Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

Chapter 395 The core incident of the sacrificial spirits has temporarily ended.

The battle ended quickly, as Hugo's strength was roughly equal to Lycan's, and Ambly was strong enough to defeat him even without Vivian's support.

Unfortunately, there is never just one way to achieve a goal.

After being repelled once again, Hugo took advantage of everyone's inattention and slipped to Zhe, who was near the edge of the elevator platform. He grabbed Zhe, pulled out a dagger, and held it to Zhe's neck, with a bottomless abyss behind him.

"Come and make your choice: the core of the beast or your favorite Phaethon?"

Vivian was startled; she immediately understood what Hugo meant.

“I know what you just stole. Don’t forget, I taught you these things.”

Although she was very unwilling, Vivian had no choice but to throw over the beast core she had just stolen in order to protect Zhe's life, her voice choked with sobs and hoarseness.

"...I understand. I'll give you the core, but...don't touch Lord Phaethon!"

"...What a pity." Hugo revealed a hint of sarcasm after receiving the Beast Core. "How could you be so naive as to believe I would keep my promise? That's right! This is... the real me!"

The dagger pressed against Zhe's neck gleamed coldly, yet it trembled slightly uncontrollably.

"What, you want to kill me? Isn't life supposed to be the most precious thing?"

Hugo's tone turned hysterical: "Take off your foolish pretense!"

"...You rascal...as expected..."

Lycahn glared at Hugo through gritted teeth, then he remembered old Jack's dying words.

Just as Hugo sheathed his dagger and prepared to stab Zhe, Lycahn dodged and saved Zhe.

Hugo dropped his dagger and the core of the beast to the ground. Hartman glanced at the fallen beast core and then carefully walked towards it.

Lycahn grabbed Hugo by the neck and lifted him into the air. Hugo immediately felt a difficulty breathing, but even at this moment, Hugo did not forget to mock Lycahn.

"If you've got the guts... then kill me. Kill me! Traitor!"

With a gloomy face, Lycahn punched Hugo through the chest. Hugo was stunned for a moment, then a triumphant smile appeared on his lips. Lycahn then coldly pushed him off the roof.

Hugo's body plummeted from the sky like a bird with broken wings, while Vivian could only watch helplessly as this scene unfolded before her eyes.

After bringing the still-shaken Zhe back to safety, Lykan asked with concern, "Lord Rope Craftsman, are you alright? Are you injured?"

Zhe lowered his eyes and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just didn't expect things to turn out this way..."

"Lord Phaethon...I'm so sorry..." Vivian apologized, "I didn't know Hugo would...would do such a thing to you...I'm so sorry!"

Seeing Vivian blaming herself, Zhe quickly comforted her, "It's okay, no matter what, it's not Vivian's fault."

"If only I had discovered it sooner... I should have realized it sooner."

Vivian walked silently to the edge of the rooftop. After hesitating for a long time, she finally looked down, and naturally, she saw nothing.

“Hugo…he…”

“There’s a hollow space down there,” Lykan replied. “If you need, I can send some people in… to look for his body.”

"...I have no such intention."

“Miss Vivian, to be honest, I thought you would hate his betrayal.”

“I hate that he kept it from me. But… over the years, Hugo has been like family to me. I… I believe he is still alive.”

Tetsuya agreed, also not believing that Hugo would leave so easily.

“Hugo can’t possibly still be alive,” Lykan said. “My hand has pierced his heart.”

Then Ambi interrupted the conversation, saying that Hartman had escaped in the chaos, and Lycaon immediately admitted his mistake.

He explained that he was so concerned about Zhe's safety that Hartman managed to escape in the chaos. But in that situation, who wasn't equally concerned about Zhe?

Afterwards, Lekahn said that he needed to report what had happened here to the mayor, and that everything here was over and it was time to go back.

Meanwhile, not far away, a mysterious figure was observing everything.

"...Another obstacle has disappeared. May the Lord...lead us..."

Meanwhile, as everyone turned to leave, Vivian's eyes began to tear uncontrollably, a sign that her ability had been activated.

Then she saw it—she saw the future that filled her with fear, pain, and despair.

"Lord Phaethon——"

She murmured softly, then wiped away her tears and followed.

After leaving the cave, Lycahn left first, while Vivian followed Zhe back to the video store, remaining silent the entire way.

Back at the video store, the three started talking about Hugo, but they couldn't come to a conclusion.

However, it is certain that Hugo's matter is not as simple as they see it. Finally, Vivian had a small request: she hoped to stay at the video store for a few days, since she didn't really want to be alone right now.

Zhe and Ling immediately agreed, since Vivian had just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and it was indeed not suitable for her to be alone. As for sleeping on the sofa, that was unnecessary.

Although there are no guest rooms, Ling could squeeze in with Vivian, or Zhe could simply sleep on the sofa, and Vivian could sleep in Zhe's room.

Let's rewind a little and go back to the time when Hugo fell to his death.

As soon as Hugo fell into the hole, he was immediately caught in a princess carry by someone—Kiana.

"I mean, Miss Kiana, you didn't have to catch me like that, did you?"

After Kiana put him down, Hugo complained, "Besides, even without your help, I had taken all the necessary safety precautions, so I wasn't in any danger. But that guy Lycan... that really hurt!"

As he spoke, Hugo clutched his wound. Although it had been a long time since he had worked with Lycaon, the other party was still able to quickly see through his intentions, which pleased Hugo greatly.

The attack that pierced the chest in other people's eyes was somewhat influenced by personal grudges. Hugo had clearly placed a blood pack there that wouldn't be easily discovered, and Lycahn only needed to make a show of cutting open the blood pack.

But the result?

