Honkai Impact 3rd, Paradise Typewriter isn't for making this kind of game.

Chapter 452 Mei shouldered her luggage

What Mei didn't know was that after last night... Xia Yuan and Bronya were no longer just subordinate and boss.

"Mei, Bronya... she really doesn't care?"

"Of course, if you are still worried, Mr. Xia Yuan, I can explain it to Bronya in person."

The misunderstanding between the two seemed to have deepened. Perhaps it was Mei's encouragement that gave Xia Yuan a bit of confidence. He raised his head, mustered up his courage, and looked directly at her, "Then... Mei, I like you!"

Aunt Mei was stunned for a moment by the other party's words, which sounded like a confession.

She did want Mr. Xia Yuan to stop suppressing his emotions, but not in this way. At least give her some time to prepare... Mei fiddled with her hair behind her ear, unsure how to respond.

"Mr. Xia Yuan, are you serious?"

Xia Yuan's next words relieved Mei, but a sense of loss welled up in her heart for some reason.

"Of course it's true! My love for Mei is just as great as my love for Bronya, so Mei, can you keep your promise now? Let me hug you, like, hold you in my arms~"

Looking at Xia Yuan's outstretched arms and his pure, unadulterated expression, Mei felt that she had misunderstood the meaning behind his words. It seemed that Mr. Xia Yuan was simply subconsciously trying to fulfill a wish that had not yet been realized in the past.

Thinking of this, Mei slowly turned around and squatted down.

Since that's the case, she naturally has to fulfill her promise and help Mr. Xia Yuan realize his wish, but in a different way.

After a moment—

"Mei, that's clearly fouling! You can't hug like that!"

Aunt Mei slung the backpack named "Xia Yuan" over her shoulder, and asked with a hint of teasing and laughter in her voice, "So... Mr. Xia Yuan, are you very happy to have your wish fulfilled?"

I'm not happy at all!

"How can you do this, Mei? You've completely twisted the concept. Carrying me on your back doesn't feel like hugging me at all!"

Xia Yuan held Mei's shoulders tightly, sulking to himself.

"Hehe~ But Mr. Xia Yuan, aren't you hugging me from behind right now? In a sense, I'm in your arms right now," Mei continued to tease.

"Mei, you're still laughing? It's obvious that Mei is carrying me on her back and ignoring me!"

"Okay, okay~ Mei-neechan knows she was wrong. After we resolve the Herrscher of Dominion issue and recover, Mr. Xia Yuan, you can hug me as much as you want, okay?"

Mei comforted the other person whose thinking ability had dropped to the same level as the stupid bug, while looking at the sewer entrance of the city in front of them. Mr. Xia Yuan's wounds had been treated, and next he should meet up with little Gretchen who was still in the city.

He watched as Mei carried him into the dark and deep entrance to the sewer.

tick-tock-

As rainwater seeped and dripped from the pipes above, a slight chill ran through Xia Yuan's heart, causing him to hug the pipes even tighter.

"Mei...can we take another route?"

"It's dark and damp here, and I have a feeling that something bad will happen if we go any deeper."

But Mei didn't stop. Wading through the water that soaked her ankles, she continued deeper into the sewers, towards the city center...

As they ventured deeper, Mei explained:

“Mr. Xia Yuan, Little Gresh mentioned something to me: the Herrscher of Domination may have already merged with the power of the Herrscher of Corruption.”

"I have confirmed this through special communication channels. The network in the entire city has been completely blocked. If we openly step into the city, we will likely be detected the moment we enter."

Sudden--

Xia Yuan seemed to hear a strange creaking sound.

He poked Mei's soft, burning cheek and whispered in her ear, "Mei, listen... there seem to be other people around the corner besides us. I think I heard a strange sound of footsteps on the water."

Mei held her breath and listened intently.

Tread-tap-

It seemed that someone was approaching her and Mr. Xia Yuan from around the corner of the sewer, and judging from the footsteps, there was more than one person.

In this city now occupied by the Herrscher of Domination, groups of puppets appear in the sewers even during such heavy rain. If they are not maintenance personnel from the city, they are probably just puppets controlled by the Herrscher of Domination.

creak creak-

The sound of joints moving grew closer and closer, accompanied by a sound that Xia Yuan found extremely familiar. At the same time... Mei slowly gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist, ready to strike.

Why are we being sent to search the sewers while everyone else is loitering in the theater or wandering around the city? I want to celebrate Halloween too!

[Stop complaining. Since Raiden Mei led her older brother towards the city, and neither other entities nor surveillance cameras in the city have captured her image, there's only one path she could have taken.]

Even if we manage to find Raiden Mei, can the few of us capture her? Isn't this just using us as cannon fodder?

