Let's turn our attention elsewhere.
Siegfried, accompanying Dr. Zhou to the car rental, remained silent the entire time, but he was ecstatic on the inside.
As the previous head of the Kaslana family, he had been influenced by the mecha anime Heavy Armor Mecha Alahato in his youth. Unwilling to be bound by his family's hollow mission to protect the world, he ran away from home at the age of fifteen.
Later, after many experiences, he finally understood the meaning of "protection," transforming into the dragon-slaying hero who declared, "To protect the one I love, I will unleash an awesome attack!"
Oh, the "dragon" slain here was Benares.
It was true that Benares fell to a pincer attack from Snow Wolf Squad members Shania Schariac and Shigure Kira, but if Siegfried hadn't drawn Judgment of Shamash and crippled it by severing its wings, how the hell could two A-rank Valkyries have fought a Judgment-class Honkai Beast possessing the core of the Herrscher of Thunder?
It was precisely because of these experiences that Siegfried's fondness for Fuli—who had been correctly practicing the will of protection from ages eight to sixteen—had skyrocketed. It was both an affirmation of his actions and a subconscious influence of the "good" side of the Kaslana genes.
As for Fuli's smug look, with his tail practically in the air after being praised?
So what? Do good people have to walk on eggshells? Should good people not be recognized for their good deeds? Must good people suffer in silence when they are wronged?
When someone does a good deed, we should praise them to the high heavens. That way, not only will kind-hearted people be motivated, but even people of average character will do good deeds to gain a good reputation, ultimately leading to a cascade of good deeds.
If he hadn't needed to conceal his identity, Siegfried would have thrown an arm around the boy's shoulder, laughed heartily, and said, "Nice job, kiddo. I can rest easy leaving my daughter with you—"
Hmph. No, I still can't rest easy.
The earlier scene of the trio's daytime debauchery in the gym car, followed by their enthusiastic invitation for Fu Hua to join in, was a real eye-opener for Siegfried.
There had always been rumors within Schicksal that "Siegfried is a notorious playboy" or "Siegfried has touched the butt of every Valkyrie in Schicksal."
In reality, these were all ridiculous rumors spread by Shigure Kira, that Cecilia-con, who was upset that her captain had been stolen by some scummy man. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, until she finally came up with the absurd slanders.
She'd completely forgotten that she herself was a Schicksal Valkyrie. It was a classic case of wounding the enemy by a thousand, only to lose eight hundred yourself.
The two old men, having rented a car, soon returned to the hotel in a new Haval H6. Siegfried's gaze instinctively fell on his daughter, only to find the blockhead staring blankly at the outdoor air conditioning unit on the exterior wall.
"You guys," she began abruptly, her tone profound, "an AC's outdoor unit blows hot air, right? And when it's cold, people turn on the heat, right? So why don't they just install the outdoor unit inside from the start?"
Bronya thought this girl had seriously lost it. "If you put the outdoor unit inside the room, how would the air conditioner dissipate heat?"
"We can just install the indoor unit outside!" The more Kiana thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. "The indoor and outdoor units are connected by pipes. As long as you turn on the indoor unit, the air will circulate!"
Fuli's pupils dilated in shock. "Could it be... that you're actually a genius?"
Fu Hua fought the urge to punch both of them. "And what do you do when it's hot?"
Kiana answered with righteous indignation, "When it's hot, you just sleep outside! The indoor unit is installed outside, isn't it?"
SMACK!
Siegfried slapped a hand to his own face, for the first time truly understanding what it meant for someone to be "blissfully ignorant."
Wasn't she a smart kid back in Siberia? How did she turn into such a ditz after all this time?
And you, Fuli, you little brat! Are you just playing along with her, or do you genuinely think that? If it's the latter, then I, as a grandfather, am starting to question the intelligence of the third generation of my lineage.
"Haha! So much energy!" Dr. Zhou, who was actually of grandfatherly age, was delighted by the scene.
"Watching you all bicker makes me feel ten years younger," he said cheerfully from the driver's seat of the SUV. "It's a newly rented car. How about a race to see who gets to the destination first?"
