In truth, just as Leo Ash had guessed, Raven had indeed woken up some time ago.
Even if she had been taken down inside Chiyou, she was still a Divine Key user.
Honestly, anyone who can wield a Divine Key without being corrupted by it can't possibly be a pushover.
She hadn't received any treatment in the cell these past few days, but she hadn't been abused either.
By conserving her energy, Raven had indeed regained consciousness.
There was another important reason why she didn't just try to escape after regaining consciousness, aside from the two powerhouses, Leo Ash and Himeko, being present.
No matter how outstanding her individual strength was, Raven was still, for the time being, a biological creature.
Miss Raven, who had been nearly drained dry by Chiyou, hadn't eaten for a full five days.
It would be a miracle if she could still be up and about in this condition.
Originally, she had wanted to use the negotiations with the Schicksal members to ask for some food and water, but...
—Damn it, this kid doesn't play by the rules!
Seriously, she was a valuable source of intelligence for Schicksal, okay!!!
She wasn't expecting them to treat her with courtesy, but at the very least, they should go through a period of maneuvering or even interrogation to confirm they couldn't squeeze any more information out of her before considering the step of killing her!!!
But now, Raven, the King of Mercenaries, could feel that the killing intent emanating from Leo Ash was no bluff.
He genuinely wanted to kill her—damn it, wasn't this kid an agent before?
You're an agent, and instead of using rhetorical tricks to get information, you come straight out and try to silence the intelligence source???
What kind of agent are you (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻.
Honestly, considering what she knew about Gray Serpent, if Leo Ash snapped her neck with a crack, Gray Serpent would probably pop a bottle of champagne on the spot to celebrate her timely demise.
Leo Ash would have vented his anger, and World Serpent would have protected its intelligence source.
A world where only Raven gets hurt has been achieved.
If it were any other member of World Serpent, they might have actually remained defiant to the death against Leo Ash's move.
But Raven was different.
She had little loyalty to World Serpent to speak of.
To be honest, she had already left the organization once. She only came back to make money. If she claimed her heart was loyal to the Serpent, Gray Serpent and Jackal would just laugh their heads off.
For Raven, survival was what mattered most.
And to survive, selling out the organization's secrets was something—she would absolutely do.
"Cough, cough cough! Let me down! I'll talk, alright!"
Under Himeko's utterly astonished gaze, Leo Ash's incredibly crude method had, just like that, succeeded.
Yes, at least in Himeko's eyes, the fact that the other party had stopped pretending to be asleep and was willing to talk was indeed a great success.
What Raven was thinking, Himeko naturally couldn't see through so easily.
But at least on the surface, Raven clearly didn't fit the 'fanatical zealot' persona.
Was it that Leo Ash, driven by his inner anger, had stumbled upon the right approach by chance?
Or perhaps—he had seen through her from the start, that this woman responds to force, not persuasion?
Hmm, considering he's Wraith's direct disciple, the latter is probably far more likely than the former.
Theresa is still worried about her boy being deceived... why do I get the feeling we should thank our lucky stars if we're not the ones being fooled by him.
And besides, my original intention was for the two of us to play good cop, bad cop. Regardless of whether Leo Ash hit the mark by accident or truly guessed her thoughts, his actions were indeed helpful for the subsequent interrogation.
Seeing Raven's complexion worsen due to asphyxiation, Himeko knew it was her turn to speak.
"Alright, alright, Leo Ash, put the lady down."
"Since she's willing to cooperate, she is a distinguished guest of Schicksal. It's not right to treat a guest with such rudeness."
"...Tch, I understand."
After glaring at Raven resentfully, Leo Ash released his hands, letting the incredibly weak woman fall back onto the hospital bed.
As Leo Ash did this, Himeko turned around, picked up a pre-arranged tray from the table behind her, and slowly walked over to Raven, a smile on her face.
"I imagine Miss Cioara, the King of Mercenaries, is well aware that after a long period without food, it's not advisable to eat normal meals."
"So we have prepared some semi-liquid food. Please bear with it for today, Miss Cioara."
"...Thank you."
Taking the tray, Raven picked up the bowl of congee. Of course, she wasn't going to be moved to tears by a simple bowl of porridge.
On the contrary, Murata Himeko's words and demeanor made Raven feel a chill in her heart.
From the moment Himeko stopped Leo Ash's violent act, she had been using these seemingly innocuous words and actions to convey information and their intentions to Raven.
