Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Sophia's wish was ultimately granted, albeit in a compromised manner.

Qin Mengde took only a brief glance before making a decision: she split the golden cord in her hand in half, handing one to Eve and signaling her to tie up Sophia.

"She was never very reliable in the military." Having worked together once, Qin Mengde made a terse, pointed comment.

Eve caught on immediately.

She walked toward Sophia, who obediently extended her hands, sighing and groaning as Eve bound her. Her eyes fixed on the separated golden cord, she suddenly mixed a genuine remark into her fake whining: "It's not exactly a good thing—why would you get involved again?"

Qin Mengde paid no attention to such a random remark, but Eve shot her another look. Thanks to Qin Mengde’s earlier explanation of her family situation, Eve understood what Sophia was hinting at.

*Don't preach about kindness when you haven't been through her struggles.*

She couldn’t help but snap back, "What kind of talk is that? She has her own thoughts—what makes you think you understand?"

Sophia: "......"

Her well-meaning advice was met with accusations, and she turned away angrily, refusing to look at these two unreasonable outlaws any longer.

Cecil clearly recognized the golden cord in Qin Mengde’s hand as well. In fact, the weapon’s design was so distinctive that anyone who had seen it would remember it.

*It’s someone from Cavendish! They’re involved too!*

His eyes widened in fury, both angry and incredulous as he stared at the other party. He let out several cold laughs: "Some Cavendish you are! You’d better kill me tonight, or I swear I won’t let anyone involved in tonight’s events escape consequences once I return!"

Qin Mengde hadn’t even bothered to look at him properly before, but upon hearing his bluster, she finally raised her head and gave him a look of pity.

*With his intelligence, could he even figure out how to get revenge?*

He probably still thought the Roth and Cavendish families were working together against him, completely unaware that the real culprit was actually from the Oliver Family.

She couldn’t be bothered arguing with him. With a flick of the half-separated golden cord, it cut through the air with a sound like a bird's cry. The slender, coiled rope hooked onto Cecil’s waist comm before being flung aside, only to be fumbled but caught by Eve.

After disabling his communication device, she channeled her psychic energy into the golden cord. The previously limp cord went rigid instantly, straightening into a narrow, peculiarly shaped sword. Qin Mengde pinched it deftly between two fingers, her other three fingers wrapped around the hilt, and said in a low voice, "Draw your weapon."

Before this, Eve had never seen Qin Mengde fight. She had only heard others say that despite her youth, her strength was astonishing. Eve had initially assumed her skills were comparable to Isabella’s—among those she had formally sparred with, Isabella was undoubtedly the strongest she had encountered.

But just the precise control displayed in flicking the rope to hook objects and the skilled infusion of psychic energy to transform it into a sword made her realize how wrong she had been.

Qin Mengde’s strength was several levels above Isabella's.

"Though Qin Mengde doesn’t show up for duty often, her strength is the greatest among the military’s nineteen vice-captains. What she excels at most is the control and application of psychic energy. Any ordinary object, once in her hands and infused with psychic energy, can become a formidable weapon capable of slicing through Zerg armor."

Tied up nearby, Sophia suddenly added, "Besides, that golden rope of hers is nothing ordinary. It was specially crafted for her by a weapons master from the Roth family, personally commissioned by the Marshal himself. It was handcrafted and then steeped in special alchemical solutions for nearly half a year. It can be separated or combined, flexible enough for binding yet hard enough to cut metal. Its quality is at least a Four-Star Alchemical Tool."

Eve turned to look at her upon hearing this: "How do you know so much?"

"Of course—because I was under her command."

Sophia spoke lazily, then turned her head and noticed the young girl beside her looking at her curiously. Her eyes darted slyly as she suddenly started whining: "Hey, could you take me farther away? I’m still tied up here, completely helpless. That Qin Mengde won’t show me any mercy when she starts fighting, and since I just surrendered, the young master isn't likely to go easy on me either. If either of them hit me, I won’t be able to take it. Say, little sister, could you take me somewhere else?"

