Heliopolis Research Facilities — Midnight
Under the cover of night, Rita silently arrived at the Heliopolis research facilities.
The vast complex was almost completely dark, illuminated only by scattered security lights and the occasional glow from automated systems. The ID pass card she had acquired allowed her to bypass most of the security doors in the area without raising an alarm.
Rita moved through the facility with measured steps, her senses constantly scanning her surroundings.
Rita: "I'll look for their data servers first. Hopefully they'll give me a few answers."
A familiar voice came through her communications channel.
Alvitr: "Keep the channel open, Miss Rita. I'm the Tool and I'm always ready to help."
Rita gave a faint smile beneath her mask.
Rita: "Let's find out what Heliopolis is hiding…"
She activated the stealth functions of her battle suit.
Her silhouette faded into the darkness as the suit's systems suppressed her presence. Rita moved from one shadow to another, waiting patiently for guards to pass before slipping through the gaps in their patrol routes.
She avoided cameras, security drones, and armed personnel with almost effortless precision.
Eventually, Rita reached a secured terminal.
She connected her equipment and began browsing the facility's files.
A series of documents appeared across her visor.
Rita: "This file details a medical aid project plan of Heliopolis."
Alvitr: "Heliopolis has been providing humanitarian aid to Honkai-stricken cities since the 2nd Eruption."
Alvitr: "After the 3rd Eruption, they expanded their efforts in the Far East and Shenzhou."
Alvitr: "And that was when they started building this industrial park."
Rita scrolled through the document.
Rita: "Free pharmaceuticals for Honkai-infected citizens…"
Another entry appeared.
Rita: "Free clinical treatment for cases suffering from severe infection…"
Alvitr sounded genuinely impressed.
Alvitr: "They're really doing all this for free… they must be super rich."
Rita's expression hardened.
Rita: ""Free" things often cost more. Perhaps the price they desire is life itself."
Another document caught her attention.
Rita: ""A Study of the Patented Schicksal Honkai Vaccine HBA-022"…"
Her eyes narrowed.
Rita: "A pharmacological analysis of HBA-022… that's the vaccine HQ is supplying Shenzhou with."
Alvitr: "Are they trying to reverse engineer and copy our pharmaceutical agents?"
Rita shook her head.
Rita: "I don't think so. They could obviously modify the vaccine itself from what we've seen in the injectors."
She searched through the facility's inventory database.
Rita: "I'm searching the stock of HBA-022 in their inventory."
A few seconds passed.
The results appeared.
Rita: "And it is now currently at zero."
Alvitr went silent for a moment.
Alvitr: "So that entire batch of 30,000 injectors of vaccines is gone?"
Rita stared at the screen.
Something didn't add up.
Rita: "None of this makes sense. I sense a conspiracy."
Rita continued deeper into the facility.
The more information she uncovered, the more uneasy she became.
The documents she had found only provided fragments—small dots scattered across an enormous picture.
But Rita had spent years gathering information from incomplete evidence.
She began connecting the dots.
The vaccine.
The modified injectors.
The strange Stigmata appearing on the zombies.
The increasing Honkai attacks.
The mysterious activities of Heliopolis.
And K423.
She was only missing one final piece.
One final piece that would reveal the entire picture.
Rita: "My intuition is telling me that they're up to something evil in this place."
Alvitr immediately became concerned.
Alvitr: "Ah? Something evil? But you're… right in that place. Doesn't that mean you're in great danger?"
Alvitr: "I recommend withdrawing from Heliopolis right now, Miss Rita. We should plan before making our next move."
Rita didn't answer.
A tiny red dot suddenly flashed across her visor.
Her optics had detected something.
The Phantom Iron battlesuit had been forged in Helheim Labs specifically for hunting Honkai-infected organisms. Its built-in bio-detectors were capable of detecting traces that ordinary sensors could easily miss.
And now—
They had detected something.
A faint biological signature.
The unmistakable scent of a zombie.
Rita's eyes narrowed.
