Li Ke stared blankly at Kiri, who was currently lugging an M60 machine gun with several grenades dangling from her tactical vest, looking like she was about to drop into a literal war zone. He couldn't help but tilt his head in sheer disbelief. Beside him, Tsunade, who was currently burying her face flat into the pillow, let out a bizarre, muffled shriek of pure embarrassment.
"I mean... could you maybe pick a better time to break in?" Li Ke couldn't help but shoot a deadpan complaint her way. This woman always managed to barge in at the strangest times and places. More importantly, she always lucked into overhearing conversations directly related to her. This level of timing was... honestly, an absurd kind of luck that defied all logic.
"Ha! Don't blame me for you two being so lovey-dovey. Take a look at the time, will you? It's already this late, and you're still not out of bed to grind quests, farm skill points, and collect rewards. What exactly are you trying to accomplish! Wrap it up already! I'm waiting to see how you're going to send Tsunade back!"
Kiri shot Li Ke a highly annoyed middle finger before swiftly turning on her heel and closing the door behind her.
Li Ke stared at the shut door, casually giving Tsunade's perfect hips a light squeeze. Suddenly, he caught his breath as a realization hit him. He hadn't heard any footsteps approaching the door earlier. Furthermore, the exact moment Kiri broke into the room, her face had been completely flushed.
Which meant—
"Kiri, you bastard, you've been eavesdropping out there the entire time, haven't you?!" his furious roar echoed through the cabin.
…..
Half an hour later, Li Ke stood by the campfire with a lollipop hanging from his mouth, staring down at the culinary disaster before him. It had been prepared by Kiri, who, out of the remaining three women, was technically the most capable cook.
Even though Li Ke had to eat it himself, he would rather insult his own humanity by calling it pig slop just to properly express how horrific Kiri's cooking tasted. It genuinely was not fit for human consumption!
Glancing over at Rias and Lux, who were currently staring at the pot with deeply anxious expressions, Li Ke let out a brief click of his tongue. He casually retrieved a piece of raw meat from his inventory and placed it onto the makeshift grill they had crafted.
However, no one was actually paying attention to the food right now.
After placing the meat down, Li Ke glanced at Tsunade, who hadn't uttered a single word since their encounter ended. He pulled up a crafted wooden stool, sat down, and pointed a finger toward her.
"I can indeed send Tsunade back now. But... how should I put this." Li Ke took a deep breath.
If he were being completely honest with himself, he didn't want Tsunade to leave. Even if she couldn't actively participate in combat, her raw strength alone was more than enough to provide massive utility when it came to base building and infrastructure.
Not to mention, her physical presence served as an incredible stress reliever for Li Ke, among various other benefits.
Li Ke still thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of her voluptuous body. Furthermore, the dynamic between the two of them had genuinely shifted into something unique.
The tragic irony, however, was that if Li Ke truly wanted what was best for Tsunade, he needed to send her back home.
But at the same time, Li Ke didn't know if he could fully trust this system of his. What if this Repatriate function turned out to be completely unreliable?
"To be honest, I don't even know how foolproof it is. The first time I used it, I didn't even have a chance to look before Erina vanished into thin air. I was in no position to check up on her back then, so..." Li Ke crunched down on the candy in his mouth, giving voice to his lingering worries.
"Don't worry about that," Tsunade interrupted him. "There's no need. This is my own choice. Even if it goes wrong, it doesn't matter; that's my own business."
As she spoke, she looked directly into Li Ke's eyes. "Are you certain that you guys don't need me anymore?"
A strange, brilliant light flickered within Tsunade's eyes. Li Ke chewed up the remaining bits of candy, deliberately avoiding her gaze. The massive spike in Energy Points made it blindingly obvious that Tsunade's psychological state had undergone a massive shift—but clearly, so had Li Ke's.
