Honkai Dual-Crossing, Taking Xilian to Honkai 3rd

Kiana spun the steering wheel with one hand, her peripheral vision occasionally sweeping over the gathering crowds. On the increasingly busy streets, the mechanical constructs hiding in the shadows were becoming clearer.

"Clang."

One could almost faintly hear the sound of heavy footsteps hitting the ground—uniform, synchronized, and lacking any sense of layering.

The wanted posters played on a loop on the screens.

As for the surveillance cameras on the road, one could feel a flash of white light from them almost every second.

The girl, who usually appeared optimistic, lively, and a bit silly, lowered her head, her silver bangs casting a shadow over her face.

"Besides, Raiden Mei, don't forget that Jiang Cheng is suffering from irreversible erosion; his condition is worsening every single moment."

"You can wait, and I can wait, but are you really going to let Jiang Cheng keep waiting?"

Her voice seemed to lose all warmth at that moment.

"Honkai energy erosion is very painful."

"----!"

Raiden Mei's retort froze on her lips. The sins she had committed were too clear to escape.

She gripped her hands tightly together.

Traces of blood seeped from beneath her fingernails.

Before Kiana regressed into a simpleton during her three years of comfort at St. Freya, was she actually this rational?

Well, that made sense.

If anything, one only had to look at Void Drifter to know that Kiana was quite sharp when it came to major matters.

It was simply because Mei was there, and because she had been whisked away to St. Freya Academy to enjoy a happy, stable, and peaceful life, that her brain had atrophied from long-term disuse.

--How truly in line with biological evolution!

"BOOM--!!!"

Kiana slammed her foot on the gas and drove straight onto the sidewalk. The roar of the engine grew noticeably quieter, her expression turned more serious, her gaze locked firmly ahead, and her hands constantly adjusted the steering wheel.

"Relax, just lean on me for now, okay~?"

A smooth sensation brushed against his clothes, especially the delicate voice that swept over his earlobe like a feather.

It guided his body to lean to the right, free of any worries or fears—

He curled his body like a child, resting his forehead gently against soft skin. The pervasive, fragrant scent seemed to have a built-in analgesic effect, gradually erasing the chaos in his mind.

Unconsciously wanting to seek the source of the alluring fragrance, he subconsciously opened his eyes—

Jade-like collarbones and tender, fragrant shoulders.

Something near-perfect entered his vision.

Enjoyed alongside the sunlight streaming through the window, it was like a layer of golden honey drizzled over snow-white cream cake.

However, such things were secondary; the focus was the girl gazing at him with such tenderness—her beautiful eyes, like a pool of clear spring water, reflecting his pale face.

Her long, curled eyelashes were like swaying tree shadows, rippling the emerald waves of the lake layer by layer.

What rippled within them was clear, unmistakable concern.

"Where did you two come from?"

Kiana's voice drifted from the front, sounding nonchalant.

"The information you possess isn't something an ordinary civilian should have. Those gangs aren't capable of it either, but the big organizations... they don't have people as reckless as you. It's quite strange, you know."

"So, let's have a formal introduction."

Jiang Cheng had no intention of hiding anything.

"I am Jiang Cheng, a prophet born with the ability to see the future. And she is Xilian. You could also call her Aili."

He squeezed the girl's small hand a little tighter.

Although he didn't need to signal her at all, Xilian wore an expression that said, "Do whatever you like."

"She is my current guardian, helping me successfully survive in this world."

"--Eh, eh?!"

The girl's expression turned flustered in an instant.

The right eye that had been peacefully closed, maintaining a playful posture, snapped open, revealing a look of bewilderment.

"Well, that's not wrong, but 'guardian'... it still sounds so strange! Although, if Ah Cheng really likes it that way... I suppose I don't mind~?"

Kiana's eyes went blank for a moment, and she wore the expression of the "old man looking at his phone" meme.

But recalling Xilian's unconditional tolerance earlier, she felt that the title of guardian was actually quite reasonable.

Jiang Cheng tried his best to steady the two restless little hands in his palm and said softly, "The reason Xilian accompanied me here is that I foresaw many crises occurring in the future, so I want to resolve some of them in advance and use that to gain some power--"

"Mm, this lady can understand that."

Kiana nodded.

Although Jiang Cheng's resistance to Honkai energy was not low—and he wouldn't court death if he didn't seek it—it was only natural to want to become stronger when provided with sufficient intelligence.

Using his precognition to keep his eyes on the Herrscher was a perfectly logical choice.

"You really have it rough, don't you?"

She said nonchalantly.

"To be able to see so much information about this world since birth, to know of so many tragedies, yet have no one who can empathize with you, no one who can see what you see... just thinking about it makes one feel despair."