Rita: "I've found something. It's now or never."
She slowly reached for her weapon.
Rita: "A good hunter would fire her shot before letting the prey fly away, Alvitr."
Rita brought up the facility's architectural plans.
Her eyes immediately noticed something strange.
Rita: "The building plans show no basement facilities, but my radar is detecting an underground source of Honkai energy."
Her expression became serious.
Rita: "Alvitr, I hereby order the Immortal Blades to be ready. I might need their support."
Alvitr: "Aye!"
Rita released Stalker Carbon.
The mechanical hound immediately began scanning the surrounding area.
Areas hidden from human vision could easily be detected by Stalker Carbon, Rita's loyal hound.
The machine's sensors swept across the floor.
Then—
BEEP.
Stalker Carbon stopped.
Rita gave it an order.
The mech hound leaped into action.
Its mechanical claws scraped against the floor before it found a concealed mechanism.
A section of the flooring shifted.
Rita approached.
Rita: "I feel we're close to the secrets that we're trying to find."
Stalker Carbon continued working.
The hidden mechanism finally unlocked.
CLICK.
A concealed elevator entrance opened.
Rita: "Good job. I've found the way to the underground facilities."
Rita looked down at the mechanical hound.
Rita: "Alright, puppy. Go ahead and open the way for me."
Stalker Carbon moved forward.
The elevator doors opened.
Beyond them was nothing but darkness.
The darkness seemed to offer an odious invitation.
Rita stepped onto the enormous elevator platform.
The doors closed.
CLANG.
The platform began descending.
Lower.
And lower.
And lower.
The faint hum of machinery gradually disappeared.
The deeper they went, the stronger the Honkai readings became.
Finally—
DING.
The elevator stopped.
The enormous doors opened.
Rita stepped forward.
Her eyes widened.
She had entered a gigantic underground chamber.
And what she saw inside shocked even her.
Rows upon rows of enormous glass vats stretched across the chamber.
Inside them floated humanoid specimens.
They looked alien.
Yet horribly familiar.
Rita froze.
Rita: "This… this could only be…"
Zombies.
The reanimated corpses floated motionlessly inside the vats.
Their pallid skin was covered in glowing markings.
Intricate patterns spread across their bodies like veins of light.
Stigmata.
Before Schicksal developed artificial Stigmata, only very, very few people possessed such marks naturally.
Rita clenched her teeth.
She slowly walked past the vats, studying every face.
For a moment, she held her breath.
Then—
Relief.
None of them were familiar.
None were people she knew.
But that relief quickly transformed into fury.
The specimens varied wildly in size and age.
Some possessed Honkai tissue implants.
Others had sections of their bodies covered by white silica carapaces.
Several had cybernetic limbs and mechanical organs.
Some barely resembled humans anymore.
The entire chamber was a grotesque display of experimentation.
A horror show designed to demonstrate just how far a human body could be mutilated in the name of research.
Alvitr's voice broke the silence.
Alvitr: "Miss Rita, are you alright? I'm detecting sudden increases in your blood pressure and heart rate."
Rita didn't respond.
Stalker Carbon cautiously climbed onto the main computer terminal.
The mechanical hound extended a data cable.
CLICK.
It plugged itself into the system.
Thousands of files immediately flooded Rita's visor.
She rapidly searched through them.
Then—
She found it.
A document opened.
Data: "STIGMA. A most valuable technological legacy built into our very own biology."
Data: "It is not a product of natural evolution, but a Previous Era biotech construct that remains a mystery to us."
Data: "Before the Previous Era ended, complex sets of Honkai-resistance genes were inserted into a number of embryos."
Data: "The STIGMA results in distinct phenotypes of skin markings known as the Stigmata."
Data: "Humans with STIGMA have better Honkai resistance and control that gives rise to superhuman strengths."
Data: "However, each passing generation eroded the integrity of the STIGMA gene sets."
Data: "When the carefully constructed set is taken apart, the STIGMA itself became ineffective as well."
