CHIH 331-340 (Patreon)

Chapter 331: The World Quietly Changed "Arc City has changed so much." The last time she came to Arc City when she first arrived in this w

Chapter 331: The World Quietly Changed"Arc City has changed so much."The last time she came to Arc City when she first arrived in this world, it was still a thriving, half-finished city on the verge of becoming Night City.

After playing with Ellie for a while, Bronie looked out the window again and sighed.Arc City had almost become as prosperous as Night City.

Everything was so neatly organized, and the unique beauty of the interweaving of high technology and neon lights seemed to convey the changing times.In fact, the pace of change was so rapid that many people might not be able to adapt. It wasn't until Bronie reached the window and took in the wondrous scenery that she realized she was in Arc City.

"Does this place hold any fond memories for you? Or are you homesick?" Hearing Bronie's sigh, Elysia followed her gaze.

She felt like it was just back home.

Elysia hadn't expected the development here to be so rapid that she couldn't comprehend it.

Of course, Ellie preferred places filled with plants and flowers. This neon-lit prosperity, while not unpleasant, felt less warm and inviting. It was bustling, but the neighborhood relationships felt even colder.

"I've just returned from the Sea of Quanta, so I'm not homesick this soon. I just feel Finality is near, and I'm feeling very nervous. With Truth as the foundation and Origin as the direction, we have a chance of finding the path to the Cocoon of Finality, the true path to victory. We do have Origin, but Truth is still a long way off."

Bronie looked at Ellie.Ellie smiled, happy to be able to help Bronie.

Origin as the guiding direction?

Bronie wasn't lacking in romantic talent!"So, are we planning to let Bronya grow up next? What about Kiana's role?""Look at Kiana. She has both the Herrscher of the Void core and the Herrscher of Death core within her. Her body is truly special, capable of containing Finality. Not everyone can contain Finality. Even a body like Kevin's would have to endure the pain of constant destruction before it could withstand the power of Finality."Of course, if everyone possessed the power of Finality, wouldn't the power of the Herrscher of Death be easily wielded?Repair, then continue to contain, repair again, then contain the power of Finality."To be honest, I personally think Kiana is the most likely, but I don't really want Kiana to shoulder such a responsibility, so let's take it one step at a time."Now that the Honkai outbreak had subsided, there would be a period of calm. The next Herrschers to be born would most likely be the Herrscher of Ice and the Herrscher of Stars.

As she spoke, Bronie began to review the information on the two.She had all the information she could gather on Chen Tianwu and Anna Schariac from Ash Serpent. Ash Serpent was naturally puzzled by Bronie's interest in this World Serpent member.

That guy had only garnered the approval of a few Flame-Chasers in the Elysian Realm, making him a relatively weak cadre.

Compared to Cioara, Gray Serpent felt that each generation of World Serpent agents were getting weaker.

After all, at Bronie's suggestion, Cioara removed her hood in the Elysian Realm during her trial, successfully attracting the Signets sent by Ellie. Then, through Bronie's connections, she obtained numerous Signets from other Heroic Heroes.Finality result, of course, was self-evident.Gray Serpent had trained Cioara to be such a fine World Serpent agent.

And under Gray Serpent's guidance, Cioara had discovered Chen Tianwu's talents and this was the result.

Gray Serpent's hopes were in vain, and this setback haunted him for a while.Thankfully, despite his limited abilities, he was quite efficient.

Of course, this limitation was only from Bronie's perspective.

In reality, even Gray Serpent occasionally praised Chen Tianwu's efficiency, though she preferred to slack off when she was on a mission with strong teammates."Why are you suddenly interested in these two completely unrelated people?"Ellie watched Bronie diligently review the information, even including various vital data, usually only seen occasionally in Mobius's lab reports.

If it were Mobius, it wouldn't be long before these two figures appeared on her operating table.

But now Bronie was examining the information."Unrelated? Not really. Last year in Singapore, when Kiana was on a mission in Manila, this kid was the one who handled the finishing work. She became an A-rank Valkyrie at the early age of sixteen, fought on the front lines, endured considerable hardship, and then, during the mission, became a shining light for Chen Tianwu."At the time, Bronie had confined the Honkai energy to the entire hotel, so handling it was certainly no problem. But the problem was that the hotel had since become a massive Honkai monster spawning cage. Destroying the building rashly would only cause the damage to spread.

Bronie's remaining operations required Valkyries to enter the hotel and clear out the remaining Honkai energy, and Anna was one of them.The battle wasn't a big deal; it was simply due to the power outage, and the overall atmosphere felt a bit terrifying. Dealing with the dead soldiers and Honkai beasts wasn't too difficult.The key point was that no matter how well Bronie isolated the Honkai energy, it would still have an impact on the surrounding area.And Chen Tianwu happened to be nearby.Thankfully, the impact wasn't widespread, and Chen Tianwu's sister wasn't seriously injured. Instead, Anna, while dealing with the Honkai, accidentally encountered Chen Tianwu, who was infected by the energy. When Anna reached out to help, it was like an angel descending.

Originally, Bronie wasn't very familiar with the story between the two.

Remember, that storyline back then was like squeezing toothpaste, with the events being both tiresome and annoying, which ultimately led to Bronie abandoning Honkai Impact 3rd for a long time.

In the end, she only remembered a few small stories between the two and had largely forgotten the details.After all, the story between Anna and Chen Tianwu was quite...good.But game plots are game plots, and reality is reality. If this kind of Major Eruption were to happen, how could Bronie remain indifferent?

So, after Kiana's Lesson at the hands of Otto, Bronie began to delve into the details of their story.

Bronie never expected that their story would change so drastically because of her involvement.After all, according to Aponia, fate exists.While fate isn't unbreakable, it requires sufficient variables to be altered.

And the way Anna and Chen Tianwu became, without Bronie's careful guidance, made Bronie a little insecure.

Could the Herrscher of Ice and the Herrscher of Stars be these two people?"Seventy-eight percent of his organs have been replaced with bionic ones, and the Honkai energy erosion is still spreading, yet that child is still actively engaging with things related to the Honkai!"Ellie was a little fed up. What was wrong with Chen Tianwu?

This wasn't the right way to seek death!

"He's probably trying to make money for his sister. Realizing the Honkai disaster could threaten the world at any moment, he's trying to make as much money as possible since he's going to die anyway. But Anna couldn't stand Chen Tianwu's self-destructive nature and seemed ready to take action."

Bronie hacked into their social media accounts and saw that they were still in contact. Jdging from the chat logs, Anna seemed to have a crush on this guy.

"A bit of a sweet and sour romance~"

Ellie still didn't quite understand Bronie's thinking.

The Valkyrie and the little boy she redeemed, then what?"She's the next Herrscher, the Herrscher of Ice.""Huh?""I'll find a way to train her mentality and willpower. After all, even becoming a Herrscher requires a certain amount of willpower to maintain her humanity. Although Anna is a Valkyrie and has undergone rigorous training, her personality isn't much different from that of an ordinary girl. You know what it means to be on the battlefield at sixteen?""So, could this be the case too?"Ellie pointed at Chen Tianwu's photo."It seems you've already mastered the art of answering questions. Yes, take this information to the Elysian Realm and have Mobius study it carefully. If she ever awakens as a Herrscher, convince her if you can, or beat her up if you can't."Bronie had learned this from Ellie regarding different attitudes towards boys and girls.Ellie paused, then nodded and passed the message to Mobius. She imagined how Mobius will treat Mr. Chen Tianwu well next time.

The layout against the Herrscher of Ice and Stars' were simply completed. In the future, they would also need to monitor Anna's location and check the stability of the Imaginary Space.

The birth of a Herrscher often causes tremors in the Imaginary Space. After the imaginary singularity is created, a vast amount of Honkai energy coalesces and, under the influence of the Cocoon of Finality, forms the Herrscher's core.

Thus, by using the partially repaired Cosmic Juggernaut to monitor the movements of a large area of Imaginary Space, Bronie could react promptly to any problems."Okay, today's work is done. Next, we have to make games.""Do you want to make games in Arc City too?"Ellie knew this was Bronie's hobby, but she had assumed she would start making games only when she returned to the Golden Courtyard. She hadn't expected her to do it here."After all, this is my way of relaxing~"Bronie stretched, showcasing her graceful curves.With the Kiana incident now over, her recently tense nerves finally relaxed.And then Bronie felt the urge to let off steam. She had already thought about making Grand Theft Auto, transforming Los Angeles into Los Santos to give players a dream of pursuing their ideal life.As they chatted, Bronie created models of Trevor, Franklin, and Mike.The scruffy Trevor, with her crazed eyes and red spots on his face, looked sickly. His hair was patchy, and his hairstyle looked hopelessly bald."Uh... why not make a more handsome character?""This is our protagonist, Trevor! He's crazy, bloodthirsty, and greedy, but also loyal and honest. If you were to ask who would make the best friend in Los Santos, I think Trevor, whose edges have been smoothed by time but not his heart, would be a good choice. Of course, that assumes you're also a real badass in Los Santos."The model came to life, then showed his left middle finger, which was tattooed with a curse word beginning with "f." Then, his right arm was raised, revealing his middle finger, which had a tattoo of the word "you" on it.

The combined meaning was self-evident.Add to that the middle finger gesture.Ellie looked at him with even more disdain."Bronie, it seems you've been a bit stressed lately?""Work, work, work, endless work, and then there's all sorts of information to read. How could I not be stressed out? Luckily, I have the World Serpent to help, and Mobius and Vill-V are also helping out.""What about these two?"Ellie decided to change the subject. It seemed Bronie was truly exhausted, and it seemed she hadn't helped alleviate her fatigue yet."It's a good thing you're here, otherwise I think I'd probably collapse sooner or later. Franklin is an ambitious young man, but his lives in a poor neighborhood and is often involved with gangs. He doesn't like this kind of life and longs for a chance to make a fortune. He's the youngest of the three protagonists.""Huh? There are actually three protagonists? If there are three, how should the game proceed?"Ellie was surprised. She had expected a game like Red Dead Redemption or Cyberpunk, with one character as the protagonist and perhaps more detailed portrayals of the other characters."This brings us to the game's most important character-switching mechanic. As for Mike, he's also a greedy guy, but he craves a more stable life. He used to be good friends with Trevor and often went on robberies. Later, wanting to quit, he faked his death to escape. But his peaceful life was disrupted by Trevor. But not before he met Franklin, a young man with great potential."A madman, a small-time villain, and a big villain. It no longer celebrates beauty or depicts the brighter side of humanity. Instead, it simply unleashes violence, terror, and gore, all rolled into one. It's more direct and insane than even cyberpunk.

Through venting, players cleanse their inner anger, then forge a dream all their own.Ellie gradually understood Bronie's perspective, her initial concern developing into understanding and ultimately support.Maybe violence in games isn't a problem at all?----[Chapter 332: Grand Theft Auto: Los Santos]What's the most important part of making Grand Theft Auto?Of course, it's the details.The details within the game, the details of NPC actions, and the corresponding NPC reactions in certain specific scenarios.And, of course, the details of every corner of the map and the modeling of every item.Today's players, besides gameplay, pursue graphical quality. If Grand Theft Auto excels in these two areas, it's not impossible to reach the heights of Grand Theft Auto from her previous life.

Countless details are piled together to form a truly realistic world. Beyond the police's attitude towards players, this game truly achieves an astonishing level of authenticity.Trevor, Michael, and Franklin. Through the perspectives and stories of these three protagonists, they gradually weave together a city rife with crime.

On the surface, Los Santos appears glamorous, but in reality, it's completely rotten. Bronie completely let loose, throwing every conceivable insanity into the game.Finally, Bronie wondered if this game should be relegated to the 18+ category.There wasn't much erotica in it, but the gore and violence were undeniably abundant.Especially the missions involving Trevor—they were basically nothing but killing and fighting, their overarching theme being madness, which would make many people instinctively dislike him.But Trevor's setting was so complex that, after gaining a deeper understanding of his personality and past, one wouldn't dislike his so much.After all, purity and sincerity are always a surefire way to win over others.While Trevor's anti-humanity was certainly outrageous, he was also more sincere and loyal than anyone else.Such a complex character was created by Bronie. Ellie watched almost the entire process, looking at Bronie with mixed feelings.

"Have you been feeling a bit stressed lately? Is that why you wanted to create a game like this to let off steam?"

"A little bit, but there's a lunatic inside everyone. If I could use this game to vent my frustrations, I think it might even help reduce crime."

"Can it? Can it really reduce crime rather than encourage it?"

"After all, the game takes place in a time when the internet wasn't very developed. We were just entering the information age, and surveillance wasn't as intensive."Of course, if you were robbing a bank, the police would still be very quick.While fighting the police the entire time and then easily escaping might seem a little unrealistic, it's precisely this magical quality that gives players a fantastic experience.Becoming a master criminal in Los Santos is quite fun, isn't it?

"So, I deliberately make these things seem more unrealistic so that players realize they can only do these things in games and thus avoid being led into crime, right?"

"Exactly!"

"But honestly, a lot of the things in it are actually doable in real life~"For example, the stunts in the driving in the game is something Ellie didn't think were too difficult.

Like that one where crashing a plane into the cargo plane's hold for a forced landing. While it is seemingly a bit crazy, it is certainly feasible.

