The three entered the cave, and what greeted them was a path leading deeper. However, it seemed there were no guards along this path.
"Hmm? No one?" Traveler was a bit puzzled. Logically, shouldn't there be guardians in such a place?
"It's normal for there to be no one. This passage is very narrow, only enough for two people to pass side by side. I guess the two I just killed were the patrolmen," Shiki said.
The three continued to go deeper, but what no one noticed was that a miniaturized Camera in the corner flashed.
"Ho? Have they arrived already? They're quite fast."
Balladeer smiled and got up, leaving the room. He was going to his self-set stage to welcome the protagonist's arrival.
This Evil Eye Factory, with its abnormal Ley Line, was the stage he had prepared for Shiki, and they were all actors.
"Childe, don't you want to fight strong opponents? Now is your chance."
"Go wait in the room I told you about before; you'll meet her."
"I hope all your plans are useful, otherwise the other Harbingers aren't as easy to talk to as I am."
Childe said, then left the spot. This was his warning to Balladeer. He might not be good at schemes, but that didn't mean he was a fool.
Balladeer's series of plans, no matter how he looked at them, seemed unrelated to the Gnosis. There must be other objectives involved.
He just didn't want to bother, not that he didn't know. If he got the Gnosis, it would be fine to have some other small goals.
But if he didn't get it, he wouldn't continue to play dumb.
Balladeer smiled as he watched Childe's departing back. You think I don't know that you know my plan's objective isn't pure?
Still trying to warn me? Survive first!
Balladeer intended to bury that Traveler in this factory as well, so that no one would know what happened here.
...
On the other side, the trio, led by Shiki, continued to delve deeper into the factory. As the scene before them suddenly opened up, chaotic sounds entered their ears.
"Intruders!"
"Alert!"
Eight Fatui members all activated their Delusions, and for a moment, various elemental powers filled the room.
"Wow! So many Fatui!" Paimon immediately hid behind Traveler, as she had a very clear understanding of her own strength.
"Protect Xavier; I'll handle them!"
Shiki said, opening her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and charging forward as a bolt of lightning. In this situation, they needed to finish the battle quickly.
The entire factory was like a labyrinth, and they knew nothing about it, while the Fatui knew all the routes.
The longer they dragged it out, the more reinforcements the enemy would get. Although she wasn't afraid, it was a meaningless waste of time.
It was still the familiar Z-shaped flash, feigning an attack to the left but appearing on the right, then the blade, imbued with unparalleled lightning, swiftly struck down.
Buzz!
A crescent-shaped golden sword qi directly cut through the Thunder Hammer's death line, turning his hammer into fragments as well.
Immediately after, Shiki quickly rotated the Kujikanesada in her hand, deflecting all incoming bullets with a series of clanging sounds, and finally, a big turn and swing!
Boom!
A circular sword qi, covering all 360 degrees, cut down the Fatui who were charging in a surrounding formation. With the enhancement of her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, every one of her slashes was lethal. The Delusion equipment that the Fatui prided themselves on was like white paper that could be easily torn in her hands.
With another Z-shaped flash, Shiki instantly appeared in front of three gunmen, her figure transforming into a golden line that passed through the death lines on their bodies.
Thundering Flash - Triple
As Shiki sheathed her sword, Traveler and Paimon's mouths dropped open. This speed was simply too fast!
It looked like many actions, but in reality, the time it took was only a single round of firing from the Fatui gunmen…
To be fair, it would take her a lot of time to deal with these Fatui, and she would also have to prioritize dealing with the more threatening gunmen.
She couldn't just charge in like Shiki, cutting down whatever she encountered.
"Let's go. Don't stay here too long. We've been exposed now. All the Fatui in the factory are rushing towards us. We need to keep moving."
Shiki shook off the blood clinging to the Kujikanesada, then cleaved open the already locked door with one swing.
What, unlock with a key? Sorry, for her, there was only violent breaking of doors along the death line.
However, what Shiki didn't notice was that as she used her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the abnormal Ley Line energy had already begun to affect her.
It was just that this influence was still very subtle, and she couldn't feel it at all.
But this was like a dormant bomb; once it accumulated to a certain point and exploded, the impact would be terrifying.
The three followed the corridor into a room. Shiki and Traveler didn't think much of it, but Xavier froze in place.
"This… this is where I was cut! There's no mistake! I won't mistake this stark white light!" Xavier's lips trembled, clearly, this place had left him with more trauma than the past few decades combined.
Shiki frowned upon hearing this, then looked around and indeed saw an operating table in the corner.
"Xavier, can you remember more?"
"Sorry, I can't. Every dream ends here."
Xavier's face was very pale. Ever since entering this factory, the scenes from his dream had been constantly replaying in his mind. He was now somewhat unable to distinguish between reality and dream.
What happened in the dream was too real; the vivid pain made him truly believe his body had been cut.
That dream was too real, almost as if it were something another version of him had experienced.
Which one was reality? Or perhaps… what he was experiencing now, was it real…
Shiki searched carefully in the room, hoping to find some clues, but the owner of this room was very cautious and left no clues behind.
Either they were destroyed, or they were moved. In any case, there was nothing here.
"There's nothing useful here. Let's keep going deeper."
At this moment, a very bad guess had already arisen in Shiki's mind: Xavier's dream might not be just a simple dream.
It was very likely something a person had experienced, and that person…
Shiki shook her head. She couldn't draw a conclusion yet. If that person was Xavier, then what was this one next to her?
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