Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

"You mean, you got lost here?"

Angelite crossed her arms, leaned against the corridor wall, and looked at Lu Ze with a suspicious gaze.

Her tone remained flat; she simply repeated what she had just heard in her own words.

"And you want to go to Block B5 to find those children who are being held captive?"

Lu Ze nodded without offering further explanation.

He was out of options at that moment.

From being inexplicably transported to the 20th floor of this laboratory, to learning from a recording that innocent children were being held captive on the lower floors.

He confessed everything he could, without hiding anything.

Whether the other party believes it or not is not something he can control.

Angelite didn't scold him for talking nonsense; she just stared at him quietly.

Those icy blue eyes were like a slowly advancing scalpel, trying to dissect all his pretenses.

Lu Ze did not avoid her gaze.

He's gambling.

The title "Valkyrie" represents not only strength, but also the noble character of its owner.

If he bets right, the Valkyrie might spare him because of the children.

If you bet wrong, you can only accept the loss.

Unless he's killed on the spot, he might return to his own world in a few days.

Therefore, he tried his best to cooperate and never provoked the other party.

"Everything I said is true," Lu Ze broke the silence, his voice not loud.

"My physique is indeed somewhat special. I often find myself teleported to unusual places, completely beyond my control. This time, I was walking to school when I suddenly found myself on the 20th floor of your laboratory."

He paused, his tone gradually shifting from explanation to narration.

"As for finding those children... I do want to save them."

He raised his head and met Angelit's gaze.

"Have you seen those children who were experimented on? The incubation chambers were full of nutrient solution, and they floated in them with their eyes closed, their bodies covered with purple patterns caused by Honkai energy."

"They are all still children. No matter how great the research this laboratory is doing, it is unjust to use children for human experimentation."

Lu Ze spoke with some excitement, his voice unconsciously rising a few decibels, but then he realized he was being too loud and lowered it again.

But he didn't take back a single word.

He saw those children with his own eyes, and he heard the sentence in the recording, "That girl named Celine is still alive," with his own ears. Every word he said was true.

Angelit did not respond.

She silently closed her eyes.

The warm yellow light from the corridor fell on her face, and her short, silver-gray hair cast a small shadow on her brow bone, obscuring most of her expression.

After her icy blue eyes were covered by her eyelids, she suddenly looked much more tired.

It's not physical fatigue, but a weariness that's ingrained deep within.

She knew perfectly well what the laboratory was doing.

Tower of Babylon, one of Schicksal's most secret Honkai energy research facilities.

The experimental data and scientific research results produced here have supported the iterative updates of countless Valkyrie equipment and promoted the clinical application of Stigmata technology.

The higher-ups of Mandate of Heaven, especially Bishop Otto, always used the phrase "necessary sacrifice" whenever they mentioned the Tower of Babel.

For humanity to survive in the face of collapse, for the future of civilization, someone always has to pay the price.

However, it is never the higher-ups who pay the price, but the children locked in the incubation pods.

Angelit had seen those children.

As the patrol captain, her authority was sufficient to cover almost all areas within the tower.

She had seen those tiny, closed figures floating in nutrient solution behind those tightly closed laboratory doors, in those transparent culture chambers, with their eyes closed. And not just once.

Every time she patrolled through that area, she would quicken her pace.

Reason told her that this was necessary.

Real-world data doesn't lie; the Stigmata technology has indeed saved the lives of many Valkyries, and these achievements are indeed based on large-scale human experimentation.

If she were to weigh the pros and cons, she would have to admit that sacrificing a minority for the benefit of the majority is a worthwhile trade-off.

She didn't speak, her eyes closed and she remained motionless, as if she were making a difficult decision in her mind.

Lu Ze stood opposite her without urging her.

He could tell that the woman's heart was wavering.

Although he couldn't quite put his finger on what he saw, he could clearly feel the oppressive feeling fading away silently.

After a long time, Angelite opened her eyes.

Those icy blue eyes looked at Lu Ze again.

"I see."

Her tone was so calm it barely rose and fell.

Then she reached out and took off the key hanging from her waist.

It was a simple metal card with slight wear marks on the edges, suggesting it had been with her for a long time.

She held the key in her hand, glanced down at it, and then tossed it to the ground.

A silver arc streaked across the air between the two.

Lu Ze instinctively reached out and caught it, the cool metallic touch landing in his palm.

He glanced down at the access key for area B5.

That was precisely the goal of his trip.

"Go ahead."

Angelite had already turned around, and her voice came from above her shoulder.

The black and gold uniform made his back straight and neat, and the metal armor on his shoulders reflected a cold light under the lamp.

"Just pretend I never saw you. As for whether you can rescue those children, that's up to you."

After saying that, she started walking down the corridor toward the equipment maintenance room without looking back.