Titans and mechs are, to a certain extent, a type of puppet.
Since they also count as puppets, they fall within the domain of the dominion authority, making it entirely possible for them to become Anqi's avatars.
Unfortunately, there is too much lost technology packed into Titans. Who knows what kind of network systems they have connected? If the Anti-Entropy network detected anything during the conversion process, that would be disastrous.
I should take down Cocolia first. After all, as a leader of the Radical Faction, she certainly knows a lot of inside information about the Titans and has sufficient clearance. I can try to dominate them then...
Clinging to expectations for the future, Anqi stood up and left the hillside.
Chapter 26: Anqi Draws the Line
"Kuerla..."
"Kuerla..."
"Hey! Kuerla!"
"Cough! I'm not dead yet... stop shouting..."
"Great! Hooray! Hang in there, the battle's over, we're taking you back for treatment right away, don't die on us!"
Deep in the smoke-filled, snow-covered plains, a group of heavily armed special forces soldiers skillfully cleaned up the battlefield. At times, someone gritted their teeth and choked up over the gruesome remains, while others wept tears of joy at finding a surviving comrade.
They packed up the remains of their fallen comrades and any salvageable equipment. Soon, the lightly injured drove sturdy, heavy transport vehicles, while those in urgent need of medical attention were loaded onto faster armed helicopters, pulling out of the wasteland in a massive convoy.
A fierce and biting wind shrieked into being, bringing a continuous flurry of snow. One could easily foresee that by the time the wind and snow stopped, all traces of the battle here would be buried, and no one would ever know of the monsters that once existed or the human soldiers who fought them to the death.
"Multiple fractures, severe hypothermia, frostbite. Fortunately, the low temperature kept the blood loss in check... What number is this?"
"Three."
"Good, stay awake. Looks like brain function is still normal, and internal organ damage should be fairly optimistic. Hang in there, you'll be fine once we get back to base!"
"Got it..."
The silver-haired female warrior replied weakly, her slightly hollow blue eyes staring quietly at the ceiling of the helicopter as she let the paramedics fit her with an oxygen mask.
Kuerla Endrabid, so that is your name.
Your family all died in the hands of Honkai Beasts, leaving only an uncle who is a minor logistics officer.
Your wish is to exact vengeance on the Honkai...
Then, as the Ruler of Domination, occupying her body is undoubtedly a desecration of her, isn't it?
The Anqis in the Theater of Domination shared the memories of the deceased Kuerla, their respective expressions turning complex and sentimental.
There was no need to repeatedly elaborate on the combat strength of the Ruler of Domination. As for Honkai Beasts, they did not possess the ability of the Herrscher of the Void to mass-produce large-scale herds of them. Instead, the Ruler of Domination could completely dominate Honkai Beasts, though not in an exaggerated number.
Therefore, in the recent battle, Anqi was fully capable of saving those soldiers, including Kuerla's life.
Yet she did not do so. She merely watched from afar, and when the dust was about to settle, she found a corpse that matched her own aesthetic and seized the nest.
There has never been a moment quite like the present that has made me so clearly realize that I am no longer human.
*...*
The Anqis fell silent one after another.
They did not control Honkai Beasts to attack humans, and today's battle would have happened even without their bystander status.
Yet, in the end, they chose to watch rather than help humanity.
Look on the bright side.
At this point in time, as the Thousand-Person Ruler, we have no choice.
When all is said and done, whether it's me in this world or me in another world, we don't love this world, do they?
We are simply trying to survive.
The Anqis in the theater consoled themselves, soon resuming the same indifferent expressions as they continued their training in hand-to-hand combat, authority, Honkai Energy control, firearms, and various kinds of knowledge.
Right now, only the capability stats growing with every passing minute and second could bring a sliver of comfort to Anqi's heavy heart.
After a week of playing corpse, Kuerla (Anqi) walked out of the Medical Department.
"Hey! Our dear team flower has finally been discharged! Barbecue, sausages, and the Water of Life are ready, just waiting for you to show up!"
"Bang!"
With a single elbow strike, Anqi sent the teammate who had leaped over to hug her stumbling to the ground, clutching her stomach.
