Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

That terrifying punch was still fresh in my memory.

Maybe she really had hidden something from us, but who could tell others every single one of their secrets without holding anything back?

After hearing Chen out, Swire recalled the shocking punch Suika had thrown in anger during the arrest.

I Can Write Fight Scenes Too!

Soon, it was the morning of the third day.

Hoshiguma accompanied Suika as they walked down the street.

"Will you come back?" Hoshiguma asked.

"Of course. I may have been ordered to leave by a deadline, but nobody said I couldn't come back in.

I'll wander around outside for a few years. Maybe I'll come back when I get tired of it."

Suika held a serving of fish balls in her hand, eating as she walked.

Hoshiguma felt a wave of exhaustion at her behavior.

"You know, over the past week, the number of wanderers and unidentified people leaving Lungmen westward has increased tenfold," Hoshiguma suddenly said.

"They're all looking for me?" Though phrased as a question, her tone was certain.

"Even prosperous Great Yan can suffer famine because of Catastrophes.

And you—just you alone—can ensure that the people of an entire region never go hungry because of Catastrophes or disasters.

Do you know how terrifying that ability is?"

Hoshiguma rubbed her brow. It angered her that Suika clearly knew how dangerous she was, yet still acted like this.

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll protect myself.

Besides, you've seen what I can do. I'm really strong!"

Suika raised an arm and flexed her completely invisible bicep.

"What good is being strong? Others can use schemes and tricks to deceive you, to force you.

Martial force is only the final safeguard."

Having risen from the bottom herself, Hoshiguma naturally knew just how unscrupulous people could become for a single bite of food.

For a "strategic weapon" like Suika, even if Wei Yenwu was willing to let her go, there would be no shortage of people in Lungmen—or even Great Yan—who, after learning of her Originium Arts, would not let her leave so easily.

Yet Suika showed no fear after hearing her words.

"Hoshiguma, what do you think I'm like?

A self-righteous, arrogant little brat who gets cocky just because she has a little talent?

Nope!

I'm only like this because Lungmen has you, Chen SIR, Sister Swire, and Granny Wang.

Outside Lungmen, I'm the Ghost King of Mount Oe."

Suika was no longer the timid girl she had been half a year ago. With a pile of money on her and abilities honed to perfection, she was confident she could handle the trouble ahead.

When they reached the docks, Chen and Swire were both there.

"You don't have to be so polite! Go back to work, all of you. I'll protect myself."

Suika said this to the three of them.

"Hoshiguma probably already told you the news. Honestly, I think leaving Lungmen is far too dangerous too. How about I help you find someone and see if I can get your departure postponed?"

Chen said worriedly.

"Forget it. Extending it would only put more pressure on everyone. Giving those people who want to cause me trouble more time will only let them prepare more thoroughly."

Suika adjusted her backpack. It held some clothes and dry rations. Thankfully, with the Ibuki Gourd, she did not need to worry about water, which greatly reduced the burden she had to carry.

"Remember, no matter what happens outside, don't come out!" Suika said seriously before leaving.

Hoshiguma pursed her lips, then finally nodded in agreement.

After walking out through the gates, Suika looked back at Lungmen's towering city walls, then headed west without looking back.

She could feel countless gazes watching her, both from Lungmen and from outside it.

"Drones? They're being this blatant?"

Watching those drones openly circle above her head, Suika shook her head.

She had not entered any draws recently, so she had not yet obtained the flight techniques that nearly every yokai in the Touhou Project knew.

But that did not mean she could not fly. For example, when she used her ability to turn herself into mist, she could drift along on the wind.

It was just nowhere near the same as freely flying through the sky.

She had never thought of such things while she was in the city. Now that she had, she felt she needed to find somewhere to do a round of draws.

But before that, she needed to deal with the ill-intentioned people around her.

An hour later, Suika sat on a small hill. Ahead of her, more than a dozen masked people carrying weapons cautiously approached.

Watching their movements, a smile spread across her lips.

"So many people came out, yet only a handful of you are the first to die?

Aren't you hot dressed like that in this weather?"

"Stop talking to her. Watch the wine gourd in her hand. Get her!" At the lead man's shout, the group surrounded her.

Faced with the spear slashing down at her, Suika neither dodged nor retreated. She simply reached out and grabbed it.

The man had not expected Suika to be so unreasonable as to grab the spearhead directly.

Its edge was no dull thing.

Just as he thought the spear would slice through the girl's palm, a sharp clang rang out, and he found the spearhead caught in Suika's hand.

The next second, Suika stepped forward sharply, yanked the spearhead toward herself, then shoved it away.

Before he could react, he watched helplessly as Suika took his spear and drove its shaft through his chest, sending the teammate behind him flying several meters away.

He gripped the spear with both hands, his face frozen in disbelief.

But the blood spilling from his chest told him there was no saving him.

"Who says you can't kill someone without a spearhead?" Those were the girl's final words before he lost consciousness.

