15. Rescue Operation, Serene Gem
December 7th, outskirts of Kreuzstein Town, Schicksal Development Center.
A car parked outside the building. Siegfried pulled the handbrake and glanced at Kiana in the back seat, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube. Meanwhile, in the passenger seat, Gao Qi, who had been resting with his eyes closed throughout the journey, opened his eyes and turned to look at her.
It was a fourth-order Rubik's Cube Gao Qi had given her. With Kiana's clever mind, an ordinary Rubik's Cube was already too easy for her—K-423, on the other hand was struggling, but having only just learned to speak clearly. Having lived nine years less, this wasn't surprising.
"The plan is set. All we need to do now is follow the steps. Kiana, do you remember everything you need to do?"
"Mhmm, no problem, Teacher! I've practiced it many times!"
Upon hearing this, little Kiana patted her chest, looking extremely confident.
Her bright blue eyes were filled with excitement. Since childhood, she had admired the idea of becoming a Valkyrie like her mother. When she learned that she had a "sister" imprisoned, she volunteered to join the rescue mission.
As Cecilia's daughter, Kiana was still a member of Schicksal. She and Siegfried had access to a training room in the development center, which was located in a different building from the laboratory. Recently, to familiarize themselves with the area, Siegfried had often brought her here.
Today, they were going to rescue K-423. Not only that, but they also planned to completely destroy all genetic data and information related to Kiana to prevent Otto from creating another batch of clones.
Gao Qi was responsible for analyzing the layout of the confidential laboratory and locating the necessary data.
Theresa returned to Schicksal Headquarters to delay the deployment of Valkyrie reinforcements.
Siegfried and Kiana were in charge of infiltrating the facility head-on. After securing a stealth aircraft from the research institute, they would rendezvous with Gao Qi. Meanwhile, Anti-Entropy assembled a team of mechs to ensure Kiana and the others could escape safely.
Of course, this was an extremely dangerous process. No one knew how it would end.
After all, their opponent was Otto, one of the most intelligent people in the world, who possessed the Divine Key, Void Archives.
Gao Qi could despise him, oppose him, but he absolutely could not underestimate him.
Who knew how Otto would react upon suddenly discovering that a staunch loyalist had betrayed him—most likely, he wouldn't even care.
To prepare for this, Gao Qi had Anti-Entropy develop a series of contingency plans, including the possibility that Otto had been aware of their conspiracy from the very beginning.
"Mhmm, Teacher knows you're the best. Do your best, Kiana. Let's work together to rescue your sister."
With a gentle smile, Gao Qi reached out and ruffled Kiana's head. The little cutie immediately narrowed her eyes in comfort, like a kitten. Over these past days, she had grown accustomed to this kind of reward from her teacher.
Then, as if being dropped off at school by a parent, Kiana got out of the car with a calm expression and headed toward the training ground, even greeting a Valkyrie she encountered along the way.
For the clever Kiana, this was nothing. Gao Qi believed she would be fine.
The two men watched Kiana leave. There was still some time before their operation began, and the atmosphere in the car grew somewhat awkward.
"When you're with Kiana, you act completely unlike yourself. Is that an act, or are you genuinely that friendly toward children?"
Looking at Gao Qi, whom he had known for several months, Siegfried couldn't help but voice his doubts before the operation began.
"Don't we all play different roles in our lives? When it comes to those we cherish, we naturally act more sincerely. As for a playboy like you, I can just pretend."
Gao Qi simply shrugged casually, showing no intention of giving a serious answer.
"Hey! You—"
Siegfried was left speechless, his mouth agape. Frustrated, he slumped back into the car seat.
Was Gao Qi acting? Of course.
Between two simulations, he had already grasped many of the intricacies of the simulation system.
The most important aspect of simulation was acting. Every time his identity changed, Gao Qi needed to carefully behave in a way that aligned with his role.
When he was with Fu Hua, he was her childhood friend who had grown up with her. Gao Qi didn't need to put on any act—he simply wholeheartedly treated her well, playing the role of a gentle older brother. Fu Hua, in turn, trusted him unconditionally.
But here, he was a die-hard loyalist who had worked for Otto for many years. He and Siegfried had only just met and were practically from opposing factions.
Could Gao Qi simply approach Siegfried and convince him that he was a good person?
Of course, given the hereditary Kaslana brain of Siegfried and Theresa, they might actually agree, but Anti-Entropy might not be so easily convinced.
So, Gao Qi adopted another identity.
A mad researcher who prioritized profit and assigned a price to everything, a little Lü Bu of Schicksal who, despite receiving Otto's favor, could still betray him.
He was greedy, vile, and malicious, but he truly possessed a lot of useful information.
Most importantly, as long as the price was right, Gao Qi would become a loyal ally!
"Otto is my dear friend, my sworn brother! You'll have to pay more!"
Thus, for these familiar yet unfamiliar people, Gao Qi chose the identity of a "collaborator" rather than a friend. He didn't need their trust or affection—only their cooperation.
