Ch-69 <Pardofelis dilemma >

Six long months has passed since Kevin's mysterious disappearance, and the weight of his absence was beginning to take its toll on those who loved him.

Elysia and mei now could no longer mask their growing concern. Each day that passed without news of Kevin felt like an eternity.

To distract themselves, the two, along with their friends, gathered to celebrate the completion of a monumental project: the creation of the Divine Key forged from the cores of 1000 Herrschers and unlocking the mysteries of honkai source.

Mei was able to find data and existence of imaginary tree and sea of quanta. Based on the info Kevin fell in sea of quanta and might be finding the way back.

Vill-V also undergone the MANTIS surgery, bonding with a spider-like Honkai beast.

She threw a lavish party to celebrate her success. The air was thick with excitement, but beneath it all, the concern for Kevin lingered like a dark cloud.

After dinner, the group decided to take a walk down Goldmire Avenue, hoping the fresh air would clear their minds.

As they strolled, they came across a big run-down pawn shop. Elysia, ever the curious one, led the group inside. The shop was dimly lit, cluttered with an assortment of items that ranged from mundane to peculiar.

The shop's owner, a rotund man with a greasy smile, tried to swindle Eden into buying a fake artifact at an outrageous price. Eden, however, was no fool. She recognized the scam instantly but remained composed, her eyes narrowing at the man's audacity. It was Mobius, though, who stepped forward with a smirk that sent chills down the man's spine.

"Trying to cheat us?" Mobius asked, her voice laced with venom. "Let me give you a piece of advice—don't."

The shopkeeper's bravado crumbled under Mobius's gaze, and he quickly backed down, stammering apologies as the group left the shop. But as they walked away, Mobius muttered under her breath, "Next time, I'll make sure he regrets it."

Unbeknownst to them, a girl with brownish-yellow hair had been watching their encounter from the shadows. Pardofelis, a skilled thief who had made a name for herself haunting the streets of Goldmire Avenue, had been planning her next heist.

That night, she snuck into one of the fat businessman's warehouses and looted his property, slipping away with countless valuables.

However, among the stolen items, Pardofelis unknowingly took something far more valuable: a research document belonging to Mobius, left behind by mistake. When she discovered the document, Pardofelis's eyes lit up. "This must be important," she mused. "Maybe I can sell it back for a hefty price—or even better, find out what the Fire Moth is up to."

Pardofelis decided to sneak into the Fire Moth base, her heart pounding with the thrill of the risk. But as soon as she set foot inside, alarms blared, and she found herself surrounded by soldiers and two mantis.

"Who are you?" one of them demanded, leveling a weapon at her.

Pardofelis's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plausible lie. "I-I'm a volunteer!" she blurted out, hoping to throw them off.

The soldiers exchanged glances. "A volunteer for the MANTIS surgery?"

"Uh... yes?" Pardofelis replied instinctively, realizing too late what she had just agreed to.

Before she could protest, she was escorted to a medical room, where a doctor in a white coat awaited her. The room was sterile and cold, and Pardofelis felt a wave of panic wash over her.

"What's going on?!" she thought frantically. "I just wanted to sneak in and steal some goods! Why am I on an operating table?!"

The doctor, seemingly unfazed by Pardofelis's distress, approached her with a clipboard. "Do you have any preferences for your Honkai beast?"

Pardofelis blinked, her mind struggling to keep up. "I... I like cats," she replied, her voice shaky.

"Noted," the doctor said, and before Pardofelis could say anything else, the world went black.

When she woke up, everything felt different. She looked into a nearby mirror and gasped. Her eyes—once a dull yellow—now gleamed like a cat's, slitted and predatory. Panic surged through her, and she screamed, drawing the attention of the nearby staff.

"What happened to me?!" Pardofelis cried out, her voice trembling.

A doctor rushed in, a warm smile on her face. "Congratulations, you're now a MANTIS."

Pardofelis wanted to cry, to protest, but she held back her tears, knowing that any display of weakness could be dangerous. She had been thrust into a world she barely understood, with powers she never asked for. And now, she had to figure out how to survive.

But for now, all Pardofelis could do was navigate her new reality and she got taken into squad 7 by Elysia.