"Should we come up with code names?"
Bronya's suggestion wasn't out of the blue. Using code names was quite popular among espers.
It was mainly a way to make a clean getaway. If you gave your real name, people could always find traces of you. Even worse, some might use it as a medium for curses like the Seven Arrow Nail Head Book, the Soul-Snatching Formation, or the Mount-Dismounting Name-Calling Art to harm you.
Code names were much more convenient. Once the incident was over, you could just pick a new one.
Like Neo-Archangel, or Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae. The dictionary is thick; you can make up whatever you want.
You could even use it as an excuse to roll out different versions of popular characters to milk players for more cash, calling them "Alters" (let's strike that part out).
"Code names? Yes, yes!"
Realizing Bronya was trying to smooth things over, Kiana quickly raised her hand in agreement.
She chattered excitedly, counting on her fingers, "I saw people using code names like that in a game a couple of days ago! Things like 'Declare War on England,' 'Declare War on France,' 'Declare War on Germany,' 'Declare War on the Far East,' 'Declare War on Austria,' and stuff like that. You could tell right away they were a team! We should get code names too, so people will know we're all members of the Hyperion!"
"You don't need to worry about your real names," Mei said calmly. "After three months of development, the Fuli Well has evolved many derivative properties. Negating negative curses within a certain range is one of them."
"Aww..."
Glancing at the teary-eyed ball of white fluff, Mei's heart softened. "Still, having nicknames can indeed help improve team morale and strengthen everyone's sense of belonging to the Hyperion."
"What?!"
Fuli looked like the sky was falling, slumping onto the table and muttering to himself, "So everyone has that much of a problem with me leading the Hyperion? To the point where we need to use this kind of method to boost morale..."
"Stop fooling around!"
He was promptly lifted by his ear by Kallen. Her scarlet eyes blinked and blinked, giving off the perfect impression of a small, pitiful, helpless creature who was also a big eater and went "coo coo coo."
Fortunately, the fact that she was interacting with him at all meant his big sister wasn't angry anymore.
Realizing this, the boy quickly perked up, lifting his chin righteously. "In any case, my code name can only be the Great King of Hyperion!"
"What about 'Divine Departure'?!" the Saintess retorted loudly. "Your only original A-rank technique is crying right now!"
The others nodded subconsciously, especially Mei and Bronya, who had suffered at its hands.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. A trump card, of course, must be saved for last," Fuli said, wagging his index finger. "Think about it, sis. If 'Divine Departure' really became my code name, everyone who heard it would immediately try to figure out its origin. They'd then realize I have a powerful ultimate move that even gods have to dodge and become more vigilant. Doesn't that just raise the bar for a one-shot kill?"
In the previous timeline, he'd had to use the code name Godsbane because it was impossible to hide. The reputation of being the strongest assassination technique in the Honkai world was just too immense.
But now that he wasn't famous, why not use it to ambush a few enemies first?
Kallen stroked her smooth chin and found that her little brother's logic was so sound, she was speechless.
But she couldn't just let it go. So, in a fit of pique, she floated behind him and started pinching and pulling his face with her cool little hands.
Fuli had no objections. For the Saintess to interact with the physical world, she had to temporarily manifest a body using energy.
Given the two were so close, her peaks, which stood proud above all others on the Hyperion, were soft as clouds and brushed against the boy's back. Aside from feeling a little sorry for the late, great Otto, Fuli was definitely coming out ahead.
He just wondered if the other girls would ever surpass Kallen in that department in the future.
"Heh heh, greetings, Great King! Your humble servant, Kiana, pays her respects! Long live the King, long, long live the King!"
Kiana bounced forward and, mimicking a gesture from some historical drama, gave Fuli an exaggerated bow.
The latter raised a hand with regal calm. "Rise, my beloved minister."
Dammit! Why isn't it 'Rise, my beloved consort'?!
Kiana's cheeks puffed out in annoyance, completely oblivious to the fact that a true queen would never need to perform such a grand bow. She had just implicitly accepted her place as one of the Great King Fuli's many concubines.
Bronya set down the Nutritional Express she was holding and said calmly, "Bronya's code name will be the same as always."
"Ural Silver Wolf?" Kiana pondered. "Isn't that a bit long for a code name?"
