"What happened between you and her, Zhao Bai?"
Kiana asked curiously as well.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Bai recounted what had happened that day, though he left out the more fantastical details. He merely said that he had come to Canghai City to deliver food and encountered Miss Chen on the road, overwhelmed by extreme negative emotions and about to lose herself, so he had stepped in to save her.
"So, you saved a beauty like some hero?"
Kiana sounded a little disappointed. "Your Zhao Family Restaurant even offers delivery services? How did I not know that?"
"Delivery starts at fifty kilometers. If it's any closer, I can't be bothered."
The conversation was about to drift off again, so Zhao Bai quickly coughed and pulled it back on track. The two simultaneously fixed Miss Chen with serious looks and flashed their official credentials.
"To be honest, we're an organization that specializes in handling supernatural phenomena."
"Please tell us truthfully what happened that day."
Miss Chen believed them naturally enough. After all, Zhao Bai was her savior. She invited the two inside to sit down, and the atmosphere remained fairly relaxed, without the feeling of an interrogation.
"What happened to you last night was not a coincidence."
Zhao Bai said this while holding a cup of tea and lowering his head for a sip. It was merely loose tea sold everywhere in supermarkets, and it had not even been rinsed with boiling water before brewing. The bitterness was intense. He frowned slightly, set down the cup without drawing attention to it, and never touched it again.
Zhao Bai explained in simple terms, "Something lurking in the shadows noticed your negative emotions. Like an angler fishing, it patiently tempted you into falling. But as with all fishing, when the fish bites the bait, some kind of connection forms between the angler and the fish. Think carefully. That night, amid all that pain, did you see any fleeting images?"
That night...
At the time, Miss Chen had been undergoing her final transformation. Had Zhao Bai not stopped her, she would have become the lowest class of zombie.
By normal logic, where there were low-level ones, there had to be higher-level ones. There had to be some enormous mystery hidden behind it all.
It would be even better if Miss Chen could remember something.
They said taste and smell were the ancestors of all senses. Zhao Bai turned and entered the kitchen, locked the door, took out the ingredients he had brought with him, and planned to make the exact same snowflake beef ribs as that day.
Heavenly Fire Judgment spewed out a six-meter pillar of flame, yet it did not ignite the kitchen or even produce any thick smoke.
All the firepower was concentrated on the steak.
Before long, the dish was served. The smoky aroma of grilled meat spread through the room, accompanied by the faint crackling of exploding fat. Staring at its deep brown surface, Miss Chen seemed to remember something.
The fragrance of the steak pulled her back to that day.
She closed her eyes and murmured softly, "So hot... so painful... every organ was burning..."
"Did you see any images?"
"I saw... a ruined classroom... vines."
Her memories stopped there. Even recalling that miserable memory now was unbearable. Miss Chen clutched her forehead and sat down. After resting for a while, she picked up her knife and fork to eat the meat. At the same time, Kiana fell into deep thought.
Within Canghai City, a ruined school...
Could it be Senba Academy?
Before entering St. Freya Academy, Kiana had escaped alive from the terrifying Honkai Eruption. She had still been a middle school student then, attending Senba Academy, which had been completely destroyed in that Honkai Eruption.
It was also during that Honkai Eruption that the Herrscher of Thunder awakened.
Before you continue