Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers-Chapter 234: Luring the Snake Out

Tap—Tap—Tap—

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in the dark, enclosed space.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from nearby, ahead.

"Who's there?" The soldier warily aimed his rifle into the darkness ahead, flicking on the powerful flashlight mounted on the rail with a click.

The flashlight beam intertwined with the dim fluorescent lights overhead, making everything visible. Unfortunately, there was no one in front of him.

"Hm? How is that possible?"

To detain the first civilian leader captured since the riots began, the United Government had constructed a small, dedicated prison. The soldier was walking down the only narrow tunnel connecting it to the outside. The tunnel was straight, with no corners to hide in...

Was I hearing things?

Although he offered himself a possible explanation, his soldier's training kept him in a ready stance, alert to any movement.

Unfortunately, movement didn't necessarily come from the front.

By the time he smelled the faint fragrance drifting from behind, it was too late to turn.

"Urk!"

A sharp pain in his neck, and darkness instantly swallowed everything.

But his body didn't fall. The attacker controlled him from behind, even maintaining his weapon-ready posture.

"Number 3? Number 3? Is there anything unusual over there?"

Calmly and quickly, Sakura pressed a device against the camera on the soldier's chest. It automatically played a realistic animation, difficult to discern in the dim lighting.

She then took out a voice modulator and held it near the soldier's microphone.

"No problem. Probably just heard something. Over."

"Alright, alright. Stay sharp! Just one more hour until shift change!"

"Understood!"

After waiting a few more seconds to confirm everything was clear, Sakura dragged the soldier's body aside, propped him up, and injected a tranquilizer into his vein.

This was the third sentry she'd dealt with. Since the tunnel had no corners or rooms, she could only lean them against the tunnel wall.

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Because of this, she needed to speed up—time was running out.

Fortunately... she looked up and confidently gestured at the overhead surveillance camera. Completing such an operation alone, without causing mass casualties or chaos, was stretching her abilities thin.

Vill-V's remote assistance and some handy gadgets were a great help. Without her, just dealing with these cameras would have been a major headache.

However, according to the intel Vill-V provided beforehand, this should be the last manned checkpoint in the tunnel.

Further inside were high-tech security doors, but with Vill-V on her side, dealing with those was much simpler than dealing with sentries.

Sure enough, after proceeding a few dozen more steps, Sakura reached a circular door resembling a bank vault. Before she could act, the locks disengaged automatically.

And the alarms remained silent.

But Sakura remained cautious, instinctively reaching for her waist where two distinctly different long swords hung.

One was the Seven Thunders of Retribution. The other wasn't her ice blade, but the standard-issue katana she used during her Poisonous Cocoon days—if Michael hadn't insisted, she wouldn't even have brought Seven Thunders. Such a mission required concealing her identity; avoiding signature weapons was best.

She unfastened the standard katana, used the pommel to push the heavy door slightly, revealing the wide space behind it.

No lights beyond the door, only darkness. Sakura's advancing foot stopped mid-air.

It wasn't that she distrusted Vill-V's technological reconnaissance. Firstly, due to the mission's nature and secrecy requirements, they lacked the real-time communication of normal operations; everything relied on tacit understanding.

Secondly, Vill-V had warned her from the start—there were no surveillance cameras inside Tova's holding room.

Meaning, she too knew nothing about the situation inside.

Yet Sakura stepped forward without hesitation. The Honkai energy fluctuations radiating from Tova's speech fell within Fire Moth's purview. Only by bringing him back for examination by MANTISes with psychic senses could they understand the enemy's situation.

But due to the fragile relationship between Fire Moth and the United Government, neither side could openly discuss extradition, and even if they could... there wasn't enough time.

A prison break became the best, perhaps the only, option Sakura could think of. Besides...

Sakura shook her head slightly. For some reason, her thoughts were unusually chaotic during this operation, unlike her usual demeanor.

"Am I still affected by Tova's speech?"

It was unavoidable. While the speech's core was just Honkai-induced mental disturbance, the speech itself was incredibly inflammatory and partially true...

With this thought, Sakura fully entered the room.

