Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 401 Everything proceeds according to plan

Kiana opened the door and quickly walked towards the bridge, following the direction of the sound.

The closer she got to the bridge, the clearer the sounds became—she could hear several people arguing…

what's the situation?

As Kiana approached, she saw Sora frantically trying to shake off a cute girl with short pink hair. The girl clung tightly to Sora's arm like a koala, a naive and contented smile on her face, and kept calling out...

Mimi?

Anna stood to the side, unsure what to do. Mei reached out to pull the girl, but her arm simply passed right through her.

Is it a hyper-realistic holographic projection?

But if it's a projection, why can't the dead gray hair be shaken off?

Further away, Bronya and Seele were staring at a seemingly ordinary pink quill pen.

Since she couldn't understand it at all, Kiana thought of a possibility.

"Bronya, what kind of game are you playing?"

After a brief analysis, Kiana's eyes lit up: This is just playing with some new gadget!

However, her judgment only earned her a disdainful look from Bronya.

"Idiot Kiana, this isn't a game! This girl just suddenly appeared here, and we have no idea who she is. Besides, she seems to only be bothering Sora-nii; we can't get close to her at all..."

"I didn't understand."

Kiana leaned even closer at the girl's voice. The little girl seemed to sense her gaze and suddenly turned her face. In the instant their eyes met, Kiana saw her diamond-shaped pink pupils and her entire face in shades of pinkish-blue…

In her memory, there was only one person with pink hair and light blue eyes:

That guy named March 7th.

"Mimi!"

"Ugh?!"

Before Kiana could react, the pink-clad girl suddenly released Sora's arm and pounced towards Kiana. Kiana instinctively reached out to catch her, but her hand passed right through the girl's body—the girl passed right through Kiana and floated down behind her.

Kiana turned around in surprise and saw the girl jumping around her, calling out "Mimi".

Kiana looked completely bewildered.

"You guys, what the hell are you doing? She can understand me? Hey, I'm not some kind of fangirl!"

"Kiana, I'd love to know too!"

"Mimi!"

After circling Kiana a few times, the pink-haired girl seemed to lose interest and skipped back to Sora, who was being protected by Mei, and hugged Mei's arm tightly again.

"Kiana, this situation is very strange. Specifically, this pen suddenly projected a girl, and then she... became attached to Sora-nii. Moreover, it seems that only Sora-nii can touch her..."

"Only Dead Gray Hair can encounter girls who come from the pen?"

Having received Seele's message, Kiana stroked her chin and leaned closer to observe with great interest.

"Interesting... Hey, little pink-haired guy, what's your name? Why are you grabbing him?"

"Mimi!"

The pink-haired girl blinked her big eyes, looked at Kiana, and smiled sweetly, but didn't answer; she just repeated herself.

"No need to ask, you idiot Kiana, it seems like that's the only word she knows. Bronya guesses she might be a ghost residing in the pen."

"But Bronya, why can ghosts be active during the day?"

Bronya and Seele were at odds over the "ghost," but Kiana didn't care at all. After confirming that Sora posed no real threat and was just annoyed, all she wanted to do was find a place to sit down, grab some food and drinks, and watch the show…

Out of interest, Kiana turned to the pile of documents and the quill pen that Bronya thought was haunted.

"Speaking of which, what's with all these documents? Did Aunt Himeko give Shishio extra work again? Wow, this is even more exaggerated than the review materials before the final exams!"

"Idiot Na, now's not the time to talk about this!"

Qiong was on the verge of tears. Couldn't we just leave out the final exams that neither he nor Kiana had passed? Today was the first day of vacation, the very first day!

In front of Mei, Sora tried to pry the girl's fingers open with his other hand, but the girl's strength was unexpectedly great, or rather, the existence that could help her fight against Leiera made it difficult for him to break free.

"Mimi..."

The girl, who was tightly holding Qiong, felt his resistance for the first time. Even her "Mimi" calls were no longer as cheerful and clear as before, but trailed off with a slightly confused tremor. She looked up, her pinkish-blue diamond-shaped pupils staring unblinkingly at Qiong's furrowed brows, reflecting his current agitated and somewhat bewildered face.

"Qiong, look at her!"

Suddenly, Mei noticed that the innocent and contented smile on the girl's lips had disappeared. She blinked, and the tightness in her grip on Sora's arm seemed to loosen slightly.

"What... happened to her?"

Almost everyone noticed that the little girl was actually trying to reach out and touch Sora's head—was she trying to comfort Sora, who was in a bad mood because of her?

"Mimi...?"

The sound was even softer, carrying a cautious probing, and even... a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

Qiong's movements stopped because of the prelude to Xi Lian's tears from this miniature version of her. He stopped trying to pry her hands apart and instead looked at the little pink head pressed against his side.

