Chapter 91: Teriri, I'm Your Fan!!!

The deserted streets were filled with the evening breeze carrying a scent of blood, flowing through the streets. Moonlight spilled over the crime scene, and on the ground, bright and dark red petals of manzhu sha hua blossomed.

Chase's figure appeared in front of the lifeless body of the Gray Snake, with a complex expression on his face.

The Gray Snake's body had undergone extensive modifications, almost everything except the essential internal organs and tissues had turned into mechanical constructs. Chase squatted down and flipped through the body of the Gray Snake, confirming the installed mechanical components.

"Let me see... neural chip, bionic eye..." Chase counted the missing items, suddenly noticing a biological authentication chip on the inside of the Gray Snake's wrist. He paused, "Did they deliberately leave a biological authentication chip?"

As for Rita accidentally forgetting about this chip, sorry, Chase really didn't consider it. After all, she was an S-rank Valkyrie of World Serpent, and having one like Theresa was enough. Otherwise, World Serpent would face some consequences.

As if sensing something, Chase shifted his gaze to a surveillance camera not far away, then turned away, paying it no more attention.

As the humanoid machine prepared by the Gray Snake as bait for the Honkai Beast Beverly's group, Chase was naturally aware. One couldn't deny that the astonishing computing power of the humanoid machine, comparable to a quantum computer, made Chase quite envious.

With the addition of the talent [Hacker] from the first simulation, he would be the Herrscher of Erosion and Corrosion! Well, only in the electronic aspect.

"..." On the other end of the surveillance network, a little girl who witnessed a murder and body inspection widened her eyes. Indescribable fear filled her heart. She tightly covered her mouth with both hands, as if crying out loud would expose her to the person on the other side of the monitor. She couldn't be discovered; once exposed, the snake would tear her into pieces.

Chase took out a communication device and sent a message to the Gray Snake:

[Rita Rossweisse took the neural chip and bionic eye; only a biological chip is left.]

Soon, the Gray Snake's message came back:

[Leave the biological chip to my buyer and ensure the smooth progress of the transaction.]

Chase retrieved the communication device and turned to look at the corner of the distant street. A group of young-looking girls was briskly approaching, appearing as if they had just finished high school. 

But Chase would never be deceived by appearances. His gaze moved to the white-haired loli in the trio.

Oh, Teresa, a forty-year-old woman, why do you need to act like a virgin?

With this thought, Chase walked up to the three of them, a smile on his face that couldn't hide his amusement. "You're from Schicksal, right? Welcome to our humble abode."

As he spoke, Chase's eyes intentionally or unintentionally moved between the three.

Hmm, there's an old acquaintance, Theresa, the middle-aged aunt who hasn't grown taller even in her forties, a girl from the Far East with purple hair holding a katana, and...

Uh... When Chase saw the loli with gray twintails holding up in mid-air, he couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.

Gray hair, gray eyes, and this appearance... inexplicably, Chase remembered a kind lady he had seen in the first simulation.

Alexandra.

"Yes, it's us," Theresa crossed her arms, trying to adopt a stern posture to assert authority, "and Mr. Gray Snake, it's impolite to keep staring at maidens like that, hmph."

Call yourself a maiden?! Ridiculous! Chase couldn't help but comment internally, but looking at the Judah behind Theresa, he decided not to say it out loud.

This was a business negotiation, and it needed to be serious and concise. Better to avoid saying things that would annoy the other party.

"Just getting to know a bit about the people I'm dealing with. If Miss Theresa finds it offensive, then it's my offense," Chase replied casually, not bothering to correct Theresa's wrong address. She looked displeased, but Chase's nonchalant attitude made her somewhat frustrated. She decided not to continue on this topic and asked, "We've seen many wrecks of mechs on the way, most with smooth-cut surfaces. Do you know what's going on?"

