart; he must know the answer. She wanted to see him.

"If your head is deformed, it won't fit properly."

These were the last words Jacqueline ever heard in her life.

Jacqueline's last thought was that after she died, her body would be covered by another person.

...All of this is Brianna's memory and recollection.

All of the above processes were memories and messages obtained by Brianna after she entered Jacqueline's body and gently touched her slippery brain.

However, she was not interested in anything that happened before Jacqueline died.

Images flashed before Brianna's eyes, like a movie playing in reverse: Jacqueline finding the scaffolding, Jacqueline on her way to find the scaffolding, Jacqueline crossing the street...

"Wait, there's one more thing!"

A girl—it was Kim Seol-ri, it was Kim Seol-ri who provided the tip—was standing across the street, shouting at "herself".

"There are monsters lurking near that scaffolding. You need to finish this quickly and don't linger!"

It was you! It was you! I'm so happy!
This is great! This is great! My luck changed immediately after Dad died.

If you hadn't betrayed Jacqueline, I really wouldn't know where to look for you.
You're really something, giving Jacqueline hints to escape the lair while simultaneously betraying her location, trying to gain a reward while also preserving your own fragile and hypocritical moral compass.

Where in the world can you find such a perfect solution?

You certainly don't really believe that it was such a coincidence that at the very moment the residents came to arrest Jacqueline, Jacqueline was also hit by scaffolding and returned to Blackmore City, right?

Do you know how rare it is that kind of good thing where the residents have to pay a reward and you have a clear conscience? You're such a girl who doesn't want to face her true self. Satisfying desires isn't a bad thing, why play this seesaw game to find balance? But it's okay, you're so cute.
Brianna admired Jacqueline's memory of Sherry with near satisfaction.

My hair is darker than hers, that's okay, I can dye it. My nose bridge is a little lower than hers, that's just right.

Her lips weren't full enough either, and overall she wasn't as beautiful as herself, but Kim Seol-ri had a unique charm and cuteness; with a different hairstyle and some light makeup, she could easily resemble the Brienne of the past.

She seems like a smart person... Did Kim Seol-ri not realize that the scaffolding was difficult to knock down, or was she simply unwilling to think about it?
It's definitely the latter.

Subconsciously, Kim Sulli hoped that Jacqueline would be caught.

It's obvious, it's obvious. Her desires are strong, her goals are clear, and her mind is greedy. Nine million is a really big and strange number, but it's obvious.

If Kim Sherry hadn't betrayed Jacqueline, she really wouldn't know where to find Kim Sherry.
Brianna was delighted that she could fulfill Sherry's hidden wish.

After all, that will be her future self, and after all, Kim Seol-ri is the path she takes back to Morando's side.

Why can't we be nicer and gentler to Kim Seol-ri now?
Brianna looked at the image of Shirley from Jacqueline's memory and felt an almost touching tenderness towards her. She even wanted to hug her, comfort her with gentle words, and then gently enter her body.

I will love you well, Brianna thought, just as I love myself.

The familiar buzzing sound interrupted her dreamlike reverie; Brianna looked around and saw that her Green cell phone, which she had left on the sidewalk, was ringing.

The host, whether broadcasting the call or not, spoke in a deep, gentle voice, as if he were a compassionate and kind person.

"How was it?" he asked. "Was the intelligence accurate?"

"...Very accurate."

Brianna licked her lips lightly. "The resident who provided the information wants to know about the 'original solution'?"

Kim Seol-ri must still be in the phone booth.

She had to wait for the host to contact her and tell her if she would receive the prize; in order to get information about the original solution, she had to stay by the phone.

The host chuckled softly. "...Yes."

"Then let's just send her the message that the reward is the original liquid."

Brianna felt a strange tenderness welling up inside her whenever she thought of Shirley Kim. "You can tell me, right? After all, everyone knows where that thing is... it's not a secret."

"As you wish," the host replied softly, and hung up the phone.

Even for residents, it takes nearly an hour to walk back from the scaffolding to where Kim Seol-ri is.

The public phone booth is near the park, and the view is fairly open in all directions except for the direction of the bushes; if Brianna crosses the road to walk towards her, Kim Seol-ri will definitely spot her immediately.

Besides, unlike Jacqueline… she touched her swollen and bruised face, thinking that she didn’t want to hurt even a single hair on Jin Xueli’s head.

She wanted Kim Seol-ri to die completely, beautifully, and lovely.

This will require some thought to figure out what to do... Oh, and I can't die now.

She needs to return to Blackmore City as Jacqueline, take care of what needs to be done, acquire the resources she deserves, and settle the debts owed to Fu Tailan... Only when she has no more worries and can switch bodies can Jin Xueli die.

If you die young, your body will stink.

But finally, Kim Sulli took the initiative to come to them...

How could Brianna resist going to see her first?
(End of this chapter)