Shi Hen glanced at the gaunt man, who only now slowly rose to his feet yet remained utterly submissive. He nodded, a flicker of understanding passing through his eyes.
In a world where Honkai existed, the level of Honkai Energy application technology directly created enormous gaps in strength between different organizations.
As one of the world's three great pillars, World Serpent only needed to reveal the tiniest fraction of its power to make a general of a major nation crawl.
That was the snake's deterrence.
With a sigh in his heart, Shi Hen turned and followed Raven's footsteps.
He was quite curious about what sort of hospitality Andre would offer. It probably would not be any worse than Sicily's luxury hotels, right?
Late at night, stars dotted the sky.
Boom—
A deafening blast rang out, and a villa somewhere in Siberia was instantly swallowed by flames. Countless shards of glass shot outward, while brilliant yellow light turned the snowfield beneath the night sky as bright as day.
On the other side of the estate, Andre climbed into a jeep that had long been prepared, and the engine immediately roared to life.
Hearing that incomparably familiar rumble, Andre's wildly pounding heart finally settled a little.
Heh. The wealth and status he had earned through half a lifetime on the battlefield—was some woman going to strip it all away with just a few words?
Did she really think General Andre's name had been earned by kneeling?
Though he did not know whether this could kill Raven, it would be enough as long as it injured the people beside her and delayed them a little.
Once he left this estate, he could take the wealth he had accumulated and flee far away, starting a brand-new life across the ocean.
Even if he could not take many things with him because time was short, there was still hope as long as he survived.
He, Andre, would never submit!
Thinking of the wonderful life awaiting him, Andre could not help feeling exhilarated.
Hm? Why had this car still not started after so long?
After waiting for quite some time and seeing that the scenery around him had not changed at all, Andre could not help urging, "Hey! Ralf, what are you doing?! Don't you know how urgent the situation is right now?!"
Click!
It was the sound of a flashlight switching on.
Within the white beam of light, the person in the driver's seat leaned out, revealing... a white mask?
Thump, thump—
Andre's heartbeat nearly stopped.
"Y-you-you..."
With his mouth hanging wide open, Andre was like a fish about to die of thirst, unable to force out even a complete sentence.
"General Andre, your art is truly terrible."
Looking at the gaunt man who seemed frightened half to death, Shi Hen shook his head and spoke in an exceedingly disappointed tone.
"You... How could you be here?!"
Andre cursed angrily, finally managing to say something.
Without answering his question, Shi Hen merely extended one index finger toward the window. Specks of white light began gathering at the youth's fingertip.
"General Andre, I would like you to see what real art is."
As his words fell, the white light at Shi Hen's fingertip shot out, crossing several hundred meters in the blink of an eye before striking the villa engulfed in flames.
Boom!
A brief explosion sounded, and then... nothing remained where the villa had stood. There was only a barren patch of open ground, soon covered by drifting snowflakes.
"How was that art?"
Shi Hen asked with a smile, like a musician bowing to the audience after a performance in a concert hall and asking for their thoughts.
"Y-you... You... You monster!"
Andre cried out, the expression on his face completely collapsing.
Just what kind of monster had he provoked?!
"Unfortunately, that is the wrong answer."
Shi Hen shook his head in disappointment. A ball of white light lit up at his fingertip again, and he slowly, yet irresistibly, pressed it against Andre's chest.
"Now, can we have a proper talk, General Andre?"
The youth smiled as he spoke, his voice gentle and calm, like a breeze passing over a lake on a sunny spring day.
A quarter of an hour later, in the bedroom of another villa within the estate.
"You really put that move inside Andre's body?"
Raven asked with a frown, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
She could destroy a villa in one blow as well, but she could not do it as cleanly as Shi Hen.
There had not even been ashes left behind!
More terrifyingly, Shi Hen had actually stuffed such an enormous amount of Honkai Energy into another person's body and kept him from losing control for this long!?
"If I said I did nothing, would Sister Natasha believe me?"
Shi Hen shrugged, looking a little helpless.
He was merely a slightly stronger human, not some monster. How could he possibly do such a thing?
"What do you think?"
Raven rolled her eyes.
Of course, she did not believe the youth would act like a human being.
"People are always easily scared by themselves, especially after witnessing art so soul-shaking."
Shi Hen explained.
All he had needed to do was guide Honkai Energy through Andre's body once, and the man would scare himself to death.
Raven: "..."
You really called that thing art?
And although it was merely simple psychology, she still did not think the youth would act like a human being.
"Fine, go back. I need to sleep too." Without pursuing the matter further, Raven waved her hand and stretched lazily. Her pajamas rose, revealing a sliver of fair, smooth waist. "I'm exhausted. I still had to deal with all this in the middle of the night."