"--Is that why you chose to trust Raiden Mei? Because you saw that she could?"

The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Before she knew it, the already torn section of her thigh-high stocking was pulled open into a small gap.

Raiden Mei looked at the purple fabric in her hand, her dark purple eyes veiled by a faint, indelible mist, her lips parting subconsciously—

"----Screech!"

The agonizing wail of tires grinding against the pavement erupted suddenly.

Plastic collided with gravel and asphalt, and the barely enclosed car felt like it was turning into a roller coaster.

Kiana gripped the steering wheel tightly, her white sneakers pressing down so hard they nearly pierced the floor, leaving deep indentations; Raiden Mei's forehead slammed directly against the car window, avoiding injury only through the physical conditioning of a martial artist; Jiang Cheng was nearly lifted from his seat—

Just before that—

Soft, impossibly dense skin pressed close.

The adorable girl hugged him tightly.

Her slender, snow-white arms and waist, which could be spanned by a single hand, constricted around him like ropes.

Soft, gentle breaths echoed in his ear, a fragrance like an orchid in bloom—elegant, yet carrying the scent of spring cherry blossoms drifting in the wind, swaying against the gale.

Jiang Cheng barely regained a shred of consciousness from the chaos—specifically from the extreme, soft, and smooth sensation he could feel clearly from head to toe. He had just lifted his head, not yet having the chance to meet the eyes of Xilian, whose fair skin was flushed with a faint, rose-petal pink—

"Ahead—"

Kiana's voice suddenly tightened, causing Jiang Cheng, who was struggling to maintain his persona as a cold, stoic CEO, to look at the windshield immediately.

"—We can't get through."

The scene before them could no longer be described as a simple traffic jam; or rather, it was the very cause of the congestion.

----Blockade----

The entire sidewalk, from one end to the other, was packed with dense rows of stalls, carts, umbrellas, and folding tables, while a crowded mass of people shoved and shouted.

Kiana pushed open the car door immediately, familiarly approaching an auntie inside the crowd.

Jiang Cheng took the opportunity to slowly separate from Xilian, doing his best to look toward the end of the crowd.

"Haa..."

His heartbeat was difficult to calm for a moment.

It wasn't because of pain, but the fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose, which seemed to accelerate the flow of blood through his veins.

Several minutes later.

Kiana sat back in the driver's seat, and one could see from the rearview mirror that her expression had turned exceptionally ugly.

"I just asked. Every exit in the city is blocked. No one can leave, and sneaking out is impossible. There are multiple mechs scanning the perimeter, and surveillance equipment covers every inch of land."

--As expected.

This did not exceed Jiang Cheng's expectations.

From the very beginning, he hadn't counted on being able to leave Nagazora with Raiden Mei so easily.

Since Cocolia dared to plan the detonation of a massive Honkai eruption in a metropolis of millions, destroying Raiden Mei's family and nearly killing her, she wouldn't have failed to make preparations.

Blockading the city, screening suspicious individuals, and setting up checkpoints on every route Mei might take—these were the minimum, and most effective, measures.

"On foot." He pulled the car door open.

"Can you manage?"

Kiana didn't agree immediately. She turned in the driver's seat, her gaze falling on his left hand, which was hidden at his side.

For Kiana, who had been fighting Honkai Beasts since she was a child, traveling and battling the Honkai all the while, there was no difference between that and being completely exposed.

Once she confirmed his ability to move—

Jiang Cheng could clearly see a hint of disdain manifest in those beautiful sky-blue eyes.

"I—"

"I can just carry A-Cheng."

With natural confidence, Xilian stepped forward, firmly blocking the space between Jiang Cheng and the others. She patted her flat little chest without hesitation.

"Don't worry, I'm actually quite strong~!"

"I..."

Abruptly, another voice cut in without warning.

"...I can do it, too."

Jiang Cheng's gaze followed the sound—

Raiden Mei had also stepped out from the vehicle, taking a step forward. Her skirt flared slightly from the haste of her movement, revealing a flash of skin so fair it was almost blinding.

The line between her hip and the top of her thigh, a curve that tapered with near-perfect suddenness... one could only describe it as full of sensuality.

Her hands were clenched into fists, hanging at her sides.

Her knuckles were white, and her fingertips were bleeding.

"I used to... study martial arts under my fathe—under the Homu Sword Saint. My physical fitness is still quite superior."

"--No."

13. Only Raiden Mei is not allowed

In that instant, the air seemed to grow so heavy it turned solid, impossible to swallow.

The girl, bright and sunny—the kind of maiden who, just by standing there, made one feel as if they were in a field of flowers illuminated by the sun—looked up. In those azure eyes, nothing remained but a pure—almost stubborn—refusal.

"No."