"Thank you a thousand times over. I have no way to repay you now, but once I find my younger sister, I will return the favor you have shown me, Captain!" Having recovered, Sakura gave a deep bow and solemnly expressed her gratitude.
Though Chrono said nothing, he likewise nodded at Zhang Wei. When the time came, he would search for Ling with Sakura. After that, so long as the request was not too excessive, he would readily follow orders.
"It was nothing. Wait until you find what you're looking for before we talk about it." Zhang Wei waved his hand. He acted mostly as he pleased, not for any particular purpose. If someone displeased him, he could kill them without hesitation.
All the Flame-Chasers thanked Zhang Wei. Elysia puffed out her cheeks. Why was she the only one who had been openly ogled?
So annoying! And she had no reason to pick a fight with him. Zhang Wei had taken advantage of her for nothing—her purity as a fairy!
"My lords, do you have any requests?"
Gray Serpent appeared within the Elysian Realm. Seeing all the Flame-Chasers gathered together, its scarlet mechanical eye flickered faintly, seemingly analyzing the situation.
Although World Serpent had been nominated by Mobius and led by Kevin, these Flame-Chasers were all treated as lords within World Serpent.
"Gray Serpent, give us detailed information about the outside world. We're leaving," Mobius said. As an accidental creation from that era, Gray Serpent was quite useful and had gathered a great deal of information.
"Lady Mobius, have you recovered?"
Gray Serpent immediately dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully. As a mechanical creation, even its voice could not conceal its shock. It had only ever seen Mobius in this state through its memory modules. Moreover, scans showed that the other Flame-Chasers all possessed clear biological traits.
Kevin and the others paid it no mind. Otherwise, merely scanning them would have been seen as a provocation, and they would have crushed Gray Serpent on the spot.
"Yes, we have returned." Mobius nodded, her expression exceedingly aloof.
The red light in Gray Serpent's eye flashed rapidly. The return of these Flame-Chasers was an immensely shocking event for World Serpent, and the modern world would undoubtedly change because of it.
"Your command will be obeyed. Should I report this to Lord Kevin?" Gray Serpent began preparing the information Mobius required while asking the question. It had no standing to object; it only needed to carry out its orders obediently.
Naturally, everyone understood that this Kevin was not the Kevin in the Elysian Realm, but the Kevin in the Sea of Quantum. Su's mouth twitched, his face full of awkward helplessness. Kevin was contemplating life in the sea, and it was his original self's doing.
"That little follower? Just tell him we've gone out. Don't bother with him for now," Mobius said casually. Kevin had persisted for over a thousand years already; a few more years would make no difference.
"Understood, Lady Mobius. The information you requested is all here." Gray Serpent took out a USB drive and respectfully handed it to Mobius.
"Lady Mobius, will the plan still proceed?"
World Serpent had existed for so long and gathered so much intelligence all for the execution of the Stigmata Project. It could be said that World Serpent existed for the Stigmata Project, to defeat the Honkai completely at any cost.
"We won't interfere with the Stigmata Project. That's your business," Mobius said. Hearing its name reminded her of unpleasant things.
She had painstakingly revised it more than a dozen times, yet Mei had actually chosen the original version. It had angered her for a long time, so hearing about the Stigmata Project now only irritated her.
Gray Serpent fell silent, bowed to the Flame-Chasers, and then left the Elysian Realm without saying anything further.
"Mobius, that Gray Serpent has a mind of its own."
Zhang Wei could tell that Gray Serpent followed a fixed logic. In other words, even if Mobius tried to stop the Stigmata Project, it would refuse to comply.
"It doesn't matter."
Mobius did not care. What they needed to do for the time being would not conflict with Gray Serpent. Besides, with Captain Zhang Wei here, defeating the Honkai no longer required the old methods.
"Whatever you say. Then let's leave now. None of you have anything to bring, right?" Zhang Wei looked over the Flame-Chasers.
"No!"
They were all made of data and could not take anything out anyway. There was nothing particularly valuable, so keeping their hands in their pockets was enough.
"I know what this is called—leaving with nothing!" Kiana said with a grin.
"Captain, did I use that idiom correctly?"
Zhang Wei's mouth twitched. Their bodies were indeed quite clean, but... fine. Since she was not from the Divine Land, he would not say anything. She could just take it literally.
That was a great explanation. Next time, don't explain it.
As someone from the Divine Land, Hua could not help opening her mouth. Was that idiom used to describe a situation like this?
"Hua, does it mean that?" Elysia felt that something was off and asked Hua.
"More or less..."
Hua answered against her conscience. While the literal meaning did suit their current circumstances perfectly, she should probably find Kiana an idiom dictionary later.
"Ai Yi, depart now. Head for the outside world, choose a random landing site, and activate the shielding device to block detection by Schicksal and the other organizations!"
Zhang Wei straightened his expression. Only then did he truly have the bearing of a Captain, issuing commands in an orderly fashion.
"Oh, and don't land at the headquarters of organizations like Schicksal. I don't want to deal with them yet."
In the end, Zhang Wei still added a reminder. Ai Yi sometimes displayed the common foolishness of artificial intelligence—not that she was actually foolish; she just liked having fun. No one knew where she might land them.
"Understood, Captain!" Ai Yi pouted, feeling a little unhappy as she activated Hyperion and departed the Elysian Realm.
Hateful little Captain. He isn't as cute as he was when he was little. Once I get the chance, I'll have to tease him properly.
Am I going to die?
My body hurts so much!
Dad...
Deep within the snowy mountains, a deep crater had been smashed into the snow, exposing the frozen earth beneath. A small White-haired ball of fluff lay within it, a shard embedded deep in her head. Red blood flowed from the wound, staining her silver-white hair and seeping into the ground beneath her.
Her azure eyes had dimmed. Her tiny body was covered in wounds, blood continuously spilling from the corners of her mouth as her breathing grew weaker and weaker. Most doctors would have only one thing to say upon seeing her: there was no saving her.
She had clearly fallen from high above, and with a shard lodged in her head, she was practically 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. Both wore thick clothes as they looked at the White-haired ball of fluff in the crater. Elysia's face was filled with pity, while Zhang Wei looked surprised.
He had clearly recognized the White-haired ball of fluff and could even determine when this was. It should have been when Seigfried defected from Schicksal—in 2007.
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