MDV 101-110 (Patreon)

MDV 101-110

Chapter 101: What is the Most Important Thing Between a Wife and a Wife?

"Speaking of which, Miss Lin Ling, are you really sure that Rin is on the 33rd floor? I'm not doubting you, but it's a matter of great importance. What if the information is wrong..." Although Lin Ling had always been confident, Sakura still had a bad feeling. "Why don't we go to the archives first to check?"

"Between husband and wife, the most important thing is trust! If it's wife's words, don't ask any more questions. Let's go quickly. Time may be running out."

After leaving a sentence that left Sakura speechless, Lin Ling went ahead. Although this was just a false bubble, she didn’t want to see the regret that might follow. She wanted to reverse the future!

"Huh!?"

At that moment, Sakura suddenly dodged and hid in a corner dragging the white-haired girl who was running faster than her along.

Then, relying on her height and strong body, she held the girl firmly in her arms making her unable to move and only able to make muffled sounds.

"Wow?! Wuwuwu!" (What are you doing? Let me go!)

"Miss Sakura, you?" 'Seele'’s attention was drawn to Sakura’s actions.

"Shh!" Sakura made a silencing gesture to 'Seele' and then looked vigilantly at the patrolling mechanical guard in the hall. "Wait a little longer. You can't go out now!"

She was observing the guard?

Seeing Sakura’s actions, 'Seele' had a bad feeling.

Could this girl with fox ears not be from the base? Did she invade here? Oh no, will they be caught if they follow her...

After about ten seconds, the patrol robot disappeared down the passage, and Lin Ling finally broke free from Sakura’s slightly relaxed grip.

"Huh~" She took a deep breath. "You almost suffocated me, Wife?! What's wrong with you? Now is not the time to be intimate; we need to hurry and find my sister-in-law!"

"..."

However, Sakura, with an anxious face, ignored Lin Ling’s words and continued forward.

As they went deeper, the guards became more and more dense. Rescuing her sister was not easy. These guard robots were manageable, but it would be troublesome if they alerted the higher-ups.

"Hey! Liar!" 'Seele', taking advantage of Sakura’s distraction as she observed everything ahead, whispered in Lin Ling’s ear, "Are you sure we can escape this bubble by following her?"

"Don't worry, wife." Lin Ling also whispered back, "Just like the bubble you experienced before, you can leave as long as certain conditions are met. Just like there must be a way to pass the game, and coincidentally, I know the game strategy."

"Huh?... Why do you know? I always feel like you’re lying to me again? Hmm!"

"Don’t worry about it!" Lin Ling imitated Sakura’s earlier behavior, even more excessively. She directly pressed an index finger against Seele’s lips to silence her. "Just listen to your husband... Sakura! Do you know where the elevator is? Let's go there first."

After talking to Seele, Lin Ling immediately trotted ahead and ran in front of Sakura.

Duang!

Then she was hit on the head by Sakura: "Keep your voice down!"

"Damn..." Seeing the person who just called her wife, then ran off to call someone else’s wife, 'Seele' cursed inwardly, "This scumbag, if I could beat her, I’d chop her right now!"

Soon, the three of them reached an elevator.

However, a guard robot was stationed at the elevator door.

"It seems we can’t get around it this time." As a member of the Fire Moth, Sakura knew this was a special checkpoint guard, not a patrol robot, and would not move on its own.

She had to raise her fist to signal the two people behind her to stop.

"What should we do?" 'Seele' asked.

"Well... I have a solution." After a brief thought, Sakura whispered to the others, "Follow me closely, keep your heads down, and don’t make any noise."

"Oh! I see. Do you want to play bondage?" Lin Ling had a strange smile on her face as she took out a rope from somewhere and began to...

...

"Please show your identity."

"Sakura, identity number: CM-004."

"Verification in progress... Verification passed. Good evening, Soldier of Fire Moth. May I assist you?" the mechanical guard asked politely.

"We found two dangerous experimental subjects with special abilities. Dr. Mei asked me to imprison them at the bottom," Sakura fabricated a story.

"Looking up... Sorry, no relevant information was found, and authority is not permitted."

Of course, such a crude lie could not deceive a meticulous machine.

Swish! ——

With a swift slash, the mechanical guard was cut in half.

Beep beep beep!

The alarm for the entire base sounded.

"What are you doing? Are you an idiot?" 'Seele' scolded urgently.

Lin Ling was unusually serious: "Time is running out. This is the only way."

"Alas." Although Sakura had considered taking action earlier, she didn't expect the white-haired girl to be faster than her. This little girl didn’t seem as weak as she looked. "I can only break through by force! Seele, hide behind me."

"Hmph, I can fight too, don’t underestimate me!" 'Seele' then joined the fight against the mechanical guards that were now swarming in response to the alarm.

The guards couldn't withstand the combined power of the three.

So, they quickly fought their way to the 33rd floor.

"Finally here, my sister-in-law is here!"

"Yeah!" Sakura's brows, which had been tense all along, finally relaxed a little, and a ray of hope lit up in her eyes.

But the next moment, her expression turned more serious than ever before.

"That’s it, Sakura."

A white-haired man, who seemed even colder than Sakura, stopped the three of them.

———

Chapter 102: I'm Going to Imprison You in Elysian Realm!

The person who arrived was none other than the most powerful member of the Fire Moth, no, the most powerful warrior in the entire previous era, the leader of the Thirteen Flamechasers – [Deliverance] Kevin.

"Get out of the way, Kevin. I know exactly what I'm doing." But now Sakura who was eager to save her sister would not back down, no matter who she faced, not even Kevin.

"I know exactly as well, which is why I want to stop you. Sakura, stop before things become irreversible," Kevin said seriously. "Your behavior is equivalent to betraying humanity!"

"Huh? Betray humanity? It's humanity that betrayed me!" Sakura sneered disdainfully. "Rim is innocent! She didn't do anything. You can't arbitrarily decide she's a threat, let alone imprison her!"

"Special Honkai energy reactions were detected in Rin's body. There is no doubt that she is the 12th Herrscher."

"What does a Honkai energy reaction mean?" Sakura retorted. "You and I both have Honkai energy in our bodies. There are factors of Honkai Beast, but we are MANTIS who protect humans. Rin has no symptoms. She can control that power and won't hurt others! You can't take her life away!"

"Sakura! I understand your feelings. But the power of the 11th Herrscher exceeded everyone's imagination. No one could have predicted that disaster would come in that form. We can't bear another loss again! Rin's situation is very special, but she must be supervised. Please trust that Dr. Mei will make the right and wise decision."

Seeing that Sakura wasn't listening, Kevin had to mention Dr. Mei.

"I don't doubt Dr. Mei's character. But I can't trust the rest of Fire Moth. Kevin, you know how those people have looked at us. I don't care what happens to me, but I won't stand by while Rin falls into their hands. Get out of the way!" As Sakura's tone grew firmer, her hand was already on the hilt of the sword at her waist, ready to strike.

"Sakura, Fire Moth needs you. We need you. I won't harm you, but I will never let you pass through here." Seeing that Sakura was prepared for battle, Kevin also drew his red sword, his words filled with absolute confidence in his own strength.

"Kevin, although we've fought side by side for so long... you've never once seen my true strength, have you?"

The sharp blade gleamed with cold light, and the giant sword burst into flames.

As the two were on the verge of a fight, the space seemed to freeze.

The white-haired warrior held Shamash and slowly walked toward his goal.

One step, two steps...

But suddenly! The figure in his sight vanished.

"What?!" Kevin instinctively turned around in surprise, only to find that the three people who had been in front of him had already moved behind him.

Then, they ran toward the deeper part of the passage without looking back.

But... one person remained.

"Two of you go quickly. Leave this to me."

Lin Ling stayed behind, buying time for the two who escaped.

"Oh? Who are you? Do you think you can stop me?" Kevin pointed his sword at the white-haired girl in front of him. The once-thin flames turned into a raging red storm, seemingly ready to engulf Lin Ling in an instant.

But she remained unfazed, standing in place to face the terrifying flames head-on.

At the same time, snow-white frost spread from the center of Lin Ling’s body outward, seeming to resist the flames that threatened to consume everything.

"This is...?" Kevin's face showed surprise once again. "Parvati’s ability? Who are you?"

[Ding~ The host slightly surprised Kevin, and the adaptability of the collapse energy increased by 3%.]

Hmph, is this the real Kevin?

Although Lin Ling had long suspected that since this was a Bubble World created by Kevin, the person inside might be him, it wasn't until the system prompt sounded that she was completely sure it was the real Kevin, not a phantom in the Bubble World created by the special power of the Sea of Quanta.

However, she felt relieved to learn it was the real Kevin. The real Kevin had been sealed in the Sea of Quanta for 1,500 years, and his strength had greatly diminished. He had even been entangled by the sickly Old Yang, so it would be much easier to deal with him.

"I am Elysia," Lin Ling replied.

"Stop. You can't be her."

[Ding~ The host slightly angered Kevin, and the Honkai ability increased by 3%.]

Seeing that Kevin seemed to be getting angry again, Lin Ling didn’t want to push it too far, so she stopped her teasing.

Instead, she waved her hand dismissively and said impatiently, "Okay, okay, little ice pig, stop acting. I know you’re the real deal."

"..."

Kevin neither confirmed nor denied it. There were too many strange things about this girl for him to be surprised by being recognized. He merely said with some doubt, "You... really know all of this?"

"What do you think?" Lin Ling asked in return. "From your actions, you're very familiar with what’s about to happen. What a pity." Kevin shook his head regretfully. "History cannot be changed."

"Miss Lin Ling!" At that moment, Sakura in the Bubble World had successfully rescued Rin before the base personnel could harm her. She hugged her sister joyfully and called out to Lin Ling, "Lin Ling! I’ve saved Rin! Let’s leave together and find a safe place to live in seclusion from now on..."

"I know. You go ahead; I have something to discuss with this little pig. Don’t worry, this guy’s a good person and won’t harm me." Lin Ling turned around and blew a kiss to Sakura and the others. Then she faced Kevin and said, "Nothing is absolute. See? Haven’t I already changed history?"

"This is just a bubble created by my memory..."

"Hmph, that may not be the case. Since I can change the history of the Bubble World, I can certainly change the course of the real world. I will definitely turn this imperfect world into the one I envision!"

Zzzzz~

Crack!

As soon as Lin Ling’s determined voice fell, the entire world shattered.

The Bubble World formed from Kevin's memory had deviated too far from its original, causing it to collapse.

"Huh!? Did we escape? That guy actually succeeded!" 'Seele' rejoiced at the sight, but the next moment, a torrent formed by a black tide swept her back to Kevin's side.

"Though you have the power of a Herrscher, and though the method differed from what I expected, you’ve passed my test. I can see you’re not a puppet of Honkai, so I won’t harm you."

"But!"

Kevin's eyes sharpened. "You are too naive! Naive enough to think you can change the entire world, that you can fight Honkai alone. If left unchecked, you may threaten the safety of all humanity. So! I will imprison you in Elysian Realm!"

---

Chapter 103: For Me, Compared to This World... You Are More Important!

"Great!"

However, to Kevin's surprise, Lin Ling actually seemed very happy after hearing that he was going to imprison her.

"But unfortunately, I can’t do it right now," Lin Ling immediately added. "I have other things to deal with in Arc City, and I can’t go to Elysian Realm to see my wives... for the time being."

"Hmph, whether you want to or not, you will go! Only there can your distorted thoughts be corrected and put you back on the right track!"

In the brief moment when the old and new Herrschers of Reason were transitioning, during the weakest point of the rapidly collapsing barrier, Kevin had his best chance to escape. He could even enter the depths of this broken maze and confront Lin Ling and the others face-to-face.

However, unlike in the original timeline, Kevin had not obtained the Desire Gem, so he could not fully escape. If the new Herrscher of Reason fully mastered the power of Reason and reconstructed the maze before he could leave, he would remain sealed.

Thus, he needed to make good use of all the resources at hand!

Kevin looked sideways and said to Seele beside him, "I'm very sorry, Miss Seele. No matter the cost, humanity will definitely defeat Honkai!"

"..." 'Seele', trapped by Kevin in the black tide, said nothing, but her expression grew increasingly grim. Although she didn’t understand what Kevin intended to do to her, she feared that she might be the price Kevin was referring to.

"Okay." At that moment, Lin Ling suddenly removed the Gem of Haste from her weapon. "I’ll give this to you if you give Seele to me."

"Oh?" Kevin was a little surprised, but it seemed he understood the white-haired girl’s previous actions. "As I thought, your heart is filled only with childish affection, and you lack the broader perspective of considering all of humanity..."

"Stop talking nonsense. Just say whether you want it or not. I'll exchange Seele for this. With this gem, you should be able to leave, and you won’t need Seele. Also, I have some conditions. First, you’re not allowed to hurt anyone here. Second, I have other things to deal with temporarily, and I’ll go to Elysian Realm on my own once I’m done. During that time, you are not allowed to stop me!"

"Lin Ling... you... why..." 'Seele’s eyes were filled with both hope and confusion. She didn’t understand why this person whom she had just met, was being so kind to her. But in her confusion, there was also a trace of gratitude. "Treating me like this, aren’t you afraid..."

"Why? Hehe~" Lin Ling smiled at 'Seele' and said matter-of-factly, "Because, to me, you are more important than this world!"

"Ling..."

