ARK City, inside a clandestine location that was difficult for detectors to scan.
Luo Li sat on a chair, staring back at the white-haired girl who was tied up tightly with golden ribbons on the bed.
Until...
Grrrruuuuuumble~
A soft sound, but clearly audible in the quiet room, came from the white-haired girl's stomach.
In that instant, Luo Li saw a tempting blush creep onto her tense, seemingly unyielding face.
It quickly spread across her entire face, and before long, the girl's face was as red as a ripe apple.
"H-How long are you going to keep me tied up, pervert?"
Kiana's voice was a little shrill, her words seeming less like defiance and more like an attempt to hide her embarrassment.
Luo Li raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hungry?"
"Don't change the subject!"
Even though she was tightly bound, Kiana still struggled, thrashing about on the bed.
"Hurry up and untie me, or you'll be sorry when I get loose!"
"Okay."
"Just you wai—eh?"
Kiana was about to continue throwing threats, but suddenly felt her body lighten. The ribbons that had bound her had disappeared without her noticing.
But her struggle had been too intense, and now that Luo Li had removed the restraints, she felt like a cat that had tumbled too many times.
Thump!
She fell straight off the bed and onto the floor.
With her physical fitness, she clearly wouldn't be hurt by the impact.
So after falling to the floor, she quickly rolled over, preparing to put distance between herself and Luo Li.
But as she turned around, she saw something Luo Li was holding out to her.
It was a takeout order.
The cold air wafting towards her nose told her it must have been sitting out for a while.
Kiana was taken aback, not understanding what this man was doing.
But Luo Li didn't give her time to react. He shoved the takeout box into her arms and turned around, grabbing a takeout box for himself.
Seeing the white-haired girl lying on the ground holding the takeout and staring blankly, Luo Li knocked on the table.
"Miss Kiana, are you planning to eat on the floor?"
Kiana looked blankly at the takeout in her arms, then at the man sitting not far away.
After hesitating for a moment, she got up and sat at the table.
She wasn't someone who couldn't assess the situation. Clearly, his power was greater than hers.
In this closed space, she couldn't possibly escape from him. Even if she tried to leave, she would probably just be tied up again and thrown back onto the bed.
Since things had come to this, she might as well fill her stomach first, then find a way to escape.
Although this man's methods were a little rough, her keen senses hadn't detected any ill intent from him. So, whatever he wanted, she had to keep her distance.
She just wanted to find a place to die quietly, without dragging anyone else down with her.
And so, Kiana sat down at the table opposite Luo Li, still clutching the takeout box, and watched him tear open the packaging and bring a spoonful of fried rice to his mouth.
She looked down at the takeout in her hand.
Then, the name on the box caught her attention.
"Suxue?"
"My teammate," Luo Li answered her question.
Kiana looked around the room, confirming they were the only two people there.
"No need to look." Luo Li glanced at her. "She's dead. Died two hours ago."
Kiana's movements froze.
Then, she noticed the other takeout boxes on the table, and a guess formed in her mind.
Her lips moved slightly, but seeing Luo Li still eating, she silently opened the takeout box.
But the food, which had been decent enough, now tasted like ashes in her mouth.
As Kiana ate, Luo Li was observing her, recalling the information he had on her.
"Kiana Kaslana."
"Her surface identity is that of a traveler from Northern Europe, who often posts missing person ads wherever she goes, searching for someone she calls her father—Siegfried Kaslana."
"White hair, blue eyes. This appearance basically confirms she's a member of the Kaslana family. Given that she calls former Kaslana head Siegfried her father, it can be inferred that she is the Kaslana family's heiress."
"Aside from that, she's also a Herrscher. Siegfried, as the head of the Kaslana family, defected from Schicksal. Could this have something to do with it?"
The memories in his mind were flipped through one by one, but they didn't offer much help to his current predicament. All he knew was the information released by Schicksal, and his rank in the organization wasn't high enough to learn the truth.
But these things didn't matter to him right now. The most important thing was that mysterious organization that controlled ARK City.
Their level of biological modification technology was something no small force could pull off.
They were extremely dangerous, and judging by their actions, they didn't seem like a friendly bunch.
Even though his strength had increased significantly just now, it would still be a fool's dream to take on such an organization alone.
He needed help; he needed support from Schicksal.
And the key to that was the Miss Kiana before him.