Bang!

The heavy door slammed shut rapidly. Sakura could have escaped with her speed, but she merely stared coldly into the darkness ahead, watching as one light after another flickered on—though the shapes were strange?

Strange was right. They weren't simple "lights," but the "eyes" of various combat mechs.

Their lights converged on Sakura. A normal person would be blinded, but Sakura only lowered her head slightly, her eyes fixed on Tova lying motionless on the bed ten steps away—even amidst the loud noise and blinding light, he slept soundly, his heavy breathing echoing in the darkness.

Sakura shifted sideways, unconsciously shielding the Third Divine Key at her waist. A pointless instinct; the Third Divine Key had never been seen on a battlefield, its appearance alone wouldn't reveal her identity.

"Cease resistance. Put down your weapon, remove your mask, then raise your hands and stand against the wall. We will not fire." A haughty male voice emanated from the central mech.

"You have thirty seconds to consider. Don't say we didn't warn you!"

Sakura made no move, neither resisting nor surrendering.

This thirty-second window was enough to refine her backup escape plan.

"Was this a setup from the start? Luring the snake out?" she asked in a low voice, subtly trying to stall for time.

"Of course. A second person fired a shot at the scene, attempting to kill Mr. Tova. Naturally, we weren't unprepared—What? Was he, along with the entire riot, planned by you Fire Moth? Are you here to silence him, Miss Sakura? Wait, or should I call you... Forget-Me-Not?"

"!" Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly, feigning surprise. "Fire Moth? Isn't that an organization under your jurisdiction?"

Her hand tightened on her scabbard. Mechs deployed all around, heavy forces guarding outside the door and even above. Avoiding large-scale destruction... seemed impossible now.

But since her identity was exposed, whether to control the conflict level was debatable.

Unfortunately, she couldn't contact Vill-V or Michael. It seemed she had to decide the current course of action herself—fight or not? How to fight?

Beneath the mask, Sakura's breathing quickened. Despite the special fabric, covering her mouth and nose made breathing difficult, especially under high tension.

"Don't think your actions are seamless, Forget-Me-Not, or perhaps, Sakura of Fire Moth."

"!"

"Bringing up those old matters is too distant now. Let's talk about this time. We retrieved the bullet slug from Tova's elbow, identified the pistol caliber, then cross-referenced the list of owners of such pistols in all of Te Moana Kino, quickly tracing it to the shop owner who gave you the gun... This is the information age. Do you people, obsessed with fighting and killing, understand that? The Information Age?" The man's voice brimmed with pride, as if this ambush perfectly demonstrated intellectual superiority, giving him a sense of vindication.

But to Sakura, the more he talked, the more it revealed his insecurity, his weakness—the initial thirty seconds had long passed, yet he was still rambling and boasting. What did that mean?

It meant he knew perfectly well that the heavy forces he'd supposedly deployed couldn't stop Sakura. He never intended to capture her; he just wanted her to panic under his exposé and reveal her identity.

Realizing this, Sakura relaxed slightly, preparing to boldly engage him verbally.

Who benefited from stalling? Sakura wasn't sure. It meant she'd have to talk more, increasing the chance of misspeaking. But it also meant Vill-V could notify Michael, and...

She underestimated her teammate. Just as she opened her mouth, pondering what to say, a spatial rift opened beside her.

For a moment, Sakura froze. The voice broadcasting from the opposing mech also seemed stunned.

Brother! Aren't you being a bit too blatant?

A pulling force emanated from the rift, precisely drawing Sakura and Tova's body inside. It snapped shut, leaving a cluster of mechs staring blankly at each other.

Sakura dragged Tova's body out of the rift, immediately noticing they were in Vill-V's workshop. She quickly removed her mask, taking several deep, refreshing breaths. Before she could thank Michael, he gestured "later," grasped Aponia's wrist beside him, and both vanished instantly.

"What... What is going on now? Are we going to have a showdown with the United Government, Vill-V?" Sakura first checked Tova. His breathing was steady, his wounds properly treated; he seemed merely unconscious. She then turned to Vill-V, asking confusedly.

