Space station 16: New Life

Hey guys, I uploaded the first chapter of the novel I mentioned in the mission a few chapters ago. Just a small teaser of what's to come.

Check out the novel: Honkai Simulator: Start with Confessing to The Herrscher of Finality

We're looking at around 45 chapters that I'm gonna upload on the 1st (so far).

Make that number even higher by becoming a Free Member!

Patreon.com/ThatGreatStuff

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[The demon you have been relentlessly pursuing is a snake demon.]

[Three years ago, it was this very creature that plunged New Babylon into chaos, murdered Kafka's parents, and awakened the Flame Demon.]

[Now, three years later, at the same location, it seems intent on repeating past tragedies by appearing once more.]

[However, this time, due to two exceptionally conspicuous demons accompanying it, they were detected upon reaching the city outskirts.]

The snake demon had a humanoid upper body, wielding both a weapon and a magic staff in its hands. Its lower half consisted of a robust green serpent tail, supporting its entire frame.

Su Qing and Kafka rushed to the scene.

As Kafka caught sight of the snake demon, memories flooded back, causing her to instinctively take two steps forward.

Su Qing held her arm gently. "Stay calm."

"... Yes," Kafka halted her movement.

Behind the snake demon stood two cyclops demons.

These giants sported only sparse tufts of hair atop their heads. In the center of their grotesque faces lay massive eyes, revealing a murky stupidity within them.

[Stelle: They don't seem particularly intelligent.]

However, no one would underestimate these demons.

Each cyclops stood several stories tall. One held a mace with white bone spurs tied to it, presumably from some unknown creature. The other wielded a massive cleaver stained with various dried blood traces.

"Hisss~" The snake demon flicked its forked tongue, eyeing the gleaming silver badge on Su Qing's shoulder. "Kill him; I'll deal with that woman."

Upon receiving the command, the two giants muttered indistinctly.

Then, gripping their weapons, they lumbered forward with heavy steps, causing the earth to seemingly tremble beneath them.

Simultaneously, Su Qing assessed the situation: "Based on the information, this snake demon isn't particularly strong; its main role is to wander and awaken other demons."

"I'll handle those two giants. Keep the snake demon occupied until I've dealt with them," he paused briefly before adding, "If you can personally seek your revenge, that would be ideal."

"Understood." Kafka tightened his grip on the firearm.

Su Qing approached the pair of cyclopes, activating his latent potential. With each breath, strength surged throughout his body.

Meanwhile, Kafka circled around the giants from the side, moving closer to the snake demon.

At the main battlefield, the commotion was intense.

The two cyclopes swung their weapons, each strike producing a distinct sound as they cleaved through the air. When their weapons slammed into the ground, it kicked up clouds of dust and left large craters behind.

Su Qing initiated cautious attacks.

A punch that would instantly kill a Flame Demon merely caused one cyclops to stumble back a few steps when hitting its leg. Instead, this seemed to provoke its aggression, making its weapon swings even more frenzied.

Su Qing dodged sideways, evading the assaults from both giants.

Thinking conventionally, targeting their single eyes could be effective—their weakness was practically written on their faces...

Inducing them to accidentally strike each other is also a common tactic...

[March 7th: Su Qing has quite rich combat experience.]

[Silver Wolf: After all, he's been enjoying battles every day.]

[Silver Wolf: Given enough time, he should be able to defeat them without taking any damage.]

On one side of the battlefield, occasional deafening sounds echoed.

On the other side, it remained relatively quiet.

The snake demon did not rush to attack; instead, it coiled its tail, engaging Kafka in a standoff.

With its vertically slit snake eyes fixed intently on Kafka, it hissed, "I remember you, little girl. You haven't turned into a demon yet?"

Kafka ignored the taunt, cautiously approaching and firing test shots.

The snake demon circled, evading while flicking its forked tongue incessantly, speaking all the while:

"I know now, that silver-chapter demon hunter saved you."

"But what a pity; if only he had arrived earlier, perhaps your parents wouldn't have died?"

Still unresponsive, Kafka's tone remained icy cold. "Listen to me, shut up and don't move."

