Xu Xiaoyou looked up at the abandoned factory and walked straight in.

From the shadows on the ground behind her, swirling black mist surged up, and a shadowy figure rose.

The shadowy figure had a gloomy face, a tattered robe that had lost its luster swayed in the wind, and its muscular arms were covered with thick brown-gray fur, exposing a slender and naked snout.

The Dye Thief extended its sharp claws, tracing a silver line in the air.

Its sullen eyes were fixed on the girl delving deeper into the factory. In its world, everything was black and white, with blurred and indistinct outlines, except "dye" which possessed color.

It could smell the scent of "dye" inside people's skulls. Everyone's "dye" color was different, some were primary colors, others had more varied hues, and some were even vibrant and multi-colored, with scents that were either spicy or bitter. It especially favored the sweet scent of "dye," much like nectar, in the skulls of those just out of the entertainment district.

"Dye" represents people's memories.

Especially the golden-haired girl before it at that moment.

The golden "dye" inside her skull was something it had never seen before—so vivid, so dazzlingly beautiful—it drove it almost mad with obsession.

This week was the most tormenting period in its life. For some reason, the crazed city folk were all inquiring about its whereabouts, including those strong-sensed Law Enforcers.

Detecting the dangerous aura in the air forced it to lurk in darkness. For a whole week, it hadn't tasted the flavor of "dye," and it felt it was on the verge of madness, that primal yearning about to devour its sanity.

Fortunately, fate favored it, allowing it to find such a marvelous prey. Since she left the flower shop, it had noticed her and followed her, this fool daring to venture to the city's outskirts alone at night, places beyond even the reach of those Law Enforcers.

Heaven helped it!

The Dye Thief let out a sinister laugh.

Its figure submerged into the darkness again, rushing at top speed toward the golden-haired girl ahead.

The distance of a hundred meters vanished in the blink of an eye, the Dye Thief grinning savagely as it leaped into the air, a cold gleam flashing midair, claws in hand stabbing fiercely toward Xu Xiaoyou's head, eyes filled with longing!

It could hardly wait to savor the flavor of this prey's "dye" properly!

The silvery moonlight shot obliquely into the factory along the awning. Suddenly, it widened its eyes, seeing the golden-haired girl turn around shakily, a smile lurking at the corner of her mouth.

An inner alarm bell rang.

A gentle yet resilient Water Element formed a flowing water barrier around Xu Xiaoyou. The claws, seemingly sharp and long, could only penetrate a few tens of centimeters into it before being held firmly in place!

The Dye Thief sensed imminent danger, attempting to retreat into darkness, but it was too late.

Xu Xiaoyou stretched her hand upward. With the crisp sound of a snapping finger, clusters of overhead lamps on the ceiling blinked on, emitting a 'hua hua hua' sound, and blinding white light poured down.

The whole factory was intensely illuminated, pale beams fell squarely upon the Dye Thief, which frantically attempted to dive into its shadow to escape, discovering that nearby shadows had all receded under the white light with nowhere to run.

Xu Xiaoyou raised a burning blade and stabbed it into the shadow, pinning it to the ground!

"Ah!"

The shadow wriggled frantically, unable to separate even a little from the burning blade, the fierce flames searing its will and body, and the Dye Thief let out cries of agony.

Thick dark red liquid oozed from the shadow on the ground.

"Do you have any idea, because of you, I haven't slept well all week?"

Xu Xiaoyou covered the sword hilt with both hands, resting her chin on it, smiling.

She watched the struggling Dye Thief with a playful gaze, pressing a foot upon the shadow to restrain its squirming.

"Because of you, I have to worry every day, if you show up again and the Tuners catch you, my previous lies will be busted, creating a lot of trouble."

"So it was you who set me up! Why me?" the Dye Thief's voice trembled. "I didn't provoke you before."

Xu Xiaoyou pondered briefly, then said: "Because you were unlucky."

After a moment of silence, the ground shadow surged again, the Dye Thief planning a last-ditch effort, when several rushing Water Bullets shot out, striking it back to its original form.

Tang Xin stepped out from the darkness, Water Element gathering in her palm, Xu Xiaoyou nodding to her slightly.

"Don't feel so bad. So many died because of you, this time it's just your turn to die, have a smile."

The Dye Thief accepted its fate, shadow still like a stagnant pool.

Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyou didn't intend to waste more words.

"Goodbye, tonight I'll finally get a good night's sleep."

Saying this, she intended to deliver the final strike with a Fireball.

At that instant, the Dye Thief suddenly emerged voluntarily from the shadow, half-kneeling on the ground, hurriedly saying, "You're one of the Monster Talks too, right? I can sense it, don't kill me, I can serve you!"

Tang Xin's eyes showed a flicker, and Xu Xiaoyou's expression also turned grim.

Xu Xiaoyou didn't offer an explanation, merely stating calmly: "How can you serve me?"

"Integrate my traits, like this."

As if fearing the opponent's regret, the Dye Thief emitted light, a circle of purple halo rose from beneath it, spreading outward like ripples in water.

At the same time, a strange sensation emerged from Xu Xiaoyou's heart. She could actually perceive the submission will of the Monster Talk creature before her, with her above it.

Every cell in her body seemed to yearn for integration. Her Spiritual Gaze activated automatically again, the dark red pupils imprinting the creature before her.

The previously hopeful Dye Thief saw those dark red pupils and as if witnessing something extremely terrifying, all flattery and sycophancy on its face were replaced by profound fear. It screamed trying to flee but was to no avail.

The light on the Dye Thief grew increasingly bright, the emitted purple halo enveloping both of them completely.

Until moments later, the halo faded away. The Dye Thief was gone, replaced by a Monster Talk Card appearing in her hand, its back's purple pattern flickering like amethyst.

[Monster Talk Card Dye Thief]

[Quality: Limited (Purple)]

[Effect: Equip this Monster Talk Card to gain partial traits of the Monster Talk creature 'Dye Thief.' Note: The Monster Talk Card can be unequipped.]

The card's cover captured the Dye Thief within an abyssal cage, its final fear recorded and frozen in time.

[Do you want to equip the Monster Talk Card Dye Thief?]

Xu Xiaoyou directly chose to equip it, the amethyst-like pattern of the Monster Talk Card shining and then shattering into light particles that merged into her Spiritual Gaze.

[Your understanding of the ██ domain is deepening.]

[Gained Agility 5, Constitution 5, Intelligence 5.]

[Dye Thief Resonance · Colorist unlocked.]

Tang Xin watched the whole scene, her worldview collapsing as she witnessed Xu Xiaoyou absorbing the Dye Thief, retreating a step instinctively.

Xu Xiaoyou noticed the blue-haired girl's shock without revealing any sign, opting to examine the new resonance trait on her panel.

[Colorist (Mastery): Your understanding of the ██ domain is deep enough, breaking the limit to integrate with the traits of the Monster Talk creature 'Dye Thief.' While equipped with Monster Talk Card Dye Thief, gain the 'Colorist' effect.]

[Colorist: You will be able to extract "dye" from others' skulls and add new colors. It allows memory deletion and alteration. Note: The target must be relaxed or unconscious.]

Seeing the effect, Xu Xiaoyou lifted a slight, nearly imperceptible smile.

She slowly rose and approached the blue-haired girl, her demeanor calm and gentle as usual:

"Tang Xin, do you trust me?"

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