Miss Riddler just wants to level up in peace.

"..."

Mei didn't know how to explain it either.

She might have been able to snatch it back just now, but she might have failed.

The other party was calm and composed, clearly having come prepared.

She had a feeling that Ziyao wasn't a bad person.

"Boom boom boom..."

The ground shook, and the sand and gravel bounced with the vibrations.

A group of Honkai Beasts approached, numbering in the dozens, and all of them were Knight-level.

"Kiana, the left side is yours."

Mei drew her katana, but why did they attract so many Honkai Beasts without making a sound?

Damn it, how long will it take to kill this many?

There's only half an hour left before boarding; being late would be terrible.

"Damn Honkai Beast, don't bother Mei and me."

Kiana was ready to pounce, and she arrived just in time; she was seething with anger.

"Miss Mei, something's wrong."

The person responsible for protecting Mei said solemnly, "The number of Honkai Beasts... far exceeds our expectations."

The ground tremors grew stronger, and Kiana turned pale when she saw a large group approaching from afar.

"Did they destroy the lair of the evil beasts? How come there are so many?!"

As the saying goes, even a novice can defeat a master with a flurry of punches.

Faced with such a large number of enemies, even three people working together would not be able to defeat them.

"...Kiana, you go first, I'll catch up later."

"No! I want to fight alongside Mei!"

Kiana didn't want to leave alone; she wanted to go together.

"Watch out, the Honkai Beasts are coming!"

Mei held her katana, assuming a starting stance to meet the three-meter-tall Honkai Beast in front of her.

The next second, something surprising happened.

The Honkai Beasts ignored them and walked straight past them.

For Honkai Beasts that only want to destroy humanity, the idea of ​​them willingly letting humanity go is undoubtedly a pipe dream.

However, it did happen right before everyone's eyes.

Wait, is this an artificial lake?

Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that Honkai energy tends to overflow when the Honkai crystals leave the lake.

Once destroyed, the special Honkai energy inside will escape into the air.

She had expected it to attract a few Honkai, but she didn't expect there to be so many.

The power of the Heralds is an irresistible temptation for lower beasts.

Almost all the Honkai Beasts and zombies in Changkong City were attracted here.

Is she trying to help us?

People only regret their mistakes after the dust has settled.

Mei recalled what Ziyao had just said.

The dust has settled... I regret my mistakes...

If the crystal had been destroyed just now, they would be the ones trapped in the artificial lake now.

If you swap them, it perfectly fits this statement.

“Miss Mei, you don’t need to take the risk to save a complete stranger.”

The man blocked Mei's path, preventing her from taking another step.

"Get out of the way. If you want to escape, then go ahead and leave."

Even Kiana, who was not very bright, could guess the reason for the Honkai Beast's abnormality. Although she was unwilling, she still respected Mei's decision.

"It's too late, you'll just be wasting your time going there."

As he said, the Honkai Beasts had completely surrounded the complex, and in the past, they would have just been easy prey.

"Damn it... Is she trying to play the hero?"

Kiana puffed out her cheeks.

the other side.

A small pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Ziyao sat upright on the wooden chair, observing the purple crystal in her hand with great interest.

Looking at the densely packed 'fans' all around her, she couldn't help but marvel at the value of the crystal.

Countless Honkai Beasts attacked her, looking like they wanted to devour her alive.

The next moment, lightning flashed across the sky.

The ferocious lightning was injected into the water, and the splashing current instantly tore apart hundreds of Honkai Beasts.

That wasn't all. The lightning, like an inextinguishable wildfire, spread outwards along the Honkai Beasts until nearly four hundred were wiped out.

It was only because the Honkai Beasts were so concentrated that this attack was so powerful.

Picking up the broken Third Divine Key, Raven leaped from the sky.

"The timing is perfect, you're very punctual."

Ziyao tossed the crystal to the raven. The chilling scene just now didn't make her panic at all.

"Phew—this guy really knows how to order people around. I, the strongest mercenary, am almost out of breath after running all the way here. Ten minutes is way too tight, isn't it?"

"Go ask Jackal for payment; she'll pay."

Compared to empty words of comfort, economic benefits are much more tangible.

Ziyao ruthlessly pushed the debt onto the jackal; her pockets were emptier than her face.

[Ding! Raiden Mei has solved the riddle and received *300 Crystals (no villain role-playing bonus)]

? ?

No, what did I say?

Ziyao was a little confused after inexplicably receiving another 300 crystals.

Oh well... might as well take it.

However, she had already said all that, so why didn't Mei consider her a bad person?

Recalling the leaked video, Ziyao felt a headache coming on.

Could the raven have seen it too?

The girl nodded in agreement.

"You recognize me?"

"I'm a professional mercenary. Although there are differences, I can still tell the difference."

Due to the height difference and the help of a disguise artist before the trip, Ziyao is not her most authentic appearance right now.

She looks much better without makeup, but of course, it's also easier to spot.

“You don’t seem surprised at all.”

"The kids are all clamoring to become as amazing as you, they have no time to think about this."

Raven shrugged. "But it was when you provoked Thousand Tribulations that you really scared me."

Is what happened in the video real?

Like Durandal and many others, Raven asked the question.

Unlike the former, she was asking about the person in question.

"..."

"It's just a shadow of the past, other possibilities for changing the world."

Ziyao couldn't very well say it happened while she was playing a visual novel, could she? Who knew it would come true?

She has no memory of it, so she is not clear about it.

".....Okay."

"Aren't you going to guess?"

"I'm just a mercenary who does things for money, I can't understand such complicated issues."

Raven waved and accompanied Ziyao out of the ruins.

"Hey, isn't this Raiden Mei?"

"Seeing Mei, Raven joked, looking at Mei with the eyes of someone who has spotted prey."

"who are you?"

Mei instinctively placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, wary.

"That's not important. Someone has put a two million bounty on the black market to capture you alive."

A powerful figure in Anti-Entropy has been trying to kidnap Mei, and it's pretty obvious who it is.

"You don't have the ability."

The three of them were ready for battle at the same time, while Raven had just used her Divine Key.