I Told You This Isn't a Life Simulation Game! Part 31

"If you want to run, just go. Remember to report back to base afterward. I won't report you. After all, everyone just wants to survive."

"..."

They looked at one another, apparently surprised that Xi Wang would say such a thing. After a brief hesitation, one of them slowly began to edge away. Once he confirmed that Xi Wang truly had no objection, he immediately turned and ran.

With someone taking the lead, the others quickly left as well, scattering in all directions.

"..."

Xi Wang watched the last team member leave, then calmly withdrew his gaze. He looked once more at the unmoving Seventh Herrscher in the distance, turned away, and began searching outward in a radius of two blocks centered on the Herrscher, gradually moving farther away—the temperature near the Herrscher was too high, and his Combat Suit could barely withstand it.

Unfortunately, he found no survivors. This place was still too close to the Herrscher. Ordinary people exposed to such a high concentration of Honkai Energy without specialized protection basically had only one fate: death. And even if they did not die immediately, they would be burned to death by the flames unleashed by the Seventh Herrscher.

Trapped in cramped spaces, surrounded by searing flames, with what little oxygen remained stolen away by the fire, they would eventually lose consciousness and have their bodies consumed by flames in the darkness. Or they might be discovered by wandering Honkai Beasts and die in terror before those monsters. Their cries would ring out only briefly before, in an instant, returning to deathly silence.

At times like this, one had to marvel at how fortunate those without resistance to Honkai Energy were. They died the moment the Honkai outbreak began, without pain and without having to struggle to survive.

"...This is Wang. No survivors have been found within five blocks of the Herrscher. Requesting permission to temporarily withdraw and recuperate. Also, when will reinforcements arrive? I need weapons."

"Understood. The support force will arrive in half an hour, along with the weapons you requested. You may now proceed to this location (a string of coordinates) to rest and recuperate. Search the surrounding area for surviving members of the Fifth Squad as well. And please keep watch on the Seventh Herrscher's movements at all times. Report immediately if anything unusual occurs."

"...There are still survivors from Himiko's team?"

"Yes. A member of the Fifth Squad—Hua—last transmitted from this location (a string of coordinates). Based on our assessment, she should still be in the vicinity."

"Hua... Understood. I'm moving toward the target location now."

Xi Wang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised... To face a Herrscher's eruption from such close range and still retreat all the way to that location—she really was impressive.

As for why she had not contacted Moth to Fire again afterward, that was not particularly important. After all, anything could happen on a Honkai battlefield. Communications being damaged due to special circumstances was perfectly normal.

Having received permission to temporarily withdraw and rest, Xi Wang quickly headed toward the target location, all while keeping an eye on the Seventh Herrscher's movements.

"..."

Yet the Seventh Herrscher did not move. Instead, she remained quietly where she was, floating motionlessly in midair. If not for the flames still raging around her and the ever-expanding high-temperature zone, one might have thought she had fallen asleep in the sky.

He had thought that, just as she had at the Dance Party, she would carry burning emotions and ignite the feelings of those around her like flames, stirring everyone's passion, yet still retain a gentleness that was hers alone when it mattered most... Like fire itself: blazing on the outside, gentle within.

But he had not expected her to become so quiet after turning into a Herrscher—quiet in a way completely opposite to the nature of the power she displayed, quiet in a way utterly unlike who she used to be... Perhaps this was Honkai.

Xi Wang temporarily withdrew his gaze.

The Seventh Herrscher, Himiko... He truly had not expected that a companion who had fought at his side only recently would become an enemy in the blink of an eye, one of the sources of this calamity. It was enough to make one sigh.

If possible, he should at least let her die a little more peacefully. That way, she might feel less guilt over killing civilians and Companions... if she could still feel that emotion at all.

But then again...

Xi Wang raised his head slightly and looked toward the enormous ruins... This had once been some massive building, but now it had been reduced to rubble, with flames still ravaging the surrounding area.

That seemed to have been the local landmark, didn't it? It was called the Australian Dome, and the Superstar Eden seemed to have been holding a concert here... Though there was no telling whether she was still alive.

Click—

He popped another piece of candy into his mouth. The sticky residue on his hands was unpleasant, but there was nothing to be done. In this temperature, it was already fortunate that the candy had not melted outright—at this moment, Xi Wang was exceedingly glad that he had accepted Elysia's suggestion and had Vill-V make him a better candy box. Otherwise, he probably would not have been able to eat any during this operation.

That somewhat neurotic Great Magician could be useful sometimes... He should prepare a return gift for her when he got back.

Of course, he knew why Elysia had made that suggestion in the first place. Precisely because of that, he had not let Vill-V modify the old candy box. Instead, he had asked her to make a new one from scratch.

As for the old candy box, he had returned it to Poison Chrysalis for disposal. After all, it still contained traces of "sugar," and Poison Chrysalis did not want others learning about that sort of thing... This also conveniently prevented Elysia from getting her hands on it.

This was the one thing Xi Wang would not let Elysia have... Absolutely not.

Not even Sakura.

After replenishing himself with some "sugar," Xi Wang temporarily stopped his endlessly wandering thoughts and began searching around the ruins for shelters where people might be hiding. He was quite good at this.

Before long, he faintly heard a long sigh.

Eden: You're Surprisingly a Gentle Person

"I'm sorry for making you remember something awful... I understand. It's just like what I experienced."

It was an unmistakable voice, heavenly in its beauty, though her words carried profound exhaustion.

