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

“Then let me first tell you about the most important things.” Keng Huo stood up, pulled down a whiteboard from behind him, turned around, took out the remote control, and gently pressed a button on the projector. “Let me first introduce your partners.”

The projector projected an image of a mechanical device onto the whiteboard. At first glance, the device appeared to be over three meters tall, resembling a tank. Its wheels were covered with tracks, and its chassis was large and robust. The connection between the upper and lower body was very thin, appearing delicate and slender like a dancer's waist in contrast to the two massive parts. Its upper body gave the initial impression of a burly, strong man. At its center was a transparent, crystalline cockpit-like structure; through the protective crystal panels, one could see what appeared to be a flickering flame inside. On either side were two large mechanical arms, resembling combat weapons: one a giant drill, the other a mechanical hand like a human hand. Its exterior was painted pure white with subtle touches of bright red, like a… striking target.

"This is the [Fully Automated Abyss Gathering XP-174 Special Autonomous Machine], but we usually prefer to call it the [Mule]." Keng Huo tapped the whiteboard with his pointer, as if he had found a sense of teaching. "Thirty-two powerful cylinders, top speed of four hundred... Oh, sorry, wrong one."

Then Mei and the other two watched speechlessly as Keng Huo frantically rummaged through the documents on the table, finally finding what he was looking for in a yellow folder.

Keng Huo cleared his throat, ignoring the skeptical looks from the three people behind the table regarding the reliability of the pre-mission guidance, and continued: "A Class B individual engineering power system, a pair of large mining-specific standard robotic arms; a four-centimeter composite alloy steel plate shell, which can delay the explosion by two seconds when attacked by Honkai Beasts; composite multi-chain tracks, which can travel at a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour on various complex paths, and can automatically activate the jet suspension system to pass through complex road conditions at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour in special environments; the maximum continuous mining operation time is 48 hours."

“The most important thing is this,” Keng Huo pointed with his pointer to the area in the center of the ore mule’s upper body, which was protected by a crystalline panel like a cockpit. “This is the Imaginary Number Reversal… never mind, just know that this is a portal. Before we teleport you to the designated location in the Endless Abyss, we will first teleport the ore mule there, and then use it as the base point for teleportation. Then we will teleport you through space, and your teleportation point will be this portal cabin.”

"Once you have finished teleporting, the portal cabin will automatically close to protect it. The internal portal will remain open during your normal operations. If the MULE issues an alarm indicating that the spatial anchor point is unstable, please quickly find a safe place and adjust it according to the instructions and system prompts. Under no circumstances should the portal be allowed to go out, otherwise you will not be able to return because you will be unable to re-establish a connection with us due to the collapse of the world line observation state."

"Hmm... one more thing. When you have completed your mission and are preparing to return, be sure to find a safe place to activate the teleportation mode. The preparation process will take at least an hour. During this time, the armor plates of the mutine will be opened to prevent the armor plates from affecting the device inside and stabilizing the energy noise index of the surrounding space. It can be said that that is its most vulnerable moment, so please be sure to find a safe place to set up the teleportation."

"Once the mutine tells you that the portal is fully open, you can manually open the teleportation pod, jump into the central portal, and you can come back."

"Then I'll introduce you to the environments you might encounter in the Endless Abyss. These are valuable experiences summarized by our predecessors, the Valkyries."

"First of all, your teleportation landing point will be a safe landing point that we have selected based on technology that you would not understand, so you should be safe after the teleportation is over, but do not let your guard down and keep an eye on your surroundings at all times."

"The Honkai-side life forms in the Endless Abyss often live in small clusters, and the center of each cluster is often a certain amount of open-air Honkai crystal mines. These Honkai crystal mines are formed by the aggregation of high concentrations of Honkai energy scattered in the air of the Endless Abyss under certain unknown conditions, and they continuously emit Honkai energy radiation. This low dose of radiation is a very attractive and beneficial environment for Honkai-side life forms, so they often gather around these open-air crystal mines."

"Based on past experience, these small groups often have a leader or similar entity, which could be a suicide squad, a Honkai Beast, or an Anti-Entropy mech..."

"Wait? How come there are Anti-Entropy mechs?" Kiana raised her hand, looking doubtful, whether she thought Keng Huo was talking nonsense or that she had misheard. "There are Anti-Entropy people in there?"

“I’ll explain that to you later. Now let’s talk about the small communities of Honkai-side creatures.” Keng Huo waved his hand and flipped to the next picture. “Generally speaking, this leader is the most powerful being in this open-air Honkai crystal mine radiation zone. It can enjoy the most suitable location for Honkai energy crystal radiation, while other Honkai-side creatures can only watch from afar. Moreover, it will attack any intruders that invade its territory.”