"Are you an ordinary person? Most of my games are played by ordinary people. Even if a Valkyrie, a MANTIS, or a Herrscher had a bad idea playing my game, I would intervene immediately."

"It wouldn't be that coincidental, would it?"Ellie also felt that she was overthinking it. While there were still many superhumans in this world, ordinary people still made up the majority.

As usual, Ellie participated in some of the costume design and occasionally took on one or two side quests. However, Grand Theft Auto is all about madness, so under Bronie's influence, Ellie sometimes imagined smoking cigarettes, then chasing a mermaid across the square to the Magic Fairy Castle for a wild ride.

While it's a bit conservative, the flashy special effects give it a feel like eating poisonous mushrooms.Bronie could only say Ellie's imagination is quite impressive.Afterwards, she learned some mercenary jargon from Cioara and incorporated it into the game.

Furthermore, with Mr. Chen Tianwu's advice, Bronie also incorporated side quests and asset-related quests involving underground boxing and the Mafia.

This enriches the game's content and allows players to experience a variety of life experiences.Of course, players can also choose to work in the game, such as driving a taxi or an ambulance.While it's fine to experience this kind of life occasionally, She imagines that no one would become too obsessed with it.Thus, the quest chains are kept short, with only a few interesting side stories crammed in.

For example, in the taxi business, you'll drive for celebrities and witness them suddenly becoming cuckolded or having something strange accidentally slip up their butt.To keep the protagonist from sharing these stories, they'll usually pay hefty hush money.These celebrities, naturally, are real-life figures.Think Tesla or Otto.Of course, these are just small jokes in the form of Easter eggs. With a map this large, a few Easter eggs are essential for fun. Thankfully, Bronie is already very familiar with these tasks.

The game's production is complex. Bronie kept an eye on Kiana's traveling progress while constantly developing the game. She also had to hire people to record the in-game radio stations.

Each station had to be over 30 minutes long, and with over 20 stations featuring different genres, recording was quite challenging.And this task was just a minor detail within the game.So, compared to Detroit Become Human, the production cycle was much longer. Luckily, Bronie could easily dispatch her men to San Francisco to scan the entire city, including its terrain and landmarks.

The scanned city could easily be used by Bronie as a component of the game, with additional details added and some modified sports cars later included.So, with hundreds of models and a massive map, the workload wasn't as overwhelming as expected.Kiana was also hunting down Honkai beasts, and her general route naturally led to Arc City.Miss Jackal had already distributed the vaccine to the residents of Arc City.Of course, the vaccine was guaranteed to be flawless, and it wouldn't even have any side effects. Its only effect was that if a Honkai outbreak occurred, those who received the vaccine would likely awaken their Stigmata.This was indeed similar to the Honkai vaccine that Jackal had told the government officials.

But the problem was, Jackal wouldn't just sit there and wait for the Honkai to strike in Arc City. She would attempt to detonate a Honkai bomb directly in the city!

Solving this problem was naturally simple for Bronie, but for Kiana, it remained an unanswered question.

Hopefully, Kiana can come up with a satisfactory answer.And not some self-sacrificing one.Time slowly slipped by, and Bronya, realizing the limits of her abilities, began to experiment with the 300,000 wills within the Herrscher's core.

Though those wills had long since ceased to be active, prolonged exposure to each individual will might have a certain impact on Bronya's self-perception.So, within the Hyperion, Tesla and Einstein monitored Bronya's attack on the Herrscher of Reason in real time, with Welt watching from the side.Theresa felt as if her Hyperion had become a battleship of Anti-Entropy.The Schicksal Sky Island battle had deeply etched Mei's own limitations on combat effectiveness, and she diligently cultivated, searching for a method that would fully unleash her Herrscher's power.

However, she had communicated with her Herrscher personality, and after reaching a consensus, she exerted the fullest possible power of the Herrscher of Thunder.

However, exerting too much power always leads to problems.After Mei reached a consensus with her Herrscher personality, the two personalities seemed to be merging—a phenomenon discovered by Einstein. After discovering this, she felt that Theresa would definitely not notice the problem, so she told Bronie about it.

What other advice could Bronie offer?In the end, Bronie only offered to observe more. Perhaps the Stigmata consciousness was gradually fading, and Bronie had no idea what the final outcome would be.

Instead of worrying about these things, it was better to make a game first.Welt was immediately excited when he heard Bronie was making a game.And Bronie also took the opportunity to release a new promotional video.The bright beach, the iconic Ferris wheel, and the iconic Hollywood sign—Los Angeles's most iconic landmark. A city even larger than Night City, a near one-to-one replica of real-life Los Angeles.Of course, it's not called Los Angeles in the game, but rather Los Santos. A highway runs through the city, almost completely separating the wealthy from the poor.Giant buildings sprawl across the landscape, appearing both prosperous and authentic.Of course, the most important aspect is the style that leans towards an earlier era.Countless sports cars, the classic Walk of Fame, the familiar Hollywood skyline, and the gigantic Galahadao model.Yes, Anti-Entropy also has a gigantic Arahato model in Los Angeles, which has become a subtle tourist attraction. Bronie and Welt discussed bringing it directly into the game.

Of course, Los Santos' scenery is much more than just that.Beyond the bustling city, there are beautiful mountains, spectacular wind turbines, and NPCs who love extreme sports.[Do what you want to do.]

[Create a unique life of your own!]Cinematic camerawork and a striking title—the moment players saw them, they immediately realized one thing.This new game from Haxxor Bunny is another open-world game like Cyberpunk and Red Dead Redemption!This time, the setting isn't the distant future, nor the past.It's the present!And the game's rating is surprisingly 17+, clearly another cyberpunk-style, uninhibited work.The city in the trailer is peaceful and beautiful, but there's also a jewelry store robbery scene, clearly signaling to players that the protagonist is definitely not a pushover.After seeing the subsequent shots of Trevor, Franklin, and Mike, some people began to speculate which of these three would become the next protagonist.

However, Franklin's dog-walking scene clearly shows him as the protagonist, leading many players to believe she's the game's protagonist. After the trailer was released, according to Haxxor's usual game release habits, the game would be released soon, and the internet would be buzzing with excitement. Aside from the Detroit piracy controversy, the previous game didn't seem to have much of a story.

After players experienced Detroit Become Human, they tried to avoid spoilers to protect others' gaming experience, which may have suppressed discussion.

Later, with Kiana's incident and Bronie busy watching the show at Schicksal Headquarters, there were no plans to release a new game.

And now, the open-world, highly free-to-play Grand Theft Auto has released its first trailer!This is the game players have been waiting for—a game similar to Red Dead Redemption.Red Dead Redemption also offers players a high degree of freedom. The numerous random events greatly enrich the game's content and details, shaping the world from multiple perspectives and leaving a vivid Western world in the audience's minds.But that freedom is ultimately based on a relatively wild cowboy world. Maybe robbing a store does feel good, or maybe finding a bank and making a killing.

But it still lacks a certain sense of immersion.

After all, people don't ride horses in their daily lives, and banks aren't exactly easy places to rob.Grand Theft Auto, however, is different.

Every aspect of daily life is fully portrayed. True to Halo's usual obsession with detail, it's clear Halo will be taking you on a whirlwind tour of Los Santos.Realistic—experience a different life!Just as the trailer's slogan goes.Bronie also mentioned that an online multiplayer mode will be available in the future, allowing players to create their own unique characters. Everyone is eagerly awaiting whether it can reach the same level of online multiplayer as Cyberpunk 2077.Countless players have already purchased Cyberpunk 2077, and after experiencing the single-player story, they've immediately jumped into the online mode to participate in corporate or gang warfare. The moment the game's pre-order button opened, sbeam's servers briefly crashed.Shortly thereafter, sales soared by hundreds of thousands!With pre-orders already reaching hundreds of thousands before the game even came out, Bronie suddenly felt a bit unsure.What if the game wasn't as good as they'd hoped?-----

[Chapter 333: A Game About to Go Down in History]Grand Theft Auto is filled with countless details in every corner, from events both large and small to random pedestrian encounters akin to Red Dead Redemption. Countless side quests weave together, gradually creating a real world where similar events can be witnessed just by walking outside.

But behind this layer of reality, players can kill with ease, do whatever they want, and escape legal punishment simply by ignoring the police, no matter how serious their crimes. This magical setting has brought countless players a thrill and made them clearly realize that games are games, and reality is reality, and the two must never be confused.Even so, when Bronie sent the game to the Elysian Realm, Kalpas expressed his condolences to Bronie.Well, he graciously invited Bronie to visit the Elysian Realm and wanted to show her a huge fireworks display.

After all, when he saw Griseo playing the game and imitating Rama calling Kalpas "Nigo" (Nico), Kalpas realized that this game shouldn't be given to children.

What kind of games did Bronie make?

This game is all about crime from beginning to end. Besides robbery and assassination, there's also car theft and cigarette selling. Honestly, this game lets players do things that normal people wouldn't do, and Griseo is the type who's easily influenced.

Frankly, Bronie felt quite innocent at the time.

You know, it's clearly marked as a 17+ game. How could she have imagined that someone would actually give it to Griseo?

With Aponia gone from Elysian Realm, child supervision seems less effective.

Perhaps Kosma was watching.

But who could have let Kosma focus on the game instead of Griseo?

Driven by curiosity, Griseo encountered Grand Theft Auto, and then she was embarrassed.

Fortunately, when she first started playing, the content was limited to Franklin and Mike; at least Trevor hadn't appeared yet.

Had Trevor appeared, that would have been truly explosive.He starts out pulling carrots to a woman. While no important parts are revealed, the camerawork and the subtle attempts to conceal something are definitely not suitable for children.

Most importantly, Trevor didn't just pick any random woman to pull carrots with; he picked someone else's wife.

And the woman Trevor pulled carrots with was the wife of the protagonist from GTA IV. Rockstar really has a lot of risqué in this.

Bronie added a bit of risqué humor, replacing the protagonist with the descendant of a villain from Red Dead Redemption, leaving a black-and-white photo as a reminder.All I can say is, bad guys deserve a bad ending.Eden doesn't have much to say about Bronie's game; the style is set there. The protagonists are certainly bad guys, but their unique personalities occasionally move Eden. They're all incredibly passionate people.The game also offers a glimpse into the history of American music.From rock to rap, pop, and much more related to street culture.It must be said that once Bronie achieved a certain level of detail, it actually opened Eden's eyes to more possibilities for artistic development.These budding and developing arts attracted Eden's attention, and she gave them high praise.The Civilization encyclopedia is certainly comprehensive, but many topics are very general. A more detailed understanding requires time spent searching online, and standard searches often yield a lot of disjointed information.

It's also difficult to observe the interplay between different art forms and their impact on people's lives.But things are different now.Bronie's Grand Theft Auto also beautifully captures the true character of a large city.Even within such an environment, class divisions and uneven distribution of resources can still foster a nurturing environment for art.People's yearning for a better life and their resistance to the status quo are vividly showcased.

Perhaps this is why the three protagonists are so mad and so lawless?

Just as netizens were speculating about whether the next game's protagonist would be Franklin, Mike, or even the seemingly crazed Trevor, Bronie released the game.

Contrary to expectations, this time the protagonists weren't just one, but three!

Yes, this was unprecedented. Most games only have one protagonist, and even those with two protagonists are mostly two-player cooperative games. Like a two-player team.

This kind of open-world game, where three protagonists work together to advance the main storyline, was something players had never seen before.

Most importantly, of course, was the ability to switch characters at will.

During the heist, each character has a clear division of labor, and players can seamlessly switch between characters to experience every detail of the action. Of course, if there were no quests, everyone would just go about their own lives, and when you switch to another, you might just happen to see someone else having fun in a nightclub or something.However, when switching to Trevor, there's a small chance he'll wake up in the wild, wearing a slovenly dress, reeking of alcohol, clearly having been drunk. If it weren't for the player, he'd probably be even more frantic.

The smooth switching, coupled with the incredibly intelligent system, makes the entire quest feel like everyone is onto something important, and there's no chance of dragging things down.At the very least, it eliminates scenarios where an idiotic AI leads an NPC to mission failure.This novel design, coupled with a realistic world setting and incredibly high levels of freedom, means you can do almost anything, except for the awkwardness. It's like another open world with the gameplay of The Sims.After the game's release, these gameplay elements, details, and memes that resonate with everyday life instantly fueled the game's viral popularity. While pre-order bonuses are all allocated to online mode, it's a given that all players will participate in it.

Not many players would refuse to play online after playing the single-player mode.After all, the single-player mode already does a fantastic job with heists and asset quests, and with Cyberpunk 2077 as a precedent, the online mode certainly has something to offer players.Besides the 17+ rating which has left some players feeling dissatisfied, the majority of players have generally given the game positive reviews.Except Welt.Well, Anti-Entropy's home is in the United States, and Los Angeles is arguably the second-largest city in the country. Bronie's portrayal of it is close, but it also captures many of the worst aspects of the situation.Leaf, cocoa, counterfeit money—these problems are indeed widespread in the United States, often called the price of free development.To be honest, Welt hasn't thought about addressing these issues.But is there anything more important than fighting the Honkai?

