Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 363 Qiong: Otto isn't important, what's important is...

"Brother Qiong—"

"What's wrong, Bronya? You already miss me before I even left?"

Bronya's calm gaze swept past Kiana, who was about to enter the room to bother Mei, and landed entirely on Sora, who was leisurely sitting on the sofa scrolling through her phone and waiting for Rita to notify her of the spaceship's takeoff, and on Seele, who was clinging to Sora under the pretext of "looking at the phone together."

"No, it's not..."

Bronya shook her head. She just felt like she was on the verge of being jealous—don't get me wrong, the Ural Silver Wolf wasn't jealous, just "on the verge of being jealous."

It must be clarified that this jealousy does not stem from narrow-minded envy like that of the fool Kiana, but rather from the confusion caused by the breaking of existing rules: in the worldview she and Seele and other orphanage friends built together, they should have been the undisputed first priority to each other—just like Rosalia and Lilia.

But since Seele's return, her actions seem to have deviated from the previously accepted path. The focus is too much on Sora! If Sora hadn't said she was going to Schicksal headquarters, Seele might have dragged her into her room tonight for "reward"!

Now that all the troubles have (probably) come to an end, Bronya, now with some free time, looks at everything before her and begins to recall the dreamlike events that have occurred since Seele's return.

Why? How come Sora, who has only known Seele for a few days, has such a good relationship with her? Or has their relationship faded because they've been apart for so long? To the point that in Seele's heart, Sora's priority has surpassed that of her older sister Bronya?

She doesn't accept it!

"Sora, Miss Rita's spaceship is about to take off! Come here for a moment!"

"Okay! Let me go tell Mei first!"

Walter Yang, leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance?

Bronya was lost in thought when Old Yang, who called himself the leader of Anti-Entropy, suddenly rushed in and waved to Qiong. After a moment of surprise, Qiong immediately jumped up from the sofa and walked towards him.

Watching the gray-haired man stride towards Old Yang, Bronya keenly noticed the disappointment in Seele's eyes, which ignited a nameless fire of anger within her towards Qiong—Qiong-gege already has Mei-jie, how could he steal the title of Seele's closest person from her?!

Bronya's expression remained calm, perhaps even too calm. Her grey eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze shifting back and forth between Seele and Sora. As Sora passed by her, Bronya grabbed the hem of his robe.

"Brother Qiong!"

"Ok?"

Qiong stopped and looked at Bronya with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong, Bronya? Is something the matter?"

Bronya's gaze remained calmly fixed on Qiong's face, as if Seele, who was practically glued to him, was merely an insignificant background decoration—but her peripheral vision precisely captured every single one of Seele's reactions.

"Brother Qiong, Bronya wants a promise from you! You will never, ever betray Sister Mei by getting too close to other girls, okay?"

Qiong paused for a moment, then smiled gently and patted Bronya's head—she was probably worried about her best friend Mei because of the series of events involving March 7th, Firefly, and Yae Sakura.

However, this precisely demonstrates that Bronya is an absolutely trustworthy friend.

"Don't worry, Bronya, I won't. Mei is very important to me, I won't betray her!"

Bronya then released her hand and nodded slightly—Brother Qiong, you already have Sister Mei, you can't compete with Bronya for Seele's most important person position!

"Bronya will remember this. If you ever betray Mei, Bronya will break your legs."

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A series of rapid high heel sounds echoed in the empty corridor as they approached.

"Qiong, where are you going?"

"Headquarters of Destiny..."

Qiong turned around helplessly, and there it was—Yae Sakura! And she was dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit…

"Sorry, Mr. Yae, Uncle Yang and I have a little secret to tell each other. I'm off!"

Upon learning that Sora was going to fight Rita one-on-one, Yae Sakura changed into her shrine maiden outfit—if Sora was going to fight the invincible Rita for her sake, then Yae Sakura had no reason to stand idly by! Sora was someone she cherished, and she couldn't accept it... But by the time she took out her shrine maiden outfit and got ready to go, Sora had already taken care of Rita.

"Could you take me with you—"

Yae Sakura reached out to grab the hem of Sora's clothes, but how could Yae Sakura compare to Bronya? Just as her hand was about to touch Sora, Sora turned to the side and went behind Old Yang, followed by the steady voice of the middle-aged man.

"Stop, Yae Sakura."

Yae Sakura's hand paused less than thirty centimeters from Walter, but she didn't lower it.

“But, Mr. Walter, please step aside. This is my decision.”

"This is not appropriate."

Old Yang casually produced a cane and tapped the ground lightly, his voice revealing a hint of barely perceptible fatigue and worry—he still didn't understand why the train crew had suddenly lost contact, although Qiong said she had a guess... In any case, he didn't have time to help Yae Sakura deal with this "minor loss" right now.

