Clearly I came first! (cont.)

Even with Lin Yu's brilliant mind and eloquence, he couldn't handle Kiana. In the end, all that can be done is for Siegfried, her father, to see if he can solve his daughter's psychological problems.

Kiana, noticing Theresa deep in thought, suddenly looked in a certain direction.

Kiana, who was staring in that direction, realized that she felt a little uncomfortable.

Strange, this direction is definitely towards Shenzhou, right?

Why over there...?

—Does it give off a feeling that makes me uncomfortable?

.

Shenzhou. Tai Xu Sword Sect Secret Reception Room

Inside the reception room, the tense atmosphere that had been palpable earlier was now absent among the people sitting on the sofa.

Rather, if an outsider were to witness this scene of conversation, they would undoubtedly assume that the people chatting happily are longtime friends.

"Yes, so Mei- neechan, Yuno- neechan, and Sister Bronya all had so many little things happen between them and Senior Brother."

As everyone recounted their past with Lin Yu, Wendy smiled happily and said to them.

"I misunderstood everyone before, and I apologize to everyone here."

"You were my senior's comrades-in-arms, but I treated you like Otto's lackeys."

"I'm sorry, I really know I was wrong!"

Seeing Wendy taking the initiative to apologize to our side, the three of them exchanged glances and simultaneously saw a hint of relief in their companions' eyes.

Although Wendy treated the three of them with great courtesy at first, the three of them could sense that she was still wary of them.

But as they started chatting, Wendy's guard gradually lowered.

Of course, the three of them also noticed that Wendy's eyes were shining as she listened to what had happened between everyone and Lin Yu.

Not to mention Yuno and Bronya, who have always been the 'masterminds', even Mei could see that Wendy had feelings for her senior.

But this wasn't surprising to everyone. After all, Lin Yu was handsome, capable, and responsible, and he had saved Wendy when Wendy was most desperate. So it was perfectly normal for Wendy to like Lin Yu.

However, why does this whole process of 'experiencing despair → meeting Lin Yu → regaining hope → falling in love with Lin Yu's feel so familiar to me?

[That's obvious. Aside from Anna, that freeloader who cheats, the only other person in the dorm who doesn't follow this pattern is the girl with glasses.]

[This is already standard procedure for Lin Yu. Sometimes I even wonder if he's deliberately holding the line to rescue people.]

How could you slander someone's innocence like this?

When Lin Yu did these things, he had absolutely no way of accurately predicting that these things would happen.

He was able to save us in time entirely because of his kindness...

At this point, Mei suddenly couldn't continue.

Meanwhile, the Herrscher of Thunder cooperated by not saying anything unnecessary.

Is Lin Yu a warm-hearted person?

The answer is obviously yes.

Although he is not particularly talkative in normal times, when people have problems or encounter some troubles, Lin Yu will instantly transform into a chatterbox to soothe their hearts.

Not only that, even in battle, he was always at the forefront, prioritizing the elimination of the most troublesome enemies for his companions.

That's why Lin Yu received almost 100% positive feedback from his colleagues in other branches and headquarters, despite not having many missions outside the headquarters.

However, Mei, who knows Lin Yu Mei, understands even more clearly that Lin Yu is a warm-hearted person, but his ability to save everyone in time is not primarily due to his enthusiasm.

Lin Yu saved everyone when they were on the battlefield and had entered Herrscher Transformation mode.

The fundamental reason he arrived at the scene in time was...

Lin Yu is constantly trying to take revenge on the Honkai.

This person dared to rush into Changkong City to clash with the Herrscher even without power; once he gained power, he would naturally become more and more ferocious.

Even though Lin Yu is now the strongest person in the world, Mei is still worried that if Lin Yu rushes in so recklessly, he might crash outside and no one will be able to rescue him in time.

Mei stopped the conversation because she realized she couldn't cure Lin Yu's heartache.

As for Wendy, who seemed very happy on the other side, she had a lot on her mind at that moment.

Admittedly, part of the reason she was happy was because she judged that the Valkyrie in front of her were definitely not Otto's lackeys.

Even after all that Wendy has been through, she is still just a little girl at heart.

Oh, she's not your average little girl.

Judging from the fact that Wendy calls Bronya -Sister Bronya in the story, she is probably younger than Bronya.

For this little girl, after experiencing having a gem implanted in her, being discriminated against by her branch members, being kidnapped by the World Serpent, and being betrayed by her boss, making friends with a few peers was a kind of redemption.

However, this reason is ultimately only a secondary one.

The main reason is...

—I thought my senior brother and they had a very good relationship, but it turns out they've only known each other for less than four months.

I not only have a chance, but I have a very good chance!

Mei- neechan, Sister Bronya, Yuno- neechan, I'm sorry to have such thoughts about you so soon after we met, but...

—Sorry, senior, it's mine now!

Bronya, who had no idea what Wendy was thinking, watched Wendy smilingly looking at everyone and felt that there was something slightly off about her.

However, since everyone had just met today, even if Bronya sensed something was amiss, it wasn't convenient for her to say anything at this time.

"Alright, that's enough of the small talk."

At this moment, Yuno looked at her companions and the girl she had just met, and suddenly asked Wendy with a cold expression.

"Wendy, is this place really 'safe' enough?"

"The topic we are about to discuss with you must not be known to anyone other than us."

"Yes, it's absolutely safe."

Seeing that Yuno had entered serious mode, Wendy, knowing that it was time for her to get down to business as well, responded to Yuno in a very serious manner.

