Chapter 116: Shoot Kallen? Shoot Theresa? Otto's Death Choice!
In the game, the grief-stricken Captain questioned the white-haired girl as to why she had to kill Himeko. However, she said nothing and simply tossed a file to him. The contents recorded in that file shocked every viewer in the livestream.
In this world, Otto did not stop his experiments after creating A-310; he continued cloning trials. Otto believed the "Vishnu" cells were too powerful and harmful to a clone's body, requiring other elements to maintain balance. In 1996, Otto attempted to add the energy of the Divine Key of Erosion into a clone, creating experimental subject A-872.
The result gave A-872 a strange characteristic: through blood-sucking, she could inject bacterial-type Honkai beasts into a victim. Within 48 hours, the victim would be transformed into a half-human, half-Honkai beast existence. Those infected would become puppets sharing A-872's vitality and possessing a bloodlust. The infected's feeding would strengthen A-872, and in turn, as long as A-872 faced no lethal threat, the infected would gain near-eternal life.
On a whim, Otto speculated that these bacterial beasts might work on the deceased. He ordered A-872 to drain Kallen's blood, causing Kallen to be "resurrected" through a form of "Blood Covenant." However, the resurrected Kallen possessed only fragmented memories. In other words, the woman appearing before the Captain was indeed the real Kallen Kaslana, but her memories were incomplete.
The bitten Himeko... was now one of the infected. This process was irreversible. Kallen sought out Himeko and told her everything about A-872, including Himeko's own infection. Himeko chose to die as a human and requested Kallen to finish her. This was the deep meaning behind her final words to the Captain on the rooftop; she was making her final farewell!
[So that's how it is...]
[Subject A-872... that Theresa's true identity is just a tool created by Otto to resurrect Kallen...]
[The truth of the vampires? It turns out it's inextricably linked to the Honkai too...]
[DAMN IT! I knew it! It's Otto's fault again!]
[Otto, your evil knows no bounds! NO BOUNDS!!]
The viewers reached a realization at this moment. The sequence of events became clear. The Theresa of this world—or rather, A-872—was an experimental tool. Her special ability allowed Kallen to be resurrected. After Kallen led Theresa out of her cage, Theresa's inability to suppress her bloodlust led to a surge of infected in Soukai City. The "Vampire Truth" was such a sorrowful and pitiful story. Kallen believed everything was her responsibility; if she hadn't brought Theresa out, none of this would have happened. Therefore, she intended to put an end to both Theresa and A-872.
"Though he successfully resurrected Kallen, the price was to turn Theresa into a bird in a cage forever." Otto closed his eyes. Immersing himself in the perspective of the in-game Otto, the mere thought made him feel as if he were suffocating. "A doll, exactly... the Theresa in the game was right. From start to finish, she was nothing more than a doll I created. A tool to bring back Kallen. ...She can't even be called a human. The root of all evil, Otto Apocalypse..."
A bitter smile appeared on Otto's lips. He didn't feel like he was playing a game anymore. It felt like he was watching real events from another world. If parallel universes truly existed, perhaps in the vast multiverse, such a mad universe truly existed.
"Otto, what's wrong?" Kallen held Otto's hand, looking at him with concern. "Grandpa, your face looks a bit pale..." Theresa also looked at him with care. In a moment like this, she didn't plan on being cross with him.
"It's nothing..." Otto suddenly smiled. "Maybe I really should thank that kid Su Mu. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't realize how happy I am now! So, Theresa, give Grandpa a loving hug!"
The previously worried Theresa immediately rolled her eyes. "Grandpa, what are you saying all of a sudden? Have you no shame! And here I thought you were feeling unwell, but you were just thinking of mushy speeches! Stop treating me like a kid!"
Looking at Theresa's huffy expression, Otto wasn't annoyed; instead, he laughed happily. Perhaps this peaceful daily life was exactly what the inhabitants of parallel worlds dreamed of?
"You are truly a mysterious person, Su Mu." Otto's evaluation of Su Mu rose again. He began to suspect if the boy had the ridiculous ability to observe other parallel worlds. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how he could write a plot that felt so real to Otto. He developed a profound interest in Su Mu.
In the subsequent game plot: The Captain woke up again, only to find himself lying on Rita's lap once more. Through his dialogue with Rita, it was revealed that the Captain did not possess the "Return by Death" ability. He was using a special means to travel to the world of A-872. His goal: to find a possibility where "Lady Kallen lives." All of this was an experiment conducted by Otto using the power of a Divine Key to find a world-line where Kallen would not die.
Guided by that power, the Captain entered a three-day loop. In the first two loops, due to a lack of memory synchronization, he almost forgot his purpose. The third—and final—loop was when the Captain's consciousness mapping finally synchronized. The Captain also learned the result of the second loop from Rita: Kallen's attempt to suppress A-872 alone ended in failure.
Entering the third loop, the Captain followed his experiences from the first loop and risked his life to save Theresa, thereby avoiding Himeko's infection and eventual death. After regrouping with Himeko at the HOMU restaurant, Kallen, who had come with Himeko, stayed behind to talk to the Captain alone. It turned out the Captain had used the phone number Kallen gave him in the previous loop to arrange a meeting.
["How about we chat over some late-night snacks?"]
Despite the gravity of the situation, the next in-game CG made the viewers lose their composure. The CG showed Kallen holding a massive pile of hamburgers, her face full of such happiness that even passersby couldn't help but smile. Just moments ago, the Captain had described her as "clad in pitch black, yet unable to hide the nobility and solemnity flowing from her very bones."
