A Misguided Wish / The Monkey's Paw

Battle pets?

This immediately reminded him of Pokémon.

"The people in that World Bubble are keen on collecting all kinds of Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie to fight against. Most of the Honkai Beast will not put up much resistance. Only a small number of powerful Emperor-class Honkai Beast will be less willing, but they will not be hostile to humans."

"... How did you do that?"

"I don't know either. This is common sense for those civilizations and worlds, just like you and I wouldn't think there's anything wrong with a person keeping a dog. There are also breeds of dogs with more aggressive personalities." Yan Luo explained using words that Lin could easily understand. "Moreover, in many World Bubble ... Honkai is secondary."

"..."

"The problem of Honkai in this world seems to have been resolved, so you might think that the tragedies originally caused by Honkai will not happen here again."

Yan Luo's cold-blooded eyes looked over.

Is that really the case?

They finally arrived at the foot of the clock tower. They had considered the possibility that the clock tower might disappear as soon as they got close, or that it would always keep a distance from them, or that the clock tower itself had no physical form.

But none of this happened. It was a real, huge tower and clock combination. They all tried to touch it with their hands and other objects, and they all confirmed its existence.

"Go in and investigate," Lin said succinctly.

Yan Luo thought the same thing. She walked to an inconspicuous wooden door, stood on tiptoe, and grasped the doorknob—

Lin and Yan Luo's eyes narrowed. Lin kicked Yan Luo in the waist, sending her flying, and used the force to propel himself a short distance.

Then a bloodthirsty blade cleaved through the moonlight and dust, cutting into the ground.

"Bass!"

"Huh?"

The attack missed, and the twisted humanoid let out a sharp, eerie howl. It drew its scimitar, which, along with another scimitar in its hand, twisted at bizarre angles with its joints.

Under the scarlet moonlight, the pale end was stained with a nauseating crimson.

Honkai zombie?

Both the Ninja MOTH Soldier and the Loyal Ninja Mortal are among the more powerful types of Honkai zombie and the most troublesome killers of ordinary people. Even ordinary Honkai Beast may not exert as much pressure on humans as they do.

After all, the uncanny valley effect can sometimes create psychological pressure and even make people lose their ability to resist.

This Honkai zombie was clearly one of the two types of Honkai zombie mentioned above, but Lin recognized that this monster, named the Advanced Ninja MOTH Soldier, was a combination far exceeding the two types of Honkai zombie mentioned above.

In short, it combines the super-fast speed to dodge ranged attacks with the unpredictable techniques and physical abilities to defend against melee attacks, and it has been further enhanced on this basis.

They are the kind of people that most newcomers would find difficult to deal with.

In this place where Honkai Beast roam freely, the Honkai zombie have finally appeared, and... they don't quite look like "pets."

Lin glanced at Yan Luo, who was getting up from the ground. They were currently... unable to deal with this Honkai zombie.

Two children, unarmed and with no combat experience whatsoever, could never fight a monster that surpasses humanity.

The Advanced Ninja MOTH Soldier began to slowly move around them, wielding their twin swords, as if observing their prey, patiently waiting for them to reveal a weakness.

While Honkai zombie don't possess such high intelligence, Advanced Ninja MOTH Soldier do exhibit this tendency. Records indicate that when they inflict psychological pressure and are unable to resist launching an immediate attack, they retaliate with terrifying speed, tearing humans to shreds.

In other words, if they turn and run away, it will be the perfect opportunity for it to strike; they won't last three steps before their bodies are torn apart.

Therefore, the only solution is to kill it.

There was no time to ponder why the Honkai zombie were here. Lin and Yan Luo both came to the same conclusion, and... they acted simultaneously.

Lin bent down and picked up a stone from the ground. This action attracted the attention of the Advanced Ninja MOTH Soldier. It appeared in front of Lin in a flash, crossed its two swords in front of it, and slashed at Lin, who was standing upright, with a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye. In the next second, it would completely cut him in two.

But Lin only feinted; he didn't actually straighten his upper body, narrowly dodging the attack, or perhaps he predicted the trajectory of the strike.

This does not mean that he completely dodged it. The biggest characteristic of this type of Honkai zombie is that their joints can twist almost 360 degrees, which allows them to do things that humans cannot do, such as slashing back from an almost impossible direction.

As its wrists twisted, and the twin blades changed from slashing to thrusting, piercing towards Lin Youxiao's body, a gunshot rang out.

"Bang!"

The Honkai zombie changed direction again, using his twin swords to block the bullet aimed at his side.

