Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 293

At first glance, this statement seems insignificant, but upon closer examination, it is rather alarming.

Alice meant that those frog-legged, clawed gnomes might not be purely monsters; some of the monsters in the last wave were monsters, and some weren't.

If it's not a monster, then what is it?

The answer might be a little shocking.

At this moment, Kate spoke up, "They are people. They were originally meant to be people, not artificial people, but real people of this world." After saying that, she couldn't help but sigh. How could this be? Among her group of companions, the kindest, the most cheerful, the foolish one who would befriend animals and was nicknamed "Human," Lavigne, wanted to destroy the life she created, turn this place into a gloomy and desolate place, and even turn people into this inhuman and ghostly form.

In the end what happened?

“It seems your companion is in danger,” Ronan said.

The other androids, including Kite, who was once revered as the moon goddess, have all caused some harm to the humans of this world, but none of them have done anything like this.

Kate Pierre did not argue, because the facts were clear: perhaps her old friend was no longer the same friend she remembered.

They continued on their journey, and before they knew it, it was completely dark. Agustina, Grand, and Astrid lit a fire to illuminate their surroundings.

After descending the mountain, Ronan and his group cleared out several monsters that had been lurking around the stone houses in the abandoned village, then launched their spaceship to rest for the night before continuing their exploration the next day.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to get to the giant tree located right in the center.

Chapter 671 Can't sleep, can't wake up, who's in the nightmare?

In the middle of the night, Ronan suddenly woke up. He felt something was strange. For decades, he had never gotten up at night. What was going on?

Looking around, Ambrina and the others were all fast asleep.

Ronan let out a soft sigh and got up from his cot. Since he was already up, he might as well go outside to relieve himself.

Ronan moved very quietly. In this room, both Isabel and Falek were sleepy and would wake up at the slightest sound. Unlike Ambrina, who, although she kicked off the covers and sometimes slept sideways, was always a very sound sleeper. She wouldn't wake up unless there was wind and thunder, or even if a fire started, as long as it burned right in front of her.

Ronan tucked the sheet over Ambrina and then opened the door to leave the room.

When Ronan returned from urinating, he ran into Zhao Yingqi in the corridor.

The two exchanged glances but said nothing before passing each other.

Ronan returned to his room and lay down again.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour passed, and Ronan couldn't fall asleep with his eyes closed. This was really strange, as he had always been a good sleeper. He could fall asleep standing up, or at least he could fall asleep as soon as he lay down.

If there's something wrong with the environment, Isabel can sleep, but he can't?

Ronan closed his eyes, trying again to fall asleep, but he still couldn't.

Unable to sleep no matter what, Ronan got up again and went outside.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yingqi was also there. "You can't sleep either?"

When faced with Zhao Yingqi's question, Luo Nan did not answer immediately. Instead, he frowned. It might be a coincidence that one person can't sleep, but is it the same if two people can't sleep?

"Don't panic," Ronan said.

Zhao Yingqi was taken aback. Panic? Why would she panic? Nothing had happened, she just had insomnia. Although she had never had insomnia before, it wasn't unusual for her to be unable to sleep in a place like this.

Ronan didn't speak to Zhao Yingqi anymore. Instead, he turned around, kicked open the door with a bang, but no one inside woke up.

Then, Ronan walked to the lower bunk where Isabel was sleeping and pinched her cheek.

Didn't wake up.

Ronan released his grip, took a deep breath, and calmed himself. Seeing this, Zhao Yingqi was also stunned; how could he not wake up?

Then Ronan shouted, "Get up!" However, no one was awakened.

Zhao Yingqi's expression changed drastically. She knew something was wrong, not just one person, but everyone was in trouble.

Ronan didn't waste any more time and immediately left the room, going to the room next door where Dinya and the others were. He walked straight up to Dinya and punched her in the face.

There was no reaction at all. Then, he made some more noise and bothered everyone again. He went back to his room and slapped everyone in Ambrina's room. Finally, Ronan went to the cockpit to try to wake Kate and Faith, but the result was the same; the two of them simply wouldn't wake up.

