Nic decided to observe first before revealing himself in his Death Raven form, because in Eastern it was likely that no one knew Death Raven was actually him.
Iroha stared sharply at Shen Akira.
"What do you want, Shen Akira? And who is that cloaked girl? Have we met before?"
The cloaked girl chuckled softly.
"This is indeed our first meeting, but I know about you… so you've recovered from your illness, huh?"
Iroha grew irritated. Yao Lin tried to pull Iroha and Chloe away.
"This is none of your business, and we're busy. Excuse us."
But Yao Lin was suddenly stopped by the cloaked girl.
"Wait… don't you want to chat for a bit? Isn't the guy beside me someone you used to like?" the cloaked girl said casually.
Iroha and Yao Lin looked at Shen Akira and replied that they no longer felt anything for him.
The cloaked girl looked confused and turned toward Shen Akira.
Shen Akira sighed lightly.
"Well, feelings can fade on their own. By the way, what are you busy with? We're about to do something too… maybe we could help each other?"
Chloe gathered her courage and spoke firmly.
"That's none of your concern, and we don't need anyone's help. We already know our own roles. Besides, this is a women's matter!"
"Oh? Feisty. If I'm not mistaken, you're one of those who defended the botanist, right?" Shen Akira asked.
Iroha pulled Chloe back.
"The three of us defended the botanist because we know you're spreading lies. Just wait and see."
The cloaked girl fell silent, her thoughts drifting back to the moment when the botanist had let her go.
"Hey you—do you know where that botanist is now?" the cloaked girl asked, pointing at Chloe.
Chloe shook her head. As the cloaked girl stepped forward, trying to force an answer, the atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense.
Everyone felt chills run down their spines. Chloe, already aware of whose aura this was, immediately urged Iroha and Yao Lin to run.
The cloaked girl tried to chase after them, but Shen Akira stopped her.
"Wait—don't chase them," Shen Akira said, subtly signaling the presence behind him.
When the cloaked girl saw the figure standing behind Shen Akira, she froze in panic.
It was Nic—in his terrifying Death Raven mode.
Death Raven's voice was cold and deep.
"What are you planning to do?"
Shen Akira tried to stay calm.
"Nothing… just taking a walk. Who are you?"
"Lie," Death Raven replied briefly, gripping Shen Akira's shoulder with his sharp claws.
The cloaked girl tried to intervene.
"That's true! You can see it yourself—we haven't done anything. Can you let us go?"
Death Raven instantly moved behind the cloaked girl and whispered to her for a split second without Shen Akira noticing.
"Stay away from that man before you regret it."
The cloaked girl went silent. Death Raven vanished, leaving only black feathers drifting in the air.
Shen Akira looked confused, having seen nothing—Death Raven had been far too fast.
"What just happened? Hey, what's wrong with you?" Shen Akira asked.
The cloaked girl said nothing and simply urged Shen Akira to continue their journey.
Shen Akira assumed she had been influenced by Death Raven, and in his mind, he began preparing something to ensure his most valuable asset would never leave him.
---
Nic returned to the dangerous forest, wondering whether Lingmei was still there or had already left.
He was shocked the place where Lingmei had stayed was completely wrecked.
"What happened here?" Nic muttered as he picked something up a claw.
"A broken claw? Zeta, analyze this. Whose claw is it?" Nic asked.
[ It belongs to Lingmei, Master Nic. It seems something has happened to her. ]
Nic immediately searched for the tiger and other animals. The tiger soon appeared, having been hiding all along.
"Master Nic! Many people came here earlier. From what I heard, they tried to take Lingmei home, but she refused. It ended with violence," the tiger explained.
Nic grew even more troubled, overwhelmed by the many problems piling up.
"I know this isn't really my responsibility… but if I know about it and can help her, why not? I'll settle everything now," Nic said firmly.
[ Is it finally time for Master Nic to get serious? This is getting exciting. ]
"Stop joking around, Zeta."
[ Hehe, sorry. It seems Lingmei has a dark family issue… it would be very good if you could help her. ]
Using God of Tracker with Lingmei's claw as a medium, Nic traced her home.
He arrived in the Meihei region. Finding Lingmei's house was easy—it was the largest mansion in the entire area.
"Zeta, activate Death Raven mode."
[ Activated. ]
Nic stood before the mansion gate. A maid noticed him but showed no panic and calmly asked what he needed.
Nic stared at her and realized that although her face looked lifeless, deep inside she was trembling in fear.
"I want to enter," Death Raven said.
The maids and guards sensed Death Raven as a threat. They lined up behind the gate and refused him entry.
Unwilling to waste time, Nic activated God of Dictator. Being far weaker than him, they immediately collapsed and fell under his command.
"Open the gate and follow behind me. I will free you as well," Death Raven ordered.
They obeyed without resistance.
