Chapter 106: Listen to My Explanation, It's All a Misunderstanding~
"Just surrender, and they'll take you to their destination. Of course, the process will be quite unpleasant."
Lin Wei described his backup plan in concise words as he led Anna towards their destination.
"Me?"
Anna immediately looked at Lin Wei's profile, wary, trying to figure out his motive.
She still hadn't ruled out the possibility that Lin Wei was deceiving her, but she didn't want to question him directly, especially after he had helped her.
If that were true, she would be very disappointed.
"Just a figure of speech, nothing more. Don't overthink it."
Lin Wei didn't need to look at her to know what she was thinking. After all, the foundation of their trust was fragile, only selectively ignored due to the "enemy at the gates" situation. He quickly clarified,
"Although, I think that if I hadn't gotten involved, the most likely way for you to find them would be what I just said—pretending to be captured, then being taken to their lair; finally, you and your comrades could coordinate an attack from inside and out."
As he spoke, Lin Wei couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Anna, teasing,
"Tell me, am I right?"
From Anna's story, where she omitted key information and simplified the narrative, Lin Wei had guessed that their encounter was a coincidence.
Therefore, today's events were probably Anna's first encounter with Coral Island. Lin Wei could even imagine the general plot—
"Schicksal Valkyrie Anna Schariac single-handedly destroys a deeply hidden criminal network on Coral Island. Because the victims are Honkai survivors, and it involves Honkai affairs, Schicksal gains a legitimate reason to intervene on Coral Island, quickly establishing an official Valkyrie presence there.
And Anna, as the chief contributor, and due to her outstanding performance during the Manila Honkai Eruption, is given the honor of leading the newly formed Squad Snow Lotus to undertake this mission."
There wasn't any concrete evidence. Lin Wei just treated it as an interesting conjecture—
After all, Schicksal's official presence on Coral Island was, chronologically, very late.
And after the Queen's Arrival and the Great Eruption, World Serpent was openly abducting people in ARC City to support their early experiments for "Project Stigma."
So, how could he assume they wouldn't do similar things before that?
After all, Honkai eruptions were occurring worldwide. The accumulated survivors, though seemingly insignificant, were still useful to the still-dormant World Serpent, weren't they?
And as a peripheral zone for both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, compared to their restrained and infiltration-focused operations in Europe and North America, it wasn't impossible for World Serpent's influence here to be more unrestrained.
Therefore, it wasn't impossible for a Valkyrie with a strong sense of justice like Anna to stumble upon some clues, and then, due to her decisiveness, single-handedly uncover everything, catching them off guard.
As for whether it was true or not, who knew?
Perhaps, it was precisely because Anna's actions paralyzed the "human trafficking network" in Southeast Asia that World Serpent chose to withdraw and lay low, allowing survivors of later Honkai eruptions—like Manila—to escape, like Chen Tianwu, who even had a brief stint in a gang.
And because of that, after losing contact with their "superiors," the Thousand Fists Association became overly ambitious, leading World Serpent to deem them "traitors" and send Raven, who had rejoined the organization, to "clean house."
And because of that, Chen Tianwu was able to connect with Raven, becoming World Serpent's executive, "Agent Owl"?
…
Tsk, how strange!
Thinking of this, Lin Wei looked at Anna strangely.
If that's the case, then that ill-fated relationship between you and Chen Tianwu was something you brought upon yourself?
Should I congratulate you?
( ﹁ ﹁ ) ~
Coming up with strange and absurd theories was one of Lin Wei's bad habits, a peculiar form of dark humor.
"Nonsense!"
Anna didn't know that Lin Wei's inner monologue was just as rich as hers. Her face flushed.
What does he mean? This hateful guy was looking down on her!
But she couldn't refute him. His strategy was viable.
Silence is golden.
The two quickly returned to where they had encountered the construct carrying its "prey" and continued to follow its trail.
Then, at a multi-path intersection, they lost their target.
"What now?"
Anna glanced at Lin Wei. He had been right. Finding them on her own was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Should she really risk it?
But what if she really pretended to be captured, and Lin Wei, who had orchestrated all of this, took her somewhere else, causing the Valkyries who came to support to suffer unnecessary losses?
Just the thought made Anna shudder. She couldn't help but look at Lin Wei's pale face.
Can he really be trusted?
Anna thought anxiously.
"Follow me."
Lin Wei closed his mental theater, discarding those strange thoughts. He grabbed Anna's hand and turned back.
Anna blushed slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then let him lead her.
She wanted to see what Lin Wei was planning.
Lin Wei didn't intend to carry out the "Trojan Horse" plan.
If Anna were alone, or if he were alone, then using that method to save time would make sense.
But now, with two of them together, their fragile trust made that option impossible.
Lin Wei, with his limited "God's perspective," could trust Anna, believing she wouldn't abandon him if something unexpected happened.
But Lin Wei, who didn't consider himself a good person, didn't think he could offer Anna the same level of trust.
Therefore, if he proposed that plan, the currently amicable relationship between them would likely shatter.
Two monks with no water to drink, so to speak. He had to find another way.
Finding a black and red construct "patrolling" towards them, Lin Wei released Anna's hand and exhaled slightly.