At this moment, Zhao Yingqi was completely terrified. Even someone like Dinia had fallen victim to it. Just how terrifying was this power?

"Don't panic, Yingqi, I'm here." Ronan went over and took Zhao Yingqi's hand, as if he could see through her thoughts. "Besides, this kind of power may not be very strong. Strong magic power does not mean that you will not be affected."

Zhao Yingqi was somewhat at a loss, and could only grip Ronan's hand tightly and hum in agreement.

“Pack up, let’s leave the spaceship and deal with this,” Ronan said. He didn’t know what was going on, but in this situation, waiting and seeing was not an option.

"Um, I..." Zhao Yingqi was interrupted by Ronan before he could finish speaking.

Ronan said, "You can't stay here. If anything happens, I won't be able to save you in time."

“But what if they encounter any danger in their current state…” Zhao Yingqi was very troubled.

“No buts. There’s no way to wake them up right now. If we just wait, the situation will only get worse. Don’t worry too much. Those monsters around us can’t break through the spaceship,” Ronan said. “If there’s any trouble, we’ll deal with it then. In short, we can’t just sit here and wait to die.”

Ronan was absolutely resolute.

Zhao Yingqi lowered his head, feeling very guilty. "It's all my fault. If I were stronger, I could have stayed here."

“This is not the time to talk like that, Yingqi. Now it’s up to you and me. Don’t waste time,” Ronan said.

"Okay." Zhao Yingqi perked up and responded as decisively as possible.

Ronan quickly changed into his gear, slung a backpack containing food and water over his shoulder, and also stuffed the pyramid-shaped key inside.

Zhao Yingqi returned to her room, took off her nightgown, put on magic black pantyhose, then knitted calf socks to prevent slipping, boots, a long skirt, a cotton shirt, and a multi-pocketed hunting coat. She then took the magic gun she had obtained from the cube, her longsword, and her backpack.

Born into a privileged family, Zhao Yingqi had never experienced hardship even in a foreign land, and indeed lacked the perseverance, determination, and composure that others possessed.

Who are the others? Dinia, an orphan raised in an orphanage that glorifies ruthless competition; Elena, an orphan whose childhood was marred by tragedy, forcing her to wander; Alice, whose father was murdered and mother fled; Agustina, who went from a pampered young lady to a dependent servant; Ashley, who lost her only relative at a young age and lived on the streets, willing to kill for a bite to eat; even princesses like Ambrina and Isabelle grew up under immense pressure. If it weren't for Ronan, the two of them would have surely staged a dramatic battle for the throne, instead of just a minor skirmish like this.

Faith, Falek, not to mention religious organizations and the court—they're not so easy to get along with.

However, Zhao Yingqi is not a useless person who panics and cries when faced with problems. She can also muster courage and take responsibility.

Ronan jumped off the spaceship. "Come on, Yingqi, let's go take care of this little problem."

"Yes!" Zhao Yingqi responded firmly.

At the same time, in another spaceship, a group of people gathered in a room, looking at Ronan and Zhao Yingqi, who remained asleep and could not be awakened.

"What do we do?" Ambrina asked. She was the first to discover that Ronan had fallen into a deep sleep. As for how she found out, don't ask.

Dinia remained calm, her fists clenched. "Me, Faith, and Ashley will go out. You three stay here."

“Okay,” Ambrina agreed.

Astrid stepped forward. "Wait, I want to go too."

"Shut up." Dinia and Ambrina spoke almost simultaneously, telling Astrid to shut up. Then, Dinia took a deep breath and looked at Ambrina, "I'm leaving this to you."

Ambrina looked at Isabel.

"Why are you looking at me? Of course I'll listen to you," Isabel said. Normally they might joke around, but at times like this, she wouldn't do anything to cause trouble.

"Are you really not taking me?" Kate asked.

“I believe you,” Dinia said.

Kate Pelle leaned against the wall and sighed. "Go straight to the big tree and find a way up. It's a kind of mental effect. They're trapped in a nightmare right now. Of course, it's also possible that we're the ones trapped in a nightmare."

