"Tsk, I'd say it's about time…"
That day, Lihua showed signs of agitation, something she rarely did.
She stood in the cell, gazing at the sliver of moonlight that shone through the small window above, and started pacing uneasily.
In the past few days, Otto had come to see her every day. He would watch her eat her meals and report on the progress of his research.
He said everything was going well, and they would get the results soon.
Lihua knew that meant the box was almost open, that the fox was about to come out, and they were all about to be screwed.
She had told Otto countless times that she didn't need him to tell her those things, but Otto still persisted. He was probably waiting for Lihua to witness him break the prophecy and control the black box's power.
Lihua was speechless. What was he so serious about? Even if he did control that thing, what did that have to do with her?
He had locked her in the dungeon. Even if he could make it, she wouldn't be able to see it.
He also said that after she got out, she could do whatever she wanted… As if she could ever beat him or Kallen if they got serious!
And even Otto, who seemed like a weak intellectual, had tied her up and knocked her unconscious with Mimicry Judah less than a month ago!
Lihua didn't believe a word Otto said. She was just a side character who he had conveniently locked up.
He hadn't killed her, probably because she was still his friend for now.
Otto didn't have many friends. And since she couldn't threaten his plans, he was happy to let her go and even showed some patience.
Oh well, I wanted a glorious death to earn a lot of energy, but it looks like I'm going to die quietly in this unknown dungeon.
I wanted to save the world, but now I won't be able to save it or earn any energy. This is a huge loss.
I hope Eleanor and the others are okay…
Boom!!!
As Lihua was thinking to herself, waiting for death, an explosion like thunder sounded nearby. Even the earth in the dungeon trembled, and the loud noise reached Lihua clearly!
What's going on? Did the black box finally blow up?
As soon as the thought popped up, her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of fighting.
She could hear the sounds of people running, shouting, and the clashing of weapons.
Wait, is someone attacking Schicksal HQ?!!
Without thinking, Lihua leaped to the small window and looked outside. She saw Schicksal guards rushing around, trying to get into position.
In the distance, she could see black smoke rising from the direction of the Schicksal gates. She also caught a whiff of gunpowder in the air.
Someone really is attacking Schicksal! And why does the gunpowder smell like the firework I made?
Lihua was a little stunned. She had wanted to make fireworks, but the things that she had created were too powerful. They were more like bombs than fireworks. They had ended up being sealed up.
Why was she smelling it now-- Wait, I made that firework because Eleanor wanted to see what fireworks from the East looked like…
Could it be that Eleanor is leading an attack on Schicksal?!!
What's she thinking?! I was thinking that I didn't fear death because I had the System, but they're normal people! They only have one life!
The difference in combat ability between the civilians and Schicksal was too great. Even with gunpowder weapons, the civilians would suffer the greatest losses. Not to mention that the Valkyries, who had taken the lead, would be attacked by Schicksal HQ with full force!
I need to find a way out!
Lihua jumped off the wall. She had thought that Eleanor and the others were already in Shenzhou. She never imagined that they would do something this foolish.
The moment her feet hit the ground, Lihua rushed toward the cell door. She took a step, turned her waist, and focused her strength into her right fist. All of her exchanged skills activated at once.
"One Inch Punch—Open the Door!!!"
With her punch, the air seemed to have warped. Her all-out punch generated a sonic boom, and struck the bars made from what seemed to be thin metal!
In Lihua's most powerful punch to date, a bang echoed—it was Lihua's bones breaking.
"Ugh…" Lihua dejectedly looked at her warped fingers, then glanced at the bars, which had only been slightly bent.
This Soul Steel is too powerful.
She looked at the wall. If she couldn't break through the bars, she'd just break through the wall.
With that in mind, Lihua's eyes narrowed. Her left fist came down hard and struck the stone wall!
Bang!
It was her bones that broke again.
Looking at her mangled left fist, Lihua was speechless.
…There are Soul Steel plates buried inside the wall? Seriously?
Lihua had Rapid Recovery and Pain Control. Her injuries might look bad, but they were nothing to her.
But the fighting outside was intense. Every second, people were getting hurt or killed. She had to find Eleanor and take control of the situation.
While she couldn't break through Soul Steel, if she kept hitting it repeatedly, she'd eventually be able to escape.
The only problem was that Rapid Recovery was just a low-level trait. While it could heal all of Lihua's injuries, it still took time.
It would take at least ten minutes for her broken bones to heal. If she kept fighting like that, she would have to wait an hour before escaping the dungeon. By then, it would all be over.
Unless I was willing to use 7 digits of energy to exchange for high-tier traits such as High-Speed Recovery and Self-Regeneration. Then, she could heal her broken bones in an instant.
But her shop didn't have those high-tier traits, and her wallet didn't have 7 digits worth of energy.
Then, how can I escape?
Lihua's mind was whirring. She soon came up with a solution.
The rich had their methods, and the poor had their own. Who said that "Opening the Heavens" could only be done with a fist?
She just needed to set her pain to zero, and then keep hitting it!
If her fingers broke, she could use her hands. If they broke too, she could use her shoulder. If her body broke, she'd wait for Rapid Recovery to kick in. Then, she could start again. That would save a lot of time.
I'm a genius!