Honkai Impact 3rd: My Days as a Captain in Schicksal

"So that's what you meant?" Theresa suddenly seemed to realize something. "You plan to set up the practical training ground for those newly promoted Valkyries in Changkong City? And then increase their experience while completing the cleanup mission?"

"To be precise, it's the lightly affected areas around Changkong City," Keng Huo corrected. "And we won't send them all. I think some of the newly recruited Valkyries and veterans will stay at the academy to continue their studies, while the rest will be given practical training. After one cycle, the two groups will take turns. The new recruits who have finished learning the theoretical knowledge at the academy will be sent to the battlefield to carry out missions under the guidance of veterans, collect research materials, and put their knowledge into practice. This cycle will continue."

Keng Huo pulled out another thermos from somewhere, unscrewed the lid, took a sip to moisten his throat, and continued, "In this way, we can not only obtain low-level materials, but also provide practical training for the new recruits, and we can also accept the bounty orders from headquarters to earn some funds and support. It's a win-win-win situation."

“But this will only yield relatively low-level research materials, which aren’t actually that valuable. Even if we can cooperate with the research labs under the research institution as you mentioned to convert them into actual technology and equipment, it won’t provide us with any substantial help.” Theresa’s voice was somewhat muffled, as if she was troubled by something. “As for the headquarters’ [support supplies], I think you shouldn’t have too high hopes… That thing is really just for show, to encourage other branches to work hard. It’s very rare for them to actually send you good equipment, unless you can take out a large number of Honkai Crystals to exchange for merit points at headquarters and then use those merit points to exchange for…”

“That’s right, what I’m about to say is quite important.” Keng Huo’s tone became unusually serious.

"In addition to the regular Valkyrie rotation system I mentioned, we also need to establish a long-term duty squad."

"This squad will enter a more inland area of ​​Changkong City and use the Honkai energy radar to conduct targeted hunts. Himeko Murata will provide remote tactical command from the Hyperion. The targets are advanced Honkai Beasts and assassins that can produce advanced research materials and materials for various equipment manufacturing."

"And I've written the list of team members in the plan, which I can tell you now."

"The members of this hunter squad are Raiden Mei, Kiana Kaslana, and Bronya Zaychek."

"Are you insane!" Theresa slammed her hand on the table, leaning against it. She had assumed Keng Huo would send an elite squad from her ranks to carry out this task, but his answer shocked her. "You're sending an injured A-rank Valkyrie to remotely command three newly promoted B-rank Valkyries into the hardest-hit area of ​​the Honkai outbreak, to hunt down high-level Honkai beasts in a pinpoint manner, completely isolated and without any support?!"

"You've completely forgotten everything I taught you: [Battleship Command] and [Strategic Analysis of Honkai Outbreak Areas]?!"

“No.” Keng Huo said calmly. “On the contrary, it is precisely because of these three people that I have the confidence to carry out my plan.”

Theresa's expression showed hesitation and doubt, but after struggling for a moment, she sat back down in her chair: "Explain yourself."

"You're familiar with the information on these three people," Keng Huo's eyes gleamed with excitement, or perhaps more accurately, fervor. "Raiden Mei is a pseudo-Herrscher. Putting aside everything else, she herself is a treasure trove of unlimited potential. Her adaptability to Honkai energy and her innate lightning abilities have limitless potential for development! What she needs now isn't learning, but combat! It's honing! It's constantly sharpening herself in real battles, becoming a true sharp blade! Given enough training and time, I believe she can definitely become one of the top five S-rank Valkyries in the future!"

"...There are no more than three S-class Valkyries to begin with... Okay, go on."

"Kiana, I think you know her better than I do. As a descendant of one of Schicksal's three great families, and possessing the bloodline of the Kaslana, representing the strongest fighting force, she has wandered alone since childhood, hunting Honkai on her own. In terms of combat experience and skills, I think she is no less capable than the Valkyries at headquarters who have received elite training from a young age. Of course, I think what's most terrifying about her is her unconventional combat thinking... She has never received formal combat training, so she has never had any awareness of 'optimal targeted strategies.' She only makes battlefield judgments based on her own experience and instincts. Coupled with her combat intuition, which can almost be listed as a 'unique skill,' she can surprise us in most battles. I think you can see this from her past combat demonstrations."

