The sound of a roar flew overhead. They were currently in the zone where the Revolutionary Army and the Firefly Armament were exchanging fire, and the rumble of artillery occasionally echoed from a distance. The personnel of the N3 Faction were conducting a carpet search of the area, and patrolling drones navigated the broken ruins; not long ago, they received intelligence about Princess in this area.

Dark clouds obscured the sky above the ruins, stripping away the last remnants of light from the ground. The coldness gathered in the air foretold an impending downpour, and the distant sea tower slowly sank into the darkening sky.

They were currently located in Zone 6 of West Forest Avenue, at a direct distance of one hundred and sixty-three kilometers from the Skyline. This place was overtaken by the Revolutionary Army at the beginning of the war, and for a long time, it was a battlefield of back-and-forth between the two forces.

Due to the leakage of energy facilities below, energy plants broke through the ground, greedily occupying the surface air. A faint purple mist spread as these energy plants grew and crawled over the incomplete bodies of the Bionics, who became the best cultivation vessels for those who had died here.

Occasionally, a few hollowed-out Bionics wandered aimlessly, their eyes vacant. If you cut open their skin, the cotton-like flesh and blood inside would be exposed, revealing the clear sight of plants crawling along their veins.

The energy plants controlled these puppet-like wandering corpses, seeking the next host to parasitize before they completely exhausted their lifeforce.

Angelina swept her long gun, the cold glint slicing through space, and the approaching wandering corpse fell to the ground in response.

Xu Xiaoyou pondered.

Three million in startup capital wasn’t much for her, and whether it could sustain her through a battle was still unknown, but there was no time to get more money at the moment.

If there’s no surprise, Assassin’s Creed is also advancing tasks related to the Black Box.

She needed to grasp the movements of the Black Box before they did.

The current clues were unclear, and a thick fog shrouded the truth. To dispel the fog, she had to approach the situation from the perspectives of Ausen Technology Innovation and Bai Wei’an.

As if reading her thoughts, Su Sui spoke at the right moment:

"If necessary, I can go to the Ausen Technology Innovation building to see if I can find any data from back then."

"Hmm, please do."

"A reminder for you," Su Sui suddenly said.

"Assassin’s Creed recently activated that full-map surveillance Artifact."

"Three of the seventy-four wheat ears I set up have been disturbed. Their people are scattered but are approaching us simultaneously."

Xu Xiaoyou: "It seems there’s a high probability the Artifact’s cooldown is twenty-four hours, and Lu Shuhang is unaware of our situation, aiming for a quick resolution."

"Should we prepare?"

"No."

"From what I know of him, he’ll withdraw."

"They’ve already triggered Su Sui’s trap, meaning their people are exposed. From Lu Shuhang’s perspective, we have a chance to capture them individually."

"Until the last moment, Lu Shuhang won’t choose to take risks. It’s very likely they’ll abandon this attack."

"To be safe, stay here for another hour. At least for the next twenty-four hours, we can continue to act freely."

Everyone remained silent, and time passed quickly in the silence. The assault from Assassin’s Creed did not arrive.

As time elapsed, Su Sui left the group first, disappearing into the darkening sky on her own.

"Jiulong Street awaits you," Bai Youyou told Tang Xin.

Watching Bai Youyou leave, Tang Xin then turned to Xu Xiaoyou.

Angelina had gone out to scout nearby not long ago, leaving only the two of them together.

They said nothing, and looking at that familiar yet young face, Xu Xiaoyou then realized that after all this time apart, she couldn’t even bring herself to speak first.

"So quiet," Xu Xiaoyou said.

"Feels like it’s been a long time since I rested so peacefully."

"How have you been lately?"

Once she spoke, Xu Xiaoyou regretted it, wondering why such meaningless words came from her mouth.

Tang Xin chuckled softly.

"Not like something you would say."

"Thanks to a certain You spirit, it’s been nothing good lately."

Another stretch of silent quietness.

Sparse rain fell, hitting the ruins, making ’thump’ and ’thump’ sounds.

"In a bad mood?"

Tang Xin placed her hands behind her back, gently stood on tiptoe, and stepped to Xu Xiaoyou’s side.

"You can’t hide it from me." Xu Xiaoyou said, "I’ve obviously corrected all my bad habits."

She knew she used to subconsciously flip coins when anxious.

In fact, she had gotten rid of this habit after the Pangard incident. The coin flipping afterward was just to create an illusion for others that she was anxious.

"How did you tell?"

"I don’t need to see; it’s written all over your face."

"You can hide it from others, but not from me."

"When you’re in a bad mood, your thoughts get messy."

"Think it over carefully; did you miss any important information along the way? If Siphaun were to declare war, where would he choose to do so?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Think about what’s bothering you, and you can share it with me. There’s only me and you here, and there’s still plenty of time today. I’ll listen as long as you want."

Xu Xiaoyou didn’t answer this question. The earlier words of the girl echoed in her mind; she said:

"We currently have minimal leads regarding the Black Box. Whether it’s Ausen Technology Innovation or Bai Wei’an, we are like headless flies moving about blindly, even if Su Sui finds nothing in the Ausen Technology Innovation building, I will eventually be able to confirm the location of the Black Box."

"Because the high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Army, at the very least, Siphaun, surely knows where the Black Box is."

"Complying with the rules is not my style. It’s impossible for this quest to have only one method—confirming the Black Box’s location through side missions."

"As long as I can chart a new course and regain a voice within the Revolutionary Army..."

As Xu Xiaoyou was trying to prove something, complex light filled Tang Xin’s eyes.

"And then?"

"I will win this match."

"And then?"

"I’ll take the Key and complete your favorability storyline."

"And finally?"

"..."

Xu Xiaoyou had thought many times about what might happen if the favorability storyline failed.

Whether it was "Heart of Desire" or "Artist," without "Abyssal White Flower" and "Starry Singer" coexisting with them, the ending of such bizarre stories emerging in the world would be unimaginable.

What’s happening to her now? Her mind is suddenly so scattered. Countless memory fragments from the past rolled over her mind like shells washed ashore on the memory beach.

A pair of cold hands touched her face, and Xu Xiaoyou stared at the smiling girl before her, seeing herself reflected in those blue crescent moon-like eyes, momentarily lost in thought, her lips moving yet failing to speak.

Tang Xin caressed her face in silence.

"I can’t stop." Xu Xiaoyou softly said." No matter the outcome, I’ll accept it... Before reaching the end..."

"I just want to see you again."

Xu Xiaoyou closed her weary eyes, gently resting her forehead against the girl’s chest.

Until the Tang Xin in front of her slowly faded, becoming a phantom of a dream.

Returning from her reconnaissance, Angelina gazed at Xu Xiaoyou, standing silently still.

Deafening thunder rumbled, and the flickering light illuminated half of the golden-haired girl’s face.

"Since earlier, who have you been talking to?"

"Prepare," Xu Xiaoyou looked up and said.

"Prepare for what?"

"Tomorrow, Siphaun will declare war at the Grand International Hotel."

"Be ready to meet it."