The signal Lin Wei sent was too obvious. Bronya and the other two just stopped the vehicle, exchanged a glance, and then turned and sped toward the direction of the brilliant firework.
"What? There's actually someone out here in this godforsaken place?" Sin was surprised, then a smug smile spread across her face. "See? My idea was better! The way you two were looking before, you wouldn't have found him even by nightfall!"
Actually, the snowmobile would have run out of gas before nightfall, Bronya thought to herself.
That's the thing about looking for a needle in a haystack. You have no idea which way is right and which is wrong; it's pure luck. Sin's seemingly reckless rampage, as it turned out, could sometimes yield unexpected results.
"That place... looks quite far from the orphanage..." Seele silently calculated the distance, feeling a little emotional. For Bronya Oneechan and Mr. Lin Wei to have met in a place like this during the last loop, without knowing anything... that's really amazing!
"Having to return to a place like this in every loop... that guy must be having a pretty rough time, right?" Veliona thought with a hint of schadenfreude, waiting along with the other Seele for their second meeting.
Through a forest, across a frozen river, and around a mountain hollow, the conspicuous signal in the sky finally began to fade. But by now, the three of them were very close to the location it had marked.
However—and there is always a "however"—the unexpected always arrives so suddenly, yet so predictably...
VMMM... ZAP!
Just as Bronya drove around the second mountain hollow, about to reach the signal's location, a pale blue ring of light appeared out of thin air, enveloping the small snowmobile and immobilizing it and its three "passengers."
"Bronya, where are you planning to take them?"
Bronya was startled. Before she could react, a familiar voice reached her ears, and a chill ran down her spine.
Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw a massive mecha standing silently on the mountain ridge.
A short-haired woman in a military uniform stood in front of it, looking rather small in comparison. But anyone who saw this scene would only think that the steel giant was merely an accessory for the woman.
"Mother Cocolia..." Bronya's heart sank.
"Why is she here?" Sin's face turned ugly.
"Could it be..." Seele looked up at the magnificent red in the distant sky, which was already starting to thin, and a sense of foreboding filled her heart. "That's right. Such an obvious mark... I can't be the only one who would be drawn to it."
In the distant sky, the sun was already beginning to set. She had delayed for too long, and Mother Cocolia, who should have been away, had caught up with her...
"What, are you surprised to see me?"
Cocolia leaped down from the ridge. Another mecha appeared out of thin air below, catching her steadily in its palm and gently setting her back on the ground.
The appearance of the second mecha was like flipping an invisible switch. A second, a third, a fourth...
Soon, a dozen mecha of similar models and futuristic designs appeared in different locations. Some were on alert, guarding the surroundings, while others, led by Cocolia, surrounded Bronya and the other two.
"This morning, I received an alarm from the orphanage, saying that a wall in the courtyard had been damaged by an unknown force, and an intrusion was suspected. Shortly after, I was informed that someone had escaped from the orphanage. I was very surprised by this, so I came to take a look."
Cocolia waved her hand, and the light ring that had imprisoned them dissipated. She strode toward the three of them on her long, slender legs. "But what I didn't expect was that the person who did this would be you. Bronya, you've disappointed me."
Her tone was as indifferent and authoritative as ever, with no trace of anger or disappointment, as if she were completely devoid of human emotion.
"I'm sorry, Mother Cocolia..." Bronya spoke up before Sin and Seele, trying to take all the blame on herself. "This was all my idea. We weren't running away, we were just..."
"Heh, of course I know you weren't trying to run away. After all, you've just been going in meaningless circles here. I even thought you were just bored at the orphanage and wanted to come out for a ride."
Cocolia sneered. "But now it seems you've been looking for something... or someone?"
The conspicuous signal in the distance was too obvious, but it also left her puzzled.
Cocolia looked down at the three girls. Her stern, authoritative gaze swept over Seele and Sin, then settled firmly on the gray-haired girl in front. "Tell me, Bronya, why did you act on your own behind my back? What are you up to?"
She found it hard to imagine Bronya would do anything dangerous with her sisters, such as defecting or luring an enemy in while she was away. There had been no signs of anything like that before.
But everything that was happening now, this urgency to meet up with someone, left her with no choice but to be suspicious. So, the moment that dazzling signal bloomed in the sky, she had brought her troops here.
Originally, she was going to stay hidden and see what Bronya and the others were up to. If they really did betray her, as she feared, she could use the opportunity to wipe them all out.
But in the end, she couldn't bear it, or rather, she didn't want to see that worst-case scenario with her own eyes. So, just as Bronya and the others were about to reach the signal's location, she had jumped out to stop them.
Some suspicions are best left as suspicions, Cocolia thought to herself.
"I..."
Faced with Cocolia's interrogation, Bronya was at a loss for words. After all, her reason for doing all this was so absurd.
"...Hmph, if you don't want to talk, then don't."
