The group continued walking down the street, sharing amusing stories from their past. Not far away, atop a tall building, a petite girl with silver-gray hair styled into twin helix pigtails floated in the air, a massive humanoid robot looming behind her.
"Bio-signatures detected. Quantity: four. Initiating Honkai energy signature scan," her emotionless, silver-gray eyes stared coldly at the four figures moving below.
"Detection complete. Honkai signatures confirmed. Confirmed as Recovery Target A. Commencing countermeasures. Retrieval operation initiated."
As the words echoed, the massive cannon on the humanoid robot's arm behind the young girl began to glow with searing light. Then—the thunderous roar of the heavy cannon reverberated through the buildings, and the streets engulfed by the blast erupted in a thick cloud of smoke, obscuring the silver-haired girl's view.
"Lost visual contact with target. Initiating close-quarters engagement. Project Bunny, switch to melee mode," the girl's mechanical voice echoed again. The robot behind her scooped her up, its cannon transforming into a massive lance. With a swift leap from the rooftop, they plunged into the smoke-filled streets below.
The descending mecha unleashed a violent gust of wind, clearing the smoke shrouding the street. The towering humanoid robot materialized before the trio, who were waving their arms frantically through the air, coughing incessantly.
"Which lowlife dared to do this?! Don't think you can get away with this, you'll regret messing with this lady!" Kiana, the first to recover, furiously drew her dual pistols from her waist, only to look up and freeze, staring at the gray-haired girl before her.
"Why is such a young child with a robot like this...?" Mei murmured, scrutinizing the girl before her. But when she met those cold, emotionless gray eyes, something seemed to stab sharply at her heart.
"Um... excuse me, little girl, who are you...? And... did you cause that explosion just now?" Mei asked gently, her heart aching as she looked at the petite girl confronting Kiana, her eyes devoid of life.
"I am an embedded general-purpose girl's decisive weapon: Bronya, compatible carrier for Project Bunny," the girl replied expressionlessly, before—
"A girl's weapon?" Mei looked puzzled. Just as she tried to press further, Kiana's shout rang in her ears.
"Mei, watch out!"
Bang! A hand cannon bullet slammed into Project Bunny's shield, halting its advance.
"Tch, you brat! You attacked first, so don't blame me for getting serious! Everyone, get behind me! I'll handle this big guy!" Kiana yelled, firing relentlessly at Project Bunny before lunging forward to grapple with it directly.
-
"Cease your hostile actions, Miss Bronya, or should I call you 'Silver Wolf of the Urals'?" As the gray-haired girl focused intently on controlling Project Bunny 19C to counter a Kaslana family's monstrously strong gorilla, an ice blade radiating freezing air pressed against Bronya's neck. The golden-haired girl had silently slipped behind her, her stealth skills honed by a certain perfect maid.
"According to the System's calculations... Bronya's chances of victory are..."
An icy chill rapidly spread through Bronya's body. The freezing aura seemed to find its target, converging to completely freeze and destroy a certain device.
"Ugh! ...Bronya doesn't understand. How did you bypass Project Bunny's scanning?" The girl's usually robotic voice was interrupted, a hint of confusion in her tone. Her inorganic eyes glanced at Project Bunny 19C, which was struggling to break free from the white-haired girl's grip on its lance. After a brief, rapid calculation, Bronya raised her hands.
"Bronya chooses to surrender." In the distance, Project Bunny 19C also abandoned its struggle against the Kaslana gorilla, releasing its spear. The two mechanical arms performed a remarkably human-like French military salute.
"Humans always have so many secrets," Snow said, not answering Bronya's confusion. "That's what makes them so fascinating and alluring, don't you think?" She lowered her sword's blade to the girl's shoulder, step by step guiding her toward her companions.
Excellent, the external personality suppression system has been destroyed. But the control chip in Bronya's brain... Tsk, I'm no brain surgeon.
"Hey! Why did you stop fighting all of a sudden?" Kiana, who had been arm-wrestling Project Bunny and suddenly found herself sprawling face-first on the ground when the robot released her, scrambled to her feet. Just as she was about to resume taunting the short gray-haired figure, she saw Snow advancing toward her, the sword blade pressed against Bronya's shoulder.
"...Well done, Kiana," Snow said, nodding approvingly. "Before I could get behind this child to subdue her, her entire attention was focused on you."
