I just got punched by a Ruin Guard, and now, suddenly, I see an even more terrifying autonomous machine up close.
Even Yanfei was thoroughly frightened.
"Ahem, Heloxia, step back a bit. Don't crowd in and scare her!"
A slightly embarrassed voice sounded at that moment.
"Chirp."
Heloxia obediently moved to the side.
With it no longer blocking her view, Yanfei finally saw the person who had saved her.
It was a young man with a slender build, wearing a white mask with golden patterns that revealed only a pair of piercing eyes and a pale chin.
Yanfei estimated he probably wasn't very old. Of course, unless he wasn't human that would be a different story.
"Can you stand? Should I put you down?"
Hearing the young man's voice, Yanfei remembered she was still in his arms, causing her cheeks to burn.
"Y-yes, I can!"
The young man carefully helped Yanfei up, letting her feet touch the ground.
Yanfei pretended to be calm, but inwardly, she was extremely embarrassed. She could feel the young man's hands supporting her bare, slender waist and brushing against her soft, pale thigh, transmitting a warmth that made her heart pound wildly.
But Yanfei also knew she had only herself to blame for this. Due to her adeptus beast constitution, she was unaffected by heat or cold, and her clothing designs were all the cool, breezy styles she preferred. Who could have predicted she'd end up in such a disheveled situation?
Those Ruin Guards... Yanfei meant to warn that there were still enemies around, but she suddenly froze.
The Ruin Guards that had been menacing earlier had, for some reason, all detoured around their campsite.
The people who had just escaped death were cheering.
However, some of them were also watching in their direction with nervous expressions.
Without a doubt, what they were worried about was the Ruin Hunter next to the young man...
Yanfei's heart was also full of questions, but she held back from asking.
After all, he had just saved them; pressing him with questions now would seem impolite.
But this Ruin Hunter is very strange...
She couldn't help but scrutinize it.
It's very different from the Ruin Hunters I've seen before.
If the previous Ruin Hunters gave a feeling of being ferocious, ugly, and frightening, this one—shimmering with a faint silver light—had a more slender body, more streamlined and elegant curves. Despite being a killing machine, it gave off a sense of grace and nobility.
Just as Yanfei was about to say something, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she shouted:
"Look out!"
---
Whoosh—Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Several sharp whistling sounds came from behind.
Even before the pink-haired girl's warning, Ji An had already sensed the danger.
"Arcane synthesis!"
He turned instantly, a mythril greataxe materializing in his hand, which he swung like a phantom.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The three arrows, imbued with Hydro energy, were struck by him—shattering and falling to the ground.
"..."
The one who launched the sneak attack was strong!
A flicker of surprise crossed Ji An's face beneath his mask. Although he had blocked the three arrows, the impact had left his hand numb.
He was using a greataxe—an extremely heavy weapon.
How much force must those lightweight arrows have carried to transmit such pressure through the axe?
But before he could ponder further, the assailant—who had somehow closed in behind him unnoticed—let out a light laugh:
"Covering your front but not your back? Watch your rear!"
Child appeared behind the young man as his two water swords merged into a spear.
Just looking at it, one could feel its terrifying power.
"It's you... Child!? What are you doing? Stop!"
Seeing this, Yanfei grew frantic. Ignoring her injuries, she strained to shout.
"Oh? Miss Yanfei. Don't worry. This guy wearing a mask, hiding his face, sneaking around with ruin machines, he's definitely up to no good."
"Maybe he's the one who caused the Ruin Guards to go berserk."
Child chuckled leisurely, not giving Yanfei a chance to explain, and charged swiftly toward Ji An.
"I'll take this guy down for you and interrogate him properly."
The spear in his hand carried immense Hydro power.
In an instant, it was right before Ji An's eyes, giving him no time to react.
"Got him," Child thought with certainty.
As the youngest of the Fatui Harbingers, he thrived on battle and was highly skilled at killing. His experience from countless fights told him that, in this situation, the masked man had absolutely no way to evade his attack.
However, when he saw the masked man's initially slightly panicked eyes suddenly calm down in that split second, Childa's heart skipped a beat.
Wrong...
Why is he so composed? What's his card?
The next second, Child had his answer.
His confident rippled as his spear collided fiercely with a pale silver blade.
The elemental shockwave exploded outward, scattering sand and dust everywhere.
As the dust settled, Child saw what had blocked him: a single crimson eye, calmly gazing at him.
He was taken aback for a moment.
"Interesting... Interesting."
Child murmured, his eyes gradually lighting up with a fervent, fanatical gleam.
"I thought the Ruin Guards were avoiding this area because they were following your orders."
"It seems I was wrong. It's because of it... I originally thought it was just an ordinary Ruin Hunter."
"Haven't seen such an interesting toy in a long time. More interesting than any toy I've collected before."
"If I gave it to Teucer, he'd definitely love it."
Child's expression grew more and more excited. He suddenly grinned, pointing at Heloxia, and said to Ji An:
"You can go, but this special Ruin Hunter stays with me!"
Yanfei rushed over angrily, placing herself in front of Ji An.
"Child, don't you dare entertain such wishful thinking! This belongs to someone else—what right do you have to it!?"
"He saved us. He's a benefactor to Liyue. I won't let you take it... Cough, cough, cough..."
Her angry, rushed words aggravated her earlier injuries, causing her to cough in pain.
"It's alright. Step back and rest. I'll handle this."
The pink-haired girl's defense of him warmed Ji An's heart.
He hadn't spoken earlier, partly to gauge the attitude of the people he'd saved. If they had turned out to be ungrateful, while he wouldn't have been utterly disappointed in humanity, he certainly would have been displeased.
Seeing Ji An's composed demeanor, Child frowned slightly, then smiled.
"Hey, hey, don't look down on me like that. I'm considered a pretty strong fighter, you know. You don't actually think you and this weird Ruin Hunter can escape from me, do you?"
He waved his hand.
Over a dozen fully armed Fatui members advanced in formation, surrounding Ji An and Heloxia.
Tartaglia spread his hands and grinned.
"See? There's no escape for you now."
"Escape?"
To Child's surprise, the masked young man suddenly laughed.
"Why would I need to escape?"
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
Honkai Impact 3rd, I Can Transform into a Valkyrie!
patreon.com/deadlygoober