Chlorine Sodium's Arknights

Although Yelena possessed Originium Arts, a special power on Terra that could protect herself, and it was indeed useful, it couldn't fill her stomach.

As the ancients said, hunger is a great enemy.

People will die if they don't eat, but where could she find food?

After staring blankly for a while, the light had already dissipated. She probably couldn't accept this sudden shock so quickly.

But her stomach had already begun to protest.

Hunger, extreme cold—if things continued like this, she would surely die.

After an unknown amount of time, the girl who had regained her senses propped herself up, flipped over the still-smoking ruins, and searched for something to eat.

The poor girl searched the ruins for a long time, driven by her desire to survive. In the end, the only usable thing she found was... a box of matches.

Was this divine mercy and a test?

What a joke.

Still, little Yelena took the box of matches in her hand. The sun was about to set, and if she got lost in the darkness, she would surely die.

Although she was pretty much doomed anyway.

She walked, one foot deep and one foot shallow, towards the outside of the mine. The tracks left by the guards' land vehicles were still there. Following the tracks might provide a way out; at least she needed to leave this wilderness first.

However, humans are such insignificant beings. The further they walk into the unknown, the more lost they become. This didn't feel like walking outwards; it felt more like advancing towards a dead end.

There was nothing familiar. Yelena, as a child, had lived her entire life in the small mine since she could remember. She had never been outside, and the world beyond the walls was utterly foreign to her.

Being able to distinguish east from west was something her grandmother had taught her.

Night gradually fell, but little Yelena still hadn't managed to get out of the snow-covered forest.

Even the tracks had disappeared, so she could only follow the river.

Because of her Originium Arts, she could barely feel the cold anymore, but would she die from being unable to control her Originium Arts?

Worry, fear, confusion, and hunger continued to torment the girl. Even if she escaped the mine, what good would it do? The unfortunate have never escaped the clutches of fate.

Since she couldn't see the path, the girl struck the first match.

This reminded her of a story her grandmother used to tell her.

The tragedy of a little match girl.

Suddenly, she wondered if this was her destiny.

However, she seemed even more miserable than the girl in the story, because even after striking the match, she didn't see the beautiful things the girl in the story had seen.

The tiny match couldn't even dispel the darkness, only illuminating a tiny bit of light.

The match quickly went out, and Yelena struck the second one.

Even when the flame burned her finger, the girl could barely feel the pain anymore. All she felt was numbness.

No beautiful things appeared, only the rapidly burning propellant of the windproof match and the flickering flame.

These weren't enough for illumination. Soon, only the last match in the small box remained, yet she still couldn't find a way out.

Perhaps she was lost. All around her was nothing but forest, covered in snow. Dry branches obscured the moon and the sky; she couldn't see anything here!

She couldn't get out at all!

Yelena fell into despair. If that was the case, what was the point of that light?

If this was the will of that damned god, why did it let her out only to block her exit?

Of course, perhaps it was just a coincidence.

As if giving up, Yelena slumped onto the riverbank covered in snow. Apart from the fact that the stream hadn't completely frozen, there was truly nothing here—only white, an endless expanse of white.

The snowfields of Ursus were a cursed place. On permafrost that never thawed, there was only cold and snow that seemed to fall endlessly.

Striking the last match, feeling the slight warmth from her burning palm, Yelena felt like crying.

However, the damned cold and the uncontrolled release of Originium Arts caused even her tears to freeze.

So hungry. Was she about to die? Die in this forest?

Perhaps the gods' test had finally ended, or perhaps Yelena had truly fainted from hunger.

Just like in the story, she actually... saw something floating in the river, different from the cold snow.

You must know that in the winter of Ursus, no fish can survive in the rivers, and most wild animals are hibernating. Hunting yields nothing, let alone fish in the water.

What was that?

The human will to survive makes people incredibly resilient. As long as there is hope, people can unleash immeasurable strength!

The girl struggled to stand up. The stream was close at hand.

And that thing seemed to be alive. Could it be a fish?

When desperate, people will eat anything, let alone something that looks edible.

Ignoring the bone-chilling cold of the stream, she scooped the thing out of the water. Little Yelena, standing barefoot in the current, cupped it in her hands and bit down on the soft, squishy thing!

"Ahhh! What are you doing?! I'm not food!!!"

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Generally, the first task upon entering a new world is to identify its protagonist.

Once you have a target, you can devise a plan.

Since her body was still undergoing soul solidification when she arrived in this new world, Chlorine Sodium had to temporarily open the Gate of Reason and bring out the Armed Doll Tesla Zero. She then stuffed her not-yet-fully-solidified soul into it, planning to use the doll's body as a temporary vessel until her own body was fully formed. Besides, shrinking down meant she could disguise herself as a figurine if danger arose, allowing her to slack off.

The small body of Tesla Zero, which Chlorine Sodium was inhabiting, lay face up in the river. She ignored the metal fists submerged in the icy water as she pondered her situation.

Why did things turn out this way? For the first time, she had obtained immense power, bringing her closer to the life she desired. She also possessed a magnificent physique – the lifelong pursuit of every man. Two joys combined, and these two joys brought even more happiness, resulting in a life that should have been as blissful as a dream. But... why? Why had it come to this?

It was an Armed Doll, and simple immersion in water posed no problem for Honkai-era technology. While she might not be able to defeat the protagonist – such beings were blessed by Schicksal, destined for plot armor no matter what – she could certainly handle the cold river water.