"Hehe, of course! How could I fail when I personally stepped in?" The white-haired girl swallowed back the taunt that had been stuck in her throat, accepting her companion's praise with a smug grin.
"So, what's the deal with this child?" Mei asked, looking at the gray-haired girl who had fallen silent after being surrounded. In a bold move, Mei simply pulled her into a hug.
"Wait, Mei! That little runt is dangerous!" Kiana exclaimed, watching Mei's impulsive embrace with nervous concern and... could it be jealousy?
"Bronya, huh... If I had to guess, she probably has another name or title... Back in the past, Irene used to tell me fascinating stories and legends from European society. In Eastern Europe, especially in chaotic countries and the Russian region, massive disasters led to the creation of numerous orphaned child soldiers."
"Her appearance perfectly matches the descriptions Irene gave me of a legendary assassin."
"—The Silver Wolf of the Urals. It's said she vanished after a mission gone wrong. Judging by her current state, she must be under some form of control."
Snow flipped a coin-sized black device between her fingers, drawing the attention of her companions.
"What's that thing?" Kyuusyou asked curiously, watching the small black gadget flip up and down.
"This device, which I removed from the child, must be some kind of control mechanism. After taking it off, the mechanical tone in her voice diminished significantly. It's likely a device to suppress her personality or emotions," Snow said, shaking her head.
"Those bastards! How could they treat a child like this?!" Raiden Mei suddenly erupted in fury, startling the three people around her. Even Bronya, whom she was holding, showed a flicker of confusion in her usually impassive eyes.
"Bronya is just a weapon. A weapon doesn't need will or compassion."
"... " The group fell silent, listening to the girl's words.
"Little one, weapons indeed lack will and need no compassion... but weapons also can't understand human speech."
"Yet you're doing just that—acting based on your own thoughts, your own will, making your own decisions."
"I'm no psychological expert, and I'm not good at counseling people, so I can only tell you one thing."
"—What you're doing right now is entirely based on your own will, the will of Bronya Zaychik." The blonde girl gazed at the nameplate hanging on the girl's chest and enunciated her full name, syllable by syllable: "Bronya Zaychik."
"My... own will?" The girl's voice was thick with confusion.
The blonde girl exchanged a knowing glance with Raiden Mei, who was holding the girl, and gradually backed away. She still needed to scout ahead and decide on a place to rest for the night. After all, a city of a million people couldn't be traversed in a single day, and she had much to do before nightfall.
-
"Hmm? Are you... Project Bunny?" Snow asked, looking puzzled at the hovering robot beside her.
The robot didn't let her confusion linger for long. It extended its arms, offering a cardboard sign with "Thank you" scrawled on it in somewhat messy strokes.
"...Ha, it was nothing," the blonde girl chuckled softly, shaking her head gently at the robot. "Just a small favor. You should go back to your master now."
Project Bunny nodded at Snow and quickly vanished from sight.
As she watched Project Bunny disappear into the distance, Snow refocused her gaze on the nearby buildings.
This residential area was closest to Nagazora City Bridge. The plan was to reach here before nightfall to set up camp, then evacuate across the bridge to the outside world tomorrow.
The plan was perfect... but reality is cruel. Snow hummed softly, glancing in the direction of Shenzhou. There, in Kowloon City, the glittering Pearl of the Orient, the Hyperion had already picked up their Captain, Murata Himeko. The massive aerial warship, fully loaded with the Far East Branch's elite Valkyrie Squad, was charging toward them at full speed.
And those massive creatures... Irene never told me how to deal with something dozens of times my size. Snow gazed helplessly at the distance, where several fully formed Templar-class Honkai Beasts roamed through the ruins. Their colossal, building-sized forms were clearly visible even from a kilometer away. They wandered aimlessly, having lost the Herrscher Command Tower that once served as the core will of their swarm, now reduced to mere bestial instincts.
Sigh... Kiana, Kiana... Please, please don't get into trouble. The thought of the black-haired girl—the team's living time bomb—made Snow's head throb.
Well, I've done all I can. Let fate decide. Suppressing a berserk Herrscher isn't impossible if we give it our all, but... Snow's gaze shifted back toward Shenzhou.
"Schicksal...don't you dare be late!" After a final, lingering look at the distant sky, the girl leaped from the rooftop and hurried back the way she'd come. Their makeshift team was composed of heavyweight figures, and if she didn't return soon, Raiden Mei alone wouldn't be able to keep them in check.