'Seele' bit her lip and couldn’t speak, but the crystal tears spilling from her eyes were answer enough.

"I agree." After a moment of thought, Kevin agreed to Lin Ling’s deal.

As long as he could achieve his goal of leaving, he had no objections. He had initially planned to use Seele to coerce Lin Ling into handing over the Gem of Haste, since he knew Lin Ling cared deeply for Seele.

Now, as long as he could escape, it didn’t matter whether the cunning girl kept her promise. He had the power to force her into Elysian Realm anyway.

"Lin Ling! Don’t give him your Gem!"

But just as the two were about to complete the exchange, the roar of an engine tore through the air. Bronya, riding a massive motorcycle, descended from the sky and landed between the two groups.

"Sister?!" Seele gasped in shock.

"Seele, Lin Ling! I’m so glad you’re both alright!" Bronya sighed with relief upon seeing Seele unharmed.

Then, she asked through the Herrscher Core, "Mr. Welt, is that man the Serpent?"

Welt responded, "This is the first time I’ve seen his true form, but his aura is undoubtedly the 'Serpent' I sensed in the Sea of Quanta."

"We meet again, Herrscher of Reason, and... his successor," Kevin suddenly greeted them while Bronya and Welt communicated privately.

"He can speak to me? He can sense my presence?!" Welt was shocked by this and grew more concerned about the man’s existence.

"I thought you were an apostle of Honkai, but in that maze, I saw your past. Your resolve is not a facade. As a Herrscher, you truly are fighting for humanity," Kevin explained calmly. "Fighting Honkai is our shared mission. I have no intention of being your enemy."

Bronya naturally didn’t believe him. "Sweet words won’t fool us. We won’t let you leave!"

"You? Can you stop me?"

The black tide surged from the cracks, covering Kevin’s figure. It spread and writhed in the air, like an invisible monster.

"Little Ice Pig, take it!" In contrast, Lin Ling tore open a imaginary portal and handed the fiery red gem to Kevin.

Bronya was shocked. "That’s it! The gem?! Lin Ling! What are you doing?!"

"I know what I’m doing. Seele’s body has already been quantized. Even if you take her away, she can’t remain in the real world for long. It’s this man’s power that’s helping stabilize her body, so I must complete this deal."

Although Lin Ling had some powers from the Herrscher of Death and the Herrscher of Reason, she could create a new body for Seele. But simply creating a body wasn’t enough—she didn’t know how to transfer Seele’s consciousness into it, so she had to rely on Kevin’s power.

Lin Ling assured Bronya, "If Kevin leaves and plans to start the Project Stigma before the final moment, I’ll do everything I can to stop him! Trust me! I also sense danger outside, so I’m leaving first!"

With that, Lin Ling headed toward the Eye of the Deep. "Now, it’s the final moment!"

After Lin Ling left, Kevin who had the gem in hand, unleashed a powerful force, completely tearing the broken maze apart.

"I have been sleeping in this ocean for 1,500 years. During these 1,500 years, Honkai has raged, and I could only sink into memories of the past, powerless. But now, the time for the Serpent's return has come! Whether you accept it or not, I will fulfill the duties I should have completed!"

"Damn it, Bronya will never let you succeed!"

Azure artillery bombarded the space, tearing the surging quantum shadow into pieces. Bronya, riding her vehicle, leaped over the tide of shadows and rushed straight toward the white-haired man.

However, things did not go as planned.

With just one encounter, Bronya was defeated by Kevin. Even the Herrscher Core in her hand was taken away.

"Bronya, you’ve traveled through countless worlds and come here burdened with a huge responsibility. Your body can no longer keep up with your will." Kevin, holding the Core of the Herrscher of Reason, said this. But suddenly, the Herrscher Core in his hand burst into a strange light.

"Hm?" Kevin exclaimed as a man with short brown hair appeared in his hand instead of the Herrscher Core.

"Don’t attack her!" Welt who had suddenly appeared, lunged at the Gem of Haste in Kevin’s other hand. However, he was immediately knocked away by an invisible force. Although he didn’t see his opponent’s movements, the sudden impact hit every part of his body, just as it had when Bronya was knocked down.

"Ah!"

"Ugh!"

In the next moment, both Welt and Bronya, the two Herrschers of Reason fell to the ground in the same posture.

"In order to protect that girl, you reconstructed your body using the power of the Herrscher of Reason? Your strength has indeed grown but what can you do with that broken body? You and everyone else here still have potential."

Unexpectedly, yet somewhat predictably, Kevin extended an olive branch to them. "The World Serpent needs people like you. Join us, and together we can fight against Honkai."

"Don’t joke. We will never agree with your inhumane methods!" Although Welt had been defeated, lying on the ground, he refused Kevin’s proposal even if it meant his death.

"You don’t have to answer now. One day, you’ll understand. I pay tribute to you. In this era, there are still heroes like you, determined to fight for humanity. But you are too naive, so naive that your ideals will lead to your death—you know nothing about Honkai! I will lead humanity to fulfill the true mission of the 'Pioneer.' We will meet in reality."

With that, Kevin disappeared into the Sea of Quanta with the gem.

"Ah... ah..." Bronya gasped weakly on the ground. Having experienced too much mental shock and with 'Seele' retreating, Seele regained control of her body. Seele then rushed to Bronya’s side.

"Sister Bronya... are you okay!?"

"I... I’m fine..." Bronya struggled painfully, trying to stand, but blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. The injury was not just from the battle—her body had sustained fatal damage from the erosion of the Herrscher of Reason’s core.

However, the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil.

Bronya was deeply confused by Lin Ling’s actions and felt guilty toward Seele. She didn’t know if Lin Ling’s actions were right, nor what she should do next.

"The space is shaking! Damn it!"

At the same time, possibly due to the earlier battle, the space around them began to tremble violently with collapses occurring everywhere.

Suddenly, a huge rock floating in the air shattered into pieces, separating Welt from the others. The boulder rolled, broke, and dissolved into the bottomless dark tide amidst the chaos.

But at that critical moment, a girl with half of her face in an illusory state emerged from the dark tide.

It was Dr. Schrödinger, who had dissipated into quantum form after an accident many years ago...

---

Meanwhile, outside the Eye of the Deep, in The Deep:

After injecting strange reagents, the two Gray Serpents had merged into a massive monster. Its power was so overwhelming that even S-rank Valkyrie Theresa couldn’t defeat it quickly.

But what was even more terrifying was—

"No! Lilia!" The pink-haired girl screamed in fear as the monster swallowed a blue-haired girl with a tail in one gulp. This made Theresa, who was worried about hurting Lilia, hesitate even more.

Swish!

But suddenly, a cold light flashed, and the huge monster was sliced in two in an instant.

"What... what is this?..."

As the light that cut through the Gray Serpent vanished, Theresa recognized the white-haired girl who had struck.

"Little Lin Ling!?... You’re being too impulsive! That monster just swallowed Lilia! Your attack could have hurt her by mistake..."

"Don’t worry, Auntie," Lin Ling smiled confidently at Theresa. "How could I possibly hurt the candidate of being my future wife? I specifically avoided the cute little girl inside the monster."

"Lilia!? It’s Lilia’s scent!"

As if to confirm Lin Ling’s words, Rosaria’s nose twitched, and she rushed toward the monster’s remains. She found the blue-haired girl, weak but unharmed, and hugged her tightly.

"Thank goodness! She’s okay!"

"Huh..."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, especially Himeko and Theresa, who were both surprised by Lin Ling’s sudden appearance.

"It’s only been a few days, little Lin Ling, but you’ve grown so much stronger. Come over here and let your aunt check if you’ve grown taller."

Lin Ling who was taller now, grinned mischievously and patted Theresa’s head. "Hehe, Auntie, you’re still so short... oh no, petite and cute. How about being my exclusive pet? You’d make a perfect pillow."

"Hmph! It’s great to be tall!"

Though annoying as always, Ling’s words brought a sense of warmth and ease to Theresa and Himeko, who listened to her with complete sincerity.

"Hmm~~~! Ah!"

Especially Himeko. With her fiery temper, she couldn’t stand seeing Lin Ling playing around with only Theresa. She pulled Lin Ling into a fierce embrace.

"Rosalia, take Lilia to the infirmary!"

But Cocolia was not as happy. The sight of Lin Ling caused an old wound in her chest to ache. She quickly instructed Rosalia to leave.

"But Mother Cocolia, Lilia isn’t too badly injured. She wants to personally thank the white-haired sister who saved her."

"Yes! Mother Cocolia, that sister is so strong. I also want to talk to her," added Rosaria.

"Shh!" Cocolia quickly silenced them. "Don’t talk nonsense! Hide quickly. That girl isn’t as cute as she seems. She’s a demon. Do you want her to eat you?"

The two girls, one pink and one blue, were shocked. "What?! Will she eat people?"

---

Chapter 104: Lin Ling! You eat my food! Sleep in my bed! Then I'll eat you!

"Aunt Hi-Himeko! Let me go, I can’t breathe!"

Lin Ling never expected to be in even more pain after just experiencing the agony of suffocation in the Bubble World.

Fortunately, after feeling Lin Ling’s breath, the tall red-haired woman finally let go of the petite and soft white-haired girl in her arms.

"Little one, how have you been lately?" Himeko gently stroked the head of the blushing white-haired girl, her eyes filled with tenderness. "You must’ve suffered in the Sea of Quanta, didn’t you?"

"Well… what do you mean?" Lin Ling scratched the back of her head. She recalled how, in the first Bubble World, she was surrounded by beautiful girls, enjoying delicious food and drinks every day. Those were such comfortable days.

Unfortunately, each night she’d automatically wake up in the morning of the previous day.

She answered hesitantly, "It was… pretty painful... probably? Oh, by the way! Bronya and Seele are still in there, but they should be fine. I’m sorry."

"Sorry? Why are you suddenly apologizing?" Himeko was puzzled. "Did you do something to disappoint us again?"

"Well, though I’m reluctant..." Lin Ling glanced at the white-haired girl beside her, who was tilting her head in confusion, and explained to Himeko, "I have to leave soon. Last time, Auntie told me never to come back... She doesn’t want me anymore. I have to head to the city to grab some spicy chicken before it gets snatched up by others."

"You... you... I... I..."

Theresa was speechless for a moment after hearing this. She thought Lin Ling had encountered another crisis, but it turned out she was upset over what was said last time!

Theresa was both embarrassed and annoyed. "Really! I-I was just angry before! I take it back! You must come back and stay by my side!"

"Oh? Stay by your side? Oh~" Lin Ling said, looking at Theresa with disappointment. "Does that mean you’ll follow me to the bathroom and shower too? You’re over 40 years old, do you still need someone to accompany you? Really, I’m not your nanny."

"What nonsense are you talking about? How can I ask you to follow me everywhere? Anyway, stop spouting nonsense!"

Suddenly, Lin Ling felt her left wrist tighten. It was Theresa, who had grabbed her hand.

"You’re not allowed to go anywhere!"

"But... um?!... Sister Himeko, you too?"

Lin Ling was about to say something when she felt her right wrist being grabbed. Turning her head, she saw Himeko holding on.

"Last time, you forced me to take an injection, then you snuck away. Let’s see you run this time!"

Lin Ling found herself stuck between two distinct women—one tall and red-haired, one petite and white-haired—unable to move.

"I’ve found my wife’s whereabouts, I need to save her..."

But as soon as she said this, both Saint Freya leaders, one big and one small, tightened their grip even more.

"What?!" Himeko became anxious and asked quickly, "Did you find Kiana? Or Wendy? Who do you mean by 'wife'?!"

Crack!

"Ahh! It hurts! My bones are going to break! Let go!"

Though Himeko was an "ordinary" person, Theresa, with her loli-like appearance but immense strength, made Lin Ling miserable. Her small body contained an unbelievable amount of power completely disproportionate to her size. Even Lin Ling was caught off guard. She felt her bones creaking under the pressure.

Seeing Lin Ling in pain, Theresa quickly eased up and asked, "Do you really know where they are?"

"Yes!" Lin Ling nodded repeatedly. "Of course I do! But as for Wendy, unfortunately, her whereabouts are still unclear. I only know Kiana’s location—she’s in Arc City!"

"And then?" Theresa asked eagerly.

"Then… well… I don’t know either."

"That’s it? Ugh!" Theresa scoffed. "We already knew that! You didn’t need to tell us."

"Well, Lin Ling, just stay here for now," Himeko suggested. "After Bronya and the others come out, we’ll head to the Anti-Entropy Headquarters to unlock the information in the humanoid machine’s brain. Then we can find Kiana together."

But Lin Ling shook her head, whispering to herself, "No… it might be too late…"

"Huh? What did you say, little Lin Ling?" Himeko didn’t hear her clearly. "What’s too late?"

"Nothing, it’s just that my wife is too far from me. I’m afraid she’ll be snatched away by another woman, so I have to go see her."

"What?! You’re still thinking about things like that!"

Theresa had thought Lin Ling would have matured after everything she’d been through, but to her surprise, Lin Ling’s mind remained consistent and focused on her own goals.

"So, no matter what, I have to go to Arc City. I can’t just let Chong Chong suffer out there! I need to help her!" Lin Ling declared, no longer holding back. A powerful gust of energy erupted from her body, knocking Himeko and Theresa away. She then flew straight up into the sky, vanishing just as she was about to hit the protective barrier of The Deep...

Theresa and Himeko could only stare at each other.