*It's not right to treat a guest with such rudeness*—this was clearly a hint that she'd only be treated well if she acted like a guest.
And pointing out Raven's primary identity in the underworld was a warning: *We've mostly figured you out, so you'd better not lie.*
As for this bowl of cold congee, it was the 'sweet date' part of the 'slap and a sweet date' routine.
But looking at Himeko's smiling face, Raven felt that under this woman's pressure, if she showed even the slightest hint of non-cooperation, the chances of getting slapped in the future would be far greater than getting a sweet date.
Compared to that impulsive brat, this woman was the truly difficult opponent.
Damn it, isn't this woman a member of the Valkyrie assault squad? How can an assault trooper be so damn clever!
And now, with a bowl of cold congee in her stomach, Raven could only begin to analyze the situation helplessly.
As a mercenary, she had a very precise grasp of her body's limits.
Without even asking, she could feel the persistent hunger gnawing at her stomach, telling her that several days had passed.
Given Gray Serpent's caution, he should have started considering a rescue or silencing attempt within twenty-four to thirty-six hours of her losing contact.
She knew that Jackal possessed the transformation serum for an Emperor-class Honkai Beast and an artificial Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
But the problem was, she was still lying here under the nose of the Far East Branch. Did she even need to guess whether Gray Serpent had succeeded?
Gray Serpent had attacked the Far East Branch but failed to get her out or kill her. Unless the Far East Branch was run by idiots, they would now be even more aware of the importance of the intelligence she possessed.
To expect this woman, who was crafty as hell, to truly treat her as a guest of honor was obviously impossible.
And on World Serpent's side, after the failed rescue, they would absolutely not trust her loyalty.
Even if she had the chance to sneak back now, she wouldn't be met with a warm embrace from Gray Serpent and Jackal, but with suspicion and even interrogation.
Honestly, having reached this point, Raven was starting to feel like just giving up.
She had no loyalty to World Serpent to begin with, and this mission's failure was, frankly, due to Gray Serpent's misjudgment.
Now, because of Commander Gray Serpent's error, she, the soldier, was forced to become a prisoner. Truth be told, Raven was already harboring resentment.
And now, as a prisoner, because Gray Serpent had failed to bail her out, she would be subjected to even more intense surveillance and interrogation...
Thinking about all this, Raven suddenly felt that she could consider another path.
She'd be suspected if she went back anyway, and it was Gray Serpent's fault she was in this mess in the first place. Plus, Schicksal was a major power, so...
—Why should she continue to swear allegiance to World Serpent?
"Major Murata Himeko, right?"
Having made up her mind, Raven placed the tray on the bedside table and looked at the two who were waiting for her to speak.
"I can certainly cooperate with Schicksal, but—it's not that I don't trust you, but I would still like to see some sincerity from Schicksal's side."
Seeing Leo Ash immediately show a look of 'how dare this woman try to bargain' anger, Raven quickly said to him.
"Hey, little brother, don't get so worked up."
"I can guarantee that the intelligence I provide will be more than worth your while."
"Oh? Miss Cioara seems quite confident."
Looking at the furious Leo Ash behind her, Himeko raised a hand to stop him from throwing a punch, then said to Raven with a grin.
"Alright then, we'll show some sincerity first."
After saying this, Himeko took out her communicator and dialed a number.
"Hello? Logistics? Connect me to the specialist handling 'Natasha Cioara's' assets... actually, never mind, that's too much trouble."
"Just tell him to temporarily halt the freezing of Natasha Cioara's assets."
Before Raven's utterly shocked eyes, Himeko nonchalantly hung up the call.
Then, looking at the speechless Raven, Himeko once again revealed a meaningful smile.
"How about it, Miss Cioara? Is this 'sincerity' enough?"
Sincerity? You call this sincerity???
This woman, this is clearly a threat!
"Major, since the beginning, I've had a bad feeling about this woman's eyes."
At this moment, Leo Ash, seeing the hint of dissatisfaction and annoyance in Raven's eyes, pushed down Himeko's hand and took a step forward.
"She's the one who unleashed Chiyou back at Jiuyou. It's clear she doesn't wish the people of Shenzhou well."
"Shenzhou is a generational ally of our Schicksal, and it's my homeland—I still think we don't need to be so polite with a woman like this."
"If she won't talk, then we'll just keep beating her until she does!"
"Um, Leo Ash..."