"True," Fuli agreed. "My code name is the Great King of Hyperion, but you can just call me 'Great King' for short. That way, there won't be any confusion in a critical moment."
He studied Bronya. "How about you shorten it, little sis?"
"Acceptable." The girl had no issue with that. "Then call me Silv—"
"How about 'Ural'?" Fuli slapped his thigh—the uninjured one, specifically.
Ural: "Huh?"
Kallen was confused. "Normally, wouldn't you shorten it to 'Silver Wolf'?"
"Silver... Wolf?" Kiana repeated, a blush suddenly blooming on her pure, adorable face. "Oh my, Sister Kallen, you're so lewd!"
The Silver Wolf: "???"
Kallen: "???"
They were beginning to understand that they would likely never be on the same wavelength as Fuli and Kiana.
"It's mainly because I feel that if we call her 'Silver Wolf,' it will conflict with the code name of a certain character who will appear in the future," Fuli explained.
"Huh? Who?" Kiana's mismatched eyes narrowed, instinctively sensing a threat to her position.
"Onii-chan, Bronya was here first!" Bronya puffed out her cheeks, disgruntled.
"We'll call her 'Silver Wolf.'"
Raiden Mei—the true master of the Hyperion—made the final decision without looking up from the book on her lap.
She and Bronya didn't always see eye to eye. Not only was Bronya Cocolia's daughter, but she now also managed the Hyperion's finances, constantly cutting the budget for ME Corp.
But they were, at the end of the day, members of the Hyperion. It was fine to bicker on a daily basis, but when a problem arose, they had to present a united front.
"Fine," Fuli said sulkily, offering a moment of silence for a certain silver-haired girl he'd been good friends with in the previous timeline.
Then again, he thought, I heard her code name was 'Haxxor Bunny' in her world bubble before she joined the Quintessentialists...
Ah, whatever. It's not important.
The boy slapped the table, his eyes shining. "The code names are decided! Next, let's discuss transportation!"
Kiana quickly caught the milk tea that had been sent flying. "Why are you so worked up all of a sudden?"
Mei was quite supportive of the proposal. "Considering the Hyperion can't provide support while you're within Shenzhou, preparing a vehicle is indeed necessary."
Investigating the truth sounded complicated. They couldn't just walk back and forth across the entire Kanas scenic area.
"Right? Right?!" Fuli danced with excitement.
They were about to meet up with Fu Hua. Aside from that fleeting glimpse in the virtual space, this would be their first formal meeting since his rebirth.
A first meeting! He had to make a good impression on his cousin!
And a fancy car had always been the symbol of a successful man!
He rummaged through his system inventory and finally pulled out a metallic beast that gleamed with a cold light.
The beast landed on the ground with a BOOM! Its sharply angled armor glinted coldly, its turret rising high like the spine of an ancient monster, every rivet like a clenched fang. Its heavy tracks were like dragon scales, silently brewing a pressure that could crush all creation.
"Ta-da! The Type 59 Medium Tank, Super-Duper Custom Edition!"
Fuli stood before the tank with his hands on his hips, looking immensely proud. "Your Great King has decided! This will be our ride for cruising around Kanas Lake!"
Was there any vehicle in the world more majestic than a tank?
Rolls-Royce Phantoms, Maybachs, Lamborghinis—they could all be crushed into scrap!
When Cousin Hua sees this, she'll definitely look at me in a new light!
The mere thought of Fu Hua's serene and dignified face showing a mixture of surprise and admiration made the boy feel as triumphant as an ancient scholar who'd passed the imperial exams—exhilarated and free as the spring breeze!
This thing had been sitting idle since his last 10-pull (Volume 3, Chapter 10). Now it could finally be put to use!
"Hiss—!"
Faced with such a beast and the laughing Fuli standing atop it, Kallen sucked in a sharp breath, her pupils shaking as if she were witnessing Jesus protecting Kennedy as he suckled on Abe's chest.
"Nay, my good sir." Kiana, beside her, took a step back, instinctively assuming a defensive posture one would use against a lunatic. "Are you planning to drive a tank straight into the territory of one of the Permanent Five?!"
Bronya was full of regret. "Dammit, that idiot Kiana stole my line!"
"Huh? I can't?" Fuli looked over with an innocent expression.
