Let's Be Friends

"Lin Wei, it's you?!"

Although they had never met in person, Jackal was intimately familiar with Lin Wei's face. She had even "yearned" for it, in a way. So, when he suddenly appeared before her like this, she couldn't help but feel utterly shocked.

How dare he show himself so brazenly?

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Jackal instinctively reached for her hip, only to find empty space. Her heart sank.

"Oh dear, Professor Cleo, what are you doing?" Lin Wei asked with a chuckle, Faking surprise. "Looking for something? Did you prepare a welcome gift for your students? As expected of a world-renowned professor~"

He emphasized "world-renowned professor," the mockery clear as day.

"Heh…" Aware of his hostility, Jackal didn't want to lose face. She let out a cold laugh, retorting, "Taking something without asking is called stealing. Didn't anyone teach you that?"

"Hmm… Professor Cleo is indeed learned, even using ancient Shenzhou proverbs to lecture me. Truly admirable." Lin Wei nodded earnestly, Faking humility before asking with a puzzled look, "But I'm not a thief? What thief would appear before you so openly?"

He placed his hat over his chest, giving Jackal a gentlemanly bow. With a smile, he continued, "Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm a magician. I'm here to give you a small gift. What happened just now was… a little impromptu performance."

As he spoke, Lin Wei flipped his hat, revealing a uniquely shaped pistol nestled within the crown. He had swiped it when he grabbed Jackal's hand—a sleight of hand trick he learned from Pardofelis back in the Elysian Realm.

"Mei goes to the Elysian Realm to 'explore and discover'; when it's my turn, the theme becomes 'apprenticeship'?" Lin Wei thought wryly, but his face held a calm smile as he gently presented the hat to Jackal, demonstrating he meant no harm.

"Why do these people always carry pistols? Especially Jackal, how did she even get through security?" Lin Wei wondered, his eyes appraising Jackal's alluring figure.

He had already seen Cocolia and Gray Serpent with firearms. This livid woman before him made three. (Siegfried didn't count – his was a Divine Key).

"Hmph!" Jackal stared at Lin Wei, hesitant. After a moment, she cautiously reached for the hat. Seeing Lin Wei make no other moves, she relaxed, cursing him inwardly as a "fool" while quickly retrieving her gun.

She swiftly chambered a round, pressing the gun against Lin Wei's forehead. "Die, you fool!" Jackal's face was filled with the satisfaction of revenge as she pulled the trigger.

From the moment Lin Wei appeared, Jackal had been planning to capture him. This was the perfect opportunity. Even if it was just his corpse, while not as good as a live specimen, it would still do!

Click.

The firing pin struck empty air. Jackal's heart sank again. Tricked… again?

"Oh, what a pity, Dr. Jackal…" Lin Wei flicked his hat brim with a look of regret, placing it back on his head. "I thought we were friends. This is quite hurtful…"

He held the brim of his hat between his fingers, several gleaming bullets visible between each gap. With a twitch of his hand, they disappeared into his palm. "Or is this your way of showing hospitality, Dr. Jackal?"

This was the first time Lin Wei addressed her by her World Serpent codename. He tossed the bullets into a nearby trash can, ignoring Jackal's darkening expression.

"Heh, I thought you were going to keep up the charade." Jackal holstered her empty gun, sneering. "Friends? With you?"

Thankfully, this was a restricted access area. The confrontation went unnoticed by the guests and audience members from the conference hall. Otherwise, it would have caused a scene.

"Stop pretending. It's disgusting!" Jackal snapped. She couldn't stand Lin Wei's constant provocations. "Do you think you can threaten me like this? How laughable!"

She still remembered the threatening phone call she received at the British Museum. It had terrified her. She thought she had made a fatal mistake, exposing herself and even the Stigmata project. If that were the case, her sins would be unforgivable!

The terror she felt then turned into burning resentment for Lin Wei once she learned the truth.

That despicable and shameless man! I will make him pay!

"Is that so? That's truly regrettable…" Lin Wei nodded knowingly, his face full of mock sympathy. "In that case, I won't impose any longer. I'll just try to make friends with some other people."

He bowed in a theatrical manner, like a magician taking a final bow. His exaggerated movements made Jackal's skin crawl.

Then, with a meaningful smile, he turned to leave, not looking back. He didn't seem worried about Jackal attacking him from behind.

And she didn't.

She was in too vulnerable a position. Who knew what other tricks this despicable man had up his sleeve?

Jackal wanted to stop him. This was still the best chance to capture him—if Raven would just help. But Raven hadn't offered any support at all!

If she had, Jackal wouldn't have been so humiliated, forced to watch Lin Wei taunt her before casually strolling away.

Even with all her tricks, she couldn't do anything when he got so close.

And how did he know her identity?

