"Don't move."
As if he had sensed Bronya's thoughts, the masked man said coldly, "I planted bombs in that hotel. The moment I press this button, they die."
The masked man took out a remote control.
Bronya stopped moving.
"Yes, put the gun away."
"Bronya will go with you. Don't press the button."
"Hmph, very good."
The masked man nodded in satisfaction and put away the remote.
As long as he held the remote, he could threaten the Silver Wolf before him.
Otherwise, if they really fought, things would indeed be difficult.
And so, beneath the cover of night, four people left the city.
Hm?
Why four people?
Two more people were quietly following behind them.
"Yawn... Lin Nai, do we really not need to save Bronya?" The still-sleepy Kiana lay sprawled across Lin Nai's back.
"We're just not saving her yet."
Lin Nai sensed the direction of the energy signature and headed there with Kiana.
He wanted Bronya to shatter that so-called cage herself.
Birds were free.
Yet birds could still be caged.
Bronya was free too, but before she could truly be free, she needed to break that cage with her own hands.
Wasn't that how it worked in anime?
Let the protagonist defeat their inner demons, and then they could grow stronger.
Unfortunately, Bronya couldn't become the Li... Herrscher of Reason yet.
That was Lin Nai's plan.
Though he would have to apologize to her properly afterward...
It couldn't be helped. In the original story, Bronya had stayed at Cocolia Orphanage for a very long time.
Only through Seele's constant companionship and influence had she slowly escaped her former numbness.
Though there was a good chance it was because Seele had awakened Bronya's big-sister complex?
Kiana was obviously different from Seele.
Kiana was not fragile at all. Sometimes she even liked talking back, and she ate a lot too.
When fighting, she also liked charging to the front without ever knowing how to dodge. She was even more reckless than he was.
Every time Lin Nai fought alongside Kiana, he had this feeling... his head itched, like a brain was about to grow in.
Sigh, that was basically it.
To help Bronya recover, the quickest method Lin Nai had chosen was to destroy that so-called "cage."
Originally, Lin Nai had planned to spend several years slowly wearing it down.
Then that masked man appeared, and Lin Nai came up with this idea on the spot.
Most importantly...
If those people were still alive, then there should be quite a few children there just like Bronya.
Even if he had to spend a fortune searching for orphanages, it would still be better than letting them become machines that only knew how to kill.
Why not have Bronya lead them there to rescue them?
Didn't that group mention something about a coup before? What if they had changed bases because the damage was too severe?
So, to be safe, this would have to do for now.
Heavenly King Covers the Earth Tiger, Bronya Is One-Fifty!
Several days later...
Lin Nai brought Kiana along as they followed the masked man who had taken Bronya away.
He had taken at least two detours.
They had spent the entire day driving.
That guy really was cautious.
But!
If Lin Nai tracked him from a kilometer away, there was no way he would notice he was being followed, right?
"Are... are we there yet...?"
Kiana was drowsy. She had not slept well lately.
She was afraid of missing the chance to rescue Bronya.
Lin Nai's eyes were bloodshot. He had been driving continuously for who knew how long.
They said staying up late damaged the body.
Then what did pulling all-nighters count as?
The fact that he was still alive was all thanks to a certain system that did not like talking.
"Kiana... I'm almost at my limit..."
Lin Nai forcibly kept himself alert.
"Huh? Then... then how about I drive for a while?"
"You know how?"
"I watched and learned a little."
Lin Nai: ???
Who did she think she was, Taiga? She had watched and learned a little?!
Come to think of it, which was harder, driving or using an Ultra Dynamite?
Lin Nai swallowed. To avoid rear-ending someone and causing an accident, he tactfully rejected Kiana's suggestion.
He did not want to open his eyes and find himself in heaven meeting the Flame-Chasers, or sent to another world.
That would be far too...
Tch.
After driving for quite a while longer, Lin Nai finally stopped.
In his senses, Bronya's high-speed movement had slowed and come to a halt. She was probably nearby.
Lin Nai patted his face. Right now, he was afraid he might fall asleep while walking.
Kiana grinned wickedly. "If you're worried about falling asleep halfway through, I'll beat you awake."
Lin Nai: "..."
Very good!
He absolutely could not sleep!!
Lin Nai instantly became alert. Sleep?
There was no way he could sleep. Kiana was definitely plotting something!
She would probably slap him across the face without hesitation.
Lin Nai absolutely did not want that!
When he got out of the car, Lin Nai did not forget to take the coffee with him and casually toss it somewhere.
"Kiana, let's go."
"Mm!"
The two of them sneaked forward, and after walking for nearly thirty minutes...
Kiana raised a question. "Why are we sneaking around?"
"Because we're infiltrating."
"Um... but... why didn't you just drive the car closer? Wouldn't it be easier to escape afterward?"
"Huh?"
Lin Nai blinked.
Kiana blinked.
They looked at each other for several seconds.
Lin Nai said nothing. Kiana understood something—this guy was so tired his mind was no longer clear...
"Take this!!"
"I dodge!!"
Kiana threw a side kick, and Lin Nai successfully avoided it with a backward lean and a retreating step.
"If you want to hit me, you've got a long way to—"
"Leg sweep!"
"Wah!"
Caught completely off guard, Lin Nai fell into the snow, his face full of confusion.
Huh?
What happened? What happened?
Why had he fallen?
Kiana said with a wicked grin, "Hehe, Lin Nai, you're really pathetic right now."
"Shut up..."
Lin Nai rolled his eyes and pushed himself up from the ground. Anyone would be unable to take it after driving for days straight, right?
As for the person who had taken Bronya away, Lin Nai had no idea what was going on with him. He had somehow driven for so long without dropping dead.
Impressive, impressive.
Soon, Lin Nai and Kiana arrived at a place covered in snow.
There was nothing here.
Kiana looked around. "Where are they?"
"The trace from when they stopped was right here... and now, it's underground."
Lin Nai lowered his head and lightly stomped his foot.
Even though a thin layer of snow covered it, Lin Nai still sensed something wrong.
It was metal.
This was not the ground at all.
"Underground?"
Before you continue