SMACK!
Prometheus, observing from the moon, facepalmed.
"Is this what they call 'losing your mind for love'?" Dr. MEI was delighted. "It seems this second 'white moonlight,' Hua, holds a very significant place in our little host's heart."
"Of course you can't."
Mei raised a hand, and the tank in the center of the bridge was lifted and carried away by a swarm of curious Cat Paw Pastries.
She said flatly, "To prevent someone's brain from short-circuiting and causing an incident, this thing is temporarily confiscated."
"NOOO!!!"
Fuli reached out desperately toward the departing tank. "My B-rank, 12-meter-long, 6-meter-high, 99-ton, fully-equipped-with-video-navigation, high-intensity-compressor, gravity-environment-accelerator, regenerative-biosteel-alloy-armor, heavy-duty-tracks, supersonic-nuclear-space-engine, five-pairs-of-tracking-wind-and-fire-wheels, two-180mm-penetrating-concussion-cannons-and-one-120mm-super-laser-main-cannon, all-terrain, combat-power-equal-to-a-conventional-aerospace-warship, dream machine Type 59 Custom!"
The 59! The 59 is on the prowl!
"Yes, yes, we know your new car is amazing, little bro."
Kallen crouched beside her brother and patted his head, her freshwater-colored lips whispering by his ear. With an incredibly intimate posture, she stated a cruel reality: "By the way, now that it's in the hands of the Decomposition Demon Mei, you can basically forget about getting it back in one piece!"
The snow flutters, the north wind blows—
The boy froze on the spot. With a CRACK, he shattered into a pile of fragments.
Kiana kicked the crystal-blue shards of the Shadowchaser Sword with her stocking-clad foot and said with a grin, "Alright, alright, do you have anything else? Bring it out. Something normal this time."
"Hmph!"
His plan to wow his cousin in shambles, Fuli wore a sour expression on his handsome face and pulled a Wuling Hongguang out of his system inventory.
"Then it's this."
He plopped the car on the floor and went to sulk in a corner with Sous, who was busy chowing down.
"Woof?"
Sous hesitated for a moment, then hugged the bowl of energy crystals a little tighter. His master's mate (Fuli) was too much of a scoundrel; he wasn't sure if he'd actually try to steal his food.
"That's a sudden change in style."
Bronya floated up and circled the Wuling Hongguang, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
She landed uncertainly. "It seems to be just an ordinary car?"
"Apparently not." Mei, having tried it out, opened the door and stepped out of the driver's seat. "This car just has a hallucinatory function that makes people mistake it for an ordinary vehicle."
[Name: V-V's Homemade Gym Car]
[Grade: D]
[Category: Vehicle]
[Effect: Inspired after watching a video by Bilibili UP creator Handy Geng (20x2.09.30), the super great inventor V-V created this gym car based on his work.
Modified from a Wuling Sunshine minivan, it is equipped with a stationary bike (driver's seat), a rowing machine (passenger seat), a chest press (back seat), and a pull-down machine (back seat). It has no engine and is powered purely by human exercise converting to kinetic energy. It is green and environmentally friendly, with forward and reverse gears, brakes, and a light and sound system. Its theoretical top speed is approximately that of human race walking.
Notably, the intensity of the onboard gym equipment will automatically adjust based on the strength of the drivers, ensuring not only an effective workout for the passengers but also guaranteeing a fuel consumption of several people per hundred kilometers.]
[Remark ①: In an infinite-flow setting, this thing is worth at least 5000 points! Fleeing for your life while working out—it's the perfect combination of survival and evolution!]
[Remark ②: The real world has Handy Geng, the Honkai world has V-V. You've got two masterminds serving you alone. How lucky can you get?]
Kallen: "..."
Kiana: "..."
They were as shocked as if they'd discovered the "pro" on their "protein powder" was just a sticker.
Bronya raised her hand. "Project Bunny can transform into a heavy motorcycle! Bronya can ride it, vroom vroom!"
"Don't even think about it!"
Fuli reappeared in a flash and clamped a hand over the little girl's mouth. His eyes narrowed fiercely. "You think you can just look cool by yourself while the two of us have to drive this thing? Have you no shame, you little brat!"
"H-Help!"