Jackal couldn't understand. Could it be Raven? The thought of Raven's absence, the lack of any warning, planted a seed of doubt in her mind.

But… that couldn't be, right? Jackal had absolute trust in her comrades. They shared the same mission. She didn't believe they would betray her so easily. After all, compared to me, her long-time companion, what did Lin Wei have to offer?

Beep beep beep…

Just as Jackal's expression shifted between anger and confusion, her communicator beeped. A message from Raven.

Jackal almost laughed in disbelief. Perfect timing!

She immediately answered the call. "Raven, I expect an explanation!" she demanded.

"Explanation? What explanation?" The voice on the other end sounded confused by Jackal's aggressive tone. After a pause, Raven said, "I have some news. A Schicksal Valkyrie squad has entered the campus you're in. Be careful. Prepare to evacuate."

What? Valkyrie squad? Schicksal?

Jackal was stunned. How did they find her?

"Could it be him again?" She couldn't help but look back at Lin Wei's retreating figure, recalling his parting words: "try to make friends with some other people."

Damn it, was he threatening her again? The humiliation, the anger, surged through her again, making her want to kill.

Just a Valkyrie squad… you think that can scare me? Hmph, arrogant, ignorant fool!

At this thought, Jackal suddenly calmed down. She lifted her chin slightly, glancing at Lin Wei with disdain, a sense of intellectual superiority filling her.

She couldn't wait to reap the rewards of her plan!

But the voice on the communicator hadn't stopped. "By the way, you wanted an explanation? What explanation?" Raven seemed to have just remembered the question. "Did you already find traces of the Schicksal Valkyries yourself? I didn't know you were so perceptive."

"Perceptive? Heh! Of course I'm perceptive! That damned Lin Wei just showed up right in front of me!"

The small praise only fueled Jackal's anger after her bruised pride. "Those Valkyries, he definitely led them here!"

"Lin Wei? He's there too?" The voice on the other end paused, surprised. "You saw him? He's in that school too?"

"Hmph, yes! He was right in front of me, giving me his 'warm regards'!" Jackal gritted her teeth. "But I'm curious, how did he know my secret?"

Did you tell him?

"Oh! I get it, you suspect I told him your location? That's what you wanted me to 'explain,' right?" Before Jackal could voice her accusation, Raven seemed to have a sudden realization. Then, she said, exasperated, "Seriously, how many times have you suspected me now? Why not suspect yourself? Remember, that collar on your cat was infected by the Key of Corruption."

"That…" Jackal was speechless. It made sense…

"If you keep this up, I'll tell Gray Serpent you don't welcome me here," Raven said lazily. "I'll just return the commission. Pretend I was never here."

"Hmph, do as you please. Just make sure you hold off that S-rank Valkyrie before that—she hasn't appeared, right?" Jackal wanted confirmation.

"No, she hasn't. Based on the data, it's just the local garrison squad."

"Hmph, good. I can handle the rest myself!" Jackal felt relieved, her arrogance returning.

She had made a decision: summon Stan, cause chaos, eliminate all the Valkyries, and capture that damned Lin Wei for her lab!

And the consequences? Heh, a Honkai beast incident, killing Schicksal personnel… there might be some collateral damage, but what does that have to do with the fortunate Dr. Cleo, who managed to escape?

"Uh… I should probably warn you, I noticed one of the Valkyries is that 'natural fusion warrior' you mentioned. I advise against acting rashly." Just as Jackal was getting excited, Raven's voice doused her enthusiasm. "If they were really led here by Lin Wei, and they team up, you'll be in serious danger. I can't hold off that S-rank Valkyrie for long."

"You… hmph!" Jackal swallowed the word "useless." She was still relatively tolerant towards a select few. She processed the information and hung up.

"What should I do? Evacuate?"

Just as Jackal was panicking, her communicator beeped again, sending her blood pressure soaring. "Spit it out!" she yelled.

"Master, a group of unidentified individuals are approaching the Biological Research Institute from different directions. Data analysis identifies them as Schicksal Valkyries, threat level unknown. Please decide how to respond as soon as possible." The android's voice was calm, objective, and emotionless.

Crack.

Jackal squeezed the communicator's casing, a crack appearing under the pressure. The relentless bad news was making her dizzy.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she gave her orders to the now-staticky communicator. "Android E311, initiate the emergency protocol. Destroy all Serpent-related classified data within the base. Take the important assets and evacuate immediately through the secret passage."

"Yes, Master." The android hung up immediately. She had a lot to do.

I have no choice. I have to abandon this hideout! Jackal thought dejectedly.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!! She couldn't understand. Just an hour ago, everything was fine. How did it turn into this?

She abruptly looked up, glaring at the retreating figure still pretending to leave.

This guy… he was aiming for her all along!

It's all your fault!

"Stop right there!" Jackal roared, her eyes fixed on Lin Wei.

