Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles? (Chapter 456-457)

Chapter 456: A Twist of Fate

"Let me remind you, Mr. Lin Wei, a man of such extraordinary action..." Dr. Schrodinger's voice still emanated from the small beacon. "In this desolate wilderness, being too active isn't necessarily a good thing. If you get injured or sick here, there are no hospitals or medicines to treat you."

It was now noon on the second day, theoretically the warmest time of day. Lin Wei had already spent a night of wind and snow in this simple bear cave. At this moment, wrapped in the thick bearskin, he was sitting cross-legged by the rekindled bonfire, "enjoying" his second bear meat feast with a look of difficulty.

It was still just as unpalatable, or perhaps—even more so.

"Sick? Hehe, ever since I recovered from the Honkai sickness that nearly killed me a year ago, I don't think I've even had a cold. As for getting injured..." The two words from Schrodinger's mouth made Lin Wei chuckle. "That's become a common occurrence since then."

A Honkai Eruption in Manila, a great battle with Otto, and the terrifyingly strong enemy that made a brief appearance after entering the Sea of Quanta...

Putting aside trivial little conflicts like the fight with Siegfried, even just counting these supposedly rare major events, even Lin Wei himself felt that it was extremely lucky to still be sitting here, feasting on bear meat.

As for why these major events were "supposedly" rare...

Forget it, it's better not to pry into people's hardships.

"Honkai sickness? That's certainly very lucky," Schrodinger said. Her consistently understated voice showed no trace of surprise or exclamation. She never seemed to be a good conversation partner.

"Dr. Schrodinger, I guess a lot of people would think you're a difficult person to get along with, right? Like a killjoy, bad at conversation, and so on?" Even after knowing her for a short while, Lin Wei still felt helpless at Schrodinger's cold demeanor. "Although Dr. Einstein's tone of voice also sounds very calm, at least she occasionally throws in a cold joke or two, which shows she has some sense of humor."

At least she doesn't kill the mood!

"...It seems you two are indeed quite familiar." Schrodinger naturally understood what Lin Wei meant and said, "I understand that appropriate 'small talk' is the best way to bridge the gap between people. It's just that I don't have the habit of prying into others' past experiences."

"It's okay, Dr. Schrodinger, everyone has a different personality, no need to force it. Getting along with people is a process of gradual adjustment, just like now—I'm actually just trying to use small talk to distract myself, so I can forget the greasy taste of this pot of meat that lacks salt and vinegar..."

Lin Wei was still struggling with the bear meat with a pained expression. He said slowly, "Also, let me correct a small error of yours: the best way to bridge the gap between people is not small talk, but shared experiences. Just like you, Doctor, you were able to quickly capture Dr. Tesla's signal and respond actively after being separated for more than half a century, isn't it because you had an unforgettable shared memory that didn't fade even after a long time?"

Except for the self-proclaimed flirtatious rogue Elysia, who he was a bit soft on, with everyone else, he was the rogue—talking eloquently anytime, anywhere, and sometimes throwing in some borderline but not offensive words to forcefully pry open the door. Lin Wei was very familiar with this kind of thing.

"...Indeed. It seems you are very talkative." Schrodinger hummed softly and followed the topic. "In fact, after that, I also had the experience of traveling with some other people by chance. They also left a deep impression on me."

"Are you talking about Bianka, who changed her name to Durandal, and Rita, who traveled with her?"

Having finally opened up a topic, Lin Wei naturally wouldn't let this opportunity go. He used this as a pretext to smoothly transition to himself. "Although sometimes, as Otto's subordinates, they are my enemies, at other times, they can also be considered my friends. For example, Rita, during the Manila Honkai Eruption, we also fought side by side. As for Durandal..."

Lin Wei had been quite enthusiastic, but his words came to an abrupt halt when he mentioned this name. His originally relaxed expression also became solemn in an instant.

"What's wrong?" Schrodinger was surprised. You know it's very frustrating when people stop talking halfway through, right?

Even someone as taciturn as her couldn't help but be concerned about this kind of thing.

