A Person in Honkai, But Integrated Strategies Activated

"Anti-interference index is better than nothing," Xia Ling told herself, looking at the expanded map on the detector.

However, this node was still manageable, but the next one wouldn't be so lucky.

When Xia Ling saw the messy scene of civilians in yellow-green clothing before her, her head felt like it was about to explode. Not to mention the group of menacing Sarkaz soldiers in the distance.

"Sister Xia Ling means there are spies hidden among these civilians?" Bronya asked, tapping a finger on her lips.

"Exactly. These spies might have slight habitual differences from the civilians. You might not believe this, but these civilians in yellow-green clothes are basically identical, down to their stride and movements."

"Are they even human anymore..." Bronya muttered, then summoned the Heavy-Duty Bunny behind her. "If it's a simple 'spot the difference' game, you can leave it to the bunny. She's a mechanical lifeform, so she'll handle this with ease."

"Really?" Xia Ling's eyes lit up. "In that case, I'll leave it to you, Bronya. I'll go deal with the Sarkaz soldiers ahead. You just need to find the spies among these civilians."

Bronya's proactive offer was exactly what Xia Ling wanted. The enemies in the distance weren't just Sarkaz, but also the legendary Sami runners – Corrupted Shells.

Facing this kind of Collapse that could even contaminate machinery, Xia Ling preferred to confront them herself. Although the game didn't explicitly state whether Collapse entities were contagious, what if they were?

Since acquiring the system, Xia Ling had placed her own life on a very low priority. It wasn't that she truly wanted to court death and live with regrets, but purely out of care for these characters. Just like now, even though the "Duck Duck" here was merely an assist teammate appearing through a dream, Xia Ling still wanted to do her best to prevent any accidents from happening to her.

"The trait of Collapse entities is that they accelerate directly after being attacked... I need to kill them in one blow if possible."

Xia Ling pondered, unfolding Crescent Rose's scythe blade and infusing it with red Honkai Energy.

"Heart's Delight consumes a lot; I can only use it twice in total. But after reaching the second floor, the energy recovery rate from increased HP should be enough for me to use it three times in a single battle. I hope these guys are positioned closely together."

As she spoke, Xia Ling moved to their path of advance and laid down three interference mines.

"Almost forgot about these. Three per node, might as well use them."

After waiting a moment in the distance, Xia Ling quietly moved to the rear of the group.

The composition of this group was rather strange: a Sarkaz wielding a greatsword was in the middle, with about seven or eight Collapse entities before and behind. Xia Ling's target was the Corrupted Shells at the rear.

Activating the Acceleration Talent, Xia Ling instantly appeared amidst these Collapse entities. A strange, ominous aura made her feel uncomfortable. Enduring the discomfort around the Collapse entities, Xia Ling swiftly thrust her scythe blade into the chest of one.

In this trial, the boost from Swift Hand wasn't just about general attack speed, but a comprehensive enhancement of Honkai Energy operation and burst speed. Compared to the slow burst in the first floor's node, this time, before the Collapse entities could react, blood-red Honkai Energy crystal spikes pierced through their bodies, turning them into bombs.

As Xia Ling had predicted, the detonated Honkai Energy spikes weren't enough to eliminate all the Collapse entities. Three or four Collapse entities slightly farther from the explosion's center instantly darted forward over ten meters, as if injected with stimulants, and then slowly stopped among the Collapse entities at the front of the group.

"That speed... it's almost as fast as my talent acceleration..."

Xia Ling was dumbfounded, having been instantly outrun by the Collapse entities. However, this was within her expectations. Next, she just needed to quickly deal with the Sarkaz wielding the greatsword and then detonate two more waves ahead.

As for how to deal with the Sarkaz before her...

Xia Ling retracted her scythe and aimed her gun at the Sarkaz.

"Swift Hand enhances more than just melee attack speed. Times have changed, sir!"

With that, under the Sarkaz's disbelieving gaze, the barrel of Crescent Rose erupted with a rapid series of gunshots. Judging solely by the frequency of the shots, an uninformed observer might have thought Xia Ling was holding a submachine gun.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Convergence Consumption

"Huh? Bronya, why are you standing so high up?"

Xia Ling, having just dealt with the enemies, returned to see Bronya sitting on the arm of the Heavy-Duty Bunny, gazing in the direction of her recent battle.

"Because Sister Xia Ling's commotion was quite large, I was a bit worried and was considering whether to go and provide support."

Duck Duck's voice was as usual, but Xia Ling could detect a strong sense of concern within it.

"Alright, if I really couldn't handle it, I wouldn't be polite with you." Xia Ling took the opportunity to pat Duck Duck's head, feeling her mood lift considerably.

Although this node was somewhat troublesome, its rewards were actually less than the previous one. Besides two Originium Ingots, there was only one Guard recruitment voucher.

