"Ooooooh! This CG cutscene was absolutely epic!"
Sister Guoguo, having finished her unhinged rant and decided to continue with the main story, let out a deafening cheer as she watched Himeko stand majestically under the pillar of light like a goddess.
"Look! This is the quality a cutscene should have! Every character got to have their proper badass moment! Especially Himeko! Ah~ so beautiful! She's simply my goddess!"
[Welt: What about me?]
[Wasn't Welt's big animation the one on the space station?]
[But it wasn't as mind-blowing as Big Sis Himeko's! I'm so stunned,呜呜呜!]
[Welt has been muted for overly emotional language.]
[Guess who wasn't in this CG?]
[Wende: Stop flaming me! Stop flaming me!]
[Godfather! My Godfather! Where are you? Are the miHoYo writers cutting your screen time!? Are they trying to...]
---o---
Wende, having endured the ninety-nine and eighty-one tribulations, finally arrived at the Old District's defensive line.
"Just as Miss Meryl said. The frontline losses are severe. You can't even tell this was once a defensive line anymore."
Gazing at the "ruins" before him, Wende furrowed his brow.
"Using streets and mechanical wreckage to block the intersection... this is not a long-term solution," Jingliu said, shaking her head slightly as she looked at the crude barricade that the police had bought with their lives.
The wars she had experienced were far more brutal than what Punklorde was currently facing. But it was clear this was not the Xianzhou; the armed forces here were nowhere near as powerful as the Cloud Knights.
"Try to understand. They had no other choice," Wende said, shooting a slightly resentful glance at Jingliu, and at the flushed-faced "Tingyun" beside her.
Why does everyone have to pull some new stunt on me every single day! Can't the system be reliable for once! This whole trope is getting so old!
"Speaking of which, didn't that lug Jack say there were [Phantom Light] members on guard here? Why don't I see them?"
Indeed, the frontline here was far too quiet. Even if they were in a relatively peaceful lull period, it shouldn't be this calm.
"Benefactor, there are some tracks over here," "Tingyun" said, pointing to the ground beside them. A clear drag mark was visible, and judging by the surrounding soil, it had been made very recently.
"Sigh, let's go take a look."
Wende shook his head and, with a lonely air, followed the drag marks by himself.
Watching Wende's somewhat solitary figure, a flash of sympathy crossed "Tingyun's" eyes.
"Sister Jingliu, have we been going a little too far recently?" "Tingyun" asked Jingliu, her heart aching for him. The Benefactor had been sighing so much lately. Could he be suffering from a deficiency of qi?
"Oh? Could it be that little sister Tingyun's heart is aching for the little one?" Jingliu's eyebrows rose slightly as she teased "Tingyun," whose face was already blushing crimson.
"Mm..."
Still too thin-skinned in this regard, "Tingyun" was momentarily at a loss for words. Her usual silver tongue and ability to navigate any situation had been completely forgotten.
"Sigh, I know little sister is very concerned about him, but taking it this far is also for his own good," Jingliu said, her tone also tinged with helplessness as she gazed at Wende's retreating figure.
"But... in the novels on the Xianzhou... isn't this kind of thing... always a heretical technique?"
"Heretical technique? This was personally handed to me by Wende's master back then. How could it be called a heretical technique?" Jingliu said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
If Wende knew that his current predicament was once again the work of that wretched old man, he would probably be so overcome with grief that he'd go and dig up his grave.
Oh, no need to dig... it had already been obliterated by a light arrow from [The Hunt], along with the entire planet.
"Everything has a price. When the day comes for his [REDACTED], he will understand our actions."
Jingliu's jade-like hand gently stroked "Tingyun's" fluffy ear. A smile played on her lips, and she seemed to be in a very good mood.
Seeing the hidden meaning in Jingliu's words, "Tingyun" simply nodded in understanding and followed her in Wende's direction.
Well, the family hierarchy seems pretty clear now.
(Achoo! Far away in the New District, Stelle sneezed again.)
---o---
"Tsk..."
Staring at the group of menacing monsters before him, Wende clicked his tongue in annoyance. These things were pretty smart. They'd even learned how to use entrapment, had they?
Without using his 4-star template, Wende directly switched to his 5-star form and began to unleash his power. The white blade of his sword instantly sliced several roaring monsters in half at the waist, leaving scorching marks along the cuts.
"Strange. If this area has been taken over by these things, then where are the members of [Phantom Light]?" Wende muttered, stroking his chin in confusion. He didn't get the impression that Jack and Veyl were the types to deceive their allies with lies.
"Let's keep moving forward. It's possible they've pushed the frontline ahead. After all, this terrain really isn't suitable for defense," Wende said after a careful analysis, turning to "Tingyun" and Jingliu who had just caught up.
"Mm, we'll follow your lead, Benefactor," "Tingyun" nodded obediently.
"Huh? Tingyun, why are you blushing?"
Seeing the faint red on "Tingyun's" cheeks, Wende instinctively took a step back, his eyes fixed on her warily.
Lately, he would have this reaction whenever he saw someone blush. He was on the verge of developing Blushing PTSD! If someone was blushing, it definitely meant something bad was about to happen!
"Ah? Am I? Benefactor, why are you backing away?" "Tingyun" unconsciously patted her cheeks, then looked at Wende's grave expression with surprise. Could there be a monster behind her?
She spun around quickly, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth.
"There's nothing here..."
"Ahem... it's nothing... My eyes must have been playing tricks on me."
Wende coughed awkwardly and quickly moved forward again, speaking to "Tingyun" with some embarrassment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jingliu satisfyingly put away an ice sword, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
"In that case, why don't we press on a little further? Don't you agree, Wende?" A beautiful curve formed on Jingliu's lips, and a hint of playful mischief flashed in her crimson eyes.
"Mm... let's go."
Wende nodded slightly, choosing to ignore this woman who was full of bad intentions. She had actually used his name! That definitely meant something bad was about to happen!
Climbing over the crude barricade made of abandoned vehicles and metal scraps, the three of them continued down the city street.
Just as Wende had thought, they soon discovered another simple defensive line not far ahead. On the barricade, a group of people in Punklorde police uniforms and members of [Phantom Light] were busy working, continuously reinforcing the makeshift wall.