Data: "Though all humans carry STIGMA genes, only a few could naturally express STIGMA at a functional capacity."
Data: "Schicksal attempted to synthesise STIGMA gene inserts, but these clumsy copies are defective and dangerous."
Rita's expression darkened.
Then she reached the next line.
Data: "On the other hand, revelations from the almighty Serpent allowed our research to achieve true progress."
Rita immediately stopped.
Rita: "Serpent? The World Serpent?"
The document continued.
Data: "We can now artificially interfere with, activate, and transpose dormant STIGMA fragments for functional expression."
Data: "The transformation process was difficult. Many subjects were lost. A few became little more than animated corpses."
Data: "But those who survive the metamorphosis shall gain the ability to survive in a world filled with Honkai."
Data: "The cost to pay is steep, but the results justify the price."
Rita's eyes narrowed.
The next section appeared.
Data: "Activation progress remains slow. The numbers fail to meet expectations. We plan to test on a populated city…"
Rita's blood ran cold.
Rita: "Madness. They want to perform their test on an entire city…"
Suddenly—
CLICK.
A gigantic screen on the opposite side of the laboratory switched on.
Static flickered across the display.
Then a woman's face appeared.
Raven.
She looked directly at Rita through the screen.
Raven: "I happen to agree with you. But only sometimes."
The surrounding vats suddenly opened.
HISS!
Glass shattered.
The newly created test subjects emerged from their containers.
Zombies staggered onto the floor.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Rita slowly looked around.
She was surrounded.
Rita: "I'm surrounded."
Rita: "Immortal Blades, assemble."
Alvitr: "Aye!"
Raven smiled.
Raven: "Trespassing and spying on things without permission. Very typical of Schicksal."
Raven: "Since you're so interested in this place, do take a good look around, Miss Rossweisse…"
Raven: "I'll come up with something to entertain you as well."
Rita raised her scythe.
Raven: "You should always pay for something you want, right?"
Raven: "The lives of your Valkyries seem like a fair price for the knowledge you've acquired from this place."
Rita's gaze remained cold.
Rita: "I'm afraid you have no idea who you're dealing with."
Rita: "You are sadly mistaken if you believe these things can take down the Valkyries of Schicksal."
Raven's smile widened.
A vent opened above the chamber.
Then—
FSSSSSSSSSH!
A strange gas began flooding the room.
Raven: "I've prepared a special gift to see if the elite fighters from the Immortal Blades can perform just as well with their backs against the wall."
Rita immediately pulled her mask over her face.
Rita: "Underhanded tactics like zombies and biotoxins only reveal just how pathetic you really are."
Rita lunged forward.
Her scythe swept through the nearest zombie.
SLASH!
The razor-sharp blade cleaved the creature in two.
The corpse crashed to the floor.
Rita spun and struck another.
Then another.
The zombies fell around her.
Raven, however, didn't seem concerned.
Raven: "But I happen to disagree with you."
The woman on the screen smiled.
There was no disappointment in her expression.
Quite the opposite.
She looked as though everything had gone exactly according to plan.
Suddenly—
The zombies and Honkai beasts around Rita collapsed.
Their bodies hit the floor one after another.
Rita stopped.
Something was wrong.
Raven: "The HSN-B46 serum is no simple gas. I think you know what it is."
Rita's eyes widened.
Rita: "…!"
Raven continued.
Raven: "A serum designed by a genius from Schicksal to neutralise Honkai energy within the body."
Raven: "We further modified it for you. Serum particles can enter your systems via skin exposure to make you human again."
Rita's breathing became heavier.
Raven: "Oh, the irony. We're using a Schicksal weapon against Schicksal Valkyries."
Rita tightened her grip on her scythe.
Heavy mechanical footsteps suddenly shook the laboratory.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Several enormous mechs descended into the chamber.
They immediately charged.
Rita moved.
Her scythe struck one mech after another.
But her movements were slower.
The serum was taking effect.