Lin unleashed the full potential of his body and leaped backward, with the Honkai zombie close behind.

Midway through the chase, another small figure joined the fray, wildly swinging her fists at the Honkai zombie, while her other hand was already raised, ready to throw a weapon at Lin...

Pistol.

Chapter Forty-Three: Wrong Prayers

Lin had tried fighting alongside others before, but he mostly ventured into dangerous areas alone. In team formations, he only served as the commander and fought separately. He could count the number of times he had cooperated with others on one hand.

But this is the first time I've ever fought with someone so perfectly in sync, like brothers.

Lin dodged the sweeping attack, raised his knee, and with a gust of wind, struck the Honkai zombie's joint.

Of course, this is useless. Not to mention that with his current child-like physique, any attack is like a tickle, the joints of the Honkai zombie are also quite special connecting mechanisms, making it almost impossible to remove them.

As the Honkai zombie raised his blood-red blade once more, a small, delicate fist struck its cheek directly. The force was too weak to explode its head in one blow, but it was enough to deflect the attack and draw its attention.

During this brief moment, Lin raised his hands and held the gun. Because the child's body could not withstand the recoil, he had to use the most standard posture to reduce the force he would bear. After adjusting to the optimal posture within half a second, he aimed at the Honkai zombie and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet was blocked without any doubt, and Lin heard his own body groan.

The battle was not over yet. Lin and Yan Luo were as agile as two children, and their teamwork was exceptional. If Lin threw a right punch, Yan Luo would never throw a left punch. If he swept his arm horizontally in the air, she would sweep her leg low. If Lin was about to fire a gun, Yan Luo would distract the Honkai zombie.

The two of them worked together like one person, yet they demonstrated abilities far exceeding those of two individuals.

However, children's physical strength cannot compare with that of adults. They engage in close combat because if they create distance, they are easily overtaken by those who are much faster. Therefore, they can only fight in this way, while looking for an opportunity to observe and use the only pistol they have that can kill the Honkai zombie to deliver a fatal blow.

Finally, in a barely perceptible gap, Lin discovered the weakness of the Advanced Ninja MOTH Soldier and shot it through the wrist. Yan Luo grabbed the fallen scimitar and, like a nimble cheetah, lay flat on the ground, one hand supporting himself on the ground and the other holding the scimitar in reverse, his bright eyes fixed on the enemy in the darkness.

The Honkai zombie let out a strange cry and slashed down vertically, cutting through the cold air with a single blow.

In an instant, Lin saw Yan Luo rise from the ground, first sideways and passing face-to-face with the blade, even cutting off the hairs on her face. Then she leaned back and concentrated her strength on the hand holding the knife, using the momentum to "fly" the entire knife away.

"Bass!"

Pinkish-purple blood flowed from the gruesome wound that had been slashed open at the throat, a blow that had severely injured the Honkai zombie.

But that wasn't enough. A fatal wound to an ordinary person wouldn't render a suicide Honkai zombie incapacitated. Lin clearly saw that the Honkai zombie ignored the wound and continued to twist the terrifying joint at an angle, aiming for Yan Luo's temple.

"Smack!"

Lin grabbed her hand, pulled her away from that dangerous position, and then kicked the Honkai zombie hard in the shin, making him kneel down.

Two fists arrived almost simultaneously, knocking the Honkai zombie to the ground. Then, without any hindrance, Lin easily pierced the Honkai zombie's head with his pistol.

The two of them were breathing heavily, almost as if they were exhaling their lungs. This level of physical exertion, coupled with the exhaustion after the adrenaline rush, was something that a child could hardly withstand.

These two people, who were able to roam freely in the Honkai areas, were almost driven to their deaths by a single Honkai zombie. It's truly a dramatic turn of events.

"... Where did the pistol come from?" After resting for a long time, Lin finally calmed his breathing and asked Yan Luo.

The pistol was thrown to him by Yan Luo. Ke Lin remembered that she didn't have such a thing, at least not when she first arrived here.

"The study." Yan Luo caught her breath and wiped the sweat from her brow. Her attention remained focused on the dark surroundings, wary of any potential Honkai zombie. "Your father had a pistol hidden in his study."

Father...

The man, who always appeared solemn but whose eyes revealed an unfathomable greed, was hiding a deadly pistol, which did not surprise Lin.

He even felt that this was normal, so normal that he had already guessed it before Yan Luo revealed the truth.