"...It's nothing, I just thought of something else." Lin Wei threw the half-eaten bear rib into a snowdrift not far away, then used the snow to roughly clean his greasy hands and face. He then stood up, walked out of the cave, took a deep breath of the cold air, and said, "Doctor, let me ask you, if Durandal were here, would she be trembling from the cold like me?"

"I think probably not," Schrodinger said. "Although I probably understand what you mean, I must remind you that her constitution is special and her talent is extraordinary. It's not suitable to make a comparison here."

"Heh, of course I know that. In fact, I guess even if it were Rita, she wouldn't look as pathetic as I do." Lin Wei lifted the bearskin coat on his body for a moment, but after a brief sensation, he quickly wrapped it back around himself, even shivering. "Her battlesuit is good at creating an extremely cold ice domain, and can even freeze a piece of the ocean into a glacier. Even with the protection of her Valkyrie battlesuit, she, at the very center, has to endure a considerable degree of low temperature..."

Schrodinger listened attentively to Lin Wei talking about these things that had nothing to do with the current situation, and then replied, "This sounds like jealousy arising from a large gap in ability—but I guess the reason you're talking about Bianka and Rita at this time is not because of that."

"The reason is of course not jealousy, but an indescribable worry..." Lin Wei's voice sounded a little low. "I have a Stigma on my body, a complete, natural, and even living Stigma. It was it that freed me from the entanglement of the Honkai sickness, and also gave me the capital to compete with Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries. Normally, the mere cold of the far north shouldn't be able to do anything to me."

"It seems something has changed," Schrodinger said.

"A change? Heh... In the great battle with Schicksal, both I and my Stigma were exhausted. After entering the Sea of Quanta, I encountered an unexpected enemy, and the Stigma's power was overdrawn because of it," Lin Wei said. "This can't be considered a change. During the Manila Honkai Eruption, in order to block the world-destroying tsunami and hold the precarious defense line, I paid a much more tragic price, and the Stigma's power was also severely overdrawn. But..."

"But, no matter how overdrawn the power is, it should have recovered somewhat after a night's rest," Schrodinger finished his sentence. "It seems this is the real change."

"Yes, even after a night's rest, my hands and feet would still quickly lose feeling if they were exposed. Of course, I could completely comfort myself with the excuse that 'such a short time is not enough for a full recovery,' but..." Lin Wei clenched his fist, carefully feeling the strength in his knuckles as he pressed them into his palm, and said, "I haven't felt a response from my Stigma for a long time, not even a faint response like a dream talk, as if..."

Lin Wei suddenly stopped, turned around, and kicked a large clump of snow, extinguishing the already dimming bonfire with a hiss. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the pitch-black flight device, wrapped himself in the thick "bearskin coat," and leaped onto it. "We must act quickly, we have to leave here as soon as possible. I must get in touch with Kevin and Su as soon as possible."

A strong sense of urgency washed over him. Lin Wei pulled the control stick hard, and the flight device rose sharply. After a few seconds, it descended again, flying at treetop level along the mountain range.

"Damn it, the wind and snow are too strong, I can't see anything in the distance. The next time I see Vill-V, I must make her improve this thing properly, get rid of those fancy, useless features, and add back the radar, infrared detection, and most importantly, the windproof and warming functions..."

Lin Wei gritted his teeth and muttered. Even though he was wrapped in a thick layer of bearskin, he was still trembling from the cold in this open flight device. "Damn it, I can't last long like this!"

"I can see that this is indeed a designer with a very unique taste, very good at self-expression," Schrodinger said concisely. "You're getting anxious, Lin Wei."

Well, it seems her EQ isn't too high either...

"Before the next time loop, I must make some progress, at least find traces of human civilization, even if it's just a highway," Lin Wei endured the biting cold wind and had to slowly reduce the speed of the flight device. "Otherwise, I can't just run in circles like a hamster!"