"Damn it! She ran away again. Every single one of them makes me worry... This is all your fault, Himeko!" Theresa complained, glaring at her.

"Huh? My dear Dean, if they’re acting out because of me, then surely you must have set the example first." Himeko smirked, then added reassuringly, "But don’t worry. Although Lin Ling never seems serious, she’s very clever. Judging from the strength of her attack just now, you and I together wouldn’t be able to beat her anymore. So relax."

“Hmph! No matter how strong she is, she is still my student. No matter how strong she is, she has to call me Aunt! I don't believe she dares to fight back against me. I'll teach her a lesson next time we meet!”

...

Afterward, because Lin Ling helped to eliminate the most difficult monster transformed by the Gray Serpent, the remaining mid-level Valkyries of Schicksal were unable to capture The Deep, where Theresa was stationed, and they withdrew soon after. Welt Yang also successfully returned to the world with the help of Einstein, Schrödinger, and others.

Bronya and Seele returned home after a mutual redemption.

But Cocolia was not so lucky. She was sentenced to life imprisonment for colluding with foreign enemies, leaking intelligence, framing members of the organization, and conducting illegal experiments without authorization, which caused heavy casualties and killed countless innocent people.

Moreover, after everyone discussed it, the place where she was imprisoned was not an ordinary prison but a Bubble World in the Sea of Quanta.

A Bubble World that would constantly repeat the sins she had created, making her face her own sins countless times...

...

On the other side, in Arc City, thousands of kilometers away, in a deep and narrow alley with no one around.

Zi~

With the generation of several arcs appearing out of thin air,

A prototype purple hole appeared out of thin air.

“Hu… Hu~”

Then, a breathless white-haired girl walked out of it.

Although her physique had been strengthened in terms of resistance to Honkai energy, she had been busy in various Bubble Worlds and had a tentative fight with Kevin, the first person under Finality. She had no time to absorb and replenish Honkai energy and was now very low on energy.

And now, after performing a super long-distance teleportation across the country, she was even weaker and more tired.

After resting for a while against the wall, Lin Ling sighed: “Ah~ I'm so tired. I really want to hug a beautiful girl and sleep comfortably~”

Of course, Lin Ling was just thinking about it.

She should find Chong Chong first. She was really worried about that girl living alone. Without Mei to take care of her, she couldn't cook, and she had to hide from the pursuit of the world's largest organization, Schicksal.

She didn't know if she had eaten well or if she was going to pick up garbage to eat.

As for how to find her in this super-large city, Lin Ling who had read the script, actually had a very convenient way.

As Void Drifter who saves the dying and the wounded in Sky City, defeats Honkai, and protects mankind, she would naturally be there wherever there were Honkai beasts.

So...

“Beep beep! Alarm! A Honkai disaster is currently happening in the back area of Arc City. Citizens in the area are requested to evacuate quickly and go to the nearest shelter. Arc City patrols are rushing to the disaster-stricken area as quickly as possible. People in other urban areas, please do not go to the north. Repeat, Arc City…”

Just then, the city's alarms and broadcasts went off.

“Oh, it's better to come at the right time than to come early. In that case, I'll go to the north to take a look.”

Then, among the crowds of people who were fleeing south in panic following the alarm broadcast, there appeared two rare white figures moving in the opposite direction at a distance.

...

“Hah!”

As if to vent her anger or to atone for her sins, the white-haired girl with double braids hit a huge Honkai beast several meters high on the head with a stick, causing its head to explode on a physical level.

“You damned Honkai beasts! I will expel all of you from this world without leaving a single one behind!”

As the number of Honkai beasts killed increased, Kiana's expression gradually became more and more excited, and even more and more crazy!

Even her only remaining jewel-like blue eye had a faint amber glow.

“Kiana, keep your mind balanced.”

Fortunately, just when Kiana was about to lose control, a rigid, serious, but reliable and comforting voice rang in her mind.

And this voice came from Fu Hua.

Before being shot by Otto, she activated the power of the Divine Key Fenghuang Down and transferred her consciousness into Kiana's body.

Even at the last moment, she was still thinking about the peace and tranquility of the world because she knew that there was still a Herrscher consciousness in Kiana's body, and she needed her to help Kiana suppress it.

And in the past few months, it was precisely because of Fu Hua's help that Kiana's body was not completely occupied by Sirin.

It was the same today.

After hearing Fu Hua's reminder, Kiana started to use the Edge of Taixuan taught by her class monitor. She slowly controlled the violent Honkai energy in her body, and with the help of Fu Hua's consciousness, she suppressed the consciousness of Sirin, who was ready to move.

“Huh~ Finally, all of them were defeated.”

After a while, Kiana cleaned up all the Honkai beasts that had invaded Arc City this time.

Then she held the baseball bat and took a few breaths.

Finally, after seeing signs of humans coming, she put on her hood and quickly left, carefully returning to her base in this city.

But what she didn't notice was:

A thousand meters above her, there was a transparent figure following her.

“Sure enough, Chong Chong can use some of the power of the Void. It seems that my Lin Ling brand special Godslaying Spear is still useful."

And seeing that Chong Chong has been talking to the air just now, it should be true that the immortal is also in her head, right?

This is really lively. Chong Chong, Sirin, and the Shenzhou tablet—mahjong is missing one more player right?

She will join in the fun when she has time~

"However, I really look forward to Chong Chong's surprise when she sees me suddenly appear.”

In this way, Lin Ling quietly followed Kiana all the way to her somewhat messy girl's boudoir.

...

“Huh, so tired.”

After returning home, Kiana lay down on the bed without even taking off her coat, wanting to have a good sleep.

“Kiana, you can't relax yet. Continue to practice with me in the consciousness space later.” But at this time, the ghost-like voice of the immortal Fu Hua sounded again.

“Okay.”

And Kiana nodded slightly immediately. If it were in the past, she would definitely jump up and down to express her immediate opposition to the devil instructor Fu Hua's request to deprive them of their last rest time, but in this case, she agreed without hesitation.

Because every time she wanted to be decadent and lazy like before, her mind would always be filled with images of herself pinching Mei's neck, Teacher Himeko standing in front of her with scars and dying, and the idiot whose chest was pierced by her spear...

She only hated that she was too weak and incompetent.

If she had never been lazy and had been practicing and studying hard, these tragedies would never have happened, right?

“Alas, I wonder if they are okay now?” Kiana sighed, then reached out to grab the imaginary white phantom in the void in front of her eyes, “Idiot, I heard that you are missing; you must not get into trouble...”

Oh? Idiot? You are not referring to me, right? Hehe, I will give you a big surprise.

“Beep, beep, beep!”

However, just as Lin Ling was about to return to normal from the quantum form she had learned from Seele, the alarm outside sounded again.

“Alert! A dragon-shaped Judgment-level Honkai Beast appeared in the southern part of Arc City. All citizens, please…”

Swish!

The exhausted Kiana stood up with a somersault, then without saying a word, she picked up her pistol and went out again.

Lin Ling was left alone in the empty room.

“Dragon-shaped Honkai Beast? There is only one dragon-shaped Honkai Beast in the entire history of Honkai, right? It seems that Bella is here, so I don't have to worry anymore...”

Gu~

Then, Lin Ling, who was tired and hungry, suddenly had a rumbling stomach and turned her eyes to the messy small table next to Kiana's bed.

There was an oversized lunch box that had not been opened yet, and inside was a full but simple and ordinary soy sauce fried rice. It seemed to be for nutritional supplements, and two raw eggs were beaten on it.

Although it was a bit simple, hunger was the best seasoning.

Lin Ling was not polite and finished it all in no time.

“Ah~” She yawned loudly, “I'm full and want to sleep. There's no point in waiting, so I might as well take a nap.”

Then, Lin Ling lay down on the only small bed in the hut without hesitation...

...

“Huh!? Where's my dinner!?” After another busy day, when Kiana, tired and hungry, returned to the hut, she was surprised to find that her dinner had been stolen by someone else!?

“Who is it? There's someone lying on my bed!?”

What's more, her small bed was also occupied!

“Damn it! Is it the pursuers of Schicksal? But if it's the pursuers, how could they sleep so soundly? Who are you… huh!?” Kiana approached her bed slowly and cautiously, using the pistol in her hand to confront the girl with her back to her.

Instantly, Kiana's pupils swelled to the limit!

This person lying on her bed?

Isn't she the one she's been thinking about day and night?

The fool who stabbed her and then let herself be shot.

The hero who saved Himeko from her.

The one who forcibly took her first kiss...

That Fool!!

---

Chapter 105: How Should You Take Revenge on the Guy Who Forcibly Took Away Her First Kiss?

"Miao Lin Ling..."

At first, Kiana planned to wake up the annoying idiot on the bed immediately.

She was even ready to pounce on her prey like a hungry tiger...

But when she saw the tightly furrowed brows on the forehead of the sleeping beauty, she suddenly felt a pain in her heart, and her body movements slowed down...

"Alas, this idiot, I really don't know what's on her mind. I won't say that she is usually full of bitterness..."

Kiana sighed softly and sat down next to Lin Ling. Then she gently stroked the white-haired girl's face, which seemed uneasy...

"Last time, In New Zealand she suddenly broke her own leg, which scared everyone. But I didn't expect it to be even worse this time. She actually stabbed herself in the chest with a spear. I really don't know what you, a fool, were thinking! But it was because of you unpredictable guy who saved and everyone... Fortunately... nothing really happened to you, and you returned to my side..."

Mi~

Suddenly, a strange sound rang out in the small room.

It seemed to be the sound of swallowing saliva from the throat of the only sober white-haired girl. It turned out that Kiana's eyes, whether intentionally or accidentally, inexplicably stayed on the somewhat dry and white cherry lips of the sleeping girl...

"You... used this to take away my virginity(Kiss)..."

Although Kiana's body was controlled by the Herrscher's consciousness at that time, she did not disappear, and her five senses could still feel it. So Kiana still remembered Lin Ling's last move on "herself," the first experience of the unpalatable rusty taste.

Then, as if by some strange coincidence, her body appeared to move automatically and uncontrollably, she leaning down. Step by step, she approached the pair of warm and soft lips...

"Kiana? What are you doing?"

But just when she was only a millimeter away, suddenly! A somewhat cold but somewhat puzzled voice came from Kiana's mind!

"Ah! Class, class monitor... I'm not, I, I, I didn't...!" Kiana stood up in a flash, shaking her head and waving her hands in a hurry to deny something~

In fact, Fu Hua hadn't said anything yet.

But after seeing Kiana blushing and shy, even the straight-laced Fu Hua realized that something was wrong.

Fu Hua, in the form of a Phantom, appeared beside Kiana and then nodded slightly, saying, "Sorry, did I disturb you..."

"Ah?... No, no! Actually, actually... It's like this!" Finally, in a panic, Kiana seemed to think of a good explanation, "This guy stole my first kiss! So I just want to take it back! Yes... That's it... Um... Probably... Should be... Maybe?"

But after saying that, Kiana herself lost her confidence.

"First kiss..." However, the shadow of the whitepink-haired girl just tilted her head, as if she was very confused by Kiana's words. Although Fu Hua had been through many battles in her tens of thousands of years of life, she still knew nothing about this matter.

She could only tilt her head and ask with a puzzled look on her face, "First kiss... can it be taken back like this?"

"Hmm..." Kiana didn't know what to say for a moment, but her face was getting redder.

After seeing her like this, Fu Hua no longer took the initiative to speak.

For a while, the two fell into silence.

Fortunately, Lin Ling, who was exhausted from repeating the daytime life in the Sea of Quanta Bubble World for several consecutive months, also slept very soundly. Even if Kiana made a fuss, she showed no signs of waking up.

But after this silence, the fatigue accumulated from the tense battles that never stopped all day gradually rose from Kiana's limbs.

Slowly, her eyelids became heavier and heavier, and sleepiness kept coming to her heart, even... Overwhelming her appetite...

Just like that, before she knew it, Kiana also lay on the only small bed in the house. Then, as if instinctively, she gently hugged the sleeping girl beside her and uttered a sobbing dream:

"No, don't leave me again... Ling..."

Then, the two extremely tired white-haired girls fell asleep together.

At this time, Fu Hua's phantom which had not yet dissipated and returned to Kiana's body, also sat beside Lin Ling. She gently stroked Lin Ling's face with her unreal hand, as if she wanted to smooth out the sadness in her brows...

It was magical. No one knows if it was the gentle embrace of the person beside her or if Fu Hua's hand really transcended the realm of reality and illusion, but Lin Ling's frown gradually relaxed...

Then, for some reason, Fu Hua's eyes also fell on the soft lips of the white-haired girl beneath her. She remembered the intimate act that Kiana almost performed with Lin Ling before, and she felt a strange emotion she had never felt before... sourness?

---

On the other side, inside the floating island of the Schicksal headquarters,

" Lord Bishop, we analyzed the information in the humanoid brain we obtained in Sky City. Although it is not enough to infer the specific whereabouts of K423, the analysis results indicate that she is still in that city." Rita was reporting the results and analysis of the last mission to Archbishop Otto of Schicksal.

"At the same time, the existence of this information itself means that K-423 is under the surveillance of the World Serpent."

"I would like to see what tricks this lurking snake wants to play." After listening to Rita's report, Otto said with interest, "Rita, I want you to return to Sky City, track down K-423, whereabouts, and continue the hunt."

