4. Whoa, a Box / 5. Xia Ling: That's How Swordfish Are

Xia Ling's body came to an abrupt stop in mid-air, and she turned her head to look at a platform on her right.

"What's wrong, Sister Xia Ling?"

"Wait me a moment."

Xia Ling quickly left Mei's sight, and then returned a short while later, carrying a slightly damaged small robot.

"This is..."

"Uh, I don't know what this is either."

Xia Ling scratched her head. "But I just received a signal from this thing, which proves that this little guy is not a remnant left in these ruins."

"Maybe someone lost it?" Mei guessed.

"Maybe. Anyway, take it with you for now. If someone really lost it, there are only so many people in Changkong City. We can find out by asking around."

Xia Ling held the little machine in her arms. Of course, she knew what this little guy was. Strictly speaking, this little robot would have quite a few scenes in the later part of the story.

After all, this is Little Kong's "Mark II".

In the subsequent final chapter of the story, this guy's existence is roughly similar to that of Hi-maru from Sakura Samsara and Ai-chan from Schicksal Headquarters.

Of course, at this time, Mark II did not have so much of the black technology of the World Serpent. It was just a half-damaged robot. However, with this, at least they could make contact with Little Kong of Chang Kong Yi Er Liu (San) Li Lin Qi Ba Lin - Meng Shi.

"I never imagined that the settlement in Changkong City would be so large..."

Mei walked through the small settlement, marveling at the sights.

"In the face of disaster, humanity will always find a way to survive. Moreover, compared to before the disaster, the population here is already very small."

"However, more people means more eyes and ears. On the bright side, maybe we'll get information about Kiana more easily?"

On the street, the combination of Mei and Xia Ling attracted a lot of attention.

After all, besides their outstanding looks, Xia Ling's strange accessories also attracted a lot of attention.

Cat ears, a collar, and a strange hovering mode of transportation—in Changkong City, where Honkai Beast roam, such a flamboyant outfit must indicate extraordinary strength.

At this moment, Xia Ling also keenly noticed that among the people's scrutinizing gazes, there was a little girl with purple hair, hidden under a hood, secretly observing them.

"They've taken the bait..." Xia Ling thought to herself.

The reason she was making such a show of herself was to attract Little Kong's attention. Although the settlement was not large, it was not a place that could be inspected quickly.

The place where Little Kong is most likely to appear... is naturally the old site of the orphanage that Flame Willow and Raven ran here.

As for why they needed to find Little Kong, in the original work, Raven disobeyed orders and secretly planned to kill Kiana.

Although she could quickly locate Kiana using Ambriel's Radar Positioning, she couldn't guarantee she could react to Raven's bullets.

If Raven were hiding in the shadows and used the Seven Thunders of Retribution to shoot her and Kiana...

You're dead, bro.

It doesn't matter if I die; at most, it will just unlock the basement ending. The real problem is if Kiana gets struck by the Seven Thunders of Retribution; that would be a huge problem.

Therefore, she needs to "recreate" the scene where Raven and Mei first met in the original work.

And while these two are going to find Kiana, she also wants to find a way to secretly bring Bella back.

"Mei, turn left and go into that alley."

Suddenly, Mei heard Xia Ling's voice, barely audible.

"Someone is following us. Let's find a place and check things out."

Mei tensed up immediately. After leading Xia Ling into a small alley, Mei instantly drew her sword, shielding Xia Ling behind her, and pointed the blade at a shadowy spot.

"After following us for so long, it's time for you to show your face."

In the shadows, Little Kong timidly peeked out, her eyes glistening with fearful tears.

"Huh? It's a little kid?"

Chapter Four: I'm Super, Box

Seeing a child emerge from the shadows, Mei quickly put away her knife.

After all, the other party was not threatening in terms of appearance or energy fluctuations; on the contrary, it felt like being bullied.

"Uh... sorry, little one, I accidentally startled you just now."

Mei quickly went over and gently comforted her.

As it turns out, Mei's gentle, Yamato Nadeshiko-like aura before she became a Mei of Herrscher transformation was still very effective with these children.

Before long, she had already established a good relationship with Little Kong.

"Um, can you tell me why you're following me?"

After calming Little Kong down, Mei finally asked the question that had been bothering her the most.

"Because... my Mark II is in that older sister's hands."

"So this is what you lost..."

Mei suddenly realized that she and Xia Ling would attract a lot of attention if they walked down the street together. The child herself, or her friend, must have seen the Mark II in Xia Ling's hand, which is why the child came looking for them.

"Your little robot, I've fixed it for you."

Xia Ling gave a friendly smile and handed the Mark II to Little Kong.

"However, in return, can you answer one question for your sister?"

"Of course you can, but I've only been here a few days. I can tell you anything I know."

Little Kong was obviously extremely happy to have Mark II found again.

"Did you see a woman with long white hair and golden-blue eyes in Changkong City?"

"Sister Xia Ling? How could such a young child know..."

"Hmm... I think I have indeed heard of it."

Little Kong lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking.

