Using the secret passage in the fitting room, Lu Li and Chiori successfully reached the lower level of the underground factory—the production area mentioned in the intel. The moment the door opened, they immediately saw two guard Meka on patrol.
Before the Meka could turn around, Chiori and Lu Li swiftly closed in. With a burst of elemental energy, they shattered the cores that powered the machines. In an instant, the two robotic dogs collapsed to the ground. Once their Ousia/Pneuma-aligned cores were destroyed, the Clockwork Meka became nothing more than scrap metal.
"This place stinks... Is his factory's drainage system this bad?" Chiori frowned, looking at the channel of foul water ahead. A person like her would never choose to wade through that.
Lu Li nodded. "Don't worry, I expected this. There's another way. Follow me." He led her through a few turns, and a hidden passage appeared before them, guarded by several more Meka. This time, a stealthy approach was impossible, as they were staring directly ahead.
Just as Chiori was contemplating a leaping attack, Lu Li walked out directly into their line of sight.
The Meka were instantly alerted, but with a single swing of his blade, three blood-red phantoms flashed through the air. In the blink of an eye, Lu Li swapped places with the phantoms. Behind him, the three Meka sparked with yellow electricity and crashed to the ground.
"Is your idea of infiltration just knocking everyone down?" Chiori asked with a sigh as she emerged from the corner.
"I had no choice. There was no other way to get past their tight security," Lu Li shrugged. "Many of the previous Debt Collectors were seriously injured here. Taking a detour would only increase the risk of being surrounded."
Chiori nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. Shall we continue?"
"Mm, stay close. If I remember the intel correctly, there should be many more guards ahead."
They proceeded deeper into the factory, but surprisingly, their path was clear. By the time they reached the final production area at the factory's core, even Chiori felt that something was wrong.
Lu Li, however, noticed the tracks of recently moved Meka and understood their plan. They saw me on the monitors and realized I was too strong to be taken down by scattered guards, so they're gathering their forces for a final battle? A logical move. Then let's have a direct confrontation.
He told Chiori not to worry and let her use her Kamera to take pictures for evidence. Finally, they arrived at the heart of the factory. There, a blond man with a ponytail, dressed in a suit, stood surrounded by dozens of guard Meka, his face dark.
It was the owner of the factory—Usher.
His attention was not on Lu Li, who was dressed in casual clothes, but on Chiori.
"Heh, I didn't think you'd actually come. I thought you'd continue to endure," Usher sneered. "But you won't think I'm unprepared, will you, Chiori? You managed to bring a Vision holder with you, but in the face of absolute scientific power, it's all useless!"
Chiori crossed her arms. "I'm not here to waste words with you, Usher. You've been hiring tabloid reporters to slander me, but the truth is, while your products are substandard, mine have no issues. The photos from this Kamera will be enough to silence you at your trial."
"Photos? Hahahaha, you don't really think you can walk out of here alive, do you?" Usher laughed maniacally, aiming his firearm at her.
"I think you should be more concerned about your own safety," Lu Li said calmly. "You should ask yourself why you borrowed money from the Northland Bank and thought these Meka would be enough to protect you from being held accountable."
Usher's face instantly darkened. Wait, could this man be... a Fatui Debt Collector?! But how could Chiori be involved with the Fatui? My investigation never turned up anything!
"And you should ask yourself why you thought you could get away with injuring my predecessors and insulting the Northland Bank's reputation," Lu Li continued, drawing his twin blades. The Pyro Delusion at his waist began to glow ominously. "And finally, and most importantly... you scum who has been slandering my Chiori all this time. Did you really think you could stand here and walk away unscathed?"
"BANG!"
The moment Lu Li finished speaking, Usher, feeling a chill run down his spine, fired his gun. "Kill him!"
"CLANG—"
The bullet was sliced in two by Lu Li's blade. He sneered at the swarming Meka. Unleashing the power of his Delusion, he felt his senses and muscles heightened to an unprecedented degree.
He swung his blades, and a burst of fire deflected all incoming bullets. Then, in a fraction of a second—
Elemental Burst—Monarch's Blaze: Purgatory Shadow Formation!
Countless fiery phantoms wielding blades lashed out, filling the twenty-meter radius with an endless storm of fire. Chiori, who had been about to join the fight, stared in awe at the brilliant, firework-like display. The next moment, she saw that all twenty-plus guard Meka had been reduced to inoperable scrap metal.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—"
The sound of them crashing and exploding filled the air.
Lu Li, having completed the instant kill, deactivated his Delusion. It had only been three seconds, but the toll on his body was significant, though still manageable. This power... is incredible...
Just then, he saw Usher trying to flee. With a cold snort, he threw a knife, piercing the terrified man's calf.
"Aaargh—"
Lu Li walked over to the wailing, black-hearted capitalist, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him up.
"I... I was wrong! I'll never do it again! I'll... I'll pay you back right now... please, please..."
"No... you're not sorry you were wrong. You're just sorry you're going to die," Lu Li said softly, then slammed his head into the cold floor.
"THUD—"
Chiori looked away, shaking her head slightly as she surveyed the wreckage. Lu Li wasn't this strong before... To dismantle over twenty Meka in an instant... Only Clorinde could do something like that... This guy... he really is full of surprises...
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