I've Been Waiting for You, Ina

Yong Xin was awakened from his sleep.

Although he needs very little sleep each day after acquiring this body, it doesn't mean he doesn't need rest at all.

Especially recently, due to the inexplicable disturbances caused by [Domination], his body has become less stable than before, and the several uncontrollable accidents have consumed too much of his energy, forcing him to spend more time resting.

Then, he was awakened by the shriek.

It was as if an invisible hand had suddenly grabbed his heart, causing him to abruptly sit up in bed, clutching his chest tightly, his eyes filled with shock.

Because he knew very well that the shriek was not something that any mortal creature could produce.

Without a doubt, it was the voice of God.

It's... the Lyra!

But why?

Why can I hear the sound of the Lyra?

Yong Xin's grip on his chest tightened little by little as a terrifying thought surged into his mind, causing his pupils to tremble uncontrollably.

Could it be that He has already woken up?

But how is that possible?!

How many years has He been asleep? Why did He awaken at this time?!

Yong Xin immediately pulled open the bedside table drawer, where the tentacle was placed. However, it was not stable and was now in a strange posture, like a rag that had been twisted to its limit.

But it wasn't a real rag. This action caused the limb to make a "creaking" sound, and cracks were rapidly appearing on its rough surface, as if it would collapse completely soon.

Really,

Yong Xin's eyes narrowed slightly.

The problem lies over there.

Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

Yong Xin took one last look at the still struggling tentacles, then closed the drawer. After calming himself down as much as possible, he said calmly, "Come in."

The subordinate immediately pushed open the door and rushed in, his face full of anxiety. "Lord Yongxin, something has happened!"

"Don't panic," Yong Xin said. "Tell me slowly."

Then, the subordinate told Yong Xin everything that had happened that morning.

After listening, Yong Xin did not speak immediately, but first looked at his pocket watch.

The pocket watch showed that he had only slept for less than three hours, after meeting with Ina, and it was almost dawn when he went to sleep.

It was only three hours.

Jie La Er has done so many things again.

Despite his efforts to remain calm, Yong Xin couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

The subordinate was taken aback, and then stammered, "I thought you were resting."

"I'm resting." Yong Xin stared at his subordinate, his immense pressure making the subordinate feel breathless. "Then why didn't you wake me up? In your eyes, is the destruction of Lyra less important than my rest?"

The subordinate originally wanted to say that this was what his former boss had told him: try not to disturb Lord Yongxin when he was resting.

These were the "rules" his boss had taught him, which was why he had hesitated before.

And it was this hesitation that led to something even bigger happening.

Under that oppressive feeling that seemed to come from nowhere, the subordinates didn't dare to refute anything, but just kept their heads down and apologized repeatedly.

Yong Xin, on the other hand, rubbed his temples, looking slightly tired and somewhat helpless.

The frustrating part is that he feels his subordinates' abilities are getting worse and worse.

From Ocott at the beginning to Terrell later, these two assistants who had been with him the longest and were also the most capable, were killed one after the other by Jie La Er.

Next was Zamen, Terrell's apprentice, who was much less skilled than Terrell. That night, he even acted as a traitor, leading the skeleton Knight named Ku De to him.

But even such a person was killed by Jie La Er, and it was an accidental killing.

This presented Yong Xin with a problem—no one was available.

It sounds absurd, but that's the truth.

Although the New Pursuit Society had grown in size and influence, it remained a largely unregulated organization as long as the rules of Lyra remained in place. Yong Xin, due to his status, was the most secretive and central figure within it. Therefore, for many years, everything he did was done through the intervention of Terrell and Ocott, who, under Yong Xin's influence, were also capable of engaging in actions that violated the rules.

But now, both of them are gone, and even their disciples are gone. The only person who can help Yong Xin is a "rule-abiding person" who doesn't even know whether he should wake him up after such a big incident.

This made Yong Xin want to laugh.

He never expected that his "adoptive father" could cause him trouble in this way.

"Lord Yongxin?" The subordinate, seeing that Yong Xin hadn't spoken for a long time, couldn't help but feel worried. "What's wrong with you...?"