Recently, the mysterious organization named World Serpent, which had been hiding for many years and acting discreetly, had begun to move more frequently in the open which made Otto both curious and vigilant.

After all, according to his investigation, it was a mysterious organization that might have a longer history than Schicksal.

"Based on the current situation," Rita said with some worry, "I'm concerned that it will alert the enemy."

"Don't worry. I can let you go in the name of inspecting the cooperative enterprise. With the medical records and information channels controlled by 'Heliopolis Life Sciences,' your search will be much more convenient."

"Yes, sir."

As the world's largest anti-Honkai organization, Schicksal has connections with many large and small organizations around the globe.

Among them is the pharmaceutical company called Heliopolis Life Sciences.

On the surface, this company appears to be a model organization dedicated to saving lives and treating diseases worldwide. However, through Schicksal's intelligence agency, Otto knew that it was far from the glamorous image it projected and seemed to be conducting many dangerous, terrifying, and inhumane experiments in secret.

Moreover, the real controller behind this company appeared to be the mysterious World Serpent.

So, under Otto's arrangement, Rita, as Schicksal's representative, went to test and investigate intelligence related to Kiana under the guise of transporting a batch of medicines to Arc City and handing them over to the local Heliopolis Medical Branch.

---

A few hours later, the Schicksal transport ship Eos arrived in Arc City.

Before the spacecraft had even stopped, a blue-haired girl, a technician from the third team of the Immortal Blade team, saluted and reported, "Deputy Captain, the receptionist of Heliopolis Medical has requested communication.."

"Mmh? So anxious?" Rita smiled and said to her subordinates, "Alvitr, have the team members stand by on the ship. I will return immediately after completing the handover task. Do not reveal that we have brought a large number of combatants for now."

"Yes, Vice-Captain."

After instructing her subordinates, Rita connected alone to the communication from Heliopolis Life Sciences.

"Welcome to the industrial zone, Miss Rita. I am Ciaora, the consultant of Heliopolis Life Sciences stationed at the Shenzhou branch. I will greet you and accompany you on the inspection." Once the communication was connected, a beautiful lady with gray hair and red eyes appeared on the monitor.

Beneath her harmless appearance, her real identity was one of the agents of the World Serpent, codenamed Raven. She possessed considerable strength and the third Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Retribution, and was a person not to be underestimated.

After learning that the S-level Valkyrie of Schicksal was visiting in person, the World Serpent had sent her to handle potential armed conflicts.

After a brief exchange of official pleasantries, the spacecraft came to a stop. Rita and the consultant of Heliopolis Life Sciences Shenzhou Branch went through the formal drug handover procedures and met in person.

"Miss Cioara, we have long heard of the great reputation of Heliopolis Life Sciences."

While a large number of medicines were being handed over, Rita took the opportunity to make a request.

"Miss Cioara, could you give me a tour while the goods are being processed?"

"Of course, come with me." Raven had no reason to refuse and agreed with a smile.

The two women, each with her own ulterior motives, chatted and laughed politely while looking for opportunities to gather information about each other.

"By the way, while I'm in Shenzhou, Schicksal hopes to get help from your company,"Rita said. "You have a close relationship with the city's information system. I would like to review the medical records related to the collapse over the past five months."

"You want me to leak medical records?" Cioara immediately looked uncomfortable. "Miss Rita, isn't this..."

"Hehe," Rita chuckled. "I assure you that this matter benefits Arc City. I heard the city is under martial law due to the Honkai beast invasion. To protect the people, sometimes we have to break some rigid rules. Besides, identifying the source of the disaster and addressing it before it escalates is also a way to save lives, isn't it?"

"I understand. I will provide the information you need. After all, this city has become increasingly dangerous. Miss Rita, you must also be careful here."

Rita bowed slightly to show her gratitude.

"Thank you, Miss Cioara, for your concern. I will."

"But speaking of protection," Raven continued, "I've heard that there's a mysterious lone ranger in Arc City who appears at the disaster sites involving Honkai Beasts and saves many people. Could it be someone from your Schicksal?"

Rita was not only caught off guard but also deliberately led astray by Raven's mention of Kiana, the main target of her trip.

"A lone ranger? I'm sorry, but we haven't heard of such person within Schicksal."

Rita shook her head but quickly added, "However, I personally prefer to believe that such a hero does exist."

She then displayed a genuinely sincere smile.

Raven laughed upon hearing this. "Ahaha, is that so?"

---

A few hours later,

Rita, having completed the cargo handover, returned to the Eos, the Schicksal transport ship, and handed over the relevant data obtained from Raven to the accompanying professionals for processing.

Soon, the blue-haired Valkyrie reported to Rita again. "Deputy Captain, I have reviewed all the information submitted by Heliopolis Life Sciences!"

"You're Alvitr from the third team, right?"

"Yes! I am technician Alvitr!"

Hearing that one of the three S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal knew her name, Alvitr became a bit excited and talked more.

She heard that the deputy captain can remember the names of every Schicksal Valkyrie at headquarters, and it's true!

"Everyone in the team says there aren't many opportunities to fight side by side with the deputy captain because you're often involved in secret operations. Many people look forward to going on missions with you."

"Forget about the deputy captain. Just call me Rita," she said with a smile.

"Rita... um... Miss... Hey! No, no, no! Why do I always feel like it's a very intimate of calling?"

Just as Alvitr was about to use the informal address, she suddenly recalled a somewhat intimidating blonde girl and shuddered.

"The back of my head will bear the burning gaze of Captain Durandal!"

"Hehe, burning gaze?" Rita teased with interest. "I'll make sure to pass on your praise to her."

"Huh?! No, no, no! Don't bother her! Let's get back to the topic!" Seeing that the deputy captain is about to mention the captain, Alvitr quickly changed the subject. "The files submitted by Heliopolis Life Sciences contain all medical records related to the Honkai Energy Show Building in the city over the past five months. There are nearly 4,000 records, including those from thirty-five disaster events."

"Hmm, a rather astonishing number," Rita remarked. Although this data seemed to far exceed the casualties caused by ordinary Honkai events, she was more concerned with finding the main mission target, K-423.

"Are there any clues related to K-423?"

"In a record from two months ago, a large number of Honkai beasts appeared on an overpass in the southern part of the city. A victim reported seeing a girl fighting the Honkai beasts. Although the diagnosis suggested the girl was hallucinating due to traumatic stress, it should be K-423."

"Hmm, two months ago?" Rita pondered for a moment. "Are there any more recent records?"

"I'm sorry, Vice Captain,"Alvitr said. "There are no records of her in the recent files, medical care, shopping, or city surveillance. It's as if she can be invisible. It seems it will be difficult to find her."

"She can avoid surveillance cameras and disguise herself as an ordinary person, but as long as she is still in this city, it is impossible to completely evade everyone's notice. So..."

---

Well, it feels so good. She haven't slept this comfortably in a while.

Finally, a white-haired girl woke up from her sleep. Just as she wondered why she had slept so well, she noticed something off. A very hot but unusually soft thing with a faint fragrance was hugging her tightly like an octopus.

She turned her head to look.

Nani?! A bug?!

----

*Chapter 106: Your Heart Is in My Heart~

Lin Ling looked down and saw a white-haired girl tightly hugging her with both her hands and feet.

No! It should be said that she was using a hold similar to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, like what she had seen on TV in her previous life, locking several important joints on her body fiercely.

She was completely unable to move and even felt severe pain when she tried to.

It was as if Kiana was afraid she might grow wings and fly away.

Also, perhaps because of Lin Ling’s movements after waking up, she had triggered Kiana’s "automatic alarm." Even in her unconscious state, Kiana hugged Lin Ling tighter and tighter, and at the same time, Lin Ling’s joints felt more and more dislocated...

Crack~

Even her bones began to creak.

"Hiss~..."

As expected of the Kaslana family, which carried the genes of the strongest MANTIS Soldier, Kevin. Lin Ling grimaced in pain under the ancestral strange power.

However, looking at Kiana's face full of sorrow and fatigue, she couldn't bear to use Honkai to forcefully break free, as that would wake her up.

Besides~

Lin Ling recalled a scene from her previous life when she was kicked offline for messing with Chongchong too much.

Coupled with her experience of living together with Kiana for the past year, she felt a bit worried.

If I wake her up now, wouldn’t she think I’m taking advantage of her and beat me up in anger?

But slowly...

"Ling..."

Kiana not only held her tighter and tighter, but her face, faintly flushed with sadness, was getting closer and closer to Lin Ling’s. Lin Ling could even hear the vague mumbling from her mouth...

Huh? Was she calling my name?

It seemed like the distance between them was about to close to zero...

Crack

With a sound like bones breaking all over her body, Lin Ling’s body contorted into an unnatural posture and shrank into a ball. Lin Ling had quickly realized that since her joints were locked and unable to move, she might as well dislocate them!

Sure enough, relying on this tactic that resembled the shrinking bone technique from martial arts novels, Lin Ling finally succeeded in perfectly escaping from Kiana’s 'octopus' hold.

"Hmm?..."

As Kiana frowned, realizing the prey in her arms had disappeared, Lin Ling quickly stuffed a pillow into her grasp, letting it take her place.

"Phew~"

After finally escaping, Lin Ling wiped the sweat from her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, what’s next... Hmm? I feel like I didn’t eat enough earlier. Let me see if Chong Chong has anything else to eat."

After a good sleep, Lin Ling finally had the energy to carefully observe Kiana’s little nest.

However, whether it was because Kiana hadn’t been in the mood to clean recently or because Mei wasn’t around to help, the small room was indeed a little messy. Apart from a bed and a small table, there wasn’t even a decent appliance or piece of furniture.

"It’s really... shabby... There’s not even a refrigerator. I wonder what she’s been eating to survive these past months... Well... Let’s just leave it like this."

After thinking about it, Lin Ling went to the door and quietly opened it. She turned around to say to Kiana who was still tightly hugging the pillow on the bed, "Forgive me, Kiana, I’m leaving..."

...

"Lin Ling! Don’t go!"

After an unknown amount of time, the girl woke up from her nightmare, drenched in cold sweat!

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the same old, empty, and messy house... and the pillow in her arms, which was so tightly hugged that it had become seriously deformed?

"Was it... a dream after all? That's right, I hurt her so much, why would she come to me?... No! This isn’t a dream!"

Suddenly, just as she was wondering if the memory of seeing Lin Ling was an illusory dream, she caught a faint scent of a girl on the bed that seemed different from her own...

"Lin Ling was here!? But why... why did she disappear again..."

"Kiana." While Kiana was panicking, Fu Hua’s figure appeared, bringing bad news. "Lin Ling... left while you were asleep..."

"Ah... So she really left? I guess she’s also afraid of a monster like me, so she left... Maybe... this is for the best. A monster like me, who can’t control her body, might hurt her..."

As she spoke, Kiana covered her face with her hands and sobbed softly...

"Ah..."

Fu Hua didn’t know what to say when she saw this. She could only sigh softly.

Since Lin Ling had appeared before Kiana, the Herrscher personality who called herself Sirin had been attacking the mental seal with a force and frequency far exceeding anything before. If it were really broken, the consequences would be disastrous.

It was for this reason that she hadn’t stepped forward to stop Lin Ling when she left, and didn’t even come out to meet her.

She was afraid the other party might choose not to leave if she saw her there, although that made her feel bitter and reluctant...

But, just when the white-haired girl was blaming herself and crying, and the white-pink-haired girl was regretting not being able to meet that person...

Rustle...

A strange sound came from the door, as if someone was using a key to open it, but not quite succeeding, because it didn’t open after some time. Instead, it sounded more like a thief trying to pick the lock...

But Kiana was no longer in the right mind to care about a thief...

"Huh!?"

However, after a creak.

Behind the open door stood a girl carrying large and small plastic bags of various items!

"Oh, Chongchong, you're awake." After Lin Ling entered the room, she saw Kiana on the bed with her head buried in her hands, so she said apologetically, "I'm sorry I stole your meal earlier, I felt really bad about it, so I... Wow?!"

"Lin Ling!?"

However, before the white-haired girl could finish her words, Kiana had already jumped off the bed. Like a hungry tiger, she pounced on Lin Ling and instantly threw her to the ground.

Plop~

Gurgle gurgle...

Lin Ling was thrown down along with the fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients that spilled from the plastic bags, rolling across the floor...

"So! Is that it!? You didn’t leave me!" Kiana, who had shifted from sadness to joy, hugged her even tighter, evolving from the 'octopus' on the bed to something more like a facehugger. She wrapped herself tightly around Lin Ling’s upper body, burying her head in her arms.

"Mmm... Mmm..." (Let me go! I can’t breathe!)

Lin Ling felt as though she’d been getting acquainted with suffocation a little too often lately. Somehow, someone always managed to make her experience the sensation of choking.

It was unclear how long it took, but just as Lin Ling was about to suffocate (again), Kiana finally let her go.

"You're awake, so why didn’t you wake me up? Why did you leave quietly... I thought you were doing it again..."

"What a little crybaby." Lin Ling smiled softly, reaching out to gently wipe the remaining tears from Kiana’s face. "Sorry, I saw you were sleeping soundly, and I didn’t want to wake you. Then I noticed there was nothing at home, so I went to the supermarket to buy some food..."

"Is that so... But I didn’t expect it." Kiana, still sitting on Lin Ling, picked up a tomato that had rolled to her hand. "Lin Ling, can you actually cook?"