The performance was too deliberate. Qin Mengde was right—this person really wasn’t all that honest. Eve stroked her chin, then suddenly broke into a bright smile: "Sure."

"......" A sense of foreboding suddenly crept into Sophia’s heart—the most accurate intuition one gets when encountering a fellow schemer. She forced a smile, trying to backtrack on her earlier statement: "Wait, I actually think it’s pretty good here for now, no need to—ah!"

"Too late."

Eve grabbed her by the collar, took a short run-up, and leaped up. With her free hand, she gripped the ledge of a nearby shop, exerted force, and hauled Sophia up onto the roof with her.

Just as they climbed up, a loud crash erupted from below. Eve glanced back temporarily and saw Qin Mengde lash out with her rope-sword, which Cecil barely dodged, while the previously smooth street surface instantly cracked open with a fissure stretching over a dozen meters.

Eve: "......"

She turned Sophia’s head to look at the crack on the ground: "Are you sure it would’ve been fine to stay down there?"

"I regret it," Sophia said with genuine feeling. "Thank you, unknown little sister. Let’s run farther away! They both still have mechs!"

Eve hoisted the person over her shoulder, silently praying that Qin Mengde truly had a sense of measure and wouldn’t beat Cecil to death here. At the same time, her feet moved with utmost honesty, darting halfway down another street in the blink of an eye. Her hard shoulder blades pressed into Sophia’s abdomen, jolting her so badly she nearly coughed up blood.

Sophia coughed twice, gasping weakly and intermittently: "Slower... go slower... I can’t... I can’t take it..."

"Your physical condition is really poor," Eve remarked as she leaped across a gap over two meters wide. Upon landing, her shoulder jammed hard into the abdomen of the person she was carrying. Though the other had already surrendered, it was hard to say whether this wasn’t somewhat intentional.

Noticing something, she suddenly exclaimed softly, "Huh?" and lowered her gaze. "Seems like someone’s coming."

Sophia swallowed a mouthful of stomach acid that tasted metallic: "Probably people I called for backup."

Indeed, as they drew closer, Eve noticed that all the newcomers had silver hair and blue eyes—very easy to recognize.

A small team, about seven or eight people, not exactly elite, were hurrying headlong toward the previously signaled location, completely unaware of what ill-intentioned figure lurked in the shadows above.

"I can’t just watch them walk to their doom," Eve said suddenly. "Wait here for a bit."

Sophia immediately felt uneasy: "What are you planning to do?"

Her abdomen was finally freed as Eve set her down on the rooftop, then crept to the edge of the eaves and lightly jumped down. Before landing, the Luna Butterfly’s ability was quietly activated, enveloping her entire body in a hidden domain.

She vanished into the dim light and shadows.

The temporary squad leader didn’t notice the approaching, invisible shadow. With a sword in one hand and a communicator in the other, he suddenly heard a faint thud that made him pause instinctively. He turned around: "What was that?"

The people following him exchanged puzzled glances; they hadn’t noticed anything amiss. "Nothing, Captain. What’s wrong?"

"Must have been my imagination," the captain said after scanning the area a few times and finding nothing out of place. After a moment’s thought, he decided the young master’s affairs were more important. He cleared his throat lightly and turned back to continue onward. "It’s nothing. Let’s keep moving."

His inspection had been cursory; he didn’t realize that one person was already missing from his squad. In a nearby alley, a silver-haired young man lay face down, unconscious.

The first time she struck, the force was a bit too strong, but Eve gained experience with the subsequent attempts. As the captain walked on, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and the surroundings seemed excessively quiet.

...As if he were the only person left in the world.

A shiver ran down his back. He turned around stiffly once more, only to see the wind whistling through the streets, stirring up nonexistent dust. Behind him, there was no one left.

"What’s going on?"

Before he could fully express the horror in his heart, the unseen dark hand quietly struck him as well—

"Thud!"

Eve dragged the captain by his collar, walked a short distance, and hauled him into the initial alley where she had dumped the others. Seven people already lay haphazardly inside. She tossed this last one in, clapped her hands, recalled the Luna Butterfly, and climbed back onto the roof.