“I know what you’re thinking. But accompanying Qiong to the Destiny headquarters is tantamount to throwing yourself into Ottoro’s trap. He’s waiting for you.”

Yae Sakura's hands trembled slightly as she bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with resentment.

“But… the Destiny Headquarters came for me, I can’t let Qiong face the danger alone.”

“I understand how you feel, but Qiong has his own plans, and your going will only distract him. Besides, we have other things to do, see you later.”

Yae Sakura fell silent; she knew Walter was right. And her actions couldn't be rushed…

A moment later, under the watchful eyes of the two men, she slowly lowered her hand.

"Then... please make sure you protect Qiong."

Walter nodded happily.

"Don't worry, I will."

……

"Qiong, although I have many questions, I will not force you to explain."

"Uncle Yang, I could never hide anything from you! Don't worry, I'll tell you everything! It's just... I hope you'll protect me after I tell you..."

"Why would you say such a thing? Anyone who wants to harm you must first step over my dead body!"

Hearing Walter say this, Qiong felt a surge of trust in Lao Yang. Incidentally, Qiong had thought Walter was going to take him to some secret base, but after following Walter through many twists and turns, they ended up at the faculty dormitory... and they still had to draw the curtains for the meeting.

Once they were on their own turf and the curtains were drawn, Qiong could sense that Lao Yang had relaxed considerably.

Old Yang gestured for Qiong to sit down, and then sat down in the chair opposite him. In the dim light, the old man and the young man began their final conversation before their departure.

"Let's get down to business. Be extra careful when you go to Schicksal headquarters this time! Otto Apocalypse is no pushover. Although his Soul Steel Body might not be as powerful as yours in terms of pure combat strength, but—"

"Don't worry, Uncle Yang, I know what I'm doing. Besides, I'm just going to get someone out of trouble, it shouldn't lead to a conflict, right?"

"That would be best, but never underestimate the enemy."

Old Yang stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sunset outside, his glasses gleaming.

"This journey is dangerous. I will have Ain keep in touch with you. Contact her at least once every half day. If she doesn't contact you three times, I will ask Theresa and Siegfried to make a trip to Schicksal headquarters... But remember, no matter what happens, your safety must be the top priority—"

"I understand, Uncle Yang. I will definitely keep a close watch on Otto!"

Qiong took the initiative to speak up, trying to stop Lao Yang, who was in a fatherly mood, from talking incessantly—the focus wasn't on dealing with Otto, but on dealing with them…

"Hmm, I feel a bit more at ease knowing that you said that—before you set off, take a look at the boundary anchor that Danheng placed near St. Freya. I hope you won't need it... By the way."

Old Yang turned around and looked at Qiong with an elder's smile.

"Speaking of which, what are your guesses about Danheng and the others going missing on March 7th? Also, what about the sister you mentioned before..."

"Let me think about where to begin..."

When Qiong mentioned her younger sister, she couldn't help but think of the aloof girl she first met, who became quite eccentric after they got to know each other, and who was very similar to him. She had to admit that when they met again, she clung to him and burst into tears, and after crying, she shouted "I can't do anything" before being dragged away by the Seven Arts.

Thinking of her, Qiong chuckled, but her face immediately darkened.

Because, after thinking of her, the first thing that came to mind was her current situation, and then three other people—or rather, three gods—emerged: Kiana, the goddess of Earth; Leera, the mad goddess of Mars; and…

Vita, the wicked woman from Venus.

"It all started when I said I wanted to be with Mei, and ended up being tied up in a car by Hotaru. In the car, I met Kiana, who said she was the Herrscher of the End, the Goddess of Earth—"

"what?!"

Walter's smile froze completely when he heard the word "end." He subconsciously adjusted his glasses and leaned forward as if to confirm whether he had misheard.

"Qiong, you just said... Kiana said she is the Herrscher of the End?"

"Well, then she took me to Mars a billion years ago—"

"Qiong, are you sure?"

Qiong nodded, about to continue describing the End Worm that had transformed into a snake, when Old Yang interrupted her again. The usually composed (or at least seemingly composed) senior's voice trembled with disbelief.

"Kiana, the Goddess of Earth, the Herrscher of the End? Are you sure this is the Kiana who gave you the Stigmata? Why did you go to Mars? What happened to you?"

A barrage of questions shot at Qiong like bullets. Walter didn't even notice that his hand was gripping the curtains tightly—the setting sun outside shone through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the half of his face reflected in his glasses, revealing complex emotions that Qiong had never seen before: shock, confusion, and a hint of…

Scared?

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After saying goodbye to Lao Yang and the others who were still digesting their thoughts, Qiong sent Anna a text message informing her that he was not in the Far East and that she, as his secretary, would have to work overtime for a few more days. Qiong then decisively turned on flight mode and boarded Rita's spaceship: the Eos.

