Chapter 259

While Shen Gonglin was rescuing the Valkyrie, Durandal and Mei were also making their own efforts in the center of Coral Island, on the previous battlefield. Amidst the intersecting ice rocks, a red light flickered, and a dense magnetic field formed a protective shield that opened up around Mei, isolating her and Durandal from the extreme cold. The two inside the shield fell silent, as Mei really didn't know what to say.

Previously, Durandal had been covering her attacks, but she had wasted the opportunity Durandal created when she should have attacked, leading to their current predicament. Mei carefully maintained the electromagnetic barrier by focusing the power of the Herrscher on her fingertips, and as a result, her appearance temporarily returned to normal. Her red horns disappeared, and the girl returned to her appearance when she was still in St. Freya. This state... let's call it power-saving mode.

...It must be because I spent too much time with Shen Gonglin. How could I have thought of a place like this? And what about power-saving mode? How embarrassing.

"Durandal, are you alright?"

Mei felt a little embarrassed, since she was the one who caused the current situation. Even if Durandal were to call her a terrible teammate, Mei wouldn't feel it was an exaggeration. After all, it was a life-or-death battlefield just now, and her slightest carelessness could have caused her teammates' lives to be lost.

"I'm fine... What about you? Are you alright? Let me think... should I say... the Herrscher of Thunder's youthful, energy-saving version?"

However, Durandal didn't dwell on what had just happened. Although Raiden Mei hadn't seized the opportunity to attack, she was indeed under Mei's protection now. It wasn't a wise choice to dwell on what had already happened. What concerned Durandal more was Mei's current appearance. Without the flamboyance of Herrscher, Mei now looked like a cool and aloof older sister. If it weren't for that purplish-red eyeshadow, she would probably look much more docile.

Mei the young girl, Mei the mature woman, Mei the queen... This girl's state is really ever-changing. No wonder Shen Gonglin likes her so much. I heard that when she went to World Serpent, Shen Gonglin even went to deliver supplies to her to improve her life.

...This woman must have spent too much time with Shen Gonglin. She feels like a crippled version of a cell phone, like she's some kind of power-saving version of the Herrscher of Thunder. But the fact that she can say such things shows that she's alright. Good thing she's alright, Mei thought to herself. Even Durandal Shen Gonglin Mei. His power is truly strong.

"It's alright. The Herrscher of Ice hasn't adapted to her power yet, so she can't hurt me. However, Night Owl and the Herrscher escaped during the attack. We need to catch up quickly. The Herrscher's power has turned this area into a near-zero-degree dead zone. Follow me, and I'll take you out."

Maintaining the electromagnetic barrier around them, Mei finally led Durandal away from that absolute zero dead zone. Mei finally realized what her hesitation meant. The temperature kept dropping, and even the Valkyrie probably couldn't withstand the cold now. As for Shen Gonglin... tsk, he shouldn't have appeared on this battlefield. His condition must be bad now.

"It seems you are all safe and sound."

Stepping out of the frozen area, Raven's voice rang out. Mei and Durandal looked up in the direction of the sound, and a dark shadow flashed by. Raven landed gracefully from the sky, but her landing posture was not so cool. As soon as Raven landed, her legs gave way and she sat down on the ground. This embarrassing appearance was completely inconsistent with her cool and handsome mercenary temperament.

"Pfft..."

Durandal turned her head away, and Mei did the same. The two acted as if they hadn't seen Raven's embarrassing moment. However, the clear laughter made Raven, who was sitting on the ground, blush and feel hot. Her face was already a little red, but now, Miss Dodo's face was about to explode with redness!

"Sorry, the cold wave that just hit us blocked our way, and the temperature inside is just too low to provide you with any support... Hey! That's enough. You just tripped and fell a little because your legs gave way. If you don't believe me, go try it yourselves. If you two are still unharmed after being bitten by him, I'll kneel down for you. If you laugh again, believe me, I'll turn on you!"