Moreover, Gao Qi even somewhat... enjoyed the feeling of making others dislike him yet being unable to do anything about it.
Besides, Gao Qi wasn't doing anything bad—he was a good person!
Of course, Kiana and K-423 were exceptions. They were just children. There was no need for Gao Qi to play mind games with them.
How could they dislike Gao Qi when he treated them with the same sincerity as he did Fu Hua?
"We're just cooperating. As long as you cooperate well this time and help me get what I want from the lab, we never have to see each other again. Isn't that great?"
Basking contentedly in the sunlight streaming through the car window, Gao Qi replied casually.
In truth, aside from acting, Gao Qi really didn't want to form too many emotional connections in the simulation. The simulation was fake—no matter how touching it felt, it would be useless once the dream ended.
Parting with Fu Hua had left Gao Qi feeling listless all day. Even during the second simulation, he couldn't stop thinking about her. If such partings happened too often in the future, it would only make him feel worse.
In reality, Gao Qi would cherish and strive to maintain his friendship with people like Alvitr, but in the simulator...
Gao Qi felt that the current situation was just fine. If he were to suddenly die, neither side would be too devastated—but no matter what, compared to the tragedies of reality, Gao Qi hoped that in the simulation, they could have a beautiful future.
"No, you're not that kind of person."
But just before the operation began, Siegfried unexpectedly became serious.
"You can look down on the brains of the Kaslana family, but don't underestimate our intuition. I can feel that you're hiding many things from me. You're not just helping us to gain something. We've come this far—can't you tell me now?"
Siegfried's tone was unusually earnest, with a hint of pleading. Though reason told him that the man before him was a devilish temptress, his intuition kept insisting that Gao Qi had another secret.
What secret could there be? "Because you're my father-in-law, and I adore both Kiana and Bianca! I want to marry both your daughters!"
Of course, Gao Qi couldn't say that. He simply sighed softly and spoke slowly.
"Over a decade ago, there was a bookworm in Schicksal. Both his parents died, and since he was a boy and not from the Kaslana family, he had no combat abilities. He could only focus on studying and was often ostracized."
"But a gentle female classmate gave him encouragement and hope, strengthening his resolve and stirring hidden feelings in him."
"He secretly vowed that once he achieved something, he would confess to her. But when he saw her again, she was already married. Seeing her greet him with her child, he could only silently wish her well."
"Later, she sacrificed herself in the Second Honkai War, and he saw Otto's true nature..."
As he listened to Gao Qi's story, Siegfried's eyes widened—this man, who was around his age, had actually had a crush on Cecilia!
In an instant, everything clicked for Siegfried.
Why Gao Qi was so kind to Kiana, why he didn't want Otto to take K-423, why he believed in the "power of love"!
Like Otto, he was a prisoner of love, seeking revenge for the one he loved!
Siegfried couldn't help but scrutinize Gao Qi closely. Though he seemed somewhat disheveled, if he cleaned up properly, he'd actually be quite handsome—just slightly less so than him, of course.
His own marriage to Cecilia had been arranged by their families, but they were fortunate to have fallen in love. What if Gao Qi had been braver back then...
"Um, ah, sorry, I didn't mean to—"
After wrestling with his thoughts for a moment, Siegfried carefully chose his words and looked up, only to find Gao Qi struggling to hold back laughter.
"Look at you—how could a Valkyrie from the Schariac family be my classmate? I left such an obvious loophole, and you didn't even notice. Use your brain a little—pfft."
Gao Qi thought that after rescuing K-423, he absolutely couldn't let Siegfried teach her!
"..."
Siegfried nodded silently and pulled out the Judgement of Shamash.
"Hey, hey, don't resort to violence! Think about the mission!"
Of course, Siegfried wouldn't actually attack him. He just punched Gao Qi hard in the shoulder, and the two got out of the car together.
"Good luck. See you later."
"Don't die."
The two men bumped fists. Both felt that under different circumstances, they could have been great friends.
[Using your researcher credentials, you headed straight into the depths of the laboratory without any obstacles. Familiar with the lab, you quickly overloaded numerous experimental machines, causing a massive blackout.]
[Afterward, Siegfried, disguised as a worker, brought Kiana, who was hiding in a trash can, in through the waste disposal entrance, and you released K-423.]
[The nearly identical sisters met, and Kiana immediately embraced her warmly. Though K-423 was a bit shy, she was equally curious.]
[The alarms couldn't be fully disabled, and a hidden alarm was triggered. Schicksal forces would return at any moment. Time was tight, and you had to leave immediately.]
[But before that, you made sure to retrieve the second most important target of this mission, aside from K-423.]
[You had Siegfried use his weapon to easily shatter the most heavily guarded material in the lab, which was as important as K-423.]
[A shimmering blue gemstone, constantly emitting energy—the legacy of the Second Herrscher, the Serenity Gem.]
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?