As the girl slightly ahead walked, Lin Luo found her face vaguely familiar, but paid her little mind. After all, across so many worlds, he had seen plenty of pretty girls; running into one or two who looked alike was hardly surprising. However, upon seeing the other girl, he couldn't help but be utterly stunned… this one wasn't just similar; she was the spitting image of Yakumo Yukari!

Not just her looks, but even that languid aura seemed exactly the same.

After a moment of shock, Lin Luo finally realized who this second girl was… Mäle Mare, a university student from a near future outside Gensokyo, a member of the esoteric organization "Hifuu Club" dedicated to exploring boundaries, possessing the ability to see through barriers. She was nicknamed "Meiri."

Whether university student or Hifuu Club member, these were naturally only Meiri’s surface identities. Beyond that, she held another identity she wasn't even aware of—Yakumo Yukari!

Of course, many threads concerning this identity remained unresolved. Meiri being Yakumo Yukari wasn't as simple as them being the same person. It could initially be understood as: "Yukari in a dream is Meiri, and Meiri in a dream is Yukari." But this was just one interpretation; the ultimate truth remained a question mark. Yet, the inseparable connection between Yakumo Yukari and Meiri was an established fact.

Since this girl was Meiri, the identity of the other girl became obvious… Usami Renko, also a member of the Hifuu Club, and a university student.

The Hifuu Club had only two members: Meiri and Renko. They often ventured out exploring, whether to search for boundaries or simply out of pure curiosity. But seeing them here meant, without a doubt, that this location was outside Gensokyo.

Having spent time in this world twice before, this was Lin Luo’s first time in a place outside Gensokyo. Originally uninterested in the outside world, he would have immediately returned to Gensokyo, but now, seeing Meiri and Renko, he changed his mind… Emerging from the river of time, he hadn't returned to Gensokyo. Instead, he had materialized directly before Meiri and Renko. There must be a reason for this.

Thus, Lin Luo stood quietly to the side, observing their reactions.

Over there, Meiri and Renko’s reaction was rather interesting. First, they cautiously approached the corpse of the youkai Lin Luo had created with his clone. Finding nothing unusual, Renko stepped forward and gave it a few light kicks. Only when she was certain it couldn't possibly be more dead did she seem to breathe a sigh of relief and say, "This is so unscientific. I didn't expect a youkai to be this weak. I should have held back a bit, shouldn't I, Meiri?"

Meiri glanced at her and said coolly, "I think you’re feeling a little too relieved."

"Not at all, I’m just disappointed."

Renko explained, though she knew perfectly well that Meiri hadn't asked the question with any hint of doubt, clearly having grasped her state of mind entirely. Unwilling to keep arguing about relief versus disappointment, she changed the subject: "This is our first time encountering a real youkai, isn't it? What should we do next?"

"You figure it out," Meiri clearly showed little interest.

Renko was long accustomed to this attitude and paid it no mind. After pondering for a moment, she mused aloud, "If we took the corpse of this youkai back for dissection and study, wouldn't that be a bit inhumane?"

"..."

Meiri remained silent, but Renko continued talking to herself. "But then again, if it could contribute to the Grand Unified Theory, perhaps this youkai would feel vindicated even in the afterlife."

"I think if it had any spirit left, it would want to eat you," Meiri quipped.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot the nature of youkai," Renko said with a sudden realization, then stroked her chin. "If we hadn't blown this thing up, this youkai would probably have eaten us. As the saying goes, an eye for an eye. Given the premise that it would have eaten us first, dissecting it for research might actually align with humanitarian principles."

Damn it!

Before Meiri could retort, Lin Luo nearly spat out his non-existent tea. When had he ever planned to eat them? To suggest dissecting them after they were eaten—even a primary schooler couldn't construct such convoluted logic, let alone a university student! What the heck was that reasoning?

If they were going to dissect it, just do it; why all the agonizing back and forth? Did they lack basic scientific integrity?

Renko probably realized her logic had gone completely haywire and blushed slightly. She stood up and said, "Forget it. This youkai was so weak, it probably isn't worth studying. We should leave this place quickly."

"We should have done that ages ago," Meiri replied, turning to head back the way they came.

