Chapter 130

[Congratulations Theresa on winning the reward: Concept Card - Shed the Golden Cicada's Shell.]

[Description: In times of crisis, it can create the illusion of a physical death, allowing the real body to escape thousands of miles away without leaving a trace.]

Theresa: "Oh, this is good stuff."

A life-saving trump card!

At that point, whether it's the secret base of Schicksal, the steel torrent of Anti-Entropy, or the experimental site of the World Serpent, wouldn't Theresa be able to come and go as she pleases?

Himeko Murata: "Hmm... Theresa, have you ever thought about this?"

Theresa: "What?"

Himeko Murata: "Is this 'escaping a thousand miles away'... roughly where will it take you?"

Theresa: "This seems... to be a problem."

She could be sent to any godforsaken place, thousands of miles away; perhaps from one enemy base to another, even more dangerous one.

Theresa quietly put the Concept Card in her pocket, determined not to use it unless absolutely necessary!

[In the scene, stars twinkle in the sky, Rita moves alone through the darkness, like a sharp knife piercing the heart of her enemy.]

"Your Excellency, I have arrived in Sky-Piercing City. Please provide further instructions."

"Two weeks ago, a Honkai Energy was detected in Sky-Piercing City," Otto explained in the communication. "Subsequent investigation of the CCTV footage revealed traces of the Herrscher of the Void. Your mission is to find her whereabouts."

"Yes, sir."

Rita nodded, then changed the subject and voiced her doubts.

"However, two weeks have passed since the surveillance footage was taken. The Herrscher of the Void has probably already left the city. Is there any point in continuing to pursue this information?"

Putting yourself in Rita's shoes, you would never stay in this city after being exposed.

"The person who uploaded the photo is an information broker from Sky-Piercing City, nicknamed Gray Serpent. He possesses a technology that allows him to monitor the city's online information and sift out valuable intelligence."

Otto said.

"The release of the photos by Gray Serpent is a hint to buyers that it holds the whereabouts of the Herrscher of the Void."

"According to the latest intercepted intelligence, there have been sightings of traitors from the Far East Branch also appearing in Sky-Piercing City."

Rita lowered her head. "For Lady Theresa to lose her composure and risk exposing her whereabouts to come to Sky-Piercing City to search for clues, I can only conclude that the credibility of this information far exceeds expectations."

It seems this search mission won't be easy. Theresa and her team still have the resources to track down the Herrscher of the Void, with Anti-Entropy providing intelligence support behind the scenes.

If we keep following the clues, we'll likely find the Herrscher of the Void's whereabouts.

"Just adapt to the situation. I've given you all the mission information. Use whatever means necessary to obtain it before Theresa."

"Clear."

Rita nodded, cut off communication with Otto, and looked up at the sky above Sky-Piercing City.

It remains prosperous and safe, and even as the outside world is ravaged by Honkai, it has little to do with it.

However, the residents of Sky-Piercing City never imagined that the Herrscher of the Void, who triggered the Great Honkai, was right under their noses.

Rita continued groping in the darkness, searching for traces of the Gray Serpent.

Theresa: "Why is it just Rita alone? Are they going to have her take down Gray Serpent all by herself?"

Rita killed World Serpent executive, Theresa already knew this.

But in her imagination, it should be that the Valkyrie of Schicksal gang up on her, and then Rita and Gray Serpent fight one-on-one, taking advantage of the opponent holding back to kill Gray Serpent's fake body.

Chapter 215 How did Rita's car crash?

Based on the current footage, it seems Otto simply gave Rita a mission, and then Rita went on a rampage, single-handedly killing Gray Serpent?

Theresa was incredulous; when did Rita become so amazing?

Theresa: "Raven, is there such a big difference in combat power among your world's executives? How come Rita was able to kill Gray Serpent all by herself?"

Raven: "That Gray Serpent guy... what should I say?"

Thinking of that strange person who gave her such a headache, Raven didn't know how to describe him for a moment.

Raven: "Just think of it as that guy being lucky; dying a few times won't hurt him."

Sakura: "Actually, I've killed the Gray Serpent several times... ten or eleven times, I can't quite remember."

Kiana: "The Gray Serpent also survived from Previous Era to the present?!"

Sakura: "I don't know, but it's probably true."

After all, Fifty Thousand Years have passed. Even if the original Gray Serpent could not withstand the test of time, it might have created new individuals.

Previous Era, the Gray Serpent was a troublemaker, running secret bases for hoarding military weapons, establishing mysterious organizations that promoted cults, and becoming a lucrative arms dealer...

In Sakura's memory, Gray Serpent had many identities, and she had tried to kill him many times, but to no avail.

Moreover, killing him was no easy task. Sakura had no idea what Gray Serpent was plotting after her death.

Kiana: "So, that guy is actually really weak, right?!"

If even Rita could kill the Gray Serpent, Kiana felt that if she were to encounter it, she wouldn't need to be afraid at all.

Raven: "You can't judge the level of danger just by combat strength. Being targeted by that guy is not a good sign."

Kiana: "Tsk, a guy who stabs people in the back? Sounds disgusting."

Even though Kiana felt she was already very strong, this kind of enemy who didn't care about dying and only knew how to stab people in the back was really disgusting.

In the scene, Rita, relying on the network of Schicksal and her own search skills, quickly found the location of the Gray Serpent.

With her S-rank Valkyrie combat prowess, she quickly dispatched Gray Serpent's bodyguards.