"Yeah. With Rias here, our raw combat power and healing shouldn't be an issue anymore. Plus, I can manage to build reinforced iron cabins on my own. Tsunade, heading back now won't cause any disruption to our survival." Li Ke took a deep breath. "So, I can send you back right this second."
"..."
Tsunade fell completely silent. She stared dead at Li Ke for a long time before she finally spoke. "Are you telling the truth?"
"About what?"
"The Energy Points."
"They're completely genuine. Last night, the energy generated between us erupted like crazy."
"Then why didn't you just lie to me? You're the only one who actually knows exactly how many points we have, right?"
"I've had enough of living a life full of lies," Li Ke replied with earnestness.
"Faking a smile to please others, bowing to demanding clients and telling them it's my fault, saying 'no problem' even when I despised working overtime, and then coming home swallow all that grievance just to tell everyone I'm doing great... And on top of that, dealing with a life where I run into a massive crisis, and others clearly have the solution but refuse to tell me—I am completely done with that kind of life. That's why I will never lie about things that actually determine another person's destiny, unless I absolutely loathe them."
Li Ke spat out the plastic stick from the lollipop, looking completely indifferent.
"Unfortunately for you, I actually quite like you. I like your personality, and I like your body. It's a shame that you just don't belong here. Frankly, no one belongs in this godforsaken hellhole. We're highly likely to do some incredibly dangerous things moving forward, so we can't afford to keep you here. Even though we were literally joined at a negative distance just a moment ago, facts are facts. Going back as early as possible is the best choice for you."
Hearing this, Tsunade clenched her fists tightly. She knew exactly what he was referring to—investigating that factory. If there was a way to return home hidden there, they could potentially use it to escape.
However, the probability was incredibly low.
Furthermore, there was a glaring issue.
Her own safety.
God only knew what else this world would throw at them. If they left people behind to protect her, it would be useless unless those protectors were exceptionally strong. But if they deployed that kind of strength for her safety, they wouldn't have enough manpower left to actively explore the factory.
The only alternative was to endure another Blood Moon event and recruit a new batch of newcomers.
Yet, the mere thought of facing that horrific spectacle all over again made Tsunade's heart go completely numb. Her entire body felt drained of strength. She couldn't even begin to imagine how she would survive another scenario like that.
Even so, she forced herself to speak up. "I can stay until we clear one more Blood Moon."
But Li Ke rejected her offer without a second thought.
"No. I'm terrified you'll genuinely lose your mind. Ask yourself honestly—is your current mental state truly fit to keep living in this place? Tsunade, even if it's just for a few more days."
Li Ke could clearly perceive that Tsunade's existence in this place had been an agonizing ordeal. The daily sight of decaying corpses, paired with the unstoppable tides of monsters arriving every few days, inflicted an immense psychological toll on someone in her fragile mental state.
This was especially true for the Blood Moon events. Li Ke noticed that her mind became heavily unstable in their aftermath. Had that not been the case, she wouldn't have aggressively initiated their encounter last night, nor would she have suffered such a massive emotional outburst.
If she were to stay here any longer, her hemophobia might eventually be cured through their intimate bedroom antics, but her mind and willpower would undoubtedly be completely shattered.
Furthermore, this world was genuinely riddled with hidden perils. God only knew what other taboos and lethal dangers were lurking in the shadows.
"Besides, we agreed on this right from the very beginning, didn't we? I am merely a passing traveler in your life. We made a promise that the exact moment we gathered enough energy to send you back, I would let you leave."
"..."
Tsunade took a deep breath, slowly nodding her head. "If you truly don't need me anymore."
"I really don't."
Li Ke stood up and walked over to Tsunade. Looking down at her beautiful face, his heart welled with a sudden wave of bittersweet nostalgia. Such a spectacular bed partner, and he was already about to send her away.
Thus, as he stared at her, he gave it a brief thought before directly reaching out. One of his hands firmly cupped her chest right above her heart, while his other hand grabbed a tight hold of her voluptuous, perky hips, idly kneading both at the same time.
