At first glance, this Herrscher lady seemed a bit simple, easily taken in by his bluff.
But Luo Li knew that this Herrscher wasn't actually stupid.
Her choice to "believe" him was, at its core, still one of necessity.
It didn't take much thought to understand.
A Herrscher whose power had been greatly diminished for some unknown reason, forced to hide her own existence.
And at that very moment, a person of unknown origin appears before her, easily identifies her as a Herrscher, and knows that her power is weakened.
Anyone with a shred of intelligence could deduce some deeper implications. Since this person knew she was a weakened Herrscher, that knowledge alone opened up a wide range of possibilities.
For example, he could simply report her identity to Schicksal or Anti-Entropy. A living Herrscher was incredibly valuable; both organizations would undoubtedly pay a handsome price.
If Luo Li truly was from Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, the optimal move would be to report her.
If Luo Li was from an outside organization and held malicious intent, the optimal move would naturally be to strike while she was weak.
But instead, Luo Li expressed goodwill and openly admitted he knew her trump card...
He knew she was a weakened Herrscher, yet showed no malice, or at least, no immediate malice.
After a round of deductions, the most likely identity for Luo Li, from her perspective, was indeed the one he claimed: a member of the Apocalypse Cult who meant her no harm.
But even so, Sirin didn't truly believe him. She just had no other choice. She had to gamble that Luo Li really didn't wish her ill.
And that was Luo Li's goal. As long as he wasn't killed on the spot, as long as he was given a chance to speak...
Then, unless this Herrscher wanted to go down with him in a blaze of glory, she would have to follow his lead and bet on the truth of his words.
For Luo Li, the arrow was on the bowstring; he had to fire.
But Luo Li didn't feel any panic, even though the Herrscher girl before him possessed a power that could easily crush him.
When lives are placed on the scales, every life is equal. A Herrscher's life was equal to his. It was either live or die.
He had already placed his life on the scales; naturally, he had no fear.
Whether this Herrscher was acting or was genuinely a fool, it didn't affect Luo Li's next move.
Succeed and live, fail and die. That was all.
And so, Luo Li looked at Sirin with a serious expression.
"Your existence is crucial to our organization. As an apostle of the Honkai, you are our natural totem."
"I need to ensure you survive. That is my ultimate goal right now."
"Listen to me, you've been targeted. With your current power, you won't be able to escape their pursuit."
"So, for the time being, I need you to follow my commands."
Sirin didn't question Luo Li's statement.
If she could be discovered by this so-called Apocalypse Cult, then she could naturally be discovered by other factions as well.
What she cared about was something else.
"Follow your commands?" Sirin's face was filled with resistance.
Temporarily believing his words was the biggest compromise she could make.
If her power wasn't suppressed, if she wasn't so weak, if she didn't have to be wary of the unknown danger he spoke of, Sirin wouldn't have given this ant a second glance.
At most, she would have given him a quick death out of consideration for their similar pasts.
"You mean, you want me to obey your orders?"
Faced with the resistance on Sirin's face, Luo Li's expression remained just as serious.
He nodded, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"If you want to live, you must do as I say."
Hearing his words, Sirin felt the urge to laugh—a laugh born of anger.
"Don't push your luck, ant." Sirin's face darkened once more.
To her, dignity was as important as life. If she had to choose between the two, she would choose dignity without hesitation.
She was no longer the pitiful wretch struggling in a laboratory. She was a Herrscher, an apostle of God. She could make certain compromises when the situation was against her.
But obeying the command of an ant was still something she found hard to accept.
Watching her flip out in an instant, Luo Li felt his head throb.
Are all you Herrschers this emotional?
This is completely different from what they taught in the Schicksal classrooms!
Willing to throw your life away for your feelings!
After a moment's thought, he rephrased his words.
"Listen, there's no time to argue about who's in charge."
"You may think your disguise is flawless, you might even be smug about it, but unfortunately, your location has been completely exposed. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here wasting my breath trying to ensure your safety."
Sirin frowned.
"I feel like you're not respecting me at all..."
"Just your imagination." Luo Li quickly changed the subject. "A hidden organization has its eyes on you. They're secretive, and even we haven't been able to find a single trace of them."
Does such an organization even exist in this world?
Of course not!
Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had already achieved complete control over humanity. How could they leave room for other organizations?
