Honkai, but Spirit Simulator

Reanna thought.

She recalled a line from The Catcher in the Rye:

"I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.

That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all."

Chapter 48: The Current Situation and Rupture

"Einstein, you're here."

As Reanna pondered, the petite girl in a protective suit approached.

"Schrödinger? Perfect timing. What's the situation here?" Tesla asked anxiously.

"Everything is currently stable. The core area is confined to the exploded laboratory," Schrödinger replied expressionlessly. "The only problem now is that most of the communications in the entire city have been paralyzed, but Nancy has dispatched at least ten thousand vehicles to maintain order and act as a cordon."

"If only Berlin had reacted this quickly back then."

Reanna snapped out of her thoughts, having just heard Schrödinger's words, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"What about the civilians?... Wait, what's on you?"

"Just being cautious. Most of the civilians have been evacuated, as for me... curiosity got the better of me."

Schrödinger took her head out of the protective suit, revealing Honkai-infected cat ears on her head.

"It doesn't seem to have much of an impact so far."

Schrödinger also extended her right hand, which was covered in a layer of purple and white armor.

Unlike the original storyline, Schrödinger wasn't almost half-Honkai-fied and out of control. The only Honkai-infected parts of her were the cat ears on her head and her hand.

...Actually, it's kinda cute.

But why did Schrödinger say that she was infected with Honkai because of curiosity?

Didn't this unlucky kid touch some Honkai source out of curiosity?

True curiosity killed the cat.

Liu Bai really didn't expect that even with all the preparations he had made, this girl could still get infected with Honkai.

"I haven't shown any signs of losing control yet, well, generally speaking..."

"Hold still."

Reanna didn't want to hear Schrödinger present her research results, so she directly stabbed her with a spear.

"I am the black that goes to hell; I am the white that comes from heaven; God Key: Abyss White Flower, second rated power - Holy Spear Inversion!"

As Reanna chanted, Abyss White Flower split into two, and the power of the White Flower directly caused the Honkai tissue on Schrödinger's body to slowly disappear.

"The right hand, the Honkai energy is sealed in your right hand, as long as you don't actively release it, it won't threaten your life... Honkai energy is a dangerous thing! Didn't your teacher teach you not to touch anything related to Honkai!?"

She started by explaining gently, but suddenly became stern.

Pulling the child running towards the cliff was exactly what she should do as a "catcher".

"I just didn't expect that there would be such a high Honkai energy object in the outer area, and a small accident happened during its recovery."

Schrödinger slowly said as she put on her protective suit again.

"Although Honkai is the source of disaster, it also has rules to follow. Such a high Honkai energy object should not appear here."

"Hmm? Are you saying... someone is releasing Honkai?"

Reanna's mind wasn't slow, and she quickly guessed what Schrödinger meant by that sentence.

"I'm not sure, but coincidences that go against the rules occasionally happen... Thank you very much for my matter, Miss Reanna."

After finishing the business, Schrödinger sincerely bowed her head to thank her.

The expressions of the others gradually became serious. The amount of information revealed in Schrödinger's words was ridiculously large.

Especially Reanna, whose face could be described as uncertain.

"Where's Edison?"

"Princess Nancy is leading people to search for possible high Honkai energy substances, and she should be back soon... When she comes back, she should be able to summarize what is happening now."

Schrödinger replied softly.

"No big deal."

Compared to the seriousness of the others, Liu Bai seemed quite calm.

The current situation is much better than in the original plot, and Edison doesn't need to sacrifice his life to save the city at all.

"Otto's plan is half-ruined, and this city has not been paralyzed as he expected."

The current situation is that communications are paralyzed, but people are not.

In the original plot, because Edison's communications were completely unprepared and paralyzed, the entire North American Branch and the city were half-paralyzed. After Tesla and Einstein took over the command, they could only use a specially made tank and a handful of people - and these people couldn't drive tanks.

Now, although most of the communications have been cut off, Edison is obviously prepared and can still dispatch with the remaining small amount of communications.

Moreover, the disaster level is also very low, confined to the laboratory, so there is no need to panic at all.

As the North American Branch, capable of holding its own against the headquarters, once it gets moving...

Even a mighty dragon can't suppress a local snake.

"Hopefully..." Einstein nodded, agreeing with Liu Bai's statement. "For now, we can only trust Edison."

"If unmanageable Honkai beasts appear, you can call me. My speed can reach one kilometer per minute, and if necessary, I can control the kill radius within ten meters, minimizing damage to the city," Reanna said softly.

Welt, witnessing this scene, was deeply moved, recalling a sentence Liu Bai had said to him when introducing Destiny.

[The so-called organization is not necessarily of one mind. Many people harbor their own thoughts, and these thoughts may even conflict—especially true for long-standing organizations like Destiny—such as the Valkyries and those high-ranking elders, or their Bishop.]

