Honkai: Strijder

The next day, Vira woke up alone in the soft bed of the bedroom.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes in a daze, and then remembered the events of the previous night.

Vira got off the bed and walked out of the bedroom.

In the living room, Sigurd was sitting at his desk, with a black eye and bruises on half of his face. He was typing rapidly on his laptop.

Meanwhile, Kiana, looking even more disheveled than he was, was tied to a pillar, her head hanging down, a bubble of drool symbolizing excellent sleep quality hanging from her nose, still sound asleep.

Looking further, there was a big hole in the bathroom wall. Looking through the hole, the bathroom was in a mess.

"You're awake? The toilet is still usable, so if you need to take care of personal hygiene, go ahead. There's a disposable toothbrush on the vanity."

"Ah—okay."

Vira cautiously walked towards the bathroom, making sure to take the longest route away from Sigurd.

Sigurd, big brother Sigurd, is a bit scary!

...

Sigurd glanced at Vira as she entered the bathroom, narrowing his eyes. He had extracted complete information about this girl from the network, including her background and family situation, but it didn't fully prove that she was not suspicious.

After observing and investigating her for a while, Sigurd had slightly eased his concerns but remained cautious.

The most troublesome issue now was that because of this little brat, that silly tuna, had strongly resisted him for the first time.

She's daring to start to rebel even before her rebellious phase, if he let this matter be, her rebellion behavior would get worse day by day, and in a few more years, she'll be literally tearing the roof off the house!

No, he had to quickly send this little girl back!

Regardless of whether she had any problems or not, the argument between Kiana and Sigurd last night escalated because of her, almost causing Kiana to lose control and turn into a Herrscher.

This incident made Sigurd very unhappy—no, he had no ulterior motives, he was simply considering their safety.

Yes, that's how it is!

...

As Sigurd and Vira started having breakfast, the smell of food woke Kiana up, and she opened her eyes suddenly.

"Sig! Let me go, I'm hungry!"

Bang!

Sigurd somehow pulled out a handgun and used a bullet to free Kiana.

Vira was so frightened that she dropped the soup spoon on the floor but didn't dare say anything.

Sigurd continued to silently observe Vira's reaction, without explaining anything. He just gave Kiana a cold glance and said:

"Go brush your teeth and wash your face."

"But I'm so hungry..."

"Or should I tie you up again?"

"Fine, Vira, wait here, I'll take you to find Daddy right away!"

"Mwah!"

Under Sigurd's cold gaze, Kiana affectionately poked Vira's smooth little face and stuck her tongue out at Sigurd, making a funny face.

Sigurd (▼皿▼＃): "!!!"

Kiana (°ー°〃): "I'll go brush my teeth first..."

It's not cowardice, just a strategic retreat.

Kiana knew that Sigurd was still angry, so she decided not to provoke him anymore, hehe!

Sigurd sighed in frustration, but then mostly let go of his anger—Kiana's lack of guard was partly due to her nature, and partly because she knew nothing about her situation. Well, instead of being angry with her, he should continue to confirm Vira's background.

...

An hour later, on the street, Sigurd walked ahead with a displeased expression.

Behind him, Kiana and Vira were holding hands.

Kiana had a bright and radiant smile.

Vira looked at Kiana with a lost and hesitant gaze, resembling a lost little deer.

"Big Sister Kiana."

"Hmm?"

"Is Big Brother Sigurd still angry?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. He's just a self-righteous person. Once he gets to know you better, everything will be fine. Trust me!"

Kiana said confidently, holding Vira's hand.

Vira could only nod weakly.

Meanwhile, Kiana squeezed Vira's hand and looked thoughtful. She had also started to notice Sigurd's anger and hidden vigilance. She couldn't understand what could be wrong with Vira, but since Sigurd was concerned, she decided to be more cautious toward this girl.

...

Robbins Klov - Vira's father, used to be a prominent entrepreneur in the city of Jörmungandr. Coming from a humble background, he worked hard and earned a degree in economics from a prestigious university. After graduation, he ventured into real estate investment and gradually built his own real estate agency, which was quite successful.

In simple terms, he was a wealthy man.

Some time ago, Robbins Klov had a conflict with the recently powerful Delin Gang, a local gang in Jörmungandr, mainly over money and land issues. However, Robbins didn't pay much attention to it. Despite the Delin Gang's strength, he had influential friends in Jörmungandr's law enforcement circle. He didn't believe that a gang could force him to compromise.

Then his wife was kidnapped.

And then, his business partner stabbed him in the back.

He realized that the person who targeted him was a friend he had once trusted. He had been negligent from the beginning of the conflict, losing the advantage, and now his wife was kidnapped. Robbins knew he had lost.

After calming down, faced with the threat to his wife's life and their absolute disadvantage, Robbins chose to surrender in exchange for the safety of his family.

The result was his wife's death and the loss of his business.

Using his last resort, Robbins managed to escape with his daughter to the town of Urul.

And now, his daughter was also taken away.

"You will pay for this!"

Robbins knew very well that Vira was kidnapped to obtain the last remaining secret funds he had. But handing over the account information meant losing all means of resistance. Would he and his daughter be safe then?

The answer was obvious.

Robbins spent the night pondering in the room, considering every angle from his connections, the information he possessed, and the usage of the funds. The conclusion was that there were ways, but the result would surely lead to Vira being brutally tortured and killed.

Robbins couldn't let that happen.

So now he felt like a wounded tiger with its claws removed, filled with helpless rage and no other options.

"Since they won't let our family live in peace, they will taste suffering! Vira, don't be afraid, Daddy will protect you no matter what happens. And Cedora, I will join you soon."

He muttered to himself and picked up the shotgun on the table, making a decision to sacrifice everything.

"You beasts, taste my fury!"

Bam!

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door of the safe house.

Robbins was taken aback.

Who could come at a time like this? Was it an enemy?

Robbins' expression fluctuated, but the situation couldn't get any worse. He composed himself, released the safety on his firearm, put on a bulletproof vest, and approached the door, gripping the lock chain. He slowly opened a crack in the door.

"Papa!"

A familiar address, a familiar voice, and the sight of his daughter's face looking up at him from outside the door.

Robbins' eyes immediately welled up with tears. He instinctively tried to open the door but was stopped by the chain. The struggle between the iron door and the chain produced a loud metallic screech.

He quickly removed the chain, opened the door, and immediately embraced his daughter.

"Vira! My little Vira! Where have you been? Am I dreaming? Oh, my Vira, Daddy miss you!"

"Papa! Itchy! You forgot to shave again!"

"It's okay! I'll shave right away! Now that little Vira is back, Daddy promises you everything."

Robbins said with teary eyes, but he had no intention of shaving his beard. He simply held Vira tightly.

After a while, Robbins finally had a moment to look down and noticed the two little guests who had come with Vira.

"Who are you?"

"Sigurd Alvis, and Kiana Alvis. Could we come in and have a seat, Mr. Robbins Klov?"

"This..."

Robbins hesitated for a moment. But considering that they were the ones who brought Vira back, he gritted his teeth and stepped aside, deciding to let them in.