Smart people know this and exploit it, profiting from these opportunities without compromising Anti-Entropy's resource management. There's no way to get them to give up their exploitation. Capital and Anti-Entropy are deeply intertwined. If the conflict escalates to a certain point, neither side will benefit.

So, Welt suddenly felt a sense of being implicated, and was deeply unhappy.

But Welt, after all, still had the heart of a young boy, and he quickly forgot his annoyance and immersed himself in the game's looting.Assets accumulated bit by bit, and hus business grew larger and larger. He watched the money in his account grow, and he could even follow Lester in stock trading during missions.

Welt's expression gradually shifted from seriousness to a cheeky smile.It couldn't be helped. Once you immerse yourself in the game, you understand the truly wonderful dream that Bronie has created for players.

Freedom, the freedom to do whatever you want, a sense of control over the world.To allow players to fully unleash their inner selves, Bronie even extended the duration of red lights at traffic lights, and programmed the AI of some passing vehicles to deliberately overtake and ram players.

This significantly improved players' driving skills while also intentionally or unintentionally creating a psychological barrier to adhering to traffic rules.

The effect of this barrier was palpable. At least Ellie initially tried to obey traffic rules, but later transformed into the game's ruthless killer.

Sometimes, when her temper flared up and she encountered an NPC who deliberately cut her off, she would rush out and engage in a fight.

Even when Bronie witnessed this, Ellie playfully pretended nothing had happened.Grand Theft Auto truly possesses a certain allure.

After a successful carjacking, passersby often hesitate to call the police, leaving law enforcement with a near-perfect expression of incompetence. This fueled players' desire to commit crimes within the game.

Compared to games like Cyberpunk 2077, where you'll be met with the godlike police the moment you do something bad, the Los Santos police are simply too adorable.However, some players have tried to challenge the Los Santos police's combat prowess.After repeatedly eliminating the police, the arrival of attack helicopters and tanks has become a bit more difficult.But could such a force be a match for the collective horde of gamers?Of course not.Bronie never disables anti-cheats in single-player mode, a fact shared by all players. Therefore, some players have tried to enable cheats in single-player mode, but later discovered that once cheats are enabled, Haxxor Bunny will directly display a list of cheat codes.

Now, you can truly play however you want.

Furthermore, when cheats are enabled, the game will save your current save file. To revive a damaged game experience, you can enter the relevant cheat codes and pretend nothing happened. It can be said that Haxxor Bunny has meticulously considered every aspect of the player experience. Even Welt was stunned when he was prompted with cheat codes during a livestream.

At least, Haxxor Bunny didn't design cheat codes into the game before. While they allowed for cheats and even allowed for modifying save files, this was the first time cheat codes had appeared.

Players are still quite surprised by this new design by Bronie.

Currently, Welt is playing it safe in Hyperion, cautiously attacking the Herrscher Core, only to strike hard in Los Santos.

From his livestreams, it's clear that Welt's stress levels have been increasing recently. Otherwise, why would he skip quests during his livestreams and instead frequently engage in frenzied brawls with police officers in Los Santos?

Occasionally, he'll even go online and fight other players.

In the single-player story mode, the protagonist's garage can only hold a limited number of cars, but online is a different story. Buy an apartment, a garage, a hangar, even an attack helicopter or a fighter jet—it's absolutely no problem.If you have the money, you can even buy a tank or a submarine!Purchasing certain assets unlocks special missions, and those missions are enough to keep players engaged for a long time.Build your fortune from scratch and gradually become a legend in Los Santos.They say there are no living legends in Night City.In Los Santos, everyone can become a living legend, fulfilling dreams that ordinary people wouldn't dare to dream.Spend your days in casinos or nightclubs, engage in thrilling extreme sports, or participate in athletic competitions—there's always something to offer players a different kind of experience.The gameplay encompasses every aspect of life. Beyond the easily committed crimes, Bronie simply brings a real-life city to life.Of course, the game itself is huge, but who cares?Bronie created a dream, a place where everyone could experience a different kind of life. Players could unleash their inner rage, and with the anti-cheat online experience, sales of the entire game reached tens of millions within a week!

Of course, many online livestreams were focused on Grand Theft Auto. Crucially, Bronie also released a map editor, allowing players to customize levels and maps, creating online modes that everyone could play.

This editor also offers players more possibilities.

This highly flexible game will surely become a popular game that won't fade away for decades.

Bronie still vaguely remembers that even with the release of GTA VI approaching, GTA V was still at the top of the bestseller and online charts.

This is the most enduring and legendary game!-----[Chapter 334: The Jackal's Arrangement Is Clear]"Bad Bronie, it seems like there's something special about you. Just do bad things in the game, but don't do them in real life, huh~"

Ellie experienced the entire Grand Theft Auto story mode and had to admit, it was incredibly rich.

It even included extreme sports and gang warfare—many things Ellie had never tried before.

For example, just watching the extreme sports from afar, Ellie didn't quite understand why those people would spend so much money on such dangerous things.

But after experiencing them in the game, especially after meeting the NPC named Overlord and hearing what she said, Ellie more or less understood.

They pursue the meaning of life and constantly challenge themselves. It's a unique approach to life, and it also exposed Ellie to a new and novel way of living.

This attitude...

To be honest, there's a hint of adventurous spirit in it, isn't there?

Through the game, Ellie could savor Bronie's inner voice.

Challenging oneself, pursuing the meaning of life, and seeing more beautiful scenery—perhaps this was also what Bronie was thinking.

Alas, the Cocoon of Finality was like a cage, always enveloping the edge of Earth. Of course, Bronie was always striving to break free from it.

"Robbing a bank is certainly fun, but if it's just a bank on Earth, it's really not that interesting at all."

"Eh? Bronie, are you really thinking of robbing a bank?"

"How do you feel about the Interastral Peace Corporation's vault? It holds nearly the entire galaxy's wealth. While it might all end up as building materials, I imagine they must have some money before buying and piling it up. Find the vaults of one or two individuals with a bad reputation and take a crack at them!"

The Interastral Peace Corporation itself is a complex enterprise, but it's undoubtedly capital. With capital comes exploitation, and that's exactly what Bronie hates.

So, robbing the other side's coffers and giving back to the poor would be a very Galaxy Ranger-esque experience, wouldn't it?That sounds super fun, right?"Interastral Peace Corporation..."Ellie felt it was a little far-fetched, but it wasn't a big deal.Anyone who can build a company on a cosmic scale must be no ordinary person.Since Bronie already said the other party must have done something shady, why would Ellie doubt it?Based on Bronie's company design in Cyberpunk 2077, or even Bronie's hometown, Heliopolis Technology, capital is certainly not a good thing, and the larger the company, the more unscrupulous it becomes.

Robbing a company like that, playing the role of a chivalrous thief who supports the weak, might be a novel experience.

"In a sense, controlling everything does maintain peace, but it's the company's peace. Luckily, the other party isn't that powerful; they just hold economic sway. They won't become enemies if they encounter a powerful individual."Bronie had already thought of countless ways to surprise the IPC, and then she was anticipating the helpless expression on her opponent's face they tried to mess with her. That expression would surely be quite charming!

"Ah! Cioara sent a message! Kiana's coming to Arc City soon!""No, why did Cioara send you a message?"Bronie was confused. Wasn't she the one who had sent the request. Why did Elysia received the message?

"I think it's because of our relationship, right? After all, you were the one who took the initiative to tell Cioara about it. I imagine she's a little upset, right?""Upset? I really don't understand her."Bronie shrugged and projected a piece of clothing.Her old bartender uniform didn't fit anymore, so Bronie had it resized. It gave her a distinctly Cioara vibe.

"Looks like she's heading to Cioara's bar?"

"It's time to get that kid some counseling. Sometimes Kaslana family members tend to get stuck in a rut. Without some guidance, they can easily go berserk."

"I see, just like Kevin before!"

"In fact, the Kaslana family has always been influenced by the stigmata gene inherited from Kevin. Her belief in salvation constantly influences the Kaslana family through the stigmata, leading them to make the choice to sacrifice themselves to save others."

"Huh?"

"Of course, I'm not saying it's all wrong. It's an influence, but it's just a tendency. Ultimately, it's their own choice. Kiana considers herself a member of the Honkai, a Herrscher, so she's more prone to self-destructive tendencies. After all, she's obsessed with destroying the Honkai, isn't she?"Bronie's explanation made perfect sense.Kiana's current situation was indeed very dangerous.Bronie then raised her head and gazed toward the sky.

Hyperion was probably about to turn back in despair. She had arrived at Arc City a long time ago and was already waiting on the ground for Theresa to turn around. She wondered what expression the shorty would have when she saw her greeting her.

"I want to come too!"

Ellie closed the video editing software on her computer and began to undress right there.

Bronie looked at Ellie in surprise, then saw her pick out a black-and-white outfit from the closet.

"This is..."

"Maid Elysia, how do you like it? Doesn't it go with your bartender uniform?"

"Ellie looks great in anything!"

Bronie nodded repeatedly.

The last time Ellie wore a maid outfit was when they were role-playing in their room!

She didn't expect Ellie to wear it so openly this time.

Though, this outfit is indeed quite suitable for wearing outside. Its exquisiteness is guaranteed to turn heads.

Refreshing yet not vulgar, cute, beautiful, and charming.Then the two of them swaggered into the bar through the main entrance.

But the bartender wasn't Cioara, it was Chen Tianwu, whom Bronie had only recently reviewed.

"Tell Cioara that we'll be borrowing this bar for now. We'll continue to operate it, but I'm going to convert the basement into a safe house."

"Okay..."Although Chen Tianwu didn't know Bronie, he did know Elysia.Having visited the Elysian Realm, he naturally had a rough idea of what happened in the previous civilization.Elysia was the first to establish the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, the leader besides Kevin. Although he'd only heard of her in the Elysian Realm, he still remembered her appearance.

The same thing.To the World Serpent, Heroes are gods, and Bronie, naturally, is a controversial figure within the World Serpent.After all, Bronie was the one who transformed their gods into humans and then slept with them.

So, upon seeing Bronie and then Elysia, Chen Tianwu immediately realized who the Bronie in front of him was. However, Chen Tianwu never liked to get involved in gossip, so even after guessing Bronie's identity, he didn't say anything.

For someone to earn such high recognition from the MANTIS, there was nothing Chen Tianwu wouldn't believe.

So, the gossip within the World Serpent should be treated as amusement; taking it seriously would be foolishness."As for you, if you don't have any missions, come on call. If you do, I won't bother you. I'll still pay you, and occasionally I'll give you some missions.""Okay."Chen Tianwu nodded, looking like a cold robot.So, how did Anna take a fancy to this piece of wood? 

Besides being a bit handsome, what else is so good about him?Bronie looked him up and down again, then sent Ellie to clean up a little space in the basement.

Next, Bronie planned to set up the basement like a pre-robbery preparation room in Grand Theft Auto, with a huge blackboard covered with information about Heliopolis Life Sciences. It was as if something big was about to happen inside Heliopolis Life Sciences.

Bronie created this atmosphere, and Ellie cooperated by pulling out her balaclava, looking ready to rob at any moment.

Then she turned off the lights.

Isn't that the atmosphere?When Chen Tianwu curiously went to the basement to see what Bronie was about to do, he was completely speechless.

... 

There was no doubt that Jackal was interested in Kiana. To attract Kiana, Jackal would occasionally release Honkai energy from the rooftop of Heliopolis Life Sciences, increasing the surrounding Honkai energy concentration.This increased Honkai energy concentration also informed Kiana through the Schicksal monitoring system that there was an outbreak that needed to be addressed.

Using Honkai beasts to lure Kiana over, Jackal felt incredibly clever, having predicted Kiana's personality and believing she would definitely come.What if she didn't come?She could then trigger the Honkai naturally and conduct experiments on the stigmata gene.

She didn't know who was humiliating her a few years ago, but now there's been no movement. She must have been scared off by the Gray Serpents or dealt with by a World Serpent member.

That kind of insignificant person isn't worth wasting my time and energy on.

All of this was naturally seen by Bronie.

Ellie, dressed in her maid outfit, obediently found a place to sit. Bronie came to the blackboard and wrote something on it.

"Miss Jackal still can't change her arrogance. Even when she's humiliated, she only feels humiliated and never considers whether it's because she's too weak. She's only a bit talented, but she's got a genius-level illness. We need to correct her, but that's a secondary goal. The main goal is to re-educate Kiana."Speaking, Bronie drew a circle on the blackboard facing Kiana's picture.

"She's very cute."

"While that's true, that's not the point."Bronie has never been very good at education, as evidenced by the Golden Court's almost laissez-faire approach to education. As for classes, they naturally focused on teaching key concepts. As for how to behave, Bronie would only teach by example.

Luckily, she considers herself to be quite morally sound, aside from my occasional whirlwind outbursts.

But Kiana, that stubborn soul—once she's set her mind on something, she won't change until she's banged her head against a wall.And Bronie had to ensure that this wall wasn't just some bottomless cliff.Without Fu Hua's Fenghuang Down, Kiana wouldn't have any place to train and guide her along the way.If her ability to harness Honkai energy became a weakness, she might even fail against it one day.So, Bronie had to give Kiana some special training in Arc City!"Seriously strict Bronie!" Ellie exclaimed."Strict? Am I really that strict?"Bronie hadn't expected Ellie to describe her in that way.