"Come out, little girl."

Gray Serpent, with his back to Durandal, spoke without turning his head.

"Good evening, Mr. Gray Serpent. Are you waiting for someone?"

"You took care of all my bodyguards by yourself?"

"It's just a small habit that makes negotiation settings cleaner and tidier."

Rita greeted them gracefully; the bodyguards hired by those information brokers were clearly no match for the S-rank Valkyrie.

"Ah, it seems I've done something unnecessary. Hmm... to compensate you for your loss, I can offer a voice recording; the reward is generous."

"Looks like I have no choice but to accept it, don't I?"

Gray Serpent wore a mask, so his expression was completely hidden.

Rita could sense that the other party showed no fear whatsoever, and seemed to disregard her potential deadly threat.

"Two weeks ago, you uploaded a photo that featured a girl. You knew exactly who she was and understood her worth; otherwise, you would never have exposed her existence."

Rita spoke softly, "Tell me her whereabouts."

"So, what benefits will I get?"

"You will gain a powerful ally, and... get out of here safely."

"An ally? Although I already have a powerful ally, who would complain about having too many friends?"

Gray Serpent changed the subject. "However, forcing the other party to submit with their life from the very beginning makes me highly doubt the sincerity of the alliance. Moreover, in the eyes of Schicksal, are there any allies who can truly benefit each other?"

"Since you know who I am, there's even less reason for you to refuse."

Rita picked up her weapon, the scythe flashing coldly.

"Of course I know, and of course I have reason to refuse. Trading one's own intelligence for one's own life goes against the spirit of business."

"It seems you don't understand the preciousness of life."

"Please don't insult my intelligence. You think you can live by handing over information? I'm not new to business. While life itself is a transaction, for someone like me, death is just the beginning of the next life."

The Gray Serpent stood motionless, without even attempting to resist or flee.

"You're more like a poet than an information broker. I'm even a little reluctant to take action, but I'm sorry, a mission is a mission after all."

"You made a mistake; now you're also in the snake's eye."

"Snake?"

As the blade flashed, Rita pulled out a silk handkerchief to wipe the blood from the edge, calmly looking at the Gray Serpent lying on the ground.

"Is death the beginning of the next deal?"

"You're right, you have no choice but to accept this deal."

Rita took the information she wanted from the Gray Serpent and then disappeared completely into the night.

The video ends here.

Kiana: "What? This Gray Serpent is too weak."

Kiana and the others initially thought Raven was being modest, but it turns out Gray Serpent is really bad!

He was killed in one move, without even a chance to resist.

Theresa: "Maybe Pardo is even stronger than him... You're wrong, Pardo is already very strong."

I almost forgot, the [Great Shift of Heaven and Earth] move she made at the Pardofelis Show in the Previous Era Elysian Realm was something Theresa couldn't question.

Pardofelis: "It's alright. I've done intelligence work before, but I've never been as calm as Gray Serpent, who had a knife to his throat."

Pardo wanted to reiterate that she was not strong, but rather very weak.

But I doubt anyone would believe me if I told them now.

Raven: "People of Schicksal, this is forced buying and selling, which violates business ethics."

Durandal: "While that makes sense, are the relationships between Raven, Schicksal, and World Serpent really good enough for them to engage in normal trade?"

Before Kevin and Otto's deal, there were quite a few enemies between Schicksal and World Serpent.

Even if Rita and the Gray Serpent actually completed a normal transaction, the moment she left, she would definitely be thinking about how to kill the other.

Raven: "Gray Serpent is too incompetent, not a combatant. If it were me, Rita would definitely be in trouble."

Theresa: "Raven, I think you're underestimating our Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie. Even if Rita is a little weaker than me, she's not someone you World Serpent people can bully at will."

Durandal: "..."

Regarding Theresa's statement that Rita was slightly weaker than her, Durandal declined to comment.

[Q&A begins.]

[Rita followed the clues and successfully infiltrated the World Serpent's base. How did she eventually fail?]

[A: Encountering Kevin, after a pleasant sparring session with the old master, he was swiftly defeated.]

[B: Encountered a mech squadron led by Jackal, and was defeated in a flash.]

[C: Encountering a large number of Gray Serpent, fueled by both old and new grudges, he was brutally attacked.]

[D: Tricked by the Raven, weakened by the HSN-B46 Serum, suffered a crushing defeat.]

Chapter 216 Raven's Desperate Struggle

Raven: "Valkyrie of Schicksal, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Just moments ago, they were so arrogant, saying Rita wouldn't fail, that she was just a mere executive of World Serpent, no match for S-rank Valkyrie.

Rita's current predicament stems from her foolish infiltration of the World Serpent Base.

Raven could already picture the incredulous expressions on the faces of those Valkyrie.

Theresa: "Impossible! Rita just easily took down Gray Serpent, how did she fail so easily?!"

How embarrassing!

Rita, you're supposed to be S-rank Valkyrie, how could you lose like this? It really lowers the prestige of her as the headmistress of the St. Freya Academy and the strongest S-Rank, Durandal.

Durandal: "Rita was reckless in infiltrating the World Serpent's base. But for her to be defeated so quickly... could it be that she ran into Kevin?"

Durandal knew her adjutant well. Although Rita didn't have her strength, with the help of the Immortal Blades, she could hold out for a while even when surrounded by Gray Serpent.

Durandal didn't believe that Rita would infiltrate the World Serpent Base without bringing the Immortal Blades Squad with her.