Seeing this, Cocolia felt even more disappointed. She snorted coldly, turned, and said, "You lot, take them back and keep them under strict supervision. I want to see what kind of secrets are hidden here!"
With that, she turned and strode away, leading a few mecha toward the location of the signal.
"No... you can't!"
Seele cried out. If Mother Cocolia finds Mr. Lin Wei...
"Tch, we can't wait any longer, Seele. We have to act now!"
Veliona had obviously also thought of this terrible outcome. "Let's take down this annoying woman and these damn mecha, then find that guy and leave this uncomfortable world bubble!" she said viciously.
The result of her careless loss to Cocolia last time had been a great humiliation to Veliona, and she had never gotten over it. Now, seeing that woman again, she wanted nothing more than to get her revenge!
"But, Bronya Oneechan, and Sin..." Seele hesitated.
"What's there to hesitate about?" Veliona was exasperated. Weren't you doing so well before? Why are you being so stupid at a critical moment?
"Even if Bronya and the others get caught in our fight, don't forget, everything will be back to normal in the next loop. But that guy Lin Wei, if something happens to him at the hands of that woman Cocolia, he might not be able to come back at all!"
The phantoms in a world bubble might be no different emotionally from their real-world counterparts, but some things just didn't allow for too much indecision.
"I..."
Seele was in a panic. Her eyes darted between Bronya, who was close by, and Cocolia, who was walking away. Finally, she gritted her teeth and gave Bronya an apologetic, bitter smile.
Having made up her mind, Seele said in her heart, "I'm counting on you, other me..."
Somewhere along the line, Seele had gradually come to understand a principle—hesitation only brings more and deeper harm.
The more dangerous the situation, the more bravely and proactively you have to make a choice.
"Heh, you've grown up, Seele..."
Veliona let out a relieved sigh. She had been prepared to forcibly take over the body again and make the decision for her.
Seele closed her eyes and voluntarily relinquished control of her body. The next second, she opened them again, and her entire aura changed abruptly. Her sea-blue eyes were once again replaced by a dark red.
CLANG!
The menacing black scythe cut through the void. The three mecha surrounding the three girls were almost instantly sliced in half at the waist.
"Seele?"
Seele's sudden outburst stunned Bronya. Before she could react further, she and Sin were grabbed, one in each of Veliona's hands, and thrown hard into the dense forest to the left.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Two seconds later, the three mecha that had been sliced in half exploded in a dazzling blaze of fire. The flying steel fragments didn't harm anyone.
"Tsk, it's not that I'm soft-hearted. If you want to thank someone, thank Seele!"
Veliona pouted in dissatisfaction, swung her grim, menacing scythe, and charged straight at the now-distant Cocolia. "Round two begins!"
"Hmm?"
The moment the three mecha were taken down, Cocolia had naturally noticed the huge commotion behind her. She turned and gave a deep look at this wild-looking Seele, who had Seele's face but an aura more like Sin's.
She was a little surprised.
She had never expected that the first one to cause trouble would be the usually timid Seele...
Though surprised, her mind remained calm. Cocolia only glanced back once before paying it no more attention. She just waved a hand, and half of the mecha following her turned to meet the charging Veliona, while more mecha units were summoned to join the fray.
As for herself, she continued to walk into the distance with a few of her personal guard mecha, without looking back.
She wanted to see what it was that had made Seele act so agitated.
As she was pondering why Seele had changed so much, she suddenly saw a thinly clad young man walking lightly through the snow not far away. Her expression immediately turned sharp.
"Who are you?"
"Cough, cough... making such a racket outside my bedroom door, and you're asking me who I am? Cough..."
Lin Wei coughed as he walked, his face as pale as snow, whether from the cold or his illness. Leaning on a black walking stick, he slowly walked up to Cocolia and looked with interest at the fierce battlefield not far behind her.
He chuckled softly. "Long time no see, Cocolia. This place of yours is as lively as ever... cough, cough..."
"..."
Cocolia was sure she had never seen this sickly-looking man before, but she didn't dare to let her guard down. She remained vigilant and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
"You don't recognize me? How disappointing..."
Lin Wei gave the imposing woman a surprised look, then smiled lightly. "Never mind. Let's just say a little hello."
As the words fell, Lin Wei raised a hand, and a black light flashed in his palm, then...
Everything fell silent.
The fluttering snowflakes fell to the ground like iron filings attracted to a magnet. Even the sky cleared. The branches of the nearby trees all pointed toward the ground, groaning and creaking, followed by the sound of snapping and breaking.
The sounds of battle in the distance also stopped. All the mecha were pinned to the ground by an invisible force, unable to move no matter how they struggled.
Looking at Cocolia, who was almost forced to her knees by the gravity, Lin Wei smiled lightly. "Do you know who I am now?"
"...Yes."
Cocolia's face was ugly. Her proud head lowered bit by bit, and she spoke in a deep voice the name that was on the tip of everyone's tongue.
"Lord Welt..."
Schrödinger: "..."