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Chapter 122 The Girl's Confusion, the Actions of the Three Major Forces

Sky Dome City, Divine City Technology

In a certain room, a rattlesnake pattern was branded in a hidden corner. A tall man stood in the darkness, his face completely covered by a mask. Even so, his disbelief was evident in his constantly flashing crimson prosthetic eyes.

There was a photograph in front of him, and the person in the photograph was Kevin.

"What...what on earth is going on?!"

The man's voice was filled with disbelief. He never imagined that he had only come to gather information about the Second Herrscher to attract the attention of Schicksal and Reverse Intelligence, but while he was monitoring, he discovered that several people had appeared beside the Herrscher of the Void. What surprised him most was the white-haired man in the photograph before him.

"Calm down... calm down." The man forced himself to calm down, trying to get his muddled mind working again.

But how did he manage to stay calm when faced with the man in the picture?

The man began pacing around the room, his steps growing increasingly hurried. After several minutes of contemplation, he made up his mind. Regardless of the current situation, the plan could not afford to go wrong. The other party had suddenly appeared beside the Herrscher of the Void, and he had to go and check it out no matter what.

"Perhaps... the plan should be moved up."

The man who left those words quietly left the room.

In the lobby of Shencheng Technology, employees are clocking in for work one after another.

In the crowd, a woman with long pink hair looked up at the ceiling as if she had sensed something.

"What did you find, Remi'an?" Her colleague patted her on the shoulder.

“It’s nothing,” Remi’an said, a professional smile appearing on her face. “I just felt the air conditioning was a bit too strong today.”

-

Slumped on a park bench, Xiling idly played with her phone.

He found himself with nothing to do.

They arrived too early and too late. The initial investigation of the city is now complete, and with Kiana's help, the mission is 33% complete. Ironically, because they were worried about the other party causing problems, they asked Remian to keep an eye on them. However, following the clues the other party found, their mission completion rate has greatly improved.

For now, all they can do is wait for things to happen, so the four of them are basically idle every day.

Remianne got a job at Shencheng Technology based on her own abilities.

Those who faded into obscurity became shut-ins.

Kevin is indeed delivering food, but he's fighting monsters while delivering food. If he encounters a collapse event in Sky City while delivering food, Kevin will take immediate action.

As for Xiling, a detective, he also works part-time while eliminating the Honkai events that are born.

Just as Xiling was yawning, a shadow fell over him, and when Xiling looked up, he saw Kiana standing in front of him.

Xiling put down her phone and asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?" Shouldn't the other person be investigating the real culprit behind these collapse events in Sky Dome City right now? They should be in the city center, so why are they on the outer ring?

Kiana didn't answer immediately, but instead sat down on the bench next to him. "I was just passing by and saw you. By the way, what are you doing here?"

This is a lie.

She sensed an increase in Honkai energy concentration here and thought it was another Honkai attack, so she rushed over. However, the Honkai energy she sensed disappeared quickly halfway there. Recently, she wondered why Honkai incidents in Sky City had become less frequent. Just as she was wondering about this, she discovered that Xiling was also here. Originally, she wanted to avoid Xiling, but... there were some things she wanted to know.

When faced with Kiana's question, Xiling replied matter-of-factly, "Working, what else can I do?"

"But I remember you were in the office downstairs?" Kiana asked, puzzled.

Xiling chuckled and wagged her finger in front of her: "Young man, you don't understand. My job requires me to be constantly on the move; I don't have a fixed place."

“I see…” Kiana’s voice trailed off as she turned her gaze to the artificial lake in the center of the park. A brief silence fell between them, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind.

A gentle breeze ruffled their hair as Kiana gazed at the lake in the park and asked the question she had been wanting to ask: "...Xiling."

"Yes, I'm here."

"Why are you all so kind to me?" She finally asked the question that had been bothering her for so long.

Kiana couldn't understand why. They didn't even know her, so why were they being so kind to her? Was there something about her that they wanted? Kiana used to think this way, but it wasn't like this. They were really... nice, so nice that it felt unreal to her.

Xiling turned her head to meet her gaze. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on Kiana's face, making her expression appear exceptionally complex.

"What do you think?" Xiling deliberately gave a playful smile.

Kiana's expression immediately fell: "Hey! I'm serious!"

"Why are you taking this so seriously? And this is nothing yet!" Xiling stretched. "Stop thinking about all that nonsense, and..."

"And what else?" Kiana pressed, her body unconsciously leaning towards him.

"You'll find out sooner or later."

Upon hearing Xiling's words, Kiana deflated like a punctured balloon, her shoulders slumped, and she sat back down on the bench.

"Can't you just tell me now?" Her voice was a few decibels lower than usual, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

Xiling tilted her head to look at her, then suddenly gave her a thumbs up. "I find you pleasing to the eye."

