If the HSN Serum truly had the effects described in the report, this could very well become a move to weaken the Herrscher—provided A'yu could survive facing a Herrscher.
Although facing danger was simply a daily routine for a member of Destiny, still...
"What, are you worried about Lin Yu?"
Looking at the silent Rita, Otto said with a light smile at that moment.
"Since that young man has been deemed by you as not having betrayed Destiny, our people will protect him the very first thing upon entering Changkong City."
"...Thank you very much, Lord Otto."
"Then, continue with the mission, Rita."
After saying these words, Otto proactively disconnected the communication.
Having learned this intelligence, Otto had indeed deduced that the Third Herrscher was about to awaken in Changkong City.
Only, knowing this, Otto had no intention whatsoever of interrupting the awakening of the Third Honkai Outbreak.
Admittedly, an outbreak of the Third Honkai in Changkong City would cause the deaths of millions of innocent East Asian civilians, but...
—What did that have to do with Otto anyway?
For certain reasons, Otto craved the awakening of a Herrscher.
After all, for his plan, a mature Herrscher was the absolute best nourishment to feed the Honkai Queen.
Furthermore, the outbreak of the Third Honkai was essentially inseparable from Anti-Entropy's side.
One could even say that the Third Honkai outbreak was entirely engineered by Anti-Entropy single-handedly.
Millions of civilian deaths, traded for one mature Herrscher.
And this mature Herrscher would be apprehended on the spot by two S-rank Valkyries and one former S-rank Valkyrie he dispatched, ultimately becoming the spoils of war for Destiny's side.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of Anti-Entropy's evildoing this time, Destiny could launch a direct international offensive, causing Anti-Entropy's already mediocre international standing to drop even further.
Trading the deaths of a few million people for these spoils of war was simply far too cost-effective for Otto.
An Otto who wasn't driven into a corner wouldn't randomly play the butcher out of sheer boredom.
Yet this didn't mean he cared about the lives of ordinary people.
Besides, letting this situation develop further might even hook a new, big fish.
Heh, my old rival, with your mindset, you will certainly not allow your subordinates to run amok like this.
If your physical condition is sufficient to support you in taking action, you will definitely appear in Changkong City.
Let me see if this operation...
—Can hook a big fish like you.
Chapter 6: Holy shit! Bronya!
After leaving the Commercial Street and preparing to return to his residence, Lin Yu suddenly heard a prompt from the narration system.
Ding! Detected that the host meets the conditions to claim rewards; the rewards have been sent to the system mailbox.
Wow, it actually gives out rewards too.
You're finally starting to look a bit like a system.
But I have a question: what on earth are the conditions for claiming rewards?
Oh, that's simple.
Surviving a survival crisis grants a reward, and facing an impending major crisis grants a reward.
Mhm, I see, which means...
Wait a minute???
Lin Yu, who was walking along the road at the moment, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Receiving a reward so abruptly right now, doesn't that mean I almost died just now or I'm about to fight a powerful enemy in a second????
In reality, both situations might be happening at the same time.
You've hinted at it to this extent, so what am I even supposed to say.
If I hadn't answered properly just now, I figure I'd be dead.
And now, I've just nearly died, and I probably have to face a new crisis shortly.
This world is so dangerous.
Dangerous? No, risk also represents opportunity.
You hold the prototype of the God-Slaying Spear; in other words, in a world where fights are decided by Honkai Energy strength, you are invincible in a sense.
Realizing this, you hint to yourself that you must teach that "older sister" of yours—who might threaten your safety—a bitter lesson!
Forget it, leaving aside the question of whether I can even beat her, judging by her previous demeanor, I don't think Rita would harm me.
The survival crisis I just encountered had little to do with her... Heh, Otto.
True, K423 is the target of his close attention, and if he thinks my given answer has any flaws, wiping me out would be the most correct choice in his eyes.
I still need to get stronger; being insufficiently strong just means leaving yourself at the mercy of others.
Opening the so-called mailbox according to the system's guidance, Lin Yu saw the rewards received this time.
Ding! The rewards claimed by the host this time are (Special Item - Advanced Novice Gacha Ticket), (Skill Book - Storage Space: Small).
(Skill Book - Storage Space: Small)—Used to learn this passive skill. Those who possess this skill can open a space with a volume of 10m³ at any time, and the flow of time within the space is slowed.
Remark: It is not recommended to pull any sneaky stunts. If you don't believe it, feel free to try.
A good skill; a fourth-dimensional ass-pouch is definitely going to come in handy in the future.
But that last sentence...
I feel like it's brimming with profound meaning.
After finishing the skill description, Lin Yu cast his gaze onto that gacha ticket.
(Special Item - Advanced Novice Gacha Ticket)—A special item. The holder of this item can consume it to perform a ten-pull gacha. This ten-pull is guaranteed to draw one advanced item once.
...I've already lived a second life, why am I still playing gacha games?
Clicking the use button, Lin Yu saw ten items appear within his field of vision.
