Chapter 7

Because of this, on the narrow path to becoming stronger, everyone who doesn't want to die, doesn't want to be caught up by those who come after, and doesn't want to be left behind can only compete. They compete desperately, with extreme and brutal intensity.

If you don't study, if you slack off, if your blade rusts, those who compete harder than you will crush you, snatch everything you have, and make it their own. So, tell me, will you study or not?

"You say that in my Shiranui state, I can challenge opponents above my level. But how could those who compete even harder than me not have their own equally powerful skills, techniques, weapons, and armor?"

Fu Li shook his head slightly. "Everyone is seeking a sense of security. If you fail the college entrance exam, you can try again. Those with modest ambitions can go to vocational schools and get by. As long as you're willing to work hard, modern Chinese society won't let you starve to death, no matter what."

Life is a singular thing; once it's gone, it's truly gone.

"The Honkai side's abundance of perverts is also based on this. Their minds are constantly in a state of high alert, preparing for the college entrance exam. It would be abnormal if a few people weren't driven mad by it."

As he spoke, he even made a harmless joke. "I remember last time I went for a mental evaluation, they gave me a certificate. But I didn't read it and just tore it up."

Fu Li was smiling, but Prometheus, who was worried about her host's mental state, couldn't.

It was as if a giant maze appeared before her eyes. In the maze, a group of people were running forward desperately. Chasing closely behind them was a boulder, large enough to crush them all.

The speeding boulder occasionally crushed those who ran too slowly. At the same time, many people emerged from other corners of the maze, joining the running crowd.

Everyone was competing. Competition itself no longer had any meaning. But if someone chose not to compete, they would absolutely be crushed and eliminated the moment they fell behind.

The girl shared her thoughts with her host. After considering it, Fu Li replied, "It's not wrong to think that way, but you should also add an exit at the end of the maze. An exit called S-rank, which allows one to escape the maze and gain the power to control their own destiny."

S-rank?!

The little AI trembled internally. After snapping back to reality, she was about to question her host in detail.

A sound came from not far away.

One person and one AI, their communication interrupted, looked up in unison towards the source of the sound.

A hooded figure, holding a rectangular storage box, was slowly walking towards them.

Chapter 12: "Famous Sword · Mikazuki Munechika"

"Seeing the hooded figure approach, Fu Li immediately stood up to greet him."

"His gaze quickly fell on the object in the other person's hand. His previously calm and placid eyes revealed a trace of unusual excitement, as if a pervert on a crowded train encountered a voluptuous married woman during his commute, revealing an impatient greed in that overflowing fullness."

"Hey! Can you stop describing things so wildly?!"

The innocent victim, who had been standing still, loudly protested the scummy AI's slander.

"Prometheus is merely describing your reaction upon seeing the other party. Why are you reacting so strongly?" The little AI glanced at him sideways, teasing him with ill intent. "Could it be... guilt?"

"Guilt, my ass! If just standing up to greet someone normally can be slandered like this, I don't even want to think about what will happen if something actually occurs!" Fu Li suppressed the urge to roll his eyes in front of the hooded figure. "And where did you get all these messy words from? I never even told you to scan my memories!"

"The host just took a train a moment ago, and there were many observation targets in the carriage."

The little one fully demonstrated with her actions what it means to travel ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books.

While the resentful host and his troublesome AI were engaged in a mental battle, the hooded figure had also slowly arrived before them.

He glanced suspiciously at the moody Fu Li, thought for a moment, and then subtly took a large step back.

"It's all your fault. Now they think I'm mentally ill!"

Facing the complaints of the certified mentally ill person, the little AI replied with a serious expression, "Actually, Prometheus is just a product of the host's split personality. The host never awakened any End-of-World Assistance System."

"Then why don't you say that everything happening now is just a hallucination I'm having before I die, and my true self is lying in a hospital bed receiving end-of-life care?"

Fu Li decided to stop paying attention to this fast-talking nuisance and turned his gaze to the storage box held by the hooded figure. "Is everything here?"

The other party nodded silently, extended his hand, and lifted the lid:

Masterpiece · Mikazuki Munechika. The last protective treasure sword of Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the 13th Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate of the Far East. It has a curved blade, 80cm in length, with a simple, slender, and sharp frost-like appearance, like flowing moonlight. Even after centuries, it can still cut through iron like mud and slice through metal like jade.

The above were the descriptions on the tag next to the Tachi.

One could only say that the people of the Far East had their standards; when praising their own treasures, they truly went all out.

