42. Picking Up a Cat for the Family / 43. Be Careful, but clingy, Kitty Kiana

Kiana felt a lump in her throat, but she didn't cry. Perhaps she had already cried all her tears in the Imaginary Space.

Kiana ate all the leftovers from the bag and put the bag back in her pocket.

There weren't many cookies, so she had to eat them sparingly. Fortunately, her Valkyrie armor had a built-in map, though she didn't know when it was downloaded. At least the map didn't cost her much spare change.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Changkong City...

"Oh my god, where did Kiana fall...?"

Xia Ling carried large bags of food and daily necessities as she walked through the streets of Changkong City, complaining to the system as she went.

"The planning for Honkai Impact 3rd is not clear at all. They just cut off the chapters and left me with only one picture of Kiana waking up on the beach. I have traveled all over the coastline of Schicksal in the past few days, and there is no reaction from the mark at all. If I hadn't confirmed that Changkong City is not on those islands, I would have gone to Hainan to take a look."

[Haha, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, Kiana's life as a wanderer lasted four months. Who knows, maybe it wasn't actually the beach, but the lakeside?]

"..."

Xia Ling suppressed the trembling in her voice. "Why didn't you tell me about something so important sooner?"

[You didn't ask, host. I thought you had other plans.]

"... never mind."

Xia Ling sighed, "Since we're already in Changkong City and my base is already set up, I might as well just wait patiently for them to come to me."

"Luckily, I was prepared. I had Flame Willow ask Raven about the black market in Changkong City and the undercover agents in various places. Otherwise, given the complexity of Changkong City, it would have been really hard to say whether we could build a safe house."

"It's already so dark, so I'll go to..."

"Hmm? `Yi Ling Yi Qi Si@xVIII Skirt"

Xia Ling suddenly raised her head.

"Just now... did I sense the aura of a mark I left behind?"

Chapter 42 The Family Who Picked Up a Cat

The sudden sensation startled Xia Ling. Although she had said she had come to Changkong City to wait for Kiana, deep down she didn't think she would actually encounter Kiana.

After all, there are many spies of the Gray Serpent in Changkong City. Flame Willow has heard countless stories from Raven alone. She doesn't believe that Kiana could stay in Changkong City for four months without being discovered.

Neither Otto nor World Serpent needed to delay their plans until April. If they found Kiana, they would immediately begin their respective preparations. Therefore, Xia Ling believed that Kiana only wandered to Changkong City later in the story.

However, the sudden feeling disrupted her plans. She was certain that she wouldn't mistake the mark she had left herself, but this feeling only lasted for less than a second. When Xia Ling tried to sense it again, she couldn't catch the aura anymore.

"Hmm? That's strange. I clearly felt it just now, so why is it gone?"

The mark flashed by in Xia Ling 'Xia Ling perception, almost making her think she was mistaken.

[You're not mistaken, host, because I felt it too.]

The system's voice further confirmed Xia Ling's feeling.

"Since you're so sure I'm not mistaken..."

Looking at the bags and packages in her hands, Xia Ling tossed them into her system space.

"How am I supposed to set up a safe house? Let's go find Kiana!"

[Note: The host's current identity is highly sensitive; it is not recommended to teleport in a conspicuous manner on the streets.]

Therefore, to assist the host, I have scanned the entire surveillance network and detailed map of Changkong City. The host can teleport at the points I have marked to reduce the chance of being detected. The specific locations have been sent to the host's memory.

"Good, good, good, a teleportation anchor point, right? Your updated system is pretty good." Xia Ling gave a positive review without hesitation.

[Actually, after last night's update, my Trial function also added new options, specifically modified for the host's current situation, supporting the temporary addition of other people to the trial. However, the host doesn't seem to be interested in checking it right now. It's recommended to study the new Sarkaz Trial content properly after finding Kiana.]

Following the system's guidance, Xia Ling arrived at the nearest alley. After confirming that no one was around, Xia Ling began to wander around Changkong City.

"It's not here..."

"It's not here either..."

"Hmm, I can sense this place. Mark it."

If the host cannot accurately locate the marker due to excessive distance, two locations that can sense the marker can be found, and then...

"Don't worry, you know about the perpendicular bisector theorem for tinnitus, right? I played a lot of Identity V before I transmigrated."

Xia Ling quickly teleported between several locations, and soon she locked onto two places where she could sense the mark on Kiana's body, thus confirming Kiana's approximate location.

"Okay, this is the direction..."

After roughly marking the location on the map, Xia Ling began heading towards Kiana's position. Once she got close enough, the markings began to indicate Kiana's exact location to Xia Ling.

"My dear Sky Cat Bug, here I come!"

On the other side, in the outer area of Changkong City.

"Is this the loophole in Changkong City's outer defenses...? If we just get through here, we can sneak into the city..."

Kiana closed her eyes, trying her best to suppress Sirin's consciousness while attempting to communicate with the power within the Herrscher Core.

A moment later, golden light suddenly flashed in her eyes, and she vanished instantly.

Then, several dozen meters away, Kiana's figure suddenly appeared next to a street lamp in the city.

"Ah..."

She covered one eye tightly, and with the other hand, she held onto the lamppost, kneeling on the ground.

At this moment, his originally azure eyes had completely turned gold.

"Sirin ..."

Kiana trembled all over, using all her strength to suppress Sirin's surging consciousness.

"Heh... Humans, you keep talking about sealing my consciousness, but in the end you still have to borrow my power, don't you? However, I will charge you a price for borrowing the power of the core, you know?"