Andre had truly underestimated a World Serpent executive if he thought he could deal with her using such methods.
As for Peggy... after being force-fed a sleeping pill, the girl would probably sleep straight through until dawn. She might not even realize she had switched rooms halfway through until they left this place.
Shi Hen: "..."
Was she not treating him a little too much like an outsider? And besides...
"This is my room."
Shi Hen heavily tapped the table with his finger.
"Is it?"
Raven asked as if she did not believe him, then walked away with her pillow in her arms as though nothing had happened.
And yes, it was the pillow from Shi Hen's room.
"..."
Watching the woman swiftly disappear through the doorway, Shi Hen fell silent.
Was he spoiling Raven a little too much?
With a helpless sigh, Shi Hen turned and took a new pillow from the cabinet.
He was tired. Time to sleep.
The Naive Assassin
Half a month later, on a night with a bright moon and sparse stars.
"A dark and windy night, perfect for murder and arson." Standing on a hillside and gazing at the spacious compound hidden deep in the mountains some distance away, Shi Hen's lips curled slightly. "Though the weather is not ideal, I trust you will not disappoint me, General Andre?"
Andre's expression stiffened upon hearing the youth's words. Yet when he saw the flame-like white light wavering at the other's fingertips, this man who had spent half his life on the battlefield still chose to lower his head. "Your will shall be obeyed, Lord White."
"Go."
Shi Hen nodded in satisfaction.
He felt that he was becoming more and more like a villain.
Sigh, he was clearly a righteous ally who saved the world.
But heroes needed to bear burdens that ordinary people could not bear, right?
Making excuses for himself inwardly, Shi Hen gestured to Andre.
Having received the order, Andre did not hesitate in the slightest. He led the ten carefully selected special forces soldiers behind him toward the compound in the mountains.
The eleven-man team moved quickly, yet they made no noise during the journey. Only the faint sound of boots rubbing against snow grains could be heard.
This was Andre's most elite squad. Every one of them was a battle-hardened veteran, possessing strength not inferior to the top assassins on Charon's List.
Though in the eyes of the three great organizations, Charon's List was no different from a joke.
For ordinary people, however, it was a useful measure of combat strength.
"Next is your task, Peggy." Shi Hen spoke softly, turning his gaze toward the last small, thin figure beside him, dressed in a black cloak. "Kill that woman, or... don't bother coming back."
Under the youth's gaze, Peggy's body could not help trembling.
The girl wanted to struggle, but faced with those deep, icy eyes, Peggy ultimately moved her lips and said, "...Yes."
Yes, she should have understood long ago. How could there possibly be a free lunch in this world?
Since she had received those things, she had to pay a price worthy of them.
Shi Hen stroked the girl's head, keenly sensing her fear at that moment. Yet he still gave her a gentle push on the back. "Let me see your worth, Peggy."
Feeling the youth's will, hard as steel, the girl's body trembled. Yet she ultimately overcame the panic in her heart and walked forward, toward the same place as Andre and the others.
After walking several dozen meters, Peggy paused. She turned back for one look at the white-robed youth standing beneath the moonlight, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then strode onward resolutely as though she had made up her mind.
Listening to the girl's footsteps alone overpower those of Andre's eleven-man group, several dark lines immediately appeared on Shi Hen's forehead.
Forget it. He had not expected Peggy to truly accomplish anything anyway.
Rather than pinning his hopes on a girl who had trained for less than a month, he might as well look forward to a certain coward.
"Do not disappoint me, Seele Vollerei..."
The youth murmured softly, and his figure vanished into the snowfield without leaving behind even the faintest trace of sound.
At the same time, wage slave Raven was still speeding through some snowy plain in an off-road vehicle.
Some debtors were hidden quite deeply, and since she had accompanied Shi Hen and Peggy while they dawdled around, she naturally had to catch up on her progress now.
"It feels like something is about to happen..."
In the brightly lit office, Cocolia looked up at the bright moon outside the window, and unease could not help rising in her heart.
Had she taken in too much territory all at once recently, leaving her overwhelmed by the heavy workload and pressure?
Rubbing her aching shoulders, Cocolia decided to rest after approving this last batch of documents.
She had finally found time amid her busy schedule to return to the orphanage. She did not want to spend all her time on official business.
Early to bed, early to rise. Tomorrow, she still had stories to tell the children.
Thinking of those children, each with their own personality yet all equally adorable, a gentle smile could not help appearing on Cocolia's lips.
Before long, the Iron-Blooded Iron-Fisted Warlord, who had pumped herself full of motivation, swiftly approved more than ten documents.
Before you continue