As for useless junk like a broken brick, a leftover piece of toast pizza, a white plastic chair that looked like someone had sat on it, and ten boxes of instant noodles that would never expire, I won't bother detailing them. Anyway, when it comes to gacha, pulling a bunch of filler items in a ten-pull is entirely normal.
As for those slightly useful things...
(Weapon - Glock G19 Modified)—Modified by the system to have infinite ammo capacity, but the bullet caliber remains unchanged.
A 9mm small-caliber pistol... Whatever, it's still better than junk, and infinite ammo always comes in handy somewhere.
(Weapon - Kiana's Omelet Rice)—A weapon, a biochemical weapon capable of corroding Soul Steel. Not recommended for consumption.
Oh oh oh, good stuff, it just looks a little terrifying.
After sorting through the first nine items, Lin Yu turned his gaze to the final item.
Skill Book - Mirror Mind (Mobile Fighter G Gundam)
After use, one can briefly enter a state called "Mirror Mind." In this state, the user's state of mind will be as calm as still water, and their reaction speed and attack precision will be drastically enhanced.
Looking at this final item, Lin Yu used both skill books without hesitation.
Only now, Lin Yu—having grown slightly "stronger"—knew very well that having acquired these rewards, he was actually still far from getting out of danger.
You take out the phone handed to you by Rita... Heh, even if you had to guess with your feet, you'd know that besides having a communication encryption system, this phone is also outfitted with a powerful tracking system.
Once that man believes you might do something that threatens his plan, your ending is already sealed.
You cannot endure this inexplicable threat to your life—fight, beat the crap out of him! So what if it's Soul Steel! You drew an item that counters Soul Steel, don't chicken out!
No, the information earlier was provided just fine, why does the writing style suddenly revert back to brain-dead mode toward the end?
This narration system of yours is basically an instigation system, isn't it? You're terrified I won't die fast enough.
Besides, running is definitely out of the question now. If Otto finds out I didn't go monitor K423, he'll probably be displeased again, and when he's displeased, I'm in for bad luck.
Sigh, I'll go back, tidy up the room, see if there's anything useful, and then take action.
You return to your temporary residence in Changkong City, but with your keen senses, you discover a few extra tiny footprints on the ground.
Damn, they brought the fight right to my doorstep.
I've only been out of the house for a few hours, do you guys have to be this efficient?
Feigning ignorance of the enemy's tracks, Lin Yu carelessly opened the front door.
When the door opened, no enemies lunged out from the vicinity.
Yet the moment Lin Yu stepped through the door, a petite figure darted out from his current blind spot.
You perceive the presence of the enemy; this little one may be short, but her movements are nimble.
Her attack carries no murderous intent, yet you know very well that the smell of blood undoubtedly lingers on this enemy.
She is acting for the sake of her vanished close friend, and you are certain that if the need arises, she will hold no mercy toward a stranger.
To begin with, you are her enemy.
Acting for a close friend, smelling of blood, possessing a petite frame...
Holy shit! Bronya!
I've only been out for a few hours, and this brat has already come knocking on my door???
Chapter 7: Hesitation is defeat
Tens of minutes ago
Cocolia, currently inside a certain secret base, looked at the screen before her with a trace of fatigue in her eyes.
During the previous X10 Experiment, because of the experiment, Cocolia lost her adopted daughter, Seele Vollerei.
Although she knew that in the process of fighting the Honkai, sacrifices like this were unavoidable, she still felt a bit uneasy in her heart.
And following that, her other adopted daughter, Bronya Zaychik, also lost her legs and parts of her emotional circuitry due to the X10 Experiment.
Yet these sacrifices were all worthwhile in Cocolia's eyes.
These few experiments provided Cocolia with sufficiently mature technology and data.
Coupled with the fact that she framed her colleague Raiden Ryoma and brought ME Company under her own control, Cocolia's influence within Anti-Entropy could be said to have reached an unprecedented peak.
The current Cocolia even grasped a portion of the Herrscher of Reason's cells and had begun executing the artificial Herrscher project.
And now, as long as she could guide Raiden Mei's awakening and capture this mature Herrscher on the spot, Cocolia—who controlled one Herrscher and was capable of mass-producing Herrscher bodies—would have already acquired the capital to confront Destiny.
Of course, that was assuming her plan went smoothly in every aspect.
Yet right now, Cocolia looked at the woman on the screen, knowing she had to get serious.
On the screen, a gorgeous woman with short ashen-blonde hair and a remarkably handsome black-haired man were walking down the street holding hands.
However, as an Anti-Entropy executor, Cocolia knew very well that the woman was no ordinary person.
Destiny publicly claimed to have three S-rank Valkyries, but according to intelligence gathered by Anti-Entropy's intelligence department, they could only confirm the identities of two of them.
And Rita Roseweisse was one of them.
As Otto's confidante, Rita Roseweisse appearing in Changkong City was definitely no coincidence.
"I see. After we cleaned up those trash, Otto couldn't sit still, so he dispatched an S-rank this way to continue monitoring the gem."
It's too late for regrets now; after startling the snake, she had to accelerate the progress of her plan.
Furthermore... Hmph, the man that Valkyrie is in contact with is undoubtedly one of Otto's lackeys as well.
Before you continue