Theresa nodded slightly, feeling that what Keng Huo said seemed to make sense: "Indeed... many times her actions have deviated from the [Strategy Guidelines for Handling Contingencies], but the results of these actions are always unexpectedly good. Once or twice we can attribute it to luck, but since she does it every time, we have to consider the amazing accuracy of her combat intuition."

“As for Bronya,” Keng Huo sighed, “is this really all the information St. Freya Academy has?”

“Yes, the adopted daughter of the chairman of Rakshasa Heavy Industry…” Theresa nodded. “Rakshasa Heavy Industry is a secular organization with intricate connections to Anti-Entropy. Add to that her enormous mech [Heavy Bunny 19C] whose origins are impossible to trace, and the robust alloy that constitutes that enormous mech, far exceeding the limits of Destiny’s research capabilities… If you say she’s not one of Anti-Entropy, I wouldn’t believe it.”

“As for why she appeared in Changkong City, I guess it was because Anti-Entropy sent her there to carry out a retrieval operation against the Third Herrscher, Raiden Mei…” Theresa’s tone was full of suspicion. “Although Kiana didn’t tell me about Bronya, I can guess why she was unwilling to tell me.”

“After all, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are rival organizations, so she has to consider my ability to accept them. But since Kiana can accept Bronya, I think she must have her reasons,” Theresa said, flipping through her book quickly. “Besides, Bronya has been at St. Freya Academy for so long, and she hasn’t caused any trouble, has she? If she were really a spy, Anti-Entropy’s Moon Throne would have arrived long ago.”

"You really have no objection to me including Bronya in the Hunters team?" Keng Huo asked incredulously. "Your niece is in that team. If Bronya really is an Anti-Entropy spy, wouldn't that put not only Mei but also Kiana in great danger?"

Theresa’s languid voice came from behind the desk, accompanied by the sound of turning pages: “If there were any problems, you certainly wouldn’t have included her in the team, right? Since you think there’s no problem, then I certainly can’t think of any loopholes.”

"Moreover, since Bronya entered the campus, we have been closely monitoring her and have concluded that she poses no threat."

Keng Huo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Really... Well... I just said it offhand. Considering that the three of them have a good relationship... and their background information is pretty cool, putting them together would make them a protagonist team... so I put them together... Are you really not going to reconsider?"

The sound of a book falling to the floor came from the desk. After a flurry of activity, Theresa appeared on the other side of the desk with a surprised look on her face: "Really?"

"fake."

"Snapped."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: What if the population explodes if no houses are built?

"Judging from the composition and current combat strength of this hunting team, I personally believe that the three of them should have no problem facing a [Tank-class] Honkai Beast, and might even be able to challenge a [Crossbow-class] Honkai Beast—as for the [Super Crossbow-class], forget about it. Let's talk about that when they are truly capable of standing on their own. As for the higher [Title]-class Honkai Beasts... if there is such a strong Honkai energy reaction along their route, the Hyperion will provide cover and recover them in advance." Keng Huo expressionlessly peeled the "Introduction to Educational Psychology" book off his face.

"As for specific battle strategies and plans, do you have any suggestions, Headmaster?" Keng Huo chatted casually with the air across the desk.

"The Hyperion definitely cannot enter Changkong City. Its energy reaction is too powerful. If it attracts the attention of the [Title-Class] Honkai Beasts in the center of Changkong City, all of our Valkyries will probably perish there without my presence. Therefore, I have decided to have the Hyperion hover on the edge of Changkong City to provide navigation and various support for the combat teams conducting ground operations on the outskirts." Theresa's voice came from behind the desk.

“That makes sense. Then Himeko’s hunter squad will be positioned about six kilometers inside the outer Valkyries’ hunting circle. Not only are mid-to-high-level Honkai Beasts starting to appear at this distance, but more importantly, it’s a good distance to provide timely support. Even if something happens to them, we can quickly come to their aid.” Keng Huo thought for a moment and added, “After all, they fought their way out from the very center of the Honkai outbreak point in Changkong City. I think this distance is manageable.”

