Time flew, and before anyone realized it, the bright moon and stars rising on the horizon joined forces to chase away the stubborn sun.
Fuli glanced at the darkening sky and turned back. "With Sauce and the illusions drawing away the enemy, the next hour or two should be a downtime for us from Anti-Entropy's perspective."
He suggested, "It's best to take this opportunity to find a place to rest. If suitable, we can spend the night there."
Before his rebirth, it wouldn't have mattered, but the current him couldn't keep his mind split to control so many Trailing Shadow Swords 24/7.
If he crossed a certain limit, he might genuinely give himself schizophrenia.
"Heh heh! This Young Lady's Sauce is amazing!"
Having received Fuli's affirmation, Kiana's nose was pointed so high it almost touched the sky. "Oh right, and Sauce too!"
"Don't worry. Once it's safe here, I'll figure out a way to retrieve its AI."
"Okay!"
The girl didn't doubt him. "So where are we going next?"
Going home was definitely out of the question.
Not only could they not return home, but the routes out of Nagazora City were also blocked.
The instant Bronya was defeated, a semicircular dome had abruptly risen at the city's edge, enveloping an area with a radius of dozens of miles.
The dome appeared only briefly before vanishing without a trace, but the surging lightning on its surface didn't escape the eyes of Fuli and the others.
——Magneto-Electric Sky Curtain Conversion Matrix. Theoretically, it required numerous high-tech materials, cutting-edge equipment, and a large number of personnel to set up over a long period. But as Anti-Entropy's base camp in the Far East, it was a standard large-scale energy conversion device for Nagazora City.
Once activated, the matrix formed a magnetic barrier covering the urban area (including underground). High-voltage electricity, sufficient to power a small modern city, was evenly distributed across these invisible magnetic fields.
Usually, the barrier remained in an inert state to conserve energy.
If any unauthorized person or object attempted to suicidally cross the barrier, the uniformly distributed current would instantly congregate at a super-speed of 300,000 km/s, delivering divine punishment to the rule-breaking trespasser.
Additionally, the converted electromagnetic force significantly disrupted the magnetic field near the barrier. Unless one had a B-Rank or higher space-time ability, don't even think about leaving via teleportation.
Looking at Fuli and the others' current situation: the Escape Dagger (D), which didn't require targeting, was too low-level;
The Flying Raijin Kunai (B) could penetrate it, but the problem was that it needed to be thrown to set a coordinate. The moment it passed through the barrier, it would be electrocuted into a wisp of smoke.
This was the main reason the teenagers hadn't mentioned going to the Yae Village ruins after reuniting. Since they couldn't get out, they might as well find a place to rest first.
Even machines needed lubrication after running for a long time, and these three had been fighting non-stop all afternoon.
However, being able to command an A-Rank like Bronya was one thing, but having the authority to activate a super-spec device like the Magneto-Electric Sky Curtain Conversion Matrix... Fuli was increasingly curious about who the mastermind behind this incident was.
Regarding this, he didn't have to wait long.
"Let's find an empty house to sneak into. Anti-Entropy has probably issued a city-wide warrant. Sneak into the village quietly, no shooting—"
Glancing at the high-angle video surveillance feed, Fuli's casual gaze solidified instantly. "[National Expletive!] Dogshit Cocolia?!!"
Siberian-style double-breasted military uniform, white fox fur draped over her shoulders, two military boots on her feet.
The low-cut women's military uniform revealed deep cleavage, and the high-slit design of the lower half offered glimpses of her fair, voluptuous thighs.
That's right. The blonde beauty entering Fuli's vision was none other than Cocolia, who had hurriedly returned to the city.
In the surveillance feed, she was directing the employees and numerous mechanical creations in front of her. As Fuli swore, she thoughtfully looked up at the sky.
Fortunately, Fuli had already ordered the Drifting Shadow Dove to climb into the clouds, and simultaneously had two illusions self-destruct against enemies to exert force elsewhere, barely allowing them to evade her psychic sixth sense.
"Mmm..."
Perhaps hearing a familiar name, Bronya's eyelashes on Fuli's back trembled slightly, seemingly about to wake from her dream.
"Hah!"
Kiana was one step ahead, smashing the butt of her gun against the back of Bronya's head.
However, she forgot she was supporting a semi-conscious Mei. Noticing this, Fuli quickly stepped forward to take Kiana's place.
The two, who were constantly covering for each other, looked at one another. Kiana was the first to complain, "Why did you shout so loudly just now?"
"You go easy on her!"
Fuli put down Bronya, sighing as he looked at the large bump on the back of the girl's head.
"Heh!"
Kiana-cat watched coldly. Look at this reaction, and he still has the face to say he's not a lolicon!
"Heh what heh! Come over and give me a hand!"
The harem king, holding Mei on his left and Bronya on his right, said grumpily.
"Just carry them. It's not like you'll lose a piece of meat."
Kiana retorted sarcastically.
Fuli rolled his eyes. "I'm warning you, Paramecium. I've always adhered to the principle of 'friends' wives are off-limits,' but if you insist on delivering a helpless Mei to my mouth on a silver platter, I might just reluctantly accept her as my first wife."
"Y-y-y-you said you wouldn't marry!"
Kiana hurriedly rushed over to take Mei away, secretly repenting in her heart.
