Someone in Honkai, But Integrated Strategies Activated

After throwing the fireball, Flame Willow Xia Ling didn't linger, heading straight for the depths of Changkong City in the distance.

Meanwhile, on Xia Ling's side, after enduring several activated Honkai Energy fireballs from Flame Willow Xia Ling, the deep yellow shield was already covered in cracks. Xia Ling panted slightly, her internal Honkai Energy depleted by more than half.

"Sister Xia Ling... what is this?" Raiden Mei asked from behind Xia Ling, her expression worried.

If Xia Ling hadn't known about her Third Herrscher identity, she probably would have already been unable to resist calling out to another self to save the situation.

"This person's strength is terrifying," Xia Ling said with a grave expression. "Probably on the same level as Theresa."

"An S-rank Valkyrie?" The few exchanged glances, falling into a sudden silence.

"Although she didn't try to kill us and didn't seem to intend to get entangled with us," Xia Ling said, slinging Crescent Rose behind her, "I still need to follow her for a bit to make sure she doesn't attack our other students."

"Bronya can fly, so Bronya can go with Sister Xia Ling," Bronya immediately volunteered.

"No, you can't keep up with my speed," Xia Ling flatly refused, then activated her Acceleration Talent.

"But..." Bronya started to say something more, but abruptly stopped: "Sister Xia Ling... is already gone?"

Indeed, Xia Ling's figure in front of them had already begun to fade and disappear.

"Then we..." Kiana hesitated, "Should we follow or..."

"We'll stay put," Bronya said. "On one hand, we can't possibly catch up to these two, and going would only cause trouble. On the other hand, Bronya's intuition tells her we should listen to Sister Xia Ling's command right now."

"Intuition?"

"Perhaps... it's some inexplicable subconscious or habit?" Bronya remained expressionless, but her tone was filled with doubt.

"In any case, Bronya believes we should stand by and simultaneously send a message to the Hyperion requesting support from the Headmaster."

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Xia Ling trailed Flame Willow Xia Ling from a distance, unable to stop urging through the system space, "Can you fly any faster? If you fly this slowly, Theresa will come with Judas' Vow to tie you up."

"I want to, but I don't have much flight ability to begin with! This flight is currently achieved through heating air for levitation and burst propulsion. I've only been practicing for a few hours, being able to fly at all is already a sign of me being exceptionally gifted!" Flame Willow Xia Ling exclaimed in frustration. "Stop rushing me, stop rushing me. We're almost out of the combat test range, you can head back soon too."

"Alright." Xia Ling, very receptive to advice, stopped accelerating and stood on the rooftop, watching Flame Willow Xia Ling fly towards the center of Changkong City.

As they entered the depths of Changkong City, Honkai Beasts and wandering dead soldiers suddenly became more numerous. Flame Willow Xia Ling casually melted a few approaching dead soldiers and shifted her target, moving towards the east side of Changkong City.

At this moment, Xia Ling had returned to Kiana and the other two.

"Sister Xia Ling, are you alright?" As soon as Xia Ling's figure appeared, the three immediately surrounded her, concerned about her condition.

"No major issues. Although she's very strong, she doesn't seem hostile," Xia Ling shook her head slightly. "And even if a fight broke out, I'm confident I could escape."

"How about you guys? Any developments? Did you report to the Hyperion?"

"Bronya has informed the Headmaster of the situation. Just now, the Headmaster issued a notice for training termination on the St. Freya internal network and began an emergency evacuation of students."

"Ah, right, Sister Xia Ling," Kiana interjected. "Auntie also said you should go directly to the bridge to find her when you get back to the Hyperion, to report this matter personally."

Chapter Thirty-Six: Ugh! It must be World Serpent's doing.

"Xia Ling, are you alright?" As soon as she returned to the Hyperion, Theresa, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately came over, asking nervously.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. I just chased for a distance and couldn't catch up, and I used up quite a bit of Honkai Energy," Xia Ling relaxed her body, slumping onto a nearby chair.