"Six kilometers won't work, four kilometers." Theresa's answer was concise. "The Honkai advance line has been pushed forward another kilometer, and six kilometers isn't enough to reach support quickly in the complex terrain of the city. After all, we also have to consider the possible Honkai beast hordes along the path."

“Okay, then four kilometers it is.” Keng Huo agreed readily and picked up a pen to revise the plan.

"Also, show me the Hyperion's hovering position and cruising route." As a commander, Theresa was very adept at her job and quickly pointed out the shortcomings and loopholes in Keng Huo's plan, which surprised Keng Huo.

This directionally challenged school principal usually seems a bit silly and cute, but as an S-rank Valkyrie, she does have some skills. Her previous statement that she wasn't good at managing a school was probably just because she had always been in charge of commanding battles and had never been in charge of logistics.

The two continued discussing and revising, and by the time the "White Paper on Hunting Operations in Changkong City" was completed, the sun was already setting.

Keng Huo stretched, feeling a satisfying crackling sound from every bone in his body: "Let's settle on the plan then... The first round of hunting operations is scheduled for seven days from now. In these days, the Hyperion needs to complete its final ship-wide overhaul, focusing on checking the [Radiation Emission Energy Interception Device], to prevent attracting Honkai Beasts from the city even on the outskirts of Changkong City..."

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Theresa asked casually.

Keng Huo's previously relaxed expression froze instantly. He suddenly remembered that he had only reported two things in total...

Keng Huo sat down again with a long face: "There... there are a few more things I need to tell you..."

"The first thing is that our training room needs major renovations, or better yet, a complete rebuild."

“We are currently using a general training hall, which is monotonous in form and content, and lacks specificity. As an S-rank Valkyrie, you must understand this better: after a new Valkyrie leaves the apprenticeship period, she will gradually find a fighting style that suits her, and different fighting styles and preferred weapons require vastly different training programs.”

"But after summarizing, I think we can build these types of training rooms first."

"The firearms training room is for Valkyries who use firearms; the short weapon training room is for Valkyries who prefer short weapons; in contrast, there are long weapon training rooms, heavy firearms training rooms, and a medical center."

"Any objections?" Keng Huo asked, his eyelids drooping.

“Site selection?” Theresa flipped through the confusing plan but didn’t see any related maps.

"Because this involves the issue of floor space, I wanted to ask you—how big are the training rooms for your Valkyries usually? What is the internal structure like? Is each person in their own training room or is it a shared room like a gymnasium?" Keng Huo asked a series of questions.

Theresa's eyes began to dart around: "Ah... well... it's just... it's pretty big..."

"You don't even know how big the training facility you used to train in is, do you...?" Keng Huo's eyes were filled with suspicion.

"This...this headmistress is so talented! She doesn't even need to go to the training hall to become an S-rank Valkyrie!" Theresa raised her chin, her words sounding fierce but actually weak.

A sudden, impossible realization flashed through Keng Huo's mind, and he asked in shock, "Could it be that you... always get lost in the museum and can't recognize me..."

"I think the school's expenses this month are a bit too high. Should we cut the staff salaries...?"

“Alright, I’ll go ask Himeko. Let’s put this issue aside for now. But I have some ideas now. If we’re going to choose a location, I think it would be better to build these training halls here.” Keng Huo took the book off his face, picked up a pen, and drew a simple map of the academy on the page of the plan.

"There's an open space right at the foot of this mountain, very close to the student dormitories. It's convenient for students to train during their free time or take combat training courses. You can walk along the river to the canteen... In short, it's very convenient..." Keng Huo coughed. "But I think the heavy weapons training hall should be separated and built in a more distant place. Look at this natural path from this ridge to the east... It can be walked on with a little repair... Or we can leave it unrepaired and use it to train students' marching speed under complex conditions..."

"Because the heavy weapons training hall might be quite noisy, even if the entire hall is built with soundproofing materials, it might still affect the surrounding area. Besides, I really don't dare to build the heavy weapons training hall at the foot of the mountain... What if the students fire two shots and cause a landslide... Hmm... Any objections?"

"No, please continue."