Raven forced herself to get up from the ground and tried to change the subject, but Mei and Durandal still turned their heads away and refused to look at her. This behavior made Raven furious. The mercenary girl shouted loudly in despair, "Who can withstand this? Who uses this to test officers? Which officer can withstand such a test?"

"He bit her...you mean Shen Gonglin? Raven, as you can see, the woman next to me was bitten eight times by Shen Gonglin in one night."

Upon hearing this, Mei understood immediately. No wonder Raven was in this state. It turned out that her neurotoxin had been cured by Shen Gonglin. After being cured of the neurotoxin, she was poisoned by Shen Gonglin again. This explained the strange blush on her face. Mei silently pointed to Durandal next to her. Shen Gonglin had praised her before, saying that he had bitten Durandal eight times in one night. This woman was truly strong.

"That's right, that's it... Wait a minute, why do you know about this, Raiden Mei... That bastard!"

Subconsciously, she straightened her chest, then Durandal immediately realized that this wasn't something to brag about. How did Mei know about this? She stared at Mei with wide eyes, and from Mei's evasive gaze, Durandal immediately understood. Without a doubt, it must have been that Shen Gonglin Rin Shingu who said it. Is this something to brag about to others?

Do you really think you have no pride?

"Eight times in one night... Wow, she truly deserves to be called the strongest Valkyrie. I now understand why Durandal is considered the strongest."

Upon hearing this, Raven gasped. She looked at Durandal with great admiration. This person was truly amazing. She herself had been bitten and was now unable to walk, while Durandal had endured this fate eight times in a row. She was as strong as a monster. Durandal was, but today Raven truly understood that she deserved to be called the strongest.

...I just don't want to be called the strongest for this reason, Shen Gonglin, you bastard!

Chapter 105 It's All the Jackal's Fault

Durandal really didn't want to talk to these two anymore. Speechless at the Raven's somewhat reverent gaze, she couldn't take it anymore. She turned and walked to the side. This was the first time she'd ever been revered in such a way, especially by someone who was, strictly speaking, an enemy. The feelings were incredibly complex.

Unexpectedly Durandal would also actively avoid other people's gazes. Does she seem not so scary after all? Raven withdrew her gaze and began to tell Mei what happened after the communication was cut off. She also understood why Night Owl did such a thing. So that's why. That guy also had such a past. But now is not the time to think about such things, in this environment.

Everyone has a story that's hard to tell.

"So, what should we do now?"

After summarizing the current information, Raven asked Mei for her opinion. Her own combat strength was negligible, and Mei seemed to still have some fighting power, but what was the use of that? Because they had lost their most important weapon.

"Of course, we need to find them as soon as possible and then seal the Herrscher. The Honkai has been going on for quite some time now, and we must stop Honkai spread as quickly as possible."

Mei still held the same idea: if things dragged on any longer, things would definitely change. Right now, only Schicksal and World Serpent could deal with the Honkai, but if things dragged on any longer, who knew what would happen?

"But now the Staff of the Underworld is gone. Even if we find them, it will be of no use. To capture Herrscher, the Staff of the Underworld of the Coral Island is essential... In the end, it's all Jackal's fault. Couldn't she have been more generous and given us a few more? If she had prepared more, we wouldn't have this trouble. She's such an unreliable person. Coral Island's communications have been blocked by the Honkai. To contact her, we can only retreat first."

Raven shifted the blame onto the Jackal, speaking with an air of self-righteousness. She argued that not only should she have prepared a spare beforehand, but she should also have a backup for that spare. She insisted that the current situation was entirely the Jackal's fault and that she should take full responsibility.

"Retreat? No, we can't retreat. The turnback will waste a lot of time, during which time the Honkai will continue to spread, and innocent casualties will continue to increase. And... you understand."

Mei flatly rejected Raven's suggestion. It was impossible. Not only because of the reasons Mei had just given, Raven also fell silent. She knew what Mei wanted to say. If they chose to retreat now, the battle line against the Herrscher of Ice would be greatly extended. In that case, in addition to World Serpent and Schicksal, other third-party forces would have enough time to take action. In the worst case, Anti-Entropy's Hyperion would also join the battle.