A challenge? Siegfried pondered.
If they agreed, Fuli and the others wouldn't be able to do any... questionable things while driving if they wanted to win. Not only would it save a lot of time, but the two old men wouldn't be consumed by jealousy either.
"A race..."
Unfortunately, Fuli didn't seem interested.
"Alright! We will win!" Bronya, however, was instantly fired up.
One of the little girl's hobbies was street racing.
"Hey, Bronya," Kiana elbowed her secretly. "Our car can't go that fast."
It consumes several people per hundred kilometers, after all.
"That's only because Bronya hasn't shown her true skills!" the ducky declared with confidence.
"Are you going to cheat with Project Bunny?" Fu Hua guessed.
"Not necessary!"
The girl darted back to the gym car and took the driver's seat. She gestured for the others to hurry up. Once everyone was inside, she rolled down the window and wagged a provocative finger at Dr. Zhou.
"Fire!"
Then, she stomped on the exercise bike's pedals!
With a ROAR, the stationary Wuling Hongguang shot forward like a bolt of lightning. It executed a graceful drift around a wide bend and vanished from the sight of the two in the other car in the blink of an eye.
Inside, the other three were terrified. "What is this?!"
"Secret Technique: Dimensional Break!" Bronya announced, holding her chin high as she controlled the steering wheel.
Her extra skill, "Command," increased her normal attack crit rate to 100%, ensuring every attack had the optimal effect.
So, the question was: does a kick count as an attack?
Obviously, it did.
Throughout history, from Foshan's Shadowless Kick to the Groin-Annihilating Lift Kick, whether in karate, Muay Thai, MMA, or traditional Shenzhou martial arts, kicking has always been an integral part.
And what Bronya did was slightly alter her pedaling motion on the exercise bike to make it easier to trigger "Command."
The gym car was powered by human effort. With a 100% crit rate, its forward speed was self-evident.
Kiana, in the passenger seat, clung tightly to the rowing machine in front of her. "This must be consuming a lot of Honkai energy!" she exclaimed in horror.
"They were the ones who provoked Bronya!" the girl gritted out.
"I didn't see them provoke you at all! Turn right! Turn right!" Fuli, holding onto Fu Hua, quickly warned, only to be hit with a mini version of Inch Force: Heaven Splitter. "Hey! Cousin, I was just trying to help you stay steady!"
Fu Hua, retracting her fist, suddenly realized a problem. "Bronya, do you have a driver's license?"
"It's not a crime if you don't get caught! And they can't revoke a license I don't have!"
"There are cameras!"
"Project Bunny! Hack into the local traffic system for Bronya!"
"Stop saying things that'll land you in prison for life so casually!"
Twenty minutes later—
"Not bad driving, young lady."
On a remote mountain road, two cars drove side-by-side. Dr. Zhou, in the car on the right, had a cigarette dangling from his lips as he casually greeted them.
"D-dammit!" Bronya panted. But no matter how hard she tried, the speedometer above the steering wheel stubbornly remained at 35 km/h.
A-rank skills consumed a lot of energy. The fact that she had lasted this long was already a testament to her grit.
Besides that, the rich aroma wafting from the back seat was one of the main culprits for their slow speed.
"Mmm, delicious!"
Holding a bowl, Fuli picked up a freshly cooked slice of lamb from the hot pot on the induction cooker, dipped it in sauce, and held it to his little sister's mouth. "Here you go, sweetie. Ahhh—"
Beside him, Fu Hua and Kiana were gathered around the induction cooker. Fu Hua would just put the meat into the pot, and less than three seconds later, it would be in Kiana's mouth.
Why were they having a lamb hot pot in the middle of the road? And how could they have the audacity to make Bronya pedal all by herself?
Siegfried clutched his aching chest, feeling like he simply couldn't keep up with these young people's thought processes.
"This is a reenactment of a classic scene! A classic! Chomp chomp chomp!" Kiana, her mouth greasy, said confidently, as if noticing the man's bewildered gaze. "Eating hot pot and singing songs! Now all we need are some bandits to show up and rob us!"
