"Ahhh—"
Thud.
Vill-V fell to the ground.
There was no pain as she had imagined, only a slight vibration and a reassuring sense of being wrapped up.
The building blocks in the brick world all came with built-in shock absorption. Even falling from a bumper car felt as safe as landing on a trampoline. Of course, the dizziness was still there. A vehicle plus irregular vibrations equaled motion sickness.
"Oh my aching back..."
Vill-V exaggeratedly rubbed her waist as she climbed up from the ground, not forgetting to add resentfully, "Are bumper cars this intense nowadays?"
Vill-V found herself missing the plain and unadorned bumper cars of the 21st century.
"Vill-V, are you okay?"
Seeing Vill-V fly out of the bumper car, Zofia anxiously jumped out of her own car and rushed over in three quick steps, nervously checking her condition.
Hua followed closely behind, looking at Vill-V with concern.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, like I ate my own Stargazy Pie."
Vill-V shook her head and slowly stood up with Hua and Zofia supporting her.
Looks like my driving skills still need improvement. I never get dizzy when driving a tank. Is it because tanks have better shock absorption?
While rubbing her head, Vill-V thought helplessly.
Only then did she notice that a group of men in black had appeared in the brick bumper car arena at some unknown time, surrounding the area completely.
At their head was a West Asian youth dressed in glittering luxury. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, the exquisite fabric reflecting a restrained sheen under the lights.
He casually toyed with a finely crafted crystal moth brooch and walked toward Vill-V with elegant steps, followed by a group of black-clad bodyguards who treated him with utmost deference, like stars surrounding the moon.
Vill-V noticed that the crystal moth bore a strong resemblance to the emblem of MOTH. Her first thought was that some heir from a MOTH-affiliated family was out on display.
Families within MOTH might sound absurd, but politics was absurd like that. Just as in North America, where many political powers were controlled by family alliances behind the scenes.
Recently, the internal situation within MOTH had been turbulent. Various factions were openly and secretly fighting one another, especially the oil-rich families from the West Asian region. They might not possess much actual political authority, but they had money. Through financial leverage, they wielded considerable influence within MOTH.
If some arrogant West Asian noble offspring had come out swaggering, Vill-V would not find it surprising in the slightest.
If he really is connected to a West Asian MOTH family, this could be troublesome...
Vill-V frowned subconsciously.
It was not that she could not deal with it. It was simply that when confronting people from MOTH, it was best to use MOTH's own hand to resolve the matter.
Leave no handle. Leave no clues. Never underestimate MOTH's intelligence capabilities. Otherwise, she would end up like before—swiftly apprehended and thrown into prison.
Last time it had been Sakura. Who knew who would be sent next? MOTH was in chaos right now. Who knew what kind of monsters lurked inside? Not everyone was as kind as Sakura. More often than not, they would beat you until you could not move and then drag you away.
Vill-V still could not determine how Cocoon had guessed she would appear on Dusk Street back then.
If the members of the Mad Hatter Party were all captured, who would take care of the orphans and the Honkai Sickness patients at the base?
Zofia and the others were not like Vill-V, who could treat prison as somewhere she could stay or leave at will.
Moreover, HoMu Company was still extremely weak. It could not function without the members of the Mad Hatter Party.
However, the subsequent development of events completely exceeded Vill-V's expectations.
After searching around, the men in black seemed unable to find what they were looking for.
"Milord, the target is not here either."
The youth then left with his entourage, as if nothing had happened.
"Looks like they're just stirring up trouble everywhere, looking to cause problems for the Homu Park? But..."
Huck walked over, narrowing his eyes slightly at the departing figures. His tone carried a trace of gravity. "That old fellow's ability to conceal his presence is impressive. Even I didn't notice him just now..."
The "old fellow" Huck referred to was the elderly butler standing beside the heir.
Vill-V felt puzzled. She had only wanted to create a day of joyful memories everyone would remember. Not only had she run into Professor Tesla by sheer bad luck, but now there were even people causing trouble at the amusement park.
True, she had not checked an almanac before heading out. But the date had been decided by drawing lots using the hand of Pardo, who had been dozing in the sunlight. Her luck should not have been that bad.
Judging by the results, it seemed she had walked straight into misfortune. Every unlucky event had gathered into today. Could it be that awake Pardo and sleeping Pardo brought two different kinds of luck?
