Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Losing Self-Identity
Chapter 69: Losing Self-Identity
Changkong People, Changkong Soul, and Changkong City are all the cream of the crop.
Be a good person in this life, be reborn in the next life as Homu... Oh, no, as a Changkong person!
Being a Changkong person is fortunate, after all, this city is destined to go down in history. For an ordinary person, the chance to become a part of history is rare.
But the residents of Changkong City are different. They don't have to worry about how to make their mark in history. After all, when it comes to Honkai Impacts, Changkong City is definitely the first major focal point, its fame can probably be likened to that sunken island where a certain raven resided. (TL/N: RIP Raven.)
What troubles Changkong people is probably how to avoid becoming history themselves. After all, no one wants to move houses three times for no reason.
[Please note, a minor Honkai outbreak is expected to occur in Changkong City in one hour. Hosts are advised to take evasive action promptly.]
Sitting in his office, Lu Yu was sipping on his otaku happiness drink, munching on potato chips, and watching a very satisfying video on his phone. Quite content!
Kafka wasn't at work today, so Kafka's office was his domain. Working? Don't kid yourself. If there's a chance to slack off, what kind of worker would you be if you didn't seize it?
You see, there's a principle here: the purpose of going to work is to earn money. Working hard is selling your physical labor. Only slacking off can be considered making money!
What? Minor Honkai outbreak? Evade? Changkong City?
"Hahaha."
Not just Lu Yu, even the author typing this is laughing.
What does a Honkai disturbance have to do with the janitor at St. Freya Academy?
Surely there can't be people who actually go looking for Honkai beasts to fight for no reason, right? Right?
Saving the world is the job of valkyries and Otto. Janitors are meant to look like janitors, and that's it.
------
"Matushka, Raiden Mei, has arrived in Changkong City."
After arriving in Changkong City, Bronya found an excuse to temporarily leave the squad. She went to a corner, made sure there was no one around, and immediately contacted Cocolia.
"Good, Bronya, you've done well. Bronya, the plan to capture Raiden Mei will be executed within the next hour. When that time comes, you must prioritize your safety. Your identity is confidential, so try to avoid engaging with the Anti-Entropy forces. Bronya, once the plan starts, find a place to hide, got it?"
Bronya: "Understood."
After ending the call with Cocolia, Bronya immediately returned to the team.
At the same time, the target of this mission for Bronya and Kiana, Raiden Mei, was walking down a street in Changkong City with her friend Kiana.
The Valkyries of St. Freya Academy had come to Changkong City for a garrison mission.
According to the orders of the academy's director, Theresa Apocalypse, the Valkyries stationed in Changkong City were to remain there for approximately forty-eight hours. Garrison missions were relatively simple tasks frequently undertaken by Valkyries.
These missions were among the least dangerous, compared to the more direct confrontations with Honkai. The main tactical significance of garrison missions lay in clearing out residual threats.
In many places, the effects of Honkai didn't always dissipate immediately. Occasionally, there were aftershocks, and sometimes, Honkai beasts that didn't manifest during the initial outbreak due to insufficient energy might appear later. To prevent such occurrences, Schicksal often dispatched Valkyrie squads to guard previously affected areas.
Usually, garrison missions occurred within seventy-two hours after a Honkai outbreak. Given the time that had passed since the last incident in Changkong City and the fact that Valkyries had recently completed similar missions, this particular assignment did seem somewhat unusual to Theresa.
However, she trusted her Grandfather, Otto, when it came to confronting Honkai. After all, he was a pioneer in combating the Honkai, and his words held considerable weight. While Theresa found the current mission somewhat strange, she had faith in Otto's judgment.
Within her designated area of responsibility, Schicksal's restrictions on the Valkyries' movements were relatively lax. As long as they were prepared for combat, they were free to move within their assigned zones, provided they didn't engage in combat.
"Mei, Mei, I'm so annoyed!"
Grabbing Raiden Mei's hand, Kiana had a pout on her face.
"What's wrong, Kiana?"
"It's that thing, you know, the one we're supposed to experience at night!"
Raiden Mei glanced at Kiana. "You mean... life viewing?"
"Exactly, that!"
Kiana nodded, referring to the incident they had encountered a few days ago, which they had dubbed "life viewing."
"What happened, Kiana?"
"I'm just frustrated! It used to happen once a day, but now it's been so long. Mei, do you think the person behind it is deliberately messing with us?"
"Um..."
Looking at her frustrated best friend, Raiden Mei didn't know what to say.
She herself had also experienced some frustration. After all, she was also looking forward to that particular event. But for some reason, what used to have a certain pattern had now become entirely irregular. The feeling of uncertainty left Raiden Mei rather helpless.
In addition, her investigation into a man named Lu Yu at the academy had turned up nothing unusual. For the past few days, Raiden Mei had been feeling somewhat unhappy.
"Maybe they have other matters to attend to?"
Raiden Mei offered a hypothesis.
"Then they're way too busy! I wanted to see other outcomes too, not just the last one! I didn't like the previous ending!"
As she said this, Kiana thought about the last outcome she had witnessed a few days ago. In that scenario, Lu Yu had willingly allowed himself to be skewered by her aunt Theresa, resulting in a less than ideal ending. The thought of that ending irked Kiana.
What a terrible ending! It's not perfect at all!
That girl named Sirin woke up not knowing anything. And the person Lu Yu had desperately saved didn't even know the name of her savior?
Thumbs down. Kiana was ready to give a bad review. That kind of story wasn't what she wanted – she wanted a happy ending where everyone could continue to live happily ever after.