"Oh, there was a Valkyrie from Schicksal, Rita Rossweisse. She tried to disrupt the deal, but she's gone now," Chase answered, pausing before extending his hand, palm open, and raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Theresa frowned.

"The intelligence of an S-rank Valkyrie is not within the scope of the trade. This information comes at an additional cost," Chase calmly said, his gaze sincere. Even with the white dove mask on his face, the playful undertones in his eyes were clear to Theresa.

"Is this a form of coercion?" Theresa resisted the urge to draw Judah but clenched her fists. With a forced smile, she said, "Mr. Gray Snake, staring at us is impolite."

Although she was smiling, those who knew her could sense her anger.

"If Miss Theresa interprets it that way, it's fine," Chase shrugged, spreading his hands, "after all, the one needing information about Kiana Kaslana is your group, not me."

"The S-rank Valkyrie even came to us, offering twice the price you're willing to pay for information about the Herrscher of the Void. We refused. That should prove our sincerity," he continued. "Moreover, we not only lost a significant amount of transaction fees, but the mech escort we paid dearly for was completely wiped out by that Valkyrie. We didn't even ask Anti-Entropy for repair costs. And yet, Miss Theresa, you're haggling over a little extra information fee. It truly breaks our hearts..."

With that, Chase exaggeratedly covered his face and pretended to cry, putting on a theatrical performance. Theresa, who had just felt a bit guilty, immediately saw through the act. She understood that the unconventional guy in front of her was playing around.

"Enough with the nonsense. Let's get to the point," Theresa urged. "Anti-Entropy will pay for the information about Rita."

Chase stopped his fake crying and changed his tone to a cheerful one. "That's great! Teriri, the world's cutest idol, really moved me!"

Theresa was left dumbfounded. Mei and Bronya exchanged glances, understanding each other's thoughts. Mei quietly placed her hand on her katana, while Bronya manipulated the artillery on her bunny.

"By the way, I'm a fan of yours, Miss Theresa. Could I get an autograph? Back then..."

Theresa silently took out her Judah, threw it on the ground, and cracked the floor. Chase wisely stopped the unfinished sentence. Persecuting Theresa today was enough; he was already satisfied.

"Well, Miss Theresa, hurry up and transfer the money," Chase said, signaling Theresa to transfer the funds.

With a black face, Theresa transferred the money to Chase's account and impatiently said, "Now, can you tell us about Kiana's information, Mr. Gray Snake?"

"Of course, in business, honesty is key," Chase nodded. Just as Theresa and the others began to relax, he changed the topic, "But, Miss Theresa, it seems you've misunderstood something from the beginning. I've never been the Mr. Gray Snake you referred to."

"What do you mean?" Theresa's tone turned unfriendly upon hearing this. Feeling that she was being mocked, she was on the verge of erupting. Mei and Bronya glanced at each other, mutually understanding the meaning in each other's eyes. Mei again silently placed her hand on her katana, while Bronya also quietly manipulated the artillery on her bunny.

"Oh, don't be so agitated, my friend," Chase, behind the white dove mask, awkwardly smiled, decisively choosing not to continue the banter. "You can call me White Dove. I'm a colleague of Gray Snake."

"Then where's Gray Snake?" Theresa asked.

"Oh, please follow me," Chase beckoned and walked ahead. Then, he stopped in front of a corpse and pointed, "Your Gray Snake is right here."

"???" Theresa and the others exchanged glances in silence.

The current mentality of everyone in Hyperion is probably like this.

Initially, learning about Kiana's news, joy, excitement, anticipation.

Arriving in Arc City, seeing many mech wrecks at the trading site, unease, anxiety.

Encountering an annoying trading partner, rising blood pressure, but enduring it for Kiana.

In the end, that guy said their trading partner, Gray Snake, was dead!

A mix of complex of a hundred emotions, a blend of sorrow and joy – this was the current state of mind for the group from the cuties in Hyperion.

