I Know You

Within Han Jiang's understanding, Durandal was either working hard to grow stronger or on her way to train.

She was occasionally a little absentminded, but she only showed that side around people close to her.

Of course, people who were not close to her could only look up in awe when they heard Durandal's great name.

The sound of a spoon scraping against the lunch box grew louder and louder. Durandal quickly finished the boxed meal.

After eating, Durandal stared blankly at Han Jiang. Seeing food residue at the corner of her mouth, Han Jiang handed her a tissue.

As Durandal wiped her mouth, she said, "This isn't actually very tasty."

Han Jiang silently rolled his eyes. Wasn't it a little inappropriate to say that after finishing it and wiping her mouth?

But seeing the slight satisfaction on Durandal's face, Han Jiang felt that the boxed meal had been worth it.

If not for the Black Abyss White Flower on the floor and the standard-issue armor she wore, Han Jiang would never have imagined that the girl before him was Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie.

Her slender frame gave no indication that, on some day a year in the future, she would send an Emperor-class Honkai Beast flying with a single punch.

"Ding. Durandal's favorability +10."

Hearing the system's voice in his mind, Han Jiang smiled. Trading a merely passable lunch for ten points of favorability was a guaranteed profit.

Yet the system did not show what ability he would gain when Durandal's favorability reached 60. This was not the first time.

The same was true for Himeko and Bronya on the system panel. Even now, it had not indicated what skills he would learn once either of their favorability reached 60.

At first, Han Jiang believed Bronya's abilities were precise calculation and data analysis, while Himeko's combat power could only be brought out with the help of the Nexus System. Neither could be treated as skills for him to learn.

Now, Durandal's favorability also came with no skill. Something was clearly wrong.

The system could even copy the First Herrscher's abilities. It was just that Han Jiang had failed to make progress—his favorability with Joyce had remained around twenty, with no encouraging development.

Could it be because the system hasn't evolved? Han Jiang guessed inwardly.

For a time, the two people in the room fell silent.

Han Jiang was afraid that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make, while Durandal simply did not want to speak.

After the silence lasted a while, Han Jiang tentatively said, "Valkyrie Bianca, aren't you going to continue clearing out Honkai Beasts? I'm still in combat training. I need to eliminate small groups of Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts to earn combat points."

Han Jiang's suggestion made the next decision for Durandal, and she went along with it. "I am."

While Han Jiang was thinking things over, Durandal was also considering how to deal with him.

If her mission was exposed before test subject K423 matured, Otto would undoubtedly send someone to make sure Han Jiang could never speak again.

Looking at the boy before her, Durandal thought that it was fortunate he was an idiot. He had not even noticed the cat she had drawn, much less guessed her true identity.

Seeing the cat on the wall and guessing Durandal's identity were two completely unrelated matters, yet she had forcibly connected them.

Her mission to monitor test subject K423 was still ongoing. She had already made one mistake and could not continue wasting time here.

"Remember, we never met today. You were only carrying out normal combat training." As Durandal spoke, she pulled the Black Abyss White Flower from the ground.

Boom!

The instant her words fell, a deafening blast exploded beside Han Jiang's ears, and the room was immediately filled with dust.

Taking advantage of the smoke and dust obscuring Han Jiang's vision, Durandal leaped out through the window.

Ordinary people could not be allowed to know about matters involving test subjects. Otherwise, it could easily cause panic, and they might even be "silenced" by Schicksal.

Durandal was using her own way to keep Han Jiang ignorant, so he would not have to live in fear, though Han Jiang had long known everything.

When the dust settled, the living room wall in Han Jiang's room had completely vanished. Even the living room wall of the neighboring unit had been shattered.

"And she wants to hide her identity with strength like that?" Han Jiang complained speechlessly.

Durandal had done this to destroy the "mural" in the other room, while seemingly also using force to warn Han Jiang not to investigate information about her.

Han Jiang did not know whether Durandal had such intentions. To Durandal, striving, being serious, continuously growing stronger, and eliminating Honkai were her life.

"Durandal is only fourteen. Is this Schicksal's top-tier combat strength? How powerful will she be two years from now?" Han Jiang sighed as he looked at the ruined wall.

Losing his lunch had led to an early encounter with Durandal, and it had also allowed Han Jiang to glimpse the tip of an S-rank Valkyrie's strength.

Rather than feeling discouraged by the enormous gap between them, it instead stirred Han Jiang's competitive spirit.

Siegfried had grown into S-rank combat strength in two years, while Durandal had spent four years becoming Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie.

Han Jiang possessed a powerful system. He did not dare say he could surpass them in a short time, but given the same amount of time, he believed it would not be much of a problem to stand on equal footing with them.

"I should go farm Schicksal Soldier Cores." Han Jiang played with his Tang Dao as he headed downstairs.

The combat training map was constantly updating, and Han Jiang headed toward a new Deadwalker gathering point.

Over the following days, Han Jiang obtained a total of six Schicksal Soldier Cores, bringing his Evolution Points to over 100.

The facts proved that advanced evolutions of Deadwalkers were far fewer than Han Jiang had imagined.

Over several days, Han Jiang had single-handedly cleared six or seven small Deadwalker groups, yet he had only encountered five Deadwalkers with cores.

On the seventh day, Han Jiang planned to try his luck somewhere with a larger Deadwalker concentration.

That morning, Han Jiang marked his destination as usual and headed there.

Upon arriving, he saw that the Deadwalker group was in complete chaos.

A cherry-colored figure darted back and forth through the Deadwalker group. Whenever she came into contact with a Deadwalker, it would collapse and never rise again within seconds.

"I know you. You're the new Valkyrie from that camp." Sakura sheathed the blade in her hand, and sword energy erupted from the bodies of the few remaining Deadwalkers around her, sending them all to the ground.

Yae Sakura's voice was exceptionally calm. Every Deadwalker here had been eliminated, so there was no need to remain.

First he had encountered Durandal, and now he had run straight into Yae Sakura.

Compared to that, failing to find enough Schicksal Soldier Cores could be put aside for now.

Looking at Yae Sakura's back, Han Jiang gathered his courage and asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm only doing what I can. The more humans and monsters tainted by evil I eliminate, the lower the chance that civilians will be harmed," Yae Sakura answered without turning her head.

"Don't think about capturing me for research. You don't have the strength for that."

As a Quasi-Herrscher, Yae Sakura was stronger than an A-rank Valkyrie and had reached the level of an S-rank Valkyrie.

This shrine maiden who had lived for five hundred years knew that modern humanity possessed endless methods.

She understood that she was a special existence, and countless people wanted to capture her for research. That was why she had always been unwilling to approach modern humans.

Although there were no longer any civilians in Changkong City, Yae Sakura still fulfilled a shrine maiden's duty by eliminating evil things.

"Kill him. Otherwise, our whereabouts will be exposed sooner or later, bringing us endless trouble. Besides, like me, your hands have long been stained with human blood. There is no need to care whether you kill one more or one less." A huge dark fox appeared within Yae Sakura's heart, tempting her to kill Han Jiang.

"Get lost!"

Within her heart, that single word was all the huge fox received.