"Come on!" Kiana suddenly crossed her arms and turned her face away from him. She didn't realize that she looked like a sulking girl, her long white hair drawing an arc in the air as she turned her head.

Xiling, sitting to the side, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hey! You're still laughing!" Kiana turned around and glared at Xiling.

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh, I won't laugh." Xiling raised her hands in a gesture of surrender, barely managing to suppress her smile.

Xiling adjusted her posture, her tone becoming more casual: "Well, to be honest, we haven't been that good to you. We've only temporarily waived your rent." Xiling started counting on her fingers, "We're friends, it's normal to eat together, right? Since we're friends, it's also normal to give you a couple of outfits, right? Giving you gifts is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

Kiana opened her mouth to refute, but found herself unable to find the right words.

Each of Xiling's words seemed ordinary on its own, but when put together, they created a sense of belonging that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

“You…” Xiling’s voice suddenly softened, “Is it because you’re too lonely in the city that you feel we’re being so good to you?”

Kiana's fingertips trembled slightly. She wanted to shout that it wasn't like that at all, to tell him that she had experienced things far more cruel than loneliness, but the words caught in her throat as if something invisible was blocking her mouth.

Just then, Xiling's phone rang. Xiling picked up the phone and showed it to Kiana, saying, "I'm here for work, so I won't be able to help you with your confused girl's emotional problems."

Xiling stood up, dusted off her pants, and casually waved to Kiana: "Remember to come back for dinner tonight, or I won't wait for you."

Kiana watched his retreating figure, a sudden, inexplicable impulse welling up in her chest. She didn't know why she was doing this, but just as Xiling was about to step out of the park, she called out:

"Xiling!"

The figure paused, slowly turned around, and sunlight shone from behind him, gilding his silhouette with a golden edge, obscuring his expression.

Kiana took a deep breath, her voice trembling more than she had imagined: "If... I'm different from what you imagine, if the me you see isn't the real me, if even my name might be fake, what would you think?"

The words had barely left her lips when she froze. How long had this question been buried in her heart? Since when had she stopped daring to even confirm her own name? The whisper of the Herrscher of the Void echoed in her ears again, reminding her that she was nothing but an imposter, a fraud who had stolen someone else's life.

Xiling turned around completely, and Kiana could feel him scrutinizing her intently, his gaze seemingly able to pierce through all pretense and reach her most shameful secrets.

The next second, Xiling suddenly raised two middle fingers: "You've eaten too much, haven't you? Who cares what your name is!" His voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of several passersby. "Even if you have a second personality, it's useless. We only recognize you! Tonight, A-Tui will cut your food in half. You'll be starving!"

After saying this, Xiling seemed afraid of being beaten and quickly turned and ran away.

Kiana's eyes widened.

She should be angry—any normal person would be angry to be mocked like this at such a serious moment. But strangely, a warm current welled up from the bottom of her heart, dispelling the chill that had lingered there for so long.

She smiled slowly, initially just a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth, which eventually developed into an uncontrollable, radiant smile.

“…Idiot,” she muttered under her breath, though it was unclear what she was saying.

Fu Hua watched all of this quietly. She could sense Kiana's emotional fluctuations at this moment, that long-lost, pure joy. As someone who had witnessed so much suffering from Kiana, Fu Hua understood better than anyone how precious this ease was.

“You’ve met some really nice people, Kiana,” Fu Hua said softly.

This time, Kiana didn't argue as usual. She looked in the direction where Xiling had disappeared and nodded, "Yes, I...I'm really lucky."

She took a deep breath, the morning air carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees. As she exhaled, it seemed as if she were expelling the gloom that had accumulated over time. The confusion in her eyes gradually gave way to a resolute light; she clenched her fist, feeling the power flowing within her.

"Come on, Kiana," she told herself. "You still have a lot to do; you can't stop here."

She had to work hard. She absolutely couldn't let such good people fall into danger. She had to resolve the collapse crisis in Sky Dome City so that ordinary people like Xiling could have better protection of their lives...

-

Inverse entropy.

“This…” In a room, three girls stared at a photograph, and these three were the three traitors of the Far East Branch—Theresa, Raiden Mei, and Bronya Zaychek. At this moment, they were sitting around the tactical table, each with a different expression.

Because among the three is a photo, or rather several photos, and the white-haired girl in the photo is undoubtedly Kiana Kaslana.

They should have been very happy to have found the girl and her companions, but the problem is, is the source of this information reliable?

After thorough examination, they concluded that the photos were genuine, but what they couldn't believe was the content of the photos.

