As an international metropolis with a population of millions, Nagazora City's streets on a normal day might not be boisterous, but they were usually bustling with traffic.
But what was strange was that even though it was the afternoon rush hour, everyone had their doors and windows tightly shut, huddled in their rooms or shops, refusing to step outside.
— Immortal and Mortal Differ, a D-rank spell, developed and promoted by the wretches at the Shenzhou Supernatural Aftermath Committee.
By engraving specific Honkai seal scripts on designated items, it induces a thought in ordinary people within a certain range like [The sun is very strong today, so I won't go out], [It's very cold outside, so I won't go out today], [The sun is very strong but why is it still cold outside? I need to study the principle properly, so I won't go out today (ᗜ‸ᗜ)]. This is a mind-interfering effect.
Anti-Entropy purchased the usage rights of Immortal and Mortal Differ and engraved such spells on their mechanical creations. They can be activated by inputting a little Honkai energy.
Combined with the wartime drill announcement temporarily issued in Nagazora City, this caused pedestrians nearby to actively or passively choose to avoid them wherever they went.
Of course, except for the targets being pursued.
"Done with two Titan Mechas, disposed of six batches of drones, twenty-seven soldiers left, but a lot more shooting units and Atrak spider-type unmanned machines appeared..."
Running in the alley, Kiana counted the battle results along the way on her fingers. After counting for a long time, she scratched her hair in agony:
"Bastards, don't they know this Miss isn't good at addition and subtraction with more than two digits?!"
Even though Kiana and the others had eliminated such a number of pursuers, Anti-Entropy's troops did not decrease but increased.
No matter how the girls repelled the enemies attacking from behind, the troops surging from all directions still maintained an absolute numerical advantage, continuing to bomb, chase, and intercept them.
At this moment, Kiana finally understood why Fuli had laughed so gloatingly before. Compared to a single enemy that would be done once defeated, the violence of the masses was the most indefensible.
"Sorry..."
Mei's low voice came from behind.
The girl's apology stemmed not only from Bronya's sentence "Hand over Raiden Mei, and I can let you leave," but also because of the large ME logo on many mechanical creations.
Things produced by her own family were used by the enemy to beat her up. What kind of Iron Pagoda joke is this?
"It's okay, Mei!"
Biu!
Seeing her best friend dejected, Kiana raised her gun and shot down an armed drone, hurriedly comforting her:
"These things are actually okay. We can deal with them with a little effort... The main thing is I don't know why they can always find our traces. I remember the Far East isn't full of surveillance cameras on the streets like Shenzhou!"
The girl had always kept Fuli's instructions in mind. Along the way, she had relied on mobility to shake off the enemies several times.
But before they could catch their breath, the roar ringing in their ears would chase them up and down again, leaving them disheveled.
Recalling the strangeness she vaguely sensed during the battle earlier, Mei said tentatively, "Could it be... those dog barks?"
"Dog barks?"
Unlike Kiana who held a gun and went Biu! Biu! Biu!, Mei, who was skilled in the Hokushin Ittō-ryū, spent most of her time fighting enemies at close range.
Plus, with her natural feminine sensitivity, it was normal to notice details that Kiana didn't notice in such a situation.
Her beautiful rose-blue eyes flashed. The white-haired Tuna, receiving a hint from her friend, suddenly realized: "I see! I get it! It's mechanical dogs!"
Kiana's Sauce was bought by her in the black market near Nagazora City. This didn't mean the girl hadn't saved enough money before, but that this kind of tracking-type autonomous machine was in short supply in the black market. Ordinary people couldn't get the goods without connections.
But she did buy it. What does this mean?
It means someone was clearing out this stuff in large quantities, so much so that even an ordinary user like Kiana, who neither paid extra nor sold her looks, could buy it.
Looking at the entire Nagazora City, there was only one force capable of mass-producing D-rank autonomous machines, and that was ME Corp.
Since they could dump this stuff in large quantities into the black market, there must be a large stock of ready goods at home.
"Mei! Follow me!"
Having figured this out, Kiana pulled Mei, made a sharp turn into a corner, spotted a KFC, and rushed straight in.
"Ah!!!"
The shop owner squatting under the table with his head in his hands screamed in fright, curling his already round body even rounder.
Fortunately, the bandits who broke in only sought wealth, not sex. After rummaging through the back kitchen, they left.
The shop owner looked up tremblingly and found that the losses this time included but were not limited to Original Recipe Chicken, Deep Sea Cod Burger, Popcorn Chicken, Portuguese Egg Tart...
Combined together, could they add up to seven or eight Crazy Thursday sets?
And you know what, the cash register was unharmed!
Seeing this, the shop owner burst into tears instantly.
Conscience!
Then he saw a group of fully armed guys storming in, muttering, "Damn, those two fugitives are truly hateful! They even plucked a feather from such an innocent shopkeeper!" while carrying the cash register and valuable things in the shop and running away.
The shop owner was surprisingly angry! Son of a b*tch!
If it weren't for the fact that each of them was carrying a da-da-da-da whose name he couldn't pronounce, he would definitely let these shameless rogues who framed the two heroines know why flowers are so red!
