"I've suffered a lot, so I know what can be done and what cannot. I am not ordinary."
"Second, as Mei's biological father, you've done so many things to hurt her. I won't hold any expectations of you or seek your help anymore. But at the very least, don't cause me any trouble. What you can't solve, I will."
"Third, if that day really comes, when even I am helpless, I won't hesitate. Before she's captured and meets a despairing end, I will immediately end her life myself..."
"Even if I'll be in pain, suffer, regret, and be hated by others afterwards, it doesn't matter."
"I know very well how tragic it is to be unable to live or die, so..."
"I will absolutely never let her go through that."
Li Wu's words echoed faintly in the not-so-bright secret room, lingering for a long time.
Like a cold hammer, striking Raiden Ryoma's soul repeatedly with immense force.
It was an interrogation, and also a punishment.
Finally, Raiden Ryoma waved his hand, signaling the guards to stand down. He looked at the young boy in front of him with tired eyes. The boy was the same age as his own daughter, yet he felt... even more paranoid than himself.
"Why are you doing this?"
"..."
This wasn't a difficult question to answer.
But Li Wu, who hadn't paused in his responses since entering, chose silence at this moment.
Silence filled his thoughts like an icy mist.
Half a minute later, Li Wu spoke.
"I feel the world shouldn't be like this."
"Just because of that?"
"There is one more reason."
"What is it?"
"...Probably atonement, for the mistakes I made in the past."
With that, Li Wu lingered no longer. He walked straight out of the prison and disappeared into the falling rain.
Raiden Ryoma murmured the word "atonement" in the prison. Does that mean Li Wu was also one of the people who bullied my daughter, but realized his mistakes later? No wonder...
Amidst the curtain of rain filling the sky, Li Wu felt his forehead burning hot. It seemed he had been in the rain too long. His constitution wasn't great to begin with, plus the wound on his left shoulder; it was normal for his body to start acting up.
While his mind was still clear, Li Wu quickened his pace. Carrying the still-unconscious Raiden Mei on his back, he hailed a taxi and headed for the outskirts of Nagazora City. After getting off, he followed the address in his memory, turned down a side road, and saw his destination—
An old, two-story house.
"The Nest, the orphanage where Raven adopts children," Li Wu said its name.
Rather than an "orphanage," it looked more like an old-fashioned dormitory building forgotten by the times. No signboard, no markings. The windows were old, but the glass was wiped very clean. The whole place looked very simple and austere.
The iron gate was tightly shut. An inconspicuous wooden plaque was nailed to the wall beside the gate, the writing on it still clear: "The Nest."
Gray Serpent was the current acting leader of World Serpent. In the manga, there was no direct way to contact Gray Serpent. He had too many bodies, and no one knew the location of every clone.
If he wanted to contact World Serpent, he could only reach Gray Serpent through Raven.
Li Wu stopped at the gate with Raiden Mei on his back. Rainwater dripped from his jaw and Mei's hanging arm. Just as he raised his hand to knock, his combat experience made him subconsciously turn his head to look at the intense gazes directed at him.
Through the transparent window glass, many soft, curious, and inquiring gazes were looking his way.
Small and full of childish innocence.
The children of the orphanage looked at the strange unfamiliar brother and sister with eyes full of worry.
Small palms pressed against the windowpane, leaving prints.
The rain pattered on. They looked at each other.
Finally, a child's empathy won over reason. A locked window opened, and a light, childish voice asked, "Big brother, do you want to come in out of the rain?"
"I..."
Before Li Wu could agree, another child hurriedly pulled the speaker back, reminding them, "Big sister Natasha said not to talk to strangers!"
"But the big brother and sister outside are soaked through. They'll catch a cold..."
"Then... let's call big sister Natasha and ask!"
Through the glass, Li Wu clearly saw a child around eight years old tiptoeing to the landline phone. Following a number scrawled on the wall, the child punched in the keys one by one.
Li Wu didn't rush them. He just stood quietly under the eaves, waiting for the children to pass the message to Raven.
Soon, the call connected and ended. The child ran back and told the others, "Big sister Natasha said not to open the door. She's coming back right away."
"Then do we do nothing?"
"Um... towels! We can pass them towels!"
A child suddenly had an idea, turned, and ducked into a room. Ten seconds later, they rushed out, opened the window, and waved a hand at Li Wu.
"Big brother, big sister Natasha said we can't open the door, but take this towel first!"
Li Wu paused for two seconds, then walked forward and took the towel.
In fact, he could totally use this opportunity to force the window open and enter the house.
The children's guard was still too low...
But he decided to wait a while. His relationship with Raven wasn't built on trust yet.
