Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

After a brief silence, the door opened again, and Anna and Lin Wei emerged, one after the other.

Anna strode ahead, a slight pout on her face, while Lin Wei followed, shrugging nonchalantly.

Good thing I caught that in time, or I would have been screwed.

Lin Wei was used to piecing together information fragments logically, like assembling a puzzle, to form a complete picture that was as close to the truth as possible, then verifying and modifying it.

Anna, however, was a different story. She filled in the missing pieces with her imagination, creating a detailed, emotionally rich narrative with a complete beginning, middle, and end. It was touching…

A naive girl being too easy to deceive isn't always a good thing…

Lin Wei watched the slender figure a few meters ahead, wiping a cold sweat.

Anna, keenly aware of his gaze, shot a glare at the hateful guy who had shattered her beautiful fantasy. But her words were,

"Keep up! If you're so far away, I can't protect you if something happens!"

Although Lin Wei had just destroyed the excellent impression he had made, the rational part of her, the warrior, felt more at ease—at least it meant he didn't have any malicious intentions.

"Coming," Lin Wei replied, quickening his pace.

"That's more like it," Anna said, satisfied. She turned back, one hand on her pistol, the other on the hilt of her blade, her face alert as she led the way.

Is this what a Valkyrie is like? How adorable… Lin Wei thought, watching Anna's determined back.

.........

Time rewinds slightly.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

Pulled into another room by Lin Wei, Anna, after a moment of bewilderment, quickly broke free, drawing her weapons and scanning her surroundings. After confirming there were no traps, she relaxed, holstering her weapons and complaining.

"You're too impatient," Lin Wei said, also irritated.

"Since we're going to be traveling together for a while, it's better to clear some things up beforehand." This awkward misunderstanding had to be resolved immediately.

"Can't we talk while we walk? It's late!" Anna was dissatisfied. She felt like her good intentions had been betrayed. Don't you know time is of the essence? The longer we delay, the higher the chance Schicksal's support will arrive, and then you and your sister will be in trouble!

Lin Wei glanced at Anna, thinking, Who doesn't know that? It's because of your sudden appearance!

He had planned to act quickly after destroying the Thousand Fists Association, before World Serpent could react. Sneak in, take the girl, and sneak out, leaving them with a small, silent loss.

But Anna's arrival had changed things.

"Things have changed. I thought you were a victim who escaped, so I lied." Lin Wei gestured for Anna to calm down and explained.

"I am here to rescue someone, that part is true. But it's not my sister."

"Oh?"

Anna was surprised. It seemed the story wasn't as she had imagined, and she felt a slight pang of disappointment. After a moment, she asked,

"Then… your girlfriend?" She looked at Lin Wei again. The age gap wasn't that big.

If it's not a touching family story, then a love story would be romantic too, wouldn't it?

"It doesn't matter who she is. Rescuing her is what matters!" Anna became excited again.

"...Sit down!"

Lin Wei, exasperated, pulled her closer, looking directly into her eyes, and concisely described the situation.

"I have no relation to her. She and her father are from Nagazora City. Her father asked me to rescue her because of a past favor. He gave me that photo so I could find her. That's all. Any other questions?"

Lin Wei had finally understood. He couldn't give Anna any room for imagination.

The effect was immediate. Anna, realizing her fantasy had been shattered, glared at him.

"So the story you told me was all made up? You are a liar!"

That story was your own imagination! Lin Wei thought.

"You looked…"

Seeing Anna's increasingly hostile gaze, Lin Wei softened his tone.

"I misunderstood your identity. I thought if I calmed you down and showed you a way out, we wouldn't have to interact further." He sighed.

"It was a misunderstanding, leading to more misunderstandings. Since we're going to be traveling together, it's better to clear things up now."

…

After their conversation, the atmosphere was awkward.

Before Lin Wei could speak, Anna admitted that her impulsiveness had caused the misunderstanding.

Lin Wei was relieved. Schicksal Valkyries were reasonable after all.

Of course, their relationship was still strained.

"Misunderstandings usually come from misinformation. Miss Anna, our perspectives are different. It's normal for misunderstandings to occur." Lin Wei briefly comforted Anna, putting the matter behind him. He glanced at the time and asked tentatively,

"Miss Anna, what are your plans? Are you staying here to wait for your support?"

He couldn't let his target fall into Schicksal's hands. If Anna said she was waiting, he would have to apologize and act alone.

He liked this girl and didn't want to selfishly erase her memories.

This was the first time he had observed a Valkyrie up close.

How to describe her?

Naive, innocent, a bit spoiled, yet with a deep-rooted kindness and persistence.

Of course, if Fu Hua also counted as a "Valkyrie," then Anna would be the second.

Although back then, Fu Hua had been the one observing him.

"...No, we can't stop here," Anna said resolutely after a moment of thought.

