Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Anna steadied Lin Wei, one arm around his back, and glanced around before reaching out with her other hand to grab the hiking stick stuck in a crack in the floor.

"Ouch!"

The moment Anna touched it, she cried out in pain, withdrawing her hand as if shocked.

"This thing… is it broken? It's leaking electricity!"

Anna looked at the hiking stick, now standing silently in the spot where she had found it. Its surface was dull and unremarkable, but her hand still throbbed with a tingling, painful sensation.

"Or did you accidentally plug it into an electrical wire? That hurt so much!"

"…"

Lin Wei glanced at Anna's face, so close to his, then lowered his gaze to her hand. After confirming she wasn't actually injured, he looked at the hiking stick, standing alone, and said softly,

"I think she's angry…"

Anna was confused.

Angry? Who?

Before she could dwell on it, she saw Lin Wei reach out and grab the hiking stick without issue. She could only gasp "Be careful," before seeing Lin Wei safely pull it out and hold it as usual.

"See? It's fine."

"?"

What just happened?

Anna was momentarily stunned. But the tingling pain in her hand reminded her that her experience wasn't an illusion. She felt confused and wronged—Why was only I hurt?

"Let's go. We just had a major battle. Now's the perfect opportunity to go deeper."

Lin Wei casually brushed it off, changing the subject.

There was no way to explain Pandora's temper.

Anna, whose attention had been successfully diverted, nodded seriously. She knew that time was of the essence.

She had considered the current situation. Continuing with Lin Wei might lead to more danger, but leaving him behind, in his weakened state, to face a cunning enemy in the shadows, was even riskier.

She had no better option, so she had to move forward.

With that thought, she carefully lifted Lin Wei, carrying his weight, and stepped over the scattered debris, heading towards the passage where the intense gunfire had gradually subsided.

As soon as she entered the winding, narrow passage, Anna hastily retreated, pulling Lin Wei back out—

The smoke inside was too thick; she almost passed out!

What kind of crazy design is this? Don't they know how important ventilation is?

Lin Wei cursed inwardly, tears streaming down his face from the smoke. It wasn't the smoke exactly; it was just so irritating!

"Cough cough…"

Anna also struggled to breathe, coughing uncontrollably.

After catching her breath, Anna bit her lip, her expression filled with determination, and said seriously to Lin Wei,

"Hold on tight, take a deep breath!"

Wait, what are you doing?

Lin Wei felt a bad premonition.

Before he could think further or stop her, Lin Wei suddenly felt weightless, being carried horizontally by Anna.

Just as he expected! Lin Wei felt a bit indignant. Being princess-carried was too embarrassing! The last time Fu Hua carried him like this was the last time!

But Anna was quick, giving Lin Wei no time to react before charging into the smoke-filled passage.

Lin Wei could only suppress his inner complaints and brace himself for the ride.

It seemed that his decision to come here in the first place was a mistake, Lin Wei thought helplessly…

(ノへ￣,)

The entrance was narrow, initially extremely cramped, only enough for one person to pass through;

The staircase was a mess of shattered Deadman remains, torn apart by gunfire, numbering more than what they had seen when they retreated earlier.

After walking about a hundred steps, things opened up.

Anna carried Lin Wei out of the smoke-filled passage, placing him beside the machine gun, which had been pushed out of the passage, tasking the remaining constructs with protecting him. She prepared to rush into battle to eliminate any remaining enemies.

But there were no enemies to face.

The entire level seemed to have been mercilessly plowed. Tables, chairs, unknown instruments, the dividers that separated sections—everything was destroyed, piled haphazardly with the Deadman remains, like a chaotic, smoky landfill.

The damaged lighting fixtures occasionally flickered, casting sparks that blended with the dimly lit areas, barely illuminating the place.

There was nothing intact, no enemies to be found!

Lin Wei reached over, lifting the lid of the massive ammunition box, peeking inside, then clicking his tongue and sighing.

"I knew it, all the bullets were used up. No wonder it's this bad… tsk, those guys really don't know how to save ammo."

"Didn't you control them?"

Anna couldn't help but point out the obvious waste. That was a whole Titan mech's worth of ammunition!

If they had that firepower to pave the way forward, they wouldn't be facing such a difficult situation. What a waste!

"I'm not the legal controller, I only had enough time to set a few simple instructions like 'fire,' 'eliminate Deadmen,' and 'protect the machine gun,' I didn't have time to micromanage… And you see the result?"

Lin Wei was also helpless. Using the Key of Corruption, he had hijacked and rewritten the constructs' code, but that didn't come without limitations. Like any virus, it was crude. It had overwritten their original system, and they were now forced to mechanically carry out the new orders.

