Honkai Simulator: Not for Kidnapping Herrschers!

"Since you're going to counsel her, you're in charge. You don't need to report to me."

Chen Ran promptly shut his mouth.

This wasn't his specialty; how could he provide psychological counseling?

But Chen Ran knew he had to do something. Was he, a mere researcher, supposed to punch his way through the Fourth Honkai War with his bare hands?

Don't be ridiculous.

Without the System preparing any cheat codes for him, he had only one condition left to clear the game: prevent the Fourth Herrscher from appearing.

The nights in Australia were even colder than in the Far East. This was Wendy's current feeling.

Her experiment to inject the Gem of Desire had failed due to severe rejection, but fortunately, because of her own nature, the Gem of Desire did not erupt with strong Honkai Energy.

It was as if she had protected everyone.

The researchers involved in the experiment said they would continue their research and asked her to endure life in a wheelchair for a while. They assured her that all her needs—food, clothing, housing, and transportation—would be taken care of by dedicated personnel, and she wouldn't be mistreated.

They said all the right things, treating her like a naive little girl who could be easily appeased.

She subconsciously touched her legs, which were completely devoid of sensation.

"You're still out this late, aren't you cold?"

A piece of clothing was draped over her shoulders.

Wendy turned her head and saw a Shenzhou face she had never seen before.

He was holding a plastic bag in his hand, containing something that smelled enticing, but its appearance was unclear.

Chen Ran noticed her gaze and said, "Roasted sweet potato. I had to search for a long time to find this good stuff."

He complained, "The Oceanic Branch doesn't allow open flames or coal indoors. This rule is really inhumane. Do you want some?"

"Who are you?"

Wendy asked, her face full of wariness.

"Just an ordinary researcher," he said helplessly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience we've caused you."

Wendy was slightly taken aback.

Until now, this was the first time anyone had ever apologized to her.

After a moment of silence, she said, "I volunteered for the experiment, and I could bear the risk of failure. You don't need to apologize."

"I also know that no experiment goes smoothly, just like there's no such thing as absolutely safe combat."

Her voice grew softer, as if she were holding back some emotion.

Wendy was a genius student who had earned the title of A-rank Valkyrie at the age of 14. Her future should have been bright.

Just then, the aroma of the food became even stronger.

She saw Chen Ran peel half of a roasted sweet potato and say, "Try some. I used to eat this all the time when I was in Shenzhou."

He smiled and added, "Back then, I'd just grab an iron basin, bury it in ashes, toss in some charcoal, and chat with friends my age. But here, it's just the two of us now."

Wendy instinctively took it.

The sweet, fragrant roasted sweet potato bloomed on her taste buds.

She had lived in St. Freya before and hadn't never eaten anything like it. However, this tasted significantly better than she remembered.

"Thank you."

She said.

Chen Ran blinked and replied, "If you really want to thank me, how about doing me a favor?"

"What?"

"As you know, I'm a researcher, so I'm physically weak," he said. "I need someone to guide me in training, and you're a graduated Valkyrie."

Chen Ran had always known that there wasn't much he could do with his current identity. The only way left for him to clear the Fourth Honkai War was to eliminate the Herrscher's negative emotions.

Wendy could have had a fate similar to Raiden Mei's.

Of course, if he had to be Wendy's 'Kiana,' that would be out of the question. Simulated scenarios were, after all, just simulations.

"Okay,"

Wendy said. "But I'll need to do a comprehensive assessment of your physical condition first."

"If you have time, come find me tomorrow morning at six."

Six o'clock was when she usually started her training.

Chen Ran's face fell. "I've never even woken up that early for my college entrance exams."

However, he still agreed.

Meanwhile, in the real world.

"Kevin, physical fitness qualified."

"Chen Ran, physical fitness qualified."

"..."

In Changkong City, the survivors were being assigned their future paths.

The vast majority had lost their homes, dazed and unsure of what to do next.

Kevin proposed joining the Flame-Chaser, and No. 666 seconded the motion.

Becoming a soldier in the Flame-Chaser was the best option No. 666 had calculated. It needed to leverage technology to fight the Honkai.

The System wasn't pinning all its hopes of defeating the Honkai on Chen Ran.

[Honkai Resistance Simulator No. 666] was genuinely resisting the Honkai as well.

Fortunately, the selection criteria for the Flame-Chaser weren't too strict at this time. Or rather, with the support of universal weapons, any survivor who could live through the Honkai basically met the requirements to become a Flame-Chaser warrior.