"Word Spirit Technique?" The snake demon's pupils glowed with golden light, emitting faint Stellaron energy, resisting this Word Spirit attempt.

Its words, though not precisely a Word Spirit Technique, carried waves suggestive of psychic attack:

"How wonderful, possessing such exceptional Talent! He must have been drawn to that aspect, right?

"Wonder why he saved you?

"If you didn't possess the Word Spirit Technique, would he still have saved you? Would he even have spared you a glance?"

Kafka's voice was utterly frigid. "Listen to me, be silent and stay still."

She continuously pulled the trigger.

The snake demon raised its magic staff, manipulating the trajectory of the bullets. Most were deflected, with only one grazing its arm and leaving a minor wound.

Despite being injured, seeing Kafka's reaction elicited a sinister chuckle from the snake demon, as if it had achieved exactly what it desired.

A vulnerability, found at last.

With its forked tongue flicking, the eerie golden light in its slit-like eyes intensified:

"You think you've found your sanctuary? You believe he cares for you? Does he truly love you? Will he never leave you?"

"Wrong. He merely sees you as a tool, a convenient and obedient instrument."

"One day, when your usefulness fades and he finds someone better, he will mercilessly abandon you without hesitation."

The snake demon continued, summarizing coldly, almost stating undeniable facts: "Once your parents die, even he will discard you. No one cares for you; how pitiful indeed."

Its tone grew more intense, matching the rising pitch as it launched a psychic attack: "You have nothing! You're destined to die alone! Face this reality! It's what you deserve!"

[Kafka: ...]

[Seele: Intense Belobog curse words!!?]

[Bronya: Despicable scum! How dare it say such things! This is outrageous!]

[Sparkle: Well, this snake demon's attacks aren't half bad.]

[Himeko: ...Its attacks are indeed potent and highly perceptive.]

[Himeko: Despite limited interaction, it swiftly discerns Kafka's vulnerabilities and strikes with every word.]

"Enough! Shut up!" On the battlefield, Kafka's voice carried an unprecedented fury as she rapidly approached the snake demon, firing continuously.

The snake demon evaded the attacks, its tone filled with enticing manipulation. "You care deeply for him, don't you? You're quite fond of him, aren't you?"

"Heh heh, unfortunately, you'll never truly capture his attention. Eventually, someone else will steal him away."

"Embrace your anger; don't suppress your emotions. Let your rage pour forth—do you want to kill me?"

"But deep down, what you hate most is yourself, right? So weak, unable to accomplish anything, destined to be left behind by everyone..." The snake demon targeted Kafka's vulnerabilities, adapting its words continually while observing her reactions.

Hiss...

The snake demon flicked its forked tongue once more.

Perfect, just as planned.

This young girl had decent skills but was still too inexperienced, with evident vulnerabilities in her psyche.

She was nearly losing her composure.

Just a few more words, one last push, and even if she doesn't fully transform into a demon, she'll completely lose control.

Should I kill her now? If I can turn her into a demon, she might prove to be quite promising...

"ROAR!!"

As the snake demon pondered, an agonized scream erupted from behind it.

Turning around, the snake demon saw Su Qing, who at some point had leaped onto the shoulder of one cyclops, wielding a massive cleaver.

The giant's furious roar came because the blade was embedded in its shoulder.

Due to the immense size of the cleaver, Su Qing had forced his right hand fingers deep into the hilt to wield it effectively.

With the cyclops' bellowing cry, Su Qing pulled out the blade, drawing forth a gush of filthy blood. Without hesitation, he swung again, this time plunging the cleaver into the giant's chest.

In that instant, as the blade pierced the chest,

Su Qing pressed down on the sword, using its momentum to leap and land obliquely on the giant's shoulder. He turned his head, gazing towards this direction.

The demon hunter's superior vantage point, coupled with his icy gaze akin to a natural predator, instinctively made the snake demon shudder.

Unconsciously, it wondered: What happened to the other cyclops?

Gurgling sounds echoed.

The snake demon looked down, and slowly, a round object rolled near its tail.

It was the severed head of the second cyclops, its massive eye wide open, filled with bloodshot veins.