"Look, Kiana still believes she killed her teacher. She might think about it from time to time, and it might even haunt her.""People always have to move on. What happened won't change. This incident has allowed Kiana to grow, and after that, her mindset will allow her Herrscher core to mature. Don't worry, I won't let things get to the worst possible point. If she truly can't move forward, I'll make her stop."But even fools have an inexplicable resilience, and that lovely girl named Kiana Kaslana will never stop.The Kaslana family has been heroes for generations, and that's absolutely true.Even after death, their deeds continue to inspire future generations to move forward, allowing Kaslana family members to continue to become heroes.This isn't just about the stigmata; it's also the inertia of stories passed down through generations.The upbringing Siegfried gave Kiana was the same Kaslana family upbringing, a way of life she was most proud of.

"So what should we do next?""Use this, of course."

Bronie placed the pointer on the Jackal's picture.

"Poor Miss Jackal, has she been slated to become the game's final boss?""That guy isn't pitiful at all. Besides, Miss Jackal was the first to strike. She coveted a Herrscher as experimental material. What's wrong with us, and Kiana fighting back?"

"Yes, yes, yes~ Miss Jackal was greedy and overconfident, and she got bitten back and didn't even think about it~"Ellie knew Bronie was displeased with Jackal, and this displeasure wasn't just because of Jackal's usual behavior; it also stemmed from her annoyance with the Jackal in Cyber Arc City.Thinking about it, Miss Jackal was truly pitiful~----[Chapter 335: Kiana Arrives in Arc City]For Kiana, the first half of this journey after leaving the Schicksal Headquarters might have been a bit rough.But after returning to the orphanage and re-equipping herself, things weren’t so bad anymore.

At the beginning, when encountering the Honkai Beast, Kiana’s resources were limited. The erosion of Honkai energy, coupled with the cold weather, caused Kiana’s limbs to stiffen, leading to errors in the battle.

But Sirin appeared just in time, skillfully wielding her power to deliver a single, imaginary spear strike to the Honkai Beast.

Transforming it from Honkai Beast to Honkai Beast-chan.

In other words, at least Sirin was finally willing to fight alongside her.

And she had promised that she would shoulder the responsibility for Sirin’s past sins. Death was only a way to escape, not the best option for atonement.

Her priority was to fight the Honkai Beast.

For every person harmed, save a hundred!

Of course, the journey wasn’t all about walking and fighting Honkaimon. With her fake identity, Kiana could easily board the train and then play the Switch console Bronie had given her.

Saleable consoles had already been modified by Bronie, their performance almost as good as a computer, and the one in Kiana’s hand was even more modified.If possible, Bronie would have even added a module for transforming into a Kamen Rider, but unfortunately, the one she produced was only a mockup, not the powerful suit she had hoped for.Since it was just a mockup, Bronie was definitely not satisfied, so she didn’t add that module.If daily life were a game, then owning this console would almost be like cheating. You could even create a UI to monitor your health and equipment at any time.When Bronie released a new game, Kiana was the first to receive it.Kiana didn’t have much time to play, but Sirin had plenty of opportunities to try out Bronie’s new games. After playing the game, she suddenly began to develop a slightly more negative view of humans.

It wasn’t until Kiana officially played the game that she realized this wasn’t a game for her age.Yes, Kiana had never expected that Bronie would actually create a 17+ game. The plot and character development were truly indescribable.Because he was cuckolded, Mike demolished someone’s house, which incurred the wrath of the gangster.Franklin was also a restless person, obsessed with making a fortune and disregarding the law.And Trevor was even more of a heavyweight—anti-human, anti-social, and possibly even cannibalistic.No wonder Sirin hated him so much.

But Sirin seemed to enjoy controlling these guys and greeting the residents of Los Santos.It’s a pity that Kiana didn’t have the time to experience the entire game. After playing the Trevor section for a while, she was almost at Arc City. The moment she entered Arc City, Kiana’s phone rang with an alert, announcing she was under surveillance.

Checking her phone, Kiana saw several cameras trained on her.

Interesting.

She put on her hood and followed the low-visibility techniques she’d learned at St. Freya’s Academy.

To think she’d be spotted the moment she got out of the car?

And it wasn’t even Bronie who did it.Pretending nothing had happened, Kiana activated the anti-surveillance program on her phone. After that, the surveillance footage of Kiana headed in a completely different direction from her own, disappearing into the blind spot of the cameras.

Humph, competing with Bronie in network technology is nothing but a bunch of scum!

Although it wasn’t her doing, Kiana felt proud of it.Bronie’s location was recorded on her phone. Should she go?

Fool, think about who has made it so easy for you to get to Arc City? Why don’t you go see Bronie?

“Sirin, do you want to see Bronie too?”“Even if Bronie scolds me, I’ll accept it. Keeping avoiding it will get you nowhere. Remember Persona?”Sirin’s words immediately reminded Kiana of the plot in Persona.Escape never solves any problem. Facing difficulties head-on is the true hero…Kiana clenched her fists at this thought, cheering herself up. Perhaps Bronie truly is omnipotent. Perhaps she can even save Teacher Medea?

Just like Elysia?Booting the subway to their destination and passing through the bustling streets, Kiana noticed that the Honkai energy fluctuations she’d sensed seemed a bit excessive.If technology could utilize Honkai energy, then there would be no problem, but Kiana clearly sensed that this was not the case.So what had gone wrong?Was it that Jackal's doing?After all, with the information Bronie had provided, Kiana naturally had preconceived notions. So now Kiana had another choice in mind.

One was to directly break into the Heliopolis Life Sciences to gather evidence—a swift and decisive move.

The other was to find Bronie, steadily recover the evidence, and resolve the situation.

“Idiot! If you get caught in there, wouldn’t that just cause trouble for Bronie!?”

“I get caught? Will we both get caught?”Now it was Sirin’s turn to be silent.Don’t even think about it.If the Herrscher of the Void tries to escape, who can stop her?“No, no! The last Sirin died because she thought she was invincible! We can’t take risks easily; they might be waiting for us to take the bait! The Jackal is a scientist with no moral compass, but she’s definitely smarter than us!”Sirin stopped getting cocky, as if she’d finally gotten the message.Kiana pondered for a moment. She wondered if Sirin was scolding her for being so stupid. But it did seem like that was the truth.

The scientist was indeed much smarter than she was. Having just revealed her identity at the station, she imagined she’d be on guard.In that case, there was really nothing she could do.“Alright, alright. I’ll go find Sister Bronie.”After hearing Kiana’s choice, Sirin breathed a sigh of relief.She almost let Kiana go for nothing. She remembered the wreckage at Schicksal Headquarters vividly. At that moment, it felt as if her mind and consciousness had been transformed into the real Sirin, losing all freedom, even her soul.And now, after receiving that injection, she had finally regained her freedom, regaining her normal thoughts and the ability to think as she should.

And Sirin, having learned from the lessons of her predecessor, was like a frightened kitten, wary of the outside world. Whenever Kiana made a decision, she would carefully consider the pros and cons before making a choice.

As the saying goes, even the wisest man makes mistakes, while even the foolish man makes gains.

Indeed, Sirin often helped Kiana make many seemingly flawless choices. That’s why Kiana was able to arrive in Arc City so smoothly and without causing any trouble.

You have to know that Shenzhou maintains very strict border control. A single clash with local soldiers could make things much worse.Sighing, suddenly feeling a little tired, Sirin watched Kiana slowly walk towards the new direction indicated by Bronie.To be honest, Sirin was still very nervous about what Bronie said.After all, during the battle at the Schicksal Headquarters, Bronie undoubtedly held back, but her control of space was certainly far inferior to mine. And yet, Sirin had chosen to capture Medea and take her to the imaginary space to deal with her alone.Until Medea injected the medicine, Bronie didn’t seem to arrive.Perhaps…

This behavior of hers would disappoint Bronie, who had always had high hopes for her.“It’s a bar…”Following the navigation, Kiana arrived at the entrance.

Seeing the flashing neon lights, Kiana had never expected to find herself in such a place. She remembered back in Russia, Bronie and Sister Cioara also had a bar there, with a warm fireplace and a delicious stew always ready.

And then…Kiana’s only memory of the bar was finding Himeko-sensei there.Himeko-sensei would often end up drunk in the bar, and the bartender would contact Theresa to have someone escort her, and she’d often be ordered around.Who said the Kaslana family had so much strength?Himeko-sensei would cling to her like an octopus.It was terrible, but it was also a wonderful memory.Ever since that incident, Kiana couldn’t help but reminisce about her past, and she didn’t know why.Pushing open the bar door, Kiana looked towards the bar.“Hey~ Did you miss me, cute girl~”Ellie, dressed in a maid outfit, was also delighted at the sight of the familiar figure.

“Eh!? Sister Ellie, how did you know…”“No matter what disguise you use, it won’t escape Ellie’s enchanting beauty radar! That’s why I could sense you the moment you walked in! Well, you must be tired from the journey! Bronie has prepared some delicious treats in the basement! And Sirin, congratulations on finally being free.”Sirin was shocked to hear Elysia say this.Could it be that—“Indeed, Bronie has known about your condition for a long time. She’s always been concerned about you. When your self-perception began to confuse you with your past Sirin, Bronie noticed it. But the treatment is complicated. Eradicating hidden dangers always comes at a cost, and Bronie is working hard to control that cost!”But in the end, she let a dear and kind teacher pass away.

Sirin hid in Kiana’s heart, her eyes dimming slightly.

Bronie felt Sirin's enthusiasm die.Sometimes, Bronie had to admit that Otto was truly excellent at playing the role of a good teacher.

Whether it was the fundamental principles of life or conventional teaching methods, it seemed as if nothing could stump her

As for the students who graduated from his tutelage…Isn’t Durandal quite outstanding?Although Theresa may be a little unreliable at times, she’s no less capable in resisting the Honkai and yearning for a better future.And Amber, she’s the one who easily manages all the trivialities of Schicksal, managing it with impeccable order.This talent, even among Type-Moon Heroic Spirits, is worthy of a seat on the Throne of Heroes.

So, when pretending to be Kiana’s teacher, Otto fully utilized his talents, fostering a wonderful relationship with her.Although he rarely showed affection, and even slightly disdained Kiana’s unbridled behavior, his heartfelt care, which seemed to replace Siegfried’s sense of family, was deeply etched in Kiana’s heart.Medea held such a profound place in Kiana’s heart, and the pain of losing her was immense. Although two years wasn’t a long time, it left Kiana feeling as if a piece of her heart was missing.

If it weren’t for Bronie, Kiana might have remained mired in pain, even ignoring the family who still cared about her.

“So, Bronie knew all along?”

“Well, Bronie told me why she kept it a secret. She said childhood should be carefree and happy, and that adults should handle any problems!”

“What?… Didn’t you agree that you’d leave me alone after I went to St. Freya’s Academy…”Kiana’s tone was a bit complaining, but she was actually quite touched.How should she put it?Although she's a clone and don’t have any real family,I’m quite lucky to have met so many people who care about me and love me.

"Okay! Come down quickly with Sirin. We can talk about anything at the dinner table. And don’t be shy about asking for help. It’s best for children to solve problems with the adults!”

“I’ll figure it out myself! I’m a little embarrassed to be bothering everyone all the time.”

“You’ve grown up! You’re starting to take the initiative to solve problems yourself! You used to call Mei, Bronya, and your dear Sis Bronie!”

When Ellie heard Kiana’s thoughts, she immediately understood her state of mind.

There was no doubt that Kiana had grown up, become more sensible, and stopped acting like a spoiled child to solve problems

.

“That was the past!”

“By the way! I got you a maid outfit. You must wear it if you’re at the bar soon!”

“No way! I won’t wear something so embarrassing!”

Seeing Ellie trying to use her as a dress-up doll again, Kiana quickly ran to the basement door, made a face at her, and then hurried down into the basement..

“She’s so cute, how can she be embarrassed…”Ellie was hurt by Kiana, clutching her chest in distress.

Suddenly, she remembered that Kiana wasn’t actually that big…Is she feeling inferior?----[Chapter 336: Arc City Disciple]"Hi, long time no see. Did you miss me? I bet you have a lot of questions to ask?"When Bronie noticed Kiana approaching, she immediately turned off the lights in the basement, leaving only a single overhead light shining down.She then struck Commander Ikari’s signature pose, looking like a boss.In the darkness, Kiana barely managed to reach the light on the wall."Bronie, stop trying to act cool right now..."Kiana sighed helplessly, but Bronie’s playful behavior did ease her nerves a bit.It seemed that the change in status wouldn’t change Bronie’s attitude toward her."Hehe, people are born to enjoy the present moment. The pursuit of happiness is the meaning of life~"The lights turned on, causing Kiana to be surprised at the densely packed information on the blackboard.If Bronie had done this herself, would Jackal still be so arrogant?

But now, this mission falls to me.

What’s going on?

"Has Bronie always known about this?""If you’re talking about your identity, then of course. After all, when I first arrived in this world, I was incredibly curious about everything, so I looked up some intel on the Schicksal Organization. You went berserk again in Siberia, and I was the one who handled that! And then your father left, didn’t he?""So that’s the reason..."

