Yun Feng stood outside his sister's dressing room. He raised his hand several times to knock, but let it drop weakly each time.
From inside the room, he could faintly hear the brisk sound of a girl humming a song, the subtle clinking of cosmetic bottles, and Liu Zhuohua's helpless reminders.
Even though Yun Feng only heard a few fragments, his mind conjured up what might be happening inside the dressing room.
Yun Mengxi had a habit of swaying her body slightly to the beat when she sang. At this moment, Liu Zhuohua was probably setting Yun Mengxi's makeup, creating the most dazzling look for the girl who was about to go on stage.
It was a carefree sound belonging to a normal world, forming a sharp contrast with the stormy waves surging in his heart at this moment.
Pressure weighed on his chest like an invisible boulder, yet he couldn't confide in anyone.
Perhaps his presence here was itself a sign of his cowardice...
He wanted to find someone to share this heavy pressure with, but he hadn't expected the first person he subconsciously sought out to be his frail sister.
Yun Feng... do you remember saying you would take on all the pressure for her?
The voice in his heart sounded just this once, and he was stopped outside the door, afraid to push open the door in front of him.
Perhaps even just listening to her voice now would bring a moment of peace?
No, he couldn't.
He didn't know how to explain all this. He couldn't bear the look of fear or disbelief that might appear in his sister's eyes, and he was even more afraid of dragging her into this unknown vortex of horror.
"Hmm? What are you doing standing at the door?" Chen Shicheng's voice came from behind, tinged with a hint of confusion.
Yun Feng's body stiffened. He quickly composed his expression and turned around, returning to his usual calm and reliable demeanor.
"Nothing," he forced a smile and rubbed his temples. "Just a bit tired. I was passing by and wanted to see if Mengxi was here."
"She's been here all afternoon... didn't I tell you?"
Chen Shicheng frowned, looking at him with suspicion, clearly not quite believing him. "You don't look too good... Xiao Lin and the others said you disappeared for a while. Did something happen at the company again?"
"No," Yun Feng waved his hand, deliberately relaxing his tone. "Just a small trouble, I can handle it. Go do your work, don't disturb Mengxi. Let her prepare properly."
Chen Shicheng's frown deepened. His face was full of disbelief, but after staring at Yun Feng for a long time, he ultimately decided not to probe further.
"Okay. The concert is about to start. Are you going to be in the audience again this time?" He handed over a cup of sweetened milk tea he was carrying and asked casually.
"Maybe," Yun Feng sighed. He turned and left almost hastily, his back looking a bit stiff under the corridor lights.
He pressed all his doubts, fears, and heavy responsibilities firmly to the bottom of his heart, using lies to build a fragile protective wall for himself and the person he cared about most.
Two hours remaining—
At a remote sewer exit somewhere in Sapphire City, Kallen struggled to push open the heavy grate. She stumbled out and slumped into the shadows of a damp corner.
It was hard to imagine that the Arahato armor, which had just shown off its power in the city, would look so wretched at this moment.
Under the armor, Kallen gasped violently. The Arahato armor was covered in mud and scrape marks. The left shoulder armor even had a clear dent from a high-explosive bullet graze, and the nanobots at the edge were slowly repairing it.
Just now, in order to escape the police's final blockade, she had to risk detonating a nearby gas pipeline and overload the armor's thrusters for a limit-breaking short sprint.
At this moment, both her stamina and the Arahato armor's energy were on the verge of exhaustion.
Sweat slid down her forehead, mixing with the grime, making her look disheveled. She leaned against the cold, rough wall, feeling her heart beating like a drum.
Her lungs burned with pain, and every breath tasted like rust.
She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart.
Joachim's plan was crazy, and it was vividly reflected in her. As the most conspicuous pawn in this crazy plan, she didn't know how long she could hold on. Every action pushed her to the point of overdraft.
But the results were remarkable.
The action just now was the last "unpardonable" guy on the list. The forces pursuing her were quite "honorable," waiting until she completed the cleanup before making their move.
She really couldn't handle the remaining guys.
Now, the entire city's military forces were concentrated on her alone. Residents in Sapphire City only had to take out their phones to see the information about her forcibly posted on the headlines.
Only, the other party was still showing restraint at this moment...
Restraint?
Kallen turned her head to look at the scar left by the high-explosive bullet, which had already been repaired.
The other party was indeed very restrained. They hadn't used super-standard weapons, nor those targeted weapons. Of course, it could also be because she had protected her identity information very well.
...There was another possibility: Otto had exerted his influence.
Otto and the others didn't make it here in the end, but Himeko had already received feedback from Nagazora City. Otto said he had some connections in Sapphire City.
These connections might be the reason her identity information was blocked.
Unlike the other side's restraint, even with this armor and her body that had surpassed human limits, Kallen was exerting herself to the fullest in every action.
One person's strength was ultimately too weak, so weak that even in her current state, she had to rely on the opponent's hesitation for fear of collateral damage.
After calming her breathing slightly, Kallen raised her head and looked into the distance.
The afterglow of the setting sun was about to burn out, dyeing the skyline a dull blood red.
The city's skyscrapers stood like silent giants in the deepening twilight.
Lights were coming on, neon signs were flashing. Before the sun had fully set, the Sapphire City of the night was already taking shape.
This seemed like just another ordinary evening, but Kallen felt an invisible, suffocating pressure.
The air seemed to solidify, carrying a faint, ominous palpitation in the wind.
"The wind sweeps through the tower before the rain... uh..." She tried to mutter an ancient Shenzhou saying at this important moment, but after trying for a moment, only frustration remained in her blue eyes.
Forget it, as long as the meaning is right.
She knew this brief tranquility was just the last illusion before the storm.
Only two hours remained until the Honkai outbreak.
"Time—is really running out..."