"It's nothing," Yong Xin calmly interrupted his subordinate. "I already know."

Put aside your complaints about your subordinates.

The reality is... it's quite surprising that Jie La Er was able to find such a place.

But things have clearly not gotten to the worst point yet.

The Lyra God has clearly not yet awakened.

Otherwise, their reaction wouldn't have been so mild.

"Has the Skeleton Corps arrived yet?" Although he didn't have much hope, Yong Xin still asked, "Have they captured Jie La Er?"

"No, no." The subordinate shook his head and answered nervously, "The Tenth Squad of the Skeleton Corps did get there first, but the ambush failed, and like the Twelfth Squad, they were all wiped out."

Yong Xin narrowed his eyes slightly. "They're all dead?"

"No, not at all," the subordinate said. "It's a bit strange, but there weren't any deaths in the series of riots this morning. It's as if Jie La Er deliberately controlled his strength, so that the skeleton Knight only suffered non-fatal injuries. Of course, a few Knight haven't woken up yet because of blood loss, but overall, he didn't kill anyone."

"No one was killed?" Yong Xin repeated the question softly. "That's something I just can't understand."

Yong Xin really couldn't understand it.

Even before today, he had clearly sensed that Jie La Er had become increasingly radical.

He used to never lay a hand on the Lyra People, but after returning from the Rhine, he killed several of them, either willingly or unwillingly.

This led Yong Xin to believe that Jie La Er, like him, had lost the constraints of the rules and was sliding into another abyss.

While listening to his subordinates' report, he thought Jie La Er had finally reached the bottom of the abyss and was starting to do whatever it took to achieve his goal.

But now his subordinates are telling him that Jie La Er didn't kill a single person.

Why is that?

The rules are no longer binding you.

So what is it that binds you?

Although he was very curious, Yong Xin didn't think about the question for too long, after all, there were more important things to do.

The fact that Jie La Er found the main station of the Gear Train means that he already knows the most crucial information.

But if that's all there is to it, there's no need to worry too much. After all, even if they knew the truth, the gap between mortals and gods is not something that can be crossed easily. Even the New Pursuit Society spent more than ten years planning and taking each step with great care, only trying to keep Lyra asleep forever and not being able to directly harm her physical body.

So how did Jie La Er manage to touch the Lyra?

In Lyra, the only power Yong Xin could think of was that tongue in the Contaminated Land abyss.

Does this mean Jie La Er has already obtained it?

Yong Xin grew increasingly uneasy, especially since the tentacles hadn't reacted yet, indicating that things hadn't stabilized on that side, and he couldn't know the specifics.

But before that, he can't do nothing.

After some thought, Yong Xin looked up at his subordinates and said, "Notify the Devil Squad and tell them to speed up the mission and find that 'thing' as soon as possible."

"Yes, Lord Yongxin... But what about Jie La Er? Are we just going to abandon him?"

"No," Yong Xin said calmly. "From now on, raise his wanted level and launch a city-wide manhunt for him."

Under the watchful eyes of his subordinates, Yong Xin produced the application form that he had been unable to sign the previous night.

This time, however, his hand was not slow, and he signed his name on the application form smoothly.

"Since he's chosen to show his face in public," Yong Xin said, "We'll grant his wish."

Headquarters of the Skeleton Corps.

Ina watched the skeleton Knight being carried back on stretchers as they came and went, and fell into a long silence.

She has been watching here for a long time.

Seeing these Knights, covered in blood and partially paralyzed, struggling, wailing, or simply unconscious, she felt a heavy weight in her heart.

Because Ina knew that these were all the work of her "father".

Ina had originally planned to return to the Contamination Zone today, but after hearing the explosive news this morning, she rushed here immediately and saw the tragic scene of heavily injured Knight being brought back for emergency treatment.

If it weren't for the numerous Knight confirming it themselves, Ina would never have believed that Jie La Er was responsible.

The person who does this could be a thug, a madman, or someone who has been corrupted, but it should never be Jie La Er.

How could Jie La Er be such a person who disregards life?

Ina's hands clenched tighter and tighter.

This is the only possibility.

It's that thing.

