Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 1204 - 925: Do they not have parents?

Chapter 1204: Chapter 925: Do they not have parents?

In the following weeks, Du Qianqian immersed herself in work, maintaining the Allied Forces’ spy network and supplying weapons to the rebels within the New Taixi State. Xu Cheng and Laila crossed the border of the New Taixi State, following the advancing army and delivering goods along the way.

The members of the Seven Seals reorganized into the Ark Foundation, governed by former era elites like Honma Noriko, Rubazio, and Bissons.

After the defeat in the Anchorage battle, they continued to gather manpower and resources to resist stubbornly.

The air-dispersed explosives made of micro-nanobots were the most perilous traps, able to evade many conventional detection methods, and a small amount of nanobot explosives could kill invisibly or completely incapacitate vehicles.

Additionally, there were a large number of self-destructing drones that were committed to delivering viruses and precision radiation explosives.

Every route of the Eastern Hemisphere Allied Forces’ advance was fraught with danger, as the Ark Foundation fortified most of the regions, forcing the Allied Forces to face thousands of robots and defense facilities at every step.

"They fear punishment," Laila commented on the Ark Foundation’s defensive measures.

"If caught, how should we punish them?" Xu Cheng asked.

Laila thought seriously for a moment.

"There’s nothing," she said, "we currently don’t have any punishments cruel enough to chastise someone as evil as Honma Noriko."

They advanced with the army. Intense battles erupted in Jade City, Maple City, Rose City, and New Reno, and only recently have they been fully controlled.

Xu Cheng traveled south along the mountain ranges, delivering goods to the West Coast. She had two batches of goods, one for the West Sea People and another to the Mojave Desert.

The shuttle machine slowly approached the battle-scarred suburban areas of the West Coast, where the stench of trash filled the air and waste covered the ground.

The West Coast had originally been the entrance to the New Taixi State, but due to the folding of the world, people actually entered the New Taixi State from the desolate Anchorage, ignoring the West Coast until a few days ago when it was finally captured.

"It is said that securing the West Coast was only possible thanks to the sudden uprising from inside, where they fought against the Ark Foundation people, allowing us to capture the West Coast," Laila said.

Most of the time, she accompanied Xu Cheng on her campaigns, joining the war when the situation became critical.

"Is that really true?" Xu Cheng saw the people below smashing things, thinking they were looting, but later realized they were acting strangely, with their foreheads wrapped in white cloth, going into battle shirtless, destroying Dilnai-worshipped icons, texts, instruments, and burning them all to ashes.

"Everyone! Be brave! Smash them all!"

"Don’t let these things seduce the populace anymore! There’s no need to fear them!"

"Do your duty! Do whatever the boss tells you!"

"Believe that justice is by our side!"

"Wahaha, we are the punishers of this world!"

Xu Cheng looked closely and realized they were gang members—the West Sea People.

She delivered the goods to the temporary refugee camp.

The military administration on the West Coast had requisitioned a high school, and Xu Cheng saw people sitting on the playground or on the steps in front of the auditorium, surrounded by tents and clutter, much more chaotic than holding a student sports meet.

Xu Cheng took out a receipt and looked for someone to sign it.

She saw a familiar figure standing across from the temporary hangar, wearing a scarlet suit, sunglasses, with an entire mechanical metal fist welded onto their right arm, plated with a layer of gold, looking quite striking.

That was Asa Katsuragi, Xu Cheng recognized her.

Though getting older, she still had a warrior’s strength, with a rebellious attitude, seemingly ready to start a fight over the slightest matter.

"Wow," Xu Cheng turned to Laila, "Do you remember her?"

"I don’t," Laila was a bit puzzled, "Is she the leader of the West Sea People? Seems worth getting to know."

"She’s a good friend," Xu Cheng was indifferent.

She took the receipt for Asa Katsuragi to sign.

Asa Katsuragi was intently watching the refugee camp, seemingly trying to identify hidden pseudo-humans, sabotagers, and genetic thieves.

Her gang members reminded her, "Boss! There’s a kid approaching!"

Asa Katsuragi turned her head and looked down at Xu Cheng, her body as solid as a block of iron.

"It’s you." After all these years, Asa Katsuragi still recognized her at a glance, "Xu Cheng!"

Xu Cheng pulled a face.

"Quack, quack!" Xu Cheng was delighted, finally someone familiar called her name.

She asked Asa Katsuragi to sign the receipt, then the gang members unloaded food, water, medicine, and ammunition from the shuttle machine to replenish what they needed for their next actions.

"...I didn’t expect it to be you, haven’t heard from you in a long time. Didn’t expect you to become an envoy, that’s quite a dangerous job. Isn’t your dad worried?" Asa Katsuragi was surprised as she looked down at Xu Cheng.

"I’m about to see Dad," Xu Cheng scratched her head, "Anyway, after advancing into the New Taixi State, our whole family is now at the front line. What about you?"

"Me? Same as before, fighting. Ultimately, nothing has changed from the past. It doesn’t matter who’s behind the scenes, what’s important is who is my enemy. We speak to people with blood and fists, though these six years have been challenging..." Asa Katsuragi caressed her mechanical iron fist with her left hand.