Under the boy's immense pressure, Kiana sheepishly abandoned her suggestion of "Actually, I could just ride on the back of Bronya's motorcycle."
"A little common knowledge: in Shenzhou, 14-year-old girls are not permitted to operate motorcycles. Project Bunny's transformation is useless."
Mei, who was staying behind on the Hyperion, calmly delivered the popular science.
Kallen detected a hint of schadenfreude in her tone.
"Oh! No!"
Bronya, who had planned to feign agreement only to peel out on her motorcycle as soon as she was off the ship, had a look of utter devastation on her young face, as if the sky had just fallen.
...
Xinjiang is Shenzhou's only autonomous region with Ürümqi as its capital, and the only one abbreviated as "Xin." It is, by all accounts, a legendary and mysterious land.
For example, Siegfried Kaslana.
He wasn't born in Xinjiang, but his life thus far was certainly a legend.
Setting aside achievements like defeating Cheng Lixue, the strongest A-rank Valkyrie of the Snow Wolf Squad, after only two years of training back at Schicksal, or being the hero who ended the Second Honkai Eruption, the man's legendary status was cemented by the fact that in 2007, he single-handedly infiltrated the heavily guarded Final Commandment of Schicksal HQ and snatched K-423, who had been implanted with the Herrscher of the Void's core, right out of Otto's laboratory.
Of course, Siegfried himself didn't see it that way.
In his view, if Theresa hadn't been raising hell outside and tying up the majority of the Valkyrie forces, if he hadn't specifically chosen a time when Otto was away at a meeting with the Interastral Peace Corporation, and if he, as the head of the Kaslana family, hadn't already memorized the layout of the floating islands...
Even with the Judgement of Shamash, he never would have been able to fight his way out with his daughter and get on that plane.
So, what was the price of such a smooth escape?
The answer: the research team led by Dr. Fu A and Dr. Zhou Can.
As a single father who cared deeply for his daughter, Siegfried, a Kaslana not known for his brains, had meticulously planned the escape for over half a year, aiming for speed and stability, and trying to avoid combat as much as possible.
But as a warrior, he didn't know that on that day, an extremely important and dangerous Imaginary Overflow experiment was being conducted at HQ.
Trying to avoid combat didn't mean no combat occurred. When he encountered an interception squad, the moment he drew Shamash, the entire floating island shook violently.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The official records state that the two doctors and their entire research team were missing.
But everyone knew that "missing" was just another way of saying "not even a body was left."
From Siegfried's perspective, it was like this:
A sniper accepts a mission to take out a dangerous criminal and save a hostage. He goes in, full of confidence, fires two shots—BANG! BANG!—and kills two innocent bystanders.
An exaggeration?
Not at all.
Doctors A and C never tried to stop him from saving test subject K-423, nor did they draw their weapons on him as he was leaving with his daughter.
They weren't even watching the show. They hadn't provoked him in any way. It was purely a disaster that fell from the sky.
How's that for unfair?
If that were all, perhaps the guilt would have faded with the passage of time.
A few more years passed, and the sniper suddenly discovered that his precious daughter was dating.
The man, who had been both father and mother, raising his daughter all by himself, was furious. He grabbed his weapon and lay in ambush on her way home from school, ready to see which little punk dared to steal his little girl's heart.
And who was it?
Haha! Surprise! It was the kid of those two innocent bystanders!
No words could possibly describe the sniper's feelings at that moment.
To make matters worse, he knew that the boy wasn't even in love with his second daughter, but with his long-dead first daughter, who looked identical to her.
What do you call that?
A one-way street that's now blocked on both ends.
Whether out of concern for his daughter or for the boy, Siegfried could no longer sit back and do nothing.
And so, he asked his friend Ryoma to issue a mission to lure the Hyperion to Xinjiang.
He himself would knock out the client, Dr. Zhou, and disguise himself to get close to the two kids and see how things had developed.
And the result?
The very first step of the plan—knocking out Dr. Zhou—went awry.
Who would have thought that the doctor had posted the same mission on the dark web, and that it had attracted an A-rank Valkyrie named "Fu Hua"?
To be honest, at first, Siegfried didn't think much of Fu Hua.
Even with one arm, even while suppressing the rampaging ultra-morph parahumans within me, I, Siegfried Kaslana, am still invincible! So what if she's an A-rank Valkyrie? I'll just deal with her. The plan doesn't change!
