"I could see that he was no ordinary person too. It was just that, in my judgment, forcing him with overwhelming force was still the most efficient method." Rita rubbed her forehead. If she had known Liu Bai could actually strike a deal with him, she definitely would not have cut him down so decisively.
"...Can I take that to mean the mood was right, so you had to cut him?"
"That is quite an interesting way to put it. I do not deny it." Rita nodded with a smile.
As for Liu Bai saying the other side was "deep," Rita did not quite believe it.
After all, as Schicksal's assassin, Rita was well informed about the state of the world. She had heard the name "World Serpent" through certain channels before, but if they were talking about being deep...
"Anyway, if there is a next time, please, Ghostly Gentleman, explain everything clearly from the start. Of course, in return, I will show a little more restraint next time."
Rita turned her attention back to Gray Serpent, who lay in a pool of blood.
"...Death is the beginning of the next transaction? Heh... You were right, Mr. Gray Serpent. You have no choice but to accept this deal."
A faint smile appeared on Rita's face. "Ghostly Gentleman, it is time to deal with the aftermath. Could I trouble you to handle this equipment?"
Liu Bai quickly understood what Rita meant by "handle."
"I'll give it a try."
The most conspicuous piece of equipment Gray Serpent had was the computer he carried in a case.
Rita crouched down and began removing important components from Gray Serpent's body, such as his artificial eye, while Liu Bai directly possessed Gray Serpent's computer.
The next moment, Gray Serpent's laptop lit up on its own.
"Let me see what information Gray Serpent had..."
Against a network ghost like Liu Bai, who possessed extreme learning ability, the computer's firewall did not last even a few minutes. The many passwords and safeguards were practically nonexistent in Liu Bai's eyes.
Liu Bai also tried extending his influence outward to affect the entire city's network, but he soon unexpectedly felt like a child driving a truck.
...It was a little beyond him.
Is my interference ability limited?
Obtained Skill: Network Technology Lv4 (You are an entry-level hacker—but clearly, your nature allows you to perform far beyond this level.)
Mobius's research ability directly allowed Liu Bai to gain network technology that even the system acknowledged.
Yet even the system considered an existence like Liu Bai to be cheating within the network.
"...The files on this computer seem to have been destroyed once."
Liu Bai only found that photo containing Kiana's figure and some insignificant information on the computer.
"It seems they already anticipated your way of doing things... I'll upload this information to you."
"No, there is no need to upload it to me. Since it is worthless information, Ghostly Gentleman, you can keep it yourself."
Rita shook her head. She seemed to completely trust Liu Bai's words and had no intention of verifying them.
"I'll leave these components storing information to you, Ghostly Gentleman."
"So many mechs... The ground is covered in scrap metal. Sigh, this is unbearable. I really want to pick up a mop and give this place a thorough cleaning..."
"Does a certain maid who was the chief culprit really have the right to say that?"
Liu Bai could not help rolling his eyes at Rita's displeased expression.
"Still, I never expected you, Miss Maid, to be able to play mind games with Otto as though nothing had happened."
Just now, Rita had contacted Otto. Yet throughout the entire call, she had not mentioned a single word about the information obtained from Gray Serpent.
"They were merely worthless pieces of information. Bishop is busy with countless matters every day. How could I disturb him with such things?" Rita said with a light smile.
"Being busy with countless matters every day is quite a good excuse."
Liu Bai nodded cheerfully, making it clear that he totally believed her nonsense.
Otto definitely did not want to miss any information related to Kiana right now, but Rita...
"You refused to let me upload the information to you because you were worried Otto would find out?"
"Casually speculating about a lady's heart is hardly gentlemanly conduct, you know~"
Rita playing the lady card.jpg
"Our top priority now is waiting for the rabbit at the tree stump. The traitors from the Far East Branch should have already headed to Gray Serpent's hideout, right?" Rita looked up at the sky and changed the subject. "Theresa... Please do not disappoint me."
Speaking of Theresa...
"Ah, right. Come to think of it, Rita, you're into little girls, aren't you?" Liu Bai casually asked.
"Mm... Mm?"
Liu Bai's tone was far too natural. Caught off guard, Rita nearly agreed.
"Into little girls? Sorry, I do not quite understand that term. Is it some recently popular phrase?"
Keep pretending. Go on, keep pretending.
"Yes, it specifically refers to perverts who harbor improper thoughts toward little girls." Liu Bai placed a hand on Rita's shoulder and said meaningfully.
"...You truly know a great many things."
Rita casually changed the subject.
If she continued discussing this topic with Liu Bai, she would only make herself look worse and worse.
Her feelings toward little girls were merely proper affection, restrained by propriety.
Rita subtly stepped back, gazing curiously yet elegantly at the empty air beside her.
"Besides, it seems you are quite familiar with World Serpent, and you know... a little about me as well."
Rita thought about it, but ultimately did not say the word "familiar." If she did... it would inevitably make it sound as though she were confirming that she liked little girls.
