Good Night, Idiot / Give Me a Hug

P. S.: Now, their hatred level is at its maximum.

Chapter 340, Section 357: Goodnight, Idiot

As night fell, a faint whistle came from the corner of the wall, and three large figures stealthily found their way to the door and Door Opening.

"Waaah, Number 1, Number 2, Number 3, you guys are so good, I'm finally home!"

With her clothes damp and her face dirty, Theresa leaped into the arms of a brown bear, rubbing herself against the warm fur of its V-neckline.

"Who told you to provoke him? You got chased for eight blocks..."

"After we lost him, that kid came to block the door several times..."

Hearing the commotion, the Valkyrie Patrick came out of the bedroom and leaned against a pillar, watching the three brown bears huddled together, using their paws to soothe the new family member. She couldn't help but chuckle as she spoke.

"He was the one who started this trouble! He tried to scam me with a counterfeit! This is extortion! This is outright extortion!"

Theresa, wiping her face in the brown bear's fur, waved her little fists, filled with righteous indignation.

"So, after he cornered you, you used the [Oath of Judas] to tie the de facto commander of the B-17 military fortress to the entrance of the women's restroom for an hour?"

"Who told him to dare go into the women's restroom!"

"You were the one who hid inside first, refusing to come out no matter what, and I heard you even started making all sorts of sarcastic remarks..."

"... Whose side are you on, Patrick?"

Patrick stepped forward with a smile, his eyes full of interest, and gently pinched Theresa's little face with both hands.

"Of course... I'll stand to the side... It's rare to see you so cute and mischievous."

"You beast! You have no humanity! We're breaking off all ties! We must break off all ties!"

Upon hearing this, Theresa hurriedly broke free from her friend's embrace, then her eyes darted around suspiciously, fearing that some guy with a green face might jump out and cause her trouble.

"Stop looking, we were dragged away by that Herrscher led us into the city as soon as it got dark..."

"Look, the scratch marks from his ten fingers are still visible on the ground..."

Patrick looked saddened and distressed. In the moonlight, Theresa could vaguely see traces of a struggling animal on the steps, pillars, and even the door frame.

Am I going to be tormented by that Diva goddess? Is this his method of controlling the Herrscher? This is too tragic...

Theresa planted the cross-shaped "Oath of Judas" in the snow and prayed silently. Patrick, who intended to resolve the resentment between the two, heard such a malicious curse.

"My lovely Diva, please don't let that guy come back. Let's torture him to death!"

Patrick was both amused and exasperated, and helplessly rubbed his forehead.

"Hey Theresa, are you two just natural enemies? You always seem to be fighting every time you meet, you're like a pair of sworn enemies..."

Upon hearing this, Theresa gritted her teeth, turned around, and pointed to the area that was clearly swollen.

"That bastard barged into the women's restroom and dared to spank me!"

"Use your hands? You beast!"

"Ugh, no, it's the broken part of the Skyfire Greatsword. That thing hurts and burns when it hits you; I feel like the flesh on my butt is about to cook..."

"And what's even worse is that he wanted to steal my [Oath of Judas] to pay off his debt!"

"This is simply... worse than an animal!"

Patrick's lips twitched, and he slapped his forehead, somewhat speechless.

No wonder this girl, who was clearly in the wrong, actually invoked the [Oath of Judas]; she had been provoked to the point of losing her temper.

Forget it, with such deep-seated hatred, of course I...

This is going to be a good show! I'm kind of looking forward to it. It would be even more interesting if Siegfried or Otto found out about this.

Patrick stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Speaking of which, I wonder if the handsome young man can make it through tonight. Please, please don't let him... die from exhaustion.

Cocolia's office.

"Your Excellency, children's food and heating rations need to be reduced by one-fifth; we must ensure the physical strength of able-bodied men..."

After submitting his report, Quartermaster Colonel Akreshe earnestly made a proposal to Cocolia.

"Is this your idea, or the idea of the generals?"

The Russian female officer, who was reviewing loss reports late into the night, spoke with a chilling voice. Without realizing it, she suddenly exerted force with her right hand, and the plastic pen snapped in two.

"It belongs to... all the civilians of the B-17 military fortress..."

"If adults can't survive, it's pointless to allocate too many resources to children."

Aklesi lowered his head, his voice low. He didn't want to bring it up, but now every grain of food had to be carefully calculated, and he had to take responsibility for it.

Moreover, this boss's excessive favoritism towards children, with rations almost identical to those for adults, has already caused widespread discontent.

After all, most of those who managed to escape were young and middle-aged adults...

"I understand. The announcement will be released tomorrow. Get lost!"

Cocolia's face darkened as she slammed the approved documents into Aklesie's face.

The colonel neither flinched nor dodged; after saluting, he picked up the document and respectfully removed it.

You've all pressured me, are you satisfied now?

As evening fell, when Cocolia witnessed her beloved superior Kevin being dragged away by Zero, she initially intended to gather the troops to create an opportunity for the man to escape.

However, even though she made the decision under pressure, Kevin stopped her without any appreciation.

In the end, he was dragged into that room by Zero and became the spoils of that Diva goddess.

The crowd cheered and laughed, the woman's heroic act of saving the fortress had already made everyone regard it as a fairy tale of a prince and princess.

Although the matter was resolved, a trace of anger arose in Cocolia's heart.

If being rejected and ignored is merely due to weakness, then can strength truly subdue you?

Meanwhile, in the dimly lit room, the silkworms wrapped in blankets writhed back and forth, and the sensation of silk gliding over the parts of their bodies made the thousands of sheep in Kevin's eyes vanish instantly.