Chapter 672 Red Moon, Skipping Class, Familiar Strangers

The gray fog that had obscured the sky had dissipated sometime ago, but what covered the earth after it was gone was not a bright white moon, but a red moon.

Visibility remains very low.

The world has changed, but the surrounding terrain and environment haven't changed, at least not yet. When Ronan and Zhao Yingqi got off the spaceship, they found themselves in the same abandoned village, which was full of ruins and only one or two stone houses were still relatively intact.

With short hair and a shaved beard, Ronan wore a jewel-buttoned shirt, unbuttoned, its close-fitting cut highlighting his thick chest muscles. Over it was an olive-green canvas trench coat, open at the waist, with a belt buckled with a solid gold eagle head. He wore black wool bootcut trousers and a pair of wooden-colored leather boots with arabesque carvings. His overall demeanor was somewhere between a gentleman and a tough guy.

Zhao Yingqi wore a ponytail, a black and gold striped pointed-collar shirt underneath, a khaki four-pocket belted short trench coat in a hunting style, a black knee-length skirt, and burgundy V-neck riding boots. Only when she stepped forward could you see the knee area covered by semi-transparent black pantyhose between the hem of the skirt and the top of the boots. She looked both heroic and feminine.

Ronan didn't know where the problem lay, so he could only lead Zhao Yingqi toward the most conspicuous and suspicious-looking giant tree.

He originally intended to fly there directly, but as soon as he took off, not only did his magic consumption increase instantly, but a strange and inexplicable force also directly interfered with his thinking.

With these two factors combined, Ronan had no choice but to walk.

We had just left the village area.

"They're here," Ronan whispered to Zhao Yingqi. The monster was coming.

As Zhao Yingqi's perception expanded further, he also discovered the anomaly.

As the two drew closer, both Ronan and Zhao Yingqi were surprised. Before they went to sleep after the spaceship was deployed, the group had observed their surroundings. At this location, the creatures that had been wandering around were several humanoid figures with reversed joints on their legs, tentacles on their heads, and twisted exoskeletons on their bodies. One arm was extremely thick and had no hand, but instead had a bone hammer shield that resembled both a shield and a hammer. The other hand was of normal size, but it also had no palm, only a twisted cone.

Now, in the same spot, appears a human-like figure wearing a strange bird-beak-covered helmet, covered in rusty, gray-black armor, its style vaguely similar to the exoskeleton of the monster from before. It wears a wide, blood-red robe, holding a giant shield in one hand and a long-handled, pointed warhammer in the other, the spearhead of which is quite unique, resembling an eagle's beak.

Normally it's a monster, but with this strange red moon appearing, it's become human?

As they drew closer, the "people," much like the frog-legged, clawed dwarfs they had encountered at the beginning, became completely irrational and launched an attack directly at Ronan and Zhao Yingqi.

"Don't waste your magic, just stay back and keep watch."

After saying that, Ronan stepped forward, sword and shield in hand, and engaged in close combat with the three shield-hammer bird-headed knights.

Zhao Yingqi watched from behind. She could use her magic gun to attack, but doing so would be a waste of her already limited magic power.

Unless absolutely necessary, the magic gun in her hand is just for show; Ronan will handle all the battles, and she should only use her magic for time magic.

Ronan didn't use any magic skills at all, just his materialized sword and shield, blocking attacks, blocking attacks, small back jumps, sidestepping, and then blocking attacks again.

A minute later, Ronan was fairly certain that these knights were both strong and weak. They were strong because of their simplicity and ruthlessness, each move aimed to kill, and their actions had been honed to the point of being almost instinctive. They surrounded Ronan and attacked him relentlessly, giving him almost no chance to breathe. However, they were also weak because they only had instinctive reactions and seemed to have completely lost their self-awareness. They were even less capable than the frog-legged, clawed dwarfs they had encountered on the mountain path before the Red Moon descended. Those monsters had their own consciousness, but their ferocious wildness made them seem more foolish than these knights.

In reality, these knights were the truly "stupid" ones; Ronan had figured them out completely.