"Therefore, if you want to mine a crystal mine, you must first clear out all the Honkai creatures in the radiation zone of the entire open-pit crystal mine. The leader closest to the crystal mine cannot ignore you. After you kill the leader, all the Honkai beasts in this area will become restless due to the lack of the strongest creature to suppress them, and will try to get closer to the Honkai energy crystal. Therefore, leaving the leader to be killed last is the best way. Don't try to carry out any decapitation operation, as that will only lead you into an encirclement."

"Next, I'll talk about some enemies you need to be wary of that are more common in the [Endless Abyss]." Keng Huo pressed a button on the remote control, switching the projection on the screen to a nine-square grid of images. "First, let me introduce them according to their types. Among the assassin enemies, there are mainly two types: ordinary assassins wielding bows and those wielding scythes. They are often at the bottom of the combat power in the [Endless Abyss]. However, there are also some high-level assassins hidden among them. Their combat power is completely incomparable to that of ordinary assassins. They can even ignore the difference in size and compete with Honkai Beasts. When you face them, you will often find yourself in a tough battle because they are more agile than Honkai Beasts."

"Fortunately, all those who are transformed into assassins will have a uniform made of Honkai energy, which makes them very easy to identify. Especially some high-ranking assassins, whose uniforms are often red and black, making them very conspicuous."

“But remember, there are some special types of assassins, like these,” Keng Huo summoned two assassins wielding twin swords, with hot figures and wearing very little clothing, yet they covered their mouths with high collars. One was dressed entirely in black, while the other was dressed entirely in white. Apart from that, they both had almost identical waist-length hair and sharp horns that matched the color of their tattered armor. These horns protruded from their hair, which was painted in pure black or pure white. Their shoulders, arms, and most of their legs were covered by pure black or pure white armor, but the main body, especially the abdomen, was not protected.

But that makes sense. As a suicide soldier who doesn't need internal organs and whose body functions are entirely powered by Honkai energy, the protection of the torso is probably the least important thing.

"When you encounter these two types of assassins, remember their respective characteristics. First, they are both fast-attack assassins, their movements are extremely fast... I don't know if it's stronger or weaker than Mei's sword-drawing technique, but you must be careful, this is the most troublesome part of their attack. If you encounter this type of enemy, you must activate the Time Fracture System before engaging in close combat, otherwise their attack may hit you before you can react. As for the one dressed in black... she is a close-combat specialist. She is very strong in melee combat. Not only is her attack fast, accurate and ruthless, often forming a continuous pursuit, but she is also very good at blocking and deflecting force. If you encounter her, it is not recommended for melee Valkyries to engage in close combat with her, because firstly, her physical attributes and combat skills are too strong, and secondly, she doesn't care whether her vital points are attacked, often launching attacks that trade injury for life, so it's not worth it... It is recommended to use long-range heavy firepower coverage, or ultra-long-range precision sniping."

"The other white one... is completely opposite to the former. Although her melee ability is just as terrifying, she is specialized in defending against ranged attacks... She can make short-distance bursts of movement at speeds that exceed the limits of the naked eye, and her nerve reflexes are faster than the limits of living beings. It is almost impossible for ranged attacks to hit her... She can easily dodge bullets like the protagonist in The Matrix, but there is nothing particularly noteworthy about her melee defense."

"In other words, these two melee-specialized assassins are such that one excels at defense in close combat, while the other excels at dodging ranged attacks..."

“Bronya has a problem,” Bronya raised her hand, “that ranged attack and defense specialized suicide soldier… how fast is it? Can it outrun a laser cannon?”

“She’s not as fast as light, but she’s faster than you pulling the trigger or raising your hand.” Keng Huo sighed. “I understand what you mean, but sometimes she doesn’t need to be faster than a bullet.”

Bronya quietly lowered her hand, as if she hadn't asked anything at all.

"You idiot, what do you mean by those two types of assassins you just introduced..." Kiana's expression seemed a little strange, as if she wanted to say something but didn't dare to.

“Go ahead and tell me. Any unanswered questions before you leave could become obstacles to your journey.” Keng Huo turned to look at Kiana.

“Those assassins…” Kiana seemed to hesitate, “the armor they were wearing… it looked like…”

"It looks just like our armor..."

"..." Keng Huo fell silent for once, and everyone sensed a subtle unease in his expression.

Keng Huo stared at Kiana and the other two for a long time before finally letting out a slow sigh.

"Originally, I didn't want to tell you about this, but since you asked, I'll explain it to you... Anyway, I'll have to explain this to you sooner or later."

"This question is also related to the one you just raised, which is why there are anti-entropy mechs in the Endless Abyss."

"They are warriors who died in the Endless Abyss."

Chapter Fifty-Five: The Thirteenth World

Meeting Kiana and Mei's incredulous gazes, Keng Huo slowly sat back down in his chair, making himself at eye level with them.

