Chapter 217: Is the One Before Me Zhuge Kongming? Pfft, It's the Sky-Gazing Shorty, Kongming!
Clearly, the cuteness displayed by Starlit Astrologos was entirely different from Theresa's. If anything, the three Theresa characters that had appeared so far each possessed distinct personality traits. Although they shared the same appearance, they had to be viewed as three different individuals. Their only shared trait was looking exactly alike. But Theresa being called "Teri-stupid" (Deli-sha) had nothing to do with her looks!
Even if players were biased by the Theresas of other worlds, Kongming proved with her wisdom what it meant to be the highest IQ parallel-world counterpart of Theresa! Knowledge really can change a person; same face, yet two completely different temperaments!
[As expected of the Old Thief! He really wrote three completely different Theresas!]
[If this isn't love, what else is there to be sad about~ ♪]
[His devotion levels are MAXed out, aren't they? Every Theresa character is designed with such care. The Old Thief definitely has a crush on Theresa!]
[Don't go there. I think Otto would be the first to object to this marriage!]
[LMAO, I'm already imagining the Old Thief parking a 'modded scooter' (Guǐhuǒ) under Otto's balcony.]
[A scooter doesn't match the Old Thief's vibe, does it? Shouldn't it be the Hyperion?]
[Old Thief Su Mu: 'Hey, old man Otto, is it okay if I park my Hyperion at your port?']
[Netizens are all geniuses, and they speak so well. I love it here!]
The livestream chat was full of praise for Kongming's charm, but the topic gradually derailed and circled back to Su Mu. Su Mu felt helpless. Stop dragging me into everything! Does MiHoYo have its own Tohsaka Tokiomi? "Scapegoat Su Mu, step forward!" Usually, temporary workers are the ones who take the blame, so how did it become the Game Director's job? It's unfair!!
While Su Mu lamented that life was as lonely as snow, Theresa continued to advance the game's plot. Under Kongming's meticulous care, the Captain's injuries finally stabilized. The group arrived at Aster Town. While eating at a town inn, they met an owner with donkey ears... wait, fox ears—Yae Sakura.
Although this Yae Sakura was still wearing the same qipao that appeared in the Shenzhou Celestial event, the audience knew this wasn't the same person. And clearly, there was no Seele in a qipao here. As the plot progressed, players learned that Yae Sakura was sent by Prime Minister Rita to escort Kongming safely back to Huanyue City. Despite some minor hiccups, Sakura eventually chose to trust the suspicious "Mr. Assassin."
However, uninvited guests soon found the Captain's party. An assassin named Raven appeared before them. But under Yae Sakura's verbal maneuvering, Raven's goals were quickly exposed, and she even let slip that her employer was the Second Prince. For an assassin to reveal her employer's information... her professional level was somewhat embarrassing.
Clearly, the Raven in this event lowered the bar for the character. While Raven was a professional mercenary in the main story, her brain seemed to have short-circuited in this event. As the saying goes, those who are close to a Tuna become stupid... Second Prince Kiana looked a bit "drooly" even after being healed; could she be affected by the Tuna Aura?
An embarrassed Raven tried to attack but was scared witless by Xiao Te, looking like a mouse seeing a cat. That pitiful appearance made it hard to imagine she was an arrogant assassin moments ago. she even fainted from pure terror caused by Xiao Te... Raven's "spectacular" performance left the audience speechless.
[I know event plots aren't tied to the main story, but this Raven is too funny!]
[LMAO, is this Raven a clown invited by monkeys?]
[I'm wondering now: if Raven is like this, what will Jackal be like?]
[Is Raven never coming back from the path of being a gag character? Is she going to do a stand-up comedy routine with the 'Erguotou' girls next?]
[To save her silent island, Raven decided to debut as an idol...]
[What classic idol anime opening is this? Seriously, is Raven bound to that villa island? Why is it everywhere!]
