Chapter 181: Firefly and Kafka
You fell from a dream. Endless white light swallowed everything: war, roars, a collapsing earth... Someone was calling your name, but you couldn't hear clearly.
Then—you suddenly opened your eyes.
What met your gaze was a cold metal ceiling and the blue light screen of a medical pod. "Hoo… hoo…" You gasped for breath, your forehead covered in cold sweat. You tried to grasp the afterimage of the dream, but it slipped away, leaving only a strange palpitation.
You tried to sit up, only to realize you were in a container filled with nutrient solution. Who am I? Where am I? Your brain was a chaotic mess. Memories seemed to have been formatted, with only one name stubbornly surfacing—Orion. Yes, my name is Orion. Besides that, you couldn't remember anything else.
You awkwardly climbed out. Warm nutrient solution slid down unfamiliar skin. You looked down, only then realizing a serious problem—you weren't wearing anything.
Fortunately, there was a set of clothes on a nearby shelf. You quickly put them on—a black uniform of special material, a perfect fit. After getting dressed, you observed your surroundings. This was a medical room. Just then, your gaze was drawn to a medical pod near the door. Through the translucent cover, you vaguely saw a figure inside.
Another person? Curiosity drove you to walk over. It was a young girl. Her long, silver-grey hair floated gently in the clear liquid. Her eyes were closed, her sleeping face serene and almost unreal in its beauty.
You instinctively wanted to see more clearly, your face almost pressing against the cold pod cover—
Just then, the young girl's eyes, without warning, opened! A pair of blue-violet eyes met yours directly.
"…"
"…"
The air seemed to freeze.
The young girl's pupils slowly focused, then widened. Her gaze moved down, landing on herself... The next moment, her face turned red at a visible speed, from her neck all the way to her earlobes.
"You—!!"
But unexpectedly, her first reaction was not to scream. Instead, with lightning speed, she pulled out a fluorescent green device from the liquid beside her.
"SAM!"
Boom! Flames instantly engulfed her entire medical pod! You were forced back by the sudden wave of heat. The next second, a giant silver-white mech burst out of the pod! By the time you regained your footing, there was no longer a sleeping beauty in front of you. Only a murderous mech, poised in a battle stance, aimed at you.
"???" Your brain was a little slow to process. Where was that young girl? She turned into a mech??
"Who are you? How did you get in?!" a deep, male robotic voice came from inside the mech. Its eyes flashed with dangerous green light. "I advise you to state your identity immediately, otherwise…"
"Huh? I don't know either, I woke up here…" This was the truth.
"Still trying to quibble!" the mech seemed enraged. "Peeping tom, prepare to die!"
"Wait, I'm not—"
Before you could finish, a huge steel fist slammed towards your face! Your body reacted faster than your brain, instinctively assuming a defensive posture. The instinct for combat had long been carved into your bones.
Just as the punch was about to hit—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!—several purple threads appeared out of thin air, instantly wrapping both of you like dumplings. You couldn't move, and the mech was also firmly fixed in mid-air.
"This is…" A surprised voice came from inside the mech. "Kafka?"
Tap, tap, tap... Elegant, unhurried high heel sounds approached. A woman walked in. Long purple hair, wine-red pupils, a perpetual faint smile on her lips. She wore a black coat that revealed her long legs, exuding a dangerous yet alluring aura.
"Oh dear…" Kafka tilted her head, her voice lazy and magnetic. "So lively first thing in the morning." She walked between you two and extended a finger. "However, listen to me—good children don't fight."
The purple threads snapped. The mech also regained its mobility but did not attack again. A ball of flame ignited and then extinguished, and the silver-haired girl reappeared. This time she wore a fluorescent green dress, but the blush on her cheeks had not faded.
"Kafka!" the girl pointed at you, like an annoyed kitten. "Who is this guy? Why is he here?"
The woman called Kafka turned her intrigued gaze towards you, her eyes sweeping over you inch by inch. Then, she glanced at the medical pod you had just climbed out of.
"Firefly," Kafka turned to the girl. "Don't be so nervous. He's not an enemy. He's our... special new companion."
The girl called "Firefly" widened her eyes. "He... is he the one you mentioned? The one Elio told you to pick up... the one who was just a head?"
[Inorin Note:
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