I should have put Mei first! Why was I so focused on mocking this losing male lead just now?
Shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have done that, my sin, my sin...
But recalling Fuli's reaction just now, she couldn't help but wonder, "Who is Cocolia? Why did you jump like that when you saw her?"
"The leader of the Anti-Entropy Reformist faction, a top-tier big shot among the Enforcers."
"Enforcer?!"
The white-haired Tuna was shocked. "Isn't that the same as Father-in-law?"
"Much stronger than Raiden Ryoma. One manages production, the other actually holds military power. Setting aside functionality, who do you think can fight better?"
"You can't fight a war without producing soldiers!"
"That's why I said setting aside functionality!"
Fuli had a bit of a headache. He really couldn't figure out why Cocolia would show up in Nagazora City.
Although this b*tch would be arrested by Anti-Entropy two years later for reasons unsuitable for outsiders, that absolutely didn't negate her inherent difficulty level.
As a militant Enforcer with real power, it meant Cocolia alone could mobilize a powerful force equivalent to an entire medium-sized faction.
Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were Super-Large. Below them were Large, Medium, and Small...
As a lone wolf who had struggled in the Honkai world for two and a half years, Fuli knew very well what the term "Medium-Sized Faction" meant in these four broad categories.
Leaving aside the overly mysterious Future Foundation, take the medium-sized faction [Eight Faces of Unjust Death] that had once hired him as an example.
Eight people, eight faces, every one of them at the critical limit.
This was the gold content of an Anti-Entropy militant Enforcer—a violent organization capable of rivaling a single S-Rank or a Judgement-Class Honkai Beast.
Asking the current Fuli to fight such a big shot—well, it would probably be a 3-7 split.
She throws three punches, and he gets his seventh-day funeral rites.
But soon, Fuli realized something was wrong.
If Cocolia were truly going all-out to hunt down their group, she wouldn't just be searching Nagazora City; even if they hid in the Japan Trench, she'd drive a battleship down there to drag them out. She wouldn't be floundering around like this.
Could it be...
"Is the big leader here for an inspection?"
He muttered to himself.
A small, soft, white hand waved in front of his eyes.
Fuli grabbed it and looked at the owner with annoyance. "What?"
"Rescuing the air that was about to be suffocated by your furrowed brows."
Kiana grinned. "Why so serious all of a sudden? Tell this Young Lady what the trouble is."
"I'm extremely displeased with that woman. Is it wrong to want to beat her to the ground and ravage her to death?"
Feeling irritable, Fuli brushed her off casually and continued thinking about his own affairs.
He tried to push her hand away, but she held on.
He raised an eyebrow and looked; those beautiful sapphire eyes hit the bullseye.
"Actually, this Young Lady has taken a fancy to her too."
She raised their interlocked hands. "You can share half of her with me. Don't think about shouldering it all alone."
Her braid swung behind her, and her smile was as bright and sunny as ever.
Don't think about shouldering it all alone.
Fuli was stunned, then revealed a smile with ill intentions. "You mean you want to have a threesome with me?"
"Peh peh peh! In your dreams!"
Seeing he still had the mind to joke, Kiana pursed her lips and let go of his hand.
Mei was still beside them; it was bad influence.
"Indeed, dreaming quite big."
Fuli said solemnly, "A mere Paramecium actually dares to covet the genetic material of a higher organism like a human."
"Asking for a beating, aren't you? Asking for a beating!"
The girl rolled up her sleeves aggressively, cracking her knuckles one by one with a crack-crack sound.
"Turning to violence out of embarrassment, so I say— Cough!"
Under her increasingly dangerous gaze, Fuli decisively stopped his courting-death behavior.
There is an old saying in Shenzhou: Those who understand the times are heroes. He didn't want to be pinned to the ground by the Kaslana family's ancestral monstrous strength counting backwards from one thousand by sevens.
"Hmph!"
Having won a tactical victory, the white-haired Tuna raised her chin.
After scanning the surroundings, she pointed her gun-wielding hand towards a cluster of villas under the night sky. "That place looks nice, huh? They're all big mansions—Ah! This Young Lady has suddenly contracted a disease where she'll die if she doesn't stay in a big mansion!"
"Then let's go take a look. If it's suitable, we'll rest there."
"Climb up from a hidden spot, sneak into the village quietly, no shooting."
"That's what I just told you!"
"That's what I just told you!"
"Are you a repeater machine?!"
The boy complaining carried Bronya on his back, the girl supported the half-asleep Mei, and noisily, they ran towards their temporary residence.
...
The ancient Shenzhou sage Mencius once said: When Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty. It confounds his undertakings. By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.
Cocolia felt it didn't need to be that complicated. If you really wanted to stimulate someone and make them stronger, actually, you just needed to give them a pig teammate.
"I am extremely sorry, Chairman Cocolia!"
The temporary captain of the pursuit squad stood before Cocolia, shouting with his naturally rough voice:
"We lost Miss Bronya and those three traitors! Please punish us severely!"
The legendary pig teammate had appeared!
Yuya, the adjutant and driver, smiled awkwardly from the side, covered in dust, cursing these blind fools in her heart.
So what if you lost them? Are you proud of it? Why are you shouting so loud?! Do you know who is in front of you? Do you believe that with a snap of her fingers, ten thousand Fathers will drop from helicopters and chop you into mincemeat, KORA?!