"We should get up first and talk."

At Lin Ling’s words, Kiana realized the two of them were in quite a compromising position. Her face turned red as she quickly got up and moved aside.

"But." Lin Ling also stood up and bent down to pick up the scattered ingredients. "I can only cook a few of Shenzhou’s home-cooked dishes, so don’t expect too much. It’s definitely not as good as Mei’s..."

"Mei..." Upon hearing Mei’s name, Kiana frowned like an unhappy kitten. "I don’t even know how she’s doing now... or how everyone else is..."

She helped Lin Ling pick up the scattered fruits and meat...

But Lin Ling also voiced Kiana’s thoughts at that moment, which were the same as those of another consciousness in her body—Fu Hua.

"Ah~ I really miss the days when we all lived together..."

Her words made both Kiana and Fu Hua feel nostalgic, but they also excited Sirin, the Herrscher inside Kiana, making her assault on the mental seal even more intense.

Even Fu Hua, who wanted to step in and say a few words to Lin Ling, was a bit overwhelmed. She could only focus all her energy on suppressing the restless Herrscher, once again missing the chance to meet Lin Ling.

Fortunately, Lin Ling’s words calmed the restless Sirin down...

"Speaking of which, wouldn’t it be better if you and the other version of you could live happily and peacefully together? Why do we have to fight? We’re all family, after all..."

"A family? Hmph... That guy hurt everyone! If it weren’t for your intervention Lin Ling, things could have gone horribly wrong..."

"Well~" Lin Ling picked up a handful of ingredients and bowed slightly to Kiana. "Here, I’ll apologize to you on behalf of my wife."

While Kiana was still stunned by her words, Lin Ling took the ingredients to the kitchen.

Kiana, now regaining her senses, immediately followed. "What did you just say!? She’s your... wife!?"

"Don’t be mad, Chongchong, didn’t I say it before? We’re all family, so you’re my wife, too."

"Hmm!" Unlike the past, when Kiana would have immediately retorted angrily and maybe even punched Lin Ling, now, after several months, she heard Lin Ling’s scumbag declaration and—while still a little angry—her face blushed unwillingly. She quietly lowered her head and remained silent...

"Hmm..."

But this silence left Lin Ling who had been expecting a playful punch, feeling slightly dissatisfied.

She feels like something’s off...

...

"Thank you for the meal..."

After eating a less-than-perfect but still delicious Shenzou home-cooked meal made by Lin Ling, Kiana, who hadn’t eaten properly for a long time, patted her slightly bulging belly in contentment and politely thanked her.

"You’re welcome. Isn’t it normal for a husband to cook for her wife? Ahaha..."

"..."

Lin Ling teased Kiana as usual, but the response she expected didn’t come. Kiana no longer reacted the way she used to, making Lin Ling sigh deeply in her heart.

Sigh... Just like in the game, after that incident, the always irritable and impulsive—or innocent and lively—Paramecium would turn so melancholic and sad?

...No! This isn’t the Chongchong I want!

...

After dinner, Lin Ling and Kiana shared their experiences from the past few months.

Hearing that everyone, especially Himeko and Mei—who had been injured by the "other her"—were all doing fine, Kiana’s heart which had been burdened for months, finally felt at ease.

Soon, their conversation carried them late into the night.

Though Kiana had slept a lot during the day, the psychological pressure she had been under, combined with fighting Honkai beasts and constantly avoiding discovery by the people of Schicksal had left her mentally exhausted.

Now with someone so familiar and dear beside her, she could finally let go and rest.

After a simple wash, Kiana fell asleep again, looking relaxed for the first time in a long while...

…

"Lin Ling!!!"

But just as Kiana fell asleep, her amber-colored eyes suddenly opened! She looked manic!

Before Lin Ling who was lying beside her could react, 'Kiana' turned over, straddled her, and grabbed her neck tightly with one hand.

At the same time, her other hand condensed a sub-space lance, ready to strike down fiercely!

And yet, Lin Ling did not move at all throughout the ordeal. It was as if Kiana’s sudden awakening and attack had been completely expected.

"Lin Ling! Hurry, run!" Fortunately, a white-pink haired figure appeared beside Lin Ling and grabbed the hand holding the lance.

It was Fu Hua who was suppressing Sirin.

Although she had no physical body, she could use Fenghuang Down’s power to stop Sirin’s attack at the consciousness level, thus blocking the fatal blow for Lin Ling.

However, after months of constant vigilance, Fu Hua, who only had her consciousness left, was utterly exhausted. She knew she couldn’t hold out much longer, so she turned and said to Lin Ling, "I can’t control her anymore... Run away quickly, or else you’ll..."

"Damn it! Stop getting in my way!" After months of continuous battles, Sirin also knew how to target the white pink-haired phantom, creating a special sub-space lance to kill her.

"Don’t worry, Class Monitor." At that moment, Lin Ling extended her hand to block Sirin’s attack for Fu Hua. "Leave it to me this time. You should get some rest."

"... If... it’s you..." Finally, having guarded against the awakening of the Herrscher of the Void for so long, the Immortal Fu Hua who had been awake for months within Kiana’s body, gradually dissipated into the air...

...

"You’re on their side!" After Fu Hua disappeared, Sirin immediately tightened her grip. "Of course! In your eyes, I’m just a heartless monster, aren’t I!? You never really loved me—you only care about them!!!"

"Who said you don’t have a heart!?" Lin Ling stared into Sirin’s beautiful amber eyes in the dim light, grabbing her hand and placing it on her chest.

"You’re in my heart... So if you don’t believe it, go ahead and check it yourself..."

Feeling the heart's pulse beneath her hand, Sirin, who had never known what it felt like to be loved, couldn’t help but tear up.

"Ling..."

---

Chapter 107: It's Over... I'm Going to Be Eaten by a Puffer Fish (Sad)

"You..."

Faced with the girl's request to dig out her heart, Sirin's eyes were filled with anger and reluctance. She could only grit her teeth and say:

"You... devil!"

If a third person were present at that moment, they would be extremely shocked.

As an apostle of the will of the Honkai, committed to destroying humanity, the Second Herrscher actually called a mere human a devil—with hatred?

"That's right~ I'm a devil~" The girl beneath Sirin’s gaze raised the corners of her mouth mockingly and accepted the label happily. She even teased, "But, a devil? And you, the queen of the Honkai, aren't we a perfect match~"

"...Humph!"

In the end, the queen still couldn’t bring herself to kill this annoying girl. She didn’t know what she had left in this world if this person didn’t exist. What was the meaning of her own existence?

But!

While the death penalty could be avoided, the crime of living could not be escaped!

"Since I can’t get rid of you, I’ll make sure you're always infected with the breath of the Honkai!"

With reluctance and anger, the Queen of the Honkai opened her mouth and bit down fiercely...

---

On the other side, the people of World Serpent were busy preparing their Stigmata plan. Although the Lord of the World Serpent had been sealed in the Sea of Quanta, the organization itself wasn’t dependent on a single individual.

Even without their Lord, many people still believed in the plan that could save humanity for various reasons, much like believers trust in their gods.

This time, they were planning to carry out their first large-scale, city-level experiment of Project Stigma in Arc City. They had been preparing for a long time, and after much groundwork, the final step was the city-level experiment.

However, they had encountered some trouble recently. Schicksal had sent an S-rank Valkyrie to inspect them.

This meant that the world’s largest and strongest anti-Honkai organization had noticed something was amiss.

"Schicksal people came uninvited. We are under suspicion." In a secret room of Heliopolis Life Sciences’s Shenzhou Branch, a cloaked girl was speaking to a masked woman.

"That's true, but," the woman in the wolf mask with a more mature voice asked the girl, "Didn’t you plan to kill them?"

"I don’t want to act too soon," Raven replied, shaking her head. "Everything revolves around the plan. We can’t alert the enemy unless absolutely necessary."

"But if we let those Valkyries investigate, we’re likely to be exposed. If we attract a large force from Schicksal, our plan will be..."

"Don't worry," Raven smiled confidently. "I already have a way. When I took the S-rank Valkyrie on a tour of the company, I deliberately revealed information about the Herrscher girl to Miss Rita. I believe that, compared to our inconspicuous charity organization, the Herrscher is far more intriguing, right? While Schicksal is focused on the Herrscher, we can execute the plan without anyone noticing..."

As the two World Serpent agents discussed how to handle the sudden arrival of Schicksal...

On the other side, as Raven predicted, the S-rank Valkyrie Rita from Schicksal’s headquarters quietly entered an empty room alone.

Inside, countless machines hummed—a large number of supercomputers filling the room. Every moment, countless requests from all corners of the world passed through this intelligence black market. The cheapest and most valuable commodity in the world—information—circulated here.

Although Gray Serpent was dead—Rita herself had killed him with her scythe—his operations remained intact, and his influence had only grown.

Seeing this, Rita couldn’t help but think of the man she had killed. A sense of absurdity crept into her heart.

She began to doubt—had she truly killed him?

"No, it’s impossible. I clearly killed him with my own hands."

Rita shook her head, dismissing the unsettling thoughts that had inexplicably arisen.

She refocused and resumed her investigation.

Rita inserted Gray Serpent’s artificial eye and the mobile device containing humanoid machine data into two computer interfaces.

Moments later, characters appeared on the screen:

"Permission unlocked successfully, retrieval module embedded."

"Hmm, where should I start? Eyewitnesses claim to have seen a girl fighting Honkai beasts. Additionally, Heliopolis Life Sciences consultant Cioara mentioned a lone ranger... Does that mean K-423 has been acting as a hero in this city, repelling the Honkai and protecting the citizens since the Fourth Eruption?..."

Suddenly, Rita had a lead.

Da da da

After entering a few keywords, she pressed the Enter key.

Almost instantly, the system completed its search.

The coordinates of Honkai beast incidents that had occurred in Arc City over the past few months appeared on the map. Alongside, messages, photos, and videos related to them flowed onto the screen. Among the rapidly displayed images, Rita keenly spotted a familiar white figure.

"Finally found you, K-423... or should I call you Void Drift, as the locals do?"

Through a targeted search of audio, video, and image data, Rita confirmed that the Sky Ranger, who had been fighting for justice in Arc City in recent months, was her mission target—K-423.

Moreover, she also discovered the girl's behavioral pattern.

Whenever a Honkai disaster struck, she would appear without fail.

And in a city like this, where Honkai disasters had become all too frequent...

"Then, I’ll just wait quietly..."

---

"Hmm... I slept so well..."

The next morning, when Kiana woke up, she felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

"Good... morning..."

But on the other side of the bed, a figure, huddling close to the wall, greeted her with heavy dark circles under her eyes.

The figure looked so exhausted it seemed like she had been through countless battles and was about to collapse at any moment.

"Good morning, Lin Ling... What happened to you?!" Kiana asked, looking at her in confusion. She was entirely different from when she had fallen asleep last night. "You... what’s wrong with you?"

The loose shirt that Lin Ling had bought as pajamas while grocery shopping had turned into a ragged outfit, full of holes and tears.

Some holes even revealed traces of blood, with scars visible on the skin.

"Lin Ling! How... how did you get hurt? Were you attacked by the Honkai?!"

"Hmm..." Lin Ling thought for a moment.

The Queen is technically part of the Honkai, right?

She nodded: "Probably, yes..."

"How could you have been attacked by the Honkai? Did you go out in the middle of the night? Really." Kiana quickly got up, fetched a medical kit from under the bed, and skillfully began applying medicine to Lin Ling. "Why didn’t you sleep at night and instead went out? The city hasn’t been peaceful lately. Honkai disasters are frequent, and it’s dangerous for you to go out alone... huh?"

However, to her surprise, Kiana noticed that the wounds on Lin Ling’s body didn’t look like they had been caused by Honkai beasts. Instead, they bore delicate teeth marks and scratches. It didn’t seem like she had been attacked by a large Honkai beast—it looked more like someone had attacked her!

"Wait! Could it be..." Suddenly, Kiana thought of a terrifying possibility. "Did she come out after I fell asleep?!"

"Yes."

At that moment, a red feather appeared out of thin air beside them. Following it was a red figure—the phantom of Fu Hua in her Phoenix state appeared next to them.

Fu Hua said to Kiana, "I'm very sorry. Ever since Lin Ling appeared, Sirin's attack on the seal has become more frequent and stronger. I accidentally let her escape because I wasn’t paying close enough attention..."

"So that's it! Did she hurt you?" Looking at the girl covered in bruises, Kiana's guilt grew stronger. "It's all my fault... I was too careless last night and fell asleep without staying vigilant..."

"Well, it's okay," Lin Ling said as she patted Kiana's head to comfort her. "It's just a small injury..."

But in truth, Lin Ling was also frightened.

The queen last night was like a wild beast! She scratched, bit, and pinched her. But disappointingly... ahem, fortunately, maybe because she's never been to school, her attacks on me were mostly just 'biting,' which was barely tolerable...

"No, it's all my fault." At this moment, Fu Hua suddenly hung her head and spoke to the two girls on the bed in a guilty voice, "If I hadn't abducted you Kiana and sent you to Schicksal HQ, none of this would have happened..."

"No, class monitor, it's all my fault. The Herrscher persona inside me has always been a hidden danger. Even if Otto hadn't activated her, she would have eventually..."

"Hahaha!!! You did a great job!"

