This was bad!
But her calf was injured, and she simply couldn't outrun Bai Yan. He caught up to her immediately.
Without mercy, Bai Yan thrust his sword again, once more aiming for her leg. Raven hurriedly blocked, but Bai Yan suddenly changed moves and went straight for her heart. Raven blocked again.
The next moment.
One Sword Startling Swan!
Raven felt a sudden burst of blinding light before her eyes.
Vision Strip!
This is bad. Relying on her experience, she deliberately fell to the ground, twisted her body, and performed a donkey roll.
Then she kept swinging her hips, performing a Thomas flare before getting up and immediately running.
But by then, a short sword was already pressed against her throat.
Raven Plucked Bare and Cocolia Bubbling Over
"Mm, ngh!"
Bai Yan held Raven by the throat, using her as a shield in front of him before shoving her forward, placing her between himself and Bronya.
He said nothing, merely watching as Bronya lowered her hands and sat limply on the ground in a duck sit.
A faint burst of static sounded, and Bronya's eyes briefly regained their focus.
The next moment, she collapsed to the ground without moving.
"...You knew all along?" Raven couldn't help asking.
Bai Yan's response had been far too immediate, completely beyond her expectations.
World Serpent's technology far surpassed anything Cocolia had imagined. They knew Bronya's condition perfectly well.
If Cocolia could control the chip in Bronya's brain, then World Serpent had ways to tamper with it.
Besides, Cocolia had already fallen into their trap...
She had originally planned to join forces with the controlled Bronya and take down Bai Yan, but the situation had suddenly reversed.
"You have too many questions."
Seeing that Bronya had fainted, Bai Yan kicked Raven behind the knee, forcing her to kneel. Then he viciously kicked her in the center of the back, knocking her flat onto the ground.
Next, he planted a foot on her head and ground down hard, only easing up slightly after she stopped resisting.
Raven behaved herself.
At the same time, she was curious about what Bai Yan would do next.
Bai Yan did not move, quietly keeping his foot on Raven's head. He did not look at Bronya either, instead remaining alert to his surroundings.
"Little girl, aren't you going to do anything? Your companion is still unconscious. Maybe her brain's already fried."
Pfft!
Bai Yan grew somewhat irritated and stomped down.
"Mm!"
Raven got a mouthful of dirt and finally fell silent.
At the same time, she cursed inwardly at how ruthless this girl was. It did not match that face at all!
Yet she had forgotten that she wore a cloak precisely to keep others from judging her by her appearance.
After waiting a moment and seeing no movement around them, Bai Yan bent down and began searching Raven's body.
Then he reached into Raven's chest, pulled off her boots, and even stripped away her tight pants.
Raven felt a chill around her backside, filled with humiliation and fury.
"Hey, what exactly are you looking for? Why not just ask me and save some time?"
"Where is the Divine Key?"
"Uh, I really don't have it..."
"Then stop talking. I'm going to strip you naked."
"Why?!"
"Simple. That way, you won't be able to move around freely. There's a patch of bushes over there. If you feel too ashamed, you can hide in there and wait for someone."
"..."
Raven did not dare say another word.
Then, like plucking a chicken that had been scalded in boiling water, Bai Yan used his enhanced strength to tear her clothes to shreds and threw everything, weapons included, into the sea.
He could not use a bow anyway, and it was not a Divine Key. Carrying it around was inconvenient, so he might as well throw it away.
The cloth was swallowed by the waves and vanished without a trace.
Bai Yan grabbed Raven by the neck and tossed her pale, swaying body into the roadside greenery.
The plants in the greenery did not even reach thigh height, so she could only crawl back and forth through the narrow strip in humiliation and anger.
After doing all that, Bai Yan went over to Bronya.
She remained unconscious.
Bai Yan glanced toward the greenery, considering whether he should silence Raven.
But then he thought of those children...
"Forget it, I—"
Suddenly, a mech rose from the sea and slowly walked toward the shore. Raven's black chest armor was mounted on its head.
Bai Yan swiftly removed Heavy Cannon Rabbit's cannon and aimed it at the mech.
"Not even two well-trained killers could take you down. You really are something."
Actually, it had only been half of one. Bronya had refused to be controlled by the chip and burned herself out, while Raven had let her guard down and been defeated by his special move.
