In the end, it was Li Wu who simply opened the door from the inside.
The two A-rank Valkyries stepped aside resentfully, allowing their captain to speak face-to-face with Li Wu.
"Today's mission time has elapsed. Mission completion rate: 80.5%. Basic requirements met."
The Valkyrie captain's voice was as cold as frost. Even seeing Li Wu and Anna covered in blood, there wasn't a flicker of emotion in her eyes.
Is this person really human? Why does it feel like she's been brainwashed?
Li Wu couldn't help but roast her in his mind.
"Will there be another mission like this tomorrow?"
"You are not qualified to know that. Once A-rank Valkyrie Anna Schariac wakes up, she will tell you what to do."
The Valkyrie captain turned around, her voice remaining completely flat. "Follow me."
Li Wu gritted his teeth, turned his head to glance at Anna, who was breathing steadily on the bed, let out a long sigh, and silently followed them onto the airship.
Schicksal Valkyries... were even more unfeeling than he had imagined.
They could ignore a heavily injured colleague as if it didn't matter if she died.
If this was how they treated Anna, the Holy Maiden of the Schariac family, then for other Valkyries with no background, they were probably just raised to be handy weapons.
What kind of education had they gone through to become these cold, ice-like figures?
Inside the ship, Li Wu was prepared to be examined by various instruments.
To his surprise, no one told him to undergo a checkup. Instead, they simply arranged a nice rest area for him to get some good sleep.
He was indeed exhausted. Even disregarding Returns by Death, Li Wu hadn't slept for twenty-four hours.
And he couldn't disregard it. His consciousness had been continuous, his focus highly intense. Throughout the sixty-four loops, he had no time to relax; every minute and second had been crucial...
Lying on the bed, Li Wu fell into a heavy slumber without even taking off his clothes.
Too many overlooked details were now impossible to contemplate...
In his dream, Li Wu once again stood in front of a young girl from years ago, viewing things from a first-person perspective.
He stood on high, coldly looking down at them, who were full of longing. At that time, two pairs of eyes sparkled with a light as brilliant as the sun, as if capable of dispelling all the filth and gloom in the world.
He cut his own arm. Fresh blood flowed from the wound—blood that seemed like boiling water, jumping and sputtering on his skin, struggling to return to his veins.
The young girl with a youthful face held her left hand behind her back and clenched her right hand into a fist over her heart. She knelt on one knee, bowing her head forward, paying him the highest respect.
To this, he remained indifferent.
He heard it—the girl's accelerated heartbeat, like a deer leaping across a stream.
He saw it—the girl's flushed cheeks, like a blooming camellia.
He felt it—the girl's warm lips, trembling like harp strings.
When the purest blood was sucked into the girl's body, she rejoiced; she cheered, her voice clear and bright: "I... I'm going to become a legendary hero who saves the world!"
"When that time comes... Teacher, can I... call you by your true name?"
His spirited mood turned hazy; he couldn't distinguish what emotion this was, only feeling it was strange.
"I agree to your request, ( )..."
Before the final name could be spoken, Li Wu was jolted awake from his dream.
An unfamiliar pink ceiling, a gaudy chandelier printed with a giant heart, and a heart-pounding fragrance permeating the room made Li Wu's pulse race.
"Mm... is this... a hotel?"
Li Wu sat up and quickly scanned his surroundings, realizing it was a couple-themed hotel. He was completely confused.
Logically speaking, shouldn't he have been taken to a lab for various physical data tests?
Before sleeping, Li Wu had already prepared himself to wake up with test tubes plugged all over his body. He hadn't expected to worry for nothing; Schicksal had actually humanely prepared a private room for him.
It was just that the style was too weird.
On the cabinet under the TV sat a pile of unopened small boxes. Just looking at the "Ultra Thin" on the cover, he knew there was nothing good inside.
The bedsheets were pink, excessively clean.
The window was open, and along the ledge were pots of exotic flowers, their fragrance rich and refreshing.
His and Anna's suitcases were placed in the corner.
At the foot of the bed not far away lay a pile of cute plushies—Homu, Homi, Hola...
Why does a grown man need a room like this? I'd believe it if you told me this was Theresa's room!
Suddenly, a cold breeze blew in from the window. Li Wu shivered and looked down.
"Holy shit, where are my clothes!"
