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

"If you feel that I took advantage of you, then I sincerely apologize here. I don't want this matter to cause a rift between us—you know, the reason I didn't tell you these things before was because I was afraid of you..."

“I understand.” Keng Huo interrupted Theresa. “You mean my sister is currently in the Destiny organization, working with scientists on artificial intelligence?”

"Yes."

"Now that artificial intelligence has been fully researched, why not let her come back?" Keng Huo's eyes sharpened.

"...She was destined to be someone; we just brought her back from your side."

Keng Huo, who had expected this answer, sighed deeply. For a moment, he felt as if he had been doing useless work all these years.

"...Can I see her?"

"Let's talk about this when we get back to the academy. I'll apply and see if it's possible..." Theresa realized that she had gotten Keng Huo into a trap, and a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.

What kind of lies are impossible to expose?

Lies woven from truth.

Because every sentence is true, every sentence can withstand scrutiny, and no flaws can be found in any of them.

Then the reasoning process based on this missing information will inevitably be full of loopholes, or even deviate from the original path.

In Keng Huo's mind, Elisa is human, so if he were to tell Keng Huo directly that Elisa has now become an AI program, Keng Huo would probably go berserk on the spot.

Therefore, she used most of the truth and one lie to deceive Keng Huo, making him believe that Elisa now held a position equivalent to a researcher in Destiny.

However, she knew Elisa's true identity. Because she knew that Elisa was not human, she understood that it was unlikely that Keng Huo and Elisa would ever meet face to face again. This was also why Elisa told her not to tell Keng Huo her current situation.

Because many years ago, she was the one who personally brought Elisa back to Destiny from that ruin.

The self-defense system of the containment facility, System A1, is Alyssa's real... or rather, her original name. After the major event that caused Theresa to lose the most important person, a huge floating island appeared in the center of the Arctic Ocean. After realizing that the floating island was not man-made, Schicksal dispatched Theresa Apocalypse, the only remaining S-class Valkyrie at the time, to investigate.

The investigation revealed a shocking truth: a building originally named "19-K23 Containment Facility" contained the last remnants of human civilization from the previous era...

A1, or Elisa, was like a gatekeeper or AI of the containment facility. After a fierce battle with Theresa, she fell into a deep sleep due to insufficient energy.

However, during the journey back to Destiny, she disappeared and her whereabouts remained unknown until Destiny found her again, discovering that her appearance had shrunk and that she was accompanied by someone...

The nightmare that destiny once haunted us, is now completely untraceable...

Taoist priest.

Chapter 87 Why do I feel like I've been deceived?

"Let's talk about the current situation," Theresa said, changing the subject as the atmosphere became somewhat tense.

"The current situation is... I have absolutely no combat power right now, and there are no reinforcements. We need to fight our way back to St. Freya Academy from the very center of this A-rank Honkai outbreak zone. That sounds easy, right?" Keng Huo only now realized his current predicament. "Moreover, based on my deduction... we are very likely under the surveillance of a pseudo-Herrscher..."

“That pseudo-Herrscher who manipulates plants…” Theresa pondered. “You mean we’re being imprisoned by her?”

“No…” Keng Huo sighed. “If it were her, that would be fine. Her combat strength isn’t strong; to be precise, she’s probably only at the level of an ordinary A-rank Valkyrie. And she’s already dead… probably. We’re currently under the surveillance of another pseudo-Herrscher. This pseudo-Herrscher is very strong. I’ve fought her before. Without using any physical abilities or special powers beyond those of a normal person, she could easily beat me in melee combat… I think even you would need to think twice before engaging her in direct combat.”

Keng Huo couldn't help but recall that stunning sword aura. That pale pink sword aura carried an unstoppable killing intent. Even though its target wasn't him, Keng Huo could still feel as if the Sword of Damocles was hanging over his head.

Refining one's spirit in the sword and transforming intention into form—this, in the realm of alchemists, is equivalent to the level of a legendary swordsman, someone who is unrivaled under heaven.

"You mean there's another pseudo-Herrscher here?" Theresa's eyes widened, and she nimbly jumped off the bed. "Where?"

“She shouldn’t be here now, but I ran into her around here before, and I even suspected she might have hidden you… She’s probably out now.” Keng Huo glanced at Theresa sideways. “So, you lost contact with us during your battle with that plant-manipulating pseudo-Herrscher? Didn’t you confidently tell me before you left that this Herrscher was definitely weak and you could take care of her in no time?”

"I...I was just careless for a moment!"

"...and then it all went wrong?"

"I already told you I was just careless for a moment!!" Theresa's face turned bright red with anger. "You still dare to doubt my fighting ability? Believe me or not, I'll hang you up and beat you to a pulp!!"

“Okay, okay, Yae Sakura,” Keng Huo rolled his eyes. “So you didn’t encounter that pseudo-Herrscher named Yae Sakura before?”

“No,” Theresa shook her head, looking around warily, afraid that the pseudo-Herrscher that Keng Huo had mentioned would suddenly jump out and fight her for three hundred rounds. “I was accidentally poisoned during my battle with that pseudo-Herrscher who manipulates plants. I lost consciousness while escaping and woke up now.”

