"You're still here?"
Lin Wei looked at Raven, who had appeared as suddenly as a ghost with a whoosh, just moments after he hung up the phone. He had a strange expression on his face, you really didn't leave?
He had to admit, that entrance with black feathers fluttering everywhere was pretty cool.
"...Should I leave then?"
Raven retorted irritably, I shouldn't have bothered with you!
Without another word, she prepared to disappear.
"No, no, no! I was just curious, didn't you leave earlier? You came back right after I hung up, are people from World Serpent always this efficient?"
Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, take notes!
Lin Wei quickly stopped her.
There was no helping it, he had to be polite since he was asking for a favor.
If he wanted to ask for shelter, he couldn't afford to be arrogant.
"Heh, really? Do you think everyone is like you, able to stay in the Elysian Realm for half a year without a word, like a young master who doesn't have to worry about anything? Us pitiful workers have to go through procedures to resign."
Raven made up an excuse,
"Do you expect me, a resigned employee, to wait around during your meeting with Gray Serpent?"
Well, that does sound reasonable.
Lin Wei didn't want to delve into how much truth there was in her words. It would only make things awkward if he pushed it.
He had already confirmed that Gray Serpent currently held no hostility towards him. Confirming this key point was enough, it was better to remain ignorant about the other details.
Moreover, at the moment, who else could he turn to for help besides her?
Lin Wei was helpless, he couldn't call Fu Hua from halfway across the world, could he?
Could he ask Gray Serpent? No way!
He was probably waiting for Lin Wei to go back to him, so he could lord over him.
As for Raven, what conflicts of interest could they possibly have?
Lin Wei looked at Raven's profile, stubborn and slender. She used a black hood to isolate herself from the world, almost blending in with the darkening sky.
They were both pitiful people swept up in the currents of this world, forced into this game, unable to control their own fate.
Besides, from what he knew of the original storyline, Raven wasn't someone who prioritized profit above all else; in fact, she was quite sentimental.
It was easier to deal with...
Cough, no, it was easier to trust people like that!
"So, what is it? Are you planning to hitch a ride home?"
Raven seemed to have forgotten what she had said on the phone earlier. She wanted to see what this guy would come up with.
"I told you on the phone earlier, I want to stay with you for a few days, Natasha. I have nowhere else to go."
Lin Wei said pitifully.
She already told me her name on the phone, and now she's trying to deny it?
"Heh, I'm sorry, Mr. Lin Wei. I only take in homeless children, not homeless adults. Unfortunately, you're too old."
Raven glanced at Lin Wei up and down with feigned scrutiny, her tone blunt,
"I'm a mercenary, not a philanthropist. For old times' sake, I can give you a ride. It's not a commission, so it's free."
"Then where should I go? The World Serpent doesn't want me, I can't go back to the Elysian Realm, I really don't know where to go next... Home? Heh, my home was destroyed in the 3rd Honkai! I don't have many people in this world that I can call 'friends.' After thinking about it, the only person I can ask for help is you, Natasha."
Lin Wei appealed to her emotions, then suddenly scoffed,
"You're not going to send me back to St. Freya, are you? Don't be ridiculous... After disappearing for half a year and suddenly reappearing, I'll probably be taken away by Schicksal the moment I land! Those Schicksal people, heh, I can't afford to mess with them."
Raven was a survivor of the 2nd Honkai, and because of the truth behind the 2nd Honkai, she had a strong aversion to Schicksal.
Therefore, emphasizing his identity as a "Honkai survivor" and the fact that "Schicksal might be a threat to him" could greatly improve his relationship with Raven.
Besides, what he said was true, he wasn't lying!
Lin Wei felt justified.
Times have changed. Last time, successfully hiding near St. Freya was because it was a blind spot. Going there now would be like walking into a tiger's den.
He had finally escaped Schicksal's sight, and now he was going to go back to St. Freya to die?
I'm not crazy!