Prometheus realized something was amiss from this tag. She bit her lip and tentatively asked, "Host, this sword... did the Foundation take it directly from the Far East Museum?"

The forging process of a Tachi involves a blacksmith forging the blade and its integral tang, and then attaching the koshirae, which consists of the hilt, guard, scabbard, and other parts.

This construction allows the blade part, made of metal, to be preserved for a long time without corrosion simply by removing the wooden koshirae.

In other words, swords that are specifically disassembled from their koshirae to prevent corrosion are basically ancient artifacts.

Combined with the tag next to it, and the fact that Mikazuki Munechika, one of the Five Blades Under Heaven, has always been preserved in the Far East National Museum, it's hard not to associate it with strange possibilities.

"Stolen from a museum? Probably."

Fu Li handled the mumei (unmounted) famous sword like an aunt or uncle picking out fruits and vegetables at the market, looking at it as he spoke.

"Don't be too surprised. In the future, the Foundation will be among the top mid-sized organizations. The Far East after World War II was a known sieve. Schicksal established a branch with Anti-Entropy military stationed there. What can they do with the Five Blades Under Heaven?"

He picked up the tag and examined it repeatedly. "I can only say they deserved it. They chose to be beasts instead of decent people."

As expected, on the back of the tag were remarks left by the hooded figure in sloppy Chinese characters:

This Tachi comes with the skill "Five Blades Under Heaven," which can greatly increase physical attack power by consuming weapon durability.

Furthermore, in the hands of a mentally resilient person, Mikazuki Munechika will also produce a soul-stirring pressure effect, capable of damaging incorporeal beings such as spirits and elemental life forms to a certain extent.

It is also worth noting that although the weapon's hardness and sharpness are sufficient to easily dismember or decapitate a person, due to the Tachi's extremely light weight and the forging characteristics of a thin blade, it struggles to penetrate thick and hard substances when slashing.

Prometheus summarized it simply: "Effective against biological entities, suppresses the spirit, and is like scraping against mechanical targets."

She seemed to naturally identify Fu Li as a mentally resilient individual who met the conditions for activating the Crescent Moon.

"Fighting that big fox, Kikyo, requires this kind of special attack against living beings."

After a brief inspection of the blades, Fu Li looked at the jade stone resting quietly in the other slot of the storage box.

Perhaps worried he wouldn't know how to use it, the hooded figure explained carefully, "Hold it in your hand and crush it."

Like the skills obtained from the End-of-World Assistance System's lottery, the skills sealed within the jade stone didn't require any extra time to learn.

Crack!

Fu Li crushed the jade stone on the spot and quickly scanned the new memories that appeared in his mind. Once confirmed, he stored the Crescent Moon into the Galaxy Bat, which also functioned as a scabbard, and turned to walk out of the train car.

The hooded figure silently watched his retreating back until he disappeared out the door.

There was no unnecessary communication between them throughout the entire exchange. Was this what they called professionalism?

"Oh, right." Fu Li, remembering something, poked his head out the train window. "I hope this time the teammates will be more numerous."

Unexpectedly, the usually calm hooded figure seemed to lose her composure upon hearing this.

She cleared her throat, trying to hide the wry, bitter smile that tugged at the corners of her delicate mouth beneath her hood.

"I hope you're right."

Leaving the Moonlit Station was much less troublesome than arriving. After simply changing trains three times, the afternoon sun shone on Fu Li's shoulders.

"Three PM."

Amidst the crowd, he patted his stomach. With a clear conscience, he didn't seek out the self-service restaurant to bully ordinary people, but instead found a Chinese restaurant nearby.

At the counter, after ordering the cheapest Yangzhou fried rice, which was known for its generous portions, Prometheus curiously asked, "What did you mean by that sentence before leaving the station?"

"Literally, it means that when the three-year period is up, I hope more of these twenty-one individuals who made wishes will be teammates for the secret missions of the Future Foundation."

Finding a seat, Fu Li paused his action of wiping the table with a napkin, a look of surprise on his face.

"Prometheus, you don't actually think those twenty-one people, who are in debt both now and in the future, will all survive peacefully until the mission begins, do you?"

Chapter 13: "Fu Li's Little Great-Aunt"

"...Prometheus, you don't actually think those twenty-one people, who are in debt both now and in the future, will all survive peacefully until the mission begins, do you?"

Huh? They won't?

The little AI wanted to ask, but seeing Fu Li's incredulous face, she became annoyed.

She huffed, "Of course not!"

