Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"Hmph, Cocolia's mother is worried that once she gets to Moscow, she'll cling to her brother and go to Japan with him. Knowing that idiot as she does, it's very likely. Besides, the people at the airport probably won't even notice that she snuck onto the plane."

"But she still managed to get to Japan, tch!" Hei Xi looked annoyed. "Those sisters beat me to it. Liang-gege's favorite little sister at the orphanage was clearly Xi'er!"

Bronya narrowed her eyes. "Does Seele... also like her brother?"

"Huh? Wh...what a stupid question!" Hei Xi immediately looked away under her gaze and stammered, "Of course Xi'er likes him. Shen Liang is so good to Xi'er, always calling me 'Brother Liang,' it's so annoying. But...I don't care, I've only ever loved Xi'er!"

"Why are you so nervous?" Bronya said quietly. "Bronya was asking about Bai Xier, not you."

Am I nervous? Am I?

Bronya looked at Seele, who was hugging her chest, and smiled slightly. Then she pinched her light gray curly hair and changed the subject, "I remember the day my brother was about to board the plane, we went to Gorky Park together to take a picture."

"Why did you bring this up? Hmph, I remember something unpleasant happened that day."

"You mean taking photos?" Bronya recalled, unable to help but laugh. "That day, the three of us carried tripods and cameras to the park to take some artistic photos. Bronya even changed into her school uniform."

“That’s a maid outfit, right? You wore it so Liang-gege would look at you more. I know you all have one.” Hei Xi scathingly exposed her attempt to cover up her lie. “My dear Bronya, our Siberian school uniforms look like maid outfits to people from China. Besides, we received our education in an orphanage. Where did you find this uniform?”

Bronya calmly glossed over the topic, saying, "Then he was caught by the park security guards, who demanded that my brother pay 1,000 rubles for filming."

"My brother was very unhappy and questioned the security guard, saying he had never heard of having to pay to take pictures in the park."

"The security guard gave an excuse, saying that private photos were indeed free, but official photos required a production fee."

"My brother asked him, 'How can you tell he's taking official photos?'"

"Then that damn bearded guy pointed at our tripod and backlight and said, 'How could something this elaborate be a private photoshoot!'" Hei Xi said viciously. "But we were shooting a portrait! Who wants to shoot a documentary?!"

Bronya smiled slightly. Actually, everyone knew at that time that it was just the park security guard trying to extort money. Shen Liang was an Asian exchange student, and the other two girls were children, making them easy targets.

“But my brother was quick-witted. After hearing what the security guard said, he picked me up and kissed me, then looked at the guard with his head held high and said,” Bronya mimicked Shen Liang’s tone, “'Is taking photos with my girlfriend considered official business?'”

"Yes, yes, yes, but the security guard was still not convinced and pointed at me and asked, 'What about this?'" Hei Xi pouted. "Then my brother let you kiss me and said, 'Is there a problem with my girlfriend insisting on monogamy?' That scared the bearded guy half to death."

Chapter 136 This Fate Must Be Disgusting

However, upon closer reflection, the reason the bearded man was shocked was probably not because Bronya had a happy monogamous family, but because Bronya was only thirteen years old at the time, and the security guards were considering whether to arrest Shen Liang on the spot.

The reason I reacted so quickly and kissed Seele was not only because I was clever, but also because I was worried that Shen Liang would also hug Seele and kiss her... Well, Seele is so introverted, she would definitely be too shy to be kissed like that in front of strangers. Bronya was protecting Seele.

So she didn't notice that at this moment, Kuroki's expression was full of displeasure as she recalled the past, and her lips were even pouting.

After the brief chat ended, the mercenaries began counting heads again. Bronya and Seele wrapped themselves tightly in their coats and quietly followed the group.

What the two teenage girls didn't know was that their brother, whom they had never expected or imagined, wasn't in Japan, but in a western district less than twenty kilometers away. His thin hand, familiar to all the children in the orphanage, the one that held a pen, was now gripping a trigger stained with blood.

--------------

The front lines were incredibly brutal; the smoke of battle had not yet cleared, and ruins lay everywhere.

Mercenaries are known for their despicable tactics. Because they are too few in number to hold every block, the battlefields left behind after their retreat are littered with barbed wire, traps, and landmines.

For example, Shen Liang saw two bottles of Coke in a vending machine in the ruins. He was thirsty, but out of caution, he had Rosalia check it. They found a thread connecting the vending machine's lid to the ground, as well as a booby trap hidden at the other end of the thread.

Placing such things in residential areas shows that the mercenaries have no intention of rebuilding and reviving the city afterward... That's true, the rebels might not do such things, but the mercenaries don't care about that. The fact that they refrain from harming civilians is already a testament to their strict military discipline.