[Watch your mouth! don't you know the value of our 'Island Bomber' Raven!?]
Though the process was hilarious, the trouble with Raven was resolved. While the Captain and Xiao Te rested, Kongming spent time alone with Yae Sakura. They talked about something, but the game glossed over it. The next day, the Captain and Kongming headed to the next formation site, Baizhang Plain.
Unsurprisingly, something went wrong. The Grand General of the Empyrean Empire, Durandal, appeared to forcibly take Kongming back to the Wu-Shuang Camp. To protect Kongming and prevent her from being taken, the Captain stepped forward without hesitation! Just as Durandal's spear was about to pierce him, something unexpected happened.
[CLANG—!!]
[The spearhead hit my chest, but it didn't pierce through. Instead, it produced a dull, metallic ring.]
As it turned out, the Captain was prepared and had hidden a steel plate on his chest, which blocked Durandal's strike!
["Iron Shirt technique? Interesting."]
["You, guard... I shall see how many of my strikes you can take today!"]
Though the Captain tried to use his "talk-no-jutsu," Durandal had no intention of stopping and thrust her spear again. Without a steel plate to block it this time, the spear pierced the Captain's shoulder.
["This isn't... what was agreed upon..."]
The Captain, with a pierced shoulder, soon fainted from blood loss.
Tragic. Capital T Tragic. Seeing the Captain faint from injury again, the audience couldn't help but roast him.
[What's going on? MC, pull yourself together!]
[When did I become such a weakling? Damn! I was at least a T0 support in 'Sanka Saga,' so why am I so useless here?]
[Uh, the Captain's combat power is really hard to compliment; it's pure amateur level...]
[You can't say that. The Captain isn't using his own body; he's projecting his consciousness. It's normal for combat power to drop in a foreign body, right?]
[Even so, I feel the Captain has always been weak... look at 'Midsummer Night'; he had zero chance against a berserk Luna.]
[Hey, hey, hey! why are you acting like I'm useless!]
[Otto holds the Captain in high regard. From that alone, I must have some extraordinary qualities, right?]
Amidst the roasting, the Captain finally woke up. When he snapped back, he was looking at an unfamiliar ceiling in an unfamiliar room, like the start of a transmigration drama. Xiao Te was guarding him and let out a visible sigh of relief upon seeing him wake, though her mouth remained sharp.
The Captain complained to Xiao Te that if he hadn't listened to her, he wouldn't be in this state. Xiao Te was also frustrated; she had said Durandal would only strike him once, and she specifically told him the location so he could defend with a steel plate. Who knew Durandal would add a second strike... Fortunately, it didn't hit anything vital, and his life was saved.
The awakened Captain was soon invited by Durandal to the main tent. she had been waiting there for a long time. To take Kongming back, the Captain argued with Durandal, telling her that although Kongming was young, she was prepared to fight for the nation. Everything she was doing was to permanently seal the final beast and protect the country. If Durandal tried to stop her, the Captain was prepared to face her again.
Just as the atmosphere turned tense, the curtain was yanked open. Before the Captain could react, Kongming's feather fan whacked him on the forehead.
["You—you idiot! you were stabbed by her just yesterday, and you've forgotten everything today?"]
Kongming was both anxious and angry at the Captain's recklessness. Worried about him but unable to say it plainly, she could only scold him and jump up to give him a fan-whack. she was like an angry kitten.
"Hee-hee! This Kongming clearly cares about the Captain but tries so hard to act like a little adult. she's so interesting!" Kiana smiled at the in-game Kongming and, intentionally or not, winked at Theresa.
Theresa: "?" Theresa: "Kiana, what are you trying to say?"
Kiana shrugged: "I was just thinking, Auntie was so cute as a child, why did she turn into a violent old wom—OWWW!!" Before Kiana could finish, the Auntie's "Fist of Love" greeted her.
"Kiana, do you not know how to spell the word 'death'!"