"Actually, what I want to say is something that cannot be known by others."

"Brother Li Pu is the leading figure among the younger generation of the Tai Xu Sword Sect. He is absolutely loyal to the Shenzhou, so it's impossible for him to..."

Wendy, who was about to say that Li Pu could never be Otto's lackey, suddenly stopped herself.

She trusted Li Pu completely, but at times like this, she always had a feeling that something bad would happen if she mentioned that man's name.

"Sigh, never mind, I think we should be more cautious."

At this moment, Mei released her electromagnetic power into the room, directly using the power to disable all the electronic devices in the room.

"After today's conversation, please ask Wendy to convey to Mr. Li Pu that I will compensate for the damage to this room."

"Oh, right..."

After watching the lightning flash across Raiden Mei's eyes, Wendy chuckled and stuck out her tongue.

"I've all forgotten that Mei is the Herrscher of Thunder."

"No, that's not enough to be safe."

"Mei, release the Imaginary Barrier."

"I have the same thought."

After simultaneously expanding their Imaginary Barrier to their maximum extent, the Imaginary Barrier released by the two immediately separated the space outside the four people from them.

"Yes, that way there will be no mistakes."

Looking at her new friends who had joined forces to set up this 'grand formation', Wendy was basically certain that they were definitely not people Wendy needed to be wary of.

"Well, now I can say those things without worry."

Once she got into work mode, Wendy's smile was gradually replaced by anger.

"The three of you, do you know why I tried to escape from that place after returning to the Schicksal Headquarters?"

Upon hearing Wendy's opening remarks, Mei naturally countered with a question.

"... Isn't this normal?"

"After you were implanted with the Desire Gem at the Schicksal Headquarters, you lost both legs due to the failed experiment. It's perfectly normal for you to be wary of Schicksal after that."

"... Mei, you're wrong."

Faced with Mei's speculation, an angry Wendy gently shook her head.

"You think I'm too smart."

"In fact, although I have the talent to advance to S-rank, I am very clear that my talent lies only in the speed of learning Honkai Energy and combat skills."

"I've never been a good thinker when it comes to my mind."

Faced with Wendy's modest words, the three of them unanimously chose to continue listening.

After all, in the eyes of the three of them, the 'main event' was about to begin.

"Actually, it's different from what Mei said. Even though the Desire Gem was implanted in my body, which made me unable to move normally, I hardly resented the Schicksal organization at the time."

"In my opinion, although this experiment failed, it was a necessary sacrifice for the greater good. As a Valkyrie, I should feel honored by this."

Hearing Wendy's resolute words, Bronya felt guilty and dared not meet Wendy's gaze again.

Although Bronya has broadly reformed after joining Schicksal, well...

Compared to this kind of noble and righteous Valkyrie who is willing to sacrifice herself to fight against the Honkai, Bronya really thinks that she, who is still trying to take advantage of her comrades, is not a good person at all.

"However, this idea completely disappeared on that day."

Recalling what happened that day, Wendy clenched her fists tightly and addressed the crowd, suppressing the anger that was about to burst forth from her heart.

"The reason I repeatedly confirmed and tested whether the three of you were Otto's lackeys was also for this reason."

"After I was kidnapped by World Serpent and taken to their base, for some reason, they kept trying to make me despair and turn me into Herrscher."

"Having realized their intentions, I kept hypnotizing myself, telling myself that someone would definitely rescue me, which is why I survived until that day—twenty-four days ago!"

"On that day, when I was teleported to the Haiyuan City Anti-Entropy by the World Serpent, I saw someone who should never have been there."

"At first, I thought I was seeing things, but after realizing I couldn't deceive myself no matter what, I faced reality and discovered..."

"—Otto Apocalypse, Otto Archbishop of Bishop of Schicksal, actually mingled with the trash of the World Serpent!!!"

Ah?

Ah?

Ah???

After hearing Wendy say those words through gritted teeth, the three of them were instantly surprised and began to believe Wendy.

This tone, which expresses a desire to grind the other person to dust, is absolutely reserved for enemies with whom one has a deep-seated blood feud.

Last night, after reviewing the information, the three confirmed that Otto was a beast.

But today, after meeting the victim Wendy, they realized they were wrong.

Otto is even more of a beast than we imagined!

"It seems that even though everyone knew part of the truth, they didn't expect him to do something like this, did they?"

Seeing the utterly shocked looks on the three men's faces, Wendy suppressed her murderous intent and continued speaking to them.

"Not only that, after that, Otto even found a high-sounding reason to find an opportunity to silence me."

"If it weren't for the Anti-Entropy group being so capable, I might have really been ambushed by Otto."

"What happened next is well-known. After I escaped from Haiyuan City, I met my senior brother, who knocked me unconscious and gave me an injection of the legendary HSN Serum before sending me to the Schicksal Headquarters."

"But after I woke up, I no longer dared to stay at the Schicksal Headquarters."

Although Wendy herself didn't realize it, the three people facing Wendy immediately noticed that Wendy's words contained not only endless anger, but also a trace of fear that was hard to conceal.

"This is Otto's personal fiefdom. He will definitely find a chance to silence someone like me who knows his true colors."

"It was for this reason that I left the Schicksal Headquarters as soon as I woke up and went to the Divine Shenzhou, where the 'Crimson Heron Immortal has returned,' hoping to have a talk with the Crimson Heron Immortal and find protection."