"A man, three kids." Bronya repeated softly, her gaze lingering on the photo for a moment: "Should we take this job?"
The task looked simple, capture alive, with a hefty reward that would keep them from worrying about survival for years. It might even let Maxime get treatment for that strange illness he'd been putting off, pretending it didn't exist because he had no money.
Maxime shook his head: "I remember them. A few years back, that kid's abilities weren't hidden, I don't understand what kind of power it was, but they're good people."
Bronya's eyes showed a flicker of surprise, since when did people in our line of work care about whether the target is a good person?
She didn't ask. The Silver Wolf of the Urals wasn't famous yet, she still operated alongside Maxime, her father's old comrade-in-arms.
Bronya turned to leave, but her peripheral vision caught the boy and girl again: "Then why not tell them about this in exchange for a reward?"
She paused, lowering her voice: "When the person came to post the job a few days ago, we noticed."
Bronya was confident in her observational skills, just like she was sensitive to anything related to computers.
Kids in Siberia all loved games, people like them, who spent their lives just getting by, had no time for socializing.
Games were the only world you could escape into alone, for free, without meeting anyone.
Maxime shook his head: "Because this is our livelihood. Until we can secure enough wealth from a single job to last the rest of our lives, we try not to offend anyone, and if we do offend, it should be neutrally, through fair trade."
He paused: "Bronya, in this land, kindness requires leverage. To those big shots, acts of kindness might be trivial, but we're different. Our kindness can only go as far as not actively harming others."
Actually, before today, Maxime hadn't been this merciful. But that scene from years ago, with Shiraha, had been on full display.
Fight an angel or a superman?
This wasn't about mercy anymore, it was about intelligence.
He turned and walked away, his figure slightly hunched. Bronya watched him go, then trotted after him, her short legs needing a few extra steps.
On the other side, Shiraha clicked his tongue: "Uncle Siegfried, I'm pretty sure our route was leaked."
World Serpent wouldn't do this, Anti-Entropy had even less reason. Even the most radical Cocolia wouldn't pull something this stupid, getting caught would be way too costly.
Schicksal?
Was Otto trying to accelerate their growth?
After all, according to intelligence from the Far East, Kiana and Shiraha were just too… ordinary. So ordinary that their talents might be buried, failing to meet his ideal standards.
They should train, fight monsters, grow and preferably have their city destroyed by a Honkai eruption, then be taken in by Theresa, Schicksal, a newly formed organization… even Anti-Entropy would do.
Fully exposed to the world's truth, then off to save the world!
"You're not just stating the obvious, are you?"
Siegfried glanced around again, his lips twitching. He'd come here to gather intel, but now… it seemed a little inappropriate.
The gazes on them had shifted from curiosity to assessment, then to something more dangerous.
"Let's go."
Siegfried pulled out the Divine Key from his waist, quickly forming it into a greatsword. He drove it into the ground, and the surrounding temperature rose rapidly.
He gave his wrist a slight turn, and the sword shifted the soil, causing the ground to crack around them. Siegfried let out a cold laugh.
"Get in the car."
Siegfried had absolute faith in his strength.
Who was he? The strongest of the modern Kaslana line, the strongest in the world. He could still fight with multiple wounds through his body, and when he abandoned reason, he could unleash his peak power, sometimes even glimpsing his ancestors!
Shiraha was pulled by Mei as they ran toward the car. The streets were still crowded, Siegfried's display had drawn even more attention.
In a distant corner, Shiraha caught sight of a gray-haired girl with twin drills, holding a gun. He wasn't sure if it was Bronya, but it looked like her.
He glanced a moment longer, then quickly jumped into the car.
"Phew, this trip is getting exciting."
Mei rubbed her hands together, leaning over the seat to look behind them. Many people were still watching the car, seemingly not giving up.
In her excitement, her breath fogged up the window, she wiped it clear, then fogged it again, then wiped it again.
"Are we going to be hunted?"
"Probably."
