Chapter 271

Unlike Shen Gonglin, who constantly tries to prove she's a predator, this Miss Hi Fu seems to be the real predator, or rather, she's incredibly brave, seemingly fearless. She seems even more proactive than Shen Gonglin in this regard. She used to need Shen Gonglin's guidance at the beginning, but now...

"I don't need it!"

Her face was visibly flushed. How could she have been so blinded by greed this morning and actually let her do that? Now, seeing the way she winked at her, Shen Gonglin knew what she meant. Did this girl think she could win her over like that?

"Huh? No need? Really? Shen Gonglin, you're the kind of guy your age who should be thinking about this kind of thing all the time, besides eating and playing games, right? Actually, I'm quite interested too. Maybe you should teach me some things when we get back. I'm really interested."

Hi Fu tilted her head in surprise. She felt that Shen Gonglin was lying, and she had evidence: Shen Gonglin's constantly evasive eyes. He was clearly very interested, so why would he lie to her?

"I... I'm not that kind of person... But if you're interested, I might reluctantly agree... By the way, how do you know what guys this age are thinking?"

Taking her "tsundere" attitude to the extreme, Shen Gonglin finally asked the question. She was a complete novice; how could she possibly know such a thing?

"Of course I learned it from Mei's Book."

Fu Hua said confidently, and then Shen Gonglin understood. So that's how it is. Now she understood.

Mei's Book

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Broadcast Tactics

This is troublesome... Looking at the figures of the two people on the screen, Jackal's face, hidden behind his mask, turned ugly. Did they have planned this all along and already infiltrated the World Serpent base? They could find the correct path at every fork in the road. He originally wanted to use the intricate base maze to buy some time, but now it seems to be completely useless.

Who said Shen Gonglin is directionally challenged? She's clearly a wise and shrewd person with unparalleled intelligence. Her supposedly directionally challenged persona is just an act!

No, it seems we need to use the mechanized armored forces to stop them. With just those basic defensive forces, they are no match for that woman. She is suspected to be a former comrade of the Lord. People from that era are never simple!

[Attention all units! This is Jackal. The intruder is near passageway 7 on level B2! Mech Regiment 3, engage immediately! Kill without mercy! Repeat: Kill without mercy!]

The woman's cold voice blared from the loudspeaker in the corridor. Just as she reached the vicinity of the speaker, Hi Fu was startled by the noise, like a cat with its fur standing on end. Fu Hua looked warily at the speaker, and only after realizing it was just a voice did she curl her lip. Kill without mercy? What a big mouth.

"Shen Gonglin, what's with this wolf? She's got quite the nerve. But is this all she has to offer? To be honest, I was thinking of stretching my body at first, but now I've completely lost interest. Is she trying to use sheer numbers? But with this kind of quality, no matter how many there are, it's all for naught."

The alarm had been blaring the moment they entered. Fu Hua casually flicked a piece of mech fragment and destroyed the noisy horn. Then there were these mech units, acting quite arbitrarily, which also meant they seemed to lose interest quickly. Why hadn't Kevin appeared yet? It was really boring to keep fighting these mechs.

Moreover, their commander seems to be a bit dim-witted.

The intruders have reached the intersection of passages 5 and 7. Four groups, surround them! Drive them into the spiral zone!

After knocking down one loudspeaker, there was still another one. Fu Hua shrugged and listened to the voice announcing its tactical objectives over the loudspeaker. Fu Hua really didn't know what it was trying to do. If you're going to give an order, wouldn't it be better to do it on your internal channel?

Who speaks in the public chat?

"This guy is so noisy, is she stupid? Who broadcasts their own tactics? What kind of people are World Serpent? Doesn't Kevin care about manners when recruiting people?"

Annoyed by the broadcast, Hi Fu scratched her ear and exchanged surprised glances with Shen Gonglin. She didn't understand why Jackal would do such a thing. Announcing his tactics over the radio really puzzled her. Did he think he was being cool? No way, no way?

