harleyscars Page 218
Page 218
A figure suddenly darted out, and with a muffled thud, the guard robot was slammed into a corner and destroyed by the immense force before it could even sound an alarm.
Paddo looked up and saw Miss 'Kiana'—Kevin—following behind her.
It's obvious that the other person couldn't possibly be from here.
So, you mean... a competitor?!
Although it looked familiar—the cat thought to itself, because it had changed genders and was completely unrecognizable.
After dealing with the wreckage of the guard robot, they moved to a slightly safer location.
"Who are you...?"
"..."
Miss Kiana fell into a brief silence.
How am I supposed to explain this? Say I was stalking him? That would just lead to a fight!
Kevin's real intention wasn't to fight with Paddo, but rather to get a headache from the news about MEI. After a long while, he finally gave a suitable excuse: "I'm here to investigate this place."
That makes perfect sense—this place is clearly not a good spot, and besides, if Pado can come, why can't others?
"Then... shall we go together?" With the idea that more people meant more strength, and that going together would prevent any mishaps, Pado took the initiative to invite them.
This was exactly what Kevin wanted.
Whether it's to elicit information about MEI or to ask questions about the underground base, Pado and her companions are undoubtedly the best option—even Kevin has to admit that this girl is really good at infiltration. If he hadn't followed her trail, he probably would have been caught by the guards shortly after entering.
"it is good."
Knowing nothing about the base, they could only wander aimlessly around.
Having evaded countless guard robots along the way—they arrived at a...
"It seems to be some kind of prison."
Looking at those completely enclosed portals with only a single metal window, 'kiana' made her judgment.
Through the gaps, one could see some figures.
People of all ages and genders are represented, but the majority are women.
"Huh...why is there only one person in this cell?" Pado wondered.
Kevin, who rushed over upon hearing the sound, squinted at the sound—there was indeed only one, and not only that.
If the guards in other prisons are treated like ordinary people, then the white-haired man locked up in this room is like a criminal being imprisoned.
The area covered in wounds revealed shocking injuries. Bound to an alloy cross, and tightly bound by steel chains, it looked more like the restraint of some prehistoric beast than a human being.
"Why don't we ask?"
"...Shall we give it a try?" Although Cat was a little timid, she thought that since neither of them knew anything about the other, it would be great if they could get some useful information from this strange man, so she agreed.
She deftly picked up the lock with a wire—a super-secure lock? Hilarious! There's no lock or door in this world that I, a cat, can't open!
With a few easy fumbles, she solved the lock she'd never seen before, relying solely on her sense of touch. Under Kevin's subtle gaze, Paddy smiled awkwardly and pushed the door open.
"Hey—he seems to be unconscious." Pado was initially a little scared and hesitant to approach, but seeing the man motionless, she mustered her courage and took the initiative to touch his scarred face, which seemed rather strange.
"...It should be an anesthetic, and the dosage is quite large."
Having a friend like Sue who is a doctor, Kevin, who has some knowledge and experience in the field, lightly touched her nose to assess her condition.
"water..."
A faint voice sounded.
The former was taken aback—goodness, he could still make a sound after being given anesthesia...the dosage must have been relatively small, right?
She judged so.
"Is there water?"
"Uh...yes, yes, yes!"
Cat paused for a moment, then took out her little bottle again—when she left Su's place, she had also thriftily taken the water Su had prepared for herself and filled it up.
She brought the bottle directly to the man's lips and gulped it down.
Then...
His head tilted to the side, and he fell silent.
"...You poisoned the water?"
Upon seeing this, 'Kiana' paused for a moment, looked at the cat with a complicated expression, and asked, "What is this?"
Well, it's a good thing I didn't drink it yesterday, otherwise, judging from this reaction—if I had drunk it, wouldn't I have been completely doomed?
"How...how could that be! This is plain boiled water that we got from the hospital! The kind without any additives!"
"He's still angry, you know!"
"Indeed, it seems she just fell asleep." The girl probed and judged that she had fallen asleep under the influence of the anesthetic.
"It seems we won't get any more information out of them."
The bottle, now only slightly damp, was returned to Paddo, who wiped it with her sleeve and carefully put it back in her bag.
Pado sighed, moved closer to the man, and unlocked and pried open the chains, saying helplessly:
"What a waste of time. Oh well... Let's help this guy out completely and unlock his clothes. Then we'll see if we can get him out of here."
After closing the cell door again, the two continued exploring the base.
Soon—they finally arrived at their final destination.
At the bottom level of this base, there is a secret space containing a blue crystal, stored in a special container.
"It's the core of the Herrscher!"
Upon seeing the crystals, Pado, who had seen pictures beforehand, immediately exclaimed excitedly.
Kiana, with her keen senses, frowned and whispered:
"somebody is coming."
The two hurriedly hid in the most secluded spot in the room.
Soon, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, they saw the person approaching.
"It's him!"
Paddy's eyes widened, and she almost cried out in surprise, but thankfully she learned from her previous experience and managed to cover it up this time.
—The blond, blue-eyed man was none other than Otto, the man Cat had encountered at the hospital during the day who had argued with Su.
Beside him was another very old man, whose sinister appearance was evident from his face.
The cat tapped its goggles—
Information about it was found in the built-in database.
Paganin – A high-ranking member of the Firemoth, the British Isles' representative in the Firemoth, and the supervisor of the Fifth Science Division.
As the two held their breath and listened quietly.
The two began to talk.
"Has the research made no progress yet?" The old man's voice was filled with impatience and dissatisfaction.
"Hehe, as you know, the scientific research process is always difficult and lengthy."
"I'm not interested in the process."
"Of course, but so far we have achieved results far exceeding those of the past, haven't we?"
"not enough."
"That greenhorn girl from headquarters has already sent people over."
"who is it?"
"Alisia, a pretty smooth-talking blonde girl... Heh, there really isn't anyone left on the Mu Continent, they're actually being overshadowed by a bunch of young girls." The old voice revealed disdain and prejudice.
People always use age to measure each other's worth, and this is especially prevalent among European factions. At least, the faction led by Paganin has never taken the group of 'kids' at headquarters seriously, even though they have achieved remarkable results.
"The hero who chased the fire, I've heard of him before."
"Hero? Hmph, just a little girl who's good at building relationships."
Even with the achievement of 'slaying the Second Herrscher,' the European faction viewed it more as a form of 'marketing' from headquarters.
It's just a mascot, an artificial creation, deliberately exaggerated to set a trend and inspire grassroots soldiers.
A 'tool' that can be recreated countless times whenever needed.
Aside from the second Honkai, does she really have any other noteworthy achievements?
Participating in the extermination of a small snake or a monkey... is simply laughable.
—For various reasons, and also at Jiang Qiao's own request, the disappearance of both the Third Herrscher and the Fourth Herrscher was more like a 'whitewash' achieved with a barely reasonable excuse.
Therefore, in the eyes of the European factions, Alicia, who only had the actual achievement of defeating the Second Herrscher, was no different from them who had defeated the First Herrscher.
Perhaps the only difference is—the difference between pressing a button and actually getting involved?