"Let me explain the [Endless Abyss] first. The information you have may not explain why they appear there, because the person who wrote this guide does not need you to think too much. He only needs you to obey and execute."

"First, we need to understand what the [Endless Abyss] really is: First, it is a subspace whose size is immeasurable. You can think of it as a universe independent of our universe, or more accurately, a world, because in terms of energy level, the [Endless Abyss] is probably far smaller than the real universe."

"First of all, the Endless Abyss is not truly endless. Many years ago, Destiny speculated that each entry into the Endless Abyss would cause this subspace to collapse and create a new world line. Therefore, the Endless Abyss was likely infinite, because each time someone was sent in, a new world line would be created. However, many years later, as research deepened and data collection became more comprehensive, Destiny discovered a problem."

"That is the [Endless Abyss]. Although each entry will reveal different terrains and landforms, the types of these terrains and landforms are limited. So far, a total of thirteen types have been identified, and each type of terrain and landform corresponds to a different spatial characteristic code... To put it in a more understandable way, the [Endless Abyss] is divided into thirteen worlds that overlap in spatial coordinates. These worlds do not interfere with each other, and the Valkyries who enter will be randomly assigned to different worlds."

"Then, when the number of Valkyrie squads dispatched exceeds thirteen, which is the thirteen overlapping worlds that the Endless Abyss can represent, at least two Valkyrie squads will inevitably enter the same characteristic code, that is, the same terrain and landform."

"Researchers also found that when the coordinates of Valkyrie squads that entered similar worlds were close to each other, the scenery seen by the Valkyries was exactly the same, but they still could not see or touch the other Valkyrie squad."

"However, the enemy they faced was the same."

Seeing Kiana's bewildered expression, Keng Huo rubbed his temples: "I know this is hard to understand, but I'm only now starting to answer your questions because without this groundwork, you won't be able to understand what I'm saying at all."

"Then scientists proposed new hypotheses based on the theory of Schrödinger's cat."

"Each time you enter the [Endless Abyss], a new world line will indeed be created. However, all these so-called endless worlds are encompassed within these thirteen [basic world templates]. In other words, the [Endless Abyss] itself is like a root directory. Each time we send a Valkyrie into it, it's like we open the [Endless Abyss] folder. The moment we open it, we will be randomly teleported to any one of the thirteen second-level folders within the [Endless Abyss] folder. At the same time, as we enter this second-level folder, the system automatically generates a new third-level folder within this second-level folder. This last small folder is the world we enter, the 'Endless Abyss' that our Valkyrie troops see."

"This statement instantly expands the concept of the [Endless Abyss] by two levels."

"Stop, stop, stop! I don't understand! Can you just tell me the important parts?" Kiana was completely confused and quickly called for a stop. Even Mei had an expression on her face as if she was listening to gibberish.

“What I’ve said is all heavy… Okay, here’s what you want to hear.” Keng Huo sighed, scratched his head, and a look of frustration appeared on his face as he struggled to organize his thoughts. “Exotic creatures or mechs that die in the Endless Abyss are preserved by integrating into this world, and they can appear in various levels of the Endless Abyss. In other words, if an anti-entropy mech loses power in World One—which is equivalent to dying in battle—its information will be shared by various levels of the Endless Abyss, and its corpse may appear in World Three and World Eight at the same time, or even more.”

"Then, these abandoned mechs or corpses will be slowly eroded by Honkai energy."

"I think you understand the consequences of being corrupted by Honkai energy," Keng Huo said softly. "You came from Changkong City, and those who died will all become..."

"Death squad".

The three seemed unable to process such a large amount of information at once. After sorting through it for a while, Bronya finally spoke, "You mean to say that the high-level assassins you mentioned that appeared in the [Endless Abyss]... are actually..."

"That's right, they are the corpses of Valkyries who were collecting materials and were corrupted by Honkai energy, turning them into undead."

"..." A deathly silence.

"What about the anti-entropy mechs?" Bronya asked, oblivious to the atmosphere.

"Same here. We suspect that Anti-Entropy also mastered the same technology, so it sent mechs into the Endless Abyss to collect Honkai energy crystals. Those mechs that were destroyed in the Endless Abyss were corrupted and controlled by Honkai energy, becoming puppets of Honkai."

"Well, anyway, they're all enemies, let's just defeat them all!" Kiana pondered for a while, then suddenly realized something and said.

“I thought you would be more sad.” Keng Huo raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised, but his expression remained calm, or rather, heavy.

“There’s no need to dwell on the past. Preparing for the future is a better choice, isn’t it?” Kiana blinked her bright eyes. “That’s what you taught me.”

