Natasha answered Rita with a claw strike.
Anti-Entropy was hardly the problem.
Although Titan Mechs were weapons created by Anti-Entropy to replace Valkyries, aside from a few special models, an ordinary Titan's combat power was probably inferior to that of a rookie B-rank Valkyrie.
Training a B-rank Valkyrie required far more investment than manufacturing a Titan Mech, and humanity's growth cycle meant that Valkyries were "nonrenewable resources" in the short term.
—With the production capacity of mass-produced machines like Titans, if their average individual combat strength matched that of B-rank Valkyries, Schicksal would have been finished long ago. A tide of steel would have already steamrolled the world.
Rita did not consider Anti-Entropy's mech forces much of a threat, and neither did she.
The issue was why Anti-Entropy wanted to abduct Liu Bai—well, perhaps their Highlord had not thought that far ahead.
Mobius's meaning was most likely, You stuck your hand where it didn't belong. If you dared touch my lab rat, I'll chop off your claws.
Hmm, in other words, Natasha had brought the Deathless with the intention of silencing her.
If Rita had learned any information related to Liu Bai while contacting Anti-Entropy, then things would be even worse.
"Miss Natasha, I would not like Mr. Liu Bai to lose the sister he depends on tonight." Rita was somewhat irritated, directly calling Natasha by name while trying to disrupt her rhythm with Liu Bai.
Well, the result of her contact with Liu Bai so far was that she no longer needed to refer to Natasha by the broad term "snake."
"I would be more than happy to eliminate a pest approaching my little brother with ill intentions."
Natasha understood that as well. The longer this dragged on, the more dangerous Liu Bai's situation became.
Yet she could not reveal any weakness now.
...She still had to play the role of an overly possessive older sister with yandere tendencies.
Annoying.
"Raven, the target has returned home. Withdraw."
Just as Raven was preparing to continue playing along, Gray Serpent's hoarse voice sounded in her earpiece.
"...?"
What the hell?
That brat Liu Bai had already gone home?
Then what the hell was she fighting for her life here for?!
Gray Serpent could not possibly lie on World Serpent's communication channel.
How had that brat Liu Bai managed it? Or had this whole Anti-Entropy encounter been a misunderstanding?
Looking at the scythe before her, Natasha suddenly felt a headache coming on. She immediately leaped backward, leaving Rita's attack range.
"Tch, forget it. This ends here. Consider yourself lucky."
"...?"
They were not fighting anymore?
She had just finished delivering that threat, and now she was quitting?
"My little brother called me home for dinner. You can do whatever you want here."
Casually making up an excuse, Natasha stopped caring about the Deathless being suppressed by the Undying Blade and turned to leave.
Leaving Rita standing there in complete confusion.
"...What exactly did she come here for?"
Rita muttered, but the corners of her lips soon curled upward.
"Mm, as expected, Mr. Liu Bai is her weak spot~"
Clues Connected
"So you counter-killed Anti-Entropy? That makes sense... If the Titans were controlled, those two truly were nothing to worry about."
After Natasha called Liu Bai and Guinaifen out of the pot, she learned the full details of what had happened.
Those Dormant Spirit Deathless would take Natasha quite some time to eliminate completely, let alone with Liu Bai standing nearby and issuing commands.
Then Natasha saw the information Liu Bai had organized.
"Anti-Entropy... their target was not you? Are you sure?"
"Not sure, but all I can say is that if I were their target, their methods and attitude were far too gentle."
The other side had grasped his movements, and there were plenty of methods without any moral limits—of course, Himeko could never have imagined that he could summon Honkai Deathless.
But Liu Bai could sense how hasty this kidnapping had been. There was no follow-up plan at all. Once their current move was broken, they could only flee.
"..."
Natasha revealed a thoughtful expression.
("There are rumors that the head of the Inazuma Group is seriously ill.")
("Anti-Entropy has also been looking for doctors recently.")
("The strongest doctor in the world right now should be your Serpent's Master.")
("My Highlord stopped being a doctor long ago.")
("It is not as if she cannot do it.")
The scene of exchanging information with Yelan earlier appeared in Natasha's mind.
Inazuma, Anti-Entropy, her Highlord... this thread...
"Did you think of something?" Bai asked as he looked at Natasha's expression.
"...Their target may truly not have been you."
Natasha spoke with a frown.
"When Yelan came yesterday afternoon..."
Natasha repeated yesterday's conversation with Yelan to Liu Bai.
"You mean they kidnapped me to find a doctor?" Yesterday, those words would have made no sense.
But now, everything had connected.
"Are they sick in the head? Who taught them to find a doctor like this? Could they not negotiate?" Bai wore a strange expression.
"The problem is that they cannot find the Highlord."
Natasha's words left Liu Bai speechless.
"You know our Highlord lives in seclusion beneath Shencheng Pharmaceuticals, but to them, our Highlord is a mad scientist who is impossible to find. Unless you are an alien, there is no way you could meet the Highlord, okay?"
"..."