On the Eos, as a passenger, Qiong refrained from commenting on the shortcomings of others compared to the Hyperion, choosing to completely ignore the Valkyries of the Undying Blade who were trying to strike up conversations with him. As soon as he boarded the ship, he went to the cabin that Rita had temporarily assigned to him to rest and recuperate.

I woke up to find myself on a floating island, then dealt with Otto to see if I could easily take the star away—if not, I'd steal it, then contact the reliable Aunt Ai or try to escape with someone using the Realm Anchor, and then pass the problem on to Baiji…

The plan was set, but Qiong hadn't anticipated that what he thought about during the day would manifest in his dreams at night. He had encountered so many things that day that his brain cells were still active, and the bed in the Eos's cabin assigned by Rita was too soft and different from what Qiong usually slept on... In short, he had a dream, a nightmare.

In her dream, Qiong saw herself and the other seven spellcasters chasing Xing, who was inexplicably running forward, through a swamp comparable to the Shadow Pool. But Xing was running too fast; no matter what they did, they couldn't catch up…

Gradually, everyone fell behind, except for Qiong, who kept running and calling out to her younger sister.

"Star—huh?"

Suddenly, a pool of black sludge in the swamp disappeared into his ankles. Then, as if it had a mind of its own, the sludge quickly climbed up his calves from his ankles. Even through his socks, Qiong could still feel the strange sludge hardening rapidly, trying to trap him there.

Qiong certainly wouldn't underestimate this mud puddle—it might just be some kind of shadow monster! He immediately pulled out his baseball bat.

"Rules are for—"

"Danheng—"

In the swamp, a figure that Qiong absolutely did not want to see emerged from the endless shadows, her fair cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness.

"It's time for you to pay back what you owe me!"

"Leera?!"

Qiong was shocked. How could this mad god be here? Before Qiong could prepare himself, Leiera, who already knew that villains die from talking too much, made her move: black sludge instantly surged out of the swamp like tentacles, tightly binding Qiong. Even his baseball bat was taken away by the sludge. He struggled desperately, but to no avail—just like when he was conferred the title and accidentally fell into Leiera's trap.

"I don't owe you anything... Hey! What are you doing? What are you doing?!"

What do you think?

The tentacles formed from the mud easily dragged Qiong into the shadows. When Qiong regained his sight, he was already in the familiar abode of the gods.

"Danheng, it's time to honor our contract! Do you prefer being passive or proactive?"

Qiong felt dizzy and lightheaded—because he was tied up and thrown onto a soft bed.

Qiong struggled to turn over and noticed that the Mad Goddess Leiera had licked her lips lightly with the tip of her tongue. All signs pointed to the Martian Goddess wanting to try something new…

Leiera didn't intend to stand by the bed waiting for Sora to take the initiative; she made her move: first, she took off her high heels, knelt on the bed, and began to unbutton Sora's pants...

Realizing something was terribly wrong, Qiong began to squirm and twist on the bed.

"Wait, wait! I'll accept the debt! But can you please not do this right away? I can't take it! Are there any options for deferred payment or installment payments?"

The black-haired mad god, who had deliberately put on glasses and then taken them off, slightly puffed out his chest. Instead of kneeling, he lay down beside Qiong and expressed his attitude in the gentlest tone of a god.

"Of course, but according to my calculations, you owe me a total of... well, fine, I'll let you off easy, a billion times! Today I'll stipulate that you repay me 500 times, and if it's postponed by one day... then it'll be 1,500 times tomorrow!"

Qiong: ? ? ?

Qiong was too tired to even comment on whether the Martian God's economics was taught by a dog. He just wanted to get rid of the crazy god as soon as possible—he was going to die, he was sure to die, right?

"Don't come any closer!"

【Sora-kun, time to get up!】

Just as Leiera's lips were about to touch hers, Rita's voice suddenly rang out.

Qiong sat bolt upright in bed, panting heavily, his back soaked with cold sweat. He glanced nervously at the sly maid grinning mischievously at the door…wait, what is she doing with her phone?

However, since I'm still inside the Eos's cabin, it was just a nightmare—it must have been that last part of the Stigmata's memory that caused it!

Qiong, who had followed Rita off the ship, was still shaken. To be honest, if he or the others on Luo Xing had accidentally used some method to lure Leiera here, could Old Yang protect him now?

Completely sealed...

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I've finished the main storyline and even got a gold drop! It was Old Yang... Waaaaah...

However, in the bad ending of Onpharos, the Black Swan disappeared. Could it be that she was possessed by the Night Moon...?

To be able to implant oneself into the heart of meme beings, including those who remember, to complete the possession and accompany the journey of "exploration," coupled with the driving force of "exploration will continue forever" for March 7th, is simply...

This is so overly patriarchal!

The story of Dan Heng and Dan Feng was no less poignant... They were willing to give everything for the Five Heroes of the Clouds (the pioneering five), even using the Dragon Transformation Technique to die without regret...