Chapter 276: Senti Bamboozled by Otto? What? Me vs. Kevin?
When consciousness returned to his body, Su Mu felt an unbearable itch in his nose, and he let out a massive sneeze. He realized his head was resting on something warm and very elastic. Opening his eyes, he saw towering peaks directly blocking the sky; he couldn't see the ceiling at all.
The familiar, slightly dangerous fragrance stimulated Su Mu's nostrils, causing him to wake up with a start.
"Hehe~ Little lab rat, you looked like you were sleeping quite soundly. Did you have a nice dream?"
Mobius was still wearing her familiar white coat, but underneath was a dark green summer shirt and a black pencil skirt. A few strands of her long, dark green hair dangled against Su Mu's cheek—the cause of the itching. From this angle, Su Mu couldn't even see Mobius's face, as his field of vision was completely obscured by that "unbearable weight"... It took him a few seconds to realize the current situation: he was actually pillowed on Mobius's lap.
Wait, where did I end up? Is this still the high-speed rail?
"Uh... Dr. Mobius, are we still on the train?"
"We're in the dining car now. Don't worry, there's no one else here for the moment."
"The dining car?"
"You suddenly established a consciousness connection. When the staff tried to talk to you, you fell straight to the floor, nearly scaring them to death. I told them you had a bit of low blood sugar and just needed some sugar water and rest... so I brought you here and sent the staff back to their business."
"So that's how it is..."
Su Mu finally realized he was lying on a long bench in the dining car. Just as he tried to sit up, Mobius pressed him down.
"Mobius?"
"Someone's coming."
Mobius's words made Su Mu lie back down, but after a moment, he realized something was wrong. Wasn't it normal for people to come by? Why was he acting like a thief? As Su Mu grumbled internally, footsteps approached.
"Madam, how is your husband's condition?" It was the train attendant.
"Mhm, he just woke up and said it's nothing serious. He's just a bit tired, so he wants to sleep a little longer."
"It's wonderful that it's nothing serious... I was truly startled when I saw your husband faint."
"He's always like this—often obsessed with work and forgets to eat. It's common for him to exhaust himself."
"It seems you and your husband are truly in love, staying by his side ever since he fainted..."
Su Mu nearly choked hearing the conversation. What "husband"? What "in love"? Mobius, while I was working like a madman in the company as a Herta puppet, what kind of new stunt are you pulling?
After the attendant left, Su Mu sat up immediately and looked at Mobius with a suspicious gaze.
"I had no choice. I have to stay by your side at all times to monitor your data... After all, the distance for this consciousness mapping is so great, there's no guarantee accidents won't happen. I must ensure your vital signs remain intact."
Mobius's expression didn't change at all, which actually left Su Mu at a loss for words.
"Then the lap pillow was..."
"I was using a portable life monitor to record your condition in real-time." Mobius shook the watch on her wrist; this was the "life monitor" she mentioned.
"You look a bit disappointed, little lab rat... This is the first time I've given someone a lap pillow. Do you want to fill out a questionnaire and write down your true feelings?" Mobius had a playful look, clearly appearing as though she had found a fun toy.
Since he first met Mobius, she had always been like this, enjoying seeing Su Mu in embarrassing situations... This was the true value of a black-bellied "Snek."
"I think I'll skip the questionnaire... And what was that about 'husband'?"
"It's also for the experiment. Didn't I tell you? I must be by your side during your consciousness mapping... Having this identity makes things convenient for us, right? Besides, it's not the first time we've played husband and wife."
"...What's with that 'remarrying after divorce' phrasing of yours?"
Su Mu knew Mobius was referring to the time they took Griseo to HOMU World. Back then, he and Mobius played Griseo's parents for a day, spending an unforgettable time together. Strangely enough, since that day, the frequency of Mobius initiating chats with Su Mu had increased significantly. Previously, Mobius wouldn't reply unless Su Mu messaged first.
But since then, Mobius would always send strange messages. For example: "I'm researching the reproduction of reptiles, interested in participating?" Or: "Did you know? Snakes can mate for as long as 24 hours."
