Chapter 182: Sneaking In

That gray‑haired girl… so strong!

Although she seemed constantly suppressed, the way she stubbornly fought back under attacks like a raging storm, even growing stronger as the battle wore on, made Qiana feel inferior.

She, too, is a trained Valkyrie; she can discern the terrifying precision, power and speed between the two's techniques, which is beyond mere skill.

"Where on earth is this…"

Qiana pressed against the cold ice, couldn't help but shiver again—half from the chill, half from lingering fear—"Why am I here… I'm just a reservist, what right do I have to watch a battle of this caliber…"

A ripple of an ice blade that Kevin had blocked swooshed over, grazing the ice above Qiana's head, shaving off a piece of Ice Shards, causing her to hunch her neck in fright.

"This is far more terrifying than a Collapse Beast…"

She muttered softly, tearless, curling herself tighter, hoping that while these two deities fought, they wouldn't notice her trembling "little bug".

Starry Dome Train, Observation Carriage.

Black Curtain Lady lounged lazily against the sofa, holding a cup of a special Walter concoction, an unnamed drink steaming gently.

In front of her floated a semi‑transparent Light Screen, neatly divided into several panels, one of which showed the "three‑way melee" occurring in the Letu Training Room (more precisely, a duel between two, with a spectator).

She watched with interest Qiana's rich expressions on the Light Screen—ranging from bewilderment to terror, from confusion to shock, and now to trembling and existential doubt.

"Tsk."

Heimu took a delicate sip of the hot drink, a ripple of pleasure spreading in his violet‑black eyes, murmuring, "The reaction is more interesting than expected. It seems the Kaslana family's thick nerves and optimistic spirit also glitch when faced with an absolute power gap and Cognition shock."

Her gaze swept over Kevin and Xing, locked in fierce combat.

"The 'Dreamwalk' left by Chang Ye Yue adapts quite well."

Heimu addressed the system standing beside him, tone tinged with praise, "It not only stabilizes the linking of consciousnesses from different world entities, projecting them into Letu's training space, but also fine‑tunes spatial Rules in real time based on the linker's subconscious and bodily data—such as pain thresholds and damage conversion efficiency… It saves me a lot of trouble."

The system bowed slightly, data flowing steadily in its inverted cross‑shaped pupils: "Capture and projection of Qiana's consciousness are currently stable, with no adverse effect on her body. Repeated linking of 'Xing' has also formed a stable channel. Should Kevin's matching parameters be adjusted?"

"No need."

Heimu set the cup down, fingertips lightly tapping the sofa armrest, "Maintain the status quo. Let Kevin continue 'training' with Xing. As for that spectator… just let her watch. Encountering power beyond one's own comprehension is itself a 'Cognition baptism.' The seed has been planted; when it sprouts depends on the soil and climate."

She watched Qiana curled behind the ice, peeking, a knowing curve forming at the corner of her mouth.

"Enjoy the experience, Qiana. This differs from the Honkai's 'real' fragment from the distant Star Sea… perhaps it will let your future path be clearer."

Perspective shift.

Bai Hang pushed open the courtyard door, shedding the slightly slick smile of a Bai Xing merchant, replacing it with an unmistakable fatigue.

She rubbed her stiffened mouth corner, nodded at Xi Tong, who was fiddling with several precise components on the stone table inside the courtyard.

"I'm back."

Xi Tong lifted his head, his violet‑red inverted cross pupils calmly scanning Bai Hang, while his hands never paused, tiny gears emitting precise clicking at his fingertips.

"Detected your bio‑electric signals show a low emotion index, cortisol levels trending upward. Did today's stall encounter trouble?"

Bai Hang sighed, sitting on the rattan chair opposite Xi Tong, her gaze unfocused, landing on a few glistening Xianzhou loquats in the fruit bowl before her.

"Efficiency? Don't even mention it."

She removed her semi‑permanent Round Sunglasses, rubbed her bridge, "Business exists, but it's too slow, a drop in the bucket. The key is…"

She paused, voice lowered with resignation and a hint of tension: "Jing Yuan came in person today. Though he was… diverted by Jing Liu's accident, his suspicion has certainly been planted. And Jing Liu himself…"

She recalled that night when the other tried to remove her Eye Mask with icy fingers, and the silent yet sharp Warning glance in daylight, and gave a wry smile, "These two—one embodies the highest alert of Xianzhou's officialdom, the other is the greatest uncertainty itself. I'm like a vendor standing between two taut strings; any sudden 'snap' could expose me—it's only a matter of time."

Xi Tong halted his work, his refined face turning to Bai Hang, voice still in that steady tone: "Logical inference holds. Relying on high‑risk public commercial activity to contact high‑value targets, after the current Variable intervenes, the success probability has dropped below the dangerous threshold. Recommend activating the backup plan."

"I want it fast too."

Bai Hang leaned back, gazing at the night sky above the courtyard, "The Task list still includes Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan, Qingque, Huo Huo… none of them can be 'bumped into' at a street corner and have items slipped over. Shen Ce Fu, Tai Bu Si, Ten Kings Office… must I lug a stall to their doors to block people?"

She imagined the scene, shivering herself.

"Plan B: Reverse thinking."

Xi Tong's voice remained even, as if stating an obvious fact, "Since the target won't approach the stall, let the 'goods' go to the target. Execute point‑to‑point precise delivery."

Bai Hang froze, then understood Xi Tong's meaning, eyes widening slightly: "You mean… sneak into their residence to plant something? That's… not really proper, is it?"

A clear hesitation and a hint of embarrassment surfaced on her face, "It sounds… a bit odd, like… uh, not very respectable."

Xi Tong tilted his head slightly, as if judging.

"Logically, it's a harmless gift, perhaps even thanked. Does your morality need recalibration?"

Bai Hang's mouth twitched; she was speechless at the system's pure logic, completely stripped of interpersonal boundaries.

Yet she couldn't deny a small voice inside saying: this is indeed the most direct method. As long as it's done cleanly, leaving no trace.

"The reasoning… is exactly that."

Bai Hang placed a hand on her forehead, "But the problem is, where are the key figures' residences? Xianzhou is so vast, caves within caves; those bigwigs' abodes are likely not public info, perhaps guarded by formations, cloud‑rider sentinels…"

"Information retrieval and path planning fall within this system's regular service scope,"

Xi Tong calmly interrupted her concerns.

She extended her hand, and from some dimensional pocket of her dress produced two sheets of specially textured, slightly cool paper, gently placing them on the table before Bai Hang.

Bai Hang looked down.