About an hour later, the white-haired girl lying on the sofa finally opened her eyes.
"Brother! Anby! Number 11 is awake!" Belle, who had been watching over her, quickly called out to the others.
"Number 11?! You're finally awake! Are you feeling okay?" Trigger, who had been waiting by her side, immediately asked.
However, the newly awakened Number 11 just stared blankly at everyone in the room.
"Um, who are you? Is... Number 11 my name?"
Her reply left everyone stunned into silence.
"Um, Number 11, do you remember us?" Belle, sensing something was terribly wrong, rushed to her side.
"Um, you are?" Number 11's confusion only deepened as Belle suddenly appeared in front of her.
"It's a disaster, Brother! Number 11 has amnesia!" Belle shrieked, running to Mo Wang who had just entered the room.
"Huh? Amnesia?"
Mo Wang looked at Number 11 in confusion. She was just poisoned, right? She didn't hit her head. How could she suddenly have amnesia? I've never heard of poison causing memory loss. This isn't some wuxia drama.
"Don't worry, it's because of her special constitution," Anby said calmly, almost looking relieved. "People like us tend to lose our memories for a while after sustaining serious injuries. I've experienced it before, too."
"What kind of bizarre constitution is that? The Silver Squad had a setting like this?" Severe injury causes amnesia? What kind of lunatic came up with that? No wonder the military shut down the project. If you lose your memory every time you get hurt, what's the point?
"The amnesia isn't permanent. After a while, her memories will naturally return," Anby explained.
"Um, what are you all talking about? What happened to me?" Number 11 asked, still looking lost.
"From a perfect kuudere to an amnesiac beauty? You've got to be kidding me," Mo Wang muttered under his breath. "She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed to begin with, and now she seems even dumber."
He had been looking forward to the epic "love-hate sisters reconcile and team up for revenge" plotline, and now this.
Damn it! They'll really add any crappy trope just to keep the sisters from recognizing each other, won't they?
"It's okay, Xia Lin. I'll explain everything to you slowly," Anby said, comforting the frightened girl like a gentle older sister. "Please, don't worry."
"Xia Lin? Number 11? Which one is my name?"
"Both were your names. Whether you're Xia Lin or Number 11, you're still you."
Assuming her memories wouldn't return anytime soon, Anby began to tell her everything she had been hiding.
"Um, Brother, are you sure she won't remember any of this later?" Belle whispered to Mo Wang.
"I'm not sure, but since Anby wants to tell her, I'm not going to stop her," he said, trying to suppress a grin.
Anby had no idea that he, a follower of the Path of Remembrance, could easily restore her memories. It would be hilarious to see her face when she found out Number 11 hadn't really been amnesiac at all.
"Alright everyone, let's not disturb their sisterly reunion. We've been busy all night, let's go get something to eat," Mo Wang said, stretching.
"I'll go too. I'll get Number 11 her favorite extra-spicy ramen," Trigger said with a smile. It was clear her bond with Number 11 was one of deep camaraderie, not romantic love. Seeing the two sisters together, she couldn't help but feel happy for them.
The three of them tactfully left the room, giving the sisters some space. All the way to Master Cho's ramen stand, Mo Wang had a sly grin on his face.
"Brother, are you really that happy about Anby and Number 11 reuniting?" Belle asked suspiciously.
"Hmph~! What do you know!" he said. "Sisters locked in a love-hate relationship, finally reaching an understanding and embarking on a shared path of revenge? That's a classic plot, okay?"
"Really? I thought you were just looking forward to the chaos when Anby finds out Number 11's amnesia was a sham," she said, her eyes narrowing.
"Ahem, well, there might be a little bit of that, but I'm genuinely happy for them," he insisted.
"Hehehe, you're so wicked, Brother. But I have to admit, I'd like to see that too," Belle said with a mischievous grin of her own.
"Um, is it really okay to leave those two alone for so long?" Trigger asked, her brow furrowed with worry. "What if they start fighting?"
"Uh, hmm, probably not? Number 11 has amnesia, right? And Anby wouldn't hit her own sister..."
BOOM!
The three of them turned to look in the direction of the sound.
"What the?! MY HOUSE!!!" Mo Wang screamed.
A giant hole had been blown in the side of their shop. Smoke, fire, and sparks were billowing out of it.
"Bro, they're really fighting! Oh no! My game console!" Belle's face turned green.
The two of them sprinted back to the shop, and before they even opened the door, they could hear the sisters shouting.
"Anby! You bastard! How could you do that!"
"It was my fault back then, but I had no choice!"
"So you'd rather be a coward?!"
"The history of the Silver Squad must end, or there will be more trouble!"
They burst in to find Number 11 chasing Anby around the store, which was now a complete wreck.
"This is... quite something," Trigger said, stunned.
Number 11, despite her amnesia, had forgotten none of her combat skills and was strong enough to demolish the house. Anby, while only dodging, was too fast for her to catch. The price of their chase was Mo Wang's entire collection of videotapes, now scattered all over the floor.
"Bro, are... are you okay?" Belle asked, looking at her brother.
His face was terrifyingly dark.
"YOU TWO... IDIOTS!"
His hands shot out like twin thunderbolts from the primordial chaos, striking down upon the two warring empresses.
Before the empresses could even react, they were suppressed by the great evil demon king, a resounding bonk echoing from their heads like the tolling of a bell.
In the next moment, the two empresses, who had been fighting for the fate of their world, collapsed in a pool of blood, their fates unknown...
Ahem. Okay, the above was pure embellishment.
In reality, Mo Wang just flicked both of them on the forehead, and they both collapsed to the ground with large bumps on their heads.
"As expected, every time Mo Wang makes a move, it's so impressive," Trigger murmured, almost clapping.
...
"Alright, you two can argue all you want, but what's the deal with wrecking my shop?" Mo Wang lectured the two girls, who were now kneeling on the floor with their hands in the air. "Wasn't my deficit bad enough for you? Do you want to see me bankrupt and homeless?!"
He then turned to Anby and started pulling her cheeks. "And you! You knew how tight things are, and you still provoked your sister? Couldn't you have taken her to the Cunning Hares' place to fight?!"
"I'm sorry~! I'm really sorry! Mo Wang, stop pulling," she whimpered.
"Heh." Number 11 smirked at Anby's predicament. But then, Mo Wang's iron grip latched onto her cheek as well, pulling even harder.
"And you! You think I won't touch you just because you have amnesia?! If it weren't for that, I'd spank you too! You still have the nerve to laugh?!"
"I-I'm sorry too! I won't do it again!"
Even with amnesia, she could sense that Mo Wang was someone very close to her, perhaps even closer than Anby.
"Hehe." Anby now smirked at Number 11's plight.
But while the two sisters were finding amusement in each other's misery, Mo Wang just wanted to cry. Why did their sisterly drama have to result in him going even further into debt? What had he done wrong?
Looking at the hole in his wall, he was already considering sending a bill to the Defense Force and the Cunning Hares.