Gales and Gales

Kevin, dressed in training clothes, said expressionlessly, "It's only a thirty-kilometer obstacle run. Not making you carry extra weight is already being very considerate."

He said, "When the First Research Institute negotiated with First Squad, they mentioned that your body had been injected with some special drug, so we can squeeze your potential as much as we want."

Chen Ran: "..."

Without a doubt, kind-hearted Blanca would never negotiate like that. That left only one possibility: Mobius had definitely done it.

"Fine."

He was actually looking forward to the effects of Mobius's injection.

It was undeniable that Mobius's moral boundaries were a little more flexible than other people's, but accordingly, she was not someone who would deliberately sabotage another person's body.

She was not a mad scientist who enjoyed toying with human experiments, nor would she use gaps in knowledge and information to intimidate people.

From beginning to end, every biological experiment Mobius conducted had advanced toward her goal: bringing evolution to humanity.

That was also why Chen Ran could lie on Mobius's operating table without worry. Mobius took every experiment seriously and was strict even with herself.

The drug worked even better than expected.

All along, he had relied on simulations to improve his physique and Honkai Energy adaptability. Although that had allowed him to wield greater power than ordinary people, he still lagged somewhat behind Flame-Chaser soldiers.

After all, Flame-Chaser soldiers took medicine every day too. The biological products developed by the previous civilization were no worse than the system.

But things were different now.

The Honkai Resistance Memory Activation Drug had perfectly activated the Honkai Energy aptitude within his body, and it was also compatible with the system.

Its practical effect was this: his waist no longer ached, his legs no longer hurt, and he could run thirty kilometers in one go.

There was no shortage of people capable of running thirty kilometers, but what if the time limit was compressed to under three hours?

"Not bad."

Kevin glanced at Chen Ran, inwardly astonished.

He and Chen Ran had joined Flame-Chaser at the same time. Back then, Chen Ran had only displayed the level of an ordinary person. But now, he had already reached the standard of an outstanding frontline soldier.

Weapons and combat techniques could be learned, but physical fitness was always the standard by which a soldier's talent was judged.

Flame-Chaser truly lived up to its name. The First Research Institute really did have what it took to be first.

"You haven't reached your limit yet. Next, try adding weight."

For the next stretch of time, Chen Ran endured agony as he was tempered again and again.

Like iron ore, only by continuously removing impurities could it become good raw material.

He just did not know whether it was because of Mobius's drug or the effects of his previous medicine, but even under full-load training, no matter how exhausted he became, he never suffered a muscle strain.

He did not even get cramps.

And every day after training ended, Blanca would personally take him for a physical examination, with every piece of data sent to Mobius.

Those days lasted a full two weeks.

He had gradually adapted to life in Flame-Chaser. Besides First Squad, Vill-V often dragged him to the Engineering Department to work.

The Abyss had already been delivered, but that did not mean Vill-V had nothing left to do. On the contrary, weapons, materials, Honkai core research, Honkai Beast skeletons, and more were all part of her work.

Vill-V loudly declared that she had been tricked.

His responsibility was to explain the common properties of materials to Vill-V. Thanks to the system's implanted knowledge of fluids, the two of them approached weapon upgrades from the angle of fluid mechanics.

Neither of them mentioned what had happened that day. Chen Ran was embarrassed and guilty, while Vill-V simply did not care.

Just as Chen Ran felt that, after two weeks, he had adapted to Flame-Chaser's pace and could try simulating again, a new mission arrived.

More precisely, a new accident.

Emergency alert! Emergency alert! Signs of intense Honkai Energy fluctuations have been detected in South America. The effects are expected to spread across the entire continent. The United Nations has issued evacuation orders for local residents. All Flame-Chaser members are requested to assist with the situation.

The hurricane tore apart the sky, crushed the streets, and swallowed the buildings.

A fully armed youth stood atop the tallest building in the city. Just a few kilometers ahead of him lay the vortex formed by the storm, racing toward his position.

Several days earlier, the residents had all evacuated under vaguely worded disaster warnings. This once densely populated city had become an empty shell.

The youth clenched his fists tightly, as though doing so could suppress the trembling in his body.

Even so, he stiffened his neck and stared fixedly at the colossal beast charging toward him.

He waited.

When the vortex rolled beneath his feet, he would leap into the eye of the storm. That was the core of the disaster, the origin of all misfortune.

He had to destroy it.

The youth closed his eyes and simulated every step of fighting the hurricane's core in his mind. The storm would tear apart his body and erase his existence, while he would destroy the storm's power source before his last breath faded.

When it was all over, perhaps someone would place a bouquet of flowers before his grave. More likely, though, he would vanish from this world without a sound, just like all those missing people swallowed by the wind and the homeland where he had been born and raised.

But he did not regret it.

The eye of the storm gradually drew closer, and the youth tensed his body.

There was only one chance!

"Three, two, one," he silently counted down. "Jump!"

His thin body was swallowed by the gale in an instant. The hurricane tore apart his clothes and skin.