As it turned out, Lycaon was serious. Except for not actually tearing a hole in his chest, the attack did leave a wound on his body.

To make it look realistic enough, Lycahn cut right along the edge of his heart, not only breaking the blood pack but also going beyond that and scooping out a large chunk of flesh from that area.

However, he was quite curious as to why Kiana had approached him. After all, just as he had said, he had already prepared all the necessary safety measures, and there was no danger to his life from falling from the high building.

"So what... exactly is your purpose?"

"Couldn't it be that I just happened to be passing by and saved you?"

"Just passing by? Miss Kiana, you really love to joke. Who would consider catching someone falling from a tall building while flying in mid-air as a chance encounter?"

Under Hugo's scrutinizing gaze, Kiana finally waved her hand in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I did come to see you because I have something to discuss."

"Tell me, what is it?"

"I think you probably know about Bollinger's situation as well."

Hugo scoffed: "Of course, everyone in New Elito knows about Bollinger's past as the former commander of the Security Bureau, but what does that have to do with you coming to see me?"

"Then you should also be aware of the subsequent consequences of this matter, right?"

"Of course, the next step was for the Security Bureau to conduct a thorough investigation of every high-ranking official, including Durandal, the patriarch of the Kaslana family... Oh, I see, you want me to do this for you."

“It’s good that you know.” Kiana nodded. “Because of this, the Kaslana family was implicated. Most of the TOPS executives and some affiliated families began to put pressure on the Kaslana family, demanding that they hand over the controller of the final defense device for New Elidu.”

"The Ultimate Defense Device, it's said to be a defense system spearheaded by the Kaslana family and developed under the leadership of Otto Apocalypse, supposedly capable of protecting New Elidu from any void crisis. Rumor has it that whoever controls this device will control the entire New Elidu, which is why the mayor entrusted it to the Kaslana family for safekeeping. But then again, does that thing really exist?"

Kiana sighed and said, "If it really existed, our Kaslana family wouldn't be in such a passive position."

"makes sense."

"Getting back to the main point, although Mei's Raiden family and ME Corporation are helping to restrain them, one fist can't fight four hands. It's only a matter of time before the other side squeezes Mei's power out."

"So you want me to find a way to get irrefutable evidence to stop them, is that it?"

"That's understandable."

"And what about the compensation? You know I'm currently working on a big order, so what price are you willing to offer to help me recoup this loss?"

"Don't worry, the reward will be plentiful. As for the follow-up of this beast core, I will explain it to Uncle Mayor. At worst, I can take your place and help you complete your next plan."

“It’s not impossible. But…” Hugo shrugged, “…even if I agreed, it would be difficult to help you, after all…”

"After all, you were given a mind-controlling drug by Hartman, right?"

"..."

"Miss Kiana really knows everything, so I'm sorry, I can't fulfill your request."

"You can rest assured about that," Kiana said. "Since I've come to you, I naturally have a way to help you solve this problem."

After saying that, Kiana tossed Hugo a syringe.

After taking the syringe, Hugo asked, "What is this...?"

"This is the antidote for the drug you were given. Rest assured, the antidote was created by Otto through reverse engineering and is guaranteed to cure you completely."

In reality, this was an antidote that Kiana temporarily created using the power of truth. Its effects naturally encompassed all the effects of other potions. It could be said that this vial could cure any kind of potion or even poison that had ever appeared and been produced.

The claim that it was made by Otto is simply to make it more believable; it must be said that the name Otto is indeed quite convenient.

It was only thanks to the fact that when I was designing the Imaginary Tree, I secretly added some parts of May, Velvet, and Mebius to Otto that I was able to get in.

This makes Otto's achievements in this world greater and more comprehensive than in their original world, but the price is that they are constantly being brought up and used like this now.

Sure enough, when Hugo heard that the potion in his hand was made by Otto, he immediately believed half of it. The other half of him was wondering how Otto obtained the drug that Hartman had secretly developed.

However, considering the scene of Kiana flying in the air without any external force, perhaps stealing a sample of the drug for analysis is not a big deal for her.

Hugo was relieved and then injected the medicine into his body.

Of course, he hadn't considered that this might also be a trap, but the fact that the person in front of him was from the Kaslana family made him use it without hesitation.

Hugo was betting that Kiana would still maintain the character and conduct of the Kaslana family. The injection was completed quickly, but Hugo did not feel anything unusual.

Perhaps to know the effect, he would have to wait until the medicine took effect. After estimating the time in his mind, Hugo began to treat his injuries.

After a simple bandage, Hugo officially accepted Kiana's request and also told her about his plan.

After all, countless families coveted the Kaslana family's status, including even the Ravenlock family, which he despised. Helping the Kaslana family weather this combined pressure required extensive preparation, and he genuinely lacked the confidence to complete these tasks before Zhe and his group took action.

Therefore, it was necessary to reveal his plan to Kiana and have her act in his place. After listening to Hugo's entire plan and his employer behind the scenes, Kiana showed a strange look.

After all, who would have thought that the real employer who hired the mockingbird was the mayor himself?

"Hugo, tell me the truth, are you still hung up on Lycaon?"

"Pfft! Cough cough! Miss Kiana, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! What do you mean I can't let go of Lycaon?!"

“Look, you knew perfectly well that Lykan worked under the mayor, and that you were bound to meet Lykan if you accepted this commission, but you still accepted it.”

"That...that's because the mayor offered me a good enough reward, so I accepted! It has nothing to do with Lykan!"

Then came a barrage of statements like, "This commission is a commission, it has nothing to do with his relationship with Lycaen. He and Lycaen have parted ways, and their relationship has long since broken down."

Kiana smiled without saying a word, watching Hugo's somewhat feeble explanation and the faint blush on his face.