Sophia was lying on the ground in an awkward position. She had tried to shift herself to the edge of the roof to sneak a peek at Eve’s moves and identify which family she belonged to. Unfortunately, Eve had tied her up with great skill—it was fine when she stayed still, but the moment she tried to wriggle, it became impossibly awkward, leaving her twisted and slumped on the ground.

When Eve returned and saw her caterpillar-like posture, she immediately knew what had happened in her absence and couldn’t help but laugh mockingly: "Well, well, Miss Medici, how did you manage to get yourself into such a state?"

"Haha," Sophia forced a dry laugh along. As Eve helped her up again, the latter suddenly asked, "You probably have more than just this one squad, right?"

"......"

"Huh?" Eve turned her head, her voice laced with just the right amount of confusion. "So, are there any other squads or not?"

Sophia held her gaze for a long moment before slowly replying, "I can't tell you. That would truly be betraying the Young Master."

A little over ten minutes later, Eve tossed another squad into the hidden alley.

Not long before, Sophia had issued a rescue order over the communicator. The rest of the Medicis who had followed them out tonight, upon receiving it, rushed headlong toward the rendezvous point one after another. Like the Calabash Brothers in that old show, rushing to save their grandpa, they were taken down one by one by Eve.

Having already cleared two squads, Eve still hadn’t seen the two subordinates the Oliver Family had assigned to her. She didn’t know if they happened to be with another squad or if they had wisely slipped away after noticing she had a live captive with her.

Sophia still lounging awkwardly on the ground. She hadn’t given up on trying to size up Eve's moves, though she had failed once again. This time, however, her mindset was better. As Eve flipped back onto the roof, Sophia even adjusted herself into what she thought was a more casual, devil-may-care lying pose and asked idly, "Little sister, can I ask you a question?"

There was something oddly smooth about the way this person talked. Eve shot her a disdainful look and said, "Ask away. No guarantee I’ll answer."

"Tsk," Sophia expressed her dissatisfaction, but since she was at the other’s mercy, there wasn’t much she could do even if Eve refused to cooperate. So she came straight to the point: "Are you actually a Medici or not?"

Her tone was full of doubt and uncertainty. "Although that silver hair of yours looks obviously fake up close, you’re awfully familiar with the ways of the Medici family."

Earlier, when Sophia said she couldn’t betray the Young Master, this masked girl had snorted lightly, shot her a sidelong glance, and said, "Betraying the Young Master doesn’t matter much. As long as you haven’t betrayed the family, it’s fine. When the family head asks later, just say your decision was more beneficial to the family, and he won’t hold it against you too harshly."

"......That makes sense," Sophia’s brow twitched, and she slowly forced out a smile. "But how do you know all this so clearly?"

Eve blinked. "Guess."

Sophia thought, if I could guess, why would I be asking you?

While they were talking, they encountered another Medici squad. Eve jumped down to deal with them. This time, Sophia didn’t struggle pointlessly but lay there lost in thought, mulling over whether this girl had any connection to the Medici family.

If she said there was no connection, the other party knows way too much about the Medicis;

If she said there was a connection, her silver hair was fake, and even if she wore it intentionally to cover up, the fact remained that she had sided with Qin Mengde against Cecil. Put bluntly, this could really be considered betraying the family.

Sophia was curious. Was the other party so bold because they truly weren’t afraid of the Medici’s retaliation... or were they certain they could come out unscathed?

Just as she was thinking this, her attention was suddenly caught by a flash of crimson in the distance.

"Huh?"

She couldn’t help but sit up straight, quietly activating her Spiritual State. The A-grade Dawn Dream Eagle greatly enhanced its master’s visual acuity.

Speaking of which, that place looked somewhat familiar.

Eve happened to land back on the roof at that moment and saw the bound silver-haired woman suddenly turn to look at her. The mask of mixed annoyance and amusement on her face was completely shattered, replaced by an expression of shock, even panic.

"Did you run into Eamon on your way here?" Sophia’s lips trembled slightly, her face grave. As soon as she asked, she realized the other might not know who Eamon was and hurriedly added, "A tall, thin man, like a bamboo pole. He’s the Medici family’s Third Steward."

