I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 609

Without hesitation, Rita gave instructions to the team members waiting on the other end of the terminal, then cautiously gripped her scythe and looked at the Raven projection in mid-air.

"Oh dear, why are you looking at me like that? Miss Rita, you're the one who's trespassing on someone else's territory without permission, trying to pry into their secrets. I suppose... isn't that just Schicksal?"

Rita smiled calmly under pressure and said to Raven in a low voice, "Can I assume that you are about to make a move against the people of Schicksal? Or... are you planning to expose your identity as a member of the World Serpent?"

"These past few days, after I gave you the clues, you've been rushing around various disaster sites, but instead of looking for the Herrscher of the Void, you've become quite interested in us. As expected, those who come from Schicksal are all sharp-nosed dogs." Raven chuckled, her smile containing disdain for Rita.

After Raven uttered the words "Herrscher of the Void," Rita knew that the relationship between Shencheng Pharmaceuticals and World Serpent was just as she had guessed.

"However, everything has already been priced. Since Miss Rita is so interested in this place, why not stay a little longer and let me entertain you properly? As for the price of having me personally serve you... in exchange, I will accept your life and the lives of your subordinates."

Before she could finish speaking, a large amount of gas spewed out of the exhaust vent on Rita's head. The quick-witted Rita immediately stepped back to avoid inhaling the toxic gas and put on the gas mask from her armor.

Fortunately, she did not inhale the gas.

After the gas was sprayed, the ceiling above was opened, and a deformed and terrifying figure fell from above to the bottom of the five-story space. Rita was on the fifth floor, saw four strangely shaped mechanical legs the moment it fell.

"By the way, could you also help test the performance of the improved Valkyrie Hunter 'Death Weaver'? I believe that even Valkyrie Schicksal dire straits can unleash considerable power."

Rita gave Raven a long look. A tremor came from downstairs, and she heard something crawling rapidly across the wall. She smiled and asked, "Do you understand what kind of opponent you've chosen?"

"If you think that something like this can destroy the Valkyrie of Schicksal, then you really have a sad view of World Serpent's choice of employees."

However, Raven remained silent in the face of Rita's mockery, only letting out a chilling chuckle, "Heh heh..."

At the same time, two giant mechanical legs tore the fifth-floor railing apart like paper, revealing a monster with terrifying mechanical compound eyes to Rita.

The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Nineteen, Round Two

"A battle took place here."

Kiana crouched in a blind spot, observing the cracks left on the ground while carefully surveying her surroundings.

After numerous battles with Lin, she gradually learned his techniques for concealing herself, observing patiently before acting, which made her infiltration today incredibly smooth.

Recalling how Lin had repeatedly watched her back and neck like a hound licking its teeth from where she couldn't see, making her feel what it meant to dance on the line between life and death, Kiana's fighting style became less reckless.

... Perhaps this is the result of the training?

Kiana shook her head, temporarily banishing these extraneous thoughts from her mind.

After carefully examining all the traces on the ground, she confirmed that Lin had been here before. Since the defenses were relatively lax, it meant that he had already left and probably hadn't obtained much of the information he wanted.

"Are we going to the central industrial area...?"

Kiana looked thoughtfully toward the central industrial area, and just then, she saw a scene that surprised her.

A transport ship of Schicksal sailed towards the skies above the central industrial area.

"Schicksal? What are they doing here?"

Upon seeing the transport ship, Kiana hid behind cover, frowning as she looked at the ship docked in the central industrial area. Then, she recalled the rumors she had recently heard in the city, and suddenly everything became clear to her.

Schicksal couldn't possibly abandon its aid plan. That man wouldn't allow anyone to stir up trouble in his name, and those rumors would lead Schicksal to investigate matters concerning Shencheng Pharmaceuticals. So now it's clear that they've found relevant clues and started their operation.

Months of wandering had made her unable to become lazy, and Lin forced her to increase her mental agility, which enabled her to quickly deduce the truth.

"It seems it's time for me to make my move." Kiana's figure disappeared from the spot as she murmured to herself.

"..."

The figure rushing through the darkness looked up and saw the transport ship in the sky. He realized that now might be the most opportune time, so he quickened his pace. After seeing the open gate of the industrial area and hearing the sounds of fighting and screams coming from inside, he came to the door and saw a sea of blood.

Severed limbs, corpses, and blood were scattered on the ground, forming a symphony of death.

The Honkai zombie shouldn't have appeared, along with a type of mech he had never seen before, were collectively slaughtering a group of armored women. Despite their extraordinary equipment and skill, they seemed to have only the strength of ordinary people and were no match for the surging tide of enemies. One by one, they fell at the monster's feet.

