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

Theresa turned around and stared intently into Keng Huo's eyes, as if expecting him to give a unique answer: "Headquarters is unlikely to approve funding for us to build a commercial street in some desolate mountain. Firstly, it's almost a guaranteed loss, and secondly, in Headquarters' view, it's a completely meaningless investment—a commercial street? Do you know how ridiculous that is in Headquarters' eyes? It's much easier to get funding to build a watchtower than this."

Keng Huo scratched his head: "That's why I said you Valkyries are all idiots."

“Perhaps the difference in our native languages ​​is causing the misunderstanding between us?” Theresa gritted her teeth and reached for the paper book. “Come on, stick your head over here and I’ll give you a buff.”

"Who said we were going to build commercial facilities?!" Keng Huo slapped his thigh. "Ridiculous! Do you think our Far East Branch is such a pleasure-seeking, unambitious branch?! Impossible! We are a loyal branch that always cares about the safety of the world and is constantly thinking about improving our combat capabilities to complete the tasks assigned by headquarters with high quality and quantity!"

"How could we possibly apply for funding to build useless commercial facilities? Impossible! It's not possible! The funding we're applying for is for building research institutions!"

"Huh??" Theresa seemed to have heard something extraordinary.

Chapter Fifty: How can the wisdom of mortals keep up with the pace of us mental patients!

"Research facilities!" Keng Huo repeated, emphasizing each word, afraid that Theresa hadn't heard him clearly.

"Where in your hometown do you call commercial streets research facilities?" Theresa asked, her face full of suspicion.

“No…” Keng Huo seemed to be in a terrible headache, so he covered his forehead. “We’re going to build research facilities, but only in the form of a commercial street…”

"Stop, stop, stop! Tell me from the beginning, I didn't understand a word you said." Theresa keenly sensed that Keng Huo seemed to be up to something big this time.

Keng Huo organized his thoughts for a moment and said, "First, let's confirm one thing: if we're applying for funding to build research facilities, then headquarters is very likely to approve it, right?"

"Considering that the Far East Branch currently does not have its own research facilities, Headquarters is still very likely to approve it, and may even help us establish our own research institute. Is that what you mean?" Theresa said, frowning.

"Of course not, what I mean is..." Keng Huo scratched his head, then suddenly seemed to have thought of a very good way to describe it, "We are indeed building commercial facilities, but these commercial facilities are used for scientific research! Do you understand now?"

“I don’t understand,” Theresa said honestly, feeling that she couldn’t keep up with Keng Huo’s train of thought at all.

"Hey... so how can the wisdom of you mortals keep up with the thinking of us mental patients?" Keng Huo sneered, pushing up his glasses. "The facilities we're building are for scientific research! But because of the special nature of our research projects, we have to build them like commercial streets! Although they do have the functions of commercial streets, those functions ultimately serve the research projects!"

“You mean…” Theresa’s eyes seemed to light up.

"That's right! We'll set up a research project team, establish a research project, and then apply for funding under the name of this research project to build a commercial street!"

“Great idea! But what kind of research projects can openly build commercial streets?” Theresa asked excitedly.

"Hmph...I was prepared!" Keng Huo put his hands on his hips, threw his head back, and laughed loudly. "Our research project is..."

"Yes?"

"Yes……"

"Yes?"

"...I haven't decided on a name yet."

"..."

"But the main content is to study the influence of the living environment on the Valkyrie's psychological factors, and to explore the success rate of purposeful actions driven by different psychological conditions!"

“Hmm…” Theresa frowned and pondered deeply, “How can this be turned into a research project…”

"A feasibility study on the influence of external stimuli on the development of biological instincts and whether directed external non-stress stimuli can affect the formation of customized soldiers." Keng Huo slapped his forehead and shouted excitedly as if he had thought of something.

"What the hell! I don't understand a word you're saying!" Theresa stood up in a frantic manner.

"That's right, you don't understand!" Keng Huo replied excitedly. "Anyway, as long as we come up with a high-sounding, impressive-sounding research project name, we can just scam the funding out of them!"

"Are you sure this will work?" Theresa hesitated. The plan sounded far-fetched, and its feasibility was questionable to hundreds of decimal places.

"Who cares! We've got nothing to lose anyway, so even if the application doesn't go through, we won't suffer any loss!" Keng Huo seemed quite pleased with his brilliant idea, and sat down with his legs crossed.

“But…” Theresa sighed, “Alright, then give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to find a different approach to address these students’ psychological problems.”

"Leave it to me!" Keng Huo thumped his chest loudly.

"So, what about the funding you applied for last time for the remote interactive DC electronic signal transmission test?" Theresa's face suddenly showed a hint of suspicion. "Now that I think about it, it seems a bit suspicious..."

"Let's get down to business..."