Cocolia stood with one hand on her hip, her expression cold, not losing her reason over her precious daughter's disappearance.
Instead, she took out her phone and dialed an encrypted number.
No answer.
She frowned and dialed again.
Still no answer.
She looked up at her adjutant. "Yuya!"
"Here!"
The adjutant stiffened.
"Use your phone. Call this number."
"Yes!"
Yuya flusteredly pulled out her naginata, realized her mistake, quickly put it back, and took out her phone.
She dialed the number as instructed by Cocolia. Soon, an impatient, elderly male voice rang out from the other side:
"Who is it? I'm busy!"
Cocolia snatched the phone. "It's me, Cocolia."
Click!
The call was hung up directly.
The autumn wind blew bleakly, ruffling her dim golden hair in the shadows, making her look so weak, pitiful, and helpless.
"En-Enforcer?"
"Call again!"
Cocolia took a deep breath. "This time, you talk to them!"
The grinding of her teeth was undisguised, mixed with a sigh of helplessness.
The reaction from the other side wasn't unexpected. The people in the R&D department had been forcibly conscripted by her using the excuse of a "Large-scale Social Darwinism Experiment." Their leader, Dr. Ike, was a super veteran who had joined during the early days of Anti-Entropy's founding. Listening to orders but ignoring announcements was completely normal for them.
In the past, Cocolia wouldn't have needed to care about this.
As long as those people completed the work she assigned, she wouldn't care if they cross-dressed and danced on the Spring Festival Gala.
But not now. Bronya and the crucial Raiden Mei were missing consecutively. To find people, she needed access to satellites, networks, and other modern facilities, but her authority had been unilaterally cut off by Einstein, who was temporarily acting as the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy.
Being in the dark right now, Cocolia had no choice but to inform these talents who held cutting-edge technology.
"Henlo, I am Yuya..."
Yuya tremblingly dialed the number and communicated with the other side according to Cocolia's instructions.
Two or three minutes later, she hung up amidst the roaring from the other side.
Her deer-like eyes glanced over timidly, conveying a not-so-good signal.
Cocolia, already having deduced the answer, sighed and placed her hand on Yuya's shoulder in encouragement. "What did they say?"
Yuya said with a mournful face, "They said... they said for you to hurry up and roll away, don't hinder their progress. They've already started researching room-temperature superconductivity..."
Destiny is still working its magic, DAMN IT!
"Room-temperature superconductivity?"
Cocolia frowned. "Wasn't that thing invented in the nineties of the last century?"
"The Doctor said, it's pure technological room-temperature superconductivity without any Honkai energy mixed in..."
Hearing this, Cocolia's eyes widened instantly.
Then, it turned into a sigh of helplessness. "Then we really can't disturb them."
The tech tree of the Honkai World was quite peculiar. Its development routes could be summarized into two paths:
First, the conventional technology in the public impression, progressing step by step.
Second, Honkai technology mixed with the miraculous energy known as Honkai energy.
The former needs no elaboration; almost everything widely available to the public currently falls into this category.
The latter is what truly matters.
[Any physics formula becomes simpler when the variable of Honkai energy is added.] It is precisely based on this point that Honkai technology can be established.
Whether it's room-temperature superconductivity, aerial battleships, or controlled nuclear fusion—these Industrial Revolution-level barriers that conventional technology has yet to break through were realized by Honkai technology as early as the Cold War in the latter half of the last century.
Even so, society is still dominated by conventional technology, and the existence of the Honkai remains hidden behind the scenes.
Why is this?
Are the people who researched these things reluctant to make them public?
Of course not.
The real reason preventing the spread of Honkai technology lies in its name—Honkai.
Is room-temperature superconductivity amazing?
Amazing. Nearly zero energy loss. Charge a phone once, and you won't need to charge it again until it's scrapped.
But, it's Honkai.
Is stable nuclear fusion amazing?
Infinite clean energy, a necessity for humanity to reach the stars and sea.
But, it's Honkai.
It's mixed with Honkai energy, which means that if ordinary people are exposed to it, they will be infected and turn into zombies (Deadwalkers).
It doesn't matter for the military. A certain major power in the South Asian subcontinent arrogantly built two aerial carriers, though they crash into the Indian Ocean once every three flights on average, exhausting the salvage teams.
However, if it were to spread on a large scale like electricity...
Eight billion humans turning into zombies—that's a bit exaggerated.
After all, so many people have poor resistance and would be instantly annihilated upon contact.
Considering the dosage issue, let's discount it. Two billion.
Two billion zombie deadwalkers released from their cages. Such a massive population base would inevitably spawn millions of Pseudo-Herrschers.
Just thinking about that scene made Cocolia's scalp tingle.
This is the main reason for the divide between military and civilian technology in today's society. Aerial battleships fly everywhere, mech units form armies, yet the quality of life for ordinary people isn't much different from the early 21st century of a magic-less world.
However, Cocolia knew a thing or two about room-temperature superconductivity.
There's always been an interesting saying circulating on the internet:
Technological inventions that existed before you were born are natural necessities of life.
Technological inventions that appear between when you are 20 and 40 are extraordinary creations that change human society.
Technological inventions that appear after you are 40 are evil heresies that have no reason to exist.
This saying makes sense, but it only applies to those content with the status quo.