"I remember that when we first met, you directly called me by name... Ghostly Gentleman, the secrets surrounding you truly make me curious."
Rita smilingly seized the initiative again.
"Ahaha~ Well, I'm a spirit, after all. Isn't it normal for me to know a little about many things?" Rita's question was genuinely difficult to explain, and she was not easy to fool, so Liu Bai could only laugh it off. "Shouldn't the focus be on waiting for the rabbit at the tree stump?"
"You seem rather anxious..." Surprise appeared on Rita's face. "Could it be that you are into little girls?"
Why did that sound so familiar? The words he had used to tease Rita had come back to him so quickly.
...She really was a grudge-holding maid.
"I can only say that my feelings toward little girls are proper and restrained. I have no impure thoughts whatsoever," Liu Bai answered righteously.
What a coincidence. So do I.
Although Rita could not see Liu Bai, at that moment, the two of them tacitly looked away at the same time.
Rita Compatibility +2%
"Let's go. By the time we reach Gray Serpent's hideout, Theresa and the others should have already obtained the information."
"Those were fast..."
Rita looked at the scrapped mechs lining the roadside, a trace of surprise appearing on her face.
"I found some footage on a Sky Dome Patrol that was not completely destroyed yet. I uploaded it to Gray Serpent's computer. Please check it," Liu Bai's voice sounded by Rita's ear.
Ding-dong~
Rita opened the video file that had just been uploaded.
That really is convenient...
Rita Compatibility +1%
Four people appeared in the footage—Theresa Apocalypse, Bronya Zaychik, Raiden Mei, and a little cyborg girl.
Since the footage came from a damaged Sky Dome Patrol, part of the audio was missing. Still, at the end of the video, Project Bunny behind Bronya raised its cannon and forcibly took the little cyborg girl away.
It felt strangely familiar.
Hadn't Rita threatened Gray Serpent in exactly the same way back then?
"Are all your Schicksal negotiation methods like this?"
Liu Bai commented from the side. It was one thing for Rita to give Gray Serpent a knife without warning, but even a good kid like Bronya was pointing a cannon at people now.
"Bronya came from Anti-Entropy. If we take a step back, then it should be Theresa's education that was at fault." Rita smiled, making it clear that Schicksal would not take the blame. Even if it did, it would take only half of it. "Is there any other valuable information?"
"No. The nearby cameras were all hacked by Bronya, so none of them recorded their whereabouts."
"Then can we trace them in reverse through the hacking records?"
Liu Bai froze when he heard Rita's question, then nodded. "It can be done, but it will take quite a bit of time."
Investigating Sky Dome City's surveillance network was like a child driving a truck for Liu Bai. The workload was rather huge.
"Then there is no need." Rita smiled slightly as she looked at the trail left on the ground.
What an obvious trail.
Rita followed it without hesitation.
"It looks like a trap," Liu Bai reminded her.
"It does not matter. Their time is tight as well, so this trail should not be fake." The Carbon-Based Hunter took the lead while Rita followed behind at an unhurried pace. "If I am not mistaken, at least one of them is bait—I believe it should be Miss Mei?"
The trail extended all the way to the rooftop of Gray Serpent's hideout.
Floating in the air, Liu Bai immediately spotted Mei hiding behind cover, preparing to launch a sneak attack.
Clang—!
Before Liu Bai could warn her, Rita effortlessly deflected the katana striking from behind.
"Heh... A sneak attack? Miss Mei, that is hardly honorable."
Rita calmly looked at the red-clad girl before her.
"Honorable? Hearing that word from you is truly ironic." Mei did not hide the anger on her face at all. "Compared with what you did to Kiana, my strike was nothing!"
"To be fair, that's true."
A certain ghost floated in the air, enjoying the show without fear of making things worse.
"Honestly..."
Rita rubbed her forehead helplessly. It was unclear whether she was speaking to the furious Mei before her or the spirit watching the spectacle.
"So, Miss Mei, you are here to stall for time?"
"Stall for time? Hmph, Miss Rita, you are far too confident."
Mei's brows rose sharply as she immediately drew her blade and charged forward.
"Can someone get me a bucket of popcorn..."
"Strange. Mei's route is constantly circling around. Hmph, it seems she has already seen through the tracker trick."
"I think anyone who paid a little attention would notice that thing... I'm more curious when exactly you planted the tracker on Mei's inner thigh." Liu Bai's voice came from the slowly moving Sky Dome Patrol. "Honestly, I want to learn that move."
As expected, Rita had won her fight with Mei.
However, Rita had not captured Mei... Or rather, Rita had never intended to keep Mei there. During the fight, she had merely taken the opportunity to slip a tracker onto Mei's inner thigh.
"Sorry, it is a secret technique. I cannot share it."
Rita said half-jokingly, then thoughtfully examined the Sky Dome Patrol controlled by Liu Bai. "Still, this mech riot here... Was it truly a coincidence?"
"At a time like this, even if it was a coincidence, it no longer is."
"That is true. Then... let us get a little serious."
Before you continue