"Hold on, I'll answer you in a moment." Vill-V typed furiously on three keyboards simultaneously with both hands. After about ten seconds, with a crisp tap of the Enter key, she stretched, letting gravity pull her back into her chair. She used the momentum to spin around and face Sakura.

Her initially somewhat robotic expression melted away. She propped up her head, her eyes turning mischievous:

"Hah! It's not as serious as you think. Simply put, schemes are only useful when strength falls short. Even if you slipped up just now, it wasn't a major problem. See—I've already cleaned up the video, audio, and all backups the United Government recorded just now, even erased some ambiguous evidence left from your time as Forget-Me-Not."

"But... those people still have memories, right?"

"Memories? You mean they'll remember you as Forget-Me-Not, or that you just abducted this person? Regardless, I have only one comment—So what?" Vill-V shook her head dismissively, her expression shifting again, this time to arrogance:

"Come, come, let's analyze. From their words, they suspected Forget-Me-Not's identity for a while but lacked proof. Same this time, they have no proof the kidnapper was Sakura. Mere suspicion without proof, so what? Ah, by the way, praise is due. You did very well just now. That's not from me, Michael asked me to relay it..."

But Sakura, far from happy, frowned even deeper.

"Vill-V, you know that's not what I'm asking about. Not about me, but Michael, just now, so directly displaying his spatial powers..."

"Oh my! How touching! You care about him that much! But well... Sakura, you seem somewhat... particularly clumsy today?"

"What?"

"Guess what he took Aponia to do?"

Sakura paused. It wasn't that she couldn't figure it out, but in her impression, Michael had always been...

"He probably dislikes doing things that cross his principles." Precisely because she knew Michael adhered to certain bottom lines, because he disliked such darkness, Sakura had volunteered for these missions that required shouldering the darkness...

"Who knows." Vill-V's voice became calm again, somewhat resembling her initial tone, but wiser.

"Sometimes I suspect he has multiple personalities like me. Since that incident two years ago, he's changed in many ways—See, you weren't really surprised yourself, right? You just didn't think of it immediately."

"..." Sakura couldn't say whether this change was good or bad. If cold-bloodedness was considered growth, if defeating the Honkai was the sole absolute goal, then rationally, Sakura would naturally see Michael's change as positive.

But thinking from another angle, this so-called growth...

Sakura turned her head, staring at the workshop's oil-stained floor, a mix of relief and sorrow churning within her.

Besides Elysia, she was one of the MANTISes who had known Michael the longest. She had witnessed him grow from a somewhat shy, socially awkward boy into a young man with polarized extremes—immensely confident and soaring on one side, yet overly self-deprecating and fragile on the other...

Of course, that was just her perception of him. But now... she could no longer read Michael's thoughts.

---||---

"I'll fucking kill you!" Taro ripped the microphone stand from its base and swung it wildly at the desk. Alas, both the stand and the desk were too well-made. Besides making his hand throb painfully, he caused no damage.

It was he who had shouted at Sakura through the mech earlier.

The others in the command room watched their irate Armed Forces Minister, unsure whether to intervene...

Intervening risked becoming collateral damage—no one dared bet whether their forehead or the mic stand was harder.

Not intervening... what if the Minister blew a gasket from high blood pressure? Who would enable their corruption then?

Although, even if the esteemed Minister unfortunately passed on, a successor would arrive, not affecting their ability to "muddle through," but establishing connections with a new boss cost a fortune.

Moreover, what if the new Minister was a naive idealist or morally upright... wouldn't everyone's good days be over?

Within a dozen seconds, the seated group exchanged hundreds of glances. Finally, Taro's assistant stood up.

But Taro's own breathing suddenly became ragged. He pushed away the assistant trying to support him and gasped, "Quick, the recording from just now, quick, send it to..."

His rapid panting gradually subsided. Everyone in the command room stared blankly at him, seemingly confused why he was just standing there normally.

The silence stretched for a full half-minute before he regained his composure and barked:

"Immediately check all surveillance feeds! Whoever dared snatch a prisoner right under my nose, I'll have his ******!"