"My colleague, adhering to his principles in trading, chose to die rather than yield under the pressure of an S-rank Valkyrie. Although some information was lost, he managed to preserve some things for you." Chase's voice slowly came through as he handed over a biological chip to the group.

"Gray Snake's body underwent extensive mechanical modifications; the information is no longer stored in his brain. The intelligence you seek is all in Gray Snake's stronghold, and this biological chip is specifically designed for authorization recognition..."

"Why didn't you just give us Kiana's information directly?" Bronya interrupted before Chase could finish.

"Because I don't know either. Gray Snake is in charge of intelligence gathering, not me," Chase said confidently, hands on his hips, looking pleased. "As they say, the master leads you through the door, but cultivation relies on the individual. Whether you can find your comrades' whereabouts depends on your own efforts."

"The chip I'm giving you only guarantees you have a channel to obtain information. As for whether you can break through Gray Snake's encryption, well..." Chase paused, shifting his gaze to Bronya. "I believe Miss Bronya, being a top-notch hacker, won't find it too challenging."

Bronya responded with a confused expression: ( ? ? ? )

.......

The people of Hyperion departed, leaving Chase standing in place, watching them with a sigh. He took out a communication device and sent a message to the World Serpent's side:

[White Dove: Anti-Entropy is heading to Gray Snake's base, will continue to observe.]

[Night Owl: Hmm, good luck.]

[Raven: You actually managed to swindle some extra intel fees?]

[White Dove: It's all part of the World Serpent's training.]

[Raven: Hurry up and invite me to dinner to showcase your skills!]

["White Dove" changed the name of "Raven" to "Little Island Boom Crow."]

[Little Island Boom Crow: ??? You're still there? Don't you dare run away!]

Chase smiled, satisfied with the communication, disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he had crossed through the virtual space and was now in a room he had been in before. In the room, there was a bored white-haired girl sitting on a sofa.

The white-haired girl was Kiana Kaslana, a B-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal, currently wanted.

"Oh, let me think, who is this beautiful girl, resembling a moon goddess, waiting for?" A familiar voice came from behind, carrying a playful tone. Kiana's eyes lit up slightly as she turned her head and indeed saw the familiar face of Chase.

"That's right, it's me." Chase smiled, greeted Kiana, "Theresa... oh no, Miss Kiana, it's been a while."

Kiana's smile suddenly froze, mouth agape, momentarily forgetting what she wanted to say.

Chase didn't find it strange, walked over with a smile, sat beside her without saying a word, lifted his head to look at the map on the wall that had appeared at some point, showing genuine interest.

The map on the wall displayed the layout of Arc City, pinned with various pieces of intelligence and different-colored lines.

In recent days, Kiana had been constantly moving between disaster sites in Arc City, inspecting remains, digging for clues, and tirelessly searching for every piece of the puzzle.

Somewhat surprised, Chase turned to look at Kiana. The girl blushed at being scrutinized, either because her alias was exposed or for some other reason, she lowered her head, afraid to meet his gaze.

A long silence formed an invisible barrier between the two, but eventually, Kiana broke the silence, opening her mouth like a young animal:

"You, you know, right?" Kiana's voice trembled, revealing her current state of confusion.

"In the World Serpent, I've learned quite a bit. Your information isn't much of a big secret to them," Chase replied.

Kiana nodded hesitantly, feeling somewhat awkward and unsure of what to say. After thinking for a while, she finally spoke:

"That, Chase, about your abilities..."

Upon hearing this, Chase, in a straightforward manner, showed Kiana the Stigmata Mark of Sirin in the palm of his right hand. In Kiana's somewhat astonished eyes, Chase smiled and responded:

"Yes, this Stigmata Mark contains the same power as the Herrscher of Void. I believe you all are familiar with it."

As he spoke, Chase looked through Kiana's clear eyes with a penetrating gaze, as if seeing something different through this window of the soul. He said with a smile:

"Wouldn't you agree, Fu Hua?"