The Maid

Seeking out Jiang Xun to discuss a countermeasure was a viable plan, but if he went in his current appearance, Su Mian wouldn’t be able to explain how he knew all this. He couldn’t simply expose his identity either.

Although Officer Jiang had been polite to him—and hadn’t exactly gone on a killing spree upon meeting the Succubus—there was no telling what the man was truly thinking. A demon was, after all, a demon. Once exposed, it would bring Su Mian a mountain of trouble. He didn’t believe for a second that their relationship was deep enough for the officer to cover for him.

Therefore, Jiang Xun had to be found, but certainly not as “Su Mian.”

He had to go in the form of the Succubus.

It might be illogical for “Su Mian” to know the truth about this place, but it was perfectly natural for a “Demon” to understand the situation. This would likely make the officer wary or suspicious, but given their previous “friendly” encounter, Jiang Xun shouldn’t be too shocked.

Probably.

Regardless, there were no other good options. Su Mian didn’t even know who had created this Shadow Domain. Without relying on his other self’s raw power, he had to take things one step at a time.

Lost in thought, he found himself back at the restroom door. After checking to ensure no one was around, he stepped inside once more.

Since time was of the essence, he didn’t bother pulling out the small mirror. Seeing that the room was still empty, the youth walked straight to the vanity and looked at himself in the large mirror.

“Come out and help me, quick.”

“Hmph.”

The Succubus girl opened her eyes, letting out a dissatisfied snort. “You’d rather risk seeking help from an outsider than rely on your own power?”

“I just feel the situation hasn’t deteriorated to the point where you need to step in personally. Besides, aren’t I asking for your help right now? Please, I’m begging you!”

Su Mian pressed his hands together in a prayer-like gesture, looking pleadingly at the reflection. The girl snorted again but eventually raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

In the next second, a faint pink light flickered in his eyes. When his vision cleared, the boy outside the mirror had transformed into the girl. Short hair instantly flowed down to her shoulders, features softened, height shrunk slightly, but her chest filled out significantly.

Looking at the familiar yet strange self in the mirror, Su Mian—now a she—still felt a bit odd, even though it wasn’t the first time. However, having switched back and forth recently, she had mostly adapted. She took a deep breath, suppressed her scattered emotions, and with practiced ease, pulled a row of—band-aids—out of her pocket.

As for why she carried several band-aids at all times… surely no one would think she was just afraid of getting a scratch while out and about?

Having made her decision, Su Mian didn’t hesitate. Time was tight. Holding the band-aids, she pushed open a stall door.

A few minutes later, when she emerged, the girl’s face bore an unnatural flush. She patted her cheeks to calm her brain down and moved her body to ensure everything was in place.

However, as she prepared to head out, she realized the clothes she was wearing were a problem.

“No, I have to change.”

Su Mian was going to find Jiang Xun, and he had seen her in this specific outfit before. Looking for him like this would make it far too easy for him to connect the dots.

But this wasn’t home. Where was she supposed to find a change of clothes?

Walking out of the restroom, Su Mian hesitated for a moment before following the stairs down. Just as she was getting a headache over what to do, a figure suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway.

It wasn’t Officer Jiang—thankfully, as bumping into him immediately would be terrible luck.

Walking toward her was a female servant. She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, with delicate features, but her mental state seemed poor. She looked as if she had just woken up; her hair was a bit messy, and her expression was vacant.

When Su Mian noticed the maid, the woman didn’t seem to realize someone was in front of her. She walked forward in a trance, only snapping out of it when she almost collided with Su Mian.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” The woman stumbled back, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t see you. Are you alright, guest?”

“I’m fine.”

Su Mian shook her head. Before the maid could speak again, Su Mian suddenly snapped her fingers. A pink light flashed in the maid’s eyes, and her expression instantly became vacant.

Looking at the woman she had temporarily hypnotized with a small trick, Su Mian didn’t waste time and asked directly: “Why are you the only one here?”

“I… I don’t know…” The maid’s expression was stiff. She paused for a few seconds before continuing uncertainly, “Maybe… they went to the restaurant?”

“The restaurant?”

“Yes… today… many people said they were very hungry. After they went to the restaurant… they never came back…”

The woman spoke haltingly. Su Mian’s expression became thoughtful, remembering that middle-aged man with the terrible eating habits she had seen in the restaurant earlier that morning.

After a brief thought, she looked up again: “Were you planning to go to the restaurant too?”

“Yes… the afternoon was busy, very tiring. I accidentally fell asleep. I just woke up hungry… I was going to the restaurant.”

“…”

It seemed the restaurant was quite suspicious. Should she check it out?

