With Liz's order, Huai Shi was subjected to a search.
Actually, there was no need for assistance.
After catching his breath, Huai Shi got up from the ground, and in Liz's presence, stripped off all his clothes.
Without any concealnt or delay, he spread his arms, allowing the Guard to search him from top to bottom without overlooking even a strand of hair.
Nothing was found.
All findings showed that everything was normal. The ticulous search even revealed the traces of Huai Shi's ribs being fractured by Liz's punch just monts before.
After the search was completed, Huai Shi still stood there, silently staring at Liz. Liz had already turned her gaze elsewhere.
She waved her hand, urging, "You can get dressed now."
"Is that it?" asked Huai Shi, a hint of regret in his question. "No other demands? I thought you'd enjoy so kind of special ga."
Liz looked into his eyes, her expression annoyed. "I said, get dressed!"
"It seems you don't like it," Huai Shi understood, yet remained still. "What a coincidence, I don't like it either... So, don't you think you have sothing to say to ?"
As he spoke, the naked man took a step forward.
Though he was in a cage and devoid of any coverings on his body, he stood as if he were a King sitting on his throne draped in solemn royal attire.
He gazed at the Teenage Girl before him, telling her, "I believe, at this point, you need to apologize for your irrationality and offense, Miss Liz."
In silence, Liz stared straight back at him.
Her gaze beca increasingly dangerous, filled with rage, but eventually, rage yielded to reason.
She clenched her teeth, uttering a faint and muffled sound.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that." Huai Shi raised his head, his voice louder. "If it's so other humiliating command, or if you intend to send to so dubious room for an unhealthy bath, please speak up so your subordinates can hear you."
Dead silence followed.
Liz looked at him expressionlessly, and Huai Shi smiled back, watching her.
After a long while, she spoke slowly.
In such clarity, using impeccably pronounced standard Latin, she told the man before her,
"I said, I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
Huai Shi began to smile, seemingly oblivious to the coldness, and patted her shoulder. "I forgive you."
And with that, he turned around.
Bending down, he picked up his clothes from the ground and dressed, one piece at a ti.
Without any shyness or pretense, his movents were even slightly provocative.
With all her rationality, Liz barely managed to restrain the urge to split the damned bastard in two from behind. But just as she turned to leave, she heard Huai Shi's voice.
"Miss Liz, although we haven't known each other for long, I can feel that you choose to stand high not out of arrogance, but to prevent being looked down upon."
Huai Shi, fastening his buttons unhurriedly, touched the slightly painful wound on his chest and advised, "But being high above also ans keeping a distance from others.
Just like with Jo's claustrophobia, you should have realized it earlier, but you didn't."
In silence, Huai Shi turned around, his gaze upon Liz's hand holding the Stone Tooth Sword, observing the bulging veins and sighing softly.
"Sotis, looking too high ans overlooking the details on the ground."
In the stillness, Liz said no more.
Only the sharp intent to kill erged from her eyes, so ferocious, it sent shivers through the onlooker.
The words Huai Shi had just uttered, even more so than his previous actions, ignited in her an uncontrollable fury.
Huai Shi could even be sure that, had he been anywhere else, he would have already been cleaved in two by Liz's sword.
But now she couldn't express her anger.
Because she had a set of obsessive moral standards and a strong sense of duty toward her work, and indeed, it was she who had been at fault first...
It had to be said, that feeling was simply too exhilarating.
Watching Liz's departing figure, Huai Shi stood in the shadows of the cage, his smile peculiar.
It was a pity; she hadn't taken his words to heart.
Sotis, looking too high really does an overlooking... the details on the ground...
「. . .」
Certainly, the unprecedented rage and intent to kill in Liz were not just felt by Huai Shi alone.
Even the other Guards experienced a chilling sense of falling into the Abyss. Yet, unexpectedly, they didn't harbor any unpleasant feelings or annoyance toward Huai Shi.
On the contrary, they found his words quite reasonable.
This... although Miss Liz was not very approachable and sowhat fierce, she was still quite good, and responsible at work, never unfairly shifting the bla onto her subordinates.
Brave in her duties, she has never feared difficulty or danger.
Having such a leader was just perfect.
But if she could slightly understand what her people were thinking and shed her unapproachable bad habits, wouldn't that be good too?
However, without any doubt, everyone could feel Liz's anger at that mont, knowing at a glance the edge of fury she teetered on.
When the elevator doors opened, the Guardians on the upper level were almost frozen by the chill.