"To watch everything familiar to me, everything I cherished... vanish into smoke in an instant. Grief, despair, helplessness... These heavy emotions weighed down on me, making even breathing especially difficult. Until just now, I kept wondering whether this was reality, or merely an overly cruel nightmare..."

Xi Wang silently listened to her words as he gradually approached the source of the voice... He could tell that she was using those words to ease her own feelings while comforting her Companions, so he did not deliberately make any sound as he approached. He simply maintained his usual silent steps.

"...I cannot retrieve the past that has already gone, but I can still remember this moment. That is what I... can still do now."

"..."

She had finished speaking.

Click—

Understanding, Xi Wang deliberately allowed a few approaching footsteps to sound out. Then he took out his candy box and added another piece of candy. The sound of the box closing was not loud, but in the present silence, it seemed especially crisp.

"Looks like you've finished talking... Miss Eden."

Xi Wang looked at the gorgeous figure hiding in a corner of the ruins. Her beautiful Performance Outfit was covered in scratches and burn marks, while her long wine-red hair was now caked with dust. Praised as the "brightest star" of this generation, she was now buried beneath the ruins, covered in dirt.

"You are..."

"...Captain Wang."

Eden looked at him in confusion, but the girl's shout from the other side of the broken wall gave her the answer.

"You really are here, Hua. Looks like those people at headquarters were right."

Xi Wang nodded at Hua, who hurriedly rose and approached him. He then glanced over her equipment and casually reminded her, "...Also, your squad communications are down."

"Sorry."

Hua seemed to have only just noticed. She hurriedly checked and discovered that her squad communicator had somehow broken, leaving her with no choice but to apologize.

"Be more careful next time... Have you found any other survivors?"

"...Sorry, no. I only happened to save Miss Eden by chance."

"Is that so? That's not bad."

Xi Wang nodded in understanding, then extended a hand toward Eden, who had also risen.

"Captain Wang of Moth to Fire's Special Response Squad—pleased to meet you, Miss Eden."

"Hello, Captain."

After their brief exchange of greetings, Xi Wang continued.

"Finding Hua and a survivor counts as two pieces of good news, but I also have some unfortunate news for you—there's currently no extraction team on the perimeter. We can only wait for the follow-up support team to take you away. Judging by the timing, they should arrive within twenty minutes."

"Until they arrive, we can continue resting here."

"...We?"

"...Yes. My combat mission failed. My weapon melted before I could even get close, so my mission was changed to searching for survivors."

Xi Wang first reported the situation over the communicator. Only after receiving permission to rest in place and wait did he sit by the opening in the ruins, keeping watch over the surroundings as he answered Hua's question.

"Then..."

"Unfortunately, I've only found one so far."

Without giving Eden or Hua time to ask, Xi Wang spoke at once and looked back at Eden. Who that survivor was went without saying.

"..."

The two fell silent, their moods sinking even lower.

"Then... Captain Wang, your teammates..."

"They all ran away."

"...What?"

"There's nothing surprising about it. Everyone fears death, soldiers included... Besides, with a Honkai of this scale, there probably wouldn't be many survivors anyway. Rescue didn't seem all that necessary, so it was only natural for them to run."

Seeing Eden's slightly shaken expression, Xi Wang responded calmly.

"Besides... there's nowhere they can run now. At most, they can find somewhere to hide and wait for this disaster to subside, wait for the flames to die out."

"...What do you mean?"

"This fire has spread across the whole of Australia, and it's still rapidly expanding outward. Several small islands near Australia have also experienced abnormal temperature increases. We have to deal with the Herrscher first to stop this disaster and keep the flames from reaching farther places... But Australia is probably beyond saving. A fire of this magnitude can't be put out. We can only wait for it to burn itself out... and that's only after the Herrscher is dealt with."

"How could this..."

Hua was momentarily dazed, while Eden stood frozen in place. Neither had expected the fire to have spread across the entire Australian continent.

"...Also, Miss Eden."

After a brief pause, Xi Wang changed the subject and turned toward Eden, the Superstar.

"Moth to Fire may recruit you afterward. Whether it's your fame, your wealth, or the unusual fact that you managed to survive under these circumstances, all of it will make Moth to Fire want to contact you... We may become Companions in the future."

"As for what Moth to Fire is, you can think of it as an organization that handles special disasters like this blaze. I think you'll learn the truth behind this fire in time. Moth to Fire personnel will explain the details to you later."

"...All right, I understand."

Xi Wang gave Eden no chance to ask questions, saying everything he had to say in one go. Eden opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only swallow all the questions she had wanted to ask and nod to show that she understood.

"Please get some proper rest. Once the support team arrives, they'll take you away... Hua, what are you going to do?"

Wang rose and looked at Hua, who seemed to be preparing to leave.

"If you're planning to look for Himiko, I'd advise against it—unless you can withstand this."

As though he had guessed what she intended to do, Xi Wang tugged at his collar. The heat seemed to have fused his Combat Suit to his skin. With a painful tearing sound, he peeled back the collar at his neck along with part of his skin, exposing the visibly charred flesh beneath.

"Captain Wang, you—?!"

"The protective suit you're wearing can't withstand the temperature around her right now. If you go, forget seeing her—you won't even be able to get close. You'll be baked unconscious by the heat before you reach her."

Xi Wang let go as if nothing had happened, his tone completely flat.

"Then you'll collapse to the ground and be swallowed by the flames, adding one more corpse to this Honkai. That's all."

"Whether you want to confirm something or find her to do something, you can't do either right now."

"Of course, if you insist on going, I don't care. That is, provided you're mentally prepared and ready to bear the consequences."