"Bronya understood. Big brother, you're a rather strange person."
"That really hurts. Alright, this is the place, right? What gift did you lose?"
As they spoke, they had already reached the alley. After Bai Ge let go of Bronya's little hand, the expressionless little girl quietly took a few steps back and said softly.
"Nothing. Bronya did not lose anything to begin with. Sorry, strange big brother."
She pulled a compact tranquilizer gun from beneath her short skirt and pulled the trigger at Bai Ge's back. Though it was only a simple weapon, it was more than enough against an ordinary person.
"Bronya, mission comp... What?"
"Alright, confiscated."
Bai Ge, who should have fallen at once, was completely unaffected. Before Bronya could react, he had directly snatched the tranquilizer gun from her hand.
"Hmm~ Let me play with it." Bai Ge casually pulled the trigger at Bronya.
Whether Bai Ge's aim was terrible or Duck Duck's reflexes were simply too fast, she had already reacted in that brief instant. She dodged the tranquilizer shot while creating distance between herself and Bai Ge, and a trace of gravity appeared on her expressionless little face.
"An unexpected development has occurred. The target's strength exceeds the intelligence, but Bronya will not lose—Heavy Cannon Rabbit 19c, Fire!"
"Decisive, aren't you?"
A mech appeared behind Bronya. Bai Ge's eyes lit up, and inwardly, he praised Duck Duck for truly deserving the title of the Ural Silver Wolf.
Upon judging that Bai Ge's strength exceeded the intelligence, she had decisively used her trump card to ensure that she could defeat him. There was not the slightest hint of carelessness. She was undoubtedly an outstanding warrior.
If it had been Kiana instead, she might really have been taken down by Bronya, but Bai Ge would not be so easily defeated.
"Project Bunny, incapacitate him without causing too much of a disturbance. Use capture equipment."
Bronya gave Project Bunny her order. She had not forgotten that she could not cause too much commotion. At the very least, missiles could not be used, even in this deserted alley.
Therefore, she ordered Heavy Cannon Rabbit 19c to rush in and seize Bai Ge directly. With those enormous mechanical claws, even lions and tigers could be grabbed as easily as kittens and puppies.
However.
"Though you were already very cautious, you still underestimated my strength. But this is Project Bunny, huh? It's really cool. Its power is impressive, but its weakness is also obvious."
Even though he already possessed overwhelming strength, Bai Ge still preferred the most effortless method.
Using the incomplete authority of the Herrscher of the Void, he opened a small portal and fired at Bronya from an impossible angle. Faced with this unimaginable attack—
Bronya failed to react in time.
Project Bunny also immediately abandoned its attack on Bai Ge and rushed back to defend its master.
"Your Project Bunny was a gift from someone important, wasn't it? Protecting you is a fundamental command that takes priority over any other order. Therefore... this is a fatal weakness."
"Wha... what?"
Though Project Bunny's immediate return had blocked the tranquilizer shot for Bronya, it had also exposed an opening. Bai Ge seized the opportunity and directly touched it.
The next second, the incomplete authority of the Herrscher of Thunder activated. At such close range, the intense electric shock instantly made Project Bunny smoke all over as it overloaded.
"Bang!"
While Bronya was completely stunned, Bai Ge fired another tranquilizer shot, making the expressionless little girl lose consciousness completely.
Bai casually blew on the muzzle, which was not smoking at all, then crushed the gun and tossed it into a trash can.
"So, what should I do now?"
Looking at Duck Duck lying on the ground and sleeping peacefully, Bai Ge considered what to do next. But in the next moment, his gaze was drawn to the girl's legs.
They were exoskeletal armor resembling knightly boots, made to help Bronya move after she had lost the ability to walk in a human experiment.
"Ah~ Human experiments really are disgusting. Let's give it a try. Maybe it'll work. But... how do I take this thing off? Is there some kind of switch?"
After carrying Bronya to a bench by the roadside, Bai Ge crouched down and began studying those two duck legs.
Bronya's legs, Duck Duck's legs—duck legs for short!
After trying for quite some time, Bai Ge finally managed to remove Bronya's exoskeletal legs. A pair of pale yet completely lifeless little legs was exposed to the air.
Strange red patterns covered them. Though they still looked like legs on the outside, everything within had already been completely ruined.
These legs, utterly damaged by the X10 Experiment, naturally could not be healed through ordinary means.
