I Am Honkai

"Does the Chairman mean to further increase the resource allocation for the first rank?! Are you sure?!"

"Yes! Do you have any doubts?"

"But... doesn't the Chairman know? The first rank's current allocation is already far beyond that of the other Level 5s. If it's increased further, it will exceed the combined resources of all the other Level 5s! Isn't this a bit inappropriate? What if the other Level 5s become dissatisfied..."

"It's perfectly appropriate. Don't you understand the strength of the first rank? If they have any complaints, they should take them up with the first rank! If they lack the strength and still want to pick and choose, criticize everything..." Kihara Amata held his head, feeling a bit of a headache as he interrupted his subordinate's concerns.

Indeed, once again, it was Kihara Amata. Ever since the Board of Directors saw Selene giving him face (as they assumed), they naturally thought he had a good relationship with Selene. They also recalled that it was he who welcomed Selene into Academy City. So, with a wave of the hand, they gave him a new position, assigning Kihara Amata to specifically handle all the dark matter affairs related to the first rank.

Under pressure from the Board of Directors and with other dark matter organizations unwilling to contact the first rank, Kihara Amata had no choice but to bite the bullet and take it on.

This afternoon, Kihara Amata's first task was to deliver the [humanoid robot's intelligent operating system] designed by Aleister for Selene to her.

Thinking of this, Kihara Amata felt a bit of a stomach ache. Honestly, he wanted to stay as far away from Selene as possible.

In a bad mood, he felt a bit listless. Given his usual temperament, a subordinate so clueless, asking question after question, would have been slapped a long time ago. But now, he just didn't have the energy, "If those Level 5s have issues, just say this... the sky isn't falling."

Though Kihara Amata was somewhat submissive when facing Selene, his defiance ensured he'd strike hard against other Level 5s!

"Understood! But moving such ten-digit funds requires the consent of at least two directors."

"You don't have to worry about them. Just apply for allocation directly to the Board of Directors. Isn't the first rank also a director? Add in the Chairman, and that makes two... if they dare to complain, replace them!"

As a member of the "Kihara family," who rule the dark matter of Academy City, and the leader of the secret organization "Hound Squad" (Hound Dog) directly under the Chairman Aleister, Kihara Amata truly didn't need to regard the other directors.

According to Aleister, the Board of Directors members aren't irreplaceable. "There are plenty to fill their spots." A group of consumables, that's all.

"Sort the money yourself. No need to worry about the directors. I still have to make a delivery." Kihara Amata couldn't help but slouch on the sofa, rolling his eyes a bit, and weakly patting the metal briefcase beside him.

"Understood."

...

Destiny Research Institute.

As Selene took the "goods" delivered by the dark matter, she was about to say something, only to find the dark matter had already fled as if avoiding the plague.

"...Uh, am I that scary?"

Shaking her head helplessly, Selene took the metal briefcase back to the lab. "Hmm, so this is what Aleister mentioned."

She took out a data box, quite solid, black with white lines, faintly glowing blue.

After examining it for a while, Selene bent over and inserted it into the computer behind her. Quickly, the installation was complete.

Then, she skillfully picked up a brand-new chip implanted with this program and slowly walked to the side of the standing military robot. Opening the protective armor of its rear head slot, she pressed a button, and the chip slot popped out.

Inserting the chip into the military robot's chip slot and reclosing the protective armor, Selene stepped back.

The next second, the previously downed robot, due to lacking a core operating system, instantly came to life. The single-eye camera on its head flashed red, the drooping head lifted immediately, and it even looked around, its movements very smooth, without the slightest clumsiness!

Afterward, the robot automatically turned its head toward Selene, stood at attention, and an icy, mechanical male voice emanated, "Military Robot—Prototype, pleased to serve you."

Soon, Selene called Aoki Yoichi to take the prototype for testing and, depending on the situation, add weapon templates and even mass-produce it.

Watching the robot leave, Selene was very satisfied. As it left, encountering various laboratory equipment obstacles, it could immediately adjust its position without a hint of collision.

Seeing this, Selene was reassured and felt more confident about heading to a new world.

That's right, a new world! This was the consequence of her fighting with full force last time.

Since that battle concluded, Selene received a piece of news that left her very conflicted.

Due to her battle with Accelerator, Selene triggered enough Honkai energy, causing the Herrscher core to begin reviving. As long as Selene connected with this world through it and used the Honkai to invade, she could complete the core, achieve Herrscher transformation, and reach the pinnacle.

But consequently, the Honkai would descend upon this world.

It's important to note that the Honkai is an unusual catastrophe, a rhythm of cosmic periodic adjustments.

Honkai is born with civilization and aims to destroy it, launching cataclysmic attacks on the dominant species in the world.

