Opening a Restaurant in Honkai

Back in the day, Kiana carved a bloody path through a horde of suicide soldiers with nothing but a baseball bat.

Kiana's expression was ashen as she concentrated, a look Zhao Bai understood. He cut a piece of rib and placed it before her, a reward for her sharp thinking.

"What do you mean by this?"

Kiana suddenly looked up, like a startled beast, her eyes hostile.

"It's a reward. Don't you want to eat it?"

Zhao Bai replied, confused. Kiana stared at him for a long moment. Gradually, the hostility in her eyes faded. She slowly put on her scarf, then used her knife to cut the beef into small pieces, enjoying the springy texture and hot juices with a complex mix of emotions.

Kiana was conflicted.

On one hand, this strange reward made her feel like a trained dog, hurting her sensitive pride.

On the other hand, the grilled meat was incredibly delicious.

Chapter 7: You Are a Dish. Zhao Bai Said So.

Kiana ate more than half of the large piece of grilled meat.

After thanking Miss Chen, they immediately set off for Senba Academy, the place where the Third Honkai Outbreak began.

Senba Academy, once a prestigious school, was located not in Canghai City, but in neighboring Changkong City. However, its geographical proximity made it feel closer to Canghai City.

As far as the eye could see, it was a scene of ruined walls and broken foundations, with lush vegetation. Weeds filled every crack in the bricks, and the large patches of green, accented by the grey-white brick walls and dark red rust, were chilling.

Nearly two years had passed since the Great Honkai. Changkong City was slowly recovering from destruction and death.

However, as the starting point of the Honkai outbreak, Senba Academy's board members were all currently serving prison sentences, and the academy had not been repaired. If rebuilding the city was like healing a wound, then the broken walls and ruins on the city's edge were the scars left after the wound had healed.

They were insignificant, yet a glance would trigger painful memories.

"Any thoughts?"

Zhao Bai waved his hand in front of Kiana. "Your eyes are unfocused, not like you're thinking. It seems like you're recalling something."

"What are you talking about?" Kiana moved her hand away from her line of sight, refocusing on the lost academy. "It's a bit different from how I remember it, but that was two years ago. I was in a hurry to escape, so I didn't pay attention to the school's layout."

"Without further ado, let's start scouting."

Who knew what lurked within the campus? Kiana cautiously drew her twin pistols. They could fire high-frequency pulse lasers, far superior to a baseball bat.

Zhao Bai also drew his saber. A faint blue light enveloped the three-foot blade, composed of leaping high-energy cutting particles. With these particles, the saber could cut through steel rebar as easily as slicing noodles. As a chef, Zhao Bai was not skilled with ranged weapons; three feet was the optimal distance for engaging with ingredients.

Silence. An eerie silence.

Upon entering the academy, the temperature plummeted. Dense vines intertwined, blocking out the sky. The tough vines wove into a tightly sealed net, encircling Senba Academy as if to conceal what lay within.

Without exception, all these vines were enveloped in a faint aura of Honkai energy.

The counter buzzed an alarm, its needle shifting from green to yellow. Zhao Bai carefully observed the concentration changes, slowly moving in the direction of increase.

"All this time, St. Freya believed the rampant plant growth here was due to residual Honkai energy. It's understandable, as this was the epicenter of the Third Honkai Outbreak, so higher residual Honkai energy than elsewhere is normal."

Zhao Bai cut through a vine and moved forward. "But look, the Honkai energy concentration here is increasing significantly. It's nothing like residual energy should be. This indicates a new source of Honkai energy release, more advanced than suicide soldiers, but not quite at the Herrscher level."

Kiana asked, puzzled, "Why is it causing trouble in Canghai City, bypassing its own backyard? What's the point?"