Shao Yun stood atop the city wall, thinking for a moment before turning to face Noelle, who stood beside him. He gave a firm command.
"Noelle! Go back to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters and alert all knights. Tell them everything Amber just said! Then bring Kaeya and Lisa here—quickly!"
Hearing this, a trace of hesitation flashed through Noelle's eyes. She glanced at Amber, who still looked weak, her worry written all over her face.
Amber's condition wasn't great. Was it really okay for her to leave now…?
Shao Yun saw her hesitation and shouted, "Go now! Amber will be fine!"
His voice snapped Noelle out of her daze. She realized this wasn't the time for hesitation. Taking a deep breath, she turned and dashed down the city wall.
Meanwhile, Shao Yun focused his gaze on the land outside the city, carefully observing the eerily still and tense terrain beyond.
He muttered to himself, half to steel his nerves, half analyzing the situation.
"There's still time. This is way better than that siege on Shady Belle by the Order of Revelation. At least this place isn't leaking from all sides. There has to be a way."
He inhaled deeply, mind racing with strategies. He had to find a solution that would both protect Mondstadt and minimize losses.
With the current number of knights, they might not even be able to fully man the walls, let alone handle security inside the city. If the Fatui took advantage of the chaos, that'd be another nightmare altogether.
Nervously licking his lips, Shao Yun's gaze landed on the great bridge.
That bridge was the only land connection between Mondstadt and the outside world—and the only path the hilichurl horde could take to invade. If… if that bridge could be destroyed, the hilichurls wouldn't be able to enter the city.
The moment the idea surfaced, it took root and spread through Shao Yun's mind like wildfire.
Mondstadt was built on an island in Cider Lake. Unless these hilichurls suddenly learned how to swim—or evolved wings—they had just one way in: the bridge.
With that thought, he slammed a fist against the wall.
"I've got it!" His voice brimmed with confidence.
Amber, watching his animated reaction from nearby, looked over with curiosity in her eyes.
Though still weak, she steadied herself and walked over slowly.
"What idea?" she asked faintly, her voice tinged with hope.
Shao Yun turned to her, concern welling up inside as he saw how frail she looked. He spoke softly, "Feeling any better?"
Amber nodded and forced a smile. "At least I can walk. Your potion really works—though if it didn't taste like hell, that'd be even better." Her tone, though weak, carried a hint of mischief.
Shao Yun couldn't help but chuckle.
"Alright, I'll work on that next time." The brief exchange lightened his mood.
After a short silence, Amber tapped his arm with the back of her hand, reminding him, "Hey, you still haven't told me—what was that idea?"
Shao Yun licked his dry lips and gently shook his head.
"Amber, the idea's a little too wild. I'll explain it once Lisa and Kaeya arrive."
He then took out his telescope again and resumed scanning the horizon from the city wall, eyes sharp for any movement in the distance.
He hadn't expected Jean's personal request to end with calling in the Knights—not for a Fatui issue, but for hilichurls of all things.
Then again, hilichurls weren't so different from the Fatui—just another group of not-so-bright troublemakers.
…
Mondstadt, the city of freedom and wind, now felt as if another storm had begun to gather—tension hung in the air like a blade about to fall.
The news of the hilichurl invasion spread quickly. The once-bustling streets were now deserted, replaced by armored knights patrolling and maintaining order.
Shao Yun stood on the city wall, one hand gripping a golden-glinting revolver, the other wiping the gun's intricate engravings with oil.
His motions were rough, as if venting the turmoil and irritation in his heart. He muttered under his breath.
"Damn system, you knew this was coming, didn't you?! I knew it was weird—how could Noelle's thank-you dinner turn out to be a main quest? Playing riddles, huh? And now I've got nothing prepared but two revolvers—you happy now?!"
His voice was low but full of resentment, aimed squarely at that cursed bunch of code.
But the system didn't reply. Only the howling wind answered him, whistling along the wall. All that was missing now was a cricket chirping mockingly.
Shao Yun fumed, checked his polished revolver one last time, and holstered it.
He pulled up the system screen and muttered furiously, "You piece of junk, always butting in when you shouldn't—but when I need you, it's like you've crashed! Less than half an hour till sunset, and if you don't do something, I swear I'll find a way to crash you!"