"Well, in conditions of insufficient visibility, using the mountain range as a reference is indeed a good choice. If you return to the starting point at some point in the future, at least you can clearly remember which path you took before," Schrodinger easily saw through Lin Wei's intention. "In any case, I still suggest that you reasonably allocate your stamina and mobility."

Lin Wei was a smart person. She knew she didn't have to say too much. She just needed to give some reminders when necessary, and he would only make the right choice.

"I know... hiss..." Lin Wei was about to say something when he suddenly felt a shiver and muttered to himself, "Strange, why do I feel like I'm being watched by something?"

Lin Wei always had some strange intuitions, a ability that even he himself didn't know where it came from.

In the past, Yae Sakura would always respond to this feeling of Lin Wei's with her more acute intuition and more precise language. But now, Lin Wei's habitual muttering to himself received no response, which made him feel a little lonely for a moment.

"Compared to someone's gaze, in my opinion, this is more likely to be an illusion caused by your hypothermia," Schrodinger did not remain silent, but responded to Lin Wei with her own observation and understanding. "I suggest you land first and find a sheltered place to rest for a while. After your body temperature returns to a healthy level, then continue with the next step."

This was her suggestion as a bystander.

"Ha, you're right."

Intuition is something that is hard to explain. It is often a fleeting spark. If you don't grasp it in time, it's easy to lose it. At this time, Schrodinger's suggestion was also reasonable.

Hearing her say this, Lin Wei turned his attention from the flying thoughts in his brain back to his body, and only then did he finally feel that his hands and feet were about to freeze.

And so, under the gaze of a gray eye a few kilometers away, Lin Wei guided the flying device toward a sheltered mountain hollow and slowly descended.

In the distance, Bronya thought she was lucky to have just happened to discover a strange aircraft, and to have seen it land not far from her with her own eyes.

Little did she know that, to some extent, it was precisely because she saw the existence of this aircraft from a distance that it landed.

To some extent, this could also be considered a "two-way trip."

Fortunately, at this moment, neither Lin Wei nor Schrodinger knew about this.

Otherwise, what Schrodinger would think is unknown, but Lin Wei would most likely sigh and say, "Is this the so-called 'observer effect'? It really fits the basic setting of the Sea of Quanta..."

The flight device landed, cutting wood, starting a fire, and warming up, all in one go.

Lin Wei leaned against a huge rock that could be used as a windbreak. The walking stick he had been holding in his hand was dismantled and placed flat beside him. His two hands were gently cradling the black Pandora, and he was quietly resting with his eyes closed, his thoughts unknown.

"Is this the Key of Corrosion?" Schrodinger quietly examined this simple, unadorned black box. "Combining two powerful weapons into a seemingly harmless ornament is indeed a very creative disguise."

"Disguise? You've misunderstood on that point. The first time I did this, I just wanted to make a prop to annoy a certain overactive magician..." Lin Wei smiled slightly and said, "As for why it still looks like this later... you may not believe it, but it was actually just to get through security checks."

"Security checks?"

"Yes, this is a bladed knife! You basically can't travel normally with it!" Lin Wei separated one hand, picked up the sheathed cursed blade, and gestured with it in the air. "With the intervention of the Key of Corrosion, there's no problem getting through security checks, but it's still a bit too obvious visually, so it's better to cover it up. Later on, it just became a habit..."

"Getting through security checks, a Divine Key can be used like that..." Schrodinger was speechless. This was simply a reckless waste of a priceless object, wasn't it?

"The cursed blade is Yae Sakura's most commonly used weapon. She usually resides in the Stigma Space, so of course I have to carry it for her," Lin Wei said as if it were a matter of course. "Disguising it a little with Pandora is the best of both worlds."

In the end, it still came back to "disguise." Although the original intention and purpose were different, the result was the same.

"Yae Sakura... this seems to be the second time I've heard this name from you. Is she the Stigma you mentioned?" Schrodinger, however, was attracted by another name. "A Stigma with self-awareness, and can even act on its own to some extent. Such cases are quite rare."

She was not just a physicist, but also had a very deep research in the philosophy of life. It was only natural for her to be interested in such things.

