Honkai, Survive

For some reason, Fang Jie felt something was off.

It wasn't Natasha's trust or distrust, or her letting him be; that was normal. Once a person carries too much, it's hard to make choices easily.

So, to act, there was perhaps another way:

"—If I do not don this garment, how will all beings know my mortal ties are severed, and my golden sea run dry."

Topaz was the latter, while the Astral Express was mostly the former.

And him...

"Where are you going?"

Seele, like a butterfly of the dark night, descended from the sky and landed before Fang Jie, her face scowling.

"That's a Cleft ahead, full of monsters."

She was so similar.

Not like the Black Seele and White Seele Fang Jie hadn't met yet, but like the one he hadn't met... the one who went to the end of the Nihility.

"The Cleft is exactly where I'm going."

Fang Jie's steps didn't falter as he walked past Seele.

Honestly, the trailblazing squad was a bit inefficient. If they had orchestrated a deus ex machina, Cocolia would have likely invited the nameless guests and trusted them more.

But Dan Heng probably wasn't in the mood. He knew too much, carried too much, and was constantly chased by the Saber-wielding Man across the galaxy, looking utterly miserable and exhausted...

He wasn't seen as a sinner, but he wasn't treated like a person either.

Therefore, Cocolia couldn't be trusted.

They were all free, including the seemingly steady Dan Heng, whose demeanor clearly marked him as an old prisoner, an old wanted criminal.

But this was trailblazing, and it had its own logic. There was no rule that the strong had to adapt to the weak.

"Suicidal."

Seele, who had been outpaced, caught up. "If you're lacking medicine, you might not find it in the Cleft either."

However, she didn't try to persuade Fang Jie to turn back. There were always plenty who sought death in the Cleft.

"Follow me. If you're looking for something, go to Rivet Town."

Beautifully outpaced, Seele was again... turning her back on everyone.

Looking at her retreating figure, Fang Jie tried not to be drawn to the strange details. His fingertip traced the air—such a beautiful back was missing a Stigmata.

He didn't care which Cleft he went to; they were all the same. So they continued on their way, seeing more and more numb miners, zombie-like wanderers, their freedom obscured by the pressure of survival. He already knew this; seeing it again wouldn't bring any surprises.

With Seele present, he hadn't seen the more malicious aspects, and few dared to approach.

She was like a guardian of the darkness; wherever she went, everything ceased.

Through violence.

So, those who feared her were likely more numerous.

Feeling inexplicably strange along the way, Fang Jie finally asked his companion, "Seele, have you heard any strange off-screen narration?"

Seele looked utterly bewildered. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Here, we've arrived. This is Rivet Town ahead. There are plenty of strange things inside. What are you looking for here?"

Most of Rivet Town had already been invaded by the Cleft. This was a phenomenon that would require a Doctor to provide a professional and comprehensive academic assessment after learning about it; it wasn't something a country bumpkin like Seele could understand.

But she knew it was a haunted place, with strange things constantly emerging from it.

Those monsters had the instinct to chase and kill living creatures. For ordinary people, encountering them meant death, even for the fully armed Silvermane Guards...

Hah, what Silvermane Guards were left in the Underworld? There were only militiamen.

She usually went into the Cleft alone, searching for materials that the Cleft monsters had little interest in destroying. This was also the scavenging choice for many in the Underworld, risking their lives to scavenge.

In this era, tomorrow was always worse than today.

"I'm warning you, I'm very busy and have to leave soon. I don't have time to waste with you. If you delay too long, don't expect me to bail you out."

Seele was indeed very busy. It was only because those wanderers were attracted by the unexpected material distribution from the Upper District today that she could even leave the vicinity of the large mining area.

"Seele is truly beautiful and kind-hearted."

Fang Jie said with a smile, uttering words that made her face darken.

Seele instantly shouldered her scythe, its blade glowing as she pointed it at him. "I think you're asking for a beating."

