“I don’t see any for now. But it’s still pretty dark around here, so I can’t guarantee there aren’t any monsters lurking farther away.” Compared to others, it was evident that Claud’s upbringing had been much stricter than Zack’s. Despite having gone through consecutive fierce battles, Claud still managed to maintain a calm mindset.
“Damn it! This is truly insane. We barely escaped the pursuit of those bastards from Moore Academy, only to run into a large group of monsters again. Claud, isn’t this supposed to be a damn green safe zone? How come there are so many beasts here?” Zack walked over and sat beside Claud, continuing to grumble and complain.
“I don’t know either. But the situation does seem a bit strange. We’d better be cautious,” Claud replied carefully.
“Ahh!” Zack sighed deeply. Just as he was about to complain a bit more to Claud, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of two dark shadows rushing toward him.
“Claud!” Thinking the monsters had chased them again, Zack shouted in alarm and hastily drew his crystal energy sword, springing to his feet.
Just after Zack’s frightening shout, a scream came from the two figures running toward them: “Ah!”
“Huh? Girls?” Zack was greatly surprised. But before he could even relax, an anxious shout startled him again.
“Zack, Claud, run quickly!”
“Jia… Jia Lette, the president?” Though Zack and Claud didn’t have much interaction with Jia Lette in their daily lives, they could still recognize the voice of the famous student president from Almiches Academy. Moreover, Jia Lette had attended a few technique classes taught by Zhang Wen.
As soon as they identified Jia Lette’s voice, Zack and Claud didn’t hesitate any further. Although they were unclear about why Jia Lette immediately told them to run upon meeting, both of them had been chased by a horde of monsters for quite a while and were already on edge. Anyway, hearing someone frantically telling them to escape, they didn’t bother to ask why. They just jumped up and ran for their lives.
Thus, Zack and Claud once again hastily picked up the unconscious girl and turned to flee desperately.
“What? Did you also encounter monsters?” After running for a while, Claud finally remembered to turn around and ask Jia Lette. However, as soon as he turned back, he was startled again.
Unknowingly, Xiao Xi, who was carrying Jia Lette, had already caught up behind Zack and Claud. The distance between them had become so close that Zack and Claud could now clearly see the faces of the two girls under the faint moonlight.
“So fast!” Zack exclaimed in astonishment. He was even more shocked to see a projectile of psychic energy launched from a cloaked figure behind them, exploding right at their heels.
The flying dirt and splintered wood hit Zack and Claud’s faces. The two handsome young men exchanged stunned glances before simultaneously shouting in alarm, their fleeing speed instantly doubling.
“Damn it! Jia Lette, what exactly is going on? Who the hell is that guy behind us? Why does he want to kill us?” Zack shouted frantically as he ran.
“How should I know!” Xia Xi retorted, clearly annoyed by Zack’s tone.
“Huh? You… Who are you then?!” It was only at this moment that Zack realized the girl carrying Linoa was someone he had never seen before!
“I…” Before Xia Xi could answer Zack’s question, she noticed another psychic projectile already hurtling toward her.
Instinctively dodging sideways, the psychic projectile whizzed past her, exploding right in front of the group.
The blast forced the group to stop abruptly to avoid being caught in the explosion’s radius.
At that very moment they stopped, the mysterious cloaked figure, who had previously only been following them, suddenly accelerated. It dashed past them, straight into the forest, and vanished without a trace after a few quick movements.
The strange behavior of the cloaked figure not only left Zack and Claud puzzled, but even Xia Xi, who had some slight knowledge of the situation, was left bewildered.
“He… He’s gone, right?” After a long while, Zack finally caught his breath, asking Jia Lette with a mix of relief and disbelief.
“Probably…” Jia Lette replied without much confidence.
“At any rate, we should be temporarily safe now,” Claud said, exhaling deeply as his gaze shifted to Xia Xi, who was carrying Jia Lette. “President Jia Lette, now can you introduce us to your friend?”
“Ah!” As soon as Claud’s words fell, the two girls let out another startled scream in unison.
“What’s going on now? What’s happening again?” Thinking the mysterious cloaked figure had returned, Zack, still shaken, was so frightened he nearly did a complete 360-degree spin on the spot.