Just like the Flame-Chasers in the Elysian Realm who had been taken over by the Herrscher, they had lost their original intelligence, only capable of doing as they were told.

And once he stopped issuing new orders, they would simply maintain their current instructions, waiting for further instructions from their "controller."

How to describe it? There are always pros and cons…

"Okay, there's nothing of interest here. Let's move on. The end shouldn't be too far. You don't have to support me, I can walk on my own now!"

Lin Wei, seeing Anna reaching out to support him again, quickly waved his hand, sincerely refusing.

"I can't become your burden."

Stubborn!

Anna thought, slightly dissatisfied. But she had to admit that Lin Wei was right. If she kept helping him, and something like that "magical beast" surprise attack happened again, she might not be able to react in time.

"No need to worry about me. I'm just a bit tired, not actually injured. It was all thanks to your protection that I didn't actually get hurt. So, thank you again, Anna."

Lin Wei looked at Anna's concerned expression and jokingly thanked her again, then smiled to ease her worries.

Anna sniffed, lowering her head, not saying anything, no longer insistent on supporting him.

The machine gun, now useless, was abandoned by Lin Wei without a second glance. He waved his hand, leading the remaining six constructs deeper inside, arranging them in a formation to prepare for any further battles.

Two constructs took the lead, scanning for potential threats;

Two followed closely behind, guarding his flanks;

The remaining two trailed behind, covering their rear.

"Not bad, very organized."

Anna noted Lin Wei's formation, her eyes glowing with admiration. Lin Wei always managed to surprise her with his abilities. He was practically a battlefield commander!

Although she knew Lin Wei was treating the constructs as mere cannon fodder, even the kindest person couldn't help but feel indifferent towards artificial beings.

But…

"Lin Wei, tell me, what are these things, really?"

Anna looked at the two constructs leading the way, their black and red bodies now covered in grime and soot, yet still strangely vibrant.

"They can be hacked using your techniques, but also transformed into Deadmen right before my eyes."

Anna lowered her voice, adding softly,

"Only humans can become Deadmen…"

Anna had seen countless Deadmen and destroyed countless Deadmen.

From the low-level Deadmen that stumbled around aimlessly, to the higher-level ones who retained their original forms and used their abilities…

She had come to accept them all, although she didn't like it.

She had witnessed the pain of the survivors turned into Deadmen, the grief and despair of having to kill their former friends and families.

She had long since become numb to it.

That had always been her job: to save those who could be saved, and to destroy those who could not, to protect the innocent.

She understood the logic, she had long accepted her role, and she had always performed her duties admirably.

But what she had seen here was different—

These Deadmen were man-made. She had watched the constructs inject themselves with something, and transform into Deadmen.

"What are they?"

Anna couldn't help but think of the investigative journalist who had died, of the Deadmen locked in cages upstairs, of all the survivors she had been tasked with protecting.

She seemed to be close to the truth.

This truth, however, made her feel anger; an anger that stemmed from her compassion, from her duty as a Valkyrie, and from her friendship with Yuno.

That's why she couldn't forgive them.

"What do they want?"

Lin Wei didn't respond. He didn't know how to answer.

Even without using the Fenghuang Down to read Anna's mind, he could feel her sadness and anger.

This was a world where everyone had their own opinions and justice to uphold, and as an outsider, Lin Wei simply couldn't adopt a side.

He was merely an observer who had inadvertently become a participant after having a few encounters with some people. And that was it.

He simply couldn't accept any particular position wholeheartedly.

His current bonds—whether they were with Yae Sakura or RIN—were more like a shared journey on the same boat. Their destinations may be different, and all they had was shared mutual respect, and a kind of relationship built on common interests and past experiences.

What about Anna? Was she a new bond for him?

Lin Wei didn't have a definite answer, nor could he define her role in his life.

He could only be more cautious.

"Let's go, we'll know the answer soon enough."

Lin Wei said softly, unable to provide an answer, but he was a good listener, and he was a good comforter.

"It's a long, long journey. Just keep going."

Anna nodded, understanding. She knew she wouldn't get an answer from Lin Wei anyway, and that was fine.

She wanted to see it for herself.

The narrow, winding passage led to another large, open area. This time, it was a laboratory. Unlike the previous levels with their randomly placed and seemingly abandoned equipment, this place looked fully operational, well-lit with various pieces of equipment whirring and glowing, emitting heat and chemical smells.

However, there was not a single soul to be seen.

"Beep, beep, beep…"

Anna touched a control panel, her eyes widening as she looked at the data displayed on the screen.

"This level has life readings!"