Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

After Bronya regained consciousness, she didn't say anything but silently watched the figure sitting in front of the small stove, boiling water.

Cheng Xing also noticed Bronya's awakening, then took a small cup, poured some hot water into it, and placed it aside. He then looked at the girl behind him who had woken up and said, "You're awake. Do you know why you were unconscious outside?"

"I failed the test."

Bronya's voice sounded extremely cold, just like before Cheng Xing had messed with her mindset.

"So, do you remember who I am?"

Cheng Xing could sense that although Bronya appeared outwardly calm, she harbored a strange fear of herself.

"Scarecrow Instructor".

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xing realized that he had apparently become an instructor training Bronya to become an assassin. It would be hard to believe that a psychopathic assassin would train a little girl to become an assassin without some kind of torture happening in between.

So the reason Bronya was shivering in the blizzard might be because her predecessor threw her out to freeze.

Cheng Xing placed the glass of hot water in front of Bronya and said, "Drink some hot water and rest for a bit. I need to rearrange the training afterwards."

"Yes."

Bronya didn't ask any questions. She simply struggled out of her sleeping bag, then sat quietly to the side, holding the cup of hot water without doing anything else.

Cheng Xing pulled out a satellite phone from his luggage and dialed a number using muscle memory.

"Hey, this is Polar Bear."

The voice of a man who was clearly Russian.

“Scarecrow, don’t tell me you’ve ruined the new little guy again. You know the leader has already given you a serious warning. This is the fifth precious seedling. If something serious happens, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Cheng Xing lowered his voice slightly, making it somewhat deep and hoarse, and then said, "Don't worry, I know my limits."

"Your voice is as grating as ever. Okay, so what brings you on this sudden phone call?"

"A blizzard suddenly struck my area, and my students and I are now completely lost."

"Damn, you can even make a phone call in a blizzard? This thing is pretty powerful! No wonder it's from Schicksal. Okay, we've received your message. A mere blizzard isn't enough to threaten your lives, and the supplies you brought should last for a while. However, the direction is indeed a problem. Please wait a moment while I report back..."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then the man's voice came through about 10 minutes later.

"The chief already knows about your situation. After the snowfall ends, find the nearest village. We will then notify you at a time based on satellite positioning and various weather conditions, and send a helicopter to pick you up."

"However, according to the forecast here, this blizzard might last for a while, and it might even happen from time to time. I'm afraid you'll be hanging out with that brat for the next month! But thankfully, she's a little girl, and quite pretty, isn't she? It'll be enough! Hahahaha!!"

Cheng Xing hung up the phone. It was quite obvious now that the so-called assassin organization wouldn't be able to control this area for at least a month.

And I will be spending the next month with Bronya, who hasn't grown up yet... By the way, how old is she now?

Looking at the little girl who still looked very young, Cheng Xing didn't care at all. In any case, unless it was the post-collapse period, Bronya would still be just a little girl in the main storyline no matter how you looked at it.

"Sigh, the blizzard hasn't stopped yet. Although I can move around on my own, if Bronya goes out too, her body won't be able to handle it. So we have to wait for the blizzard to stop. I can go without food and water, and that way we'll have enough resources for her for about a week."

Bronya looked at Cheng Xing, who was muttering to himself with his head down, and his grip on the teacup tightened as he recalled the various torments he had endured behind his back.

They were thrown into the freezing cold, supposedly to train their resistance to the cold.

They don't feed or drink for themselves, saying it's to train themselves.

Should we say it's fortunate he wasn't interested in little girls? Otherwise, the torment she would have suffered would probably have been even more terrifying.

Bronya hasn't yet undergone the various training and killings that she would later experience, which would have honed her calm and collected mind. Right now, she's just a pitiful girl who lost her parents and has been undergoing training for a while.

This is the most vulnerable period.

Cheng Xing went to check the stove and inspected the fuel. He found that the remaining fuel probably wouldn't last even a day. That guy had been burning the small stove day and night, so the fuel must have run out. But that makes sense, since the organization regularly replenishes its supplies.

"Sigh, looks like I'll have to save it."

Cheng Xing stopped the stove from burning. Feeling the temperature inside the tent dropping rapidly, and then the girl who was shivering again, sighed helplessly, crawled into her sleeping bag, and stretched out his hand to the girl, saying, "If you're cold, come in. We're running out of fuel, so we can only warm each other with our body heat."

"…………good."

Bronya is still just a child.

The two were pressed tightly together, and Bronya could hear the beating of the man's heart in his chest and feel the warmth of his embrace... warmer than a flickering stove or a cup of hot water.

This warmth seems, it seems, vaguely appeared in my memory before.

"dad……"

Cheng Xing heard the girl in his arms whispering in her dream, and then a look of pity appeared in his eyes.

That is proof that one's personality is still intact.

Cheng Xing hugged the girl's body with both hands, gently patted her back, and finally hummed a lullaby.

The whistle rippled softly, like rocking a cradle.

The girl's body stretched out completely, and in this lifeless blizzard, on this frozen land, she found an incredibly warm embrace.

Chapter Fifteen: Warmth

Bronya awoke from a long-awaited warm dream and found herself still in that warm embrace. She felt a little happy; at least the warmth wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

Cheng Xing also felt that the girl in his arms had woken up. Then he raised his hand to check the time and found that five hours had passed.