“Zack, Claud, you…” Before Jia Lette could finish shouting “watch out,” she had already been unceremoniously thrown by Xia Xi.
Poor Jia Lette landed squarely on her tender bottom, and the unpleasant sensation of soreness and numbness radiating from her delicate posterior nearly made her gnash her teeth in frustration.
She did that on purpose! For some reason, the moment her bottom hit the ground, Jia Lette immediately sensed Xia Xi’s thoughts. Without even looking, she knew Xia Xi was probably smirking with infuriating satisfaction right now.
Thus, Jia Lette once again firmly concluded that the red-haired little girl was her number one “archenemy” for life! If she ever got the chance, she would definitely make this annoying red-haired girl pay!
However, Jia Lette soon realized that her vow might not be possible to fulfill anytime soon. In front of Xia Xi, Zack and Claud didn’t even have the slightest chance to fight back. Before they could even figure out what was happening, each had received a precise strike to the neck, and were knocked unconscious by Xia Xi.
“Hmph! Did you just secretly curse me again? Didn’t you? Didn’t you?” Having easily taken down Zack and Claud, Xia Xi immediately ran back to Jia Lette’s side, angrily demanding answers. When this fiery red-haired beauty got angry, she always unconsciously pouted her lips slightly, and tiny wrinkles would appear on her delicate nose, making her look especially adorable.
Of course, Jia Lette didn’t find Xia Xi the least bit adorable in her eyes. After all, when it comes to archenemies, one must always make sure to find every little thing about them annoying, even through self-hypnosis.
“Hmph! Even without you saying it, I know you just cursed me secretly. But it doesn’t matter, hehe! I’m going to get my revenge right away.” Xia Xi grinned mischievously, stretching out her right hand to reveal a big chunk of dark, muddy sludge she had somehow dug up from the ground without anyone noticing.
“What… What are you going to do…” Jia Lette’s heart sank immediately. She wore the expression of a frightened little rabbit, desperately trying to back away. However, just after being caught by Jia Lette earlier, Xia Xi had already used her battle energy to numb Jia Lette’s feet. Right now, she could barely stand up, let alone escape from Xia Xi.
“Hehe! Hehe!” Xia Xi continued to approach menacingly with an evil chuckle.
“No, please!” As Xia Xi’s devilish hand was about to reach her face, Jia Lette finally closed her eyes in despair, letting out a helpless scream.
To Jia Lette’s perception, it felt like quite a while had passed, yet the expected cold and disgusting sensation still hadn’t appeared on her face. “Could it be that even an archenemy can have a moment of mercy?” Doubtfully, Jia Lette opened her eyes just a crack and found that Xia Xi had somehow turned away already. On her face was a look of intense tension, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Could it be that the cloaked psychic had returned? Jia Lette’s heart tightened. But the voice she heard next almost made the girl cry out in joy.
“You’re called Xia Xi, right? We meet again,” Linoa said with a seductive smile, stepping slowly out from the jungle. Her gaze quickly swept over the surroundings. After seeing Zack and Claud lying on the ground and the empty forest around, a flicker of surprise briefly crossed Linoa’s face.
“Hmph!” Xia Xi let out a few resentful snorts, though she couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous inside. After the chase with the cloaked psychic earlier, she really didn’t have the strength to engage in another chase with Linoa.
“Hehe. Speaking of it, psychics really shouldn’t personally engage in combat. Plus, I don’t want to be accused of bullying little girls. How about this? You hand her over to me, and I’ll let you go freely. What do you think?” Linoa said with a smile.
“And if I don’t think that’s a good idea?” Xia Xi glared at Linoa defiantly.
“In that case, hehe… Although I’m really reluctant, I’ll have no choice but to take you back by force.” Linoa smiled confidently.
“Hmph! You can try!” Xia Xi pouted defiantly, though her slightly panicked eyes betrayed her lack of confidence.
“Really? Then here I come, okay?” Linoa smiled, assuming a stance ready to attack at any moment.
“Come on then, who’s afraid of who?” Xia Xi was determined to stubbornly hold her ground.
“Hehe, a tough-talking little girl is so cute!” Linoa chuckled ambiguously, inching closer to Xia Xi.