The completely unfamiliar smile on that familiar face from last night flashed through her mind once again.

Is that guy's influence on his father still deepening?

As Ina was thinking this, another batch of Knight was carried back. Before they even arrived, Ina heard screams.

"Aaaaaah, my legs, my legs!"

Ina turned her head and saw a person who had lost his left leg struggling on a stretcher, staining the white stretcher blood red.

But there was no one around to help him, because most of the Knight of the Skeleton Corps were still out hunting Jie La Er, and there were too many people who needed help, so the headquarters was severely understaffed.

Ina looked around and, finding that no one could help the Knight, immediately stepped forward, picked up the painkillers on the table, and prepared to inject them.

But at that moment, someone else injected the painkiller into the Knight's thigh before she could react.

The Knight immediately fell silent.

But Ina's eyes widened.

Because the Knight who appeared later had climbed up from another stretcher, and he himself was still seriously injured, having lost an arm.

But he seemed unfazed by the pain, injecting his own painkillers into the Knight who had lost his leg, while patting the knight's chest repeatedly to comfort him, "Don't worry, it's alright, it's all over now."

Even in the Devil Squad, Ina rarely saw people like this, so she continued forward, walked to the person's side, and handed her the painkillers.

The man looked up at Ina, seemingly surprised, but still accepted the painkiller. After thanking her, he injected the painkiller into his own body.

"Thank you for your help."

The man said softly.

Ina shook her head.

She saw the man's Sleeve badge; Tenth Squad of the Skeleton Corps.

According to the information Ina had previously heard here, this was her father's previous squad, and also the last squad to encounter him head-on.

But in the end, they failed.

Looking at the Knight before her, whose fates were unknown, Ina's lips moved slightly. She originally wanted to ask about Jie La Er's situation again, but the words that came out of her mouth were "I'm sorry".

The man paused for a moment, then looked up at Ina: "Why are you apologizing to me?"

Ina didn't hide anything and said softly, "My name is Ina. Jie La Er... was my adoptive father."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the emotion in the man's pupils immediately changed, from initial sorrow to shock, and then to anger and hatred.

Ina recognized that look; it resembled Sha Na's.

For a fleeting moment, Ina thought the Knight in front of her was about to suddenly leap up and slash at her with his sword.

But what she didn't expect was that the anger in that man's eyes, after reaching its peak, gradually cooled down.

"I see," he said softly.

This stark contrast left Ina somewhat stunned.

Why was the reaction so lukewarm?

The man guessed Ina's doubts and then said in a low voice, "I just encountered your father... no, I shouldn't say encountered. Because we went to find him. I believe he killed our captain, so I wanted him to pay for his crime. But I didn't expect that we were so vulnerable in front of him. The battle was over almost instantly, and we became fish on the chopping block."

Ina silently looked at the row of Knight around her, their fates unknown.

"But he didn't kill us."

Ina's expression immediately turned to astonishment. "He didn't kill you?"

"Yes, it's hard to believe, but it's true," the man said. "I asked around on the way back. My teammates were only seriously injured, but they didn't die. Jie La Er ... avoided all our vital points. I also learned after we got back that it wasn't just us, but the other Knight were the same. Everyone was seriously injured by him, but none of them died."

He paused, then looked up at Ina, his expression a mixture of confusion and pain.

"I was convinced before that he killed Captain Ku De, but if that's the case, why didn't he kill us?"

Do you know why?

Ina pursed her lips.

She did not answer the other person's question. After a brief moment of contemplation, she said "Take care" and turned to leave.

At that moment, she had only one thought in her mind.

My father did not kill anyone.

That means he hasn't completely lost his "Original Heart".

Then there is still a chance to salvage the situation.

That's why she decided to return to the Contaminated Land immediately to find the Purification Source Crystal that had been lost for ten years!

Only that can save my father!

Ina quickly left the headquarters of the Skeleton Corps and headed towards the Fifth District.

But as she walked through a small alley, she heard that incredibly familiar voice.

"Ina."

Ina froze.

She slowly turned her head and saw a man covered in blood walk out of the alley and stand in her line of sight.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time," Jie La Er said softly.