Kiana wasn't panicking either, she was used to it. During her days of wandering, she'd always felt something was off. Now she figured she'd probably been hunted back then too.
Siegfried stood at the door: "Shiraha?"
Shiraha answered first: "I won't let them damage the car."
Even the strongest warrior couldn't drive and fully block hostile intent at the same time.
Siegfried wasn't a full Fusion Warrior, he only carried the bloodline.
Siegfried's expression was subtle: "I was going to ask you to check if this car's been tampered with."
Shiraha paused, then smiled brightly: "Let's just buy one on the spot, Uncle, you've got money."
"Fair trade, no one can complain."
Siegfried looked at Shiraha again,
this kid was definitely being corrupted by Kiana.
He said that so confidently.
He was quiet for a moment, but a smile still crept onto his face: "Get out. Pick one. Here, you don't have to worry about hurting innocent people."
"Besides, ME Corp… I mean, Ryoma Raiden will cover it."
Actually, Siegfried had already been saving money by buying a used car. If he wasn't worried about leaving a trace with a new one, he'd have gone all out.
Siegfried wasn't a spendthrift, but he was definitely a rich kid at heart, always had been, full of confidence and ease.
Shiraha pressed his lips together, barely holding back a laugh. He hadn't planned to contact Bronya directly, he'd wanted World Serpent to find her. Her talent and knowledge made her perfect for approaching him at school.
But a little early contact wouldn't hurt.
"That one! It looks super cool!"
Shiraha pointed at a car on the street. He swore he'd originally intended for World Serpent to reach out to Bronya, her uncle was still alive, after all, and Uncle Ryoma probably wouldn't adopt a girl like her.
Bronya was a genius, but her talents hadn't fully emerged yet. Her skill with guns and killing might not be something Ryoma valued.
Siegfried glanced over, the car looked a bit worn, but seemed well-modified. Good enough.
"Over there."
Mei was pulled along by Kiana, who was thinking fast.
Shiraha also took Mei's other hand and ran along with her.
Elysia could only sigh and follow. She'd wandered through life, but never been chased like this, even in Vostok-51, the precursor to Fire Moth had only searched, not hunted.
Bronya instinctively tightened her grip on her gun. Mei even politely spoke up: "Sorry, could we buy this car from you?"
Bronya: ….
Maxime: ….
Shiraha looked back. Siegfried still seemed unruffled. Shiraha gave a thumbs-up and pointed behind him: "Uncle Siegfried's paying!"
Kiana's little hand twitched,
Dad's paying? This kind of expense would be covered by the company, right?
Bronya was still confused, but Maxime quickly regained his composure: "Fine."
No reason to refuse, after all, Siegfried could split the earth with a single sword strike. That wasn't human!
Bronya wanted to say something,
how would they get back? In this land, especially in this job-hunting town, could they really count on anyone's goodwill?
Maxime, do you even have enough to buy a used car right now?
"If you don't have a way out, we can give you a ride for part of the way."
Shiraha didn't close the door. He reached out, as if his suggestion was perfectly natural.
Bronya: ….
She was tempted, but quickly shook her head. Getting involved with Shiraha and his group right now would just be asking for trouble.
Money was no good if you weren't alive to spend it.
Shiraha didn't insist, his words came quickly: "Do you have paper and pen? I can give you my contact info. We'll pay you a finder's fee."
"There's some up front." Bronya slowly raised her hands, her gun falling to the ground. She gestured toward the front.
Shiraha understood immediately, leaned over the seat, found the paper and pen, and quickly wrote down Grey Serpent's contact information.
Rin couldn't see, she could only influence emotions, not read minds.
Shiraha used the car door to block the view, his hand stopping just below the window.
Bronya took the note as she picked up her gun and quickly crumpled it in her hand.
Not bad, the car was gone, but at least there was compensation. Hopefully, these people would keep their word.
Shiraha gave a heads-up: "You can call that number for any trouble, but after this payment, we usually believe in fair exchange."
