Luo Lin's reaction was remarkably swift. She promptly unleashed the energy hook of the "Moon Ring," the long white energy lines wrapping around Siegfried, Kiana, and the girl unmistakably Sakura with pink hair.
Then, Luo Lin decisively activated the auxiliary descent system of the "Moon Ring." Amidst the erupting Honkai energy, the energy lines suddenly straightened, gripping everyone and visibly slowing down their descent.
"Wow!"
Kiana and Sakura collided with a thud, the white furball burying her face into the other's stomach, limbs flailing about until she finally grabbed Sakura's thigh.
Within seconds, Kiana snapped out of her panic. She lifted her head, not only seeing Luo Lin slowly descending with everyone, held by the white energy rope like a parachute, but also spotting a pair of rather large "headlights" in her face...
Kiana instinctively pinched her own thigh, wearing a blissful expression.
Sakura, the pink-haired masked girl, seemed oblivious to this, not sensing anything amiss. She just remarked on the versatility of the white-haired woman holding a long spear, even possessing such gliding equipment.
Soon, they landed on the ground, or rather, it appeared like a surface made of pitch-black ink. With every step Luo Lin and her companions took, ripples spread out on the ground.
Luo Lin quickly noticed that the entire space was filled with dense Honkai energy. Siegfried, Kiana, and Sakura naturally sensed it too, and they all became more alert.
The monsters that fell alongside them also landed on this "surface." It seemed that due to the abundant Honkai energy around, the Quantum Shadows appeared somewhat restless, while the Honkai Beasts seemed invigorated, obviously strengthened by it.
"Let's head this way!"
Luo Lin sensed a fluctuation that concerned her, waving the Mimicry: Abyss Flower towards the direction of the disturbance.
The remaining trio naturally followed suit. Siegfried rushed to Luo Lin's side, cooperating seamlessly. The white-haired man and woman wielded their weapons, under the illumination of flames and golden light, monsters fell one after another, turning into Honkai energy shards and disappearing.
Sakura chose to stand behind the group, using her incredibly fast swordsmanship to attack enemies attempting to flank them. Her blade flashed, cutting monsters into pieces.
Kiana stood in the middle of the group, filling in any gaps with her pistols. She watched her parents fighting, as well as the pink-haired girl who felt comfortable to hold (?). Together, the quartet was like a charging boat against the tide, crushing any monsters daring to impede them.
"...That's amazing."
Even amidst the ongoing battle, Kiana couldn't suppress her smile.
Finding her smelly old man, seeing her mom, improving her marksmanship under her mom's guidance, and then fighting alongside her parents against the Honkai Beasts... She was no longer the child hiding behind others needing protection; she was also a Kaslana knight!
Moreover, Kiana could be sure that the pink-haired girl with the mask must be a beauty. Her beauty radar went off the charts when she hugged her!
"Don't lose focus, Kiana!" Siegfried shouted.
Luo Lin also reminded her, "We're still in battle, be careful!"
"Yeah, I know, Dad, Mom."
Kiana's smile became even brighter. She casually shot down a Honkai Beast that Siegfried had disabled, feeling exhilarated, in a state she had never felt before.
She felt genuinely satisfied.
Then, a faint light radiated from Kiana, tiny blue sparks dispersed into the air and disappeared.
Far away, Fu Hua was engaged in combat, her heart surprised to notice that the quantum power clinging to "Fenghuang Down" had dissipated without a trace. The glow of the Divine Key slightly recovered, gently brushing the girl's forehead.
"It actually recovered a bit, that's great."
Fu Hua smiled with relief, kicking away a Quantum monster attempting to ambush her. She pushed up her glasses, the slight confusion and unease that once existed completely dissipating.
"Before Luo Lin comes back, I'll do my best to be a protector!"
"Boom!"
Siegfried charged out of the flames, vigilantly watching his surroundings. His exceptionally powerful attack had opened up a path for them, but the operation of Honkai energy within him was somewhat blocked.
But in the next moment, Luo Lin projected the power of Creation towards him, warming him with a healing energy, quickly repairing his body.
