Honkai, But I Have Too Many Mods

"Yelan complained to me about it."

"Oh... Right..." Kiana scratched her head. "Ahem, anyway, my name is Kiana Kaslana. What's with the aggressive aura from you two?"

"We're here to cause trouble."

"Huh?"

Kiana blinked. She was the receptionist and gatekeeper, wasn't she?

And they were telling her they were here to cause trouble?

"We're here to cause trouble for Yelan."

Hearing this, Kiana blinked again, then decisively closed her eyes to rest.

Whew, that scared her. She thought they were here to cause a disturbance, but it turned out they were here to beat up Yelan.

Kiana not saying "Please, come in, honored guests" was already a testament to her situation of being dependent on others and not being able to act rashly.

"She's in the office on the third floor."

As Liu Bai passed by, Kiana was even worried he wouldn't be able to find her.

"If you can't win, just shout for help. I'll call the police and an ambulance for you."

Well, even though Kiana really wanted to see Yelan get beaten up, she had to admit Yelan was quite capable.

Could they really win against her...

"Oh no, oh no, the creditor has come knocking."

Yelan had already noticed Liu Bai and Guinaifen entering through the surveillance cameras.

It was time to run.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot; a second attempt weakens, and a third exhausts.

Given her current guilty conscience, facing them head-on would mean not only getting beaten but also being thoroughly chewed out.

With that thought, Yelan immediately left.

Two minutes later, a man with a square face, clearly a successful businessman, returned to his office and sat up straight.

Given the current foot traffic in the merchant guild, they should be up here in another two minutes...

The "man" silently counted down in his mind.

Bang—!

"B-Boss, it's not Yelan?" Guinaifen was baffled to see the middle-aged man with an astonished expression peeking out from behind the office desk.

"Who are you people? What do you want with Lord Yelan? Security! Security!"

"Little Gui, take care of him."

"Huh?"

"We have to at least shut him up first, don't you think it'll be too troublesome otherwise?"

"Uh, I guess so?"

"..."

The middle-aged man, who had been shouting for security, immediately fell silent upon hearing this.

"Everyone, there's no need for violence, is there? Are you looking for Lord Yelan? We can sit down and talk."

Guinaifen, who had just rolled up her sleeves, hesitated upon hearing this.

By the way, since Guinaifen's clothes from yesterday were still not dry, she borrowed a set from Natasha.

Although they fit reasonably well, the black stockings made her look somewhat... ordinary.

"Don't listen to him, keep beating him. He's stalling for time. He might have secretly pressed a button under the desk. He's the only one who saw both our faces, so give him a concussion first."

"...Isn't that a bit much?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's a bit much."

The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly.

"...It does seem a bit much." Liu Bai pondered for a moment and nodded. "Then let's tie him up. Since he knows Yelan's whereabouts, we'll tie him up and ask him slowly."

"Um, Boss, isn't this kidnapping?"

"This is just an invitation—as long as he cooperates, it's not kidnapping. If he resists, it means he has something to hide, so we'll give him a concussion and then take him."

"You little punk, don't push it!"

An annoyed female voice came from the middle-aged man's throat.

"Eek! Eek Eek Eek??"

The man's voice change startled Guinaifen.

"You lost." Liu Bai calmly looked at the middle-aged man... no, Yelan.

"You're betting I can't resist?" Yelan pulled off her hood.

"I knew you were here ages ago—isn't Kiana still watching the door?"

Liu Bai gave a reason that completely missed Yelan's blind spot. It wasn't personality analysis, nor was it prior reconnaissance. It was simply "Kiana."

"What does that girl know about me? She was still in bed when I went to work. Tsk, lucky you."

Yelan clicked her tongue, not expecting to be exposed in this way.

"Would you run off without looking after Kiana?" Liu Bai denied the luck theory and looked at Yelan. "World Serpent, Schicksal, Liyue Merchant Guild... No, strictly speaking, it's you, Yelan. Of these three factions, World Serpent is the local power, Schicksal is chasing the crashed aircraft. Then what about you? You arrived much earlier, didn't you? The only reason that would allow you to get here before I crashed is..."

"Kiana."

Yelan finished Liu Bai's sentence for him.

[Yelan Affection: 2025]

Yelan was a gambler, but she only gambled on situations she had under control. Liu Bai's sharpness and insight... were exactly to her taste.