Clang! Ronan raised his shield to block the sweeping attack. The knight was about to change his move to a vertical slash, but at that very moment, the shield in Ronan's hand transformed into a sword. With a single thrust, he pierced the knight's neck. Then, the sword disappeared, and with a wave of his left hand, a holy light magic cannon shot out, shattering the knight's breastplate and sending him flying.

Next, the right hand was replicated, except that the final magic cannon was replaced by a kick.

Ronan distanced himself, gripped his sword with both hands, and before one knight could fully rise, he crossed his swords and beheaded him. Three minutes later, Ronan executed the other four knights.

Then, the corpses and remains of these knights turned into black and red ashes and disappeared.

Ronan turned around. "It's alright, Yingqi, let's go."

Looking at Ronan's calm demeanor, as if he had just added an extra spoonful of jam to his breakfast, Zhao Yingqi was initially a little scared. But in an instant, her fear was replaced by a sense of security.

This is Ronan, a cold yet gentle eccentric.

Seeing Zhao Yingqi standing there blankly, Ronan urged, "Stop dawdling, let's go."

Zhao Yingqi quickly followed.

Soon, Ronan discovered a wide main road leading straight towards the big tree. Of course, this main road hadn't been repaired for many years and was in terrible condition, though you could still vaguely make out its former shape.

Along the way, he encountered knights again, and even a knight who was more than twice the size of the shield-hammer knight and wielded a huge double-edged axe, blocking the middle of the main road. Ronan decisively chose to "skip class". He was not there to "attend class", but to find out the truth and solve the problem of Ambrina and Dinia falling into a deep sleep.

Finally, Ronan and Zhao Yingqi arrived at the end of the main road, in front of a city gate.

On both sides of the city gate, the city walls were mottled, with the outer layer peeling off in many places. In some areas, even the high parapets had collapsed. The city walls themselves weren't high, only a little over three meters; Ronan could easily jump over them, but...

"Trouble, I can't skip class now," Ronan muttered. Right at the city gate, a tiny figure exuding a dangerous aura was guarding the place.

“This is…” Zhao Yingqi also saw it and was somewhat surprised.

Because this little guy, although he's only a little over a meter tall, looks a lot like someone in his eyes and eyebrows.

“Gran looked like this when she was little.” Ronan’s words put Zhao Yingqi’s doubts to rest. “But don’t worry, it’s definitely not.”

Before she could finish speaking, a loud bang rang out, and Zhao Yingqi was knocked down by a tremendous force. It wasn't an attack from the smaller version of Golan, but from another weapon—a gun. If it weren't for the magic-resistant armor Ronan had cast on Zhao Yingqi, she probably wouldn't have been able to stand up after that.

Even so, Zhao Yingqi gritted her teeth and endured the excruciating pain. The super-large caliber bullet had released a shockwave when it hit her armor, and she felt as if the bones in her entire right upper arm had shattered.

At this moment, Little Golan also started up.

"Yingqi, hold on tight." Ronan put his arm around Zhao Yingqi and headed straight for the direction where the shooting had just taken place.

We need to kill the ranged attackers first, but we can't leave Zhao Yingqi here, so we have to take her with us.

Chapter 673 Battle, Second Stage: Not a Projection, But an Inner Demon

The one who fired the shot was indeed "Alice," but apart from her facial features, there was absolutely no resemblance to Alice.

Standing at 1.8 meters tall with incredibly long legs and two large, papaya-like breasts, she is practically the opposite of Alice. The "Alice" in her hand is not Alice's "summoned object" at all. Instead of a living creature that looks like an art piece or flintlock pistol, it is a large, matte black barrel with dark gold patterns engraved on it, similar to a small cannon.

These are no longer guns used to shoot people; they are cannons used to blast down city walls.

Just as Ronan was rapidly approaching her, the massive gun barrel vibrated three times in quick succession, firing three shots in quick succession. However, the bullets did not shoot straight at Ronan; instead, they dispersed and attacked her from different directions.

Ronan made no attempt to dodge, charging headlong towards Alice. There was no way to dodge her bullets; they would relentlessly follow him, and he could only block them.

Fortunately, Ronan's magic shield can block all materialized magical attacks as long as he has enough magic power.