"The World Serpent, well, let's be more tolerant, more tolerant... When Mei came here, I was worried that she would also become stupid, but given that she hasn't turned into an insect after spending so much time with Kiana, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

Shen Gonglin and Fu Hua were working together, while Jackal on the other side of the screen was furious. How could she not know how stupid it was to announce tactics in the public chat? But she still did it. Wasn't her purpose to create the feeling that she was in control no matter what? These two guys didn't get her point at all and even mocked her like that. They were practically inhuman!

Are you scared? If you are, then surrender, and I'll spare your lives!

Not only was Fu Hua annoyed by the noise, but Jackal was also fed up with the two guys' chatter. Through the broadcast, Jackal communicated with them, arguing that there was no reason to let them leave safely after they had broken into the World Serpent.

"Oh, so you can hear me."

With a punch and a kick, Fu Hua shattered the charging mechs into pieces. Curious, she looked toward the source of the sound, while the other party's voice, filled with a mysterious confidence, continued to ring out.

[Nothing that happens in this base escapes my ears, Jackal, understand? Dare to provoke the World Serpent, you're dead!]

Jackal's voice was filled with gritted teeth, while Fu Hua was much more composed. The girl was full of confidence in herself. Did she really think she was afraid of his tactics? In the face of absolute strength, any scheme is useless, unless it's Batman.

"You coward, hiding your head and tail, but you speak your lines quite well. This is the spiral zone you mentioned, right? I'm here, so what can you do about it?"

Hi Fu Mao sighed and shook her head. After dealing with the surrounding mecha forces, she took Shen Gonglin's hand and walked into the place where the Jackal had tried to drive her in. Why couldn't she understand? This kind of thing was completely useless to her.

Surround them!

This was an obvious provocation. Knowing it was a trap, she still walked right in. The Jackal in front of the screen saw only contempt in Fu Hua's behavior. If he weren't the type who wasn't a direct fighter, the Jackal would have definitely stepped in and challenged Fu Hua. Why was this girl being so infuriating?

According to the previous intelligence data, she shouldn't have this kind of personality.

"Again? Don't you have anything new to say? To be honest, I'm already fed up. Shen Gonglin, it's your turn. Show her that this kind of thing can't do anything to us! Seriously, do you guys not spend money building mechs? They're just used as cannon fodder. With all that money, you should give it to my Shen Gonglin. That way, we'll definitely be able to use it when we get married."

Hi Fu never stopped talking. The once somewhat socially awkward and withdrawn Fu Hua has now completely turned into a chatterbox. Shen Gonglin had just picked up a coin to join the fray when she was startled by what this unrestrained guy was saying. The coin rolled and fell into the gap of the ventilation duct. What nonsense is this guy spouting? Who is her family? And who said they want to marry her?

Stop talking nonsense! This is a tactic, a tactic, do you understand?

Also being tormented by Fu Hua's increasingly talkative nature, the Jackal's voice sounded somewhat exasperated. If the red electric dragon were here, that would be great. Right now, besides the Lord, the World Serpent is the strongest in terms of individual combat power. Moreover, if she heard this guy say something about marriage, she would definitely explode. Even if she didn't say anything, the jackal would still come over with a knife. But now... she can only use her own tactics.

They even said that World Serpent disdains using human wave tactics... Jackal said he never said such a thing. As long as it works, any tactic is fine!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Inch Power. Opening the Door.

"Oh, so what are your tactics?"

Shen Gonglin lay on the ground, trying to reach into the ventilation duct to get her coin. At that moment, the mecha squad rushed over, and Fu Hua easily destroyed all of them. The white-haired girl picked up Shen Gonglin and patted the dust off him. Is this her tactic? Using so many mecha to exhaust herself to death?

[Tsk, coming right away, you just wait! Electromagnetic network, deploy!]

Jackal's voice was filled with excitement. This guy was too arrogant and conceited. She originally wanted to use the mecha force to drive the two of them to this area, but who knew that this guy would be so brave as to charge straight in. This was exactly what she wanted. Since the mecha force couldn't do anything, she would use other mechanisms. She was the kind of person who planned and strategized.

