I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

"And one more thing."

Chen frowned, the image of the woman with long pinkish-white hair and a pure, holy aura flashing through his mind. "Who was that pink-haired woman just now?"

"Theresa."

Wei Yanwu uttered the name.

"Theresia?"

A strange expression appeared on Chen's face. "Theresia, the Demon Lord of Babel? But the information I received is that she died during the Kazdel Civil War. Could this woman be an imposter?"

Wei Yanwu did not answer her question.

He gave her a deep look, then turned and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her, his gaze fixed on the bustling night view of Longmen outside.

"You should go and carry out your mission."

His voice sounded somewhat tired, "Don't let these guests... be idle."

"Yes."

Chen nodded. Although she still had countless questions in her mind, she knew that now was not the time to ask.

She took one last look at Wei Yanwu's aloof figure, then turned and quickly left the council hall.

The door closed again, leaving only Wei Yanwu in the council chamber.

He looked down at the few tiny, ant-like figures on the street below, his eyes becoming incredibly profound.

A prophecy? Kosichek… Theresia… Gu Ye…

He had a premonition that everything the boy and the "resurrected" demon king said was true.

The game of Longmen has been disrupted by an outsider who has placed a piece that can change everything.

He needs to prepare in advance.

Chen practically sprinted out of the Longmen Central Building.

Her sharp gaze, like that of a hawk, swiftly locked onto Theresa and her entourage as they prepared to get into the car and leave.

"stop!"

With a sharp shout, she flashed forward and blocked the car door.

Amiya was startled, and the Doctor stopped his movement as he was about to open the car door.

Ignoring everyone else, Chen walked straight up to Gu Ye, her eyes burning with anger as she stared intently at him. Her voice trembled slightly with rage.

Why did you lie to me?!

Faced with Chen's anger, Gu Ye showed no surprise whatsoever. He even revealed a faint smile, a smile that Chen perceived as full of provocation.

“I’m not lying to you, Officer Chen.”

Gu Ye replied, "Talulah is not really dead, but she's practically dead."

"What do you mean?!"

Chen stepped forward, almost touching his face.

"It means that her body is still alive, but her soul is being devoured by another person."

Gu Ye's smile faded.

He began to narrate, slowly revealing a long-buried story, soaked in blood and tears, to Chen.

"Twenty years ago, Duke Koschei took the young Talulah from Lungmen and raised her as his heir. But Talulah saw through his evil and, in order to rebel, she willingly became an Infected and assassinated Koschei. But that old monster had already left his spiritual mark on her."

"After that, she fled to the northern tundra and met a girl named Alina. Together they resisted the oppression of the Infected by Ursus, established the prototype of the Reunion Movement, and took in Patriot and his Yeti squad. At that time, Talulah was the hope of all the Infected. She wanted to build a world where the Infected and the Uninfected could live together."

Gu Ye's voice made Chen's heart sink little by little.

She had never heard of these things before.

"However, beautiful ideals are always fragile. Because of her leniency, a group of infected people she let go abducted and tortured her best friend, Alina. Talulah watched Alina die in her arms."

"Later, she encountered Ursus's inner guards, her identity was exposed, and the team began to waver. The last straw that broke her was when she discovered that villagers in a village were locking infected people who were looking for food in a granary and starving them to death."

Gu Ye paused here, looking at Chen's bloodless face, and continued:

"At that moment, her ideal of creating a world without war was completely shattered. Endless anger and despair triggered the mental imprint left by Koschei. The 'undying black serpent' awakened and devoured her will. From that day on, the righteous Talulah died, and what survived was only a cruel tyrant named Talulah."

The whole world seemed to have fallen silent.

Chen stood there dumbfounded. Every word Gu Ye said was like a poisoned dagger, piercing her heart and shattering her pride in her strength and rationality.

Her mind went blank; she could only unconsciously repeat those few words: Alina… dead… black snake… devour…

Seeing her distraught state, Gu Ye took a step forward, looked directly into her unfocused eyes, and asked one last question in an almost whispered voice.

"Now, tell me. If you were in this situation, after going through all of this, would you give up?"

Chapter 119 Wow, it's a living ACE!

Chen's breath hitched for a moment, his gaze fixed on Gu Ye in front of him.

She took a step back and straightened up again.

"The stories you told sounded very moving, but also very tragic."

Chen's voice was icy, as if it had been chilled by ice, "But there is one fundamental question."

She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Gu Ye's heart: "Where did you get this information? Talulah's past, Koschei's conspiracy, these core secrets that even Lungmen and Ursus's intelligence networks struggle to access, how do you, someone of unknown origin, know them?"

Gu Ye met her gaze, his face remaining completely expressionless.

"Would you believe me if I said I could see the future?"

"I believe you're a complete liar!"

Chen interrupted him without hesitation, "Save that nonsense for fooling brainless people!"

"Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter now."

Gu Ye's tone remained calm, "You just need to wait and see. In a week, at most a week, Chernobog will be at the gates, and everything I said will be proven true."

Chen stared intently at him, her chest heaving violently.

He's a liar, he must be lying to me.

But what if it’s true?

If she really… Chen clenched his fist tightly, his nails almost digging into his palm.

