Aftermath

A massive figure appeared amidst the explosion, a giant alien queen many times larger than a normal alien. The instant Chu Lian saw this alien, her pupils shrank rapidly: "Alien queen? Did you turn yourself into an alien queen, or did you prepare a method to forcibly transform yourself into one?"

However, the person who became the alien queen had completely lost all human abilities. Using a strange power, the queen temporarily floated in the air before leaping onto the rooftop of the Qingping Hotel, opening its huge maw in a silent roar directed at Chu Lian.

"You pitiful, pathetic creature, do you really think this can hurt me?" Although startled by its transformation, Chu Lian didn't regard it seriously. Looking up at its grotesque form, she shook her head and said, "You were annoying before, but at least you still looked human. Now you're not even that, so there's no need for me to have any feelings for you. Goodbye."

Chu Lian had no intention of engaging in a direct battle with this powerful monster. She knew that if she fought it head-on, after consuming so much energy, even if she won, it would be a pyrrhic victory. It was not worth it. Defeating an enemy might be difficult, but killing one could sometimes be much easier.

With her right hand gripping the hilt of the Void Greatsword, she raised the blade with her left, pointing the tip at the alien queen's head. She poured all her energy into the sword at that moment.

The queen's mouth opened, and a ten-meter-long tongue lashed out toward Chu Lian. Feeling threatened, the alien queen could no longer remain passive and launched the first attack.

Chu Lian calmly stepped to the left, easily dodging the tongue's assault. The greatsword's tip remained aimed at the alien queen, and the energy waves emanating from it grew stronger, a streak of red light gathering at its tip.

Sensing the imminent danger turning into a lethal threat, the alien queen in the boy's form abandoned its thoughts of revenge. It spun around, preparing to leap to another rooftop for cover.

A cold smile played on Chu Lian's lips, "Too late..." Activating her spatial movement, Chu Lian's body appeared beneath the alien queen. Pointing the Void Greatsword's tip upward at its head, she softly said, "This time, it's truly goodbye..."

With a soft "swoosh," a concentrated beam of red energy effortlessly pierced the alien queen's brain, killing it. The energy beam, seemingly unweakened, shot skyward as if threatening to shatter the heavens.

"Boom!" The alien queen, dead in mid-air, plummeted to the ground. From over two hundred meters high, the kinetic energy of a ten-meter-tall, tens-of-ton-heavy giant monster was tremendous. The impact shattered hundreds of square meters of the ground, and the once-impenetrable body gushed with blood, rapidly corroding the earth.

"It's over..." she sighed faintly, raising her head to gaze at the sky. Chu Lian's form gradually became translucent as her butterfly wings unfurled, launching her into the sky before vanishing.

Her departure was, of course, a facade. Given the magnitude of the incident, keeping it secret was impossible. Someone capable of defeating these aliens single-handedly would undoubtedly draw attention from countless parties, including state agencies already privy to much of this information.

Fortunately, she was prepared, having altered her appearance before acting. When Inori leaped over and she drew the greatsword, the multitude of aliens made it impossible to clearly see her. By eliminating a few remaining traces, she could effectively conceal herself.

Of course, she didn't doubt that government agencies and hidden forces would eventually find her, but that would take time. By then, what could they possibly do to her? That was uncertain.

Those monitoring the situation felt a sense of unease when the massive monster emerged from the explosion and faced the sword-wielding girl. Unexpectedly, within just ten seconds, the alien queen was slain, and its corpse lay not far from them.

The butterfly-winged girl, who had become a Valkyrie in their hearts, soared into the clouds after defeating the monster, leaving them with a sense of regret. They wished to see the girl's true face, but alas, she seemed uninterested in anyone aside from the monster.

Unsurprisingly, walking on air, flying with butterfly wings, and slaying monsters with a greatsword are beyond human capabilities. At that moment, many people's perspectives shifted, beginning to believe that gods might exist in this world.

A video of the battle was soon uploaded online. It's unclear what the uploader used to film it, but the resolution was incredibly high. While Lian's face was unrecognizable due to the distance, most other details were vividly captured, leaving viewers in awe.

The state adopted a peculiar stance toward the incident, neither fully suppressing its impact nor endorsing it, instead quietly handling the aftermath.

This was unprecedented for China in years, sparking widespread discussion domestically and among international media and netizens.