"Don't even think about it..."

"Kiana, concentrate, guard your core with your mind, I'll help you suppress Sirin."

Fu Hua's voice rang in Kiana's mind again. Although she didn't really want to pay attention to her, Kiana knew that she really had no way to deal with Sirin on her own right now.

Following Fu Hua's instructions, she concentrated all her power on the Herrscher Core, preventing Sirin from having the opportunity to access the core's energy.

A moment later, with Fu Hua's help, Sirin's counterattack finally came to an end.

"Call..."

Kiana let out a long sigh of relief and tried to stand up, but the weakness in her body made her dizzy. After swaying, she squatted down again.

"Kiana, eat something and rest. Your physical condition has deteriorated to the extreme. You can't continue like this."

Fu Hua's voice echoed in Kiana's mind. Touching her clothes, which were soaked with cold sweat, Kiana remained silent for a moment before finally pulling out a pack of compressed biscuits from her pocket again.

She squatted by the streetlight and ate in small bites, like a little hamster.

However, just then, footsteps sounded from behind her.

Kiana's body tensed up suddenly, then she realized that she was already inside the city, and it was normal for people to pass by.

She silently hid her face in the shadows.

However, the footsteps did not recede as she expected; instead, they gradually moved towards her.

"Could it be some kind of petty thug?"

Kiana was somewhat surprised by this guess. After all, although she didn't show her face, she was quite confident in her figure, so it was understandable that she would attract some hooligans who frequented the night market.

According to some of the descriptions she read, this kind of creature is usually used to generate gold coins for protagonists who don't have money.

"Perfect... this way, we'll have the start-up capital in the city..."

The thought had barely crossed her mind when a familiar voice struck her like a thunderbolt, leaving her frozen in place.

"Look what I found! A lone white kitten!"

"Families who found a cat, this kitten clearly wants to come home with me~"

With an incredulous look in her eyes, Kiana turned around abruptly.

Behind her, Xia Ling stood under the streetlights with her usual gentle smile.

Just like when I was still in college.

Chapter 43 Be wary, but clingy Kiana Cat

"Sister Xia Ling..."

Kiana murmured to herself, her eyes filled with a deep sadness that seemed about to overflow.

Then, a look of anger and vigilance appeared on her face as she pulled out a baseball bat that she had picked up on the street earlier.

"Sirin, put away your illusions!"

Kiana said, word by word, "Don't appear in front of me in her form!"

Xia Ling: "?"

What? Sirin is actually myself?

With a soft sigh, Xia Ling moved a little closer to Kiana.

She knew that during these few days of wandering, Kiana would grow a lot and transform from the silly girl she used to be into a completely different person.

However, when Kiana actually appeared before her eyes, she still couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

"You, you stay away, or I'll..."

Kiana pointed her baseball bat at Xia Ling, trying to stand up and slowly back away, but her weakness and anemia made it almost impossible for her to move, and she instead fell to the ground.

"Okay, okay, I know, even if you become more mature and resolute..."

Even if I really am just an illusion...

Xia Ling gently pushed the bat aside, squatted down, and embraced Kiana in her wide-eyed gaze.

"You wouldn't have the heart to lay a hand on me, would you?"

Kiana's eyes reddened. She thought she had already cried all her tears, but when Xia Ling actually appeared in front of her, whether it was real or not, she had an urge to burst into tears.

"Don't be afraid, my dear child, I'm here..."

"If you don't believe me..." Xia Ling pressed Kiana against her chest.

"Did you hear that? Such a healthy heartbeat... The person in front of you is a living, breathing Xia Ling!"

"Alas. Let Mengqi three years old seem like I? X (seven ")(three) pass away..."

The sadness, pain, depression, and loneliness of the past few days erupted all at once with Xia Ling's gentle comforting words. Kiana buried her face in Xia Ling's chest, constantly letting out soft sobs and whimpers.

Xia Ling silently followed Cecilia's method from the data space, combing Kiana's long, loose hair.

After a while, Xia Ling noticed that Kiana's crying was gradually weakening.

"Kiana... um? Is she already asleep?"

Xia Ling looked at the white-haired girl nestled in her arms. Unbeknownst to her, the girl had already closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Xia Ling reached out her fingers and wiped away the tears on her face. Judging from the slight upturn of her lips, she obviously didn't have a nightmare this time.

"This child hasn't slept much in the past few days, and his body is extremely exhausted. He's only holding on by sheer willpower."

Fu Hua's faint phantom appeared beside Kiana. If Xia Ling hadn't appeared today, she might have soon considered using Feather Dust to create an illusion for Kiana to soothe her mind.

"Thank you so much, Fu Hua. You must have suffered a lot these past few days."

"That's not true. I should thank you for having Himeko bring over a feather with full power. I think I can hold on for a while longer."

Fu Hua smiled faintly, "Although I'd also like to hear how you came back from the dead, Kiana has finally fallen asleep, so I need to keep an eye on Sirin and prevent her from causing any more trouble."

"Thank you for your hard work... I will explain your situation to Kiana when she wakes up."

"Whether I explain or not is no longer important... I did make the wrong choice back then, and perhaps this is the price I should pay."

Fu Hua shook her head slightly, transforming into a blurry point of light that merged back into Kiana's body.

"Alright, my Kiana Cat..."

Xia Ling picked Kiana up in a princess carry and said softly, "I'm here to take you home."