Choice

Xu Xiaoyou noticed Angelina's character card flashing. It seemed the other party had already delayed Chihong; this was their prearranged signal.

Since that was the case, she slowly stood up. Facing Bai Zhou, who had already broken through numerous blockades to stand before her, she finally saw him clearly. He was clad in blood-red armor covered in scars, like a coarse, wild beast. His eyes projected a dark red light that drifted along with the plume on his helmet.

Xu Xiaoyou calculated the timing and Yun Yao's current position in her mind, then raised her muzzle toward Bai Zhou.

The blood-red figure and the blonde girl faced off in the long corridor like nineteenth-century Western cowboys. A single gunshot tore open the veil of battle.

Bullets ricocheted wildly across the corridor, sparking large flares. The gemstone lamps overhead were blown out, plunging the corridor into darkness for an instant. The shadow was then torn apart by a streak of drifting red light—the blood-red beast had pounced toward Xu Xiaoyou.

The heavy sniper rifle she had raised was sliced through, leaving a clean cross-section under the cold light of two claws. Xu Xiaoyou decisively abandoned the heavy weapon. A long whip lashed upward from her hand, coiling around the Blood Monarch that was closing in on her.

A lever-action rifle appeared in her other hand. Dense rose-gold engravings covered the surface of the barrel, resembling the Winchester rifles common in movies and games. After her modifications, it was compatible with dragon's breath rounds, buckshot, armor-piercing rounds, and dum-dum bullets, allowing it to perform perfectly in close-to-mid-range combat.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Xu Xiaoyou pressed the muzzle against Bai Zhou's neck and pulled the trigger repeatedly. The muzzle flashes illuminated illusory light. The buckshot that sprayed out only left shallow white marks on that blood-red armor, which instead further enraged the manic beast.

Bai Zhou let out a roar, lunging recklessly toward Xu Xiaoyou. In her 【Duel Dance】 state, she was like a dancer moving along the steel strings of death, using her whip to move at high speeds through the darkness while spinning the rose rifle in her hand.

She traced a beautiful arc, simultaneously loading armor-piercing rounds imbued with 【Headshot】 before opening fire on Bai Zhou.

The darkness served as a natural barrier for her. Her hunter's dynamic perception allowed her to see every detail in the gloom with absolute clarity.

Every move Bai Zhou made was outlined in white lines within her vision.

For Bai Zhou, however, the pixelated world had turned eerie at some unknown point. The cartoons were replaced by monochrome; eyes grew upon the walls, tentacles reached out from the clouds, and the edges of his vision were as red as seeping blood. Only the blonde girl remained like a ball of dazzling light, making him manically desire to crush her.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted in Bai Zhou's ear. He was sent flying, buried under shattered stone.

It was an 【Explosive Energy Trap】. Xu Xiaoyou had also filled this corridor with trap cards, including but not limited to 【Whaling Harpoon】, 【Bear Trap】, and 【Plague Vine Poison】.

Having completely lost his mind, Bai Zhou stepped on every single one of these traps. She watched with her own eyes as he stepped into a bear trap as thick as a bear's waist, was skewered to the wall by a spike, and was entangled by thorny vines drooping from the ceiling that sprayed toxic mist. All seventeen instances of 【Explosive Energy Trap】 from left to right were triggered, the explosions echoing one after another until they made one's eardrums tremble.

Xu Xiaoyou raised her gun and used a dragon's breath round to detonate the final trap beside Bai Zhou, blasting the boy back down just as he had climbed up.

Even so, the blood-red beast hissed and crawled up from the ground. Aside from his blood-red armor being slightly damaged and his aura being disordered, he had suffered no substantial harm. Deep within his eyes, the thirst for blood and slaughter surged.

Bai Zhou pounced toward Xu Xiaoyou again. Wherever the Blood Monarch went, everything was destroyed like dry weeds before a gale. The latter drew skill cards while dodging attacks, setting down new trap cards to maintain the kite-and-pull maneuver.

In this battle, the money in her bank account was burning away in massive amounts every second. She had perhaps spent a third of her total savings already, maybe more, but it was still within her control.

Xu Xiaoyou suddenly stopped. Five slot machines beside her broke down under the overload.

"What's the matter? Done running?" Bai Zhou panted, his tone violent. As the battle continued, he was gradually beginning to master this divine endowment.

He was almost certain that Dark Gold Rose was an empty shell. From the start of the battle until now, she hadn't dared to face him head-on.

She could only use these little tricks, and her attacks couldn't even break through his divine endowment.

"I've played enough," Xu Xiaoyou said cryptically.

"Those little tricks of yours surely come with a price, don't they?" Bai Zhou swung the Blood Monarch and charged, slashing down at the pixelated blonde girl in his vision.

Xu Xiaoyou raised her whip to block.

