"Lynelle?"
The sudden appearance of the spectral figure beside her gave Fu Hua pause, a faint flush of embarrassment rising to her cheeks.
"I see… So this is already within the range of your ability? Regarding what happened earlier at the academy, I feel I should explain… It was because…"
"Alright, alright, no need for lengthy explanations. While I don't know the exact details of your deal with Otto, I'm actually quite familiar with your situation."
Before Fu Hua could finish, Lynelle cut her off.
"Besides, I'm not here to demand answers from you. If I were, I wouldn't have had Wendy call off the attack."
"So that attack was from Miss Wendy? How surprising… We've crossed paths a few times at the academy, but I never realized her 'modest skill in sniping' meant she had reached this level…"
"If I hadn't been decrypting the energy link system of the floating islands, and without my assistance, you might have been shot before you even stepped outside…"
Lynelle gave a light cough.
"Anyway, I just came to ask you one thing. At this point, haven't you noticed all the irregularities in Otto's behavior throughout this entire incident?"
"Let me put it this way… Is it possible that from the very beginning, he never told you his real plan?"
Just as Lynelle expected, Fu Hua fell silent.
After all, in the original timeline, the reason Fu Hua only realized the truth at the very end was because Otto had kept her constantly on the move throughout the incident—first sent to stop Bella, then running around putting out fires everywhere, until she was critically wounded by the Queen and later killed by Otto's gun.
She'd had virtually no time to stop and reflect on the events unfolding around her.
But this time was different—with Bella now on Lynelle's side, there was no tide of Honkai Beasts, no repeated attacks from Bella.
The entire conflict was essentially just an armed clash between Anti-Entropy and Schicksal, and one without fatal consequences at that.
So naturally, Fu Hua wasn't as driven to constant action, freeing up time for her to notice Otto's unusual behavior.
"To be honest, I've had such suspicions."
After a moment of silence, Fu Hua sighed.
"But I have a contract with Otto. What's more, I currently have no idea where Kiana is."
"With the urgent battle situation, I can't very well search all of Schicksal for Kiana under Otto's surveillance… My coming here was actually, in part, to seek your assistance."
"Then you've come to the right person."
Lynelle snapped her fingers. "If Otto wants to stimulate Kiana's awakening, he needs to inject her with a massive amount of Honkai energy in a short time, which would require diverting a significant portion of the floating islands' resources."
"Otto's plans can avoid detection, but tangible energy flow cannot. So, by tracking the energy flow patterns across Schicksal, I discovered that most of the energy ultimately converges along this specific route: from multiple floating islands into the central island of headquarters, then through the Weapons Research Institute, finally converging into Schicksal's largest laboratory—the Helheim Labs."
"You're saying Kiana is in…"
"Mmhmm. So, if you want to learn the truth…"
Lynelle nodded. "Helheim is right there. With Fenghuang Down, you should be able to easily bypass all the inspection facilities and investigate personally, correct?"
"But there's one problem remaining."
Fu Hua's expression showed clear interest, but she ultimately shook her head helplessly, lightly pinching the black bodysuit clinging to her skin.
"As you can see, the Shadow Knight—this is the fourth-generation Godsbane Suit, specialized for close combat, that Otto specifically equipped me with after my power severely declined."
"But as you know, this armor undoubtedly contains tracking systems. Wearing it, I'd be constantly revealing my location to Otto."
"Don't worry about that."
Lynelle smiled slightly. "I have a plan that can get you to Helheim Labs without Otto noticing. However, you would be exposed to significant security risks without your armor. After all, without it, your combat strength can't be considered top-tier. Are you… willing to take that risk?"
"Of course."
Fu Hua nodded without hesitation. "If what you say is true, then as one of the people who took Kiana away initially, I should naturally bear certain risks and consequences."
"But if your intelligence is wrong, and Kiana is genuinely receiving treatment… then next time we meet, I will continue to honor my contract with Otto. Regardless of the outcome, however, I will do everything in my power to ensure Kiana's safety."
"Good."
With a casual wave of Lynelle's hand, a large patch of pink "mist" enveloped both their figures.
"Well then, Fu Hua… take off your clothes."
"?"
"This is my plan."
Lynelle said seriously. "You know I possess the Core of the Herrscher of Corruption. By using data for mimicry, supported by the crystal magic that Elysia… poured into me as a framework, I can briefly simulate a 'Fu Hua' to wear the Shadow Knight armor and fight in your place."
"??"
Fu Hua felt like question marks were spilling uncontrollably from her head.
"Wait, Elysia's crystal magic?! You, you know…"
"Eh? You didn't know?"
Lynelle tilted her head in confusion. "That shouldn't be right. I look almost identical to her. Haven't you noticed at all? Or could it be that your memories of her, you've already…"
"I didn't burn the memories of them."
Fu Hua quickly shook her head. "But I thought you were just her alternate-world counterpart, like Mei… I truly never imagined you'd know about her."
"I see. Because you didn't attend the final banquet, you completely failed to recognize the Origin aura on me…"
Lynelle suddenly understood, then revealed a mischievous grin. "Well then… you should definitely recognize this, right?"
As she spoke, dark green "ooze" began slowly seeping from Lynelle's hand, dripping down, and under Fu Hua's widening gaze, transformed into intertwining, connecting tentacles that finally coalesced into a naked, perfectly formed youthful body—an exact replica of Fu Hua.
"?!!!"
"Th-this is…"
Seeing this familiar power, goosebumps nearly rose on Fu Hua's skin.
Nothing else could have such an effect; even though she had burned some memories, the experiences of her past life, where this power had physically entered and exited her body repeatedly, were deeply etched into her instincts.
As Mobius's designated experimental subject, the high-quality "lab rat" who "almost couldn't die" after fusing with the Garuda genes, how could Fu Hua not recognize Mobius's power?
"Perhaps you no longer have those memories, but during the experiments on the Herrscher of Corruption that you participated in during your previous life, Mobius used her simulated Corruption Virus to completely record your body's data—Within the duration of my ability's effect, I can guarantee even Lixue wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
Lynelle chuckled. "See? More than enough to fool Otto, right?"
"N-no, that's not…"
Fu Hua was almost at a loss for words. "You know Elysia, and you possess Mobius's never-before-seen Corruption Virus… Just who are you?"
"Oh, so that's what you're curious about."
Lynelle puffed out her chest proudly. "In a certain sense, you could say… Mobius is my mother?"
"WHAT?!"
Fu Hua was utterly, profoundly shocked.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.