Kiana had never imagined that this was why her father had left her."In the end, he chose to be powerful and keep quiet. That’s his own approach to education, and I can’t blame him. Besides, he's not a scientific researcher, so he couldn’t possibly fully understand your physical condition, so I’m taking care of it."Sirin and her can work so harmoniously together now. Though, to achieve this, it seems Bronie had put in a lot of effort for this.

And how much effort she hadn’t mentioned!Kiana felt deeply moved."Okay, I’m not telling you this to demand repayment, but to tell you that you’re definitely not alone. If there’s anything you can’t solve, think of your family. Even if you can’t think of me, at least think of Mei, the one you always talk about."

"Mei? How’s Mei lately?"

"She feels her power is weak, so she’s ready to fully embrace her Herrscher power. She truly loves you. I heard that even after leaving Schicksal HQ, your body will be corroded by the high concentration of Honkai energy, so she’s frantically trying to find a solution."

"You’ve already calculated this!?"

Kiana felt that Bronie was becoming increasingly magical, but then she remembered that Bronie was connected to the Aeons, so all of this seem natural.

"Your Sister Bronie is very reliable, right? This is a side effect of the God-Slaying Spear. It can be quite damaging to a Herrscher’s body, potentially transforming it into that of an ordinary person. You experienced that in Singapore."

"Huh? That regeant..."

"Yeah, if Dr. Maki hadn’t stolen some of it from Schicksal, I might not have gotten it. Then I added some ingredients to it, hoping to help Sirin regain her freedom. But everything has a price, doesn’t it?"

Upon hearing 'the price,' Kiana looked guilty. That bastard Otto really nailed the ‘good guy’ act.

Has Kiana still been feeling the effects of the attack yet?!

Bronie couldn’t sit still any longer and stood up, rushing over to Kiana."Huh?"Kiana was still a little confused.But Bronie’s hug came anyway.

"The past is the past. Sooner or later, we all have to face the future. Want to cry in my arms?"

Besides the bathroom, the only place to cry is in the arms of family.Bronie once said this to sound cool, and Kiana thought it was pretty cool and memorized it.But she never expected how hard it would be to live by it after truly understanding it.And then, suddenly, Bronie hugged her. What a shame!

The tears that had long since dried for some reason filled her eyes again."Oh, Bronie, you’re so mean! You made Kiana cry so quickly!"

At that moment, Elysia came downstairs. Seeing this heartwarming scene, she immediately knew what Bronie had done.It was obvious that Kiana had tormented herself many times along the way.Bronie, in turn, smiled helplessly.Kiana’s current state was actually largely due to her.

Of course, Siegfried bears 30% of the blame, Otto 60%, and she can only take 10%.

The vast majority of things were simply a matter of going along with the flow.

An overly complacent mindset wouldn’t be beneficial for a Herrscher’s awakening, and Bronie didn’t believe the Herrscher would watch her sink like this.

There was no escape after all.

Prometheus is already operating within the Cocoon, but while she can influence its operations, she can’t alter its ultimate goal.

"Everyone admires heroes, but there are certain pains only heroes can truly feel. But, Kiana, you’re now on the path to becoming a hero...or rather, I hope you'll become one. After all, a hero at least has companions around them."

"Are heroes necessarily lonely?"

"Yes, because they bear responsibilities uncommon to ordinary people. They’re destined to be misunderstood and ultimately become stepping stones for the next hero. This isn’t their own will, but the inevitable experience of walking this path."

"So heroes are bad?"

"No, it’s just my wish that you don’t walk that thorny path. But will you give up?"

Kiana shook her head against Bronie’s chest.

Bronie looked astonished. "So, let’s settle for the next best thing and become a hero! Just like in Tears of the Kingdom, Link has countless companions around him, right?"

"Then you’re my Great Sage?"

"Hahaha, if you want to rely on me, then do so freely! I can do a lot for your sister Bronie! And Sirin —she’ll definitely find a way to help you, won’t she?"

"Hmph, I won’t meddle."Sirin’s projection appeared.The power behind this was naturally Bronie’s neural connection device. By establishing a link with Sirin, she could project her directly.While the principle behind Herrscher projection differed, the power of technology was still very convenient.

Seeing Sirin look well, Bronie smiled with relief. "I’m sorry. I’ve known about your self-perception issues for a long time, but unfortunately, I’m not very experienced in cognitive processing. I can’t make adjustments until everything about the Herrscher Core is fully revealed."

"Hmph, you should have trusted my abilities a bit more. If you’d told me earlier, maybe there wouldn’t have been so much trouble."

"Perhaps... But when your self-perception is confused, can you really control your thoughts?"

"I..."Hearing Bronie’s words, Sirin recalled the moment she killed Medea with her own hands.

She had to say... it was truly impossible to stop it.

It’s just that Medea's neck feels a little stiff.

Of course, Sirin didn’t dwell on it and simply ignored it."All right! Kiana must be hungry! Here’s the food~"At that moment, Ellie came up from the kitchen with dinner.Kiana hadn’t eaten much in the car. After all, doing anything unnecessary always attracts attention.

To avoid trouble, Kiana was extremely cautious. If she were at St. Freya Academy, she would’ve begged Mei for food long ago, but here, there was nowhere to beg.Ellie and Bronie had anticipated this, and by the time Kiana arrived, the bar was already closed for the day.Chen Tianwu suddenly received a holiday notice and was happily off playing.

"So, why do you want me to do this? Wouldn’t it be easy if Bronie just stepped in?"Kiana had practically memorized all information about Jackal.

This guy might be talented in science, but she had no moral compass and was a complete egoist. She’d done a lot that harmed others and benefited herself. Normally, Bronie shouldn’t have kept her.

"Technically, she’s a colleague of your sister Cioara. They’re part of an organization older than even Schicksal, fighting the Honkai. Their predecessor was connected to Dr. MEI. Choosing someone like that as a scientist for the World Serpent was the brainchild of someone I couldn’t necessarily defeat."

"Huh? Sister Bronie is so powerful—how could anyone be more powerful than her?!"

Bronie shrugged, feeling rather helpless.

If Kevin discovered she was hindering his Project Stigma, she’d definitely come after me with a knife.

But would Kiana be the same? Could Kiana, who bore Kaslana blood, ignore such a thing?

Cioara would certainly remain silent, and Chen Tianwu wouldn’t know what to say; she didn’t bother meddling in the World Serpent’s internal strife.

As for the Ash Serpent, Bronie had concealed information so well that even Hydra might not know.

Therefore, while Bronie worked under the World Serpent’s nose, she actually operated in complete obscurity.

Even the Gray Serpents in Arc City were unaware that Bronie had been there for some time.

If Kiana intervened, stubborn Kevin would definitely believe this was Otto’s plan.

Perhaps it was to obtain the core of the Cosmic Juggernaut?

After all, according to Gray Serpent intelligence, Otto wasn’t enthusiastic about destroying the Honkai, and Kevin was always wary of him.

And Otto must've had led Kiana to Arc City and want to sent Jackal to prison. Kevin would try to get Kiana to visit the World Serpent’s Elysian Realm first. If that failed, he'd try to stabilize this unstable Herrscher.

In the cause of fighting the Honkai, Kevin was indeed willing to do that.

Kiana wouldn’t understand these twists, and if she accidentally slipped something in front of Kevin, something terrible could happen.

So Bronie could only remain silent.

"The leader of the World Serpent, the strongest warrior of the previous era, your Kaslana family's ancestor—a ruthless warrior who could battle the Herrscher of Finality and survive. I’m just a weak hacker; I don’t have that kind of power."

"How can a weak hacker snatch someone from the Tree of Imaginary Numbers?" Ellie complained, but Bronie didn’t respond.

"I see—perhaps I was a little too greedy... So, what does Bronie want me to do next?"

"Train, of course, and become stronger!"

"Huh!?"

Kiana didn’t understand, but she drew an Imaginary Spear and looked at Bronie, as if to ask, "Do I really need to become stronger?"

"The influence of the God-Slaying Spear is still there. You’re currently on the borderline between being an ordinary person and a Herrscher. If that balance is broken, you’ll become a zombie. I don’t want that to happen."

"Huh? I’m going to become a zombie!?"

"The Herrschers of the previous civilization—strictly speaking, those without self-awareness—were powerful zombies. Communication was essentially impossible, and they could only be eliminated. The Herrschers of this civilization haven’t reached that level yet, and I don’t want you to be the first."

After hearing that, Kiana asked anxiously, "Isn’t it just another class and an exam?"

"It’s training with the lovely teachers Elysia and Fu Hua! Shenzhou-style! You’ve definitely never seen practice like this!"

"That’s right. While executing Project Ember, Fu Hua compiled a method for cultivating Honkai energy. Those with specific talents can greatly enhance their physical fitness after practicing it—useful for fighting Honkai."

"Unfortunately, the martial-arts secrets derived from the Project SWARA carry a high risk of infatuation, so there's basically no chance for widespread adoption. Later, triggered by the SWARA, Fu Hua fell into abnormality again."

Ellie had also learned of Fu Hua’s long years of trials. She had to admit Fu Hua had worked hard. It was precisely her descent that made Kevin realize only his plan could succeed, which is why he was determined to execute Project Stigma.

"Great~

Kiana was immediately excited when she heard about this brand-new training method. Martial arts secrets—that sounds super cool!

Bronie also smiled dangerously.

"Very good! I’ll be there to teach you. I’ll fetch the jeep and the eighteen bronze men. Don’t complain when you’re training!"----[Chapter 337: Preliminary Missions for Heliopolis Life Sciences]On the rooftop of a bar, in a deserted square at night, or even in the underworld boxing rings of Arc City, Kiana was a common sight.With Bronie's cover-up, Gray Serpent who usually considered themselves an internet god couldn't find even a single piece of information about Kiana online.This was strange.But that didn't stop Gray Serpent from using the photo of Kiana entering the station as bait.Luring those who wanted to take her life, bringing some materials to Jackal, or perhaps stopping Jackal's actions, and then announcing the existence of World Serpent!With Finality approaching, World Serpent no longer needed to be low-key. The preliminary preparations for Project Stigma were nearly complete, all thanks to Bronie's rescue of the Lord from the sea.But being arrogant was pointless. The Lord had also developed a strong interest in Kiana and wanted to capitalize on Jackal's plans to stir things up, involving Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. The goal was to allow Kiana, Mei, and Bronya to grow together as Herrschers.

And then, surely one of these three Herrschers could be tricked into going to the Elysian Realm, right?

After all, Kevin had made a pact with everyone in the Elysian Realm; no matter what, she had to let Elysia there see the existence of Herrschers.

Of course, the real Elysia had already interacted with these Herrschers, and Kevin was quite pleased to see that.

Having confirmed that the threat posed by the Herrschers to human civilization today wasn't particularly significant, they still posed a threat to Project Stigma. Therefore, Kevin had asked Miss Eden to carefully consider how to keep them out of Project Stigma to prevent them from affecting everyone else.

"Kiana, don't run away! Charge at the jeep!"

"I'm not stupid! Why would I fight a jeep?"In the middle of the night, above the Arc City Sports Plaza, it was deserted. Kiana ran frantically ahead, while Bronie chased after her in a jeep.

"Running away won't solve anything! Since you don't want to memorize the Edge of Taixuan, I'll make you learn it with your body!"

"So the way to memorize the Edge of Taixuan with my body is to be chased by a jeep!!!"

Kiana was on the verge of tears. She hadn't expected Bronie's training methods to be so brutal. Why was she being chased by a jeep spewing blue flames?Normally, as a Valkyrie, Kiana would have no problem dealing with a jeep.

At first, Kiana did believe she could withstand the jeep head-on.

But the moment she collided with the jeep, it unexpectedly increased its force, adding more propulsion devices.

Kiana, whose body hadn't fully recovered yet, was suddenly struck and sent flying, as if facing a sudden charge from a Chariot-class Honkai beast. She was so dazed she almost saw her mother, Cecilia.

Then Kiana suddenly realized that she hadn't fully recovered since leaving the Schicksal Headquarters.Power was intermittent, and Honkai energy was actually damaging her body. It wasn't until Bronie chased her in a jeep that Kiana finally realized this."Have you forgotten yet? Didn't Elysia tell you to memorize how to mobilize Honkai energy to activate the Edge of Taixuan through your body? Remember! There won't be a quiet place to rehearse on the battlefield. Engrave this technique into your bones!""Woo-woo-woo~"

Even though she said that, there's still a process of mastery!Why did Bronie just hit her with a jeep?!

It must be said, however, that when pushed to her limit, Kiana did manage to unleash a brief excerpt of the Edge of Taixuan, swinging the baseball bat with unstoppable force.Unfortunately, the bat collided with the jeep's shield, causing no damage. The recoil from the bat left Kiana numb all over."What's with those tears? Can they kill a Honkai beast? More sweat in training, less blood on the battlefield. You must understand this simple truth. Use your body to memorize the Edge of Taixuan, and don't neglect your Herrscher training!""Sister Bronie, you're so strict..."Kiana collapsed from exhaustion, lying motionless on the track.

Elysia, concerned, quickly helped Kiana up and brought her delicious milk tea."Special times call for special training. Ever since the Honkai erupted at Schicksal Headquarters, Wendy has been handling the global spread of Honkai energy near the stratosphere, but her energy alone is limited, and soon the disaster will be exposed."

"Are we unable to hide it anymore?"

