Picking Up the White-Haired Ball of Fluff

"Thank you so much, I have no way to repay your kindness. Once I find my sister, I will repay your debt, Captain!" Sakura, her body restored, bowed deeply and expressed her sincere gratitude.

Chrono remained silent, but he also nodded to Zhang Wei. He would search for Ling's whereabouts with Sakura. As long as it wasn't an excessive request, he would readily follow orders.

"It was nothing, just a small favor. Tell me when you've found what you're looking for!" Zhang Wei waved his hand. He acted on impulse, without any particular agenda. If someone displeased him, Zhang Wei wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

All the Flame-Chasers expressed their thanks to Zhang Wei. Elysia pouted, wondering why she was the only one who had been openly seen through.

She was so annoyed, and yet she had no reason to trouble him. She had been taken advantage of by Zhang Wei, losing her maiden purity as a pixie!

"Esteemed Lords, what are your needs?"

Gray Serpent appeared in the Elysian Realm. Seeing all the Flame-Chasers gathered, its scarlet single eye flickered slightly, as if analyzing the current situation.

Although the World Serpent was nominated by Mobius and led by Kevin, these Flame-Chasers were treated as esteemed Lords within the World Serpent.

"Gray Serpent, give us detailed information about the current outside world. We're leaving!" Mobius said. Gray Serpent, an accidental creation from the past, was quite useful and had gathered a lot of information.

"Lady Mobius, have you recovered?"

Gray Serpent immediately knelt on one knee and said respectfully. As a mechanical creation, its voice inevitably carried a hint of shock. It had only seen Mobius in this state in its memory modules. Moreover, other Flame-Chasers, after scanning, exhibited clear biological characteristics.

Kevin and the others paid no mind. If they had, just scanning them would have been considered provocation, and Gray Serpent would have been crushed.

"Yes, we have returned!" Mobius nodded, maintaining a cool demeanor.

The red light in Gray Serpent's single eye flashed rapidly. The return of these Flame-Chasers was a shocking event for the World Serpent, and the current world would undoubtedly change because of it.

"I will obey your command. Should I report to Lord Kevin?" Gray Serpent began preparing the information Mobius needed and asked casually. It had no right to refuse and could only execute orders obediently.

Everyone understood that this Kevin was not the Kevin from the Elysian Realm, but the one from the Sea of Quantum. Su's mouth twitched, revealing an awkward and helpless expression. Kevin was contemplating life in the sea, and it was his original body's doing.

"That little follower, just tell him we're leaving. No need to bother him for now!" Mobius said dismissively. Kevin had persevered for over a thousand years; a few more years wouldn't make a difference.

"Understood, Lady Mobius. The information you require is all here!" Gray Serpent produced a USB drive and respectfully handed it to Mobius.

"Lady Mobius, is the plan still proceeding?"

The World Serpent had existed for so long, collecting so much intelligence, all for the execution of the Stigmata Project. It could be said that the World Serpent existed for the Stigmata Project, and to completely defeat the Honkai, no matter the cost.

"We're not concerned with the Stigmata Project; that's your business!" Upon hearing about the Stigmata Project, Mobius recalled unpleasant matters.

She had painstakingly revised it over a dozen times, only for Mei to choose the initial version. This had angered her for a long time, so now, hearing about the Stigmata Project only annoyed her.

"..."

Gray Serpent fell silent, bowed to the Flame-Chasers, and then left the Elysian Realm without another word.

"Mobius, this Gray Serpent has a rebellious streak!"

Zhang Wei could tell that Gray Serpent operated on fixed logic. This meant that even if Mobius prevented the Stigmata Project, it would refuse to execute it.

"It's fine!"

Mobius didn't care. The tasks they needed to accomplish for now wouldn't conflict with Gray Serpent, and with Captain Zhang Wei present, they wouldn't need those previous methods to defeat the Honkai.

"As you wish. Then let's leave now. Does anyone need to bring anything?" Zhang Wei glanced at the Flame-Chasers.

"Nothing!"

Everything was made of data and couldn't be taken out. There was nothing particularly valuable, so they could just put their hands in their pockets.

"I know! It's called 'leaving empty-handed'!" Kiana said with a giggle.

"Captain, am I using this idiom correctly?"

Zhang Wei's mouth twitched. Although they were indeed quite clean, well... it was fine. Considering she wasn't from Shenzhou, he wouldn't say anything and would just take it literally.

A good explanation, but please refrain from doing it again.

Hua, being from Shenzhou, couldn't help but purse her lips. Was this idiom used to describe this place?

"Hua, is that what it means?" Elysia felt something was odd and asked Hua.

"Sort of..."

Hua lied through her teeth. Although the literal meaning fit their current situation perfectly, she would find an idiom dictionary for Kiana later.

"Ai Yi, let's depart now and head to the outside world. The landing spot will be random. Activate the cloaking device to prevent detection by Schicksal and other organizations!"

Zhang Wei's expression turned serious. At this moment, he finally exuded the demeanor of a Captain, giving orders methodically.

"Oh, right. Don't land at the headquarters of organizations like Schicksal. I don't want to interact with them for now."

Finally, Zhang Wei added a reminder. Ai Yi sometimes exhibited the common flaw of artificial intelligence—not exactly unintelligent, but a bit too fond of playing pranks, so no one knew where she might land.

"Understood, Captain!" Ai Yi mumbled, feeling a bit displeased. She activated the Hyperion and left the Elysian Realm.

That hateful little Captain isn't as cute as he was when he was little. Just you wait, I'll find a chance to tease you properly.

"Am I going to die?"

"My body hurts so much!"

"Dad..."

Deep in the snowy mountains, a deep crater had been smashed into the snow. The frozen earth layer was exposed, revealing a small, white-haired ball of fluff lying within. A fragment was deeply embedded in her head, and red blood flowed from the wound, staining her silver-white hair and soaking into the ground beneath her.

Her azure eyes had dimmed, her small body bore multiple wounds, blood continuously trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her breathing grew weaker. Any doctor would have declared her beyond saving.

It was clear she had fallen from a great height, and with fragments lodged in her head, she was no different from a corpse.

"Oh my, what a pitiful little darling. Captain, let's save her!"

"What a coincidence?"

The newcomers were Zhang Wei and Elysia. Dressed in thick clothing, they looked down at the white-haired ball of fluff in the crater. Elysia's face was filled with pity, while Zhang Wei showed a look of surprise.

He had clearly recognized the white-haired ball of fluff's identity and could pinpoint the time. It was likely when Seigfried defected from Schicksal, around the year 2007.