63. Declaring War on the Fire Moths?
[Kalpas's arrival didn't have much impact on life at the sanatorium. Over the past few months, you've gotten along quite well.]
[He keeps a low profile, lives a secluded life, and dislikes socializing with anyone. Some of the children were initially curious about "Mr. Mask," but after being frightened by Kalpas a few times, they came to you in tears one by one, complaining and vowing never to play with him again.]
[Of course, when it comes to work, Kalpas is exceptionally diligent. Though irritable, he is a simple and straightforward person. He took on the moving tasks you assigned him, which made your procurement work much easier, allowing you more time to spend with Aponia.]
[Though he has a loud voice and always seems angry, like a delinquent, after spending a long time with him, you realize he is actually a very quiet person.]
[Most of the time, Kalpas stays quietly in the room you arranged for him. He loves collecting cloth dolls and carving wooden sculptures with a knife, creating strange little figures that no one can quite make out—only when the children say his works are ugly does Kalpas get angry.]
[His terrible temper has been exaggerated by those around him, turning him into a strange man who can stop children from crying at night. Everyone is particularly afraid of him.]
[You, of course, are not afraid of Kalpas, but you also don't disturb him excessively. In your view, Kalpas is neither Mobius nor Cocolia. He has never done anything you consider "not quite right."]
[Kalpas has the simplest sense of justice. He cannot tolerate any wrongdoing. Though he doesn't actively seek out trouble, on his moving routes, he never hesitates to use his fists against the evils that the people of Sundown Alley have grown accustomed to—he doesn't like good people, but he absolutely despises villains even more.]
[Therefore, you don't need to interfere much with Kalpas. You only occasionally check in on his life, never deliberately intervening or lecturing him.]
[This approach to interaction suits Kalpas quite well. Instead of "little brat," he more often calls you "kid." If he has any requests, he'll voice them to you, still in a gruff tone, but compared to how he shouts at others, it's almost gentle.]
[In contrast to you, the person Kalpas dislikes the most is Aponia, who always wants to control and lecture him, hoping to soothe his anger, atone for his "sins," and who constantly speaks in mystical terms.]
[And this, in turn, is the issue you need to address the most.]
"Enough, Aponia! Shut up! I don't need any psychological counseling. Can't you just stay away from me like 'Zero'?"
"No, Kalpas. The food is innocent. Although I don't understand why you're angry, you are indeed wasting food. This is wrong, and I must correct you."
Hearing the roar filled with boundless anger from the courtyard, along with the calm and gentle voice of persuasion, Gao Qi, who was on the phone in the sanatorium, sighed softly, knowing it was time for him to step in again.
"Pardo, don't get too close to those people, especially the pink-haired bunny-eared girl. Just keep an eye on them. The 'goods' made up of advanced equipment and supplies will be your reward."
On the other end of the phone, the cheerful voice of the cat girl, Pardofelis, came through.
"Don't worry, I'm the best at escaping and stocking up. You've told me so much about these outsiders' 'supplies.' After this is done, I, ahem, the boss will definitely share some with you!"
After spending a year at the sanatorium, Gao Qi has also gotten familiar with Pardofelis. Although she's a petty thief, her main business is indeed selling things, just like in the Elysian Realm, and she also spends money to stock up. Gao Qi has bought many interesting things for Aponia from her.
Similarly, she is also the biggest information broker in Sundown Alley, almost knowing every nook and cranny of this city of sin.
After the Herrscher of Ice was defeated, Gao Qi began commissioning her to observe the outsiders coming to Sundown Alley to investigate the incident. Due to the continuous influx of refugees, Sundown Alley is highly xenophobic, making it easy to spot outsiders.
Sure enough, a group of Fire Moths researchers soon arrived to investigate the remains of the Herrscher of Ice, meticulously searching every nearby area but failing to find the Herrscher Core they were looking for.
However, after analyzing the energy released by both sides during the battle, they left in a panic.
After that, more and more Fire Moths personnel began appearing in Twilight Street, vaguely spreading a rumor:
[On that day, He fell from the sky. The people on the ground looked up and saw the stars.]
Gao Qi knows this phrase refers to Kalpas, who came to Earth from beyond the sky. In the storyline, the heart extracted from him by Mobius is almost identical to the core of the "Extraterrestrial" alien force, suggesting some connection between them.
Soon, a MANTIS soldier, under the deliberate guidance of the Fire Moths' higher-ups, will arrive in Twilight Street.
Then, she will discover the sanatorium, which hides a large number of children infected with Honkai disease and is at risk of causing Honkai energy contamination at any moment. During the process of "cleaning up" the infected, she will "accidentally" encounter Kalpas...
Kalpas is strong, but he ultimately falls short against a MANTIS soldier. Whether his induction into the Fire Moths was part of a long-standing plan... Gao Qi can't say for sure.
