I Became Robin?! (Honkai Star Rail)

Lü Heng and Yu Lin immediately spotted the driver standing guard at the factory entrance. The Dragon Lady, Yu Lin, looked particularly ferocious, her body leaning forward slightly, tail sweeping the ground restlessly as if poised to strike.

"Yu Lin?!" Robin had never found the Dragon Lady so endearing. She waved at her, but the driver showed no intention of fighting. Seeing them arrive, he abandoned his earlier casual demeanor and flashed a classic villainous grin. With a slight bow, he said, "So you actually managed to find this place. Well, there's no help for it then. The hostage is yours. Consider this round our loss."

As he spoke, the shadow beneath his feet began to writhe. He swiftly sank into it, merging with the darkness and vanishing before their eyes.

After a few tense seconds, Yu Lin sniffed the air to confirm he was truly gone. Unable to contain herself, she rushed toward Robin and leaped into her arms. "Robin, thank goodness you're safe! I was terrified when I heard you'd been kidnapped!"

As she spoke, Yu Lin kept nuzzling Robin's cheek. Overjoyed to see her friend after so long, Robin didn't object to the slightly affectionate gesture. However, Yu Lin's words reminded her that she had been kidnapped.

The kidnappers had been surprisingly lenient, even chatting with her, which had almost made Robin forget she was being held captive.

After a while, Yu Lin reluctantly pulled away, scrutinizing Robin from head to toe. "Did they hurt you? Did they do anything bad to you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Robin assured her. "But how did you find me?" She glanced at the time in her mind. It was nearly the hour the 'driver' had promised to release her. If the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations hadn't arrived, she would likely have been freed soon anyway.

But being released on her own would have been a completely different feeling than being rescued by her friends.

Robin's question was casual, but Lü Heng, standing nearby, began to explain. The story traced back several days, to the aftermath of the Qin Chuming incident. Following that event, the Bureau had continued investigating the Fuguang Society, and their efforts had uncovered some real leads.

This explains why Yu Lin had been so busy lately. She and her team had been scouring the city, chasing down every trace left by the Fuguang Society, piecing together clues to uncover their objectives.

Today, Zhong Wanhong's team finally cornered a group of wanted Fuguang Society members at a port. During the standoff, the criminals suddenly issued a threat:

"You know Robin, right? That cute little girl? She's in our hands now. If you don't want her to get hurt, you'd better..."

The threat had a distinctly "internet troll" flavor. And to prove they weren't bluffing, they produced a photo of Robin unconscious in a car.

Faced with the choice between rescuing their teammate or abandoning her to focus on taking down the Fuguang Society members, Zhong Wanhong chose "both." He ordered Lü Heng and Yu Lin to handle the rescue operation while he stayed behind to fight alone.

Robin's last known location was the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations in Qingcheng. After reviewing surveillance footage and communications, they quickly deduced that the "driver" was an inside agent who had kidnapped her. The painstaking work began: scouring countless CCTV feeds for traces of the driver's Hummer, ultimately narrowing down the possible abduction sites.

Finally, as evening fell, Lü Heng and Yu Lin arrived at the location.

Lü Heng had handled nearly everything himself. He'd brought Yu Lin along purely as insurance against a potential firefight, needing the Dragon Lady's formidable combat prowess. To their surprise, the driver fled the moment he saw them.

"Heh heh, he must have been terrified of me!" Yu Lin declared confidently, brandishing her small fists. "If he hadn't run, I would have smashed his head in with a couple of punches!"

Her boast wasn't entirely unfounded. In terms of raw combat ability, few Investigators in Longcheng could match her. Yet Robin suddenly realized that the situation was far more complex than it appeared.

From the beginning, the Fuguang Society had never intended to harm her directly. Instead, they were using her as leverage against the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, their true aim clear: to divert the Bureau's resources and manpower.

This was a calculated move, a gambit Zhong Wanhong couldn't afford to ignore. Whether Robin was truly in danger or not, he had no choice but to send reinforcements.

After all, if Zhong Wanhong abandoned her, even if she emerged unharmed, how would she react if the Fuguang Society later revealed his indifference?

"At this point, the bigger picture should take priority," Robin murmured to herself. "It would have been fine if they'd just abandoned me..." Clearly, Zhong Wanhong hadn't anticipated her thinking this way, and now it was too late to change course.

"What?" Lü Heng and Yu Lin didn't understand Robin's words. Suddenly, she declared, "I know the Fuguang Society's true purpose! They plan to release the Fancheng Virus across Longcheng again, triggering a mass 'Great Evolution' among all the Fancheng People who relocated here!"

Robin recalled what Xiao had told her. The Fuguang Society might not directly harm her, but they had used her abduction to manipulate the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations—a truly cunning move.

"Huh?" Lü Heng froze, his jaw dropping. "What the hell? The Fancheng Virus across the entire city? How is that even possible..."

His words died in his throat. Mouth still agape, his eyes widened as if he had witnessed something unspeakably terrifying.

Following their gazes, Robin turned to look back. The once orange-red horizon was now obscured by a dense, green smog.

The three investigators exchanged glances, then swiftly got into their car and sped toward the city center.

Moments later, upon entering the Longcheng Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, Robin immediately spotted Zhong Wanhong sitting dejectedly in a chair, his brow furrowed in distress. Besides him, seven or eight unfamiliar individuals in black Bureau uniforms were standing or sitting in the main hall—likely members of other investigation teams from Longcheng.

After a brief glance at Robin and her companions, Zhong Wanhong cut straight to the chase. "The toxic fog will engulf the entire city in less than two hours. It's too late to stop it now. We need to focus on how to respond to the Zombie Virus outbreak."