My Adoptive Father, I Bow to You

Is there even a question?

I just want to survive.

Life is not a game; you can't save and load.

Once you make a wrong choice, even if it doesn't have a negative impact on you in the present, it will eventually deal a heavy blow to your life in the future.

Do you think I want to rack my brains every day, thinking about how to deceive or fool people?

What's the value of the rhetoric used by the "Schicksal Agent"...?

I firmly believe that anyone with the same intelligence as me could do something similar to what I would do in a desperate situation.

I really don't know whether to say you overestimate others or underestimate yourself... Haha, if you think this mindset is good enough, then keep it up.

"Alright, that's enough of this boring chit-chat. So, Lin Yu..."

After signaling Lin Yu to begin, Himeko took a step back, handing over the stage to Lin Yu.

At this moment, Lin Yu made a very decisive choice.

Instead of using persuasive words as Himeko had expected, he simply took a step forward...

—They immediately lifted Raven's body off the hospital bed.

"You damn stinking dog, you really think I'll negotiate with you slowly, huh?"

"You almost killed me. If you obediently spill the information now, I might consider sparing your life."

Under Himeko's utterly astonished gaze, Lin Yu, who had grabbed Raven, directly strangled Raven's white neck with his hand.

"Stop fucking sleeping, or I'll make sure you die right here."

"To be or not to be, I must choose."

Chapter 140. Godfather Above

Just as Lin Yu had guessed, Raven had indeed been secretly awakening for some time.

Even if she failed inside Chiyou's body, she was still a user of the Divine Key.

To be honest, anyone who can wield the Divine Key without being corrupted is definitely not a noob.

She hasn't received any medical treatment in her cell these past few days, but she hasn't been abused either.

Thanks to the recovery they've had these past few days, the Raven has indeed regained its self-awareness.

Now that she has regained consciousness, she ran away immediately. Besides the presence of two powerful figures, Lin Yu and Himeko, there is another important reason.

Even if Raven is exceptionally strong, she is still not beyond the realm of a living being.

Miss Raven, who had been nearly drained dry by Chiyou, had not eaten for five whole days.

It would be strange if she could still be so lively and energetic in that state.

Originally, she wanted to use the opportunity of negotiating with the Schicksal members to get some food and drinking water, but...

Damn, this kid is being unreasonable!

Logically speaking, she's an important source of information for Schicksal, okay?!

She didn't expect the Schicksal members to treat her with courtesy, but she would at least go through some maneuvering or even interrogation to make sure she couldn't extract any information before considering killing her!

But now, Raven, as the king of mercenaries, could sense that the killing intent emanating from Lin Yu was no mere pretense.

He really wanted to kill someone—damn, wasn't this kid a secret agent before?

Agent, instead of using polite conversation techniques, you're going straight to silencing the intelligence source?

What kind of agent are you? (╯‵□′)╯┻━┻.

Honestly, considering Raven's understanding of Gray Serpent, if Lin Yu really snapped her neck, Gray Serpent would definitely pop champagne to celebrate Raven's good death.

Lin Yu vented his anger, and World Serpent also preserved its intelligence source.

A world where only the Raven itself is injured has been achieved.

If it were any other member of the World Serpent, Lin Yu's move might have truly made them choose death over surrender.

But Raven are different.

She has little loyalty to the World Serpent.

To be fair, she had already left the organization, and she only came back to make money. She said she was loyal to the snake, but Gray Serpent and Jackal would only laugh at that.

For Raven, survival is the most important thing.

To survive, she would certainly betray the organization's intelligence.

"Cough, cough! Put me down! I'll tell you, okay?!"

Under Himeko's utterly astonished gaze, Lin Yu's incredibly brutal method succeeded without hesitation.

Yes, at least in Himeko's opinion, the fact that the other party wasn't pretending to be asleep and was willing to speak was indeed a great success.

Himeko couldn't easily discern what the Raven was thinking.

But at least on the surface, Raven is clearly not the kind of 'Meele squad' character.

Was it Lin Yu's anger that led to this accidental success?

Or perhaps he had already seen through it all along, that this woman really only responds to force and not gentleness?

Well, considering he's Ghost's personal disciple, the latter's probability is probably much higher than the former's.

Theresa was worried that her young man would be scammed... I just feel like we should be thankful if we don't get fooled by him.

Moreover, my original intention was for the two of us to play the good cop and the bad cop. Regardless of whether Lin Yu's actions were accidental or he genuinely guessed the other party's thoughts, his actions did indeed provide some help for the subsequent interrogation.

Seeing the Raven's face turn pale from suffocation, Himeko knew it was time for her to speak up.

"Alright, alright, Lin Yu, put this lady down."

"Since she is willing to cooperate, she is our Schicksal guest. It is not appropriate to treat a guest with such rudeness."

"... Tch, I get it."

After giving Raven an annoyed look, Lin Yu released his hands, causing the extremely weak woman to fall onto the hospital bed.

As Lin Yu made this move, Himeko turned around, picked up the plate that had been placed on the table behind her, and slowly walked to Raven, revealing a smile.