She scratched her messy yet neat short silver hair, her delicate, ice-cold face bearing the exact same impatient expression her teammates remembered as she said:
"No drinking recently. The doctor said if I don't recover properly, I might never be able to return to the battlefield... By the way, has Lady Cocolia issued any new instructions during this time?"
Anti-Entropy in the Bear Country was basically the domain of the Reformist Faction, which essentially equated to Cocolia's sphere of influence. A considerable portion of the soldiers serving here were veterans who originally had ties with Cocolia, and by now, the bulk of the military forces obeyed that woman's orders.
One could say that Anti-Entropy in this region held an even higher level of approval for Cocolia than for the Sovereign.
Her teammates exchanged glances for a moment, paying no mind to Anqi's dampening of the mood as they answered her question:
"We haven't heard of any special action plans, though."
"Still, according to routine, Lady Cocolia should be coming to the front lines to pay a visit after this round of sweeping operations, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. She never misses a funeral ceremony."
"I see... During this period of recuperation, I want some peace and quiet to think about some things. Don't come bothering me unless something's up. Have fun, you guys."
Anqi walked through her teammates on her own, waving her hand and leaving behind the charming, upright silhouette of a slender waist and long legs.
Her teammates exchanged glances and shrugged, clearly accustomed to their old friend's cold-beauty demeanor, before laughing and heading toward the gathering place, which would evidently result in a drunken brawl that no one could leave early.
Kuerla (Anqi) arrived at "her" room.
It was a room with a heavy military style. There were no pink elements typical of a girl, and pulling open the wardrobe revealed only serious attire like uniforms, black down jackets, and jeans.
Anqi stripped off her clothes.
Looking into the full-length mirror embedded in the wardrobe, this body had fair skin and was at its most beautiful and alluring age. Her slender, well-rounded legs and perfectly seductive body curves featured the lifted, proud, rounded contours that a woman ought to have. Moreover, she was clearly well-exercised, with very attractive muscle curves and a toned athletic V-line on her abdomen—a physique filled with wild, healthy beauty.
"Thank you, Kuerla."
"I have nothing to repay you with, so consider it hypocrisy if you will. From now on, this version of me will be the sharp blade against the Honkai, the most steadfast and fearless warrior."
Facing the mirror, Anqi established the persona for this body.
Only toward Kuerla did the act of seizing the body cause Anqi a sense of guilt, and the more she saw Kuerla's beauty, the more she felt she had failed the girl's resolve to fight the Honkai to the death.
In the future, try not to seize bodies similar to Kuerla's. This sentence received a nod of agreement from all the Anqis.
Because of Kuerla, the Anqis set a bottom line for themselves: no longer desecrate the corpses of good people.
One could dislike the world, or do some bad things for survival, but one must never let oneself live too uglily; that did not align with Anqi's aesthetics.
Just as the rank-and-file soldiers knew, Cocolia appeared at the funeral ceremony following the sweeping operation. At the solemn and respectful ceremony, she observed a moment of silence alongside the soldiers and offered carnations, which were used in this country to mourn the dead.
Following that, Cocolia stayed at the front-line base. According to routine, she would continue to personally visit the rank-and-file soldiers, award medals to those who performed meritorious service, and handle various large and small issues arising from the sweeping operation.
For Cocolia, these were quite busy days.
Yet she who would wear the crown must bear its weight; since Cocolia had climbed to the position of the Reformist Faction's leader, she naturally had to fulfill the duties of a leader. Regardless of what beliefs she held, at least when it came to the things she ought to do, she had always made people quite satisfied.
"Knock! Knock!"
The sentry knocked at the office door. Leafing through some documents, Cocolia looked up at the door and frowned.
"Come in, what is it?"
"Lady Cocolia, a soldier says she has important intelligence to report to you."
"What is it? I don't have the energy to worry about every trivial matter."
Cocolia furrowed her brow deeper, looking the sentry up and down while considering whether she ought to bring along a few sharper subordinates on her travels next time.
The sentry tightened up inwardly, instinctively straightening her back and saluting.