But that voice left Bai Yan deeply shocked.
Cocolia?!
"Let me introduce myself. Cocolia of Anti-Entropy. Come with me now. Don't think that thing can penetrate this mech's frontal defenses."
As if to prove her words, the mech deployed a pale blue energy shield.
Bai Yan lowered the cannon, his mind racing as he asked, "What is your objective? The Herrscher of Thunder?"
"You are not qualified to ask questions. Drop your weapon and surrender."
As her words fell, mech after mech rose from the water, quickly surrounding the two of them.
The nighttime sea wind was bitterly cold, whistling as it swept between the metal machines.
At this point, Bai Yan had no way to turn things around.
He set down the cannon, threw away his pistol and sword, then raised both hands.
"Don't hurt Bronya. I'll go with you."
"Oh? I thought you would change your mind after realizing she was one of theirs," Cocolia said in surprise.
"In the end, she didn't hurt me."
"Hmph..."
Cocolia looked somewhat displeased, then asked, "I wonder whether your brother would be like Bronya, willing to save you."
Bai Yan's mouth twitched.
You vicious stepmother!
But circumstances were stronger than he was, so he could only say something pleasant.
"You took in my brother so he wouldn't freeze to death. I'm very grateful for that."
"Hmph, you understand human decency better than that ungrateful brother of yours."
"So you won't do anything to my companion, right?"
"You care quite a lot about your companion. Very good. I'll give you that much and leave her alone. Since you so readily threw down your weapons, I won't make things difficult for you either. Just come with us obediently."
"Fine."
Bai Yan nodded. Soon, he was escorted by a mech as Cocolia's entire force withdrew.
Cocolia walked into the greenery to take a look.
There was nothing there.
"She ran... Ran off naked. A World Serpent executive really is decisive."
Afterward, Cocolia hurried along as if anxious to do something. She did not stop even once, only accelerating all the way.
Soon, Bai Yan was brought to an underground base.
A dim corridor extended dozens of meters beneath the surface.
Flanked by mechs on both sides, he walked for nearly ten minutes before seeing bright lights.
The space suddenly opened up. Bai Yan narrowed his eyes slightly before finally seeing the room clearly.
A secret laboratory.
Blinking indicator lights, glass test tubes filled with liquids of various colors, and even electrocardiograms connected to someone unknown...
"This way," an electronic voice came from inside a mech.
Bai Yan glanced at the electrocardiograms and followed the instruction into one of the rooms.
At the center of the room stood a giant culture tank filled with liquid, with a person floating inside.
She was completely naked, tubes inserted all over her body. Her eyes were closed, and a faint look of pain lay on her face.
Bai Yan recognized her.
Wendy.
His gaze shifted to the side.
On the laboratory table, various electronic instruments surrounded a metal base topped with a transparent glass cover.
Bai Yan noticed what was inside at once.
A green gemstone floated there, giving off faint energy fluctuations. Its halo flowed like starlight.
The Gem of Desire.
Bai Yan's expression darkened.
It was true that he wanted a wood- or wind-element weapon, but he absolutely did not want them to implant a gem into him and gamble on whether he could become a Herrscher.
Cocolia entered, accompanied by mech guards.
Several people in white coats saw that the mechs had already pinned Bai Yan to the operating table and began testing his various physical data.
"According to the information we obtained from Schicksal, this girl has extremely high Collapse Energy adaptability. Comparatively speaking, she is more suitable as a vessel for the Gem of Desire," one of the white coats reported to Cocolia with a document in hand.
Cocolia nodded and asked, "What about becoming a Herrscher vessel?"
"She is slightly superior to Wendy, but according to the assessment, there is no qualitative difference."
"Hm?" Cocolia voiced her doubt.
The white coat hurriedly explained, "If we implant it in her, it can at most reduce the chance of disability. The probability of becoming the ideal Herrscher is minuscule."
Cocolia impatiently waved a hand. "As long as there is hope, it is better than wasting time keeping it in her."
"Lady Cocolia, Wendy's vital signs are gradually declining. Should we..."
"It does not matter. Even Schicksal never took her seriously, so why should we? Prepare the experiment."
"Yes."
Before you continue