Xia Xi nervously tightened her grip on the steel needles in her hand. But in the blink of an eye, Linoa was already beside her. Her speed was so fast that even Xia Xi, a martial artist known for her agility, couldn’t react in time.
“Ugh!” With a casual wave of her hand, Linoa sent Xia Xi flying with a pained cry, landing her not far from Jia Lette.
Without hesitation, Linoa darted forward again. However, just as Linoa was focusing her attention on Xia Xi, the mysterious cloaked figure who had previously disappeared into the jungle suddenly burst out from the trees. Its target was none other than Linoa herself, who was charging straight ahead!
However, Linoa, seemingly prepared, showed no sign of panic. With a cold sneer, a flash of her deep blue psychic energy flared around her body, and she swiftly sidestepped to the right, completely evading the attacker’s assault.
Then, as the cloaked figure made an eerie turn and lunged at her again, Linoa had already prepared a psychic blast nearly the size of a basketball.
“Go!” Linoa coldly flicked her wrist, and the psychic blast roared forward, exploding on the cloaked figure. The immense energy instantly tore through the cloaked figure’s body, upturned the ground, and sent dirt flying everywhere.
Just as everyone who had witnessed the scene assumed the mysterious cloaked man must have been reduced to nothing more than a pile of bones and flesh, he suddenly burst out from the dusty cloud of flying dirt! Although the front of the cloaked figure’s chest was already a bloody mess, with several ribs protruding from his body, he seemed impervious to pain, maintaining an astonishing speed!
Witnessing this sudden and unexpected turn of events, both Xia Xi and Jia Lette were stunned, and even Linoa seemed to feel a bit surprised. But at this most critical moment, Linoa suddenly displayed an incredible combat ability.
Facing the mysterious cloaked figure rapidly rushing toward her, Linoa merely raised her eyebrows slightly before making a decision. She forcefully pushed off the ground, her body rapidly retreating backward. While using the speed of her retreat to counteract the cloaked figure’s charging speed, Linoa calmly began preparing another psychic blast.
The cloaked figure had barely managed to graze Linoa’s hem with his fingers when Linoa’s second psychic blast was already ready. With a cold snort from Linoa, the psychic blast exploded directly on the cloaked figure’s head. The cloaked figure was sent flying backward and fell to the ground, lifeless.
“Come out! How long do you intend to hide?” After dealing with the cloaked figure, Linoa suddenly turned sideways and coldly addressed a giant tree that would take three people to encircle.
“Hehe! You finished so quickly? I thought this thing could last a bit longer,” a low chuckle echoed out. From behind the giant tree in Linoa’s line of sight, another man dressed in a black cloak stepped out.
“What?” Xia Xi and Jia Lette were both greatly surprised. Linoa, however, remained unfazed.
“Wouldn’t you like to tell me what this means?” Linoa asked coldly again, glancing at the corpse on the ground.
“I haven’t seen any yet. But it’s still quite dark around here, so I can’t be sure there aren’t any monsters following us from a distance.” Compared to Zack, Cloud’s upbringing was evidently much stricter. Despite enduring a series of fierce battles, he still managed to maintain a calm demeanor.
“Damn it! This is really a stroke of bad luck. We barely escaped the pursuit of those bastards from Moore Academy, only to run into a horde of monsters. Cloud, isn’t this supposed to be a damn green safety zone? How come there’s such a large group of monsters here?” Zack walked over and sat down next to Cloud, continuing to grumble incessantly.
“I don’t know either. But the situation is indeed a bit strange. We’d better be careful,” Cloud said cautiously.
“Ugh!” Zack let out a long sigh. Just as he was about to complain to Cloud again, he suddenly caught sight of two dark figures charging towards him from the corner of his eye.
“Cloud!” Zack thought the monsters had caught up again and shouted in panic, drawing his crystal energy sword and jumping to his feet.
Almost immediately after Zack’s startling shout, a cry of surprise came from the two dark figures running from behind: “Ah!”
“Huh? Girls?” Zack was shocked. But before he could relax, an urgent shout startled him once more.
“Zack, Cloud, run!”
