"You look awesome, Lilith. You're gorgeous in anything!"
The scowl on Li Yexing's face melted away. He turned, grinning, and ruffled Lilith's hair. She spun in front of Kelly like she was showing off, asking, "Pretty, Miss Kelly?"
"Very," Kelly replied, her face cracking into a stiff smile. She tried to steer the conversation back, but Li Yexing was focused on Lilith. She coughed to remind him she existed.
He teased Lilith a bit more, then said, "Lilith, take the groceries to the kitchen and wait for me in the bedroom."
"I want to hear you and Miss Kelly talk," Lilith said.
"Be good, listen." He patted her head again. Lilith gave in, grabbing the bags with her usual blank expression and leaving.
"Mr. Li Yexing, since you know about Tyrants, you're probably familiar with other BOWs, right?" With Lilith gone, Kelly continued. "You understand this product's value. My… boss wants me to retrieve this rare specimen. T-Lilith's success is one-of-a-kind, impossible to replicate. You risked your life to pull her from that battlefield, probably hoping for a big payout. Name your price—as long as it's not outrageous, we can cover it."
"Hold up. That night, the convoy's security was wiped out. BSAA was busy blasting Tyrants. How'd you know I took Lilith?" Li Yexing asked.
"I implanted a tracker in T-Lilith," Kelly answered.
"So you're here on behalf of your organization to take her back?"
"Exactly."
"Funny. A prize like her ends up in a godforsaken dump like Roples, and your big-shot organization sends an unarmed scientist to negotiate instead of a security team?" A cruel grin spread across Li Yexing's dark face. In a flash, he lunged, grabbed Kelly's throat, and pinned her to the sofa, pressing his Glock to her forehead. "You screwing with me, dumbass?"
"No, listen—" Kelly gasped, struggling to speak, but Li Yexing wasn't having it.
"Shut it. You and your organization are worse than scum like me. I heard you tested her by shooting her, huh? Impressive. A 'fast-spinning gun,' blasting away for ages. You mowed down a girl who doesn't even look eighteen with a goddamn Gatling gun?!"
"I tried to stop it, but—"
"Don't bullshit me. You were probably thrilled, weren't you? Wondering how many bullets your little murder machine could take?" His grin turned manic, eyes bloodshot, voice trembling. "To keep me and Lilith safe, you're not leaving Roples alive. She seems to like you, and I'm worried killing you in front of her might upset her, but I'm past caring. I'll dump your body two streets over at the warehouse where they handle outsider corpses. A mute girl there will chainsaw you into pieces. Last words?"
"I'm actually—"
"Got it. I heard your last words." He cut her off. "Now die!"
Before he could pull the trigger, a small hand grabbed his collar. Li Yexing flew backward, firing three wild shots as he went, all missing Kelly and hitting the wall behind the sofa. She was terrified, feeling like she'd dodged death.
Li Yexing landed hard on his ass. He turned to see Lilith gripping his collar.
"Miss Kelly's a good person. She won't hurt us," Lilith said.
"You shouldn't have saved her," Li Yexing said, standing and brushing himself off. "She's just a researcher. Anyone tied to BOW research is a soulless demon, obsessed with twisting creatures into freaks! They never think about the disasters their work causes. If she leaves Roples alive, we're screwed, and they might even—"
"Enough!" Kelly slammed the table, cutting him off. She took a deep breath, her expression complex.
"I came alone. The tracker in T-Lilith was my doing—my organization doesn't know she's here," Kelly admitted. "I lied earlier because I thought you took her for a quick buck. I figured a straight deal would let me take her easily. I was wrong. You're not like the other mercenaries I've met, Mr. Li Yexing. You're kind." Her cold face softened with sincerity.
Li Yexing didn't respond, just stepped in front of Lilith protectively.
"You don't need to be so hostile. We want the same thing: for this girl to live happily, not as a weapon, but as a person."
"How do I know you're legit?" he asked.
Kelly hesitated, wrestling internally. Finally, she spoke words that shocked him. "I'm the one who tipped off BSAA about the convoy."
Hours later, Li Yexing, Lilith, and Kelly sat at the dinner table, each with a plate of beef curry.