"This is the war of Earth's civilization? This is the weapon of you otherworldly beings? Tsk tsk tsk, your bodies are not even comparable to those of ordinary people on our Teyvat continent, yet you use such excessive power to kill people... Is your civilization aimed at killing as many people as possible?" Torachiyo, in her heroic spirit form, surveyed the battlefield beside him, puzzled.

No, this method of warfare is precisely to minimize casualties.

【roar?】

"The primary objective of modern warfare is to suppress and cover as much firepower as possible, resolving conflicts with weapons whenever possible, and minimizing the use of soldiers," Shen Liang said coldly. "Military spending is flowing like water for this, but as long as fewer soldiers die, dropping a few hundred more missiles is acceptable."

[This is a fallacy; it simply means fewer soldiers are sacrificed by the powerful nation. For the weaker side, or the side with less national strength, lacking the funds, they can only rely on the lives of their soldiers.]

Isn't that what war is all about? Regardless of which side suffers fewer deaths, the enormous cost of war is ultimately for the sake of reducing the number of deaths. Our civilization possesses a most powerful weapon called the nuclear bomb. The research and development costs of that weapon were enough to buy our country today. While that weapon is powerful, its creation reduced at least 90% of modern wars, and the Earth even enjoyed decades of unprecedented basic peace.

Torachiyo didn't understand why increasing spending on war could reduce war, but she thought about it and then gave up.

Who cares? She came out here to fight anyway. No matter what Shen Liang says, she still needs to fight. If she can fight, she doesn't need to think about anything else!

Shen Liang opened the system.

[Current Stigmata: Mikoto Chiyo]

[Recovery Timeframe: 175 years (1533697 hours)]

[Blessing of the Sacred Mark - Transmission of All Martial Arts: Miyuki Chiyo honed her martial arts throughout her life, defeating countless enemies and mastering numerous external martial arts techniques. You will inherit Miyuki Chiyo's thousand-year-old martial arts, but only through muscle memory. Since your martial arts experience and physical strength are far inferior to Miyuki Chiyo's, please work on adjusting this ability.]

When Shen Liang first saw the recovery timeframe, he was completely stunned.

He didn't know if this meant that Torachiyo's strength was about 350 times that of Sangomiya Ruka, but the 175-year recovery period... was enough time for him to wait until he died, right?

Although he has the bloodline of Princess Umigi to extend his lifespan, can he really live to the day he can revive Torachiyo?

However, Torachiyo didn't seem to care at all. She didn't seem worried at all that her host might die before she could even make it through. After learning about this from him, she simply hummed in agreement and rushed off to Earth to play.

Shen Liang focused his attention on bestowing blessings.

Like the Stigmata Acquirer, the Stigmata will also grant him a random ability.

However, it is obvious that Torachiyo, who was obsessed with martial arts all his life, did not have any special abilities for him to choose from. He was very lucky, or rather, he inevitably received this powerful blessing!

To put it bluntly, this ability is close-combat specialization! Shen Liang, who had been learning gun-fu from Kiana for a year, clearly felt that this muscle memory directly overturned many of his common sense. For example, he now walks with his chest out and strides more confidently than before, and his hands often unconsciously reach for the Desert Eagle. Even his intuition for danger seems to have improved.

This ability doesn't enhance any of his "ability stats," but rather gives him the physical memory of a thousand years of martial arts training. Although martial arts from the era of cold weapons may not be so applicable in modern warfare with constant gunfire, with a thousand years of skill by his side, Shen Liang knows without a doubt that he is unlikely to have an opponent in close combat.

He immediately tested it on Rosalia and Lilia. With his physical abilities already comparable to the two sisters, he easily lifted both of them up by their ankles! Even with the enthusiastic Anna joining in, the three of them together were no match for him!

My brother's pride has never burned so fiercely!

Putting all that aside, after several hours of traveling through the city, Shen Liang finally arrived at his destination.

Since they couldn't find Bronya and her group's whereabouts, they should first reach the most dangerous location. It's simple: if Bronya had been captured by any force, she would definitely be taken to the front lines. And if Bronya was still in hiding, then her reason for hiding must be to obtain something… which would also mean she was on the front lines.

"The appearance of the Valkyrie of Destiny has made this war increasingly strange," Anna said.

"Aren't you also a Valkyrie of Destiny?"

“The Valkyries of Destiny come from all over the world, with diverse factions and not all of one mind. I am a Valkyrie of the Shaniat family, and the Shaniat family holds a relatively detached position within Destiny, making it difficult for Destiny to command us.” Anna hid behind a ruined building with only two walls remaining after being filled with mortars, staring at a large construction site in the distance.