Aside from that... was her current mental state.
Although she thought her acting was flawless, to Luo Li, who had received systematic psychological training from Schicksal, it was just a clumsy disguise.
He could tell that this girl was using exaggerated behavior to cover up the scars in her heart.
In her eyes was a death wish, an almost complete lack of expectation for life.
Luo Li wasn't someone who liked to force his will on others, but he still chose to kidnap her.
All he did was to prevent himself from bringing back a cold corpse.
This seemingly strong girl... was about to break.
---||---
The meal went by quickly.
Then, the two of them sat at the table, staring at each other again.
Luo Li sat at the table, propping his chin on his crossed hands, quietly staring at the girl before him.
Kiana, of course, glared back fiercely.
But she couldn't keep it up for long.
Finally, she leaned against the table, asking with a helpless look:
"What do you want?"
"If you want to kill me, then hurry up. I'm very busy."
Luo Li didn't hide anything, but stated his purpose directly.
"Waiting for people."
"Waiting for who?"
"The people protecting you in the shadows."
Hearing this, Kiana suddenly sat up straight.
"The people protecting me?"
"Could it be Dad? But he's already..."
Kiana's voice trailed off, then she rested her head on the table again, her beautiful eyes dimming slightly.
"I'm talking about the people Schicksal sent, the ones responsible for your safety."
At the mention of the word "Schicksal," Kiana glared at Luo Li, her eyes filled with hatred.
"You're from Schicksal?"
"Yes." Luo Li didn't deny it, choosing to be honest.
Trust gained through deception will eventually be lost due to deception.
This Kaslana wasn't Sirin. Given that he was strong enough to suppress her, he preferred to lay his cards on the table.
"I, or rather, our entire squad, was responsible for monitoring you."
Kiana fell silent for a moment, finally saying in a muffled voice:
"I didn't think you would be so honest, telling me these things so openly."
Then she chuckled bitterly to herself.
"Yeah, it's not like I can escape even if I know."
"There's nothing I can't say. It's just an assignment from the organization." Luo Li smiled nonchalantly. "Anyway, I was prepared to write a self-criticism report before I even made contact with you."
"Originally, we all thought we were just guarding a member of the Kaslana family. Never thought she'd turn out to be a Herrscher."
Hearing the word "Herrscher," Kiana's eyes dimmed even further.
"Did you know, the members of our squad all really liked you?"
"Hmm?" Kiana was intrigued by Luo Li's words.
"A kind, upright, beautiful girl who always seems to be filled with enthusiasm and hope for the world... who wouldn't like that?"
But instead of being pleased by the praise, Kiana looked resentful.
"All that... that was just Sirin acting..."
"But it was based on your usual personality, wasn't it?" Luo Li smiled. "Right?"
Kiana stared at Luo Li blankly, eventually looking away, a barely audible sound escaping her lips.
"I'm... not as good as you think."
Kiana's spirits were low, but she didn't realize that her inner resistance had lessened somewhat.
"So, you're planning to hand me over to Schicksal?"
Luo Li was about to reply, but suddenly froze.
Kiana noticed the change in his expression and assumed she had guessed his intentions.
She bit her lip slightly.
"I won't make things difficult for you. I'll go back with you."
As if!
She would never go back to Schicksal. It only held endless pain for her.
She would still have to find a chance to die while he was off guard.
But then, she heard Luo Li ask a puzzling question.
"Miss Kiana, can you see it?"
"See what?" Kiana looked at Luo Li in confusion, seeing him pointing at the table.
Kiana looked forward, and found that the table was completely empty.
"Is there something there?"
She looked at Luo Li, who was now staring at the empty table with a furrowed brow.
She felt confused.
But what looked like nothing to her was something else entirely to Luo Li.
Crimson feathers slowly dissipated, turning into a line of text.
[Theme Park, Reinforcements, Stop the Serpent...]
Luo Li saw that the words seemed to be written by an invisible hand, but there was another invisible force preventing the writing from continuing.
The two forces seemed to be at a stalemate, but eventually, the writing force lost.
And so, the words in the air began to be erased by the other force, dissipating like weathered sandstone.
Finally, Luo Li's vision was once again empty.
Luo Li pondered the message.
He still didn't know who it was from, but at least he could confirm that the information they provided wasn't false; Kiana's identity as a Herrscher had already proven that.