[The fact that Raiden Mei ran away means that, no longer being the Herrscher of Thunder, she no longer has the ability to fight us head-on. As soon as the enemy appears, we can immediately relay the information to the other individuals, which will be a great achievement.]

[A great achievement? Then... I'll be the first to enjoy my big brother's company, and no one is allowed to take him from me!]

After overhearing the conversation between the individual Herrschers, Mei slowly sheathed her sword. This was troublesome. If she couldn't eliminate them at the same time, they would synchronize with the individuals in other cities, and her and Mr. Xia Yuan's locations would be exposed.

It seems the only option is to lie low... without making any noise.

"Hmm~"

The sound of her breath blowing into her earlobe made Mei's body, which had become unusually sensitive due to the drug, unable to help but hum. In the sewer, this humming sound seemed particularly melodious, echoing around the pipes and even reaching deep inside.

Did you hear that? It sounds like something.

[It might be Raiden Mei and her big brother! Let's go check it out! I can't wait to see him!]

[Heh, maybe someone couldn't control their physical desires and got too excited to see their older brother?]

Chapter 453 You can still get in if you try to squeeze in~

【You! Fine, I can't be bothered to argue with you, but you definitely won't get any of the candy from your older brother!】

[Stop arguing, can't you hear anything?]

One of the Law Masters pointed to the other side of the corner ahead, where something seemed to have come from.

[Hmph, what are you afraid of? I'll lead the way, and you cowards can just follow behind me. If it's Raiden Mei or Big Brother, I'll be the first one up, and none of you are allowed to take them from me!]

"Oh no, they're about to find out..."

At this critical moment, she was noticed by the other party and could no longer make similar noises. Mei quickly closed her lips and quietly retreated to the edge of the wall with Xia Yuan on her back, pressing herself against the wall and not daring to make any noise.

"Huhuhu~"

But the air that Mr. Xia Yuan breathed into her earlobe stirred a ripple in Mei's heart.

She wanted to remind Mr. Xia Yuan behind her to move a little further away from her earlobe, but the footsteps around the corner constantly conveyed one fact: the puppet controlled by the Herrscher of Domination was about to meet her and Mr. Xia Yuan.

"It's too late... We have no choice but to take a gamble."

Mei pursed her lips and pressed her legs together to ease the strange sensation in front of her earlobes. She could only hope that the dark surroundings would hide her and Mr. Xia Yuan's figures, and now it seemed that she had made the right bet; the other party had not noticed her pressed against the wall.

What's around the corner? Have you spotted Mei and her older brother?

[Not to mention Raiden Mei, not even a mouse has been found. The dark passage is probably only filled with water seeping from the pipes above. Ugh, this is absolutely terrible.]

Who made that sound just now?

[Could it be that you missed your older brother so much that you lost yourself and couldn't help but call out? Humph, how shameless!]

[Maybe someone is just crying wolf, and they're the one who shouted it out~]

[Calm down, everyone. Continue searching for Raiden Mei and her older brother. They're definitely in the city's sewers. Once the reinforcements arrive, guard the sewer entrances and exits. By then, Raiden Mei won't be able to escape our encirclement.]

Although the individual Heralds of Domination are bickering with each other, they always share the same goal.

[Find Raiden Mei and her older brother's whereabouts]

They patrolled in groups, continuing forward from the corner. If the Herrscher of Dominion had carefully searched the surroundings, she might have discovered two pairs of bright eyes watching them leave from the corner.

Thump thump—

Xia Yuan's heartbeat was exceptionally clear in the quiet sewer, while Mei... held her breath and listened carefully to the sounds outside. As the footsteps of the Herrscher of Dominion faded into the distance, and she was certain that the Herrscher wouldn't return, Mei slowly led Xia Yuan out.

"Mr. Xia Yuan, we need to hurry and leave here," Mei said in a low voice.

If this continues, once the thousand collective entities of the Herrscher of Domination occupy all the city's sewer exits, and any one of them discovers it, there will likely be no way to reunite with Little Gretsch.

Xia Yuan nodded, understanding that the current situation was not optimistic.

He and Mei had to find a way to escape as soon as possible, otherwise they would be surrounded by countless puppets controlled by the Herrscher. The tense atmosphere made Xia Yuan's breathing quicken. "Then Mei, let's set off as soon as possible."

But the sudden exhale made Aunt Mei close her legs again.

"Okay...okay, but Mr. Xia Yuan, could you please stop breathing into my earlobe? This...it makes me make strange noises, and if I encounter another puppet sent by the Herrscher of Domination, the noise I just made might be noticed by them."

"I'm sorry, but Mei, the sound you made just now was really cute."

"Cute and all that..." In the darkness, Mei's cheeks flushed slightly. The word "cute" wasn't really appropriate for her age, but there was no time to correct Mr. Xia Yuan's thinking right now.

