When Kevin got out of his hospital bed, there was no one in the room except him.
Also, to his dismay, he was tightly strapped down, bound to his strong body.
"What's going on?"
The young melon-headed *** was full of question marks.
No way.
"Hey! Anyone out there?"
"Mei?"
"Is someone there?"
...
He had a big heart.
Faced with this apparent kidnapping, his first reaction wasn't fear or panic—
Instead, he just shouted out loud.
To say it plainly, the soundproofing in this room wasn't great.
Or rather: not good enough to completely block out a loud voice.
So, undoubtedly—
.
"Uh~ hehe~"
In the next room, watching the "returned" Kevin acting speechless, Mei couldn't help but chuckle a couple of times.
However, the shouting in the other room not only didn't stop, but became louder and louder.
Kevin's expression darkened further.
Finally—
"Excuse me, I'll be right back."
Unable to bear it any longer, he stood up and swiftly left the room where Mei was resting.
Mei just stared at the door, which he hadn't even bothered to close behind him.
"Haha, finally someone's here... Wait, who are you?"
"How do you look just like me? ... No... Stop... Noooo!!!"
"Oww, oww, oww~"
...
About ten seconds later, Kevin, now wearing a black trench coat, returned.
He gently shut the hospital room door and sat on the bed with a completely blank expression.
"So…"
Mei, who had been listening intently, saw that things had gone quiet next door and tried to ask something.
"Don't worry."
Kevin still wore a cold poker face.
"He needs some rest now."
"Uh~ alright."
Mei gave an awkward smile and decided not to dwell on it for now.
No doubt about it—
Knowing that Kevin wouldn't hurt Kevin… uh, kind of complicated to say.
Indeed, when dealing with the overly grand and mysterious concept of "time," past logic based on common sense tends to collapse quite easily.
But it was fine. Mei's mind could keep up.
In short, knowing that the younger Kevin was okay, Mei naturally focused all her attention on something more important and serious.
That is: "Various matters related to the future."
In fact, even before the younger Kevin started making a ruckus, she had already spoken at length with the white-haired (?) young man sitting beside the hospital bed.
During that conversation, she found that—compared to the Raiden Mei she had encountered before—this returning Kevin Kaslana clearly had far more detailed information about the "future."
Moreover, he answered all of her questions without dodging and explained some details patiently.
Because of that, Mei further confirmed several astonishing facts:
The supernatural disasters known as the "Honkai" exist. The relevant information mentioned earlier by Raiden Mei was entirely true... she just didn't say everything.
This era will be completely destroyed in the future by products of an advanced alien civilization called the "Cocoon of the End."
In the era of modern civilization—over 50,000 years later—a tragedy named Ling Ke was born.
He personally destroyed the current era of civilization, and in order to avenge a specific group of people, used heartbreaking methods to travel back in time to the present.
"If you've ascended to godhood at this point, you must not become enemies with them!"
"Yeah…"
After summarizing the five points above, Mei could only sigh helplessly.
"Even something like 'traveling back in time' is possible... Even if he isn't a real god, to us, there's no difference."
That's her analysis—based on rationality.
And emotion.
"To be honest, we should thank him (Ling Ke)."
Mei smiled and said,
"Even if this 'salvation' was born of the malice he himself mentioned, this 'second chance' really did come from him."
Kevin also nodded in agreement.
However—
Considering that this "second chance" wasn't an ending, but rather the beginning of another challenge... they still had to face the threats of other "returners."
"Mei."
Kevin spoke in a deep voice:
"Originally, I had no intention of standing before you."
"But now, it's entirely on me, so—"
"I understand."
Mei looked at the white-haired young man before her, who clearly planned to carry everything alone and secretly protect this era (?), and giggled:
"Just like the 'Judge (Ling Ke)' said, this is a battle between two civilizations for survival."
"No one can face it alone."
"So—"
She nodded slightly.
"I'll help you."
"This time, we'll reach the end together."
The young Kevin in the next room:
"Ah-choo~"
It was "night."
Middle East, Twilight Street.
"Nom nom~"
Here, atop a ruined building.
At the edge of its rooftop, a light brown short-haired maiden was sitting next to a black-haired youth, swinging her legs in sync with his.