After a moment's thought, Keng Huo pieced together the timeline: "So, after you lost consciousness, you were likely picked up by this pseudo-Herrscher named Yae Sakura?"

Keng Huo suddenly recalled how Yae Sakura had fought him. Although she had made some tough remarks at the beginning, she had clearly held back in the later stages of the battle. Not only did she not use her full strength, she didn't even draw her sword. She fought him with her sword sheathed the entire time. If she really wanted to kill him, he would probably have dozens of bloody holes in his body by now...

"The reason that pseudo-Herrscher didn't want me to get close to this place was because she didn't want me to get close to Theresa?" Keng Huo wondered if he had transmigrated to a world where Honkai energy and humans coexisted peacefully. "But aren't pseudo-Herrschers supposed to have MAX rationality evaporation and EX human hostility? Why didn't she kill Theresa after she picked her up?"

"She didn't even kill me?" Keng Huo thought, considering that the other party hadn't shown the slightest killing intent from beginning to end, and felt extremely incredulous. "Could this pseudo-Herrscher be a special type? Or is she actually a human with antibodies against Honkai energy that has never been seen before?"

“Let’s leave here first, we can talk about these things later.” Theresa frowned. “Whether that Yae Sakura is friend or foe, I don’t think we should stay here any longer… I left the Oath of Judah at Chiba Academy. If that pseudo-Herrscher you mentioned really is hostile to us or wants to do something to us, we are powerless to resist right now…”

"Easy for you to say," Keng Huo rolled his eyes listlessly. "I'm completely incapacitated right now. I even had to gather my strength for half a minute just to push open this door. If Yae Sakura comes back on your way to retrieve the Oath of Judah and sees that one of you is missing, won't she be furious and tear me to pieces? Besides, didn't you say you're poisoned, with a potent poison that even your weapons can't carry? How do you still have the strength to run to Chiba Academy?"

“Actually, that’s something I’m also wondering about,” Theresa jumped up and down lightly, as if checking her physical abilities. “I can’t feel any signs of poisoning right now, and my mental and physical strength are excellent… Could it be that Yae Sakura cured me?”

"You mean the pseudo-Herrscher saved you?" A look of confusion flashed in Keng Huo's eyes as well. "Although it sounds full of loopholes, it's the only explanation we can come up with right now... But don't be too optimistic. I think the possibility of the pseudo-Herrscher having good intentions towards us is very pessimistic. Maybe she thought you were poisoned and wouldn't taste good, so she detoxified you first, fattened you up, and then stewed you in a pot..."

"Boom-"

"What the hell are you doing! I'm a wounded soldier! A wounded soldier! A hero who risked his life to rescue you from behind enemy lines! Can't you show me some respect?" Keng Huo didn't even have the strength to raise his hand to cover the bump on his head, and rolled his eyes in a desperate act. "Maybe I was perfectly fine before you killed me with that blow?"

“Those who cause trouble are hard to kill…like you! Like Xiaoqiang!” Theresa angrily tapped Keng Huo’s forehead. “Speaking of examples of pseudo-Herrschers who are benevolent towards humans, don’t forget Raiden Mei!”

Keng Huo fell silent for a long while before saying, "But her case is so rare... it's an unrepeatable exception. If we encounter another one here, I feel we'd be letting down the god of probability..."

"We can't worry about that now! It's not safe for us to stay here for even a second longer!" Theresa reached out and put her hand on Keng Huo's shoulder. "Let's get out of here first and retrieve my weapon. That way, we'll be able to protect ourselves!"

A sense of foreboding flashed through Keng Huo's mind: "Wait, you're going to..."

Before Keng Huo could finish speaking, Theresa used both hands to lift him onto her shoulders as if carrying a sack of rice.

"Wow, be careful! Can you lift me up a bit? My head is almost touching the ground!" Keng Huo's aching neck kept tilting back, and the ground so close to him made him feel like he was about to kiss Mother Earth. "Hey, lower my head a bit more or my feet are dragging on the ground!"

"Why are you so difficult to please!" Theresa roared, no longer caring about her image. "Just rub it on the floor a little! What are you afraid of, a grown man, getting disfigured?!"

"You know you'll be disfigured!" Keng Huo squirmed restlessly on Theresa's shoulder.

"What should we do then?" Theresa cautiously pushed open the door and entered the living room. "Should we use that little cart?"

Keng Huo followed Theresa's gaze and saw a pink baby stroller: "No way! I refuse! It's too big for my bottom! Besides, aren't you afraid I'll break this little steel tube?"

"Then we'll deal with it if it breaks!" Theresa put Keng Huo on the stroller without saying a word.

……

"Why do I feel like I've been cheated?" On the streets of Changkong City, which had been ravaged by artillery fire, a two-meter-tall figure was running forward at high speed with a hunched back.

"Believe me, I'm a tactical command expert. The formation I came up with is absolutely excellent, taking into account both mobility and reconnaissance. It's the kind of formation that you could put in a textbook and never need to change for three hundred years..." Keng Huo, riding on Theresa's shoulders, looked around. "And look, we've run so far without encountering any trouble. That's all thanks to my 'experimental version of the composite mobile reconnaissance array'."