He was still bullshitting, trying to gain the upper hand by exaggerating the danger of her situation, and... to redirect the trouble.
As expected, Sirin reacted, but not in the way he had anticipated.
He saw a golden glint begin to shine in her eyes.
"Then they can damn well try." Sirin's face was colder than ever, her head held high.
"No Herrscher chooses to live a wretched life. If I must die, I will die with dignity, and I will leave a scar on this world deep enough to be remembered, to declare that a Herrscher's dignity cannot be trampled."
Luo Li felt an overwhelming urge to roast her.
If you weren't willing to live a "wretched life," would you have listened to me for this long?
This girl is just throwing a tantrum!
Luo Li felt incredibly tired. This was even more exhausting than walking the tightrope of lies just now.
He felt less like he was recruiting a fighter and more like he was placating a rebellious teenager.
So, he decided to try a different approach.
He absolutely could not give her the initiative. Otherwise, after all his hard work, he'd end up as her lackey. Wouldn't that mean nothing had changed?
He wanted to use her as a tool, not become hers!
Since the hard approach wasn't working, he'd have to try the soft one.
He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with placating children. Back at the orphanage, the old director could keep a whole group of kids happy. Luo Li knew how it was done.
It was just a matter of stroking her ego.
"In that case, you will take the lead."
"Hmm?"
Seeing Luo Li suddenly concede, Sirin's anger instantly stalled. A smug smirk tugged at her lips, her face filled with pride.
"Very good. I acknowledge your loyalty. From now on, you will serve me as my subordinate."
How does this woman change faces so quickly?
But fine, if you want to be in charge so badly, then so be it.
Who says the one leading the charge is the boss?
It could also be the cannon fodder.
And so, Luo Li raised his hands.
"Well then, Miss Herrscher, do you have a way to escape from those hunters?"
"Of course I have a way..."
I have a way, my ass!
She had impulsively snatched the command, but she had no idea what to do.
She could only rack her not-so-bright brain, trying to think of a strategy.
But alas, you can't know what you don't know.
Seeing her struggle, Luo Li offered a timely suggestion.
"The situation is unclear, and the enemy is watching. We must first get you out of their sight. It will take some time for our people to arrive for backup."
"Until then, I need to help you hide. As it happens, I have a safe house."
Sirin didn't object.
"Fine. Let's go to your safe house first."
Luo Li nodded and led the way toward a pre-scouted hidden route.
At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief internally.
He had finally roped this girl onto his war chariot, for now. It was worth all the talking he had to do.
Up to this point, things had basically gone according to his plan.
Whether it was pulling the tiger's skin of the "Apocalypse Cult" or fabricating his tragic backstory, it was all to temporarily stabilize her.
For Luo Li, as long as this Herrscher of the Void hadn't blown up on him at their first meeting, it was a success.
Whether she believed his words or not was actually unimportant.
Thus far, their foundation of trust was built on nothing more than the crisis Luo Li had manufactured and a fake common enemy.
You could say their entire trust was built on a lie fabricated by Luo Li—a lie that wasn't even very sophisticated, and could even be considered clumsy.
He had only managed to trick her temporarily by leveraging the information asymmetry: knowing she was a Herrscher, and that she was currently in a weakened state.
This was, in essence, still deception.
Once a lie is told, countless more lies are needed to patch it up. One single slip-up, and death would be waiting for him.
So, before that happened, he needed to use the fragile connection they now had to build a truly trustworthy foundation between them.
Simply put: make the lie a reality. Turn the fake into the real.
He tricked her by saying a certain organization was hunting her. So, as long as he made it so that organization was really hunting her, wouldn't that confirm it?
As for how to do that, Luo Li had already planned it out before he even met this Herrscher.
On his way here, he had sent a message through the communication channel he suspected had been compromised by the enemy—a message reporting his squad's annihilation and requesting backup from HQ.
If the channel really was hijacked, then the hunters sent to kill him were probably already on their way.
Of course, there was another possibility: the channel wasn't hijacked at all, and he was just being paranoid.
If that were the case, it would be even better. He could just wait for reinforcements to arrive, and just had to keep the Herrscher stable until then.
Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.
Past experience had taught Luo Li that when you think you've hit rock bottom, it usually doesn't mean your luck is about to turn. It just means there's still room for it to get worse.
