4. Flame Reed: "Why Would I Ever Sell You Out, Grey Serpent?"

"However, I don't think she would be a resolute person to die. Given how sentimental she is, even if she really had to die, she would definitely leave a message for her loved ones."

"Before Xia Ling left, I wasn't the last person to spend time with her. If she really had anything to say, she should have said it to you, Theresa."

Ain patted Theresa on the shoulder and turned to leave.

"Whether Xia Ling is still alive or not, even if there is only a one percent chance, we can assume that she is still alive until we see Xia Ling body."

"So, she wouldn't want to see you like this, would she?"

Theresa stood there stunned, not because of Ain's words, but because she suddenly remembered that Xia Ling had indeed said something to her before she left.

"Don't worry, even if I can't come back, I'll win the revival match very quickly!"

"It shouldn't be... right..."

Theresa turned her gaze to Xia Ling's memorial tablet in her room.

At this moment, in front of Xia Ling's black and white photograph, there were three sticks of incense that had just been lit.

"Forget it, forget it." Theresa shook her head fiercely, pulling her thoughts out of her memories. "No matter what, let's sneak into Changkong City and find Bronya to meet up."

"If Xia Ling didn't come looking for me, she might be near Kiana. Besides, Kiana's matter can't be delayed any longer."

"Let's find Kiana first. We can deal with the education issue later once we find her."

The rooftop of the Schicksal office building of Changkong City.

"Your Lord Bishop, I have reached my destination. Please inform me of the next steps in my mission."

Rita stood on the rooftop, dressed in her Assault Suit: Shadow Iron, looking down at the brightly lit Changkong City.

"Very good, Rita."

Two weeks ago, someone witnessed the Herrscher of the Void appearing in Changkong City.

"So your task is to find her. Of course, don't rush into action. If you find that you can't handle the situation, you can ask for help at any time."

"After Xi finishes her preparations, she can go and support you. Durandal is in a special situation and needs to be on standby at headquarters, but she can also be dispatched at any time."

"Your Lord Bishop, I probably don't need that many people here. However... I have a question."

"Two weeks have passed since the Herrscher of the Void appeared. Will she really stay here?"

"The answer to this question is simple, Rita."

"The information released by the World Serpent's intelligence broker was not true to begin with."

"He just wanted to send a message to the outside world, telling us that he Herrscher of the Void, in order to attract us to make a bid."

"Moreover, according to intelligence, the Hyperion is currently in the area surrounding Changkong City."

"My little Theresa must have come to the same conclusion, which is why she rushed here."

Otto's voice was full of confidence.

"Therefore, you can adapt to the situation during the mission. I am giving you the maximum degree of freedom in this mission."

"Find Kiana, or bring back information about her. I only care about the result."

"Yes, Your Lord Bishop."

Rita assured Otto on the screen, "I will definitely complete the mission."

"Oh, right, Rita, there's one more thing to keep in mind."

"Although it's unlikely, if Xia Ling isn't dead, she might be acting with Kiana."

"You need to be careful. This intelligence might be a trap she set. That possibility cannot be ruled out."

"If we find her trail, we can request support from headquarters directly."

"For someone like her... if you don't use absolute power to suppress her, she'll probably become very difficult to deal with."

If the three parties— Schicksal's Anti-Entropy, World Serpent, and Changkong City— are all preparing for a fierce battle to seize Kiana's information, then what is Kiana, the very source of our intelligence, doing at this moment?

The answer is, they were severely punished.

"Hahahaha, Sister Xia Ling, I was wrong... Please, please stop, hahahaha..."

Kiana was currently tightly bound to a chair, and even her spatial abilities were restricted by Xia Ling. Of course, it wouldn't have been so bad, since she was currently so weak and powerless that she probably couldn't use teleportation anyway.

Xia Ling, meanwhile, was holding a long feather (not Feather Dust) in her hand, sometimes poking Kiana's waist, which was barely a handful, and sometimes rubbing against her slender legs wrapped in white silk.

"Hmph, you idiot deserve to be taught a lesson."

Xia Ling gave a soft hum and gently wiggled the feather against Kiana's soles again, causing the girl to giggle again.

"I told you to cover your tracks and not be discovered, and now look what happened, your information has been opened and is being auctioned off on the black market."

Xia Ling slapped Kiana's shapely buttocks hard, then untied the ropes binding her.

Kiana didn't get up from the chair. Having just been punished, her body was covered in sweat and she had no strength left.

"Then, Sister Xia Ling, what should we do now...?"

Kiana asked, her eyes glazed over.

"What to do? Just let it be! The information was sold by World Serpent, and the buyers are either Schicksal or Anti- Anti-Entropy. I estimate that they have already arrived."

Xia Ling pinched Kiana's flushed cheeks. "Now you want me to come up with a solution? Are you planning to have us all captured and thrown into a lab to trigger a defeat CG?"

"Then we..."

"It's probably too late for us to run. The intelligence transaction will take place in the next two days. If World Serpent can pinpoint our location, then there's no point in us running away now."

Xia Ling sighed, "Moreover, intercepting intelligence is out of the question. If we actually do that, it would be tantamount to admitting that we are in Changkong City."

