[Honkai World Simulator activated.]
[Current Scenario: Intrinsic World's Manila Honkai Event.]
[Equipment and Weapons: None.]
[Equipped Stigmata: Hannah (Middle).]
[System generating records...]
[Day 1: ...]
When Xia Chen arrived in Manila, he felt dazed and disoriented.
Just moments ago, a falling rock had struck him on the head.
"Damn, that hurts."
Suppressing his discomfort, Xia Chen instinctively touched his head.
"Lost quite a bit of blood, but it should be fine."
His body had endured injuries before, and now his immediate priority was to determine the current time.
"Manila, Manila..."
Muttering this word, he suddenly heard someone shouting, "Is anyone out there?"
"Captain, where are you?"
He immediately followed the sound of the voice.
Despite knowing it was a simulated scenario, it felt incredibly real.
Xia Chen's body felt chilled, and his movements were sluggish. He recognized these as signs of excessive blood loss.
However, one thing he could deduce was that this collapse seemed primarily driven by earthquakes. At least, he hadn't encountered any formidable Honkai Beasts yet.
Honkai Disasters encompassed more than just Honkai Beasts; any calamity disrupting the existing order could be termed as such.
Finally, he located the source of the voice.
"Ahh—"
It was a scream.
Xia Chen saw a Valkyrie engaged in battle with a Templar-class Homunculus.
Undoubtedly, the Valkyrie displayed decent combat skills, but she lacked courage. A Templar-class Homunculus typically corresponds to the level of a B-rank Valkyrie.
Just as he was about to assist the Valkyrie, Xia Chen realized he had neither weapons nor armor.
He shook his head slightly.
The Valkyrie spotted him and urgently shouted, "Quick, get away from here! I'll handle it."
Perhaps reassured by encountering another living person, the Valkyrie swiftly dispatched the Templar-class Honkai Beast.
Xia Chen assessed her skill level to be among the top A-ranked Valkyries, but seemingly due to inadequate armor or some other factor, she couldn't fully unleash her true potential.
Not every Valkyrie squad is named after the Immortal Blades; many Valkyries may go their entire lives without facing genuine Honkai threats, so lacking experience was quite normal.
As this thought crossed his mind, dizziness once again overwhelmed him.
"Hey, are you okay? I'll find some bandages for you, just hang in there." She seemed to recall something, hurriedly rushed to another location, and returned with a roll of bandages.
After being wrapped up, Xia Chen felt considerably better.
"Thank you." He then remembered something and asked, "Your name is Ana?"
"You know me?"
The brown-haired Ana Schariac hesitated momentarily, then displayed a cautious expression. "Who exactly are you?"
"Don't worry, I'm from the Immortal Blades, but currently... on leave."
He quickly found an excuse and continued, "The captain of the Snow Lotus Squad was once part of the Immortal Blades, so there's occasional contact. As for House Schariac's descendants, they naturally come up in discussions as well."
His statement held some truth.
Since its inception, the Immortal Blades had become a breeding ground for Valkyrie squad captains. With superior resources and Durandal's rigorous training standards, it produced a higher number of A-rank Valkyries.
Often, these A-rank Valkyries possessed the capabilities to lead squads and were frequently selected to join new Valkyrie teams.
"It seems we're quite unlucky, encountering Honkai here," Xia Chen remarked, easing Ana's suspicions.
However, she couldn't help but wonder when men started joining the Immortal Blades. Considering that the Snow Lotus Squad has always been stationed in the Philippines, limited communication could explain her lack of knowledge.
Feeling disheartened, she murmured, "I've brought shame to the Schariac name."
As a descendant of House Schariac, one of the Schicksal Knight families, her current inclination was to flee instead of standing firm.
"How could you?" Xia Chen couldn't help but ask, "What happened to your teammates?"
"We got separated," Ana revealed without hesitation. "The Honkai attack came too suddenly. Our captain immediately led us to rescue civilians. After splitting up, we discovered that the high concentration of Honkai Energy interfered with our communicators. Then... we lost contact."
Xia Chen was well aware that Honkai Energy has the ability to disrupt electromagnetic signals.
Looking at the city reduced to ruins, he had a grim feeling about their chances of survival. The Honkai outbreak occurred in an instant, and from a city with millions of inhabitants, only a handful might have escaped its devastating effects.
"The headquarters must already know about the Honkai incident in Manila; don't panic, they will surely be fine. Our top priority now is ensuring our own safety. Let's leave this city first."
He suggested to Ana, "At least we should inform the rescue teams about the situation here."
"Alright." Ana composed herself.
"Oh right, do you have any guns? I didn't bring my weapon since it's my day off."
"I'll find one for you."
She quickly handed him a Colt Mk IV pistol.
Although not manufactured by Schicksal, it would suffice for their needs.
Together, they ventured through the disaster-stricken city.
Honkai Beasts, along with infected Zombies and undead creatures, roamed freely. Deep fissures in the ground resembled bottomless abysses, emitting an indescribable terror.
Xia Chen suddenly understood why Ana felt such fear towards Honkai, despite being trained as a Valkyrie.
With Honkai Beasts and Zombies everywhere, even he would be terrified.
Not everyone possesses the unwavering courage and faith like Kallen.
Fortunately, both Xia Chen and Ana had taken their training seriously. Honkai Beasts and Zombies have relatively dull senses, allowing them to cautiously avoid detection most of the time.
However, at that moment, a faint cry reached their ears.
"Help! Is anyone there?"
Xia Chen and Ana exchanged glances.
Not far ahead, a young girl was calling for assistance.
However, near her stood a Queen of Honkai along with two Templar-class Homunculi.
Apparently, they hadn't detected the girl's cries yet, swaying aimlessly.
Ana whispered to Xia Chen, "Let's be cautious and approach stealthily... No, you stay here; I'll go check the situation."
Xia Chen nodded.
He remained stationary, watching as Ana cautiously stepped forward.
She spotted the distressed girl.
The child appeared to be around ten years old, clutching a doll, but she had fallen into a pit caused by ground collapse, seemingly unable to move.
Ana's mind wrestled between duty and self-preservation.
After a moment of indecision, she made up her mind.
"I'm sorry."
She prepared to abandon the rescue.
Ana was exhausted, fear overwhelming her body. After all, she was just a 16-year-old girl.
Just as she decided to turn away, Xia Chen unexpectedly approached from behind.
"Let me help."
He recalled Herrscher of Ice's influence.
After each incident, Ana tortured herself with guilt, allowing the Will of Honkai to exploit her vulnerabilities.
In a low voice, he said, "I'll draw their attention; don't worry, I'll be fine. Focus on saving people and find a safe location. I'll catch up with you soon."
Before Ana could react, Xia Chen sprinted off in one direction, aiming his gun directly at the Queen of Honkai and firing.