"Big brother, where are we going next?" An extremely cute little loli followed beside Chen Luo, watching as he systematically eliminated all the terrifying zombies.
"Home."
"Home?"
"Your home."
"My home?" The little girl froze again.
"But... there's no food left at my house. I came out to look for food," the girl said timidly.
"It's fine, I have food. For the next half day, I'll be clearing out the zombies in this residential area, trying to eliminate all of them. You stay at home first—I'll gradually bring other survivors here," Chen Luo said.
From Little Senti, Chen Luo learned this was another case of incomplete Stigmata awakening. Because the Stigmata wasn't fully awakened, continuous Honkai energy exposure was necessary.
Chen Luo couldn't even send them out of Nagazora...
So unless a major Honkai faction was willing to take them in, they could only continue living in this ruined city.
Schicksal wasn't an option—Otto's methods were too ruthless.
The Anti-Entropy radicals were worse—even more extreme.
Upon reflection, only Anti-Entropy's conservative faction might work, but they had no obligation to accept these people...
"A'Luo, I think you'd be better off finding a well-stocked commercial building. You can ensure their safety and supplies now, but what about after you leave? So if possible, prioritize survival before living comfort," Little Senti proposed a different approach.
"Mm, that makes sense..." Chen Luo nodded.
Chen Luo had always been someone who readily accepted advice—like now.
After changing plans, Chen Luo straightforwardly asked the little girl if there were any daily necessities she hadn't retrieved yet.
Confirming her only possession was the HOMU plushie in her arms, Chen Luo took her out of the residential area.
This time, Chen Luo used the Teleport Waypoint's group teleport function for the first time, bringing her to the site of his first thermobaric bomb strike.
This was the largest commercial district. Though Chen Luo had flattened the biggest building, another stood nearby—shielded from most blast damage by the first.
Chen Luo couldn't help noticing they looked like twin towers.
No wonder one got obliterated.
Beyond abundant supplies, another reason for choosing this location was that nearly all nearby zombies had been lured away by decoy grenades before being annihilated in one blast.
The area was now so barren of zombies that Chen Luo didn't encounter a single one in ten minutes.
"Um... big brother, could you help me find my parents?" Just as Chen Luo was about to leave after donating his tent and settling her on an upper floor, the little girl tugged his sleeve.
[Ding! New commission received!]
Though physically weak, the girl's determination was strong enough to generate a 1-star commission—30 Primogems as reward.
For the current Chen Luo, 30 Primogems equated to killing six zombies—a mere few minutes' work. Finding two people could take hours or even a full day.
"I can." Chen Luo nodded.
Since he needed to kill zombies somewhere anyway—and had been wondering where to hunt—this request provided direction.
Though survival odds for her parents seemed slim, the commission didn't specify finding them alive.
"Where did your parents work during the day?"
"ME Corporation," the girl answered after thinking.
Chen Luo's brow twitched at the name.
Now that he considered it, her residential area seemed upscale—making ME Corporation employment perfectly plausible for her parents.
"Understood. Stay here peacefully—eat whatever you want. I'll look for your parents." Patting her shoulder reassuringly, Chen Luo vanished again via Teleport Waypoint.
Reappearing at the vanished skyscraper's former location, Chen Luo suddenly remembered—Durandal's lance was still lying around.
Before heading to ME, he decided to retrieve it.
Just in case... hypothetically... if an Immortal Blades scout discovered it here, Chen Luo would be in trouble.
The War Domain was formidable, but its limitation was single-target confinement.
Finding one lance in this massive ruin was like locating a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, residual traces of Durandal's energy allowed the short-range tracking talisman to provide faint reactions.
With its help, Chen Luo finally excavated the weapon from rubble after ten minutes.
Some 3-Star items were truly invaluable.
What surprised Chen Luo more was the lance's quality—a peak 3-Star item bordering on 4-Star.
Schicksal's resources were indeed vast.
Holding the weapon, Chen Luo suddenly thought of Durandal again.
Should he relocate her?
Keeping her in ruins without proper sleeping arrangements seemed improper.
As this thought occurred, Chen Luo teleported into the War Domain.
The instant he materialized, a shadow crouched near the waypoint lunged at him.
Too fast to react, Chen Luo found himself restrained.
"Ow ow ow!" He repeatedly slapped the ground.
When his vision cleared, he realized Durandal had him pinned in a cross-armlock.
Though the softness and twin peaks pressed against his trapped arm were undeniable, the pain was very real.
While intimate contact with a beauty like Durandal might be every boy's dream, this wasn't the kind of closeness Chen Luo wanted.
Yet who could refuse Durandal's cross-armlock?
Chen Luo tried struggling, but Durandal's freakish strength was overwhelming.
"Let me out," Durandal demanded while maintaining the hold.
"Don't tell me you've been camping by this Teleport Waypoint since I brought you food yesterday, just waiting for me?" Chen Luo complained.