A while later, in a clothing store on another street—
"Mei, you know I used to travel all over the world, right? Once I was waiting for the high-speed train at the station in Tianqiong City, Shenzhou, with my suitcase. A police dog sniffed my suitcase and sat down in front of me."
In the corner, Kiana talked incessantly: "That dog's coat color was super pure! And it looked super cute sticking out its tongue! I just wanted to reach out and touch it, but a group of police officers rushed over with a whoosh and set up yellow cordon tape around me without saying a word!"
"I was scared at the time and asked them carefully what they wanted to do."
"They looked at my white hair and said they wanted to check my suitcase, and then, hehe~"
The girl wiped her nose and couldn't help laughing: "Then they took out a Dezhou Grilled Chicken that I hadn't had time to eat yet from inside~"
Even when checking the ticket to get on the train, Kiana could still see the policewoman criticizing the dejected dog.
"You mean...?"
"That's right! Just use these!"
Kiana was triumphant.
Before entering the clothing store to rest, she specifically circled the surroundings three or five times.
The Crazy Thursday meals she robbed were all scattered by her in the nearby streets and alleys. A large amount of pungent seasoning was scattered on the ground, emitting a delicious aroma that hooked the glutton worms at this moment.
"Even mechanical dogs will definitely be attracted by the smell of these things, thus ignoring us whose scent is covered! Hmph hmph, this is called darkness under the lamp!"
Mechanical dogs are different from normal dogs...
If it were usual, Mei would probably complain with a helpless face.
However, this time, she just dragged her exhausted body and nodded gently, leaning against the cold wall and sliding down slowly.
Seeing this, Kiana walked over to her and sat down.
The girl had seen from the beginning that her best friend was in a bad mood, and those words just now were mostly acting silly.
But she only thought Mei was worried about Fuli, unable to see the delicate heart under the girl's full chest that felt incredibly guilty for implicating her friend.
Because in Kiana's eyes, "Hand over Raiden Mei, I'll let you leave" and whatnot was all bullsh*t!
She would never give up any companion, just as she believed Fuli and Mei would also not abandon her!
Therefore, Kiana spoke confidently: "Mei, you don't need to worry too much about Ah-Li. That guy never does things he isn't sure of."
"What about pursuing you?"
The girl asked back faintly.
"Gah?!"
The incessantly talking white-haired Tuna instantly froze.
"This, that..."
She turned her head away guiltily, looked at the mannequin wearing a light onion-colored kimono beside her, and laughed haha with a subtle mood she couldn't even describe herself:
"Speaking of which, this mannequin is really realistic. The face feels soft when pinched, the hair implants are also good, even the facial features are based on my strike zone, and the more I look at it, the more pleasing to the eye it becomes..."
"Is it fun?"
The mannequin suddenly opened its mouth.
"Fun."
Kiana, who was rubbing his face, answered subconsciously, and then jumped out with a whoosh.
"Mei Mei Mei Mei Mei!!!"
She shrank behind Mei with chattering teeth, buried her face in her back, and pointed tremblingly: "He he he he he came alive! Alive!"
The fearless Miss Kiana only has one nemesis, and that is fear of ghosts.
"Don't be afraid, Kiana!"
Mei, who came back to her senses, quickly pulled out her baseball bat. Only after seeing the mannequin's appearance clearly did she say pleasantly: "Fuli!"
Fuli, wearing a loose kimono, raised his hand: "Yo sisters, missed me?"
"Missed—"
"Missed you my big head ghost!"
A suddenly raised voice immediately suppressed Mei's eager response. Miss Kiana performed a Neko Charm! sprint flying kick.
After being dodged, she rushed directly into the mannequin area, shattered a pile of mannequins, and poked her head out from the pile of broken limbs.
She said indignantly: "If you're back, just come back! Why did you specifically wear women's clothing and run in front of people to scare them! Pervert!"
That's what she said , but the corners of her mouth were curving up so much she couldn't suppress them even if her life depended on it, perfectly embodying the meaning of tsundere.
"Pervert? Don't just throw accusations around, okay?"
Fuli corrected her, "First, my previous clothes were destroyed in the battle, so I got a convenient set to wear for now. Second, this outfit only referenced a woman's kimono in its design; it's still essentially a men's style."
Mei nodded subconsciously. Having grown up in the Far East, she knew more about traditional clothing than the newcomer Kiana.
Having received support from a local, the boy threw a triumphant look at Kiana. "And, the reason I chose a kimono is that it's relatively loose, so I can hide some small objects inside."
"Finally," he emphasized, "even if I really were wearing women's clothes—"
"Yeah, yeah, Lord Ah-Li's gender is an attack helicopter. Don't use that meme again; it's been used so many times. If you're not sick of it, I am."
Kiana, who finally suppressed her inner glee, crawled out from the pile of broken limbs on all fours.
She stroked her chin, sizing up Fuli who was standing there preening, and suddenly smirked wickedly:
"You look like 'Sakura, Favored by the Gods.'"
"Look who's talking, you d*mn Tuna!"
...