Luo Lin observed the surroundings and asked, "Can you feel the energy fluctuations nearby, Sieg?"
"I can feel it. The concentration of Honkai energy here is higher than before."
Siegfried's eyes were sharp as he swept his orange-tinted sword tip around, responding.
Sakura also answered, "Yes, it's indeed intriguing here."
After all, the Honkai Beasts had been fiercely trying to stop their progress before. Yet, when Luo Lin's group actually arrived here, they found that the Honkai Beasts, who had been pursuing them relentlessly, had all disappeared without a trace.
Kiana looked at the three serious individuals and scratched her head. She really couldn't feel anything peculiar.
What's going on? Why do I feel like I'm the only one who can't do anything?
To save her dignity, Kiana could only agree, "...Indeed."
Siegfried spoke up, "Let's continue forward and see."
"Okay."
Even though the four of them were highly skilled, they didn't split up to explore like in a horror movie. They stuck together and began exploring this relatively "peaceful and harmonious" area.
"Wait, this is..."
Luo Lin noticed a clue and quickly walked forward. Using the Mimicry: Divine Key, she picked up a gradually dissipating black feather from the ground. It looked very familiar, and with a slight change in color, it could be mistaken for a Fenghuang Down.
At that moment, a system prompt suddenly popped up. Luo Lin looked at the countdown gradually ticking on it, sighing silently.
It seems that this time cycle can only explore up to here...
She looked at the people surrounding her, as well as the half piece of black feather in her hand, her lips curling slightly upwards.
She had found a clue, victory was imminent.
[**?(*锟?...10, 9...3, 2, 1...??)]
[**urrent Objective: Have a perfect day for **% (Failed脳)銆?]
[*nterrupt Task... Failed...?]
[**starting Task...?]
Just as the surroundings distorted, a black shadow suddenly darted forward, silently pouncing towards Luo Lin.
And Luo Lin was completely unaware. She was just quietly waiting for the world to reset, and then...
"Mom!"
As always, the purple-haired Cecilia flew over, Luo Lin reached out and caught her, placing her firmly on the ground.
"Alright, Cecilia, Mom will go make bread and cookies for you now!"
"Wow! I haven't even said anything, but Mom already knows!"
Cecilia widened her eyes in astonishment, but she quickly found an explanation: "Daddy said, both Mom and Dad have superpowers. Mom knows what I'm thinking without me saying anything, so Mom can read minds!"
"Well, your mom doesn't have that superpower." Luo Lin chuckled and lightly flicked Sirin's nose, "Behave and watch TV for a bit, Mom will bring you some food soon."
"Okay!"
Luo Lin went to the kitchen and retrieved a bag of flour from the cupboard as if facing a formidable opponent.
"Fu Hua, are you there?"
"I'm here..."
The gray-haired girl's head peeked down from the ceiling, her upside-down gaze fixed on Luo Lin.
"Luo Lin, are you planning to make bread?"
"Yeah, I refuse to believe I'll mess it up this time."
"Oh? You messed up before?"
"...It's all in the past, a dark history."
"Then let me help you. Kneading this dough shouldn't be much different from making regular dough."
With that, Fu Hua jumped down from the ceiling, skillfully taking the bowl of flour from Luo Lin's hands and effortlessly kneading it into a firm, flexible dough.
"Looks good, doesn't it? I'm amazing."
"You're really skilled."
But normally, aren't you like a ghost, unable to touch anything?
Luo Lin opened her mouth, staring fixedly at the gray-haired girl's eyes, as if she could see through the thin layer of blue and discover a turbulent black-red within.
"What's wrong?"
"...You have a pretty smile."
The gray-haired girl scratched her head in surprise, then realized that she seemed to have forgotten to deal with the flour in her hands, feeling a bit frustrated and yet somewhat delighted as she replied, "What's that? You're making people embarrassed here."
"I'm not lying. Smiling more is good for both physical and mental health."
Luo Lin nonchalantly opened the oven and adjusted the knob.
Sirin, didn't you just mention someone with mind-reading superpowers?
Oh no!