Bronya said nothing, just gave a slight nod, hands still raised, gun piled by her legs.
Siegfried waited a moment: "Goodbye, young lady and soldier, ME Corp will provide a generous reward."
Bronya didn't reply, just raised the hand that had been holding the gun, the paper slip sliding into her sleeve.
Then she and Maxime watched the car disappear into the distance, following the trail of exhaust until it faded.
Someone on the street let out a snicker. Bronya quickly scooped up her gun, clicked off the safety, smooth and practiced, as she'd done it countless times.
Life as the Silver Wolf of the Urals was always this simple and straightforward.
"Well, time to figure out how to get back."
Walking wasn't an option, Maxime's body couldn't handle it.
He sighed: "Time to cash in on some old favors. Bronya, remember, unless you truly find an organization or person you can entrust your life to, always protect your reputation, or make yourself indispensable."
After all, he was just an ordinary man, someone who'd barely survived the Second Eruption, and had been kicked out of the military.
He'd been discharged not because of Honkai, but because Cocolia had overturned her own case and implicated him in the process.
Arms dealing was a serious crime.
Bronya nodded, still looking toward the empty road.
Maxime cut in: "Don't stare, ask for more money when the time comes, consider it compensation. Big shots like that are sharp."
Bronya said nothing, just kept holding her gun, her young face wary.
Before long, Maxime cashed in some old favors, put up some existing assets as collateral, and managed to get a used car.
Bronya glanced down at her sleeve.
The paper was still there. The Silver Wolf of the Urals needed to prove her value and secure a better reward.
Maxime's illness couldn't wait any longer.
…
"This car's not bad, feels like it's been specially modified."
Siegfried let out a "whoo," rolling down the window to let the cold air rush in, it felt great.
"We can ask for a bit more when the price comes up."
Though Shiraha hadn't actually left ME Corp's contact info, he'd only written one person's number.
He trusted Grey Serpent to catch his meaning, to piece things together from the local intel.
Rather than silencing anyone, after all, everyone knew Elysia was a good person, and she'd never orchestrate anything so cruel.
Siegfried glanced in the rearview mirror: "You're not exactly a straight arrow, kid, watch a lot of shady movies, do you?"
He'd thought he'd have to handle the negotiations himself, but Shiraha had managed to hold his own even in a situation like this.
Shiraha gave a shy smile. Mei patted his shoulder: "Don't be embarrassed, as the general of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū Youth Training Camp, you should be involved in negotiations, advice, and even decision-making support."
As for herself… a qualified leader just needed to take credit. That was right, yes!
Kiana wasn't idle either, she leaned over Mei to poke Shiraha, her sky-blue eyes lively, as if passing along a message.
Shiraha hadn't forgotten.
"Siegfried…" Shiraha paused: "Uncle Siegfried, you seem pretty experienced with this sort of thing. I only know you wandered for a while, were the eldest son of a big family, and I vaguely remember some gossip."
"what did you do in the past?" He leaned over the back of the passenger seat, looking at Siegfried with curiosity.
Kiana's eyes widened too. She didn't speak, but Mei was curious: "Yeah, Uncle Siegfried, how did you end up in this situation?"
That was the real reason Kiana had brought Shiraha along. Every time she'd asked before, her dad had gotten more melancholy and dejected, she'd been afraid to ask again.
So they needed Shiraha, as an outsider, to ask. If it didn't work… she'd sternly scold Shiraha and publicly distance herself.
In private, she'd apologize properly. As for Mei… well, she'd do the same.
After all, Kiana considered herself her dad's little sweetheart. Probably?
Siegfried's expression didn't change: "Being a hero, saving the world."
He glanced at Shiraha and Kiana in the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable.
Shiraha pressed on: "I heard that during the Second Eruption, you turned into a half-beast…"
His voice wasn't loud, but his words were clear: "And gained immense power, is that true?"
Siegfried had hidden value, Kevin. But that thread could wait; it was a little risky.