In the first photo, Kiana is sitting on the back of a food delivery scooter, her hands naturally resting on the shoulders of the white-haired man in front of her. She is pointing in a certain direction, her mouth slightly open as if she is excitedly saying something, and there is a relaxed smile in her eyes and brows that Theresa has not seen for a long time.

“This delivery guy…” Theresa frowned. “Why does he feel so familiar?”

In the second photo, Kiana is intimately linked arm-in-arm with a woman with long pink hair. The woman is turning her head to say something to Kiana, who is smiling happily.

The third photo is relatively ordinary; Kiana is walking side by side with a young man with gray hair, both carrying shopping bags.

In the fourth photo, Kiana stands with her hands on her hips, glaring at the white-haired man in front of her with displeasure. The man tilts his head, his expression mocking, as if he had just said something to upset her.

"Is this photo really okay?" Theresa asked the same question for the umpteenth time, her voice filled with anxiety she herself was unaware of.

"The photos are raw data, without any post-processing." Bronya, a top hacker, answered Theresa's question with absolute certainty.

“But this is too bizarre,” Theresa said, rubbing her hair in frustration. “Who are those people? Why is Kiana so... close to them?”

Mei remained silent. The expressions of Kiana in the photo—happiness, dissatisfaction—made her chest tighten. These vivid emotions were something only the real Kiana could possess.

But why? Why would Kiana prefer to be close to strangers rather than contact her former companions?

Just then, the sound of the door sliding open broke the heavy atmosphere in the room.

"Several planes bound for Sky City are ready." Dr. Einstein, one of the leaders of Anti-Entropy, walked in.

Theresa immediately turned to her: "Doctor, is this intelligence really reliable? I mean, besides the photos..."

Einstein calmly pulled up his data panel: "According to Anti-Entropy's investigation over the past month, several minor collapses have occurred in Sky City, and survivors of nine of these incidents reported seeing a white-haired girl helping them escape danger."

"Of course, these eyewitness reports alone are not enough to confirm that it was Kiana, but combining them with the photos we obtained has provided some clues... but..."

“Just what?” Theresa keenly caught the hesitation in Einstein’s tone.

Einstein, unusually, showed a hint of confusion: "But... according to our tracking, Kiana's activities in Sky City have been very regular lately, almost like..." She chose her words carefully, "like she has a fixed residence and social circle."

These words struck the three women like a shard of ice. A fixed place to live? A social circle? This was so different from the image of Kiana they had imagined—a woman constantly on the run, all alone.

Einstein continued, "This intelligence was not obtained by us, but by the target of your upcoming transaction, an intelligence dealer named Gray Serpent. He has traded various secrets many times and has a good reputation in various organizations. He may also have other clues about Kiana."

“Regardless,” Einstein resumed his tone, “Kiana is indeed very likely in Sky City right now. You must act quickly; given Schicksal's efficiency, they may already have this information.”

Theresa nodded seriously. Indeed, at the speed of destiny, they might have already begun to act. Thinking of this, Theresa couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

But Mei's voice suddenly interrupted: "Dr. Einstein, what's the deal with these people?" She pointed to the four strangers interacting with Kiana in the photo.

Einstein sighed. “This is the most perplexing part.” She pulled up a data projection. “We used all of Anti-Entropy’s intelligence networks, but these four people—” she pointed to the people in the photograph—“are like they don’t exist in this world.”

An eerie silence fell over the room. Four non-existent people had established seemingly intimate relationships with Kiana, and all of this happened in a short period of time.

"The plane will take off in ten minutes," Einstein concluded. "You can continue analyzing this intelligence en route."

Theresa nodded solemnly, and soon everyone boarded the plane bound for Sky City.

-

Destiny.

Just as the Entropy Reversalists predicted, the Chosen Ones had obtained the intelligence, but one person knew far too much, so he stalled.

Otto Apocalypse tapped his fingers lightly on the table, while several photos were displayed on a holographic projection in front of him.

The rhythmic knocking suddenly stopped. Otto stared at the white-haired man delivering takeout on the screen, his eyes filled with indescribable confusion. A voice rang in his ear, "There's no mistake, it's that man."

"Calm down, my friend. You should know that the man hasn't emerged from that ocean yet." Otto's lips curled slightly, as if he were reassuring the unseen person.

Even as he said that, when his gaze returned to the photograph, a barely perceptible wrinkle appeared between Otto's brows.

“Another version of myself in the world?” Otto chuckled, his fingertips tracing Kevin’s image in the projection. No, he absolutely did not believe in such a coincidence.

He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts sink into the river of memory. In the five hundred years, he had seen countless similar faces, but the man in the photo was different. It was not a resemblance based on blood or chance, but a kind of more essential repetition.

The sounds around me had long since ceased, and the room was deathly silent, with only the ticking of the antique clock cutting through the frozen time.

"Tap, tap, tap"