Natasha also admitted that her strength had not yet reached the point where she could completely outclass Rita.
"But Shencheng Pharmaceuticals cannot be used as a battlefield unless absolutely necessary."
Liu Bai nodded. He understood that.
Mobius was located beneath Shencheng Pharmaceuticals. Fighting there would be far too dangerous.
"I see... That makes things a little troublesome." Liu Bai frowned.
Liu Bai: Found it.
Liu Bai sat on Natasha's bed, replying to the messages with her.
"Turn off the lights."
"OK."
Image
Liu Bai sent over a dimly lit photo of an ID badge.
Liu Bai: This is what I found in my sister's room. It looks like an employee ID from Shencheng Pharmaceuticals.
"...Shencheng Pharmaceuticals?"
Rita enlarged the ID badge.
Although the lighting in the photo was dim, the words on it could still be made out.
"Shencheng Pharmaceuticals Consultant... Natasha Cioara? Shencheng Pharmaceuticals?"
Rita had done her research on the company.
It was a fairly well-known pharmaceutical company that had worked with Schicksal, producing quite a number of anti-Honkai medicines.
However, because its ideas were too radical, the pharmaceutical company's reputation had been rather controversial... Was this company actually a shell for World Serpent?
Rita felt a chill run through her heart.
In her plans, Shencheng Pharmaceuticals had been one of her potential allies. If any of her subordinates were injured, Rita would have immediately sent them there for treatment.
Yet Liu Bai was telling her that Shencheng Pharmaceuticals, right under her nose, was World Serpent?
No, no, no... No matter how she looked at it, this had to be a joke, right?
Rita frowned. This was completely different from the World Serpent she had imagined.
No... There was no need to be so pessimistic. Perhaps Natasha was merely a nail World Serpent had driven into Shencheng Pharmaceuticals?
"Hey, you stopped replying. Don't tell me you were shocked?"
Natasha nudged Liu Bai with her elbow.
"Or have you already reported it to Schicksal and are preparing to wipe us out?"
"No. After all, Shencheng Pharmaceuticals is Schicksal's partner. Even if Rita suspects something, she still needs evidence. The only difference is whether Rita gets assigned to gather evidence after reporting it, or comes to gather it directly—honestly, there isn't much difference between the two."
As if Schicksal could produce a team more professional than the Undying Blade led by Rita.
Rita: Thank you for the information. It is extremely useful.
Liu Bai: If Miss Rita intends to act, please don't hurt my sister.
"You actually managed to type something like that?" Natasha made an intensely disgusted expression.
Rita: Please rest assured. I am very measured in my actions and will not harm your sister in the slightest. Please wait patiently for good news.
Rita's Favorability: 2527
"I've decided. I'm going to beat Rita until she's half-paralyzed."
"Can you not suddenly get competitive at a time like this?"
Liu Bai soothed Natasha.
Fortunately, Natasha was only pretending to be angry and quickly calmed down. "When do you think Rita will make her move?"
"I don't know, but when the time comes, she should come looking for me—what could be safer against a little-sister-obsessed person than going on a date with her little brother?"
Natasha froze. "You mean Rita will invite you to tour Shencheng Pharmaceuticals?"
"Exactly. Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' ally, Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie Rita Rossweisse, brings her temporary adjutant Liu Bai to visit Shencheng Pharmaceuticals—what's wrong with that?"
"..."
Come to think of it, there really was nothing wrong with that.
If Liu Bai were replaced with her Xiao Kong, then anyone who dared attack Rita would be attacking Natasha. Anyone who gave the order would be slaughtered by her. Even the Serpent Lord wouldn't be able to stop her.
Unfortunately... Natasha claimed she was not obsessed with her little brother.
Well, after getting the money today, she did feel like it might not be so bad if Liu Bai really were her little brother.
"How about you make a little sacrifice?"
"If you put it that way, I'm switching sides." Liu Bai shot back expressionlessly.
"I'm joking—what I mean is, just drug Rita directly. Don't you like stripping people? I'm sure original S-rank Valkyrie underwear would sell well. Besides, doing that with Rita wouldn't count as selling your body, right? You definitely wouldn't lose out."
"Then give me a piece of your underwear, sis."
It was easy for her to say. Liu Bai had no desire to test an S-rank Valkyrie's physical abilities.
Besides, once Rita woke up, he would definitely be dead.
"If it really comes down to it, I can pay for the original version too."
