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

"Mistress, we have a visitor." A cyborg girl, her body adorned with mechanical implants, approached Jackal, her voice monotone.

"Oh? A visitor? Who would come to see me at this hour?" Jackal, arms crossed, admiring her masterpiece floating in its green-tinged nutrient solution, was annoyed by the interruption. "If it's just some random nobody, turn them away. Tell them Dr. Cleo is busy with her latest research and unavailable."

"Understood, please wait… I have declined Ms. Cioara's visit request." The cyborg followed her instructions without question. "Any further instructions, Mistress?"

"Wait!" The familiar name snapped Jackal out of her annoyance. She turned to her assistant, her golden eyes sharp. "Ms. Cioara… You mean… Raven?"

The cyborg nodded rhythmically.

"And you didn't tell me sooner?!" Jackal was furious.

"Ms. Cioara has completed her resignation procedures and is no longer World Serpent's Raven. She qualifies as a 'random nobody'," the cyborg explained, her logic impeccable.

"You…!" Jackal pointed a trembling finger at her assistant, then, exasperated by the girl's innocent expression, threw her hands up in defeat. "…Fine, let her in!" I should have kept more of her human emotions intact, she thought, regretting her earlier pursuit of pure efficiency. The regret was fleeting.

A moment later, a small figure in a black cloak and hood entered the lab, looking around curiously before turning to Jackal, her tone laced with a strange amusement.

"Why are you all alone here?"

......

Earlier.

"…Are you sure about this?" Yae Sakura asked, still processing Lin Wei's plan. It was a lot to take in.

"Why not?" Lin Wei asked calmly, sitting in a quiet corner of the university library, flipping through a book. He continued their mental conversation. "Your transformations are practically flawless."

"..." Yae Sakura sighed, regretting showing off her abilities. Why did I act like a child with a new toy? she thought, then, remembering Lin Wei's stunned expression, puffed out her chest slightly, her earlier delight outweighing her regret. I should have taken a picture of his face…

"…Sakura, are you listening?" Lin Wei asked, sensing her distraction.

"Yes, I'm listening," she replied quickly, still wanting to refuse this new task. "Lin Wei, this is too reckless…"

"Reckless? No, I think it's perfect." Lin Wei smiled, closing the book – the university's history. "I asked around. A world-renowned medical professor was recently hired as a visiting professor. She's made groundbreaking contributions to medicine, cured countless diseases. To hire someone of her caliber, naturally, there's a price… Giving her full control of a bioscience lab is a small price to pay, don't you think?" He pointed towards a grand building visible through the trees, its architecture reminiscent of ancient Egypt. "The professor's name is Cleo. Sounds… prestigious, doesn't it?"

Yae Sakura didn't reply. Having followed Stan to this building and back, she recognized it. She hadn't expected them to be so brazen.

Neither had Lin Wei.

"A secret organization operating in broad daylight… Tsk, tsk… It adds to their mystique, don't you think?" He marveled at their audacity, their ability to hide in plain sight.

"Since Jackal is operating openly, we should visit openly. It's the polite thing to do…"

"…And you want me to impersonate Raven?" Yae Sakura finally interrupted. How was that "open"?

"Of course! We're not sneaking in, we're guests! It's perfectly open!" Lin Wei insisted. "We're just… applying some makeup to avoid embarrassing our host."

"..." I'm not falling for that, Yae Sakura thought, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, jokes aside. We don't know what's in that lab, who they're in contact with. But we know Raven isn't involved. So, using her identity is the easiest way in." His expression turned serious. He explained his true intentions. "After all, as former colleagues—and future colleagues, hopefully—visiting as Raven will make it easier to get information from 'Professor Cleo.'" He emphasized the name, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"What if they know her well? What if I'm exposed?" Yae Sakura was still apprehensive. "Do you think I'm a good actress? A good liar?"

"An ancient sage once said, 'The prettier the girl, the better the liar'… Don't glare at me, I'm kidding." Lin Wei attempted to lighten the mood, but quickly retreated under her annoyed gaze. He offered a more practical suggestion. "We've spent enough time with Raven. If you recall her speech patterns, her mannerisms, you should be able to imitate her well enough. As for the finer details…" He smiled. "With Jackal's personality, always looking down on everyone, she's unlikely to notice. And if you leave quickly enough, she might not even realize."

He was confident he could fool someone who'd fallen for Kiana's tricks.