"...If there's really no other way, then send me to Nagazora. I'm relatively familiar with that place. Since it's a dead zone, there shouldn't be anyone to bother me there."
This was Lin Wei's real request - to return to Nagazora.
Times have changed.
A year ago, Nagazora was a dead zone that he had to escape quickly, but now, a year later, it had become his best hiding place.
Lin Wei thought that with his current Honkai resistance, the residual Honkai energy, and the possible Honkai beasts and zombies in Nagazora were basically no threat to him.
It was a city that could originally accommodate millions of people. In such a large area of ruins, he could hide there for two years without any problems.
Lin Wei had already made up his mind, once he went in, he wasn't coming out!
It would be nice to just bask in the sun like Pardo, wouldn't it?
As for the World Serpent, he was indeed always under their surveillance.
But as long as he made his stance clear, stayed in Nagazora, acted harmless like a little white rabbit, didn't go out, didn't cause trouble, and didn't threaten any of World Serpent's plans, wouldn't that be fine?
How did that saying go again?
As long as I lie down flat enough, then I'm invincible!
I don't care what you're planning, Gray Serpent.
As long as I just lie down and do nothing, and don't cause any trouble, you can't just come and beat me up, can you?
Plan successful!
Lin Wei looked at Raven frankly, stating his true needs,
"If you send me back, then Schicksal definitely won't be able to find me, right?"
World Serpent's ability to hide themselves was truly impressive!
The fact that they had their headquarters in North Africa, basically face to face with Schicksal, and Otto hadn't been able to find them after all these years, was proof enough~
(ノへ￣,)
Overseer , are you even trying?
"..."
Raven was speechless, Nagazora? Of all places?
Looking at Lin Wei's harmless expression, and recalling their similar life experiences, how both of them had everything taken away by the sudden Honkai, she couldn't help but soften.
I really owe you one. Raven sighed helplessly. But she said,
"Fine, I just so happen to have taken in some orphaned survivors from Nagazora and set up a temporary shelter there... Don't look at me like that, I'm not being irresponsible, it's a long story."
Raven felt a strange look from Lin Wei, and mistaking it for an accusation, she glared back,
"Besides me, there are only children in the shelter. For reasons you also know, there are very few boys, and we've been short-handed for some of the more physically demanding tasks, so, taking you in temporarily isn't impossible."
Raven looked Lin Wei up and down, and made a disgusted expression. Like an HR manager from a big company, she said condescendingly,
"I happen to have some jobs like climbing, carrying heavy objects, and unclogging sewers, and I need to hire a temporary worker to do some odd jobs for a few days. As for payment... Room and board, no salary. Are you in?"
She's making it sound pretty convincing...
Lin Wei touched his nose. She's already offered me a way out, so what am I waiting for?
"Heh, good choice. My car is on the other side, follow me."
Raven was satisfied with Lin Wei's attitude. She glanced at the smooth cut between the two halves of the boulder, took his arm, and with a 'whoosh,' the two of them disappeared from the spot, leaving only black feathers fluttering in the air.
"Hey! Hey! Slow down!"
Lin Wei's distant cry faded in the wind, barely audible.
.........
The sun had already set, and the small town in the distance was brightly lit. There wasn't the noise and flashing lights of a city, only peace and tranquility, as if it was just an ordinary town.
"Hehe, I told you, he won't play these boring games with you. Jackal, it's time to put away your silly traps."
Gray Serpent appeared out of nowhere, walking into the town with relaxed steps.
The climate in North Africa was very dry, with very little rainfall. Walking outside with an umbrella in this weather could be called performance art, but no one seemed to mind his strange behavior.
No, there was someone.
"Hmph, you let Raven interfere?"
A slender woman with a dog-like mask walked out of the town and came in front of Gray Serpent, her tone quite indignant,
"A mere ant, how dare he be so impudent! If we let him off so easily, what about the Serpent's dignity?"
