Artifact Report

Chapter 374 Brianna: Her Future Self and Her Original Goal

The surprise at hearing her own name was quickly replaced by another question.

Wait, the host just said this was a broadcast from December 5th?

There are indeed ways to "steal time" in the lair, but not many, and they require strict conditions; Brianna only climbed into the house, it's impossible for her to lose two or three days in one go.

Since dying in the nest and becoming a half-resident, in addition to nest information, she has also developed many almost prejudiced likes and dislikes in her mind—for example, she feels inexplicably annoyed whenever she thinks of "the host".

The host is very famous among the Nest residents, but fame doesn't necessarily mean being liked.

They're all residents, but it's so secretive and mysterious, always acting like it's a head above everyone else. Who in the nest doesn't know what it's thinking?
The radio announces December 5th, but isn't that the same thing it said today? Who tore its mouth open, so it spans more than two days in one breath?
First, let's save face for ourselves; the residents need to have some self-respect too.

To express her disgust, Brianna made a gagging sound, like a cat about to vomit, into the old-fashioned radio.

This comes from her being a resident; residents never mince words or compromise themselves.

“Did you hear that?” she gagged again, then reached for the radio once more. “That’s my opinion on being your guest.”

"If you had taken Jin Xueli's radio on December 2nd, you wouldn't have been able to hear what happened afterward, you know that?"

The host seemed to have noticed, and said quietly.

It can't possibly be nearby, can it?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when, before Brianna could even look around, a harsh, angry voice came from the radio, startling her so much that she recoiled as if electrocuted—"Shut up!"

...That was her own voice.

Even though the voice sounded unfamiliar, hoarse, and heavy, Brianna still recognized her.

What's going on? Is there a resident who can mimic my voice?
Despite her wariness and reluctance to fall for it, Brianna couldn't help but wonder: what would she hear if she didn't take it now?

No, this must be a trap... although she couldn't see what the trap was for.

"For the sake of our listeners," the host said calmly, "could you please tell us what you originally planned to do with the radio after you took it away on December 2nd?"

When the host speaks, only its own voice floats in the silence.

But when the radio switched to Brianna's voice, she heard a bubbling background sound—from a world that was subtly boiling, chaos suppressed beneath a lid, with only a piercing car horn cutting through Brianna's first words.

Why didn't you just threaten me not to take it?

On the radio, Brianna's voice was heavy, so heavy it almost brought tears to one's eyes. Was she crying? "Why did you have to tell me?"

what do you know?
Before the host could speak, she suddenly chuckled on the radio. There was no real laughter, just a burst of breath from her parched vocal cords.

"No, no... I should thank you. I should cooperate with you. After all, this is my goal... I had already made up my mind... It's better that you know."

what is the problem?

Brianna only realized her fingertips were trembling slightly when she pulled her hand away from the radio.

"I originally planned to take the radio out of the den and store it in my private basement."

That's right—although Brianna had only just seen the radio and hadn't had time to think carefully about what to do, the thought of the basement had already crossed her mind.

After she put on Jacqueline's mask, she learned from her memories that Vesilé also had a highly secret, specially made underground vault; perfect for storing target artifacts.

Apart from Vesile and Jacqueline, no one else in the world originally knew about this news, but now she heard it on the radio...

Does that mean it really was him on the radio?
“I see,” the host said gently. “Once it’s hidden away in layers of specially designed underground garages, the radio can’t be heard. Even the radio in the nest has places where it can’t receive a signal.”

Brianna heard herself let out a short, sharp scream over the radio—and then it stopped abruptly.

It was as if, the moment she opened her mouth, she realized that no matter how desperately she screamed, it couldn't break through the thick, wet cloth pressing on her face. She was simply stunned and overwhelmed by the screaming, snow-white silence.

"Please say a few words to our listeners," the host said with a rare smile. "You should know what to say. After all, you've already gone through this once."

Brianna stared, a little apprehensive, at the radio sitting in the deep darkness. She couldn't see anything.

But she heard her future self, her breath trembling, say, "Don't move."

She was talking to herself.

"You stay in that room and wait..."

Brianna's voice was like a dried-up butterfly specimen, unaware of its cracked state, trying to flutter its wings so that fragments would fall in a flurry. "The broadcast will come back on. When you hear it, you'll know..."

"Thank you very much for your cooperation." The host spoke like a reporter conducting a live interview, except that there was complete silence behind him. "So, could you please explain why listeners can't take the radio to other places to listen?"

Brianna scoffed over the radio. "Isn't it because you're afraid your plans will be affected?"

"You have to come from your own perspective to convince others," the host said patiently.

Brianna on the radio took a deep breath.