Before Li Wu could react, the next scare appeared rapidly.
Some kind of "small animal" seemed to be hiding under the covers, drooling onto his stomach. The moment he lifted the blanket and saw the short chestnut hair, Li Wu slammed the covers back down.
"Wo..."
Wocao... A-A-A-A-Anna...!?
Realizing the severity of the problem, Li Wu immediately covered his mouth to prevent waking Anna.
What the hell are those guys at Schicksal thinking!?
How could they send the Holy Maiden of the Schariac family to his bed... no, put him and Anna in the same bed!
Are they crazy? Is this a joke?
Li Wu couldn't understand what Schicksal was trying to pull, but clearly, their intention wasn't as simple as observing whether he was dangerous.
Could it be...
Did they notice I look like a certain Flame-Chaser from the Previous Era, mistakenly identify me as "that person," and use this method to win me over?
Li Wu felt this was very likely. Otherwise, it was impossible that they would let Anna attempt an impossible mission right from the start.
Because that mission was prepared entirely for him—to let him play the hero saving the beauty in front of Anna, grind up affection points, and finally use various maneuvers to make him betray World Serpent and defect to Schicksal.
Which brilliant mind came up with this? Is Otto such a casual person?
Li Wu cursed the mastermind behind everything ten thousand times in his heart. He felt that person must be mentally unstable—some kind of peak insanity?
He was afraid...
"Phew... calm down. First, gently... gently..."
Li Wu carefully shifted his body toward the side. His clean clothes were placed on the nightstand. He just needed to reach them, get dressed, and leave before Anna woke up.
Unless something unexpected happened—
Something unexpected happened.
Anna grinned, letting out a faint, dream-like giggle, and her small hand squeezed tight. Li Wu's hair stood on end instantly. He threw the blanket aside and tightly grabbed Anna's hand.
Losing the warmth of the blanket, the twenty-degree cold air from the AC spread over their exposed bodies like ivy. Anna instinctively opened her eyes, startled awake from her sweet dream.
"Li Wu... mm... that's great... you're safe... you're safe..."
Anna mumbled it twice. She seemed to have slept too deeply; upon waking, her consciousness wasn't clear enough to realize what she was doing, and she softly rubbed her sleepy eyes.
One second, two seconds...
On the third second of rubbing her eyes, Anna's movements stopped.
Her arm, flawless and smooth as fresh snow, froze in mid-air.
The air seemed to solidify. The lazy sunlight from outside the window drilled in, revealing their bodies unreservedly to each other's eyes.
Anna's forearm began to tremble, taking her petite body with it, shaking chaotically in the wind like a lotus in a summer pond...
"Listen to my explanation!" Li Wu extended a finger into the air.
"Ah..."
"Ahhh..."
"AHHHH!!!! PERVERT LI WU! PERVERT, AHHH!!!"
Before her voice even fell, Anna's sonic wave was more violent than an earthquake caused by a stun grenade. It instantly pierced Li Wu's eardrums and completely filled his entire brain.
Anna raised her hand.
Li Wu subconsciously braced for defense, but after a long moment, there was no sign of an attack. Only then did he slowly open his eyes, finding that even in this situation, Anna had no intention of attacking him.
She just grabbed the blanket to cover her beautiful body...
"No, Anna, listen to my explanation..."
"..."
"I... this was all arranged by Schicksal. After the mission was completed, I brought you back to the Schicksal ship. Because I was too tired, I went straight to sleep, and when I woke up..."
"..."
"Please don't stay silent, okay? Really... I... sorry, I... I'm sorry... I..."
Li Wu explained frantically, looking exactly like a student who had done his homework but forgotten to bring it, trying to construct a story in his mind to convince the teacher.
But every action was counterproductive; the more he described, the darker it got. Li Wu felt his IQ had been maliciously reset to zero. He had none of his usual calmness; his mind was a blank sheet, unable to think of anything.
Looking at Anna with her head bowed, her eyes red and swollen, misty tears welling up in her sockets, her gaze trembling like water disturbed by a stone, her pearly white teeth biting her lip tightly, trembling, saying nothing.
Whether it was tricks or conversational tactics, the romantic tropes he had seen before, or the excuses he had conceived in advance—all were forgotten. Li Wu felt pushed by an invisible force to spout a pile of nonsensical facts.
