"Wait, Boss. The situation here seems a little off."
"Off? What's off about it?"
"The place you're in now is a restricted Japanese military zone. Take a look at the road over there, Boss."
Following Mobius's reminder, Fu Li, who had been moving through the forest, finally saw that in the distance, the main road was being guarded by soldiers.
Strange. There are troops stationed here, yet there wasn't a whisper about it back in the city.
As expected of Klein, I suppose. Even in a different era, she's still involved in some serious business.
"Scan for Honkai energy levels, Snakey."
"Yes."
In the laboratory, Mobius relayed the experimental data to Fu Li while simultaneously picking up a phone and quickly sending a message to Klein, informing her of Sakurajima Rin's movements.
And inside the Oceanographic Academy, Klein, sitting in the director's chair, couldn't help but clench her fists after seeing the message.
That Sakurajima Rin, is she trying to lead the disaster my way?
"Annie, from now on, you are the director, and I am just a junior researcher. Also, inform Raven that her naptime is over. Tell her to grab her gear and head to the vicinity of the Anti-Entropy base immediately."
"Of course, tell her she doesn't need to engage no matter what happens. All she has to do is stand there and enjoy the breeze."
Watching Director Klein quickly swap out her ID badge for a new one, the assistant named Annie nodded hurriedly and dialed Raven's number.
And Raven, who had been sleeping in her dorm room hugging a pillow, groggily received the order and trudged out to the seaside to get some fresh air in the middle of the night.
"Honestly, who did I piss off recently? Why is the work never-ending?"
Hugging her sniper rifle, Raven yawned. As the cold sea breeze brushed against her cheek, a strange sense of melancholy rose in her heart.
Not far away, Fu Li had just skewered a giant crab with his sword. He lifted it up to observe it closely.
"A variant Honkai Beast in the early stages of mutation?"
Looking at the crab, which was the size of a grown man, its carapace already turned the characteristic grayish-white of a Honkai Beast, Fu Li pulled his longsword from its head, understanding dawning on him.
It was common knowledge that Honkai Beasts didn't just appear out of thin air. The appearance of such a creature meant that there had to be a source of Honkai nearby.
Just as Fu Li was preparing to continue following the drone, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure standing by the sea, silently enjoying the breeze.
From her unique attire, Fu Li recognized her in an instant. Wasn't that Raven?
World Serpent is keeping an eye on this place too? How terrifying.
Despite this thought, Fu Li's interest in the secrets buried here only grew.
---o---
Twenty minutes later.
Before a secret cave on a seaside cliff.
"Boss, this is the drone's last known location. If it goes any further in, it'll be easily detected."
"Mm, understood. Leave the rest to me."
Looking at the base door that had already been opened, Fu Li activated his armor's stealth module as usual and carefully descended the stairwell.
Along the way, Fu Li noticed that the stairs were covered in a thin layer of dust. Upon it, a line of elegant footprints was particularly conspicuous.
Those must be Sakurajima Rin's.
The security system here had already been hacked by Mobius. Through the still-operational cameras, he could confirm that this was an abandoned laboratory.
The source of the Honkai was indeed a Honkai reactor, but it had clearly suffered physical damage, causing it to leak and mutate the surrounding environment.
As for Sakurajima Rin, she had taken something of unknown purpose and had already left.
"An Anti-Entropy lab, just as I thought."
Deactivating his stealth, Fu Li moved through the secret laboratory, trying to find any useful information.
But as expected, all important documents, including surveillance records, had been taken or destroyed. All that remained were some personal items and experimental equipment that were difficult to move.
However, it wasn't a complete waste. Among the items, a torn photograph actually got a response from the system.
[Beep! Detected that the Host has obtained a special item.]
[Item Name: Torn Photo]
[The building in the photo is a destroyed orphanage. However, because the other half is missing, only a blue-haired girl and a silver-haired girl with twin-tails are visible.]
[Although their faces show the relief of having survived a disaster, they look incredibly sad.]
[When the Host touches this item, you can choose to enter a short-term simulation.]
[Reward: Unknown]
A short-term simulation?
Fu Li remembered that the last time he had triggered a short-term simulation was... well, the last time.
Gently brushing the dust off the photo, Fu Li had no trouble recognizing the girls in the picture as Seele and Bronya.
"Oh well. Since there are no more clues here, it's time to leave."
After confirming there was no more useful information, Fu Li decided to head home, despite feeling like he'd been on a wild goose chase.
On his way back, he learned from Snakey that Sakurajima Rin had already returned to her own apartment with whatever she had taken.
"Should I kill her, Boss?" Snakey's voice sounded a little eager, but Fu Li refused.
"There's no need, Snakey. Since she was able to find that abandoned base, it means she's likely part of the conservative faction and is also looking for Cocolia."
"That being the case, we have no reason to move against her. It's always easier to find someone when you have an organization behind you. We just need to keep an eye on her and then play the fisherman."
"Alright then." Seeing Fu Li's insistence, Mobius didn't press the issue and turned her attention to the photo. "What's this?"
"It's a short-term simulation item," Fu Li said, lying back on his bed and yawning.
"You're going to do another simulation?" Mobius sounded puzzled.
"Yeah. It's just a short-term one. Think of it as a way to relax."
Fu Li found a comfortable sleeping position and closed his eyes. "I'm leaving my body in your care, Snakey."
"Mm, understood."
Mobius nodded. As she watched him close his eyes, her gaze shifted to the apartment next door, and a cold smile touched her lips.
Did they really think she didn't know what they were planning, trying so desperately to lure Li over there?
[Entering short-term simulation...]
[Your identity for this simulation is a member of Cocolia's Orphanage, named Amon Barbatos (14 years old).]
[You were once a member of the noble Russian Barbatos family. Due to the Honkai Eruption in the year 2000, you became an orphan.]
[After being orphaned, you were taken in by Cocolia's Orphanage, where you met Sin Mal, also from an old Russian noble family, and a gentle girl named Seele.]
[You have always served as the big brother figure for everyone.]
[Until one day, the orphanage's director, Cocolia, brought back a silver-haired girl.]
"Bronya."
Fu Li entered the simulation and looked at the girl tightly gripping his arm, murmuring her name under his breath.