"You aren't nearly as powerful as you look!" Bai Zhou's gaze was fanatic and excited, as if he were peeling away the layers of this mysterious fixer's disguise.

"What are you overdrawing to obtain these weird abilities? I'm certain this isn't the first time I've fought you. I know this familiar feeling!" Bai Zhou forced Xu Xiaoyou back with one blow and continued his charge, slamming down his giant blade.

"On the cruise ship, there must have been a battle between us, Dark Gold Rose!" His body seemed to crave victory in this fight. Every cell in Bai Zhou's body yearned to wipe away the previous humiliation; every clash with the girl awakened memories buried deep in his muscles.

The many details his mind couldn't recall were remembered by his body. Bai Zhou stared fixedly at Xu Xiaoyou, enunciating every word:

"You... have the ability to manipulate other people's memories, don't you?"

If the other party showed even a hint of panic, the myth of Dark Gold Rose would be shattered. But she didn't. Her gaze remained cold, and a chuckle came from behind her mask, mocking Bai Zhou's naivety.

Bai Zhou increased the force in his hands. The weight of the Blood Monarch forced the whip against Xu Xiaoyou's own neck, leaving a bloody mark.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Truth... revealed," Xu Xiaoyou said.

She withdrew the whip from her hands. The survival space she had squeezed out vanished instantly. The Blood Monarch slashed straight toward her neck. Bai Zhou hadn't expected this lunatic to do such a thing; his subconscious attempt to pull back was too late. Like cutting through tofu, the giant blade sank into her neck and buried itself in the wall.

Before Bai Zhou could react, the features on Xu Xiaoyou's head began to melt, merging with the wall. In moments, she turned into a puddle of flowing golden liquid.

Bai Zhou's heart skipped a beat as his previous suspicions collapsed.

Was this a joke? The one he had been fighting this whole time was just her clone!?

Bai Zhou suddenly realized something was wrong. Yun Yao's exclamation came through the communicator:

"Bai Zhou, Dark Gold Rose, she..."

This was followed by the crackle of static. For a moment, his entire consciousness went blank. The world before him changed drastically as the pixelated style shattered.

Under a blood-red sky, he saw the petite Yun Yao being pierced through by Dark Gold Rose's blade. Like a judge sentencing a grave sinner, that luminous prism grade fixer recited obscure scriptures. As the final sound of each verse fell, she would use the blade in her hand to pierce the girl's heart and limbs, finally pinning her to a cross. Ten thousand swords pierced the girl's small frame, and the pale earth was surrounded by the graves and withered bones of all his companions.

Bai Zhou knelt on the ground as overwhelming despair enveloped him. The boy let out a piercing scream.

The wretched howl echoed under the night sky. On the other side, Xu Xiaoyou let go of the unconscious Yun Yao. The surrounding nobles looked at her in horror. In their eyes, this person who had suddenly appeared had knocked out a fixer from Section 6 with a single blow.

"This person is Dark Gold Rose!" someone recognized the girl's outfit and shouted.

These nobles had also heard the news of a new luminous prism grade fixer entering the historical stage. They just hadn't expected such an entity to be on this island, appearing right before them.

"Dark Gold Rose..."

Every face showed terror. Xu Xiaoyou ignored the cries around her.

Everything was proceeding according to her predictions. When her first offensive had weakened, she had already transferred toward the duo's location.

She had left her Substitute behind to maintain suppressive fire and create an illusion. The purpose was to draw Bai Zhou away so she could take down the members of the Section 6 team one by one.

The plan was mostly successful. Next, she only needed to meet up with Anya and deal with the Siren King...

Just as Xu Xiaoyou was about to turn, a noble blocked her path.

"It's Dark Gold Rose! We're saved! Lady Dark Gold Rose, you'll protect us, right? Quickly, go deal with those damned fish-men downstairs!"

"Yes, yes! Ms. Dark Gold Rose, you won't just watch us die, will you?"

"Get lost."

Xu Xiaoyou ignored the crowd and turned to leave. Another person blocked her way, pointing at her nose and questioning loudly, "We are people of the families! If you ignore those fish-men and let us die, do you intend to make an enemy of every family!?"

Driven by fear, these pampered scions had lost their heads, failing to understand the weight of a luminous prism grade fixer compared to their families.

One should know that, let alone the Withered Flower or the Winter family, the entirety of the Five Great Families relied on the system of Universal Heavy Industries. Meanwhile, Deep White Midnight, a fellow luminous prism grade fixer, stood at the top of the Universal food chain—a true wielder of power in the company.

"That's right! Do you really want to stand against the families!" someone screamed at the top of their lungs.

"If you leave, the families will definitely hear of this! The Association won't let you off easily either!"

The crowd's support gave the youth confidence. Xu Xiaoyou recognized this fellow; he was the same scion who had caused trouble for Tang Xin at the gala earlier. Thinking of the girl's current situation, her gaze grew cold.

