Honkai, But a Back Spirit Simulator

"Okay, but I can only control one at a time." Liu Bai had also noticed what Rita was thinking.

"Then, what if I let you possess the command center?"

After discovering Liu Bai's abilities, Rita couldn't help but come up with many ideas that could be called "dangerous."

"That... I think it's worth a try."

Liu Bai suddenly felt that the dog's body wasn't so appealing anymore.

He wanted to pilot a Gundam! He wanted to pilot a Titan! He wanted to pilot the Sky... Forget it, let's skip the Skyfather whose construction progress was stuck at 90%.

"Worth a try..." Rita showed a meaningful expression, "Want to try possessing me?"

"You?" Liu Bai was slightly stunned, then understood Rita's meaning, "You mean the Valkyrie Armor?"

Valkyrie Armor, to put it bluntly, is a single-soldier exoskeleton mech—although some of them really don't look like exoskeleton mechs.

Obviously, this thing is definitely an inanimate object.

"Should I try?"

"Please." Rita chuckled, "But you're not allowed to peek at a lady's body."

After receiving Rita's permission, Liu Bai immediately left the dog's body and tried to merge into Valkyrie Armor: Shadow Iron.

But then, Liu Bai passed right through it.

"What's wrong?"

Rita felt a chill down her back, but her Valkyrie Armor didn't react at all.

[Possession failed! Valkyrie Armor: Shadow Iron (Rita Rossweisse) possession requirement: Rita compatibility 20% or higher]

The system gave a failure prompt.

There are possession requirements?

Liu Bai stared at Rita, and the system seemed to understand Liu Bai's thoughts, and a prompt appeared.

[Rita Rossweisse: High-intelligence life form, cannot be possessed]

Liu Bai glanced at the dog lying on the ground again.

[Autonomous Weapon: Carbon-Based Hunter, possession requirement: None]

"Failed." Liu Bai informed Rita of the result, "Probably because my intimacy with you isn't high enough."

Rita: "..."

"You're quite the embarrassing ghost, aren't you?" Rita chuckled, obviously not taking Liu Bai's joke to heart.

And Liu Bai looked at the name Valkyrie Armor: Shadow Iron (Rita Rossweisse) on the system interface with some thought.

Does the system regard the Valkyrie Armor and the Valkyrie as one?

Then if Rita took off her clothes...

Mebius's research ability made Liu Bai sure that if Rita took off this armor, he would definitely be able to possess her successfully.

But Liu Bai couldn't say this directly.

If he really said something like, "Miss Rita, please take off your clothes and let me try to possess you,"

Then his compatibility with Rita would definitely drop to zero.

Or... should he be more subtle about asking Rita to take off her clothes and let him try?

"...I have a feeling you're thinking about something very impolite to a lady."

Rita's female intuition was surprisingly accurate.

"Nothing of the sort."

Liu Bai said very calmly, "Let's go, I'll scout the way for you."

Liu Bai re-entered the body of the Carbon-Based Hunter.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Mr. Ghost." Rita nodded slightly, "The Carbon-Based Hunter has intelligence gathering functions, it can record anything it sees."

"Understood."

The Carbon-Based Hunter took two steps and walked into the dark streets.

"..." Even Rita, with her composure, couldn't help but twitch her eyes when she saw the Carbon-Based Hunter running upright on two legs.

So cringe...

She would never wear this Valkyrie Armor again; a two-legged Carbon-Based Hunter... forget it.

"Sigh."

Rita felt that she had completely lost her awe of the ghost.

"Is something bothering you?"

Liu Bai's voice suddenly appeared in Rita's ear.

"...Speaking suddenly in a lady's ear is not a polite thing to do." Rita sighed again, "So, Mr. Ghost, what about your reconnaissance mission?"

"I handed it over to that mutt." Speaking of this, Liu Bai's tone was full of frustration, "I ran fifty meters, and then I was pulled back."

Liu Bai almost forgot that he couldn't leave his host more than fifty meters.

"What a useless ghost you are."

Rita was about to say something when her expression suddenly froze.

The Carbon-Based Hunter had entered combat.

"...Sky Dome City doesn't seem as peaceful as it looks on the surface. It's time for a little cleaning."

Following the Carbon-Based Hunter's signal, it only took Rita half a minute to find the location of the battle.

"Puppets?"

In a corner, Rita looked down, observing the wreckage torn apart by the Carbon-Based Hunter.

"Come out, little girl."

The black-clothed, masked man holding a black umbrella stood in the alley, looking towards the corner where Rita was.

On the other side, the Carbon-Based Hunter tore apart another puppet that followed.