Destiny's lofty goals attracted a group of Valkyries with equally lofty ideals.

But unfortunately, Destiny's Bishop Otto... as he himself stated, he was merely chasing the shadow of a "Saint."

Welt finally understood why he had rejected Otto back then.

"I understand. I will relay your willingness to participate in the battle to Princess Nancy through a special communication device."

Schrödinger was visibly stunned, seemingly not expecting Reanna to say such a thing.

But soon, Schrödinger nodded. As a high-ranking member of the North American Branch, she was well aware of Destiny's strongest combat force.

It seemed that the other party had already considered breaking away from Otto.

However, Schrödinger could understand.

The last fig leaf between the two sides had been torn off at this moment. Reanna, having served in Destiny for a full century, finally realized that she and Otto were not on the same path.

Otto was not a ruthless general who would do anything to achieve victory, but merely a schemer to fulfill his own desires.

Reanna had experienced a hundred years of ups and downs in Destiny. At least one-tenth of the soldiers lying in the military cemetery were Reanna's former comrades.

But now, Reanna suddenly realized that her and her comrades' ideals were merely tools for others to achieve their personal desires...

They were soldiers, so they could unhesitatingly carry out suicidal orders on the Honkai battlefield for the future of humanity.

As long as it was for victory, they could accept their sacrifices because they knew that their sacrifices would pave a path in the war between humanity and Honkai.

But if all of this was to fulfill the personal desires of those in power... then what did their sacrifices count for?

If Reanna hadn't already gained some profound understanding as a soldier over the past hundred years, someone else might have directly grabbed a gun and stormed the headquarters to demand an explanation from Otto.

Chapter 49: Liu Bai's Confrontation with Otto

"Honkai beast cleared—confirmed no abnormal Honkai energy reaction in the outer area, operation complete."

Edison expressionlessly looked at the completely inactive Honkai beast before him.

"Dispose of the Honkai beast's corpse, don't leave a single hair behind."

"Understood, Officer Edison!"

The North American Branch's special forces quickly deployed special fuel onto the Honkai beast's corpse.

"Well, Professor Elias, have you thought about how to explain yourself to Dr. Einstein and the others?"

The Finn could only offer a wry smile in response to Edison's mockery.

"There's nothing to explain... I'll plead guilty and accept the punishment. But my wife and children..."

"There's nothing I can do about your wife, but someone has already taken your son out—we in the North American Branch aren't pushovers in England either."

There were quite a few things to unpack in that sentence.

But at this moment, the Finn was relieved. Saving one was better than saving none, and he couldn't ask for more.

Thinking of this, the Finn silently followed Edison's footsteps.

Manhattan Temporary Command Center

"Good afternoon, Finn."

Einstein smoothed her naturally curly hair.

"I heard you caused quite a stir here... how did it feel to detonate the bomb?"

"Terrible. The moment of the explosion, all I felt was regret... are only you few here?"

Facing Einstein's teasing, the Finn wore a bitter smile, then scanned his surroundings.

"I heard that a Valkyrie from headquarters also came."

"My mission isn't to silence you... and I don't intend to continue following Bishop Otto's orders."

Reanna lifted the curtain and walked in.

"However, it's not a good idea to walk in so brazenly. A bullet might fly in and shut you up forever."

"That's quite frightening..." The Finn shrugged. "But that doesn't stop me from exposing that Bishop's evil deeds."

Expose?

Edison ignored the surprised expressions of the others and nodded. "We can't just let Otto bully us without fighting back, can we? Perhaps Professor Elias's words alone aren't convincing, but..."

"——No buts, Miss Nancy."

A slightly arrogant voice rang out from beside the group.

That voice sent a shiver down everyone's spine—

Otto!?

How could he be here!?

A sense of impending doom washed over him, and Edison instinctively wanted to retreat, but the next moment, another unfamiliar male voice came from the same direction.

"No, Bishop Otto, I believe everyone should have the right to speak freely."

The lance that was about to pierce Edison's body was slowly lowered.

Only then did everyone realize that the original Reanna had transformed into a handsome young man they had never seen before.

"L-L-L-Liu...!"

The familiar voice made Tesla point at the young man in front of her, unable to speak properly.

"Shhh."

Liu Bai gestured for Tesla to be quiet, lest she expose him.

Although he was a Spirit, he didn't want to be put on Otto's list so soon.

"Who are you? How are you able to control Reanna's body?"

At this moment, Otto's tone was filled with shock and confusion.

Reanna, the "Soul Steel Valkyrie" he had personally created—was his strongest backup body.

Over a hundred years, more than a thousand major and minor modifications, all while painstakingly ensuring that Reanna didn't notice the backhand he had placed within her body.