Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

Imagining the sheer magnitude of destiny's power after they merged, Kiana clicked her tongue in astonishment, secretly worrying for her friend...

But Snow has split herself into two... so it shouldn't be a big problem, right?

Shaking his head, he dismissed his speculations about his companion's future...

"Huh... what's that—?"

In the distance, amidst the ruins of a building struck by lightning, a dazzling silver reflection caught Kiana's attention.

"Speaking of which... wasn't this building split open by Mei back then...?"

Kiana, having flown onto the ruined building, dodged the falling concrete debris and looked towards the strangely shaped longsword standing in the middle of the rubble...

The blade emanated a chilling aura. Powered by Honkai energy, the longsword had been sustainably activated for nearly three years within the high-concentration Honkai energy environment of Changkong City...

With the help of this peculiar blade, a cool and refreshing area was created around it, perfect for summer.

"This is... Snow's knife from back then???"

Kiana pulled the oddly shaped longsword from the pile of ruins, and with the slightly cold blade in her hand, she quickly flipped through her memories and found the corresponding item.

"Was it lost here during the battle...? Hmm? Why are there traces of human activity around here...?!"

Holding the long sword that was a little cold to the touch, Kiana scanned the frozen area around her; there were some empty cans and beverage bottles abandoned here, and they looked like they were trash that had been dumped here recently.

"Are there still people living in this dead city...? Hmm, the rescue teams from Destiny and Anti-Entropy must have been here more than once... Why didn't they leave with the rescue team?"

Kiana picked up a cola can, squeezed it, and looked at the still relatively fresh pieces of household trash on the ground, somewhat bewildered...

"Could it be that some idiot with a screw loose deliberately came in here to play some thrilling dead city adventure..."

Just as Kiana began to wonder if a lunatic could actually sneak into this dead city, a somewhat unfamiliar girl's voice brought her back to her senses...

"Um... hello to this white-haired, talking assassin lady?"

Wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and with pinkish-purple hair, the little girl, who looked no more than twelve years old, timidly stared at the strange older girl in front of her, who was holding an empty Coke can and talking to herself.

"Hmm... So, you're here to collect junk, right, Sister Death Squad? If possible, could you please not take that knife stuck in the ground?"

"Huh?! Oh... ptooey, who's the big sister assassin? You're the assassin!"

Kiana was completely stumped by the series of questions posed by the pink-haired girl in front of her.

"But the teacher said those white-haired older women outside are all suicide bombers?"

"You can call me Kiana-neechan, Valkyrie-san, or Herrscher-san, but definitely not Suicide Squad-san—wait! No—"

"You almost led me astray—little friend, this dead city is dangerous. You didn't sneak in here, did you???"

Kiana didn't delve into how the girl in front of her knew about assassins and Honkai; instead, she looked at the little girl with some concern...

"This city is dangerous, let your older sister take you out..."

The Knight Princess extended her hand to the pink-purple-haired girl, making an inviting gesture... However, the latter's response surprised Kiana.

"No, Xiao Kong has always lived here with everyone. Although it's dangerous outside, every time the teacher comes back, he cleans up the area... and he also brings back a lot of supplies."

The girl named Xiaokong revealed something that Kiana was very concerned about....

"Teacher? Hmm... she's your guardian, right? She sounds like she knows everything about the damage caused by the Honkai..."

"If that's the case, why would she leave you in this dangerous city...? That guy must have some kind of secret!"

Kiana, sensing something was wrong, instantly became alert—

"Ah... Kiana, you've misunderstood the teacher... She's a good person. She comes to see us every month with plenty of supplies. There's a reason we can't leave here."

"The teacher said that our bodies seem to have contracted some kind of illness... and we can't leave here for the time being, but the teacher said she will cure us... and take us to live in high-rise buildings and villas outside—"

Seeing Kiana's misunderstanding, Sora quickly explained...

"I feel like you're making things worse by trying to explain yourself... Let's not even discuss who your teacher is... Xiao Kong, right? What's with all this garbage here?"

"So you actually live here...?"

Chapter 287 Memory is the Most Precious Wealth

"This is a campsite used by everyone to escape the summer heat. Because of the unstable power supply, everyone in the nest likes to come here to escape the heat in the summer."

Xiao Kong turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly.

"These beverage bottles and empty cans were left behind by everyone during a heat wave a few days ago... Also, there's a very special place here... - ordinary zombies and Honkai Beasts that roam outside never come near this place."

"Therefore, people sometimes use this place as a temporary refuge when they go out to scavenge."

Xiao Kong explained the origins of all these bottles and jars to Kiana...

"So when I saw that a female assassin was able to run in and even touch that knife... I was curious and followed her."

"I see... So that's why you wouldn't let me take this knife?"

Kiana nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm... that's only one reason. Sora doesn't remember anything before the great disaster... When my teacher found me, she said I was wandering around this long sword..."

"So Xiao Kong thinks that the owner of this blade must be a very important person to Xiao Kong; at least someone who has left a deep impression on him."