Sighing with a hint of forced optimism, Xia Ling put away the Originium Ingots and continued towards the next node – Unexpected Encounter.

Perhaps due to the difficult battle they had just experienced, the Unexpected Encounter node quickly triggered an event, with a small mobile platform stopping before them.

Looking at the various advertisements and photos on the platform, Xia Ling immediately recognized the event: Trimont Travel Agency Special Mission Group.

This was also a node that didn't require combat. Depending on the anti-interference index, players could obtain a relic in this node.

With the help of the detector, Xia Ling quickly identified the types of relics: a Universal Key that could grant six Hope, and a Wrought Iron Small Round Shield that increased her team's defense by 15%.

"Great, I don't even need to choose now." Although the Universal Key was clearly more valuable, for Xia Ling, who had no Operators that could be promoted, Hope was completely useless.

Taking down the small round shield, the mobile platform swayed back and forth, emitting a dazzling flash, and then instantly disappeared.

Bronya's eyes widened, and she looked at Xia Ling with a face full of confusion. Xia Ling gave a wry smile, "It can't be helped, Sami is like this. Just get used to it."

With Duck Duck still looking bewildered, Xia Ling arrived at the last node of the second floor, Wish Fulfilled.

After a few familiar words with the shopkeeper, Xia Ling looked at the reward relics for this node.

Grasping Hand, hmm, not very useful. Duck Duck's class is Fortress, which can't trigger the conditions for Grasping Hand.

Old Coins, a good item, simple and direct cash reward. The downside is that it's not guaranteed to encounter the Uncanny Merchant on the third floor.

Heavy Music Collection, this is also a good item, it can reduce the Collapse value by two and increase Hope by two. Although two points of Hope are useless to Xia Ling, reducing the Collapse value by two is an extremely effective attribute.

As early as in previous Roguelikes, Xia Ling had experienced the power of the Collapse Paradigm. At that time, the Collapse Paradigm she triggered on the third floor was Trigger Damage.

Originally, this Collapse Paradigm wasn't too difficult to deal with in the game, but in a trial where HP was linked to Xia Ling's physical condition, this Collapse Paradigm could be considered the most annoying.

Because she would get injured every time she entered a combat node, and then the Collapse value would increase with each injury, Xia Ling's trial at that time was like a hellish ordeal.

After only two nodes, seeing the Collapse value about to enter the next stage, Xia Ling decisively chose to quit the trial.

However... even with these two Collapse Paradigms missing, the total will still reach four when entering the next floor. Xia Ling wasn't aiming for the fifth floor this time, so it would be best to gamble on finding a shop on the next floor.

With that in mind, Xia Ling decisively chose Old Coins. At this point, Xia Ling's Originium Ingots had reached 31.

Watching the scenery change once again, Xia Ling held her breath, silently praying that she wouldn't be hit with any overly grim Collapse Paradigms.

Finally, the scenery stopped changing, and the scene before Xia Ling transformed into a desolate snowfield. This was the third floor—Darkness Frozen Land.

Simultaneously, the detector began flashing red warnings, and the accumulated Collapse value on the screen had reached six.

The detector provided two hints.

[Upon clearing this floor, you will obtain Cipher Plate: Recitation.]

[Collapse Paradigm triggered: Convergence Consumption.]

Seeing this warning, Xia Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Convergence Consumption meant that if the equipment suffered damage, its owner would receive the same amount of damage.

Considering she could barely avoid battles, let alone take detours to reduce her interference index, this Collapse Paradigm's damage to Xia Ling was negligible.

As for Didi... if a situation arose where a Heavy Armor Rabbit had to self-destruct to shield Didi, Xia Ling figured she'd be close to defeat.

However, this time, she would plan a better route...

With that thought, Xia Ling took out the two Cipher Plates she had prepared: Shaman and Silence.

[Commencing Declaration]

[Triggered Kowald's Tribal Concord]

[Opening wise eyes to discern secret words, alas, to drive away ghosts. Pointing to the wood for a road with no echo, the mountain rocks stand firm on their own.]

As Xia Ling selected the final boss node of the third floor as her destination, three markers from the Cipher Plate declarations slowly appeared on the detector's map.

After pondering the map for a while, Xia Ling chose a route that required passing through two combat nodes, one Uncanny Merchant, and one Unexpected Encounter.

Among these, the first combat node, Thirsting Altar, would also grant her the help of a Guardian.

With the route confirmed, Xia Ling instructed Didi, "Bronya, in the upcoming battles, be careful not to let the Heavy Armor Rabbit sustain too much damage."

"?"

This was not the first time Didi had received strange requests from Xia Ling with a puzzled expression. However, considering her limited knowledge of this place and the frequent strange phenomena in the Sami Snowfield, Bronya nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, Sister Xia Ling, Bronya cherishes the Heavy Armor Rabbit very much."

"You don't need to be so serious."

Xia Ling patted the Guardian that had appeared due to Silence's Concord.