The passage door suddenly slammed shut, the wreckage of the mecha on the ground vibrated and groaned, and a blue sea of electricity instantly filled the ground. Jackal on the monitor smiled; this high-voltage current would electrocute her the moment she touched it!

However, the smile didn't last long on Jackal's face. After watching the footage from the monitor, Jackal slammed his fist hard on the control panel. What was going on?

"Idiot, I can fly! Do you think electricity can paralyze me? Or do you think electricity can stump him?"

In the monitor, Fu Hua floated in the passageway with his hands behind his back. The flickering electricity on the walls and floor had no effect on Fu Hua in the air. As for Shen Gonglin, he was completely unfazed. He had the ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves, not to mention the power of the Herrscher of Thunder. Standing on the floor filled with electricity, Shen Gonglin even yawned.

"You can only be smug for a few minutes."

As soon as the Jackal uttered those words, a surge of scalding heat swept in from all directions. Realizing that using electricity was foolish, the Jackal decisively used another method. This was the World Serpent's lair, and there were plenty of traps here. Since electricity wouldn't work, he would use high temperature instead.

"Phew! It's so hot, Class President, the ground is so hot!"

Feeling the intense heat, Shen Gonglin jumped up and grabbed Fu Hua's waist in mid-air. He pressed himself against Fu Hua to escape the high temperature on the ground. Not only the ground, but the temperature of the entire passage suddenly rose. Shen Gonglin activated the flames of the phoenix within him to adapt. However, while he could withstand it, his clothes wouldn't last long.

[Haha, ever used a microwave? Hmm? Ever eaten roast chicken? So what if you can fly? So what if the induction cooker doesn't work anymore? Let's see where you can fly to in my oven!]

"Oh, we've fallen for their trap... I wanted to see if I could actually see that woman and then use the Feather Dust to control her. Right now, I only have one Feather Dust, and its power is very weak. It's not enough to control it precisely within a visible distance. But fortunately, the temperature isn't too high, and we still have plenty of time to think about how to escape. Shen Gonglin, do you have any ideas?"

Despite saying things like "I've fallen into their trap," Shen Gonglin didn't see a trace of worry on Fu Hua's face. The girl freed one hand to hug Shen Gonglin was clinging to her, and pondered a countermeasure. Meanwhile, Jackal clearly didn't want to give them time to talk. Among the wreckage of the mechs on the ground, small self-destructing robots crawled out of the mechs. This was the gift he had prepared for them!

You think this is the end? Wrong! Ruthless elimination is my nature. Let's see what you do now!

The Jackal howled wildly, while Fu Hua tapped her head, sighing, "Oh dear, this looks like things are going to get complicated. Time is running out."

Fu Hua kicked away the approaching self-destructing robot, then stroked her chin and began to think of a solution. To be honest, staying here didn't really affect her much, but it was still very uncomfortable. All the passages were closed; if she wanted to get out of here...

"Try the weak points in the wall? I think that would be a good idea."

Shen Gonglin said that with the support of the Phoenix Flame, Shen Gonglin had no problem with this kind of heat. However, it would be bad if her clothes caught fire. It would be better to get out of this high-temperature passage as soon as possible. Fu Hua also nodded. Weak points and such... Although it doesn't matter where she punches, it's still better to find a weak point. Otherwise, what if Shen Gonglin thinks that she is a guy who only uses brute force?

[I think I smell something burning. Surrender! Even I can't collect your bodies if you're burned to a crisp... Wait, wait a minute, what are you trying to do?!]

The Jackal, who thought her plan had succeeded, spoke with utter nonchalance. However, at that moment, she saw Fu Hua float up to the wall. Not only that, the girl also got into a fighting stance and clenched her fist. What was this girl trying to do? Was she going to smash the wall open? How could she possibly do that? This was her proud, high-hardness, heat-insulating wall.

"You can just watch what I want to do. Don't use your limited imagination to guess other people's strength. This move is called... Inch Punch. Open the Door!"

