"So, a witness saw the scene after Phainon cleared the xenogeneic? They moved that fast?"
After listening to the system's explanation regarding the source of those one hundred memory vestiges, Cyrene blinked, her azure rhombic pupils filled with surprise.
She had originally thought that was just a forgotten corner where no one would know, not expecting the "audience" to enter the stage so quickly.
But soon, that surprise settled into doubt.
Cyrene sat cross-legged on the bed, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of pink hair at her temple.
"One hundred memory vestiges... according to the system's calculation mechanism, that's definitely not a value provided by just one or two passersby."
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting toward the deep night outside the window.
"It's the early hours of the morning, and that alley is remote and eerie. Why would a large group of people be heading into a hellhole like that?"
"Could it be the people from this country's official authority?"
Just as Cyrene was lost in thought, Phainon, who had been standing quietly by the balcony, suddenly spoke.
The youth leaned against the railing, his fingers stroking his chin, his eyes flashing with the light of contemplation.
"Right!"
Phainon's words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly clearing the mental block in Cyrene's mind.
She clapped her hands together sharply, the crisp sound echoing in the quiet bedroom.
"Combined with those transparently deceptive news reports I saw online earlier, the official authority must have detected the existence of the xenogeneic species long ago, and they've even been conducting clearing operations in secret."
Following that, she jumped off the bed, her bare feet pacing across the floor as her brain worked at high speed.
"That low-level xenogeneic was likely being hunted by the official authority and fled into that alley out of desperation."
"As it turned out, its luck was bad, and it bumped into Phainon halfway, getting intercepted directly."
Cyrene stopped her pace and turned to look at Phainon, her tone becoming somewhat urgent:
"When the official authority followed the tracks and caught up, all they saw was a corpse that had been killed instantly in seconds... That sense of shock is indeed worth one hundred memory vestiges."
As she deduced the truth, the excitement on Cyrene's face quickly receded, replaced by a deep worry.
Her brow furrowed slightly, and she bit her lower lip.
"But this also means we've entered the vision of the official authority."
"They won't follow the clues and find their way here, will they?"
Regarding the official authority power of this world, Cyrene was almost entirely ignorant.
She only knew that in any novel or film work, an "unstable factor" like her—who possessed supernatural powers and could summon humanoid weapons—usually didn't meet a very pleasant end once exposed.
At best, she would be recruited, lose her freedom, and become a corporate slave; at worst, she would be sliced up for research or directly eliminated as a threat.
Although Phainon was here, along with that "entity data space" she could hide in at any time, self-preservation might not be an issue.
However, her current foundation was too shallow.
These hundred memory vestiges were fresh money she had just gotten her hands on. If she had to start a life on the run now, her original perfect plan of "staying low and developing" would be completely ruined.
This was the situation Cyrene least wanted to see.
As if sensing Cyrene's unease, Phainon straightened his body and took two steps toward her.
"They shouldn't."
His voice was steady and powerful, carrying a reassuring calmness.
[I have already overwritten all the surveillance data captured on Phainon's round-trip route.]
"I specifically avoided all lines of sight during the trip, and I also cleared the physical traces left behind. Aside from that corpse, they won't find any clues pointing here."
The voices of Phainon and the system rang out almost simultaneously.
Cyrene blanked for a moment, her gaze darting back and forth between Phainon and the panel in the void, before letting out a long sigh of relief.
Her tense shoulders slumped, and she patted her chest.
"In other words, whether it's physical footprints or digital images, everything has been cleaned up?"
[Yes, you have no need for concern.]
"That's good... scared me to death."
Cyrene sat back down on the edge of the bed, that sword of Damocles hanging over her head finally vanishing.
Since safety was guaranteed, her thoughts began to buzz again.
She looked up at the floating panel, her eyes sparkling with curiosity:
"System, since you can clear surveillance, does that mean you can intrude upon surrounding electronic devices at will?"
[I can, but this requires energy consumption.]
[Currently, I am limited to intruding upon ordinary civilian-grade electronic devices. If you are willing to consume memory vestiges to upgrade my computing power, I can open the doors for you even to high-security military-grade systems.]
"Got it."
Cyrene snapped her fingers, the corners of her mouth curling into a sly arc.
"Meaning, I have an omniscient and omnipotent super hacker with me. As long as I pay enough, I can go anywhere."
[You may understand it that way.]
Receiving an affirmative answer, the light in Cyrene's eyes grew even brighter.
In this information age, mastering the network was equivalent to mastering the intelligence network.
"Great! That way, the efficiency of gathering xenogeneic intelligence can definitely double!"
"But before that..."
Cyrene refocused her gaze on the top right corner of the panel.
There, the number "100" was emitting an enticing golden luster.
"Spending this windfall first to transform it into immediate combat power is the way to go."
She pressed her palms together and bowed toward the void, her tone playful:
"I don't know which kind-hearted official agent contributed these shock points, but thanks for your generosity anyway~"
Finishing this quirky ritual, Cyrene's expression turned serious as she issued a command to the system:
"Spend 100 memory vestiges to unlock a basic ability."
[Command confirmed.]
The moment the words fell, the number on the panel instantly returned to zero.
Immediately after, a cool current appeared out of thin air, pouring into Cyrene's mind through the crown of her head.
The feeling was like suddenly sucking on a powerful peppermint on a hot summer day.
Her brain, which had been somewhat groggy due to staying up late and tension, instantly became incomparably clear, and the speed of her thoughts seemed to quicken by several notches.
At the same time, a strange energy traveled through her body, finally converging between her eyes and brow.
[Ability unlocked: Memory Imprinting]
Several lines of pale blue explanatory text surfaced on her retina.
[Description: Can extract a certain segment of a creature's memory and condense it into a book page composed of memoria.]
[Characteristics: The book page will be automatically stored in the brain. The host can consume mental strength to manifest a duplicate version of the book page for other creatures to browse and experience.]
[Restriction: This ability is harmless to the target, but the prerequisite is that the target's mental defense must be completely open, or the target must be in a coma with no consciousness of resistance.]
Cyrene read every word carefully, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Meaning, I can turn the memories of other creatures into books to read? And even share them with others?"
She reached out and made a grasping motion in the air, as if trying to catch that non-existent book page.
"But this restriction is a bit large..."
Cyrene puffed out her cheeks with some distress.
"Must have no mental resistance? Then isn't it completely useless in battle? I can't expect monsters to stand still and let me channel my ability."
As for non-combat states...
She was currently a "person without a household registry," and aside from Phainon, she didn't even have a living person around her. Where was she supposed to find a guinea pig willing to open their heart and let her read their memories?
"While having a skill to view others' memories is good—at least it'll be much better for intelligence later—it can't take effect quickly right now. I feel like those hundred memory vestiges would have been better spent entirely on Phainon..."
Thinking of this, Cyrene sighed and flopped onto the bed somewhat gloomily, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her gaze swept over the text once more.
[Can extract a certain segment of a "creature's" memory...]
Suddenly, Cyrene's pupils contracted violently.
She bounced up from the bed as if she had received an electric shock, staring deathly at that word.
"Creature..."
"It didn't say it has to be 'another' creature, right?"
Cyrene's heart began to race.
If that was the case...
"Then can I... imprint my own memories?"
Once this thought popped up, it could no longer be suppressed.
If she could manage to extract her own memories for repeated review...
Wouldn't that be equivalent to obtaining an ability similar to photographic memory?
"Let's try it!"
Cyrene didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately closing her eyes and adjusting her breathing.
She submerged her consciousness into the depths of her mind and activated the newly acquired ability upon herself.
"Memory Imprinting, target—myself."