"I should've just quietly driven the [Heavy Armed Gear Steam Locomotive Type-03]. If I ran into any tigers or wolves, I could just go rat-a-tat-tat. So much safer. All danger stems from insufficient firepower."
Huck's mouth twitched. "Bumper cars were one thing. Now you're trying to ram me to death?"
...
Sure enough,
Not long after Vill-V and the others finished discussing, screams echoed from the distance.
"Who are you people? Where's the amusement park security?"
"Ha, little girl, you can scream yourself hoarse and it won't help."
"Security? If you mean those fellows relying on riot batons, I've already sent them away."
As a children-oriented amusement park with extremely high safety standards, Homu Park had security personnel stationed at every location to handle emergencies. Yet in this situation, not a single guard appeared. That was clearly abnormal.
Huck's pupils contracted as he immediately rushed over.
By the time Vill-V arrived, she saw Huck shielding Miss Amusement, the park director, as he confronted the group of troublemaking men in black.
Then she heard the leading youth speak:
"Tsk. Kid, a useless nobody who plays house with children dares to block me? How dare you?"
Carman Vanida would never grant equal treatment to a commoner like Huck as he would to someone like Dr. Tesla, who at least had been specifically instructed by his family to be treated with courtesy.
He gestured for the four men in black behind him to step forward, preparing to forcibly drag away Huck, Vill-V, and the other meddlesome bystanders.
"Be grateful for my mercy. If I didn't want to waste time on civilian lawsuits, being dragged away would be the least of your worries. You truly have no sense of—"
Before he could finish, several heavy thuds rang out in front of him.
The four black-clad bodyguards had been grabbed by Huck and thrown back one by one.
One had to know that to become Carman Vanida's personal bodyguards, these men were far from ordinary.
They were all retired royal soldiers decorated with the Victoria Cross. Each was a battle-hardened veteran with rich combat experience and unique skills.
Yet in front of this man, they were being tossed around like chicks.
"Hmph. All of you, together. Don't embarrass yourselves like the last few and let your guard down."
Carman Vanida refused to believe what he was seeing and ordered the remaining men in black.
He could not afford to lose face—not even if the bodyguards he had carefully selected were knocked down by some meddlesome civilian who had appeared out of nowhere.
The black-clad bodyguards accepted the order and closed in on Huck.
Though they looked fierce, Huck was no pushover. As the two closest guards reached out, he pushed off with both feet and, at a speed beyond ordinary human limits, kicked one with each leg, sending them flying fifteen meters without the slightest restraint.
That single exchange stunned the remaining guards.
"That was at least fifteen meters... Is this man even human?"
The power and agility Huck displayed were no longer within the realm of ordinary humanity.
Seeing his guards hesitate in shock, Carman Vanida grew even more displeased.
He did not understand what it meant to casually kick someone fifteen meters across flat ground. Crushing the crystal moth in his hand, he delivered an ultimatum to the so-called "decorative" bodyguards.
"You dare defy me? Hm?"
He had already decided to dismiss this group of all show and no substance after this.
Come to think of it, they had followed him for too long. Their skills had grown outdated. It was time to replace them.
Unaware of their employer's thoughts, the black-clad guards stiffened at the ultimatum and had no choice but to charge forward.
They pulled out non-lethal cold weapons from their coats. Within Shenzhou's territory, the use of such weapons was technically illegal. However, with the Carman Vanida Group's legal team behind them, these non-lethal weapons conveniently skirted the edge of the law.
They spread out, preparing to gang up on Huck. No matter how strong one person was, two fists could not beat four hands. Surely he could not fight ten at once—
"Hmph. A bunch of ignorant chicks daring to challenge a lion?"
Knowing their intentions, Huck felt only disdain.
As the first member of the Mad Hatter Party, Huck's strength was no watered-down sham.
It was brewed by Scholar and Expert's potions.
As the first individual willing to undergo Vill-V's super soldier experiment, he had gained considerable benefits. Every physical metric of his body far surpassed that of an ordinary human. Even the current Kevin could not compare.
He was a humanoid beast.
Of course, none of those benefits had come free. Huck had endured plenty of suffering. Magician Vill-V often used the excuse of "experiments" to trick him into becoming her "magic assistant." How miserable Huck had been required no elaboration—daggers thrown through his skull, swords thrust into barrels around him...
Naturally, none of it had ever truly endangered his life. Magician still had her limits. But through it all, Huck had forged an unshakable will. A blessing in disguise, perhaps.