How do I explain?
He had already stated the facts, but forget Anna—Li Wu himself found it incredible.
Everyone knew how strict Schicksal's internal system was, especially regarding bloodlines; they paid extreme attention to it.
How could they push their own Holy Maiden out? Especially to a mission target under observation with unknown danger levels?
Schicksal recognizing that he looked identical to a certain Flame-Chaser from the Previous Era was just his guess; it hadn't been confirmed...
"You... you saved me... right?"
Anna's voice was soft, like cotton, breakable with a bite.
Seeing Anna speak, Li Wu felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw and answered immediately: "Yes! You lost too much blood and passed out. I took you to a safe place to avoid the Star-Devouring Worm's pursuit. We waited until the mission time ended and were picked up by the Schicksal ship. What happened after... is just like I said. I really don't know what's going on! Bah! I'm an idiot! How could I say something like that at a time like this!"
Li Wu raised his hand, waving it. Just as he was about to slap himself, his hand was weakly grabbed by Anna.
Anna held the blanket around her body with one hand and stopped Li Wu from hitting himself with the other.
Time felt like a cockroach flapping its wings—buzz, buzz—exceptionally distinct.
"It's... okay... I believe you. We managed to survive with such difficulty... don't... don't hurt yourself..."
Anna's words were faint, fragile as mist.
While speaking, she kept her head down, her ears drooping. But her short chestnut hair couldn't hide her expression; he could clearly see her entire face, right down to the roots of her ears, was flushed red. She looked like a little girl who was drunk, her gaze drifting, daring not look up to meet Li Wu's eyes.
Li Wu was stunned.
He hadn't expected this reaction from Anna.
Whether she beat him up, scolded him, or cursed him out, Li Wu had intended to bear it silently. After all, when something like this happened, it didn't matter who was at fault anymore.
As a guy, Li Wu didn't feel like he was losing out. But for Anna, who had grown up in a closed education system, this kind of thing might be harder to bear than death itself.
"Li Wu, can you please... turn around?"
Anna asked cautiously.
Her pale white hand slowly retracted, hiding back under the blanket. She curled herself into a ball, her body still trembling uncontrollably.
"Your clothes are on the left nightstand, mine are on the right. I won't turn back!"
"Mmh, I trust you."
Li Wu turned around and quickly draped the clothes from the nightstand onto himself.
Guys dressed very fast, especially with a clear goal. Li Wu took less than half a minute to put on all his clothes.
Behind him, the rustling sound of changing clothes continued.
The tiny sounds of fabric rubbing against skin were exceptionally clear, along with the soft whimpers Anna occasionally let out due to her extreme shyness...
Li Wu fidgeted back and forth several times. He had never felt time pass so slowly, like a high school math class, yet different from the flow of time in math class—more... tense.
Two minutes passed, and Anna finally finished changing. But Li Wu still didn't turn around. Standing back-to-back with Anna, the sunlight outside the window acted as a matchmaker, making their shadows embrace.
"I... I'll write the mission report for a while..." Anna said softly, walking to the window.
"O-okay. I'll go out and buy some food. What do you like to eat?"
"Anything... is fine. I'm not picky. Just buy what you like. Here is my card."
Anna took her card out of her pocket. Without turning around, she reached back, holding the edge of the card between her thumb and index finger.
Li Wu didn't take it. He gave an awkward laugh. "I still have some savings; buying a meal is no problem."
"This is Northern Europe. Your savings are useless."
"Oh, right. I forgot. I'm still groggy from sleep..."
Li Wu's mouth twitched. Like a marionette, he stiffly took the card from Anna's hand. No physical contact occurred during the entire process.
I must be sleep-addled. My brain isn't working. Otherwise, how could I make such a rookie mistake?
I had calculated everything so perfectly before...!
The door closed heavily. Li Wu fled the room in a panic, leaving Anna alone inside.
Anna's lips moved, and she sniffled. Her powerless hands opened her phone, and two exquisite tear tracks appeared on the beautiful little face reflected in the screen.
She looked back to confirm that Li Wu had indeed left. Only then did she gradually lean against the wall and slowly slide down to sit on the floor, hugging her legs, sobbing quietly in the corner.
That facade of strength lay shattered on the floor like a broken plate.