Honkai Simulator: Not for Kidnapping Herrschers!

The group of people left.

Raiden Mei offered thanks, but even so, her expression remained blank.

As she was about to leave, Chen Ran slowly spoke, "Just leaving like this?"

"What do you want?" Her tone was still cold, clearly regarding Chen Ran as an enemy.

At this point, it was difficult for her to accept kindness from others.

"There are many suspicious points in your father's financial case. Of course, the most important target isn't your father, but you."

He said, "Of course, it's fine if you don't believe me. It's just that things can't get any worse than they are now, can they?"

Raiden Mei's eyes narrowed slightly.

She believed in her father's character. Raiden Ryoma wasn't particularly extravagant in his lifestyle, and with the Raiden family's wealth, there was no need for financial crimes.

She looked at Chen Ran, "Can you help me?"

"Of course, and I must help you," Chen Ran said helplessly. "Otherwise, the entire Changkong City will be doomed."

PS. There will likely be five more chapters tonight. Around midnight, I'll try to do a burst update. I can still struggle a bit longer. 39

Chapter Forty-Six: Wind, Submit to Me!

There were only two ways to quickly clear this simulated scenario: prevent the birth of a Herrscher, or eliminate the source of the Honkai.

Chen Ran aimed for both, wanting to achieve everything.

The formation of a Herrscher's consciousness stemmed from desire. Typically, Raiden Mei only developed Herrscher consciousness when she had the will to die, but didn't become a Herrscher. It was only when Kiana saved her and she was on the verge of death that she gained the authority of conquest.

If Chen Ran wanted to eliminate Herrscher consciousness from its source, he first had to alleviate Raiden Mei's negative emotions.

Therefore, he needed to establish a firm goal for Raiden Mei: rescue Raiden Ryoma and clear his name.

Of course, whether the goal could be achieved wasn't important; what mattered was that Raiden Mei acted on it, preventing her from being consumed by negative emotions and leaving no room for Herrscher consciousness to tempt her.

However, this wasn't the most crucial part.

The most important factor was Cocolia.

Since Raiden Ryoma was transferred out of Changkong City before the Honkai outbreak, it indicated that Raiden Ryoma, or his supporters, were not completely ignorant of the events unfolding in Changkong City.

There must have been a struggle between the radical and conservative factions, and at this point, the outcome of this struggle was already apparent, with the radical faction achieving a temporary victory, leading to the imprisonment of Raiden Ryoma, a representative of the conservative faction.

Chen Ran didn't understand power struggles, but he could seek external help.

After all, he was now affiliated with Schicksal.

He smiled slightly at Raiden Mei and said, "I'm a teacher at Chiyou Academy, but also a Honkai investigator. Of course, you might not know what Honkai is, but your father is deeply entangled in its vortex."

ME Company produced many weapons designed to combat the Honkai, and their biggest buyers weren't Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, but countries worldwide.

The Honkai couldn't be hidden from everyone, at most only from ordinary citizens.

If nothing else, after the Second Honkai War, there were over 100,000 survivors in Siberia. Logically, news of the Honkai should have spread, but public opinion was controlled.

Schicksal alone couldn't achieve this; it required the cooperation of governments worldwide.

Not every country had Schicksal or Anti-Entropy bases, nor could they wait for Schicksal or Anti-Entropy's aid every time a Honkai event occurred.

This was why ME Company's business thrived, with its trade network spanning the globe.

However, Raiden Mei was unaware of all this.

"You might not know what Honkai is, so I'll show you."

The two went to a secluded area.

Chen Ran's lips curled slightly, "Wind, submit to me!"

In Raiden Mei's eyes, a massive storm materialized out of nowhere, kicking up dust and gravel from the ground. Chen Ran, wielding the storm, appeared god-like.

After a long while, the storm gradually subsided.

"As you've seen, this is Honkai," he said. "It grants power beyond comprehension, but with that power comes a heavy price. Currently, your father and you are part of that price."

Raiden Mei fell silent.

Wind appearing out of thin air was indeed beyond her comprehension.

This wasn't magic, but something akin to sorcery.

Chen Ran continued, "Your father was involved in the arms dealing business. Of course, the most crucial driving force behind it was also Honkai."

"The financial crime was just a cover-up. You should understand now; the adult world is always this cruel."

Raiden Mei subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, her father didn't have issues with his character or morals.

With this thought, Raiden Mei felt much lighter.

Her becoming a Herrscher began with her initial confusion and helplessness. This also explained why Kiana held such an important place in her heart.

She had relied on Kiana for her own fragile emotions.

But things were different now.

Since her father was innocent, the vulnerability in her heart had transformed into a resolve to achieve a certain goal, naturally disappearing.

However, there was still an important question now.

"Then what about you? Are you my father's enemy, or friend?"

Because of Raiden Ryoma, Raiden Mei had been kidnapped as a child.

Afterward, she was also required by her father to learn kendo, to have the ability to protect herself.

Although Raiden Ryoma hadn't told Mei how dangerous the outside world was, with Mei's intelligence, she surely knew her father had many enemies.

