Thanks for the invite, I'm in Honkai, leveling up stats

"Hoh~ So lax..."

Looking at the giant corpse, which was merely cordoned off as described in the mission, with no guards posted, Raven, who had just marveled at the destruction caused by Ganesha, let out a whistle, a smile playing on her lips.

"It seems that the long period of stable living has made these young girls underestimate the people of the world...

Do you really think the Honkai contamination that comes with an Emperor-class Honkai Beast is enough?"

Feeling very relaxed, Raven pulled down her hood, the blood-red raven eyes on it reflecting an eerie glow in the moonlight.

However, despite her casual words, Raven remained sufficiently cautious throughout her journey, successfully avoiding many inconspicuous traps and alarms.

Using her specially made combat suit and excellent stealth skills, Raven smoothly reached the massive corpse of Ganesha without being detected by surveillance or triggering the alarms set by Rita's subordinates.

"As expected, that jackal underestimated Destiny. The lax defenses are riddled with traps...

He must have written the message after just a glance at the satellite imagery... Is this guy an idiot? To underestimate Destiny so much.

Or is it because of the information controlled by the World Serpent that he's gotten so arrogant?"

Raven muttered to herself, finding the situation not as lax as Jackal had described. She looked up at the mountain-like body before her, her lips feeling a little dry.

As the saying goes, "Even a dead tiger still possesses its might." Even though it was dead, seeing such a colossal Honkai Beast for the first time still left Raven somewhat awestruck.

Immediately, Raven shook her head, clearing her mind of any emotions unrelated to the mission, and began her task: extracting samples from Ganesha.

Though it could easily level three city districts in its lifetime, the deceased Ganesha could now only be harvested by Raven.

"Hmm, this is enough."

Having collected sufficient specimens as per the mission requirements, Raven carefully put away the specimen box and clapped her hands, ready to leave, a smile involuntarily appearing on her lips—

Just making a trip like this, like a leisurely stroll, and earning two hundred thousand dollars was too worthwhile.

However, before the smile could fully spread across her face, Raven's expression froze—

Raven could clearly feel that what she was stepping on was not the hard ground compacted by Ganesha's body, but... a hand.

Having experience stepping on hands during missions, Raven quickly identified what she was stepping on. Without hesitation, she shifted her body three feet to the side and retreated several steps, cautiously watching the spot where she had just stood.

Under Raven's gaze, a tall figure, covered in the color of Mother Earth, with only the faintest outline of a well-tailored swallowtail coat visible, quickly crawled out from underground. The emerald green eyes beneath the mask met Raven's.

Chapter 55: Raven: I'm fighting Otto?

?

Looking at the white swallowtail coat on her body and the white mask on her face now stained earthy yellow, with one foot stuck in the ground, Raven was a bit bewildered.

What's going on?

I just came to collect a sample, and someone crawled out from underground?

A barrage of questions flooded her mind, causing Raven's brain to spin rapidly, ultimately leading to one conclusion—

He's probably here to steal samples, just like me.

After all, while Emperor-class Honkai Beasts are difficult to deal with, they are also very rare.

As for which organization...

Whether it's some unknown cult or a franchisee of the Anti-Entropy organization, anyone with a basic understanding of Honkai, however slight, would have the motive to do this.

As for why the other party was wearing such flashy attire and infiltrating in such a clumsy manner...

Who cares!

Miss Raven, whose mood was lightened by the easy twenty thousand dollars, had no time to bother with such issues.

However, the cheerful Raven still kindly reminded him—

"There are no guards here now, you can take whatever you want to your heart's content, provided you're sure you can keep your life.

Also, I suggest you go back the way you came. The outside may look loosely guarded, but it's actually full of hidden traps."

After kindly reminding her fellow operative, Raven flicked her cloak and vanished into the shadows, preparing to leave.

Facing Raven's kind reminder, Otto, who hadn't expected the little thief to say something like this, was stunned for a moment. Then, he reacted, narrowing his eyes and stealthily drawing out a Mimic Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment.

It wasn't that Otto intended to silence her for seeing his disheveled state—

The embarrassment belonged to Clown Alpha, what did Destiny's Grand Bishop Otto have to do with it?

Otto simply realized that the other party's concealment methods were unexpectedly brilliant, and judging by her movements, her basic abilities were almost at the level of an A-class Valkyrie. This revealed a significant problem.

Therefore, Otto decided to keep this kind lady and have her answer some of his questions.

As for whether she would end up being another survivor who died from Honkai Beast infection out of curiosity, or be taken in as a subordinate... adding another talent to Destiny, would depend on her performance.

Raising the Mimic Heavenly Fire in his hand, Otto aimed at the direction locked onto by Mimic Feather of Dust and pulled the trigger.

!

Raven, who was joyfully sneaking away, suddenly felt a sense of mortal danger. With her hair standing on end, she ignored the traps and her hidden form, instinctively twisting her body and kicking a half-exposed metal plate on the ground behind her.

Boom!

A burst of fire suddenly exploded, illuminating the metal plate... No, it was half of a broken sword.

However, whether it was a metal plate or a broken sword, it ultimately allowed Raven to escape.

The dazzling flames and tremendous noise, however, were immediately captured by the surveillance systems.

While dodging, Raven triggered a trap left by Rita.

Instantly, a piercing alarm blared from afar—the alarm from the Valkyrie camp.

