6. The Birth of a Warrior, The Serpent's Visit
"Gao Qi, Gao Qi, Brother Gao Qi..."
After Gao Qi left, the dim tent remained silent. Carol was still deep in sleep, while Fu Hua was already drenched in tears.
With an almost hollow, indifferent gaze, she stared in the direction where Gao Qi had disappeared, allowing her tears to flow freely, falling in large drops from her chin.
Gao Qi had performed well, but Fu Hua had performed even better.
As she watched him leave, she nearly gritted her silver teeth to dust, just to keep herself from crying out.
Fu Hua didn't know what the Honkai was, nor did she understand what the zombies truly were. But as a martial artist, even while fleeing for her life, she had observed those creatures closely.
She keenly noticed that each of the zombies bore some minor scratches, with purple patterns emerging from their wounds.
Though Gao Qi wasn't bleeding, Fu Hua could see that his injury was seething with a deep, intense purple—even darker than that of the zombies!
With her experience watching zombie movies with Carol, Fu Hua knew: he was turning into one of them, and he didn't want her to find out.
Since childhood, every time Gao Qi tried to lie to her, it was always obvious—Fu Hua would see right through him.
But this time, she didn't want to, nor could she, expose his lie.
Gao Qi wanted to leave with dignity, without causing her heartache. So Fu Hua couldn't cry. She couldn't show her vulnerable side and make him worry.
Yet, she couldn't hold back her tears. Her mind kept replaying memories of the past decade—how he had cared for her, looked after her, loved her.
Fu Hua had grown accustomed to Gao Qi's presence, to the taste of his cooking, to the way he would crack a joke whenever she put on a serious face.
No matter the day, whenever she returned home, she could always count on seeing Gao Qi waiting for her with a smile, gently patting her head, holding her in his arms.
But now, Fu Hua knew that from this day forward, there would be no Gao Qi in her life.
She had even dreamed of falling in love with him, marrying him, starting a family, and living an ordinary, happy life together.
But now, all of that was impossible.
Outside the tent, thunder rumbled, but Fu Hua was no longer afraid. On the contrary, a flame—a blazing fire—had ignited within her heart.
"Fu Hua, Squad Member Gao Qi, he—"
At that moment, after confirming Gao Qi's death, Himeko entered the tent, pulling the curtain aside, still pondering the "prophecy" he had left her.
She wanted to deny his words. Humanity had only encountered three Herrschers so far—who knew when the seventh would appear? She was a warrior fighting for the world, how could she possibly—
But according to records, the first and second Herrschers were both ordinary humans transformed by Honkai erosion. And Gao Qi's predicted outbreak time was eerily accurate...
Her mind in turmoil, Himeko ultimately decided to honor Gao Qi's request and fabricate some lies to placate Fu Hua.
But when she saw Fu Hua's tear-streaked face and hollow gaze, she knew there was no need.
Sighing, Himeko approached Fu Hua.
"You're far more clever than he thought. So, what will you do now? You can cry a little longer."
Before Himeko could finish, a pair of delicate yet strong hands grasped her shoulders.
"No. Give me a weapon. I want to join the fight—tell me, what exactly is the Honkai?"
Fu Hua rose abruptly, her empty eyes now reignited with light.
She glanced at Carol, still asleep beside her, and recalled the last words her brother Gao Qi had left with her before he departed.
"Fu Hua, you are free. You always have the right to choose how you want to live. No one can control you, nothing can bind you. I will always stand by your side!"
Fu Hua knew her greatest flaw was drifting with the flow, lacking direction for the future.
In truth, she had already found her purpose—but that so-called "Honkai" had stolen her life from her!
So now, she had something she wanted to do—the only thing she wanted: revenge!
"If Fire Moth needs warriors, then I will be a warrior!"
At that moment, Fu Hua's azure eyes shone with unwavering determination.
She would fight the Honkai—to the death!
Seeing the resolve in her eyes, Himeko was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
"...Very well. You've passed, Miss Fu Hua. I hereby grant you special approval to join the squad. You are now a member of the 5th Squad of Fire Moth."
Himeko thought to herself that this young girl before her might just have an extraordinary future ahead.
——————
[Simulation Instance: The Birth of a Warrior - Completed]
[Rating: A]
[Fu Hua still became a warrior of Fire Moth, but not because she was swept up in the Honkai tide or forced by circumstances.
She made her resolve: to take revenge against the Honkai for the one she admired, who died because of it.]
[She became unshakably determined, no longer drifting aimlessly but bravely facing every battle against the Honkai.
She remained serious and diligent most of the time, though occasionally, a smile would appear on her face. Her relationships with squad members weren't bad, and she never declined invitations to dances or victory banquets—as if intentionally imitating her departed brother.]
[On the 7th Herrscher Incident] When the 7th Herrscher incident occurred, Himiko, who had received the 'prophecy', deliberately set a trap targeting herself. After becoming the Herrscher, her remaining will desperately struggled to restrain herself. Fu Hua participated in the entire battle, ensuring the survival of nearly half the squad members, and assisted the first MANTIS, Kevin, in killing Himeko. Afterwards, Fu Hua argued vehemently, overturning the higher-ups' suggestion to disband Squad 5, and took over Himiko's duties herself—Carol became her assistant.