"Although we are saddened by the deaths of those Valkyries, it is precisely because of this that we carry on with their wishes," Kiana said matter-of-factly, her reaction making it almost unbelievable that these words came from Kiana's mouth.

Keng Huo glanced at Mei, and to his surprise, Mei just smiled and didn't seem to show much discomfort.

"Although I don't know why the atmosphere suddenly became so heavy, at least one thing I can understand is that they are enemies, and that's enough." Mei seemed to be speaking to Keng Huo, but it also seemed like she was talking to herself.

"Huh?" Now it was Keng Huo's turn to be confused. "You... just accepted it like that?"

"Teacher Keng is acting strange today..." Mei frowned and whispered to Kiana, "He seems preoccupied, like he has a lot on his mind."

“According to Bronya’s speculation, Teacher Keng is probably worried that we might develop psychological barriers because the enemy is a dead Valkyrie, thus hindering the battle.” Bronya’s head seemed to light up with a lightbulb, and he said in a tone as if talking about something trivial, “Bronya thinks Teacher Keng is overthinking it.”

“Compared to those ethereal and untraceable things, the people around us are more important, aren’t they?” Bronya paused, as if remembering something, “That’s what you taught me too.”

Keng Huo was even more confused: "When did I ever teach you this?"

"The school festival fireworks... it's nothing, Bronya must have misremembered." Bronya's eyes remained expressionless.

"Wait a minute! Since you all seem to have no qualms about taking over, doesn't that make me look like an idiot?!" Keng Huo suddenly threw down the pointer, clutched his head, and screamed in a frenzy.

“Teacher Keng, please have some confidence in yourself. You are not stupid at all, because you are.”

However, Keng Huo didn't hear Bronya's calm retort; instead, he seemed to have discovered that the sun was actually square and fell into a state of self-pity.

Suddenly, Keng Huo stood up with a broad smile and stretched: "But since that's the case, then I don't need to worry about anything. Come on, let's continue to introduce the things we need to pay attention to on this journey to the Abyss..."

They talked until sunset before Bronya and the other two left Keng Huo's office with notes filled with information. On their way back to their dormitory, they happily discussed what to eat for dinner, as if this was just an ordinary mission.

Perhaps to them, this was just an ordinary task, but behind this task and action plan were countless days and nights of revisions and repeated deliberations by Keng Huo.

Keng Huo, as if half-liberated, slumped into his office chair, seemingly unable to move even a finger.

It wasn't until the sun set over the sea and the moon hung high in the sky that Keng Huo seemed to regain consciousness. He slowly got up from his chair, sat up straight, and began to organize the documents at a slow, sloth-like pace.

When the last document was correctly placed, Keng Huo seemed to lose all his strength and leaned back heavily in his chair, remaining motionless for a long time.

After what seemed like an eternity, Keng Huo gritted his teeth, braced himself against the armrest of the chair, and stood up with the same determination and feeling he had when he broke free from his bed that morning.

Keng Huo braced himself on the table with both hands, seemingly trying to catch his breath, but a sudden wave of angina struck him. He pressed his right hand against his heart and slowly slumped down on the table.

After a while, Keng Huo's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. He looked as if he had run a marathon, and even a blind person could see the fatigue on his face.

Keng Huo stood up, picked up the folders on the table, but then seemed to find them too heavy, so he put them back on the table, and with some unsteadiness, pushed open the door and left his office.

Chapter Fifty-Six: I've Got to Heaven!

The first [Endless Abyss Gathering Operation] was scheduled for three days later, and the specialized training for the Hunter Squad continued smoothly.

"Bronya! Why are you firing randomly again! Your shells have blown the targets away! Kiana can't follow up with a follow-up attack! Start over!!"

"Mei! Don't hesitate! Use the [Time Fracture System] boldly when the time comes! It's not just for defense! It can also be used for offense!"

"Kiana! You've gone too far alone again! The formation is in disarray! In disarray! Get out of the battle zone immediately!"

In the original training hall, Keng Huo was standing on a high platform, shouting at the top of his lungs through a megaphone.

St. Freya Academy has built a new specialized training hall, so the old training hall has been vacated. Keng Huo simply closed the old training hall and used it as a combat training hall.

Right now, Keng Huo is overseeing the Hunter Squad's Abyss Adaptation Training, training them in skills and teamwork techniques needed only in the Abyss.

"Hmm, not bad, you learn pretty quickly." Keng Huo climbed down from the high stand with satisfaction. "This gives me more confidence to send you on your way..."

Bronya thought it best for Teacher Keng to say less if he knew he couldn't speak properly.

"Ahem... Okay, okay, let's go eat!! Today the cafeteria is serving braised pork ribs with potatoes!!" Keng Huo waved his little flag, like a tour guide, "The St. Freya Academy tour group is on its way! Next stop: the central cafeteria!"