Lilith shoveled a huge spoonful into her mouth, her eyes sparkling with joy. Kelly, hesitant, held her spoon.
"Try it," Li Yexing said, scowling. Kelly glanced at the gun on the table, swallowed, and took a small bite. The rich flavor exploded in her mouth.
"It's good…" she said, surprised.
Li Yexing snorted, holstering the gun. Lilith, done with her plate, tugged his sleeve. "Another."
He slid his untouched plate to her and took her empty one to the kitchen.
"Lilith… that's the name he gave you?" Kelly asked quietly, relieved from Li Yexing's oppressive vibe.
"Mhm."
"You really like that guy."
"Li Yexing's good to Lilith. Buys Lilith new clothes, cooks tasty food. Lilith likes Li Yexing."
Her blank-faced declaration floored Kelly. Frowning, she said, "You don't know him. I checked his file before coming. He's a mercenary's mercenary! A war dog! He'll do any filthy job for cash. You know what they call him here? Roples' Mad Dog! He's an emotionless scumbag. You can't trust him. He brought you back for a reason. You can't let a few cheap clothes and meals sway you… though his cooking is pretty good."
"That night, people were fighting… guns blasting… I fell out of the truck…" Lilith shook her head, speaking softly. "My body hurt, couldn't move, could barely open my eyes. I tried so hard to see, and then I saw his eyes. They were so clear, different from the fathers, Mr. Freeman, even you, Miss Kelly…"
Kelly went silent, her expression complicated.
"I was shocked. I didn't know humans could have such clear eyes… I knew he wouldn't hurt me." Lilith continued, as if lost in memory. "He draped his coat over me, carried me on his back. Scared of being chased, he avoided the road, went through the woods. So many trees, but he was careful not to let branches scratch me."
"At first, he said he'd return me for a big payout, but his eyes said different. I could feel he liked me—not like the fathers' kind of like. It was clear, pure. Sometimes he'd get shy, avoid my eyes. So cute. He bought me clothes. I told him about my past, and he got mad, said I shouldn't live like that. So he blushed and asked me to stay with him. I said yes. He was happy, like a kid."
"Li Yexing probably thinks Lilith is silly, that Lilith can't survive without him, so he worries a lot. But Lilith knows everything. Lilith's sensitive to people's feelings… So, Li Yexing, you don't need to eavesdrop at the door. Lilith can tell."
Li Yexing walked in with curry, looking awkward, his earlier scowl gone.
Seeing his flustered face, Lilith smiled.
Kelly froze. In the two years she'd spent with the girl after the project's success, she'd never seen Lilith smile. And Li Yexing's awkward, lovesick-puppy face was beyond her comprehension. A mercenary notorious for brutality in Roples' cesspool shouldn't look like that.
Watching the tough guy and the silver-haired BOW girl lock eyes, Kelly shoveled curry into her mouth like she was choking down dog food.
"Ugh, it's cold."
Li Yexing coughed, breaking the awkwardness, and sat down. "So, you want to hand Lilith to BSAA?"
"Yes," Kelly said, sitting up. "Like you, I don't think she should be locked in a dark lab, waiting to be sold. I want her—T-Lilith—to live in the sunlight, as a girl, not a weapon. That's why I tipped off BSAA. But I didn't expect the security team to stick two Tyrants in the convoy, or that a local guide they hired would kidnap her."
She emphasized "kidnap" with clear resentment.
"You're a scientist, so your IQ's probably decent, but you're still an idiot," Li Yexing said bluntly.
"Why?" Kelly asked.
"I know things you don't. Kids like her, with BOW traits, are better off away from government-controlled groups, even NGOs."
He thought of Resident Evil 2's Sherry Birkin, raised as a political pawn but alive, and Darkside Chronicles' Manuela, whose fate was unknown.
"So…" Li Yexing looked at Kelly. "Lilith's better off in Roples. She's a BOW at her core, not suited for the civilized world we know. But Roples is different—a haven for scum. If your fists are big enough, you're safe. Lilith's strong enough to protect herself, and outside forces don't mess with this tangled mess of a city."