Chapter 116: Disappeared

Ying only now woke as if from a dream, slowly loosened her arm, but her gaze still locked tightly on Pa Duo, as if a blink would make her disappear again.

She looked at the living Pa Duo before her, then at the brightly smiling Ailixiya and the quiet Ge Lei Xiu, and a huge confusion replaced part of the guilt.

"Ailixiya? Ge Lei Xiu? You… where exactly is this place? Everything that just happened… could it be an illusion? Or…"

Her eyes instantly sharpened, scanning the pure white, "…a trap set by the Invasive Lawgiver?"

She subconsciously clenched her fist; although HanYuBingTian was not nearby, her combat instinct had already awakened.

As soon as Pa Duo regained freedom, she immediately hid behind Ailixiya, stuck out half a head, and with lingering fear looked at Ying: "Sister Ying, you were really scary just now… what illusion trap? I only remember a flash before my eyes, a purplish thing smearing my face, then we ended up here, and I also saw Sister Ailixiya and Ge Lei Xiu."

Ailixiya let out a light sigh, and that perfect smile finally acquired a hint of helplessness: "I'm sorry, Ying, this place is probably neither an illusion nor a simple trap. Ge Lei Xiu and I arrived a bit earlier than you… but apart from knowing that this space is completely sealed, and that the guy who 'invited' us calls himself 'Heimu', we know nothing else."

"Heimu…"

Ying softly repeated the name, and in her mind the pair of purple‑black eyes and the chilling Lawgiver's Pattern surfaced.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Pa Duo couldn't help but shiver, hugging her arms, "Just hearing that name feels so chilly, it really lives up to the title 'Behind the Scenes Black Hand'! Are we now taken in one fell swoop? Will everyone in Le Tu think we've all 'disappeared'?"

Ge Lei Xiu stopped the finger she was smearing with, lifted her clear eyes, and said softly, "Uncle Kevin… will find out. Grandma Mei Bi Wu Si… will too."

Ailixiya, hearing that, rallied herself, hands on hips, and her face regained that infectious optimism: "Exactly! Ge Lei Xiu is right! Kevin may be cold at times, but he's reliable when it counts! And Dr. Mei Bi Wu Si, she's the one who loves studying these 'anomalous phenomena' the most; perhaps she's now holding a Surgical Knife… uh, a research instrument, trying to find us!"

She walked up to Ying, her blue eyes seriously fixed on her: "So, before rescue arrives, we mustn't lose our formation, okay? Though we don't know what Miss Heimu intends, the fact that she didn't instantly eliminate us but gathered us together shows we still have value, or rather… she has another purpose."

Ying looked at Ailixiya's seemingly never‑extinguishing radiance, then at Pa Duo's face that read 'I'm scared but I trust Sister Ailixiya', and at the quiet yet resolute Ge Lei Xiu, and the swirling negative emotions in her heart eased a bit.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

As a warrior, panic solves no problem.

"I understand."

Ying nodded, her gaze becoming sharp and focused again, "The top priority is to figure out the Rule here, and… Heimu's true purpose."

She looked at Ailixiya: "Ailixiya, did you notice anything when you were here before?"

Ailixiya spread her hands, blinking playfully, "Findings… this place is really 'white', very empty, nothing at all. I tried singing, the sound didn't travel far; I tried walking forward, but it seemed I stayed in place forever. But…"

She shifted tone, fingertip tapping her chin, "I always feel that Heimu's… gaze at us is odd. It's not pure malice, but carries a bit… hmm… how to say, like conducting some kind of 'observation'?"

Pa Duo, confused, replied, "Observation? Sister Ailixiya, that sounds even scarier!"

Ying was thoughtful.

If it were merely simple Corrosion, there would be no need for such elaborate schemes.

Heimu's actions are riddled with contradictions.

WangShiLeTu·ZhongYangDaTing

Yidian sat regally on an ornate chair, the wine glass she habitually held nowhere to be seen, her golden eyes tinged with worry, and she was speaking softly with the nearby Hua.

Hua still wore simple elegant attire, listening intently, nodding occasionally, a layer of inescapable solemnity shading her brows.

At that moment, two figures entered the hall, one after the other.

"Sister Hua! Sister Yidian!"

Leading the way, the still‑shaken Pa Duo whispered a greeting, her ears and Tail drooping, looking like a frightened kitten.

Hua gave her a slight nod in response.

Yidian lifted her eyelids, her voice still mellifluous yet tinged with fatigue: "It's Ying and Pa Duo, huh. How's the situation outside? Any findings?"

Trailing Pa Duo, the one playing Ying, A Xing, mimicking Ying's cool, taciturn demeanor, gave a slight shake of the head, succinctly: "None."

She even perfectly replicated Ying's slightly furrowed brows, as if also troubled by the lack of clues.

"Let's sit down and rest first."

Yidian gently signaled, her gaze caring, "No need to push yourself too hard."

The two 'actors' complied, finding an inconspicuous spot to sit. Pa Duo even tucked her neck in, trying to lower her presence, while her cat eyes silently surveyed everyone present.

She was secretly thrilled when another sound came from the hall's entrance.

Mei Bi Wu Si and Wei Er Wei entered together.

Mei Bi Wu Si's petite face was now clouded with gloom, her green snake-like eyes flashing irritation and resentment, clearly displeased that the investigation had made no progress.

Wei Er Wei spread her hands, her face complex.

(Hiss~ it's tiny Mei Bi Wu Si! That cold face! And next to her… it's Wei Er Wei! 'Big V Teacher' outfit, that aura, tsk tsk, truly a case where seeing is believing!)

"No need to hold onto hope."

Mei Bi Wu Si's voice carried a chill, "The database's lower layers are as clean as if licked, not a trace of intrusion, not even anomalous data fluctuations. Either all of us, including Le Tu itself, shared an absurd collective nightmare…"

She paused, her snake eyes sweeping the crowd, "Or perhaps the opponent's methods exceed our current Cognition level."

Wei Er Wei interjected, her tone exaggerated: "Exactly! Even I— the great Wei Er Wei— can't detect even a speck, this is the greatest provocation against the Magus! If we think pessimistically, perhaps the outside world has already completely fallen, who knows?"

She spoke those frightening words, yet her gaze seemed to anticipate a more dramatic development.

Yidian gently shook her head, her voice steady and strong, carrying a soothing power: "It won't happen. Kevin is still out there. Even if things get worse, he will never let Honkai… or any enemy, succeed easily."

Mentioning that name seemed to inject everyone with a dose of courage.

Even Pa Duo had to admit that the very existence of that man was an absolute guarantee.

At that moment, a cold chill silently spread.

Kevin's figure, as if bearing wind and snow, appeared in the center of the hall.

His icy‑blue eyes, like millennia‑old frost, slowly swept over everyone present, finally fixing on Yidian.

"Su," he said, his voice flat yet raising everyone's hearts, "disappeared."

In an instant, the hall was silent enough to hear a pin drop.