As an Enforcer of Anti-Entropy, Cocolia might not be able to cover every aspect of scientific research, but she could understand the basics.
According to her knowledge, without the involvement of Honkai energy, given the current technological level of civilization, a sci-fi material like a room-temperature superconductor is theoretically impossible to develop.
Conventional technology emphasizes gradual progress. If certain prerequisites aren't met, no matter how hard you try, you can't skip to the next step.
Even so, Cocolia chose to tolerate the research team's messing around rather than forcefully ordering them to cooperate.
The reason was simple. In scientific research, materials science is the one thing that really involves a bit of metaphysics.
Countless examples tell people that something you can't research for half a lifetime might just appear because your hand shook when adding materials one time.
However, the premise is that you have a solid foundation.
Feeling full after eating two bowls of noodles means you were full because you ate two bowls, not because of the last bite of the second bowl.
So the question is, does the research team led by Senior Engineer Dr. Ike have a solid foundation?
LMAO.
Cocolia quickly organized her mood. "Continue ordering the mechanical troops to search."
Noticing Yuya's surprised look, she smiled. "Just do your best."
The research team is obsessed with experiments;
Einstein cut off authority;
The troops she can mobilize have ulterior motives;
Raiden Mei is mysteriously missing.
Thinking that this level of difficulty would leave Cocolia helpless was underestimating her too much.
However...
Looking at the white-haired girl smiling foolishly in the photo, and recalling the white-haired Valkyrie who descended from the sky during the 2nd Honkai Eruption, Cocolia fell silent for a moment.
"Cancel the warrant for Kiana Kaslana. Only keep the warrants for Fuli and Raiden Mei. Also, help me notify that green-haired snake. Tell her I agree to the conditions. Have her send me the Mental Platform Generator and the Pseudo-Herrscher Core."
"Ah? Yes!"
Yuya, who was sorting documents, saluted flusteredly, and a sheet of A4 paper slipped through her fingers.
On the corner of the fluttering white paper, black ink clearly read: [Kiana Kaslana, daughter of the previous Schicksal Saintess, Cecilia Schariac.]
...
P.M. 18:45
The Invincible Trio + Captive Duck were in a multi-story villa, known in the Far East as a "single-family detached house" (Ikkenya).
In this country, living in a high-rise apartment in a prime location is often the symbol of wealth and status.
Therefore, detached houses with low area utilization rates are generally located in more remote areas. Hiding here made it convenient for the group to mobilize and move.
There was a layer of dust on the furniture, indicating the owner hadn't been back for a while, so there wouldn't be an awkward scene of being caught red-handed while eating hotpot and singing songs.
After entering, Fuli used magic to clean the place up for them, counting it as payment for the temporary stay.
Assuming the owner still has the mood to come back after the 3rd Honkai Eruption (Laughs).
"Actually, you just think it's too dirty to lie down in!"
Kiana-cat put on a Sherlock Holmes detective hat, swearing solemnly that there is only one truth!
"Who wants to be covered in dust if they can be clean?"
Fuli placed the unconscious Little Duck on the sofa, then sat aside, rubbing his throbbing temples.
Controlling illusions for a long time consumed more mental energy than expected. 'Fortunately,' the illusions sent out to scout just now were focused down and destroyed, relieving much of his pressure.
Kiana, unable to stay idle, guest-starred as a Call of Cthulhu investigator, rummaging around. A moment later, she returned to the living room hugging a document like a treasure. "Ah-Li, Mei, look!"
Mei's bad condition had alleviated somewhat along the way. Seeing this, she frowned. "We already broke into someone's home without permission. Isn't it bad to rummage through their things?"
Fuli took a glance. "Floor plan? It's recorded quite completely. Leave it here, I'll study it first."
The first floor had one bedroom, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. The second floor had a slightly cramped layout of three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Additionally, there was a second basement level; the first basement was an entertainment area, and the second was a parking garage.
"Woo woo, I was wrong, Mei."
Scolded by Mei, Kiana-cat looked mournful, but immediately sat next to Fuli, leaning on him and chattering, "What does it say? What does it say?"
"Convenient for running away," the boy answered matter-of-factly. "For example, look at the blueprint. It says the garage on basement level two leads directly outside. If the road above is blocked, we can escape from below."
"I see~"
Kiana put on an act of sudden realization, letting out a silly laugh.
Fuli looked at her suspiciously, suddenly remembering that this girl had said she always scoped out the environment in advance whenever she arrived at a strange place.
"Hehe."
The white-haired girl swung her smooth, cute little feet, appearing to have said something, yet also nothing at all.
And not just her; Mei also took off her thigh-high socks.
Running all the way here and fighting constantly, those things had long been soaked with sweat.
Beautiful girls care quite a bit about their image in front of the opposite sex. Even if there wasn't any smell, what if Fuli had a particularly sensitive nose?
Considering the miraculous abilities he had displayed recently...
"No!"
Mei, whose thoughts were getting worse and worse, suddenly stood up, grabbed Kiana, and ran towards the bathroom. "Fuli, wait a moment, we're going to take a shower first!"
"Eh?"
Kiana was dragged into mid-air, her exquisite features suddenly turning lecherous.
This is my first time showering with dear Mei! If we shower together, is sleeping in the same bed far off? Is something indescribable far off? By the way, which countries allow same-sex marriage again? Let's pick Hawaii for the honeymoon!