"I am waiting."

Chen spat out those three words through gritted teeth, then abruptly turned around, refusing to look at Gu Ye again. Her sharp gaze swept over everyone present.

"Don't waste your time here!"

She growled at the Doctor and her subordinates, "Everyone, move out! Target: the outer slums! According to intelligence, the Reunion Movement's stronghold is located there. Our mission is to drive them all out before they cause further damage!"

"Received, Officer Chen."

The doctor nodded and accepted the instructions.

Amiya glanced worriedly at Chen's tense back, then at Gu Ye, and whispered to the Doctor, "Doctor, is Commander Chen... alright?"

"It's alright, Amiya."

The doctor gently patted her on the shoulder. "Now, we need to focus on the mission."

"Tch, this is getting more and more interesting."

Vishdel stood to the side with his arms crossed, a playful smile playing on his lips.

Raiden Mei walked to Gu Ye's side and asked softly with some concern, "Is it really okay for you to provoke her like this?"

"Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain."

Gu Ye replied, "If you don't pop the abscess, the wound will never heal."

The group quickly arrived at the entrance to the slums outside Lungmen in a Guard Bureau troop transport vehicle.

The area has been cordoned off.

Several Rhodes Island operators were on guard and immediately came to greet the Doctor and Chen when they saw them appear.

Leading the group was a tall, composed Fydian man dressed in heavy combat gear, his face bearing the resolute look of someone weathered by time.

"Doctor, Commander Chen."

He gave the two men a standard military salute, his voice steady and powerful, "ACE reporting for duty. The advance team has completed preliminary reconnaissance; the Reunion Movement's forces number approximately one hundred."

"Thank you for your hard work, ACE."

The doctor returned the greeting and said, "Please provide me with the details."

Chen nodded briefly, his gaze already fixed on the intricate complex of buildings deep within the slums, his eyes burning with an urge to vent his anger.

Just as ACE was reporting the details to the doctor, he keenly sensed several strange gazes falling on him.

He subconsciously turned his head and found that it was a group of unfamiliar girls following behind Gu Ye.

Especially that blonde bombshell, who was staring at him with her bright, sparkling eyes, her gaze filled with surprise, excitement, and a kind of... incomprehensible relief.

The black-haired girl with pigtails and the blonde girl holding the long sword beside her were the same; their gazes, though not as flamboyant as the blonde bombshell's, were equally full of inquiry.

"Isn't that Uncle ACE? Alive!"

Kitagawa Kaimu lowered her voice and excitedly spoke to Tohsaka Rin and Ais beside her.

[Devil Muscle Rin]: Keep your voice down, you idiot! Don't let him hear you! But it really is him, exactly like in the game's CG.

[Fiora]: He looks very strong.

ACE frowned slightly.

What's going on with these newcomers...?

He had spent half his life in the military and had seen all kinds of eyes—awe, fear, hatred—but he had never seen such a strange gaze, as if… he were looking at a rare exhibit in a museum.

He felt a strange unease and couldn't help but turn to the side, asking in a low voice that only the Doctor could hear, "Doctor, who are these people...?"

The doctor's cool gaze swept over the undisguised confusion on ACE's face, as well as the girls who were "criticizing" ACE. Her slender fingers stopped operating on the tactics panel, and she took a step forward, standing between ACE and Gu Ye's group.

“ACE, I forgot to introduce you.”

The Doctor's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough: "These are distinguished guests from Rhodes Island, and also... special advisors for this operation. The incident happened suddenly, and we didn't have time to notify them in advance. However, I think this is probably Dr. Kal'tsit's fault; she was mainly responsible for notifying you."

"Special advisor?"

ACE's gaze swept over Kitagawa Haimu's conspicuous school uniform and Tohsaka Rin's short skirt, finally settling on the blonde girl with a sword-like aura.

These guys don't look like experienced warriors at all.

His doubts deepened, but his trust in the doctor made him suppress all his questions.

“I understand, Doctor.”

ACE straightened up and stopped asking questions. "Since he is your guest, Rhodes Island will treat him with the highest level of hospitality."

Just then, a series of hurried and powerful footsteps approached, and Chen strode over with several Guard Bureau agents, all dressed in black uniforms.

Her face showed undisguised anxiety, and her short blue hair looked particularly sharp in the night wind.

"What are you still dawdling about?"

Her voice slammed into the ground like ice, “Those Reunion Movement scum won’t wait for us to finish our tea party before they make their move!”

"Commander Chen, we are conducting the final tactical confirmation."

ACE responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

No confirmation is needed!

Chen waved his hand and said decisively, "My men and I will break in from the left flank, while Rhodes Island will handle the right flank. The objective is to clear out all enemies in this area. Meet up on that central street in half an hour. Any questions?"

"no problem."

The Doctor replied, seemingly unconcerned by Chen's tough stance. She turned to ACE and the Rhodes Island operators, "Proceed as planned, and maintain communication. Also, be wary of Reunion's executive 'Bonebreaker,' and... Misha, who might be the enemy. Then—depart."

Inside the slums, the narrow alleyways are like a maze.

? 澪丿弍弍/⑶○乆叭