"So you're admitting it, right?! Tell me what this remote interactive DC electronic signal transmission test is all about! Don't change the subject! Explain yourself clearly!"

"I'm going to fill out the application form now! I suddenly feel my body is full of enthusiasm and energy for work! Headmaster! I'll take my leave now! If you need to contact me, put it aside for now, we'll talk about it after everything is settled!" Keng Huo seemed to remember something, and grabbed the doorknob before Theresa could say the next sentence.

"Stop right there!" Theresa lunged forward aggressively, grabbing Keng Huo's clothes and kicking him to the ground with her right leg. "You're obviously hiding something! You'd better tell me the truth!"

Half an hour after Theresa hung Keng Huo from the chandelier, Keng Huo finally couldn't stand the dizziness of being upside down any longer and obediently confessed. [Remote Interactive DC Electronic Signal Transmission Test] is also commonly known as online gaming...

Keng Huo returned to his dormitory, turned on his communicator, and was immediately confronted by the stubble-faced youth's eagerly awaiting face.

"Is the transfer application form finished? When will the first batch of materials be sent? When can I set off for the Far East branch? You..." The stubble-faced young man's mouth rattled off like a machine gun, but he stopped the moment he saw Keng Huo's face clearly. "Uh... Brother, your makeup is a bit too elaborate."

With a bruised and swollen face, Keng Huo listlessly hummed in agreement: "I fell when I went out..."

The bearded young man looked somewhat doubtful: "Are the road conditions in the Far East branch really that bad?"

"Um...yes...our branch is located in the mountains, so the roads are quite rugged..." Keng Huo changed the subject.

The bearded young man pondered, "Then maybe I shouldn't bring my bicycle..."

"A bicycle?" Keng Huo looked at the stubble-faced youth in shock. "Brother, you're living a pretty good life, aren't you? Riding a bicycle in Antarctica?"

The stubble-faced young man looked visibly embarrassed: "Ahem... I just have nothing better to do, so I'm looking for some fun..."

Keng Huo almost rolled his eyes and passed out.

Let's have some fun!

Cycling in Antarctica!

Do you think you're Ultraman?! If you encountered a group of penguins fighting, would you stop your car, fine each of them 200 yuan, and detain them for seven days?!

“...When I go out for a bike ride, I sometimes encounter penguins. They are all very cute little ones. Sometimes they fight, but after my mediation, they all behave themselves a lot. Now they are all kind and lovely little ones.” A look of melancholy appeared on the stubble-faced young man. “I didn’t expect to leave them so soon. I’m a little reluctant to part with them.”

"Then why don't you stay there for a few more days?"

"No! I'm sorry, I was just showing off! Please forgive my mistake, big brother!"

“Alright, let’s get down to business now.” Keng Huo straightened his clothes and said seriously, “First, let’s talk about the paperwork for your transfer… Because headquarters needs to reallocate personnel, and our transfer application is somewhat unfounded, we might encounter some obstacles. But please trust our branch’s influence within the Schicksal headquarters. After all, we’re the only branch with an S-rank Valkyrie in charge, so the transfer will definitely be successful, but the timeframe might be…”

"No problem! I've survived a year, waiting another month or two isn't an issue." The stubble-faced young man agreed quite readily. "When will your first batch of raw materials arrive?"

"Due to some reasons, the first batch of raw materials I sent you may be delayed for another week or two..." Keng Huo's eyes began to wander.

"...Okay, it's fine as long as there's work to do." The stubble-faced youth's expression stiffened noticeably, and his disappointment was palpable.

Keng Huo was so moved he almost cried.

See that?! The legendary employee who can't stand not working! I've struck gold this time!

"Ahem...and then nothing happened...By the way, what was your name again?"

"...Wasn't it written in your contact list when you contacted me?" The stubble-faced young man was clearly feeling a sense of despair about the reliability of the person in front of him.

"Ahem... Um... Hu Cha, right?" Keng Huo hurriedly rummaged through the drawer of his desk and pulled out his old contact list, forcing a smile. "My name is Keng Huo. As your future colleague, I'd like to welcome you on behalf of St. Freya Academy."

"Not at all, hello Comrade Keng Huo, it's the greatest honor of my life to be able to work at St. Freya Academy." Hu Cha also smiled insincerely and extended his hand through the screen.

After two people with ulterior motives completed a historic handshake across the screen, the moment the communication screen was turned off, two voices rang out in unison from the Far Eastern island and Antarctica, respectively.

"This stubble really is called 'Hu Cha' (胡查, meaning 'stubble')?"

"This scoundrel's name is really Keng Huo?"

"Hmm... let me take another look." Keng Huo stretched and took down the note from the bulletin board nailed to the wall behind his computer desk. "Submit research funding applications to headquarters, submit transfer applications to headquarters, submit applications for training room upgrade components and smart plug-in support to headquarters... and also sort out the materials from the first batch of recovered Honkai Beasts... Well, it seems there wasn't much from the first batch, only two complete tank-class Honkai Beast carcasses brought back by the Hunter Squad... The decomposition work is still in progress..."