Sitting on the sofa, Fuli glanced at her faintly.
Inexplicably guilty, Kiana shuddered and twisted her wrist to break free from Mei's hand.
The girl coughed lightly and said solemnly, "Mei, you go first. I have to watch Ah-Li so he doesn't get a chance to peek."
"Then I'll go first."
Mei didn't suspect anything and walked quickly towards the bathroom.
The sound of the shower soon started.
Kiana reluctantly withdrew her gaze and pouted at Fuli, who was sitting firmly on the fishing platform (staying put). "Is there something you absolutely have to say in private?"
"I'm wondering why the people from Anti-Entropy are so intent on capturing Mei."
The boy was concise.
"Is that even worth wondering?"
Kiana looked as if it were a matter of course. "It must be because my Mei is waaaaay too charming!"
She lifted her head triumphantly. "Even Five-Star General MacArthur commented, 'Someone said, "Raise your hand if you think Mei is charming!", and the Earth turned into a sea urchin.'"
"I know Mei is charming, and those long legs are comfortable to rest on, but what I need to know is what point about her is most charming in the eyes of those Anti-Entropy people."
Fuli pursed his lips, picking up a bottle of mineral water from the coffee table to moisten his throat.
"She has two of the most charming points right on her frontal armor!"
"Pfft!!!"
As if that wasn't enough, Kiana added with stars in her eyes, "The person who gave birth to Mei is the modern-day Einstein, the white lotus atop the Himalayas, the wise one who has seen through philosophy and the soul, the brightest pearl on this planet, the dragger of the Axial Age, a philosopher, a hero, the light, the incarnation of all kindness and justice! If Socrates saw her, he would surely lose to Hippias, because the essence of beauty truly has a concrete existence!"
"Stop, stop, stop, you stop first!"
Fuli put down the tissue, the corner of his eye twitching. "Do you like Raiden Mei, or Raiden Mei's mom?"
"I like both!"
Kiana blurted out.
"Fine, I get it. Discussing this with you was my mistake."
Fuli rubbed his throbbing brow, dropping the subject to continue controlling the Trailing Shadow Swords to kite the mechanical troops remotely.
A sigh drifted faintly into his ears. "Perhaps, it's my identity as Raiden Ryoma's daughter..."
Fuli didn't look up. "I considered that reason, but if they wanted Raiden Ryoma's daughter, they would have grabbed her long ago. Why insist on grabbing her now—"
"Ah-Li!"
Kiana's loud shout interrupted his words. The boy looked up belatedly, only to see a dripping wet Mei standing before him with an expression that made one's heart ache.
Fuli scratched his head in rare embarrassment. "Uh, that was a fast wash?"
"Mn."
The girl responded softly.
It seemed Kiana wasn't the only one who noticed Fuli's hint.
And perhaps to act more convincingly, Mei was currently wrapped only in a large bath towel. Whether it was her creamy shoulders, sculpted like suet jade, or the full, rounded curves of her chest, the amount of skin the towel could actually cover was limited.
This undoubtedly made Fuli, who had intentionally sent her away, feel even more awkward.
Fortunately, Kiana the attention-seeker was still in the living room.
"No looking!"
She waved her claws and bared her fangs, shielding Mei and brutally shattering the silence in the air.
Then, she pointed a finger at Bronya. "Besides, the person who wants to capture Mei is right here. If there's really a problem, why don't we just wake her up and ask?"
Her feet left the ground, and her high IQ took the high ground!
Fuli was stunned, then revealed an expression of sudden realization. "Right! That trick!"
It wasn't that he was being stupid. Habits accumulated over years made him instinctively believe Bronya was on their side, so he had completely tossed the concept of [Bronya is the culprit] to the back of his mind.
Seeing his expression made Kiana extremely unhappy. She huffed lightly, pushing Mei towards the bathroom. "This time we're washing together. If a certain someone peeks, this Young Lady will blow his head off!"
Both the top one and the bottom one!
"Go, go."
Fuli waved them off casually and walked towards the kitchen.
There were ingredients they had left there earlier. having not eaten since noon, he was starving.
After busywork for half an hour, a small hand suddenly reached out from under the table where the dishes were temporarily placed.
It swiftly snatched a peeled prawn, retracted under the table, and stuffed it into its owner's mouth.
Fuli didn't pay much attention, so the small hand started to push its luck.
This was truly the last straw. He wiped the water from his hands, squatted down, and stared at the white-haired Tuna huddled under the table with a fake smile. "Isn't taking the whole plate a bit excessive?"
"Mmph! Nooo! I di'nt!"
Her cheeks were puffed up like a hamster; it was impressive she could even squeeze out a few words while chewing.
Gulp!
Swallowed.
"Ah-Li, your cooking is pretty good! Mmh! I appoint you as the royal chef for this Young Lady and Mei!"
Her tender little face was filled with happiness, and her freshly washed skin sparkled.
Fuli leaned back tactically. Like Mei earlier, this girl had come out wrapped only in a bath towel.
Plus, she was currently squatting. From his angle, he could even see that mysterious area—
"Fourth-Dimensional Skirt?!"
"Hehe, fell for it, didn't you?"
The girl wiped her nose triumphantly, lifting the lower part of the towel to show off. "Can't see it! Eh! You just can't see it!"
Damn it, Kiana!!!
