"What should I do now?"
In the pitch-black darkness, the house trembled while the forest breathed around them.
Qin Yu felt like she was a supporting character in a horror movie, constantly on the edge of being devoured by some monster that might suddenly appear.
Only by clutching her revolver could she find any comfort.
But holding a gun wasn't enough; she needed light too.
Did Shenhe's room have any illumination? She didn't know. In this darkness, finding anything was impossible unless they waited for the moon to come out.
Wait, maybe they could use the gun's muzzleflash as a light... No, that was too far-fetched.
"Ah, why hasn't that woman come back yet?"
Qin Yu huddled in a corner, her back against the wall. She hugged her knees, gripping the gunstock tightly as her entire body trembled. The darkness felt colder than ice.
Even if she wanted to create some light, her mind was blank, unable to think of any good ideas.
At that moment, voices came from outside.
"There's a house over there."
"Really? That's great! Let's go there for the night."
People! That's good, at least she wasn't alone... No, wait. She felt a prickling sensation in her head, and her blood ran hotter than usual. Clearly, her danger instincts were telling her these newcomers meant trouble.
Exhaling deeply, Qin Yu activated her Wave Detection Skill.
However, the house's walls limited her perception, preventing her from identifying the visitors or their numbers.
This uncertainty intensified Qin Yu's anxiety. She glanced around, spotting the bed's silhouette. Time to hide, she thought. Feeling her way along the floor, she crawled beneath the bed and held her breath.
Her index finger confirmed the magazine's presence - the reassuring texture of bullet shells beneath her fingertips.
Moments later, the door creaked open... Damn, I should've bolted it first, Qin Yu berated herself.
Two figures entered, oil lamps in hand. Light! The sudden illumination brought unexpected relief. Darkness had always been her greater enemy than unknown intruders.
Peering from her hiding spot, Qin Yu studied the pair.
A man and woman, both in their 20s or 30s, dressed in traveler's garb. Yet the clinking sound from their luggage caught her attention.
Mora?
"Hello," the woman called out. "Is anyone here?"
"No one. That's good. Saves us the trouble."
"But they might be back soon."
"Then we'll strike when they return. Killing someone in this place won't matter."
The two closed the door and bolted it, settling at the dining table.
"There's so little furniture here. Could this be an abandoned house?"
"Nah, look—there's a lunch box on the table." The man pointed to the container.
Qin Yu's eyes sharpened. Her thumb gently pressed the hammer, the gun barrel trained on the man's back.
Touch it and you're dead. This isn't your property.
The man shuddered. "Let's not mess with anything here anyway. This place feels creepy, like we're being watched."
"Could it be haunted?" the woman muttered, peering around.
"Who knows? Hmph. Anyway, this heist was worth it. Fifty million Mora in that chest. Once we leave Liyue and change our names, we'll live like kings!"
"Hmph, if that bank hadn't been nearly empty, we could've stolen even more."
"Since that Northern Bank came along, all the old-established banks have been hit hard."
Wait, from their conversation, they're actually robbers? And they robbed a bank?
Hmm, if that's the case... Qin Yu began scheming about robbing the robbers. Of course, she had no interest in the stolen Mora. She wanted only one thing—light.
The light from lamps, to be precise.
Naturally, the idea of taking their stolen money and handing it over to the Millelith to gain their favor wasn't beyond consideration.
Moreover, doing so might earn some sort of reward, right? If everything went well, they might even publicly commend her. When Shenhe came to the city, hearing of my heroic deeds, she might feel proud.
One move, multiple benefits. Perfect.
Qin Yu licked her lips. These two were now stepping stones on her path to a glorious future!
The woman shivered. "Hiss, this place really is creepy. I keep getting chills."
"N-nothing to worry about. We both know martial arts."
The woman shook her head. "Why did we have to come to such a place... Oh, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"
"Of course not. Why don't you... eat that lunch box?"
"But didn't we say not to touch anything here? Still, starving to death isn't an option. Fine, I'll eat it. Looks like there's plenty. Oh? There's a note underneath. Let me see—"
It's not for your eyes! Qin Yu's blood boiled with anger, driving her to act.
The moment she rolled out from under the bed, she raised her gun and fired at the woman's shoulder. With a bang, the woman felt her arm go limp and screamed in terror.