"And then there's the issue of this hub port... We used to only dock the Hyperion, the single airship, so the size of our port wasn't a problem. But now that we've decided to increase our connections with other branches and headquarters' research institutions, the size of this hub port is becoming a real issue..." Keng Huo's expression was somewhat helpless. "It needs to be able to accommodate both a warship and a transport ship at the same time. If we don't even build any houses, what will we do if the population explodes!"

“Hmm, that makes sense. Anything else?” Theresa asked almost mechanically, as the sound of a drawer opening came from the other end of the desk.

Keng Huo felt like his brain was exploding: "Can you please stop reading comics when we're discussing such a serious issue?!"

"Huh?" Theresa seemed startled, pulling her head back and putting the hand holding the book behind her back. "Oh, okay..."

Seeing that Theresa's attitude of admitting her mistake was good, Keng Huo did not pursue the matter of her reading comics while discussing the issue with him. His expression softened, and he continued, "Then let's talk about our [Honkai Reactor]..."

Seeing that Keng Huo's expression had softened, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief and secretly put the "Easy-to-Understand and Easy-to-Use Base Construction Planning Guide" that she had just taken out, as well as "Teach You How to Command a Battlefield Squad in Ten Minutes" and "100 Tips on How to Deal with Honkai Eruption Zone Clearance Missions (Beginner's Guide)" that she had been reading while discussing Hunter Squad tactics with Keng Huo, into the half-open drawer.

"As for the [Honkai Reactor] that provides the operating energy for all facilities... we don't need to worry too much about that. So far, after we completed the reconstruction and expansion of the first batch of buildings, our Honkai energy load even has a surplus. However, if we need to upgrade these facilities in the future and provide more computing power and energy pressure, our [Honkai Reactor] will need to be upgraded." Keng Huo flipped through his folders and found that only one thing remained.

"I'm putting this last because it's the most important, and also because discussing it might take a long time."

"I believe that if we want St. Freya Academy to develop and acquire its own true combat power before the Third Honkai fully erupts... we must apply to headquarters for at least one [Subspace Mass Projection Device] as quickly as possible."

"Are you going to send troops into the Endless Abyss?" Theresa's expression finally turned serious. "Let me confirm with you, are you sure you know what's inside the Endless Abyss?"

“I know,” Keng Huo’s expression also became serious. “The concentration of Honkai energy is so high that Honkai crystals can grow everywhere, which also gives rise to a large number of high-level Honkai beasts and zombies. The dense Honkai energy will cause erosion and damage to non-Honkai creatures that enter there at all times… A land of death, but also a land of opportunity.”

"Then why did you ask us to apply to enter the Abyss when our strength wasn't strong enough?" Theresa pressed on.

"Because we have no time left," Keng Huo replied matter-of-factly. "The real Third Honkai could erupt at any moment, it could be today, it could be tomorrow, the only certainty is that it will come. If we cannot obtain enough resources before the Third Honkai erupts, I'm afraid all of these students will die, without a doubt."

"Compared to inevitable destruction, I would rather choose a dangerous and rugged path. Perhaps I will slip and fall from the mountain halfway down the road, but at least I will die on the road to pursuing hope. The abundant Honkai energy crystals and high-level materials produced by high-level Honkai Beasts in the Endless Abyss are the only way for us to catch up with other branches in terms of advanced equipment and technology. After all, in my previous plan, these resources were the most important thing."

Theresa sat down, deep in thought: "So, do you have someone in mind?"

"A hunter squad consisting of Kiana and two others," Keng Huo answered decisively.

Chapter Forty: The Endless Abyss

"Do you think they are capable enough to survive and complete the mission in the Endless Abyss?" Theresa countered.

“Of course, it can’t be the depths of those Endless Abysses that even you high-level Valkyries find dangerous, such as the Abyss of Pain and the Crimson Abyss. Although these areas are richer in minerals, their strength is completely insufficient to deal with them. They can’t even withstand the slow erosion of Honkai energy there.” Keng Huo organized his thoughts and continued, “We can start with the Howling Abyss, where the concentration of Honkai energy is relatively low. Once they are stronger, we can gradually advance.”

"How far do you think they can go in the end?" Theresa felt a surge of frustration. She knew the situation better than anyone. Although Keng Huo's suggestion was dangerous, it was indeed a good method worth trying.

