Chapter 158: Model Worker's Future

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Ten minutes later, out of nowhere appeared a beach volleyball court.

Raiden Mei stood on one side, utterly bewildered, while Kiana, Rozaliya, and Liliya stretched nearby.

On the opposite end, Sin led with a beaming smile; at her sides were Seele, timidly glancing around, and Wendy, looking like she'd rather not be there at all.

"Beep!"

From the referee booth above center court, Bronya, clad in a blue children's swimsuit, blew her whistle expressionlessly and raised a volleyball as she announced,

"The first Anti-Entropy Beach Volleyball Tournament—rules state that anyone who goes out-of-bounds is eliminated. The team whose entire roster gets eliminated loses, and the other wins. Aside from prohibiting weapons beyond your own body, anything goes. No holds barred, winner takes all!"

Perhaps it was just Raiden Mei's imagination, but after explaining the rules, Bronya seemed to flash a sly grin—as if eager for chaos.

As she comprehended what Bronya had laid out, Mei's lips twitched slightly.

'She really doesn't mind stirring things up!'

"Just you wait! I'm going to return that shot a hundredfold!"

"Hah! You insignificant paramecium—I'll crush your head today!"

The two rivals, completely oblivious to Bronya's mischief, brimmed with fierce determination.

Then Bronya served, sending the ball on a diagonal trajectory to smack squarely and not too forcefully onto Seele's bewildered face.

"Yikes!" Startled, Seele stumbled back several steps and fell outside the boundary of the court.

"Beep—"

"Seele is out!" Bronya declared expressionlessly.

Raiden Mei and Wendy, the only two competitors still maintaining some semblance of rationality, were both visibly upset.

Come on, who doesn't know about your close bond with Seele, Bronya? That favoritism is way too obvious!

Yet the two protagonists seemed entirely focused on each other, completely missing Bronya's biased intentions.

"Wa-ha-ha! One player down before the match even begins. What chance do you have against me? Sinbara!"

"Shut up! We never relied on her fighting ability anyway. With Xing alone, we can take care of all of you!"

"Heh-heh! Quite the bold talk!"

"You'll find out soon enough if I'm bluffing or not!"

Sin picked up the volleyball with a menacing grin, her aura darkening ominously.

Rozaliya and Liliya exchanged high-fives.

"It's time to show everyone the power of the Vodka Sisters, Liliya!"

"That's right, Rozaliya," agreed Liliya.

Then Sin tossed the ball high into the air, leaped several meters off the ground, and unleashed a fierce serve.

BOOM!

The volleyball crashed down like a meteorite. If Raiden Mei wasn't mistaken, it even seemed engulfed in flames sparked by its friction with the air.

She shielded her face with both hands, closing her eyes against flying debris.

A minute later, Raiden Mei dusted herself off as their side of the court resembled a small crater from a meteor strike.

Rozaliya and Liliya lay motionless on the sand about ten meters away, their arms stretched forward, pointing straight ahead with their index fingers, seemingly at peace despite their prone positions.

"Team... Rozaliya! Liliya! Curse you for treating my teammates this way! You're dead, Sinbara!"

Seeing Rozaliya and Liliya eliminated from the game, Kiana gritted her teeth, picked up the volleyball, and seemed to ignite with flames.

With another high toss, she leaped, sending the ball hurtling toward Sin at blinding speed with tremendous force.

Boom!

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

The gale whipped back and forth, quickly transforming the court into a crater-riddled wasteland. The net in the middle had long since disintegrated amidst the chaos.

Bronya vanished from her referee seat, joining Zeke and Seele as spectators far away, enjoying the latter's attentive service of feeding them snacks.

Raiden Mei and Wendy stood on the sidelines, exchanging glances that reflected their shared bewilderment.

"Maybe we should leave too!" suggested Wendy.

"All right... Let's take Rozaliya and Liliya with us," agreed Raiden Mei. "It's getting dangerous; they're playing recklessly."

Each taking one Vodka Sister, the pair moved away from the battlefield to join Zeke's viewing area.

"You tampered with that volleyball, didn't you?"

Wendy put Liliya down and asked with a grimace, "What did you do to these ropes?"

Zeke glanced at her and nodded. "Custom-made. Resistant to impact, wear, and Honkai Energy."

"Dang it! I knew something was off! Were you planning on making them perform like circus monkeys or what?"

"Not quite. They just have too much energy; we needed a way for them to burn some of it off."

"Wow... You're seriously twisted!"

"Wanna join them up there?"

"I'm sorry! No, I meant, that's such a brilliant idea!" Wendy quickly backed down.

She couldn't beat Zeke anyway, so conceding might be embarrassing, but getting hoisted upside-down all the time would be even more humiliating—when faced with two evils, best choose the lesser one.

Hand-in-hand, Seele and Raiden Mei guided the dazed Vodka Sisters under a beach umbrella and placed ice packs on their heads, hoping they'd recover soon.

Then, the pair arranged platters filled with fruit, juice, ice cream, jelly, and other refreshing treats, serving everyone generously—a commendable display of hospitality.