Kiana knew that Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had been concealing the existence of Honkai, but the general public knew that the world was plagued by disasters.

The last time it was a typhoon that devastated Nagazora City, or a deadly virus that infected New Zealand.

These Honkai events were misrepresented as other disasters, but with the increasing frequency of Honkai outbreaks and the advancement of the information age, more and more Honkai beasts were sighted.

Hiding the Honkai became increasingly difficult.As for why the existence of Honkai was concealed?

Imagine a catastrophe destined to destroy everything, and no one has yet found a solution. In this unstable atmosphere, an opportunist incited a riot.

What would happen?

Production stagnates, public order falls apart, and then people turn on each other—all of these things are possible.

If humanity lacks unity at that point, there's no way we'll be able to fight the Honkai.Thankfully, whether it's Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, or World Serpent, they're all working on this matter, gradually publicizing the disaster of Honkai.

Of course, the end of the world hasn't been announced yet, but the occasional appearance of Honkai beasts in Arc City has gradually sparked discussion.

Some say these are ancient beasts from China, and that Immortal Phoenix must be summoned to deal with them.

Then someone replied that she was Qin Shi Huang.The internet was in chaos, but the official authorities, in a rare move, remained silent, even the topic of Honkai remaining undeleted.

Then Bronie showed Kiana the relevant forum posts.

"Are there still Honkai beasts roaming around Arc City? And no one's dealing with them?"

"How could there be no one dealing with them? As soon as a Honkai beast appears in the city, drones and soldiers are immediately dispatched to deal with it. Because of Fu Hua's presence, while Schicksal and Shenzhou have a certain level of cooperation, there's no deeper collaboration, so there won't be any Valkyries stationed there."

Kiana stood up abruptly, then closed her eyes, sensing the surrounding Honkai energy and the potential for Honkai beasts.

"Without the Valkyries, the Honkai beasts would be much more difficult to deal with, wouldn't they?"Elysia suddenly became concerned about Shenzhou's situation.

But Bronie simply shook her head.

"Although there aren't any Valkyries, Fu Hua's Edge of Taixuan has spread to the people in a different form, so Shenzhou's resistance to Honkai energy is still very high. Coupled with the prevalence of martial arts, those who utilize Honkai energy in their martial arts have formed a special team to combat Honkai beasts."

Although fists aren't as strong as swords and spears, with improved physical fitness, fighting Honkai beasts isn't that difficult. As long as the weaponry developed is sufficient to break through the Honkai beast's shell, it shouldn't be a big problem for multiple warriors to coordinate against it.

"That's right... but if a Honkai beast appears before me, I won't just ignore it!"

"Do you still have the strength? Just leave it alone. If a Honkai beast appears near me, let me handle it. If that doesn't work, let Cioara or Chen Tianwu handle it."Bronie extended a finger and gently tapped Kiana, causing her to fall backward uncontrollably.

Bronie then caught her in time.

"Damn you, Sister Bronie, did you plan this too?"

"Hahaha, Kiana, do you know how to solve the problem of cats that don't sleep at night and like to make noise? The answer is to drain all their energy during the day!"

"I'm not a cat!"

Bronie smiled at Kiana's ferocious movements in her arms and then carried her to Ellie's arms.

"I'll leave the little kitty to you. Let's have a bedtime story about the Edge of Taixuan. Kiana's health is indeed improving, but she'll be eroded by Honkai energy. Don't worry, once she adapts to the Herrscher core, she won't have to worry about any Honkai energy damage!"

"Are you okay?"Ellie was still a little worried about Bronie's condition. After all, Bronie was definitely not a Herrscher, so it was still possible for her to be eroded by Honkai energy.Although it was unknown, the damage to the body was still very uncomfortable.Bronie wiped away the nonexistent sweat and gave a thumbs-up.

"Absolutely fine. The jeep is designed to isolate Honkai energy, and it's quite effective!"Kiana was currently a completely unshielded radioactive substance, emitting naturally concentrated Honkai energy radiation.In the future, if Kiana fully mastered the power of the Herrscher, this problem wouldn't arise.Faced with this situation, Bronie naturally used her own methods to isolate the Honkai energy.

"Eh? Can't Bronie handle the presence of Honkai energy?"

"After all, I'm not a Herrscher. Well, forget it. Mastering this power with Sirin is the best thing. It's getting late, so go to bed early. Staying up late won't keep your breasts from growing!"

"Okay..."Kiana felt a little embarrassed seeing how much Bronie had sacrificed for her training.

She wanted to go out and fight the Honkai beasts, but seeing how far Bronie had gone to train her, she decided to listen to Bronie's plans.

Slightly embarrassed, Ellie carried her into the jeep. Bronie took the driver's seat and took Kiana back to the bar.The bar's basement had become Kiana's main base. Here, she could keep tabs on Jackal, reminding herself to strive for strength and thwart her plans.

Of course, in addition to a large blackboard and a soft-looking bed, Bronie also provided air conditioning, ensuring Kiana was always comfortable. Although the place was a bit small, it felt incredibly safe.After waking up in the morning, she might need to clean up the inside of the bar.

Then, during the day, it was Fu Hua and Elysia's class time.

It felt pretty much like life at St. Freya's Academy, except for the lack of familiar people, and the quieter classroom environment, making it harder to slack off.Just when Kiana was wondering if she'd have to endure another month of classes, Bronie temporarily stopped the class on the third day in Arc City."No classes today. Fu Hua and Elysia will teach you the Edge of Taixuan. All that's left is to practice day after day, repetitively, to quickly reach the state of swordsmanship. How's your recovery? Have you gained more strength? Have you become more proficient in controlling Honkai?"

"Absolutely!" Kiana replied, a smile spreading across her face at the news of no classes today.Bronie looked at Kiana and nodded.

"Take this phone! It allows you to hide your identity within Arc OS. Heliopolis Life Sciences just recently received a shipment of goods, and I think there's something shady in there. So, you can gather some information from there to find evidence that sends Jackal to prison. Maybe there is, maybe not, but something has to be done."

"Wow... It feels like playing Grand Theft Auto..."

Kiana said this, and Bronie was quite pleased.Yes, that's exactly what it felt like.The relevant information is listed on the blackboard, then you directly seize the target, and then you escape!It's thrilling and exciting. Bronie hasn't done a mission like this in a long time.

"It's normal to be nervous the first time. I've done this kind of thing before, so trust my expertise! But be careful. Jackal might sense you're coming and release some test subjects to slow you down. They might also use special agents to affect your combat effectiveness."

"Do they use this kind of despicable method?"

"So we're going to be even more despicable. Before Heliopolis Life Sciences starts delivering the goods, you need to hack into their servers and plant the Trojan I've prepared. Of course, if you don't want to play it safe and don't think they'll set a trap, I'm fine with that. Will you choose that route?"

"Can't we just get evidence from their servers?"Wow, Kiana actually used her brain!

"Wow, okay? Evidence and intelligence aren't stored on computers connected to the Unicom network, so even if it's an internal server, you can't expect to get any evidence. If you're confident enough to find that computer, you might be able to send them to prison."It seemed Bronie didn't know where the computer was either.Then she'd better not look for it myself. Picking up her pistol and baseball bat, Kiana tied her hair into a ponytail, ready to go.

"Alright! I'll go test Heliopolis Life Sciences right now!"----[Chapter 338: Mei is Preparing the Basement]The news of Kiana's appearance in Nagazora City spread instantly to Anti-Entropy and Schicksal.

There was no way around it. Everyone in the world was watching this unstable factor. The Second Eruption would transform all of Siberia into a wasteland, and no one could guarantee that the next Siberia wouldn't be their home.

Of course, besides Anti-Entropy and Schicksal's intelligence network, the most important thing was Gray Serpent, acting as a hidden intelligence dealer under the guise of World Serpent, who sold all the information to Rita.

This was practically feeding Schicksal's mouth, clearly indicating that some organization had ulterior motives for Kiana.So why would Gray Serpent release information about Kiana?

Otto didn't believe there was no ulterior motive, but he could only defend himself against any potential danger. After all, he and Fu Hua had agreed not to extend their influence into Shenzhou, so Schicksal's influence in Shenzhou was limited.

When Theresa heard that Kiana had arrived in Arc City, she immediately remembered that Bronie had already gotten off the ride there.

What was going on?

Theresa couldn't figure it out, and neither could Welt. Einstein and Tesla found it even more absurd.The more one studied science, the more one felt that such mystical things as precognition were essentially impossible.

But Bronie had done it!

And she'd done it nearly two months early!

What had Bronie been doing during those two months?

She created Grand Theft Auto, with its vast array of content, even more freeform and outrageous than Red Dead Redemption.

Is this something a normal person could do?

Mei hadn't said anything about this. Now, even in her sleep, she'd been talking about Kiana. After Kiana's recent disappearance, Mei felt a sense of emptiness within her.

This time, when Theresa announced she'd received intelligence that Kiana was in Arc City, Mei's eyes lit up.

Using Hyperion, they reached the skies above Arc City, then parachuted directly into Arc City itself. Hyperion and most of the Valkyries at St. Freya's Academy were hostile to Sky's Schicksal, so they had to keep a low profile.

"The specific information came from an intelligence dealer named Gray Serpent. Our current goal is to find Gray Serpent and extract clues about Kiana's location from them. You can use any means you want, but be wary of any organization behind them, as they may have ulterior motives."

After successfully landing in Arc City, Arc City's security robots took action. After all, their entry into Arc City was illegal, and Mei was currently without an identity.

The good news is that the base code for Sky's OS, which monitors the entire city, is actually Sky's Schicksal OS. Hyperion's Ai-chan can influence it to some extent, helping Mei conceal her identity.

"Hey, brat, the reinforcement core for your Valkyrie battlesuit is still being crafted. From now on, it's up to you to wield your Herrscher powers. You're already a far cry from the Herrscher you were at Schicksal Headquarters, so don't doubt your own strength."

Tesla was also modifying the Valkyrie battlesuit to accommodate Mei's Herrscher powers.

Of course, there was also a bit of Herrscher research involved, as it would enhance the Titans' combat effectiveness while advancing their technology. Tesla had recently been having a lot of ideas for creating new Titans.

Electromagnetism was Tesla's forte. With the Herrscher's help in her experiments, her technology, as the civilization would say, had experienced at least three Eureka moments.

"Okay, Dr. Tesla, I won't be lost anymore. All I want is for Kiana to return safely to me, so we can fight the Honkai together again and find Kiana's father."After hearing Bronie's rhetoric, Mei realized the limitations of her own strength. After reconciling with her Herrscher personality, she unleashed a Herrscher power that even Theresa who accompanied by Judah couldn't handle.

At this point, Mei was practically on the verge of metamorphosis. If she could find Kiana, she might even grow horns.

"You Valkyries of Saint Freya are truly terrifying! Keep up the good work. But I think if you can find Bronie, you might be able to find Kiana. I didn't expect her to come to Arc City two months early. I don't believe anything about luck. I don't know how Bronie predicted these events, but she's definitely watching us while she's having fun!"

Tesla's blood pressure rose at the thought of Bronie's performance in Schicksal. Now, everything was as Bronie had anticipated, from Kiana's performance, Mei's state, to Bronya's growth progress. It was unclear what Bronie's ultimate goal was.

It felt incredibly strange. Could there be some significant benefit to Bronie from the growth of these three little ones?"Is everything Sister Bronie's calculation? But I believe that Bronie who created a game like Undertale can't be a bad person!""She even created Grand Theft Auto!""This..."Grand Theft Auto is certainly a great game for boys, but it's a little inappropriate for girls.Whether it was Trevor or Mike.Tesla, with her short temper, immediately understood the game's true nature and wasn't particularly fond of it.Of course, the world's detail was quite good, and the Easter eggs in the story mode, including Galahato's appearance, were quite satisfying.But she just couldn't get enough of it. After all, Anti-Entropy is a local tycoon in the US, and the game often involves robbing an organization that's playing against Anti-Entropy, the counterpart to the original game's Merryweather Group.Inefficient, stupid, and even the protagonist's ATM.With all the negative buffs hurled at her, Tesla felt like she was being implied again.So, she still harbored a strong resentment towards the game Bronie had created.Hearing Tesla's attitude, Mei suppressed a laugh and feigned ignorance.Then Mei turned off her comms and began to observe the bustling city.It felt like Night City.For some reason, Mei's first impression of this city was this.Could it be that Bronie used this city as a reference when creating Night City?The sky subway that crisscrosses the city, the countless neon lights, and the intricate alleyways.Even the highways are built through the skyscrapers. Compared to Arc City, the infrastructure and environment here are truly outrageous. What then?

Looking at the intricate maze of paths, Mei was momentarily unsure of her route.

After all, she had just seen herself on the first floor, but there was a staircase next door, and after walking past it, she was back on the first floor.

The entire city was incredibly mysterious, like a giant maze.

This was Mei's first time in such a three-dimensional city, and for a moment, she had no idea how to get to Gray Serpent.

After arriving at Arc City, Mei was stunned by a small shockwave. Unaware, Kiana also arrived near Heliopolis Life Sciences.

Among the skyscrapers, Heliopolis Life Sciences' architectural style is quite unique.Built on the mountainside, the vast plaza at the entrance was filled with countless patrol robots.With so many robots guarding the area, it was clear that this was the kind of behavior only a thief with a guilty conscience would commit.