[Stelle: Dun dun dong!]

[Seele: Oh wow!]

A chill instantly ran up the snake demon's spine, sending shivers throughout its body.

When did this happen?!

Almost immediately upon seeing the cyclops' head, the snake demon crouched low. Reverting to its true form, it slithered away swiftly like a real serpent.

[Even the spectators didn't have time to react before the snake demon had darted several meters away.]

[Stelle: No way, running that fast?]

[Seele: Not even a single menacing word before making a run for it.]

[March 7th: That snake is truly slippery! No wonder its speech sounds so harsh yet it's still alive to this day.]

The snake demon swiftly slithered across the ground, not heading towards the wilderness but rather towards the city.

As long as it reached the urban area... once among people, it could effortlessly awaken several demons, causing chaos. Then, there would be a high chance of escape.

The cyclops continued struggling, but Su Qing didn't wait any longer.

He withdrew his blade and jumped down from the giant's shoulder.

With his left hand steadying the blade's back, Su Qing extracted his finger trapped within the hilt and switched to holding it with his right hand.

Gripping the massive machete with both hands, he took a deep breath, gathering strength.

Then, aiming, predicting, and throwing:

Whoosh! Thud!

The machete struck squarely at the snake demon's tail, pinning it firmly to the ground.

[Stelle: Hmph, trying to escape? Taste my Lightning Whirlwind Slash!]

Su Qing approached, kicked away the snake demon's staff, and forcefully twisted the machete handle, securing it more deeply.

"AAAAH!"

The snake demon wildly writhed on the ground, its long, pointed tongue flicking frantically as it emitted pitiful howls, desperately clawing at the dirt with both hands.

Su Qing crouched down before it, his tone calm. "Speak up, what's wrong? Weren't you quite talkative earlier?"

[Stelle: Ha ha ha.]

[Seele: Awesome!!]

[Bronya: Feeling much better now.]

[March 7th: Beat it up!]

Realizing escape was futile, the snake demon propped itself up and immediately began pleading, "Spare me! I'll tell you the location of the Star Core Demon! It's the root of all evil; just kill it..."

Su Qing interrupted, "Where is it?"

The snake demon hastily responded, "First, let me go. Once we're at a safe distance, ensuring my protection, I'll immediately tell you."

Instantly, Su Qing lost interest.

[Himeko: Not a single word from these demons can be trusted.]

Shaking his head, Su Qing said, "I won't kill you."

A fawning smile instantly appeared on the snake demon's face, but then within its line of sight, a pair of slender legs came into view.

As it looked up, the smile froze.

Su Qing stood, meeting Kafka's gaze. He nodded slightly and stepped back.

After losing fear, individuals can exhibit various symptoms of descent.

Some lose their sense of purpose and identity.

Others forfeit their reverence and respect for life. Their means to satisfy desires often involve harming others.

The snake demon clearly fell into the latter category.

In its futile final struggle, corrupting others was its greatest desire and pleasure.

It didn't want to die yet; it yearned to corrupt more people, to witness further descents from humanity into demonic beings...

Kafka gripped her gun, watching the grotesque monster struggling before her.

She had much she wanted to say, but as the words reached her lips, they dissolved into silence. Some emotions simply cannot be expressed through language.

How.

How could years of accumulated pain and hatred within her heart be resolved?

Only through vengeance and overwhelming firepower.

Tightly clutching her gun, Kafka channeled her anger, along with the painful memories engulfed by flames that day, pouring them forth alongside each bullet.

As the bullets struck the snake demon, its struggles gradually ceased.

With this, the last lingering shadow in Kafka's heart slowly disappeared.

After completing the cleanup work, Su Qing and Kafka left the scene.

Three years ago, the snake demon had launched its attack from New Babylon. And now, three years later, it chose the same location once again.

What was once Kafka's home was now an overgrown vacant lot with a "For Sale" sign hanging on it.

Perhaps due to the demonic incident here, no one had purchased the property even after all this time.

As the two approached, they stopped at the site.

Kafka gazed at the empty lot, her thoughts unreadable.

"Kafka."

Her attention was drawn by Su Qing's voice, and she looked towards him.