The youth gritted his teeth and threw explosives toward the eye of the storm.

As long as he destroyed the power source there, he could end everything—

But in the next instant, all the blood in his body turned cold.

There was nothing in the center of the storm.

The wind did not weaken. It swept up the youth and was about to crush every bone in his body.

Suddenly, his body was violently flung into the air and hurled away from the storm. A tall figure stood before him.

It was a white-haired young man, no more than a few years older than him.

Holding a firearm, he faced the storm without wavering, like an unbreakable spear.

"Who are you?"

Cosmo asked hoarsely, his voice scattered by the gale.

"Why is there still a civilian here? And a kid?" Kevin frowned. "Listen carefully. If you don't want to die, run now. The Fourth Herrscher will be here soon. There's a shelter thirty kilometers east of the city. Get there immediately!"

Not far away, Chen Ran, covered in dirt, spat out the sand in his mouth. "Kevin, stop standing around here. The Fourth Herrscher is too fast. I can't find her!"

PS: A parallel Earth was about to be invaded, and Zhijiu was dragged over to be its savior. But after taking a closer look, he discovered that it was merely an ordinary Qingri world, and he was completely powerless.

Only afterward did he suddenly realize that several male protagonists from youth slice-of-life stories could become live-in sons-in-law.

Strange reaction videos spanning countless worlds began playing across Earth and various other worlds.

Hachiman Hikigaya: "I will protect you forever, Emilia—you are the genuine thing I've been searching for!"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji: "Choose. This stick, or that stick?"

Miyuki Shirogane: "Your suffering cannot conceal your sins. Ah, Kikyo... fall into hell, Onigumo!"

1

When everyone who had watched the videos suddenly looked back, countless other worlds began merging with this utterly ordinary Earth under the wishes of the video heroines.

Several years later, the invaders began to descend.

Invaders: "???"

"Crossover Anime: Starting with Hachiman Hikigaya Replacing Subaru Natsuki!"

The book I've been studying, worth reading and not a loss for 13.

Chapter 57: Gale and Gale

Four months after the Third Honkai War, the Fourth Honkai War erupted.

This Honkai outbreak had come without warning. Aside from satellites detecting signs of rising Honkai Energy concentration, there had been no other indication.

Fortunately, that early detection had allowed South America to prepare.

The radiating power of a large-scale Honkai outbreak was horrifying. Everyone either had to evacuate or seek shelters deep underground for even a chance of surviving.

Rescue missions were not Flame-Chaser's responsibility. Kevin and Chen Ran had come here with only one purpose: battle.

Battle against the newly born Herrscher.

And the main force against the Herrscher this time was First Squad. More precisely, Kevin and Chen Ran.

Kevin had been recommended by Mei, while Chen Ran had been recommended by Mobius.

Of course, to ensure the two men's safety, First Squad had specifically invited Elysia as a backup plan. Elysia had a record of fighting the Second Herrscher, so she served as another layer of insurance for their lives.

This was a trial.

And it was also a battle.

Chen Ran glanced at Cosmo and said, "Hey, you should find somewhere to hide. Honkai isn't a joke."

Cosmo instinctively looked toward Kevin.

"A Herrscher? What is that?"

"The source of all disasters. Every one of her attacks creates wind masses like this." Kevin did not hesitate to answer.

"Every... attack?"

Cosmo repeated in shock, unable to believe that the storm which had nearly killed him had merely been the product of a casual strike.

His teeth chattered. Fear prevented him from even imagining what kind of terrifyingly powerful being the "Herrscher" the young man spoke of could be.

It was despair born from an absolute gap in power.

"Evacuate as soon as possible. Don't approach the wind rings again."

Kevin reminded him.

He urged Cosmo to leave quickly.

The youth fell silent for a moment, then shouted with all his strength, "Please let me stay! I can be your assistant!"

He did not understand where this sudden courage had come from. He only knew that a voice deep in his heart told him he had to follow this young man's footsteps, or he would regret it for the rest of his life.

The young man slightly turned his head and looked at him.

That gaze froze the youth in place.

It was the gaze of someone determined to die, and the gaze of someone about to overcome everything.

"Your name is Cosmo, right?" The young man's gaze paused on his name tag.

"Fine. Then help me with something—something only you can help with." He said, "You're a great guy, so..."

"Live, okay?"

Chen Ran clicked his tongue in amazement.

As expected of the Kiana template. He had gained a little fanboy so quickly.

But now was not the time to talk about that.

The two carried their weapons as they cleared out the surrounding Honkai Beasts and zombies. Chen Ran complained, "That Herrscher is too fast. I could have gotten close to her, but you saw what happened. I got swept into the air and spun three and a half times. The ending was pretty miserable."

He still had the energy to joke around.

Kevin said flatly, "At least you weren't hurt. Eating a little dirt is nothing."

"That won't do. When has Chen Ran ever suffered this kind of humiliation? I have to get my revenge!"

In truth, his battle with the Herrscher had not been nearly as casual as he made it sound.