"Yes, it's indeed rare," Lin Wei repeated with some emotion. "Besides Sakura, in the whole world, there's probably only..."

He suddenly remembered something, paused, and then laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Hehe... now that I think about it, Miss Seele, who also has a special Stigma and is also drifting in the Sea of Quanta, and I can probably be considered fellow sufferers, right?"

"Mm..."

Lin Wei was about to say more when a rustling sound suddenly came from the top of the huge rock he was leaning against, like a mouse scurrying through the snow.

"A mouse in this season? Out foraging?" Lin Wei thought strangely. Suddenly, a black shadow much larger than he had imagined leaped down from the top of the rock straight towards him.

"!"

Lin Wei was startled. Before he could react, the Pandora that was quietly resting in his hands suddenly flew up and smashed the "giant mouse" heavily to the side.

Chapter 457: A Despicable Bronya

Of course, that was no mouse, nor was it any wild animal. It was a person launching a sneak attack, a person Lin Wei was quite familiar with.

"Hm?"

Pandora, having sent the attacker flying, flew back and circled around Lin Wei.

Lin Wei could now clearly see the identity of the assailant. Even though the person had fallen into the thick snow, her petite figure and her almost iconic light gray twin-drill pigtails allowed him to instantly recognize who she was.

"Bronya?"

Lin Wei was greatly surprised. How could she be here? "Dr. Schrodinger, the Sea of Quanta..."

Before his thoughts could move to the next logical step, Bronya, who had been knocked back into the snow and was feigning unconsciousness, tensed up and launched another attack, cutting off the rest of his unfinished sentence.

Using her young age and small size to appear weak, then seizing the opportunity for a fatal blow when the enemy let their guard down, thinking she was just a child—this was a tactic Bronya had used time and time again with great success.

But all of that became meaningless the moment Lin Wei called out her name. So, she decisively switched strategies. If a sneak attack wouldn't work, then a direct assault it was!

"Hah!"

Her childish shout held no intimidating power, but when she drew the dagger from her boot and thrust it towards Lin Wei's chest, her movements were as swift, precise, and mercilessly lethal as a hunting cheetah, without a single bit of discount.

Ting!

Lin Wei's eyes and hands were quick. His armored right hand shot out in front of his chest, precisely catching the sharp dagger in his palm, stopping the thrust aimed at his heart.

Her first strike having failed, Bronya didn't show any disappointment. Or rather, her goal was already achieved the moment she got close to Lin Wei.

The instant her dagger was caught, she let go, twisted her body, and pushed off the large rock beside her with her small but powerful legs, flipping over Lin Wei's head.

As she flew over, she drew the pistol from behind her waist and fired four consecutive shots—BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!—almost instantly hitting Lin Wei's shoulders and both thighs.

In the same instant that Lin Wei fell to the ground from the gunshots, the young and experienced hunter landed lightly. The entire process was as swift as a rabbit escaping and a falcon swooping, filled with a deadly beauty.

"Hmph."

Bronya casually tossed aside the still-smoking pistol, grabbed her heavily wounded prey from the blood-soaked snow, and slammed him against the thick rock wall.

She picked up the dagger she had just dropped and pressed it heavily against Lin Wei's neck. A crimson bead of blood seeped out from the sharp edge.

Seeing this, Bronya showed no mercy at all. Instead, she pressed the dagger even harder and interrogated him coldly, "Where is Seele?"

...

"What were you about to say?" Schrodinger asked, her voice as calm as ever, showing no surprise or panic at the sudden appearance of an enemy.

She also showed no interest in the black feathers falling from the sky. Instead, she was more interested in what Lin Wei hadn't finished saying.

"Nothing. I was just curious if there was too great a difference in the flow of time between the Sea of Quanta and the native world. After all, in my opinion, Bronya shouldn't be in the Sea of Quanta at this time. But now it seems that's not necessary."

Lin Wei shook his head, looking strangely at the twin-drill girl who was still holding him at knifepoint but was now standing motionlessly with vacant eyes.

