Chapter 19: A Moment of Trust

Although Wuliangta Jizi only trained under Yao Bingling for a short period of one year, it was enough time for her to understand most of her instructor’s temper and personality.

Yao Bingling is a very pure person.

To put it bluntly, he is a very stubborn person. He will stick to what he believes is right until the end.

He also hates Honkai and even wants to completely destroy it. This character can be seen from the way he taught the Valkyries like Jizi to kill their pursuers with all his strength and without leaving any room for them to kill.

Similarly, the Herrscher, who was born since the collapse and is the spokesperson for the collapse and the messenger of destruction, is his number one target.

He would not pause, think, or show mercy because of the other person’s appearance.

Just as he would not hesitate to shoot the girl busying herself in the kitchen for him in the head if he didn’t get the answer he wanted, Jizi also knew that she could not stop him at all.

[Honkai must be destroyed, and the Herrscher must die.]

His will, beliefs and goals are quite clear!

“The story is a bit long. Please consider that Mei is indeed a good child and listen patiently for a while.”

“…it should be fifteen minutes until she finishes cooking dinner.”

“I understand… Then, do you know the truth behind the supposed collapse of Changkong City? That’s where their story begins.”

Ji Zi began to tell the story of the three girls, about their fateful encounter, their spiral-like entanglement, and their later entry into destiny.

A rather amazing, quite loving, quite wonderful, but… quite ridiculous story.

“…” After listening to Ji Zi’s complete description of the relationship between the three children, Yao Bingling felt at that moment that he was really an uncle who was out of touch with the times.

Is true love only for same-s*x people now?

Ji Zi told the story in a way that captured the key points, not missing any important points or plot points. In the process, she tried her best to persuade Yao Bingling to tell him that these three children were kind-hearted and would not betray humans.

In the memory of Raiden Mei asking for death because she was worried that she would awaken again and become a Herrscher, she recounted it in great detail. So detailed that Yao Bingling could even see the child’s crying and despair on her face because she was worried about the possibility of hurting others.

“So there’s a tiny bomb in her heart. It will explode if the Houkai energy gets too high… immediately?”

“…Could you please not be so cruel? What if this child is unconsciously controlling this power? The countdown to detonation is five minutes.”

“Don’t be so naive! If her Herrscher personality overwhelms her Master personality, how many people will die if a Herrscher with her five-minute limit fully activated goes on a rampage?”

“But I believe in that child!” Ji Zi stood up and walked in front of Yao Bingling. In her eyes, one could see the burning determination and conviction, and the same persistence as Yao Bingling!

“You said we must use any means necessary to fight the Houkai, whether it’s overt or covert, whether it’s visible or shameful. Because it’s necessary, the darkness and filth necessary to protect the existence of this world… Are you really willing to go so far as to kill a girl who poses no threat?”

Ji Zi looked at Yao Bingling, staring into his eyes.

There seemed to be a very cold emotion spreading in those eyes, and the cold illusion made Ji Zi feel as if a dagger was quietly against her neck.

But vaguely, Ji Zi saw a small struggle under the coldness, but it was soon covered by the icy coldness, he said.

“This is what you don’t know, Muliangta Himeko. My hands have been dirty for a long time.”

The gun hidden behind his back was taken out. Yao Bingling opened the magazine in front of Ji Zi and poured out all eight bullets inside.

Every bullet was brass-colored, sharp as a gun tip, yet gleaming with bright silver light.

Hollow-point bullets, alloy-tempered silver warheads. This type of bullet was specifically developed to combat large Honkai beasts. If used on humanoids, a single shot would be enough to leave a basketball-sized hole in them. If used on a human, the area of ​​the person struck would likely be reduced to a mass of flesh.

“But, what you said is true. That child, Mei Raiden, may really be innocent. But whether she is innocent or not is not up to me to decide. Let God decide.”

The moment he finished speaking, Yao Bingling suddenly grabbed a bullet on the table and stuffed it into the magazine of the revolver, and then made it rotate at high speed and loaded it immediately!

“You bastard!” Ji Zi, who learned what Yao Bingling was going to do, immediately took action and tried to grab the gun in Yao Bingling’s hand.

But how could the other party let her succeed? He lifted the table and hit Jizi’s calf, making her lose balance. At that moment, he pointed the gun at Mei, who was in the kitchen and wanted to turn around after hearing the noise in the living room.

For the battle-hardened Yao Bingling, firing a gun was like breathing. He didn’t need to check or aim, he just had to grab the gun and fire. It was as natural as breathing, as sure as cause and effect!

“Click~”

“Eh? Major Himeko, what’s wrong with you?”

Mei turned around and saw Ji Zi bumping into Yao Bingling’s arms in a very indecent posture.

The other person’s face showed relief about something, but also obvious anger towards the person who was hugging her.

“Nothing, she just wanted to go to the bathroom and then she seemed to be drunk and bumped into the edge of the table… As you can see, I caught her.”

