Click—
As the last lock fractured amidst the dancing of the Silver Moon, Mila leaned against her katana, gasping for breath.
"N-no more, I'm dying of exhaustion..." The girl wiped fine sweat from her forehead and glanced at her feet.
There, various parts, wood chips, and lock cores were mixed together, forming pile after pile of trash.
It was precisely thanks to these hard objects that the intensity, technique, and point of impact of every slash she made had to be precise to a specific dot. One moment of inattention, and she would have hacked into the door itself.
This door was particularly sturdy; it was likely solid inside, making her wrist ache from the chopping...
Fortunately, they had made it through.
"...Thank you for your hard work." Alain considerately took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Mila accepted it with peace of mind. Once her breathing steadied, she stood up, her gaze falling on the door.
"You... try opening it now. See if it opens."
"Okay." Alain took a deep breath. Only after confirming Mila's breathing had calmed did he look at the door.
On the door, the wooden outer shell had mostly withered away, revealing traces of a silver-gray base. It was a metal structure.
He tried pushing; the door didn't budge not even a hair. Subsequently, he took out a key that glowed with silver light—a critical quest item.
The key.
He inserted it into the original lock hole on the door.
The extra locks installed on this door were all external. Although hard to open, thanks to Mila's strength—which was already much higher than an adult male's—and her own techniques, they had perfectly neutralized the large number of extra electronic and mechanical locks.
The original lock, however, was embedded inside the door. This door was solid, too. The key—therefore—became a critical and indispensable part.
Click.
Alain's hand turned to the right. A faint crispness and vibration drifted from the entire door. He grabbed the handle and twisted downwards...
Thud—
The door opened in response.
"Success!" As the biggest contributor to unlocking it, Mila couldn't be happier.
Alain nodded in gratification. "Our efforts over the past two days weren't in vain."
To find such a residence, Alain had run from home to the desolate Yalin Villa. Encountering difficulties there, he went to the dreamscape to seek Miffy's help.
Result: Miffy was no good, so he sought out Monika. Only then did he find clues about the residence.
Until today, obtaining the precise coordinates and this precious key, this matter finally came to a close...
Now, what Alain had to do was enter the residence and check for any possible intelligence.
While their expressions relaxed, Alain raised his hand, about to completely reveal the reward of their mission before his eyes—
Smack!
At this moment, however, a hand extended from the crack in the door, bracing against the gap, attempting to forcibly pull the door to prevent it from opening.
"?" Alain reacted immediately. He used all his skills, trying his best to pull the door open.
Wave after wave of force passed through the door being pulled by both sides, transmitting to Alain's arm.
He felt the tearing sensation in the muscles of his upper and lower arms, secretly alarmed. His strength was buffed by the Game Controller. Even if not in the game, this strength should theoretically be able to overwhelmingly crush a well-trained adult male.
But... such a self was eating a loss in strength in reality?
He observed the person's hand gripping the edge of the door. Wearing elegant and pure white gloves, the hand should be very small and slender; it should belong to a girl.
A girl could unleash this kind of power?
Could it be...
Alain thought of the bodyguards the Intermediary Uncle mentioned. Could it be precisely a so-called bodyguard?
Blocking the door, thereby not letting him in?
Or could it be... this "girl" was Yang Wanhua?
"What's going on?" Mila also joined Alain, pulling the door outward.
"I don't know..." At the moment of going all out, Alain didn't have much spare breath to speak.
Since he guessed this person might be Yang Wanhua, Alain had even more reason to go in. And not only go in, but also teach her a lesson!
With the addition of Mila, this Mita, the situation quickly reversed in Alain's favor.
The two sides tugged for more than ten seconds. With a low roar from Alain, the door finally opened in response—
Creak!
The overwhelmed door played a mournful cry in their ears, making Alain's ears ring for a moment.
And he also successfully saw the shadow of the one blocking the door.
"Th-this is...?"
Alain had originally deduced from the hand on the handle that the opponent was a girl.
But after seeing this person, he completely overturned his own guess.
Let alone a girl, it didn't even count as a "human"; it was merely a puppet possessing a human shape.
Its whole body was a deep black like the night. Its round head didn't have a single hair. Its eye sockets weren't large, 2D-style eyes, but two round eyes like light bulbs.
Furthermore, the eyes were crimson.
Its full body structure seemed constructed based on a female prototype. The chest area clearly protruded, indented at the waist and abdomen, and protruded again at the hips, like waves.
On its hands, it wore two pairs of pure white gloves, forming a sharp contrast with the black of its body parts.
And on its slender calves, faint mechanical traces were visible.
"Alain! This is...?!" Mila's shout pulled back Alain's train of thought.
This black puppet—Alain had seen it. Rather, he was so familiar with it that he had even contacted and hacked at it.
[Failed Works].
Moreover, it was a Failed Work that had suffered erosion by the Modified Entity—the Black Sphere—and turned into a virus.
Crunch, crunch...
It opened its mouth. Sharp teeth rubbed against each other facing the two, like a ferocious beast encountering prey.
There was no light of reason in the crimson eyes, only absolute hatred and disgust for the intruders.
Like a vicious dog guarding its home.
Mila quickly shielded Alain. And the moment the Failed Work saw her action, it swiftly greeted her.
Alain understood that the Failed Work's entire body could be regarded as a weapon, so he voiced a reminder,
"Be careful, this guy isn't easy to deal with!"
"Understood!" Mila stepped forward. Her sneakers stepped on the ground, actually blasting out a dull thud.
In a flash, she charged to the front of the Failed Works.
The girl gave a soft hmph, holding the blade horizontally in front of her in the starting stance of "Tsubame Gaeshi".
Clang—
She deadly blocked the Failed Work's attack.
The puppet's strength was particularly huge, but in terms of explosive performance, Mila was still a cut above.
After understanding the general strength of the Failed Work, she quickly adjusted her maneuvering: sidestep, unloading force, all in one go.
The Failed Work stumbled and fell forward.
Looking at its back, Mila seized the opportunity—three slashes in a row, cutting into the Failed Work's back.
Bang!
The Failed Work fell into the corner. Under the deep-visible-to-bottom knife marks on its back, it gradually stood up.
It turned its head back, only to see the young man had also joined the front line. In his hand, he held a fire extinguisher that came from who knows where.
This adulterous couple had formed an encirclement trend against it, walking towards it step by step.
___
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