---||---

Michael and Aponia stepped out of the spatial rift sequentially. Perhaps because the trouble was resolved, their movements seemed much calmer, lacking the earlier urgency.

"He's that Tova?"

Sakura nodded.

Michael frowned, looking at the man who still showed no reaction. His left arm was severed, half his face smashed; he looked grotesque and terrifying.

Normally, such severe injuries without painkillers should have caused agonizing screams by now.

But he showed no reaction.

If not for the steady rise and fall of his chest, Michael would have doubted he was even alive.

This bizarre phenomenon gave him a bad feeling.

"Let me." Aponia walked over to Tova, bent down, and placed her palm on his forehead.

After a moment, she shook her head, sighed, and retreated behind Michael again.

"Vegetative state?" Michael asked.

"Close. Consciousness fragmented, as if forcibly erased, leaving only the body's most basic functions operating... However, vegetative patients survive because their consciousness is merely dormant, with hope of awakening. But this body, even with life support, his hormone secretions will become chaotic within a week, leading to complete death."

"Erased consciousness..." Michael stroked his chin, silently observing the body gradually approaching death.

"Then, can you sense how he broadcasted the psychic attack?"

"Impossible. However..." Aponia's gaze suddenly became distant. Michael knew from her tone she had once again dipped into the river of fate.

"He is not a MANTIS. Just purely an ordinary person."

Aponia seemed to say something, yet nothing concrete.

But Michael understood her meaning.

And he believed Sakura and Vill-V should understand too.

Capable of psychic attacks meant at least an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, so...

"Anti-Entropy enters Level 2 alert. All psychic-sensitive MANTISes enter Level 1 combat readiness. Apologies for disturbing Dystopia's birthday, and Captain Ato, he just returned from the moon, hasn't spent much time with Griseo yet, but since the opponent is a psychic Honkai Beast or possibly... we must give it sufficient attention. Also, postpone Elysia's group vacation request until summer. Cancel Kevin's leave for tomorrow night—notify Doctor Mei concurrently, the entire Fire Moth organization enters Level 3 alert status. Then, all Anti-Entropy squad members assemble in the conference room in half an hour."

Sakura stared dumbfounded as Michael emotionlessly rattled off one arrangement after another.

This time, it wasn't surprise at his change, but... his attitude, treating this like facing a major enemy... Was he certain a Herrscher was coming?

Counting the time, it did seem about right.

---||---

Te Moana Kino, downtown, top floor of a skyscraper.

Modern, boxy skyscrapers like this were relatively rare in Mu's cities. A rumor, source unknown, claimed Honkai occurrences correlated with civilization level, leading humans to extensively modify existing cities, converting most buildings to more classical styles.

"Honestly, believing such rumors? Besides, architectural style has no connection to the判定 (determination) of so-called [Civilization Level], right?" The girl averted her gaze from the magnificent dome five hundred meters away, her eyes landing instead on the building's colorful glass panels and intricate wall reliefs.

She hated those reliefs, hated this architecture, not just because the reliefs essentially documented human civilization, but also because of the Mu people's peculiar aesthetic—they actually painted the walls water-blue!

Ugh!

The girl, whose face appeared normal, lay on a rocking chair, shaking her head in disappointment. She turned to look at the red sun rising over the eastern mountains.

Then she grew even more disappointed.

"Tch, about the same color as my eyes!" She casually summoned a mirror, deciding her eyes were prettier than the sun.

"Really don't know why humans like this stuff. But these flowers and plants are nice." She waved her hand again. A watering can floated automatically as if held by an invisible person, moving with her index fingertip to evenly water all the greenery.

"Hm?" A large, peacock-like bird suddenly appeared beside her, stretching its neck to nuzzle affectionately against her arm.

"Eh? You're saying you searched a thousand-kilometer radius and couldn't find that Tova guy? Could he be dead? Never mind. As a human, dying in our service is his good fortune... Sigh! Another new day. Time to pick a new candidate. Male, female, male... Hmm, let's pick a woman this time... Hehe, destroying humanity often doesn't require violence...

"Right, my good Mahamayuri..."