After successfully witnessing Li Yan's comical look of agony, Pardofelis gleefully recorded a video and made her getaway.
Once she was a safe distance away, she reverted to her form as Cipher.
As for why she didn't maintain the Pardofelis persona on the plane... that appearance was still being actively wanted by Apex Entertainment.
"Hoh, this is actually a Cyber Logistics plane."
Walking along the road, Cipher looked at the flight ticket in her hand and spoke with some surprise.
It could be said that she had the least contact with Cyber Logistics. One reason was that Cyber Logistics focused on transportation-related industries; however, she didn't order express delivery, and thanks to Cipher's teleportation ability, she didn't need to take planes or trains.
The main reason she wanted the ticket this time was that she had never been to District 5 and wasn't familiar with the route.
Her thumb brushed against the smooth surface of the ticket as an amusing plan suddenly formed in her mind.
"If... I 'visit' Apex Entertainment first, and then wave this Cyber Logistics ticket right in front of their eyes... the expressions on those guys' faces will surely be priceless, right?"
Thinking of that scene, the corners of Cipher's mouth curled up uncontrollably into a mischievous arc.
"It's settled!"
With that decision made, she immediately set her course. However, her footsteps abruptly pivoted toward the direction of Lu Zhaoran's home.
As for why she wasn't heading to the airport—she still had to tell the two little ones and the big guy that she was heading out.
Since Lu Zhaoran disappeared, she had to go back every now and then to check on the situation and remind them not to leave the house lately.
The main issue was that while the spatial necklace still functioned, there was no longer Lu Zhaoran's early warning system. This meant she might not even know when trouble started.
The three of them had been quite obedient recently, staying home and not taking commissions, only occasionally visiting the secret base. It shouldn't come to...
But before Cipher's flag could even be fully planted, a "Ding~" sound rang out. It was a notification from her Terminal.
"No way..."
Cipher's body stiffened at the sound. This was her own Terminal's alert, and she had only set priority message reminders for Luo Lin, Lin Wei, Xiong Lei, and Lu Zhaoran.
Now that Lu Zhaoran was no longer in this world, who else could be triggering a priority notification on her account?
With that thought, she immediately opened the Terminal to check.
[Damian has requested to add you as a friend.]
"So he's just coming to me for money..."
Cipher covered her face.
She had almost forgotten that Cerydra told Damian to seek her out for funds.
After clicking to accept the request, Damian politely relayed Cerydra's instructions word for word.
Cifera: I understand. I have an urgent matter right now. Use this money first; if it's not enough, ask me again.
Cifera: [Transfer: 1,000,000 Cr]
(Note: Cr is the abbreviation for Credits, referred to here as Credits.)
Damian: Understood, Lady Cifera!
Seeing this, Cipher closed her Terminal, intending to continue toward Lu Zhaoran's place.
But the very moment she turned off the screen, another "Ding~" sounded.
"...Forgot to put Damian on Do Not Disturb."
Cipher sighed and opened the screen again, intending to mute Damian's notifications.
However, the moment she opened the screen, her pupils suddenly constricted.
Lin Wei: Sister Cipher! Luo Lin and Xiong Lei have been taken by Arasaka Heavy Industries!
Cipher: Where are you? I'm coming right now!
After sending the message, the Flipping Coin was instantly tossed into the air. In the next moment, aided by Godspeed, she crossed dozens of kilometers in a heartbeat and returned to Lu Zhaoran's house.
The house was filled with marks from combat and energy weapons. The damage looked fresh, as if the attackers had just left.
Seeing this, she looked down at her Terminal again, only to find that Lin Wei had not replied to any of her messages.
"What's going on?"
Cipher frowned as she surveyed the scene.
Logically, if this was the primary scene of the battle, why couldn't she find any trace of Lin Wei? If she was able to send a message, she should have escaped, right?
"Forget it, I can't worry about all that."
Facing this situation, Cipher didn't bother wondering whether Lin Wei had escaped or not. She directly closed her eyes and began to scent the auras of Luo Lin, Lin Wei, and Xiong Lei.
After a short moment, Cipher snapped her eyes open, staring in a specific direction with fury.
"Found you!"
With that, she vanished instantly.
Meanwhile, a convoy marked with the prominent logo of Arasaka Heavy Industries was driving along the highway.
Inside one of the reinforced transport vans, Luo Lin, Lin Wei, and Xiong Lei had their hands cuffed behind their backs. Heavy electronic shackles locked their wrists, emitting a faint blue glow—specialized suppression devices designed to seal superpowers.
"Don't be afraid, Little Lin." Lin Wei shifted her body closer to the huddled Luo Lin in the corner, whispering comfortingly, "The message went out. Sister Cipher will definitely come to save us."
Upon hearing this, Luo Lin only slightly raised her head, looking at Lin Wei with hollow eyes before burying her face again. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her tiny whispers were laced with sobs:
"It's all my fault... it's all my fault... if it weren't for me..."
"Don't say such silly things!" Lin Wei interrupted immediately. "These people were clearly coming for us; what does it have to do with you!"
"Exactly," Xiong Lei chimed in gruffly from the other side. "Who knew these Arasaka people would be so ruthless, sending a B rank squad directly! Last time, even against a C rank, we were heavily injured before..."
Before he could finish, he realized he had misspoken.
"Xiong Lei!" Lin Wei snapped, "Shut up if you don't know how to talk!"
"Ah... sorry, sorry, Luo Lin, I have a big mouth..."
Xiong Lei closed his mouth in frustration, wishing he could slap himself.
However, the words "heavily injured" had already entered Luo Lin's ears clearly.
Her body shuddered violently, and she buried her head even lower, her weak sobs becoming intermittent: "I'm sorry... it's all my fault, I've brought this upon you..."
"Alright, alright, don't think about the past."
Lin Wei moved closer to Luo Lin again to interrupt her thoughts. Because her wrists were shackled, she used her shoulder to gently nudge her, trying to provide some warmth.
After soothing Luo Lin, she leaned tiredly against the cold wall of the van, staring at the small ventilation window and whispering to herself:
"I hope Sister Cipher finds us soon, otherwise..."
"Screech—!!!"
Before she could finish, the piercing sound of emergency braking and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air. The massive inertia slammed the three inside the van forward!
Immediately following that, chaotic shouts, the heavy thuds of metal collisions, and heart-palpitating screams began to drift from outside!
Yet, amidst this chaotic noise, a cold voice pierced through the thick walls of the van, reaching the ears of the three clearly.
"Speak! Why is Arasaka Heavy Industries capturing them?! What is the purpose?!"