As everyone enjoyed their relaxing beach holiday, Kiana and Sin only grew more exhilarated with each bout, exchanging blows until sunset.

"Ahhh! Awww! Woo!"

Seagulls soared overhead as Kiana and Sin lay panting by the shore, defiantly glaring at each other despite their exhaustion.

But they truly had no energy left to continue fighting.

At that moment, shadows fell over them—Zeke and Bronya approached from behind.

"Done playing?" Zeke crouched down, poking first Kiana's soft cheeks, then Sin's.

Kiana rolled her eyes. "That's enough for today. I'm hungry; we can teach her another lesson next time."

"Arrogant much!"

"I don't hear you, la-de-da! Like a tortoise spouting proverbs—I'm not listening, lalala!" She stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Paramecium!"

Zeke gently stroked Sin's head.

In the next instant, she transformed, losing all traces of anger and resentment. Affectionately nuzzling against Zeke's palm, she blinked innocently.

"Zeke, give me a hug!"

"Sure thing." Zeke promptly lifted Sin into his arms.

He rarely held her like this, so it struck him anew how light Sin felt—soft and warm against his touch, making him instinctively want to pull her snugly into his embrace.

"Eat more regularly; you're too light. Otherwise, you might not grow tall."

"Do you prefer taller girls?" Sin blinked innocently as she asked softly.

At the same time, Kiana's and Bronya's ears perked up simultaneously.

Zeke tilted his head, pondering for a moment before replying:

"If you're asking about romantic preferences...not necessarily. I think compatibility is key."

"Then what type of girl suits Zeke?"

"Just someone low-maintenance, considerate, and without unnecessary drama would be fine."

"That's me!"

"Dream on, little one."

"Heh heh!" Sin giggled gleefully, nestled in Zeke's arms, her laughter exceptionally sweet.

Kiana gritted her teeth, her eyes turning red with envy.

Meanwhile, Bronya stroked her chin thoughtfully.

Low-maintenance, considerate, no unnecessary drama—that description perfectly fit her!

Could Zeke be subtly confessing?!

Bronya's heart raced momentarily, only to hear Zeke calmly instruct:

"Take Kiana along; let's head back."

"Oh..." Bronya responded mechanically. She slid her foot under Kiana, hooked it upwards with a swift motion, and effortlessly hoisted Kiana onto her shoulder like lifting a sack.

"Wah! Be gentler!"

"Griping already? Behave or I'll toss you into the sea," Bronya replied coldly.

She must have overthought it—Zeke making a confession? It'd be more likely for Anti-Entropy to retire after defeating Honkai tomorrow!

"Bronya."

"Yes?"

"After we return, I plan to give everyone a lesson on human biology. You can assist me."

"Understood! I'll prepare the materials and classroom as soon as we're back." Bronya nodded expressionlessly, consistently reliable and obedient.

Zeke gave a satisfied nod.

This matter couldn't be delayed. The girls were all quite innocent, so even if some topics might feel awkward, they needed basic knowledge. Zeke couldn't constantly monitor their lives either. If he missed something one day, allowing some unworthy scoundrel to take advantage of them, it would be too late—and unbecoming—to intervene as their guardian by then.

So, it was time for some education.

Apart from that, there were several other tasks to tackle:

The cloned Cecilia bodies retrieved from Schicksal's Far East Branch had completed their treatment; next, arrangements needed to be made for their lives at Headquarters.

Regarding the principles behind Divine Sound technology, Zeke had previously requested Book of Fuxi and Fu Hua to compile relevant information. It was now time to review their findings.

The performance of the Hive System's submachines had significantly improved, but Icarus, as the intelligent core, lagged behind in upgrades. Further enhancements were necessary, along with integrating Otto's consciousness network technology.

Zeke had obtained the Xuanyuan Sword, but hadn't yet found the time to study it thoroughly. Ji Lin's soul appeared to be dormant within, requiring further investigation.

In Yae Village, despite concealing this from Otto, they had confirmed the existence of ancient ruins. The Key of Corruption—the black box containing the sealed Yin-Yin-Ying and Higokumaru—needed to be acquired promptly.

Meanwhile, revisions to the "Information Origin Theory" were ongoing, with the next phase ready for practical implementation. For matters involving resurrection, Zeke needed Otto to explore the possibilities of traversing space-time through the quantum realm. The Archon would undoubtedly be thrilled, and it could also keep him occupied, facilitating Anti-Entropy's progress.

Additionally, he had to find time to visit Vera and consider his options; perhaps even bring Kiana along—Zeke was confident in handling any situation with his current abilities.

There was also Kiana's Herrscher identity, Seele's emerging second personality, the future direction of Anti-Entropy, plans for the Honkai unified front, Kevin, Durandal, Chen Tianwu, Ana Schariac...

"Agh!"

Under the setting sun, Zeke suddenly sighed, feeling utterly defeated.

Why, despite everything seemingly progressing smoothly, did it feel like his tasks kept piling up?

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