Mei didn't want that to happen, because if that happened, Kiana... she would definitely be dragged into the turmoil, which would go against her own choice. Her goal was to deal with the Herrscher before Kiana, so that the Herrscher's appearance wouldn't be a burden to her.

"We cannot retreat, Raven. Help me retrieve the remains of the Staff of the Underworld. Perhaps we have another way. Please."

Having made her decision, Mei pondered for a moment before giving this answer, and Raven silently watched Mei and finally nodded. Since she had said so, she would choose to believe her. Moreover, even if they chose to retreat now, that strong woman who had sex eight times a night would definitely not retreat. It was not something she wanted to see the Herrscher fall into the hands of Schicksal. Therefore, this was the only thing to do now.

"During this time, I will try to stop the Herrscher, by any means necessary, so please do so as soon as possible."

After Mei finished speaking, Raven turned and left. Watching her somewhat unsteady figure gradually disappear into the silvery white, Mei felt very apologetic. Raven must still be weak in the legs, but there was no other way. She had to make her try a little harder now, as she also had her own tasks to complete.

"Are you done talking? Let's go. The whereabouts of the Herrscher are currently unknown, but if they want to leave Coral Island, they will have to face the defenses built by the Valkyrie. To prevent the Herrscher from escaping, I must rejoin them immediately. Raiden Mei, don't hesitate this time."

Seeing the Raven leave, Durandal also turned and walked towards the defensive line. She knew without thinking what Mei would decide, and she probably understood what Raiden Mei was thinking. The Valkyrie calmly warned Mei that if she still wasn't prepared for battle, she would only be a hindrance if she rushed over. If that was the case, Durandal would take back the responsibility of the main attack. It was because of Raiden Mei that the Herrscher had escaped before.

"I see."

Mei took a deep breath. This time, she was truly prepared and would not hold back again.

Ugh... It's so cold... What happened? I remember, they encountered the Herrscher... and then they were all wiped out... So, are they dead now?

Alvit slowly opened her eyes, and the flickering fire in front of her made her feel warm again. The girl slowly sat up, and lying around her were all the members of the Immortal Blade and the Snow Lotus Squad. Seeing this, Alvit quickly woke up and hurriedly reached out to check her colleagues' noses. Fortunately, they were all still breathing. Everyone was still alive.

"Are you awake? If you are, move them back towards the fire. I'm really too tired... Do you guys eat too much? They're all so heavy."

Just then, a very annoying voice uttered such rude words. Without even looking at Alvit, she knew who it was. The girl turned around angrily, and sure enough, the guy sitting by the fire was none other than Shen Gonglin. He was currently hugging the vice-captain and doing something. For him to say such rude things so brazenly, it was undoubtedly Shen Gonglin!

"We didn't eat much at all, it's just that you have too little stamina... Hey, what are you doing? You're actually taking advantage of the vice-captain!"

Alvit rushed over aggressively, and then her eyes widened. What was Shen Gonglin doing? The vice-captain had lost consciousness, and this guy was actually groping her. Was he even human? He was a beast!

Chapter 106 Shouldn't you just say you want to take advantage?

"What are you thinking? I was just warming her up. Don't look at me like that. I did the same to you earlier. If you don't believe me, look at your clothes. Aren't they a little wet...? It's snow! What's with that look? Do you really think I won't beat you up?"

Shen Gonglin rolled his eyes at the shocked Alvit. While talking to her, Shen Gonglin didn't stop what he was doing. He rubbed snow back and forth on Rita's arm. The girl had been frozen by the Herrscher, and after melting, she had fainted and developed hypothermia. So Shen Gonglin started a fire to warm Rita up. Unfortunately, the flames could only be used on himself. If he used them on Rita, it would probably be no different from being cremated.

I feel like a funeral director. I buried Raven first, and now I have to cremate Rita. I'm such a ruthless person.

"I see, thank you so much... Shen Gonglin, how's the vice-captain? Should I take over? Herrscher, did she escape?"

