Leaving the military camp, they arrived at the border of Nine District.
Li Andy and Sophia avoided the patrols along the way, quietly hiding in a tree with dense branches and leaves. Through a gap, they saw Charles, looking like Rose, slowly walking into a hotel not far away.
After the escorting soldiers had completely left, Li Andy lightly flicked his finger, and a few wisps of spirituality, like gossamer, slipped through the shadows and into the hotel.
Then, he took out the Mystic Mirror, shrunk it to the size of a monocle, and elegantly placed it over his eye.
Finally, he could see the scene inside clearly, and also the information about the relic.
“Pseudo-Relic: Performer's Facade”
“Ability Description: Allows a part of the body to be disguised as someone you have had intimate contact with.”
“Side Effect: With each use, the facade will devour a portion of the wearer's external features. And each time it is removed, the wearer will have a portion of their flesh and blood devoured.”
Another pseudo-relic… Is it the predecessor of the Performer's Mask?
Tsk tsk… I didn't expect this mask could disguise the face and voice, but not a certain part.
It seems the “part of the body” in the ability description refers to the upper half.
“Hey, why do you look so regretful? What did you see?”
Sophia frowned, bringing her face close to Li Andy's, her eyes fixed on his lens, trying to glean some truth from the reflection.
“Uh… just a man changing faces and skin, it's quite disgusting. His upper body's skin was wriggling like it was full of worms, you really shouldn't look.”
As he spoke, he lightly tapped the lens with his fingertip, secretly warning it not to show the image.
“Really?”
Sophia's brows furrowed even tighter, and her small face moved even closer, her nose almost touching his.
Li Andy had no choice. He stopped trying to dodge, suddenly leaned in and pecked her lips, then sincerely said:
“Really, the scene inside is very spicy. I need to look at you several more times to purify my eyeballs.”
Sophia froze for two seconds, her pretty little face flushed crimson, even the tips of her ears were pink, and her two small hands gripped his collar, saying in a mix of shyness and anger:
“You can just talk! Why did you peck me?!”
“Who told you that you are beautiful? I couldn't help myself,” Li Andy replied smoothly. He would never admit that this was a bad tactic to distract her so she wouldn't press further.
Sophia snorted, haughtily turning her head away, her cheeks still flushed: “You only know how to say flowery… flowery words…”
“It's 'flowery rhetoric'.”
Li Andy's lips curved, helping her correct the phrase.
This girl, they were clearly like an old married couple, yet she still reacted so much, still so tender and shy.
Haha, truly interesting.
“Andy…”
Sophia slowly raised her eyes, which were glistening with moisture, and gently wrapped her arms around Li Andy's back, her cool fingertips tinglingly stroking his spine.
But the next second, those gentle little hands suddenly gripped his lower back.
“Hiss—!”
“You are not allowed to say such things to girls other than us!” Sophia said through gritted teeth, close to his ear.
Li Andy quickly raised his hands in surrender:
“Alright, alright, I only ever say such things to you all!”
“Hmph~”
Sophia then slowly released her grip. Just as Li Andy breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly stood on her tiptoes and fiercely returned his previous sneak attack.
Her deep and sticky appearance was like a soft caramel about to melt.
Li Andy's hands, which had been raised in surrender, froze in mid-air. After several seconds, they slowly fell onto the girl's back.
After another half minute, he patted this girl's soft bottom and separated, saying:
“That's enough, let's get down to business first. If you're still not satisfied, I'll feed you more when we get back.”
At this moment, Charles inside the hotel had returned to his original appearance and was packing his things, preparing to leave.
Sophia licked her lips, still wanting more, and her eyes rolled. Her brilliant mind must have thought of something, as she once again stood on her tiptoes and whispered mischievously:
“When we get back… I'll feed you!”
Li Andy raised an eyebrow, somewhat… perhaps… possibly… unsure what this girl was planning.
.....
Charles changed back into men's clothing, carrying a suitcase, and quietly exited through the hotel's back door.
He had just raised his hand to hail a carriage when the corner of his eye caught sight of two somewhat familiar figures walking towards him, their target extremely clear.
Coming for me?
His heart tightened, and he carefully scrutinized them from the corner of his eye.
These two… they look like the people from that ball!
As the leader of the troupe, although not a big shot, his years of experience dealing with people had given him a precise method for remembering and recognizing faces.
Especially for those with unique temperaments, he could always “smell” something different about them. Just like when he “smelled” Rose in the dirty alley.
The two people walking towards him now were definitely not normal people!
Charles continued to hail a carriage, wanting to escape quickly.
But for some reason, the carriages that were about to approach him suddenly turned away strangely, as if they had seen a ghost.
In an instant, Charles felt as if he was gripped by something terrifying, and he was forcibly pulled into another dimension.
The feeling of powerlessness surged over him again, choking him.
He was angry! But it was useless and helpless…
A self-mocking sneer flashed across his lips, and then, his expression suddenly changed, becoming one as if nothing had happened, and he knew nothing.
“Huh? What's wrong with all these carriages?”
He scratched his head in confusion and turned, looking at Li Andy and Sophia walking towards him with “surprise,” and was the first to speak:
“Oh, you two look a bit familiar, have we… met somewhere before?”
Li Andy couldn't help but be stunned. If he hadn't attached his spirituality to the other party's clothes for “real-time monitoring,” he might have actually believed it.
This acting, it's Oscar-worthy.
Heh, a talent indeed…
Li Andy smiled strangely right in front of him.
He could now confirm that the future Masked Avenger was this very person!
“Uh… Sir? What are you laughing at?”
Charles again showed a confused expression, and also gave an awkward laugh. His innocent appearance was impeccable on the surface.
“I'm laughing… If your heart wasn't pounding so fast, this performance would be perfect,” Li Andy replied with a smile, like an evil villain.
Charles's expression froze, his breathing stopped for a few seconds, and then, he gradually withdrew his smile:
“Who are you? What do you want to do?”
“Don't be nervous, Mr. Charles.”
Li Andy took off his monocle and put it away,
“I admire you greatly, and I hope you… will work for me!”