However, just as the two melancholy girls were vying to take the blame, Lin Ling suddenly burst into laughter, even expressing high approval of releasing the Herrscher of the Void.

"Lin Ling...what's wrong with you?! What are you laughing about?" Seeing the wounded Lin Ling suddenly start laughing, Kiana asked with great concern, "Did you hit your head again?"

"Head injury?!" Upon hearing this, Fu Hua immediately said, "If the brain is injured, it could affect your consciousness. Let me use Fenghuang Down to heal you!"

"No, no, no!" Lin Ling quickly waved her hands to indicate she was fine, then said excitedly, "You let the Herrscher of the Void out. Isn't that like giving me another wife? That’s why I say you did a great job!"

"..." x2

Faced with this bold person who didn’t even shy away from the Herrscher, both Fu Hua and Kiana were speechless. They were only worried about whether Lin Ling’s body could handle it, but now they felt a strange sense of jealousy...

Later, after being tossed around last night, Lin Ling continued to sleep for several more hours, not waking up until the afternoon.

"Lin Ling, you're awake, just in time."

Shortly after Lin Ling woke up, Chongchong who was wearing an apron, came over from the kitchen.

"Come, try the breakfast I made... no, lunch... or... should it be dinner? Never mind, it’s not important. You’ve been sleeping all day, so you must be very hungry. I made you something to eat."

"Huh? Chong Chong, you actually know how to cook?"

"Well... with the class monitor’s guidance, I made some..."

"I'm very sorry," Fu Hua's shadow appeared again at that moment, "I told Kiana all the steps in detail, yet I still don’t understand how she managed to mess it up..."

Lin Ling glanced at the small table beside the bed, only to see it filled with various... charcoal-like lumps?

"Sorry, this is my first time making Shenzhou cuisine. The heat... I didn’t control it well. If, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it!"

Looking at Chongchong’s sad expression, which mirrored Immortal Fu Hua’s, Lin Ling silently sat down at the table and began eating heartily. Before long, she had finished all the food on the table.

"...Really." Seeing that Lin Ling hadn’t left any for herself and ate everything, Kiana pretended to complain with a happy tone, "Why’d you eat it all? Was it that good? Now I have nothing to eat..."

"Well done." Lin Ling took out a tissue and wiped the charcoal residue from the corner of her mouth. "But...next time...let me cook."

"But you've always taken care of me, and I want to do something within my abilities for you every now and then, Lin Ling. I want you to eat what I cook..."

"Ah! That’s right!" Suddenly, Lin Ling shouted and interrupted Kiana. "When are you going to fight the Honkai beasts to save people? Take me with you next time! I also want to experience the hero life."

"Lin Ling!" As expected, after hearing Lin Ling’s words, Kiana immediately forgot about the cooking and said to her seriously, "Fighting the Honkai isn’t a game. You can’t treat it so lightly..."

———

Chapter 108: Shocked! Rita's Proposal!?

"Ah~" Lin Ling emphasized, walking around Kiana and scrutinizing her carefully. "Chong Chong, have you been possessed by the Class monitor? Why have you become so stiff and serious? This isn't like you at all."

"I... don't recognize myself..."

Hearing this, Kiana looked down at her hands. Indeed, if she were her former self, she would have pulled Lin Ling along without hesitation after hearing her request like 'Okay, come on! I'll show you my heroic figure! You don't know how much the people in this city admire me~'.

But now, after experiencing the Fourth Eruption and the Herrscher of the Void taking over her body, she had become rational and mature.

"Perhaps this is what people call growth?"

Kiana laughed at herself, then raised her head and said to Lin Ling with a serious expression, "Lin Ling, we are no longer children. We can't be as reckless as before. I can’t be so impulsive and thoughtless anymore—it could hurt me and the important people around me."

"Tsk~" Lin Ling pursed her lips. "You've even learned to preach. It seems you're really turning into the class monitor... Damn, now your attributes overlap with hers, right? So, rounding it off, it's like I'm down one wife!? I can't accept that!"

"'Wife' and so on..." Seeing that Lin Ling was still focused on 'finding a wife' as usual, Kiana continued to speak earnestly, "Not just me, you should stop saying strange things to tease girls. Especially when you take others as your lover so casually. It's impolite and can offend people. It might even make them unhappy..."

As she spoke, Kiana for some reason glanced at Fu Hua's shadow beside her. She immediately noticed the monitor was looking back at her with an odd expression.

After a brief exchange of eye contact, both quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"But! I refuse!"

Someone suddenly broke the awkward silence!

Lin Ling declared righteously, "Flirting with girls is the meaning of my existence! If I’m not allowed to make all the cute girls I see my wives, then this world might as well be destroyed!"

"Alas..." Hearing this, Fu Hua sighed. "Sometimes, I don’t know if you’re pretending to be stupid just to provoke us or if you actually believe that..."

"Ahaha." Lin Ling scratched her head sheepishly. "Maybe, both are true~ Okay, let's stop talking about this. Chong Chong hasn't eaten yet, so I'll make something for you. It’s a shame you don’t have a physical body right now, monitor, so you’ll just have to watch us feed each other like lovers. I hope you won’t get jealous..."

Fu Hua responded generously, "Don’t worry, I won't be jealous... Ahem, that does sound a bit strange, doesn't it? I almost let you lead me astray again. Anyway, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

But soon after, Fu Hua regretted her words, wishing she could take them back...

She saw the troublemaker, Lin Ling, deliberately provoking her while feeding Kiana. "You feed me, I feed you" — the two sweetly feeding each other.

What’s worse, during these moments, Lin Ling would occasionally "taunt" the immortal with her eyes, words, and actions.

As the saying goes, even Buddha statues have a limit to their patience, and this immortal was no exception.

"Reoreoreoreoreoreoreor."

After watching Lin Ling eat a cherry fed to her by Kiana in a bizarre, almost perverse posture, the phantom image of the immortal’s mouth twitched—suddenly, she had the urge to beat her up...

"I'm a bit tired. I'm going to rest for a while. You two continue eating."

Then, Fu Hua, unable to watch any longer, disappeared.

"Hehe~" After the immortal left, Lin Ling turned to Kiana with a mischievous grin. "Okay, Chongchong, now it's just the two of us. Want to do something fun? I can teach you~ Deng Dua Lang~"

"You... what are you going to do?" Although Kiana didn’t understand what Lin Ling meant by "Lang," she instinctively crossed her arms and scooted back on the sofa, her face filled with fear. "Don’t come any closer..."

But it was too late.

"Hmph! Trying to escape?" Lin Ling pounced, pushing Kiana onto the sofa. "You made me suffer so much last night. I must get revenge!"

"What are you going to do...you...! Hahaha!"

Suddenly, Kiana, who had been a little frightened just moments ago, burst into laughter!

It turned out that what Lin Ling called "Deng Dua Lang" was nothing more than a tickle attack. She used her nimble fingers to make the melancholic girl, who hadn't laughed in a long time, laugh heartily again, wiping away the sadness from Kiana’s face.

While admiring her handiwork, Lin Ling continued to intensify her efforts: "See? Chong Chong, you look best when you smile. Smile more! Don’t stay sad all the time!"

"Stop, stop! Hahahahaha!..."

For a while, the small rental house was filled with happy laughter...

But... happy moments are always fleeting...

Time flew by, and after Lin Ling and one, or rather two, perhaps even three beautiful girls, happily spent two blissful days together, something change.

On the third night after Lin Ling and Kiana reunited, Kiana, who was starting up a newly purchased game console, suddenly felt the vibration of the sensor on her wrist.

She put down the controller and said to Lin Ling with a serious expression, "Lin Ling! They’re coming again! Get ready for battle!"

"Tsk." Lin Ling grumbled, "Their timing is really awful..."

"Forget about your game," Kiana said while checking her weapons and ammunition. "Didn’t you say you wanted to be a ranger with me? Now’s your chance."

"Alright."

Hearing this, Lin Ling could only reluctantly set down the XPS Sony Paradise 5 controller...

...

At the same time.

"Deputy Captain! The Arc Patrol Guard’s alarm has been intercepted!"

Alvitr, a technician from the third squad of the Immortal Blade Team belonging to Schicksal, intercepted an alarm signal from Arc City using special eavesdropping techniques and immediately reported it to the operation leader.

"A Honkai beast invasion has occurred in the D-2322 area of the northern city."

"Is it finally here? I've been waiting for so long." Rita immediately ordered Alvitr, "Gather the team members and go to the alarm location immediately!"

In less than a minute, the members of the Immortal Blade on standby on the transport ship gathered at the fastest speed.

"Attention, all units, quickly hide in place after entering the disaster site. Remember, only eliminate the Honkai beasts that block the way. Do not engage them; capturing K-423 is the top priority." After briefly giving some precautions, Rita led them to the target location.

Sure enough, there were a large number of Honkai beasts and zombies there, as if attracted by something and gathered together at a high density.

The well-trained Valkyries immediately carried out a unilateral massacre of these not-so-high-level Honkai beasts and zombies, and there was hardly any noise throughout the process.

"These zombies have become more violent. Wait!" Alvitr suddenly noticed some strange patterns on the zombies' bodies. "Look, Vice-Captain! These red light marks... why do they seem... a little familiar?"

"Familiar?" Alvitr's words caught Rita's attention, but the most urgent task now was to capture K-423, so she didn't pay much attention to it. She simply told her subordinates, "Don't worry about these for now. Just get in position as soon as possible."

"Yes!" Since the Vice-Captain had spoken, Alvitr couldn't say anything more and could only think secretly in her heart.

It should be... her illusion.

Then, the Immortal Blade team advanced a distance, and Rita keenly noticed that there was a sound of fighting not far ahead.

Rita immediately made a gesture to stop the people who were sneaking behind her. "We found the trace of K-423. Everyone, stand by and prepare for battle!"

The girl was seen floating in the darkness cast by the Honkai beasts and the zombies not far away, with fierce gunshots and flames blooming everywhere.

With the last flash of gunfire, the girl fell to the ground.

Under the moonlight, her white hair condensed into a beam of white light, making the pile of debris at her feet even darker.

As if she had noticed something wrong, the white-haired girl turned her head slightly and, after a moment of silence, suddenly said, "Do you want to continue hiding? Come out."

Although her figure had been exposed, Rita was not panicked at all because, while Kiana was fighting the Honkai beasts, she and her team members had quietly surrounded Kiana.

So Rita simply walked out generously and bowed slightly to Kiana, saying, "It's been a long time since I greeted you, Miss Kiana. Or should I call you the Herrscher of the Void?"

"It's you." Kiana recognized the overly polite Valkyrie and said her name, "Rita Roseweisse, I remember you. You are the inspector sent by the headquarters. We met during the exam at Saint Freya a few months ago."

"I'm glad you still remember my name. It must be very hard to wander outside for so long. I am under the order of the bishop to invite you back to the headquarters of Schicksal."

Although Rita's words were very polite, Kiana was not likely to agree.

She just shook her head slightly and said briefly, "I won't go with you."

"Not going?" Rita further persuaded, "You should understand that your state is very unstable. This city is proof of it. Because of your existence, it is frequently attacked by Honkai beasts and zombies. The only one who can help you is Schicksal. Going back to the experiment is to receive treatment, and no one will be injured because of you. This is good for everyone."

But Kiana said coldly, "I don't want to repeat my answer."

"What a willful little girl," Rita shook her head slightly. Although her tone was still respectful, she had already clenched the scythe in her hand.

Since the negotiations had broken down, it really came down to a fight!

Then, almost at the same time, the figures of both parties disappeared instantly!

The bursting gunfire and the scythe blades cutting through the air interwove and wandered in the darkness, like a group of stars and a crescent moon engaged in an endless battle.

But this endless battle was just a brief illusion to others. After a moment, the two of them settled down and returned to their original positions.

"Rita, I have a question for you," Kiana asked. "What do you think is more important, catching me or preventing the disaster in this city?"

Rita's answer was, "Catching you is to prevent the disaster in this city."

At the same time, a medieval knight-like phantom suddenly appeared behind Kiana and launched a surprise attack while she was talking to Rita.

But Kiana was no longer the innocent girl she used to be. She reacted immediately and used her pistol as a shield to block the attack from Rita's stand.

"Unfortunately, it's not that easy to catch me now."

After not seeing each other for several months, Rita found that Kiana's strength had improved by leaps and bounds. In the past, she could easily control her without a mecha, but now she couldn't take her down even with the fourth-generation Godsbane Battlesuit Argent Knight.

Since that's the case. "Miss Kiana has made rapid progress. It seems that Rita alone cannot bring you home in a short time."

Snap~

As she said that, Rita snapped her fingers.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Then, a large number of teammates from the Immortal Blade suddenly flashed out from all directions and surrounded Kiana.

"Hmph! Do you think you’re the only one with reinforcements?" Kiana smiled confidently and snapped her fingers.

"Wow, there are so many beautiful girls! Can you be my wives?!"

Then, accompanied by the declaration of the scumbag harem, a white-haired girl with the power of wind and thunder suddenly fell from the sky. At the moment of landing, she grabbed one of the team members and put the Guandao in her hand to her neck.

Seeing that Lin Ling had taken her team member Alvitr as a hostage, Rita's composure finally disappeared.

She angrily said to this annoying person, "Damn it! Despicable girl, ruined my good plan again! Let her go, or I will make you pay!"