Even before the girl approached the makeshift camp, she could hear Kiana and Project Bunny 19C arguing—yes, arguing with Project Bunny...
"Hey! You big hunk of metal, put down the chips! That's the last bag I spent ages digging out from the convenience store under the rubble!" Kiana yelled, clutching one corner of the bag.
Beep-beep-beep—beep—beep—beep-beep! Project Bunny countered, its mechanical arm gripping the opposite corner of the bag.
"Waaah...!" The stalemate ended with a pop as the bag finally gave way under the combined, inhuman strength of Kiana and Project Bunny. Thanks to Project Bunny's aerial advantage, Kiana was once again outmaneuvered by the humanoid mech, faceplanting into the dirt.
Project Bunny watched the white-haired ball of fluff tumble headfirst into the ground, glanced at the torn plastic bag in its hand, tilted its head thoughtfully, casually tossed the bag aside, and clenched its fist in a remarkably human-like gesture.
"I'm winning big time!" the humanoid mech thought, hovering in the air as it watched the white-haired ball of fluff scramble to its feet, spitting mud repeatedly.
"Thank you for opening my chips... Hmm, that was quite a novel way to open them?" Snow said, holding a bowl neither too big nor too small. Every single chip from the bag that had exploded in mid-air during the struggle between the mech and herself had landed perfectly inside. Her azure eyes swept over Kiana and Project Bunny nearby before settling on Bronya, who was clutching a Homu plushie. Mei leaned against her, seemingly exhausted from the morning's frantic movements and caring for Bronya.
I've really hit the jackpot this time, Snow thought, cradling her free chips.
"Tastes alright?" The girl grabbed a chip, popped it into her mouth, and chewed thoughtfully as she strolled over to the gray-haired girl.
"Looks like you're adjusting well to your new companions... Want some?" Snow extended the bowl brimming with chips, a subtle smirk playing on her lips.
"Th... thank you...?" Bronya's voice wavered; the lingering effects of the personality suppression device's removal hadn't completely faded. She awkwardly reached out a hand, carefully picked up a chip, and cautiously tasted it. Her eyes lit up, her hand no longer hesitant as she began eagerly grabbing chips from the bowl.
"Hmm... no rush, Bronya. These are all yours. I'll go sort things out with Kyuusyou and Kiana first. Can you stay here and protect Mei Senpai for me?" Snow placed the bowl brimming with snacks on the gray-haired girl's lap, her gaze lingering on Bronya for a moment before she nodded earnestly.
Having secured her promise, Snow turned toward Kiana, who was still clowning around, and Kyuusyou, who was watching the white-haired ball of energy with a helpless expression.
"Alright, grow up already... Why are you still messing with a little girl? I've found our lodging for the night—a coastal residential area closest to Nagazora City Bridge. We'll stay there tonight and, barring any unforeseen complications, cross the bridge tomorrow morning. By tomorrow night, we should be out in the world."
Assuming nothing goes wrong.
"Eh?! So soon? It feels like no time has passed at all... But then we'll all have to part ways, won't we?" Kiana's initial excitement at the prospect of leaving faded as she realized the implications, her face falling.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kiana. I have more bad news for you," Snow said, her expression darkening.
"Uh... what news?"
"I saw some massive, white-purple creatures as tall as buildings. They must be one of those Honkai Beasts you mentioned, right?"
"Building-sized Honkai Beasts... Those must be Templar-class Honkai Beasts, the ones my old man warned me about. If we're really unlucky, it could even be an Emperor-class Honkai Beast. As a warrior with Kaslana blood, my instincts tell me you've got some weird tricks up your sleeve, but when you encounter those monsters, absolutely do not attack them directly. Even my old man would struggle against those things."
"If you encounter them alone, hiding or running away is the wisest choice," Kiana warned earnestly, her expression serious.
"Whoa, so you do have a serious side after all..."
"Hey! I'm genuinely worried about you, you jerk!"
"Alright, alright, I get it. I'm not the type to charge in recklessly. I'll avoid them if I see them. You should worry about yourself more."
"Good. Just remember: don't provoke them! As for me, you don't need to worry. I'm a Kaslana warrior!"
That's exactly why I'm worried about you... The girl shook her head helplessly.