If he didn't know Mobius was a mad scientist, Su Mu would have thought she was flirting with him. ...It should just be a scientific question, not harassment, right?
Initially, such questions were fine, but later, Mobius's questions became increasingly absurd. For instance: "When a priest dies, is it a promotion or a demotion?" That one almost made Su Mu spit out his food. He felt like Mobius had found amusement in him and enjoyed seeing him speechless. But he hadn't offended her, had he? It felt like he was being specially targeted.
Is being watched by a Snek actually a good thing?
Originally, Su Mu planned to go to Canghai City alone to meet Topaz. However, not wanting to neglect his work at miHoYo, he borrowed a puppet from Herta and used a Synesthesia Beacon to connect and work. But Herta said such long-distance experiments were a first and carried risks, so someone had to accompany Su Mu.
The plan was for Ruan Mei to come, but upon hearing the news, Mobius dumped her work on Klein and took over the task herself. Mobius put it this way: "Let Ruan Mei accompany you? Do you have a death wish? I'm afraid one day you'll wake up and find you've turned into another species."
Su Mu felt a shiver of fear; he knew there was truly nothing Ruan Mei wouldn't do. Among these mad scientists, the Snek actually had the strongest moral compass and was the most reassuring... That was why Mobius was on the same train as Su Mu.
"Anyway, thanks, Mobius." Su Mu decided to thank her. He knew Mobius was usually busy with research and valued it above all else... even so, she chose to make time for him, which was no small feat.
"If you're worried about my research, don't be. My project is nearly finished; Klein can handle the remaining cleanup."
"Haha... Klein really has it hard..." Su Mu felt some pity for poor Klein. As the number one "tool person" of Honkai Impact 3rd, she could do anything. In a sense, being Mobius's assistant required superhuman abilities.
"Setting that aside, have you thought about what to do next?"
"Mhm, I plan to meet Bronya's junior after reaching Canghai City."
"Junior?"
"Didn't Bronya go to Canghai for business several times? She was actually there for investment. A junior of hers opened a game studio that hit hard times, so we lent a hand. It's finally back on track. She has been working in Canghai since graduation, so she's familiar with the environment and knows many people in the industry."
Mobius thought for a moment, then flashed a mischievous smile: "Canghai business trip? You mean the time you and Seele were cornered in the apartment, and if I hadn't saved the day, Bronya would have caught you red-handed?"
Su Mu looked at the ceiling, speechless: "Dr. Mobius, your memory is far too good... I'd really prefer it if you could forget things like that."
Mobius: "That depends on my mood. Don't forget, you still owe me a favor."
Looking at the smiling Mobius, Su Mu raised his hands in surrender. Bad women are truly terrifying; he missed the warm embraces of Seele and Bronya.
"By the way, what's the name of Bronya's junior?"
"I think it's... Marisa? But she has a title: Songque."
"A foreigner?"
"St. Freya Academy recruits regardless of nationality, so foreigners are normal... and strictly speaking, Mobius, you're a 'foreigner' too, aren't you?"
Su Mu sighed internally. Should he have refused Mobius's company? She wasn't the only one who could assist—Asta could have worked too... No, forget it. Peppy often said misleading things to Asta, and even told him about Asta's private matters, making it awkward for Su Mu to face her. As for Herta... she was a free spirit who wouldn't care about his feelings and might even disrupt his plans.
After weighing everything, Su Mu ultimately decided to stick with Mobius. Although the Snek was a bit black-bellied, a bit mischievous, and a bit sharp-tongued... compared to those others, she was practically Su Mu's angel!!
Meanwhile, Bronya and Seele were well aware of Su Mu traveling with Mobius, but they didn't have any ulterior thoughts. Strictly speaking, Mobius had once been Seele's accomplice, helping her hide her relationship with Su Mu. Because of this, Seele trusted Mobius deeply. Before Su Mu left, she had even specifically asked Mobius to keep an eye on him—to make sure he didn't "pick up any more flowers" outside.
"Canghai City... I wonder how long Su Mu will be gone. I hope he doesn't attract any more strange women there."
"Don't worry, Bronya-onee-chan! With Mobius-onee-chan watching him, it'll be fine!"