Where is the nobility? Where is the solemnity! She's clearly just a foodie girl, isn't she?!
"That's very Kallen-like." This image made Otto chuckle. He was certain this Kallen was the real deal—parts of her memory might be missing, but her core hadn't changed a bit.
[Hey, hey, this look is literally Kiana!]
[The inherited 'Tuna' attribute of the Kaslana family?]
[Well, Kallen is Kiana's ancestor; it's only natural for Kiana to take after her, right?]
[Are all members of the Kaslana family these kinds of idiots...]
The viewers couldn't stop commenting. One second the atmosphere was tense, with guns ready to be drawn, and the next, Kallen was gorging herself on burgers in the street. The contrast was too much.
The Captain used the experience from previous loops to gain Kallen's trust. He told her A-872's location and asked her to stay her hand the following night. On the second night, just like their first meeting, the Captain danced with Theresa on the rooftop. The difference this time was that Kallen was hidden in the shadows, watching it all. This time, the Captain finally said the words he couldn't say in previous loops:
["You are not a doll. Your worries and struggles are proof that you are truly alive!"]
Those words made Theresa's eyes widen as tears began to fall. All this time, she had been waiting for someone to say that to her. Today, her wish was finally fulfilled. But... just as the Captain was about to wipe the tears from her face, a gunshot rang out. Kallen broke her promise, and Theresa fled the scene, her whereabouts unknown.
["Why give her hope!? Why be kind to her?! Why... why..."]
Kallen pointed at the Captain; her pain was no less than his. It was Kallen who gave Theresa hope, who took her from Schicksal, and then "abandoned" her. Theresa had harmed innocents; if left alone, there would only be more victims. If taken back to Schicksal, Theresa would face even harsher treatment than before. To prevent her escape, Otto... the Overseer would likely strip her of her mobility entirely. Kallen could not take Theresa away without both of them being unharmed. If the Honkai beast within Theresa awakened, Kallen would be no match for her.
So, she made up her mind. From the start, her goal was to kill Theresa with everything she had... though killing Theresa meant she would die too. But Kallen had long made her peace with that. Her body had died five hundred years ago; Otto used Theresa's ability to resurrect her. She had lost most of her senses and had only fragmented memories. She didn't know who she was; only Theresa was her kin. The only thing Kallen could do was to bury her, returning this false life to Theresa.
["We... are both things that should never have existed in this world from the beginning..."]
In the [Midsummer Night's Fantasy]version, Kallen's A-rank Mechanical battlesuit—[Sündenjäger]—was also released. It was at this moment the audience finally understood why the suit was named Sündenjäger (Sin Hunter). The births of Kallen and Theresa were a mistake from the start...
Though Kallen didn't know who the Captain was, she knew he was a kind person. She chose to hand her gun to the Captain. Inside was a single special bullet that could kill either Theresa or Kallen. Having it meant the Captain had the power of choice.
[How could it be like this...]
[Are Kallen and Theresa destined only for destruction...]
[Kallen isn't wrong; she and Theresa truly shouldn't have existed.]
[Their existence defies common logic... This is all Otto's doing!]
The viewers were fully immersed in the plot, feeling immense indignation and powerlessness for Kallen and Theresa. Otto's mood was equally heavy. He looked at Kallen and Theresa beside him and saw that their eyes were slightly red. Kind-hearted as they were, seeing the plight of the "sisters" in the game naturally pained them.
"But the power of choice is handed to me in the end, huh..." Otto took a deep breath, fully submerged in the story. At this moment, the Captain holding the gun, entrusted by Kallen to make a decision, seemed to become him. Otto originally thought there would be more time to think. He was also curious about how Su Mu would write the ending. Would he choose to kill Theresa or Kallen?
No matter the outcome, Otto would feel sorrow, perhaps even cry. But regardless, he would face it. Witnessing the tragedy of that world made him cherish his current time even more. As Otto continued, the plot reached its final climax. Kallen and Himeko were hunting Theresa. Eventually, the sisters were forced to fight. The battle and bloodlust entered a state of frenzy.
The combat reached a deadlock; only the Captain's gun could break it. The Captain was plunged into a dilemma: shoot Theresa, or shoot Kallen? If he shot Theresa, both Theresa and Kallen would die together. If he shot Kallen, Kallen would die, and Theresa might survive.
Watching the story reach its peak, Otto's nerves were strained to the limit. No matter which choice Su Mu had scripted, he was prepared.
[Now, make your choice.]
[Shoot Theresa]
[Shoot Kallen]
However, the scene Otto expected—where the Captain struggles and finally makes a decision to fire at one side—did not appear. The writer did not let the in-game Captain make the choice. Instead, the power of choice was handed to the Otto in front of the screen—
He looked at the two yellow selection boxes that suddenly popped up. With just one glance, cold sweat instantly poured down his face! Otto Apocalypse felt his body tremble uncontrollably. His hand holding the mouse felt as heavy as lead, and his breathing became shallow and rapid.
He had to... he had to make a choice?? Right here, right now??
Otto's eyes widened; those yellow selection boxes felt like they were crudely prying open his skull. He felt the entire world go silent in that instant. In a void of white space, there was only Otto and the two choices on the screen.
Shoot Theresa or Shoot Kallen?
Is this a goddamn 'death trap' question?!
END OF CHAPTER
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