"If there's any trouble, just hide behind him."

"This is?"

"This is a Guardian. Don't worry, with its current strength, no one should be able to break through its defense."

Didi's gaze was somewhat hesitant. Although the Guardian's equipment looked cool, it seemed several generations behind her Heavy Armor Rabbit.

However, Didi's doubt quickly vanished.

Watching the Guardian's massive shield block the Collapse Entity's spells, Purple Claw Brother's claws, and the Sarkaz's greatsword, all while still having the strength to counterattack, Didi's usually expressionless face showed a hint of surprise.

"See, I told you, you can always trust a Guardian." Xia Ling, who had also appeared in sniper form to trigger the Swift Hand effect, said from a distance behind them.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Almost at Xuesi's Doorstep

With the Guardian's help, Xia Ling and Didi breezed through this node with a speedrun approach, arriving at the Uncanny Merchant.

This time, Karnot was incredibly helpful, refreshing two items that made Xia Ling's eyes nearly pop out.

[Devotion: When a ranged Operator attacks or heals, they will deal one instance of damage to a random enemy within attack range.]

[Leafy Greens Can: All Operator skills gain 60% Attack increase one second after triggering.]

These two items were perfect for both of them. Devotion's ranged bonus would apply to both Xia Ling and Bronya's attacks, while Leafy Greens Can was a massive buff for Xia Ling, who frequently used her skills.

"Oh no, if I can't even clear the third floor now, it'll be embarrassing." Having purchased both items outright, Xia Ling felt terrifyingly powerful.

However, she soon discovered that she was indeed terrifyingly powerful.

Leaving the Uncanny Merchant, the next node was another combat node—Cunning Beast Nine Dens.

Of course, this node had nothing to do with beasts. Instead, it was a battlefield for a group of paratroopers and Red Blade Brothers. They would first descend onto a random point on a 3x3 grid and then, after a period, be teleported to one of the three random paths closer to Xia Ling.

However, none of these were a problem for Xia Ling at this moment.

Because she was blocking the entrance.

After placing three interference mines in front of the exits of the three paths, Xia Ling directly went to the paratroopers' landing zone and, with a swift strike, took them down one by one.

With the buff from Leafy Greens Can, every time Xia Ling activated her acceleration, it counted as releasing a skill. Xia Ling only needed to briefly accelerate her arm movements with each swing of her sickle blade to gain the bonus.

This method of activation didn't even burden her.

Watching Xia Ling dance among the enemies, drawing clusters of blood, Bronya silently lowered her raised heavy cannon.

The situation didn't seem to require her support anymore.

Soon, Xia Ling, having finished soloing the enemies, returned to Bronya's side and stretched lazily with a sigh of relief.

"Let's go. The next node is a place specifically for resting. We'll regain our strength there, and then we'll have to face the mini-boss on the third floor."

"Sister Xia Ling, is this boss you mentioned powerful?"

"It's not a matter of whether she's powerful or not; she's really the kind of... disgusting type."

Xia Ling recalled the information about the last node on the third floor.

"This boss will most likely be in a very advantageous position and then go all out attacking us, and we won't have many options."

"So, we might take a beating for a while then."

"Is it a setting similar to invincibility time?" Bronya immediately thought of such annoying mechanics.

"Not entirely. There's still a chance with ranged attacks, but it'll probably be difficult."

The trial wasn't like a game; their ranged attacks weren't targeted skills. Thinking of Xuesi's insane movement speed, Xia Ling felt pessimistic about her marksmanship, which she'd only practiced for less than two months.

"But don't worry. When the time comes, you just hide behind the Guardian and assist with attacks." Xia Ling took the opportunity to pat Bronya's little head and said, "Your Sister Xia Ling has a shield and can directly go out to draw aggro. You guys shouldn't be Xuesi's main target."

"But..."

"There's no 'but.' Once we clear this node, this exploration will be over. If I get seriously injured, it doesn't matter. I can return immediately for treatment after leaving the node." Xia Ling waved her hand, ending the discussion. "So, you can rest assured."

Not long after, Xia Ling and Bronya arrived at the node designated for rest. It was an unused Research Station. The facilities inside were complete, and the environment was comfortable, allowing the two to temporarily escape the cold winds of Sami.

However, the rewards within the Research Station were of little consequence to Xia Ling. Whether it was maintaining equipment (Interference Resistance Index +1), obtaining a Revelation (Obtain Cipher Plate: Crown), or undergoing Intensive Training (Promote any Operator), none of it would significantly impact the upcoming boss battle.

After a simple rest, and once the Honkai Energy within them was fully restored, Xia Ling stood up and left with Bronya.

At this moment, the two Guardians summoned via the Cipher Plate: Concord had already been waiting outside the node for a long time.

"Alright, let's go!"

With the system's red prompt flashing, Xia Ling led the way into the node's range.