"We don't know what this place is, what's inside, how many victims are trapped here. If we don't do anything, the victims might become hostages, and the Valkyries who come to support might be hurt…"

Anna remembered the survivors she had rescued, only for them to be treated like cargo and transported here. She felt a surge of anger.

"And we need to prevent more people from becoming victims. We have to find their data before it's destroyed, to give those bastards what they deserve!"

.........

Time resumed its flow.

"Keep up. As agreed, you help me bypass the security and surveillance, and lead me to where they store their data. I'll handle any potential danger. Then, we'll rescue the victims together!"

Anna instructed Lin Wei. This was their plan.

As soon as they left the room and saw the familiar corridor, the previous awkwardness and displeasure resurfaced. She glared at Lin Wei, then channeled all her negative emotions into motivation for the task ahead.

This place was strange.

According to Anna, the way she came in was through a warehouse filled with construction materials.

Lin Wei had entered through a multi-story building, with a guard at the entrance. Inside, it looked like a design institute. Some rooms even had blueprints scattered on tables, seemingly related to the towering space elevator nearby.

These two adjacent buildings were connected, and also connected to the sprawling coral-like complex behind them, linked by tunnels and bridges, some even seamlessly integrated.

"This way," Lin Wei led Anna into a tunnel, pointing in a certain direction—Yae Sakura, in his mind, had told him that the energy signature in that direction was slightly different, more ominous.

Along the way, it was eerily quiet. Only the occasional patrolling construct would make crisp footsteps, passing by them as if they were invisible, much to Anna's alarm.

"...How are you doing this?"

She had to admit, Lin Wei was quite capable.

She even suspected she was being tricked again.

"Shh…" Lin Wei, as if anticipating her question, raised his hiking stick.

"Just some simple viral interference. It disrupts their visual recognition system, making us look like rocks or bricks. Of course, if we make any noise, we might still be detected."

Anna looked at Lin Wei dubiously. Really?

"Cough cough!"

Lin Wei coughed loudly, the sound echoing in the narrow tunnel.

"Are you crazy?!"

Anna was startled. She quickly covered his mouth and looked around nervously. She saw the construct that had just passed them stop and look back, scanning their direction. Anna held her breath, covering her own mouth until the construct, having confirmed there was nothing unusual, deactivated its alert and resumed its patrol. She finally relaxed.

"Believe me now?" Lin Wei asked, smiling, as Anna removed her hand, which was still covering his mouth. It was soft and cool.

It was a prank, but also a small demonstration.

Pandora could have easily blocked the construct's auditory sensors too, but a flawed technique sounded more believable.

It also saved him from unnecessary explanations.

As expected, Anna glared at him, snorted, and walked ahead, leaving Lin Wei behind. After a few steps, she realized he wasn't following. She stopped, turning back impatiently.

"Come on! What are you doing now?" She was still annoyed by his prank.

"Sorry, I was looking at that thing," Lin Wei said, pointing to the departing construct.

"It? Anything strange about it?" Anna didn't understand. It was strange, but was it necessary to observe it so intently?

After we finish the mission, I'll catch one and take it apart for you to study. That'll scare you! Anna thought angrily.

"Nothing, let's go," Lin Wei smiled, not elaborating.

That thing, seamlessly integrating flesh and machine… Is it the same technology as Grey Serpent's?

But it only follows simple commands. It has no independent thought or consciousness. Is it because it's not connected to the Grey Serpent network, or is it a downgraded version without those modules?

Or perhaps…

Lin Wei glanced at Anna again, thinking of someone else. His gaze made Anna uncomfortable.

Chen Tianwu…

Was his mechanical transformation done with this "mature and reliable" standardized technology?

It's truly tragic…

The tunnel they were in was narrow, clearly meant for pedestrians. It sloped downwards, probably for small vehicles. There were even escalators, currently inactive, probably because it was late at night.

"Underground again?" Lin Wei grumbled. How many times had this been?

Always digging underground, you World Serpent should just rename yourselves World Mole!

"It shouldn't be underground. Look, there's a window. We can see the moon."

Anna, hearing his grumbling, looked up and shook her head.

"You said we're on Coral Island. I've read the data. This artificial island has three base platforms surrounding the central construction site. Each platform has three or four levels. We're probably between two levels."

"This place is like a maze... We've been walking for so long. Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"...I think so," Lin Wei replied, lost in thought. After a moment, he asked,

"We've encountered those constructs several times. Anna, is that thing part of Coral Island's defense force, according to the data you've read?"

"No, I've never seen or heard of anything like that before!" Anna shook her head.

"Is that so? Interesting…" Lin Wei nodded, murmuring,

"You said the tunnels here are like a maze. Those constructs, their patrols… Don't you think, if you connect the locations where we've encountered them, it forms a path?"

"Heh, gilding the lily? I doubt it…"