Especially when it involved matters beyond the ordinary, her first reaction was whether Chen Ran was a friend or an enemy.

Chen Ran blinked and said, "If you must assign a title, I can only say we are collaborators."

"My finding you has nothing to do with your father or you; it's solely related to Changkong City."

"You can find someone to verify this, but of course, I won't be waiting around for you."

To him, whether Raiden Mei participated in his actions was not important.

As long as Raiden Mei's heart wasn't consumed by negative emotions, leading to the birth of the Herrscher consciousness, that would be enough.

His truly convenient identity was that of a member of Schicksal; the Mei before him couldn't be a qualified helper.

However, to Chen Ran's surprise, Raiden Mei spoke, "I don't trust you, but I will follow you for now."

"Should I then say, 'Happy cooperation'?"

"It doesn't matter."

Raiden Mei said faintly, "Whatever you want to do, I will cooperate as much as possible."

Meanwhile, in Changkong City.

Cocolia arrived at ME Company.

As the victor of the struggle, she now had the right to enjoy the fruits of victory.

ME Company had always been Anti-Entropy's money bag, and a considerable portion of the funding for Titan production came from it. However, now that Einstein hadn't held on to it, it naturally became her property.

But this wasn't the most important thing.

"The plan can begin," she said. "Next, find someone to slowly isolate that little girl. When the time is right, act directly, without hesitation."

Anti-Entropy also had the 'Divine Right Plan,' and it had even started earlier than Schicksal.

However, unlike the 'love' Otto envisioned, the plan Cocolia was executing was to ignite the paranoia and hatred within the Herrscher's host, thereby maximizing the power of the Stigmata within Raiden Mei's heart.

So, in that sense, her experiment was actually a supplementary experiment following the failure of the X-10 experiment.

If the Stigmata could indeed offset the influence of the Herrscher consciousness, it would mean that the X-10 experiment's overall direction was correct.

And the entire Changkong City was a sacrifice for this experiment.

The true Stigmata plan did not actually begin in Tianqiong City.

It began in Changkong City.

Chapter 47: Wendy Wants to Know the Truth

"Tsk, an organization that's supposed to fight Honkai actually recruited a Herrscher, how strange."

In Tianqiong City, at Kamui Pharma.

Jackal, who Raven had described as wearing a dog mask, finally appeared. Merely by instinctual intuition, Wendy confirmed: she really didn't like him.

This was normal; Jackal didn't like Wendy either.

No one liked Herrschers, especially since World Serpent came from that era.

However, although Jackal didn't like her, he didn't dare to harbor any ulterior motives toward the person before him.

World Serpent's executives were absolutely loyal to the honored leader, and Jackal was no exception. He could only sarcastically say, "Natasha, you've explained the situation, haven't you?"

"Don't worry, I'm not as unreliable as you are."

Even within World Serpent, the relationships between executives were subtle.

Raven couldn't stand Jackal's reckless behavior, and Jackal also disliked Raven's disobedience. Yet, the two of them often carried out missions together.

There was no choice; there were too few executives.

"Then let's begin. It's fortunate that this device is also my first time using it."

Jackal looked at Wendy and provocatively said, "Herrscher, don't be scared later."

Kamui Pharma originated in Europe and, after the Second Honkai War, proactively sold anti-Honkai potions to European governments. In reality, these potions were developed by Jackal himself and could probabilistically awaken Stigmata.

At that time, she tried to initiate the Stigmata plan in this manner but encountered a rather tricky situation.

Schicksal intervened.

This was understandable; even Schicksal hadn't developed potions that could resist Honkai, so why would a pharmaceutical company be doing so?

The impact of the Second Honkai War was too great at the time, and Otto himself visited Kamui Pharma.

Then, Schicksal purchased all of Kamui Pharma's anti-Honkai drugs, making them Schicksal's exclusive supplier.

If a company has a stable sales channel, it's only a matter of time before it grows and strengthens.

But Jackal was unwilling.

These drugs were originally intended as precursors for the Stigmata plan. He had wanted to use the drugs to awaken the Stigmata genes in humans and then cause a Great Honkai... but Schicksal had intercepted him, and he was naturally dissatisfied.

Therefore, under his scheme, Jackal had Kamui Pharma relocate to a densely populated area beyond Schicksal's reach.

Shenzhou.

Through Jackal's efforts, Kamui Pharma finally established effective contact with Shenzhou and then secretly relocated.

Otto was naturally aware of this, but it didn't matter. As long as they moved to an area Schicksal couldn't reach, the plan could proceed as scheduled.

However, just as Kamui Pharma had moved to Tianqiong City and Jackal was about to sell the potions to ordinary people, preparing for the Stigmata plan.

The World Serpent's Honored Master issued an order, requiring World Serpent members to find a person living in this era.

The Honored Master left behind only a photograph. Gray Serpent used technology to copy and print the photograph, which is the one Raven is holding.

According to the Honored Master, this was the lover or sister of his deceased friend.