“Ca…Chairman Galette?” Although Zack and Cloud didn’t usually interact much with Galette, they could still recognize the voice of the famous student council president of Almitius Academy. Moreover, Galette had attended a few of Zhang Wen’s technique classes.
As soon as they recognized Galette’s voice, Zack and Cloud didn’t hesitate. Although they didn’t know why Galette was telling them to run the moment they met, having just been chased by a horde of monsters for half a day, they were already on edge. Hearing someone frantically telling them to run, they didn’t bother asking why; they just jumped up and fled.
So, Zack and Cloud, with the urgency of a fire at their heels, picked up the unconscious girl and started running for their lives again.
“What? Did you also run into monsters?” After running for a while, Cloud finally turned around to ask Galette. But as soon as he turned his head, he was startled again.
Unbeknownst to them, Xiaoxi, who was carrying Galette, had already caught up to Zack and Cloud. The distance between them was now close enough for Zack and Cloud to see the faces of the two girls in the faint moonlight.
“So fast!” Zack, equally shocked, let out a strange cry. Then, to his increasing astonishment, a psychic cannon shot out from a black-cloaked figure behind them and exploded right at their heels.
The flying dirt and splintered wood hit Zack and Cloud in the face. The two handsome young men stared at each other in shock, then simultaneously let out a cry and doubled their speed.
“Damn it! Galette, what the hell is going on? Who is that guy behind us? Why is he trying to kill us?” Zack shouted frantically as he ran.
“How the hell should I know!” Xiaoxi, annoyed by Zack’s tone, retorted.
“Huh? You… who are you?” It was only then that Zack realized he had never seen the girl carrying Lenore before.
“I…” Before Xiaoxi could answer Zack’s question, she felt another psychic cannon blast heading their way.
Xiaoxi instinctively dodged to the side, and the psychic cannon shot past her, exploding in front of the group. Boom! The force of the explosion forced them to stop abruptly to avoid being caught in the blast.
The moment they stopped, the mysterious black-cloaked figure, who had been following them, suddenly accelerated, rushed past them, and disappeared into the forest with a few quick movements.
The strange behavior of the black-cloaked figure left both Zack and Cloud utterly confused. Even Xiaoxi, who knew a bit more about the situation, was baffled.
“Is he… gone?” After a long while, Zack finally caught his breath and asked Galette with a mix of laughter and tears.
“Probably…” Galette replied without much confidence.
“Anyway, we should be safe for now,” Cloud also let out a sigh of relief, but his gaze turned to Xiaoxi, who was carrying Galette. “Chairman Galette, can you introduce us to your friend now?”
“Ah!” As soon as Cloud finished speaking, the two girls let out simultaneous cries of surprise.
“What now? What’s going on?” Zack, still on edge, thought the black-cloaked figure had returned and was so startled he almost spun around in a full circle.
“Zack, Cloud, you…” Before Galette could finish her warning, she was unceremoniously thrown by Xiaoxi.
Poor Galette landed right on her delicate bottom, the sharp, numbing pain almost making her grit her teeth in frustration.
She must have done it on purpose! For some reason, the moment her bottom hit the ground, Galette immediately sensed Xiaoxi’s thoughts. She didn’t even need to look to know that Xiaoxi was probably wearing that infuriatingly smug expression.
Thus, Galette once again confirmed that the red-haired girl was her lifelong nemesis! If she ever got the chance, she would definitely make that annoying red-haired girl pay! Biting back the shameful numbness in her bottom, Galette vowed silently.
However, Galette soon realized that her silent vow might not be fulfilled anytime soon. In front of Xiaoxi, Zack and Cloud didn’t even have a chance to fight back. Before they even understood what was happening, each had been struck with a hand chop and knocked unconscious by Xiaoxi.
“Hmph! You were secretly cursing me again, weren’t you? Weren’t you? Weren’t you?” After easily dealing with Zack and Cloud, Xiaoxi immediately ran back to Galette, angrily questioning her. The red-haired beauty had a habit of pouting slightly when she was angry, her small nose wrinkling in a way that made her look particularly cute.
Of course, in Galette’s eyes, Xiaoxi wasn’t cute at all. A nemesis, after all! Even if she had to hypnotize herself, she would find everything about Xiaoxi irritating.
