"You, really... how did you start learning to act spoiled like a human?"
Looking at Snakey's "I demand to touch them" expression, Fu Li sighed helplessly. He slid his hands under her arms, lifted her slightly, and positioned her at the perfect height.
"Mhm, Boss is the best!"
With Snakey's praise, a pair of small hands ruthlessly grabbed onto the horns, stroking them lovingly, like a new car owner caressing the steering wheel for the first time.
"You, honestly." After letting Snakey play to her heart's content for a while, Fu Li set her down and gently ruffled her hair.
"Alright, I have things to do, and so do you, right, Snakey?"
"Oh, I know."
"Good, then I'm off to get busy."
After sending Snakey on her way, Fu Li habitually went to the monitoring room to observe the situation. After confirming there were no immediate dangers, he began to ponder how to handle Mei.
First, he had to consider the present.
Although Mei was showing signs of awakening, her condition was generally stable for now.
Therefore, under his supervision, as long as there was no sudden external stimulus, it was highly unlikely Mei's awakening would cause significant damage.
He had also added Anti-Honkai agents to the water supply of the surrounding neighborhood, meaning the residents wouldn't turn into Honkai zombies in the short term.
The descent of the Honkai was inevitable. All he could do was minimize the casualties as much as possible.
"The Honkai... it really is a handful..."
Fu Li sighed, a sense of frustration weighing on him. He picked up the mint water Snakey had prepared for him and took a sip.
Logically, Bronya should have already been deployed by Cocolia by this point in the timeline.
Snakey's capabilities in the cyber domain were generations ahead of this era, but even after she had hacked into the entire city's network, she still hadn't found any information about Bronya or a giant Honkai reactor.
"As expected, I'll have to tackle this from two angles at once."
"First, I need to let the Herrscher Mei and Mei communicate, see what conflicts exist between them, and then resolve them."
"At the same time, I need to have a showdown with Miss Rita and use Schicksal's power to control the damage and keep it to a minimum."
Fu Li was not a god. He wouldn't, and couldn't, stop a disaster that was destined to happen. All he could do was protect as many people as he could.
The process of defeating the Honkai would inevitably be accompanied by death. All Fu Li wanted was to carry on the dream of the Flame-Chasers and ensure the better continuation of humanity.
Having made his decision, Fu Li no longer hesitated. He grasped Aponia's crucifix, silently acclimating himself to its power.
Soothing... and reconciliation...
If Su were here, he would probably do a better job than me. But for now, I can only trust in Aponia's power.
After all, most Herrscher personas were just bratty kids, and Aponia seemed to be exceptionally skilled at disciplining bratty kids.
---o---
Night.
After Fu Li used his flute to soothe Mei's spirit as usual, allowing her to fall into a peaceful slumber, he slowly drew his curtains.
A dark and windy night, a windy night perfect for setting fires.
Although Fu Li didn't plan on making a big scene, he was still making contact with that dangerous and mysterious woman, Rita. He had made some preparations.
These "preparations" meant that the instant Rita showed any hostility, he would put her into a temporary sleep with maximum speed, then take her to a specially prepared basement for interrogation and coercion.
After all, Klein was still living in this building, and Fu Li had no plans for a full showdown just yet. It would be difficult to clean up if things got too messy.
"Miss Rita, is it?"
Seeing Rita walking toward the apartment building from his window, Fu Li picked up two metal wires from his side, left his room, and arrived at Rita's door.
He inserted both wires into the keyhole. With a few deft movements, he successfully opened the door without triggering any mechanisms.
This technique for bypassing high-tech security was something Pardofelis had taught him.
How nostalgic...
After this job is done, I should find some time for another simulation.
With that thought, Fu Li carefully closed Rita's door behind him and slipped inside.
---o---
"Sigh... I'm so exhausted..."
As Schicksal's number one model employee, Rita, who had just gotten off work, walked down the night street. Looking at the dim yellow streetlights, she rubbed the back of her neck.
She knew this mission wouldn't be easy when she accepted it, but managing tens of thousands of criminals at once was proving to be incredibly difficult.
Although she had help from many members of the Immortal Blades, as their temporary captain, Rita felt a rare sense of being overwhelmed.
After all, they were dealing with a walking natural disaster, the Third Herrscher.
"Sigh, I really do want to go back to that world bubble..."
Thinking of the figure from her memories, Rita sighed, took out her key, inserted it into the lock, and gently turned.
As the crack of the door slowly widened, Rita, who had been lost in reminiscence, suddenly stiffened. The exhaustion in her eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a sharp, piercing gaze.
This feeling... why is it so familiar?
Interesting. It seems a dirty little thing has found its way into my home today.
Rita's eyes lowered. Her hand slipped silently to her waist, retrieving a pistol that glinted with a cold light.
As an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, even without her battlesuit, Rita was confident that very few people in this world could defeat her.
But confidence did not mean arrogance. Even with that belief, the muscles beneath Rita's clothes tensed, ready for battle at a moment's notice.
Well then... let's see who has snuck into my house.
With a shift of her weapon, Rita threw the door open. The moment she entered, her gun tracked her line of sight to a corner of the room.
There, she saw the figure of a young man. He was sitting there quietly, a lamp lit beside him. Hearing the noise, he looked up and smiled at her.
His crimson eyes, like flames, watched her silently. Paired with the faint, almost non-existent smile on his lips, his entire being exuded an aura of mystery.
Charlotte Holmes...
Rita's heart skipped a beat. This familiar, enigmatic posture brought an equally familiar name to her mind.
No... that's not right... Charlotte Holmes is dead... he died forever in that world bubble...
And she was not unacquainted with the young man before her.
"Fu Li." Rita quickly composed herself. The hand holding the pistol was perfectly steady as she aimed it at his head, her voice cold.
"Speak. Why are you here?"
PS from the Author: By the way, this silly author wants to ask everyone a question. Have you ever been sleeping and dreaming, when suddenly your vision flashes bright for a moment, and you get scared awake, meow?
This silly author doesn't know if it's a problem with my eyes or my dreams. I asked a doctor, and they said it was nothing. Sigh... so frustrating...