"That's good, that's good." Theresa finally breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Kiana and the other two, "You guys go gather directly, Himeko should be waiting for you in the lounge. Xia Ling, come to my room, and tell me properly what that woman who suddenly appeared is all about."

Xia Ling followed Theresa to her command room on the Hyperion as instructed. Theresa handed Xia Ling a glass of water and said softly, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Xia Ling nodded, then recounted the entire process from discovering the high-energy reaction, to blocking the opponent's casual attack, and finally to returning after failing to pursue.

"From what you're saying... at least this doesn't seem like a Herrscher or a Pseudo-Herrscher, right?" Theresa leaned back in her chair, pondering.

"That's right. Judging by her performance, she clearly possesses complete independent rationality, and her Honkai Energy doesn't have that sense of disorder from excessive energy levels like a Herrscher."

Xia Ling affirmed, "So we can basically conclude that she's definitely not from the Honkai side."

"Then isn't that even more troublesome?" Theresa gave a wry smile. "Someone of this caliber can easily conceal their Honkai Energy fluctuations. She didn't show up when I organized the teachers for cleanup, but now she's jumped out when the students are doing combat tests."

"Moreover, according to your account, she made a symbolic move against you and then left on her own. Isn't that a show of force directed at us?"

"It sounds a bit like another organization discovered something in Changkong City and is using the students to warn us not to interfere?" Xia Ling speculated, then casually proposed a possibility: "Theresa, I read in books these past few days that the only organization that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Schicksal is Anti-Entropy. Could it be them?"

"..." Theresa frowned and remained silent for a moment before replying, "Honestly, it doesn't seem like it. The Third Honkai Outbreak was originally caused by Anti-Entropy's radical faction. If there were profitable things in Changkong City, they should have made a move before the Third Honkai Outbreak, not act after Schicksal took over."

"Most importantly, after all this time, we haven't heard of Anti-Entropy having such a powerful female member..."

"Never mind, Xia Ling, you can go back for now. I'll think about it some more." Theresa couldn't figure it out for the moment, so she looked up at Xia Ling and said, "After going through this incident, those children must be quite curious about the reason for the training termination. You and Himeko can come up with a reason and deal with it for now. Don't let this matter spread. As for Kiana, I had already instructed Himeko to remind them."

"As for here... I'll go investigate these next few days. If that doesn't work, I'll have to ask Grandfather if he has any clues."

After Xia Ling left, Theresa sighed, leaned back, and muttered to herself, "It can't be Anti-Entropy, then who could it be? Could it be that World Serpent that Grandfather privately mentioned to me..."

"I'm saying, you might have to hide for a few more days."

Exiting the office, Xia Ling communicated with Flame Willow Xia Ling in the system, "I've done my best to steer Theresa's thoughts towards Anti-Entropy and World Serpent. But judging by Theresa's reaction, if she can't find anything herself, she'll probably mention this matter to Otto."

"Are you sure you described my appearance in detail when you introduced me?"

"Of course."

"Then there's no problem." Flame Willow Xia Ling said confidently, "Many of World Serpent's cadres have undergone the Elysian Realm trial. The outstanding individuals among them have mastered skills similar to artificial Honkai outbreaks. Having some animalistic features is normal. Plus, Sigfried also had a similar atavism situation. Otto must have done some research on this."

"As long as Theresa relays the characteristics of my dragon horns and tail, Otto will immediately link it to World Serpent."

"Oh, right. Did Theresa say when she'd personally come to Changkong City to search?"

"She didn't say, but it definitely won't be today. She needs to pacify the students and block the news first. If something happens today and Theresa disappears on the same day, even a fool would see the severity of the situation."

"Then I'll have to work overtime before she gets here." Flame Willow Xia Ling had also rested up by now. Carrying a detailed map of Changkong City copied from the Academy, she prepared to set off with Xia Ling.

"You're going to find the location of the 'nest' now?"

"Yeah, the location described in the original work is the shantytown in Changkong City's East District. This address is actually quite detailed, so it shouldn't take much effort."