"Since you're here, why not exchange some experiences? After all, it's rare to meet a colleague in our line of work."

Otto placed the crumpled, mud-stained hat on his head, his voice calm and filled with a gentle smile.

Caught off guard by the surprise attack, Raven's good mood vanished instantly, replaced by intense anger and murderous intent.

However, when she saw the Mimic Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment in Otto's hand, Raven's expression changed—

As a child raised by Gray Serpent, Raven hadn't yet become a World Serpent executive and thus didn't have access to top-secret intelligence. However, she knew the appearance and basic functions of Divine Keys, so she recognized the Mimic Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment in Otto's hand at a glance.

And according to information from the Serpent, Void Archives was in the hands of the Destiny Archbishop Otto.

So…

Damn it, why isn't a Destiny Archbishop like you staying put at headquarters? Why are you squatting under some Emperor-class Honkai Beast? Are you so bored that you're looking for trouble?

Even though she was cursing him out in her mind, Raven maintained her composure and said coldly, "When you say exchange, do you mean pointing a gun at my head?"

"No, no, no…"

Otto shook his head gently, his voice still amiable.

"I'm aiming for your waist."

"…"

Raven felt a vein throb on her forehead, but facing the Mimic Heavenly Fire aimed at her, she could only swallow the curses.

Otto merely chuckled at this and was about to ask something else.

But just then, a bullet suddenly shot from afar, arriving in an instant and hitting Otto's arm.

Even Otto's Soul Steel body swayed when hit by this specially made bullet.

Raven, who was preparing to raise her hands and play along with Otto, suddenly's eyes lit up. Her Honkai energy erupted, and she transformed into an afterimage too fast to see, fleeing into the distance.

Otto, having been shot, realized that the other party had accomplices.

However, when Otto raised his gun to aim at Raven again, another bullet shot from afar.

This time, Otto, who was prepared, managed to dodge it. But due to the dodge, Otto's aim shifted slightly, and he missed his intended target.

When Otto looked up again, Raven was nowhere to be seen in his field of vision.

"Heh… what a cunning little mouse…"

Putting away the Mimic Heavenly Fire, Otto sneered. He glanced at the Valkyries rapidly approaching from afar, and his figure also melted into the shadows.

Clown Alpha was merely a pseudonym for black ops, unsuitable for exposure, and even more unsuitable for being linked to the Destiny Archbishop Otto.

Therefore, Otto decisively chose to retreat.

When the Valkyries arrived, they found only a ground littered with triggered but ineffective traps, a broken sword with signs of melting, and a pit beside Ganesha.

"Captain Rita, no trace of the enemy has been found in the vicinity."

"The instrument for detecting trap markers also found no target."

"Report, damage was found on Ganesha, suspected to be tissue extraction by someone."

The messages were quickly compiled and presented to Rita, whose expression turned grim. She had casually tried to catch a fish, and when a fish took the bait, the entire fishing spot was ruined by it?

Silently marking the culprit, Rita nodded after hearing her subordinates' reports. Under their worried gazes, she spoke, "The responsibility for this mistake lies with me. I will write a report and conduct a self-criticism upon our return. As for Ganesha… tonight, the members of Group Two will have to work hard and guard the latter half of the night. Your group will have the day off tomorrow."

For many, tonight was destined to be a sleepless one—for Rita, for the Valkyries on guard duty, and for… Raven.

"What hit you?"

Due to her haste in rescuing Raven, Gray Serpent hadn't clearly seen the weapon the enemy held.

Now, on the plane, seeing Raven's injuries, Gray Serpent realized the situation was more complicated than she thought.

Chapter 56: Raven: Does this count as a work injury?

Although as the skeleton of the hidden organization World Serpent, Gray Serpent shouldn't have the energy to bother with a rookie's mission.

However, Raven was a rare and excellent Honkai energy adapter, and the top choice on World Serpent's list of fusion warriors. Naturally, she deserved a bit more attention.

That's why Gray Serpent sent a clone to assist her, preventing this little bird from falling to its death before it could even take flight.

As it turned out, when a fledgling encounters trouble, it still needs the snake in the shadows to save its life.

If not for Gray Serpent's two shots just now, Raven would likely have become Destiny's caged bird.

"It should be... Mimic Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment... cough..."

Lying powerlessly on the seat, Raven spoke with an unusually weak voice, unable to suppress a couple of coughs.

Despite only being shot in the waist, Raven felt as if she only had one breath left.

It was fine when she was rushing to escape earlier; her body, aided by a surge of adrenaline, could still sprint at speeds exceeding her usual pace.

But now that she was in a safe place, the breath Raven had been holding in her chest dissipated, and she felt like half her body wasn't her own anymore.

"Mimic Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment?

How is that possible?"

Hearing Raven's answer, Gray Serpent paused, voicing his doubt.

As an ancient relic from the previous civilization that had survived to the present, even though this clone only had access to a portion of the data, it knew that Mimic Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment represented Void Archives, and Void Archives was currently in the hands of Destiny's Grand Bishop, Otto Apocalypse.

"Could it be that the experiment that jackal, that idiot, conducted has already alerted Destiny, and even made Grand Bishop Otto personally stake out the Serpent?"

Within Gray Serpent's network, a specialist in schemes and plots immediately proposed this idea.