Chapter 47: Man-Made Disaster (2)
“Uninvited guests, always so rude?”
A cold, mechanical voice came from behind without warning. Lin Lan’s armor alarm finally blared, belatedly.
A chill surged up her back, but years of battle-honed instinct outpaced thought—
Lin Lan didn’t turn. She sprang sideways, rolling!
The heavy metal frame crushed the floor, sparking, papers flying everywhere.
She steadied with a boom, kneeling on one knee, skidding several meters.
Twisting, raising her arm, the cannon barrel extended, locking onto the door in one fluid motion.
In the dim corridor, beams from the ceiling illuminated a towering figure standing silently at the threshold…
—A sleek, silver exoskeleton, its lines flowing with ultimate elegance.
Unlike the [Valkyrie]’s aggressive, brutal design, this armor exuded meticulously crafted industrial beauty, as if from the future…
Shoulder plates, chest, leg guards…
Every component was perfectly sculpted, seamless, no excess.
Most astonishing was its modular build—yet the silver armor showed no joints or seams…
All panels fused flawlessly…
A single, sculpted masterpiece.
The silver plates gleamed holy and cold under the lights, like an angel’s battle garb from legend…
The streamlined faceplate was tiled with hundreds of hexagonal cells like a honeycomb, orderly and precise, faint blue light flowing like a dragonfly’s compound eyes…
The [Valkyrie]’s database couldn’t identify this exoskeleton!
But this unknown armor was undoubtedly on par with the [Valkyrie]…
Lin Lan tensed, facing it down, but the figure crossed its arms over its chest, unconcerned.
“Should I say—long time no see?” The mechanical voice carried a familiar arrogance:
“Your intel network’s as useless as ever.”
That tone…
That posture…
Etched into her bones.
“Seraphina…?”
How was she here?!
Lin Lan’s visor analyzed the silver armor—its tech surpassed the [Valkyrie]’s, but its modules weren’t optimized for high-intensity combat…
She had a good chance.
“Surprised?” The figure lowered its arms. “I was curious how long it’d take you to find her.”
Murphyxia’s intel clearly showed Seraphina in the [Valkyrie], lured dozens of kilometers away!
Such a high-caliber heavy exoskeleton demanded a specific pilot—
Body, build—it was custom-fitted…
Not to mention, Eisenburg had only one such priceless strategic asset.
No one else could wear it…
But…
Someone who should be outside…
Suddenly inside the palace?
Impossible…
Absolutely impossible…
“That gray-haired girl’s plan was amusing.”
“Drawing the tiger from the mountain, feint east strike west, using the transport team as bait, then trapping my guard with the Church’s main force…”
“Pity.”
Seraphina tilted her head, her voice teasing, gold-and-blue eyes reflecting the data pad’s glow and Lin Lan’s black silhouette.
Lin Lan’s breath hitched.
Then who was outside?
Her mind raced through Seraphina’s inner circle…
Officers…
Guards…
Similar build…
—Evelyn?
The deputy commander?!
They’d prepared a countermeasure?!
If Seraphina never left Eisenburg, the infiltration was under surveillance from the start…
A trap.
This was a trap.
She’d been waiting—for her and Murphyxia to walk right in…
“You…” Lin Lan growled through clenched teeth, the cannon’s energy light flashing. “Where’s Mili!”
“Hah.” Seraphina didn’t answer, her voice turning cold.
“Then we’ll fight until you tell me.”
The [Valkyrie] powered up, cannon charging rapidly.
She’d break through!
“Want to fight?” The silver armor’s mechanical tone held a laugh, as if Lin Lan’s cannon was a toy water gun.
“Go ahead.”
Seraphina’s gaze passed Lin Lan, landing on the wall’s mess and scattered photos.
She strode in, her silver boots crunching the overburdened door, cracking it slightly.
“Dare fight here…”
“And she’ll live in a doghouse.”
Those few words froze Lin Lan’s boiling rage.
Lin Lan stiffened, staring at the silver armor in disbelief.
“You can raze this place. I don’t care.” Seraphina loomed over her. “But her quality of life depends on your performance tonight…”
“Or, I could lock her in the deepest underground cell?”
“It’s safe there, just no light, a bit damp…”
“I doubt she’d like it.”
The [Valkyrie]’s cannon light dimmed.
Lin Lan glared at Seraphina, her armored fists creaking.
She knew the woman wasn’t bluffing—this lunatic would do it…
Seraphina had her pinned…
She’d never risk harming Mili…
“Come out.” Seraphina turned, her silver back leaving no room for argument. “We’ll talk outside.”
Lin Lan froze, but ultimately holstered her weapon, suppressing her impulses, following with heavy steps.
They moved through the dim corridor, back to the eerie garden.
Amid the withered ruins, the carefully tended crops and flowers stood out starkly.
The night breeze stirred, and Lin Lan realized belatedly—
Once she found Mili and got her out, what did doghouses matter?
But the thought passed in a flash.
She couldn’t gamble.
Not with Mili’s safety.
She hadn’t even seen the girl, didn’t know her exact location…
Seraphina removed her helmet, the faceplate sliding open in layers, wind tousling her silver hair.
She approached a thriving tomato vine, her gloved fingers brushing a leaf gently.
The gesture held a tenderness Lin Lan had never seen…
“I’ll give you one more chance, Lin.” Seraphina broke the silence first. “Join me.”
No more hiding now.
Her heterochromatic eyes glanced at the black [Valkyrie].
“Bring your people into Eisenburg.”
“In your dreams…”
“If it were before, I wouldn’t bother repeating myself.” Seraphina turned. “I don’t waste time on trouble.”
Lin Lan was puzzled, but Seraphina continued:
“She wants it.”
At her words, Lin Lan’s refusal caught in her throat, instinctively shifting:
“What did you say…?”
“Mili.” Seraphina’s tone remained flat.
“She’s mentioned you more than once, worried about your safety, missing her days in Oasis.”
“She said, ‘Is Big Sis Lin okay alone out there?’”
“She said if Oasis and Eisenburg had allied, maybe the tragedy could’ve been avoided…”
“So, I reconsidered.”
“Before, you and I were impossible.”
“But now it’s different, Lin—things have changed.”
“Mili’s here.”
Seraphina’s voice was seductive.
Her words pricked Lin Lan’s softest, most painful spots.
Lin Lan knew Seraphina was lying, twisting Mili’s words…
But Mili would say that…
“Impossible!” Lin Lan growled. “She couldn’t…”
“Why not?” Seraphina countered. “She said it herself.”
“If she saw you now, this not-human-not-ghost state, how heartbroken would she be?”
“You can ask her yourself. I can take you to her.”
“—If you agree.”
Lin Lan fell silent, fists clenched tight in her armor.
She couldn’t refute.
A lie?
Was it…?
Or…
Did Mili really…?
Lin Lan bit her teeth: “You’re using her!”
“Using?” Seraphina arched a brow.
“She’s never complained, never asked to leave.”
“She comes here every day—these are all her plantings. She wants to improve everyone’s lives…”
As Lin Lan reeled, unsure how to respond—
Boom—!!!!
A muffled roar erupted from deep underground.
The palace—and the ground beneath them—shook violently!
The blast wasn’t from the distant south wall but from inside Eisenburg…
From below!
Potted plants toppled, soil and rubble cascading.
Seraphina’s unchanging face cracked with shock for the first time.
She snapped her head toward the explosion’s direction, pupils contracting, face darkening…
She knew that spot.
The safest shelter she’d prepared for Mili…
Her biggest ace…
But someone had bombed the safehouse?!
Murphyxia…
That damned zealot!
How deep had she infiltrated?!