After killing one man in a single move, Suika tossed out a quip from Stephen Chow.

By now, the people on both sides were less than three meters away from her.

After witnessing their companion die in one blow, they swung their weapons even faster.

If they had previously considered capturing her, the strikes now aimed at her neck showed that they had no intention of leaving her alive.

Facing the all-out attacks from the two men on either side, she chose the one closer to her and launched herself straight into his arms like a starving dog pouncing on food.

The man put even more strength into his swing as Suika charged toward him.

With veins bulging, his long blade slashed into Suika's raised hand with a shriek of tearing air.

Clang! Just like the spearhead before, the blade only left a white mark when it struck Suika's skin. It did not even break through.

The person struck was completely unharmed, while the one swinging the blade had left himself wide open.

Naturally, his full-force killing blow had bounced back as if he had struck diamond with a cleaver.

Had he used normal strength, he might have been able to control his weapon. But now, the shock had numbed his arms.

The rebounding force threw both his hands upward, exposing his chest—such a dangerous spot—directly before Suika.

"Little fistie, pound your chest!"

Naturally, Suika would not let such a good opportunity pass. She slipped into his arms, then her tiny clenched fist touched his chest.

Let Me Write a Little More Fighting

If it had been an ordinary woman or child, that might have been coquettishness or flirtation.

But when Suika's punch landed, the man's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He let out an involuntary scream, then toppled backward.

The people staring at Suika watched their companion's chest cave in, his ribs punching out through his back, and they were dumbstruck.

They could not help groaning inwardly, wondering what kind of monster they were facing.

Everyone present knew one another and had all been through countless battles.

They were the kind of experts that even a dozen ordinary people could not get near.

Yet this group had lost two men to their target in a single exchange.

And every strike had been a one-hit kill.

At that moment, they were all shocked by the child's ruthlessness.

What they did not know was that while Suika looked calm on the surface, her stomach had already begun churning violently.

She deeply regretted packing fish balls to eat on the road before leaving.

Now, whenever she looked at those two dead men whose eyes remained wide open, nausea surged into her throat, and she could throw up at any moment.

Fortunately, someone else charged at her with a weapon just then, distracting her.

When she saw the meteor hammer flying at her head, Suika instinctively reached to her waist. She pulled down the chain with the round ball at its end, then swung it into the enemy's weapon like a meteor hammer.

One second later, the man's meteor hammer flew back and smashed his own head into pulp.

Suika looked at the chain in her hand and suddenly remembered that she did not have to fight barehanded.

She immediately took the other chain, the one with the triangular end, from her waist and grasped it in her other hand.

Then, swinging both chains, she launched a countercharge at her enemies.

Ten seconds later... as she pulled back the iron chain wrapped around an enemy's neck, the final opponent was strangled to death where he stood.

After doing all that, she looked up at the drones still in the air. Then she pointed toward the valley between two mountains not far away, made an arrogant throat-slitting gesture, and walked inside without looking back.

Nearby, nearly ten teams comprising hundreds of people from different organizations were engaged in heated discussion.

Though the first group's strength had not been the greatest among them, they had still been above average.

Yet people of that caliber had not lasted even a minute against the target.

Every one of Suika's attacks could be described as overwhelmingly powerful. This made some groups, who did not know her true strength and had merely accepted a job to seize her, hesitate.

But even more people chose to follow without hesitation in the face of Suika's provocation.

The organizations and groups appearing behind Suika were all silent. Though none spoke, they had basically prepared for the worst—if they could no longer capture the target alive, they would kill her rather than let another faction obtain her.

After walking deeper into the valley for a while, Suika stopped and took several hard gulps from the Ibuki Gourd.

By then, she had temporarily emerged from the excitement and nausea of killing.

Thinking of the fight to come, she drank a few more mouthfuls to suppress the restlessness in her heart.

Just then, chaotic footsteps sounded from behind her. Those pursuing her had reached a spot more than ten meters away.

Since they were all people of Yan, Suika had originally planned to give them one more chance. If any of them were willing to leave, she could spare their lives.

But before she could even speak, several arrows had already shot toward her.

Faced with the arrows flying at her, Suika could only raise her hands before her eyes and activate her ability to increase her body's density.

The arrows struck her skin just as she finished doing so.

After several clangs, the arrows simply fell to the ground.

The people rushing forward were roaring inwardly as well. What kind of monster was this?

Several of the archers used powerful bows and heavy crossbows. Combined with Originium Arts, their shots could pierce not only people, but even iron plates as thick as a palm.

Yet attacks that powerful could not inflict any effective damage on Suika.

"What powerful hard qigong! Aim for her vital spots first—find her weak point!"

One of the leaders shouted.

At his words, the ranged attackers shifted their aim away from Suika's chest and targeted the more vulnerable parts of her body.

Suika spread her hands. She could feel her entire body's temperature rapidly rising along with the increase in density.