"Officer, this soldier's attitude is very resolute, and she's a loyal warrior who almost sacrificed herself on the front lines, so I... Anyway, she gave me this letter, saying you'll see her once you read it."
"Sigh! Fine, give it to me."
Cocolia shook her head, sighed, and casually took the white envelope from the soldier's hand.
Probably another whistleblowing report on corrupt and derelict officers, or a complaint about some research base messing around with human experiments? It always boils down to these situations.
Cocolia assumed matter-of-factly and tore open the envelope.
Snake greets you.
Cocolia froze, the pupils in her jewel-like purple eyes shrinking sharply.
Chapter 27: Anqi Successfully Captures
"To think even such a remote front-line base has traces of you people. Snake really does reach everywhere."
Inside the brightly lit yet dead-quiet office, Cocolia crossed her legs, arms folded and propping up the heavy, full burden at her chest, stretching her green military coat so tightly it looked ready to burst.
A smile hung on the corners of her mouth as she gazed at Kuerla, though her alluring purple eyes flashed with unpleasant cold light.
Kuerla stood straight, maintaining the demeanor of a cold, stern soldier. Her delicate yet bold face wore an expression of indifferent numbness, and she replied in a chill voice:
"Merely an ordinary covert piece. Without keen senses observing the world, how could the Snake lurk in the shadows? If I have displeased Lady Cocolia, I will vanish from your sight after this."
"Hah, there's no need to vanish; I'm not that petty. Speak, what information do you want to convey, to the point of exposing your perfect covert piece?"
Cocolia leaned back and said casually.
Vanished? What a joke!
Spies were much safer left under one's nose than vanished, and Cocolia actually hoped this fellow before her would stay in the army. Only then, however, would it be uncertain who was watching whom.
Right in front of Cocolia, Kuerla slowly reached her hand into the collar of her military uniform and drew out a coin-sized, diamond-shaped red gemstone from a bosom only slightly inferior to Cocolia's, placing it on the desk.
Cocolia glanced at it, and seeing that Kuerla said nothing, she asked:
"What is this?"
"I don't know."
"Ha?"
"Mr. Gray Serpent will discuss the details with you in person. I am only responsible for delivering this item to your hands. As for what it is or how to use it, I do not know these details, nor do I need to know."
Kuerla said expressionlessly.
When the Anqis used their avatars as puppets, they could completely suppress the physical body's emotional reactions, thereby perfectly masking all emotion.
Cocolia could not read any intelligence from Kuerla's face either, so she could only shake her head and say:
"You people really are thorough mystics. Still, since you didn't hesitate to expose a covert piece to deliver it, it must be quite an extraordinary thing, right? Fine, then I'll accept it. Is there anything else?"
Cocolia casually picked up the gemstone, pinched it between her thumb and forefinger, and held it under the light to admire its crystalline, bright red luster.
One could not blame her for lacking vigilance.
Mainly, based on their cooperation over the years, Cocolia had long since concluded that World Serpent was just as difficult to deal with as Schicksal, and naturally fully believed they could plant covert pieces within Anti-Entropy. Judging by their extreme mysticism operational tenets, being able to utter words like Snake and Gray Serpent basically confirmed Kuerla's origins.
Cocolia found nothing suspicious, and furthermore, since this was her own turf, there was even less need for vigilance.
Then, Cocolia watched as the gemstone suddenly melted and vanished between her fingers.
"To a certain extent, you can be considered a mother. But just because of the Changkong City incident that took my mom and dad away, Cocolia, you deserve to die."
Kuerla's rigid expression simultaneously softened. Her body slowly leaned forward until she was gazing across the desk at Cocolia's dazed expression, and without a shred of pity, she spoke.
"Mom..."
"Mother Cocolia..."
"Mother Cocolia, what are you doing? Come over here quickly!"
Ahead, in the big house blooming with flowers, Bronya, Seele, Seele, Rosaliya, Liliya... all the children were there, laughing and waving at Cocolia.
Bronya is back too... But why is Seele here as well, did I already rescue her... And what was I just doing...
Before you continue