"I know," Eve cut her off, a vague sense of foreboding rising in her heart. "Why are you bringing this up suddenly?"

"Go take a look over there." Sophia said softly, slightly raising her chin to point toward that crimson spot on the ground.

Due to the dim lighting, Eve couldn’t make out what had happened there, only a shocking pool of blood.

"......"

Eve felt a heaviness settle over her, as if an impossibly heavy pot had dropped out of the sky onto her head. She grabbed Sophia and flew toward that spot.

It was the familiar silver-white hover car, its body somewhat deformed, with four deep scratch marks on the ground. It looked no different from before, except for the Third Steward, who had been unconscious in the driver’s seat, now with his throat slit by someone.

His head rested on the lowered window frame, his slender, pale neck like a pipe. The skin where it was pressed had begun to turn purple, and the crimson blood dripped down the car’s exterior in thin streams.

The Third Steward couldn’t have been dead long, as the wound on his neck hadn’t yet coagulated and was still dripping steadily.

Faced with this unexpected tragedy, both women were momentarily speechless. Before Sophia could say anything, Eve blurted out, "It wasn’t me!"

"I know. You’re not that stupid," Sophia frowned, feeling not only annoyed but also an indescribable chill down her spine. "But this definitely has something to do with your side, right? There’s probably no room for denial here."

It was the truth. Eve was about to speak when she suddenly remembered her two other subordinates who had gone silent ever since they found Cecil. Her heart sank. Just as her hand reached for the communicator at her waist, a tremendous roar echoed from the distance, like a thunderclap on a calm day in this peaceful commercial street.

*BOOM!*

One crisis unresolved, another arose. Both turned around in shock and suspicion to see a familiar pale golden mecha standing behind several rows of buildings. The mecha stood a head taller than the average commercial building. Whatever it had done, another roar followed shortly after.

It was none other than Cecil’s mecha, Apollo.

"......" Eve was utterly dumbfounded. "Has your cousin lost his mind? Summoning a mecha in the city district? I give up. Your Medici family can just wait for the astronomical fines."

Beside her, Sophia was equally stunned. Bombarded by one high-intensity shock after another, she almost felt dizzy enough to faint on the spot. She didn’t dare imagine the scene of wrath and bloodshed that would ensue when the family head returned. Would she really be able to escape unscathed then?

But Eve quickly remembered something even more urgent. She and Qin Mengde hadn’t brought their mecha Spatial Rings when they came out! No matter how strong the opponent was, flesh and blood were no match for a mecha’s steel body.

Besides, that was a Mythological Mecha!

Eve whipped her head around and, unsurprisingly, spied a familiar ring on Sophia’s finger as well. Sophia felt her scalp prickle at Eve’s reaction. Realizing what the other intended to do, she struggled to resist, but with her hands bound, her movements were hampered. After a feeble struggle, her mecha Spatial Ring was ruthlessly snatched away.

Watching Eve prepare to dash off, Sophia threw herself onto the ground, leveraging her body like a dying fish. The long-range sniper mustered all her close-combat strength, her flexible body wrapped tightly around Eve as she shouted, her face contorted, "Untie me!"

The person who had just killed the Third Steward was still unknown. How could she be left alone, bound, in such a dangerous place!

Sophia's forehead was dotted with sweat. Nervous to the point of her scalp tingling and words failing her, she felt her over twenty years of smooth-sailing life completely ruined in this single night. "I’m begging you, untie me quickly! After you untie me, I still need to deal with the nearly twenty people you knocked out! Hurry! They’re all from the Main Family! So many forces have been dragged into this tonight—do you actually want to see the Medici family declare war on the other three great families? Oh heavens, the Empire’s fourth great war actually born from such an ordinary night!"

"I swear, after tonight, I’ll promptly scurry back to my job at the military department. From now on, I’ll behave and never set foot on the capital planet again unless it’s the New Year," she broke down, her beautiful face twisting into something ghastly. "Sis, I’m begging you, sis! Untie me! Otherwise, then we die together!"