That evening.
Kiana once again turned down Elysia's request to share the bed, ignoring her tearful, pitiful look. She shut the door, locked it, then idly scrolled through her phone for a while before settling down to sleep.
That was one good thing about Elysia—though she could be a little *too* enthusiastic and forward, if you refused, she wouldn't push it. She knew her boundaries. If anything, that was exactly why she was so hard to refuse.
But then…the moonlight grew hazy. That bright, full moon was gradually shrouded by dark clouds, its light dimming bit by bit. The room, too, grew darker.
Just then—
*Click.*
The sound of a window being opened broke the silence.
A somewhat petite yet undeniably curvy figure, dressed mysteriously and moving with purpose, slipped quietly into the room—without alerting a soul.
She glanced around, her eyes eventually landing on Kiana lying in bed. Tiptoeing closer, she leaned in for a better look.
Though it was too dark to see clearly, she was sure—this had to be her target.
So she took out her specially-made incense and held it near Kiana's nose for a moment. Once certain Kiana was completely knocked out, she hoisted her up and made her exit the same way she came, leaving without a trace.
What she didn't notice, though, was that as she drew near, Kiana's eyelashes had fluttered slightly. But Kiana never opened her eyes, allowing herself to be taken away.
She was curious, after all.
And of course!
It also helped that the "kidnapper" was a girl. If it had been a guy, no way would Kiana have let him carry her like that.
Through her senses, she could tell the girl smelled faintly sweet, with a subtle hint of machine oil and the distinct scent of mechanical parts.
Cracking her eyes open just a slit, Kiana caught a glimpse under the streetlights outside—two-toned hair, off-white and light ash.
Now she knew who it was.
So it's Miss V…?
But what's she doing, sneaking around to kidnap me at this hour instead of sleeping?
Hey now, you're a trickster, not a thief. Don't tell me it's because I created this persona on a whim?
Well, this could be interesting.
Kiana had a great figure, but she wasn't heavy—relatively speaking, that is.
Honestly!
If Vill-V had to rely on her own strength alone, there was no way she could move this swiftly while carrying someone.
Luckily, she was an engineering girl—she'd built herself an exoskeleton for support, which made things easy.
She stuffed Kiana into the vehicle she'd prepared beforehand and drove off toward her prearranged hideout.
"Whew—" Vill-V let out a long breath, surprised by how smoothly things had gone.
Even so, she kept her electronic jammer activated. It was to avoid being caught on any surveillance cameras.
The jammer created a thin magnetic field around her body—just enough to cloak her without interfering with the vehicle's operation.
From the perspective of any security camera, it was as if she weren't there at all. And since she was carrying Kiana, the cloaking field extended over her, too.
It worked on a similar principle to a lot of stealth technology.
But!
It wasn't like she had much choice…
For some reason, Vill-V felt the pressure of being wanted was increasing. She'd seen those sky-screen broadcasts too, and couldn't shake the feeling that when her name was mentioned, it was a warning from the authorities.
She believed the Honkai was real—but she didn't trust Fire Moth, and she didn't trust those governments, either.
Noticing more and more people were searching for her, she'd had to move from one hideout to another in quick succession.
Even so, Vill-V couldn't stop thinking about Kiana.
No matter how things stood, she still wanted to take Kiana away with her.
In her eyes, even though Kiana seemed to be moving freely and living at home, that was probably just part of those bastards' strategy.
A girl this beautiful… who knew how many human experiments she'd been put through? She might look fine on the surface, but how many needle marks covered her body?
Just thinking about it made Vill-V's heart ache.
She wasn't stupid—just blinded by her own biases.
After uncovering the disgraceful, shady deeds committed by Fire Moth, various research institutes, and those in power, she couldn't help but view them in the worst light possible.
If a cold-blooded murderer suddenly told you they'd turned over a new leaf, how many people would actually believe it?
With a track record as rotten as theirs—countless people tricked, swindled, and subjected to Honkai experiments—and now you expect me to believe you've changed? That you're making amends for humanity's sake?
Do I look like I'd buy that?
Even recently, with all the upheavals among the higher-ups, organizations, and governments—purges of those too foolish to read the times—you claim that after internal reforms, you're not the same anymore, that those days are over.
But I haven't seen any real change!
Evidence?
Kiana is the strongest evidence.
If not for human experimentation, how could she possibly possess such power?
A sports car accelerating at full speed is terrifying enough—but to stop its momentum with a drifting tailspin?
Is that something a normal human could withstand?
We're talking at least dozens of tons of force, minimum.
And she halted the car steadily without even budging—that's a strength of hundreds of tons, easily.
At that time, Vill-V felt like her eyes were deceiving her.
But it was real.
No matter what, she couldn't let Kiana stay there any longer. She didn't want to see this girl continue to be used by Fire Moth.
So she planned to explain everything clearly to Kiana once they reached the hideout, then let her go—hoping she could live her own life, free from those bastards' exploitation.
That was all she cared about.
Vill-V took a moment to collect her thoughts, steadying her resolve.
By then, the car had reached the outskirts and pulled up in front of an old factory building.
She lifted the still-unconscious Kiana from the back seat and carried her inside.
The interior of the factory looked ordinary enough—weathered concrete, rusted steel beams, assorted scrap and debris scattered around.
Only after Vill-V triggered a hidden mechanism did a secret passage reveal itself—leading to an underground space she had renovated herself, complete with a makeshift workshop and basic living quarters.
Though the space was cluttered and the air carried a faint, sharp odor, turning on the ventilation system helped. At least there was a bed visible amid the disorder.
Vill-V laid Kiana down on the bed.
But then she glanced over—and froze.
"?!"
Kiana was already awake, her eyes wide and clear, fixed intently on Vill-V.
She wasn't making a sound, wasn't resisting—just lying there calmly.
But to Vill-V, it was downright spine-chilling—like a cat caught sneaking cream.
She took an involuntary step back, staring at Kiana with uncertainty and alarm.
They locked eyes.
For a moment, the atmosphere was deeply awkward.
"When… when did you wake up?" After a quick mental switch—no, more like her core self was forcibly shoved forward—Vill-V stammered, still looking dazed.
It took her a second to gather her wits before she finally managed to ask.
Kiana answered innocently, "From the very beginning, I was awake."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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