Otto: I Want Shu Dead~!

Returning to the public eye, Shu reverted to his previous demeanor.

Face taut, posture rigid, he walked silently ahead of Kiana and the others.

As they queued up at the food counter, the people in front of them immediately scattered the moment the group got in line, clearing a path straight to the serving window.

The person behind the counter, wearing an apron, swallowed hard, nervously watching the approaching group.

It seemed this food server, after two months of familiarization, had become a qualified cafeteria worker.

Look at those trembling hands—doesn't that just hit the mark?

Except you don't even need to use a ladle right now…

Shu silently stared at the chunks of meat piled high on his noodles, stood at the counter for a full second, then turned and left.

Actually, I prefer plain steamed buns…

Whatever… Kevin wouldn't proactively ask for noodles, right? This must be Elysia giving suggestions to the kitchen.

"Load it all up!" Kiana's excited voice came from behind. "Fifteen meat buns! Two bowls of soy milk! And a biiig~ bowl of noodles!"

Not long after, Kiana caught up to Shu, balancing three bowls in her hands and carrying a bag stuffed with fifteen buns in her mouth, trotting along. "Shu... arh you onry eading dish mush?" (Shu… are you only eating this much? Kiana was probably trying to say.)

"My appetite is normal," Shu replied speechlessly, glancing at the items in Kiana's hands and mouth. He figured that amount was probably enough for his entire day's consumption.

And this was just Kiana's breakfast…

"Kiana, don't spill!" Mei hurried over from behind, reaching out to take the bag of buns from Kiana's mouth.

"Hiyah!" Kiana, her mouth now free, wasn't bothered at all. "My sense of balance is great! I could handle two more bowls without dropping anything, okay!"

The group quickly found a relatively corner table and sat down. Mei clasped her hands as usual, said a prayer, and then began eating.

Bronya also had a moment of closing her eyes in silence, likely a unique custom from the orphanage.

Kiana impatiently went through the motions with Mei, then grabbed a fist-sized bun and devoured it in one gulp with a speed Shu couldn't even follow.

It was magical every time he watched… Kiana's mouth clearly couldn't open wide enough to swallow a whole bun, yet the bun somehow fit…

As for the principle behind it?

Don't question anime logic.

And don't question pretty girls' logic in the 3D world either.

Shu didn't perform any prayer ritual. He picked up his chopsticks, tapped them lightly on the table to align them, held the bowl with one hand, and used the chopsticks in the other to pick up a perfectly bite-sized cluster of noodles, bringing them to his mouth.

Elegant! Pure elegance! Utterly elegant! Elegance to die for!

Don't ask about this either. If you ask, he learned it from Otto.

Fifteen buns vanished in an instant. The two times she choked were swiftly resolved by the two bowls of soy milk. Finally, the moment Shu put down his chopsticks, Kiana let out a satisfied burp.

"Whoa… That was so satisfying…" Kiana rubbed her stomach, eyes narrowed, letting out her thrice-daily sigh of contentment.

You ate three servings of noodles, five servings of buns, and two large bowls of soy milk in one meal… The finance department, just recently established, is already facing its [Finality] [referencing the Herrscher of Finality, implying doom].

Truly tragic…

Shu retorted internally weakly in his mind. After waiting for Kiana to recover slightly, the group carried their empty bowls and plates to the return area and left the cafeteria under everyone's gaze.

Another meal survived without incident.

"Shu, are we going back to the training grounds?" Mei asked Shu, holding onto Kiana, who was starting to float slightly from being full.

"Oh oh! I'm bursting with energy right now!" Kiana clenched her fist and shouted enthusiastically.

"No need," Shu thought for a moment. "Let's go look up information about our destination. Some preparation is better than diving into an unfamiliar place completely blind."

Hearing that it was time to use their brains, Kiana's energetic demeanor immediately deflated. "Okay~~"

"Bronya is very familiar with that area," Bronya popped her head up from between the others, stating flatly. "Bronya can serve as the guide this time."

Bronya used to be active in the area stretching from West Siberia to the Ural Mountains; everyone knew that.

Although Bronya hadn't proactively mentioned her story before entering Cocolia's orphanage in detail, after learning about the original plot Shu had shown, Kiana knew Bronya had been a mercenary since she was very young.

According to Otto's statistics on [Spark], the main gathering points for other survivors were mostly in Europe. Some smaller settlements were scattered in the Middle East and within the Siberian plains.

There were also quite a few settlements in North and South America, but they were separated from Shenzhou [China/the main continent] by the ocean, with only the Crystal Continent, where Future City was located, lying along the way.

That journey was simply too far. The vast ocean undoubtedly harbored countless dangers. What if a whale-shaped super-large Honkai Beast appeared…

Therefore, this time, the final destination for Shu's group was Cocolia's Orphanage island in the Mediterranean Sea in Europe.

The route they chose started from ARC City in Shenzhou, passed through central Shenzhou, went through Shangjing City, crossed the Xuanlong River, entered the territory of the North Su Region [Northern Territories/Siberia], and then traversed West Siberia and the Ural Mountains.

Another route was to exit from the Western Frontier [Xinjiang], enter the Middle East, cross vast deserts, and reach the Mediterranean coast via the inland sea and the Black Sea.

Before the Great Honkai Eruption, the Middle East had always had development issues, causing many stations along that route to operate barely. Now, contact was completely lost, and it was unknown what existed in those stations.

Or whether they could provide new energy for their self-powered train.

So, compared to this uncertain route where they could break down at any moment, the group chose the colder but resource-rich Siberian route.

After all, the people originally from the North Su Region were a bunch of hoarding maniacs…

Moreover, besides finding people, Shu's group also had to fill the train carriages as much as possible this time, whether with people or supplies.

They couldn't return empty-handed.

Thus, Siberia, rich in minerals everywhere, became the top choice.

You say the Middle East has oil? That would require detouring to the Red Sea area!

The personnel for this mission consisted only of Shu and Kiana's group. They would depart with five carriages: one carrying two Titan mechs for Bronya's use, one storing basic supplies for Shu's group.

The remaining three were for the "tasks" assigned by Otto.

Shu felt Otto wanted him dead…