Fuli felt like ten thousand alpacas were stampeding across the Hulunbuir Grasslands in his heart. But soon, a gaze of pity found the cheerful white-haired girl who had started doing a hip-shaking dance.
Kiana felt uncomfortable under his stare. She stopped her antics, her willow-leaf brows erecting vertically. "Why are you looking at me like that!"
"Nothing. I was just reminiscing about a certain heterochromatic little kitten I once picked up and brought back to a hotel to care for meticulously. Recalling the wonderful sensation of every inch of her skin, either soft enough to break with a touch or curvaceous and shapely."
Fuli snatched the licked-clean plate back from her hand. If I could remain calm facing the you from two years later who offered no resistance, I certainly won't be interested in this current Paramecium form.
After all, compared to two years later (after the Final Lesson), the current Kiana could only be described as "green" and unripe.
This wasn't just about physical maturity, but temperament as well; they were worlds apart.
The girl from that time had silver hair scattered over her shoulders, her eyes lowered, docile and pitiful, surrounded by an aura of extremely low pressure that evoked a desire to protect.
Like a white-haired puppy stumbling to your feet in a torrential downpour—so weak and humble it made your heart ache, while simultaneously bringing forth an unavoidable urge to completely ruin her, to destroy and abuse.
The key point was that after the Final Lesson, Kiana, knowing the truth, held a massive amount of guilt toward Fuli. Her behavior made it undisguisedly clear that this body—**[Kiana Kaslana]**—was his to do with as he pleased.
[She] had made a promise with him when they were young: that when [Kiana] grew up, she would be his bride.
Since that was the case, as the one occupying the magpie's nest, she should fulfill the promise for the deceased [Her].
Fuli was also an eighteen-year-old boy in the springtime of youth; facing such temptation, how could there be no reason to charge with his flaming lance?
Heh! There really was!
"Stop pretending. If you can't remember, you can't remember. What is there to be guilty about?"
At that time, he had sneered and continued changing the dressing for the white-haired girl who was staring straight at him.
In Kiana's eyes was a confusion she tried to cover up; she still hadn't 'remembered' their childhood promise.
That was Fuli's reason for refusal. They were friends, and only friends.
Taking advantage of a friend's precarious situation... would he still have any face left?
The next day, the provoked Kiana disappeared, leaving behind a note filled with "I'm sorry" and "I'm not."
Fuli had actually thought about looking for her. I spent so much money saving your dog life, you should at least pay some medical bills.
Unfortunately, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, code-named [Durandal], seemed to have taken a liking to his efficiency and named him specifically to accompany her on another mission alone.
Fuli couldn't refuse. The pills used to treat Kiana's injuries were all credited from that kind-hearted girl with big wavy blonde hair who poked right at his XP (fetishes).
And so, the journey to find Kiana ended before it even began.
Thinking about it now, if he had chased after her, maybe another world line would have opened up.
"Ah-Li? Hey! Moshi moshi?"
A coquettish shout brought Fuli back to consciousness. He sniffed, smelling the burnt odor in the air, and yelled, "Not good!"
He then scrambled to deal with the mush in the pot.
Scrutinizing Fuli like this, Kiana frowned in dissatisfaction.
She hardened her voice, questioning him with the tone of a police dog, "Who is that woman?"
"That one? Which one?"
"Which one could it be? The one you just mentioned!"
Fuli, dumping the black stuff from the pot, thought for a moment before realizing she was referring to the "kitten" he claimed to have picked up and cared for in the hotel.
Scrubbing the bottom of the pot, he answered absentmindedly, "Just a white-haired heterochromatic kitten, what else could it be?"
Kiana huffed. "A kitten? You describe your kitten's skin as having 'tactile sensations' on every inch? And 'curvaceous'?"
A woman's sixth sense is already accurate, but an idiot's intuition is frighteningly precise.
Kiana's intuition told her that what Fuli was talking about wasn't a cat at all—ten to one, it was a woman!
LMAO. Family, who understands? This big white cat is actually jealous of herself!
"Didn't I just want to make you jealous?"
Fuli curled his lips, looking quite aggrieved. "You played me like that just now, why am I not allowed to take some verbal advantage?"
"Besides, why is your reaction so big about me taking other women to a hotel?"
His delicate brows knitted into a teasing shape. "Could it be that you plan to give up on Mei and make a move on a high-quality potential stock like me? In that case, I'm going to make a move on Mei."
A certain someone didn't disguise his coveting of Mei in his words at all. Kiana couldn't tell how much of it was real for now.
"Dream on! Peh peh peh!"
She threw out two words (and three sounds), turned around, and left without looking back.
Fuli didn't take it too seriously. Little girls; their tempers come and go quickly.
Once she ate a meal and filled her stomach, this Paramecium would forget about this matter completely.
Facts proved that Fuli indeed understood the girl named Kiana Kaslana very well.
Once at the dinner table, the white-haired girl regained her usual vitality.
Although, her deliberate "feeding play" with Mei at the table was a bit affected, and the smug little looks she shot at a certain someone with every bite she fed were even more show-offy.
Fuli silently accelerated his eating speed.
Then the girl panicked. How could her dawdling feeding play keep up with him transforming into an Avatar of Gluttony and inhaling food?
At this rate, all the food would be gone before she was full!
"You! You wait!!!"
