Honkai Simulator: Not for Kidnapping Herrschers!

"Ah, ask away. Though I'll choose not to answer anything about privacy," Chen Ran said as he looked for a hiding spot.

Wendy seemed to gather her courage and asked, "You... you don't actually have to be involved in this. Why do you keep going?"

"Didn't I tell you? The Divine Right Plan is my responsibility."

"Don't joke. I already know," she said softly. "I'm already a person who's been abandoned."

Chen Ran's body stiffened slightly, then he said, "That's them lying to you. How could an A-rank Valkyrie be abandoned? That's why the brilliant and mighty me detected an internal spy from another faction in the Oceanic Branch..."

"You didn't know all this back then, did you?"

Wendy pressed on, insisting on an answer.

Chen Ran said helplessly, "Alright, the answer is I like you."

He naturally couldn't reveal his true objective.

So, he had to use this excuse once.

Based on Chen Ran's understanding of Wendy, once he said this, she would either change the subject, fall silent, or playfully punch his chest, as she was shy about such things.

In any case, a casual "I like you" wasn't difficult for him to say.

Wendy suddenly spoke, "I didn't hear you clearly."

"I said, I like you."

"Say it again."

"I like you."

Chen Ran suddenly sensed something was wrong.

He realized, "You did that on purpose?"

"I like you too."

A smile bloomed on the girl's lips, but in the dim night, it was impossible to see clearly.

Chen Ran's mind went blank for a moment.

This joke, it seemed, had gone a little too far.

Just as he was thinking about what to say next, Wendy suddenly spoke, "Careful, don't move."

"There are footsteps."

Chen Ran instinctively crouched down and indeed heard the sound of dense footsteps not far away.

As expected, the parachute deception tactic couldn't buy them much time; the enemy had figured it out.

However, while the island's edge was unknown, there were no suitable hiding places here, and Chen Ran was carrying someone on his back.

His mind instantly went into shutdown.

There seemed to be only one option left: he would kill himself, and time would rewind an hour.

An hour ago, they hadn't departed from the Oceanic Branch yet, so there would still be time.

Just as Chen Ran made up his mind, Wendy suddenly spoke, "Untie the ropes."

"Hmm?"

"If we really run into enemies, I can still help by firing my gun," she said. "That way, you can escape, right?"

"But you..."

"Don't worry. Judging by their actions, those people want Wendy alive. I'll be fine," she said, feigning lightness.

As a 14-year-old girl, it was impossible not to be scared at this point.

But Wendy knew she needed to stay calm.

Not just for herself, but for him too.

Chen Ran could sense Wendy's thoughts.

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, I don't agree."

What a joke. If Wendy were captured, how long would it take him to clear this scenario?

The simulated time was synchronized with reality, and he didn't want to keep stalling.

He said, "Trust me, Wendy, I'll get you out."

Chen Ran touched the gun at his waist, taken from the aircraft.

As long as the bullet in the gun was aimed at himself, then...

"Boom!"

A roar echoed from afar.

Wendy and Chen Ran looked over and saw a fiery light flashing in the distance.

"It's Teacher Himeko's Greatsword of Sunfire. The enemies are all heading that way," Wendy said, relieved. "Now we can only hope Teacher Himeko can hold them off."

Chapter 23: Intimate Contact with Wendy

While everyone else was distracted by Himeko, Chen Ran secretly took a detour and found a bush that could conceal his figure.

There were signs of trampling on the branches here; it was clear someone had been here and searched carefully.

He carefully set Wendy down from his body, then let out a sigh, saying half-jokingly.

"I couldn't find any better place, so it's up to our luck now, whether heaven wants to take us."

Right now, almost everyone was drawn to Himeko, making them relatively safe.

But that didn't mean they were absolutely safe.

If Himeko could hold on, everything would be fine. If Himeko couldn't hold on either, then Chen Ran would have to resort to his last option: suicide and restart.

He actually wasn't brave enough to commit suicide.

He didn't want to experience the feeling of all consciousness being reined in a second time.