“Hmph! You don’t have to say it; I know you were secretly cursing me. But it’s fine, hehe! I’ll get my revenge right now.” Xiaoxi grinned mischievously, extending her right hand to reveal a large lump of black, sticky mud she had somehow dug up from the ground.
“You… what are you planning to do…” Galette’s heart sank. She looked like a frightened rabbit, desperately trying to back away. But when Galette had been caught earlier, Xiaoxi had already used her combat energy to numb her legs. Now, Galette could barely stand, let alone escape from Xiaoxi.
“Hehehe!” Xiaoxi continued to laugh eerily as she closed in.
“No!” Seeing Xiaoxi’s hand about to reach her face, Galette finally closed her eyes in despair and let out a helpless scream.
In Galette’s mind, time seemed to stretch on, but the expected cold, disgusting sensation never came. “Could it be that even a nemesis can show mercy?” Galette dared to open her eyes a crack, only to find that Xiaoxi had already turned away, her face now showing a tense expression as if facing a formidable enemy.
Had the black-cloaked psychic returned? Galette’s heart tightened. But the voice she heard next nearly made her cry with joy.
“You’re Xiaoxi, right? We meet again.” Lenore walked out of the forest with a charming smile. Her eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. Seeing Zack and Cloud lying on the ground and the empty forest around them, a flicker of surprise crossed her face.
“Hmph!” Xiaoxi snorted angrily, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous inside. After the chase with the black-cloaked psychic, she didn’t have the strength for another pursuit with Lenore.
“Hehe. Actually, psychics shouldn’t personally engage in combat, and I don’t want to be accused of bullying a little girl. How about this? You hand her over to me, and I’ll let you go. What do you think?”
“And if I don’t think so?” Xiaoxi stared at Lenore, defiantly retorting.
“In that case… hehe… although I really don’t want to, I’ll have to take you back by force,” Lenore said with a confident smile.
“Hmph! You can try!” Xiaoxi pouted even more defiantly, though her slightly panicked eyes betrayed her lack of confidence.
“Really? Then here I come,” Lenore smiled, adopting a stance ready to strike.
“Come on, who’s afraid of whom?” Xiaoxi was determined to tough it out.
“Tehe, such a stubborn little girl is so cute!” Lenore chuckled ambiguously, slowly closing in on Xiaoxi.
Xiaoxi nervously gripped the steel needles in her hand. But in the blink of an eye, Lenore was already beside her, moving so fast that even Xiaoxi, a speed-type fighter, couldn’t react in time.
“Ugh!” With a casual wave of her hand, Lenore sent Xiaoxi flying, landing not far from Galette.
Lenore didn’t pause, swiftly moving forward again. But just as Lenore focused her attention on Xiaoxi, the black-cloaked figure who had disappeared into the forest suddenly lunged out from the trees. Its target was none other than Lenore, who was charging forward!
However, Lenore, seemingly prepared, showed no panic. She sneered, a faint blue psychic flame flickering around her as she sidestepped to the right, completely dodging the attack.
Immediately after, as the black-cloaked figure twisted unnaturally and lunged again, Lenore had already prepared a psychic cannon almost the size of a basketball.
“Go!” Lenore coldly waved her hand, and the psychic cannon roared out, exploding on the black-cloaked figure’s body. The immense energy instantly tore the figure apart, also ripping up the ground and sending dirt flying into the air.
Just as everyone who had witnessed the scene thought the mysterious black-cloaked man was surely obliterated, he suddenly burst out from the cloud of dust! Although his chest was a bloody mess, with several ribs protruding from his body, he seemed unfazed by the pain, still moving at an astonishing speed!
Seeing this sudden turn of events, both Xiaoxi and Galette were stunned. Lenore also seemed slightly surprised. But at this critical moment, Lenore displayed an incredible combat ability.
Facing the rapidly approaching black-cloaked figure, Lenore merely raised an eyebrow and made a decision. She stomped the ground hard, propelling herself backward. Using the momentum to offset the black-cloaked figure’s speed, Lenore calmly began crafting another psychic cannon.