The fist that was slowly drawn back to her waist lit up, and with a loud bang, the girl swung her fist. The Jackal stared in disbelief at the scene on the monitor. The high-hardness heat-insulating wall that she was so proud of now had a huge hole in it. Could a human do such a destructive thing?

Somewhat dazed, Jackal sat down on the ground, staring at the girl running out of the monitor. A terrifying thought rushed into Jackal mind: Could it really be that Hua? That Lord's... No, no way...

Sweat beaded on the Jackal's face. The thought made her very uneasy, but since that was the case, she couldn't let the Lord know. It was time to deploy another weapon.

Jackal pressed the switch on the control panel, Jackal eyes fixed on the girl on the monitor screen. Death Weaver, it's your turn to appear!

"Haha, I'm really strong. Did you see that, Shen Gonglin? If you use the Cun Xin Fist properly, you can do something like this too. But first, you need to train your body properly. Exercise with me more every night and morning."

Looking at the large hole behind her, Fu Hua smiled happily. She was indeed the strongest person in the world. The girl couldn't help but boast to Shen Gonglin about her strength. This move, Inch Punch: Opening the Gate, was in no way inferior to any Inch Cun Xin Fist.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Deep within the World Serpent base, the communicator rang. The World Serpent's master twitched his finger slightly to answer the call. If he wasn't mistaken, it should be good news from Mei and Raven. They had only intended to retrieve one Herrscher Core, but now they had two— the Herrscher of Ice and the Herrscher of Rock. That was truly good news.

[Kevin, the Herrscher Core have been retrieved. The Herrscher of Ice and the Herrscher of Rock... Raven and I are preparing to return.]

Mei's voice came through the communicator. Unlike Lone Wolf and Gray Serpent, who practically regarded Kevin as their life's faith, Mei only saw him as a collaborator. She was here because World Serpent's actions helped her help Kiana. They were just partners.

"You did a great job."

After listening to Mei's report, Kevin simply said that it was only natural. Mei was different from those who had just become Herrscher. The Herrscher of Thunder and she had already achieved the deepest fusion. There was no resentment between them, so it was normal for her to defeat two nascent Herrscher, not to mention the assistance of Schicksal.

"Come back."

Mei didn't speak again. Kevin spoke up first, saying that the mission was over and she should rest. However, Mei remained silent on the other end of the communicator. After a long while, Mei finally spoke again, expressing her doubts. Now that things had come to this, she couldn't help but wonder if all of this was part of his plan.

Tell me... was it within your expectations that I would use the power of Herrscher to seize and suppress the core?

If Shen Gonglin hadn't intervened, Mei believed she could have handled the Honkai herself. The only difference would have been that one more person, Anna, would have died, and she could have used her Herrscher powers to suppress and seize the core. That was probably Kevin's real purpose in sending her on this mission.

"This is the answer you came to yourself."

The answer was ambiguous, but Mei already understood what he meant. Mei, thousands of miles away, frowned slightly. This man still gave her the same uncomfortable feeling as always.

Didn't you consider the consequences of my failure?

You will succeed.

Unable to resist asking the question, Mei received a response that seemed so matter-of-fact. She didn't continue speaking; she wanted an explanation, and Kevin should be able to provide one now. Sure enough, just as Mei expected, the silence didn't last long, and Kevin spoke.

[During this Honkai, two Herrscher were born. They eventually merged into one, with one Herrscher devouring the core of the Herrscher, growing into a more powerful individual. And what they did was simply the same thing: the Herrscher of Thunder, also the Herrscher of Conquest ... The power of Herrscher ... Hmm? There are intruders...]

Mei listened silently, but at that moment Kevin's communication became noisy and unclear. The communication lasted for a while before it was completely cut off. This reaction made Mei and the Raven next to her frown. Excluding the possibility that the Jackal bought inferior communication equipment to save money, this did not seem like signal interference, but rather an unexpected situation.

Something's happened at the base.