"are you hungry?"

Cheng Xing asked the girl in his arms, and she nodded somewhat awkwardly, as if for the first time displaying the demeanor that a girl of her age should have.

Cheng Xing released his arms and climbed out of the sleeping bag. Feeling the warm embrace of Bronya leave him, he subconsciously wrapped the sleeping bag tighter, trying to warm himself, but found that the sleeping bag was nowhere near as warm as that embrace.

Cheng Xing had previously sorted through the food in his backpack and found that most of it consisted of compressed biscuits and some canned food, which were emergency rations. Fresh water resources were also not very abundant, and could only last for a few days at most.

But there's no need to worry about that. It's snowing so heavily outside, we can just collect some snow and melt it into water to drink.

“If she keeps eating this, she might not get enough nutrition to grow up. Maybe I should prepare some game for her and teach her how to use a dagger.”

As Cheng Xing thought this, crows appeared in the blizzard, spreading their black wings and flying against the wind. They completely ignored the fierce wind and the large amount of snowflakes, flying in all directions as if it were normal weather.

These things are not biological beings in essence, but rather forms constructed from energy.

While waiting, Cheng Xing relit the small stove, heated up some canned goods, and took out a bag of biscuits.

"It's a pity there aren't many ingredients right now. In this kind of windy and snowy weather, being able to eat a plate of dumplings or a bowl of hot noodles would definitely be the best enjoyment."

Bronya just stared blankly at the busy figure without saying a word. For some reason, that figure no longer brought her only fear and dread as before; now it brought her a strange sense of attachment and peace of mind.

After heating up the canned food, Cheng Xing simply opened it with his hands and set it aside. He then took out some biscuits and said to Bronya in her sleeping bag, "You haven't eaten for a long time. Although these things aren't exactly delicious, they will definitely give you a lot of energy."

Bronya nodded and got out of her sleeping bag, but the cold weather around her meant that a small stove couldn't possibly warm her up, so she shivered slightly.

Cheng Xing frowned upon seeing this. After all, this small stove was simply not enough to warm the entire tent in such a blizzard. The heat loss was too rapid. If he hadn't managed to cover the tent with his subtle manipulation of energy, the strong winds outside would probably have blown it away long ago.

But while it could block the wind, it couldn't stop the heat from escaping.

Seeing the girl's pale face, Cheng Xing knew that she was probably showing signs of illness.

Without hesitation, Cheng Xing pulled Bronya back into his arms. The warmth of sleeping in a thick quilt in winter enveloped Bronya once again, dispelling the cold from her body.

Looking at the girl's adorable face, Cheng Xing couldn't help but feel a surge of desire and decided to feed her.

Feeding adorable children is also a way to stabilize one's personality, yes, that's right! Officer, I'm not lying, please don't arrest me!

Cheng Xing picked up the biscuit, broke off a small piece, and put it to Bronya's lips, saying, "Here, eat. If it's too dry, let me know. Although there's some soup in it, there's still hot water."

Bronya stared blankly at the food placed near his mouth, sniffed, and then opened his mouth.

The dry, hard biscuit was chewing in her mouth. It didn't have much flavor, but for some reason, Bronya seemed to taste a hint of sweetness.

A sweet taste welled up from my heart and reached my lips without any reason.

Cheng Xing fed Bronya two packs of biscuits and two cans of food before she stopped eating. It was hard to believe that the little guy could eat so much; he must have been starving.

Cheng Xing has now completely distinguished this young Bronya from the Bronya he knew. The Bronya he knew was calm and knowledgeable, always able to point out the right plan at crucial moments, and was the brains of the three-person team.

It's impossible for her to lean on him like a child, just like she does now.

This child...this child could be mine...What am I thinking? This is just a simulated, illusory existence. In reality, I am still a person.

Upon thinking of this, Cheng Xing's smile, which had appeared because of feeding the adorable children, faded away once again.

"Yes, everything here will come to an end."

Before you time-traveled, you sought companionship in fictional works of art; after you time-traveled, you still seek companionship in fictional existences. You are truly a complete failure and a recluse!

Can't you even stand a little bit of loneliness? Are you still a child? That's ridiculous.

Young Bronya didn't notice the complex emotions Cheng Xing was experiencing, but she did see the happy smile on the man's face disappear.

He might be in a bad mood.

As Bronya thought about this, a strange worry rose in her heart. She reached out and grasped the hand that was holding her.

Cheng Xing felt the warmth from the small hand holding his, and was taken aback. Looking at the girl in his arms, who was now looking at him, she asked in a clear voice, "Are you alright?"

"...Are you worried about me?"

"Ah."

Why are you worried about me?

"Because you're the only one who's ever been kind to me."

"...What a coincidence, you're now the only one who might be with me. Bronya, let's make a promise."

"what?"

"Can you please protect yourself no matter what?"

"it is good."

Cheng Xing smiled brightly and hugged Huai Zhu, a young girl who didn't understand much yet, tightly.

Regardless of what the future holds, he found a touch of warmth and solace in this icy landscape.

He warmed the girl's cold body with his own, and the girl warmed his icy heart with her own.

Two lonely people leaned on each other and longed for one another in this small tent.

Chapter Sixteen: Oblivion

The blizzard stopped, and Cheng Xing didn't know how long it had lasted. He only knew that it stopped after he had eaten about three or four meals.