You've been walking for so long and you're still within my sight. Do you think I'm stupid?

Lin Wei, as if he hadn't heard, continued walking away.

"Damn it! Bastard! You despicable…" Jackal cursed. Lin Wei remained indifferent.

Enraged, Jackal kicked over a nearby trash can. The loud crash echoed. The bullets Lin Wei had tossed, along with other trash, scattered across the floor.

Lin Wei didn't react, further confirming Jackal's suspicion that he was putting on an act.

"Heh, you want me to chase you? Admit defeat? Dream on!"

Jackal looked around for something else to throw, her eyes landing on the scattered bullets amidst the trash.

"..." She swallowed, hesitated, and then, despite her disgust, picked up a few. After carefully selecting the cleanest one, she wiped it off and loaded it into her gun.

Click.

The crisp metallic sound was music to her ears.

She aimed the gun at Lin Wei's back. Through gritted teeth, she hissed, "Now. Stop. Right. There!"

Lin Wei stopped.

He turned around, his expression unreadable as he looked at Jackal's face, a mixture of frustration and resentment. Slowly, he said, "You don't want to be friends with me, and you don't want me to make friends with others. Dr. Jackal, you're making things very difficult for me."

He started walking back towards her, his steps steady and calm, the gun pointed at him seemingly irrelevant. "So, what more do you have to say?"

"Heh, stop pretending!" Jackal kept the gun trained on Lin Wei but didn't dare to shoot. She was afraid of another trick. In this vulnerable position, she couldn't risk it. All she could do was maintain her tough facade. "This is all thanks to you!"

"Indeed, but so what? Do you dare shoot?" Lin Wei took off his hat. In his hands, it transformed into a black box, spinning between his fingers as he continued walking towards her.

"Your grudge with Schicksal… I didn't want to get involved. But now, I have no choice." He spoke slowly, his approach relentless. "I have to seek justice for her. That's why I'm here."

"…Heh, is that so? It seems I was too lenient. I regret it now!" Jackal stubbornly refused to back down.

Although her purpose in injuring Anna was to lure out Lin Wei, she hadn't anticipated the consequences would be so unfavorable.

"Indeed. If you had been more ruthless, you wouldn't have the chance to regret it now." Lin Wei remained calm, his pace unwavering.

"So you chose to side with Schicksal?" Jackal found it unbelievable. "You offended World Serpent. Do you think that laughable Schicksal can protect you?"

"Reduced to using the organization's name to maintain your bravado? My poor Dr. Jackal," Lin Wei said with mock pity, continuing his advance.

"Shut up!" The word "poor" struck a nerve.

"Besides, wasn't I the one who saved your life from Schicksal? You should be thanking me, Dr. Jackal."

"…What nonsense are you talking about?" Jackal ignored his taunts.

"If I hadn't kept you busy here, when you returned to your lab, you would be in an even worse situation, wouldn't you? So, shouldn't you thank me?"

Jackal finally snapped. "Heh, don't think I don't know. You led those Schicksal people here!"

"Indeed. I told them there were some strange traces here, but that's all. The fact that they haven't appeared before you yet is proof." Lin Wei admitted freely. "If I truly wanted to hand you over to Schicksal, you would already be in custody."

"…What do you want?" Jackal couldn't figure out his intentions.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to make a friend. Too bad you refused…" Lin Wei smiled, a wide, almost too friendly smile, revealing a glint of teeth. "But now, I'm magnanimous enough to give you another chance, esteemed Dr. Jackal."

"…What do you want?" Tormented and on edge, Jackal now resembled a frightened animal. Lin Wei's smile made her flinch. She instinctively tried to raise her gun, her last resort—

Clang!

Her gun flew through the air, clattering to the floor.

Lin Wei finally stood before her. Two black pistols materialized in his hands. He pressed them together, the two guns merging into a single blade wreathed in black flames—the Key of Corruption, Pandora.

"Now, choose, my dear Dr. Jackal." Lin Wei raised Pandora, having knocked her pitiful pistol away with it. The black tip pointed directly at her.

"Hand you over to the Schicksal Valkyries, a core member of World Serpent with so many secrets, as my little welcome gift? They're not far from here." Lin Wei's smile remained fixed.

"Or… become my friend?"

Jackal stared at the blade, its heat almost scorching her hair. She swallowed, managing to say, her voice trembling slightly, "Lin Wei, don't push it!"

The price of surrendering to Schicksal was too high. For World Serpent's mission, she couldn't submit. But her pride wouldn't let her beg.

"Very well. I won't force you…" Lin Wei abruptly dispelled Pandora, the flames vanishing. "Let's compromise. As thanks for saving your life, how about you buy me a cup of coffee?"

He gave her a magnanimous smile, his tone friendly and inviting.