"So that's the situation, do you understand?"
Zane casually kicked Elliot, who was beaten black and blue and groaning on the ground, aside like trash. Then he spoke to the purple-haired, dark-skinned, agile elder sister in front of him—Hassan of the Hundred Faces (the most common individual).
"Master... uh, acting Master."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces looked at the miserable former Master on the ground, then at the few Hilichurls with vastly different styles, and sighed helplessly.
"This is a bit too... difficult for 'Hassan'."
She counted on her fingers, her beautiful face filled with conflict: "Although we 'Hundred Faces' are named Hundred Faces, the actual number of individuals who can stably maintain independent action, including myself, is only ninety-nine at most. But you want us to monitor and deal with a total of eight hundred and seventy-three targets? The disparity is too great..."
(Note: Hassan of the Hundred Faces does not have a single main body in the strict sense; all ninety-nine individuals are the main body, but in the game, she is most often depicted as this purple-haired elder sister. Here, she is treated as the primary contact person.)
"You don't need to worry about that."
Jesse stepped forward and patted Hundred Faces' shoulder.
The latter's body stiffened slightly; out of an assassin's instinct, she almost retaliated.
"You don't need to deal with all targets simultaneously. You can start now, prioritizing the assassination of those imposters who are isolated or in remote locations. Reduce their numbers, create panic, and make them fall into disarray."
"I see, a phased attrition strategy?"
The helplessness in Hassan of the Hundred Faces' eyes was instantly replaced by a professional gleam. She nodded slightly.
"If it's just like that, then there's no problem. Please rest assured and leave it to us! Stealth and assassination are our inherent specialties."
As soon as she finished speaking, without any noticeable movement from her, her figure seemed to merge into the shadows, blurring and disappearing instantly before everyone's eyes, as if she had never appeared.
Only a faint trace of dry, dusty scent remained in the air, proving that she had once stood there.
"Wow... this speed, isn't it even faster than Clorinde?"
Matt rubbed his eyes foolishly, expressing his heartfelt admiration.
"After all, it's the Assassin class."
Zane, with his arms crossed, explained as if it were nothing unusual.
"Among the seven conventional classes, the basic stats are usually at the bottom. If even stealth and speed aren't fast enough, then there really won't be any presence."
"Alright, alright, stop with the explanations."
Lumine urged.
"Hundred Faces and the others have already taken action, we should also enter the city. We still need to inform Acting Grand Master Jean and the others."
"You're right, let's go."
Jesse nodded, his gaze turning to the silent Wolf King.
The Wolf King understood, its massive body once again emitting a clanking mechanical whir as it rapidly transformed into a twenty-meter tall silver-white Gundam form.
Everyone skillfully took their positions, and as the thrusters ignited, the giant mecha carried them soaring into the sky, flying towards Mondstadt City.
Shortly after they left, the light from the summoning circle drawn with Elliot's blood (?) on the grass had completely dissipated.
However, at the very center of the formation, the air subtly twisted. A pair of ancient, calm white lights, like deep pools in a secluded valley, yet containing ultimate majesty, flashed like slowly opening eyes, then vanished.
There was nothing there, yet it was as if an invisible, colossal figure had quietly stood, silently observing everything, including the ninety-nine assassin clones that had spread out like a spiderweb, stealthily infiltrating Mondstadt City.
(???: ... (Silent gaze.jpg))
------
At the entrance of Mondstadt City, the giant silver-white Gundam hovered dozens of meters above the ground, its hatch sliding open silently.
To avoid causing panic, the quartet, Lumine, and Paimon chose to enter the city discreetly. The Wolf King re-entered stealth mode, hovering silently above Mondstadt City like a silent guardian, continuing to monitor the entire city.
As soon as they stepped through the city gates, they sensed an unusual atmosphere.
Pedestrians were still on the streets, and the sounds of hawking were incessant, but upon closer inspection, one could notice that the movements of some "pedestrians" were slightly stiff, and their eyes occasionally flashed with an inhuman emptiness—clearly, these were the imposters who had not yet been dealt with.
"Tsk, truly pervasive."
Jesse lowered his voice. In his high-tech mask's field of vision, the red dots representing the imposters were still moving.
"Let's go to the Knights of Favonius to find Acting Grand Master Jean first."
Lumine suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement.
As they passed through an alley, preparing to take a shortcut to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, a commotion suddenly erupted from around the corner ahead.
They saw a "Knights of Favonius" escorting a "merchant" who was tightly bound and gagged with a cloth.
The "merchant" looked terrified, struggling and whimpering.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
Paimon flew forward, hands on her hips, questioning them.
The "Knights of Favonius" saw Lumine and Paimon and immediately showed a standard, slightly stiff smile: "Honorary Knight, Paimon, greetings. This merchant is suspicious; I suspect he is a dangerous element who has infiltrated the city. I am preparing to escort him for interrogation."
Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances. Wearing glasses modified by the Wolf King, they clearly saw glaring red lights flashing on this "Knights of Favonius," while the bound "merchant" had a normal green marker.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Zane stepped forward, looking at the "Knights of Favonius" with interest.
"Why do I think you look more suspicious?"
The "Knights of Favonius"'s expression changed slightly, but he still feigned composure: "This... Mr. Hilichurl, please do not obstruct the Knights of Favonius from performing their duties!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone only felt a blur before their eyes!
A purple figure, like a phantom, quietly descended from the shadows of a nearby rooftop, silently appearing behind the "Knights of Favonius."
A cold glint flashed—
"Pfft."
A faint sound of a sharp blade entering flesh.
The "Knights of Favonius"'s body stiffened abruptly, the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed, and his body began to twist and deform, eventually turning into a puddle of black, ominous-smelling sludge, which then slowly dissipated.
And Hassan of the Hundred Faces, in her purple-haired elder sister form, flicked her short blade, shaking off non-existent stains, and nodded slightly to the stunned "merchant": "Apologies for startling you. The imposter has been eliminated."
After she spoke, without even looking at the crowd, her figure disappeared again as if merging into the air, leaving only the unbound, still-shaken true merchant, and the bewildered Lumine, Paimon, and the quartet exchanging glances.
"...Such high efficiency."
Matt commented in a muffled voice.
"And... quite polite?"
Paimon scratched her head.
Elliot weakly raised his head and proudly grunted: "See... see! I told you... summoning them... was the right choice..."
Zane impatiently slapped his head: "Shut up, you! If you hadn't summoned them haphazardly, we might already be sitting in the Knights of Favonius drinking tea!"
They continued their journey, witnessing several more instances of the Hassan of the Hundred Faces' "work" along the way:
A "resident" trying to buy something at a fruit stall with fake Mora was pulled in by a hand suddenly reaching out from under the stall. A moment later, the real stall owner emerged from under the stall, looking confused and scratching his head, wondering how he had fallen asleep;
A "nun" trying to infiltrate the Cathedral of the Favonius was bumped on the steps by a "tourist" who "accidentally" slipped, then softly fell to the ground, turning into black mud and disappearing. The "tourist" casually dusted off their clothes and walked away, blending into the crowd;
There was even an imposter disguised as a Bard who, just as he strummed his lyre, was precisely hit on the back of the neck by a small stone flying from who-knows-where, fainted without a sound, and was quickly dragged away by two "enthusiastic citizens"... The Hassan of the Hundred Faces, like invisible ghosts, moved through the streets and alleys of Mondstadt, silently clearing targets with extreme efficiency and professionalism.
Their actions were precise, swift, and minimized interference and panic among ordinary citizens.
"It seems... we don't need to intervene here for now."
Jesse sighed in relief, watching the red dots in his vision gradually decrease.
"But we still need to explain the situation to Acting Grand Master Jean, to avoid any misunderstandings with the Knights of Favonius."
Lumine said.
When they finally arrived in front of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters building, they found Acting Grand Master Jean, Cavalry Captain Kaeya, and Librarian Lisa standing at the entrance, all looking somewhat solemn and... perplexed.
"Honorary Knight, and these... Hilichurl friends."
Jean saw them and immediately came over, her tone filled with confusion.
"You've come at a good time. Some... strange things have happened in the city today."
"We've received multiple reports that suspicious individuals were subdued by unknown persons, and then... turned into black sludge and disappeared."
"After Captain Kaeya investigated, he found that those who were subdued seemed to be... monsters disguised as our residents?"
Kaeya stroked his chin, his characteristic smile tinged with inquiry: "Even stranger, those 'unknown persons' who acted were incredibly fast, and... their style was very consistent, like a well-trained... assassination squad? Can you explain, everyone?"
Lumine and Paimon looked at the quartet.
Zane cleared his throat and said concisely: "We've called in external help, professionals who handle this kind of infiltration problem. Don't worry, they are allies."
Jean, Kaeya, Lisa: "???"
External help? Assassination squad? Allies?
Lisa yawned lazily, but a flicker of shrewdness flashed in her eyes: "Oh? It seems these 'Honorary Knights' are even more... resourceful than we imagined."
Just then, no one noticed that on the high spire of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, an invisible, massive shadow seemed to stir slightly.
The ancient and majestic white lights flashed once more, like a silent spectator, looking down from above at this city gradually being "cleaned up," and at the people within it, who were either oblivious or confused by it all.
The ancient and majestic white lights flashed once more, like a silent spectator, looking down from above at this city gradually being "cleaned up," and at the people within it, who were either oblivious or confused by it all