"Someone's here!"
The man drew his sword and turned to see Qin Yu. His arm came down in a slashing motion.
Danger instincts kicked in. Time slowed. Seizing the moment, Qin Yu sprang up and threw herself to the side, dodging the sword's strike.
"What kind of creep are you, hiding under the bed to eavesdrop?" the man snarled.
"Huh? You dare lecture me? You're the ones who touched someone else's food without permission! I won't let you get away with that!"
"Is that all?!"
There was no point in arguing further.
Qin Yu holstered her revolver, then swiftly drew it again. Mimicking a cowboy's rapid-fire technique, she unleashed a barrage of shots. At such close range, missing was impossible - all four bullets found their mark in the man's torso.
"What kind of weapon...?" the man gasped before collapsing.
The woman screamed and scrambled out the window, leaving behind a scene of chaos.
What a terrifying and unreasonable woman!No, wait - could she have anticipated our path and set this trap? That Millelith hound must have prepared this bait beforehand... the lunch box...
We were far too careless.
Still, when it comes to escaping, I won't lose to her. That weapon may be unique, but it's still a ranged weapon like a bow or crossbow. It's affected by distance and wind.
And with the wind against us now, the arrows' power will be greatly weakened. That weapon will suffer the same fate.
This grudge must be avenged! The woman thought viciously. They were desperados who had killed people during a bank robbery. To her, killing one more wouldn't cause the slightest psychological burden.
"Remember this, you bitch—"
Bang.
Her legs lost strength. It felt like something had struck her from behind, pushing her forward.
"How is that possible...?"
She'd hit her mark.
Watching the target collapse, Qin Yu sighed in relief and put away her revolver. If she'd been using her old Short Firearm, she definitely wouldn't have hit. Its range was limited, after all. But with a revolver, anything was possible.
If only I had a rifle or shotgun... Qin Yu thought.
In any case, time to change the mood.
"Light. How wonderful."
The oil lamp wasn't bright, but it did disperse some of the darkness. For her, that was more than enough satisfaction.
But there was a problem.
Qin Yu glanced at the wall riddled with bullet holes—created when a bullet had exited a human body and then lodged in the wall. The corner of her mouth twitched. She looked down at the man lying in a pool of blood and closed her eyes.
This is bad. Not only did I fight in someone's home, but I also left it in this state.
When Shenhe returned and saw this scene, what would she think? Would she dislike me? If she really did, wouldn't I only be able to earn points from Hu Tao then?
No, I have to clean this up.
Fortunately, the lunch box hadn't been stained with blood.
Qin Yu patted her cheeks, casting a disgusted glance at the man's corpse. Even dead, he was still causing trouble for her. Perhaps capturing him alive would have been better. Next time, if something like this happens again, I should use a low-lethality weapon.
Of course, not encountering such situations at all would be best.
"Okay, let's get started... Hm?"
Footsteps—no, running footsteps were rapidly approaching.
Qin Yu had a bad feeling. Could it be...
Just as she thought this, the door was kicked open, its latch destroyed.
It was indeed Shenhe. She entered holding something like a talisman, scanned the room, and finally her gaze settled on Qin Yu, who was looking down.
"Uh, Shenhe—"
What should I say? Qin Yu couldn't think of anything, only stammering.
Shenhe dispelled the talisman in her hand, walked up to Qin Yu, and lifted her face, staring intently. Eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, ears... Qin Yu couldn't turn away, her gaze wandering.
Could you stop looking already?
"W-What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? It's so embarrassing."
"Are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh, this? I'm perfectly fine! Just got lucky, that's all. Don't worry about me. But Shenhe, you're back so late. Did something happen?" Qin Yu's resolve wavered slightly.
Shenhe nodded. "Some immortals asked me to handle matters. I apologize for being delayed. But I'm relieved you're unharmed. If you'd been injured, I... I can't promise what I might have done. You're my most important, and only, friend."
"I already said I'm fine," Qin Yu replied, her face flushing red.
Wow, how bold! "Most important and only friend"... Does she have no sense of shame? Oh right, her emotions are suppressed. Of course she wouldn't feel embarrassed.
How infuriating! Why is only this person immune to embarrassment?
[Evaluation: C]
Get lost.