Lowering her arms from her tightly wrapped arms, Alvit stuck out her tongue at Shen Gonglin apologetically. Then she pulled all her teammates towards the fire. Everyone was unconscious, except for Shen Gonglin, who was still able to move. Undoubtedly, he had saved everyone again. Alvit wanted to take over caring for Rita, but Shen Gonglin dodged her hand.

Just kidding, how could I possibly let someone else have this opportunity to take advantage of me?

"I can handle this myself. My relationship with Rita is definitely closer than yours. Even though we're both girls, don't even think about taking advantage of Rita... She probably ran away. Honestly, if someone hadn't suddenly opened fire, I might have caught the Herrscher. Now, don't say anything. Quickly warm yourself by the fire and recover your strength. We still have to chase after the Herrscher later. We can't let them escape from Coral Island."

Without any hesitation, Shen Gonglin pulled open Rita's Valkyrie Armor and began rubbing her entire body with snow. Of course, he was also careful to avoid Alvit's gaze. The maid could only take advantage of him; no one else was allowed to even glance at her. There was nothing he could do about it; Shen Gonglin was just a petty person.

The vice-captain is really pitiful... or perhaps, she's actually enjoying it?

As a bystander Alvit watched silently as Shen Gonglin brazenly took advantage of the vice-captain. She wanted to speak up and stop her, but after considering the difference in strength between herself and Shen Gonglin, the girl obediently remained seated. After all, that was how Shen Gonglin and the vice-captain were, so this couldn't really be called taking advantage of her. If she stopped them, the vice-captain might even be unhappy.

Having convinced herself of this, Alvit stretched out her hands to warm them by the fire. She was alive! She was alive! It was truly wonderful to be alive.

Tap tap...

A series of footsteps approached, quite noticeable in the quiet environment. Alvit turned around, and Shen Gonglin quickly pulled Rita's clothes back on. In the wind and snow, the two figures gradually became clear: Mei and Durandal. So it was the two of them... They probably didn't see him secretly taking advantage of Rita just now, did they?

Oh, no, I mean I treated Rita myself.

"Shen Gonglin? This place... has it been attacked by Herrscher?"

Seeing the Valkyrie lying dead by the fire, Mei and Durandal rushed over. Seeing their adjutant lying weakly in Shen Gonglin's arms, Shen Gonglin was there. Durandal's face was very heavy. They were too late. Oh no, the Herrscher had already crossed the line, and the defense forces were almost completely wiped out.

"Well, there's been a small problem. The Herrscher and the others have already escaped. Durandal, Rita, and the others are in your hands now. I know you have a way. Mei and I will be tracking down the Herrscher Mei. You catch up as soon as possible."

No, I can't stay here any longer. Shen Gonglin wasn't sure if Durandal had seen her taking advantage of someone in distress, and if Alvit told anyone, it would be too embarrassing. She handed the unconscious Rita to Durandal, Shen Gonglin face serious as if she were completely focused on the mission. Durandal was quite surprised by her serious demeanor. What was going on? Even Shen Gonglin was so serious. It was really hard to get used to.

"I understand. Be careful in everything."

Without time to think too much, Durandal nodded and took out another knight's lance. The holy lance shone brightly, and the light gradually enveloped everyone. Shen Gonglin and Mei chased after the direction the Herrscher had left. Run, run! It would be too embarrassing if Durandal found out that she had been taking advantage of Rita.

Unbeknownst to Shen Gonglin, who had left, the unconscious maid's face was slowly flushing, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. It seemed that, besides Alvit, someone else knew what he had done.

Sigh, really, if you want to take advantage, just say so. I'm not going to refuse or anything. Or does Shen Gonglin just like playing these kinds of tricks? Well, as the world's number one maid, Rita can play along with him. Durandal's arrival is really too bad.

—

"What happened to your hand? Is it injured?"

On the other side, Mei, who was chasing the Herrscher with Shen Gonglin, looked at Shen Gonglin with some concern. She was worried that Shen Gonglin couldn't withstand the low temperature, but he seemed to be fine. However, he had been staring at his fingers since earlier, so Mei was worried that he might have been injured. Given Shen Gonglin's constitution, it was normal for him to get injured.

