Making a Behind-the-Scenes Boss from the Honkai World

On the other side, Kiana, having saved enough for her travels, also boarded a ship leaving Sicily.

Her gaze swept across the docks several times, but unable to find the person she wished to see, the young girl slowly withdrew her gaze.

As expected, her encounter with that young man was just a coincidence.

The world was so vast; it wasn't easy for two people to meet.

However, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

When they met again, she would surely have a ship full of interesting stories to tell him slowly.

But it was a shame she couldn't tell him about what happened in Raymond this time, even though it was something quite interesting.

Not bringing the young man into the Honkai World was her bottom line.

Thinking of that silver moon, which shone even brighter than the sun, Kiana's heart still surged with excitement.

One day, she would become that powerful too!

Standing on the deck of the ship, Kiana secretly made a vow.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Jackal

Cruising leisurely on the sea by cruise ship, occasionally disembarking to explore land, Shi Hen and Raven took nearly a month to travel from Sicily to India.

Well, in the end, it was only because Jackal called to urge them that the two took a plane and crossed half the distance in a few hours.

In the southwestern waters of India, on an uncharted uninhabited island, the World Serpent's base was hidden deep within.

Following a guide, Shi Hen and Raven took a small boat, venturing deep along a hidden waterway concealed within a cave. After a long journey, they finally entered the base.

Admittedly, the very method of constructing this base felt like something out of a villainous organization.

What kind of righteous organization would hide its base so deeply?

Walking through this dark, cyberpunk-themed base, Shi Hen felt as if he had become a heinous villain, the kind who would encounter several superheroes ready to attack him with knives just by walking down the street.

Staying in a place with this kind of aesthetic every day, it was no wonder there weren't many good people in the World Serpent.

Even a white fluffy cat, if kept here for too long, would likely develop a twisted and depressed personality.

As they ventured deeper into the base, Shi Hen and Raven soon met Jackal.

In a spacious and brightly lit lounge, a woman with waist-length brown curly hair and dark brown skin, dressed in white, was anxiously waiting.

Upon seeing them, or rather, upon seeing Shi Hen, the woman's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but complain, "You took too long!"

Her experimental environment was already set up, and these two hadn't even reached halfway yet!?

If she hadn't urged them, the situation would have been long past its prime.

"Don't you have plenty of tasks? Couldn't you just do something else to pass the time?"

Stepping forward to shield the young man behind her, Raven said in a nonchalant tone.

She didn't like mad scientists like Jackal, whose minds were solely focused on science.

"I can't be bothered to explain to you; you wouldn't understand anyway." Equally disliking Raven, Jackal looked directly at Shi Hen. "You have that item on you, right?"

Nodding, Shi Hen reached out, and a silver metal ring materialized from the void, emitting a faint white glow.

"Good, very good!" Carefully examining the Moonlight Throne and even reaching out to feel the texture of the special Soul Steel, Jackal's face lit up with joy. "As long as we unlock the secret of this Relic, we'll know how the previous civilization understood Honkai and imaginary space.

Furthermore, even controlling the occurrence of Honkai will be effortless!"

As she spoke, Jackal's expression gradually became manic.

"..."

Looking at Jackal in this state, Shi Hen's expression couldn't help but turn strange.

Having personally experienced the power of this Relic, he really wanted to say that she was dreaming too big; this thing was essentially just a toy.

But seeing Jackal so lost in her fantasy, unable to extricate herself, Shi Hen hesitated for a few seconds before ultimately deciding not to say anything.

Fine, let the child be happy for a while longer.

"Alright, you're no longer needed. Find a place to stay yourselves, just don't disturb me."

Putting the Moonlight Throne away in a box, Jackal waved them off and left first.

From beginning to end, she hadn't introduced herself, nor had she asked for Shi Hen's name.

"Is she always like this?"

Shi Hen turned to ask Raven.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Taken aback, Raven asked.

"Just... her way of speaking, it's very exaggerated."

Shi Hen carefully chose his words.

Controlling the occurrence of Honkai was something even Moth to Fire wouldn't dare to imagine.

"You'll get used to it," Raven waved her hand, her expression suggesting she'd seen it all. "Don't let Jackal's appearance fool you; she's actually a top-tier genius globally. Her patent royalties alone could 'kill' you multiple times over each year."

Given the hefty bounty on Shi Hen, he had become a unit of measurement for large sums of money.