"Normally, Shenzhou is very strict about gun control. Forget Titans; even pistols found at a person's belonging can one be generally sent to jail. However, Heliopolis Life Sciences does have very close ties with the government and collaborates with the military. So if you're caught during your invasion, you might be facing the might of a nation."

As she spoke, Bronie used Kiana's tactical eyepiece to mark most of the robots inside Heliopolis Life Sciences, even creating a red light to represent their field of vision.

Anyone entering the red light's range would be immediately alerted.

"Wow, this is just like being in a game."

"Analyzing all the intelligence and finding a pattern, breaking through Heliopolis Life Sciences's defenses is like cracking a game for me. Now it's up to you. Don't damage the robots lightly; after all, destroying them will definitely set off an alert."

"Okay!"

Kiana raised her hand and a portal appeared, entering the blind spot of the patrol and surveillance cameras.

Then, another portal appeared, bringing her directly to the entrance of the Heliopolis Life Sciences building. The patrolling robots in front of the building offered no obstruction at all.

"Great, great! You're becoming increasingly proficient in the use of your Herrscher power."

"Thanks to the guidance of Teacher Fu Hua and Sister Ellie, the Edge of Taixuan may sound pedantic, but it's truly powerful when practiced."

As an instinctive Valkyrie, Kiana definitely couldn't sustain a routine of reading, understanding, and then practicing.

But if Fenghuang Down were used to physically control her and demonstrate it directly, Kiana would quickly memorize it.

Bronie knew this about Kiana, so after letting her memorize it physically, their evening training consisted primarily of mastering the Edge of Taixuan in extreme conditions.

It felt like training an umamusume.

"Hmph, if you could fix that habit of falling asleep when you read, you might actually be a true genius. Why would you need a jeep?"

"Hehe, there's nothing I can do. I'm on the server!"

After using several teleports, entering an imaginary space, and then changing her coordinates to reach a blind spot, the Herrscher of the Void's power was truly overbearing and unreasonable.Jackal probably thought Kiana was currently battling Sirin and thought that it's impossible for her to use her power so smoothly so quickly.

Plus, building space-related detection equipment and keeping it running around the clock would cost a fortune.Jackal would have already spent that money on lab equipment and raw materials. How could she really spend so much on being wary of Kiana?

Besides, she hadn't provoked Kiana, and her Honkai-energy-eliminating spray was incredibly powerful. A simple spray on Kiana would be as effective as insecticide on cockroaches.So, the arrogant Jackal hadn't even considered that Kiana would head straight for her company after arriving in Arc City.

You have to remember that the Honkai energy in Arc City has only just begun to spread, and there haven't been many sightings of Honkai Beasts.

"Excellent! I've taken down Heliopolis Life Sciences's robots and surveillance! Next, head down to the basement level. You have five minutes. The goods are being transferred."

"Don't they ever rest at night?"

Kiana couldn't help but complain. It was already so late at night, so why were there still so many workers loading goods?

"It's precisely because these things can't be seen in public that they choose to transport them at night. So, stop complaining and get moving quickly to avoid attracting too much attention."

Kiana's movements were also incredibly quick. After several teleports, she found a corner to rest for a moment before teleporting down again.

To reach the basement level, you can even skip the stairs or elevator and simply descend through the floor, ignoring the terrain.Descending from the fifteenth floor of the server was like turning on Minecraft's spectator mode.

Landing as lightly as a cat, Kiana made her way to the unloading area. There were numerous wooden boxes here, seemingly freshly unloaded from trucks.The drone was still operating normally, having collected the cargo from the deliveryman and temporarily stacked it nearby.

Kiana looked at the boxes curiously. They even had holes in them, and she wondered what was inside.

"The list says they're sheep for experiments? And there are monkeys and mice, too."

"Would monkeys be kept in wooden boxes?"Bronie's words reminded Kiana.

Yes!

How could monkeys be kept in wooden boxes

Shouldn't they be kept in iron cages?

As for sheep, that was out of the question. However, Kiana didn't see a single sheep, nor did she smell anything.

Generally speaking, the smell of such animals would be very distinct!

Suddenly, Kiana had a bad feeling.

"Could it be!"

The moment she opened the box and saw the contents, Kiana held her breath.

"Comparing humans to animals? Okay, okay, has this Jackal gone this far again? Kiana, can you move them all?"They were all small children, lying quietly in wooden boxes. They must have been knocked unconscious by drugs.Kiana opened another wooden box, and sure enough, there were other children inside."No problem, I promise I won't let any of them go!""Use the electronic knife to hack into a robot and cause a mutiny. Then, seize the opportunity to take all the children away and bring them to the Arc City Sports Plaza. I'll handle the rest!"Kiana immediately took action after receiving the order.

While she was busy moving the children, Mei, who was searching for Gray Serpent, spotted the white figure amid the neon lights of Arc City and took off in pursuit.Mei swore that after capturing Kiana, she would lock her up in the basement!That way, she would definitely stay by her side...---[Chapter 339: Mantis Catches the Cicada]Even late at night, Arc City was still brightly lit.

The flickering neon lights seemed to completely blur the lines between night and day.

The bustling streets were still full of people, but even so, Meiyi could still lock onto that familiar figure.

There was no doubt that it was Kiana!

Kiana loved to wear her hair in a ponytail because it was easy and didn't require much thought. And that innocent figure—even if she had gray hair—she would recognize her!

She had originally planned to find Gray Serpent, but upon seeing Kiana, her heart fluttered. She immediately dropped her task, said something to Theresa, and then chased after her!

With a single leap, she easily reached the rooftop, but for some reason, Kiana's figure was even further away.

Is it because of the power of the Herrscher of the Void?

She hadn't expected Kiana to master this power so quickly in just two months. If she'd mastered it and was no longer controlled by her Herrscher personality, why didn't she come back?

Mei was terribly anxious.

She wanted to catch up to Kiana, even using her Herrscher powers to give chase.

She used electromagnetic force to launch herself, achieving a kind of flight, darting through the buildings until she arrived at the plaza.

Why had she come here?

Mei wasn't quite sure, but it was far from the city center, and hardly anyone came at night. It seemed like a great Pokémon battle venue."Kiana!"

"Eh!? Mei!? Why are you here!?"

"It seems Tesla's analysis was correct. Did you contact Bronie after arriving in Arc City? What are you doing now?"

"You should ask questions one by one... Ahahaha, it seems Miss Tesla is truly foresighted. She guessed I was with Bronie so quickly... I have other things to do. I'm busy right now. We'll talk about the future later!"

"Wait, Kiana!"Seeing Kiana drop a pile of boxes and flee, Mei immediately wanted to chase her, even charging lightning in her hands.

If Kiana still planned to escape, she wouldn't mind using some extreme means to stop her.

After all, running away wouldn't solve anything!"I'll leave those children to you! I have more important things to do!"

"Children!?"Mei heard Kiana say that and immediately restrained her strength.

Kiana said children!?

Mei opened the box in disbelief and saw the children lying inside. Mei finally understood. Kiana wasn't running away or playing hero but investigating a villain in the city who might be conducting human experiments.

And this villain...

Looking at the Heliopolis Life Sciences logo on the box, Mei knew what she should do.

Kiana was fine—that was good news.

So, what was Gray Serpent planning to do with Kiana's information?

Mei suddenly felt a sense of impending disaster.It was as if a horrific Honkai disaster might be about to strike Arc City, and no one in the city would be able to escape!

Mei called the police and had them come and deal with the children. She then went back to look for Gray Serpent, the one who had ulterior motives for Kiana. Mei knew what she had to do!As for Kiana?

She used the portal to get away from Mei, found a corner, and crouched down, watching Mei from afar.

Just now, Mei was trying to attack her, wasn't she?"Hmph, it seems the Lightning Queen is finally showing her might."

"Wow, Mei's aura just now was terrifying... I feel like we can't go back..."

"It's just a Pikachu, you can handle it without a problem. But why are you trying to run away?"

"I don't know how to face Mei... We must have disappointed Theresa and Himeko-sensei. We said we were going to fight the Honkai, but we didn't realize we were Honkai ourselves, and we even killed Medea-sensei..."Kiana said "we," which meant she was truly prepared to share the blame for her mistakes with Sirin.For Sirin, this was a real bonus.

"We'll just take whatever they want. Whether it's a beating or a scolding, we'll have to face it one day, right?"

"That being said, I still want to do something. Just as a form of reparation? Or something else entirely..."Sirin finally understood Kiana's situation. Perhaps it was to prove that she had grown up, capable of fulfilling Teacher Medea's dream and truly fighting for a better world."Then not a single sinner at Heliopolis Life Sciences must be spared!"

"Of course!"Kiana left the Schicksal Sports Plaza and returned to the basement of the bar where Bronie had left her. She then reviewed the evidence Bronie had collected.The footage was primarily based on first-person footage. Kidnapping a child carries a minimum sentence of three years.

If evidence of human experimentation is found in the laboratory, the sentence would be at least twenty years.But Heliopolis Life Sciences wouldn't be brought down so easily. After all, they had a protective shield. They could easily push a temporary employee out of the way, and the culprit could continue to walk free.

Especially this guy, codenamed Jackal, who would never get her way!"Given Jackal's arrogant nature, she'll undoubtedly be eager to investigate who committed these acts and punish them without even considering the reasons behind their discovery. She'll undoubtedly resort to some outrageous and extreme behavior. Your mission is to protect those police officers."

Bronie played the footage of Mei calling the police and having the children taken away, capturing all of their familiar faces."No way!"Kiana found it absurd. She will attack the police out of revenge?

Is this Jackal really that bad?"After all, she's definitely not a normal person. After protecting the police, we'll start using media to bring Heliopolis Life Sciences to the public's attention. Next, we'll do something similar to what paparazzi do."

"Paparazzi? Like the paparazzi in Grand Theft Auto? Secret photography?"

"That's right! Secret photography. The fact that the experimental materials were found underground at Heliopolis Building proves that Heliopolis Life Sciences has a laboratory underneath the building. Find relevant evidence and do all this before Jackal destroys it. Or maybe we're playing a trick of collaborating?"

As she spoke, Bronie projected a photo of Rita.Rita was currently wandering around Arc City with a robotic dog, quite conspicuous.

Thankfully, Arc City's atmosphere was quite eccentric, with people even wearing latex suits, so Rita's outfit didn't draw much attention.

Besides, the robotic dog was quite intimidating. Anyone with common sense knew it was not to be trifled with. While Rita was a bit good-looking, she still had a certain aura of danger about her."That's the one next to Durandal..."

"An S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal's lieutenant. While her performance against Honkai Beasts isn't particularly impressive, she's quite formidable against humans."

"Those shoulders, those legs—tsk tsk tsk, isn't Rita shy?"

"Isn't your tights the same?"

"No! Mine's a combat uniform, the Schicksal Valkyrie combat uniform! It's not some weird tights, and don't I usually wear a jacket?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"Bronie smiled and then revealed Rita's identity.

A maid enthusiast who enjoys flower cultivation, she once ventured into the Sea of Quanta's world bubble with Durandal, earning a good reputation and naturally becoming an S-rank Valkyrie.It's not that Rita is weak, but as an ordinary person, the limits of her power are limited. Therefore, in high-level battles, she often fails to make a significant impact.

It can't be helped. So, a master of low-tier games and a commoner in high-tier games, Bronie's assessment is that if she spends more time in the Sea of Quanta, Rita still has enormous potential.As for why she has so much potential in the Sea of Quanta?

It's because in the long-term storyline of Honkai Impact 3rd, there's a terrifying and mysterious Rita."Simply put, her target is of course you, but she also obtained information about you from Gray Serpent and wants to continue to use her to find your exact location." 

"So she knows?"

"Of course not. Since you entered Arc City, I've hidden all information except the station. Although Gray Serpent's electronic technology is superior to most people, they can't surpass mine."Bronie's confidence was so strong that it left Kiana a little stunned.

"Even though I don't quite understand, there's always the possibility of failure, right?"

"Relax, everything is under control. In the name of Haxxor Bunny, I guarantee there won't be any mistakes! And the knife we need to borrow is, of course, the one representing Schicksal headquarters behind Rita!"

"Huh? Didn't the previous intelligence say that Schicksal and Heliopolis Life Sciences have very close ties and are partners?"Kiana immediately felt that the knife might not be borrowed. After all, they were birds of a feather. Even if Schicksal knew that Heliopolis Life Sciences had conducted human experiments, what would it matter?

"Durandal and Rita are both good people. Their power and reputation can easily influence Schicksal's decisions. As long as Schicksal intends to maintain that glamorous facade, they will have no choice but to grit their teeth and cut ties with Heliopolis Life Sciences after this matter is exposed."As she spoke, Bronie let out a sly grin.

"Is there anything more joyful than seeing Otto suffer a setback?"Kiana thought about Otto's helpless severance from Heliopolis Life Sciences, then swallowed her heartache.

"Hahaha! Is this your way of having fun, Bronie? I'm probably going to touch upon some of your methods..."

"While that's true... I'm not a member of The Elation. Don't forget that. Ultimately, whether you can borrow that knife depends on your eloquence. I think R

ita will listen carefully to your explanation."

