"Su Bai, can't you be a little more gentlemanly???"
"Lumine, you should probably lose some weight. You've only been in Liyue a few days, and I can already feel a little belly forming."
"That's impossible! That's not my belly!"
Lumine's face turned red as she kicked her legs in protest. Sure, she had been eating a bit more lately, but a belly? No way. She was like Paimon—naturally unable to gain weight.
"I think Su Bai's got a point. Lumine, maybe you should eat less. I don't mind finishing your share."
"Paimon, shut up. Say one more word and you can forget about late-night snacks forever! And no more grilled meat either!"
"Huh? I didn't say anything! It's all a misunderstanding."
Paimon quickly covered her mouth, trying to backtrack. Su Bai nodded thoughtfully. So that's what it was—late-night snacks. No wonder Lumine seemed to have developed a little belly.
"Speaking of grilled meat, Su Bai, do you smell that? I'm getting a whiff of barbecue."
"Now that you mention it, I do smell something. But it doesn't smell like regular game or poultry."
Su Bai sniffed the air. The scent of grilled meat carried on the wind. Were the Fatui having a picnic nearby?
"I've got it!"
Paimon clapped her hands, striking a pose that said she'd figured it all out. Su Bai couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect. Trust a foodie to identify the scent of meat.
"That smell must be a Fatui secret recipe! Su Bai, Lumine, let's go take it from them!"
"And there it is. I shouldn't have expected anything else from Paimon."
"Hehe, it's on the way anyway. And if we don't teach these Fatui a lesson, they'll just keep setting up these dangerous barricades."
Despite Paimon's unreliable reasoning, Su Bai decided to check it out. He didn't trust these Fatui who would stop at nothing to complete their missions.
"Captain, is it really just us? I thought the interception force was supposed to be a full battalion."
"Maybe the underground units didn't get the message? If that's the case, even with the barricades, we can't hold off the Millelith with just a few of us."
The Electro Hammer Vanguard, noticeably bulkier than the others, was also starting to worry. He had already sent someone to check the nearest secret base. Until that person returned, speculation would only undermine morale.
"Enough. All of you shut up. You're elite Fatui soldiers, trained through harsh discipline. Now you're chattering like market vendors. Do you want to go back to basic training?"
Seeing their captain's anger, the dozen or so agents fell silent. They knew he wasn't joking. Getting sent back to boot camp would be a stain they'd carry for life.
"Captain, I'm back."
"We might be in serious trouble."
An agent approached, carrying a bundle of insignias and a round object. The Electro Hammer Vanguard's mask couldn't hide his shock. Among those insignias were several of the same rank as his own.
"What happened? Where did you get those insignias?"
The agent swallowed hard as if recalling something terrifying. But duty compelled him to report everything he'd seen.
"So... everyone at that secret base is dead?"
"Yes, Captain. I collected these insignias from their bodies."
The Electro Hammer Vanguard examined an insignia closely. They were all genuine. This was bad. If his guess was right, the reinforcements meant for the interception force had already given their lives for the Tsaritsa.
"Hey, what's that round thing you're carrying? Let me see!"
A Pyroslinger snatched the round object from the agent. The agent started to protest, but the captain called him over for questioning.
With the main witness gone, the Pyroslinger decided to study this curious object. He had come across many interesting things in Liyue and had even planned to sneak a few back to Snezhnaya as souvenirs.
Seeing the Pyroslinger holding something unfamiliar, a Cicin Mage and the other elites gathered around. They all knew about his collecting habit. Maybe this little thing was something special.
To give everyone a better look, the Pyroslinger laid his gun flat and placed the round object on top.
"Hey, you don't think this is just a toy, do you?"
"No way. Who keeps a toy in a secret base? This must be the base captain's collection."
Having looted many bodies before, the Pyroslinger could tell from the feel that this little thing was valuable. The Cicin Mage poked at it. Sure enough, the thing was remarkable—it even started glowing after a few touches.
Wait... glowing? Why was it glowing? Sensing the sudden surge of Pyro energy within the object, the Pyroslinger tried to warn his comrades. But it was too late.
BOOM!
A wave of intense Pyro energy exploded from the Pyroslinger, sweeping outward. None of the agents gathered around him escaped. They all became fertilizer for the earth.
Startled by the sudden blast, the Electro Hammer Vanguard raised his hammer, ready to shout "enemy attack." But all his men were already on the ground.
"Could it be... that little thing was a bomb?"
The scout's pupils contracted. The destruction left by the explosion looked eerily familiar. It was just like the blast marks at the secret base.
"Captain, we need to retreat. This situation is beyond Lord Tartaglia's control. If we don't leave now, we might..."
"No. We can't retreat. Even if the situation has spiraled out of control, until Lord Tartaglia issues a retreat order, we stay."