Hammer Guy's declaration instantly left the remaining three Fatui in the four-man squad completely dumbfounded. They had just barely escaped with their lives, only for their captain to announce that he was going back in to die?
"Captain, this has nothing to do with us. Do not go sticking your neck out. Did we not already agree that once we escaped, we would not interfere with each other anymore?"
"Yeah, Captain, you really should not go."
Both Geo Staff Guy and Pyro Gunner Guy opposed Hammer Guy's suicidal idea. Only Fist Guy remained silent, staring at him. As the person who knew this old comrade best, he understood that once Hammer Guy made up his mind, he would not easily change it.
"That is enough. Stop talking," Hammer Guy said, forcing himself upright despite the pain. "We got dragged into this mess because I wanted to check on my daughter's boyfriend in the first place. And we owe that fox our lives. I will be the one to bring that unlucky kid back."
He stood there, blood already seeping through his armor. If not for his sheer willpower, he likely would not have been able to stand at all.
"Old friend, as your vice-captain, there is no way I am letting you go alone."
Fist Guy rose to his feet as well. He and Hammer Guy had fought side by side for years. He could not watch him walk straight into death. With a resolve that bordered on fatalism, Fist Guy turned to the Debt Collector, who had remained silent the entire time.
"Kid, I am leaving these two youngsters in your care. They are rookies. Just make sure you get them safely off Dragonspine."
"No way. We are not going to just watch the captain and vice-captain go off to die," Geo Staff Guy protested immediately. "You two have always looked out for us. This time, let us be the ones to bring that unlucky kid back."
Watching the four Fatui on the verge of arguing outright, Razor grew increasingly anxious. Suddenly, the scene before him warped, and dizziness washed over him. Instinctively, he closed his eyes.
When the vertigo faded and Razor opened them again, his eyes widened in surprise.
Bennett was standing right beside him.
With a wolf's keen instincts, Razor immediately turned his gaze toward Su Bai. Seeing Su Bai seated on a rock, smiling at him calmly, Razor instantly understood who was behind all this.
"Little one, what is your name? You actually broke through my illusion by sheer willpower. Even Oz did not notice anything wrong."
"R-Razor. Th-thank you... for saving... Bennett."
With Bennett's arm slung tightly around his neck, Razor struggled to force the words out. Seeing this all-too-familiar scene, Su Bai shot him a knowing look.
Back in Jueyun Karst, Su Bai had been on the receiving end of this exact maneuver from Shenhe more times than he cared to remember. He deeply resented whoever had told Shenhe that wrapping someone in a headlock was a way of expressing happiness.
At that very moment, in Liyue Harbor, Xingqiu and Chongyun both sneezed simultaneously. Busy as they were, neither paid it any mind.
"Thanks, Fox Bro! If it were not for you, I might really have died back there."
"It was nothing. You are Fischl's friends, so you are my friends too. By the way, do you want to take a look at what those Fatui are doing inside the illusion?"
Su Bai's words immediately caught Bennett's and Razor's attention. The two boys nodded rapidly. Su Bai tapped their foreheads lightly with adeptal energy, and after a brief wave of dizziness, the scene before their eyes changed.
...
"I do not care what anyone says. I am saving that unlucky kid. All of you stay here and rest. Just wait for me to come back!"
"Um... Captain, forgive my bluntness, but according to my medical knowledge, with your current blood loss, you will likely bleed to death before you even get halfway."
The straightforward Debt Collector pulled out a roll of bandages and moved to treat Hammer Guy. One look was enough for Hammer Guy to refuse outright. Before the Debt Collector could even get close, Hammer Guy tried to bolt.
He was immediately pinned to the ground by Pyro Gunner Guy and Geo Staff Guy.
"You two have gotten bold, huh? Let go of me, now!"
"Captain, just accept it. Even if you beat us half to death later, we are not letting go."
Under normal circumstances, Hammer Guy could have held both of them down with one hand. But now, injured and weakened, not only was he pinned to the ground, his orders no longer carried any weight.
"Good job, kids. Well done," Fist Guy laughed shamelessly. "Hold him there. I will go bring that unlucky kid back."
Seeing his old friend restrained by two rookies, Fist Guy could not help but grin. If he made it back alive, he would have plenty of material to mock Hammer Guy for years.
"Hey, little girl over there. If you stop our vice-captain, I will give you my musket. This thing is way more useful than a bow."
"Uh... should we not be rescuing Bennett first?"
Confronted with this absurd display, Fischl was so stunned she did not even refer to herself as Prinzessin der Verurteilung. These Fatui had completely shattered her preconceived notions.
"Of course, we are rescuing that unlucky kid," Fist Guy replied. "Just not with these two injured idiots. It will be us. Now hurry up and stop the vice-captain."
"At a time like this, you are actually fighting over who gets to go die," Su Bai said weakly from where he leaned against a rock. "Looks like your relationships are pretty solid."
Once Hammer Guy's wounds were mostly bandaged, Pyro Gunner Guy and Geo Staff Guy stood up, weapons in hand, and headed back toward the cavern.
Once upon a time, they too had been rookies on their first battlefield. If not for the protection of the two captains, they would have died long ago. Now was the time to repay that debt. No matter what, they would not let the captains go.
"Alright. You pass," Su Bai said calmly. "You have earned the right to live."
Before the Fatui could even process what that meant, the world spun violently around them.
Hammer Guy, still half-wrapped like a mummy, thought his injuries had finally done him in. Pale-faced, he shouted:
"Take good care of my daughter. I will be going on ahead!"
"Going my ass. That is just the aftereffect of dispelling the illusion. You will be fine after a bit."
"Illusion? Then...?"
Hammer Guy struggled to lift his head and saw Bennett standing nearby, completely unharmed. He finally let out a sigh of relief, yet his wariness toward Su Bai deepened even further.
He was utterly baffled. He had not sensed the illusion at all. If this had been a real battlefield, they would have already been stabbed to death without realizing what happened.
"So from the very beginning, you were playing us?" Pyro Gunner Guy asked uneasily.
As the brains of the group, he found the implications chilling. If this fox had truly been manipulating them from the start, how terrifying was he? If they had not chosen to save that unlucky kid, would they have all been slaughtered?
"Tch. Who knows?" Su Bai replied casually. "Come on, Fischl. A Fatui Electrohammer is great for mining. I have never gotten my hands on one this intact before."