"...Is this also a mandatory part of the Repatriate process?" Tsunade's gaze shifted instantly, her eyes narrowing.
Li Ke nodded, his expression completely shameless and deadpan.
"Absolutely. After all, this is the last time I'll ever get to touch you. Think of it as a parting souvenir. Unless some crazy miracle happens, we probably won't ever see each other again. Alright then, ready for the countdown? One, two, three... Repatriate?"
"Do whatever you want."
"One."
"Two."
"Three..."
The exact instant Li Ke muttered the word 'three,' he opened his system interface and clicked the Repatriate button. In the next fraction of a second, Tsunade suddenly lunged forward, pressing her lips gently against his in a fleeting kiss before her body instantly dissolved into a translucent, flickering silhouette right before his eyes.
Tsunade stumbled forward, her form passing entirely through his body. At the same time, the space immediately surrounding them began to warp, projecting a surreal, ethereal imagery that looked entirely detached from the reality of this world.
Li Ke spun around, catching sight of Tsunade turning back to look at him as well. She instinctively reached out to grab him, but her hand once again swept straight through his physical body. Her lips moved as she tried to say something, but Li Ke couldn't hear a single sound.
This phantom projection lingered for a full three minutes before it slowly faded away. Li Ke silently watched the sequence play out until he saw Tsunade materialize back in her own world, where she was instantly enveloped in a frantic embrace by an incredibly emotional, black-haired young girl.
This time, his senses were sharp. As long as he stood within that fading illusion, he could distinctly feel a sensation of dimensional displacement. It was an incredibly bizarre feeling, almost as if he could actively manipulate that displacement to step straight into Tsunade's realm—except something within his system was still lacking the necessary power to make it happen.
However, as Tsunade's lingering silhouette dissolved into nothingness, a sudden realization hit Li Ke.
Back then, did the exact same thing happen to Erina? Meaning... she actually watched me detonate that entire stash of gunpowder? Wow. No wonder she genuinely thinks I'm dead.
The thought left Li Ke feeling a bit melancholy. But the moment he remembered that he only needed to take care of the remaining two girls before his system would allow him to go find Erina, a wave of genuine excitement washed over him. He turned around, facing the three girls who were currently staring at him with deadly serious expressions.
"So, the Repatriate function is officially confirmed to be real. Anyone interested?"
Although he phrased it as a general question, Li Ke's eyes were locked squarely onto Kiri. Kiri's lips twitched slightly. She knew this bastard had been itching to get his hands on her for a long time now—Li Ke had never been subtle about staring at her exceptionally long legs and revealing outfit.
But if he were being completely honest with himself, his interactions with Kiri were by far the most enjoyable, even eclipsing his time with Erina. Kiri's personality was simply spectacular!
Slowly, Kiri began to raise her hand.
After all, she had her own pressing reasons to return, and she genuinely wanted to test this function out. Given the state of the war back home, she was highly likely to die on the battlefield upon her return anyway, so she figured she might as well experience this side of life before her time was up.
As for staying behind? That was out of the question unless the war in the Empyrean suddenly reached a miraculous conclusion.
Still, the smug, utterly confident look on Li Ke's face—as if he already had her completely figured out—annoyed her to no end.
She fully intended to string him along a bit to whet his appetite. Furthermore, when they finally got down to business, she was planning to introduce a few specialized toys and props into the mix. She wanted to teach this guy a lesson he would never forget: you do not mess with a Female Ranger!
Besides! She wasn't about to be the only one getting penetrated here! Why on earth should the guy doing the piercing get to have all the fun forever? This was fundamentally unfair! She was going to penetrate Li Ke right back!
However, just as Kiri's hand was about to go all the way up, right before she could voice her specific conditions, another voice suddenly pierced through the silence of the room.
"Please use me! Please send me back to my own world, Mr. Li Ke! I have incredibly important duties that I must fulfill! I beg of you, please!"
It was Lux.