How could Jackal not realize that she had been scammed a year ago?
And out of all the people in World Serpent, why her? It was so infuriating!
The sudden humiliation made her furious, and she had been holding a grudge for a long time, waiting for an opportunity, until today.
Therefore, she was even more dissatisfied with her failure, and vented all her anger at Gray Serpent,
"You told Raven to save him, didn't you?"
"And this man is such a valuable specimen! A natural Stigmata implanted from the outside, it sounds like a complete paradox, yet it's so naturally integrated!"
Jackal was immersed in her scientific dreams, her tone becoming more and more excited. She wanted to rip off her mask and curse at Gray Serpent,
"Don't you know how much capturing him would contribute to our Stigmata Project? And you just let him go! You, you're committing a crime!"
"Hehehe, calm down, Jackal, I didn't order Raven, I didn't give her any hints, and I certainly didn't give that man any clues."
Gray Serpent chuckled and endured all the insults, not getting angry at all,
"After all, as an excellent scientist, you should also understand that things have their own laws of development. The purpose of an experiment is to observe and verify, not to interfere with the process. That wouldn't be in line with my aesthetics."
"Are you saying that ant discovered my presence on his own?"
Jackal was unconvinced, how was that possible?
"Whether he did or not, what's the difference? I'm glad he didn't step foot in here, otherwise the Serpent would have lost a valuable companion today."
Gray Serpent's tone was as calm and measured as ever.
"Oh? You actually agreed to let him join the organization?"
Jackal raised an eyebrow, quite dissatisfied with Gray Serpent's decision.
"No, I'm talking about you, Jackal. Now, put away your silly toys and traps, if you really encounter him, they will only become weapons that kill you."
As Gray Serpent's voice fell, the brightly lit town suddenly fell into darkness. Then, the quiet turned noisy, the creaking of transforming machinery, the sticky sounds of twisting limbs, and the rustling sounds of footsteps mixed together, turning the quiet town eerily lively.
If either Jackal or Gray Serpent turned around now, they would see a large number of eerie, crimson dots, like the eyes of evil spirits, staring at them.
Those were indicator lights from various mechs, bio-engineered bodies, Honkai beasts, and zombies implanted with control systems. Hundreds, thousands, densely packed together.
The peaceful town had disappeared, or rather, it never existed.
Jackal clicked her tongue in annoyance and took out a controller from her sacrificial robe. She pressed a few buttons, and the horde of monsters that looked so daunting seemed to have received some kind of command. They formed an orderly line and walked into some sort of passage.
"You're talking about the 12th Divine Key? Heh, a pitiful insect who didn't even have Honkai resistance a year ago. I'd really like to see if he can wield that miraculous power."
Jackal's tone was full of disdain. Then she turned and stared at Gray Serpent with an extremely serious tone,
"What happened today, I will report to the Lord when he returns."
"Hehe, feel free."
Gray Serpent didn't seem to care at all. Instead, he made an elegant welcoming gesture,
"Also, I think you've misunderstood something, Jackal. I didn't stop you - after today, you can still do whatever research you want, even if you want to capture that man and send him to your lab. Heh, of course, as a fellow companion, I have to give you a friendly reminder. I do not recommend you do so."
Jackal looked at Gray Serpent with some puzzlement.
"After all, the Lord has also expressed interest in him. I think you should understand what that means."
Gray Serpent stopped there, opened his umbrella, and left on his own, quickly disappearing into the night. The rustling of his footsteps gradually faded away.
"...Such theatrics!"
Jackal was silent for a while and then reluctantly left.
There will be other opportunities!
Jackal gritted her teeth and thought hatefully, she had not given up.
The night wind picked up the sand and dust, burying the footprints of humans, erasing all traces.
The camera zoomed out, and the tall, ancient pyramid had also disappeared from its original spot, as if it had never existed.
All that remained was a desolate, uninhabited desert, as it had always been.