Just as the black-cloaked figure barely managed to grab Lenore’s sleeve, her second psychic cannon was ready. With a cold snort, Lenore detonated the cannon directly on the figure’s head. The black-cloaked figure was sent flying, landing on the ground lifeless.
“Come out! How long do you plan to hide?” After dealing with the black-cloaked figure, Lenore suddenly turned to the side, addressing a massive tree that three people could barely encircle.
“Hehe! So you’ve finished already? I thought that thing would last a bit longer.” A deep chuckle echoed as another black-cloaked man emerged from behind the tree Lenore was looking at.
“Huh?” Both Xiaoxi and Galette were shocked. Lenore, however, remained unfazed.
“Care to explain what this is about?” Lenore glanced at the corpse on the ground and asked coldly.
“Oh! Well, as you can see, I suddenly realized that cooperating with you is too unreliable. Even if I fight tooth and nail, risking my life, you’d probably just sell me out in the end. Just like the ending you prepared for that fool who followed you in your plan. Except, I’m not as stupid as he was!” The black-cloaked man laughed casually, even reaching up to remove his hood.
“Professor Robert?!” Under the moonlight, Galette finally lost control of her emotions, exclaiming in shock.
“Hmph! So you’re not even going to hide your true face anymore. It seems you’re really planning to fight me to the death.” After confirming Robert’s true intentions, Lenore’s voice suddenly became soft and melodious again.
“Professor Robert?!” Jia Lette finally couldn’t control her emotions anymore when she saw the face of the man in the black cloak under the moonlight, and she cried out in shock.
“Hmph! You don’t even intend to keep your true face hidden anymore. It seems you’re really determined to fight me to the death.” After confirming Robert’s true intentions, Linoa’s voice suddenly became soft and pleasant again.
“Haha! A duel to the death? How could I dare to challenge you? You’re our mentor, the teacher of all us Federation spies! Linoah… no, perhaps I should address you properly… Your Highness, Soul Dancer Eve Barbarossa!”
“Soul… Soul Dancer?!” Xiaoxi and Carol both gasped in shock.
“How could you possibly know my identity?” Linoa fixed Robert with a cold stare, demanding sharply.
“Haha… haha! How could I know your identity?” Robert’s laughter grew louder and louder until he was practically voiceless! That tone, almost like someone gasping for their final breath, sent chills down Xiaoxi and Carol’s spines.
After a long, sinister chuckle, Robert finally inhaled deeply. He revealed a terrifying, grotesque grin and spoke again to Linoa in a tone bordering on contempt: “Your Highness, Soul Dancer, surely you haven’t forgotten, have you? What happened a few years ago, when you and another old woman accepted the Federation’s invitation to train their spies?”
“Oh? Training Federation spies? Back then, both my teacher and I always wore masks. How could you possibly have seen my face?” Linoa frowned tightly, responding coldly once again.
“Haha! Looks like you really have forgotten everything. Understandable. All that happened to me was just a trivial seasoning in your life, a fleeting moment of amusement during those years.” Robert’s smile grew increasingly hideous as he continued, “Of course you wouldn’t remember. One of the trainees, a little nobody, peeked through the window trying to catch a glimpse of the noble Soul Dancer. You caught him. Then…”
“It was you?!” Robert’s words shocked even Linoa. She finally recognized exactly who this man before her really was.
“Exactly! It was me! Me! You probably never expected that, did you? Although you caught me quickly, I still managed to catch a glimpse of your face! And you probably don’t remember what punishment you gave me either. Haha! Throwing me into the Federation’s maximum-security prison, letting the inmates ‘educate’ me about looking where I shouldn’t have!”
“Tsk!” Linoa couldn’t help but spit in disgust at Robert’s twisted expression. Now that she understood Robert’s identity, she had no intention of wasting any more words with him. Thus, she silently adjusted her breathing, preparing to attack Robert.
However, just as Linoa was about to gather her psionic energy, her expression suddenly changed drastically.
“Haha! Your Highness, Soul Dancer, you’re still as arrogant as ever. Now that you know my identity, you’re planning to kill me, aren’t you?” Seeing Linoa’s expression, Robert burst into laughter again, “Too bad! Don’t you feel that you can’t gather your psionic energy at all?”
“What exactly is going on?!” Linoa demanded in shock.