So, he wasn't holding out much hope for backup from HQ.
Compared to HQ's support, the hunters sent by the city's mastermind were more likely to help him solve his current predicament.
His only worry was that they wouldn't be efficient enough, that they wouldn't arrive before the Herrscher of the Void's trust in him eroded.
Thinking of this, Luo Li was struck by a powerful sense of absurdity.
Who would have thought his life would one day depend on the people who wanted to kill him, and that he'd have to pray they'd be quick about it?
He hoped they wouldn't disappoint him.
Just then, Luo Li felt a strange sense of being watched from behind.
He turned his head to find the Herrscher of the Void looking at him curiously.
"Any more questions, Miss Herrscher?"
"I still don't really trust you, but I don't have many options right now, so I'll try to trust you for a bit." Sirin said bluntly. "I hate being lied to more than anything. Don't disappoint me!"
Luo Li felt a sting from her gaze, but he didn't look away, just smiled at her.
"If that day ever comes, and you find out I've been deceiving you," Luo Li tapped his own heart with his finger, "you are free to take this."
Provided you live long enough to get the chance.
Luo Li didn't think he would be with this Herrscher for long. It was all just a game of pretense.
There was only one way she would ever get the chance to pierce his heart—if she became his comrade.
For a comrade, he would willingly pay the price for the lies he had spun.
If it truly came to that, death would be a sweet release.
Suddenly, Luo Li felt his terminal vibrate slightly in his pocket.
But he didn't look at it, instead clenching his hand around it.
Good, the ones who will make all this real are finally coming.
The hunters hiding in the shadows had not disappointed him with their speed.
And so, he turned his head and gave the Herrscher girl a set of coordinates.
Sirin was a little confused.
"It's a personal safe house I prepared. If I'm unlucky enough to die, you can hide there and probably evade the hunters' search for a while."
Luo Li wasn't lying about this part.
The situation was about to get very dangerous. One misstep meant death.
If he died, it would be too dangerous to leave a Herrscher like her wandering around. One wrong move and the entire ARK City could go up in flames.
As long as she stayed put in the safe house, Schicksal's forces would have a chance to contain her.
"Also," Luo Li looked at her seriously, "if you encounter danger, prioritize your own safety."
"What do you mean?"
"Those organizations are all after you. They're not interested in an ordinary person like me." Luo Li said gravely. "And my mission is to ensure you survive. I'll cover your escape if necessary."
This was a lie.
Luo Li knew those hunters were after him. The Herrscher missy was just the unlucky soul he had dragged into this mess.
Watching the back of the figure walking ahead, Sirin's expression was complicated.
To be honest, she had zero trust in this guy whose name she didn't even know. The only reason she was with him was because circumstances forced her hand.
But at this moment, seeing the determination on his face, it was as if it overlapped with the faces of her former comrades.
Her eyes dimmed slightly.
But in the next moment, she smoothed over the ripple in her heart, her eyes turning icy cold once more.
The weak her was already dead. She had died in the Tower of Babylon labs, died in the Siberian snowfields, died in... that woman's arms.
The her of now would never trust anyone again.
Absolutely never!!!
---||---
Soon, Luo Li led Sirin past a series of visible and hidden surveillance cameras, ensuring their movements wouldn't be captured by ARK City's Skynet system.
The journey was quiet, almost boringly so.
Sirin followed Luo Li listlessly. Her initial vigilance soon gave way to boredom, and she started watching the holographic ads in the sky to pass the time.
[The best companion for your child's growth, the Mark II household pet robot is now available.]
[Homu's Great Adventure continues! Follow the hero Homu to thwart the Demon King's plot and save the world once again.]
[The first full-dive open-world game, 'Eden', will soon begin its public beta. Shicksal Entertainment, leading humanity into a new era of entertainment.]
...
But Sirin had seen these ads so many times recently she was sick of them. To her, they were just light pollution.
So she quickly grew tired of her surroundings and asked the person in front of her:
"How much longer?"
"Almost there." Luo Li didn't turn back.
Guessing that something would be waiting to block his path, Luo Li never let his guard down.
Finally, as they emerged from one small alley and were about to turn into another...
At the corner, a figure blocked their path.
From the back, it was a mature woman with long, light-blue hair. Luo Li found the figure extremely familiar.