“Yeah, I was just in a hurry and got knocked down!”

Ji Zi gritted her teeth when she said the last three words. Of course, from this angle, Mei Yi couldn’t see Ji Zi’s hand that was pinching Yao Bingling’s thigh to the right.

“You’ve done this again. I won’t let you drink tonight.”

Mei’s face suddenly darkened, and her eyes, staring at Jizi, were icy and glowing black. Yao Bingling also seemed to see a vague Prajna mask appear behind her.

“Hey! Don’t do this! I finally get to enjoy Mei’s feast, but I can’t drink and enjoy it?! No!”

Ji Zi collapsed on the spot and was about to rush to the refrigerator, but Yao Bingling grabbed her neck and pulled her back.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t be so rude. I’ve lost half of my wine in the few hours since you came to my house.”

“You deserve it!”

This statement clearly contains a protective response to something someone did previously.

“…You’re right. I deserve it.”

Then Yao Bingling let go of Ji Zi’s neck, and this guy immediately rushed to the refrigerator like a duck being chased, and grabbed all the wine inside. The moment several bottles of amber wine with torn labels were taken out, Yao Bingling’s face showed an obvious expression of pain.

“Lieutenant Colonel! Don’t be so indulgent towards Major Himeko!”

“Guns and alcohol are a soldier’s second life.” Although he felt sorry for his alcohol, Yao Bingling stood firmly on Ji Zi’s side at this moment. As for whether he was making up for his previous mistake, it was unknown.

“Haha, it’s my fault~ I’ll go wake up Kiana.”

Mei had treated Kiana’s injuries on the sofa and then carried her to the bedroom. Yao Bingling had also excused himself to leave the living room. Mei’s casual conversation, which was just a few words from Mei, had a subtle feeling of suffocation.

He knew clearly that she was a human nuclear bomb full of uncertainties, ready to explode at any moment… but he felt conflicted because her rationality and conversational integrity preserved a completely human heart…

Ji Zi turned her head quietly, and the figure in her eyes seemed to have a layer of lonely shadow.

[Are you really willing to be so dirty as to kill an innocent girl?]

“I don’t want to…but I will.”

Regardless of one’s own wishes, even if it goes against one’s original intentions and purpose. Even if one is filthy and unbearable to look at… someone must do such a thing.

[Why! He is a good man, why did you kill him?]

[Wait, I was just scratched, I’m not infected! Don’t kill me!]

[He’s just a kid! He can still be saved!]

[Captain…I think it’s time, let’s get started.]

That’s right, someone has to… do this!

The moment he pushed open the bedroom door, Yao Bingling was about to yell at the gluttonous and sleepy girl, but before he could open his mouth, a broken wooden stick was pressed against his throat.

“Put the gun down.”

“…I understand.” Yao Bingling placed the Colt, which was just about to be lifted up, on the desk against the wall.

“What did you just want to do to Meiyi?”

There was no one on the bed. Kiana, who had been stripped of her clothes and was only wearing a thin, translucent dress, stuck close to Yao Bingling’s side like a ghost the moment he came in. She held his neck with a wooden stick with one hand and immediately closed the door with the other hand.

This confused, innocent, and foolish girl, at this moment, looked like a seasoned assassin and soldier, emitting a strong murderous aura and a violent fighting spirit.

“What are you talking about?” Without looking at Kiana, Yao Bingling didn’t even blink, but just asked calmly.

“Don’t play dumb! I saw it all. I don’t know what Himeko said to you, but you definitely shot Mei just now, right?”

By a coincidence, Kiana woke up from her coma due to thirst. When she got up in a daze and prepared to go to the living room to get some water, the moment she opened the door, she saw something that almost made her heart stop.

To be precise, the moment Kiana saw Yao Bingling raise his hand and pull the trigger, her heart probably really tightened, and even her mind went blank for several seconds! Only when she heard the sound of Meiyi being safe did she return to normal. Then came her frantic heartbeat, lungs lacking oxygen, dizziness, and even numbness in her limbs!

She felt that Yao Bingling was serious at that moment.

“You really wanted to kill Mei just now, didn’t you?”

“…”

There was no response to Kiana’s words, but at this moment, silence was the best answer! Kiana, who already knew the answer, gritted her teeth and growled, “Why? Why did you kill Mei?”

“Because she’s a Herrscher.” It was a rather blunt answer. Yao Bingling turned to look at Kiana and said, “The Herrscher is the ultimate embodiment of Honkai. They destroyed the last civilization. And do you know how many people died in the first Honkai in Germany in 1965? And how much more was lost in the second Honkai in Siberia? You said Siegfried told you that life is about protecting the ones you love most. Did he protect your mother during the second Honkai?”

“Bang!”

The local man didn’t use a childish method like a slap to suppress Yao Bingling’s words, but instead used a very direct heavy punch to seal his mouth, almost breaking Yao Bingling’s jaw.