Suddenly, she heard movement outside. A pair of pale, slender arms burst through the wall, crushing the head of the youth in front of her and folding his body into a triangle along with it.

Xu Xiaoyou turned. After seeing the twisted face of the massive monster in the rainstorm, she hesitated for an instant.

The Siren King?

Shouldn't that guy have been delayed by Chihong? Why was he appearing here?

Where was Angelina? Shouldn't she be near Chihong to ensure her safety?

Could it be that Angelina didn't give that anchor to Chihong...

The sudden turn of events shattered Xu Xiaoyou's original plan.

The Siren King crushed the wall to powder. His two slender arms erupted with unimaginable strength, forcefully hauling his massive body inside from outside the building. The woman embedded in the center of his chest let out a shriek. Wherever they passed, the nobles who had just been shouting were crushed into meat paste, their bodies torn into countless chunks.

"Quick! Run downstairs!" someone among them shouted.

Heifeng, who was supposed to be guarding the floor below, was nowhere to be seen. A gray-haired girl with an abnormal expression arrived before the doors, mumbling repeatedly, "Kill them... kill them all. Not a single one left."

She opened the doors, and the gathered fish-men swarmed inside. The nobles who had just reached the floor below didn't even have time to react before they were brutally tackled, torn apart, and devoured by the fish-men. For a time, the air was filled with constant screams. The tragic scene made the gray-haired girl hum with pleasure.

A great civilization cannot be conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.

Even the sturdiest doomsday ramparts will collapse over long periods of time.

This gray-haired girl from a family was merely tasting the suffering of those around her. She was simply pushing the wave, slightly accelerating the process. She had done nothing wrong. The screams of the people were truly melodious.

Xu Xiaoyou finally met Angelina at a corner. The latter was in a hospital gown and looked like she had been waiting for a while. She crossed her arms, a slight smirk on her lips as if admiring Xu Xiaoyou's miscalculation.

"Why?" Xu Xiaoyou blurted out. "This was clearly in both of our interests."

"Anya, our interests are tied together."

"Interests, interests, interests," Angelina repeated. She took off her mask and reached out, grabbing Xu Xiaoyou's face and forcing her back step by step with a dangerous look in her eyes. "Is that the only word you know how to say?"

Xu Xiaoyou calmed down. "What exactly did you do?"

Angelina frowned. "Are you questioning me?"

Having said that, she increased the pressure in her hand. Xu Xiaoyou groaned, but her gaze didn't retreat an inch, reminding Angelina of the scene when she first met the girl in that cage. Angelina snorted and looked away.

"I admit, I really wanted to see you suffer. It was more enticing than getting rid of those annoying guys. But plans change. My divine endowment, the Raven Kill Blazing Garment, was shattered by that woman. I already gave her the item you gave me."

"Since the Siren King is here, I assume that guy has been eaten."

"I'm very weak right now. I can only protect you while we leave this place. If you don't want to, then forget it."

"No, we can't leave," Xu Xiaoyou said firmly.

"You don't know what a grade 5 fixer means to the Association. We can't withstand their wrath," Xu Xiaoyou said calmly, though she emphasized the word "we."

Angelina was impatient. "That woman's fate is unknown. Do you think we can handle that miracle monster?"

"As for the Association, Section 6 was dealt with by the Siren King. What does that have to do with us?"

Xu Xiaoyou froze. Angelina was right; she had overlooked that point. It was the Siren King who had triggered the crisis and chaos on the island. There were still tens of thousands of ordinary citizens in the city deeply affected by the power of miracles.

Once the Siren King's power reached a certain level after awakening, the siren song would completely detonate this miracle incident. No one could estimate the final scale of this disaster.

It was better to let the Siren King expand this miracle vortex infinitely. The more innocent people involved, the better. That way, the Association would focus on the Siren King and the Ascetic Sect, and they could use the opportunity to escape the Association's gaze and harassment.

"Have you made up your mind? If so, follow me," Angelina said, eyeing Xu Xiaoyou coldly.

Xu Xiaoyou felt as if she were standing at the crossroads of a life-defining choice. One path led to a bottomless abyss, while the other led to an unknown future. The cliff was right beneath her feet. No matter which path she chose, she might fall and be shattered. But the unknown often represented extreme risk.

Logic, interest, and the whispers in her ears told her that nothing else mattered. She was inherently a selfish gambler who would use any means for profit. It seemed she had no other choice.

After a brief moment, Xu Xiaoyou made her decision.

"Anya..."

Angelina prepared to turn away, as expected, but then heard the girl's voice from behind.

"We're going back to finish that guy off."

The unknown also represented the maximum possible return.

Angelina's eyes slowly widened. She looked back to see Xu Xiaoyou loading bullets into her rose rifle. The girl said:

"I'm going to bet on the path with the highest risk."