The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

The fact that Kevin wasn't on Blue Earth, however, didn't bring Fu Hua much joy. It certainly made things easier for them, but what about Earth? Not only were she and Elysia here, but Kiana and the others had also been dragged to Blue Earth, practically vanishing without a trace.

Should we let Rita fight Kevin? That fight would be over before Rita even finishes her self-introduction!

The only hope was that Kevin had also been swept onto Blue Earth during the chaos. But with his strength and personality, if he saw [Lee] causing trouble, he would have at least come to check things out…

The situation was far too complex, and there was little they could do at the moment. Despite her anxiety, Fu Hua shook her head, putting aside these extraneous thoughts to focus on the matter at hand.

Knowing this information, there was no need to think about what to do next—obviously, regardless of [Lee]'s plans, they needed to charge to the moon and catch her off guard!

Surely no one would just let the enemy plot and potentially grow stronger, knowing full well about their schemes?

In all her years, Fu Hua had only seen Otto do such a thing, and even then, his goal was to revive Lihua. Now that Otto's goal had been achieved, he shouldn't do anything so foolish again.

In any case, the Stigma Project couldn't be completed overnight… They would discuss it with Otto upon his return, rest for a few days to recover, gather their forces, and head straight for the moon.

Since Elysia's consciousness had been captured within the Divine Key and taken by [Lee], they could rescue her at the same time…

Having decided on her course of action, Fu Hua suppressed her complex feelings toward [Lee], forcing herself not to dwell on them. Regardless of whether the being on the other side was truly the person she once knew, her course of action remained unchanged. She couldn't hold back. Even if she had doubts, she would seek answers after the battle.

If it really is Lee, and if, once again, Lee's decision is the right one, then… if I have to resent her, I have nothing to say in my defense.

Every decision Lee made was based on the information she had at the time. Those decisions might have been wrong, but they were often her only choices.

Meanwhile…

"So you're saying, with your silver tongue, you've bridged the gaps between races, languages, and nations, resolved all disputes, and created a harmonious society…?" Lihua looked at Otto, who was stirring his tea with a smile, her eyes full of skepticism.

Otto's claims were simply too outrageous. Humanity hadn't achieved such unity in thousands of years. Could he really solve it with just his words? Even in a world with Honkai, Schicksal hadn't managed to control the entire world; Anti-Entropy was still thriving in the Americas.

"Intentions. For now, they're mostly intentions…" Otto chuckled, not the least bit embarrassed. Of course, things weren't that simple. He just wanted to make it sound nice for Lihua. "I merely employed a bit of rhetorical flourish."

"After all, this is a major issue, one that decides the fate of a world. It's impossible to resolve it with just a day or two of thought… But the general direction is set. Solving the remaining problems only requires time—and a few… persuasive methods."

"Don't worry, Lihua. Everything is going according to plan. This world will become a better place."

In the end, what usually motivates people to make decisions are either a sense of crisis or self-interest. As long as the benefits were enticing enough, they would be happy to become promoters of global unity. And as long as the threat was significant enough, they would readily abandon their so-called principles.

Otto represented an entire other world, and the associated benefits and threats were immense, making him the perfect negotiator. As for those who were neither swayed by carrot nor stick, he employed a few… special methods.

Although things couldn't be resolved overnight, the overall situation was stable and improving.

"Lihua, what should we call this unified organization formed by Blue Earth's humans?" Otto took a sip of tea. "What do you think of the United Human Alliance? Doesn't it sound unifying?"

"There's already something called the United Nations on Blue Earth…"

"While organizations like that sound impressive, they usually only handle minor issues—but it's not a big problem. Borrowing that name might make it easier for the people of Blue Earth to accept."

Since Lihua had spoken, even if she hadn't intended to make a suggestion, Otto readily changed his original plan.

"The people of Blue Earth are quite interesting… I was prepared for assassinations and protests on my way to negotiations, but nothing happened. Instead, there were mostly onlookers."

He had originally planned to use a potential assassination attempt to gain an advantage in the talks. It was a waste of effort, leaking his itinerary and bringing Kallen and Eleanor along as bodyguards to prevent any "accidents"…

"Ahaha, a considerable number of people on Blue Earth are… rather easygoing," Lihua said with an awkward laugh. What else could she say?

Even if she didn't want to admit it, it was true that while there were normal people on Blue Earth, most of them—especially the young ones—loved a good spectacle. This was evident from the time Shoko transformed into [Ultraman Tiga] in public at the convention; the crowd, instead of fleeing, cheered excitedly.

Even if Tiga was a well-known hero of justice, he was still a giant capable of crushing people with a single step. Yet, under such circumstances, only a few people chose to flee…

While this had to do with the lack of actual large-scale casualties in these incidents, it was also thanks to the laid-back nature of most people that Blue Earth had managed to maintain stability. Otherwise, it would probably have descended into chaos long ago.

"The integration of Blue Earth will take time, but it shouldn't affect our plans to deal with Miss [Lee]," Otto said thoughtfully, gazing at Lihua's reflection in his teacup. "Myself, the Immortal Phoenix, along with Kallen, Eleanor, Durandal, the K4… and Kiana herself. Our combat strength should be sufficient."

"While going directly to the moon is possible, it would consume considerable energy… To conserve strength for the fight, I'll borrow this world's rockets and spacecraft. We'll depart in a few days once they're prepared."

"Uh…" Seeing Otto's air of having everything under control, Lihua pointed at herself. "What about me?"

"The battle won't be on a human-habitable planet, and the Herrscher of Sentience's powers are unpredictable. It's too dangerous for you to go," Otto reassured her. "Theresa will stay here with you. We'll be back soon."

Back soon, my foot! Without my secret weapon, how are you going to fight Kevin? He's waiting up there on the moon! You'll all be walking into a trap!

However, Lihua didn't argue with Otto, nor did she consult Kallen and the others. She already knew what their answer would be.

Weakness was a sin. With Lihua's pitiful strength, even the weakest among them, Theresa, could take her down in a few moves if she was serious. If she went to such a dangerous battlefield, she might get caught in the crossfire… So no matter how much she pleaded, Otto and the others would never allow it.

But this wasn't the first time Lihua had encountered such a situation. She had experience in dealing with it—just go ahead and do it, then deal with the consequences later.

They couldn't very well throw her off the spaceship, could they?