What a Twist of Fate / Confidence from Growing Stronger

However, just as Gwen was engrossed in the tense and exciting task of clearing the path, Eden's voice quietly rang out again, but this time there was a hint of urgency in it—

"Gwen, there's something I didn't have time to say before..."

Since Gwen had gone off to do something else after we had only exchanged a few words, Eden, who hadn't found a suitable opportunity to speak, quickly spoke up when Gwen resumed his previous work.

"Um?

Did something happen?

Gwen still subconsciously diverted some attention to find out what had caused Eden to react in this way.

Chapter 225 It's a Twist of Fate

Upon hearing Gwen's question, Eden answered without hesitation, quickly and clearly stating his answer:

"Previously, during the process of maintaining energy circulation, the energy in your body showed some flows that had not occurred before."

Since I wasn't sure if it was something you needed, I didn't forcefully stop you; I just took necessary precautions.

Later, I found that this operation seemed to benefit you, and even made your soul more active, so I stopped trying to stop it.

Thanks to some fragmented Remembrance, I have some understanding of energy manipulation, so I subconsciously made some corrections to its operation.

If you sense anything is amiss, please correct it immediately...

Sorry, I was distracted before, so I did it subconsciously..."

Feeling somewhat unsure of himself, Eden even apologized at the end.

From those fragmented Remembrance, Eden learned that this operation was actually quite dangerous.

And yet, as a spirit resurrected by Gwen, she treated the energy within Gwen's body in this way...

Even though she didn't mean any harm at the time, and was even acting in Gwen's best interest, Eden still felt she needed to apologize for her actions.

However, what Eden failed to notice was the somewhat strange expression on Gwen's face after hearing her words—

Is it possible for her to be in this world?

Even though he was already aware that Eden might possess extraordinary talent and ability in energy manipulation, Gwen still couldn't help but have this thought when he heard Eden's words—

Even though Gwen considered himself to have some talent in this area, it was only limited to his ability to quickly learn how to use Honkai Energy to assist in combat.

Aside from that... considering only the Five Elements Energy derived from the Light Shadow Stone and its developmental abilities, Gwen were limited to their spontaneous operation; as for modifications beyond that...

This kind of behavior, which is similar to modifying the technique on one's own after just learning Gwen arts, seems a bit like someone who is tired of living—does he really think that the fearsome concept of "qi deviation" is a joke?

At least Gwen didn't intend to make such a reckless attempt before he had enough knowledge and experience.

Now, Eden accomplished this with the experience and talent gained from his fragmented Remembrance, which truly surprised Gwen.

Moreover, if we consider this, although Eden did not enter the dream, he directly helped Gwen in the dream to accelerate the growth of his power, thus winning the battle against Hiyori.

A strange sense of Gwen rose within Gwyn for Eden, a true genius. His thoughts were complex and difficult to articulate, yet he didn't forget Eden's apology, and said with a smile:

"It's okay, Eden, you did a great job."

Moreover, we owe our successful escape from that dream to your help.

As for the energy flow in my body... it's fine right now.

In my personal opinion, it's improved a lot compared to before.

If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to help me optimize it further in the future...

"Um?"

Because that part of his Remembrance was so fragmented, Eden was slightly surprised by Gwen's reaction, but Eden's voice quickly returned to the calm and elegant tone that Gwen remembered.

"If it can help you, that would be great."

There was no affectation whatsoever; it was a completely natural and beautiful tone, which made Gwen feel a little better.

"Mei, Kiana, follow me."

Having completed his final task while communicating with Eden, Gwen, having opened the passage, called out to the two girls behind him and entered the passage he had created, large enough for anyone to enter comfortably.

"Mei, let's go..."

Having already witnessed Gwen's earth-shattering power in her dream, Kiana was not surprised by the power Gwen was displaying now. She grabbed Mei beside her and followed in Gwen's footsteps, entering the passage.

The soil, compressed by Gwen's earth elemental energy, formed a relatively stable passage, allowing the three people inside the bright yellow barrier to pass through with ease.

However, at this moment, neither Mei nor Kiana were surprised by Gwen's displayed abilities—

The two clever girls were still vivid in their minds about what had just happened in their dream, and they were not about to forget what had just occurred.

In contrast, the most important thing now is whether or not they can break out of Cocolia's sphere of influence.

Soon, the three of them walked out of the collapsed area.

However, Gwen showed no sign of joy—

"The road ahead is still long, we need to speed things up..."

Recalling the tunnel map provided by Siegfried, Gwen frowned and looked at the two of them solemnly.

"Hmm, should we go full speed ahead?"

Kiana and Mei nodded, realizing the urgency of the situation, and the latter asked directly.

"I'm afraid that's not enough..."

Gwen shook his head and extended his hand to the two of them.

"Come, I'll lead you. We'll try to get out of here before dawn."

"Good..."

Although they didn't know how powerful Gwen was in reality, the two nodded in unison and handed their hands to Gwen.

Immediately, a bright yellow light appeared in this little-known tunnel, darting rapidly towards the exit.

Just as Gwen and his companions were trying to leave Changkong City as quickly as possible, Cocolia's search operation made a breakthrough—

It wasn't that Bronya stumbled upon the truth; rather, the lab reported the collapse and discovered the underground passage.

This news quickly caught the attention of Cocolia's henchmen, who retrieved relevant intelligence from the database—

Although little known, the information that Siegfried could find, Cocolia, who had devoured the forces of Raiden Ryoma, could also find, and even faster.

"Bronya, immediately lead the Titan Unit to search this area near the exit and catch these little rats!"