"Damn it... How's the Vice-Captain, Alvitr?!"

"No, we still can't get in touch! Our signal has been cut off!"

The few remaining team members huddled together to fight the monsters. Their blood, along with the monsters' blood and the mechs' coolant, splattered all over their faces. Despite their extensive experience, the scene of heavy casualties before them still made them grit their teeth and their hands holding their weapons tremble slightly.

"Roar..."

The foul-smelling growls emanating from the Honkai zombie caused the girl called Alvitr to tremble violently as she tried to contact Rita using her terminal, but the static and the monsters' roars caused her to completely break down.

"Howl!"

In the final, impending assault, the Honkai zombie would tear them all to shreds, just like her teammates who had spoken to her before she left, their half-chopped heads now staring at her with their remaining eyeballs, their eyes wide open in death.

With tears welling in her eyes, Alvitr awaited death in despair.

"Bang!"

"Boom!!!"

Suddenly, a spherical object was thrown right in the center of the Honkai zombie and mechs, and then a heat wave and sonic boom swept over the monsters.

"Kiana, go help the Schicksal forces. Their Honkai Energy been deactivated and they are being slaughtered."

Kiana, who had arrived not far from the central industrial area, suddenly heard a voice coming from her own body. She took out the communicator that Lin had given her earlier, and the lit indicator light clearly showed that someone was transmitting a message to her from the other end of the communicator.

Kiana paused for a moment after hearing the message: "How did you know?"

"I know your whereabouts." Lin's slightly cold voice carried an icy chill even through the communicator, "Hurry up... sizzle..."

Kiana didn't hear what was said after that; the signal seemed to have been cut off. She put away the communicator, drew her dual pistols, and with a calm expression, rushed towards the central industrial area as fast as she could!

"It seems I must excuse myself for a moment, Miss Rita. There is another little mouse that I need to deal with."

Rita had lost her Honkai Energy and was struggling against the Death Weaver, leaned on her scythe and gasped for breath. She stared intently at the projection of the Raven. She had lost contact with her teammates after issuing the rendezvous order, which was obviously intentional on their part. Now, the Blade of Immortality was probably in the same situation as her, and was more likely to be slaughtered in one-sided fashion.

Xiola, now that you've fallen into the hands of Schicksal, how shall I torment you...?

Raven stared coldly at the hooded and masked man in the scene. She had completely lost patience with him. Now that Rita had lost her Honkai Energy, she no longer needed to worry about her.

This guy who keeps causing trouble, we must get rid of him completely this time.

After helping the Valkyrie out of their predicament, Lin headed straight for the interior of the central industrial zone. Shortly after he entered, Kiana arrived and, seeing the state of the Blade of Immortality, chose to save them.

Lin made no attempt to hide; he knew the Raven and the Jackal must have spotted him, and that was exactly what he was after.

"Bang!"

Black Mist mixed with crimson blood burst through the wall beside him, and the ninja Honkai zombie's bloodthirsty twin blades were already pressed against his neck in an instant, about to separate his body from his head in the next second.

"Whoosh! Sizzle!"

Lin drew his sword with his hand behind his back, and it landed right between the two blades. He dodged, and the blade left a bloody mark on his neck, but it couldn't make his icy eyes waver in the slightest.

He kicked the Honkai zombie in the chest, sending him flying with a cracking sound of bones breaking. Then he turned and drew his gun, firing in one fluid motion, piercing the assassin's skull before the Honkai zombie even hit the ground.

"Boom!"

But just then, another shadow that had absorbed the light crashed into him from the side, making a loud, booming sound like the cry of a raven!

"Cough..."

Lin, whose internal organs had been severely damaged, vomited a mouthful of blood, crashed straight through the wall, and slammed onto the ground.

"Looks like it's time for a second round."

Beneath the hood, wine-red snake eyes gazed at the man who rose from the ground with a seductive yet cold-blooded look, her sharp fingernails twirling a dagger as she chuckled softly.

The Journey Begins in the Sky: Chapter Twenty - Why is Life Bitter?

"So that's how it is. You're not a lone messenger of justice, but rather you're working with another little mouse."

"Whoosh! Sizzle..."

The impact of the dagger and sword clashing caused cracks to appear in the floor beneath Lin and Raven's feet. Raven caught a glimpse of Kiana's figure below and smiled wickedly at the man locked in a stalemate with her.