Beyond Vill-V's influence, Huck's own experiences played a role as well. He had survived countless Honkai battlefields, even standing upon the stage of the Third Honkai Eruption itself. He was no longer someone who could be measured by ordinary human standards.
Unfortunately, that was also his limit. There was no further room for improvement.
After all, he was not the protagonist.
Whoosh—
An iron staff cut through the air with a howl.
Huck sidestepped. With a crack like thunder, the staff smashed heavily into the ground, instantly kicking up rolling dust.
Stepping onto the staff, Huck raised his fist in one smooth motion, shattering the wielder's jaw with a single punch.
The guards facing Huck were no pushovers either. Experienced and coordinated, they seized the blind spot exposed during his attack. With a sharp shout, an iron staff swept toward the back of Huck's head.
With that force, had it struck an ordinary person, blood would have splattered and life would have ended instantly.
Huck seemed to have anticipated it. He spun abruptly, his massive palm slamming into the iron staff with overwhelming force.
"Heh. Take this palm strike!"
Riiing—
Amid a bell-like hum, the iron staff bent in his grasp. The alloy rod, hard as it was, was warped into a hook by his bare hand.
"Looks like your weapons aren't qualified to injure me!"
Huck drew back his right hand. His fingers became like a sword unsheathed, thrusting toward his opponent's chest with lightning speed.
With a sharp crack, even the opponent's bulletproof vest was pierced through by Huck's penetrating palm.
Yet Huck's control over his strength was exquisite. At the moment of penetration, he shifted from a piercing strike to a driving punch, blasting the man backward.
The other guards attempted to catch the one sent flying. Four or five of them together still could not dissipate the force. Instead, the shockwave knocked them all to the ground.
A faint smile curled at Huck's lips. Encouraged by Vill-V's "Go on, give him two slaps," he began walking step by step toward Carman Vanida.
Huck merely shot Carman Vanida a glare.
That killing intent—like mountains of corpses and seas of blood—condensed almost into substance, washing over him like a tide. His legs felt as though they had been filled with lead, unbearably heavy. Before his eyes, Huck's figure loomed like Mount Tai itself.
"Morch! Morch! Why aren't you making a move yet?"
As Carman Vanida shouted, Huck suddenly halted and assumed a defensive stance.
He had sensed a tremendous threat.
Like a ferocious beast lying in ambush, baring its fangs and killing intent in the shadows.
The scene fell silent.
The towering old man stepped out from the shadows not far away.
Huck still could not detect his presence.
If that old gentleman had intended a sneak attack, Huck would likely already be severely injured.
Just what is this old man? Could he have undergone genetic modification as well?
Thinking this, Huck shook his head. Mad Hatter's technology far surpassed modern science. He did not believe there existed any genetic modification technique capable of rivaling Mad Hatter.
"What a brute of a beast," the old gentleman said leisurely. "Your martial foundation is crude, yet you have forcibly pushed your body refinement to its limit through sheer strength. Even an ordinary ancient martial artist would likely not be your opponent."
"Ancient martial arts? You mean the kind from novels?"
Vill-V's sharp ears immediately caught the term. She was curious whether, in the Previous Era, there had truly been people who could grow so powerful relying solely on martial techniques.
After all, the Edge of Taixuan created by Hua in the future—though much of it was a gift from SWARA—was also half derived from the refinement of ancient martial arts.
Though she did not understand the principle, Honkai energy could explain everything.
Hearing Vill-V's question, the old gentleman did not rush to attack. He had indeed developed interest in Huck.
"Young man, seeing that you have stumbled your way to this level through your own efforts, I will enlighten you with some common knowledge of the ancient martial world."
"The path of ancient martial arts has six realms of the Postnatal stage and eight vistas of the Innate stage. Beyond those lies the secret transmitted Spirit Samadhi—the legendary art that reaches the heavens."
"Spirit Samadhi?"
Upon hearing the term, Hua seemed to recall something.
Vill-V immediately asked, "Hua-chan, do you know about it?"
"No, I do not," Hua replied, shaking her head in confusion.
Vill-V felt a little disappointed. For a moment, she had thought Hua might be the inheritor of some ancient martial sect.
"However..." Hua added, as if deep in thought, "When it comes to secret transmissions, my father once mentioned something."
"Oh?!" Vill-V's curiosity was reignited. "Is it very powerful?"
"No," Hua said softly. "I believe it was merely a prayer. It had nothing to do with martial arts."