"Tendo, are you sure my brother is okay by himself? Does he need..."
Chen Xing stood on top of a bell tower outside the Gear Church, watching Chen Kong, who was using his 'Void Rune' to silently infiltrate the church on the street below. Her brow was furrowed.
Even though Isabelle had promised her she would keep an eye on him, why was this reckless boy getting involved in this mess again?
Beside Chen Xing, Tendo, who had dropped his disguise, and Danica, who was carrying a bag of chips and a small backpack, sat on the edge of the bell tower's rooftop.
Unlike Chen Xing's serious expression, Tendo and little Danica looked as relaxed as if they were on a picnic, completely unaffected by the situation.
Tendo played with a 'coin' in his hand, his eyes glancing at little Danica, who had just taken out her chips. He then suddenly 'whooshed' his left hand, snatched the chips from Danica's hand, and tossed them into his mouth, eating them with a smile.
"Don't worry, Xing, your brother will be fine."
But Tendo's words did not smooth out her furrowed brow. She was clearly still worried about Chen Kong.
Seeing this, Tendo held back the little green-headed dog beside him, who was so angry she wanted to bite his arm, and said bluntly, "While Kong is a bit of a bleeding heart, he's not a helpless weakling."
"On the contrary, his strength is definitely among the best in this Steam City."
"Not to mention, I also found him the strongest backup in Steam City. This is an easy win for him; he can't lose unless he deliberately tries."
"The strongest backup?"
Chen Xing raised her eyebrows and turned her head. The morning breeze on the bell tower's roof brushed against her cheek, catching a strand of her brown hair that hung by her ear.
After a moment, Chen Xing guessed who Tendo's strongest backup was.
"Are you talking about the President of the Steam Branch — Liam?"
Just as Chen Xing finished speaking, Tendo flicked the coin he was playing with. It made a 'clink' sound and stopped between his fingers, perfectly timed.
"You got it right. Too bad there's no prize, though~"
With Tendo's confirmation, Chen Xing's furrowed brow finally relaxed.
Because if everything was as Tendo said, then Chen Kong really wouldn't be in any danger this time.
In truth, Chen Xing didn't know that, according to the original plot of Stars · Glimmer, Liam should have been quietly staying at the Association at this time, completely ignoring the 'power struggle' between the upper and lower districts.
And the helper for Chen Kong in this part of the story was the guy named 'Yuchen.'
After all, in the original novel, there was no such person as Fifth Squad Captain Ink Wash, so there would naturally be no assassination that disgraced the Steam Branch.
Although Liam had been holed up in the branch for years, rarely showing his face, no one dared to underestimate his presence.
Because the word 'Calamity' itself was an insurmountable chasm.
Even as a lesser calamity, Liam's strength was unimaginably different from that of non-calamities.
Of course, with the exception of Tendo.
But if this old coot stayed at the branch, even if he managed to steal the two 'quantum keys' from the Association with his 'Primal Concealment' ability, it wouldn't be easy to leave afterward.
The reason a calamity is a calamity is that they alone can create a 'calamitous' effect.
And this effect is collectively known as a Domain.
With a calamity's domain, plus the wolf-like Star Envoys in the Steam Branch, even if Tendo could leave afterward, he would likely have to pay a price.
And more importantly, once Liam found out that someone was secretly collecting the 'quantum keys' of the twelve Bronze Nobles, he would surely protect the remaining Bronze Nobles.
At that point, it wouldn't be so easy for Tendo to collect a complete set of quantum keys.
Conversely, as long as Liam left the branch for even half an hour, he would have a perfect opportunity to easily obtain those two 'quantum keys.'
Thinking of this, the coin on Tendo's fingertip spun again, a clear sign of his good mood.
Noticing the smile on Tendo's face, Chen Xing subconsciously smiled as well.
As for whether Liam would show up?
Chen Xing wasn't worried at all. After all, if a person or organization killed a Golden Knight and an Association Squad Captain, would you dare to bet that they were alone?
For an old fox as cautious as Liam, making a personal trip was undoubtedly the safest choice.
The Steam Branch... couldn't afford to lose any more people.
Thinking of this, Chen Xing watched Chen Kong, who had already fully infiltrated the Gear Church, and said with emotion, "You're already audacious enough to scheme against a calamity. If some more time passes, I can't imagine what shocking things you'll do next."
Hearing this, Tendo shrugged, then tossed the coin into the air.
"Who knows? Maybe in the future, I'll even take down the strongest Star Envoy of this era."
Although Tendo's tone sounded like a joke, Chen Xing knew that the depth hidden behind those deep blue eyes was no laughing matter.
He... truly had the ability to do it.
As the two talked, several more explosions were heard from the distant Screw Hub.
It seemed that a fierce conflict had broken out.
Looking at the soaring flames in the distance, Chen Xing's brow furrowed again. "Tendo, it seems... things are getting even more chaotic in the lower district."
Tendo caught the falling coin and said nothing.
In truth, Chen Xing didn't care what the final outcome of this 'tale of two cities' between the lower and upper districts would be.
She only cared about the difficult promise Chen Kong had made to briefly calm the citizens of the lower district.
Now, although the citizens of the lower district had broken through the Screw Hub, they were also surrounded by the incoming steam-powered police force from the upper district.
To avoid more casualties, Chen Kong used his 'Void Rune' ability to enter the Screw Hub and made a promise to the citizens inside.
He would clear Vivian's name and prove to everyone that justice could exist in Steam City, in the Rust District.
At the same time, he would also find a way to persuade the twelve Bronze Nobles to give the Rust District the treatment it deserved.
While Chen Kong's idea was naive and impractical, it had to be acknowledged that his words gave the lower-district citizens a small amount of hope.
Therefore, they decided to give Chen Kong a chance.
And the deadline for this opportunity was the day of Vivian's execution.
However, while the citizens of the lower district had stopped, the nobles of the upper district... didn't seem to have any intention of stopping.
Looking at the continuous gunfire and explosions in the distance, Tendo couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Xing, your brother... really did choose the hardest path."
Chen Xing did not reply, for she knew very well what path Chen Kong had chosen.
It was a road destined to be lonely and full of danger.