"Despicable? Thank you." However, after being called despicable, Lin Ling was not ashamed but rather proud. She then said to Rita with a smirk, "How good is it to make me pay? Black or white stockings? Well... just wear one on each leg. After all, I like both, hehehe..."

"You!" Rita, who was teased, was so angry that she didn’t know what to say for a moment...

"Whether you believe it or not, I am not the reason the Honkai beasts attacked this city. The disaster in Arc City is far more dangerous than you think. With these pieces of evidence, you can see with your own eyes what Heliopolis wants to do." At this time, Kiana threw a cylindrical object and a card into Rita's hands. "Also, I will not leave here. For me, preventing disasters is more important than running away. I know you don’t believe my position, but the right to choose is always in your hands."

After speaking, Kiana turned her eyes to Lin Ling again. "Lin Ling, let go of that lady. Let's go."

"Ah," Lin Ling sighed and reluctantly let go of Alvitr, saying to the Immortal Blade and her party, "Wives, I will not give up on you. I will come for you next time!"

"Don’t think about running away!"

But the moment Lin Ling let go of Alvitr, Rita suddenly jumped up, raising her scythe and rushing forward in an instant.

Unfortunately, Lin Ling raised the long sword in her hand and swung it down with force. The moment the scythe and the sword met, Rita felt a pain in her palm, and then she was pressed to the ground by the opponent's brute force.

This girl has great strength!

Rita didn’t expect that after not seeing this annoying and mysterious girl for a few months, her strength had greatly improved again.

"Wow," Lin Ling said to Rita, who suddenly knelt on one knee in front of her with a look of surprise, "Sister Tazi, what does it mean that you suddenly knelt on one knee? Is it... to propose marriage?! Considering your good figure, I have to reluctantly ag- Ah, it hurts!"

"Stop playing! Go!"

But before Lin Ling could say the last word of "yes," Kiana, with an angry face, grabbed one of her ears and forcibly pulled her away...

---

Chapter 109: It's Annoying, the World Serpent and the Schicksal Want Me—What to Do?

"I told you before we came here not to tease girls casually. Why didn't you listen?! And you dared to do it in front of me?!"

"Honey, I was wrong... I will never do it in front of you again..."

"Hmph, that’s more like it... huh?... No! What do you mean by not doing it in front of me?!"

"Ah! It’s nothing! Listen to my excuses!"

"Quibbling!?"

"Ah, no, no, it’s an explanation! Listen to my explanation!"

...

"Vice-Captain! Everyone!"

After watching the two white-haired girls quickly disappear from sight while flirting, Alvitr, with a guilty expression, said to Rita and the other members of the Immortal Blades. She bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle:

"It’s all my fault that I was caught because I was careless! It’s all my fault. This is why everyone failed this mission!"

"No." However, Rita didn't blame her at all, even though she felt very conflicted at the moment. "You can’t be blamed entirely, Alvitr. The intelligence was incorrect. That girl actually showed up here. The severity of the situation is beyond our control."

Rita really didn't expect that Lin Ling, who had disappeared in the Sea of Quanta, had returned to reality at some point and gotten involved with K-423. More importantly, she had been immediately suppressed after a brief confrontation with the person she hated the most.

Rita understood that even if Alvitr hadn't been taken hostage, it would have been difficult for her and the Immortal Blade team to capture two Herrscher-level beings.

"But Vice-Captain, are we just going to let them go?" Alvitr said unwillingly, "That arrogant girl said she would take all of us into her harem as wives and even dared to tease you, Vice-Captain. She's so arrogant!"

"Huh? Let her go? Of course not." Rita waved her hand. "Let’s go back to EOS first. I want to sort out the situation here and report it to headquarters. I believe they will send more powerful people to capture the target."

"Are you sending Lord Durandal?" Alvitr’s eyes suddenly filled with expectation. "If it’s that lord, I believe she will definitely teach that girl a lesson!"

"Well, only Lady Durandal can successfully take them down, but unfortunately, Lady Durandal is probably in the Sea of Quanta helping the Overseer conduct experiments on the second Divine Key, so she may arrive later..."

"Hmph, that bad woman is lucky. Let her enjoy herself for a while!"

After Rita and the Immortal Blades returned to the EOS transport ship, Alvitr immediately used the equipment on the ship to test the syringe that Kiana had given them.

Sure enough, the syringe was indeed a product of Schicksal, and after analyzing the remaining liquid in it, they found that the reagent originally used as a therapeutic vaccine had been transformed into a more violent new vaccine.

Although this vaccine might give people a higher resistance to Honkai energy, the risk of becoming a zombie was also greatly increased. The patterns that Alvitr had seen on those zombies before were indeed very similar to the stigmata after comparing them with Schicksal’s database.

So, Rita, sensing something was wrong, temporarily gave up the pursuit of Kiana to uncover the truth and planned to sneak into the Heliopolis Life Sciences Industrial Zone to conduct an investigation.

...

However, Rita and the woman Alvitr mentioned did not live happily ever after.

She traveled all the way and, after ensuring she had shaken off the tails of all the Schicksal and World Serpent operatives following her, she and Kiana arrived at the Heliopolis Life Sciences Industrial Zone located in the suburbs of Arc City and lurked quietly.

"Lin Ling, what are we doing here?" asked Kiana, who was squatting in the shadow of a corner. "It’s not certain what Rita from Schicksal headquarters will choose."

"Don’t worry, she will definitely give up arresting you temporarily. I’m always very accurate in judging people," Lin Ling, who had read the script, said to Kiana confidently. "Although Rita is Otto’s loyal dog on the surface, she actually has her own bottom line of good and evil in her heart. Generally speaking, she is a good person."

"I hope so. However, it would be best if the people of Schicksal and World Serpent could fight, so that we can take the opportunity to destroy this inhumane company..."

"Oh~ Chong Chong, you can actually use conspiracy and tricks. You’ve learned bad things." Lin Ling said with a sly smile. "Could it be that my husband taught you?"

"Husband?!" Kiana's eyes suddenly became sharp upon hearing Lin Ling call others wives all the time, and this was the first time she heard her call someone husband!

There was even a sign that her two heterochromatic eyes would turn amber. She immediately put the pistol she was holding against Lin Ling’s temple and then grabbed the collar of the scumbag. "When did you find a wild man?! I’ll kill him right away!"

"Ah?!" Lin Ling immediately showed a look of shock, but she was not shocked by Kiana’s expression of wanting to kill her. Instead, she said, "No wonder the class monitor has always refused my request to take a bath with her. So she’s a man?! That’s right, it’s flatter than that of elementary school girls. How can she be a girl?!"

Suddenly, two sounds came from Kiana’s throat simultaneously. She grabbed Lin Ling’s collar and said, "You! Always inviting her to take a bath?!"

"Lin Ling, please don’t slander me behind my back. I have always been 100% female!" At this moment, a red figure also appeared and said to Lin Ling with anger, "To correct your bad habits, it seems that I will have to drag you into the illusion and teach you a lesson!"

Although Fu Hua, who only had consciousness left, could not cause physical damage to Lin Ling, relying on the power of the Key of Sentience, Fenghuang Down, it was entirely possible to create a truly 'immersive' environment, where virtual damage would be fed back to the brain.

"Wait, wait!" But just as a red feather slowly fell from Lin Ling’s side, and as Lin Ling felt the picture in front of her begin to distort, she quickly pointed to a faint green light in the night sky in the distance and said to Kiana and Fu Hua, "Look, she’s here!" Lin Ling’s words successfully interrupted the punishment of the two (?) girls (?) and even turned the tables.

She pulled the gun that Kiana had pointed at her temple and started to lecture them.

"Can you guys have a sense of the overall situation? Is this the time to care about such trivial matters? Especially you! My squad leader, you usually lecture me on this and that and can talk endlessly about big principles, but did you forget when it was your turn? You can’t tell the priorities at all? You still want to be my husband? Can you be more mature and stable?"

"..." Chong Chong was speechless. She looked at her hands with some doubts. Just now, she seemed to have lost control again.

And Fu Hua lowered her head in shame. Indeed, she also felt that she had been a little impulsive just now. At this time, she should still focus on the overall situation.

Wait!

But Fu Hua immediately realized that something was wrong and thought to herself.

If I remain silent now, wouldn’t it mean that I want to be her husband? This will be misunderstood by Kiana...

However, when Fu Hua wanted to refute, she swallowed her words again.

But, if I refute and talk about these things now... wouldn’t it be really ignoring the overall situation again? No, no...

Sure enough, after seeing her class monitor’s hesitant look, Chong Chong’s expression became strange.

Class Monitor... is this... you accepted? Could it be... she also agrees with Lin Ling?!

"Don’t look, Chong Chong." Lin Ling patted the distracted Kiana on the back. "Husbands and wives are the same. I will treat them equally. Let’s follow Rita and sneak in quietly."

...

Rita, with the access card given to her by Kiana, easily reached the deepest level of the industrial zone...

Then, an astonishingly large hall appeared in front of her. But what shocked Rita even more was the scene in the hall.

The experimental cabins were lined up in rows, and the experimental subjects suspended in them were both familiar and unfamiliar to Rita.

"This is... a zombie?! No... it doesn’t seem to be an ordinary zombie?!"

On the skin of these zombies that Rita had fought countless times, fine lines intertwined, drawing glowing marks one by one—holy marks!

Until Schicksal developed stigmatas, only a very small number of people chosen by fate had stigmatas in the long history of mankind.

Rita gritted her teeth and stared at the faces in the containers.

Although there was no one she recognized, a powerful anger surged within her.

These experimental subjects varied in height, size, and age. Some had parts of their bodies removed and replaced with electronic prostheses. Some even had Honkai beast tissues implanted in their bodies, their forms covered with white, silicon-based shells.

This place was a bizarre human museum, displaying the extent to which the human body could be transformed.

"Hound, climb up the main control computer and start accessing the terminal!" Rita, now extremely angry, directed her mechanical hound to breach the facility’s main control computer. Instantly, countless documents flooded Rita's eyepiece. Amidst this deluge of data, she quickly found the information she was looking for.

[Stigmata, the most precious heritage in human blood, is not a product of natural evolution but a miracle of previous era's biotechnology. There are still many unsolved mysteries about its principles and operation. Before the demise of the previous era, they inoculated a complex genome of Honkai antibodies into the embryos of a few offspring. These genomes leave marks on the human body’s surface, known as stigmata. Humans carrying stigmata have stronger resistance to Honkai energy and manipulation, exhibiting incredible power. Unfortunately, with the inheritance of human lineage, genes have constantly exchanged, mutated, and dispersed, and the originally complete genome of stigmata has been fragmented. Once the puzzle is disrupted, the meaning of the pattern no longer exists. Therefore, although every modern person carries the stigmata gene, only a few can naturally express it.

The Schicksal Organization once attempted to imitate stigmata artificially and used it through implantation, but it was a poor imitation, full of flaws and dangers.

However, inspired by the omniscient and omnipotent Serpent, our research has made significant progress. We now know how to activate and replenish hidden stigmata fragments in human genes through artificial intervention, allowing them to be perfectly expressed.

This process is very difficult, and those who cannot bear it will die or become zombies.

But those who survive will possess the power to endure the Honkai.

Although the price is very high, it is worth it...

The current activation progress is still slow, far from the desired number. We plan to conduct experiments in a city full of people... ]

"Experiment on the entire city's population?!" After finally understanding the conspiracy of Heliopolis, Rita was shocked. "They must be crazy?!"

"Sometimes, I think so too." At the end of the laboratory, a huge screen suddenly lit up, and the figure on the screen—the one who had led Rita through Heliopolis during the day—said this.

As she spoke, all the experimental subjects in the culture tanks around Rita opened their eyes simultaneously.

"You are surrounded, Immortal Blades. Prepare to meet your end!"

...

Time rewinds to a mysterious meeting room in Heliopolis not long ago.

Raven and Jackal, two agents of the World Serpent, held a secret meeting.

"Originally, I wanted to use the Herrscher as bait, letting Schicksal’s people eliminate this hidden danger for us and divert their attention. But now it seems that the situation has changed," Raven said to Jackal. "I didn’t expect that the Herrscher would investigate some information related to our plan and share it with Schicksal. Consequently, Miss Rita has temporarily given up pursuing the Herrscher. It seems they plan to focus their efforts on us first."

Previously, in the northern part of Sky City, the battle between Schicksal and a pair of white-haired girls had naturally caught the attention of the World Serpent’s instigator.

Although the plan to benefit from the conflict between the snipe and the clam failed, Raven remained calm. She said confidently, "But I have prepared a backup plan for such a situation. Since Rita wants to get closer to the answer, I will show her the answer warrior openly. When a person focuses on the answer, she is at her most vulnerable."

"Oh? From your tone, are you finally going to use force?" Jackal asked with interest. "By the way, when you start, remember to use the gifts I prepared for those Valkyries. I am looking forward to the effects of this special tear gas."

"Yes, I will." Raven nodded. Although she didn’t particularly like Jackal’s character, she recognized Jackal’s scientific prowess. If it was her weapon, it must be impressive. "Once I start, the experiment will immediately enter the countdown phase. We must obtain the data we need before the Schicksal army arrives, but after that, facing the possible revenge from Schicksal, we should..."

"Don’t worry." Understanding Raven’s meaning, Jackal promised, "After the mission is over, you will have a brand-new identity, and Schicksal will not find you."

"So... the people in this city?" Raven suddenly asked something seemingly unrelated to her mission.

