They All Said This Isn't a Life Simulation Game! Section 41

"Forget it, leave it to Moth to Fire to handle. I'm sure they'll be very interested in you, this 'anomaly'… Mobius will probably like you a lot, at least that will distract her and keep her from bothering me."

Xi Wang shook his head. Perhaps due to similar 'traits', he temporarily abandoned the idea of killing the man and decided handing him over to Mobius was a better option. Moreover, Xi Wang was confident Moth to Fire would also be very interested, as the combat power and traits this guy displayed were far too abnormal.

...He just hoped the people of Poison Chrysalis wouldn't deem him to have failed his mission just because this special man was still alive.

He raised his hand slightly, and the rain pattered into his palm, feeling cool. The rainwater gradually gathered, but quickly flowed through his fingers, dripping onto the ground and merging with the puddles.

"The rain has lessened..."

The downpour had now gradually turned into a light drizzle, but it hadn't stopped. In Xi Wang's perception, this rain would likely continue until dawn.

"Let's go back... Huh?"

Just as Xi Wang was about to leave with this special man, a blurry figure appeared in the distance. Using the few remaining streetlights, Xi Wang could see it was a tall woman holding an umbrella. Judging by her attire, she appeared to be a nun.

There's still someone here?

Xi Wang was a bit troubled. As far as he remembered, he was certain he had cleared out everyone in 'Twilight Street'. Who was this...? Someone returning from outside?

No matter, it's just a little more troublesome. I'll just dig another grave in the cemetery.

However, just as Xi Wang stepped forward to approach the nun, the man he had restrained also spotted her.

"■■■■!!! ■■■■..."

The man's reaction was immense, even more exaggerated than when facing Xi Wang. It was clear they knew each other.

"...Interesting."

Xi Wang raised an eyebrow. At this moment, he changed his mind... mainly because the man's reaction was so strong, making Xi Wang suspect that the nun was also a 'special' existence like him.

Thus, Xi Wang stepped forward. Before the nun could speak, he waved his hand, manipulating the flowing water to form a whip and struck her unconscious. To prevent the nun from having a resilient physique like the man, Xi Wang added a few more lashes to ensure she lost consciousness. Then, he summoned a water mass to envelop and restrain her body.

"This should be the end of it, right?"

Xi Wang squinted, muttering to himself, and took out a candy box, popping a piece into his mouth.

"...This is Wang."

Then, Xi Wang brought the two of them to the designated departure point and initiated communication.

"The 'Purification' mission is complete. Also... I found two 'anomalies'. I think you'll be very interested."

"Yes, I suspect it's related to 'Honkai'... Mm, correct."

"Okay, I've arrived at the designated location."

"...Mm, I understand. But I'd be even happier if I got some vacation time later."

"Thank you."

Chapter 30: Kevin's Birthday Party

[The purification mission for Twilight Street has thus come to an end. After being handed over to Moth to Fire, that strange man and the nun are no longer your concern. Instead of worrying about them, you should think about how to deal with Elysia's 'whimsical ideas'.]

[...What can I say? Ever since Elysia recorded your words to Sakura and then played them on repeat through a loudspeaker throughout the Moth to Fire base, Elysia has come up with more and more 'great ideas' targeting you and Sakura, which has caused you and Sakura some distress and helplessness.]

[But fortunately, Elysia is Elysia after all. She maintains a comfortable level of interaction, and those peculiar 'ideas' don't make you feel troubled or embarrassed. At most, they feel a bit... peculiar.]

[Mobius hasn't sought you out much recently, which has been a relief. Instead, Danzhu has been visiting you more often. However, she's fine as long as you play with her for a while and take a few photos, and then she'll leave... though most of the time she's dragged back by Mobius.]

[As for Vill-V, she has completed her first 'Key of God', a special weapon constructed from the 'Fifth Herrscher Core' – Stasis of All Things. However, after Moth to Fire witnessed its power, they forcibly sealed that weapon, deeming 'Stasis of All Things' too powerful and vowing not to activate it until a suitable candidate is found. The 'Key of God' project itself has also been put on hold.]