"Get lost."
Natasha jabbed Liu Bai with her elbow, and the conversation returned to the main topic.
"Looks like you two are done talking for today?"
"Obviously." Liu Bai closed his wristband, stood up, and left the room. "Good night, sis."
"Do you really have to keep up the act? How bizarre..."
Natasha sighed as she turned off the lights.
"Good night, little brother—oh, right. Make egg drop soup tomorrow."
"Got it."
If she kept living like this for a month, she might really start treating Liu Bai as her little brother.
Turning a fake act into the real thing... That was way too melodramatic...
Eden, the Ultimate Most Beautiful Angel, Makes Her Grand Debut!
The next day.
With Natasha's help, Eden smoothly completed the move-in procedures.
Then...
"Mhm... According to the manual, this cable should connect here."
Guinaifen moved all the streaming equipment from her room into Eden's.
It seemed Guinaifen was preparing to fully support Eden's idol career.
"...Is that really okay?" Eden had gathered from their earlier conversation that Guinaifen needed to stream too.
"It's fine. Boss Liu totally misunderstood what I meant—but I'm still grateful to him."
"That really hurts, Little Gui. This set of equipment wasn't cheap." Liu Bai, who was helping Eden arrange her luggage, curled his lips slightly when he heard that.
"But as an outdoor streamer, I don't need this equipment."
Guinaifen was simply telling the truth. The screens, cameras, microphones, and other things Liu Bai had gotten were completely useless to her.
She was the kind of streamer who could walk through streets and alleys with nothing but a phone held up to stream.
Or rather, she performed on the streets while streaming.
The only streaming equipment Guinaifen really needed was a phone that could be mounted on a selfie stick.
This wristband just didn't feel right to use...
"So these should go to someone like Miss Eden, who actually needs them."
"...Is this the benefit of being sponsored?"
Even though Eden knew little about this sort of thing, she could tell by instinct that it was expensive.
"I had Yelan pick the expensive ones, but it didn't even cost a million. Still, this works out well. It saves me from having Yelan deliver another set."
"...You really don't treat money like money."
"Money that can't be spent isn't money."
"Hah... I feel like one day, Boss Liu, you might end up wandering the streets."
Guinaifen's spending habits were clearly very different from Liu Bai's.
"Perhaps that is the end of all merchants?"
"I actually quite like Mr. Liu Bai's view on spending."
To Guinaifen's surprise, Eden actually agreed with Liu Bai.
"It's only a set of equipment, after all."
The confidence radiating from Eden left Guinaifen speechless.
If I gave up on joining a major company, would I immediately receive this kind of treatment?
Probably not.
Eden had not expected Liu Bai to invest so boldly either, but since he could trust her so much, she absolutely would not let him lose money!
All those overly sentimental reservations had already been cast aside by Eden.
She would prove that Liu Bai's investment in her was absolutely the most successful investment of the century!
"Why are you suddenly so fired up?" Guinaifen complained. "The equipment is set up. The site with the most traffic, and the one most suited to singers, should be this one. Mm, Didi."
"Miss Eden, have you prepared a name for your debut?"
"Eden. Just Eden. There's no need to hide anything."
Eden lightly brushed back her hair. She would debut under her real name!
"Ah, that nickname is already taken."
Her attempt to debut under her real name had failed.
"T-Taken?"
"Well, for a site with such huge traffic, it's perfectly normal for a proper name like 'Eden' to already be taken~ Only improper names have room to survive. How about 'Eden Eden Eden'?"
"That name is far too strange."
Eden was still a young girl at heart. The grand vows she had made in her heart had barely begun before meeting this setback, and she could no longer keep composed. Forgetting all about acting like a lady, she leaned over the back of the chair and stared at the registration page with Guinaifen.
"How about 'Eden 0'?" Guinaifen asked while typing. "Still taken. How about 'Eden 10086'? That one isn't taken."
"Wouldn't a number like that make me seem like an imitation?" Eden refused again.
"Then how about 'Guinevere'?"
"Who is that? What does she have to do with me?"
"Me."
Eden rapped Guinaifen on the head. "Rejected."
"Then how about 'Eden, Diva of the New Generation'?"
"Although the goal is clear, people would think I was a narcissist at first glance. It would also be easy to make enemies."
"You two are completely incapable of naming things." Liu Bai was utterly speechless at the sight of the two of them agonizing over names in front of the computer.
Before you continue