"No wonder the Herrscher of the Void hasn't been appearing at disaster sites lately. So it was you... You were the one who spread those rumors, weren't you? To cover for the Herrscher of the Void and keep Schicksal and World Serpent in check, you're really something..."

"Smack!"

The weapons separated and collided again. The two were like two wild beasts charging around. The fragile building was easily crushed like tofu in their battle. Lin deliberately moved outward. After dodging the attack, he smashed through the wall and came outside the industrial building.

Before he could even stand firmly, he heard a strong wind whistling overhead, and without thinking, he raised his sword.

"Bass!"

The immense force nearly caused his knees to buckle. The combined effects of his wounds, the serum, and the Raven's superhuman strength after its transformation put him at a disadvantage in terms of power, forcing him to retreat rapidly after releasing the force.

"I'm curious, what exactly drove you to help a Herrscher caused the Great Honkai?"

When she looked up, the Raven had vanished from its spot, leaving only a wisp of black smoke, and her voice began to drift in intermittently from the surroundings, its direction indistinct.

Lin retreated, slowly back to the alleyway he had come from. In the open area, he was in the light Raven in the dark, and could only react passively. Therefore, he had to create his own terrain advantage.

His back slowly pressed against the cold wall, the sword blade hummed softly, and his rainbow-colored right eye, hidden beneath the hood, shone with a bewitching light.

"I'm also curious, how much would it cost to hire you?"

Lin could only stall for time here to prevent Raven from turning around and attacking Kiana and the others, but Kiana did not come out for a long time. Instead, the remaining Valkyrie escaped in a sorry state.

"Oh? You're interested in me?" The Raven's laughter, sometimes near, sometimes far, carried a chilling undertone. "But unfortunately, I'm not employed by anyone now; I'm just a member of the World Serpent."

"You question me about why I helped the Herrscher, but what about you? Why did you help World Serpent push an entire city into the abyss?"

Raven paused for two seconds, then sighed softly, "Sometimes I think this must be crazy."

"..."

"But..." she changed the subject, and Lin only felt the sound of bird feathers flapping in the darkness. His pupils contracted slightly, but he remained calm. The other party said coldly, "Defeating the Honkai, defeating the Herrscher, is it that hard to understand? 'The righteous messenger who helps the Herrscher of the Herrscher of the Void.'"

It's here!

The flapping of wings around Lin and overhead grew louder, while the sharp sound of raven feathers cutting through the air tore at his eardrums, as if hundreds of Raven were flying around him at high speed!

Where will it come from? From the front? From behind? From above?

"Bass!"

A violent, sharp roar suddenly struck Lin's back from behind. Lin's dark pupils shrank to their minimum at that moment. His opponent had seized his weakest point, aiming at the empty space where he couldn't turn around instantly, and launched an attack on his vitals!

"Sizzle!"

A streak of crimson ghostly light shot out from a hundred meters away in an instant, piercing into the man's back. Hot blood burst out, staining the night crimson!

Success!

A slight smile played on his lips beneath the cloak.

"Um?"

But the smile froze on her pretty face the next second.

The sharp, claw-like finger cot did indeed pierce Lin's back; in theory, this strike should have pierced his heart directly.

But she found it was too shallow.

The puncture was too shallow; it barely pierced the skin and entered the muscle, and she could not go any further.

"...call."

The deep exhalation sent a strange shiver through Raven's mind. A sense of familiarity, which she couldn't quite place, welled up inside her. The man turned around, his face hidden beneath a mask under his hood, and coldly looked down at her, who was unable to move.

All that could be seen were the limbs and abdomen of Raven, which were covered in a tight-fitting combat suit, wrapped with a layer of almost invisible fine threads. The threads, as light as hair, were actually incredibly tough, digging into her flesh, and drops of blood dripped down along them.

Trap.

When she attacked from behind, she stepped into the trap the man had set. At the distance he had calculated, her excessive speed nearly tore her to pieces. If the silk thread hadn't been so resilient rather than hard, her fate would have been unimaginable.

When he arrived, he guessed that she would deal with him personally, so he set up a trap in advance and even anticipated which direction she would attack from.

No... his flaw was deliberately revealed by him.

The silk threads were tightly wrapped around her body at impeccable angles, even taking into account the angles from which she would try to break free. She felt like a puppet on strings, being manipulated at will.

The cautious Raven paid the price for its arrogance and the growing impatience of the forest over several days.

Raven forced a smile as she watched Lin reach out and lift her hood.

"Whoosh."

"..."

Perhaps shocked by Raven's youth, he didn't make a move for a moment.

"What? Surprised?"