The Honkai Simulator Isn't for Kidnapping Herrschers!

This is a requirement from the Oceanic Branch. Wendy has to undergo a physical examination every day, primarily to measure the degree of rejection between the Herrscher Gem and her body.

Wendy felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation about the examination.

According to the lead researcher of the experiment, there was currently a rejection between the Herrscher core and her body. The experiment would only be considered successful if this rejection was resolved.

Not everyone could become a Herrscher.

Normally, the Herrscher that humans faced was a vessel carrying the Herrscher core. Only when the vessel completely abandoned its own thoughts and aligned with the Herrscher's consciousness could it become a complete Herrscher.

The experiment being conducted by the Oceanic Branch aimed to allow the Herrscher to retain their own consciousness while also gaining Herrscher authority.

This wasn't impossible, but the only things capable of achieving it were Divine Keys.

For humans to steal divine authority came at a great cost, and the Oceanic Branch's research was focused on eliminating this cost.

Therefore, the Oceanic Branch's Herrscher Gem infusion experiment also had another name: the Divine Right Plan.

Chen Ran watched from the doorway as Wendy was pushed into the examination room by a Sub-God Machine robot.

He waited outside for the results.

Before long, someone approached him and asked, "How is Wendy's condition? Are there any abnormalities?"

"No, she's in good condition," Chen Ran replied. "She's like a normal Valkyrie, nothing noteworthy."

"That's good."

After asking, the person left directly.

Chen Ran watched the retreating figure, his brow furrowing slightly.

The experiment being conducted on Wendy was undoubtedly important. However, the person's inquiry felt... a bit too perfunctory.

His mind instinctively began to ponder.

Wendy's situation was almost identical to Raiden Mei's. Both had been artificially infused with Herrscher Gems, but the difference was that Mei had succeeded, while Wendy had failed.

However, Wendy's failure was rather unclear, merely a tossed-aside background detail.

"Perhaps I really do need to find some time to see Raiden Mei."

The Third Honkai War had not yet occurred at this time, and he had no intention of stopping it.

But Mei's condition might be the key to preventing Wendy's Herrscherization.

The key to clearing this simulated scenario was the Fourth Herrscher, but as long as the Fourth Herrscher didn't appear, it could be completed.

While he was contemplating outside...

Inside the Oceanic Branch, everyone marveled at the changes in Wendy's body.

"Good news."

A researcher, looking at Wendy lying in the experimental pod, reported to the lead researcher, "Although we don't know what happened, the rejection symptoms between the subject and the Herrscher Gem have lessened."

"This could be considered data anomaly, and the cause is currently unknown."

The lead researcher frowned instinctively. "What has the subject been doing lately?"

"Living a normal life like other Valkyries. The robot assigned to care for her has logs and observations, and there's no difference."

"The only time she was outside the robot's observation was today. Researcher Chen Ran took the subject to the seaside. According to the Valkyrie who followed them, their relationship is good, and the subject was in a very good mood."

"Mood?" The lead researcher's eyes showed contemplation.

"While emotional changes might be a cause for data anomalies, the subject's physiological structure wouldn't change due to emotions. There must be something else we don't know."

He said, "Continue to let Researcher Chen Ran care for her, and observe the subject's physical condition."

Chapter 10: "Wendy vs. Durandal"

Chen Ran lived his days in an orderly fashion, and No. 666 was no exception.

According to No. 666's calculations, if it continued to train with the Flame-Chaser's First Squad for another two to three years, developing the human body's muscle modules to their limit, its success rate in becoming a Fusion Warrior would greatly increase.

While it was managing Chen Ran's body, it had already begun considering using biological knowledge to modify its own body to be more adaptable to Honkai, thus surviving the future Fusion Warrior modification technology.

However, its identity within the First Squad constrained its talents.

Chen Ran's identity was that of a soldier, and most of his time was spent training. For No. 666, which already knew about Fusion Warriors, the current physical training was incomparable to being a Fusion Warrior.

In other words, it had to spend more than twelve hours a day on projects with no effective return.

And this investment was mandatory.

It was like some '1040 Sunshine Project'.

For No. 666, if host Chen Ran had a problem, it would also have a problem. Then, it would have to deploy "Counter Honkai Simulator No. 667."

Therefore, even though Kevin objected, it still set up its dormitory as a small laboratory.

Just as it finished its day's training and was about to return to its dormitory to continue tinkering, a strange woman suddenly called out to him.

"Hello, Mr. Chen Ran."

"I am a member of the First Research Institute and currently serve as Dr. Mobius's assistant. Would you have time to talk?"

Blanca, utilizing higher-level access within the Flame-Chaser's internal network, quickly located Chen Ran.

She had investigated Chen Ran's records and discovered that he hadn't used any Flame-Chaser medications; instead, he prepared his own. Based on his anonymous papers, Blanca began to mix the compounds herself and found that while the effects weren't as potent as those developed by Mobius, they had virtually no side effects.

Furthermore, if given enough time, the effectiveness of Chen Ran's concoctions wouldn't lag behind Mobius's.

Ultimately, it was a trade-off: sacrificing time to reduce side effects.

The Flame-Chaser had no shortage of warriors, so Mobius's pursuit of efficiency didn't involve many considerations. But Blanca was different.

This was because her husband, Heng, was an outstanding Flame-Chaser warrior.

Blanca arranged to meet No. 666 in a lounge within the Flame-Chaser base.