"Mhm, I trust Dr. Mobius too. With her there, that playboy Su Mu should behave himself."
The sisters looked at each other, expressing their trust in Mobius. They had heard many rumors about her personality and knew she valued her experiments above all else. With her there, everything should be perfectly safe.
...Perfectly safe... right?
Shortly after, in the Honkai Impact 3rd livestream room, the special broadcast officially began. The appearances of the four guests—Senti, Fu Hua, Kiana, and Bronya—caused the audience to cheer. Combined with the Honkai Impact 3rd ambassador, the number one idol in everyone's hearts, Ai-chan... wait, it's Elysia. But Elysia can also be shortened to "Ely-chan," so she is the number one idol!
[Bronya! Bronya! Bronya is the eternal god!]
[Celestial Fu Hua, Inch Force to open the heavens! Infinite power!]
[Kiana is the cutest in the world!!]
[Amen to Ely, Amen!!]
Seeing the viewers frantically cheering for everyone around her, Senti couldn't help herself and slammed the table as she stood up. "Hey! Why don't I have any fans! You guys are too much!"
[Does the '78' streamer actually want fans?]
[Senti, my poor Senti, getting bullied by fans again? So pitiful...]
[Others stream to be idols, you stream to be abstract. If you're out of ideas, you can always bite a lighter!]
[What? Senti? Isn't she a stand-up comedy streamer?]
Senti's outburst made the room burst into laughter. Her stream's entertainment value was top-tier—either she was doing comedy bits with her "sister" Fu Hua, or she was threatening to smash the computer screen, often performing bizarre "abstract" stunts. This included, but was not limited to, suddenly saluting characters in-game, pummeling a punching bag with Su Mu's face on it out of extreme anger, or standing at attention on her chair because she was too happy...
She was genuine, but she was also genuinely abstract. The streaming effect was off the charts. Of course, Senti didn't intend to be "abstract"; her personality just naturally provided that much content. Unlike streamers like Guinaifen who performed "hard stunts," Senti was forced into the title of an "abstract stunt streamer." Plus, since she liked to call her viewers "brothers," she eventually became "one of the boys" with her fans.
Charm? What is charm? Do abstract streamers even have charm? Everyone just wants to see you mess around!
"What? Saying I have no charm! You all watch closely! This main story will definitely be my home turf. It's time for you to witness the domineering 'Heaven and Earth, I alone am the honored one' Fu-Senti!"
After Honkai Impact 3rd finished its update, Senti impatiently opened the game and began the Chapter 21 main story. The game started with a chaotic scene at Schicksal Headquarters. The HQ was currently a mess; thanks to Senti, the place was riddled with scars and fires. Valkyries were rushing to the scenes to put out fires, but as they passed Senti, they didn't notice her at all—as if she were completely invisible.
Senti toyed with the crimson feather in her hand—the one she had taken back from Otto's body after "killing" him.
["I used to leave things like this for Otto? Incomprehensible."]
Strolling through Schicksal HQ, looking at her "masterpiece"—the half-destroyed base—a voice in her mind asked if she was dissatisfied with all this.
["Huh? Not at all. As a result of battle—this is already magnificent enough."]
She spread her arms like a protagonist on stage, her back straight. The soaring flames and explosions behind her played the role of a cheering audience.
["If it weren't for Schicksal and Otto, many things wouldn't have become this bad, and the world would be more peaceful. Though it's a pity for those Valkyries... imagine, they were just pawns manipulated by Otto..."]
Users couldn't agree more. For players who had played the Second Honkai War Chronicles, Senti was speaking their hearts—if Otto hadn't interfered, many tragedies wouldn't have happened. Of course, some disagreed; without Otto, it's unknown what would have happened elsewhere. But at least in Europe during the Black Death, the casualties would likely have been much higher than recorded. Otto's merits and faults were a topic of endless debate.
After admiring her masterpiece, the voice in her mind told Senti that because of her, there were many casualties. Senti replied irritably that she had tried her best to control her strength; no one could guarantee not hurting anyone. Even Dr. MEI sacrificed many... but she quickly realized, why was she getting angry at herself?
