Honkai: Star Rail: I'm a Big Villain, Starting with the Annihilation of the Astral Express Crew

[And your sister Robin is still in Dewlight Pavilion, completely unaware of what's about to happen outside, thanks to your arrangements.]

[Soon, shocking news arrives from the dream—]

[Two young women met with misfortune at the Dreamjolt Troupe's performance venue, dying tragically on the spot.]

[The identity of one of the deceased… is actually "Robin"?!]

[When you receive the news, you immediately deduce—it's fake!]

[That's not your sister.]

[Robin is currently under your strict protection, like a canary in a cage, and could never be at that chaotic theater!]

[Who exactly is putting on this charade, trying to disrupt your game?]

[Sure enough, before long, an imposter with your sister's appearance and voice takes the initiative to find you.]

[It's Sparkle.]

[Her words are full of probing and provocation, trying to glean something from you.]

[You feel nothing inside, even finding it a bit laughable.]

[You calmly watch her performance, which she thinks is so clever, and as she tries to entice you to reveal more information, you say coldly:]

["A very good imitation."]

["Unfortunately, you can't fool her family."]

["Tell me, Sparkle… what do you want from me that you came all this way?"]

[The smile on the Masked Fool who calls herself Sparkle instantly freezes.]

[She seems completely unprepared for you to be so direct, so unconventional.]

[You don't give her much time to react, indirectly questioning her about the mastermind behind the scenes.]

[After confirming that her knowledge is limited, and that she's mostly just there to muddy the waters and create chaos, you completely lose interest.]

[This kind of clown doesn't deserve your time.]

["Boring."]

[You directly order this eyesore to be driven out.]

[Afterward, you immediately announce publicly in the name of the Oak Family Head.]

[That you will use all the family's power to thoroughly investigate this horrific death and give all guests and the unfortunate victims an explanation.]

[At the same time, you formally commission the Astral Express Crew to assist in the investigation.]

[Logically, pushing this group of the biggest variables into the limelight and letting them attract everyone's attention.]

[Everything is within your calculations.]

[As you expected, soon, that smug scholar from the Interstellar Peace Corporation—Dr. Ratio—takes the initiative to come to your door.]

[He reveals Aventurine's true plan to you in exchange for his partial research knowledge of the Stellar Nucleus.]

[Although he's lying, you still keenly deduce their plan.]

[The Interstellar Peace Corporation is as greedy as ever, trying to assign that gambler Aventurine to take the opportunity to recover the ownership of Penacony.]

[You recall Aventurine's hypocritical smile and hidden ambition, and a cold light flashes in your eyes.]

[Afterward, you invite Aventurine to the mansion alone under the guise of discussing business.]

[In the private conference room, the lights are dim.]

[You are not in a hurry to reveal your cards, but first conduct a routine "Harmony" inquiry on Aventurine.]

[Of course, this is just a facade.]

[In your test, a subtle, almost imperceptible force has quietly woven itself into a web, entangling itself in the depths of Aventurine's consciousness.]

[Inquiry complete.]

[Only then do you, unhurriedly, and without missing a word, clearly state the information Dr. Ratio told you, and your own deductions about Aventurine's series of conspiracies, such as using the fake cornerstone to confuse the public while secretly hiding the real cornerstone.]

[Every word spoken makes Aventurine's face paler.]

[You clearly see the confident smile on Aventurine's face instantly freeze, replaced by shock and fear.]

[Looking at his instantly changing expression, you feel very pleased.]

[How does it feel to have your plan completely seen through?]

[For this gambler who dares to make petty moves on your turf, trying to get his hands on Penacony, you plan to—]

[1. Use him]

[Tell Aventurine that his life is in your hands, forcing him to find and draw out the true culprit who caused the death of the dream-goers.]

[2. Eliminate the hidden danger]

Aventurine... this guy is too slippery, like a poisonous snake.

Use him? The risk is too high.

Maybe the next second, he'd turn around and bite, plotting against me instead.

Only dead enemies are truly safe.

I can only choose 2.

[You chose to eliminate the hidden danger. Villain Points +150.]

[Just as Aventurine, realizing his plan was exposed, was rapidly calculating, trying to justify himself or find a way out—]

[You unhesitatingly detonated the mental trap you had quietly set!]

[The power of "Harmony" mixed with "Order" instantly erupted in his mind!]