"Mainly, none of us have eaten since this morning," Fuli said, his hands tucked in his sleeves. "I asked my cousin, and she said she hadn't eaten either. How can you work without eating? So, we decided to have some hot pot first."
He makes so much sense I'm speechless—the hell I am!
This retort, stuck in his throat, left Siegfried on the verge of a spiritual crisis. Are you guys here for a mission or a picnic? Show some professionalism, dammit!
"Mr. Qiteng, want some?"
"Two bowls."
Delicious.
One side drove normally, the other exploited Bronya. After some time, Dr. Zhou and Siegfried finally arrived at the shore of Kanas Lake first.
The ancients said, clear water is shallow, green water is deep, black water is an abyss, and boiling water is hot. But Kanas Lake could not be judged by these standards. On a sunny day, the lake was a clear azure; on a cloudy day, it turned a milky gray-green; and in autumn, it became a colorful pool reflecting the染ed forests around it, earning it the name "Color-Changing Lake."
The lake was shaped like a crescent moon, nestled deep in the dense forests of the Altai Mountains. The misty bays were like veiled beauties, and sunlight pierced through the canopy to dapple the pristine and dense Siberian taiga forest on the shore, a vertical tapestry of spruce, fir, and birch.
Even though he had seen this painting-like scenery countless times, Dr. Zhou was still lost in it for a moment before coming to his senses.
He parked the car on the side of the road and turned around. "Qiteng, while the kids are not here yet, shall we set up the camera?"
Siegfried said nothing, simply starting to work with his one remaining arm.
After running away from home at fifteen, he had tasted freedom and traveled to many countries and regions on his own two feet. He had learned photography during that time.
"Heh."
Looking at his assistant's busy figure, Dr. Zhou let out a complicated laugh.
As the former deputy director of the Xinjiang Environmental Science Research Institute, a true scholar who had enjoyed a special government allowance since '94 and won numerous national, provincial, and ministerial science and technology awards, Dr. Zhou could now only be described with one phrase—all alone in the world.
It shouldn't have been this way.
Judging by his achievements, even if he wasn't a pillar of the nation, Dr. Zhou's life could be considered a success. Furthermore, he was kind-hearted and not stubborn, and never put on airs. There was no reason for him to end up so lonely.
However, if you asked those who had known him for a long time, many would say with exasperation, "Give it a rest already."
Yes, the legend of the Kanas Lake monster had been hyped up and popularized by him, increasing the scenic area's exposure and solving the livelihood problems of many locals.
But hadn't he also gained a lot of fame from it? Was it really necessary to keep harping on about how "the lake monster is 100 meters long and weighs 300-500 tons"—a statement so ridiculous it made other ridiculous things seem sane—and slam the table and glare at anyone who refuted him?
Under this superhuman obsession, not only did his colleagues and friends grow distant, but even his own wife couldn't stand it and eventually left him.
Even so, Dr. Zhou never changed his story.
Not only did he not change it, but after retiring, he refused his children's offers to care for him and returned alone to this land that haunted his dreams.
After much inquiry, he took out all his savings and had someone log into the dark web run by Schicksal, placing all his bets on a single mission to uncover the truth.
There had only ever been one reason for him to do all this.
"I really saw it..." the old man murmured, gazing at the shimmering lake.
He had really seen it. He wasn't lying.
Thirty-five years ago, on a late autumn day, on the dusk-soaked lake, a young man who had gotten lost in the forest saw before him a colossal creature, like a bronze sculpture, frozen between the water and the sky.
Its spine, like black iron armor, pierced the indigo ripples. Its hundred-meter-long body loomed in the cold mist, the ice crystals on its scales reflecting the cold light of the setting sun.
This subversive existence brought an absolute physical and spiritual shock to the young Dr. Zhou. The desolation of the ancient world had manifested as a being beyond fantasy.
When the laws of nature permitted such a physics-defying miracle, humanity's conventional thinking shattered in the face of its magnificence, leaving only a soul trembling and speechless under the gaze of the primordial world.