“Hehe! That’s because before you defeated my little pet, it already shot you with a vial of X-14 reagent secretly!”
“What?!” Linoa’s expression changed again. She quickly examined herself, then gritted her teeth and pulled out a needle as fine as a hair strand from her waist.
“Too late! The toxin has already been fully injected into your body. Hehe! You injected yourself with the ‘Ancient Formula No. 0’ to enhance your abilities and gain the power for high-level psionic techniques. However, you also happened to develop a drug that completely neutralizes the Ancient Formula. Isn’t that what people call reaping what you sow? How exciting! For this day, I’ve hidden in Almisius, pretending to be a fool, being bossed around by those idiots every day. But finally, I’ve waited for it!”
“It does seem that way. But are you really that resentful toward me? To the point of disregarding your own safety to sabotage my plans? Stealing reagents from the top laboratory is a capital offense in the Federation.”
Linoa crossed her arms over her chest, gradually softening her tone.
“Resent you? No! How could I resent you? I love you! Do you know? Because of your orders, the prison guards specially instructed those convicts to ‘take care’ of me. Every time they ‘took care’ of me, I would fall more deeply in love with you, my Soul Dancer! Even though you wore a mask afterward, I could still imagine your beautiful face, cold and proud, completely indifferent to someone like me when you nonchalantly gave the guards instructions on how to deal with me. Every time I think about that, I get so excited that I tremble all over! Because I know, one day… one day, I will crush you beneath my feet, make you struggle desperately, cry in despair, and finally discard all your boring pride and self-respect, kneeling before me like the lowest slut, licking my toes and begging me to spare you!” By this point, Robert’s face had completely twisted.
The sight of Robert’s hideous expression sent chills down even Linoa’s spine. But after a brief pause, a seductive smile suddenly bloomed on Linoa’s face.
“Hehe! Robert, your thoughts are truly fascinating. Don’t you understand yet? I’m a woman who would rather die than be humiliated. Even if I fall into your hands today, I can simply choose death. What method do you have that could possibly turn me into the woman you imagine?” Despite being in such a desperate situation, Linoa still exuded an astonishing feminine charm in her every gesture.
“Hehe! Linoa, asking such a question, are you trying to buy time, hoping someone will come to rescue you?” Robert shook his head with a regretful smile, as if addressing her, “It seems our beautiful and wise Soul Dancer has finally run out of tricks. Unfortunately, it’s useless! ‘The King’ has already been lured away by the Southern Boundary Overlord you personally created. Now your only hope is Agate. But right now, he can barely save himself. How could he possibly have time to rescue you?”
As if to confirm Robert’s words, the moment he finished speaking, a towering pillar of fire suddenly erupted from the distant horizon into the sky. Then, the ground seemed to tremble slightly.
“Hehe! It’s begun.” Robert smiled with excitement.
“You bastard! What have you done to my brother?” Xiaoxi couldn’t help herself anymore, baring her little fangs and angrily charging forward.
“Nothing much. I just informed a certain Captain Raimu of the Imperial Hawks where and when he could capture Agate, the No.4 Executor of the Syndicate.” Robert casually waved his hand, and an invisible wall of psionic energy sent Xiaoxi flying back.
“Imperial Hawks! Have you betrayed the Federation?” Linoa clenched her teeth.
“Hoho! If No.9 Executor Soul Dancer Eve can betray the Syndicate, why can’t a Federation spy like me cooperate with the Imperial Hawks just once? So, even if you try to stall for time, who will come to rescue you?” Robert’s face twisted with excitement as he took a step closer to Linoa, “You wanted to know how I would deal with you, didn’t you? I can tell you right now!”
“After capturing you, I’ll disable your psionic abilities, cut off your hands and feet so you can’t escape, and cut out your tongue so you can’t commit suicide. Even if you try to starve yourself, it won’t matter. I’ll inject you with nutrients every day. I’ll play with you, torture you slowly. When I get tired of you, I’ll strip you naked and hand you over to the convicts in Badermo Prison to enjoy. Hehe! I’ll make sure you experience ten or even a hundred times the ‘care’ I received. Finally, I’ll record every detail of you being toyed with and send it to the psionic networks on every planet. Let everyone know that this slut, crying and begging under countless men’s crotches, is none other than the illustrious Soul Dancer Eve Barbarossa!”