"Ah... injured? No, no, I'm fine. But Mei, in your current state, can you still fight?"

Shen Gonglin was secretly pleased with himself just now. How could he possibly be injured? But he couldn't let Mei see why he was secretly pleased. Shen Gonglin coughed twice and changed the subject. He was more worried about her than himself. Mei wasn't as cool as she was as the Herrscher of Thunder before, but she was still as beautiful as ever.

"I'm fine. This is just to reduce energy consumption. After all, the battle in a little while will be very intense. I can fight with all my might whenever I want. If I'm serious, I can feel the Herrscher ahead."

It's all good that Shen Gonglin is alright. Mei took a deep breath. With Shen Gonglin by her side this time, she absolutely cannot be careless again.

Chapter 107 Future Plans

"Shen Gonglin, do you... know that Herrscher?"

The two walked together through a long, narrow tunnel. Mei knew what kind of situation she would be in after passing through this tunnel. To be honest, she didn't know if she could make up her mind when she saw the Herrscher. Shen Gonglin seemed to know the girl who became the Herrscher. She wondered what Shen Gonglin's feelings were.

Faced with a girl in the same predicament as Kiana, what would he do? In Mei's heart, Shen Gonglin has always been a very special person. It seems that he has never been confused. No matter what problems he encounters, he has his own beliefs. And Mei has always been under his protection. Even now, even though she stubbornly accepted the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, he has never blamed her. It's as if no matter how crazy she is, he will always protect her.

Shen Gonglin gave Mei that strange sense of security. Everyone thought that they were taking care of him, but only Mei knew that she was the one relying on him all along. Even now, Mei still needs him to help her answer the questions in her heart.

"Yes, we know each other, or rather, we have a pretty good relationship. I remember the first time we met was at the Schicksal Headquarters... I was testing my S-rank strength at the time, Durandal was the examiner. Back then, I wasn't very proficient with the power of the Universal Angel... Although I'm still not very proficient now, anyway, I was injured at the time, and then I ran into Anna at the Schicksal Headquarters. A little thing happened between us back then."

Shen Gonglin was quite frank. After all, in his opinion, there was nothing to hide about his relationship with Anna. They were just friends. He had tricked her out of a bank card, and then the money in that card was stolen by online scammers. The next time they met was when Wendy became the Herrscher of Wind. Now that he thought about it, a long time had passed.

Thinking back, it really brings back fond memories; I've already been through so much.

"Also, when dealing with the Herrscher of Wind, that was my second meeting with her. That unlucky girl was injured by the Honkai and almost became Suicide Squad. Luckily, I was there and saved her. I didn't expect that she would directly upgrade to Herrscher this time... She's really unlucky. Look, Mei, this is the Mei she gave me to thank me. I don't recognize this kind of thing. Mei, you used to be a young lady, can you help me see if this is expensive?"

Because he had nothing to hide, Shen Gonglin was much more at ease. He took out the necklace that had been torn in half from his clothes. When Mei saw the necklace, her eyes narrowed. Putting aside the value of the necklace, Mei understood the meaning of a necklace torn in half without him having to say it.

"... I don't know, but you've been wearing this all this time... Shen Gonglin, let's go buy an anklet together when we have the chance. I think you really need one of those accessories."

Unwilling to comment on Shen Gonglin's necklace, Mei suddenly blurted out such a thing out of the blue. Then the girl shook her head, wondering why she would think of such a thing. From Shen Gonglin's attitude, it was clear that he really had no feelings for that Herrscher girl. She shouldn't be jealous at a time like this. However, was it still possible for her to enjoy those kinds of daily life with Shen Gonglin?

It's true what they say, you only realize the value of something when you lose it. Those peaceful daily routines are now the most precious things in my heart.

