Meanwhile, perhaps because extracting the Gem of Desire had been too taxing, Ye Li found himself unsteady on his feet after finishing everything.
After forcibly steadying himself, Ye Li brought the gem before Durandal.
"Bianca, now that this is done, Headquarters has no reason to take Wendy away, right?"
In response, Durandal looked at Ye Li in silence for a long time before resolutely saying, "I'm sorry, Senior. Military orders are absolute."
Durandal's inflexibility immediately made Kiana bristle.
"What kind of bullshit is 'military orders are absolute'? Are you made of wood? Don't you know how to adapt?"
Kiana shouted angrily, "Ye Li worked so hard, and you still..."
Before she could finish, Kiana raised her twin pistols, determined to have a thrilling one-on-one showdown with Durandal.
Watching this display of sisterly love and filial sisterhood, Ye Li found himself unable to put his suffering into words.
So, he could only place his hopes on the calm and steady Raiden Mei, hoping she could stop Kiana.
However, what left Ye Li speechless was...
The moment Kiana assumed a fighting stance against Durandal, Raiden Mei also pulled out her "Plasma Shadow" with an indignant look, preparing to join the battle.
What made Ye Li feel even more despairing was that even Bronya began summoning Heavy-duty Bunny to charge up.
Just as the battle was about to erupt, a somewhat flamboyant voice suddenly rang across the entire scene.
"Bianca, and all colleagues from the Far East Branch, please calm down first. There's no need to resort to violence."
"Who the hell are you? Why should I listen to you?" Kiana instinctively felt a wave of disgust toward that flamboyant voice.
"I am Otto Apocalypse, the current Overseer of Schicksal."
Otto's voice said, "Little girl, whether it's you or Bianca, you are all Schicksal's most precious treasures. I do not wish to see either side injured."
At that, Otto changed the subject and said to Durandal, "Bianca, my proudest student, I am issuing the latest orders for this operation: bring the Gem of Desire back to Headquarters."
Upon hearing Otto's new order, Durandal visibly relaxed and replied, "Understood!"
After successfully receiving the Gem of Desire, Durandal prepared to begin her journey back to European Headquarters.
Before leaving, Durandal turned back to look at Ye Li among the crowd, her eyes filled with worry.
After Durandal left, Raiden Mei reestablished contact with Himeko and reported the latest developments, while Bronya stayed nearby to look after the unconscious Wendy.
Taking advantage of the pause, Kiana walked over to Ye Li and said excitedly, "Ye Li, Ye Li, I never thought you had that kind of relationship with Durandal or whatever her name was~ Oh, right, and you have this kind of ability, so why didn't you tell us earlier? You made me misunderstand you..."
Looking at Kiana's puzzled expression, Ye Li knew just how shocking the ability he had revealed was.
But at that moment, Ye Li had no energy left to answer Kiana's questions.
Because only he knew how heavy the burden of treating the Honkai within Wendy's body and extracting the Gem of Desire truly was.
As the world spun around him and Kiana and the others cried out in alarm, Ye Li's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
Damn it, I thought this was going to have a happy ending. Why are you pulling this now?
No! Don't kill my Ye Li!
Are miHoYo's writers sick in the head? You won't let them kill pretty girls, but now you're killing my husband instead?
Once again questioning the mental state of miHoYo's writers.
Ye Li's ability obviously had enormous side effects. That was also why he had kept it from Kiana and the others.
Just as the viewers were still protesting on Ye Li's behalf, the video suddenly shifted.
The pitch-black room was covered in densely packed electronic screens.
A long-haired, blond, blue-eyed man was watching Kiana and the others on the screens while elegantly sipping red wine.
Then, the camera gradually zoomed in and finally stopped on one screen.
On it were the collapsed Ye Li and an anxious Kiana.
"My old friend, you continue to bring me more and more surprises."
The blond man drained the red wine in his hand. "In that case, it's time to set that plan in motion."
Although this blond man had appeared for only a few seconds and spoken only a few short lines,
both his elegant bearing and the imposing aura of someone in a high position told everyone that he was no ordinary man.
Moreover, some attentive viewers compared the voices and discovered that this blond man was none other than Otto Apocalypse, Schicksal's Overseer who had appeared earlier.
And this Otto was, in all likelihood, the true mastermind behind everything.
In the real world, inside an orphanage.
After seeing the man in the video who looked remarkably like her older brother, Vera immediately called over her sister-in-law, Kallen.
"Kallen, come look! My brother went off to film little videos!"
"Where? Let me see~" At Vera's call, a white-haired woman named Kallen hurried in.
After confirming that the blond man in the video was indeed her husband Otto, Kallen covered her mouth in disbelief.
Though there were slight differences in his clothing and temperament, Kallen still recognized the man in the video as her husband Otto at a glance.
Looking at the bewildered Kallen, Vera asked, "Where is my brother?"
"You mean Otto? He's outside the orphanage with Sister Aponia, taking inventory of supplies," Kallen said. "The orphanage recently took in a group of children, so there's plenty keeping them busy."
At that, Kallen looked a little dejected. "It would be nice if I could help more."
Seeing her sister-in-law in low spirits, Vera comforted her. "Kallen, there's an old saying from Shenzhou: 'Every profession has its specialty.' So don't take it to heart."
Looking at her considerate younger sister-in-law, Kallen was deeply touched.
However, the very next second...
"After all, if you went to help, Kallen, Brother and Sister Aponia might end up with even more work to do~"
Kallen: ...
Looking at her younger sister-in-law, half angel and half demon, Kallen could not help but sigh. Getting along with a sister-in-law obsessed with her brother was truly not easy.
Before you continue