"Once you find it, you don't have to rush off." A mischievous smile appeared on Xia Ling's face. "You can hide near the nest, and even if Schicksal finds any traces, Raven will cover for you."

"If you keep this up, Raven's going to throw a fit." Flame Willow Xia Ling couldn't help but laugh. "So Raven will come back next time and find her home robbed, right?"

"Actually, due to certain understandings, even if this matter were brought to Otto, he wouldn't do much. On the contrary, if Theresa keeps suppressing it and insists on investigating herself, then she might actually uncover something."

"So we'll have to put more pressure on Theresa later."

The two quickly reached a consensus on this matter.

Afterward, Xia Ling, without stopping, went to find Himeko and Kiana. The three of them began discussing how to trick the students into believing it was just a normal accident.

After rejecting Xia Ling's "gas pipeline explosion," Kiana's "someone fainted from hunger because they didn't eat enough at noon," and Bronya's "Headmaster rushed back to grab the newly released Hormu dolls," a helpless Himeko decided to brush it off with the excuse that the Hyperion's energy system malfunctioned, a reason that received unanimous disapproval from the group.

Meanwhile, Flame Willow Xia Ling avoided most of the Honkai Beasts and arrived at Changkong City's East District.

Although she could pinpoint the nest's location to the shantytown in the East District, Raven was also a top mercenary in the world. With so many children involved, Raven wouldn't carelessly build her nest out in the open.

Moreover, for the children's safety, who knows how much surveillance and protective equipment might be left around the nest.

Xia Ling wasn't a professional intelligence officer, nor was she skilled in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. However, this didn't mean she had no way to find the nest's location.

Chapter 37: Little Kong's Secret Bodyguard

According to the main story description, Raven only returned to the nest once every one or two months, bringing some supplies and medicine.

But even with Theresa's intellect, it was obvious that for a large group of children, the supplies Raven brought alone wouldn't be enough, nor could she bring supplies by truck every time.

What's more, precious carrying space would definitely be prioritized for the children's medicine and daily necessities.

Therefore, the children in the nest would also go out in batches every so often to find food and supplies.

And to ensure the children's safety to the greatest extent, Raven would definitely clear out all Honkai Beasts and dead soldiers around the nest every time she returned.

This made things very simple. Flame Willow only needed to assess the remaining supplies and the number of monsters in the vicinity of the shantytown to easily narrow down the approximate area of the nest.

On this basis, she could then use the system to detect Honkai Energy and assess the living environment, or if all else failed, stake out the place for a few days. She was sure to find the exact location of the nest.

With the method determined, Flame Willow quickly got to work.

"Hmm... the shops here are basically untouched. I'll have to try the next one."

Leaving a ground-floor supermarket, Flame Willow opened her map and marked a large cross on this area before heading to the next.

A few hours later, Flame Willow looked at the map, covered in dense markings, and fell into thought.

"I can basically determine the approximate location of the nest now..."

Connecting the few areas without a cross mark formed a circle of moderate size. Flame Willow looked at this area, a little troubled. "This area... has Raven been raising these children for several months already? Is their activity area this large?"

"And..." Looking at the detection area that was almost exceeding the safe zone, Flame Willow frowned. "Why is their exploration direction almost outside the safe zone?"

"These kids aren't exactly well-behaved..."

[So, is the host planning to be a babysitter here for a while?]

Seeing Flame Willow, who was already searching for supplies and seemed to intend to stay, the system asked curiously.

"My goal is to have a fight with Raven, not necessarily to become enemies." Flame Willow retracted the horns and tail that had appeared due to her high-speed movement. This was one of her abilities after reaching Elite 2, allowing her to disguise her form as an ordinary person without consuming a large amount of Honkai Energy.

"Besides," Flame Willow let out a silly giggle, "these children are so cute, especially Little Kong. I just want to hold her and pet her."