"I think that given enough time and experience, it won't be a problem for them to eventually delve into the Crimson Abyss." Keng Huo's answer was full of confidence. "Even the legendary Infinite Abyss, the 'center of the Honkai,' which no one has ever been able to enter and which can only be broadly classified as a region due to a lack of information, is something I believe they could potentially explore."

"【Infinite Abyss】?" Theresa frowned. "You're aiming too high."

The Endless Abyss is a region that does not exist in this world.

Perhaps calling it a region isn't quite accurate. To be more precise, it's a subspace independent of the material world, like a pocket on clothing, attached to the primary material world.

That area was once considered by Schicksal to be the stronghold of the Honkai, firstly because of the countless high-level Honkai creatures there, and secondly because of the Honkai energy there, which was so dense that it could almost solidify into a physical form.

In the course of fighting against the Honkai for thousands of years, Schicksal gradually discovered that each Honkai outbreak zone would produce a brief fluctuation in the spatial stability index. This aroused great curiosity among Schicksal's scientists, who attempted to analyze this phenomenon in order to uncover the pattern of Honkai outbreaks.

However, the outbreak of Honkai is truly unpredictable, and the fluctuation of the spatial stability index only exists for a very short period of time in the early stages of the Honkai outbreak. Once a certain time limit is exceeded, only some energy levels will remain, just like you can see the ripples on the water but cannot see the moment when the small stone was thrown into the water.

Even if the Schicksal forces arrived in time, they would not have been able to witness what exactly happened at the very beginning of the Honkai outbreak.

Finally, the scientists of Destiny had to resort to a clumsy method: they deployed space stability reading devices in all areas within Destiny's reach, using a widespread, wait-and-see approach to collect data and intelligence.

However, the results were still minimal. Each Honkai outbreak could only extract a small portion of the mysterious fluctuation index, and complete data was never obtained. Therefore, this research continued for hundreds of years with many setbacks, until finally, under the leadership of a scientist with a destiny, a complete answer was pieced together from the scattered data collected over hundreds of years.

That scientist's name was Albert Einstein.

That exceptionally talented scientist not only proposed the hypothesis known as the "Subspace Advent Theory," which states that "the Honkai outbreak originates from a phenomenon in the subspace that causes a partial overlap of spatial coordinates between the main material space and the subspace due to cosmic information disturbances, resulting in a spatial collision that leads to a temporary spatial rift. This allows Honkai energy in the subspace to leak out, and Honkai beasts living in the subspace to descend into the main material world through the spatial rift." He also led Schicksal's most outstanding scientists to draw up a precise mathematical model of this spatial rift. He even developed the first generation of technology that could briefly open a spatial rift leading to the subspace filled with Honkai energy. Although the spatial rift only existed for 0.37 milliseconds, it made those scientists absolutely certain that they had found the right direction for their research.

Later, data from the Destiny headquarters showed that before Einstein's death, they finally developed a device that could reliably transport people into that subspace. This once made the Destiny organization jubilant, thinking that the day of humanity's great counterattack had finally arrived.

However, to their surprise, under the influence of Honkai energy, the first death row inmate transformed into a zombie the moment he entered the subspace and attempted to return to the material world. But thanks to the prior preparations made by the security personnel, the zombie who had just completed the transformation was instantly eliminated, so the scientists were unable to obtain the data they wanted.

Later, under the orders of Archbishop Otto of Destiny, Destiny began to use Valkyries to explore that warp. After losing several excellent Valkyries, Destiny finally managed to measure data from that warp using spatial measurement devices and other devices.

The result was surprising: that subspace had no volume.

Yes, it doesn't have the kind of spatial volume we usually talk about. Therefore, you could say that the subspace is infinitely large or infinitely small. All the Valkyries who entered that subspace in different batches described different worlds. Some said it was a place of birdsong and fragrant flowers, some said it was like hell with a scarlet sky and earth, and some said they saw man-made buildings.

This phenomenon has greatly fueled scientists' research enthusiasm, because the images preserved in the cameras show that the scenery in that subspace is completely different from what the Valkyries described.

The footage recorded by the camera showed only a vast plain, without mountains, ravines, or any undulations, resembling the original scene of the world in the legends of ancient China: a round sky and a square earth.