“No, involve my parents!”

Yao Bingling turned back from the direction where his head was tilted due to the punch just now. The blood at the corner of his mouth and even the two loose teeth inside showed how hard Kiana’s punch was. In other words, how angry she was because of his words.

“That’s the truth, kid.” Yao Bingling adjusted his slightly dislocated jaw and looked at Kiana with an unexpectedly gentle gaze. “It’s just that you haven’t seen the true cruelty of this world yet.”

“I’m not quite sure what kind of person Mei Raiden is, but after just a few hours of interacting with her, I can still understand that she is a good child, a kind-hearted and caring girl. Because of this, I imagine that if this girl disappears one day, and as a Herrscher, she wreaks havoc on the world in Mei Raiden’s appearance, no one will know that the girl was once Mei Raiden, and that she was a very kind and beautiful child. They will only know that the girl has the appearance of Mei Raiden, and that she enjoys killing and destruction.”

“She will be remembered as a Herrscher, a defeated Demon King, an enemy, and forever remembered as a witch. Do you really want to see that time come?”

“…Get out…Get out right now!”

“…Remember to come out for dinner.” After saying this, Yao Bingling walked out of the room, leaving Kiana alone in the bedroom, leaning against the wall and quietly sliding down.

“Why…why does everyone think Mei will become a witch!?”

Kiana, her hands wrapped around her knees and her head buried between them, asked herself with tears in her eyes, “A Herrscher is also human. It’s just that his heart has been twisted by Honkai energy. He’s not a monster! Monsters wouldn’t cook dinner for us every day. Monsters wouldn’t care about me this much.”

“But why?”

Kiana’s out-of-control emotions caused her to violently punch the wall, causing the desk next to it to tremble slightly. This also triggered a chain reaction, causing the Colt on the desk to tremble, and finally fell in front of Kiana.

“…That guy was planning to use this gun to kill Mei…”

Thankfully, that person’s idea didn’t come true. Subconsciously, Kiana picked up the gun. The moment the heavy metal touched her hand, she naturally sensed the gun’s terrifying lethality.

She felt as if she was possessed by a ghost, and she herself didn’t know why she did this. Maybe she wanted to see how far or close Mei was from death. She opened the magazine of the revolver, and then… she was shocked. She jumped up from the ground like a rabbit, opened the door and rushed outside.

Mei and Himeko, who were helping to arrange the dishes, were quite surprised, especially Himeko, who was even more stunned when she saw Kiana still holding the gun in her hand. But a little further away, Yao Bingling, who was opening the wine, just paused for a moment and then continued with his work.

“Mei, is juice enough for you? Are you sure you don’t want a glass?”

He asked the other party in such an indifferent manner.

“Ah? No, I’m underage and can’t drink.”

“Don’t be so rigid. You’re in China now. No one takes the law prohibiting underage drinking seriously. Besides, who would see you drinking here?”

“Answer me, where are the bullets?”

Kiana opened the magazine slot to everyone, and the empty magazine slot showed everyone how clean and tidy the interior was. It seemed that Yao Bingling usually took good care of this gun, but just as it was shown, there was no bullet inside, but Kiana and Jizi both saw him stuffing the bullet in.

Ji Zi immediately opened the drawer under the living room table. Inside was the bullets that had just been poured out. The bullets were scattered in disorder, but there were eight of them in total…

“Instructor, you.”

“Put the gun away, that’s not something children should play with. Let’s eat first. We can talk about it after dinner… And, Kiana…” Yao Bingling turned around with a smile and satisfaction on her face. She said, “The breasts are nice, just a little small.”

“Woo!!!! You! You! I, I! f*ck you!”

Kiana’s face suddenly flushed red, and she couldn’t say a word for a long time. She raised her empty weapon and wanted to throw it at the man like a piece of iron, but after realizing his intention, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Helpless and angry, she turned around and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut!

“Little girl.”

As Yao Bingling said this, he suddenly felt a blow on his ribs. When he turned around, he saw Ji Zi’s face with a rather sly smile.

“Instructor~ Don’t come home until you’re drunk tonight.”

“Shit, can you drink more than me?”

“Risting my life to accompany the instructor! Do you think I’ve ever been a coward?”

“Okay, how about something exciting? Whoever vomits first or falls down first, the one who is awake can do whatever they want to the other. Are you brave enough to try?”

“…You’re unexpectedly cruel, Instructor.”

“Well, well, well, that! No erotic stuff allowed!”

Suddenly a third person interrupted the conversation between the two. Ji Zi and Yao Bingling both turned around, only to see a bewildered look on their faces. Mei, who hadn’t understood anything since the beginning, tried very hard to fit in with the atmosphere. Then, Ji Zi smiled in an indecent manner.

Similarly, a smile appeared on Yao Bingling’s face.

“Perhaps, just this once. I can trust this girl, trust… the Kaslana family, just once.”