Renko glanced at the "youkai" on the ground, full of regret, but ultimately followed.

"Hey, coming and going as you please—aren't you taking me too lightly?" Before the two had taken more than a few steps, a chilling, insidious voice suddenly sounded right by their ears.

Both girls gasped, reflexively spinning around to face the unmoving corpse on the ground, their faces filled with shock and uncertainty.

"Who said that?" This sudden voice was indeed terrifying, and the tone was horrifying. Most people would have been scared senseless, but thankfully, they had good composure. They immediately steadied themselves, standing guard warily, and asked in low voices.

"Behind you."

The voice instantly reappeared behind them. With virtually no thought (ShuShuWu)

"Waaah! A ghost!!!"

With a blood-curdling shriek, the two girls instantly kicked into overdrive, fleeing at a tremendous speed.

"No way, such little courage?" Watching the two dash off, Lin Luo was somewhat surprised. Renko, based on her previous actions, seemed like someone bold and meticulous. And Meiri, as Yukari's avatar, certainly shouldn't be a coward. Yet, both of them looked utterly terrified upon seeing him. It was bewildering… even though he had only revealed his head.

Sigh.

Lin Luo sighed quietly and finally gave chase. However, because he hadn't fully dropped his invisibility, to outside eyes, it looked like a lone head floating behind the two fleeing girls.

This was genuinely terrifying.

Meiri and Renko were indeed scared stiff. Although they had explored all sorts of dangerous and strange places and encountered many unconfirmed lifeforms, the danger had always stemmed from the environment or wild beasts. Those mysterious creatures weren't exactly frightening. As for youkai or ghosts, they had never met any.

That previous "youkai" was manageable; it was blown up instantly. Although they cried "youkai, youkai," they knew in their hearts that a true youkai wouldn't be that weak; it was likely just another unconfirmed entity. But the head they saw next… no matter how unconfirmed, there was no creature in this world that was a "flying head," right?

They were just university students moonlighting as explorers, not exorcists. They had no defense against phantoms. Should they just stand there and wait to die instead of running?

So, even though Lin Luo severely looked down on their flight, they felt no guilt about running away. Of course, the pressure was immense, knowing that chasing, flying head was right behind them.

"This way, this way!" Seeing Renko seem close to running aimlessly, Meiri quickly reminded her and asked, "Is that head still chasing us?"

"How should I know!" Renko snapped back, though she, too, was concerned. After speaking, she subconsciously shone her flashlight behind her, only to see… a pale-faced head floating under the beam of light, looking remarkably imposing.

Renko’s face instantly turned green.

"Run, run, that thing is catching up!"

"Don't run randomly, that's a dead end!"

"This is unscientific! Why are we encountering this kind of thing!"

"Isn't our Hifuu Club supposed to be looking for these unscientific things?"

"But we should at least be mentally prepared! Encountering something this unscientific right away is going to shorten our lives!"

They talked as they ran. Although their tone was filled with complaints and panic, if one listened closely, they would notice there wasn't excessive terror. Clearly, their composure was extremely firm; even facing something so horrifying, they managed to remain relatively calm.

Lin Luo noticed this phenomenon as well. Though he hadn't intended to frighten them severely at first, he now saw an excellent opportunity for observation. He immediately sped up, keeping close pursuit, and called out, "Two beautiful ladies, why run so fast? Let's have a nice chat about life and ideals—for instance, should we travel together when crossing the Sanzu River?"

Those who knew Lin Luo would likely recognize this as his flirting style. Regrettably, Meiri and Renko didn't know him and felt no sense of being flirted with; they only found his words incredibly terrifying.

"Who wants to travel with you! Stop chasing us!" Renko was close to breaking down.

"That won't do. My greatest pleasure in life is delicate, sweet young ladies... Say, would you like to become magical girls?"

Hearing this, forget Renko—even Meiri nearly stumbled and fell to the ground.

A scene suddenly flashed through their minds: a gigantic head drifting in the sky above a beautiful girl. When that head asked, "Do you want to become a magical girl?" the terrified girl nodded helplessly, and then the giant head swallowed her whole.

Thinking of this, both girls broke out in a cold sweat… That was too terrifying!