"Hmm... in that case, this knife did protect you once..."

Kiana thought for a moment and then spoke to the girl with pink and purple hair.

"Ah... that's right—sister, you seem to know the owner of this long sword, right...? Kiana, you seemed quite familiar with this sword just now?"

After the girl finished explaining, it was her turn to ask questions. Her tone was filled with eagerness and anticipation.

"Ah... that's right. This knife belonged to my partner who helped me solve a bigger disaster in this city two years ago."

"Really! Will Xiaokong be able to meet your friend, big sister?"

The girl, who had been troubled by her amnesia for years, seemed to have grasped at a straw and was now urgently asking Kiana about the whereabouts of the owner of the ice blade.

"Please, Kiana-neechan, this is really important to me. Maybe it will help me remember some things from the past..."

"Uh... well, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that that girl's whereabouts are very mysterious, and I don't even know where she's gone..."

"Eh...Is that so...?"

The girl lowered her head, looking somewhat lost and dejected... The white-haired knight felt a pang of sympathy for her, and she reached out to gently stroke the girl's short, pinkish-purple hair, speaking to comfort her—

"Don't be too disappointed. I promise you, if I run into that friend again, I'll bring him over to you right away, okay?"

"really?"

The girl looked up with some surprise and looked expectantly at the white-haired knight in front of her.

"Of course, I am a knight of the Kaslana family, and I keep my word!"

Kiana patted her chest and made a promise to the little girl in front of her.

"Thank you, Kiana-neechan!"

"No, don't rush to thank me... Xiao Kong, you need to know that the memories you lost are about the Third Great Collapse..."

"I don't know if your teacher ever truly explained to you the catastrophic events that turned this city into this state..."

"This is the most destructive and severe disaster that human civilization has ever faced... the Great Collapse."

Kiana's expression turned serious as she stared intently at the little girl in front of her.

"The memories of the Great Collapse are unpleasant for all survivors of the disaster, and countless others like you, Sora, have suffered from amnesia..."

"They have often experienced more severe psychological trauma than ordinary people, and their brains have selectively forgotten... In other words, Xiao Kong, it's not that you can't remember, but that your brain is protecting itself and doesn't want you to remember."

"To put it in a way that you can understand, Xiao Kong... these past memories might not be suitable for you to recall now, and this is a decision made by your body's instincts..."

After hearing Kiana's explanation, the girl fell into a brief silence...

"Xiao Kong, I don't mean you shouldn't try to retrieve your past memories... Every memory is precious, I understand that. What I mean is—"

"Perhaps you should wait until you're a little older and more mature before facing those memories, since they're destined not to be pleasant ones."

Kiana, seemingly afraid that the child in front of her might misunderstand something, quickly explained.

"Yes, Xiao Kong understands what you mean, Kiana-neechan... Perhaps that's why the teacher never told me what happened in this city in the past, and that's why your friend never appears in front of me..."

After a long silence, the girl raised her head, her eyes filled with a certain determination, which made Kiana breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"However, Xiao Kong will not give up the idea of ​​regaining her memories. Just like you, Kiana, said, memories are a person's most precious treasure—whether they are sweet or bitter, they will always be an important part of who I am."

"Of course... since Kiana-neechan has said so, I'll put this plan on until Sora grows up. After all, everyone in the Nest does have the kind of children you described... even after all this time, they'll still be woken up by nightmares at night..."

"As the pillar of the nest, I, Xiao Kong, cannot become like that."

The girl clenched her fist, as if to encourage herself.

"Well, it's good that you understand..."

Kiana nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked the girl a follow-up question—

"Speaking of which, since this knife has brought you so much help, and it holds special significance for you... why don't you take it back to that place you call the Nest? Shouldn't that be your home?"

"...Well, Kiana-neechan, don't you really think that sword is a little creepy, being so cold...? Teacher tried bringing that long sword back to the nest..."

Xiao Kong looked at Kiana with a hint of admiration as she watched her wield the ice blades without any discomfort.

"But it's really too cold... The teacher pulled the knife out, but it was frozen solid and had to be stuck back into the ground. And... the teacher can't seem to turn off the... um, energy switch on the knife?"

"The teacher said that this knife has a lock on it that is the highest level of weapon in the Destiny, and it can't be unlocked... In the end, we put it back here."

"A top-tier weapon lock...? If it's her, that's not strange at all... Do you need me to take this knife back for you?"

"Well, then I'll have to trouble Kiana... This knife might make our nest a little safer."

"Then let's set off!"

Chapter 288 Demolishing the house, huh? Who's afraid...

"I'm going to go find Kiana with you right now!!!"

Inside the underground base of the World Serpent, a soprano from St. Freya Academy was piercing everyone's eardrums.

Meanwhile, Imotek and his World Serpent executives covered their ears with their fingers, giving the impression that they couldn't hear what he was saying, which infuriated the Third Herrscher.

"You bunch of bastards!!! I'm going to Changkong City with you right now!!! Do you understand?!"