"Is this called a Teleport Waypoint? Not sure. But I noticed you appeared here both times you entered this space, so I kept watch," Durandal explained.
"You're seriously impressive."
Chen Luo found himself admiring this S-rank Valkyrie in every aspect—her willpower, combat awareness, and patience.
"I said, let me out. I won't hurt you," Durandal reiterated.
"Yeah yeah, I know. Otherwise you'd have already punched me into submission, right?" Chen Luo nodded dismissively.
If Durandal truly wanted to coerce him, knocking him unconscious would be more effective than restraining him.
Her restraint likely stemmed from gratitude for the meals and Sweet Madame he'd provided.
This theory had evidence—when applying the armlock, Durandal's hand brushed against Chen Luo's.
Thus, Durandal became Chen Luo's friend.
Discount: 8.9%
A decent discount, indicating she viewed him quite favorably.
Perhaps his dedication to eliminating Honkai beasts and rescuing survivors had earned her respect.
Of course, those two favorability-boosting achievements contributed significantly.
The 5-Star achievement spoke for itself.
Additionally, Durandal belonged to the Kaslana family—descendants of the non-human Kevin Kaslana, making [Friend of Non-Humans] effective.
"Glad you understand. Last chance—release me and take me out."
"Captain, the issue isn't me releasing you, but you releasing me. But don't worry, I came specifically to take you out this time." As he spoke, the lance suddenly materialized in Chen Luo's trapped hand.
Durandal immediately seized it.
"Easy, easy! I specifically brought this back for you. Let me go and I'll take you out."
Chen Luo genuinely intended to release her this time.
After two seconds of consideration, Durandal relented—but only adjusted her grip.
She now held Chen Luo in what appeared to be an intimate embrace, but with her right hand poised at his throat.
Any suspicious movement would mean instant restraint.
Chen Luo snapped his fingers, summoning a door.
"After you, Captain." He stepped forward.
With no alternative, Durandal followed.
Upon entering the bar together, Chen Luo's arm twitched slightly—the force instantly repelling Durandal a full meter away.
Her lance instantly came to rest against Chen Luo's neck.
"What are you trying?" Durandal eyed him warily. That repelling force had been irresistible.
"Relax. This bar prohibits mutual harm. You can't hurt me here." Ignoring the lance, Chen Luo walked calmly to the bar counter.
Durandal reluctantly withdrew her weapon slightly to avoid accidental injury.
She bore no personal grudge—detaining Chen Luo was purely duty-bound.
Moreover, she remembered his use of precious medicine to treat her injuries, which he'd caused, though apparently unintentionally based on his earlier explanations.
"It's noon. Care for lunch?" Chen Luo moved behind the counter, sliding open the liquor cabinet to reveal the small kitchen.
"...Acceptable." Durandal nodded.
This bar felt profoundly unnatural yet inexplicably safe—especially after failing to even scratch her finger with the lance's tip, confirming Chen Luo's claim about its absolute security.
"Excellent. For our most honored guest, only the finest hospitality." Emerging with two plates of fried rice, Chen Luo declared, "Our signature dish."
"I haven't dined out much, but what restaurant uses fried rice as their signature?"
"Just taste it." Chen Luo set one plate before himself, the other before Durandal.
"I'll eat. But we swap." Durandal pointed at the identical plates. Having lost sight of Chen Luo in the kitchen, maximum caution was necessary.
"Uh, sure. Whatever." Chen Luo shrugged, letting her switch the plates before taking a bite with a disposable spoon.
Cough cough "Damn, forgot!" The first mouthful triggered coughing.
Both plates contained the premium [Mother's Taste] fried rice at 5 Primogems each.
The problem? Chen Luo's mom wasn't exactly a great cook.
He'd momentarily forgotten this detail.
That said, while not particularly delicious, the flavors brought profound comfort. His mother might lack culinary skills, but her love was undeniable—reliable if occasionally eccentric.
Watching Chen Luo's expression shift to serene contentment, Durandal paused.
Finding no toxins, she finally took a bite—and froze.
"What... is this?" The flavors left her momentarily dazed.
Coming to her senses, Durandal stared at the empty plate with indescribable emotions.
"So... was it good?" Having finished his own portion, while mentally critiquing his mom's cooking, Chen Luo wiped his mouth.
"Hmm? Didn't you make this?" Durandal frowned.
"No. This 'Mother's Taste' fried rice is a special dish—not my cooking, but essentially made by your own mother. Like mine—mediocre flavor that others might complain about, but perfect to me."
"Mother's taste..."
"Your reaction suggests your mother was very gentle. Want another plate?"
"No... yes, thank you." Though intending to decline, the words wouldn't come.
Some offers were impossible to refuse.
[Ding! New commission received!]
"One... moment please."
15 Primogems spent, but a 40-Primogem commission acquired—profitable.
Maybe he should call his mom later.
This "Mother's Taste" effect was truly unparalleled.