That place used to be a cathedral called St. Olaf, with a long history dating back to the 12th century. Now, this ancient historical site has been brutally destroyed by those mercenaries. It seems they are systematically excavating something.

This is unusual.

So naturally, Shen Liang set his sights on this place.

“It’s really strange…” Anna murmured, touching her chest. “It’s strange, I always feel like something is calling to me from there. Or rather… calling to the bloodline of Shaniat.”

"That feeling again?" Shen Liang frowned.

Upon arriving at the core area of ​​the capital, which is here, Shen Liang heard Anna say something similar.

At first, he didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a natural and inexplicable feeling that Anna had as a Valkyrie. But later he discovered that Rosalia and Lilia had never had any such feeling, only Anna did.

Then we'll have to think about it. Since Anna feels that the treasure those mercenaries want to find is destined for her, Shen Liang also feels that the treasure is most likely destined for him.

Or perhaps that's why Bronya and Seele have been out of contact for so long.

Then it belongs to me, Shen Liang.

Anyway, there must be some kind of divine mandate behind this war. So, interfering with the divine mandate, even if it's not considered helping the weak and punishing the strong, can still be considered an act of bravery.

Rescuing Bronya and Seele is only the primary task. Schicksal and these mercenaries, and perhaps other forces, might make things chaotic for Aisha... Chaotic is bad enough, but it could also threaten the lives of Bronya and Seele, forcing him to kill people on Earth and keep him constantly on the run.

That mission was to annoy this destiny and, if necessary, thwart what they wanted to do!

Chapter 137 Murder Without Mercy

As dusk fell, Shen Liang and the others patiently waited until the moon rose.

The capital city of Tallinn has been completely without power. From St. Olaf Church to the city hall and the fountain square, which belong to the city's administrative center, there are only faint lights, probably because generators have been turned on for construction work under the church.

There are at least a hundred mercenaries here, a number rarely seen elsewhere, but not a single "Reformist rebel" is with them.

Shen Liang understood. Although the mercenaries were nominally there to help the rebels overthrow the new government, in reality, eighty-nine out of ten of them were serving the will of Heaven.

The construction of this church was absolutely a divine plan, so to avoid any leaks, everyone here was a mercenary, and there wasn't a single Elsa.

Shen Liang's Sea God bloodline has awakened, suppressing her body temperature to below ten degrees Celsius. This is a special function of the Sea God bloodline. Perhaps as a "dragon descendant," the Sea God priestesses of all generations are essentially cold-blooded reptiles.

In any case, he is currently undetectable by thermal imaging, and he is observing the thermal imaging spots in the city center with thermal imaging telescopes.

There were a huge number of them, all armed. Some were sleeping, some were patrolling, and many more were chatting, playing cards, or even playing mobile games around the campfire. Although there was no internet here, the mercenaries who had been traveling through war for years still had countless ways to relieve their boredom.

It's also possible that they didn't perceive any danger at all; the government troops had been driven out of Tallinn, leaving only civilians and small guerrilla resistance groups. And those guerrilla groups, at most thirty or forty people, were unlikely to attack the city center.

“And if this is a place to excavate ‘treasure,’ then there must be Valkyries spying on it,” Anna whispered. “The supernatural side doesn’t allow exposure to ordinary people, but since Destiny has made a move, it must be determined to succeed. There must be Valkyries here. What are you going to do? What are you going to do?”

"Anna, you said you're a powerful 'A-rank Valkyrie' among the Valkyries, right?" Shen Liang didn't answer, but instead asked.

Anna didn't understand.

“A-level Valkyries are extremely rare, meaning they can take on an entire company single-handedly,” Shen Liang said. “You haven’t revealed your true abilities to me because your current combat prowess isn’t enough to take on a company. I know you’re holding back.”

“Mr. Pandora, I am your translator, not your ally,” Anna explained. “If the Shaniat family were to be found to have committed violence, it would be a devastating blow to their reputation. We cannot possibly lay a hand on ordinary people.”

“I understand. It’s because you’re from the Saintess lineage. Families that can be called ‘Saintess’ naturally have their own code of conduct,” Shen Liang said. “I’m not asking you to help me. I’m already very grateful that you can protect me. What I mean is, since being able to fight against a company is enough to be called an A-rank Valkyrie, then I should be A-rank by now, right?”

Anna was taken aback.

Shen Liang's current combat strength is already enough to easily destroy a company. If it weren't for the reinforced company of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, then any company of any country or army, with at most a hundred or so soldiers carrying rifles... would be nothing more than a piece of cake in front of Shen Liang, who can freely transport supplies.