"Have you been here for six years?" Xu Cheng was surprised.

"Yes, if I had known that the New Taixi State would turn into a fallen area, I probably wouldn’t have crossed the ocean to come here back then. The situation has become complicated, half the people died, the rest are controlled by ’Angels’. Imagine if you were bewitched by angels, what would happen... A group of people suddenly turn into ritualists, freely selecting the most handsome young boys from the city to form a choir." Asa Katsuragi shook her head.

"Where were you hiding before we arrived?" Laila suddenly asked. "That must require immense tactical skill."

"We spent most of our time underground because the population of the New Taixi State isn’t large. After half the people disappeared, the city became ’empty.’ The West Coast wasn’t the frontline anymore; Anchorage was. So, the enemy focused their attention on the bloody battle, giving us a chance to catch our breath. I heard you won the bloody battle... truly incredible." Asa Katsuragi nodded at the memory.

"That’s because my mother is the strongest," Laila said confidently, clenching her fist.

"Your mother?" Asa Katsuragi was puzzled.

"That’s Lady Farosa. Surely you’ve heard of her," Laila said disdainfully.

Asa Katsuragi shook her head.

"How could your mother be Farosa? Your mother is from a garbage dump," she said.

Laila’s expression changed drastically, and Xu Cheng was also taken aback.

Neither Xu Cheng nor Laila knew the truth about Laila’s birth.

Xu Cheng vaguely remembered that Laila seemed to have been ’picked up’ around the same time, maybe even on the same day, as she was.

So, it’s possible that Laila was taken away by Xu Yang while he was wandering outside.

Was she really picked up from a garbage dump? Xu Cheng’s heart was shaken tremendously.

For Laila, this was truly terrible news.

"How could it be?" Laila instinctively waved her hand. "You, woman, have always been on the West Coast, probably knowing nothing about us. Who knows where you got this information to think my mother... Anyway, let me reiterate: I am the eldest daughter of Lady Farosa, Laila Medusa."

"Witches can’t give birth, you’re picked up from outside," Asa Katsuragi didn’t want to argue further. "Go find the Sajou Siblings, Qianxue and Jiro, who lived in the same garbage dump as your mother. They can clarify your biological parents’ situation."

As for her parents, Xu Cheng was indifferent.

Xu Cheng’s biological parents were corporate people from Anjiu City. They gave birth to Xu Cheng to fulfill their reproduction duty and then sold her off. Xu Cheng had investigated this herself and thought it matched her clumsy nature.

But for Laila, who always believed herself to be the proud, high-born witch heir, it might be hard to accept that her parents came from a garbage dump.

"I was picked up too," Xu Cheng nodded to Laila, trying to comfort her.

"Don’t say that!" Laila shouted angrily and stormed off.

Xu Cheng looked at Asa Katsuragi, then at Laila, feeling a bit perplexed.

"How do you comfort people?" Xu Cheng asked.

"You’re asking the wrong person for that." Asa Katsuragi tapped Xu Cheng’s small head with her metal hand, turned her around, and flicked her on the back. "Go find her."

Xu Cheng felt a sting on her back, ran a few steps forward.

Thinking about their next destination, she couldn’t help but say to Laila, "We’re heading to Mojave next. Mom and Dad are there; maybe we can find the answers in Mojave."

"Then let’s go," Laila said without turning around.

Xu Cheng sensed she was a bit anxious. If her parents were truly people who picked trash or even worse, how would Laila face her ancestry?

Laila, who cherished power and status, might find it difficult to accept the mundane reality of her parents.

It’s as if inferior seeds had been planted in Laila’s blood, limiting her potential.

If it were Laila, she would definitely think this way...

Xu Cheng piloted the Divine Radiance away from the West Coast and arrived in the Mojave area.

They entered a scorching desert, seemingly invaded by aliens, where massive, glistening black rock fragments rose from the dunes, like shards scattered from high above.

In many areas, there were giant surface paintings made of glass and rock, at least ten kilometers in diameter.

The geometric patterns were extremely bizarre, making one dizzy at a glance.

This was a major laboratory for the Lighthouse Core. The Fifty Stars Flag had been lowered, and people from the Nestor Corporation were on guard here.

Xu Cheng landed the Divine Radiance. They had to stop before getting closer to the laboratory, or it would trigger an attack.

The security conditions here were stringent, and the people within were on high alert, fully vigilant.

"I have orders to escort you into the secret lab zone," a soldier saluted Xu Cheng.

"Quack. And I have orders to deliver a package." Xu Cheng handed him a delivery slip for signing, allowing the soldiers to unload classified chip sets, experimental equipment, and biochemical materials from the Divine Radiance.

She was curious

what the Lighthouse Core initially researched in the Mojave Desert, and what the Nestor Corporation planned to do with it after securing this site?

Laila put on her witch outfit helmet, and the soldier handed Xu Cheng a nanobot protective mask.

"Can we go in now?" Xu Cheng secured the mask. Now the air she breathed felt salty.

"Please proceed." The soldier led Xu Cheng and the others inside.

The doors to the top-secret lab within the desert military restricted zone opened before them.