The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

"Enough, Lihua, no more useless chatter… My mind is made up. Grown-ups are talking; children shouldn't interrupt!"

[Lee] finally shut down Lihua's attempts to dissuade her, like someone flipping a switch to cut off the power.

With her mental powers and the overwhelming power difference, controlling Lihua was child's play. She meant no harm; she just couldn't stand the nagging.

"Go home, watch TV, and wait for my news. Admire my heroic figure~"

[Lee] waved dismissively, telling Lihua to behave.

She saw no problems with her plan. World domination was always the goal; she'd just been slightly… delayed by minor matters… It's not like I forgot because I was addicted to the internet!

As for the plan's success, [Lee] wasn't worried.

Because everything she was doing was right!

Her motives were pure. Power and money meant nothing to her. She was taking on this burden solely to protect humanity! Such a noble goal!

Therefore, humanity should not only accept her actions but revere her as the perfect leader, the greatest guardian, respecting and adoring her—never betraying or backstabbing her.

If she did have any selfish desires, it was just the minor matter of everyone obeying and never questioning her…

Though the government officials she contacted initially expressed concerns, after some… persuasion, they quickly and obediently assembled the world's press and relevant embassy personnel.

Despite the impulsive nature of her decision, everything proceeded smoothly thanks to her powers. Within a dozen hours, everything was ready. All that remained was for [Lee] to announce her grand vision.

Whatever the outcome, this event would have a massive impact… so would Li Bei, watching from the shadows, allow it to happen?

The answer was not only would he allow it, he'd encourage it, even help it along.

This wasn't because Li Bei had suddenly gone mad and decided to unleash chaos upon Earth. It was simply choosing the lesser of two evils, a necessary measure.

Lihua might not know, but Li Bei, armed with his system and map—global view hacks, essentially—knew Earth was a minefield.

Numerous otherworlders had arrived, mostly stowaways from the Honkai universe… and even with Lihua's limited perspective, Li Bei could guess their identities.

They were likely the same group that had caused trouble with Kevin—perhaps even Kevin himself.

These people were ticking time bombs, guaranteed to explode. It was a matter of when. Better to gather them in a controlled environment than let them run rampant. That way, he could use his system's items to manage the situation.

With his newly acquired item, he wasn't afraid of them going all-out… but if trouble brewed in a place he couldn't observe, it would result in real casualties.

So, Li Bei chose to use [Lee] as bait… He'd been considering using Unit 1 as an attractant, but since [Lee] had volunteered, why not?

With that face, using her to lure Otto and the others was guaranteed to work. Her claim of being the Lee would attract Kevin. And her Herrscher aura, coupled with her villainous rhetoric about controlling humanity, would draw the protagonist group…

From a "helping me out" perspective, [Lee] was truly talented, saving him a lot of trouble!

---~-

"Auntie, that person looks just like you… She looks so familiar!" On the plane, Kiana stared at the confident, white-haired, blue-eyed woman on the screen, then at a dumbfounded Theresa. "Are you related?! What should I call her when I meet her? Great-Auntie?"

"Idiot Kiana, that's Lihua Kaslana, Schicksal's saint from 500 years ago. It's no wonder you recognize her; her face is on every Schicksal textbook cover." Bronya, despite Kiana's cluelessness, answered her question, her gaze fixed on the screen. "I heard the Principal's genes are from this saint… but she looks different from the books."

"Textbooks? You know I never understood those…" Kiana scratched her head sheepishly. "But I remember the name. Isn't she supposed to be dead?"

"If traveling to other worlds is possible, then resurrection isn't that far-fetched."

"Sorry to interrupt, but she's not Lihua."

For some reason, looking at her bewildered friends, Mei felt a surge of intellectual superiority—oh, this secret is mine alone.

So I can be cryptic too? It felt good, remembering how she'd been looked down upon for being weak. Now, if she just spoke in circles without revealing the truth… sigh, I'm too soft.

"Though she's not Lihua, she comes from an era even older than Schicksal… She's Lee, the savior of the Previous Era."

"My old friend, I think I know where we're going next."

In a remote town, Otto's eyes gleamed. "The person we want to see has appeared."

"Oh please, Otto. If you knew where Lihua was, you'd be sprinting there like a rabid dog, not calmly talking to me." Fu Hua was skeptical, pointing at Durandal and the others. "And last time you said you found a similar reaction, all we found was them."

"Don't worry, old friend, you'll be pleasantly surprised by this reunion—or at least surprised." Otto chuckled. Though the resemblance was striking, he could tell the woman online wasn't his beloved.

And she claimed to be Lee… heh, this should be interesting for my old friend.

If a 50,000-year-old ghost could appear here, then his Lihua… Otto cursed his non-specialized Soulium body. If it were geared for electronic warfare, he'd have already hacked every government database, searching every corner of the world.

Regardless of their individual plans, everyone was converging on the same location—[Lee]'s livestream.