As if sensing their arrival, the woman slowly turned her head, revealing a beautiful face.
Familiar, so familiar!
For this world's Luo Li, this woman was almost impossible to forget.
Memories from this world's Luo Li surfaced, and a name sprang to his mind.
Alita!
The captain of Squad Violet, the A-Rank Valkyrie who had lost contact with the squad.
This should have been a joyous occasion, but right now, Luo Li felt the hair on his neck stand on end, a chill running up his spine to the top of his head.
His memories of this world were from an observer's perspective.
From that bird's-eye view, comparing the two, he could clearly see that something was wrong with her.
Her smile was flawless, seemingly gentle, but it gave off a strong, inhuman feeling.
Her eyes were still bright and captivating, but they held an unconcealable sense of strangeness.
Just as she saw Luo Li and was about to say something...
BANG!!!
A gunshot instantly rang out.
Out of pure instinct, the moment he noticed something was off, Luo Li performed a quick-draw shot, blasting her in the face.
Luo Li didn't think the gun in his hand could kill the enemy before him, even if it was a Honkai energy-powered weapon.
After firing the shot, Luo Li decisively grabbed the girl beside him and ran.
"Go!"
"Huh?" The events unfolded so suddenly that even Sirin was caught off guard.
But the intense sense of threat coming from the strange woman made her instinctively follow Luo Li's lead.
It turned out Luo Li's judgment was correct. The moment he pulled Sirin away, a violent roar erupted from behind them.
Using his slightly superior physical abilities, Luo Li pulled Sirin through the alleys, while behind them, accompanied by sharp screeches, walls crumbled and debris flew.
Through a casual glance back, he could vaguely make out what looked like a bizarre creature with the upper body of a woman but the giant chelicerae of a spider.
In the narrow corridor, its giant legs were actually a hindrance, but its speed was still astonishingly fast.
If not for the complex walls blocking its path, they would have been caught in an instant.
But Luo Li was more concerned about something else.
"To unleash a monster like this so openly, just how much control does this unknown organization have over the city?"
But their hiding places were not infinite. Finally, when the two turned a corner, they were met with a towering wall.
They finally stopped and looked at the end of the alley.
At this moment, the monster chasing them finally revealed its full form.
The upper body was that of a mature and alluring beauty, while the lower body was a grotesque and ferocious spider abdomen and legs.
"What... what is that thing?"
Sirin found the monster behind them quite strange. It was similar to a Honkai Beast, but also resembled those Valkyries, as if the two things had been crudely stitched together.
"The thing that's here to capture you!"
Luo Li decisively threw the blame onto Sirin.
His eyes were fixed on the spider monster. Its savage and cruel eyes and the clearly visible suture marks on its lower body all revealed what had happened.
Tangible anger erupted from his eyes.
This was the captain Luo Li had once respected, a gentle and responsible big sister figure.
Now, her lower body had been cut off by someone unknown and replaced with the limbs of a monster.
The savage bloodlust emanating from its eyes showed that this former A-Rank Valkyrie had now completely transformed into a monster.
Luo Li couldn't imagine what kind of inhuman, depraved monster could do such a thing!
As expected, after hearing Luo Li's reminder, Sirin's face also began to fill with anger.
She didn't doubt Luo Li's words. After all, to be able to dispatch a monster of this strength, she was more inclined to believe it was here to capture her, a Herrscher, rather than to kill an ordinary person like Luo Li.
And she realized she had seen similar things before.
Back in the Tower of Babylon labs, those deranged researchers had conducted similar experiments.
She had seen it with her own eyes: test subjects with their limbs amputated, organs removed, and replaced with Honkai Beast tissue.
And after seeing the hatred in Luo Li's eyes that was so intense it seemed almost tangible, Sirin finally believed him.
She finally believed what Luo Li had told her.
This kind of bone-deep hatred—she would never mistake it!
His hatred right now was just like hers when she was in the Tower of Babylon labs.
"This kind of human experimentation... it's exactly the kind of thing those anti-Honkai organizations would do!"
A savage glint began to appear in Sirin's eyes.
Luo Li didn't know what Sirin was thinking right now, but he knew he had achieved his goal.
While feeling anger and hatred towards the mastermind, he hadn't forgotten his purpose.