Li Wu placed Raiden Mei under the eaves against the door and carefully wiped her down with the towel. Before he could dry the water from her face, something hard pressed against the back of his head.
Li Wu knew this sensation very well.
It was a gun.
"You'd better explain how you found this place. This is the outskirts of the city; not many people come here." Raven's icy voice suddenly sounded from behind.
The orphanage was her reverse scale, the softest place in her heart.
She had searched for this place for a long time and worked hard with the children to transform the abandoned house into what it was now. Few people came here. Li Wu shouldn't have been able to find it.
Besides, didn't Li Wu sacrifice his main personality to the Herrscher personality? Why was he standing here perfectly fine?
Wait...
Raven noticed a red stain on Li Wu's left shoulder, like red ink dripping onto snow, spreading from the center outward.
It was clearly a gunshot wound.
"I know a lot of information. Like your real name, Natasha Cioara. Or how you plan to quit being a World Serpent cadre after finishing these last few jobs, use your life savings to buy a nearby island, and move there with the children to enjoy life, right?"
"??? You've been monitoring me? No, it's impossible for a third person to know about that. Could it be... your Herrscher authority?!"
Raven's eyes instantly turned fierce. Her finger tightened on the trigger, hesitating whether to shoot, an immense struggle going on inside her.
If a fight really broke out, it was hard to say if she could win, but fighting a Herrscher would definitely endanger the children. That was the last thing she wanted to see.
Li Wu continued to wipe Raiden Mei. After drying most of the rain from her face, he turned around to meet Raven's gaze.
It was only then that Raven clearly saw Li Wu's current state.
He looked incredibly wretched!
His face was drained of almost all color. His hair was plastered wetly to his forehead. Tiny water droplets dripped constantly from the tips of his hair, sliding down his cheekbones to his jaw, and finally crossing his pale lips to drip onto the ground.
His pant legs were covered in mud, his clothes looked like dirty rags, damp and filthy.
"You can consider it a Herrscher authority. I do know some things that no one else knows... But that's not important. I won the bet last time and haven't asked for my reward yet. Now it's time to settle up. I need your help to contact Gray Serpent and ask him to descend his consciousness into the nearest body to meet me."
Li Wu spoke very urgently. The sound of his heart beating in his chest was exceptionally clear, and a strong wave of dizziness instantly engulfed his head.
He had delayed for too long.
How could an ordinary person be fine after being in the rain for so long...
Hold on a little longer...
Li Wu encouraged himself silently. He hunched over, supporting himself against the wall with one hand, but his strength was failing him, and he was gradually losing the ability to exert force.
Raven saw Li Wu's weakness. Her gaze fell on the unconscious Raiden Mei beside him. She hesitated for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"Meeting you was really bad luck for me, Li Wu. Although I don't know where you got this intel, even if I help you contact Gray Serpent, he might not meet you just because I'm a cadre."
"It doesn't matter. Just tell him... 'A Herrscher led by human will has appeared'... I... need World Serpent... to protect Raiden Mei..." Li Wu shouted weakly, offering no further explanation.
Raiden Mei didn't lose control after releasing her Herrscher authority, nor did she bring about the Third Honkai Eruption. This meant she had successfully mastered the Herrscher authority.
Raven should understand...
"Ha... Haa... Ugh..."
Li Wu leaned against the iron gate and slumped to the ground, panting heavily. His breathing quickened, his chest heaving violently.
His eyelids closed, his consciousness blurring continuously.
"Mm... alright then. But I don't know if Gray Serpent is looking for a 'Herrscher led by human will.' Herrschers aren't exactly rare to World Serpent. If it weren't for owing you a favor from the last bet... Anyway, we're even now."
Raven pulled off her glove and called Gray Serpent.
Soon, the call connected. Raven relaying Li Wu's words to Gray Serpent. His response was unremarkable; he didn't seem to care about a "Herrscher led by human will."
However, Gray Serpent casually asked, "That person, what is his real name?"
"Oh, that. It's Li Wu."
As the words fell, Raven heard a thump, like a hard object hitting the ground. It was a dull sound.
"Where is he now?"
"At my front door. Why, are you actually coming? That's not like your style..."
"Send me the coordinates. In thirty seconds, the Second Divine Key, the Cosmic Juggernaut, will teleport my main body and consciousness to your door. Do not let... him leave your sight. Not for a single second."
Hearing Gray Serpent's slightly panicked tone, Raven couldn't help but turn sideways and steal a glance at Li Wu, who was slumped on the ground.
World Serpent came from the Previous Era. They had seen plenty of Herrschers and wouldn't care so much about an ordinary one.
Gray Serpent's management had always been loose, which was why she had so much time to take mercenary jobs. Why was he being so strict this time? Not allowed to leave my sight for a single second?