Her only true enemy was the Child of the World. She needed to provoke and court disaster, to deceive and ambush, thereby drawing their hatred. The more intense the hatred, the more points she would earn upon survival.

This was the principle of "scaring the timid and exploiting the bold." Because of this, Chlorine Sodium wasn't yet planning to force her injured body back into its original form.

Her Herrscher form currently lacked the energy to sustain itself. Once her soul fully solidified, she would use Kiana's appearance to secure the identity she had arranged in the previous world and go into hiding. The Herrscher form shouldn't be used often, not just due to energy constraints, but because excessive Honkai fluctuations might alert something, which would hinder her concealment.

An innocent appearance was the best disguise, while her true, fully realized form was the trump card she held at all times.

Although this explanation was coherent and logical, she still felt a pang of dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately, she had very little information yet, and she had only just arrived. The protagonist wouldn't know that an antagonist was targeting them in this world. Taking a break occasionally was permissible.

After all, it should be time for meditation now.

Suddenly, Chlorine Sodium felt something grab her and pull her upwards, yanking her violently out of the water!

What the hell?

Before she could even figure out who dared to disturb her, or prepare to deliver a fist to whoever had the audacity, she felt something bite her on the head!

It didn't hurt, though. This was an Armed Doll; a weak bite couldn't scratch the armor at all. Rather than a savage attack, it felt more like some beast had mistaken her for food.

Foolish beast...

Chlorine Sodium controlled Tesla Zero's small, red-haired head to turn. What she saw was a scrawny, silver-haired... girl?

Her hesitation stemmed from the pair of long ears atop the girl's head.

A donkey? Or a rabbit?

Considering the fur color, donkeys didn't have white fur, so it must be a rabbit. But why would rabbit ears grow on a human?

Was this a Demi-human world?

Chlorine Sodium believed she had traversed countless worlds and seen all sorts of beings. The existence of Demi-humans with animalistic features was not surprising.

However, a more significant feature captured her attention.

It was... something only she could see.

A symbol floating above the girl's head, a symbol representing... the protagonist!

New author posting, please collect, ahhhhhh, sob sob sob

Section 4 Chapter 4: [The Best Partner!]

The protagonist was the sworn enemy of this "villain" named Chlorine Sodium.

They were not only the sole path to achieving her goals but also the most dangerous existence.

No matter the story, as long as the protagonist was the Child of the World, they were essentially incapable of losing.

An existence that could never lose.

No one understood the despair brought by a protagonist better than she did.

An existence that could never be overcome, where the villain was ultimately destined to fail.

However, she didn't care much about victory or defeat; she only cared whether her objectives were met.

After all, if it couldn't be done, then it couldn't be forced. People always needed to compromise with themselves.

Chlorine Sodium, who thought she could hide smoothly, was now being pulled out of the water by someone bearing the protagonist's symbol!

Damn it, have I been discovered?!

If that were the case, this entire endeavor might be ruined.

Name, identity, abilities – these were the three most crucial things for a villain intending to fight an immortal monster like the protagonist. A name represented the person, an identity provided a target, and abilities were the most valuable information.

As the ancients said: "The law is unknowable, and its might is immeasurable." The most mysterious things were the most deceptive.

So, had she just exposed herself?

Because her Herrscher abilities were not active, and she was temporarily inhabiting Zero, the red eyes behind the red-rimmed glasses of the Armed Doll rapidly scanned the seemingly incredibly weak girl before her.

Now, there were only two options. Eliminate this potential enemy. A protagonist typically had at most two companions in each world; the rest were mere supporting characters. So, it wasn't impossible to take her out with a surprise attack.

But as mentioned earlier, beings like protagonists were generally protected by Schicksal, making them virtually impossible to kill, unless it was an extremely rare "masochistic protagonist" script.

However, such scenarios were too uncommon, and Chlorine Sodium disliked leaving her fate to chance.

Of course, there was a second option. This was contingent on the other party not knowing her identity. In that case, deception and disguise would be her best choice.

So, what did she know now?

But no matter how malicious and meticulous Chlorine Sodium's plan was, the continuous biting and gnawing, trying to swallow her whole, didn't stop. Was this guy starving?

Perhaps she didn't know, or perhaps... she was currently in the middle of the protagonist's suffering arc?

Whether she could temporarily rest easy, whether she could dispel her unease and embrace the life she desired, all depended on her own performance and cautious, step-by-step approach to stability!

First step: tentative communication.

"Ahhh! What are you doing, let go! I'm not food!"

The girl seemed to realize that the humanoid creature she was holding couldn't be eaten, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bite through it.

Already exhausted, trying to bite something was even more strenuous. Realizing she couldn't bite through it, the girl's last shred of hope seemed to vanish completely.

Even though the thing made a human sound, to Yelena, it sounded more like a hallucination.

It was quite normal for the brain to produce protective hallucinations when a person was in extreme struggle and despair.

Just like the beautiful visions the little girl in the story saw after striking a match.

The thing broke free from her powerless hands and slowly floated up.

The girl, with vacant eyes, released her grip and slumped onto the ground.

Communication failed?

Controlling her body to float into the air, Chlorine Sodium, using the viewfinder of prototype Zero, finally got a complete look at the person before her.

The girl was covered in old wounds, her clothes tattered. No, they couldn't even be called clothes, just a few rags.

However, an incomprehensible coldness surrounded the girl. Was this a special ability of this world?

Most striking was the symbol floating above the girl's head.