The Honkai had already screened them once for the Flame-Chaser.

No. 666 looked at Kevin, who was standing silently nearby.

It continued its assessment: "Next, stick close to Kevin and latch onto a strong support."

Chapter 3: First Simulation Ends

At six the next morning, Chen Ran felt a wave of dizziness.

"I've never even woken up this early for the college entrance exams."

He felt like he had already sacrificed too much to fight the Honkai.

Using the information Wendy had given him last night, he found the location of Wendy's room. Due to her special condition, Wendy was currently being cared for by robots from Schicksal's Sub-God Machine series research.

Ordinary Valkyries feared high concentrations of Herrscher Cores, and the researchers had their own work. Therefore, Wendy's daily needs, from food and clothing to living arrangements, relied on machine assistance.

By the time Chen Ran arrived, Wendy had already changed and finished her morning routine.

She wasn't like the Wendy who had been tormented by the Herrscher Gem for two years. Her face still held the youthful spirit of a Valkyrie and the pride of a genius.

At this point, the Herrscher Gem infusion experiment had not yet been declared a complete failure, and she still held onto hope.

When Chen Ran had pleaded with her last night, she had agreed without much hesitation.

Since she couldn't train herself for a while, it wouldn't hurt to guide someone else.

Although she, with her keen mind, could probably guess that Chen Ran was just asking to cheer her up.

After all, basic researchers didn't need physical training.

"Ah, I can't do it anymore."

"I knew I was a noob, but I didn't expect to be this much of a noob."

On the training grounds of the Oceanic Branch, Chen Ran was questioning his entire existence.

He had only run three kilometers.

Yet, those three kilometers had already left him dizzy, his vision blurred, and he was questioning life and the meaning of what he was doing.

There were many ways to keep Wendy happy, but he had chosen the hardest one.

Physical training was the most basic training for a Valkyrie, and Wendy had only asked him to run five kilometers.

In the first two hundred meters, Chen Ran felt as agile as the wind; but now, he felt like a zombie.

Zombie = brainless.

Only a brainless person would run five kilometers straight without any warm-up or exercise.

Chen Ran was not an exercise enthusiast; on the contrary, he was an exercise complainer.

In his limited life experience, exercise only happened during physical education classes. And even then, he would often slack off during his runs.

However, to avoid disappointing Wendy, he had no choice but to stumble his way through the entire distance.

He had practically walked the last kilometer.

Seeing this, Wendy didn't say anything about it.

She simply said, "As an ordinary person, you've met the requirement. Rest well for now."

"Thank you so much, I'll go get some water."

Chen Ran was already drenched in sweat, his throat parched.

Wendy couldn't help but smile faintly.

Then, she looked at the people training in the field, a hint of envy and longing in her eyes.

As a researcher for the Oceanic Branch, Chen Ran naturally had work to do.

Although he wished he could spend all day with Wendy, nurturing their relationship, reality wouldn't allow it unless he quit his job.

After a hasty, dog-like, and disheveled five-kilometer run, he brought Wendy back to her room before heading back himself to shower and change.

The Oceanic Branch wouldn't be solely focused on Herrscher Gem infusion experiments.

In fact, anyone allowed to participate in this experiment was already considered trustworthy within the Oceanic Branch. The branch's current research was actually focused on a deeper study of Honkai lifeforms.

For example, whether Honkai Beasts possessed a physiological system akin to metabolism, what their life's driving force was, or if they possessed intelligence...

He was quite young, but the System had granted him a high level of education.

He studied in Shenzhou from a young age, completing six years of coursework in three. He began studying abroad in middle school, then skipped grades, and finally graduated with a Master's in Biology from Heisenberg University, signing a million-dollar annual contract with Schicksal...

So, he should dream big.

"If only my real life were even half as good as this, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams."

Fortunately, when the System created his identity, it also imbued him with the corresponding knowledge.

It was similar to...

How the Honkai Consciousness would stuff knowledge related to authority into Herrschers.

Chen Ran thought of this for some reason and shivered.

Just then, Chen Ran suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head.

[Warning: Current simulation has reached the host's mental consciousness carrying capacity. Continuing the simulation will lead to confused consciousness.]

[System is temporarily ending the simulation scenario. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the corresponding simulated knowledge.]

Following the System's warning, Chen Ran felt a wave of dizziness.