Time flew. The Dr. Zhou of today was no longer as agile as he once was.
This former young scholar who had crossed the Taklamakan Desert could no longer endure the huge temperature differences on the desolate Gobi to study the habits of wild animals. His nimble figure was now etched with wrinkles like an ancient scroll, and his hands, covered in age spots, could barely hold a geological survey instrument.
But those eyes, polished by wind and sand, still reflected the starry orbit of a dream.
Was it worth it, to spend a lifetime chasing an answer?
It was. A man is a boy until the day he dies.
And your sixties are the prime age for striving!
ROAR—!
The noisy sound of a heavy object moving suddenly echoed between the sky and the lake.
Dr. Zhou looked towards the source of the sound and saw the gym car speeding down the mountain road.
Seeing that the disguised Siegfried was still busy, the old man composed himself and stood up to greet Fuli and the others.
"Kids! Over here!"
He called out and saw the car turn and head towards him.
Dr. Zhou smiled and lowered his hand.
To be honest, even now, he still felt these young kids were unreliable.
The old man didn't deny his own stereotypical thinking. In his generation, the saying was "no hair on your lip, no trust in your grip." And these kids... not only did they lack facial hair, but there was only one boy to do the heavy lifting.
But considering the final payment was only due upon completion of the mission, he didn't mind letting the brats mess around for a bit.
—Wait!
Dr. Zhou, who had just taken a step, suddenly realized something was wrong.
Oh? That Wuling Hongguang hurtling down the mountain road... it's not stopping. It's coming right for me?
"Don't you come over here!!!"
"Dr. Zhou, get out of the way! The brakes failed!" Bronya shouted in panic from the driver's seat.
That's right. As the designer of the gym car, Vill-V had never imagined it would reach speeds of over forty kilometers per hour.
Coupled with the fact that they were going downhill, if this continued, the old man was about to experience a reenactment of Ultraman Seven's jeep scene.
"Ah Li, use your invincible Traceless Sword to do something!" Kiana's tears streamed down her face.
"Don't panic!"
With a thought from Fuli, a road constructed from the Traceless Sword appeared in front of them.
The gym car's wheels hit the road and leaped into the air, carrying the four of them into the sky.
"Whoa whoa whoa!"
The violent jolt sent everyone lurching forward.
Kiana was near the back of the car, and right in front of her was the piping hot pot!
"Watch out!"
Fu Hua, with lightning-fast reflexes, grabbed the induction cooker and the hot pot together. Her legs were as steady as a mountain; not a single drop of oil was spilled.
Kiana, though she had escaped the crisis of disfigurement, couldn't escape the fate of falling.
BANG!
"Ouch!!!"
The back of her head hit the corner of the table hard, a large red patch instantly visible.
During this, Fuli, who had squeezed into the passenger seat, shouted, "Bronya! Use the Water Dragon's Chant to part the lake!"
Since Dr. Zhou had posted the mission through Schicksal, it meant he already knew about supernatural phenomena. There was no need to hide their abilities like they would with an ordinary person.
"Bronya is already doing it, but!"
Normally, when the Water Dragon's Chant was activated, accompanied by a BGM of "Tearing through~ the sea of my heart~ my shoulders~", the lake water below the car would part like the Red Sea.
But this time, as if some mysterious force was at work, the lake water below the flying car remained completely still.
Realizing a certain possibility, Fuli's gaze sharpened. "Kiana! Cousin! Bronya! Prepare for battle!"
At the same time, in a dark space, a pair of ferocious eyes snapped open.
"Kaslana! Kaslana!"
"That nauseating stench of a Kaslana... I could smell it from a mile away!"
With its roar, a colossal creature burst from the water!
The shockwave from its head breaking the surface pushed the lake water within a kilometer into a massive circular wave, instantly turning the reeds on the shore to dust!
Dr. Zhou, who had collapsed on the ground, had a look of excitement in his eyes.
That's it! That's it!
After thirty-five years, I've finally! Finally seen you again!
...