He clicked his tongue and muttered to himself, "Was Bronya always this ruthless in the past? It seems I should be grateful she went easy on me back then. After all, at St. Freya Academy, she could have easily kicked me while I was down when I was in a complete mess..."

Seeing how badly his illusionary self was beaten, Lin Wei felt a pang of toothache. To have dared to mess with such a ruthless and violent loli, I was truly brave back then!

"I see. It seems you've met your 'acquaintance'," Schrodinger said. "It's not uncommon to encounter similar people and things in world bubbles, but I shouldn't need to remind you of this fact—they are not the people you were familiar with in the past."

She said she didn't need to remind him, but she did anyway.

"Yes, I know," Lin Wei nodded. "The Bronya I know, at least, wouldn't attack me so heavily right from the start. And—she seems to prefer large-caliber cannons to guns now..."

The Heavy Armor Bunny is just too useful. The Bronya in the native world doesn't even need to fight personally now, she's not even willing to walk on her own!

Huh, could it be that the process of turning her into a useless person actually started from now?

The thought of the future Bronya, who wouldn't want to go out whether it was sunny or rainy, made Lin Wei's mind wander again. The contrast was too stark!

"Although I'm reluctant to interrupt someone's train of thought when they're thinking, but..." Schrodinger's calm voice sounded at the right time. "I think you should at least deal with the matter at hand first. After all, privately manipulating someone else's consciousness is not a commendable act."

This gray-haired little girl who had suddenly appeared, one second thrusting a dagger at Lin Wei with murderous intent, the next second standing motionlessly with a dazed expression, was an extremely bizarre sight no matter how you looked at it.

"Some things are better observed and verified through illusions. After all, I don't want to be really hurt by Bronya in reality, and of course, I don't want to hurt her either," Lin Wei said.

"The tone and manner of your speech just now were indeed somewhat similar to Otto's," Schrodinger said. "Just as self-centered and sanctimonious."

"Hehe, is that so? That's truly regrettable."

Lin Wei smiled nonchalantly. He would no longer be affected by such words.

He gently pried open Bronya's tightly clenched fingers and carefully took the dagger from her hand. Then he snapped his fingers, and the always-dazed Bronya shivered and quickly came to her senses, her face full of astonishment.

"Huh? This..." Bronya looked at the unharmed Lin Wei in disbelief. Weren't his limbs crippled, and wasn't he being interrogated by me?

She didn't understand what had happened, but it didn't stop her from acting instantly. She didn't leap towards the rock wall as originally planned; it was too late for that.

Without any warning, she kicked up a cloud of snow to cover Lin Wei's vision, and under the cover of this kick, she drew the pistol from her back.

BANG!

She only managed to fire one shot, and it was off target. The moment before she pulled the trigger, Pandora flew in from the side and knocked it out of her hand.

Then, before she could launch any other plans, a black chain appeared out of thin air and bound her tightly in place, unable to move.

"There might be some misunderstanding between us, Bronya," Lin Wei couldn't help but be amazed by this little girl's ruthlessness and cunning.

Only after completely subduing her did he have a chance to try and talk. "I don't know the Seele you're talking about, nor do I know her."

In fact, he didn't know either Seele.

You're full of it! Bronya struggled in vain, looking at Lin Wei with cold, hateful eyes, as if she wanted to eat him alive. She said, word by word, "Mother Cocolia will not let you go!"

At the same time, her heart was filled with regret. If she hadn't clearly heard the name "Seele" from this person's mouth just now, how could she have made a sound in her panic at that moment, thus being forced to give up her hiding and immediately launch a direct attack?

If not for that, how could she have fallen into his hands so easily?

This despicable person, he had recognized me, discovered me long ago. From the very beginning, everything he showed was just to toy with me!

"Lin Wei, when we were chatting just now, you mentioned the name 'Seele',"

Schrodinger reminded him at the right time. "Although this is just a coincidence, what you're saying now might deepen the other party's misunderstanding."