"Endings, huh..."
Hearing her best friend bring up endings, Raiden Mei recalled the last scenario she had witnessed.
In that scenario, Lu Yu had become a member of the Raiden family and sacrificed himself to change her fate, allowing her to lead a peaceful and content life.
In truth, Raiden Mei found that ending a little hard to accept as well.
Like Kiana, Raiden Mei was a teenager, and what girl didn't like fairy tale endings?
The prince should end up with the princess, and good deeds should be rewarded.
Though it was just wishful thinking, Raiden Mei also hoped for a story where everyone had a happy ending, a story where everyone could live happily ever after.
"Mei, do you think he might have forgotten about us?"
Looking up at the sky, Kiama sighed. If he had forgotten about them, it would be so disappointing.
"He definitely won't forget."
Raiden Mei shook her head, she was certain about this one answer.
Kiana glanced at her. "Why?"
"As long as he's a human like us, he won't forget. After all, he must have witnessed various things just like us. Kallen, if you and I won't forget, then he definitely won't either."
"Mei, you're right!"
Hearing Raiden Mei's explanation, Kiana's spirits lifted.
Kiana: "Who knows, maybe he's just busy. Yeah, yeah, yeah! Mei, do you think it's possible that the next life viewing will happen tonight?"
Raiden Mei: "Of course it's possible."
"Then..."
Suddenly, Kiana embraced Raiden Mei from behind and playfully rubbed her face against Raiden Mei's body.
"Then I'll sleep with Mei tonight. That way, just the two of us can experience that weird life viewing together!"
Upon hearing Kiana's words, Raiden Mei's eyes suddenly lit up.
Of course! Why hadn't she thought of this?
Based on the clues they had pieced together, every life viewing scenario only involved them. However, judging from their entry into that space, it was clearly linked to reality.
Since there was a connection, what would happen if she and Kallen entered together?
Raiden Mei thought it was definitely worth a try!
"Kiana, you're right. I'll go talk to Miss Himeko about it later. Starting tonight, we'll sleep together!"
The current garrison mission was divided among the teams. Valkyries needed rest too; they couldn't patrol for forty-eight hours without sleep. Such continuous vigilance would lead to decreased mental alertness, and in a real combat situation, Valkyries in such a state were likely to meet their demise.
Therefore, garrison duty typically involved rotating shifts. The team that Raiden Mei and Kiana were in consisted of four members: Captain Himeko, followed by Bronya, Raiden Mei, and Kiana herself. The current arrangement had Bronya and Raiden Mei paired up, while Kiana was with Himeko.
Kiana excitedly looked at Raiden Mei. "Really?"
Raiden Mei nodded. "Absolutely."
"Hehe, that's great! Mei always smells so nice after a bath. I love sleeping next to Mei!"
As she spoke, Kiana leaned her head against Raiden Mei's neck and took a sniff. A faint, pleasant fragrance entered her nose.
"You... You're really like a child."
------
Several tens of minutes later.
"Bronya, the plan will commence in three minutes! Be sure to prioritize your safety."
"Understood, Cocolia Matushka."
Pulling out her phone, Bronya checked the time.
Then, she began to count down in her mind. Three minutes, one hundred and eighty seconds.
One hundred and seventy-nine, one hundred and seventy-eight...
Sixty...
Ten seconds...
Five seconds...
Seele, please wait for Bronya.....
...
"Kiana, be careful!"
While Kiana and Raiden Mei were strolling down the road, discussing the details of their life viewing, a small artillery shell suddenly landed at a distance of about several dozen meters from them.
Boom!
"Cough, cough, what's going on? An attack?"
Climbing to her feet, Kiana coughed a few times. The suddenness of the situation had limited her ability to evade effectively. While she had managed to avoid the aftermath of the artillery bombardment, she still ended up with a mouthful of dust.
"I don't know! But be ready for combat!"
As Raiden Mei unsheathed her mass-produced Electro-Pulse Blade, several large figures suddenly appeared around them.
"Mechs?"
Raiden Mei instantly recognized them. The objects before her were the mechs she had seen in the secret underground base of St. Freya Academy. However, the designs and sizes of the mechs were different from what she had encountered before.
"Mei, they're firing at us!"
"I know, let's take cover first!"
As five mechs simultaneously opened fire on them, a hail of bullets headed their way...
Meanwhile, in a nearby building, Cocolia sat within a mech, watching the screen as Raiden Mei and Kiana dodged the attacks from the mechs. Seeing the ease with which the two evaded the attacks, a serious expression crossed Cocolia's face.
As expected, dealing with St. Freya's Valkyries wouldn't be so simple.
"Notify everyone, the operation has commenced. The mission to capture the Conquest Gem host must succeed at all costs. Everyone, move out together!"
With those words, Cocolia ended the communication. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the activation button on the mech.
This time, the Valkyries sent by Schicksal to Changkong City were all of Preparatory level. Therefore, this was an opportunity that Cocolia couldn't afford to miss. Faced with such a golden opportunity, Cocolia naturally had to take action herself.
...
On the other side, lounging in his office with his legs crossed, Lu Yu received a notification from the system.
[Detection indicates that the Conquest Gem host, Raiden Mei, is currently engaged in combat with a powerful enemy. There is a risk of awakening the Conquest Gem. Please be cautious. If the Conquest Gem is awakened, Raiden Mei will lose her self-identity and become a vessel for the Herrscher of Thunder.
Note: Current awakening level 0.3%]
Listening to the system's bizarre notification, Lu Yu's mouthful of cola sprayed onto the table.
"What the heck is this?!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone