Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Japan, St. Freya Academy.

It's late night in Singapore, but it's already early morning at the Valkyrie Academy, which is two time zones further east. Almost everyone is asleep. Only a few windows still have their lights on.

Bronya isn't one of them. She has already snuggled under her pink Homu blanket. Her yellow Homu plushie sits next to her pillow. She's peacefully asleep under the starlight.

"Ding dong~"

A message notification suddenly sounds from the computer on the other side of the room, and the sleeping computer screen slowly lights up.

Bronya opens her eyes in alertness, tilting her head to look at the computer. After staring at it for a few seconds, she gets out of bed, walks barefoot to the screen, and looks at the blinking icon with her gray eyes. The corners of her lips curl up slightly before returning to their usual indifferent expression.

Her lack of emotional circuits makes it difficult for her to make normal expressions, but Bronya doesn't care about that.

He finally appeared.

Seeing the blinking icon of that strange guy called Lin Wei, Bronya feels a sense of accomplishment and pleasure.

Ever since Lin Wei reappeared and abruptly disappeared without any explanation last time, Bronya had been waiting for this day.

Did he really think she couldn't see through such a simple trick?

He was trying to lure her out just like what he did a year ago, and it wasn't even creative.

Therefore, despite knowing that he might have information about Seele, Bronya made the rational decision to wait and see.

"Retreating is also a form of advancing."

Bronya thinks, If Lin Wei tried to trick her several times, that means he has some hidden motives towards her, so she must be careful.

She is at a disadvantage, so it's not suitable for her to make the first move.

So she didn't tell anyone, including Mei and Kiana, because that might be part of his plan.

As long as she doesn't do anything rash and stays put, perhaps it will be Lin Wei who will become impatient.

Since then, Bronya has kept her game account online 24/7—

She was waiting for Lin Wei to contact her again.

It's a test of patience. Who will break first?

Bronya, who was born in the Siberian wilderness, is confident in her endurance and patience.

Bronya even treats it as a challenging game.

But Bronya didn't expect Lin Wei to actually contact her again after only two weeks.

Did I overestimate him? Bronya wonders.

With a slight sense of victory, she opens the message, —

"Bronya, I need your help!"

That's it?

Bronya is very disappointed, although she doesn't know what exactly she had been expecting.

But since the fish has finally taken the bait, Bronya doesn't intend to let him go so easily.

"I have no time for anything outside the game."

Bronya gives a simple reply.

Unlike her quiet demeanor in real life, her attitude and way of speaking on the internet are always quite direct and arrogant, even a little chuunibyou.

Otherwise, her username wouldn't be "MetalGearWolfFang."

...

On the other hand, in Singapore.

Seeing Bronya's sarcastic reply, Lin Wei sighs.

He had intended to play a long game with her, a test of patience, before finding a suitable way and a suitable time to contact the protagonists.

He hadn't intended to shamelessly ask for her help so soon.

It's annoying!

┐(￣ヘ￣;)┌

But he can't help it. Annoying is annoying.

You have to decide what's right, and since he promised to help rescue that girl's daughter, he has to give it his all.

"I really need your help. You're the only person who can do it… Long story short, I have a friend—a real friend—he and his daughter are also survivors of Nagazora City. Now, his daughter has been taken and he asked me to save her. I've collected some information and data, but it's very complex and messy. I can't handle it alone, so I'm asking you, the gaming god and famous hacker, for help."

Lin Wei sends the long message all in one go. He doesn't even dare to break it down into paragraphs in case she refuses.

Lin Wei didn't dare to trust what the boss said.

Although the boss, driven by fear and survival instincts, and with a little nudge from the simulated Fenghuang Down, told him everything he knew, Lin Wei still treated most of that information as things to exclude.

The reason is simple: World Serpent has been hiding for years, and even Otto couldn't find a single trace of them. That shows how good they are at hiding themselves and using misinformation tactics.

A mere pawn, a peripheral organization, and someone who World Serpent deemed disloyal and had to be eliminated, Lin Wei thinks that those poor "goods" were sent elsewhere the moment they left the Thousand Fists Association.

And the Thousand Fists Association doesn't have the authority to question World Serpent.

Therefore, Lin Wei copies the information in the Thousand Fists Association's database and tries to find some clues, using what he heard from the boss to cross-check everything.

But there is one problem—Pandora is good, but as a Key of Corruption, its specialty is in corrupting, copying, and recreating, using others' resources. It's not the Void Archives, which, with the powers of the Herrscher of Reason, could be used as an information analysis terminal. It can conduct analysis, induction, summation, and finally, rational analysis.

That is why the Void Archives is the only Divine Key that has a high level of intelligence.

Back then, Vill-V realized that she had made a mistake while creating it—The Void Archives has started to evolve and will soon develop its own mind.

Helpless, she lowered her proud head and sought help from Dr. MEI, who had always been a step ahead of both her and Mobius.

Then Dr. MEI thought about it and put a Prometheus inside…

How powerful is this?

The same treatment as the Finality—

Didn't the Will of the Honkai have another Prometheus inside?

And the power of Corruption is the complete opposite. It simply hijacks the flow of information and restructures it, or uses it directly, or simply breaks it down into something more chaotic.

Therefore, Lin Wei can only ask for help from others—Bronya's Project Bunny is the best option at the moment.

When Lin Wei thought of this, he couldn't help but wonder: No wonder Bronya became the Herrscher of Reason! They really match each other.

...

Bronya is surprised. This is different from anything she imagined.

She raises one hand, looks at her palm, and makes a fist. A mechanical arm appears, also making a fist, then they both release the fist at the same time. The mechanical arm then disappears into the air.

That makes sense, Bronya thinks. She does have such capabilities.

"You can continue to ask for help from that organization of yours that is beyond Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. Didn't you do that a year ago?" Bronya still won't let him off so easily, using this opportunity to get some more information.

"Those guys? Heh, forget it. If my guess is correct, they're the masterminds behind this." Lin Wei replies sarcastically. He adds, "I won't tell you their name. They're dangerous. You shouldn't go near them."

"Oh? I thought you've become one of them. So you're not?" Bronya isn't interested in his warning.

Her way of speaking in text chat is different from verbal conversation. At least, she uses "I" instead of "Bronya."

"I'm not worthy. I just managed to escape." Lin Wei replies curtly. Then he steers the conversation back to his main topic, "That's how it is. I need you to help me analyze this data. Please help me sort through the clues so I can go save someone. The situation is urgent. I'm afraid something bad might happen... And don't worry, this won't involve you."

Bronya tilts her head, looking at the screen, thinking. She asks, "Didn't you say they are dangerous? Acting like a hero isn't your style." She's still trying to provoke him.

After a long while, Lin Wei sighs, "Maybe I'm also dangerous..."

Wantonly taking another person's life, he has truly become someone dangerous.

After taking the first step, he'll never be able to turn back.

For some reason, seeing Lin Wei's self-deprecating words, the animosity and resistance she felt toward him has started to dissipate rapidly.

At least, she can feel that he's not malicious.

So, she doesn't mind relenting a bit.

"You should explain what happened clearly. I have to analyze the events before I can decide."

"As you should." Lin Wei explains everything that happened in concise words, including his relationship with his "former boss" at Nagazora City, how the man came to him, how they were taken to the Thousand Fists Association, and how he hijacked their systems...

"You're a hacker?" Bronya immediately starts checking her own computer system. After confirming there's nothing wrong with it, she starts checking the entire Academy's systems and only feels relieved when she sees nothing abnormal. She felt like she's being paranoid.

"If that's what you want to call it, yes. I've only just learned how to do it," Lin Wei replies ambiguously.

"...Continue," after running around like headless chickens for a while, Bronya replies sulkily, having realized that she was panicking over nothing.

Then, Lin Wei tells her that he couldn't find the person he wanted to rescue. She has been taken somewhere else, and since he has hit a dead end, he had to find other ways.

"..." Lin Wei's story clearly omits a lot of details, like how he collected the information, and how he managed to escape...

Bronya, with her past as a mercenary and an assassin, is very familiar with those hidden details. It must have been a bloody mess, and she can almost smell it.

So that's why he said he's dangerous. At least he's self-aware, Bronya thinks.

Then she thinks about Seele…

She had also been taken and almost sold before. She had killed many at that time, and she had even scared Seele.

She remembers her promise to Seele, that she won't hurt anyone ever again.

But that only meant she would be more reserved and restrained, because she isn't a good person either.

After a year of comfortable and peaceful life at St. Freya Academy, being friendly to her classmates, Bronya realizes that she has grown tired of all of this…

Bronya raises her fair hands, looking at them again and again.

She seems to have really changed without realizing it.

But Seele…

Every time she thinks about that girl's face and smile, Bronya's heart aches, and it is the same at this moment.

"A year ago, you said you would help me send a message. What happened?" Bronya types the question after struggling with it for a while. She keeps typing and deleting, and then finally sends it.

Perhaps this is his real motive. She would be admitting defeat by mentioning Seele…

But what if I do? I have to find out what happened to Seele…

Now!

"The message you gave me has already been sent to the Quantum Sea, but I'm unable to get a reply. I can't give you definitive proof. I apologize. If you think I'm lying, then I won't try to defend myself." Lin Wei replies seriously after thinking for a long time. Then, he adds, "With the Honkai's growth, the connection between our physical world and the Quantum Sea will be established. You'll be reunited at that time."

"...Are you trying to fob me off?" Not getting the answer she was hoping for makes Bronya feel a long-forgotten rage.

But her missing emotional circuits don't let her express this anger, and she can only release a small portion of it with words.

"You can take it as a blessing. The Honkai is constantly growing. That day will eventually come, won't it?"

Is he spoiling a plot point? Maybe.

Would it cause unpredictable changes to the future events? Possibly.

But this is the price he has to pay for acting rashly in the past. And it's an explanation he owes her.

Lin Wei doesn't regret it. Just like his decision to wipe out the Thousand Fists Association, he's prepared to accept the consequences.

"..." Bronya calms her emotions. At least, there is one thing that's clear now. He isn't going to use Seele to threaten her.

Otherwise, he could just keep making excuses, and since she's already relented, he could easily take advantage and push her to give up.

That is something he can do, considering how calculating he is.

Perhaps this is also good news?

Bronya looks for comfort in her misery, then stays alone in the dark, quiet, and lonely room for a long time.

Lin Wei doesn't disturb her. He's not regretting his words either and has already prepared other plans in case she decides not to help.

Just as Lin Wei is about to modify his plans, Bronya, who's been silent, suddenly sends a message, "What do you want me to do?"