In fact, his original self had already thoroughly scouted this area. If he wanted to, he was confident he could lead this Herrscher away using the complex terrain.
But that would mean losing the chance to eliminate the pursuer and solidify the situation.
So, although he had been leading her on a thrilling chase through the alleys, he was actually leading her to a dead end.
Only then could he force her to use her power.
Only then could he use her power to eliminate the hunter that he, with his current strength, could never defeat.
Only then could he redirect the disaster, using the information gap to pin the unknown organization's pursuit of him onto this Herrscher, thus solidifying his story.
Only then could he use this opportunity to build a relatively stable connection with this Herrscher for a short period of time.
Sigh, I'm such a bad person.
But circumstances were pressing, and the situation was beyond his control. He had no choice but to resort to deception and sneak attacks.
Next, he just needed to shift the monster's attention to the Herrscher missy beside him...
But before he could act, Luo Li felt a hand on his shoulder.
Luo Li looked back and found that the girl he had been protecting behind him was now floating in the air, one hand on his shoulder.
Her eyes were as brilliant as gold, the inverted cross in her pupils filled with majesty.
"My subordinate, stand back."
Luo Li watched as she flew up from beside him. Her slightly plain braided pigtails automatically came undone, and her waist-length, snow-white hair billowed without a wind.
The moment she ascended, the spider monster seemed to sense danger and grew agitated instinctively.
But the command seared into its brain urged it forward, urging it to eliminate the most threatening enemy on the scene.
Finally, with a piercing screech, it lunged at the levitating Sirin.
Faced with the monster's attack...
Sirin simply waved her hand.
Golden ribbons appeared out of thin air and swept towards the monster.
Wherever they passed, whether it was the ground or the walls, they cut through like a hot knife through butter, without any resistance.
In the next moment, as the ribbons swept by...
The monster burst apart in mid-air, shattering into pieces all over the ground.
Watching this one-sided battle, or rather, this massacre, Luo Li's pupils constricted.
He felt he had still underestimated this Herrscher's power.
This monster was created from an A-Rank Valkyrie, and its strength after modification was far beyond that of a normal A-Rank.
But in front of the Herrscher of the Void who had unleashed her power, it had no ability to resist.
And this was with her power greatly diminished.
Just how strong was this girl at her peak?
At this moment, the levitating Sirin looked at the monster fragments scattered all over the ground, then turned to Luo Li and said with extreme seriousness:
"These damned pieces of trash... no matter the cost, the Honkai will triumph over them!"
Luo Li wanted to roast Sirin for her words, but he didn't know where to start.
And soon, he didn't have to worry about it anymore.
Because after delivering her victory speech, the Herrscher missy promptly plummeted from the sky.
Luo Li acted quickly and caught her securely.
Sirin tried hard to open her eyes, but her consciousness was enveloped by a massive wave of fatigue.
Her show of power just now had come at a heavy price.
The Honkai energy she had painstakingly accumulated was completely depleted. Forcing a resonance with her Core while it was sealed caused her consciousness to be attacked by that terrifying cold.
She could feel her thoughts growing more and more sluggish under the effect of this cold.
This thing seemed to be able to freeze even intangible things like thoughts, memories, and consciousness.
So, even though she was incredibly reluctant, she had no choice but to fall into a deep sleep.
Finally, her consciousness sank into silence.
Only a barely audible sound escaped her lips, quickly dissipating in the wind.
But Luo Li still heard what she said.
"Protect... me."
As Sirin's words fell, Luo Li felt a tremor in his heart.
It wasn't because of her words, but because he realized that the Stigmata on his body, which had been completely still, was now finally changing.
He could feel a subtle, flickering, intermittent connection forming between him and the white-haired girl in his arms.
And after this connection was established, an almost instinctive intuition welled up within him.
Luo Li followed his instinct and extended a finger. A wisp of brilliant golden light appeared at his fingertip.
He lightly drew it through the air, and a dark incision appeared out of nowhere, as if a slit had been cut in the very fabric of reality.
This was the power Sirin had just used, the Authority of the Herrscher of the Void.
Luo Li's face was first blank, then thoughtful.
Suddenly, he felt the girl in his arms stir.
Then, a pair of azure eyes met his.
The atmosphere, it seemed, had become a bit delicate.