Kiana immediately grasped the Path of Gluttony, grabbed her plate, and started shoveling food into her mouth just like Fuli.
Unfortunately, she lost in the end. She was still human, after all, and couldn't crunch and swallow the plate itself like Fuli, who was buffed by the Human-Immortal Dao.
After the meal and rinsing her mouth, Kiana squatted next to Fuli, who was lying on the floor.
Her slender fingers poked his round belly intermittently, her other hand resting on her chin. "Does it taste good eating like that?"
"A qualified soldier cannot have food they cannot eat."
"Provided that porcelain counts as food."
Kiana rested her chin, stood up, ran to get a plate, and came back.
She took a bite—Awoo! Her bite force, comparable to a dinosaur, easily crushed the thing to bits.
The girl chewed for a while.
"Peh peh peh! Not tasty at all!"
"If you can't eat it, don't waste it."
"Oh, then you eat it."
Kiana handed over the remaining part. Fuli sat up, took it, and stuffed it into his mouth smoothly.
After finishing, he called out, "Mei?"
Mei was sitting quietly on the sofa, lost in thought.
Startled by the call, she asked, "What is it?"
"Help bring Bronya over, will you?"
Fuli spoke while giving Kiana a look of "hating iron for not becoming steel," as if blaming her for not counseling the girl while they were showering.
Kiana expressed: I almost died from a nosebleed, can you blame me?
Bronya was tiny, so Mei easily carried her over.
The three exchanged glances—
"Anyway, let's strip the duck first."
Fuli proposed.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
The vote for de-threatening passed unanimously.
"Who does it?"
"I'll do it."
Mei volunteered. "What do I do?"
"First, strip the Star Stone Shields."
The girl complied, dismantling the remaining five C-Rank shields on Bronya.
The little girl didn't react at all, quiet as a sleeping angel.
"Damn rich tycoon!"
Kiana was eating lemons (jealous) on the side. She had saved for ages just to buy one Sauce, while the price of each of these shields could buy a dozen mechanical dogs with money to spare.
The price of C-Rank equipment was three to five times that of D-Rank, but defensive items had a market but no supply, so the black market always hyped the price up very high.
Fuli couldn't stand it. "I gave you one already, stop staring at other people's gear."
Kiana was unhappy. "That's not what you said when we stripped Susannah... Wait a minute! Is this little shrimp the woman you said you took back to the hotel and groped all over?!"
"What?"
Mei, who was stripping the duck's equipment, had a massive pupil earthquake. What did I just hear?!
Fuli acted quite speechless. "Look at this duck head. Which part of her fits the description 'curvaceous'?"
Rubbing her chin and sizing up Bronya, whose chest was flat against her back, the white-haired Tuna smiled. "True."
As she spoke, she proudly stuck out her own "Nagato-Class" C-cup.
Actually, it's only a B.
"Shut up!"
Under Fuli's careful guidance, Mei quickly removed the five priceless Star Stone shields.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked, "And then?"
"Then remove the armor."
Bronya's legs were encased in a layer of advanced powered armor. At first glance, it seemed to help her move and float due to her disability.
In reality, this girl's levitation relied entirely on Project Bunny 19C's anti-gravity module. The leg armor's function was to deliver a painful blow to any unlucky soul who thought her legs didn't work.
Bad legs ≠ I can't kick people. Bronya was a complete A-Rank; she had no shortcomings in close combat.
Removing the leg armor was more strenuous than the Star Stone shields; it only came off with Kiana lending a hand.
After removing the leg armor, Kiana sneakily stuffed it into her fourth-dimensional skirt. Fuli rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
However, the sharp-eyed Mei stopped her. "Wait, Kiana!"
"Huh? Mei..."
Realizing her extra income was gone, the white-haired Tuna looked aggrieved.
"That's not what I meant."
The girl shook her head. "Take that thing out first."
"Okay."
Seeing her obediently take out the loot, Mei walked over and, sure enough, pulled a familiar magnetic card from it.
"This is?"
"ME Corp's highest-level access card."
Mei smiled at the questioning Fuli. "With this, we can move unimpeded within ME Corp. I used to have one too, that's why I recognized it."
Rather than saying she used to have one, it was more accurate to say this was the one she used to hold.
Noticing the complex smile the girl was trying to suppress, Fuli was silent for a moment before saying, "Then put it away."
"Oh, okay."
Kiana nodded, casually shoving the card into her pocket.
She was immediately met with Fuli's cheek-pulling attack. "I said let Mei put it away!"
Mei waved her hands hurriedly. "It's fine, it's fine! Let Kiana keep it! It's useless to me anyway."
"See, even Mei says so!"
Kiana clamored, clutching her red face. She took out a keychain from her jacket pocket, solemnly clipped the card onto it, and then carefully put it back into her pocket for safekeeping.
"Whoever holds this card enters ME Corp as King!"
"If you can wipe out an organized formation of Titans and drone troops, entering ME Corp as King isn't impossible."
"Then, then I'll have to wait until this Young Lady grows a bit more..."
Fuli wanted to mock her for dreaming, but thinking that this silly girl really would become an S-Rank powerhouse in the future, he couldn't help but lament that God, like Shenzhou people, loved white-haired bishoujos.
"Keep stripping."
He said.
Kiana asked strangely, "Haven't we stripped everything?"