Unlike the distinctively characterized Mobius, Blanca was actually more gentle in nature.

"I'm sorry to intrude on your time, but I have some questions I'd like to ask you..."

Over the next thirty minutes, she began to assess No. 666's knowledge base.

No. 666 responded accordingly to Blanca's inquiries.

The biological knowledge from the next civilization wasn't lacking compared to the present. The actual difference between the two eras lay in their understanding of the Honkai, while other fields were largely comparable.

Therefore, Blanca was surprised to discover that this young man, who had joined the Flame-Chasers at eighteen, was actually a hidden talent.

At the very least, the young man's knowledge base was sufficient for ordinary research work.

With a little cultivation, further advancement wasn't out of the question.

With this thought, she couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Chen Ran, have you considered joining the First Research Institute?"

No. 666 didn't feign modesty: "It would be my honor."

"Chen Ran, do you know? My current physical condition is very optimistic."

After emerging from the examination pod, Wendy excitedly chattered to Chen Ran beside her, "They said the rejection phenomenon between my body and the Herrscher Gem has lessened. If it disappears completely, I'll become the first artificial Herrscher."

"Once that happens, I can stand up again and have a chance to catch up to Durandal."

As a genius, Wendy naturally possessed the pride and ambition of one.

Durandal was the object of her pursuit.

This was also why she had agreed to the Herrscher core integration experiment at the time.

In essence, the Herrscher core integration experiment was about allowing someone to steal the authority of a god, which was the core of the Divine Right Plan.

If the plan succeeded, Wendy would gain the Herrscher's authority, and surpassing Durandal would then be a possibility.

Chen Ran looked at the joy on Wendy's face and felt happy for her.

He suddenly felt that the system's rewards were quite good.

After all, it was biological knowledge, which meant he actually had a chance to help Wendy stand up.

"Mhm, okay, then you'll need to prepare thoroughly, master the Herrscher power, and storm headquarters to challenge the Blade of Immovability."

His expression was exaggerated, mimicking Chinese web novels: "Then, the 'Black Whirlwind' Wendy arrived at Schicksal headquarters, calling out Durandal by name to come out and face her."

"'Vice-Captain Rita came out first, shouting: 'Halt! Who goes there, and for what purpose?'"

"'Wendy sneered, 'I'm here to challenge you.'"

Then, Wendy playfully hit his arm: "Hey! Don't make me sound like a villain like that. I'm not that kind of villain."

Chen Ran casually made up another story: "If you don't want to be the villain, fine, I'll change it."

"'It came to pass that in the training grounds of the Blade of Immovability, Durandal, after a one-on-one battle against the entire Blade of Immovability, sighed, 'None of you are my match. Who in this world can fight me?'"

"'Rita supported from the side, hearing that a Valkyrie named Wendy from the Oceanic Branch had mastered divine authority and was the strongest in the world.'"

"'Durandal declared with great spirit: 'Excellent! Once I send my challenge, I shall depart for the Oceanic Branch.'"

"'The message reached Wendy in the Oceanic Branch. Her subordinates were all fearful, but Wendy declared boldly: 'Durandal is merely a child. With the Herrscher authority in my hand, I will ensure she never returns.'"

Wendy laughed until she was breathless.

"Pfft, how much prejudice do you have against me and Durandal? But it's quite amusing."

Although she knew Chen Ran was just trying to make her laugh with his flattery, the mental image made Wendy unable to hold back her laughter.

"If Durandal knew you were making fun of her like this, no, it's still too funny."

She said, "It must be a hardship for you to be a researcher."

"Yeah, I think so too. If I switch careers to writing novels in the future, remember to support me. The title of this book will be 'Wendy vs. Durandal.'" Chen Ran's lips also couldn't suppress a smile.

Wendy said, "Then I'll buy a copy for everyone in the Blade of Immovability."

They exchanged a look and smiled at each other.

However, what Chen Ran didn't know at that moment was that Wendy had a special device constantly monitoring her body data.

This device was synchronized with the Oceanic Branch's computer terminal, and the person in charge of the plan recorded the data fluctuations.

"Doctor, the rejection symptoms between the subject and the Herrscher core are continuing to decrease. If this persists, our plan has a very high chance of success."

"The reason?"

The lead researcher asked, "I want to know what exactly caused the symptoms to lessen."

The researcher subconsciously replied, "I don't know, but according to the records, it seems to be related to mood. The problem should be with Researcher Chen Ran."

At this moment, their conversation was overheard by a researcher hiding in the shadows.

PS. Many settings regarding the Oceanic Branch have not been explained, so I will be creating and integrating some background settings from now on.

PS. Also, please vote. This child is starving to death; playing solo is really difficult.

Chapter 11: The Divine Right Plan, First Death

Due to Wendy's special circumstances, Chen Ran was fortunate enough to be exempt from the trivial work of ordinary researchers.

He hadn't given up on physical training, but Wendy didn't have high expectations for him; as long as he met the standard of being slightly more robust than a normal person, that would be enough.

"So, why is running five kilometers still so tiring?"

Chen Ran felt like he was going to make an enemy of 'five kilometers.'

According to Wendy, five kilometers should be the standard for a normal man.

He was, naturally, a normal man.

Therefore, he was terribly worn out by 'five kilometers' every day.

Wendy looked at Chen Ran and couldn't help but say, "There's a big problem with your training method. Running too hard can easily injure your knees."

"I think running itself is the problem," he argued righteously. "This has already seriously caused me to reject life."