"...Are you really going to do this?"
Anna looked at Lin Wei, her expression complex, feeling a strange sense of disappointment.
She couldn't agree to that plan. If Lin Wei really asked her, or him, to pretend to be captured and infiltrate, she would have to refuse.
Honestly, she didn't dislike him. After all, she had embarrassed herself in front of him, and he had helped her cover it up and find a solution.
But they were just strangers, temporary allies at best, with a slight sense of familiarity, but no real trust.
If she were alone, she could be reckless, convincing herself to trust him once wouldn't be impossible.
But she couldn't place such unpredictable consequences on a stranger with so many uncertainties.
For Anna, that was an insurmountable line.
"Stop talking, follow it!"
Lin Wei gently pushed her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.
"?"
Anna watched as the construct walked past them normally, as if nothing had happened. She was confused, not understanding what Lin Wei had done.
"I made some minor adjustments to its system. Now, it thinks it has captured its prey and needs to return to its nest. So, we just need to follow it."
Lin Wei leaned on his stick, taking a few deep breaths to calm his slightly racing heart. He explained softly,
"This is much safer than being taken directly into the dragon's lair. Following it, if anything unexpected happens, we can quickly retreat."
"What's wrong?"
Anna felt guilty for her earlier distrust, hearing Lin Wei's explanation. She was about to say something, but saw that his already pale face had become even worse. She quickly went to support him, complaining,
"I said you're too weak! Just running a bit and you're already out of breath?"
Then, realizing her tone was too harsh, she asked with concern,
"Are you okay? Should I carry you? Or should you rest here and wait for my good news?"
"No need."
Lin Wei quickly waved his hand, a chill running down his spine.
If you carry me, I'll really be playing Chen Tianwu's role!
Lin Wei didn't completely trust Anna. Or rather, he trusted Anna as an individual, but not Schicksal.
Therefore, under his subtle guidance, she hadn't asked for his name, to avoid unnecessary complications.
And because of that, Lin Wei had suppressed his Stigmata's power, appearing as an ordinary person in her eyes.
But there were consequences—from the Thousand Fists Association, to working with Bronya analyzing data, to tracking clues at the port, the heavy use of the Divine Key without Yae Sakura sharing the burden had taken its toll on his recovering body.
Of course, using this somewhat pitiful image to get closer to this naive girl was an unexpected bonus.
He even considered it a "negative" bonus. He still wanted to keep his distance.
"Don't push yourself!"
But Anna was stubborn. She didn't indulge his weakness. She grabbed his arm, supporting half his weight, and glared at him.
"If you try anything funny, I'll tie you up, throw you in a random trash can, steal your photo and that device of yours, and go rescue her myself!"
"That wouldn't be bad…"
Lin Wei chuckled awkwardly. It's over, I can't explain this away. Chen Tianwu, listen to me, it wasn't my fault!
(ノへ ̄,)
Lin Wei was lost in thought. Seeing that Anna was actually looking around for a trash can, he quickly stopped her, saying that wouldn't be bad.
After a bit of playful banter, they followed the construct through the intersection, into an unremarkable tunnel, then to another intersection, and then another.
"Heh, I was wrong. This isn't a rat's nest, it's an ant colony."
Lin Wei couldn't help but complain.
"On an island city like this, such a dense network couldn't have been dug out. Who are these people? And how have they remained hidden?"
Anna recalled the maze-like tunnels, unable to help but exclaim, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid of alerting the construct leading the way.
"I don't know."
Lin Wei replied nonchalantly.
Since he had guessed that this entire island was likely controlled by World Serpent, he wasn't surprised by anything strange.
After all, this entire organization was shrouded in mystery.
"Okay, I feel much better now. You can let go."
Having been supported for so long, Lin Wei felt uncomfortable. He quickly found an opportunity to separate. He glanced at the dimly lit cavern, which looked like a garage. The construct had just entered and disappeared.
"This should be it. We're already on the first platform level. Any lower and we'd be at sea level. Surely they wouldn't dig any deeper, right?"
Even if they went to the moon, they'd probably dig a hole first,
Lin Wei couldn't understand World Serpent's obsession with digging.
Anna hesitated.
"...We're already here. Are you planning to leave me behind, Miss Anna?"
Lin Wei guessed her thoughts and said with a smile.
"Yes, this place is more complicated than I imagined. If we encounter danger, I can't guarantee your safety. This is for your own good."
Anna honestly explained her thoughts.
"Don't worry, I'll rescue that girl for you… Speaking of which, I also have a friend. She's also a survivor from Nagazora City… Besides, she's also a student from Chiba Academy. Perhaps she knows the person you're looking for. Just for that, I'll do my best!"
Anna tried to sound relaxed, suppressing her anxiety, trying to convince Lin Wei that she could handle it alone.
Actually, she had never faced a situation like this, but she only wanted herself to face the potential danger, not wanting to involve an innocent person.
Nagazora City? Survivor? Chiba Academy student?
Lin Wei's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Anna.
Valkyrie?
The answer was obvious.
But now wasn't the time. Lin Wei collected his thoughts and said,
"Did you forget? I'm a hacker. Without my technical assistance, are you planning to fight your way through?"
"Uh…"