"Really?"

"Of course!"Bronie's resolute tone suddenly triggered Kiana's intuition.

Could she also be Bronie's amusement?

Would Rita listen to her?

Kiana thought of that sinister woman with the mysterious, wicked smile back in New Zealand.No, no, no, it doesn't seem right no matter how she thinks about it!"Okay, I'll take it seriously. So, next, we're going to find Miss Rita?"

"Yes, but you might have to wait a little. After all, the first person to make an appointment with Rita was Gray Serpent, who's been looking for you. And then there's Mei. I don't think you want to run into Mei again, do you?"Mei was looking for Gray Serpent, hoping to find Bronie's location from her, and then use Bronie's location to find Kiana.

Rita, unaware of this, planned to get Kiana's location from Gray Serpent. Although Gray Serpent didn't know Kiana's exact location, as long as she knew she was in Arc City, it would be enough.Both sides were searching for the same person, which meant they would inevitably run into each other. To prevent Rita from learning this information, Mei would likely take action against Gray Serpent.The gentle Mei of the past seemed to have changed. Kiana had an inexplicable hunch that Mei might actually be capable of such silence.

How would she do it? Maybe she was knocked out and brought with her, and then Rita would definitely ask Mei to ask for someone, and then fight.And Mei...

The power of lightning was quite terrifying. Rita only played in the low rank games and basically didn't have much power to fight back against Mei.

After being beaten up, if she appears in front of Rita again...

From this, Rita will really not have the energy to cause trouble for herself and listen to herself carefully.

So Kiana sat in her seat honestly and nodded.

"Everything is under the calculation of Sister Bronie~"

"Awesome, right? Are you a genius? Do you know the importance of intelligence?"

"But even if I know the information, I may not be able to analyze so many things..."That's true.

Bronie nodded helplessly and accepted the fact that Kiana was a fool.

In fact, Kiana is quite genius in normal times. As long as she gets a little bit of a push, her learning efficiency will be high. It’s a pity that Kiana just likes to find external brains.

There was no other way, so she just had to make do.Next, Bronie began playing the video feed from Arc City's security cameras, showing Mei's movements and Rita's.They both opened their phones simultaneously. The map showed the same location: Mr. Gray Serpent's intelligence base.The fun was about to begin.---[Chapter 340: Mei's Grand Division]Since the Honkai Eruption at Schicksal Headquarters, the Herrschers have fled, and St. Freya's Academy has rebelled.

Countless amounts of Honkai energy have spread from the atmosphere across the globe, subtly causing a global increase in Honkai energy concentrations.

If Bronie hadn't appeared and allowed the Herrscher of Wind to back up the storm, collecting and storing a large amount of Honkai energy, the global Honkai outbreaks would likely have left Durandal completely overwhelmed.So Rita had a question.

Who was truly fighting the Honkai?Otto created K423, then triggered the Eruption, awakening the Herrschers and nearly demolishing the entire Schicksal Headquarters.

Of the nine Sky Islands, at least two were destroyed—a massive loss.Then Bronie appeared, dealt with the Herrschers, and then disappeared.

Bronie seemed to be deliberately concealing the truth.

So, if the mainstream focus these days isn't on dealing with the Herrschers, why haven't they removed the teaching about subduing the Herrschers from the textbooks?

Rita had many questions in her mind, but after seeing Otto's smirk as he declared everything was under control, she found it difficult to say anything.Since she still wanted to stay with Schicksal, she had to listen to the boss.

After several months, Schicksal couldn't find any trace of K423.

Rita felt it was very likely that the Herrscher had died in the Imaginary Space; otherwise, why would there be no news at all?Then, an intelligence dealer named Gray Serpent came forward and provided a photo of K423 at the station, causing an uproar among both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal.

This intelligence dealer was truly audacious, daring to challenge two major organizations simultaneously, showing no fear at all.

Clearly, she knew what the Herrscher meant, but was she just looking to profit from it?Rita had no idea, but judging by the information Otto had sent, they were just a small-time intelligence dealer, a bit greedy. After all, she'd learned torture techniques, and with the powerful Schicksal Organization backing her, wouldn't it be easy to ask for K423's identity?

Rita had originally thought so. She even wore a less advanced Valkyrie battlesuit, carrying a mechanical dog that could help her endlessly pursue her targets.But when she arrived in Arc City, she found things a little different than she'd imagined.First, Arc City's bizarre, multi-layered architecture was a nightmare to navigate. Even wandering around for hours wouldn't necessarily lead to finding the right path.Second, when she arrived at Gray Serpent's base, she saw Raiden Mei holding Gray Serpent by the neck.And she looked murderous.Raiden Mei, the Third Herrscher, had used extraordinary means to control the entirety of Arc City, successfully saving millions of people.And the main reason for this was the girl before her. Although the Schicksal database later stated that Raiden Mei's maximum power was only at the level of a high-energy laboratory, she was still a Herrscher after all.

The original plan was to obtain intelligence before Theresa, and now Gray Serpent happened to be right in front of them, but they didn't look alive at all.

"Long time no see, Miss Raiden Mei. You traitors of Schicksal still have so much time to do such unnecessary things during your escape? It seems you really want to sacrifice your lives for the peace of humanity?"Mei gently removed Gray Serpent's prosthetic eye, then pocketed her phone and laptop, seemingly paying no attention to Rita. "So you still want to capture Kiana for human experiments? You, Schicksal, have never cared about humanity's safety, and you have no serious intention of dealing with the Honkai... No, it's that guy Otto."

"We at Schicksal have our own methods to combat the Honkai, and it's not your place to dictate. Hand over the information on Gray Serpent, or I'll be rude!"Alright, in the eyes of the Schicksal Valkyries, Theresa and her Hyperion companions were traitors to Schicksal, colluding with Anti-Entropy.After Mei learned how she appeared in Rita's eyes, she knew she had nothing to say to her.

But she still had to say a few words.

"Otto also caused the Second Eruption, and she also caused Kiana's trouble. Besides sending the Valkyries to their deaths on the battlefield, has the Archbishop of Schicksal made any other remarkable contributions? Why is drone technology so advanced, yet it's never been used on the front lines against the Honkai?"Mei expressed her doubts about Otto's actions.Although many things within Schicksal have self-explanatory explanations, Mei didn't really believe them.They were just one-sided statements, with absolutely no evidence.Looking at Rita's murderous look, Mei knew she must be a fangirl of Otto's.She didn't expect the lieutenant of the strongest Valkyrie to be so loyal to Otto."Looks like a bloody battle is inevitable between us?""Do you think... I'll let you go?"She had even destroyed the robot, Gray Serpent. Although Rita didn't know it, it was covered in prosthetics, looking like a human.But she knew it.After removing all those so-called prosthetics, there wasn't a single piece of rotten flesh left on Gray Serpent. Therefore, Gray Serpent's corpse actually became Mei's bluff.It had to be said that Mei's domineering glance back had indeed frightened Rita, especially since Gray Serpent, thrown to the ground, was still sparking with electricity. She looked like some great demon.

Rita had no doubt that if she continued, Mei would probably sprout a horn from her head.The scythe had barely reached her hand when the lightning had already arrived.The robot dog sensed Mei's movements, but even as a machine, it couldn't outrun lightning.

Instantly, everything around her radiated intense heat under the lightning, and the pitch-black night was illuminated by the sudden thunderclap.Such power.Rita felt as if she had nearly transformed into light. This lightning was absolutely beyond the capability of any Schicksal Valkyrie battlesuit to withstand, not even the fourth-generation Valkyrie battlesuit.

The scythe had melted, and the armor had completely short-circuited, occasionally sending out sparks to damage Rita's body. If it weren't for Rita's extraordinary talent, she'd probably have been reduced to charcoal by now.And what about Mei?

Rita felt like she was facing the might of lightning, like an ant.It was a terrible feeling."How terrifying..."Kiana watched Mei's actions throughout.From dismantling the robots surrounding Gray Serpent, to entering the base and directly using the power of lightning to crack it, to tearing Gray Serpent to pieces.The entire movement was smooth, simple, and brutal, and her style was incredibly domineering, as if her eyes were flashing with lightning, with a single, unwavering goal.How could this still be the gentle and lovely Raiden Mei of the past!?

Where was the usually gentle cook?!

Why had she suddenly become so outrageous!?Bronie held her chin and said, "So that drug was too strong? Entering the correct password actually had such an effect?""What did you say!?"Ellie was also curious. Why had this lovely Mei suddenly acted so domineeringly?

Of course, beneath that domineering nature, there was a certain gentleness.For example, when she dropped Gray Serpent, she didn't completely electrocute her into a pile of rubble. And when she faced Rita, she didn't kill her outright, but melted her weapon.With the power to melt weapons, how could she not have reduced Rita to ash?Mei's precise attack had indeed bypassed Rita, gently disarming her, rendering her incapable of combat."You can't do anything."

Bronie's words also brought a sudden realization to Ellie."Huh?"Kiana was puzzled.

And Ellie angrily struck Bronie on the back with her hammer."Bad! Bronie, you're so harsh on a girl! Do you know how much that hurt her?""But only then did she embrace that power and truly accept herself completely. Herrscher personality itself is another side of her, completely different from Sirin's and Wendy's."Wendy's was an ideal form, almost a completely different individual. As for Sirin, how much of Kiana's consciousness could possibly be involved?

Not much, really. It's basically a fragment of Sirin's consciousness left in the Herrscher core, blended with Kiana's brain, a separate entity.It's no wonder Kiana doesn't like to use her brain; after all, all her RAM is occupied.As for Mei, it's probably a mental issue.

Perhaps there's a hint of Stigmata at play?But didn't Dr. Mobius also say that the psychological problems of a pure adolescent girl are, to put it bluntly, just pretentiousness?So, when Mei accepts her own weakness, she'll become invincible.Bronie successfully entered the password, and the account was correct, effectively giving Mei a major overhaul.Now, the script for Arc City's Lightning Queen has been revealed.Kiana was trembling with fear.

How could they ever meet again?

Would domestic violence ensue if they met again?The thought of this made Kiana lose her composure.

"Mei suddenly seems so strange and scary. What should we do next?"

"For Mei, a trip to the Elysian Realm should make things much better. A girl who's both domineering and gentle is quite interesting!"It was clear that Mei had indeed become a trap for Ellie. Such a cute girl easily caught Ellie's attention.After all, a few teases would surely yield interesting reactions. Bronie had already devised numerous plans to make Mei shy and so on."Mei is mine! Mine!"Kiana looked at Ellie warily, while Bronie helplessly patted Kiana's head."Little fool, don't worry about Mei. Only those who lack confidence in their bond often emphasize such things. You should believe in Mei's strength.""Oh..."It seemed like that was the case.

Could it be that she was indeed a little insecure?No, seeing Mei like that, it was normal to feel insecure, wasn't it?After all, Mei now seemed truly unfamiliar."Rita will definitely not accept the transformation from hunter to prey, but she won't give up on harassing Hyperion, so things are about to get busy in Arc City.""Bronie, what are you talking about?""Although Mei is very powerful, what if a Gold Saint suddenly appears?"Bronie said this, naturally thinking of a Goose.Although Bianka is usually very busy, if matters here take priority, Bianka will naturally show up.Besides, if Rita fails in a mission, she will definitely ask for help!Rita and Durandal are such close friends, she will definitely rush over immediately.The situation will be complicated then.If Bronie slacks off while the Gold Saint battle the Thunder Queen, it's hard to say what the final outcome will be."I'll help Mei fight that strongest Valkyrie!""Really... That's a shame. I don't want you to help Mei. Instead, go to Heliopolis and stir up trouble. The bigger the better. Drag the Valkyrie into trouble and cut off all Jackal's escape routes. Jackal's business is more important.""Is that so...""Mei has grown. You must trust her strength. Don't underestimate the power of electromagnetism, one of the four fundamental forces. Mei does have that potential. Communicate your feelings to Mei, trust her, and let her know you believe in her strength."Although Kiana was indeed worried, Bronie believed in Mei's fighting ability. What else could she say?Of course she chose to trust!Trusting Mei?

Hehehe, that must be a great feeling, right?If you choose to take on everything alone, wouldn't that make you a hero?Bronie said, be a hero, and Kiana remembered it. Since Bronie was so sure, Kiana chose to believe it.

"Go after Heliopolis Life Sciences, right?""That's right. Burn that building to ash, expose all the crimes within, and completely capture Jackal right under Durandal's nose. Show them you have bargaining chips!""Oh!!!"Do you have bargaining chips?Negotiate?Negotiate what?Kiana's mind was filled with questions, but that didn't stop her from cheering.Looking at that 'intelligent look', Bronie suddenly felt a wave of fatigue."The main topics of negotiation are Schicksal's lifting of the wanted order against everyone at St. Freya's Academy, and the subsequent cooperation against the Honkai. After all, Schicksal Valkyries are inclined to fight the Honkai, right? Isn't that our shared goal?""Oh!!!"That's right!

If she could clear the wanted list at St. Freya's Academy, then perhaps she wouldn't be so easily scolded by the teachers when she returns to Hyperion.

Then, perhaps my old life could return, right?For a moment, Kiana fell into a beautiful fantasy, and Bronie couldn't bear to interrupt.After all, there's nothing wrong with yearning for a better future, right?