"Clothes haven't been stripped yet."
Mei paused. "So that sentence earlier wasn't a metaphor for disarming her?"
"Yeah, but the problem is Bronya isn't fully disarmed yet."
Fuli lifted the hem of the little one's shirt and poked her slender, watery waist.
A second before his finger, wrapped in Honkai energy, touched her skin, a silver-gray bodysuit materialized in his vision, wrapping around that tender body from all angles without any dead zones.
He retracted his hand. "Here, this is it."
Kiana sucked in a breath of cold air. "What on earth is this now?!"
She felt more and more that she and Bronya were from different worlds. Why did this guy have so many bits and pieces on her?
"Empire-style Military Biological Armor. An excellent C-Rank individual combat armament into which numerous Anti-Entropy scientists poured their heart and blood. It simultaneously possesses four functions: Personal Terminal, Camouflage Mode, EMP Generator, and Remote Control."
Fuli stood up, leaving the space to the two girls. "I already removed the EMP Generator and Personal Terminal when I knocked her out, to block any signal generators that might exist under her skin. You guys just strip the rest."
"Signal generator? Sounds scary..."
Kiana smacked her lips and suddenly had a thought. "Ah-Li, Ah-Li! This Young Lady found a problem!"
"Speak."
"This thing is camouflaged, right? The main body is a seamless bodysuit that wraps everything below the head, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
Kiana rubbed her chin. "Then if this little shrimp has an emergency and needs to go to the bathroom, how does she take off her pants?"
"Hiss—!"
Hearing this, Fuli sucked in a breath of cold air.
He thought he understood this girl's airheadedness very well, but he didn't expect her to come up with something fresh like this.
Mei hesitated and speculated, "Maybe... she wears diapers inside the bodysuit?"
Bronya, who was eavesdropping on their discussion, couldn't help but open her eyes.
"Bronya does not wear diapers!"
The girl's rebuttal plunged the villa into a strange silence.
A moment later, Fuli coughed lightly. "Not bad. You have the perkier butt among the newcomers this time."
"That's not what we should be talking about!"
Kiana swung the Galaxy Baseball Bat. "Hurry up and knock her out again! If you can't bear to do it, I will!"
"No need."
The girl said faintly, "Bronya has lost all normal means of resistance. Bronya will not choose to court death when the success rate of escape is negligible."
"What about abnormal situations?"
Mei narrowed her crimson-purple eyes.
Bronya remained silent.
This was a very wise choice. Compared to a superweapon laid out on the table, appropriate concealment was more likely to arouse the girls' fear and vigilance.
Fuli curled the corner of his mouth but said nothing.
He naturally knew the girl had no trump cards left; right now, she was just posturing.
Purification Mantra (C), the mantra of Ucchusma (also known as the Vajra of Fire Head, the Filth-Eliminating Vajra), a type of barrier magic. Activated by forming the Ucchusma seal, its meaning is mainly to pray for peace and auspiciousness, remove filth, and purify oneself.
[Note: Om Shuri Mari Mamari Mari Shushu Ri Svaha!]
A significant number of skills are not as simple and crude as their surface descriptions suggest; there are no useless abilities, only users who don't know how to use them.
The Purification Mantra is one such example. Many people assume its effect is to remove negative statuses from oneself or others.
Little do they know, if applied correctly, this spell also possesses the special effect of severing external connections.
For example, Bronya and Project Bunny.
No matter how you spin it, Project Bunny 19C is external equipment, not a part of Bronya herself. In a broad sense, it is a type of [Filth] invading the human body.
Bronya had been scrubbed squeaky clean by the Purification Mantra, so demons and monsters like Project Bunny naturally couldn't get close.
Due to the angle, only Bronya saw the amusement on Fuli's face as he sat in the back, looking like 'I'm just quietly watching you act cool.'
She panicked inwardly. While secretly contacting Project Bunny for the eighth time, she continued to warn, "Bronya advises you to understand the situation. Anti-Entropy's army has surrounded Nagazora City so tightly not even water can trickle through. Your resistance is tantamount to a mantis trying to stop a chariot. It is not too late to abandon the darkness and seek the light."
Unexpectedly, this fierce appearance only revealed her timidity. Kiana cracked her knuckles, her eyes revealing sheer ill intent. "What is this? The more panicked the puppy is inside, the louder it barks?"
"I don't doubt you have the resolve to sacrifice yourself to take us down, but I just want to see what kind of trump card can achieve such an effect."
Mei sneered and stepped forward. With a few quick movements, she stripped off the little one's last defensive measure—the bodysuit.
Then she stood up, sizing up Bronya, who had been stripped into a little white lamb, and smiled faintly. "It seems that just taking off your clothes hasn't reached the level of forcing you to reveal your trump card."
The dark tone made even Kiana shiver uncontrollably. Her small hand covering Fuli's eyes trembled slightly, allowing him to catch a glimpse of something white through the gaps between her fingers.
If you had to say who among present hated Bronya the most, it was definitely, absolutely, and positively Mei.
The scores for her family's bankruptcy and the school bullying hadn't been settled yet, and the culprit behind it all actually wanted to take the last remaining life of Raiden Mei! And she wanted to drag down her two most important friends?
The only reason she hadn't taken out the dagger to mince Bronya into fine stuffing was out of consideration for Fuli, who was suspected of having a thing for her.
...