"Boss, today's a good night... bite~"
"Right? This Iron Ox BBQ—charred outside, tender inside, crispy, tasty, not greasy at all. When I bite into it, my mouth's full of meat. I looked around forever before I found this place. It's a super sincere food stall... Let's go!"
"Oh~"
The two clinked their frozen drinks together like they were toasting.
"I don't get it, but I feel strong and satisfied."
The girl—Pardot—said this, then slurped a few big sips of her cold drink through a straw, and couldn't help but burp.
"Mmm~"
All fizzy.
She winced and rubbed her forehead quickly.
Seeing her like that—
"Haha, amateur!"
The black-haired youth... Ling Ke lifted a hand and pinched her nose, turning his head the other way
"So the hiccup doesn't hit your brain... hic~"
"So cool~"
Pardot gave a thumbs-up.
"Boss is amazing!"
"It's all gourmet experience."
Ling Ke said this, and his left hand casually reached into the space beside him.
When it came back, it held an extra dish.
He handed it to the girl next to him.
"Crystal jelly. Wanna try it?"
"Yay!"
Curiosity stirred again—catlike.
But what she was curious about was the new flavor.
It wasn't surprising that Ling Ke could casually open space portals like that.
She knew the "boss" was no ordinary person.
Nowadays, from time to time, the two of them would meet up in private like this.
Only... even though Ling Ke had promised Aponia never to show up in front of her again...
He never said he wouldn't come to Twilight Street.
"Sluuurp~"
Pardot, who had just finished a giant chicken leg, was frying her powder.
She still didn't know how to use chopsticks.
She used to eat directly with her hands, but lately, she'd started trying out forks.
Because she could read moods and body language—and knew Ling Ke cared about that.
He'd said it was: "unhygienic, bad for the body."
At that moment—
"Hey, Little Pardot."
"Hmm?"
The girl's cheeks were puffed up like a hamster's.
She looked at Ling Ke and tilted her head.
"What's up, Boss?"
Mouth full, she couldn't speak clearly.
"I've got a question."
Ling Ke didn't look at her, just stared off into the distance.
"Will you stay here in Twilight Street, or come with me out there?"
.
Pardot chewed more slowly.
She didn't answer right away.
Seemed conflicted.
From her personal view, at least nowadays, she felt like the "boss" was a good person.
But—
"Don't overthink it."
Ling Ke turned to her with a tilted head and smiled.
"I don't intend to make you do anything for me, nor do I plan to use small favors to bind you."
"But... things might get pretty unstable on the streets after dark."
"So—"
Ling Ke asked again:
"On that basis, do you want to leave—or stay?"
"Forget about me. Just speak your truth."
He looked serious.
"Mmm~"
Pardot paused and looked directly into his unfocused eyes.
At last, with a quick tilt of her head, she swallowed what was in her mouth.
"We... still want to stay."
She answered.
Apparently, inside that twilight street, there were too many people and things she couldn't bear to leave behind.
Among them—mainly—were the children at Aponia's shelter...
...Kids who still hadn't grown up but needed secret protection.
It's worth noting that the "help" mentioned here wasn't just simple material aid.
Material support... had already been covered. Since Ling Ke had asked Aponia to cooperate with the "ensemble" earlier, he'd paid generous compensation—they no longer lacked anything.
So, the real help meant: when a child got trafficked by some shady guy, Pardot had to sneak in and steal the kid back from the villain's den.
In short—
"We know Dusk Street's a place full of outcasts. It's never been peaceful."
"Boss, you're strong. If you're warning us, then something serious must be coming."
"So—"
"Okay, okay~"
Ling Ke raised his hand and patted Pardot's head.
"Don't overthink it."
"If you want to stay—stay."
His tone was calm.
"Forget the rest."
And it was just as that sentence dropped—
Chi~
Ah-ha~
Aha!
Outside Twilight Street, less than ten kilometers away.
Inside a ruined shack, the scent of blood began to spread.
At that moment, a large number of soldiers armed with live ammo lay dead on the ground.
And among the corpses—
"Which batch was this?"
"Not counting exactly—probably the fourth or fifth."
"Oh, and it's only the first day... So many people risking their lives already."
"More will come."
Footsteps echoed as several "Dominant Dolls: Ambi" sheathed their blades.
"Like a swarm of greedy men chasing after a cake, they rushed toward Twilight Street."
"We even earned some 'points.'"
"Two birds with one stone."