"Okay, let's all go together then. Mei, you don't know about Wendy's situation yet, do you? The headmaster contacted St. Freya through special channels. Wendy's legs have recovered, and her rehabilitation training is almost finished. However, she seems reluctant to be Valkyrie anymore. Let's all go together, you, me, Kiana, Bronya, and the Class President... Oh right, there are a lot of other people too. Let's go shopping and have fun together. Just thinking about it makes me excited."

Shen Gonglin Jingu talked for a long time. Ever since what happened to Kiana, Shen Gonglin hadn't gone shopping for a long time. Although he would complain about being tired when he went shopping, he would sometimes think about going out for a stroll. If he did go out, he would definitely have a big gathering!

Whether it's the ones from St. Freya's or the ones from the Anti-Entropy Orphanage now, it would be really fun if everyone went out to play together.

"Really? Wendy is doing so well now. And... Shen Gonglin, it seems you've made a lot of new friends. When I say shopping, I mean just the two of us, shopping alone, you understand?"

Upon hearing Shen Gonglin's words, that image immediately formed in Mei's mind. A smile involuntarily appeared on the girl's face. For some reason, whenever Shen Gonglin spoke, she felt that such an image could definitely come true. But... Mei reached out and pinched Shen Gonglin's cheek. Under her purplish-red eyeshadow, her beautiful big eyes were fixed on Shen Gonglin.

Although it's nice to go shopping together, what Mei just said was shopping alone with Shen Gonglin, or you could say going on a date. It's the kind of date where you dress up carefully, go out with Shen Gonglin to drink bubble tea, stroll in the park, and go to the amusement park, but end up spending the night in a hotel because it's too late to go home!

Mei had already roughly planned how much she would spend: 30 yuan for milk tea, 200 yuan for meals, 500 yuan for the amusement park, and 32,000 yuan for the hotel... This arrangement should be quite reasonable, right? Shen Gonglin definitely wouldn't bring any money. Mei felt she needed to think this through in advance.

There was no way around it; Mei's life in World Serpent was just too boring. All she did every day was meditate, eat, and sleep. That's why Mei had time to think about things like this. This was a shopping trip that could only be done by Mei and Shen Gonglin; she couldn't invite anyone else.

"Oh... Mei, whatever you say goes."

Mei didn't understand why Mei was talking to him so seriously. Did she not like playing with everyone? That really Shen Gonglin. He thought Mei liked playing with everyone. But if she was willing, he was fine with it too. After all, it was all about eating, drinking and having fun, and Shen Gonglin could play with anyone.

"Mmm, good girl."

Mei nodded in satisfaction, and then the girl focused her attention on the matter of chasing the Herrscher. Only after this agreement was settled could she feel at ease.

Chapter 108 As Human

Meanwhile, on the other side, the fleeing Herrscher of Ice and Night Owl also stopped. The two had reached their limits. Chen Tianwu knelt on the ground and coughed violently. There was nothing he could do. Even though most of his body had been transformed into machinery, after repeated battles and this harsh low temperature, the mechanical parts of his body were on the verge of collapse.

"Huff... Huff... Is it already at its limit?"

With his hands braced on the ground, Chen Tianwu saw his miserable state reflected in the ice. Sparks flew from his joints, proving that the mechanical parts were on the verge of collapse, and the parts that had not yet been modified had lost all sensation. He knew that this day would come sooner or later, but he did not expect it to come so soon.

In that Honkai, although he survived because of Anna, how could an ordinary person like him be unharmed? Corroded by Honkai energy, his life was coming to an end. In order to live, Night Owl accepted Raven's invitation to come to World Serpent, and after undergoing human modification, he has been barely surviving until now... And all of this he did was for Anna.

With difficulty, Chen Tianwu turned around and looked at the Herrscher of Ice standing quietly over there. She would walk when he pulled her and stop when he stopped. Anna was like a puppet on a string. But it didn't matter. He could protect her. He had to make sure she escaped safely, just like she had done to him during the Honkai.

His sister is gone, and Anna is Chen Tianwu's only reason to live. Since Shen Gonglin, to whom he has given his heart, cannot help her, he will do it himself!