Fang Jie didn't want that. He looked at the Cleft creature charging at them. Before Seele could vanish like a phantom, a lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere, transforming into a slash.

"I do have a little ability to protect myself."

These were what he was looking for.

"Tsk."

Seele was somewhat annoyed. Why were you just watching before? You're wasting my time.

Pathstriders are rare; there aren't many like them in the entire Underworld. Seele had suspected that attractive outsiders were likely Pathstriders, but when it turned out to be true, she still felt a pang of annoyance.

She hated situations that made her feel inferior and would retaliate fiercely, expressing her emotions without reservation!

Like a caterpillar.

Fang Jie didn't let her go and invited Seele to accompany him. "Let's go. I want to see the depths of the Cleft and kill the monsters along the way."

"Such big talk. How many can you kill?"

Seele didn't refuse. No matter how many, killing one was still something, even if it was of no avail.

It wasn't of no avail.

What she didn't know, Fang Jie did. The Cleft was born from a Stellar Nucleus, transforming everything it touched and all space into special Cleft creations. This corrosive phenomenon wouldn't disappear on its own even if the Stellar Nucleus was sealed. Even the space station could only choose to seal it.

Yes, let alone Belobog; the space station under Herta also found it troublesome.

Within these Clefts, Cleft creatures generally existed in a corrosive form, seemingly retaining the memories and habits of their original forms, but their external manifestations were vastly different, often displaying strong exclusivity.

Undoubtedly, without any 'accidents,' objects corroded by the Cleft and their original forms should be considered two completely unrelated existences. Any illusions held about them would lead to severe consequences.

In addition to corrosion, the Cleft also recorded the aetherial information of things it came into contact with, mixing it with its own stored data to produce a grafted Cleft creation.

In every world invaded by the Cancer of All Worlds, countless relics, Cleft monsters, and even mysteriously separated alternate dimensions were born in every corner.

When Natasha gave Fang Jie permission to act freely and do as he pleased to help her, Fang Jie thought for a moment and decided to focus on the Cleft.

Survival was the primary guarantee. Whether it was the Upper District or the Underworld, Cleft corrosion was a major threat.

As for the material shortage, the root of this problem was the depletion of the Subterranean Vein, which would soon exhaust its supply to Belobog's energy. It was important to remember that although Belobog's technology was fragmented, techniques like artificial starch synthesis still existed. At least the machines were still functional and durable.

Their 'sun pancakes' were deathly sweet.

But all of this was based on the consumption of precious energy. Belobog's largest energy expenditure was not for heating or material production, but for producing weapons to arm the Silvermane Guards against Cleft monsters.

And the Cleft monsters...

They were endless for Belobog.

Without drawing his sword, Fang Jie led Seele deeper into Rivet Town. Facing the charging Cleft monsters, which harbored no good or evil intentions but simply attacked, he often just extended his right hand, as if aiming:

"As I should be seen—Four Souls Severed."

Then, amidst flashing lightning, without asking about delusion, the moving dead suddenly melted, like steel being smelted at high temperatures.

Before the viscous molten steel could pour onto the ground, it immediately expanded and exploded, then surged outwards in wave-like patterns like a tsunami. In the end, nothing was splashed, as it turned to dust and vanished in mid-air.

This destruction was absolute, even destroying part of existence from an informational level, causing structural collapse and leading to ruin.

Seele stopped her charging posture again, her expression unreadable.

What the hell?

Every time a monster appeared in her sight, a bolt of lightning struck, and then there was nothing else. This was far more efficient than her needing to physically charge forward and hack it to death.

She couldn't understand it, as she hadn't read much.

As for Pathstriders, she just walked; she didn't need to think so much.

"You're... quite capable."

This was a compliment. In the Underworld, no, in Belobog, strength was worthy of praise because that power was destined to be used to fight monsters.

"Quite the opposite, Seele. I am very weak."

Fang Jie looked at the Cleft with some regret:

"Originally, I had the idea of cutting off this entire space, but I couldn't. It's like trying to cut water with a knife; its energy is inexhaustible. Without severing the core supply, this space will continuously regenerate. I can only erase the information structure of the monsters and hinder the Cleft's recycling and repeated production."