"Did you see where the Honkai zombie came from?" Yan Luo examined the Honkai zombie's corpse. They had acted swiftly and decisively, leaving no unnecessary external wounds. There was a knife wound on the neck and two gunshot wounds, so they could see at a glance that this Honkai zombie was not much different from the one they knew.

"Suddenly, something appeared above."

The Honkai zombie Lin saw appeared directly above Yan Luo without any warning, as if... he had been teleported here.

"Suddenly appeared... This Honkai zombie's hand is strange."

Yan Luo and Lin looked at the unharmed hand of the Honkai zombie together, and Lin then noticed that the shape of the hand that had not been pierced looked rather strange.

It was a withered, sparse, dark forearm covered with some downy hair. Its shape and overly long nails immediately reminded Lin of the claws of some kind of creature.

This is... a monkey's paw?

As they watched, the black claw, resembling a monkey's paw, detached from the Honkai zombie's arm and fell to the ground. Then, the Honkai zombie's body rapidly withered and disappeared.

"..."

In the end, all that remained was that ominous black claw that sent chills down one's spine at first glance.

"Should I take it?"

It's unclear who asked the question, but Lin had already picked it up.

The people who imprisoned them here intend to do something to them, and Lin can only take it one step at a time for now.

"Take it for now," Yan Luo added, then walked towards the door leading into the clock tower.

But... where's the door?

The original thin wooden door was replaced by the same material as the other walls, so perfectly that you couldn't tell there used to be a door there. If Lin and Yan Luo hadn't both seen it at the same time, they might have wondered if they were seeing things.

Fortunately, even without a door, there were some sarcastic "hints" on it.

"Try it. If you are all filled with such regret, hatred, and longing, hoping for something to disappear and for something to return, then try making a wish."

"The first time was with 'Lin'."

"The second time was 'Yan Luo'."

"The third time was 'you'."

"Only wishes are 'free'; you can have them fulfilled without paying any price. But just as easily... not every wish can be fulfilled."

Chapter Forty-Four: Monkey's Claws

Mei has arrived in a new space. If this were a game, would she be considered to have opened a new map?

In the game, she would be happy to explore the new map, but in reality, especially in the Imaginary Tree, a place full of traps, lies, and dangers, the new space means that the dangers she faces are also unknown. Moreover, this time, it goes against her original purpose and is a "redundant" action.

Moreover, judging from Mobius's meaningful sarcasm and Kevin's ridiculing and nonsensical attitude towards all questions—"This is what it is, you asked, and I can answer you, but before I answer you, I have to make sure you asked, and then you can figure it out yourself"—it seems that this time it is not simple.

After crossing the anchor point, all she could see was pitch black. It wasn't the kind of darkness found in the Deepest Place where there was no light at all, but a genuine state where all she could see was black.

Without sight, hearing, or touch, in that instant, if Mei hadn't been able to feel her heart beating, she would have even doubted her own existence. In the near-infinite void, she couldn't even feel the flow of time.

She tried to make some low sounds with her throat, and thankfully she could still hear them, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have been able to stand it even for a minute.

Fortunately, this state of sensory loss did not last long. After a few dozen seconds, she regained normal vision, and the scenery in front of her had changed drastically.

She lowered her head and touched her school uniform, looking slightly bewildered.

The school uniform of the Chienyu Academy?

She remembered clearly that before the Third Honkai War occurred, before she was forced to become the Third Herrscher, she was studying at the Chienyu Academy, and it was at the Chienyu Academy that she met... Kiana during the Third Honkai War.

"Whoosh."

The school was completely empty. The next second, everything went black before her eyes, and then she was surrounded by a noisy commotion.

She stood in the middle of the stream of people, looking helplessly at the students who were coming and going, chatting and laughing.

Has she returned to the Chienyu Academy?

No, this should be the same as last time, a space constructed from special memories. However, this space changes depending on the owner of the memory. This time, it read her memories and then simulated a fake Chienyu Academy.

Yes, that must be it...

To verify this, she tried it again, and just like last time, her Herrscher abilities were also unusable.

But this made her hesitate slightly.

Because of the familiar scene and her lack of Herrscher abilities, she momentarily had the illusion that she had returned to her former ordinary self.

"Lin... what exactly do you want to do... what do you want me to see..."

Mei whispered the name of the man she could never quite understand.

Just then, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder; someone had bumped into her, almost knocking her to the ground.

However, Mei was already used to the pain of being injured, and this level of pain didn't even bother her. But after the person left, Mei suddenly found that she had a paper bag in her hand.

"What..."

She turned around, but the person had already disappeared.