With no injuries or status effects, the healing from the green light left Zero feeling uncomfortably full.

"Haaaaah..."

Taking deep breaths to calm the surging feeling inside her, Zero glared fiercely at Shen Fei without a word.

A moment ago, she had lost control out of pure shame and anger, and the main reason was that Shen Fei had called her sister-in-law.

Originally, due to the medicine’s effects, she had pinched Shen Fei’s butt, and Zero hadn’t known what to do about it. After all, technically speaking, Shen Fei was with her younger sister, V. After running down from the rooftop, Zero had stood there alone, quietly trying to compose herself.

But then Shen Fei came looking for her, shouting "sister-in-law!"

That title was all it took to break her composure. She had just so brazenly "pinched" him, and now Shen Fei was actually calling her by that title. Plus, she knew Shen Fei had very particular kinks. And she had also *actually* been in V’s body...

With all these things combined, the nervous and slightly frantic Zero assumed Shen Fei knew something. She thought that Shen Fei, with his bizarre kinks, wanted to play some kind of cosplay game with her.

And just like that, Zero completely lost it.

When she saw Shen Fei rushing over, Zero—who just so happened to be holding the [Cheating Waist Cutter]—didn’t even think before stabbing at him. To her surprise, however, Shen Fei met her dagger strike not with a defense, but with an opening—the mouth of the Divine Artifact, the [Nine-Phase Divine Bottle].

As luck would have it, the two Divine Artifacts fit together perfectly. This made the already-tense Zero lose her cool all over again. Then, just as she was about to press her attack in a fit of agitation, Shen Fei had hog-tied her and cast Silence.

Once she was tied up and unable to move, seeing Shen Fei’s worried expression and the Healing Light rapidly descending on her head, Zero finally realized it had all just been a coincidence. She had panicked and overthought things.

"Why did you call me sister-in-law!!" Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Zero asked the most fundamental question.

"Um, I want to go back and propose to V..." the clueless Shen Fei replied, holding his hands out helplessly. "I just got excited and it slipped out..."

"Let me down!!"

Never would she have guessed it was because of V. Zero took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"Oh, right! Right!" Seeing Zero had calmed down, Shen Fei quickly untied her.

He couldn’t afford to offend Zero. Setting aside the power of [Ethereum Punk], her identity as V’s older sister alone was enough reason for Shen Fei to treat her well. Previously, he’d thought Zero was arrogant and needed to be taught a lesson. But after spending three days with V, all those feelings had vanished.

As long as you give me and V your blessing, we’re the best of friends, and you’re practically family...

V, is it! So it’s V, is it! Freed from her bonds, a fuming Zero repeated the name viciously in her mind.

Then, far away in Mist City in the West Suburb of Hang City, someone abruptly performed an action...

.

"So, shall we head back?" He had helped Zero find her Divine Artifact and the misunderstanding was cleared up. With a wave of his hand, Shen Fei dismissed the Defense Tower, ready to leave.

"Give me the Divine Artifact!!!" Hearing Shen Fei’s words, Zero—who had just secretly used an Ethereum Editor technique on the distant Mist City—fixed her gaze on his left hand.

There, a small, purplish-black bottle had a dagger firmly stuck in its mouth.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Prompted by Zero, Shen Fei frantically raised his hand, intending to give the items back.

POP.

Shen Fei held the bottle while Zero gripped the dagger. With a tug from both of them, Zero pulled her Divine Artifact free. But the strange sound that followed made Zero’s eyebrow twitch involuntarily.

"Whoa!!"

"Holy shit!!"

"Whoa!!!"

"Whoa!!!"

"Stick it in again!!!!!"

Just as Zero was about to pretend nothing had happened and tell Shen Fei her new idea, she heard his astonished cries again.

Shen Fei actually wants to do it again!?

She watched as an excited Shen Fei brandished the [Nine-Phase Divine Bottle] and thrust it toward her again.

Something in Zero snapped. The calm she had just found instantly evaporated.

What is he doing!? Is he ever going to stop!?