There was no reason at all, but he just felt that the previous liveliness had disappeared from that lovely face, replaced by a kind of unease, as if she had done something wrong and was afraid of being abandoned...

Immediately afterwards, Qiong felt a strange sense of guilt.

“That, Xi—”

"Brother Qiong, are you calling Xi'er?"

Qiong was about to say "Miss Xilian" instead of "Xier" when suddenly he noticed that the outline of the little Xilian in front of him was gradually blurring.

"Hmm... what's wrong with her?"

"Could it be that the quill pen has run out of power?"

Bronya, what do you mean?

Bronya glanced at Kiana.

"Idiot Kiana, I'll give you a look and you'll understand."

To everyone's eyes, the outline of the pink-clad little girl gradually blurred, followed by irregular flashes of light and shadow. Suddenly, the pink quill pen on the table emitted a pink glow. As the light shone on the girl, her figure became even more ethereal.

"Mimi..."

"Hey, you—"

Similar to the scene He Qiong saw in the wheat field in her dream, the girl's voice was so faint as to be barely audible, and her eyes were full of reluctance.

The next second, the soft light enveloped her again, and her figure gradually shrank and faded in the light, eventually turning into a pink stream of light and disappearing back into the quill pen.

The bridge fell silent instantly.

Sora stared at the quill pen and the bewildered Kiana, while stretching her aching arms. Mei stared at the pen as if facing a formidable enemy. As for Kiana herself, who was being stared at by Sora...

She looked at him with a regretful expression, as if she hadn't seen enough of him yet.

"So, it seems that Brother Qiong got possessed by evil spirits himself after helping Teacher Yae Sakura with her exorcism!"

Bronya broke the silence, pointing to the seemingly harmless quill pen and the numbers 093 and EGO written on it.

"Where did this come from? In order to ensure that Brother Qiong does not fall into a coma like Teacher Yae, Bronya suggested that we temporarily hand over this pen to Teacher Himeko."

Qiong felt as if her heart had been struck by a heavy hammer.

Giving Xilian and the quill to Himeko-sensei? That's unnecessary! After all, Xilian helped her fight off Leera; she's definitely a good person! And regarding her next destination in "exploration," Onpharos, this quill was made from Kiana's feather dust...

Hand it over? No, absolutely not!

"no!"

Whether it's trusting Xilian, or the future of Onfaros and Kaituo, even if it's to protect oneself from Leiera's harm, the quill pen must never be handed over!

Almost instinctively, he roared, his voice so loud it startled even himself. Before anyone could react, he darted to the table. His body acted before his thoughts, grabbing the still faintly glowing pink quill pen in his hand, then causing it to vanish into thin air.

"Brother Qiong? You..."

Bronya was stunned by Sora's sudden action, and her small body stiffened for a moment.

Is Qiong Zhen possessed by an evil spirit?

------------

Inside the bishop's office, Otto Apocalypse silently stroked the "leaf" given to him by the forerunner with his fingertips.

The experiment went a little wrong, but the results were excellent. Durandal lived up to her reputation as his most capable Valkyrie. Before he could figure out the structure of the World Bubble and rescue his people, Durandal herself used the power of the World Bubble within her body, along with the "Undying Star Anchor" armor formed with the help of the Forerunner Sue, to return to her home world.

The only spoils she brought back, besides the armor, were two "leaves".

The tiny piece of Sumeru in Otto's hand contains the results of that enlightened being's lifelong project of observing countless parallel worlds: data from his observations.

The human being who had awakened also mentioned several other plans: the Fire Seed Plan, which had already failed; the Ark Plan, which could be considered a failure; the Thousand Sands Plan, which this person who had awakened also carried out; and the Refuge Plan, which was a prerequisite for all plans except the Ark Plan... In addition, there was the Stigmata Plan and the Watcher Plan, which was an anti-Stigmata Plan.

For Otto, while this important information filled him with respect for those who had selflessly dedicated themselves and fought bravely since the beginning of the previous civilization, it was nothing compared to the confirmation from that person, for someone like him who only cared about his own interests.

The answer he seeks lies at the other end of the Tree of Imaginary Numbers. To reach that side, he must obtain the complete Second Divine Key.

Otto's lips slowly curved upwards, starting as a tiny smile, then widening as his shoulders began to tremble slightly. A suppressed chuckle filled the silent office, growing louder and more unrestrained until it finally erupted into maniacal laughter.

Five hundred years! Five hundred years! It has been five hundred years since the despicable Otto Apocalypse murdered the saintess!

All the planning and sacrifices have finally paid off today!

Otto's laughter subsided, and before him appeared his bastard father: Nicholas Apocalypse.

Once, the most powerful man in all of Europe, after his expedition failed and the saintess's defection was recaptured, gave him an opportunity: if his third son, Otto Apocalypse, married the imprisoned saintess Karen, he would pardon Karen's crimes. In this way, he could use his marriage to Karen to control the Kaslana family.

He knew perfectly well what the Archbishop was thinking, but his impure love and possessiveness for Karen prevailed. He went to the prison hoping Karen would agree to marry him... But the saint refused. She refused to become a tool for the Archbishop of Destiny to strengthen his internal control. She would rather die than become a tool of those evil people.

After killing her, he was obsessed with reviving the saintess, and in the end, he also turned into a villain...

Oh wait, it doesn't seem that fast. Before I completely became a bad guy, I even went to China with a coffin, didn't I?

Otto pictured a girl abducted by Anti-Entropy—seriously, those Anti-Entropy guys shouldn't do anything to her, right?

Let's find her and bring her back.

Just as Otto was lost in his memories, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in."

Someone knocked on the door, and Otto resumed his usual cold demeanor.

The door was slowly pushed open, and Durandal walked in.

"Your Excellency, is there anything you require?"

Otto looked at Durandal, who had changed into the Shining Knight outfit, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Durandal, do you need to rest for a few days?"

“Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency. But I do not need rest.”

Durandal stood upright, her tone perfectly calm.

"The mission is complete, and I am ready to receive new instructions at any time."

Otto gazed into her deep blue eyes—eyes as resolute as the saint's in his memory, yet different. Karen's eyes burned with the flames of idealism, while Durandal's held only pure responsibility and duty.

But they're all the same, equally straightforward, and equally... a little bit... well, just a little bit... foolish.

"very good."

Otto gently placed the leaf in his hand on the table.

"Then, I need you to find someone."

"Please give instructions."

“A girl, my… old friend. She was taken away during the previous anti-entropy attack.”

Otto tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and the data panel automatically displayed a file projection, showing a photo of a girl from China—Li Sushang, who had been taken away by the pioneering team.

"Although the Anti-Entropy group is unlikely to harm her, let's still bring her back, preferably with the gems."

Durandal nodded slightly, waiting for Otto to provide further information.

"She could be taken to any of Anti-Entropy's bases. But according to intelligence analysis, the most likely location is the New Mexico base in North America, which is the same base where Rita raided last time."

"Understood. I will take the Undying Blade and act immediately."

"There's one more thing."

Otto leaned forward slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"If you encounter any unusual individuals, especially those who attacked headquarters last time, report it immediately."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

That's all I wanted to say.

Otto leaned back in his chair, regaining his composed demeanor.

"Amber will contact you if there are any updates. Go ahead, and be sure to keep in touch. Rita learned her lesson the hard way last time."

"Yes."

Durandal turned and left the office, the sound of her boots tapping on the ground fading into the distance.

After the door closed, Otto picked up the leaf again and walked to the window.

Kevin, Sue, Fu Hua, May... and all those grand plans they designed for the survival of humanity...

Otto suddenly burst into another short, sharp laugh.

How noble! How tragic! For the continuation of their race, they were willing to bear all sins... just like she was back then.

However, regardless, the villainous Archbishop Otto had to expedite his actions: now that the path was determined, most plans could be relegated to secondary or auxiliary roles, prioritizing the "Reawakening of the Herrscher of the Void" experiment—having Sora and K423 forge a bond beyond friendship, then sacrificing Sora to awaken K423's humanity and defeat her Herrscher personality. He'd inform Rita later to prioritize this path at all costs…

Time was of the essence, and Otto once again immersed himself in the Sumeru Mustard Seed, where he saw Kevin and Sue again.

But it should be from my student days?

To be fair, the one he chose, Qiong, does look a bit like Kevin, especially after her hair turned white.

"Su, I managed to get three tickets to the Eden concert..."

Su, a human being with squinted eyes, was sitting on a bench reading a book when he heard this and looked up.

"You, me, and Mei."

No, I'm not interested in being a third wheel between you two.

Is this redundant data?

Otto narrowed his eyes.

Indeed, it's reasonable that an observer nearing the end of their life wouldn't have time to categorize things; it seems I'll have to do it again later...

"Take what's given to you!"

Kevin handed over one of the tickets without saying a word, completely disregarding the fact that Sue had already refused.

I told you, I don't want to be a third wheel between you two.

Without hesitation, the cheerful and optimistic young man, who was not yet a future "pioneer" of humanity, proposed a solution.

"That's easy! How about we don't bring Mei?"

Otto: ...

Otto's lips twitched uncontrollably.

Forgive his arrogance, but redundant data? No, no, no…

What if—he meant what if—Qiong's emotional intelligence was like Kevin's…

Putting personality aside, with that kind of emotional intelligence, can Rita really make K423 fall in love with Sora and see her as indispensable?

------------

It's normal for the author to occasionally feel lazy (hehe).