He couldn't cure the source, only eliminate the symptoms. Even these incomplete symptoms could be patched together and still function. This kind of 'seal' was not what he wanted.

Unless...

Seele pouted, too lazy to reply. She didn't understand.

"So you're not here for medicine, but for that Stellar Nucleus? For this thing, you, your companions, and a Silvermane Guard all came to the Underworld... Is it that important?"

"I'm not interested in the Stellar Nucleus, and it's not just one Silvermane Guard. There's also Bronya. You haven't met her yet, have you?"

"Who? The name sounds like some young lady from upstairs."

"You could say that, but she's from the Underworld, while Ms. Natasha is from the Upper District."

"Shut up. Natasha is different. Natasha isn't like those people above! They live comfortably on the surface and don't care what happens underground, never considering the lives of those in the Underworld!"

That was true. The Underworld had long been abandoned, the Silvermane Guards were being abandoned, and eventually, everyone would be abandoned.

This wasn't justice; it was merely lingering on.

Fang Jie saw no need to sugarcoat this injustice, especially when it came from the mouths of 'the abandoned.'

They had already ventured deep into Rivet Town. This place also brimmed with the style of the Underworld, with rock walls everywhere and no clear zoning. There were only scattered mining areas and small towns, much like the outskirts of Belobog.

And even here, a colossal pillar could still be seen, known as the [Core Furnace]. It was the passage connecting the surface and the underground, now sealed. It wasn't just sealed by the upper levels; Svarog also occupied the Core Furnace, driving humans away and isolating the two.

Seele had long grown accustomed to such things. She happily followed Fang Jie, moving with ease, all the way until...

"We've actually made it this far without a single monster causing trouble. Not bad."

She could also speak properly, Fang Jie decided to accept it with a smile.

He also noticed Seele's sudden change in tone and directly asked, "Where is this?"

"It's nothing, just an orphanage."

Despite her words, Seele looked around the place more than she had when searching for supplies elsewhere, and she had become much more pleasant to talk to.

She was in a good mood; she didn't need to lift a finger to deal with the Cleft, and being able to reap the rewards felt quite good.

Fang Jie, on the other hand, gazed at the orphanage, a sense of realization dawning on him. This place, as confirmed by his memories, had once been the sanctuary for homeless children in the Underworld. When the threat of the Cleft loomed, Natasha, the orphanage's guardian, led the children away from their former home. Since then, the sounds of laughter and play had ceased in the old house's courtyard.

"So it's this place."

Amidst the monotonous scenery of Rivet Town, he took a good look at this orphanage.

This was a place that produced many talented individuals. Not only Cocolia but also Bronya and Seele had come from this orphanage. Natasha had also been the director before the evacuation.

It could be said that the orphanage's status was top-tier throughout all of Belobog.

After all, the Underworld used to hold a very high status.

Belobog needed the Subterranean Veins; the energy demands of this post-apocalyptic winter city had never diminished. However, the great freeze had sealed off any possibility of outward expansion, forcing humanity to develop downwards.

Under the City Builder's call, people ventured underground, excavating ore veins and establishing mining districts. At least before the upper and lower layers were sealed off, living underground was considered an honor.

It signified individuals willingly choosing a strenuous task for the survival of the entire civilization.

These past events, about dedication, about sacrifice...

They were more worth witnessing than the Eternal Freeze Stele and touched his heart, even if no one would bring children here for education anymore.

This made one ponder: in the post-apocalyptic winter city of Belobog, how were people to find the value in their lives?

Combat and labor undoubtedly occupied a significant portion of society, and through these, people found the value in their lives, not for wealth, but for the survival of civilization.

At least, that's how it was at the beginning.

Unfortunately, even the most beautiful intentions had to face reality... and there would be Pathstriders who would come to cry and laugh to the world about how worthless it all was