—Holy crap, why is this woman so damn strong?!
That's right. The former S-rank knight, wielding the Judgement of Shamash, fought to a standstill against a rookie Valkyrie who, in his eyes, had just started out.
Unwilling to cause a major incident on Shenzhou soil, the two, realizing neither could defeat the other, took a step back.
But with Fu Hua watching over him, Siegfried's plan to disguise himself as Dr. Zhou was definitely ruined.
With no other choice, the man had to change his appearance again, this time disguising himself as a chubby but not greasy middle-aged photography otaku and applying to be Dr. Zhou's assistant.
He got the job easily enough; after all, the pay was low, but his skills were good, and he was hardworking and uncomplaining.
After getting hired, Siegfried also hinted that another group (the Hyperion) would be arriving to help them investigate the secrets of Kanas Lake.
He had to. Since the plan to impersonate Dr. Zhou had failed, he needed a reason for Kiana and the others to plausibly join the story.
To Siegfried's surprise, he had expected Fu Hua, the Valkyrie who had accepted the mission, to question his statement. Instead, she played along tacitly, confirming that her companions had not yet arrived.
And so, the three agreed to meet at the old village entrance the next morning and went their separate ways.
The night passed in a flash. The next day, with a heart full of anxiety, Siegfried arrived at the meeting point early and began to wait.
Not long after, Fu Hua also arrived.
Remembering his quiet persona, the disguised Siegfried glanced at her before continuing to huddle in the shadow of a telephone pole, waiting.
He waited for half an hour, during which the morning mist dissipated.
Siegfried wiped the sweat he had deliberately squeezed out from his forehead. Rubbing his rumbling stomach, he was about to take some bread out of his backpack when he caught sight of a national treasure of a vehicle—a Wuling Hongguang—at the end of the road.
An ordinary car wouldn't have raised his suspicions.
The only problem was that this car was incredibly slow. An old man on a three-wheeled scooter who passed it even snorted in derision, contemptuously stepping on the gas and leaving it in his dust.
Not only was it slow, but it was also creaking and swaying—
Wait a minute! A car? Swaying?
A terrible premonition flooded Siegfried's mind, and the mocking smile on his lips instantly vanished.
He pricked up his ears, his powerful physique allowing him to hear the sounds from inside the car from half a street away.
"Hah... hah! Idiot Kiana... you... can't take it anymore?"
"Hmph! I don't think you've—even moved! Are you... are you about to give up?"
"Hah... Ah Li, hurry, stand up... stand up and pedal!"
"That's right, Onii-chan. Harder. Let Bronya experience... the feeling of flying."
What are they doing? What in the world are they doing?!
It's broad daylight! And it's a one-man, two-woman, multi-person impact?
Siegfried was dumbfounded, his face under the mask instantly turning beet red.
The problem was, he couldn't do anything, or Fu Hua would immediately notice something was wrong and see through his disguise.
And so, in endless agony, the Wuling Hongguang finally creaked its way to the meeting point.
The right-side window was slowly rolled down. Kiana poked her head out, a faint blush still on her face. Her eyes held a lazy look that spoke of intense exercise, yet her skin was as dewy as a freshly watered flower.
"Um, mister," she said haltingly. "Are you the... Mr. Qiteng mentioned in the files?"
Siegfried nodded subconsciously.
"Great! Then—"
"Don't think about slacking! We haven't found a parking spot yet!"
A distinctly male hand reached out, grabbed the girl's head, and pulled her back into the car.
"Hey, I know, I know."
Facing more physical labor (on the homemade gym car), Kiana wiped her sweat and said helplessly to Siegfried, "Sorry, mister, we'll talk later."
She then slowly rolled up the window, and the Wuling Hongguang began to creak and sway in front of the man once more.
Siegfried: "..."
Don't get angry, don't get angry. It was my carelessness that got that kid's parents killed, leaving him all alone.
Don't get angry, don't get angry. It was my own incompetence, worrying about triggering the Herrscher personality in Kiana and my ultra-morph factors going haywire, that made me leave and unable to raise my daughter properly.
Don't get angry don't get angry don't get angry don't get angry don't get angry don't get angry don't get angry AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!
...