Thanks to Project Bunny 19C's assistance, Bronya was successfully knocked unconscious.
As soon as Bronya passed out, Project Bunny immediately swooped down from the sky, attempting to reclaim its master.
But when Chen Luo placed a hand on the now masterless mech, it instantly froze in place, hovering motionlessly.
"Quick, quick! Strip her clothes! If there's no external interface on her body, that means whoever's controlling her must have installed a controller somewhere inside her outfit. Just take it out!" Chen Luo kept Project Bunny suppressed while urging Mei and Kiana.
"As expected, Luo is omnipotent. You can even control the enemy's mecha?" Mei quickly ran over and took Bronya from Chen Luo's arms.
"Wait, how the hell are you controlling that thing?" Kiana asked in disbelief.
"Is that really the most important question right now? Hurry up and strip her clothes to remove the controller!" Chen Luo pointed at Bronya.
"Fine." Mei nodded, then carried Bronya toward a nearby store.
Even with Chen Luo suppressing it, Project Bunny slowly drifted after Bronya as she was taken away.
"Hey, hey—Mei, what are you doing?" Chen Luo called out as Mei walked off with Bronya.
"I can't just undress her in front of you, can I? She's a girl!" Mei retorted.
"You're worrying about that now?"
"Of course I am! But if you can't hold it down anymore, then fine, we'll do it here..." Mei relented.
"Fine, Kiana, go help Mei. Just don't take her too far, or I won't be able to suppress the mecha anymore!"
"Got it." Mei nodded, then ducked behind a solid barrier that completely blocked the line of sight. She and Kiana began their thorough inspection of Bronya.
"Ah... ah... Such a strange feeling... inside my body..." Bronya murmured in her unconscious state.
"Found it! It has to be this! Hold on a little longer!" Kiana's excited voice rang out.
"Mmm... ugh..."
"Kiana, hurry up! Stop groping her!"
"..." Chen Luo stared enviously at the barrier.
"Why are they guarding against me like I'm some kind of pervert? Oh, Project Bunny... In this cold, heartless world, only you can bring me warmth." Chen Luo stroked the mecha affectionately.
Project Bunny trembled, clearly resisting—but after a while, it gave up.
With its master unconscious and its autonomous consciousness weak, Project Bunny stood no chance against Chen Luo's [Furniture Mastery].
Furniture Mastery: Mastery and control over all household appliances.
After the Herrscher of Sentience altered Chen Luo's perception, he saw everything as furniture—including Project Bunny.
With this ability, ordinary appliances like fridges and air conditioners could be turned on/off at will. Smaller items like combs or spatulas could even be moved remotely.
Pots and pans, submit to me! [1]
Due to Chen Luo's current low strength, more precious or sentient objects still required physical contact for temporary influence.
For example: Project Bunny.
In short, weak enemies couldn't even hold onto their weapons in front of him.
Unfortunately, Chen Luo usually fought opponents stronger than him, making this ability mostly useless.
But it was perfect for bullying the weak.
Earlier, when Chen Luo kicked Project Bunny, that counted as brief contact—allowing him to command it to knock out Bronya.
The longer Chen Luo remained in contact with an object, the greater his influence over it became.
For instance, after staying near a fridge for 30 seconds, he could remotely open its door.
As Chen Luo maintained close contact with Project Bunny, its resistance weakened further.
However, since Project Bunny had an owner and its own will, Bronya could reclaim control the moment she woke up.
But that didn't mean Chen Luo's current efforts were pointless. The more he interacted with it, the more he could sway its actions—ensuring it wouldn't attack him, or at least hesitating before doing so.
If I cuddle with Project Bunny every night, will it eventually obey only me?
An interesting question.
Normally, Project Bunny would revert to an energy state when deprived of Honkai energy. Yet now, it remained in physical form—proof of Chen Luo's growing control.
* * *
Project Bunny hadn't hit Bronya hard—just enough to knock her out. So after Kiana removed the controller (from somewhere), Bronya slowly regained consciousness.
"Bronya, how are you feeling now?" Chen Luo could hear Mei's gentle voice from a distance.
"Bronya... does not know how to answer that question..." Bronya's voice remained emotionless, but now carried a hint of humanity.
"It's okay. I will protect you. No one will control you again."
"Should Bronya... say thank you?" Bronya sounded puzzled.
"Wait—Project Bunny? Where's my Project Bunny?" Her voice suddenly turned panicked.
The mecha that should've appeared at her call was nowhere to be found.
"Uh, about that..."
When Bronya—clothes slightly disheveled, leaning on her exoskeleton—staggered out from behind the barrier, the sight before her shattered her mind.
The boy she'd fought earlier was lounging against Project Bunny, while the mech fed him potato chips and juice with its own hands.
"!!!"
MY PROJECT BUNNY!!!
Project Bunny 19C was a gift from Seele.
To Bronya, this scene was akin to a reincarnated Seele throwing herself into another person's arms.
Who could endure this?!
"Oh, you're awake." Chen Luo greeted her casually as Mei rushed to support her.
"Project Bunny—return!" Bronya ordered coldly.
The mecha instantly left Chen Luo's side and flew behind Bronya.
Without Project Bunny's support, Chen Luo barely caught himself before face-planting.
"Project Bunny, throw those things away." Bronya glared at the juice and chips in its hands.