Having basically confirmed that Gwen and his two companions escaped from this location, Cocolia was furious and immediately ordered her most trusted adopted daughter to lead the Titan Unit into action. At the same time, she also made sure to have people collect surveillance footage from the vicinity from the previous night.

As for the large-scale abnormal coma reported at the same time, Cocolia selectively ignored it.

Since they were already planned to be sacrifices, it doesn't matter what happens to them.

Bronya could only pray that Gwen and the others had escaped while slowly making her way to the scene, sending Gwen a warning in a special way.

However, due to this twist of fate, when Gwen and his two companions rushed out of the tunnel, they were met head-on by a dark array of gun barrels in a newly erected makeshift position...

"Grass!"

Knowing that this was the worst-case scenario, Gwen cursed inwardly and charged forward without hesitation, braving the temporarily thickened barrier and facing the gun barrels that were instantly aimed at him.

Chapter 226 Confidence Brought by Increased Strength

Tap tap tap...

Faced with the bright yellow ball of light rushing straight towards them, the soldiers who had just set up a makeshift position instinctively pulled the trigger, instantly filling the quiet mountain valley with dense gunfire.

However, the instinctive attacks launched by the terrified soldiers had no effect on the bright yellow orb, and even caused it to ripple slightly.

Before the soldiers could empty a magazine, the bright yellow orb of light slammed into the position like a cannonball.

Then--

Boom!

As if it had really been hit by a bomb, the makeshift position instantly shattered into pieces and was sent flying into the sky.

As the soldiers struggled in terror, Mei and Kiana, inside the sphere of light, instinctively showed expressions of relief—

In any case, being led to charge into a hail of bullets is still a huge test of one's nerves.

The feeling of their bodies uncontrollably rushing towards something that could kill them made the hearts of the two girls, who were still considered normal people, leap out of their chests.

Fortunately, Gwen's barrier was strong enough to completely ignore the bullets fired by these elite soldiers, preventing the two girls behind him from being harmed.

"It seems Cocolia has already discovered this place..."

Gwen, who had used the simplest and most brutal energy burst to clear the position, frowned as he felt the rain of bullets coming from both sides. Instead of continuing to attack, he explained the situation to the two people behind him.

"Given the enemy's strength here, they will likely surround us with a large military force very soon. We need to break through as soon as possible..."

"... How many times can you launch such an attack, Chisey?"

Before she could blame Gwen for silently dragging her towards the bullets, Kiana, knowing the urgency of the situation, frowned and asked.

If the enemies are all this strong, it means Gwen's barrier absolutely cannot be broken, otherwise she and Mei will be riddled with bullets.

Therefore, a swift resolution is necessary.

If a quick victory is desired, the two small pistols she carries are completely useless on this kind of battlefield; it's up to Gwen to decide the outcome.

For the first time, Kiana clearly felt a desire for power.

"If it's just this intensity and the frequency isn't too high, I could play all day long."

Gwen casually dropped a Captain America reference that no one present understood, and said in a deep voice,

"But Cocolia has more than just these regular troops. Although they can't do anything to me, they might not be able to help you when the time comes."

As Gwen spoke, the bright yellow orb enveloping the three of them darted into the dense forest, causing the tactical squads in the two surrounding positions to lose sight of their target.

So, does that mean we have no choice but to run?

Mei frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with the current situation, yet powerless to change it.

Seemingly influenced by the illusion, Mei's personality became even colder, closer to the state of Hokushin Mei from a few months ago and in that environment.

"It would be best if we could escape, but given the enemy's technological level, that might be difficult."

Gwen led the two through the dense forest, damp with morning dew and shrouded in mist, summarizing the current situation as they went.

"So... I called for reinforcements."

After receiving Bronya's reminder, Gwen, after careful consideration, abandoned his previous plan to head to North America and instead called for reinforcements from the Far East Branch.

Gwen hadn't been entirely focused on playing high school games during this time; he had also carefully investigated Cocolia's armed forces deployed in Changkong City. Therefore, Gwen abandoned the idea of taking the two of them away directly from the sky—

Cocolia has imposed a flight ban on Changkong City. Except for flights that have been reported, all other man-made flying objects are not allowed to exist. There are various levels of response, ranging from small rifles to large missiles.

Once Gwen donned the Moonsuit, he was naturally unafraid of such firepower—if he wanted to, Cocolia's anti-aircraft missiles wouldn't even be able to touch his exhaust fumes.

However, the same question remains—

At that speed, Mei and Kiana, who haven't received much professional training, definitely couldn't handle it.

If the situation is reduced to a level that the two can withstand, then Gwen will have to test whether his energy reserves or Cocolia's missile reserves are more abundant.

Since they were able to run into Cocolia's soldiers at the exit, it's likely that the surrounding area is already swarming with search and capture forces. As soon as they take off, they'll be hit by missiles.

Therefore, Gwen could only try to escape via the ground.

In this situation, Gwen abandoned his idea of sending two of the starter Pokémon directly to North America to advance the plot, and instead called for reinforcements from the Far East Branch.

With Theresa around, Otto will not touch Kiana or Mei, who is closely related to her, before the Sirin Project is officially launched.

Now, in the years leading up to the start of Sirin Project, if Gwyn can make further breakthroughs in his strength, Gwen to engage in direct confrontation with Otto.

Whether Otto genuinely cares for him as an Experimental Subject because of something similar to Theresa's situation back then, or simply uses him as a pawn, Gwen will be able to handle it with ease.

"Ha?"

Kiana was stunned upon hearing this.

"We still have reinforcements, don't we?"