Chapter 172: What

The icy sensation spread from Xi Lian's spine to her limbs as she was tightly bound to the custom surgical table at the center of Mei Bi Wu Si's laboratory, its surface shimmering with a cold gleam.

Her snow‑white wrists and ankles were locked by dark‑green energy rings; even the slightest movement let her feel the restraining force field they contained.

Mei Bi Wu Si had already slipped on a pair of thin, skin‑tight experimental gloves, the tips exuding an inhuman chill as they slowly traced the lines of Xi Lian's arm, as if evaluating a precision instrument about to be dismantled.

"Wuh..."

Xi Lian couldn't help but shiver, her body instinctively tensing.

She closed her eyes, her mind a bitter haze of confusion.

(What on earth is happening... escaping the Golden Descendant's shackles, thinking I could gain freedom, only to fall from one predicament into another?)

It finally turned into a self‑mocking sigh.

Then she opened her sky‑blue eyes, looked at Mei Bi Wu Si, who was curiously studying her, and forced her voice to sound steadier: "Mei Bi Wu Si... Doctor? Weren't you wanting to know what's outside, to learn about Weng Fa Luo Si and fate? I can tell you, tell you everything, with no reservation! Really! Just… let me go, okay?"

Her tone carried a plea and a hint of tremor.

"Tell me? Tell me everything?"

Mei Bi Wu Si tilted her head; her light‑green eyes glimmered under the cold light as she gave a saccharine smile, but her voice was icy, "What an enticing proposal, little butterfly. Yet words are unverified, memories can be forged, emotions can be masked. How do I know whether the 'everything' you speak of is the 'everything' I want to hear? Or perhaps it's a 'Script' some people pre‑wrote for you...?"

She straightened, turned toward a cart piled with bizarre contraptions, her fingers lingering over a row of faintly glowing syringes, sensor patches attached to fine wires, and intricately structured helmet devices, as if selecting the most handy tool.

"So, to ensure authenticity,"

Mei Bi Wu Si, with her back to Xi Lian, spoke in a tone as gentle as soothing a child: "We still need to employ a little… minor auxiliary measure. Rest assured, you may feel a slight dizziness, but for the sake of science, that cost is worth it, right?"

Xi Lian's heart sank to the bottom of a valley.

She began to struggle fiercely, pressing her wrists and ankles against the rings, but the restraints remained unmoving; instead, her resistance caused them to tighten slightly, delivering a sharper pressure.

The power within her, already largely sealed with Heimu Lady's aid, was only enough to sustain her form and basic movement; now it was like stagnant deep water, utterly immobile.

Despair coiled around her like icy vines.

(Is anyone there... who comes... Heimu Lady... can you see? Please... )

Just as Mei Bi Wu Si selected a device whose front bore countless probes, humming an off‑key tune while turning—

Dong, dong, dong!

Heavy, urgent, ever‑approaching footsteps pounded like drums from outside the lab's massive metal doors, clearly piercing the well‑insulated walls.

Mei Bi Wu Si's movements halted; the leisurely expression on her face vanished instantly, her brows knitting.

(What was that? What are those guys outside up to again?)

She set the device down, irritation evident, and hurried to the doorway, tilting her ear to discern the source of the noise.

Just as her ear was almost pressed to the door panel—

"Boom—!!!"

A blast far louder than the "Dong" erupted suddenly!

The alloy‑sealed door, capable of withstanding ordinary attacks, seemed struck head‑on by a high‑speed Star Chariot; it twisted and warped in an instant, then with a shrill howl tore free from its frame, soaring inward like a cannonball!

And Mei Bi Wu Si, standing behind the door, only had time to see the rapidly expanding metallic shadow reflected in her pupils—

"Bang— whoosh—!!!"

She was slammed solidly between the door and the rear wall, her body and the door embedding together, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Xi Lian lay on the surgical table, staring dumbfounded at the rapid upheaval, her small mouth slightly open, completely unable to react.

Before the dust settled, a lightning‑fast pink after‑image shot in through the gaping hole, the gust it generated swirling the laboratory's papers.

The after‑image paused barely at all, racing straight to the edge of the surgical table.

Xi Lian only felt a flash before her eyes; the energy rings binding her wrists and ankles emitted a few faint "click" sounds, the light faded, and they unlocked automatically.

Immediately after, a pair of warm, strong hands gently supported her shoulders, helping her sit up.

"Are you okay? My cute lost girl?"

A pleasant, bell‑like voice rang in her ears.

Xi Lian lifted her head dizzily; before her eyes was an extremely close‑up, overly beautiful face.

Pink hair cascaded, and crystal‑clear blue eyes now brimmed with a smile and the gleam of someone who had found a precious treasure.

That face...

It inexplicably gave her a deep‑seated sense of familiarity and closeness, as if looking into a slightly altered mirror, yet the other's vibrant, radiant aura was entirely different from her own.

"I... I'm fine..."

Xi Lian answered instinctively, then regained her voice, her tone filled with post‑trauma bewilderment and gratitude: "Um... thank you... who are you...?"

"I am—"

The pink‑haired girl was just about to flash a radiant smile, ready to introduce herself.

"A—i—l—i—x—i—a—!!!"

A guttural, almost teeth‑gritted growl came from the direction of the shattered door debris.

The twisted metal door suddenly oozed thick, ink‑green liquid, quickly melting a huge hole through the panels.

Mei Bi Wu Si's somewhat disheveled figure squeezed out of the opening.

Her white lab coat was dust‑covered, her slightly wavy green hair a bit messy, a few strands clinging to her forehead.

Her light‑green eyes narrowed dangerously, fixed on Ailixiya at the edge of the surgical table, a gaze as if intending to slice her and place the pieces into a petri dish.

Ailixiya seemed only now to notice someone else there; she turned, her face breaking into a delighted expression as if meeting an old acquaintance: "Ah~! Isn't that our clever and charming Mei Bi Wu Si Doctor? What are you doing here? And... playing such a creative game of hide‑and‑seek with the door?"

Her tone was saccharine, the ending pitched upward, laced with unabashed teasing.

"You—!"

Mei Bi Wu Si, furious, held her breath briefly, too lazy for words, and raised her hand.

In an instant, dozens of sharp, ink‑green energy cones materialized in the lab air, their tips glimmering ominously like venomous snakes poised to strike, all aimed at Ailixiya and Xi Lian.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh—!"

The conical projectile shoots out, tearing the air.