To avoid being discovered by the puppets sent by the Herrscher of Domination, Mei carefully carried Xia Yuan deeper into the crisscrossing pipes. However, when she arrived at what appeared to be a crossroads, she discovered that, apart from the passage she had come from, the other three passages were guarded by puppets and patrolling imaginary creatures.

Seeing the situation before her, Mei's heart sank.

"What should we do, Mei? All three entrances are guarded by Herrschers. It seems we can't get through. Should we go back the way we came and see if there are any other passages?" Xia Yuan asked softly.

She couldn't eliminate the enemies at all three intersections at the same time. Even if she could, it would likely reveal her and Mr. Xia Yuan's location immediately. However, if she returned the way she came, she would be further and further away from the city center and would most likely encounter the dummy figures that had been patrolling earlier.

Mei knew she had to come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise she and Mr. Xia Yuan would have no chance of escaping.

suddenly.....

She inadvertently glanced at the ventilation duct on the side next to her.

“Mr. Xia Yuan, perhaps we can try to leave here through the ventilation ducts.”

Mei pointed to the ventilation duct on one side of the wall, but when Xia Yuan saw the entrance of the duct, he hesitated after estimating the size of the entrance. He could curl up and squeeze in, but what about Mei?

Looking at the other person's shirt, which was about to burst open, could such a narrow ventilation duct entrance really accommodate the other person?

"Mei, I should be fine, but isn't that entrance a bit too narrow? I'm worried you might not be able to get in..."

Mei looked up and carefully examined the entrance to the ventilation duct on one side, and it was indeed as Mr. Xia Yuan had said.

The entrance is very small and the space is limited.

But if we squeeze it in, it shouldn't be a big problem, right? Mei held up her heavy shirt, which was soaked by the rain, and a blush appeared on her face. For a moment, she lost her confidence. It was several sizes larger than the entrance to the ventilation duct.

Should I control my weight a little in the future? If it were the old Bronya, she might have been able to squeeze in easily.

"No, it's alright, Mr. Xia Yuan, you should be able to squeeze in."

If she really couldn't get in, she had a second plan: at least to save Mr. Xia Yuan, she would lure away the Ruler of Domination.

Chapter 454 Aunt Mei, you should lose weight!

Thinking of this, Mei turned to look at the person who had already gotten off her back and said:

"Mr. Xia Yuan, please go in first, I... will follow shortly."

Mei's voice echoed in the quiet sewer. With a swift and effortless motion, she cut open the grille in front of the ventilation duct, gesturing for Xia Yuan to go in first. Her eyes were filled with determination and resolve, as if she had already made all the necessary preparations.

Xia Yuan stared at her, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

He understood that Mei likely wanted him to leave first, drawing the Herrscher's attention away so he could escape. However, he didn't want to do that; he didn't want to see Mei face danger alone, much less put her in a predicament.

"No, Mei, you go in first, and I'll follow behind you. If you don't go in, Mei, I won't go in either. If we're leaving, we'll go together. In short, I will absolutely not leave you here alone, Mei, I will never!"

"Mr. Xia Yuan..."

Xia Yuan's words warmed Mei's heart. Seeing his determined expression and realizing she couldn't persuade him, she had no choice but to compromise. She squatted down, grabbed the entrance of the ventilation duct with both hands, and prepared to go in first.

however--

Just as Mei was about to move, she discovered that climbing inside was far more difficult than she had imagined. Her collar was stuck below the edge of the ventilation duct, making it impossible for her to move. Mei tried to grip the inside of the duct and push herself in...

But as soon as she exerted force, the friction between her shirt and the ventilation duct caused Mei to almost lose her mobility due to the residual effects of the medicine in her body. Her whole body was limp and stuck in front of the ventilation duct entrance, unable to move for a long time.

"Hmm~"

The strange sensation from the friction against the edge of the pipe... it would be difficult for her to squeeze into such a narrow ventilation duct on her own. She needed help, at least Mr. Xia Yuan to push her from behind.

While Mei was trying to crawl into the ventilation duct, Xia Yuan, who was lingering to the side, was not idle either. While keeping watch for Mei, he was also monitoring the situation at other intersections. As soon as the Herrscher of the Void made any move, he would immediately remind Mei.

creak-

Suddenly, faint sounds of footsteps and creaking joints came from the dark sewer behind them.

The sound reached Xia Yuan's ears. Judging from the location of the echo, it didn't seem to come from the three forks in the road ahead, but rather from the direction he and Mei had come from. The sound was clear and strong, making it impossible to ignore.

This made Xia Yuan realize that he and Mei were being attacked from both sides by the Herrscher of the Void, and were in a situation where they were attacked from both sides.