"I didn't see it with my own eyes, but rather it was something my friends who used to live in the shantytowns saw."

"That day, she was attacked by Honkai Beast on the outskirts of the safe zone. She said that a big sister with long white hair and wearing a cloak saved her."

"Really?"

Mei's eyes widened; she hadn't expected the information to come so suddenly.

"After that, it seems that the older sister went towards the flooded West District... She never saw that sister again after that."

"Little Kong, can you take us to that location?"

Xia Er, Ling Wu, and Meng Ling asked softly, "Of course, if Little Kong finds it inconvenient, you can give us directions."

"Sure, I was planning to go out and look for Mark II this morning too." Little Kong nodded obediently. "But, can I go back and charge Mark II first?"

"Of course, we'll wait for you here."

Xia Ling gently patted Xiao Little Kong's head and watched Little Kong leave the alley.

"I never expected to find it by such a happy accident..."

Mei's amazement was palpable.

"This is no coincidence, Mei."

Xia Ling gently shook her head. "That little girl is one of the World Serpent, or rather, she has at least a considerable relationship with the World Serpent."

"Huh?" A question mark slowly appeared above Mei's head.

"It's quite a coincidence that the machine she's holding should be one of your products, or more precisely, an early product of ME Company."

"Because I helped Ain and Tesla repair the Moon Throne before, I have personally handled most of Anti-Entropy's products, and I have even studied a few in detail. That Mark II is exactly within my repair capabilities."

"Guess what I found in that Mark II?"

"I've found an old acquaintance of ours, the Raven you met once in Changkong City."

"She and the child are very close in the photo, and the words 'teacher' and 'Sister Reed' appear frequently in the notes."

"I don't think the World Serpent would come to Changkong City for a vacation for no reason."

"Then, isn't Kiana in great danger right now?"

"The situation isn't that dire. Don't underestimate Kiana's abilities... Besides, if World Serpent really intends to capture Kiana, it certainly won't bring a child with it."

"I suspect their mission might be relatively mild, so let's find Kiana as soon as possible."

"As expected... Dr. Tesla was right, Sister Xia Ling is amazing..."

Mei's eyes were full of admiration. "If it were me... I definitely wouldn't be able to find a breakthrough here."

"To discover such a clue and still be able to quickly and calmly formulate a plan—is this the composure and calmness of the older generation of soldiers...?"

Silly child, this isn't my ability, it's the script's ability...

Xia Ling simply smiled and quietly waited for Little Kong to return.

Before long, Little Kong, who had changed his clothes, arrived as scheduled. Then, he led Mei and Xia Ling through the streets of Changkong City.

Along the way, Mei subtly inquired about various information about Little Kong's teachers, but to little avail. After all, Raven was consciously trying to prevent these children from coming into contact with World Serpent, and unintentionally, she had hidden her own situation.

"This is it."

Little Kong led the two to a spacious platform by the water.

Although it's called a platform, Xia Ling could vaguely tell that it was the rooftop of a building, located relatively close to the West District, where the water level had risen quite severely.

"Strange things have been happening in Changkong City lately. First, the water level rose, and then there was a large-scale riot of Honkai Beast..."

Little Kong's expression also showed some unease. "Recently, I also heard that someone saw a super large Honkai Beast near Changkong City, the kind that can fly."

"I hope nothing bad happens to the teacher..."

"Well..."

Xia Ling's expression changed slightly.

"I'm keeping my reservations about whether your teacher will get into trouble."

"But we might be in trouble soon."

Xia Ling had already taken out the Crescent Rose from her hand, and her enhanced vision had clearly captured a small black dot in the distance.

Almost instantly, the small black dot began to rapidly enlarge, and even Mei could vaguely make out its outline.

"This is... Benares?" Mei quickly drew her weapon. "How did it get here?"

"Little Kong, hide behind me." Xia Ling whispered, then said to Mei, "When we came here, we never heard of any Judgment-class Honkai Beast injuring people in Changkong City."

"In other words, it's probably not there to cause destruction in Changkong City."

"Try to delay it for a while; it shouldn't be here for too long."

"And..." Xia Ling's tone was also somewhat uncertain. "We can try to follow it and see if it can lead us to Kiana."

"I fought it when I was at the Schicksal Headquarters, and I could sense that it had a considerable amount of humanity."

"I always felt... its purpose in coming to Changkong City was the same as ours; it might have sensed Kiana's poor health and thus came to protect its queen..."

Chapter 5 Xia Ling: This is what the katana shrimp looks like

However, when Benares got closer, the two realized that Baby Dragon seemed a little different now compared to when they were at the Schicksal Headquarters.

At Schicksal Headquarters, Benares possessed the power to use three elements, and he could master all three. If Fu Hua hadn't been his opponent, Benares alone could have caused great damage to Schicksal Headquarters.

However, Benares's carapace had changed from blue and white to white and purple, and it crackled with electricity as it roared at them from the sky.

"Why does it look... so different?"

"And I feel like the lightning on it looks familiar..."

Mei's tone was full of doubt.

"It looks like they drank too much nuclear wastewater from Changkong City."