The commander suppressed his body's reaction, pulled back the covers, and pulled out Zero, who was an extremely restless sleeper.

"Don't move, I can't sleep..."

"Um... me too... how about..."

Zero placed one hand on Kevin's bare chest, while the other hand groped downwards, her pursed red lips looking luscious and tempting.

"Didn't we agree to just sleep? Can't you behave yourself?"

Kevin pressed down on Zero's delicate hand, which was "searching for a snake in the grass," and his right arm, with its bulging veins, trembled slightly.

Having finally managed to appease this vixen with a mix of sophistry and deception, giving up now would be too humiliating tomorrow.

Besides, with a mission in hand, they couldn't very well crawl to attack the Babylon Tower, could they?

"Aren't you very good at singing?"

"I don't want to sing..."

"But I want to hear... Sister Zero..."

After a brief silence, Zero struggled to open and close her lips. She had almost forgotten what a song that didn't serve killing truly was.

Pray in the darkness.

Even knowing that this world is an illusion

"I still want the future to shine brightly."

"The power and courage to break free from afterimages"

I wish to give it to you.

Do not resent the battle.

"... Awaken... the wounded, True Apocalypse..."

The opening notes were somber and sorrowful, but as the emotions were heightened and the battle song's essence became resounding, a glimmer of hope gradually blossomed amidst despair.

The young man in her arms was not awakened by the increasingly uplifting melody. Instead, he snuggled closer to Zero's chest, found a comfortable position, and fell into a deep sleep.

He slept soundly and peacefully, a slight smile still lingering on his lips, perhaps thinking of his family, perhaps of delicious food, or perhaps simply because he was in a good mood.

In short, there are many reasons why this man is happy, including the lifestyle she envies to the point of jealousy.

Although the weights they were carrying were almost the same, he felt fulfilled and satisfied every moment.

According to Zero's vague memory, this guy was the first person who, after getting into her bed, made her sing to him to lull him to sleep...

And the only one...

Goodnight... idiot!

After she whispered those words in Kevin's ear, an inexplicable surge of emotion caused Zero's lips to twitch, and she couldn't help but laugh.

That smile was happy and radiant.

P. S.: Thanks to MaoMao for the razor blade.

Chapter 341, Section 358: A Hug

"Commander! A transport plane has sent an identification signal from 45 degrees east of south, 173 kilometers away. Based on the comparison, it should be the [Schicksal] Wolf Pack Squad!"

Upon hearing this, Kevin immediately led a YoRHa squad to make contact, with the two goddesses naturally among them.

With ten Yuhar Robot piloting transformable fighter jets, two Valkyrie, and two MiG-24 Hind attack helicopters, this formidable lineup can easily evacuate even from small Honkai Beast.

Inside the helicopter, Kevin inspected the "Orlanides Arm" rocket launcher and the "Valkyrie's Spear" sniper rifle assigned to him, looking somewhat annoyed.

He's somewhat skilled at dual-wielding pistols and melee combat, but he might not be able to handle rocket launchers and sniper rifles.

Unfortunately, now that [Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment] is discontinued, these mass-produced, abridged versions of the [God Seat] series can only be used to fill out the quota.

However, what he didn't expect was that after just sleeping with Zero, his Ice and Snow Gene had increased from 30% to 35% in awakening.

And its overall stats, which had just broken through 300, have soared to around 350, giving it at least a 70% chance of winning against an A-class Valkyrie.

Furthermore, considering that he was picked up by Yuzuriha Inori when she was Herrscherization, and after sleeping with her for more than 10 days, his Ice and Snow Gene, which were around 10%, jumped directly to 30%, allowing him to easily achieve a qualitative leap.

Thinking back to the Calamity Mission, which occurred when Toko City and Ouma Mana were at odds, he simultaneously gained Angel Gene and acquired some of the Kaslana Family's abilities.

Could it be that... the real shortcut to self-evolution is simply to interact more with the Herrscher?

"You're right. In the previous era, Dr. Mei developed the Hyper-mutation Factor, which created Fusion Warrior by implanting Honkai Beast genes into the human body."

"Essentially, Fusion Warrior are simply degraded but controllable Herrscher..."

"However, the higher the level of Honkai Beast gene awakening, the greater the risk of the Fusion Warrior going out of control."

"Even Kevin, the First Fusion Warrior of the previous generation, possessed the strongest destructive power and self-control, but the price was a body temperature capable of freezing people and a lack of emotion..."

After a long period of inactivity, [Apocalypse] finally emerged and gave Kevin a positive response.

"Herrscher are the messengers of Honkai calamities. Their core possesses the power to manipulate various rules; even a simple breath can mobilize massive amounts of Honkai energy."

"As a degraded Herrscher, the more contact the Fusion Warrior have with them, the more Honkai energy they absorb. This is why the awakening of the Ice and Snow Gene is so rapid."

Kevin seemed to be deep in thought, then clenched his fist slightly and nodded.

"Very well, I need this power, but it's not enough..."

[Apocalypse] spoke in a deep, somber voice, earnestly admonishing.

"This time, I wonder what the price will be..."

"Moreover, the reason [the World Serpent] created you is because he knew his path was wrong."

"The Fusion Warrior Project, even at its most advanced stage, can only deal with Herrscher, not overcome the will of the Honkai Calamity itself..."

"This is why the eight strongest Fusion Warrior of the previous generation ultimately fell to the Final Herrscher..."

Kevin leaned against the side of the cabin, tossed out a few mints, and popped them into his mouth to chew.