Keng Huo suddenly slumped into his chair as if all his strength had been drained: "Damn it, even if I'm mentally ill, you don't have to treat me like this! What happened to being the captain? I feel like I'm going to become the headmaster!!"

"That wretched Theresa! All she does is exploit her employees like a rich landlord!" Keng Huo waved his hands, like a drowning fish.

Chapter 51: Why not buy some insurance?

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed. During this month, the newly recruited Valkyries have taken turns attacking on the outskirts of Changkong City for almost two rounds. With the first batch of Valkyries mentally prepared, the subsequent batches of Valkyries performed exceptionally well. Although they are still a group of rookies, their discipline, action, and sense of purpose have all shown significant improvement.

What made Keng Huo happiest was the unity and bond shown by these Valkyries in battle. They were indeed terrible at fighting, but every time they went out, the same number of them returned. Even if everyone was injured, and some were even sent to the emergency room, they did not lose heart. They continued to encourage their comrades while laughing happily.

This is exactly the teaching outcome that Keng Huo wanted.

He wanted these Valkyries to live, in human form.

"Keng Huo! Come to the hub port quickly! The first batch of functional building resource components and expansion project packages sent by headquarters has arrived!" Just as Keng Huo was writing the application for the sixteenth research project, the name of which sounded very strange, Theresa's urgent communication suddenly popped up on his communicator.

Keng Huo's spirits lifted immediately; the first batch of functional building resource components and expansion packages were the most important part of his entire plan!

With these things, St. Freya Academy finally had the infrastructure to train Valkyries! These engineering and construction packages included additional modules for all the buildings he planned to modify, as well as all the extra support he requested!

Keng Huo immediately tossed aside the document in his hand and ran like the wind towards Theresa's office.

He ran halfway there, then turned and ran towards the hub port, because Theresa hurriedly told him to go to the hub port to meet the engineers from headquarters.

Panting heavily, Keng Huo ran towards the hub port. He had only run halfway when he saw the huge floating transport ship hovering in the air.

The ship had streamlined, silver armor plates that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. To increase its carrying capacity, the transport ship's belly appeared somewhat bloated, like a large, fat man hovering in the air. However, this did not prevent Keng Huo from staring at it as if he were looking at a stunningly beautiful woman, even subconsciously ignoring the escorting air cruisers patrolling not far away.

Keng Huo felt his mouth watering, but he clearly hadn't forgotten his business. He straightened his slightly disheveled uniform and strode confidently into the hub port.

On the way to the top of the hub port by elevator, Keng Huo felt uneasy. He was afraid that the person transporting the supplies was a Valkyrie who had chased him before. He couldn't very well go up to her, pat her on the shoulder, and say, "Hey, big sister, long time no see! Do you remember me? I'm the one who blew up your toilet..."

Fortunately, Keng Huo's wild imagination did not come true. When he arrived at the port of entry of the hub port, he saw a middle-aged man who looked very gentle.

The man adjusted his glasses, and before Keng Huo could react, he smiled, extended his hand, and shook Keng Huo's hand vigorously: "You must be Mr. Keng Huo! Truly a young hero! I've heard so much about you..."

Keng Huo's mind almost couldn't process it.

What's going on? Does the whole of Schicksal know what I did at St. Freya Academy? The thought that his "heroic deeds" might become gossip among his colleagues in other branches made Keng Huo shudder. Thinking of Otto, that psychologically disturbed voyeur who had spied on a girl in a video for five hundred years, he suddenly felt that it was possible that Otto had secretly recorded his daily words and actions and broadcast them to all the branches of Schicksal.

Those heroic deeds... like stealing Himeko's Corona Greatsword to make barbecue and then getting hung up and beaten by the headmaster, stealing the headmaster's comic book and then getting hung up and beaten by the headmaster, raising fish in the central fountain for a month and then catching the fish out in front of everyone to make barbecue, making the Valkyries who had been feeding the fish every day for a month cry, and then getting hung up and beaten by the headmaster, and so on...

Fortunately, these wild guesses didn't come true. The middle-aged man didn't know Keng Huo; he had only seen Keng Huo's information on the contact form at St. Freya Academy. As for "I've long admired your name," that was just an interjection... an interjection...

Keng Huo nervously squeezed the other person's hand: "These supplies..."

"The list is here, please take a look." The middle-aged man's enthusiasm was almost overwhelming for Keng Huo. "This transport ship is loaded with components for the hub port expansion project. If there are no problems, please sign here. Only after the hub port expansion is completed can subsequent transport ships dock for the next phase of the academy expansion."