[Correspondingly, Moth to Fire has increased investment in the 'Fusion Warrior Project', and many surgeries have been scheduled... This might also be why Mobius hasn't been looking for you lately.]

[However, even with Moth to Fire increasing investment in the 'Fusion Warrior Project', the surgery failure rate remains a significant issue. In the end, only four individuals successfully became new 'Fusion Warriors'.]

[You know three of them: Hen, Cosmo, and Dottore. This has brought you some relief, at least the people you know have survived.]

[As for the last one, you also know her – Aponia, the nun you brought back from 'Twilight Street'. You suspect that the higher-ups pushed her onto the operating table with the intention of silencing her and using her, given the high failure rate of the Fusion Warrior surgery. They just didn't expect Aponia to survive.]

[With this, Moth to Fire has temporarily slowed down the 'Fusion Warrior Project'. It's not that they have enough Fusion Warriors, but the surgery failure rate is simply too outrageous. Too many people have become 'failures' due to surgical complications and had to be sent to 'The Deepest Place' for confinement or even direct execution. Therefore, it's necessary to reduce such wasteful losses.]

[Perhaps because there are too few Fusion Warriors, or perhaps because the side effects of the surgery on you are too pronounced, many people have begun to view you as 'outsiders'... Even though they know you are heroes fighting for humanity, their gazes towards you carry a certain subtle meaning.]

[Those within Moth to Fire are relatively fine; the soldiers trust you. However, the general public, who are unaware of the reasons, are not as friendly. Many people view you as 'monsters', and as Fusion Warriors, you have all experienced psychological issues to varying degrees – especially Sakura.]

[During one Honkai suppression, she saved ninety-six people. She remembers it clearly: she had been working for days to deal with the Honkai, her physical and mental state was already poor. After exhausting herself to eliminate all the Honkai beasts, she used her last ounce of strength to rescue a total of ninety-six people, including children, from a collapsing building. Unable to descend due to exhaustion, she fell directly to the ground from the fourth floor, along with the collapsing building. At that time, she didn't even have the strength to stand up and could only lie on the ground to rest.]

[She still remembers a few children curiously coming to look at her. Just as she was about to smile and comfort them by saying "It's okay now," those children were forcefully pulled away by others.]

[Confused, she sat up and looked around. All she saw was herself bathed in the pale golden sunset, while those she had just saved were cowering in the shadows of the ruins, looking at her with terrified eyes, as if facing a Honkai beast. They held their children tightly, as if worried she would harm them.]

[She stood up, intending to inform them of the location of a nearby shelter. But every step she took closer caused the survivors' expressions to change. From initial suspicion, to disgust, then hatred, and finally, hostility.]

[At that time, she couldn't understand. She had just saved them, yet they were showing such clear hostility towards her now.]

[Finally, she understood. It was because of her 'ears'.]

[The survivors' gazes focused on the pair of slender ears atop her head. A child curiously asked his mother, but the mother quickly covered the child's mouth and told him, "She's a monster."... Although it was far away, although the voice was soft, she could still hear it.]

[Sakura stood there, stunned, feeling utterly exhausted for the first time. Her feet felt heavy, making it difficult to move, and even breathing seemed arduous.]

[At that moment, she didn't know whether to leave or stay. In the end, she could only contact Moth to Fire and have other units come to take over these survivors.]

[After that, Sakura developed a habit. In front of others, she hardly dared to let her 'ears' move at all, not even a slight twitch. It was as if she hoped others would treat them as some kind of accessory. Unfortunately, this effort was in vain. The uninformed public still viewed her as a 'monster', and her efforts were useless.]

[Sakura can only relax a little around you and Ling now. At least you and Ling really like her 'ears'.]

[Especially you, you really like her fluffy "ears," and Sakura knows this well. When the two of you are alone, she'll always proactively ask if you want to touch her "ears." You naturally agree with pleasure, and Sakura will take the opportunity to sit in your lap, showing a bit of "weakness" towards you, just a little, appropriately.]

[Sometimes, under your "caresses," she'd unknowingly fall asleep in your arms, her slender ears resting on your neck, occasionally twitching lightly. The fluffy sensation would brush against the back of your neck, showing her affection.]