—

Damn it! Just how strong is this woman? Even the Death Weaver isn't a match for her? This could already be considered one of my trump cards!

In the monitoring room, Jackal gritted his teeth as he stared at the woman on the screen. After she broke through the wall, Jackal activated Death Weaver to attack. She had used this thing before when fighting Rita, and it worked well. But when facing this woman, before she could even launch a real attack, Death Weaver collapsed. What happened?

"Oh, so this is what the strong will I detected earlier was. Sorry, nothing that is alive and has consciousness is a match for me. Bring out any other powerful items, I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Sitting on a high platform to the side, Hi Fu glanced at the fallen Death Weaver below. At this moment, she and Shen Gonglin were in a hall. It seemed that this was the testing ground that the Jackal had prepared for this guy called Death Weaver. She could sense the violent consciousness of Death Weaver, so Hi Fu simply put her to sleep. It was really that easy.

[Consciousness... You will pay the price for your arrogance! Switch from instinct mode to AI control!]

She even said it was stupid to broadcast her own tactics, but wouldn't it be even stupider for her to expose her abilities like this? Controlling consciousness... Is this something a human can do? It's like facing Herrscher. Jackal gritted her teeth and carried out her plan. If that's the case, then she might as well just use the Death Weaver as a weapon.

"Oh? What did you do?"

Seeing that the Death Weaver below, which had already fallen, had started moving again, Hi Fu and Shen Gonglin jumped far away to avoid the Death Weaver's attack. Wasn't this guy already taken down by them? Why is he suddenly moving again? This World Serpent base still has some interesting things.

Of course, none of them are as fun as the Shen Gonglin I have.

[You say living creatures are no match for you? Fine, I'll let them die for a while. Now, I'll play with you. I'll let you experience the technology that's twenty years ahead of its time!]

Jackal personally controlled Death Weaver remotely to attack Fu Hua. In addition to the instinct mode, she could also control Death Weaver herself. As a weapon, it was really useful.

"Not very good. It's probably 50,000 years behind the average technology I've ever seen."

Releasing Shen Gonglin, Hi Fu rushed over with great interest. On one side was a fair and delicate arm that seemed fragile enough to break with a single effort, and on the other was steel reflecting a cold light. The two vastly different forces collided, but it was the Death Weaver controlled by the Jackal retreated. This body was Fu Hua in her prime, with superhuman physical abilities. While fighting, Fu Hua continued to provoke the Jackal with these words, which was quite intimidating for someone like her who took pride in her technological prowess.

This is already the most severe form of psychological attack.

I'll kill you!

As expected, the Jackal got anxious, and the Death Weaver under her control attacked even more frequently, but Fu Hua remained as composed as ever, and even had time to wink at Shen Gonglin.

"Haha, she's panicking, she's panicking! Shen Gonglin, just a moment, I'll take care of her right away!"

The battle was unusually fun. Fu Hua got a little more serious. Fighting this kind of guy was really boring. The person she wanted to fight was that fire-type greatsword master.

Chapter Thirty Old Friends

Damn it! Is this guy even human? How could a human possess such immense strength? There's simply no way to defeat him!

The battle didn't last long. The Death Weaver, personally controlled by the Jackal, fell at Fu Hua's feet once again. The woman who had taken down his prized achievement didn't care about Fu Hua at all. She was busy bragging to Shen Gonglin, acting like a loyal dog. Why are all the women around that guy so amazing?

Jackal couldn't help but ask this question. Indeed, the women around Shen Gonglin were all incredibly strong.

"Hey, look how awesome I am! Shen Gonglin, aren't you going to praise me? But Kevin still hasn't come out... Looks like we'll have to make things a little bigger, like taking the wolf's head off?"

Hi Fu ran up to Shen Gonglin with her hands behind her back, wanting praise. Shen Gonglin looked at the smiling girl and could only reach out and pat her head. The Class President would never do that, so who is she...? Shen Gonglin was really puzzled. He couldn't figure out who this person who had the Class President's appearance and memories was.

Could it be that, as she says, this is the real her?