"The clues left behind by personally seizing intelligence are not few and far between. If you really do that, you will soon be able to witness the capabilities of the intelligence departments of the world's three major powers."

"At this point, we can only take it one step at a time."

"Do you need my help, Sister Xia Ling?"

"You don't need to worry about me. Just stay home and relax. Fu Hua, remember to keep an eye on her. Unless someone comes knocking, don't let her run around. I'll handle this for now."

"The situation shouldn't be that bad yet. I'll try my best to get the information to Theresa and the others. It's better than Otto finding out."

"Okay, I understand."

Fu Hua's voice rang out from the depths of Xia Ling's heart. However, perhaps because she had just witnessed the strange punishment segment, Fu Hua's voice was also tinged with some fluctuation.

Chapter Four: Flame Willow: How could I betray you, Gray Serpent?

"Little one, come tell your sister, where are the best places to eat in Changkong City?"

In the underground black market, inside the Gray Serpent's stronghold, Flame Willow was crouching down, teasing a little black-haired girl with a lollipop.

"If I tell my sister, will she give me the lollipop?"

The little girl with black hair tilted her head and made a very cute expression.

"Of course, I'll give you even more!"

"However, without the master's permission, I cannot output any information. I'm sorry."

The little girl shrugged, looking utterly helpless.

"Hey, Gray Serpent."

"Do you really want this cute little girl to never get a lollipop?"

"And another thing, it's really a terrible hobby to have such a young girl call you master."

Flame Willow looked at Gray Serpent with disdain, as if she were looking at some large, unrecyclable piece of trash.

"Miss Reed, please don't look at me with such a strange gaze."

Gray Serpent shook his head helplessly. "After all, this name is the humanoid machine's own preference."

"And the humanoid robots, they are both internal personnel of the organization, and you can freely grant them your access."

"Yay!" Flame Willow cheered. "Quick, quick, little guy, copy all of Kiana's information for me."

"I need to get rid of the intelligence before the Gray Serpent does!"

"Remember to share half of the reward with me," Raven said abruptly.

"Alright, alright, you two, stop joking around and put away your sense of humor."

Gray Serpent sighed, "I presume you two are already aware of the situation in Changkong City?"

"Okay, I've got all the mission information. So, what's next?"

"I'm familiar with the process, "the Raven asked.

"Do nothing. Just go and wait for the Jackal."

"We are currently in the first phase of the mission, which is mainly my responsibility. As for the stage I have set up, there is no need for the two of you to appear."

"The one who truly needs your protection is the second phase, which is under Jackal's responsibility."

"Gray Serpent, do you think it's possible that we're only eating and drinking here because we don't get along with the Jackal?"

Raven took a bottle of fine wine from Gray Serpent's wine cabinet, opened it, and poured himself a glass.

"Raven, I want one too!"

Flame Willow raised her cup.

"Forget about you, don't you remember what you did after you drank a little last time?"

Raven picked up the juice next to her and poured a glass for Flame Willow: "Don't set a bad example for the children."

"Friendly reminder: the humanoid machine is connected to the entire network of this city, so she probably knows more than you do."

Gray Serpent prepared his gear. "You should leave as soon as possible, it won't be safe here anytime soon."

"By the way, you can also take a copy of the information inside the humanoid machine. Just remember not to spread it around, and don't actually sell it on the black market."

"Don't worry, don't worry, even if I'm a temporary recruit, I still know this basic common sense." Flame Willow waved her hand as she took the hard drive from the humanoid machine.

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

"Raven, /&Ling6Dream2LinbawuIJisanLianjiu, where shall we go for a stroll?"

"Anyway, it's not Kamisato Pharmaceuticals."

Raven downed the wine in his cup and quickly followed Flame Willow.

"Don't rush, let me look at the map first..."

At this moment, Flame Willow had already begun to browse the data on the hard drive.

"The good news is that Gray Serpent doesn't have a track record of your exact whereabouts."

"The bad news is, he's not one to be trifled with either. Your safe house has been locked into a small area."

"If you didn't usually travel by teleportation, the area might be even smaller."

"However, here's the problem. Based on the data in the humanoid machine, the evidence that Gray Serpent confirmed this mysterious ranger was Kiana was because of her travel method, which resembled teleportation."

In the channel, Flame Willow was having fun with Raven in Changkong City while taking the time to report the intelligence she had intercepted from the humanoid machine.

"It's alright. Kiana being discovered was expected; it was just a matter of time."

"The only reason I have to punish her is because she's been under a lot of pressure lately and needs to relax."

Xia Ling breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Flame Willow's report.

"Okay, okay, so this is the way to adjust. I look forward to seeing how you will deal with the pressure that Theresa has accumulated after you return to the Hyperion."

Flame Willow spoke in a tone that suggested he was having a good time.

"Forget about it. You're that idiot who tried to frame Raven last Christmas but ended up getting yourself killed. You should worry more about yourself."

"I'm still looking forward to the day when I wake up and see the channel celebrating someone's successful graduation."

After exchanging a few casual banter, Xia Ling suddenly remembered the important matter and asked, "Didn't you go to Jackal's place? What's the situation there?"

"I'm eating right now, and all that makes me want to eat is disgusting. Don't make me think about those things."