Theme Park was a place name. If they were talking about ARK City, the only, and most famous, theme park was the virtual immersion theme park built by Shicksal Entertainment to promote their immersion gear. It was said to be able to accommodate millions of users at the same time.
Reinforcements likely didn't have any special meaning, just the literal sense of the word.
So, what the message was trying to convey was that his reinforcements were at the Shicksal Entertainment theme park?
As for the last part, Stop the Serpent, what was the Serpent? A powerful Honkai Beast? A dangerous person? Or a dangerous organization?
Thinking of the unnatural biological modification technology of the organization that was hunting him, Luo Li was more inclined to believe the "Serpent" was that organization.
Since he had to stop them, it meant they were doing something dangerous that had to be stopped.
So, putting it all together, the meaning was: go to the theme park to find reinforcements, then stop the Serpent's dangerous scheme?
But there was another question: if the reinforcements were at the theme park, what about the people responsible for protecting Kiana?
Luo Li suddenly had a bad feeling.
"What's wrong?" Kiana asked, noticing the change in Luo Li's expression.
"I have a feeling the people protecting you might be in trouble."
Kiana looked confused, just blinking her sapphire eyes.
"So... what's the problem?"
"It means I may have to face a ****ed up plan alone. If I fail, the consequences could be serious."
Luo Li looked at her seriously.
"The entire city of ARK City might pay a heavy price."
Kiana sat up straight, sitting properly like a true aristocratic lady.
She looked at Luo Li, the light in her eyes, which had been dim, gradually brightening, and asked: "Is it dangerous?"
Thinking of the biological weapons that were chasing him, Luo Li nodded.
"Extremely dangerous."
"Then count me in."
Luo Li was taken aback by Kiana's words. Looking at the girl's upright posture and calm expression, he realized what she wanted.
Seeing that Luo Li had fallen silent after she spoke, Kiana added, "Don't worry, I won't run away. I'm not fond of Schicksal, but I still trust you Valkyries."
"Although my power is less than yours, I should still be able to help a little."
"I won't slow you down. If there's danger, don't worry about me..."
"You want to die," Luo Li stated.
Kiana paused, then forced a smile.
"No, I value my life very much..."
But seeing the serious expression on Luo Li's face, the smile on Kiana's face slowly faded, replaced by a long silence.
She wanted to say something, but opened her mouth and finally just lowered her head.
"Why do you have to interfere...?"
Her voice trembled, and her shoulders began to shake slightly.
"Can't you just..." Kiana slowly lifted her head, tears spilling from her blue eyes, "can't you just let me die in peace?"
"I just want to die quietly, without dragging anyone down with me."
"Please," Kiana's face was filled with pleading. "I just want to finish the rest of my life alone."
"If that's the case, then count me in!"
Kiana looked at Luo Li with tear-filled eyes, seeing him reach out his hand and looking at her sincerely.
"Luo Li." Seeing Kiana's confusion, "My name."
"My teammates have all been killed, the reinforcements are nowhere to be found, and there's an evil organization plotting a huge crisis."
"I'm all alone, I probably won't be a match for them."
"But I'll try to stop them. With my current strength, I'll probably die."
"Really, I'm not afraid of death, but I think I should die with a little more meaning."
"Since you want to die, then let's die together!"
A smile gradually spread across Luo Li's face as he extended his hand toward her.
"I hear the Kaslana family believes in the code of chivalry, vowing to fight for the survival of humanity."
"So, Miss Knight, will you join me in saving the world?"
Kiana reached out her hand instinctively, but then a wave of self-loathing surged in her heart.
Kaslana... what right does a fake like me have to tarnish that name...?
Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, then started to pull back.
But before she could retract her arm, it was grasped tightly by another hand.
Kiana looked up, seeing Luo Li looking at her with burning eyes.
"Then, it's settled."
"From now on, we are a community of shared destiny, bound together in life and death."
Kiana stared blankly at Luo Li, tears flowing down her cheeks again.
Luo Li felt his hand being squeezed tightly.
At that moment, Luo Li once again felt a strange connection coming from her, linking her to him.
Unlike the tenuous link with Sirin, the connection with Kiana was almost tangible, as if it was trying to hold him in place.
He felt his Stigmata change again. The Authority of the Void, which had been faint, was now greatly strengthened.
Luo Li had a strange feeling, as if this space could no longer confine him.