"Please! Brother, if you give me the Redstone Block, I'll do anything!"
Xing clung tightly to Fu Zhu's waist, absolutely refusing to let go.
Fu Zhu tried prying her hands off but worried about using too much force and hurting Xing. Helpless, he had to switch tactics.
"Are you serious? Really willing to do anything?"
Xing nodded furiously, raising a few fingers to swear, "I swear it's absolutely true!"
Fu Zhu flipped his hand, and a Redstone Block appeared in his palm.
"Remember what you just said."
"Understood!"
Xing joyfully took the Redstone Block from Fu Zhu's hand. Before she could celebrate for long, Fu Zhu spoke again.
"Then let me tell you what I want you to do. That is... give the Redstone Block back to me."
Xing's eyes widened as she stared at him incredulously. Such a cunning remark truly convinced her that Fu Zhu was definitely her biological brother!
Could anyone else say something like that in any other relationship!
Taking advantage of Xing's stunned moment, Fu Zhu snatched the Redstone Block back from her hand, stuffed it into his inventory, and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Mm, what an obedient little sister."
"No!!! My dream of getting rich!"
Xing dropped to her knees tragically, snowflakes falling around her, making the moment seem exceptionally bleak and miserable.
March 7th and Clara watched the interaction between the two, unable to resist covering their mouths and chuckling lightly. March 7th even remembered to pull out her camera and snap a picture of Xing kneeling in the snow. She'd hang it up when they got back to the Express!
"Let's go. The Furnace Core problem is solved. Let's head back and see how things are going on Dan Heng's end."
Fu Zhu called over March 7th and Clara and started walking back. As for Xing... when nobody paid her any attention, she very sensibly picked herself up and followed along.
Returning to Svarog's residence, before the four could even push the door open, Bronya's sharp voice pierced through the door seam.
"Th-this, how is this possible?! I can't accept..."
"Bronya, sit down and calm yourself first."
Fu Zhu and the others outside the door exchanged puzzled glances. What happened inside? How could the seemingly calm and quiet Bronya break down like this?
Burning with intense curiosity, the four pushed the door open and walked in. The people in the main hall were still the same ones from when they left, except that everyone in the hall, aside from Svarog, had tightly furrowed brows.
"Things didn't go well?"
Fu Zhu walked up to the long table and was the first to ask, then turned his gaze to the devastated Bronya sitting in her seat.
"Also, quick question, who is this young lady? Why does she seem so broken?"
"Oh right, I haven't introduced you yet!"
March 7th only just remembered that Fu Zhu had only regrouped with them a short while ago, and they hadn't introduced the two new friends, Seele and Bronya, to him.
"This is Bronya, the Great Guardian's daughter. She came down to the Underworld with us due to some accidents. And this is Seele, a member of Wildfire."
Listening to March 7th's introduction, Fu Zhu gave a polite nod to the two women. Seele returned the gesture. When it came to Bronya, however, she showed no reaction, just sat there holding her head in her hands, looking anguished.
"So, what exactly happened to her?"
Dan Heng walked over, took out his phone, and played a video for Fu Zhu.
This was a compilation he had edited from several video records provided by Svarog earlier, containing the crucial content to save Fu Zhu and the others from watching every single lengthy video.
As Fu Zhu and the others watched the video on Dan Heng's phone, they also listened to Dan Heng explain alongside it.
"This video shows that the people of Jarilo-VI knew about the Stellaron's existence very early on and were convinced it was the culprit behind the Eternal Freeze. They had been searching for a way to destroy the Stellaron all along, but failed. Combining this information with Cocolia's actions in putting out a warrant for us back then, it means..."
Dan Heng's words seemed to strike a sensitive spot in Bronya's heart, provoking her fierce opposition.
"No, Mother might not have known... Things shouldn't be like this..."
Fu Zhu turned back, looking impassively at the somewhat broken Bronya.
"You're already wavering. You should understand what the truth of the matter really is. Besides, this isn't the first time Cocolia has done something like this. Do you know Serval?"
Bronya paused, confused as to why Fu Zhu would suddenly mention Serval.
"I know her, but what about it..."
"Serval was the researcher responsible for studying the Stellaron back then, but in the end, Cocolia found an excuse to expel her from the research institute. She told me this herself. If you doubt my words, you can go ask her face-to-face."
Bronya froze on the spot, speechless for a long time. She couldn't believe her mother had done such things.
Fu Zhu glanced at her, knew she was emotionally devastated right now, and didn't bother her further. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Dan Heng, March 7th, and Xing.
"Things are very clear. Cocolia definitely knows where the Stellaron is, or perhaps the Stellaron has simply been stored in Jarilo-VI's research institute all along. We go straight back to the Overworld, subdue Cocolia, and force her to reveal the Stellaron's location, or we find Serval; she should know the institute's location."
Dan Heng thought carefully and felt this was somewhat risky.
"We are already wanted. If any Silvermane Guards spot us, a conflict will inevitably break out. This will be very troublesome for us."
The Silvermane Guards were merely protecting their home and country; they too had been deceived by the Great Guardian. The Nameless wouldn't harm innocent people.
Fu Zhu, however, raised his hand and pointed at Dan Heng, March 7th, and Xing, a sly smile playing on his lips.
"I intend to use this exact situation. You are wanted, but I am not."
Dan Heng and the others just needed to draw away the Silvermane Guards, while he alone went straight for the head. This was the simplest method!
"We act as bait?"
Dan Heng immediately guessed Fu Zhu's plan. As soon as he said it, the two girls beside him blinked, looking bewildered.
"Huh? We're the decoys? Then what about us?"
March 7th and Xing were a bit frustrated. These Silvermane Guards weren't like Fragmentum creatures that could be eliminated at will. They were innocent people. What if they weren't careful and injured them?
Moreover, facing wanted criminals, the guards certainly wouldn't just use words to persuade them to surrender. Perhaps while being chased, they themselves might get hurt.
Besides, for Steve, you always had to achieve either the speedrun or the no-damage run!