Looking at Leo Ash, who was now emitting a murderous aura, Himeko 'helplessly' gave Raven an apologetic smile.
"My apologies, Miss Cioara."
"Although I am this boy's Commander, in terms of personal strength, I'm certainly no match for him. If he wants to disobey an order, I really can't stop him."
Just keep pretending!
Damn it, this woman is so shameless—this must have been planned between you two beforehand!
I was planning to slowly release some intel and see if I could get some benefits.
Now... tsk, it's not impossible to get even more benefits.
Gray Serpent's actions did make them realize my importance, but—it's not enough.
I have to play my biggest trump card. By letting the people of Schicksal know what kind of future they are about to face, I can, as a pawn in this game, obtain what I desire.
Having steeled herself, Raven took a deep breath and looked at the two with a serious expression.
"Ladies, since you've put it that way, I'll stop beating around the bush."
"The organization I belong to is called World Serpent, and its ultimate goal is to execute the Stigmata Project."
"Once the Stigmata Project succeeds, humanity will triumph over the Honkai, but at the same time..."
"—As for how many humans will be left, well, that's hard to say."
...
Several hours later. Schicksal HQ
At Schicksal HQ, Otto, looking at the intelligence appearing on the screen before him, had a rare flicker of panic cross his face.
The intelligence obtained from Natasha Cioara by Murata Himeko and Leo Ash at the Far East Branch had been transmitted to Otto's hands at the first opportunity.
And looking at this intelligence, Otto could only feel—this was a huge problem.
He was certainly not foolish enough to believe everything a prisoner said.
But the problem was, the layout of Shincheng Pharmaceutical, the remaining data, and the information from the prisoner matched in multiple places. No matter how suspicious Otto was, he had to consider the possibility that 'Cioara was playing with an open hand'.
The Stigmata Project. If this plan were to actually be realized, then humanity might truly be able to defeat the Honkai.
However, for Otto, humanity defeating the Honkai was—a completely unacceptable outcome.
At least for now, before his own plan was complete, Otto still needed to nurture the Honkai, to let it become a tool in his hands to complete his plan.
Once the Honkai was truly defeated, Otto's long-planned scheme might lose its chance of success entirely, as the Honkai's will would dissipate along with it.
"World Serpent... those guys lurking in the shadows actually have such a terrifying plan."
Closing the screen, Otto suddenly let out a long sigh of relief.
The more information the enemy revealed, the more thankful Otto was...
—Thankful that Leo Ash was there. Otherwise, this incident would have been far more than just Theresa getting into trouble.
If Leo Ash hadn't defeated Chiyou, then Cioara, inside Chiyou, would have inevitably been sucked dry after Chiyou continued its rampage for a while longer.
If Leo Ash hadn't defended the Far East Branch, and Cioara had been rescued or silenced, Otto would never have learned about the terrifying Stigmata Project.
At this moment, Otto immediately opened the design blueprints he had been contemplating earlier, preparing to pull an all-nighter to build the Godsbane Armor for Leo Ash.
Even Otto had to admit, this person, Leo Ash, was simply too uncanny.
Just by being alive and taking action, he had dealt with some hidden enemies and some things that even Otto found troublesome.
If one had to say it, Otto truly felt the touch of 'destiny' from this person, Leo Ash.
What he would become in the future, Otto didn't know.
But for now, Leo Ash was his subordinate, and Otto had to ensure he continued to survive.
Even for his own sake, he had to protect this uncanny young man.
At this moment, Otto even felt a tangible sense of threat from Leo Ash.
But even so, he did not choose to eliminate Leo Ash now, as he had with Siegfried in the past.
The threat Leo Ash currently posed was purely based on a feeling Otto had.
But the benefits he brought to Otto... to be honest, not considering age and other issues, Otto felt that even his own relatives hadn't brought him as much benefit as Leo Ash had.
If it had been an older person who had helped Otto this much, the shameless, heartless, and unscrupulous Mr. Otto Apocalypse might have just shouted 'Godfather Above' to liven things up.
But, no matter what, my plan must also be accelerated.
I don't know if World Serpent's plan is really this terrifying, but for the sake of my own plan, I cannot delay any longer.
The longer I wait, the higher the probability of the Stigmata Project succeeding. If the Honkai is truly eliminated, then...
—I will not let such a thing happen!
Until the day my plan is complete...
—The Honkai must survive!
..