Her Honkai energy was being neutralised.
Her muscles felt heavier.
Her reactions dulled.
The battle became increasingly difficult.
CLANG!
A mech's weapon slammed into the floor beside her.
Rita rolled away.
She counterattacked, carving through its armor.
Another mech charged.
She twisted aside and struck its core.
BOOM!
One by one, the machines fell.
But Rita was breathing heavily now.
Her movements were becoming slower.
Finally—
The last mech collapsed.
Rita remained standing amid the wreckage, breathing heavily.
Raven watched her through the screen.
Raven: "What's wrong, Rita?"
Raven: "I thought you were going to show me the power of the Immortal Blades."
Raven: "Guess it's my turn to introduce you…"
A deep mechanical roar echoed through the chamber.
KRRRRRNNNNG—
Something descended from the darkness above.
Then another.
And another.
Three enormous machines landed heavily on the floor.
BOOM!
Their angular robotic chassis were supported by long, sharp, multi-jointed mechanical legs resembling those of gigantic spiders.
Their central cores resembled smooth, mask-like faces, almost human in appearance.
Heavy machinery surrounded each central head.
Large vertical cylinders were mounted across their backs, resembling industrial exhaust pipes or smokestacks.
Toxic, glowing Honkai smog vented from them.
Their armor was primarily dark charcoal gray and white, marked by glowing red Honkai energy lines and powerful thrusters.
They slowly raised their mechanical limbs.
Rita stared at them.
Raven smiled.
Raven: "The Death Web. Specialised Valkyrie slayer."
The machines' red energy lines ignited.
Raven: "Have fun."
The Death Webs attacked.
Rita immediately moved.
CLANG!
A mechanical leg smashed into the ground.
She dodged beneath it and slashed upward.
SHING!
Sparks erupted from the machine's armor.
Another Death Web attacked from behind.
Rita spun around just in time.
She blocked.
The impact sent her skidding backward.
Her weakened body struggled to keep up.
The serum had robbed her of the power she normally relied upon.
Yet Rita continued fighting.
She weaved between the machines, striking whenever an opening appeared.
One Death Web fired a barrage of red Honkai projectiles.
Rita leapt aside.
Another mechanical leg stabbed toward her.
She twisted away.
Then—
SLASH!
Rita struck one of its joints.
The machine staggered.
But the third Death Web moved in.
Its mechanical limb swept across the chamber.
Rita barely avoided the strike.
She counterattacked—
Only for another mechanical limb to catch her scythe.
CLANG!
Rita's eyes widened.
The Death Web pulled.
She released her weapon and rolled away.
Then—
SHK!
A sharp mechanical claw grazed her shoulder.
Blood appeared across her damaged suit.
Rita stumbled backward.
The Death Webs slowly surrounded her.
She was cornered.
Then a second screen activated.
Rita looked up.
Her eyes widened.
The rest of the Immortal Blades were fighting desperately against the zombies.
But the numbers were overwhelming.
One Valkyrie was knocked from her feet.
Another blocked several attacks before being forced backward.
The zombies continued advancing.
Raven watched the battle with amusement.
Raven: "The Immortal Blades… What a pesky bunch."
Rita stared at the screen.
Her expression remained calm.
But her eyes hardened.
Raven: "Worry not about your sisters…"
Raven: "I love sharing, so every one of them is getting their fair share."
Rita's grip tightened around her scythe.
Raven smiled.
Raven: "That smirk on your face when you watch your sisters fall…"
Raven: "You have a heart of stone."
Rita looked directly at Raven.
Rita: "I'm just wondering how to return this favor…"
Rita: "When you fall into our hands…"
Raven's expression became colder.
Raven: "I hate it when people can't keep their word."
She raised one hand.
Raven: "Finish her!"
The three Death Webs simultaneously lowered themselves.
Their mechanical legs tensed.
Their red energy systems flared.
Then all three machines launched themselves toward Rita.
Rita tightened her grip on her scythe.