[Becoming a MANTIS] Finally, she fused with the Honkai Beast Garuda's, completing her Metamorphosis into a MANTIS. From that point on, Fu Hua truly became a warrior, becoming the one designated as Number 12.
Looking at the evaluation of his simulation in his mind, Gao Qi, who was preparing to go out to eat breakfast at the headquarters of Schicksal, felt no joy at the "A" grade. He had indeed changed Fu Hua's destiny, transforming her from a confused soldier into a warrior with a heart for revenge.
"Like a fleeting dream... Sigh, just when the evaluation finally improved, it feels worse instead."
He felt somewhat sad.
Gao Qi had thought he could accompany Fu Hua until the end of the Previous Era, which is why he made the promise to walk with her all the way. He never expected that he would ultimately break that promise.
The simulation system's content was too realistic. Dying quickly like in the previous ten attempts, Gao Qi could brush it off. But over a decade of memories couldn't be fake. Thinking that Fu Hua would no longer be by his side, Gao Qi felt uncomfortable.
The only consolation was that the real Squad Leader Fu Hua, the Immortal Phoenix, was still "alive" and right there at Schicksal Headquarters.
To be precise, neither alive nor dead.
"But that's not my Fu Hua. Do whatever you want, Little Senti."
Shaking his head, Gao Qi stopped dwelling on it and continued looking at his mission rewards.
*[Reward Obtained: Honkai Energy Adaptability (Beginner)]*
[You died due to Honkai energy infection, but at the moment of death, you successfully grasped a sliver of how to use Honkai energy. Although this couldn't delay your death, you indeed did not become a zombie.]
[Honkai Energy Adaptability (Beginner): You can attempt to control Honkai energy, directing its flow. You can withstand a maximum Honkai energy output roughly equivalent to a C-Rank Valkyrie.
Note: Honkai Energy Adaptability does not generate Honkai energy. You still need to find a Honkai energy source and Honkai energy weapons. When you bear Honkai energy, your body will still suffer strain. If you don't use a weapon, the strain increases.]
"Honkai Energy Adaptability!"
Seeing these words, Gao Qi couldn't help but exclaim excitedly. All the self-torment before his death was for this!
Of course, this method couldn't be replicated; after all, ordinary people couldn't learn through death like he did.
Although it was only beginner-level application, at best matching the Honkai energy output of a logistics C-Rank Valkyrie, Gao Qi was quite satisfied.
"Keep pushing forward. But, acquiring a weapon is a problem. I'm just an ordinary employee, where would I get my hands on something like that? If only I could get Valkyrie armor... No, I can't wear women's clothing either!"
Just as Gao Qi was excited, suddenly, another piece of information caught his attention.
[Additional Reward Obtained: Herrscher Affinity.]
[The small ripples you caused attracted the gaze of the 3rd Herrscher. Although She was quickly defeated by humanity's technology via Fire Moth, her attention and interest in you were genuine.]
[Herrscher Affinity: When you face a Herrscher, you will attract their attention and curiosity, slightly increasing their fondness for you. This effect only works when their humanity holds the upper hand and cannot counteract the Will of the Honkai.]
Seeing this, Gao Qi couldn't help but recall the Herrschers of this current era and gulped.
"Is this a reward? This is a punishment!"
——————
The thunder had ceased. With the defeat of the 3rd Herrscher far away in Nagazora City, Far East, Nagazora City temporarily regained calm. Fire Moth's work shifted to disaster relief.
"It's rare to meet such an interesting person. I wanted to chat with you more, about you and your sister, and that Prophet."
In the tent for deceased soldiers at the Fire Moth camp, a pink-haired girl zipped up the body bag over a young man.
"I haven't even said my name yet. I'm Elysia. I always thought we could have been good friends—sacrificing yourself for your sister is very cool. I like that."
Elysia sighed regretfully. Just as she was about to leave the tent, she suddenly saw a woman with long green hair, a voluptuous figure, but heavy dark circles under her eyes, looking utterly exhausted, walking quickly towards her.
"Eh, Dr. Mobius, this is for the deceased soldiers—"
"I need a dead body! Where is that special individual who endured Honkai energy several times beyond the human limit, maintained rationality for a long time, and didn't turn into a zombie after death—I need to research him! He holds the answers to many questions!"
Her green eyes tinged with pink shone with a thirst for knowledge. This tall and beautiful woman came straight to the point, demanding Gao Qi's corpse.
"Him—"
Elysia hesitated for a moment, but then suddenly remembered the words Captain Himiko had relayed to her.
"He's over there. You might not believe it, but he even anticipated someone would experiment on his body and agreed to your request in advance. Be careful not to let Fu Hua see."
Watching Dr. Mobius quickly walk over to Gao Qi, hoist him up, and carry him away like a sack, Elysia stuck out her tongue slightly and murmured to herself.
"That Prophet you mentioned... could it have been you yourself?"
Somehow, Elysia had a feeling that perhaps... they would meet again?
——————
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?