They stood stiffly in place, not daring to et her gaze.
Even though they already knew what was happening below and were ntally prepared, the Noble Blood Descendant is, in so sense, a Divine Descendant. In ancient tis, when she was angry, everyone had to kneel down and beg for rcy.
That kind of wild dignity was not sothing ordinary people could withstand.
It was only a long while after she had left that the Guardians finally caught their breath and couldn't help but rub their still-intact necks, breathing a sigh of relief.
God damn, that was terrifying!
To calm my nerves, let's solve a couple of Sudoku puzzles...
But just as he was about to pick up the pencil, he saw the elevator doors open again.
Out stepped a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Teenage Girl.
Her face was still wet.
It seed she had washed her face, and then stayed alone in the washroom for a long ti before finally calming down.
"..."
The Guardian on the upper level was stunned. "Mi-Miss Liz, why is it you? Didn't you just… just…"
Before he could finish, an ominous suspicion erged in his mind.
Suddenly, the composure Liz had forced upon herself rapidly turned grim.
"Who did you say just left?"
She frowned. "I've been down there the whole ti!"
"But, but… I just saw…" The Guardian looked in the direction Liz had just left, speaking incoherently.
"Let guess."
Liz looked at him expressionlessly, "An impostor of just left, and you didn't even make her verify her identity by swiping her Card, right?"
The Guardian's vision darkened as he finally realized what had happened.
This is fucking… done for!
In less than a minute, the entire prison was subjected to a thorough search.
The first to hit was an utterly terrible piece of bad news.
—Huai Shi in the cell was just a dummy, a crude Phantom, with all the locators and explosive shackles stuffed inside his blanket.
All the Guards hadn't even noticed!
Following that, the second piece of bad news was… the surveillance of the underground prison had been covered by illusions a few minutes earlier; all the images transmitted from below were fake!
The Alchemist who was responsible for monitoring Huai Shi's physical characteristics and had Cursed and sealed him was found unconscious in his workshop.
Trapped in a nightmare, unable to extricate himself.
He had been subjected to a reverse Curse…
Amidst the deadly silence, Liz's expression twitched, gripping the Stone Tooth Sword with a contorted face.
A subordinate approached to speak, but just as he began, he heard Liz's infuriated roar: "You worthless scum!!!!"
Under the cleave of the Stone Tooth Sword, the cell in front of her was ripped apart completely.
An utter ss!
But soon, she cald down.
"Seal all exits."
Liz issued an order, "Review all the surveillance footage, find out where that impostor went! And… his belongings? Where are his weapons and stuff kept?"
She finally rembered that Huai Shi's equipnt was still in storage.
Which ant that the next target of the attack...
The mont Huai Shi's escape from prison was discovered, the security level inside the Airship was silently elevated to the highest degree. While there were no noticeable changes on the surface, countless monitors and security mbers disguised among the crew were already in place, ticulously searching every inch of the Airship.
Amidst this urgent situation, when Liz and her team stord into the core storage room, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
All was well. Huai Shi hadn't had the chance to enter this place yet.
"Continue the search, leave no stone unturned!" Liz ordered angrily. "And if I find out anyone has shirked their duty, just run to the prison and squat there until you're sent back to Current Circumstances!"
With that, she walked into the laboratory, looking at the panicked Scholars. "Where are his things? Take there… and everyone else better evacuate quickly, as this place might soon beco a battlefield."
Soon, after dual authentication by the manager and the custodian, the vault storing dangerous items and Border Relics slowly opened a crack.
Huai Shi's saddlebag, pistol, and even the Cellist Bracelet were all stored in the foremost cabinet.
Nothing was missing.
After a ticulous inspection, the custodian finally exhaled in relief.
Imdiately after, he saw… Liz reached out, picked up the pistol with The Fly King engraving on the grip, expertly weighed it in her hand, and twirled the gun with a flourish.
She revealed a disconcerting smile.
"Long ti no see, how have you been?" she asked softly.
As the custodian stood aghast, not knowing how to respond, another voice sounded.
"I've been so bored, I'm about to explode."
Beelzebub, awakening on the pistol grip, raised his eyes, "Just like you, I'm so freakishly bored I'd consider cross-dressing… We're truly perfect partners."
And behind the dissipating misty visage of the Teenage Girl, a cheerful smile slowly erged.
Before the custodian completely succumbed to unconsciousness, two words flickered through his mind.
—Screwed.
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