Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 34

Both the Enforcer and Meng Xuexiao found themselves doubting.

From beginning to end, Meng Xuexiao had been closely observing the Raven’s condition.

He wasn’t sure what level of beast the Raven really was.

If it was too high, S-class or even A-class, then this barrier likely wouldn’t hold it. If it was B- to D-class, that would be a little better. With his mech, he might barely stand a fighting chance.

As for anything lower than that… Meng Xuexiao hadn’t even considered it.

After all, a beast capable of deceiving him by pretending to be pitiful couldn’t possibly be low level, right?

Yet when the Raven blinked its beady eyes and limped toward him with its exposed-bone leg, Meng Xuexiao’s hand instinctively hovered over the heavy weapon activation button.

But in the next moment, the Raven smashed its entire face against the transparent cockpit wall, its little bird face practically squished out of shape, still using all its strength to nuzzle the glass, again and again.

Behind it was the sinister glow of the red barrier. Its blood and ruined feathers trailed on the ground, leaving a long red smear. Even now, it made no attempt to strike back.

Meng Xuexiao considered himself a patient person.

But if he had been in the Raven’s position, he was sure he would’ve gathered all his remaining strength for a final, self-destructive counterattack against whoever had brought him to this state. Even if it meant death, he’d drag the other person down with him.

He suddenly thought again of the sparrows back in the countryside, the ones he used to watch with the caretaker aunt. Sparrows weren’t very pretty, dull and gray, but their eyes were always clear and round.

Just like this Raven’s.

Could it be that… this bird really was just a low-tier beast? Or even a… regular animal?

Meng Xuexiao searched his memory and finally recalled a species that matched it closely, the Horned Raven. An E-level beast, timid and communal, rarely ever posed a threat to humans. Once startled, they tended to flee in flocks.

So the Raven flock from earlier had probably been frightened, he had scared them and then attacked. That wave of fire had brought unjust punishment.

After hesitating a moment, Meng Xuexiao shut off the barrier.

The blinding red light vanished, but the bloodstains left on the mech’s hand remained, as if a lingering trace of guilt.

The Raven, as if drained of its final ounce of strength, swayed and dropped from the mech’s palm like a wilted leaf.

Meng Xuexiao immediately guided the mech to scoop it back up.

The Raven was in terrible condition, its chest barely moved. Left like this, it would die.

Meng Xuexiao opened the cockpit, but stayed seated, alert. His eyes darted over the surroundings, scanning a few meters out.

Still unsure, he rapped lightly on the control panel with the back of his hand, “Any other abnormal signals nearby…?”

His voice was soft, but it echoed straight into the Enforcer’s ears.

It took the Enforcer a full second to realize that Meng Xuexiao was speaking to it. No, more precisely, he was speaking to the mech.

Meng Xuexiao always trusted this mech. During training, he’d even treated it like a comrade, dreaming of them becoming partners like real military squads in the Federation.

He had no idea that his “partner” was the very Enforcer the Federation military wanted to keep far, far away.

Just moments ago, the Enforcer had felt a twinge of pride at having nestled into Meng Xuexiao’s side undetected. But now… there was another intruder in its domain.

Or rather, another bird.

How could this human be so careless?!

Two high-risk targets had slithered right up to him, and he hadn’t noticed a thing? How had someone like this even survived this long?

Under its control, the mech’s interface lit up with a flashing red glow, a bold alert box popping onto the screen: [WARNING: This Raven is showing the highest anomaly levels.]

It hesitated but didn’t name the Raven outright. If a fight broke out later, it’d be hard to explain how it had the capability to go toe-to-toe with a 2S-class mercenary.

If the Enforcer’s identity was exposed, Meng Xuexiao would definitely stop trusting the mech. And that… would be a hassle.

“That’s fine, then,” Meng Xuexiao nodded slightly and leapt down from his seat, stepping along the mech’s arm to land in its outstretched palm.

Like a cat bouncing from branch to branch on its way down.

He guessed the Raven flock earlier had been affected by some abnormal energy wave and ended up buried under branches, only to be frightened again when they spotted him.

This little guy probably still had some of that lingering energy on it. That was totally normal.

He bent down, scooped up the nearly dead Raven, stepped back into the cockpit, and softly said to the panel, “Thanks.”

Enforcer, “……”

It had clearly just issued a warning, right?

Why did Meng Xuexiao go and bring the thing back? Into its territory?!

Yes, this mech, as far as the Enforcer was concerned, was its territory now.

The control panel’s red light blazed even more intensely: [WARNING! WARNING! HIGH RISK DETECTED! REPEATING: HIGH RISK DETECTED! For your safety, please remove the threat immediately!]

The pulsing red was so intense that even the weak Raven flinched. It squirmed, charred wings twitching upward in a failed attempt to shield its eyes. It was just too weak.

In the end, it gave up, burying its head deep in Meng Xuexiao’s chest.

Meng Xuexiao instinctively cradled the back of its head, giving two gentle pats to comfort it, then paused, remembering it was wounded. What if he’d hit one of its injuries?

He froze, not daring to move further. Quietly, he murmured, “It’s okay. You’re safe here. My mech’s not usually like this… probably just a system glitch.”

It was unclear whether the Raven, now at death’s door, had even heard him.

But its head burrowed deeper into his chest.

And then, in a sliver of angle too subtle for humans to notice, yet easy for machines to catch, the Raven’s glowing crimson eye turned ever so slightly toward the Enforcer, full of contempt, laced with provocation.

Enforcer, “!!!!!”

If I don’t put this mangy crow in its place soon, it’s going to fly to the damn moon!

The interface’s red lights began flashing even faster, casting a crimson glow over Meng Xuexiao’s face. The alarm tone started ringing, “beep beep beep!”

Hearing the piercing alarm, Meng Xuexiao glanced awkwardly at the injured bird in his arms.

This mech had always performed flawlessly, syncing with him like a natural extension of his body. But he never imagined… that this would be where it malfunctioned.

He hesitated, then quietly tapped the mute button.