Starting as a Behind-the-Scenes Boss in the Honkai World

However, fortunately, they weren't fighting alone; the World Serpent's research department was with them.

Opening his personal terminal, the three-dimensional layout of the entire castle was clearly visible, even showing precisely where it was damaged. This made Shi Hen unable to help but exclaim, "Natasha is truly worthy of being a senior cadre of the organization."

This kind of efficiency could only mean that Raven's legendary mercenary status was well-earned. Shi Hen still had a long way to go to catch up to her.

"Hmph! So now you know how great I am?" Raven said with a proud huff as she walked into the castle. "Let's hurry. Even after installing all this equipment, who knows how long it will take to get results."

Collecting various pieces of information and comparing them wasn't something that could be done in a short amount of time, even with the special equipment provided by the World Serpent.

If they couldn't resolve things before the night ended, they would have to wait another month.

"Oh."

Shi Hen nodded inwardly and walked in a different direction from Raven.

The castle was vast, and splitting up would be more efficient.

Walking through the long-abandoned castle, the scent of decay and age filled his nostrils, and a chill seeped through his skin, burrowing deep into his body, making him shiver uncontrollably.

Even an experienced grave robber would likely feel an uncontrollable fear in such a situation and want to turn and flee immediately.

But for Shi Hen, who had become a Herrscher, he was merely enjoying this rare adventure, even having the leisure to pose the skeletons lying by the roadside in a more aesthetically pleasing manner.

Swish!

A sound of air being cut through erupted, and three sharp claws emerged from the darkness, drawing a faint, glinting arc towards the unsuspecting youth.

Shifting his steps slightly to avoid the claw, Shi Hen immediately raised his foot and kicked fiercely at the attacking figure.

Bang!

Flying back even faster than he had arrived, the figure embedded itself deeply into the wall and remained motionless.

"A Meele? Was it a wanderer seeking refuge here during the full moon?" Shi Hen mused as he stepped closer to examine the figure, inferring its identity from its clothing. "Still, it's quite ugly."

Without the "PG-13" filter, the Meele in the Honkai World were actually quite terrifying.

Their skin was pale and ashen, their eyes filled with violent terror, and some would let out horrifying roars during attacks.

Furthermore, they didn't wear Honkai-style uniforms and transform into "big sisters."

Overall, their appearance didn't change much after becoming Meele; they were more like zombies that wouldn't decay.

It was precisely because of this that becoming a Meele was an extremely unsightly fate for Valkyries. Many would entrust their friends before a battle, asking them to kill them if they showed signs of Meele transformation, to preserve their final dignity.

After all, in a sense, Meele were still alive, and the dead wouldn't become Meele.

In an environment with Honkai Energy, external wounds would accelerate the Meele transformation process. This wanderer must have become a Meele because of this.

Otherwise, given the Honkai Energy concentration within the castle, humans could survive for extended periods without being affected, even during the full moon.

Raymond wouldn't possibly betray his descendants by sealing that Holy Relic here.

Shaking his head slightly, Shi Hen punched the wall, causing countless bricks and stones to rain down and bury the Meele. He then turned and headed towards the next location.

It took Shi Hen nearly an hour before he finally returned to the main hall around two o'clock to meet with Raven.

Chapter 11: Moonlit Stroll

"Next, we just need to wait here," Raven said, finding a spot where the moonlight could reach her. Her expression was quite relaxed.

She had considerable confidence in the World Serpent's technological capabilities.

"How long will it take?"

Moving a stone, Shi Hen smoothed its surface with a swipe of his finger, creating a flat, polished surface. Satisfied, he sat down next to Raven.

Watching the youth's series of actions and then glancing at the stone she had only casually wiped down, Raven felt like she was falling behind the times.

"Probably several hours," Raven estimated, checking the continuously changing data on a tablet-sized terminal.

"Oh."

Shi Hen nodded.

He had no experience with such devices and didn't know if this timeframe was fast or slow.

However, since it was advanced equipment from the World Serpent, it was likely at the leading edge of technology.

"How have your days in Sicily been?"

Raven asked, deciding to inquire about the youth's life now that they were idle.

She had already begun to see Shi Hen as a younger brother who needed her care in her heart.

"They've been alright," Shi Hen replied casually, admiring the desolate scenery outside through a large hole in the wall. "The food in Sicily is good, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are nice too."

It turned out that in this modern society, as long as one had money, life generally wouldn't be too bad.