Chinese netizens, known for their imaginative speculations, flooded comment sections with plausible yet absurd theories, alongside conspiracy theorists, analysts, and truth-seekers debating fiercely.

Many people felt that the world seemed to be changing after this incident.

Internationally, conspiracy theories dominated. Major outlets like The Eagle, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and The Times offered reasoned analyses on why such creatures appeared and who the girl battling the monster was, questioning her immense power. They speculated on the white pillar of light reaching the sky, whether the weapon was a new high-tech device, and if its power extended into space.

Meanwhile, tabloids like The Sun, The Dark World Times, The Fifty Stars, and The Aya News indulged in wild conspiracies. The Dark World Times insisted the girl possessed their bloodline, explaining her prowess. The Aya News, crafted by Chu Lian to muddy the waters, offered shameless analyses filled with whimsical notions, memes from her previous life, and fabricated truths, thoroughly enjoying the chaos it caused.

Of course, that's all for later discussion.

Returning to Chu Lian, she spent 1,000 Dream Points for the system to add departure "effects," making it seem like she returned to her room on the 37th floor after leaving.

Meanwhile, the aliens, without their master's control, died automatically, including the two mutated ones. They lay dead on the ceiling, claws embedded in the stone due to their hardened post-mortem state.

Thankfully, the Qingping Hotel didn't have hidden cameras in rooms, or else footage might have instantly exposed Chu Lian's identity.

Chu Lian had climbed the stairs to reach the 33rd floor earlier, remaining unseen in the crowded areas due to her short stature. Only in less crowded spaces could glimpses of her flashing figure be caught, marking traces she needed to address. Another trace was on the corridors between the 33rd and 37th floors, where she hadn't concealed her presence. Despite taking Kuroyukihime's form, there was still a chance of being recognized.

As for Inori, she had been in combat the whole time, possibly recorded. Hopefully, the explosions caused power outages, complicating matters otherwise.

The last trace was explaining her whereabouts after leaving the class gathering in room 4027 during the explosion. "I got lost in the crowd" was an easy excuse, but without witnesses to verify her story, it remained tenuous.

Holding Inori's hands as she lay on the bed, Chu Lian silently watched her until she awoke and looked at her.

"Lian..." Inori smiled, touching her face gently, asking softly, "You're back?"

"Yes, I'm back..." Seeing her only slightly weak, Chu Lian relaxed. It wasn't that Chu Lian didn't care about Inori's condition at first sight, but the influence of her secondary persona and the urgency of dealing with surrounding aliens took precedence. Once Chu Lian returned to her primary persona, she prioritized those she cared for, hence her concern.

Inori seemed aware of certain circumstances but refrained from speaking, gazing into Chu Lian's starry eyes. She eventually whispered, "Lian, take me down, but be careful."

Chu Lian nodded, then used her spatial movement ability to move to the next floor through the cracks in the ground.

The intense explosions and battles left the building unstable, and despite its sturdy construction, it couldn't withstand such chaos. Multiple explosions, crawling monsters, and a massive creature atop the roof left it merely cracked, which was fortunate.

Chu Lian was grateful for the cracks, providing visibility and enabling spatial movement. Otherwise, descending step by step would have risked exposure.

After exhausting energy on spiritual waves, arrows, and a powerful blast, Chu Lian struggled to maintain her spatial movement ability over thirty times while supporting Inori.

The building was evacuated, silent, with a hundred-meter no-entry zone around the hotel. This situation was ideal for Chu Lian to destroy evidence. Alone, she couldn't manage, but after the system extorted 10,000 Integrity Points, the traces were dealt with.

According to the system, this was a discount, as it also resolved Inori's situation, ensuring the erased data was nearly impossible to recover for years. Thus, finding her via footage was unlikely, bringing Chu Lian relief.

Moving silently with Inori, avoiding detection through spatial movement, they reached the hotel plaza where crowds had gathered. The scene was chaotic, with wounded people moaning, medical staff bustling, and volunteers frantically helping. It took Chu Lian a while to locate her classmates.

In a secluded corner, dozens of eyes turned to her, and she sighed internally, forcing a strained smile: "I went to find Inori. She was upstairs, but she's okay."

Chu Chu stood, walked to Chu Lian, and quietly said, "Big Sister, Zhang Feng... he's dead..."

"Dead?" Chu Lian's heart shook, what happened?