"Hahaha, who dares defy me? Watch me Teri Teri you to death!"
Just as he was laughing smugly, about to take the first step toward ruling the prison, he was shattered outright by the Herrscher's wind pressure.
The rings of wind compressed and exploded. Wendy coldly crushed every prisoner present without the slightest hesitation. "Shout all you like. Freedom shackled by desire... deserves to be destroyed..."
The scene reminded Wendy of the shelter at the Michigan Wetlands Ecological Exhibition Hall.
The humans there had been just as ignorant of how precious freedom truly was.
She had clearly opened the iron gates that restricted their movement, yet they had looked at her with resentment, fear, terror, and madness.
Hearing Wendy's indifferent words, Gulu gulu understood. Wendy was no longer the strong yet gentle little Wendy described in the files.
She was the Herrscher of Wind.
She could kill humans as casually as brushing away dust—not for any ideal of freedom in her heart, but simply for slaughter, for destruction.
Having witnessed everything, Gulu gulu spread its wings and pointed toward the circus below. "There are still many animals imprisoned inside the circus!"
The Chicago City Circus. On the surface, it was a place of entertainment. In truth, it served as the secret base of the Clown Gang. Illegal transactions were conducted in secret here—trafficking rare wildlife, even engaging in detestable human trafficking.
Within the vast interior of the circus, animals of all kinds were confined. From the bottom of the food chain to its apex predators, the variety was dazzling, like some bizarre zoological exhibition.
Not all the animals were locked in cages. Some docile creatures were allowed to roam freely and could even leave the circus at any time. Yet they chose not to. There was an endless supply of food here, along with the protection granted by humans.
These gentle animals had long been tamed by the lash of human whips. Gradually numbed, they had lost the desire to pursue freedom.
After explaining this, Gulu gulu asked in a puzzled tone, "Little lion, do you think the animals inside the cages are free, or the ones outside?"
Wendy responded with action. She shattered the circus' semicircular dome and destroyed the cages that held the animals.
Gulu gulu flapped along behind her and said, "You've returned these animals to nature, but they won't thank you. You've taken away their shelter."
This time, Wendy restrained her Honkai energy and kept her distance, ensuring the animals would not immediately turn into Honkai Beasts. The animals fled from their cages.
But the starving beasts that had been trapped were nothing like the docile ones outside. They began searching for prey.
Savage creatures roared as they tore into one another. Some weaker animals, in order to protect their young, were forced to join the fight.
There were even mutated creatures bred specifically for beast fighting, killing purely for the sake of killing.
Before long, the circus became a sea of blood. Animal lives vanished with terrifying speed.
"..."
Wendy had not expected that, even without her interference, the animals still could not escape the bonds of death.
Gulu gulu looked at the silent Wendy and explained, "It was the iron cages that preserved their lives and gave them the right to freedom."
"Is it truly right to define so-called freedom by your own standards?"
"What, then, is your freedom, Wendy?"
The feathers atop Wendy's head emitted a soft glow, drawing her into memory.
Little Wendy had been bedridden for years because of Honkai experiments.
Her adoptive parents and doctors were always by her side, constantly restricting her movements, preventing her from seeing the outside world.
She could only secretly flip through philosophy books, natural history magazines, and illustrated encyclopedias to learn about the scenery beyond.
But she was not satisfied. She wanted to see distant oceans and vast forests. She longed for freedom and a joyful life. Yet her adoptive parents mercilessly confined her within that narrow space, and the doctors' treatment plans ensured she would never again see the scenery beyond the window. Even the view through the window was blurred and distorted.
Whenever she heard birds chirping outside, she would feel endless envy.
She wanted to fly. She wanted to soar freely through the sky like a bird.
She was not content with her circumstances, nor willing to remain bound.
At that time, she yearned for freedom. She wanted to breathe free air, feel the free wind, and go to the places she dreamed of. Her heart had always waited for that moment. To her, leaving the hospital meant freedom.
Through this analysis, Vill-V had essentially confirmed the current psychological state of the Herrscher of Wind. Thus, according to Conductor's [Herrscher Ascension Plan], Magician activated the program installed within Gulu gulu's feather.
In truth, these were not the memories of the Herrscher of Wind, nor were they Wendy's own memories. They were Wendy's fabricated pseudo-memories compiled by Vill-V.
Vill-V had not designed an entire complete set of memories to force into Wendy's mind. Instead, using technology from the Three-Body world, she integrated fragments of Wendy's self-impression into what Wendy believed to be "her memories."
The advantage of this approach was that it felt more natural. It allowed the Herrscher of Wind to begin doubting whether the human "Wendy" still lingered like a persistent ghost.
Of course, it was also possible that the Herrscher of Wind simply regarded herself as Wendy.
"..." Wendy's eyes were hollow and cold. Her face bore no expression, like a puppet that did not know how to convey emotion.
Suddenly, furious flames ignited in her gaze. She seemed to understand what emotion she ought to display. "That's right. It was those damned humans who bound Wendy and stole Wendy's freedom!"
"But Wendy is kind. She repays hatred with virtue and is willing to grant them a chance at freedom." A contradictory smile curved at the corner of her lips.
Gulu gulu looked at Wendy's eerie expression and continued, "This gugu world is forever imperfect. Humans do not possess absolute freedom. Freedom is contradictory. Humanity merely moves forward amid contradictions, gugu."
"Humans are not beasts. And you are not gugu."
"Gugu Wendy, transcend the shackles of thought. Do not let the idea of destruction interfere..."
That's right. Don't worry about the job Honkai assigned you. Drag the Herrscher down—slacking off is the true path to saving humanity.
Little Herrscher, come slack off with me. Slack off enough and you too can have a healthy smile like Senti!
"Let us gugu gugu together..."
Smack!
Wendy seized Gulu gulu's body and pronounced coldly, "Your claws have grown bold. To question the oracle—death!"
Nothing could challenge her authority.
Crack—snap—crunch! Gulu gulu's body was shredded by the raging winds.
Even a body forged from soulium could not escape the crushing gale.
Even though Magician silently recited in her heart, Wind, submit to me!, it was utterly useless.