Wendy didn't speak, just instinctively curled up.

Whether it was winter or summer, the nights on the island were a bit cold.

Then, she suddenly felt a warmth.

Chen Ran held her in his arms, apologizing slightly, "Sorry, there's nowhere warm to go at night, so we'll just have to huddle together."

"It's okay."

The girl's eyes held a hint of shyness. Although she couldn't see his face clearly in the dark, she still felt reassured.

She blinked, her eyes stinging with fatigue, and then asked Chen Ran, "Are you tired?"

"To be honest, a little."

Chen Ran wasn't the type to pretend to be a hero. He said, "This is the first time I've experienced something so thrilling, and I'm even a bit thirsty right now."

"As expected, even the wind by the sea carries a salty taste. Do you feel like you're losing more water than usual?"

"That's why seaside properties are expensive to build and quick to fall."

He couldn't fall asleep yet.

So he could only use this method, making small talk aimlessly.

As for the sound of his voice, Chen Ran wasn't really that concerned.

Wendy adjusted her position in Chen Ran's arms, then leaned back against him.

Listening to Chen Ran's rambling, she smiled and said, "This is also the first time I've done something so thrilling."

"Aren't you scared at all?" Chen Ran asked.

"With you here, why would I be scared?"

The girl reached for Chen Ran's hand in the darkness, then intertwined their fingers, palm to palm.

Chen Ran fell silent for a moment.

He wouldn't fall in love with Wendy, because he knew this wasn't real. How could a love that spanned fifty thousand years be real?

Moreover, if he were lucky enough to defeat Finality in his current civilization, would Wendy even appear?

He spoke in his usual tone, "Yeah, who told me to be so handsome and give off such a sense of security? With me here, of course, you don't need to be afraid."

He added half-jokingly, "If we both unfortunately die here, would that count as eloping to die together?"

Wendy squirmed in his arms and shook her head, "That definitely doesn't count. I said I would protect you."

The girl said seriously, seeming to dislike mentioning death.

Chen Ran was speechless.

He really wanted to ask how Wendy would protect him in this situation, but now wasn't the time to be pedantic.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm. Okay, okay, okay. Then I'll have to trouble you to protect me from now on."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Wendy loosening her hand and using her upper limbs to adjust something, wriggling in his arms.

"What are you doing? Are you uncomfortable?"

He asked in a low voice.

Wendy said softly, "I'm a bit thirsty. You were right, the sea breeze is too salty, so I've lost too much water."

"Uh..."

He was about to say something when he felt his nose bump into something.

Wendy's forehead had touched his nose at some point.

And by the time Chen Ran reacted, the girl's soft lips had already kissed his.

Her nostrils exhaled warm breaths, brushing against his cheek.

Chen Ran's mind went blank, and his first thought was: There's no FBI here, right?

He was being pushed back?!

The two stopped their movements only when the air began to feel thin.

Wendy lay on his chest, and though Chen Ran couldn't see her face, he heard her voice, not without a hint of smugness, say, "Thank you for quenching my thirst. Much appreciated."

Just as Chen Ran was about to say something, she spoke again, "Hush, I hear footsteps."

Chen Ran instinctively closed his mouth.

After a long while, they saw Himeko push aside the bushes and find them, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on her face.

"You two little rascals are quite clever. You're safe now."

The enemies on the island numbered over a hundred, and Himeko had dealt with them all.

She started a bonfire by the sea with the Greatsword of Sunfire and then leaned against a nearby rock.

On the other side of the bonfire, Wendy and Chen Ran snuggled together.

Although Chen Ran had very complicated feelings about this situation, he tacitly allowed Wendy to lean on him.

He just decided to treat her like he was raising a waifu from a two-dimensional world.

Across a span of fifty thousand years, Chen Ran didn't know how to handle this, or perhaps, there was no need to handle it.

After all, Wendy might not even exist fifty thousand years from now.

And even if she did, he probably wouldn't.

As the first light of dawn began to appear on the distant horizon, the sea surrounding the island revealed its true appearance.