Honkai is an intelligent supernatural force with multiple manifestations, including but not limited to corrupting beasts and humans, mutations or death, viruses (like the Black Death), natural disasters (such as Ice Ages and volcanic eruptions), world wars, and even pure Honkai energy, creating Honkai Beasts (different from beasts corrupted by Honkai) and Herrschers, or any form that could damage human civilization.

Among them, Herrschers are the most threatening manifestation of Honkai, its highest form.

The intensity of Honkai always correlates positively with the development level of civilization in the area.

In other words, the stronger the world, the stronger the Honkai, always slightly more powerful than the world's total strength. This is its most buggy aspect.

But why didn't Selene connect directly with the Toaru world?

This is because if Selene connects to the Toaru world, the Honkai will surely descend, drastically altering the world, and Magic Gods would certainly appear. The outcome is uncertain, but the battle would definitely devastate Earth.

It's important to note that this lifetime's adoptive parents of Selene are still on Earth. She remembers their kindness in raising her, not being an ungrateful wretch who would commit patricide or matricide. On the contrary, she wants to repay their kindness, so maintaining the world's stability and not affecting the brauchitsch couple's life is her bottom line.

As long as the brauchitsch couple lives, Selene cannot make a move against this world.

Thus, Selene chose a different method. When the Herrscher core appeared, the "Great Sage" also reactivated its space-time travel capability.

Selene plans to activate her Herrscher core in another world, preferably one without many humans, thus reducing her sense of guilt. After all, she hasn't abandoned her previous life's three views.

To be cautious, Selene needs to prepare for the awkward situation of temporarily losing her abilities in another world. During that time, she would need something to protect herself.

And that's why Selene was in a rush to ask Aleister for help developing the system. She didn't have time to develop it slowly herself. Selene cherishes her new life immensely and can never be too cautious.

"How many days until the space jump is charged?"

[About three days.]

"Will the new universe have a rejection reaction against me? What effect will it have on me then?"

[There should be rejection, perhaps causing me to sleep, but the impact on the host is currently unknown.]

"Alright, got it. Notify me when the charging is complete."

[Understood.]

Inside Destiny Research Institute, in the spacious office, sitting on an ergonomic boss chair, Selene couldn't help pressing her temples.

Thinking about the unreliability of the Great Sage, "It seems I need to prepare a few more things just in case."

Indeed, all Selene needed was the thought to buy! Buy! Buy!

Such as protective gear, food, cold weapons, firearms and ammunition, high-power batteries, solar generators, medicines, and so on.

...

Three days later.

In the institute's underground warehouse, Selene, with white hair tied into a ponytail, wore a black combat tight suit under a black high-neck slim-fit combat uniform, a bulletproof vest, knee-high combat boots, black anti-stab gloves, and was covered head to toe.

A specially made gun holster with a Beretta 92F pistol was fixed on the outer thigh armor, a tactical belt tied around her waist, with a Glock 17 pistol and a D9 dagger on either side, holding a SIG SG-551 automatic rifle.

Her attire was all made of special materials with high strength, high ignition point, stab resistance, constant temperature, breathability, and many other excellent characteristics.

After putting the prepared massive supply of resources and military robots into the storage space, Selene slung a bulging multifunctional backpack on her back.

Now, everything was ready, only the east wind was missing.

[Charging complete, searching for a suitable world, starting space jump!]

...

"Caw—caw—caw—"

In the dense forest, a crow resting on a branch was startled by a burst of red light, letting out a string of strange cries as it flapped its wings and flew away.

As the light gradually faded, a white-haired figure about 170cm tall appeared in the forest.

"Whew."

Naturally, it was Selene who crossed over. Not in a hurry to wander around, she tried her abilities; indeed, due to the suppression of the new world, she was temporarily unable to use them.

"How long will it take before I can regain my abilities?"

[The storage capacity should restore within 48 hours. Although it's uncertain exactly how long, it is certain that the longer you stay in this world, the easier it becomes to use Honkai and connect with it.]

"Let it be for now; first, I need to find a place to stay. Where am I?"

[Based on terrain comparison, roughly confirmed in North America, Georgia's capital, Atlanta.]

"Is this a parallel world similar to Earth?"

[Thus, I wish you smooth travels... ssss—]

Feeling the "Great Sage" fall asleep, Selene vigilantly scanned the surrounding environment. Apart from the dense forest, there was a stone-paved path, and through the dense trees, she could see skyscrapers ahead. This was the city outskirts' forest park.

Looking at the messy footprints on the trail side, somehow, although there were human traces around, Selene felt extremely uneasy.

No shadows were in sight; the vast open area was dead silent.

It was too quiet, eerily quiet.

Lifeless.

Suddenly, recalling the selected filtering criteria: a world with fewer humans, Selene couldn't help but blurt out, "An apocalyptic world?"