“You told me that if the radio was taken away on December 2nd, my plan regarding Morandau would be ruined. I finally managed to get her to believe I was dead…” “Very good, very good.” The host seemed quite satisfied, saying, “Let me add that this wasn’t a prediction, a conjecture, or even a threat. It actually happened. On December 2nd, you took the radio, causing me considerable trouble and ruining your own plans.”

Neither Brianna, nor anyone on the radio, made a sound.

She might understand in the future, but she just can't figure it out right now—she clearly didn't touch the radio, yet the broadcast started in time and stopped her; since it didn't happen at all, how can it be called "something that actually happened"?
"The reason this broadcast was able to take place is entirely because I used a remarkable method."

I don't understand, I'm so annoyed and anxious. What does that mean? Is there something she doesn't know?
"I have always admired you." The host was spouting nonsense again, which was enough to send chills down your spine. "To risk your life for an insignificant, ordinary person made of flesh and blood... Love is such a powerful form of self-pity."

How about we smash the radio?

“The dead cannot be brought back to life, not even with the power of the nest. So you plan to…” The host paused, feigning thought. “Your original goal was to use the nest’s power to completely transform into Golden Snow Pear after winning dominance, and then close the nest, is that right?”

Why is it called the "original" goal?

"Why is it called the 'original' target?" Brianna asked immediately over the radio, seemingly with a hint of wariness.

...Yes, the future Brianna certainly knows the doubts that have arisen in her today.

So when the opportunity to ask arises, one will naturally ask; is that right?

"It's nothing, just checking," the host said with a smile.

Brianna was waiting for her future self to speak, but unexpectedly, the "interview" seemed to have ended there.

Then, she heard the host say to the audience, "I have great respect for my guest. It is because of my help that she was able to successfully advance her plan and, today, be able to give this interview. Let me wish her good luck and hope that she can achieve her wish."

The broadcast is over.

The aftershocks of the sound waves spread out in circles in the air, widening the distance before gradually fading away, and darkness once again squeezed into the ear canal.

Brianna reached out several times, but ultimately did not pick up the radio.

She decided to listen to her future self and wait here—even though the broadcast didn't say how long she had to wait.

Out of caution, she climbed back out and carried Jacqueline's body back in.

No one other than "Golden Snow Pear" is allowed in this room, not even the vultures, but Jacqueline is no longer considered human; a corpse is more like an "object," so she entered without difficulty.

Jin Xueli has only been away from the nest for a short time and is probably still sleeping. Even if she wakes up, she won't come back in immediately, so there's no need to worry about being caught red-handed by her in the room.

Brianna carefully laid Jacqueline's body down, chased away anything that was bending over and sniffing the corpse in the darkness, and waited for a long time without the radio ringing again. She herself was getting a little sleepy.

She lay on the ground, folded her arms neatly, and carefully turned her head to the side before resting her head on her arms—so as not to smudge her hairstyle if she fell asleep.

Jacqueline kept her phone beside her so she could easily check the time.

When residents have nothing to do and are tired of entertainment, they usually sleep lazily. When I went out just now, the vulture was sleeping on the road like a pile of mud—not an adjective, but a muddy, yellowish-brown mess, literally a pile of mud.

Brianna felt like she had only taken a short nap.

She had never dreamed since her death, but this time she unexpectedly dreamed of Morando.

Morandall was wiping her sniper rifle; they seemed to still be in the living room at home, but Morandall was still firing several shots out the window, as if adjusting her aim.

Aren't you afraid of hitting a passerby?

Brianna sat in the wind, her feet—she had feet now, she had feet again—swaying precariously in the howling gale.

Morando turned around, and that one glance seemed to imprint the blue sky above the glacier into her soul.

"...You have feelings for those passersby?" she chuckled softly, her words muffled.

No, that's not right. Morandall didn't seem to have said that.

The wind was so strong that Brianna had to strain her ears to carefully discern her memories.

What she said seemed to be... something like "You have feelings for that rooftop?"
Rooftop? What rooftop?
Brianna opened her eyes.

The sound of wind, gunshots, Morandall's voice... it wasn't all a dream after all.

The radio rang; on Jacqueline's cell phone screen on the ground, the words "December 3rd" lit up.

On the radio, Jin Xueli sounded somewhat flustered as she said, "I can't say I saved you... You saved my life. The day you were staring blankly in the backlight, I just took you home..."

When Brianna came to her senses, her face was pressed against the radio.

Her nasal cavity, chest cavity, mind, and ears were utterly dark and silent.

……what?

Eh?
Does it refer to the day after Brianna made Morandau believe he was dead?

Huh?
Why did she also have a slight desire to kill Morando?

Thinking about it carefully, it's ridiculous. It's impossible to kill her! Killing her is impossible! I was mentally prepared for this, I was actually hoping things would turn out this way. Kill her!
Impossible, otherwise wouldn't she want to kill too many people? Wouldn't it be too much trouble to kill so many people one by one? So funny, so funny, so funny!
(End of this chapter)