But for Bai Ge, who had once been the Herrscher of Death and still possessed part of those powers now—
They might not be impossible to heal completely.
"Hehe, I wonder how surprised this girl will be when she wakes up and finds that her legs are healed. By the way, Duck Duck's little feet aren't bad either. They can even compare to Griseo's."
They really were duck legs. Just looking at them whetted his appetite. Slurp! (oo)
First update. Please send flowers, votes, and tips.
Wanting to Save Seele, Duck Duck Seeks Support
"Mmm... Bronya is...?"
"Yo, finally awake?"
"!!!"
Upon hearing Bai Ge's voice, Bronya's consciousness instantly cleared. She abruptly turned her head to look beside her.
Bai was sitting right next to her, calm and relaxed, holding an ice cream and taking small licks from it.
The two of them sat on the same bench. Bronya discovered that she was neither restrained nor injured. He had not even tied her up with a rope.
If someone passed by them now, they would probably only see them as a rather attractive pair of siblings.
"You... what exactly do you want?"
Bronya clenched her little hands.
She did not know how many weapons she still had on her, but since even Project Bunny had been unable to do anything to Bai Ge, she felt that her remaining methods were probably useless as well.
Recalling Bai Ge's strength far beyond the intelligence reports, Bronya only felt like a pitiful little rabbit sitting beside a terrifying lion.
"Hehe, shouldn't I be the one asking that? Little Bronya, assassin sent by Cocolia, do you still need me to help you look for your gift?"
"...Don't even think about getting any information about Mother Cocolia from Bronya. Since you have already captured Bronya, do whatever you want with her."
The expressionless little girl clenched her small fists. She looked as calm as ever, but that was actually because the X10 Experiment, planned by Cocolia, had damaged her emotional circuitry.
As a result, Bronya could no longer feel joy, nor could she smile again. That was why her adorable little face had become as expressionless as it was now.
Bai Ge added yet another mark against Cocolia in his heart, thinking that he really should have killed that woman during the Second Honkai Eruption.
Just look at the awful things that woman had done.
"Tch! You're just a child. Don't casually say things like that. Most of the time, dignity is not more important than life. You're not some soldier. At times like this, you should do everything possible to make sure you survive."
Bai Ge chopped Bronya on the head with his hand.
"Urgh!"
Though this could also be considered an attack from an enemy, Bronya truly did not know how she should react. Was the mission target lecturing her about cherishing her own life?
Bronya adorably held her head.
She wanted to argue that she had been a child soldier when she was very young, with an impressive record that included successfully assassinating more than a dozen officers.
But being a child soldier was not something worth boasting about, so she did not say it.
"Is there no one important to you? No one you want to see? If you died, would there be no one who would weep bitterly for you?" Bai Ge asked.
"..."
"If there is, then live on for their sake. That is advice born from experience. Only the living have hope. The dead have no future."
"...Seele."
Bai Ge's words made Bronya fall into thought.
In her mind appeared the image of her little sister, lost in the Sea of Quantum. If she died here, she would be unable to fulfill her promise with Seele.
They had promised to meet again.
They had also promised to watch the sea together again!
(This person is right. Bronya cannot die here. Bronya must stay alive in order to see Seele again!)
"What... exactly do you want?"
"Oh? Those eyes are much more spirited now. It seems you've given up that pointless stubbornness. Good, good."
"Bronya wants to know your objective. Why are you stopping Mother Cocolia's plan? Clearly, it is an important plan to help humanity defeat Honkai, and it is also meant to bring Seele back..."
Bronya stared directly into Bai Ge's eyes.
She truly could not understand the boy before her. Though they were enemies, he had just urged her to cherish her life and had not harmed her in any way.
If anything, Bronya had sensed goodwill from him.
It almost made her doubt whether her usually accurate intuition had gone wrong. After all, if this boy was a good person, why would he stop a plan to defeat Honkai?
"Looks like Cocolia really didn't tell you the truth. Tell me, how did that vixen deceive you?"
"Bronya does not understand what you mean. Mother Cocolia deceived Bronya?"
Though her expression did not change, Bai Ge could clearly sense the confusion in Duck Duck's words.
He realized that Cocolia had only told Duck Duck part of the plan: that activating the Herrscher power within Raiden Mei would reveal a way to defeat Honkai and also save Seele, who was trapped deep within the Sea of Quantum? Fleur.
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