“That’s true…” Theresa, carrying the entanglement, felt something was off, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “But why do I still feel like I’ve been deceived…”

"Shut up! We only had to form this formation because you broke the baby stroller!" Keng Huo retorted.

"It's all because you're too heavy and broke the stroller! You don't lose weight yourself and you're blaming me!"

Keng Huo nervously pinched his stomach, then burst into anger: "You're talking nonsense! My weight hasn't changed at all! In fact, it's even decreased because I didn't eat after four hours of high-intensity exercise! It's clearly because you slammed me too hard when you put me in the car! Hey, stop shaking, I'm going to fall off!"

At this moment, Keng Huo and Theresa are together in a very strange position...

Keng Huo straddled Theresa's shoulders with his legs apart, his hands resting on Theresa's head like an experienced driver holding a steering wheel. He hunched over to prevent Theresa from throwing him off, the two of them resembling a giant duo. This posture is actually quite common and there's nothing wrong with it, but it's most commonly seen in the context of a father carrying his child, the two of them looking happy and harmonious...

The two at this moment were quite the opposite; the shorter one was carrying the load at the bottom, while the taller one was sitting on top, exuding an indescribable sense of humor and... well, only humor.

As if sensing some danger, Theresa suddenly increased her speed and rushed towards the apartment building next to her.

"Wait..." Keng Huo stared in terror at the stainless steel door frame hurtling toward his face. Before he could finish speaking, he felt a hard impact on his face, his vision went black, and he collapsed backward, his body going limp.

Feeling the man on her back lose his balance, Theresa instinctively bent over, trying to swing his upper body around, but it was too late...

She was too short; even though she bent down just in time, she couldn't prevent Keng Huo's head from hitting the ground.

Keng Huo felt as if he was about to ascend to heaven. The lack of oxygen in his brain and a sudden feeling of nausea caused his abdomen to spasm involuntarily. But this feeling only lasted for a moment. A cool sensation from the back of his hand quickly dispelled his abnormality. He even felt his vision brighten and the pain in his body lessened.

Theresa quickly put the candy down and asked nervously, "I forgot to tell you I was going to come in... Are you alright?"

Keng Huo looked at the cherry blossom-like mark on the back of his hand with some disbelief, feeling a sense of relief in his body. He looked up and said in a puzzled tone, "It's okay... Can you throw me like you did before again?"

Countless emotions flashed across Theresa's eyes in an instant—tense, guilty, regretful…

And the look of care for a fool.

Before Keng Huo could analyze the message behind Theresa's complex gaze, he saw Theresa, as if she had made up her mind, say to him with great determination and seriousness, "Don't worry, I won't abandon you! I'm partly responsible for how you've become like this..."

"It's okay, I'm fine now..."

"...Once I get back, I'll definitely find the best neurologist. I think there's a way to treat this kind of physical brain injury..."

"what?"

"...Even if you really can't be cured, I will arrange for you to stay in a good sanatorium. I will specifically instruct the staff there to arrange for you to stay with other brain injury patients. You don't need to worry about being discriminated against because of your intellectual disability..."

"Wait! I didn't get brain damage from the fall!"

“…Although you think your intelligence is normal now, I have crucial evidence that you’re now mentally deficient.” Theresa looked at Keng Huo with caring eyes. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll ask you a question, and you’ll understand once you can answer it.”

"Once upon a time, a man was trekking through the desert with nothing around him and was about to die of thirst. Suddenly, two cups of water appeared in front of him—one was urine, and the other was poison. Which cup would you choose to drink?"

"Of course I'd choose to drink those two glasses of water! Only a fool would drink urine!" Keng Huo roared.

"Huh? How did you know? My first time was..." Theresa exclaimed, only realizing her slip of the tongue halfway through her sentence.

"So I already said I didn't fall and become brain-damaged!" Keng Huo pounded the ground, feeling despair at the intelligence of his teammates.

"Well..." Theresa changed the subject, "We're very close to Chiba Academy from here. I'll go get Judas and come back. You stay here and don't move..."

"Wait!" Keng Huo grabbed Theresa's skirt tightly, preventing her from leaving. "What will I do if you leave! I'm powerless right now, what if a zombie comes along and I'm dead?"

“But there are pseudo-Herrschers at Senba Academy! Wouldn’t it be suicide for me to take you there?” Theresa seemed quite helpless as well. “Be good, I’ll be right back…”

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!" Keng Huo, with a surge of strength from who-knows-where, lunged forward and grabbed Theresa's skirt again. "Take me there! There are no pseudo-Herrschers at Thousand Feather Academy now!"

"Huh?" Theresa looked at Keng Huo, whose face was ashen and seemed about to pass away, with surprise and uncertainty. "Why?"

"Didn't I tell you... that pseudo-Herrscher at Chiba Academy is dead..."

"how do you know?"

"Nonsense! I personally smashed that face into the ground, do you think I don't know that?!"

Theresa's expression finally turned serious: "Keng Huo..."

"Ok?"

"How much of your combat strength has recovered?"