Seeing all the Fatui agents gathered in the hall, squatting with their heads down, Shao Yun seized the moment to assert his dominance.
"One fool is already dead. Anyone else?"
Not a soul responded. They were as silent as sheep.
Pleased, Shao Yun licked his lips and twirled the revolver in his hand, aiming it lazily across the crowd.
"I don't mind leaving a few more corpses here. Anyone else want to play hero?"
With no response, he moved on to the purpose of their visit.
"We're here for something. Something that doesn't belong to you. You stole it!"
"It's because of this stolen thing that misfortune has befallen you!"
"Your comrade—" he said, grinding his foot against the captured Fatui agent beneath him, drawing a cry of pain.
The pained scream made every other Fatui in the hall shudder.
"He told me the item's locked up. And that there's a key!"
"Who has it? Hand it over."
The Fatui exchanged nervous glances. Some looked frightened, others angry. A few whispered among themselves, clearly uncertain of who held the key.
Yet one thing united them—they all avoided eye contact with Shao Yun, whose gaze cut like a blade.
Shao Yun, disgusted by the rising chatter, raised his gun and fired a shot into the air.
"Quiet! Hand me the key now! Or I'll start piling bodies and find it myself!"
He drew his second revolver, now brandishing both. The muzzles scanned the cowering crowd.
"WHERE. IS. THE. KEY?"
Finally, one man stood up in the center of the group—his face pale, his eyes filled with terror and despair.
The tension in the hall felt like a crushing mountain on his chest. Shao Yun recognized him—looked like an unarmored Anemoboxer Vanguard.
Humiliated that one man had subdued thirty of them, the Anemoboxer Vanguard agent had reached his limit. Fear and shame burned inside him. They couldn't just keep cowering.
Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and yelled:
"I'll fight you!"
He charged at Shao Yun, eyes burning with fatal resolve, converting despair into desperate rage.
Shao Yun didn't speak. He simply stared with cold amusement—like watching a deer sprint into a trap.
Such a clumsy attack almost made him laugh.
This time, his Vision flared at his waist, and when he fired, the bullet carried explosive Pyro energy.
It struck the man's head—and detonated.
Blood mist erupted as the Fatui's neck turned into a crimson fountain. Screams caught in the throats of the surrounding agents as they instinctively covered their mouths.
"Seems some of you aren't sheep after all… more like suicidal goats."
Though said like a compliment, the tone was more death sentence than praise.
Then Shao Yun's patience snapped.
"But a fool is still a fool—even a brave one. Anyone else want to play the hero? Be a martyr?"
"I am not someone your petty thieving kind can handle!"
"My patience has limits. Cooperate, and you live. Resist—and you die."
His Vision glowed again. Both revolvers glinted red like ravenous wolves, hungering to tear flesh from bone.
"The key! Here!"
A Fatui couldn't take it anymore. Crying out, he waved a key in the air and stumbled from the crowd, snot and tears flowing freely. He collapsed to his knees, presenting the key with trembling hands.
"I can't take this anymore! Please—just don't kill us!"
The moment shattered their composure. Sobs and sniffles filled the air. Four female Fatui—possibly Electro or Cryo Cicin Mages—started writing final messages on their sleeves with blood.
Shao Yun hooked the key with one revolver, inspected it briefly, then gestured with the other.
He handed the key to Lumine, nodding to Diluc, Venti, and Jean.
"You sure you want to stay here alone?" Lumine asked, shocked. Sure, he'd killed a few, but there were still more than twenty left. A full-on rush would be dangerous.
"Sheep don't bite wolves. Go get the Lyre. Watch out—there may be traps on the second floor."
He watched them go before turning back to watch the prisoners and check for any incoming reinforcements.
Minutes passed.
Then Lumine returned from upstairs, raising the Holy Lyre high.
"Found it."
With their objective secured, it was time to decide what to do next.
As everyone gathered behind him, Shao Yun looked at the crowd of Fatui and asked, "What should we do with them?"
The moment the question dropped, all the Fatui perked up in panic. Though masked, one could easily imagine their pleading eyes beneath.
Jean, as Acting Grand Master, knew any decision she made would represent Mondstadt's position. Though killing them would be justifiable, it might provoke retaliation from the Fatui. She herself wasn't afraid—but putting Mondstadt at risk was unacceptable.
On the other hand, letting them live meant risking future threats. Either choice would spark trouble. Jean remained silent.
Venti leaned against the wall, smiling faintly—clearly uninterested in participating. His silence was his answer.
Diluc, hardened from years of avenging his father and having slain plenty of Fatui in the past, was unfazed.
These weaklings didn't even compare to those he once fought. To him, they were a threat waiting to happen.
"My vote? Kill them. No witnesses."
The moment they heard that, the four Cicin Mages collapsed in despair, fainting on the spot.
Paimon looked at their teary faces. If it had been in the heat of battle, she wouldn't have flinched at killing them. But now… they posed no current threat.
Sympathy crept in.
"But… they're still people. They have families. Friends. Do we really have to kill them all?" she said softly, her voice trembling.
Still people? That's all in the past, Shao Yun thought. But her plea lingered.
"So… you want to let them go?" he asked.
Paimon's usual spark dimmed. Her eyes, normally wide with curiosity, flickered with confusion and hesitation.
Her mouth opened slightly, but the words wouldn't come. She knew they were bad people—but what if they came back for revenge?
Torn, she finally turned away, covering her ears. She didn't want to hear or see anymore.
Lumine stepped up and gently stroked Paimon's head, then looked to Shao Yun.
"Your call. Whatever you choose… I'll back you, the way you've always backed me."
And with that, the others stepped outside to wait.
Three abstentions, one vote to kill, one to release.
The fate of the prisoners lay in Shao Yun's hands.
As he hesitated, the ever-timely system made its move.
[System detected host in moral dilemma.]
[Analyzing options…]
[Release Fatui: Increases Reputation.]
[Execute Fatui: No change in Reputation. Looting bodies yields 10,201 Mora.]
No benefit to killing them… better to win favor with Paimon and gain some Reputation.
"You're lucky I'm not bloodthirsty."
He holstered both revolvers.
The Fatui stared in stunned silence. Their death sentence—reversed?
The atmosphere went still. Even the air seemed to freeze.
Then, like popped balloons, the surviving agents collapsed to the ground, breathless with relief.
Just as Shao Yun turned to leave, he saw the man who had threatened him earlier, lying quietly on the floor.
"Almost forgot about you."
He yanked him up. The man panicked—thinking he alone would die.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Shao Yun stared deep into his eyes.
"You shouldn't have threatened me."
"Help—!"
But instead of shooting, Shao Yun rifled through his pockets, took every last Mora, and shoved him back down.
He jingled the coin pouch, slipping it into his pack.
"This is your buyout price."
As he turned away, he left the man one final instruction:
"We were never here. You're the only one still conscious. Count to a hundred—then go do whatever you want."