[Aventurine didn't even have time to scream; the look of astonishment on his face froze forever.]

[He collapsed, his eyes glazed over, his life force completely extinguished.]

[Target Aventurine has died... Analyzing... Analysis complete!]

[Obtained permanent trait [Gamble Luck (Purple)] in the simulation!]

[Effect: When making high-risk decisions or actions, forcibly increase the success rate of the action by 50%, but the consequences of failure may be doubled.

Note: The original success rate of the event must not be lower than 10% (cooldown time 240 hours).]

Gamble Luck?

Jiang Mo's heart jolted.

Aventurine's trait feels a bit overpowered, doesn't it?

Forcibly increasing the success rate by 50%...

Doesn't that mean that something with only a 50% chance of success can become 100% with this trait?

Although the consequences of failure may be doubled, this is definitely a god-tier skill for making a desperate comeback at a critical moment.

Not bad! Not bad!

Killing Aventurine was definitely worth it!

As for whether the Interstellar Peace Corporation will find out that I killed Aventurine... Hmph, no one can prove anything.

By the time they react and find out the truth, it'll be too late.

First, load the trait.

[You chose to load this permanent trait in this simulation. Current loaded trait slots: 2/3]

[You successfully eliminated a huge potential threat. Villain Points +200.]

[You quickly and calmly dealt with the scene, leaving no trace.]

[Afterward, you used the Oak Family Head's authority to classify Aventurine's disappearance as the same as the previous deaths of the dream visitors—]

[Killed by the murderer hidden in the dream.]

[This further muddied the waters, focusing everyone's attention on that "murderer."]

[Aventurine's disappearance caused some ripples in Penacony.]

[But in the clamor of the upcoming Symphony Gala, those ripples were quickly covered up.]

[You successfully and cleverly directed the Interstellar Peace Corporation's attention to the investigation of the "real killer" of the murder case.]

[The Astral Express Crew also continued to run around in the dream as you wished, attracting most of the attention and trouble for you.]

[But at the same time, you felt that the murderer was also one of the variables, and you had to secretly find that guy to eliminate future troubles.]

[Soon, through the family's vast intelligence network, you obtained a lot of information about the murder case. After analysis, you focused your suspicion on one person—]

[Gallagher.]

[This person frequently appeared as a security officer near various crime scenes, acting mysteriously.]

[However, there is no such person in the official rosters of the Hound Family, or even the entire Penacony!]

[His identity is fake, and his purpose is definitely not simple.]

[You decided to take the initiative and set a trap, issuing an invitation to Gallagher in the name of the Oak Family Head.]

[The location is still the Dewlight Pavilion where Aventurine was killed.]

[Gallagher arrived as scheduled.]

[He looked nonchalant, as if he didn't care about anything, in a lazy manner.]

"Yo, the Oak Family Head, Sunday..."

Gallagher put his hands in his pockets and said mockingly, "You're in such a hurry to find me, have you finally realized that relying on your set of Order can't catch the ghosts in the dream?"

[You ignored his cheap provocation, your eyes cold, staring directly at him:]

"The several murder cases in the dream are highly coincident with your appearance time and location."

"You are not found in the family roster, and your identity is fake."

"Gallagher... or should I call you by another name?"

"Tell me, who is the killer? Why are you stirring up Penacony? What exactly is your goal?"

Gallagher grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Want to know the answer? Sure, it's simple. All you have to do is..."

Before he could finish speaking—

The shadow behind you suddenly twisted and stretched, writhing like a living thing!

In the next moment, that shadow transformed into an indescribable, terrifying shape—a pitch-black, twisted monster emanating a dense aura of death!

It was the true culprit behind the series of murders—the entity of Something Unto Death!

A black claw, silent and swift, suddenly pierced straight for the vital point of your back!

Sneak Attack!

A triumphant smile instantly appeared on Gallagher's face.

However—

That smile lasted for only 0.1 seconds before freezing on his face!

Chapter 7: The Taiyi of Order

The claw did indeed pierce through "your" chest, but your figure suddenly flickered, then dissolved into nothingness!

"An illusion?!" Gallagher whirled around, his pupils constricting.

The real you had appeared behind him at some unknown time, a slender blade in your hand.

Thunk!

Without the slightest hesitation, the blade in your hand pierced through Gallagher's heart from behind with precision and ruthlessness.

"How... could..."