Lin Ao lay sprawled on the ground, his mind filled with question marks.
Bro… what the hell was that?
You were the ones who told me to kill her. I actually went through with it—and now you're mad at me?
"Uh… sorry. Reflex,"
Diluc said awkwardly, finally realizing what he'd just done. He quickly turned to Ningguang in apology.
"It's fine."
Ningguang slowly lowered her foot. Truth be told, she'd been itching to kick him too.
[Sampo: These two are really trying to play the Dragon King to death.]
[Jing Yuan: Yeah, I can tell—Yunli's client is absolutely safe today.]
[Lingsha: Teyvat really is simple and honest.]
[Raiden Ei: Naturally.]
[Yae Miko: Don't get smug—this doesn't include you.]
Yae Miko was absolutely certain: if Raiden Ei had been the one inside that factory, the girl wouldn't have lasted three minutes.
[Keqing: This is too stressful to watch. Just let her go already.]
[Valerius: Why does this feel so familiar?]
[Bronya: You've experienced this before?]
[Valerius: Yeah… once I tried killing a pigeon to make soup for my mom. But it nearly drowned and looked so pitiful, so I saved it.]
[Bronya: Then… you let it go?]
[Valerius: But then I thought of my mom's health, so I pressed it back into the water.]
[Seele: ?????]
[Serval: !!!!!]
[Jingliu: So… did you kill it in the end?]
[Valerius: It looked too pitiful, so I saved it again.]
[Jing Yuan: Just tell us the result. What happened to the pigeon?]
[Valerius: On the seventeenth time, I finally made up my mind. I'm just that kind-hearted.]
[Himeko: ?????]
[Kafka: Seventeen times?!]
[March 7th: You could've just put it out of its misery…]
[Phantylia: Lord Valerius truly is kind.]
Phantylia shuddered internally and silently vowed never to provoke Valerius again. This man was terrifying—brutal methods, yet completely convinced of his own benevolence.
[Welt: That's not kindness. That's a living Yama King.]
Welt felt deeply unsettled. Why did Valerius remind him so much of a certain blond bishop—doing horrific things while believing himself righteous?
[Serval: Bronya… you should probably keep an eye on him in the future.]
[Bronya: I— I mean— I don't even have that kind of relationship with Valerius! How could I interfere in his affairs?!]
[Natasha: Hehe.]
[Yae Miko: Oho~ there's tea here.]
[Sparkle: Love it. More, please.]
Meanwhile, Lin Ao finally staggered back to his feet.
"So… what exactly do you want from me?"
"Well… how about you try again? We'll stand farther away this time,"
Ningguang suggested sincerely—and even took a few steps back to show goodwill.
Bullshit!
Lin Ao screamed internally.
You've got guns! Standing farther away just means you'll shoot if anything feels off!
But with his life in their hands, he had no choice. He slowly walked back to Xiaowen.
"Wuuu…"
After everything that had happened, Xiaowen had realized something was off. Strangely enough, she wasn't as scared anymore.
A strange thought rose in her heart.
If I'd faced my bullies like this… maybe I wouldn't have been bullied at all.
Lin Ao raised his fist again, glancing nervously at Ningguang and Diluc, who were visibly hesitating.
"You're really not going to stop me?"
"I—I don't think… maybe…?"
They sounded completely uncertain.
Are you screwing with me?!
Before Lin Ao could lose his mind completely—
BANG!
The factory door was kicked open.
Yunli burst in.
The scene before her eyes:
Ningguang and Diluc standing aside.
Lin Ao looming over Xiaowen.
From any angle, it looked like Lin Ao was the kidnapper, while the two armed figures were preparing a desperate rescue.
"You bastard! You dare touch my client?!"
She moved like the wind—one sweeping kick.
Lin Ao flew again.
[Seele: Please… have mercy. Our Dragon King has feelings too.]
[Silver Wolf: If he gets beaten by Alhaitham too, that's an achievement unlocked.]
[March 7th: What achievement?]
[Silver Wolf: 'Everyone Beat Me Once'—reward: 5 Stellar Jades.]
[Sparkle: I want that achievement!]
[Yae Miko: So many bodyguards, and I didn't hit a single one!]
[Valerius: This Dragon King life is rough…]
Valerius covered his face. This was beyond tragic—even by villain standards.
"Xiaowen, are you okay?"
Yunli hurriedly untied her, then shoved her straight toward Ningguang.
"Protect her. I'll teach this guy a lesson."
Ningguang: "..."
Diluc: "..."
Xiaowen: "????"
You just handed the hostage back to the kidnappers?!
[Yanqing: I'm crying—this is too funny.]
[Fu Xuan: The Dragon King took the blame for everything.]
[Feixiao: Wait—didn't they already know the kidnappers wore black suits? How did this happen?]
[Lingsha: She's probably too angry to think straight.]
Yunli, utterly convinced she was in the right, proceeded to beat Lin Ao senseless.
"You dare kidnap my client!"
"Who gave you the guts?!"
Crack! Bang! Thud!
"I—I wasn't kidnapping! I was trying—to—save—her—!"
With that final protest, Lin Ao passed out.
"…Huh?"
Yunli finally froze.
Wait.
She had heard earlier that it was a man and a woman in black suits who took Xiaowen…
She slowly turned around.
Two guns were pointed at Xiaowen.
"You— you can't do this!"
Yunli shouted.
"We're bodyguards! How can you do something like this?!"
"And Blade killed my client,"
Ningguang replied coldly.
"If he can do it, why can't I?"
Yunli's pupils shrank.
So Ningguang's client had really been killed by Blade?
Taking a deep breath, Yunli forced herself to stay calm.
"Miss Ningguang. Please return my client."
"No," Ningguang shook her head.
"If I don't have a client, neither should you."
"If you're blaming someone, blame Blade. He started this."
The standoff continued.
Then Xiaowen spoke softly.
"…Why don't you just let me go? I won't tell anyone what happened. And besides—none of you can actually bring yourselves to kill me."
Silence.
Both Ningguang and Diluc's faces darkened.
So now even the hostage knew they were bluffing.
…This kidnapping business was getting really embarrassing.
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