Starting as a Behind-the-Scenes Boss in the Honkai World Chapter 46

Even though her will isn't exactly firm, isn't it a bit too soon for you to be considering the outcome of failure just like that?

Teach me how to kill people, at least!

As the boy's gaze fell upon her, Peggy tilted her head and thought for a moment before seriously stating, "I won't give you away."

This was the only thing she could do.

No matter what kind of torture or interrogation she endured, she would never betray her benefactor.

Besides, if she couldn't kill anyone anymore, how could she continue to live up to Shi Hen's expectations?

"..."

Glancing at the girl who had already resolved to face death, Shi Hen felt that something was wrong with her way of thinking.

Clang!

Tapping Peggy lightly on the forehead, Shi Hen sighed and said, "If it really comes to that, you should surrender immediately and say..."

"Do you want to be my father?"

Looking at the buxom blonde woman before her, Peggy asked cautiously, like a rabbit peeking its head out of a hole.

"Father?"

Looking down at her own immense sin, Cocolia blinked innocently.

Did she look like a man?

"What father? I won't be your father," Cocolia shook her head. "But if you'd like, you can consider me your mother, okay?"

Whether it was a father or a mother, she would never use a child as a tool.

Children were like flowers that needed to be carefully nurtured, not cold, sharp blades.

Under Cocolia's gentle gaze, Peggy couldn't help but recall the perpetually indifferent black-haired boy.

In a daze, Peggy nodded softly.

"Then..." Cocolia embraced the girl, pressing the girl's small head tightly against her broad chest, and smiled gently. "From today on, you are my daughter."

"..."

Feeling Cocolia's almost suffocating tenderness and warmth, something she had never experienced from Shi Hen, Peggy felt as if she suddenly understood everything.

So, this was what he meant.

Year 2012, December 24th, Arctic Circle.

"So this is the aurora..."

Standing on an iceberg, Shi Hen couldn't help but exclaim as he gazed at the brilliant lights dancing in the perpetually dark sky above.

In the star-studded black night sky, light drifted from the far distance, slowly flowing across the firmament like a winding river.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Raven asked with a smile, glancing at the boy beside her.

"Yes, it's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

Shi Hen nodded gently, gazing at the night sky.

This river of light particles spanning the dark night sky, though a common sight that occurred every day, never lost its moving splendor.

"Whenever I see this, I can't help but think how fortunate it is to live on a planet like this."

Raven also sighed deeply, looking up at the magnificent night sky.

"Who could say otherwise?"

Shi Hen said softly.

Even in this world where Honkai existed, Earth was still the only planet teeming with life that humanity could see.

"Speaking of which, it's been almost three months since you joined World Serpent."

Raven tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed, looking at the boy beside her.

"Yes, about that."

After a brief thought, Shi Hen nodded.

Although he didn't keep track of time much, he could generally feel the passage of time.

"Time really flies..."

Raven couldn't help but sigh.

It would soon be the day of her appointment with Gray Serpent.

"Whether long or short, time always flows uniformly; only people's hearts perceive it as fast."

Shi Hen explained.

Raven: "..."

"You just have to undermine me at a time like this, don't you?"

"Tomorrow's Christmas, you know."

Raven changed the subject.

"Ten minutes left."

Shi Hen glanced at his phone. It was 11:50 PM.

"Do you want any Christmas presents?"

Raven asked.

"This is the best Christmas present."

Shi Hen pointed to the aurora and night sky above them.

This was nature's most beautiful gift to humanity.

"I knew you'd say that," Raven sighed, shaking her head. "But it's okay to be a little clingy with your big sister at a time like this. After all, I'll be leaving World Serpent after this Christmas."

"You can quit World Serpent?"

Shi Hen's expression was one of surprise.

He hadn't signed any employee contract when he joined.

"I guess I'm a bit of an exception,"

Raven chuckled self-deprecatingly. Compared to the other devout cadres of World Serpent, her casual attitude made her almost an anomaly.

Glancing at the young man beside her, Raven added, "Or maybe, now that I have you, the organization doesn't care about my departure anymore."

"Does Natasha want to leave?"