"To be able to notice this detail while you yourself are in the thick of it—honestly, no one is even paying attention to Kiana right now—I'm liking you more and more."

Although Yelan was also following orders, based on the participants, she could vaguely deduce that the Sky Dome Zone was likely a stage set up for Kiana.

As it turned out, after Liu Bai arrived, Raven's symbolic attacks stopped after two attempts, and Rita was fully focused on pursuing Liu Bai.

"It's precisely because I'm in the vortex that I'm paying attention to whether there's any straw I can grasp to escape it."

"I'm truly sorry, Kiana can't be used as a lifesaver—unless you manage to win her over."

Yelan took off the heavy, disguise coat that had supported her physique.

"I know she's not my lifesaver. What about yours, Ms. Yelan?" Liu Bai's gaze towards Yelan suddenly flashed with a hint of coldness. "You've fallen into a trap, Yelan."

"Wh—?"

Yelan's relaxed, teasing expression froze instantly.

"Forgetting the enemy's original intention due to complacency is a major taboo."

Liu Bai leisurely sat down on the guest sofa.

Yelan, who had already realized the problem, immediately wanted to escape—but it was too late.

At that moment, Guinaifen pounced, tackling Yelan to the ground.

A drumstick in one hand, a fist in the other.

"Sister Yelan! I'll need you to grit your teeth for Little Gui today!"

Chapter 54: An Apology Gift Should Be...

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... That's quite a punch."

Yelan muttered as she applied medicine to her bruised face in the mirror.

[Yelan Affection: 2527]

Liu Bai: "..."

No, Liu Bai wasn't surprised that Yelan's affection increased after being beaten. After all, she was a bit of a masochist.

What surprised him was the system prompt that popped up.

[Achievement Unlocked: Defeat Strong Enemy · Yelan]

[Reward Obtained: Gacha Coin * 30]

Liu Bai knew about the reward system, of course, but... did even roughhousing count?

Well, even though Yelan's face was bruised and battered, it was really just "roughhousing," perhaps slightly excessive by the definition of roughhousing.

However, compared to the underhanded things Yelan had done, this was considered light.

"Alright, now it's your turn to talk." Liu Bai temporarily suppressed his surprise and looked at Yelan. "Aren't you afraid of retaliation?"

"I can tell if you're trying to kill me or not," Yelan sighed after applying the medicine. "What do you want me to say? I'm guessing it's not some groveling apology, is it?"

"...Indeed."

Actually, if she were to strip naked and perform a kowtow apology, Liu Bai wouldn't be able to refuse.

"Oh, right, Little Gui, hit a little lighter next time, and don't always hit my face."

"...I'll be careful next time."

Guinaifen was actually more angry. Mostly, she felt a bit scared after the beating last night.

So, she had been trying very hard to restrain herself when she was hitting him, to the point where she still felt a bit unsatisfied afterward.

"Ask away. I'll answer as much as I can."

Yelan sat in the chair, answering very straightforwardly.

"You guessed I would win?" Liu Bai's first question didn't seem important.

"..."

However, Yelan fell silent when faced with this question.

The first question… was that sharp?

This perceptiveness was comparable to Ningguang's.

"No, but I can guarantee I won't lose."

Yelan admitted that she actually had a good grasp of how events were unfolding.

Unless absolutely necessary, she only gambled on situations within her control.

But there was no situation in the world that was naturally within her control.

Traveling far and wide, gathering intelligence, and strategizing were the keys to bringing a "gamble" into her grasp.

Of course, if she was sure she couldn't win, she would simply withdraw.

Liu Bai nodded slightly, acknowledging this statement.

If one were to be honest, although betting on both sides might leave a bad impression, such decisions between factions were definitely made by those higher up.

It was quite benevolent of Yelan to give him a subtle reminder.

The main reason for coming to beat this guy up this time was actually related to his whereabouts.

"Did you find my location by hacking into my bracelet? Is there any way to prevent hacking?"

"Ah, that… no, although Anti-Entropy did hack your bracelet, it had nothing to do with tracking. They were simply intercepting your communications."

Yelan said as she reached towards Liu Bai's lower body.

"What are you doing?"

Liu Bai was startled by Yelan's unexpectedly bold move.

"Virgin?"