Maybe the threat worked—a prompt popped up.
[Carbine Repeater Rifle and Pump-Action Shotgun has been issued.]
With a shimmer, both weapons materialized on Shao Yun's back.
He looked at the new gear with mixed feelings. The shotgun was decent, but the repeater? Only one more shot than a revolver—stingy system!
Still, he knew better than to complain too much. If you use them right, he told himself, even a double-barrel shotgun can work wonders.
In the distance, faint shapes appeared along the horizon, slowly advancing toward the city.
The sun was nearly swallowed by the land. He didn't need confirmation—it was the hilichurls.
…
Just as three-quarters of the sun dipped below the horizon, Noelle arrived atop the wall with Kaeya and Lisa in tow.
By now, nearly a hundred regular hilichurls had gathered outside the city, and the number was rising rapidly.
Seeing the scene, even Lisa's usual lazy smile faded into a tight frown.
"I thought Noelle was exaggerating… but she wasn't."
Next to her, Kaeya—normally smug with that sly grin—wasn't smiling either.
"Why does something always go wrong when the Acting Grand Master takes a day off?"
The two stood beside Shao Yun. Lisa, observing the hilichurls' growing numbers, rubbed her chin and murmured, "This unrest… I sense something strange. Like some unseen force is stirring up the storm."
Kaeya heard her, but said nothing, instead casting his gaze toward Shao Yun, who was watching the field through his telescope.
"Seems like Mr. Shao Yun is quite invested in Mondstadt's safety."
"Everyone's here?" Shao Yun didn't respond to Kaeya, but lowered the telescope with a serious expression.
"You've all heard what Amber said, right?"
Kaeya's face showed exasperation as he nodded. "Yes. Lots and lots of hilichurls, all marching toward Mondstadt."
Amber scanned the familiar faces, confirming everyone was present. She turned to Shao Yun, urgency in her tone.
"Shao Yun, that plan you mentioned—what is it?"
Shao Yun raised his hand and pointed toward the great stone bridge—Mondstadt's only land connection. His finger hovered there for a moment before he said plainly, "Blow it up."
Everyone froze. A flicker of fear crossed their eyes—such a plan was madness.
"Blow up the bridge?" Amber echoed uncertainly. "Are you sure? That's our only land route in and out."
Shao Yun nodded, explaining, "I know it sounds crazy, but we don't have the luxury of waiting. These hilichurls are swarming faster than locusts! While we're talking, their numbers have passed three hundred!"
Everyone looked—and sure enough, the hilichurls had doubled in number.
Not only were there the usual stick-wielding, bow-carrying ones, but now there were brute-like hilichurl berserkers with axes and shields, and even rare elemental-channeling hilichurl shamans!
Blowing the bridge really was the best option—and Mondstadt still had the harbor, after all.
But just as the idea started to make sense, Lisa poured a cold bucket of reality over it.
"Shao Yun, that's a bold idea, but that bridge isn't so easily destroyed," Lisa said, her gaze shifting to the stone structure. "It's been reinforced with alchemy by Albedo, the Knights' Chief Alchemist. Its durability far exceeds what we're used to."
That froze Shao Yun for a second. First time he'd ever hated alchemy.
It was unexpected, but he recovered quickly.
Just because it's reinforced doesn't mean it's indestructible, he reasoned. If the blast is strong enough…
Then it hit him—the escaping sun, Klee.
This is exactly the time to bring her in! Get her out of confinement already!
"Let Klee do it! Get her out of the confinement room and let her go wild!"
At that moment, Shao Yun sounded like the Jade Emperor in havoc—sending Lisa to "fetch the Buddha Klee from the west."
Lisa met his expectant gaze and sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Grand Master Jean was worried Klee might get into trouble, so she had Albedo take her to Dragonspine," Lisa said, looking off toward the snowy mountains.
"So, blowing the bridge with Klee is off the table. We'll need another plan."
As her words faded, silence descended. The air grew thick with pressure.
Shao Yun was speechless. He stomped hard against the wall in frustration, as if trying to shatter his anger into the stone itself. The dull thud echoed ominously.
"When it rains, it pours!"