Shi Hen asked earnestly.

"I'm not sure either." Meeting the boy's deep gaze, Raven slowly shook her head. "I've been with World Serpent for twelve... almost thirteen years. I've gotten used to this place myself. But... how should I put it? I always want to see other places. I've been a mercenary long enough. I want to try a different way of life, maybe experience something different."

"I see..."

Shi Hen also sighed. He had actually sensed this for a while. It was a simple debt collection mission, yet Raven insisted on bringing him along and had lingered in Siberia for so long. She had even been extremely attentive to Peggy. The mercenary had already been preparing for her departure from World Serpent.

On one hand, Raven hoped that this trip to Siberia would give him a glimpse into the darkness of World Serpent and warn him to remain vigilant. On the other hand, Raven also hoped he would keep Peggy, so he wouldn't be alone in World Serpent in the future, as his usual demeanor didn't quite align with the organization's style.

But unfortunately, the young man's choice was not what the mercenary had hoped for.

"I'm sorry for telling you this at a time like this,"

Raven said softly.

"There's an old saying in Shenzhou: 'All good things must come to an end'," Shi Hen shook his head. "Besides, even if Natasha leaves World Serpent, we can still meet, can't we? As long as we're living in this world, we'll always see each other. Natasha still has my contact information."

In this modern society with convenient transportation and advanced communication, a farewell was no longer a rare, once-in-a-lifetime event like in ancient times. Although the inside and outside of World Serpent were almost two different worlds, Shi Hen had never cared much for organizational rules. World Serpent revered the strong, and Shi Hen now possessed the privilege to make the organization change its rules for him.

"Ha, that's true..."

Wiping away the tears that threatened to fall, Raven suddenly burst into laughter.

"For a Christmas present, Natasha, just give me a hug. And then, on the next Christmas, I'll give it back to you."

Shi Hen said with a smile, opening his arms.

Bang~

Looking at the boy, Raven pounced without hesitation, her force so great that she directly pushed Shi Hen down into the snow.

"Perhaps, you're the best Christmas present I've ever received..."

Raven whispered in the boy's ear. Meeting Shi Hen during the final period of her departure from World Serpent was both fortunate and unfortunate for her.

But no matter what, she had a very happy time during these days.

"Well then, Merry Christmas, Natasha."

Patting the woman on the back, Shi Hen said softly.

"Mhm, Merry Christmas..."

Hugging the young man tightly, the mercenary responded.

Thoughts on Reaching the Shelves

The content is as the title suggests.

Generally, thoughts on reaching the shelves involve a bit of self-pity, but I don't think I need to do that.

Everyone can see the various vote counts, which is miserable enough. (??o·(? ??? )?o·?)

As for rules for extra updates, I looked at other authors' requirements and decided I'd rather just stick to writing. ... (??)σ

So, I'll just talk briefly about this novel.

Objectively speaking, I should be a purist. What I like is the brilliance that shines through when the Valkyries fight to save the world and protect those around them.

Because of this, I want to try my best to make the characters' portrayals in this book consistent with their original selves. However, limited by my writing ability, I probably can't guarantee this, so please bear with me.

Kiana and the others will develop close relationships with Shi Hen, but it shouldn't be romantic. They are the ones who carry the world on their shoulders and won't abandon the world for one person. They'll likely even go as far as to disown loved ones for the greater good...

Of course, I can still arrange for occasional sweet moments between characters or dramatic destined confrontations.

[PS: This is the author after hitting a million words. I'm going to overturn my own theory of the protagonist remaining single. Destined confrontations are a must, and getting close to beautiful girls is also essential. This is the basic quality of an excellent transmigrator in a Honkai World... (°ω°」∠)]

Finally, let's talk about Shi Hen again. The protagonist I want to portray is not a savior, nor does he ever consider himself one. He's probably just someone who wants to be the Behind-the-Scenes Boss but isn't that bad.

Just like in this Siberian journey, Shi Hen can treat many people as pawns, turn a blind eye to Raven's somewhat cruel methods, and even remain indifferent despite having the power to change the situation in Siberia.

He never thought about being a savior.