The handheld crossbows were lined up in a row,
Their spring mechanisms were driven by the wind, slowly drawing the bowstrings taut. The bolts were ready to fire at any moment.
A flash of cyan light appeared at the arrowheads.
Bai Ye waved his hand,
And the crossbow bolts suspended in midair fired in unison.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Empowered by the Anemo Element, the bolts pierced into the Fatui soldiers' bodies before they could even react.
And at the moment of penetration, the Anemo Element at the arrowheads erupted.
The explosion burst from the inside out,
Instantly blasting their armor and outer garments off their bodies, leaving spreading wounds across their flesh.
Everyone in the front row collapsed to the ground.
Only the last Handgunner remained untouched by the bolts.
Seeing this, he immediately tried to retreat and evade Bai Ye's next attack.
But at that moment, Bai Ye rushed forward. Empowered by the Anemo Element, he reached the Handgunner's side in an instant.
"Ah..."
The Handgunner had only just opened his mouth when Bai Ye pressed a palm against his chest.
A Wrist Blade sprang from Bai Ye's wrist and pierced straight through the Handgunner's chest. Bai Ye pressed down again, pinning the slender Handgunner to the ground.
"Don't move, or you won't have a chance to be saved."
With him pinned down, Bai Ye spoke quietly to the Handgunner.
The Debt Collector and the Mirror Maiden stared wide-eyed.
Why was this man so strong...
The Mirror Maiden hurriedly prepared to fight as well, lightly flicking her fingers as she readied her ability.
But just as she raised her hand, a searing pain like being sliced apart shot through her palm.
Then she felt intense pain in her chest, cheeks, and lower abdomen.
The pain robbed her of any ability to resist.
Rippling water shimmered as Yelan appeared behind the Mirror Maiden. Her high-heeled foot kicked into the back of the Mirror Maiden's knee, forcing her to kneel.
Yelan brought her bowstring close to the Mirror Maiden's throat.
"Done."
She spoke softly to Bai Ye.
As for the Debt Collector beside them, neither of them was worried.
The Debt Collector was best at stealthy ambushes. With both legs nailed through, what waves could he possibly stir up now?
Bai Ye walked over to Yelan and asked,
"What should we do next? Should we find Xingqiu's father and tell him what happened here?"
They had heard every word of the transaction between the two groups just now. Yelan now knew that the Feiyun Commerce Guild was indeed colluding with the Fatui, but it was not the guild's boss, Xingqiu's father. It was the guild's second-in-command, Qian Er.
And he was even planning to murder Xingqiu's father.
Originally, Yelan and Bai Ye had planned to make their move and wipe out all these Fatui. But then they discovered that the Debt Collector's side was still plotting against Qian Er, and their main goal was this labyrinth map.
The two were curious, so they set aside the ambush over there for the moment and came to get their hands on the labyrinth map first.
Now that they had subdued all the enemies, it was time to prepare the next stage of the plan.
"Shouldn't we go catch those Fatui directly?"
"Hey, if we wipe out all the Fatui like this and don't tell Xingqiu's father, will he be able to see through Qian Er's scheme?"
Besides,
Most importantly, how was he supposed to ask Xingqiu's father for a reward!
Xingqiu and I are friends, and I'm currently working for Yelan, but I saved the life of the Feiyun Commerce Guild's boss. Asking him to find me a few more Floating Stones shouldn't be a problem, right?
The Feiyun Commerce Guild was wealthy and powerful. They definitely had plenty of connections.
"Fine, that works too."
Yelan rubbed her brow, tacitly accepting Bai Ye's suggestion.
"But right now, what we need to focus on more is this mechanism that is to be delivered to Childe."
Yelan stepped toward the Debt Collector.
Her posture was elegant, and she was exceptionally beautiful, but in the Debt Collector's eyes, she was terrifying beyond measure.
It was the pressure of overwhelming strength.
Their squad of elite Fatui had actually been dealt with by this woman and the young man behind her alone.
Yelan grabbed the Debt Collector by the collar.
"Can you give me this mechanism now? During this time, you Fatui have collected quite a few Liyue artifacts connected to the Adepti. What exactly are you people trying to do?"
Seeing Yelan's gaze, the Debt Collector was terrified to the extreme.
"I don't know anything. I was only following Lord Childe's orders."
He spoke in a trembling voice.
Yelan studied the Debt Collector carefully and saw that he did not seem to be lying.
Then she picked up the labyrinth map.
"What do you know about the origins of this labyrinth map?"
Yelan questioned him again.
"I don't know. I really have no idea about that. I only know that it is a mechanism made by an Adepti several hundred years ago."
The Debt Collector was only responsible for carrying out orders. He truly did not know the specifics.
Seeing that she could get no information from the Debt Collector,
Yelan could only pick up the labyrinth map.
She looked it over and over, but could not make anything of it.
At that moment,
She turned to look at Bai Ye.
She thought that she had nearly forgotten about him.
"Come, help me take a look at this mechanism."
Holding the mechanism, Yelan walked toward Bai Ye.
As Yelan approached, Bai Ye, an expert in the Art of Automata, became somewhat curious as well.
He hurried forward a few steps, preparing to take the mechanism from her.
"Let me see, this adeptal mechanism..."
As Bai Ye spoke, his fingers touched the labyrinth map in Yelan's hand.
And the instant he touched it,
Hagintos's voice rang out in Bai Ye's mind.
"Wait, this mechanism seems familiar to me!"
"What?"
Bai Ye was about to ask.
But before he could,
He felt a pulling force arise from the labyrinth map.
He looked up at Yelan,
And her expression was equally surprised.
"This is..."
Yelan had just begun to speak when, before Bai Ye's eyes, her entire body seemed to be sucked into the labyrinth map.
After Bai Ye saw Yelan get sucked inside,
He lasted only a few more seconds before being pulled into the labyrinth map as well.
When the Fatui nearby saw this, their eyes immediately lit up.
The enemies were gone?
The Debt Collector was just about to laugh.
At that moment,
He too felt the pulling force.
In almost the blink of an eye, all the surrounding Fatui were sucked into the labyrinth map.
Leaving behind nothing but a mess on the ground.
After Bai Ye felt as if his body had been violently sucked up by a powerful vacuum cleaner for an instant, his body suddenly felt light.
It seemed as if he were floating in midair.
Before he had time to think,
His body began to fall.
But he did not hit the ground.
More than a meter above the floor,
He felt a pair of hands supporting the backs of his knees and his back.
Looking up,
He saw that Yelan was carrying him in a princess hold.
Looking at Bai Ye in her arms, then surveying their surroundings, Yelan asked,
"Are we inside this labyrinth mechanism now?"
Before you continue