"Haha, little Hu Tao, you really should drink more milk. Here, big sister will give you hers."
Eula puffed out her chest, emphasizing the words "little" and "sister." Hu Tao wasn't stupid. Seeing Eula's smug expression, she immediately understood what Su Bai had meant.
Hu Tao slapped the empty milk bottle on the table and glared at Su Bai, demanding a reasonable explanation. Su Bai shrugged and said flatly:
"Take a look around at everyone here, Hu Tao. Once you do, you'll understand why you need to catch up."
Hu Tao scanned the group. She suddenly realized that even Lumine's chest was much bigger than hers. After seeing Shenhe's assets, which even surpassed Eula's, she looked down at her own flat chest. Damn it. Fine. Milk it was.
So, under everyone's teasing gazes, Hu Tao chugged three bottles of milk. Cheers filled the base.
On the other side of the base, Albedo had set down his brush. Though he had only used black ink, the painting looked nothing like Lumine's original.
"Is... is that really me? Albedo, you changed it more than just a little."
Paimon stared at the elegant and graceful version of herself on the canvas. For once, the usually chatty Paimon was at a loss for words. Was this the power of a true artist? It was incredible.
Looking at Albedo's work, Lumine felt the sting of being outclassed. He had said he'd just touch it up. This was a complete overhaul. It was too good. Albedo definitely had a side job.
At the foot of Dragonspine, Klee and Qiqi were building snowmen on an open patch of ground. It was the only activity Amber could find to keep Klee from tinkering with bombs inside the camp.
While building a snowman, Klee noticed someone who looked a lot like Albedo digging nearby. Being a polite child, she thought she should go say hello.
"Hello there, big brother who looks like Brother Albedo! Do you need any help?"
Klee's greeting froze the fake Albedo in his tracks. He couldn't understand how she had seen through his disguise. After thinking about it for a moment and coming up blank, he decided that if he couldn't solve the problem, he'd just eliminate the one who raised it.
Cryo energy gathered in the fake Albedo's hand. The extreme cold alerted Amber and Mona back at the camp—that spot wasn't far from where Klee was playing.
"Mona, let's go! We need to check if enemies are attacking."
But Klee had already realized this fake Albedo was a bad guy who wanted to hurt her. She decided to test out her new Scorching Stone Jumpy Dumpty on him. As for how powerful it was? The look of disbelief on Amber and Mona's faces when they arrived said it all.
After Klee explained what had happened, Mona had trouble imagining how this massive Whopperflower had disguised itself as Albedo. If Qiqi hadn't backed up Klee's story, Mona would have thought she was making it up.
"This... this Whopperflower is huge! And it can transform? Is it some new species?"
Amber cautiously poked the giant Whopperflower. Nectar immediately oozed from the wound. She licked a drop from her lips. The sweet taste made her eyes narrow with pleasure—she had never tasted such delicious nectar.
"I think we should tell Albedo and the others. I have a feeling there's someone behind this."
Mona filled a vial with the nectar while using the communication device to contact Albedo.
'Albedo, Klee just blew up someone disguised as you. It was a Whopperflower.
'Be careful up there. Don't get tricked by these transforming Whopperflowers. Also, this nectar is really good.'
'Ah! Why did my thoughts get sent out again?! No, no, let me explain—this nectar really is delicious.'
'...'
'Just stay safe!'
Up on the mountain, Albedo and the others hadn't noticed the messages. An uninvited guest had just barged into the base—wearing a face identical to Albedo's.
"Well, well. Your director told you Albedo had a brother who wanted him dead. None of you believed me. Tsk."
Hu Tao complained, but the flames dancing on her Staff of Homa betrayed her anger. Lumine and the others had also drawn their weapons, eyeing the fake Albedo warily.
Seeing everyone so furious, Su Bai understood. Being ambushed for three or four days straight was infuriating. If it were him, he would have already charged in to teach the culprit a lesson.
"I thought you'd come looking for me yesterday. I didn't expect you to hold out another day. That surprised me."
Albedo stepped forward with a light laugh, his eyes full of mockery. Watching from the side, Su Bai thought that if not for the circumstances, Albedo looked more like the villain here.
"You bastard! When did you poison me?! I never even came into contact with you!"
The fake Albedo clutched his arm, black smoke seeping from it. Over the past few days, he had felt himself slipping away. A voice in his head kept urging him to destroy the world.
He knew he was a bad person—he wanted to kill Albedo and take his place. But destroying the world? He had no interest in that. The more he resisted, the more frantic the voice became. Finally, unable to hold out any longer, he dragged himself to Albedo's base.
"Don't accuse me. I've been in this base the whole time. I haven't even stepped outside. How could I have poisoned you?"
Albedo feigned innocence with a shrug. The fake Albedo's eyes dimmed. Was this the flaw of being a defective copy? No wonder his creator had abandoned him. With such a flaw, being discarded was only natural.
"Though, a few days ago, a reagent I made that amplifies negative emotions was shattered by someone. The place was a mess. Truly dangerous."
"Damn you! It was you all along!"