Chapter 399: Subject Seven (2)
Meeting Subject Seven
In Linda's memory, Luke was a smart, cunning, lustful, dangerous, and utterly corrupt jerk who loved to play tricks. Although he had a handsome, slightly youthful face, he was the picture of a masculine man, completely distinct from effeminate men or perverts.
The "Luke" in front of her, however, was a different picture entirely.
He was wearing a tight shirt and tight pants. He swayed when he walked, wore perfume, and even had makeup and lipstick on.
Is this still a man?
Could being locked up for so long have twisted his sexual orientation, changing him from a notorious heartbreaker into a "submissive" type?
Linda felt a deep sense of wrongness. Seeing him approach, she quickly snapped:
"Stop! Don't come any closer."
"I'm asking one last time, are you really Luke?"
The effeminate man huffed angrily. "How could I not be Luke? Look at this face, and this fair, smooth, firm body. Who else could it be but Luke Shaw?"
Linda nearly threw up and couldn't help but curse.
"I don't believe you! He would never become like this. Go get him out here, I have an urgent matter."
"Hmph, you heartless thing! After all my enthusiasm, this is really hurtful."
The effeminate man tossed his head, walked with an inward-pointing gait, and sashayed toward the laboratory. "Follow your sister. You want to see Luke, right? Just don't regret it later."
Compared to the outside room, the green mist in the laboratory was much thicker. Before even getting close, Linda felt an intense, bone-chilling pain—a pain unrelated to the flesh, but one that originated from the mind and soul.
The effeminate man waved his hand, clearing the surrounding mist. He pointed his bent wrist towards the depths of the fog.
"That is the Luke Shaw you were so desperate to see."
Linda followed the gesture and looked forward. In the thick fog, she could vaguely discern thirteen flickering ghostly figures. These phantoms were gathered around a black cube, their heads connected to a helmet-like radio device, seemingly receiving some kind of signal.
Of the thirteen phantoms, the first twelve were relatively faint, but the last one was very solid, emitting a faint green fluorescence. Both its heart and head contained a constantly burning green flame.
Just glancing at it caused a searing pain in her head.
"What is that? Are they ghosts?"
Shhh!
The effeminate man put a finger to his lips, then pointed behind him. Linda hesitated for a few seconds, nodded slightly, and the two tiptoed out. They both let out a sigh of relief when they reached the entrance.
"Is that really Luke? How did he end up like that?"
The effeminate man smoothed his hair and said flatly, "Soul form. You wouldn't understand."
"What about you? Who are you?"
Linda looked the... person up and down suspiciously. "How did you get into Luke's body?"
"I'm Seven."
"What does that mean?"
"I was the seventh one born, so I'm called Seven!" The effeminate man let out a long sigh, his face full of lament. "Actually, I prefer the name A-Xiang [Fragrant], but the Body wouldn't agree."
"The Body is just a tasteless, artless, irritable, cold-blooded, single-celled straight man. I'm so beautiful, and he names me Seven! What a horrible name! Ugh, it drives me crazy."
Linda couldn't help but take a step back. This guy felt too strange. Based on what he said, the person occupying Luke's body wasn't Luke himself, but a guy named "Seven." He had the same memories as Luke, but his personality was completely different—a total drama queen.
What the heck is going on?
The girl was confused. She thought for a moment and tested him.
"So, are there Six, Five, Four, Three... before you?"
"Smart! You are worthy of being a girl I fancy."
Seven pulled up a chair and sat down, grooming his nails as he spoke.
"There are thirteen of us in total. The eldest is One, the second is Two, the third is Three... the twelfth is Twelve, and the thirteenth is the Baby."
"How did you all come to be?"
"Magic!"
Seven spread his arms with a dramatic, almost theatrical expression. "An ancient and terrifying soul witchcraft that can tear a person's soul apart, like a cream cake. Slice... slice... slice..."
"Isn't that horrifying?"
Linda's expression was odd. "So you're all independent personalities split from Luke's consciousness?"
"You could say that."
Linda let out a long breath. She finally understood why Luke only bathed every thirteen days. Out of the thirteen independent consciousnesses, only Seven was a clean, effeminate man; the rest must be roughnecks.
"Little Linda, anything else? If not, you should leave. The Body will be very upset if he finds out you were here. He might even kill you, you know!"
The girl huffed, puffing out her chest.
"Others might fear him, but I don't!"
Seven covered his mouth and giggled, his eyes half-closed with an unspeakable "charm."
"Of course, strong Little Linda isn't scared, but we are! You don't know what the Body is like when he's angry. He's like... like a horny little wolf pup! Anxious, repressed, sexually frustrated, eyes glowing green... he lets out a howl that could scare a person to death."
"Take your sister's advice: hurry back before the Body wakes up, or he'll strip off your clothes and have his way with you. You won't even have a chance to call for help."
"The Body is terrifying!"
The whole exchange made Linda's hair stand on end. Her proud chest unconsciously deflated a little. She had originally planned to give Luke a piece of her mind and tell him that she would quit if he didn't come out soon. But the current situation made her scared to even speak. She thought for a moment and said hesitantly,
"So... what exactly are you guys researching, and when is he coming out? And Christmas! He can't skip Christmas, can he?"
"Oh my! Look at my brain. I was so busy chatting, I completely forgot the important things."
Seven clapped his thigh and hurried to the table to pull out several lists.
"These are the Christmas presents for the two grandfathers, this is for the uncle, aunt, and the old beggar, this one is for you, and this is..." He paused, quickly retracting one list. "Let's skip this one."
Linda snatched the lists. After looking through them, a slight smirk appeared on her face.
"Carol Ferris. I knew it!"
She immediately grabbed the remaining lists. "Emily Song and Barbara... Heh heh!"
"Impressive. Distributing his favors equally, without bias."
Seven looked away awkwardly, but the slight curve of his lips suggested a hint of schadenfreude.
Hmph!
The girl snorted heavily, tore up the lists for Emily and Carol, and walked out without looking back.
"Tell Luke I'm giving him two more months. If he doesn't come out, I'm burning down the Cape Villa and leaving him to starve."
Linda vanished, leaving much faster than she arrived.
Seven picked up a broom, swept the paper scraps into the trash, and let out a long stretch. He then tiptoed to the laboratory door and called out in a delicate voice,
"Sixth Brother, time for a switch."
The tallest of the thirteen ghostly figures stood up, walked out of the dense fog, and approached Luke's body.
Seven smiled softly, and a slender ghostly figure appeared out of thin air, passed through the mist, and sat down in the Sixth Brother's place. Simultaneously, the tall phantom transformed into a streak of light and entered Luke's body.
When Luke's eyes opened again, the effeminate charm was gone, replaced by an expression of cold indifference.
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