If he remembered correctly, Kiana had successfully tricked two people in her life. Jackal was one of them.

Who was the other? The newly awakened Herrscher of Sentience, naive and innocent.

As for Rita? That had been more of a mutually beneficial negotiation.

Based on these memories, Lin Wei was confident in Yae Sakura's ability to pull this off.

"…Even if Jackal is as gullible as you say, what about Gray Serpent? He knows Raven better than anyone!" Yae Sakura persisted. "You've met him. You know how cunning he is. If he finds out…"

"So what if he finds out? We fight our way out! They can't possibly be a match for you, can they?" Lin Wei feigned surprise. "They'll have discovered the Overseer's whereabouts, what does that have to do with me?"

"Uh… what?" Yae Sakura was momentarily confused.

Lin Wei stroked his chin, muttering, "Gray Serpent cleverly foils the Overseer's plot against World Serpent. If I run into him, I'll even congratulate him."

"..."

Yae Sakura's understanding of Lin Wei's deviousness reached new heights. She wanted to say something, but words failed her.

She couldn't be angry; and hating him was impossible.

Anyone who'd seen into his soul, like her, couldn't truly hate him.

After a long silence, she sighed, making one last attempt.

"What about Raven herself? Did she agree to this?" She liked Raven, considered her a friend. "We'll be causing her trouble…" She didn't want to drag Raven into this mess.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't betray a friend. I'm not asking you to cause any real damage in her name, am I?" Lin Wei smiled confidently, holding up his hand, staring at his palm. "We just need to gather some intel, then leave. She won't even notice. Just a minor… hiccup in her day. She probably won't even mention it to Raven."

"And if we are discovered?"

"Even simpler! If our disguise is blown, we fight our way out." He held up his other hand, palm facing away. "If we're fighting, then obviously the intruder isn't Raven. How would that cause her any trouble?"

"..."

That's his solution? Yae Sakura was speechless. So ridiculous!

It made logical sense, but something felt wrong.

But Lin Wei wasn't finished.

"And you can choose to do it in Otto's name, or Durandal's, or Rita's. Your choice." He grinned. "This… responsibility… this honor of foiling a conspiracy and saving the world, should fall to a righteous organization like Schicksal!"

Lin Wei wasn't reckless. On the contrary, he could be quite calculating.

With both Otto and World Serpent present, actively scheming against each other, he shouldn't expose himself prematurely.

Staying off the board was his greatest advantage.

But that didn't mean inaction. He would use his anonymity to probe both sides, gather information…

He brought his hands together, intertwining his fingers, slowly closing them into a fist.

…then he would manipulate the situation, guiding events towards his desired outcome.

"..."

Yae Sakura sighed, knowing his mind was made up. She couldn't argue further. After some preparation, she set off on her mission, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension.

Lin Wei watched her go, relieved.

He hadn't told her the whole truth, downplaying the risks to ease her worries. He'd omitted the most crucial point – approaching Jackal as Raven was the easiest way to gain her trust, but if exposed, he couldn't blame Otto. The blame would fall squarely on him.

The reason was simple: Otto Apocalypse didn't know Raven!

If he didn't know her, how could he impersonate her to test World Serpent?

In this world, the only person who knew Raven and World Serpent, besides World Serpent itself, was Lin Wei.

But he couldn't tell Yae Sakura this. She would refuse outright, leaving no room for negotiation.

Even if she agreed, it would increase the risk of exposure.

Better to keep it to himself.

"Sakura's worried about my safety, but I think… If I can avoid exposure, that's ideal. But even if I'm exposed, so what?"

I have the Key of Erosion. I can steal one of Otto's Soulium bodies, change my appearance, infiltrate World Serpent's base. That's a plausible explanation, right?

He smiled, taking another book from the shelf and starting to read.

He'd chosen this library, near Jackal's lab, to wait for Gray Serpent.

If things went wrong for Yae Sakura, he had a backup plan for dealing with Gray Serpent.

And if Gray Serpent, or Jackal, questioned his motives…

He pulled out the ocean-blue, half-heart pendant, watching it swing gently, reflecting the light like ripples on the water.

"Personal reasons." That would be enough.

A plausible excuse, and World Serpent – at least Gray Serpent – wouldn't turn against him. They would remain… friendly.

Lin Wei sneered.

Just like they'd done to him in Nagazora.

They were all the same.