"Hey, hey, watch your perverted smile. I entered the channel to hear about your situation, not to listen to you getting frisky." Xia Ling, who had just entered the communication channel set up by the system, said speechlessly.

"Cough, cough, alright, alright, I lost my composure." Flame Willow stopped smiling and said seriously, "These children have infinite potential for the future. It would be too much of a pity if they died here. Although I don't know why their supply search route has deviated so much, it wouldn't hurt to protect them a little while avoiding pursuers."

"It would be even better if you 'accidentally' got discovered by Raven, right? It could even help improve your relationship." Xia Ling saw through her other self's intentions at a glance.

"Heh heh, after all, we're definitely going to the Elysian Realm eventually. That's this year's goal, after all." Flame Willow said with a smile. "It's not good to have too strained a relationship with Raven. We might be colleagues in the future, and it would be so awkward to see each other all the time."

In the abandoned city, in the shadows of the streets and alleys, a little head with purple-pink hair peeked out. After cautiously looking around, she silently slipped out along the corner of the wall.

A moment later, confirming that the surroundings were safe, the little girl with purple-pink hair turned back and quietly called out, "Lyle, come here!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a little boy with white hair darted out from the corner and quickly followed behind the girl.

After confirming that her companion behind her hadn't fallen behind, the girl took out a crumpled map and began to determine the next route.

These two children were naturally two key plot characters from Raven's group of children, Little Kong and Lyle.

Not far behind these two children, Flame Willow sat on the edge of a tall building, gazing at the two children from afar.

After two days of observation, Flame Willow successfully spotted Lyle during one of their outings. After following him for a morning, Flame Willow got her wish and found the location of the nest.

During the following few days of tracking, Flame Willow, who had completely grasped the children's exploration routes, also discovered the reason for their change in direction.

This was because, on the other side, several Chariot-class Honkai Beasts had appeared, wandering from who knows where.

Therefore, for safety reasons, Little Kong believed that even proceeding in the current direction to the edge of the safe zone was better than facing the few Chariots that could appear at any moment on the other side.

Although Little Kong didn't know where these Honkai Beasts had wandered from, Flame Willow, who had the complete map, knew full well.

Because St. Freya Academy had cleared out a large area of Honkai Beasts during their previous test, causing a significant commotion, these Honkai Beasts were likely "driven" out of their original territory, leading them to wander.

As for why they were driven out instead of being killed on the spot, it might be because the Valkyries responsible for the cleanup weren't strong enough, or perhaps they were stragglers from a large number. In any case, these Honkai Beasts had escaped.

However, with the date of Raven's next return steadily approaching, Little Kong and the others were increasingly lacking in resources. Now, Little Kong's current location had reached the very edge of the safe zone designated by Raven, so it was no wonder these two children were so vigilant.

Thus, for safety considerations, Flame Willow became the clandestine bodyguard for these two children. After casually eliminating those Honkai Beasts, Flame Willow hid in a position close enough but undetectable by the two, silently observing them.

Meanwhile, on St. Freya's side, according to Xia Ling's description, during dinner on the night of their return, Kiana inadvertently mentioned the attack. Xia Ling then seized the opportunity to embellish Flame Willow's strength once more.

After being thoroughly "CPU'd" by Xia Ling, Theresa secretly called Otto that night. The next day, Theresa issued a perfunctory order to search Changkong City.

Since it was a symbolic search, there was naturally no pressure. Let alone Flame Willow, who was hiding in advance, the search drones didn't even spot Little Kong, who had gone out to look for supplies.

Chapter 38: Island Boom Boom Raven

"Sigh, this babysitting gig is really boring. Raven, oh Raven, when will you come back?" Flame Willow muttered softly, sitting boredly on the edge of a building.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Flame Willow's gaze sharpened. In her perception, a Ranger Miasma was silently approaching the two children, who seemed completely unaware.

"Tch, looks like I have to work overtime."

Complaining under her breath, Flame Willow's figure instantly vanished from her spot.

On the other side, Little Kong and Lyle were still rummaging through a small convenience store.