But since she might run into Officer Jiang at any moment, running around in her current clothes was dangerous. Su Mian pondered for a few seconds, her gaze suddenly falling on the maid. More specifically, on the maid’s uniform.

A brief silence followed.

“No, no, no! This is too embarrassing!”

Su Mian shook her head vigorously. But at that moment, she felt the atmosphere around her shift.

She instinctively turned to look at the adjacent wall. For a split second, that wall turned blood red!

It definitely wasn’t an illusion. In the next second, the carpet beneath her feet, the paintings on the walls, and the crystal lamps in the corridor all turned dark red. Countless black lines, like snakes, wove through them.

This process lasted for exactly three seconds. Then Su Mian felt her vision blur, and it returned to the familiar corridor. She was still standing there, but the maid in front of her had collapsed onto the floor.

“What’s happening!?”

Su Mian immediately pulled out the small mirror to ask. Her other self’s voice came from within: “The fusion has entered the next stage.”

“Be more specific.”

“The spatial fusion of two worlds isn’t instantaneous; it’s a process. During this time, as the degree of fusion deepens, the two worlds influence each other. Simply put, the power of the Abyss is encroaching here, attempting to warp the environment.”

The Succubus explained in detail, but it caused Su Mian’s heart to sink. She frowned: “By your estimation, how much longer until they fully merge?”

“At most, no more than two hours.”

It was currently 4:30 PM. That meant, by 6:30 PM at the latest, the Abyss would fully descend. By then, other than herself, Jiang Xun, and the mastermind, it was unlikely anyone else would survive.

Two hours—that was definitely not a generous amount of time, especially for a complete novice like Su Mian.

“No time to hesitate.”

She had been thinking about where to find a set of clothes to change into. With time being so tight, Su Mian made a split-second decision. She grabbed the maid on the floor and kicked open the door to a nearby lounge.

Tossing the maid onto the bed, the girl muttered an apology and expressionlessly stripped the uniform off her.

While changing into the clothes, Su Mian didn’t forget to ask: “By the way, why did she faint?”

“Also the influence of the Abyss.”

A mirror was embedded in the lounge wall. The Succubus was watching Su Mian change through it. After responding, she suddenly chuckled. “This person’s underwear style is quite trendy. Aren’t you going to swap those too?”

“Shut up.”

Su Mian ignored her. This maid sister looked quite plain on the outside, but her underwear was indeed bold—cutouts and lace, and even black garters. Even Su Mian had been stunned for a second while undressing her.

But there was no time or mood to focus on that.

It took Su Mian quite some effort to put on the maid uniform. This wasn’t a “sexy” version from an online shop; it was a very classical, rigorous type. It looked simple on the surface but was actually quite complex. It was hard to put on alone.

Furthermore, their body types were noticeably different. While Su Mian’s height had shrunk, she was still a bit taller than the maid, and her legs were longer. Consequently, the outfit felt a bit small. Fortunately, the shoe size was a decent fit and didn’t feel too cramped.

Once everything was settled, the girl stood before the mirror and looked at herself, her expression conflicted. Although it wasn’t her first time “cross-dressing”—the other her loved dressing her in various female clothes whenever she woke up—it was rare for Su Mian to do it herself.

To be honest, it was quite embarrassing. She truly hadn’t had any strange hobbies before.

But in this situation, there was no choice. It was just a maid uniform; it’s not like she’d lose a limb.

After a few words of self-comfort, before leaving, Su Mian looked at the maid she had specifically placed under the covers on the bed. “Will she be okay? And will the people upstairs be affected too?”

“She’ll be fine; she won’t die before the Abyss fully descends. As for the others… hard to say. You can go up and check.”

The words of her other self made the girl’s expression even more solemn. She didn’t linger any longer and pushed open the door.

Following the corridor and heading down the stairs, she planned to check the situation at the restaurant first, then find Officer Jiang Xun.

As for upstairs…

While she was worried about her friend, Su Mian suspected the mastermind was likely hidden among the people up there. Charging in without knowing the situation wasn’t a good strategy.

It was better to find Jiang Xun first and see if he knew who was behind this. After all, he was part of an official force and certainly had more experience dealing with such matters.

As for whether her sudden appearance as a “Succubus” would arouse suspicion or leave behind any hidden dangers—as mentioned before, this was an emergency. She could only take it one step at a time.

Besides, she was in disguise. The officer likely wouldn’t expect her to be able to change between male and female forms at will. As long as she didn’t expose that, it shouldn’t be a problem.

As the saying goes: You’re looking for a Succubus, what does that have to do with me, Su Mian?