"Don't!" Chen Luo shouted just as Project Bunny was about to throw them away.
Project Bunny froze mid-motion.
Seeing Project Bunny suddenly stop, Bronya repeated her command.
"Throw. Them."
"Don't!"
"THROW!"
"DON'T!"
Although Chen Luo couldn't surpass Bronya in terms of primary control, the prolonged intimate contact had forged a bond between him and Project Bunny 19C. At the very least, he could stop it from throwing things away.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Mei took the cola and chips from Project Bunny, putting an end to their bickering.
"How can you control Project Bunny 19C?" Bronya stared intently at Chen Luo.
"Non-living objects I touch tend to fall under my influence. But your Project Bunny resisted fiercely, so I switched tactics—befriending it instead. Look, we're buddies now." Chen Luo waved at Project Bunny, and the mech waved back.
"...Does Project Bunny truly have sentience?" Bronya ignored Chen Luo's ability, focusing instead on this question.
To Bronya, it was a treasure Seele had risked her life to give her. She often wondered—what if Project Bunny wasn't just a cold machine, but a friend with its own will?
"Of course it does. It can even write code and debug programs. You just need to communicate with it more—deepen your mutual understanding. Project Bunny is an amazing robot. Treat it well."
"And this mech seems to carry some incredibly precious emotions within it. It's no ordinary machine. Learn to cherish it—or it'll get sad."
Chen Luo wasn't entirely lying. In Post-Honkai Odyssey, Project Bunny 19C did exhibit such behaviors—even playing with children.
"Bronya knows. No need to remind her." Hearing Chen Luo's words, Bronya recalled something, and her previously expressionless face flickered with emotion.
"Then, welcome to the team." Chen Luo stood up and extended a hand toward Bronya.
"What team?"
"The Traveler Squad. The three of us are members—now it's four."
"All of you? Fine. As repayment for saving me, Bronya will join." After a brief hesitation, Bronya shook his hand.
Sure, he used Project Bunny to knock me out—but it was probably for my own good. I'll let it slide this time.
Besides, I can't beat them right now. Better stay close and wait for an opportunity.
"Great! Now that our squad has four members, it's time for a name upgrade." Chen Luo turned to the others.
"We're changing the name?"
"Yep. From Traveler, Lightning Queen, and White-Haired Dumpling Squad to Traveler, Lightning Queen, White-Haired Dumpling, and Flat Duck Squad."
"Flat Duck? Who?"
"You." Chen Luo pointed at Bronya.
"If you say 'Bronya' quickly in Chinese, it sounds like 'Bān Yā' (板鸭)—'Flat Duck.' To keep our already-too-long team name manageable, you'll have to bear with it."
"..."
Never mind. Bronya takes it back. She still wants to punch him in the face with Project Bunny.
This guy really deserves a beating.
You're the Flat Duck. Your whole family's Flat Ducks.
But Bronya also knew this person was the main reason her controller had been removed.
Whether removing it was good or bad remains unclear—but his intentions were kind.
"Alright, onward to the TV station!" Chen Luo summoned his Super Go-Kart again.
"How did you conjure this vehicle?" Bronya looked astonished.
"I'm an otherworldly mage. This is child's play—just a storage dimension."
Chen Luo wasn't just explaining to Bronya—but also to certain people behind her.
An otherworldly traveler should be a valuable asset to recruit, right?
And if things go wrong? Well, running away is always an option.
It's not like my home is in this world.
This was why Chen Luo loved interdimensional travel—easy escapes after causing trouble.
As for Mei, Kiana, and Bronya? They'd be perfectly safe.
Chen Luo suspected not just Cocolia, who controlled Bronya's bio-chip, but also Schicksal had already noticed his uniqueness.
But he wasn't worried.
Troubled waters offered opportunities for exploitation.
Honestly, I hope World Serpent knows too.
That way, his dream of becoming a quintuple spy would inch closer to reality.
He didn't need a high rank—just membership, even as an honorary advisor.
"But the trolley got blown up by someone." Kiana side-eyed Bronya.
"No problem. I've got spares." Chen Luo pulled out another trolley from his inventory.
Back when they'd encountered multiple trolleys, Chen Luo—adhering to the post-apocalyptic rule of hoarding—had taken them all.
After all, his inventory had no space limits.
"So... I have to share this trolley with her?" Kiana glanced between the trolley and Bronya, her expression bleak.
Well, suffering together beats suffering alone. At least there's company.
Humans are such creatures, they can't stand seeing others happy.
"No. Only you will ride it." Bronya shook her head.
"Because Bronya can fly." Supported by Project Bunny, she levitated slightly.
"..."
That's even worse! I'm the only one stuck on this bumpy death trap?!
Kiana's mood plummeted further.
Watching Kiana complain, Mei chuckled softly.
This atmosphere... isn't bad at all.
[Ding! Quest Complete]
[Ding! Quest Complete]
First, [The Omnipotent Traveler]—rewarding Mei's Acknowledgment.
Then, since Mei's acknowledgment was obtained, [The Lonely Girl] auto-completed, marking Chen Luo as her true friend.
500 + 150 Primogems (GET✓)
TL Note:
[1]: In case anyone doesn't know, Chen Luo is referencing a meme where Mei said this in her Herrscher of Thunder form.