"Exactly."

"Thanks~"

Taking the noticeably larger portion of fried rice from the server, Fu Li devoured it while thinking to himself:

"According to the records of information brokers, under normal circumstances, it's already rare for someone to survive for three years on the Honkai side without aligning with other factions. Most of those who find branches of the Foundation are geniuses, and geniuses love to take risks for rewards."

The young girl quietly recited the latter half of the proverb: "Fortune favors the bold, but also gets lost in danger. One in ten may seek it, nine in ten will lose it."

"See, when you stack those probabilities."

Smack!

Fu Li put down the empty plate. "Boss! Another order! A basin this time!"

After ordering another portion of fried rice, he stated with certainty, "Out of twenty-one people, it would be quite good if five or six are left in the end."

No wonder the host's expression turned so miserable when that person mentioned it, like a grieving widow.

Prometheus pondered.

To continue doing such 'loss-making business' under these circumstances, the Future Foundation must either be foolish and have too much money, or they are seeking something much greater.

Buzzz!

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Fu Li, who was eating like he was seeking revenge, glanced at the illuminated phone screen but ignored it.

The little AI, coming back to her senses, offered a warm suggestion, "Host, aren't you going to check it?"

"I know what it is. I'll deal with it after I finish eating," the reborn replied.

Prometheus nodded and sat beside him, accompanying him for this delayed lunch.

Fu Li had always wondered, since Prometheus was directly projected onto his retinas and not materialized in the real world, what was the point of her aimlessly floating around like this?

But whenever he saw the little girl's cute face, feigning a poker face yet subtly showing anticipation, he felt that asking such a question, which would surely lower his favorability, was best left unasked.

Although her face was still mosaiced, her eyes were the windows to her soul.

It was three PM, not a busy mealtime, so the restaurant didn't bother Fu Li, who lingered for a while after finishing his meal.

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Fu Li, now full and satisfied, picked up his phone and opened the WeChat group chat, "@Old Fu Family Happiness and Joy Forever," which had just messaged him.

The general gist of the group chat was that a highly senior elder in the family was coming to Changkong City to watch a world-class superstar, Eden's, concert. Someone happened to think of Fu Li being in the Far East and asked if he could help look after her.

"So that Little Great-Aunt was really going to show up after all."

Even though he already knew the entire story, Fu Li was still speechless after reading the chat logs.

Prometheus tilted her head up. "I recall the host mentioning that their relationship with their family wasn't good."

"It's less that our relationship isn't good and more that they completely ignore my existence... The only exception is that Little Great-Aunt, which is why they've come to me."

Fu Li rubbed his forehead. "It's not like we're that close either. In fact, I've only ever seen her selfies on social media, where she posts pictures from all sorts of popular spots. I've never actually met her in person."

"The main thing is that this person—well, right here." He raised his hand and pointed to his head. "There's a tiny little problem with her up here. She's the type of person who's super friendly to everyone, like a central air conditioner, and even someone like me can't escape her influence."

Prometheus felt a sense of fondness. "She sounds like a very kind elder."

"She is an elder, technically, but only in terms of seniority. She's the same age as me."

The little AI was stunned. "She's also sixteen? A sixteen-year-old Great-Aunt?"

In Shenzhou, "Great-Aunt" is a term used for the daughters of one's great-grandfather, meaning the sisters of one's grandfather's generation.

"That's why they call her Little Great-Aunt, isn't it?" Fu Li lazily rested his chin on his hand, pushing his phone, which was displaying her social media feed, towards Prometheus with the other. "Here, look. This person posted another selfie because she had nothing better to do."

The girl eagerly leaned in, her eyes suddenly narrowing to the size of pinpricks.

The picture showed a very fashionably dressed pink-haired girl.

She was sitting by the window in a milk tea shop, a smug smile gracing her pretty face. Her beautiful, violet eyes, dotted with specks of stardust, sparkled. Her fair cheeks were bathed in a soft, orange glow from the background light, making one want to get lost in them.

The girl's top was quite loose, and her smooth, milky-white shoulder peeked out from the collar. She playfully stuck her tongue out at the camera, then closed one eye, her long eyelashes particularly striking.

At the same time, she casually made a peace sign. In an instant, the youthful energy and vibrancy unique to her age group leaped before their eyes, even carrying a hint of childish innocence and cuteness.

"Ai..."

Prometheus, who had subconsciously started to utter a name, suddenly bit down hard on her teeth, forcing the remaining characters back down her throat.