Inside, Nic found the mansion filled with people partying. His analysis suggested the house was being used as a venue for wealthy elites.
The rich guests panicked upon seeing Death Raven and fled in chaos.
Nic ignored them and focused solely on finding Lingmei.
[ Master Nic, Lingmei is on the third floor. ]
Nic headed straight to the third floor, disregarding everything else.
He was blocked by the largest presence in the house—Lingmei's father.
"You think your intimidation aura can scare the Ling family? Do you know who I am?" her father said coldly.
Death Raven smiled.
"Lingfeng… that's your name, isn't it?"
Lingfeng fall silent. He couldn't understand how this figure knew his name and assumed they had met before.
But Death Raven continued,
"I've never met you. I don't care about your background. Step aside."
Sensing an enormous threat, Lingfeng whistled to signal his guards and drew his sword.
But the maids and guards he had trained remained motionless.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KILL THIS STRANGE MAN!" Lingfeng roared.
Silence then smack!
Nic slapped Lingfeng so hard that he was sent crashing down to the first floor. Miraculously, he was still alive, though blood poured from his mouth.
Nic ignored him and continued searching for Lingmei. When he found her room and opened the door, he saw Lingmei tied to a chair, watching a black-and-white video filled with extreme emotions and bizarre masks.
"What the hell is this…" Nic thought, tearing the TV apart with his claws.
Lingmei, who had been unresponsive, suddenly convulsed in pain.
"Alright… this again. Zeta, activate Skill Give Me Your Pain!"
[ Activated. ]
Nic touched Lingmei, transferring all her pain into himself. Already fed up with pain, Nic quickly used Fusion Health to suppress it.
Lingmei calmed down and slowly opened her eyes.
"Ugh… what happened? Why am I tied up?"
Nic untied her.
"AH!! W-WHO ARE YOU?! GO AWAY!!" Lingmei screamed, completely unlike her usual self.
"I'm trying to save you," Death Raven said.
"STAY AWAY! YOU CROW MONSTER! DON'T TOUCH ME! PLEASE GO!! DAD, HELP ME!!" Lingmei cried.
Lingfeng, having recovered, rushed to the third floor.
"Damn it! If Lingmei returns to normal, my life will be ruined!"
He tried to slash Death Raven but was stopped by his own maids and guards.
"YOU TRAITORS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I'M TRYING TO SAVE MY DAUGHTER FROM THAT MONSTER!" Lingfeng screamed, injuring them in his rage.
With the situation spiraling out of control, Nic was forced to abduct Lingmei so he could talk to her properly.
"DAMN IT! DON'T TAKE HER AWAY!! LINGMEI!!!" Lingfeng shouted in despair.
But it was useless—Death Raven was far too fast.
Nic didn't take her to the dangerous forest, but to the Unity Shrine, which was quiet at the time.
Lingmei remained panicked and afraid.
"What do you want from me… please let me go… Ochana, help me…"
Slowly, Nic deactivated Death Raven mode and returned to normal, confusing Lingmei.
"Do you recognize me now?" Nic asked.
Lingmei shook her head.
"Who are you? Please let me go…"
Nic realized Lingmei had likely been brainwashed for a long time, resulting in multiple personalities and unstable emotions. The current Lingmei seemed to be her true self—without any masks.
"Hmm… she mentioned the name Ochana. Who is Ochana?" Nic thought.
[ Master Nic, I suggest you just shoot Lingmei and view her past with Love Archive. You'll understand everything easily. ]
"You're right… sigh. Okay activate Cupid Arsenal > Pistol."
Nic fired.
[ Ding! Congratulations! Lingmei has fallen in love and is 100% loyal to Master Nic. ]
[ Ding! Hearth Claim activated! Lingmei has been added to the girlfriend list. ]
[ Ding! Skill transfer activated! New skill acquired: God of Emotion (allows Master Nic to increase or suppress emotions). ]
After being shot, Lingmei completely calmed down.
"Do you remember what happened to you?" Nic asked.
"What happened to me? I feel normal… but why did you kidnap me?" Lingmei asked, confused.
"You're in danger right now. Can you stay here for a while until I explain everything? Don't worry—you won't be alone. This is the home of the Guardians of the Natural Tree and Flower of Heaven," Nic said gently.
Lingmei hesitated but obeyed, feeling oddly happy—she had always loved the Natural Tree of Heaven.
"Are you sure I can stay here?" she asked.
"Of course. I'll explain everything to them. You can stay here for a few days."
Lingmei agreed. Nic informed Kazumi, Meilin, and all the Tree and Flower Guardians about Lingmei. They understood and helped protect her at the shrine.
---
Meanwhile, a furious Lingfeng dismissed all the maids and guards who had disobeyed him.
He recruited new ones and ordered them to search for his daughter.
"That damned bastard… I'll kill him if we ever meet again," Lingfeng growled, stabbing a punching bag repeatedly.
To be continued…