"She can still collect royalties?"

Shi Hen's expression was a little pained.

They were a villainous organization, and they could openly sell patents?

"She also owns over a dozen publicly traded companies."

Raven looked down her nose, giving him that "kid, you're still too young" look.

Everyone in this business has a few alt accounts.

"...Alright."

Shi Hen nodded reluctantly.

So, everyone was playing the behind-the-scenes game.

No wonder his system, which didn't even deserve a name, had the main quest of becoming this world's Behind-the-Scenes Boss.

"However, while Jackal is a genius, you'd better stay away from her," Raven advised, pursing her lips. "If she ever tries to feed you something, just refuse. Unless you want to end up on an operating table."

The current Jackal was merely distracted by the Relic, but once she snapped out of it, she would definitely set her sights on Stigmata awakeners like Shi Hen.

Having partnered with Jackal many times, Raven knew her nature best.

The woman never cared about ethics or morality.

"Oh."

Shi Hen nodded in agreement.

If his body were stuffed with something weird, like growing a few extra arms, he didn't want to test if the revive-on-death mechanic would reset that state.

What if the system thought he was more powerful like that?

Although theoretically, Gray Serpent wouldn't allow such a thing, if Jackal brought up the Stigmata Project, things could get complicated.

In any case, it was always better to be careful. He wouldn't entrust his safety to World Serpent's moral compass.

"What do we do now?"

Shi Hen asked.

He had to admit, Jackal was certainly efficient. After taking the Relic, she'd completely abandoned them, not even bothering to say goodbye.

The guide stopped at the entrance of the reception hall; they weren't qualified to enter the room.

"Of course, we're going to do something fun~"

Raven licked her lips, her wine-red eyes filled with excitement.

BOOM—

Amidst a violent explosion, Shi Hen's vision darkened, and his body involuntarily fell forward.

Ah, I died again...

That was the last thought flashing through Shi Hen's mind.

Ch—

The glass pod door opened, and his consciousness returned to his body. What greeted Shi Hen's eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

As a series of questions ran through his mind, a pleasant female voice, laced with pride, sounded in the boy's ear: "Hmph, now you know how amazing your big sister is, right?"

Snapping back to reality and seeing Raven smiling at him, Shi Hen pouted, "You're just bullying me with your experience..."

"Hm?"

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Sister Natasha is mighty!"

Shi Hen immediately changed his tune.

Raven nodded in satisfaction and extended a hand to the boy.

After a brief moment of surprise, Shi Hen didn't refuse. He took her hand and got out of the Consciousness Immersion Pod.

As one of World Serpent's black technologies, the Consciousness Immersion Pod could achieve near-perfect simulation. It was a high-level training facility in the base that required prior reservations.

However, as an organization executive on the same level as the base's owner, Jackal, and being one of Jackal's guests, Raven naturally had privileges.

Thus, she brought Shi Hen to this training room, where they used the Consciousness Immersion Pod to do something countless gaming enthusiasts would dream of – playing a full-dive virtual reality game.

Considering the difference in their skill levels, Raven decisively chose the mech piloting training mode, and Shi Hen was repeatedly dominated.

No matter how skilled Shi Hen was, Tactical Mechs were still fragile. Could he jump out of the cockpit for a real-life PK?

After he managed to blow up Raven once by sacrificing his mech, that tactic was unreasonably banned by her.

Heh, what a petty woman.

Glancing at Raven, who was beaming with delight, Shi Hen grumbled softly to himself.

"Let's go, are you hungry?"

Immersed in the pleasant feeling of being stronger than the young man, Raven led Shi Hen out of the training room.

Since they were done with the equipment, there was no need to keep hogging it, as a whole crowd was waiting in line behind them.

"Mhm."

Following beside Raven, Shi Hen nodded gently.

Although the Consciousness Immersion Pod only required lying down, mental exertion was also very draining.

"Is there anything you want to eat?"

Raven asked.

"Will Natasha sister cook herself?"

Shi Hen looked at the mercenary with some surprise.

Having spent so much time with Raven, he hadn't seen her cook before.

"I can ask the chef to make something for you."

Raven said calmly.

In World Serpent, the privileges of senior members were written into the regulations, so there was no need to hide them.

"...Natasha sister is really amazing."

Shi Hen gave a thumbs-up.

As someone who was merely a regular member of the organization, he naturally chose to cling to the powerful support of the executive, Raven.