With ten million in his pocket from the World Serpent, Shi Hen was living quite a carefree life.

After all, he had no intention of hoarding his money or buying any private islands or villas.

"Is it because of that white-haired girl?"

Raven let out a sly laugh, clearly only hearing the last sentence.

Shi Hen: "..."

So this hurdle couldn't be overcome, huh?

"Actually..." Staring directly into the mercenary's wine-red eyes, Shi Hen's gaze gradually softened. "Compared to those little girls, I prefer someone more mature."

Raven's pupils suddenly widened.

At this moment, the two sat next to each other, so close she could hear the boy's strong heartbeat and feel the heat of his breath on her face.

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

Raven couldn't help but look away, her cheeks feeling a little warm.

Even though the boy was indeed very handsome, like a cute little puppy, she only saw him as a younger brother... How could this guy have such thoughts?

"Just kidding."

Shi Hen said with a smile.

He wasn't the type to just take a beating.

Some mercenary: "..."

My fists are clenched.

Taking a deep breath, Raven's eyes gradually turned cold.

It was time to let this brat understand the hierarchy within the organization.

"However, I still really like Natasha."

Shi Hen added.

In this world, Raven was one of the few who showed him kindness.

After half a year in the shadows, Shi Hen had witnessed no shortage of betrayal and deception, even killing several teammates himself.

After all, Shi Hen only looked like a fifteen-year-old boy, and there were always those who thought he was easy to bully because of his youth.

And without exception, all of them had returned to God's embrace ahead of schedule.

In the interest-driven underworld, betrayal and cunning were the norm; kindness was merely a rare luxury.

Even Raven's kindness was only extended to a select few.

The number one spot on Charon's List had been built with sheer corpses.

"What is it, you brat..."

Unable to stay angry any longer due to the boy's words, Raven shook her head, feeling a bit helpless.

"Does Natasha dislike me?"

Shi Hen blinked and looked at the mercenary.

"Of c-of course not."

Raven retorted, subconsciously averting her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Phew, that's good..."

Shi Hen seemed relieved.

But in the moonlight, a faint smile curved the corners of the young man's lips.

Another day of practicing my tea ceremony skills.

As the saying goes, the most skilled hunters often appear in the form of prey.

Of course, Raven's quick capitulation was also due to Shi Hen's lack of malice.

What kind of tricks hadn't Raven, the number one assassin, seen before?

The only reason she was so easily manipulated was because she was willing to be manipulated.

No longer daring to mention the young girl with white hair, Raven took out snacks from her backpack to share with the boy, chatting about interesting stories from past missions to pass the time.

Listening to Raven's stories, chewing on the beef jerky, and occasionally taking a sip of milk tea from his thermos, Shi Hen inexplicably felt like he was on a picnic in the park.

It could only be said that Raven's initiative was too strong, turning a mysterious search mission into an outdoor excursion.

Of course, World Serpent's technological capabilities were also a significant factor.

Technology changes lives.

If there wasn't a lack of internet here, Shi Hen could have even played a few rounds of games.

The infrastructure in Shenzhou was much better.

Shi Hen couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Time passed quickly, and soon Raven's terminal displayed the detection results.

Her eyes scanned the lines of text and charts on the screen, and the mercenary's brow slowly began to furrow.

Raven's expression changed, and even Shi Hen, who didn't understand the equipment, knew that if nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected had happened.

As expected, the protagonist's path is never smooth sailing.

Shi Hen deeply felt his sin.

"What happened?"

Shi Hen consciously asked, pushing the plot forward.

"I can't find the target location," Raven said while quickly operating the terminal, her voice a little heavy. "There's an unknown interference. I can only confirm that the spatial coefficient of the castle area is different from the normal value.

I'll look for the cause…"

After operating for a full fifteen minutes, Raven put down the terminal and said, "That thing Raymond left behind is actually moving!"

In another space invisible to them, the relic left by Raymond was moving according to a pattern they couldn't understand, causing ripples in the real space.

Due to the limitations of the equipment's precision, they couldn't lock onto the relic directly, only seeing the shadow it left in real space.

"Is it alive?"

Shi Hen also truly felt the difficulty of the problem.

If they couldn't decipher the relic's movement patterns, they probably wouldn't be able to catch it.

"I don't know."

Raven shrugged helplessly.

Being able to detect the relic's movement state was already a testament to World Serpent's powerful technology. Who knew if the thing was alive?

"Can you eliminate the interference?"

Shi Hen continued to ask.

"…There's not enough time."