“Madman!” Hearing Robert excitedly describe such a plan, even Xiaoxi and Carol couldn’t help feeling chills run down their spines.
“Madman? Right you are. I’ve been mad for a long time.” Robert glanced coldly at Xiaoxi, then suddenly accelerated his movement, appearing beside Linoa in an instant, “You don’t know, do you? It was me who leaked the intelligence about the Federation’s space experiments on planet Z to Ruby! I deliberately chose the day when your slut of a teacher was on that planet, and had Ruby launch an attack. Haha! As expected, she died! The thought of her death made me so happy. But do you know what made me even happier? It was you! You decided to continue investigating the clues of that experiment. When I heard that news, I was almost driven mad with joy. It was fate!”
As he spoke excitedly, Robert raised his right hand, enveloped in a sinister blue psionic energy, and swung it forcefully toward Linoa’s abdomen.
“You bastard!” Linoa, her eyes red with fury, gritted her teeth and retreated, desperately trying to gather her psionic energy. However, the psionic barrier she created with all her might barely blocked Robert’s casual strike before shattering into pieces.
Moreover, at the moment the barrier shattered, the last of Linoa’s strength drained from her body like a receding tide. She leapt backward several meters, but upon landing, her legs gave way, and she helplessly collapsed to the ground.
“Haha! Struggle! Struggle as much as you want! The more you struggle, the more excited I’ll become! But don’t worry, no matter what, I won’t let you die.” Robert’s eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty, brutal light as he laughed maniacally.
“Robert, by betraying Agate, don’t you fear the Syndicate will come after you?” Despite the numbness spreading through her body, Linoa exerted every ounce of strength she had left, making a final effort.
“Haha! Why would the Syndicate come after me? It’s you who betrayed the Syndicate! It was the Soul Dancer who created the Southern Boundary Overlord puppet and lured away ‘The King.’ It was the Soul Dancer who colluded with the Alliance spies and took the two little girls away from Agate. It was the Soul Dancer who conspired with the Imperial Hawks, leading to Agate’s capture! All of this happened because of your plan. In the end, the Soul Dancer completed her plan and ruthlessly killed all the witnesses before vanishing without a trace… None of these things have anything to do with me. Why would anyone come looking for me?” Robert laughed loudly, pretending to be helpless as he spread his hands.
“Carol, you two must escape!” Linoa shouted desperately toward Xiaoxi and Carol upon sensing the murderous intent in Robert’s eyes.
Linoa knew clearly that as long as one of the witnesses here managed to escape, Robert would have no chance of taking her away unnoticed. Although this meant Linoa herself might end up in the hands of the Empire or the Syndicate. But no matter what happened, it was better than falling into Robert’s hands, this madman. Because as Linoa herself said, she was a woman who would rather die than endure even the slightest humiliation!
“Escape? Haha, I’m so excited! Finally, you’re panicking, aren’t you? Otherwise, how could you place your hopes on these two little girls? Have you forgotten what position I held and what training I received under your hands? I’m a professional assassin, after all!” The moment Linoa’s shout rang out, Robert had already burst into action, laughing maniacally.
In the blink of an eye, Robert had appeared before Xiaoxi without any warning. By now, Xiaoxi had already been overwhelmed by the succession of events. Facing Robert’s attack, she could only helplessly raise her hand in a feeble attempt to block before collapsing under a psionic bullet fired from Robert’s left hand.
With Xiaoxi, the last one who could pose even a minor threat, knocked aside, Robert finally turned his gaze to Carol. Compared to Xiaoxi, Carol was much stronger in the face of adversity. Although she was also terrified, her face pale and her body trembling, Carol still struggled, dragging her numb and unfeeling legs as she fled into the distance, refusing to give up hope of escape.
Carol’s pale face reflected in Robert’s eyes, further fueling his brutal mindset. Her desperate attempt to crawl away on all fours only heightened Robert’s excitement.
“Farewell, little princess of Casares.” Robert sneered coldly, instantly firing a psionic cannon toward Carol as she fled.
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