Watching the two play-fighting, Su Mu couldn't help but chuckle. Suddenly, Theresa's hand reached out and gave Su Mu's waist a hard pinch! Su Mu's face scrunched up, almost screaming out loud. He met Theresa's angry gaze with a look of grievance. "I didn't say anything! It's not my fault!"
Kiana clutched her head and stuck her tongue out at Su Mu: "Now you know how I feel, Su Mu! It's like 'fire at the gate,' what's the rest?"
Su Mu corrected: "'When the city gate is on fire, the fish in the moat are affected'... Kiana, you should read more."
Kiana put her hands on her hips: "Whatever, same thing! Just know that we're in this together!"
Su Mu sighed. Truly, trouble falls from the sky while you're just sitting at home. "When did you apprentice under Chris? You should be the Chris of 'Resident Evil'."
"? What do you mean?"
"A character in the new game, a 'teammate killer,' cursed to lose his teammates. I feel it suits you."
"Aha! you're finding ways to call me a jinx, aren't you!"
The bickering was a treat for the audience.
[Does the Old Thief always bicker with President Kiana?]
[LMAO, it feels like a 'bickering couple' vibe.]
[The Old Thief is quite brave, isn't he? Talking back to his boss like that, isn't he afraid of being fired?]
[Fire him? Are you joking! Look at the scripts he writes; look at how he tortures President Kiana in the game!]
[If he hasn't been fired after all that, I have reason to suspect the Old Thief and President Kiana are actually a couple.]
[Wait, holy crap, Old Thief, for real? I thought you were a Teriri solo-stan? Now you're dating the President? You deserve to die!]
[The Old Thief is committing a crime! Come with me!!]
[Bigamy is illegal! Think carefully, Old Thief! if you go to jail, who will make games for us?]
Su Mu laughed off the troll comments, but Kiana couldn't ignore them. "What bickering couple? Old married couple? Stop slandering our innocence without proof!"
"Me and Su Mu? Where did you even hear such rumors!" Kiana's denial only made the audience more excited.
[The tsundere trait is kicking in, right?]
[A master once said: you have to listen to what a woman says in reverse. 'No' means 'Yes,' 'I don't want' means 'I do!' So the bigger her reaction, the more it proves it's true!]
[I've realized it! Brothers, do you know why the Old Thief writes Kiana so miserably in the main story? It's a personal vendetta! He suffers at home, so he writes it into the game!]
[Brother, your analysis is wilder than fiction! Writing torture for your own wife? I see you want to sleep on the sofa for a month!]
The atmosphere was joyful, though Kiana's face grew darker. Theresa, having composed herself, continued the event.
Kongming, appearing suddenly, explained everything to the Captain alongside Durandal. It turned out to be a test of the Captain's loyalty. If he had abandoned her, there would be one more corpse in the desert. Durandal decided to help, providing maximum military support for Kongming's plan to seal the beast.
However, the next day, on the way to the final formation site, the Captain and Kongming were ambushed. The Captain looked into the distance to see thousands of soldiers in armor, already in formation. Under the main banner, the two leaders were in white and silver—none other than the Second Prince and her strategist, Jackal!
The sudden appearance of Kiana and Jackal blocking their path piqued the audience's interest.
[Nice! Kiana is actually the villain this time?]
[This might be Kiana's first time as a villain. A power-hungry Second Prince... feels like a weird mismatch.]
[Honestly, with Kiana's IQ, it's hard to see her as a villain... maybe she was tricked by Jackal?]
[Watch your mouth! I have proof you are 'Bullying the Tuna'!]
[What! you dare look down on the Second Prince of the Empyrean Empire! Take him out and beat him to death!]
In the game, Jackal's first line upon seeing the Captain's group made everyone lose it!
["Is the one before me the traitor, Kongming?"]
That familiar opening... that familiar tone... Zhuge Jackal, when did you get here?
END OF CHAPTER
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