"And one more thing, do you think Gray Serpent and I are famous? Believe it or not, before today, if I stood right in front of Anti-Entropy, they would not even recognize me as a World Serpent executive. Not to mention Gray Serpent. He hides his identity even better. Only the merchant guild knows Gray Serpent and me well for various reasons. Even then, they only know a little about our Highlord and do not even know her name—do not doubt Gray Serpent's ability to clean up loose ends."
Liu Bai thought about it and had no response.
Right, World Serpent was not some organization that flaunted itself everywhere. That did seem more like World Serpent's style.
"Yelan knows the Sky Dome Zone is World Serpent's home turf, the snake nest, but she definitely does not know Shencheng Pharmaceuticals belongs to World Serpent. Shencheng Pharmaceuticals has remained a good partner of Schicksal so far. If World Serpent were an organization running around naked, Yelan would have personally brought people over to build connections long ago."
"...In other words, Anti-Entropy abducted me to establish contact with World Serpent?"
"Not just that. They also intended to obtain bargaining chips—if Yelan truly told Anti-Entropy everything she knew about World Serpent, then Anti-Entropy should have some understanding of the Highlord's preferences... As far as I know, Anti-Entropy currently has nothing that would interest the Highlord."
"...The Inazuma Group does not either?"
"Liu Bai, please try to understand just how eccentric our Highlord's tastes are... Fine, I suppose that is because the Highlord spoils you so much."
Natasha sighed.
"In short, given time, they could certainly obtain whatever the Highlord wants. But if they are truly racing against time... they likely do not have time to prepare. Combined with their limited understanding of the Highlord's personality, capturing you—a possible 'hard currency'—would allow them to adapt to any situation."
"Now that you put it that way, this does not sound like something they would give up on easily—though at this stage, as long as Gray Serpent is willing to contact them in reverse, negotiations can begin, right?"
Liu Bai realized something. Although the process had been unpleasant, the foundation for negotiations was already there.
It was just that if Mobius demanded an outrageous price and the negotiations fell apart...
Well, he would be targeted again.
And this would definitely involve Mobius. There was no chance of Gray Serpent handling it alone.
Natasha's expression became somewhat strange. She exchanged a look with Liu Bai, and they immediately shared a trace of mutual understanding.
Mobius... while she had a mature and intelligent side, she also had a willful side.
Not to mention, Mobius would definitely hold a grudge over this incident. Whether she could calm down, and when she would calm down, were still uncertain.
Liu Bai suddenly thought of something.
The Raiden Shogun with a death flag... was that Raiden Makoto?
"Sis, what illness would require finding our Highlord?"
"Of course it would be..."
Halfway through her sentence, Natasha realized the issue as well.
Their Highlord was a doctor specialized in treating Honkai Disease!
No, could that Raiden Shogun have Honkai Disease? Was she not one of the world's strongest people?
"...I think I know why the Inazuma Group has not stepped forward."
If that was truly the case, then to their Highlord, the other party would be excellent experimental material!
They could not bring this up until negotiations were settled!
If they spoke first, their leader might also end up placed on the negotiating table as a bargaining chip!
"Ah, but the Highlord's medical ethics are quite good, right?" Bai remembered that although Mobius was a mad scientist, her medical ethics were not bad.
"If we have to put it that way, they are actually exceptionally good."
At that, Natasha's face showed a hint of emotion.
"The Highlord was... at least in the past, the only top scientist who treated Honkai patients as people, who dared to take in and treat Honkai patients despite the risk of infection. Mm... So although I do not quite understand the Highlord's talk about 'human evolution,' I am willing to believe in it—though Jackal is a bastard."
"Were you one of the people she saved?" Bai looked at Natasha's expression in surprise.
Come to think of it, Gray Serpent could not have picked Natasha up in this world too, could he?
Then Mobius must be nearing fifty by now.
"Mm... That was a long time ago. Something happened to my family back then, and Honkai infected my hometown. In short, after being displaced and going through all sorts of terrible things, I met the Highlord when I was about to die. And I am probably the only fully recovered case? Even if the Highlord was collecting data at the time, she did her best."
Natasha looked as though she did not really want to bring it up.
"Forget it, forget it. In any case, your guess is quite valuable. I will tell Gray Serpent, and tomorrow I will go pick a fight with Yelan. Can you go by yourselves with Guinaifen?"
Please Clench Your Teeth!
"Welcome to the Liyue Merchant Guild... Oh, it's you. You're that..."
Kiana was still standing at the entrance.
Kiana had clearly recognized Liu Bai.
She had recognized him when he came last time, and she recognized him again this time.
It seemed he had made an impression on her.
But...
"Uh... You're that... Give me a moment. This young lady will definitely remember."
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward as Kiana frowned and began thinking hard.
"Let me make this clear first! This young lady definitely did not forget your name! I just cannot remember it right now!"
"My name is Liu Bai, and she is my friend, Guinaifen... Although the two of us have met more than once, we have never exchanged names, Miss Kiana."
Liu Bai offered a helpful reminder from the side.
"Huh? We never exchanged names? No—then how did you know my name?" Kiana revealed a bewildered, adorable expression.
Before you continue