"Good evening, Mr. Gray Serpent. Are you waiting for someone?"

Rita calmly nodded slightly towards the masked man in front of her, as if all the puppet wreckage around her had nothing to do with her, and even pretended to be puzzled as she scanned the surroundings.

"Did you take care of all my bodyguards by yourself?"

Gray Serpent looked at the wreckage all over the ground. Obviously, Rita didn't need to answer; the result was already in front of him.

"Just a little habit to make the negotiation venue cleaner."

Rita's casual tone made it sound like she had just finished cleaning.

"Ah, it seems I did something unnecessary..."

There wasn't a hint of regret in the helpless voice.

"To compensate for your loss, I can offer a deal with generous returns."

"Looks like I have no choice but to accept, do I?"

Facing Rita, who had revealed her true intentions, Gray Serpent's hoarse voice didn't convey much emotion.

Speaking of which... if Liu Bai remembered correctly, Gray Serpent was created by Mobius.

Chapter 12 Network Ghost · Liu Bai

"Two weeks ago, you uploaded a surveillance photo that captured a girl. You know who she is, and you understand her value, otherwise, you wouldn't have exposed her existence."

Rita looked at Gray Serpent in front of her, a dangerous smile appearing on her face.

"Tell me her whereabouts."

"...So, what benefits can I get?"

Maybe it was just Liu Bai's imagination, but he sensed a hint of a smile in Gray Serpent's tone.

"You will gain a powerful ally, and...leave here safely."

Rita casually spun the scythe in her hand, but her face still wore a smile.

"An ally? Although I already have a powerful ally, who would dislike more friends?" Gray Serpent shrugged. "However, starting by forcing the other party into submission with their life makes me very suspicious of the sincerity of the alliance. And...in Destiny's eyes, are there allies who can be equal and mutually beneficial?"

"I say, Destiny should reflect on its style." Liu Bai strongly supported Gray Serpent's remarks.

"...You know my identity? Then you have even less reason to refuse." Rita ignored Liu Bai, still wearing a humble smile on her face.

But the atmosphere gradually became heavy.

No, it should never have relaxed.

After a brief exchange of words, Rita discovered that the other party's courage...was greater than she had imagined.

"Of course I know, and I have reasons to refuse." Gray Serpent completely disregarded the heavy atmosphere and the killing intent emanating from Rita's smiling face. "Using my own information to exchange for my life? That goes against the spirit of business, doesn't it?"

"It seems you don't understand the preciousness of life." Rita sighed with a look of great regret.

"Please don't insult my intelligence. Handing over the information will save my life? I wasn't born yesterday."

This time, Gray Serpent's voice clearly carried a mocking tone.

"This guy isn't the kind of information peddler you can just knead and flatten at will."

Liu Bai chimed in from the side, "This guy is from World Serpent. The water behind him is three points deeper than Destiny's."

Deeper than Destiny?

Rita's eyes flickered slightly.

Is what this ghost is saying...true or false?

"Although life itself is a transaction, for people like me...death is just the beginning of the next transaction. A snake will not succumb to death, understand?"

Gray Serpent's tone was indifferent, staring blankly at the Valkyrie in front of him.

Rita frowned slightly after hearing these words.

"...Compared to an information broker, you're more like a poet. I'm almost reluctant to make a move."

What to do?

Rita's fingers tightened. If she wanted, she could end this information broker's life with a single strike at any moment.

Should she trust what her "Guardian Spirit" said... or not?

Besides, this Gray Serpent in front of her was far too tight-lipped for an information broker... though Destiny's style of operation was partly to blame.

Rita thought Gray Serpent made a valid point. Indeed, even if he handed over the information, he wouldn't survive.

She had just finished clearing out a bunch of maggots from the gutter. Would she mind cleaning up a rat while she was at it?

Shwing!

"...You made a mistake." The gruesome wound made it difficult for Gray Serpent to speak. "Now... you're in the Serpent's sights too..."

Thump!

The information merchant known as Gray Serpent collapsed to the ground.

"Serpent?"

The elegant maid pulled out a silk handkerchief, wiped the blood from her blade, then turned around, scrutinizing Gray Serpent in the pool of blood.

"...Is this Destiny's usual negotiation style?" Liu Bai's eyelids twitched. "Actually, if you'd let me try, we might not have needed to use a blade."

"..."

Rita looked speechlessly in Liu Bai's direction.

"...Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I did warn you that this guy wasn't simple, but who would have thought you'd be so decisive with your blade?"

Liu Bai didn't even see the afterimage of Rita's scythe before Gray Serpent was on the ground.