At Shenzhou's border, inside an old-fashioned temple.
"Black Rock Shooter..."
A man dressed like a religious prophet murmured the name, his eyes fixed on the video playing on his phone. It showed Black Rock Shooter's debut before the world last night.
He swiped a finger, and the next video showed the same scene, just from a different angle.
Like an endless August, the internet was now flooded with all kinds of Black Rock Shooter videos. More than a hundred versions had circulated from the spectators watching the drama unfold.
There was even close-up footage recorded by the Armed Police Brigade!
It was a visual feast from every conceivable angle.
"Well? Does your 'intel' include this person?"
Two figures, one tall and one short, slowly emerged from a shadowy corner nearby. The taller one spoke in a low voice, interrupting the man's thoughts.
"This is my first time seeing this lady in black too, Mr. K. Naturally, I have no 'intel' on her."
The man turned toward the tall figure in the shadows and answered helplessly.
"But I can tell you with certainty that this lady is absolutely not human, nor is she any kind of supernatural creature known to us."
"As for the other one... I couldn't get a very clear look. Sorry."
K fell silent for a moment, then tossed an envelope in front of the man. It landed on the table with a dull thud.
Clearly, it contained a stack of cash.
"Heh heh, thank you for your patronage, Mr. K."
The man chuckled and pocketed the money, then made a religious gesture, blessing his two benefactors.
"Tch! We had to pay him that much for two useless sentences?"
After leaving the temple, the shorter figure curled his lip in displeasure.
"It's not our money we're wasting anyway. Besides, it's not as though he told us nothing."
K answered indifferently.
"?"
The shorter figure looked puzzled.
"The being called Black Rock Shooter and that mysterious pointy-eared girl had never left any trace in this world before. Either they only recently came into existence, or they came from somewhere outside this world."
At K's explanation, the shorter figure immediately understood.
"Like those winged guys in Europa's Church?"
"Ha, maybe."
K smiled and gave an ambiguous reply.
"Then... what about the company? That idiot Luo Yuan took the drug, but instead of dying, he got captured alive by the Shenzhou authorities! Now we can't even 'retrieve' the data."
Although the shorter figure sounded concerned about the company, he had his hands clasped behind his head and looked perfectly relaxed.
With Luo Yuan in that state, his brain was probably fried anyway. There was no way he could expose their existence.
The company was the only thing they needed to worry about.
"Now Shenzhou not only gets the latest Enhancement Serum data for free, but they might even use it to mass-produce stronger superheroes."
K lightly tapped the shorter figure on the head.
"Your thinking is too Federal. The people of Shenzhou won't let themselves use that data for human experimentation. The company is more worried about them selling it to other companies at a high price."
They might even sell it in pieces, one portion to this company and another to that one, making the corporate giants, who were already only friendly on the surface, tear each other apart all over again.
"The people of Shenzhou are downright evil!"
The shorter figure looked shocked.
"Yeah, they're downright evil..."
K replied absentmindedly to the shorter figure's chatter.
Rather than dwelling on the Federal corporate giants' demands for answers and compensation, K kept considering another possibility. Had sending Luo Yuan to attack that kid from the Chen family, Chen Xiao, drawn Black Rock Shooter out?
After all, the timing was far too convenient. Luo Yuan had barely used the Red Talisman to invade Chen Xiao's dream before Black Rock Shooter hunted him down and forced him into public view.
And Chen Xiao, the target of the attack, was still alive and well in his villa.
Perhaps Black Rock Shooter was Chen Xiao's bodyguard...
At that thought, K couldn't help laughing.
How could he entertain such an absurd idea?
"Even at its peak, the Chen family never had anyone that powerful! Besides, after that old bastard Chen Shifeng retired, the family holed up in Min Province for years. They only returned to Shenzhou's supernatural circles in recent years, after Chen Shifeng's eldest grandson made some progress in his cultivation."
Could a family that far fallen have the resources to summon a being like Black Rock Shooter?
Ha! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
K chuckled inwardly and shook his head.
Black Rock Shooter's appearance had led to Luo Yuan's capture and the failure of K's planned attack on Chen Xiao. The combined frustration was so intense that even such an absurd conjecture had surfaced in his mind.
"There'll be plenty of chances for revenge later anyway. I'll let you escape with your life this time, Chen Xiao."
Just imagining the delicious expression that old bastard Chen Shifeng would wear upon hearing the terrible news about his grandson made his body tremble uncontrollably.
"Ah~ You're awake, Master~ Or should Rem call you 'Xiao'?"
Chen Xiao had slept until noon the next day and even missed lunch. As soon as he entered the living room, he saw a blue figure-the color of true love-standing before him.
The girl was 154 centimeters tall, with water-blue, neck-length hair. Her side-swept bangs completely covered her right eye, leaving only one clear, luminous blue eye visible. Its outer corner tilted slightly upward, complementing her fair, delicate cheeks and thin, pale-pink lips.
A small flower-shaped ribbon and hair clip adorned the left side of her hair, and a white maid's headdress sat atop her head.
She wore the black-and-white-trimmed maid uniform of Roswaal Manor. Its knee-length skirt accentuated her slender waist, while the perfectly fitted bodice also emphasized a bust slightly fuller than her older sister's.
The undisguised enthusiasm in her sweet voice made her even harder to resist.
"Rem, Rem, if you're too eager, you'll frighten our innocent master~"
A matching figure in red stood beside her.
This was Rem's older sister-Ram.
Her figure was slender, a little slighter than her younger sister Rem's, and her skin was as white as porcelain. Her rose-red, neck-length hair swept across her left eye, leaving only one crystal-clear rose-red eye visible. Its outer corner lifted gently, and a hint of languor lingered in her shifting gaze.
As she looked at Chen Xiao, something seemed to come to mind. She pressed her pale-pink lips together, their corners curving slightly in a subtle, winsome smile.
A matching flower ribbon adorned the right side of her hair, paired with a white maid's headdress. Her black-and-white-trimmed maid uniform fitted her figure, accentuating her slender waist and the perfect line of her shoulders. The knee-length skirt looked neat and elegant.
"Yes~ Big Sister. Rem will remember."
With that, Rem took two small steps back and stood beside her sister Ram.
"Rem and Ram... Oh! I almost forgot. My materialization level went up after I awakened my superpower yesterday, so now you two can materialize too."
Stunned by the sisters' performance, Chen Xiao took a long moment to react. Mostly, he was still groggy from waking up and hadn't immediately recalled what had happened last night.
"Yes. Today, Rem (Ram) will be serving you, Master."
The sisters' voices came from his left and right like stereo audio. Chen Xiao felt a surge of electricity rush through his ears, strike his brain, and instantly spread through his entire body!
This was heaven...
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