[It seems only by doing this can the pressure in her heart be slightly reduced.]

[You once wanted to give Sakura a hooded sweatshirt with rabbit ears on the hood, which would perfectly cover her ears on top of her head. Sakura happily accepted it but never wore it.]

[Compared to concealment, the auditory amplification her "ears" provide is more important. This allows her to more keenly detect the movements of Honkai beasts and more easily hear the calls for help from survivors... Although being called a "monster" time and time again puts immense psychological pressure on Sakura, she still remembers why she became a "Fusion Warrior."]

[Besides, she has also found a way to relieve her psychological pressure...]

[As for the other Fusion Warriors, they naturally have similar experiences to Sakura to varying degrees. Some don't mind what others say, like Hen, while others bury this pressure deep in their hearts, like Kevin and Cosmo.]

[Of course, some people couldn't care less, like you.]

[You genuinely don't care about that. The opinions of those civilians are not as important as a single word from Elysia or Sakura... not even as important as Ling or Griseo. Why bother caring about them?]

[As for Elysia, she's a complete "outlier"... Perhaps it's because she's too cute, or perhaps it's her lively personality. In any case, she isn't seen as a "monster" by the public. While there's still some exclusion, Elysia's situation is much better compared to others.]

[Perhaps due to similar experiences, perhaps due to being "Fusion Warriors," the nine of you gradually became familiar with each other, forming a "small circle" exclusively for yourselves.]

[And today, your "small circle" has a very "important" matter to attend to.]

"...Elysia, I don't think this is necessary."

Kevin looked troubled, but the pink-haired girl behind him didn't give him a chance to refuse, simply pushing him forward.

"Hey, no refusing! No talking! Keep walking forward!"

Elysia said indignantly, then gave Kevin another push. However, the extreme cold emanating from Kevin made her involuntarily shiver.

"So cold!"

"...Elysia, we have many more important things to do."

"Huh? Isn't the party I'm hosting important?"

"…………"

Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose with some distress... While many of the things Elysia did were harmless, they could sometimes be very exasperating. He wondered how Wang put up with Elysia.

"New threats could appear at any moment, and we have no idea what form the next Herrscher will take..."

Unsure how to refute Elysia, Kevin could only resort to work matters to persuade her.

"Alright, alright! Honestly, it hasn't been that long since the Seventh Great Honkai, can't you take a day off? Don't push yourself so hard~"

Elysia seemed equally helpless.

"Sigh... Kevin, you're becoming more and more like Mei... Hmm, will you be secretly happy if I say that?"

"But..."

"You talk too much, Kevin."

A calm voice, tinged with slight disdain, sounded. At the same time, Kevin and Elysia sensed a slight increase in the humidity in the air.

Before Kevin could turn his head towards the source of the sound, he felt a slightly damp sensation on his forehead.

Looking up, he saw tentacles made of azure water gently patting his forehead... Clearly, Xi Wang was using his "thing that is like water but not water" to touch Kevin again. This was one of the few things that could directly touch Kevin, as Xi Wang could imbue "water" with the "trait" of being difficult to freeze.

"Wang, you're too early~ Coming out ahead of time will disrupt the rhythm..."

Elysia complained coquettishly.

"He's too long-winded, I'm here to hurry him along."

Xi Wang responded calmly, controlling the azure water flow and giving Kevin a strong push from behind, causing him to stumble and stand before the slightly ajar door.

"…………"

Do I feel like you two are ganging up on me?

Kevin looked at the slightly ajar door and the dim, unlit room, appearing somewhat helpless.

"Sigh..."

In the end, Kevin could only comply with their wishes and push open the door before him.

Then...

Bang—

"Happy birthday, Kevin!"

Several party poppers sounded along with everyone's blessings, and light instantly filled the entire room.

The sudden "surprise" made the "hero" who had never retreated on any battlefield take half a step back. Just as his foot extended backward and he tried to retreat, a slightly damp sensation reappeared on his back, forcibly stopping his movement.

"Retreating for what? Don't tell me you're scared."

Xi Wang's calm tone sounded again, still carrying a hint of disdain and a slightly exasperating, unique "reminder."

"Also, you're about to bump into someone."