But immediately, Jackal, like a devout missionary, preached enthusiastically to Raven, who was solely interested in profit:

"Don’t waste sympathy on worthless things. Your sympathy should be directed toward human beings themselves. Although Schicksal wields great power, they deceive humans and seek personal gain. People mistakenly believe that the world is safe under their protection. As long as Schicksal exists, humans will remain like weak lambs in the sheepfold, merely seeking shelter.

The times have changed. The Lord has returned. He will sweep away Schicksal’s control over the world. What we must do is allow the world to transform and be reborn under the Lord’s guidance! Only in this world can you and those you wish to protect find a place!"

"Okay." Raven nodded without comment. "It seems there is no better way..."

"In addition," Jackal’s enthusiasm intensified further, "This time, the Lord intends to come here in person!"

"Really!" Hearing this, Raven’s pupils suddenly narrowed, "It’s just collecting experimental data, but the Lord actually intends to come personally?"

"Yes, the Lord plans to capture the new girl next to the Herrscher. However, the Lord is currently absorbing Chiyou’s body to restore his strength, so he may arrive a little later."

As she spoke, Jackal’s tone shifted from enthusiasm to a more perverse infatuation. She held her face with both hands, her voice filled with a disturbing excitement.

"Take advantage of this opportunity. I really want to catch that girl and study her thoroughly, from head to toe, inside and out. The Lord’s attention to her means her body must be very wonderful~"

---

Chapter 110: Wives Rain in the Sky?

On the other hand, as an S-rank Valkyrie, Rita's strength should not be underestimated. She has always excelled in performing special non-combat tasks, particularly in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. She even took off the high-damage Godsbane Battlesuit she wore during the daytime battle with Kiana and put on a set of hunting gear, the Phantom Iron Battlesuit, which has slightly less offensive power but more advanced functions. This set of Battlesuit includes a multi-functional mechanical hound, equipped with various high-tech sensors, giving it exceptional reconnaissance capabilities.

As a result, Lin Ling and the others didn’t dare to get too close and continued to observe from a distance in the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

"By the way, Chongchong, when did you realize that the Honkai disaster in Arc City was caused by someone behind the scenes?" Lin Ling, who was a little bored after seeing that Rita hadn’t responded for a long time upon entering the industrial zone, started chatting with Kiana again.

"..." Kiana, already nervous, clenched her fists instantly upon hearing this topic. In a hateful and angry tone, she said, "When I was clearing out the zombies one time, I saw a familiar face. It was a girl I had saved before... Alas... I was devastated. But that’s when I realized something was wrong with the Honkai of this city. Why would someone die again so soon after being saved?"

"Although this could have been a coincidence, we later found that there were too many coincidences," Fu Hua added at this time. "That’s when I started to suspect that someone in this city was capturing girls for experiments."

"In other words, there’s another madman like Otto in Heliopolis? Damn it." Hearing that these scientific lunatics were using experiments to harm innocent girls, Lin Ling became furious. "I want to return all the experiments they’ve done to themselves, to let them feel what it’s like to undergo inhumane experiments!"

"In addition," Kiana pointed at herself, "I once asked the monitor if the Honkai disaster in Arc City was caused by 'her' inside me."

Fu Hua shook her head. "But after my observations, these disasters have nothing to do with the Herrscher within Kiana. I’ve been keeping an eye on the situation inside her. Moreover, if it were the Herrscher attracting the Honkai beasts and zombies, they would appear around her, not scattered across the city like they are now."

"This gave me a lead," Kiana continued. "Honkai beasts and zombies are always drawn to places with high concentrations of Honkai energy. So, I marked every disaster site on the outskirts of Arc City on the map. That’s when I realized these sites were roughly centered around a specific area." Though Kiana didn’t say it outright, her eyes shifted toward the industrial zone, making her meaning clear.

"So, the center is the industrial zone of Heliopolis Life Sciences? I didn’t expect you to be this smart." Lin Ling rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Simple and effective thinking. You’re becoming less and less like your old self."

"Heh~" Kiana sighed softly, almost mocking herself. "The only benefit of a wandering life is that it stops people from getting lazy... and this is the real me. This isn’t the first time I’ve lived like this."

Before Kiana met Mei and was picked up by Himeko, who took her to St. Freya Academy, she had lived a wandering life with her father, a wanted criminal, for as long as she could remember. After her father Siegfried suddenly disappeared, she traveled the world alone, searching for him.

Wandering was her normal. The life at Saint Freya, where she could talk, laugh, and play with Lin Ling and the others, was a rare luxury. She had inadvertently "sunk" into that comfort, and she had been spoiled, even neglecting to think deeply about problems.

Now, when she reflected on it, she was filled with regret. If only she hadn’t been lazy and had spent more time studying and training, perhaps things would have been different...

"Don’t worry!" Seeing Kiana looking a little down, Lin Ling suddenly patted her chest hard. "I promise you, we’ll live a happy life like before, with Mei as our cook serving us food, and all the comforts of home every day!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Lin Ling’s sudden outburst snapped Kiana back to reality. She quickly pressed down Lin Ling's hand, which was pounding her chest, to prevent them from attracting the attention of patrolling guards. "And by the way, why should Mei serve us? Shouldn’t you be the one serving both me and Mei?"

"Doesn’t matter. You serve me during the day, and I’ll serve you well at night to make up for it..."

"Ahem!"

Kiana tilted her head, confused. "Huh? Why at night? What’s so special about night... Wait! Are you suggesting... Ugh, how awful!"

Seeing Lin Ling’s mischievous grin, Kiana’s face instantly turned red, and she began smacking Lin Ling's chest with her pink fists. "Why are you always spouting this nonsense? And you want Mei to be involved too? No way!"

"Ahem!"

At that moment, Fu Hua cleared her throat twice, bringing the conversation back on track. "Let's get back to business. Regarding Heliopolis Life Sciences's suspected anti-human experiments, it's still just speculation. Without conclusive evidence, we can’t bring Schicksal into this. We’ll need to use Schicksal’s power to stir the waters, and then investigate the truth behind these mysteries."

"However, even without Schicksal's help, I will investigate to the end at all costs!" Kiana declared with determination.

"Alright, alright," Lin Ling said in a comforting tone. "Chong Chong, don’t always try to do everything on your own, okay? If something irreversible happens, the people who love you will be heartbroken. For example..." Lin Ling pointed at herself. "Your wife—oh no, I mean, your husband—us."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Kiana and Fu Hua both looked at Lin Ling in unison and said, "You’re the last person qualified to say that. Seriously."

Lin Ling was taken aback and scratched her head awkwardly. "Huh? Really?"

"Ah~" Fu Hua sighed and shook her head. "People can see the faults in others but rarely in themselves...

...

Whew!

While the three were 'chatting', the long-awaited opportunity finally arrived!

With the roar of an engine, a huge floating battleship flew over the industrial zone at high speed.

Bang bang bang!

Then, as if launching missiles, colorful streams of light were sprayed from both sides of the warship.

But those bright colors weren't missiles, but members of Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie team, the Immortal Blades.

Beep beep!

Then, the shrill air defense alarm sounded in the dark industrial area, and as if prepared, a large number of mecha troops appeared...

"Let's go, Lin Ling. There will definitely be a war between Schicksal and Heliopolis, and we should do our thing."

Kiana picked up the pistol, ready to investigate amid the chaos.

However, when Kiana ran a distance, she suddenly noticed that the white-haired girl hadn't followed.

She immediately turned back to see what was holding her up.

But when she saw it, she was furious. Lin Ling was looking up at the sky, mumbling something, as if she was lost in some strange fantasy world.

"Wow, it's raining wives! Is this a gift from nature? Chongchong, you go ahead, I'll see if I can pick up some 'corpses' outside."

After saying that, Lin Ling actually rushed into the battle between Schicksal's Valkyrie Army and Heliopolis Life Sciences's Mecha Army without looking back.

"This pervert! Is she really only thinking about picking up beautiful girls?!"

Seeing this, Kiana was about to rush forward and pull back the person who couldn't resist chasing after a beautiful woman.

"Forget it, Kiana. Lin Ling must have her reasons for doing this. Let's focus on gathering intelligence first." But Fu Hua stopped her.

After witnessing several of Lin Ling's two-faced actions firsthand, although Fu Hua still couldn't fully grasp Lin Ling's true motives, she knew, or rather, chose to believe, that Lin Ling would never abandon a friend, or the wife she unilaterally recognized...

---

"As expected of Schicksal. You dare step into someone else's territory and spy on their secrets without permission. You're truly shameless."

Meanwhile, deep within Heliopolis Life Sciences's Industrial Zone, Raven, who suddenly appeared on the big screen, mocked Rita and the Schicksal she represented.

However, despite being exposed, Rita didn't show any panic.

She had anticipated this.

She had noticed that all her actions tonight were surprisingly easy. She encountered almost no obstacles, reached the deepest part of the industrial zone, and solved the secret of the World Serpent with little difficulty.

When things seem too easy, something is definitely wrong. Obviously, this was a trap specifically set for her.

However, trusting in her S-rank Valkyrie strength and the Immortal Blade Elite Team that was ready nearby, and with the deeper discoveries about Heliopolis’s ambitions, she still chose to press on, despite knowing it was a trap.

Now that her opponent’s true intentions were fully exposed, she stopped pretending.

Rita turned, eyeing the various transformed zombies in the culture tanks, and elegantly pulled out her scythe—the Gene Harvester.

But beneath her graceful movements, Rita had made up her mind to completely destroy this horrific, disgusting industrial zone!

"Miss Rita, since you enjoy watching so much, why not take a few more glances? That way, I can spare some time to entertain you. But remember, people always have to pay a price for what they get, right? Exchanging your life and the lives of your subordinates for everything you've seen here... it’s not too high a price, is it?"

"Hmph. Do you even understand what kind of opponent you've chosen?" Rita nonchalantly cut the first three zombies into six pieces with one swing of her blade, then sneered, "If the World Serpent thinks it can destroy Schicksal's Valkyries with just these things, then I can only offer my deepest sympathy."

Although these zombies had undergone special transformations and were much stronger than the usual ones, they were still no match for an S-rank Valkyrie like Rita. Even without the support of the Immortal Blades, she could easily wipe them all out on her own.

"Hmph." At that moment, Raven chuckled softly, "Can the Immortal Blade, known as elite, continue to perform under desperate circumstances? I’m really looking forward to it."

Chi!

Before Raven finished speaking, a large amount of strange mist sprayed from the various vents in the hall where Rita stood.

Fortunately, the battle-hardened Rita quickly put on a gas mask. "Huh? Poison gas? Whether it’s zombies or poison… these despicable moves only make you look more pitiful."

Rita's voice was full of calm mockery as she swung her giant scythe, cutting the zombies in two with one stroke.

"I don't think so."

But the figure on the screen remained smiling, intrigued, without a hint of frustration despite her plan failing.

Suddenly!

"Huh?"

As Rita was attacking, she realized something was wrong!

The zombies and Honkai beasts surrounding her were retreating. These creatures seemed to be drained of their strength, their bodies shrinking. At the same time, the massive scythe in Rita's hand, which had been effortlessly swinging moments ago, now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Clearly, this scythe was supposed to be easy for an S-rank Valkyrie like her to handle.

"It’s not tear gas, but HSN-B46 serum. You should know what that is. It’s a serum that quickly deactivates and disperses the Honkai energy in a Valkyrie's body. It’s a masterpiece of a former Schicksal scientist. This version was specially prepared for Valkyries like you. It doesn't need to be inhaled; it just needs to come into contact with the skin to enter the circulatory system, making even a Valkyrie as helpless as an ordinary person. Now, let’s move on to the next part. Come out."

Then, a strange mecha with a human upper body and a large spider-like lower body appeared before Rita. Looking at the grotesque half-human, half-mechanical monster in front of her, Rita frowned deeply. But when she attempted to strike, her entire body went limp, and she Honkaid to the ground.

"What’s wrong, Rita?" Raven mocked, "Didn't you want to show me the power of the Immortal Blade? Why can’t you now? By the way, let me introduce you to these specialized Valkyrie hunting machines, codenamed 'Death Weaver.' I hope you enjoy them."

"Damn it!" Rita’s strength was rapidly fading. She could only place her last hope on reinforcements. She immediately activated her communicator and called out to her subordinates, "Immortal Blades? Where are you?"

"Ah!"

But all she heard were the agonized screams of her comrades over the communicator. Those cries instantly widened Rita's pupils in panic. "Hey! What's happening to you?!"

Zzzzz...

But no one could answer her. "Heh, don't worry about your companions." Raven 'comforted' Rita, whose expression had changed drastically, her former confidence and calm shattered. "To be fair, I'll give each of them the same gift I gave you."

"Hah... Heh..."

But to Raven’s surprise, after hearing this 'comfort,' Rita actually laughed.

"Oh? You’re still laughing, even after hearing your comrades fall?" Raven shook her head. "What a cold-blooded person. Or perhaps you’ve gone mad from the stress? How boring."

Rita propped herself up on her arms, half-kneeling, and supported her scythe. Then, with squinted eyes and a blissful expression, she said to the woman on the screen, "I'm just imagining what I’ll do to you once you fall into Schicksal's hands."

"Huh." Seeing that this Schicksal Valkyrie was still being stubborn, Raven snorted in annoyance and commanded the mecha, "I hate people who make empty threats. Kill her!"