"I think Miss Xiola, as the Queen of Mercenaries, should know very well that it is not suitable to eat ordinary food after a long period of fasting."

"So we have already prepared semi-liquid food, so please make do with it for today, Miss Xiola."

"... Thank you."

At this moment, the Raven, having taken the plate of porridge, was certainly not moved by a bowl of porridge.

Rather, it was Murata Himeko's words and attitude that made Raven feel a chill in her heart.

From the moment Himeko stopped Lin Yu's atrocities, she used seemingly harmless words and actions to convey information and their plans to Raven.

Being rude to guests is not a good idea—this is clearly implying to the Raven that you'll only get what you deserve if you're willing to be a guest.

The fact that Raven's first identity in the underworld was revealed was also a warning to Raven: we have roughly figured out your background, so you'd better not tell any lies.

As for this bowl of cold porridge, it's like slapping a sweet date in the face.

But looking at Himeko's smiling face, Raven felt that under this woman's oppression, if she showed even the slightest tendency to disobey, the probability of her being slapped in the future would be much greater than the probability of being given a sweet treat.

Compared to that impulsive brat, this woman is the real formidable opponent.

Damn it, this woman is clearly a member of the Valkyrie Assault Team, but how come the Assault Team members are so smart!

And now, with a bowl of cold porridge down his throat, the Raven could only helplessly begin to analyze the situation.

As a mercenary, she actually had a very precise grasp of her physical limits.

Even without asking, she could tell from the lingering hunger in her stomach that several days had passed.

Given the Gray Serpent's caution, it should have considered the question of rescuing the raven or silencing it within 24 to 36 hours after Raven contact.

She knew that Jackal possessed the transformation potion for Emperor-class Honkai Beast and an artificial Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

But the problem is, she's still right under the noses of the Far East Branch, so is it even necessary to guess whether Gray Serpent succeeded or not?

The Gray Serpent attacked the Far East Branch but failed to take her out or kill her. Anyone in the Far East Branch who wasn't an idiot should have been even more aware of the importance of the intelligence she possessed.

It's clearly impossible to expect this cunning woman to actually treat her like an honored guest.

Meanwhile, the World Serpent, after the failed rescue, will absolutely not believe in the Raven's loyalty.

Even if she had the chance to sneak back now, she wouldn't be met with a warm embrace from the Gray Serpent and Jackal, but rather suspicion and even interrogation.

To be honest, things have come to this point, Raven is really considering giving up.

She had no loyalty to the World Serpent to begin with, and the failure of this mission was ultimately due to the Gray Serpent's misjudgment.

Now, due to Commander Gray Serpent's misjudgment, she, a soldier, has been forced into prisoner. To be honest, Raven already harbored resentment.

Now that she's been forced into captivity, and because Gray Serpent failed to rescue her, she will face even more intense surveillance and torture than before...

Thinking about these things, Raven suddenly felt that he might be able to consider another path.

Anyway, she'd be suspected if she went back, and besides, it was Gray Serpent's problem that led her to this predicament. Plus, Schicksal already had a lot of power, so...

Why does she continue to swear allegiance to the World Serpent?

"Major Murata Himeko, right?"

Having made up his mind, Raven placed the plate on the bedside table and looked at the two people waiting for him to speak.

"Of course I can cooperate with Schicksal, but—it's not that I don't trust you, but I still want to see the sincerity Schicksal shows."

Seeing Lin Yu's angry expression, as if to say, "This woman actually dares to bargain," Raven immediately spoke to Lin Yu.

"Hey, young man, don't get so excited."

"I guarantee that the intelligence I provide will be well worth the price."

"Oh? Miss Xiola, you seem quite confident."

At this moment, Himeko looked at the furious Lin Yu behind her, raised her hand to stop Lin Yu from punching her, and then smiled at Raven.

"Alright then, let's show some sincerity from the side first."

After saying that, Himeko took out her communication terminal and dialed a number.

"Hello? Is this the logistics department? Can you transfer me to the specialist who handles 'Natasha Xiola's' assets... Never mind, no need for that."

"Just tell him that the freeze on Natasha Xiola's assets should be suspended."

Amid Raven's utterly shocked gaze, Himeko casually hung up the phone.

Then, Himeko looked at the speechless Raven in front of her and once again revealed a meaningful smile.

"Well, Miss Xiola, is this 'sincerity' enough?"

Sincerity? You call this sincerity?

This woman is clearly threatening us!

"Major, from the very beginning, I felt that this woman's eyes were very strange."

Seeing the slight dissatisfaction and annoyance in Raven's eyes, Lin Yu pressed down on Himeko's hand and took a step forward.

"She released Chiyou from the Nine Nether Netherworlds, clearly indicating that she doesn't want the people of Shenzhou to have an easy time."

"Shenzhou is an ally of our Schicksal, and also my homeland—I still think that we don't need to be so polite to this kind of woman."

"If she doesn't talk, keep beating her until she's willing to tell!"

"Um, Lin Yu..."

Looking at Lin Yu, who was now radiating killing intent, Himeko gave Raven a very 'helpless' and apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Miss Xiola."