Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

Shu sat in the passenger seat, staring blankly at the palm of his hand.

He truly had no idea where this sudden surge of [Expectation] within him had come from – it was a complete and welcome surprise.

No… could it be from that shelter? Did Kiana and the others do something that drastically changed those people's attitudes towards me again?

But what could Kiana and the others have done? At most, they just told them about my achievement in taking down that Chariot-class Honkai Beast, right?

Could that really trigger such a powerful effect?

And according to Shu's previous assumptions, there was a distance limit to gaining [Expectation]. The growth of [Expectation] within him had stopped not long after leaving the shelter…

Am I wrong again?!

Shu instinctively held his breath, and only after realizing that this mistake hadn't caused any serious consequences did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?" Otto settled into the driver's seat. Among them, Otto was the most skilled driver, so the task of driving naturally fell to him.

"Nothing." Shu shook his head. "It's just that the [Expectation] in my body suddenly surged…"

Otto raised an eyebrow, closing the car door. "Looks like you're not very familiar with your own abilities either. How about it, interested in letting me research them?"

Shu rolled his eyes at Otto and lowered his hand. "Research is fine, but forget about slicing me up or anything like that. That creeps me out."

"So you would be okay with being sliced up then." Otto chuckled, taking the car keys Fu Hua handed him and inserting them into the ignition. He started the car. "Perfect, some of the equipment I collected this time just happens to include…"

"Wait, weren't you supposed to be finding medical equipment?!" Shu practically leaped up from his seat, only to be pulled back down by the seatbelt.

He was just joking! He really would be creeped out if he got sliced up!

He was just kidding around earlier, who knew Otto would actually casually acquire a real machine for slicing people up for research!

"Heh, slicing you up for research is the most thorough way, isn't it? Know yourself and know your enemy, and you shall win every battle. Isn't that… a Shenzhou saying?" Otto's words had a slight pause, but the transition was so quick and seamless that it sounded like he was just speaking fluently. "Right, Miss Fu Hua?"

Fu Hua nodded in the back seat.

Shu stared intently at Otto, trying to see through him.

"Even though we're both guys, I'm still going to get embarrassed if you look at me like that." Otto stepped on the gas, and after a slight tremor, the car finally started moving.

Shu shuddered violently. He admitted, he was disgusted by Otto's feigned politeness.

Turning back to look at Kallen in the back seat, he silently accused her with his eyes, but Kallen, enjoying the show, looked away, not responding to Shu's unspoken [plea].

Damn it, he thought, I knew it, every single one of these people, cut them open and they're all black inside.

Shu resentfully turned back around, no longer wanting to dwell on the question of why Otto had a slicing machine.

So what if he got researched? Anyway, Shu felt that with the current [Expectation] in his body, even if he was cut in half at the waist, he could still win the resurrection round and keep fighting for a few more rounds.

The car slowly drove out of the garage. Whether it was because Otto's driving skills weren't actually that great, or for some other reason, the car moved quite slowly within the martial hall grounds.

As the wide-open gate came closer and closer, Li Sushang, who had been sitting by the back window with her sword, suddenly turned her head, hesitantly speaking to Fu Hua.

"Master Shifu… will we ever come back here again?"

Li Sushang's voice was very soft, but in the quiet car, everyone could hear her clearly.

For a moment, only the faint sound of the engine spoke an undeniable answer.

"Maybe we will…" Fu Hua chuckled softly, gently patting Li Sushang's small shoulder. Then she leaned slightly closer, whispering in Li Sushang's ear, equally softly.

"When… the day we defeat the Honkai comes, then we can come back."

Li Sushang's face was filled with the innocent confusion of a child, the unconditional trust in a reliable senior and elder.

No one in the car responded. Shu opened his mouth, knowing he should echo Fu Hua's vow at this moment, saying that humanity would definitely defeat the Honkai.

But he couldn't say it right now.

Because the true test of the Honkai had not yet arrived.

Imperator-class Honkai Beasts, Judgement-class Honkai Beasts… and the Herrschers.

Otto glanced at Shu's hesitant expression from the corner of his eye, speaking lightly, "If you want to say it, then say it. People always need a grand ambition to fight for."

"You guys are really good at drawing empty promises…" Shu didn't directly answer Otto's question.

"Heh, that's only if the promises we draw are enticing enough." Otto smiled, shaking his head slightly.

"Tch." Shu scoffed inwardly, turning his head to look out the window.

If he had gained this power right when he first arrived… perhaps his still-naive self would have really shouted those words in front of Li Sushang without hesitation.

Humanity will eventually defeat the Honkai…

Shu chuckled softly.

What was heavier than that sentence… was clearly the sentence before it…

"No matter the cost…"

The car's rear wheels passed through the main gate. Li Sushang leaned against the car window, blankly watching the martial hall she had cared for for almost a month gradually recede into the distance.

The ancient sword was pressed tightly against Li Sushang's chest, the cold blade already warmed by her body heat.

The sharp edge of the sword concealed its sharpness at this moment, allowing Li Sushang to hug it tighter and tighter without hurting her at all.

This sword had lost its name not long ago, waiting for a brand new sword wielder to name it, to let its edge resonate throughout the world once more.

And the martial hall receding into the distance behind them would, from this moment on, fade its name from civilization. The once glorious and world-renowned Taixu Martial Hall would only exist in the hearts of a few wandering children who had left home.

And that courtyard, even if cleaned so spotlessly, would one day be covered in dust and fallen leaves.

Then, after who knows how many seasons, it would be forgotten by people.

Or, it might welcome the return of wandering children who had left home…

Just like what Fu Hua had said, "Maybe we will… everything is possible, isn't it?"

Shu slowly shifted his gaze away from the rearview mirror. The car rounded a corner in history, leaving history behind, hidden beyond the bend.

Slowly clenching his fist, Shu calmed his breath.

No matter what lay ahead on this road… he had to face it. This was – the mission he had after gaining this power from everyone.