As she wandered the airport, a generic maid passed by. Because of Fenghuang Down, the other party didn't notice her. However, Senti soon realized that the power of Fenghuang Down didn't work on machines. After defeating the enemies blocking her, Senti proudly told the voice in her head:
["Now you have nothing to say, right? I let everyone go, I didn't kill a single soul."]
Clearly, she still cared about that.
["I really wish you had this mercy sooner, old friend."]
However, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before Senti.
["Otto... figures, a guy like you doesn't die so easily."]
["Ah, I did indeed die. But... fortunately, the spare bodies weren't kept in the same place."]
He gestured toward the distant flames. Buried under those ruins was his life-support chamber, which once contained hundreds of flesh-and-blood bodies for his use.
"Hundreds... Otto, this guy is the true King of Survival, isn't he?" The staggering number made Kiana gasp. It turns out Otto was the one hiding such a trick—as long as the spare bodies weren't all destroyed, he could resurrect infinitely... that's too broken!
"Otto is truly unsettling... his tone sounds like he just discarded a broken part..." Bronya frowned; Otto's disregard for life was chilling. No, it wasn't a disregard for all life. At least for Kallen Kaslana's life, Otto was willing to trade even his own... but for him, other lives were indeed just pawns.
["...Fine, then I'll kill you again. Since half of Schicksal couldn't wipe you out, let's try destroying all of it this time."] Senti said, about to strike again.
["Wait."] The Overseer of Schicksal stepped back slightly.
["What for? Scared? When you shot me in the head, why didn't you think this day would come?"] Senti wore an extremely malicious smile, though for some reason, it looked like a bit of a "funny face" (yan-yi), making it somewhat humorous.
["You are not a bad person."]
["Heh, you have the nerve to say that. Of course I'm not a bad person; I'm doing heaven's work."]
["Then we can talk reason."]
["What reason is there to talk with someone like you?"]
["I did indeed kill you, I admit it was my crime. Just now you wanted revenge, and I did not resist—a life for a life, we are even now."]
["You... I thought you were going to say something? Even? I only killed one of your bodies, and now you're standing perfectly fine in front of me. How is that even? I'm going to kill you until you're reduced to ash, so you can never resurrect again, Otto!!"]
When Senti said this, the audience in the livestream felt a wave of satisfaction.
[Yes! That's it! Kill him!!]
[Senti is so cool! Kill Otto until he can't respawn!]
[Senti, my Honkai Impact 3rd spokesperson! You did what I wanted to do most, you're my god!!]
[Otto, don't be ungrateful! Didn't you hear my Sis Senti say she's gonna kill you within three days?]
Senti's distinct personality, so different from Fu Hua, instantly grabbed the players' hearts. After all, Senti did exactly what the players wanted—attacking Schicksal, thrashing Otto, and insulting him to his face... how could they not love her?
["Aren't you also standing perfectly fine in front of me?"]
["What..."]
["I killed you, and you killed me. I resurrected, and you obtained rebirth. Was it not me who painstakingly treated your body and gave you the chance to be reborn? Strictly speaking, not only is there no grudge between us, but I even owe you a life, friend."]
["You... I..."] Senti was speechless for a moment.
Otto then used the Valkyries as an excuse, and back and forth it went, leaving Senti completely silent. Well, then. Though her body was restored to its peak, her IQ was suffering from a dimensional strike. Otto's sophistry left Senti unable to argue, her face turning red and blue with frustration. Finally, she spat at Otto's feet and turned to leave.
"Dammit, Otto! That... that's just sophistry! What 'life for a life'? Our lives aren't the same!" Senti was fuming; the in-game her was completely bamboozled by Otto! Though she understood that the in-game her had just been born and was essentially a child, being tricked by an old fox like Otto was normal. But she was still annoyed! Why was the in-game her so reasonable? In a time like this, she should have given Otto another "Inch Force" to the face!
What annoyed Senti even more was that Otto then gave the wandering in-game her a suggestion: go retrieve the Fenghuang Down she left with Kevin before she died! This was clearly leading the trouble elsewhere, making her go fight Kevin, right?
You're truly shameless, Otto!!
END OF CHAPTER
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