Su Qing, carefully choosing his words, said, "Although your revenge is complete, there's still much we can do together. For instance, continuing to hunt demons..."

"Oh right, you enjoy music, don't you? I heard about a few upcoming concerts; if you're interested, they would definitely be enjoyable. Also, didn't you mention liking the dishes at a certain restaurant? If we have time, we could go together..."

As Kafka listened to his slightly hurried words, feeling the concern he conveyed, a warm sensation welled up within her.

Words cannot replace vengeance, but they can both bring sorrow and offer warmth.

"So, just because the revenge is over doesn't mean..."

Su Qing suddenly paused, looking at Kafka with surprise.

Kafka smiled, "What's wrong?"

She gazed at Su Qing, her face filled with a gentle smile. This expression naturally emerged after experiencing inner warmth.

"No, it's nothing."

Seeing that smile, Su Qing felt reassured.

It was still early morning, with the sun rising slowly. Sunlight pierced through the thin mist and illuminated the open space.

Even amidst this demonic land, among the weeds, a few flowers were blooming.

The softly smiling girl had found redemption from despair and emptiness.

The flames of vengeance could only quell her anger.

But it was this genuine warmth that truly allowed her to be reborn.

[Stelle: By the way, @Sparkle.]

[Sparkle: Yes?]

[Stelle: Su Qing brought smiles to Firefly and Kafka. Does that make him a messenger of elation?]

[Sparkle: Uh...]

[March 7th: You're confusing our Masked Fool here.]

[Sparkle: No, I suppose he could be considered one.]

[Sparkle: ? Don't cry, smile instead.]

[Sparkle: Su Qing helped them achieve this; how can he not be seen as such?]

Upon returning home, Su Qing casually hung up his coat.

"Thank you," Kafka suddenly expressed her sincere gratitude.

Su Qing waved it off with a gesture, indicating there was no need for thanks, and gently patted her head.

Kafka closed her eyes contentedly, revealing a smile.

Su Qing marveled at this change.

Kafka rubbed against his palm. "Is that not good?"

"No, it's very good. Smile more often," Su Qing replied.

"Mm-hmm."

However, when Kafka tried to deliberately smile again, she found herself unable to do so. Having just regained her missing emotions, she wasn't quite adept yet.

After a moment of thought, Kafka used two fingers to pull the corners of her mouth upwards, creating a forced smile. "Is this okay?"

Seeing her earnest expression on her pretty little face, Su Qing couldn't help but feel delighted.

[Chat: Delighted. ]

[Stelle: So cute.]

"You should go take a bath first. Today is a rest day; we won't be doing any other work."

Once Kafka returned to her room,

"Ahem..."

Out of Kafka's sight, Su Qing opened his palm and discovered he had coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

In short: he had overused his Potential Unleashing.

Normally, Su Qing would limit it to around 80%, but due to today's exceptional circumstances, to swiftly defeat the giant, he pushed it to approximately 120%.

While unrestricted Potential Unleashing felt exhilarating, it inevitably caused damage once the exertion ended.

[Sparkle: It was indeed thrilling at the moment, but after such intense combat, the aftermath feels utterly disheartening.]

[Seele: Are you talking about killing the giant?]

[Seele: ...Right?]

[Sparkle: You guess?]

[Himeko: @Black Swan, should we mute her for a bit?]

[Black Swan: (laughs) No need, no need.]

Su Qing went to the kitchen and washed the blood from his hands.

This time, he had overextended his Potential Unleashing; he must not let it happen again in the future.

[Time flies; another three years have swiftly passed.]

Inside the psychological clinic.

Katherine carefully examined the documents in her hand. "Hmm, that's correct. The guardianship term mentioned here only lasted until you reached adulthood, which has long since ended."

Over these three years, Kafka had undergone significant changes.

She retrieved the document, gently flicked it with her finger, and her lips curved into a pleased smile. "In other words...?"

[Silver Wolf: In other words, your filial devotion is about to take a dark turn, right?]

[Kafka: Incorrect.]

[Silver Wolf: ?]

[Kafka: Filial devotion never existed from the start.]