Chen Ran recognized this person.
This was not the assassin who attacked him at the ocean branch last time, but she was even more terrifying.
Natasha. Cioara.
An executive of World Serpent, codename Raven.
For Chen Ran, this was undoubtedly the worst outcome.
After all, Raven's combat power surpassed Rita's, and he and Wendy were both weak and injured, making it nearly impossible to escape from Raven's grasp.
However, at this moment, Chen Ran would not easily concede defeat.
He stalled for time, asking, "What exactly do you want to do?"
"My mission is to take the one next to you, so it's best if you cooperate."
Raven paused and said, "Originally, tonight's incident was unexpected; I didn't want any extra trouble."
"Don't worry; she won't be harmed."
Chen Ran's eyes narrowed slightly: "Do you think I would believe that?"
"Unfortunately, in my operational code, there's no option for the target to believe this…"
"Bang!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Chen Ran had unexpectedly fired at Raven.
Wendy recognized it as the Colt she had left on the bedside table.
This was the only weapon they could use at the moment.
Raven sidestepped, watching the bullet nearly pass through her head, and couldn't help but spit in disdain.
"Refusing a toast."
Her eyes suddenly became sharp, and the raven feather in her hand flickered with shadows under the moonlight, striking towards Chen Ran's wrist.
Chen Ran had no time to dodge; his gun-holding right hand was cut, and his strength was almost instantly drained, causing the Colt to fall to the ground.
Blood flowed everywhere.
"Ah, are you okay?"
Wendy hurriedly looked at Chen Ran, instinctively wanting to support him.
However, at that moment, she was already in Chen Ran's arms and had no strength at all.
Chen Ran shook his head; his right hand had lost all strength, and the pain was spreading throughout his body along his nerves.
"I'm… fine, don't worry."
Dying like this wouldn't be so bad; at least, with that, he could rest for a while and return to an hour ago.
Thinking of this, Chen Ran felt quite at ease.
He slowly set Wendy down and stood in front of Raven.
The young man's face was pale from blood loss, but Raven saw no fear in his expression.
"You'd better kill me; otherwise, if time drags on, the one who dies will be you."
He paused and said, "The idiots from Anti-Entropy are also under your command, right? Or rather, you've been plotting this for a long time."
Chen Ran didn't quite understand why World Serpent was obsessed with the Gem of Desire rather than the Gem of Conquest.
After all, from any perspective, Raiden Mei was actually more suitable to be the target than Wendy.
The only explanation was that after Raiden Mei infused the Gem of Conquest, before Wendy infused the Gem of Desire, World Serpent had already set its sights on the Gem of Desire.
"You originally planned to steal the Gem of Desire when the Divine Authority Project failed, minimizing the impact."
"But the Gem of Desire integrated well with Wendy, exceeding your expectations. In fact, you were probably more eager for the emergence of an artificial Herrscher."
"However, Wendy's body has always rejected the integration of the gem."
Chen Ran's words began to falter, and the symptoms of blood loss even made his consciousness blur.
He paused and directly said, "According to the original plan, you just needed to wait for the experiment to fail and steal the gem. Unexpectedly, I intervened."
"You are indeed very clever."
Raven did not rush to act but said, "If my colleagues had half of your calmness, I wouldn't be so troubled."
"However, this doesn't affect the final outcome."
She looked at Wendy, who was sitting on the ground, worriedly watching Chen Ran, and said, "Let's go, little girl. Don't worry; he won't die for a while; I've held back."
Raven was not a cold-blooded killer; this commission also did not require her to kill.
However, at this moment, she had a bad premonition in her heart.
…
…
When Chen Ran's hand was cut by the raven feather, Wendy's mind went blank.
This was the second time.
She watched the person she liked get hurt, yet she felt powerless.
[You have no power.]
A chaotic consciousness erupted from her mind, and she heard a voice identical to her own mocking her in her ear:
[You can only be dragged away to escape, powerless in the face of danger.]
"I…"
She wanted to say something in rebuttal but found she couldn't argue.
[Do you desire power?]
[The power to stand up, retaliate, and take revenge on those who hurt him.]
"You are Herrscher consciousness."
Finally, Wendy realized, and her entire being filled with vigilance.
As a Valkyrie, she naturally knew what the so-called 'Herrscher consciousness' was; this was an important knowledge point in Valkyrie training:
Herrscher consciousness is the infinite amplification of the dark emotions within a Herrscher's heart.
Because of this, every Herrscher that is born becomes an enemy of civilization.
As a Valkyrie, she instinctively resisted Herrscher consciousness.
However, this consciousness was mocking her.
[What a foolish human; do you think you've resisted me? How can the current situation be any better?]
[Moreover, the one plotting against you is also a partner you call human, isn't it?]
[Right now, you can do nothing.]
The last words of the Herrscher persona made Wendy let out a muffled sound.
She thought of Chen Ran's two injuries.
The first was to make the Divine Authority Project fail; the second was because of herself.
The blood pooling on the ground had turned a reddish-brown, and the rusty smell in the air stimulated her nerves.
Even as a Valkyrie, she knew she couldn't accept the temptation of the Herrscher.
But now…
"Bang!"
A dull sound brought Wendy back to reality.
She saw Himeko had arrived, holding Sunfire, and fiercely attacked Raven.
The latter dodged like a light bird, just in time. Himeko's Greatsword smashed down to the ground, shattering the tiles everywhere.
In Wendy's line of sight, Chen Ran was too weak to stand, forced to lie on the ground.
His wrist artery had actually been severed, and the wound was unable to heal.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he died from excessive blood loss.
"Chen Ran, Chen Ran, are you okay?"
She struggled to crawl towards where he lay.
Chen Ran slowly opened his eyes and grinned, "I'm fine, I'm tough, I won't die."
"The experiments on you aren't over yet; I promised to help you stand up."
"Ugh... it's so cold in this winter."
At this moment, the sky had already taken on a layer of white, and in two hours, the night would leave the far east.
But at this time, Wendy felt as if she would be forever shrouded in darkness.
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