Chapter 40: A Ruthless Redemption and a Hasty Retreat

Liu Xingluo was reluctant to engage them if she could avoid it.

After all, their very existence was to protect humanity, and harming them would weigh heavily on her conscience, especially since she had once benefited from their protection herself.

Yet, in their current predicament, a safe retreat without retaliation was clearly impossible.

Their onslaught was relentless.

Fortunately, Liu Xingluo’s enhanced vision allowed her to discern the trajectory of their attacks, enabling her to dodge.

Even so, several strikes still landed, and had her defenses not been significantly fortified, she would have been overwhelmed long ago.

Lain, on the other hand, moved with effortless grace, his sword a blur as it parried the relentless barrage of projectiles.

As a divine眷属 (TL Note: A subordinate or retainer of a deity, often imbued with supernatural power), the might he wielded far surpassed that of lesser alien beasts; even standing still and allowing them to strike would likely fail to breach his defenses.

“Hey, Lain. Can you incapacitate them? Just don’t kill them. We won’t be able to get away at this rate.”

While Liu Xingluo believed she could probably incapacitate them herself, having such a dependable subordinate as Lain made it foolish not to utilize him.

Moreover, in terms of current combat prowess, Lain was clearly superior to her own untrained, brute-force strength.

He would undoubtedly handle the situation more effectively.

“No problem. Consider it done.”

Merely incapacitating them without taking their lives was a trivial matter for him.

Batting aside their attacks with his sword, Lain effortlessly closed the distance.

Noticing Lain’s approach, the captain immediately ordered the bulk of their firepower to concentrate on him, hoping to eliminate him before he could reach their front lines.

However, such meager attacks proved utterly incapable of halting Lain’s advance, failing even to inflict any meaningful damage, let alone eliminate him.

Deeming the distance sufficient, Lain unleashed a slash so swift that they could not even perceive its movement.

The very next second, the队员 (TL Note: team members or soldiers) who had been relentlessly attacking felt a sudden lightness in their hands, the familiar heft of their firearms vanishing.

Unsure of what had transpired, they glanced down at their hands.

“Ah… ah… AHHHHH!!!”

Upon realizing what had occurred, every single one of them shrieked in unison.

Their hands had been severed, and where their limbs once connected, blood now gushed incessantly.

“This is your punishment for raising your hands against Her Royal Highness. Bear it well.”

Truth be told, Lain felt merely severing their hands was a lenient punishment.

The crime of attacking Her Royal Highness warranted death, and it would not have been excessive.

It was only due to Her Royal Highness’s benevolent nature, her willingness to grant them a chance at redemption, that he had been instructed to incapacitate them without killing.

Liu Xingluo was horrified by the sight.

She had merely intended for Lain to knock them unconscious or destroy their weapons, never imagining he would simply sever their hands.

The sheer volume of blood and their agonizing screams made her wince in sympathetic pain, let alone what the victims themselves must be enduring.

“Your Royal Highness, as per your command, I have incapacitated them. Do you have any further instructions?”

Unaware of Liu Xingluo’s now pallid complexion, Lain approached her, awaiting further orders.

“Next… let’s make a quick escape!”

Grabbing Lain’s hand, Liu Xingluo swiftly pulled him along to flee.

Having gone so far, if they didn’t escape immediately, they would soon face opponents with far greater combat capabilities: superhumans (TL Note: ‘超能力者’ refers to individuals with supernatural powers).

Should that truly come to pass, they would be in serious trouble.

These were superhumans, unlike the previous opponents who merely relied on firearms and other conventional weapons.

They possessed the power to effortlessly neutralize alien beasts.

It was thanks to them, thirteen years prior, that the alien beasts were driven back to the Antarctic, restoring peace to humanity.

If Liu Xingluo were to confront a superhuman, the outcome was unthinkable: she would undoubtedly be utterly routed.

What good was her current enhanced combat power compared to her original body?

Her raw, untrained strength was no match for a superhuman.

Even if she sent Lain to fight in her stead, his lack of restraint meant he might severely injure a superhuman as he had the soldiers, which would only exacerbate their predicament.

Thus, avoiding battle now was the wisest course of action, beneficial for all involved.

****

“Alright, this should be far enough.”

Since nearby residents had sought refuge in shelters the moment the alarm sounded, Liu Xingluo smoothly arrived at a seemingly secluded street.

Here, she surmised, they wouldn’t have to worry about being discovered.

Now, Liu Xingluo intended to have a serious talk with Lain.

If she wished to continue utilizing him effectively, she absolutely had to correct his sense of values.

“Lain, I need to talk to you. Weren’t you a bit… heavy-handed? I only asked you to incapacitate them, so why did you directly sever their hands?”

“Because it was the most effective method, Your Royal Highness.

They engage in combat by wielding weapons; therefore, simply severing their hands suffices.

If I had merely destroyed their weapons, as long as their hands remained, they could still procure other armaments to maintain their combat effectiveness.”

Lain articulated his reasoning.

In truth, his actions perfectly aligned with Liu Xingluo’s command to “incapacitate them.”

By depriving them of their hands, they could no longer wield any weapons, naturally rendering them combat-ineffective.

“Ha… you. There was clearly an option to simply knock them unconscious, wasn’t there?

Why did you insist on severing their hands, escalating the situation even further?

Honestly, thanks to you, I might not even be able to go home now.”

Given Lain’s actions, the alien beast unit (TL Note: Refers to the special forces dealing with alien beasts, not the beasts themselves) would likely not let her or Lain off easily.

Her current form had probably been recorded, and they would surely pursue her.

If she continued in this state, she doubted she could return home without incident; her sister might even get dragged into this.

While transforming back would allow her to return home smoothly, given her current exhaustion, she would likely collapse from overexertion the moment she reverted.

It seemed best to maintain her current form for a while longer.

“Hmm… it appears I failed to grasp Your Royal Highness’s true intent.

Please, Your Royal Highness, punish me.”

Seeing Liu Xingluo’s distressed expression, Lain realized his unauthorized actions were undoubtedly the cause.

He immediately knelt before her, begging for forgiveness.

“Oh, forget it.

What’s done is done; regret won’t change anything.

Let’s just focus on figuring out our next move.”

Truth be told, Lain hadn’t been entirely wrong in that moment.

The fault lay with her for not issuing a more precise command.