After all, Gao Qi can call the higher-ups of the Fire Moths a bunch of insects, but they are definitely not incompetent or idle.
On the contrary, they are highly skilled and resourceful, quickly creating an effective organization to combat the Honkai and forcibly unifying a world constantly torn by internal strife—though they never forgot their tradition of infighting.
Otherwise, geniuses like Mei and Mobius alone wouldn't be able to manage such a massive organization. Fighting the Honkai isn't just a solo show by the MANTIS soldiers; it's the struggle of all humanity in despair.
And evidently, they had long been aware of the existence of Kalpas, and had deliberately dispatched and guided members of the "Poisonous Chrysalis" to capture him.
What they intended to do, Gao Qi neither knew nor cared about, but they had affected the sanatorium and threatened the people most important to him.
For him now, the most important person was only Aponia, though Kalpas and Pardo could also be considered good friends.
All Gao Qi wanted was to prevent the tragedy that would follow.
He wanted Aponia to stop being so stubborn and to stop seeing herself as a sinner.
Rather than hearing that tone full of self-blame and helplessness, Gao Qi hoped that Aponia could smile more often.
Those scumbags wanted to lock Aponia and Kalpas away in the so-called "Deepest Depths," but Gao Qi would not allow it.
"Please don't waste food, Kalpas. Such childish behavior won't anger me. Your temper and outbursts of rage will only scare the children and hurt them. You clearly care for them, don't you?"
"I don't care about any kids! I just want you all to stay away from me! My heart is filled only with rage. I want revenge on those wicked people, to crush every enemy worth killing, to burn everything to ashes!"
"Ha… Kalpas, it seems you really need proper psychological counseling. You are a good person, a kind person. There's no need to see yourself as a demon from hell or a wrathful asura. I believe you can become someone everyone likes."
"Enough! I said, I don't need— Let go of my hand!"
In the courtyard, Kalpas had casually tossed the cabbages Gao Qi had bought onto the ground. With a calm expression but a hint of visible anger, Aponia tightly gripped Kalpas's arm, making it impossible for him to break free.
Although Kalpas could defeat the Fifth Herrscher, he would never use such strength on ordinary people. Relying solely on physical power, he was unable to break free from Aponia's iron-like grip.
Under his mask, the skin on his face had visibly flushed red—not out of shyness, but due to skyrocketing blood pressure.
Upon seeing Gao Qi arrive, he visibly relaxed and, like a child tattling, loudly accused Aponia while shouting to Gao Qi.
"Quick, Zero, tell me the usual phrase you use to make people stay away—take this annoying woman away!"
Looking at Big Brother Kalpas's helplessness, Gao Qi struggled to suppress his laughter and quickly walked to Aponia's side. Standing on tiptoe, he gently kissed her on the cheek.
"Ah! I told you, you're not allowed to do that outside. You have to wait until you're older!"
The next second, Aponia's face flushed red as well. Overwhelmed with shyness, she immediately let go and tugged on Gao Qi's ear.
Though she had accepted Gao Qi's confession, Aponia still saw him as a child, treating the little proposal as something to be considered further only after he grew up.
However, every night, this little troublemaker would sneak into her bed, acting like a baby craving its mother's attention—coaxing her, kissing her here and there, and sometimes even going as far as… In any case, Aponia indulged him at home, but outside was not acceptable!
"Oh? So this is how you reject people? Not too hard to learn."
Beside them, Kalpas rubbed his chin as if he had learned something, but Gao Qi immediately dismissed the idea—another pink-haired woman would bother him daily in the future. If Big Brother Kalpas dared to do that, he'd likely be smacked into the wall by the power of "Mahāsāvara." After all, he was no match for Elysia.
"No, no, no. While doing that might indeed drive people away, it's something only I can do with Sister Aponia. Come, let me teach you this phrase: 'Get lost, you bastard!' Yes, say it with an imposing tone!"
Seriously teaching Kalpas a method to drive people away, Gao Qi felt this was far more effective than "Please go away."
"Kalpas, remember what I told you when I brought you here. Now, it's almost time to fulfill my promise."
Before Aponia could scold Gao Qi for teaching Kalpas strange things, Gao Qi pushed her toward the distance and turned back to wink at Kalpas. Kalpas paused for a moment before clenching his fists in excitement.
"Understood! Kid, I'm always ready!"
Kalpas knew that apart from a place to belong, this kid named "Zero" had also promised him a battle to eradicate evil—a grand war that would bring joy to the good and make villains weep blood.
"Moth of Flames, are you worthy of being slaughtered?"
This simulation, Gao Qi's enemy was not the Herrschers but—Fire Moth itself!
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
Please support the original author: warboss
Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?