Ah, as expected, there's an accomplice! Bronya's eyes darted around, but she couldn't find the person who had made the second sound, which made her even angrier. Seele isn't here, she must have been taken away by your accomplice, right?

As for what Schrodinger had specifically said—she didn't care about the enemies' back-and-forth!

"...It's indeed an extremely clichéd coincidence." Lin Wei shrugged helplessly. Besides remembering another familiar name from Bronya's vicious threat, he really didn't take it to heart at all. "But no matter what, our investigation of this world bubble has finally shown some results."

Compared to wandering aimlessly in the snowfield alone, the appearance of another person, especially a familiar one, was undoubtedly a huge progress!

"Your eyes and expression are much richer and more vivid than the Bronya I know..." Lin Wei walked to her side and carefully examined this little girl, who was even younger than the expressionless loli in his memory.

He couldn't help but feel a little emotional. "To avoid any more misunderstandings, let me confirm one question first. Bronya, do you know Kiana and Mei?"

What kind of nonsense is he talking about? This Bronya had never heard of these two names and continued to glare at Lin Wei.

"...Is that so? I probably understand now." Lin Wei sorted through the information he had obtained in this short time. "Rich in emotion, doesn't know Kiana and Mei, respects and trusts Cocolia, and Seele seems to have been abducted by someone... Hehe, putting aside the 'parallel world' where the world line goes completely haywire, the answer pointed to by the current clues is too obvious."

In the native world, when Seele was living in Cocolia's orphanage, she was once abducted and later rescued by Bronya alone.

Although I don't know why Cocolia was so useless, letting her own child be abducted on her own turf, and even letting Bronya take on the extremely risky task of rescuing her alone.

But no matter what, this absurd thing happened so spectacularly. And now... it seems I've stumbled into this matter?

"Bronya, believe it or not, I and the you from another world are pretty good friends. At least we often play games online together..." Lin Wei squatted down in front of Bronya, trying to keep his line of sight level with hers, and explained seriously to this "old friend" who was full of hostility towards him.

"I don't know if the current you likes to play games, but we're not enemies in any case. How about this, I'll untie you, and then we can sit down and have a good talk about what happened, okay?"

Bronya looked at him, her expression softened, and she nodded silently. Seeing this, Lin Wei waved his hand and dispelled the chains that bound her.

In the next instant, Bronya's chubby little face once again showed a fierce look, and she pounced at the close-at-hand Lin Wei. She didn't believe a word of the nonsense Lin Wei had said.

In the next instant, the chains appeared out of thin air again, binding her in the exact same way with a clatter. Her whole body lost balance due to inertia and she fell forward, only to be caught by Lin Wei's hand, saving her from a fall.

"Despicable!" Bronya was not grateful at all, but instead cursed angrily.

"I was just being cautious. The truly despicable one is you, right, Bronya?" Lin Wei couldn't help but feel a headache. "Where did that upright, beloved Duckie go?"

To counter-attack after a failed sneak attack, is that even allowed?

Was the "personality correction" at St. Freya Academy that effective?

Lin Wei, who had always lived in the wild, was greatly moved for a moment.

"It's not that simple to resolve the other party's hostility with just a few words," Schrodinger said. "The ability you just used should be similar to the authority of the Key of Consciousness, right? After all, you said that your Key of Corrosion can borrow the power of other Divine Keys."

"Are you suggesting I use Fenghuang Down to modify her memory and tamper with her consciousness?" Lin Wei certainly understood Schrodinger's hint.

"If the person who came was Cocolia, I really wouldn't mind doing that. After all, I have no goodwill towards that woman. But I don't like to do such dignity-trampling things to innocent people, especially since Bronya is my friend—even if the her in this strange world is a stranger to me."

"Is that so?" Schrodinger was noncommittal but didn't say anything more.

"Alright, no need to probe, Dr. Schrodinger. Even if it's just a dreamlike bubble, when I go back, I still want to be able to talk to Bronya with my head held high!" Lin Wei said. "In any case, maybe we've found a clue. If I'm not mistaken, that missing Seele might be the key to this world bubble!"