Chapter 014 : A Venomous "Step"

In the Theater of Dominance, in a certain room.

This wasn't a prison cell.

The decor around it more closely resembled a room meant to house someone under house arrest.

If one weren't too picky, it would be quite comfortable.

After being captured, Cocolia wasn't immediately subjected to torture.

For most of the day, she was left alone here, with no one coming to see her.

Until...

Click~

The door was opened from the outside.

A black-haired young man dressed in a black suit walked in.

At the first sight of him...

"It's you!"

Cocolia instantly recognized him.

There was no helping it. Even though several years had passed, the impression he had left on her back then was too deep.

What an unyielding will...

No matter how much they tortured him, even using truth serum, they couldn't extract any information from him.

To be honest, Cocolia had even started to admire that seemingly ordinary young man with no background.

Later, if it hadn't been for the many accidents during the third Honkai eruption, she might have even planned to keep him imprisoned indefinitely...

She wanted to see how someone like him would break, how he would beg for mercy.

Where was the limit of his psychological defenses?

She had made it a personal challenge.

So, she would never let it go.

Without a doubt, that was just how she was back then.

She had to win.

To make everyone know that she was the one who was right.

But now...

"I never expected that a small figure like me would still be remembered by you, Ms. Cocolia. What an honor."

The black-haired young man—Ling Ke—smiled as he approached, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Only then did Cocolia notice that his pupils had no focus.

He seemed like a lifeless corpse, devoid of vitality.

Realizing this, the aura he gave off became even more terrifying.

But even so...

"What do you want to do?"

Cocolia tried her best to stay calm and asked, "Take revenge on me?"

She wasn't surprised by this outcome.

At worst, she would die...

"Ms. Cocolia, no need to rush."

Well, Ling Ke was once again telling someone not to rush.

He continued...

"Direct conversations save time and effort, no need to overthink."

"Yes, I intend to take revenge on you. It's my right to do so."

He still smiled, as if the person who had suffered back then wasn't him.

However, the words he spoke next...

"But the resentment in my heart isn't so easily quelled."

Ling Ke raised his right hand slightly, "So, if during my revenge, you try to seek an easy way out, I will be very unhappy."

"What do you mean?"

Cocolia frowned tightly.

"Let's set some rules!"

Ling Ke smiled, "Physically, I won't go overboard... not even a single bit more than necessary."

"Back then, when Bronya brought me to you, in the first few days, you didn't torture me. Instead, you helped me heal the dislocated joints in my limbs."

"Whether that was genuine kindness or just a pretense because you hadn't yet figured out my identity, I remember it."

"So, in the next few days, while you're here in the Theater of Dominance, you'll receive friendly treatment from us."

"But after that..."

Ling Ke narrowed his eyes slightly, "From September 1, 2013, to March 28, 2014... I remember the time very clearly, a total of 208 days."

"During those more than half a year, everything I experienced back then will be 'returned' to you in full."

"If you can endure it, you'll regain your freedom."

"But if you can't..."

Ling Ke turned his back and took out a photo frame.

Inside was a photo of a happy time at Cocolia's orphanage, taken by one of the Puppets of Dominance from Anti-Entropy.

Ling Ke walked over to Cocolia and held the photo in front of her...

"You, who call yourself a 'mother,' must strive to live for your daughters."

"Live until the end, live until you're free."

"Otherwise, who will be the next to receive this 'gift'?"

"Shall I let you choose?"

At this moment...

"!!!"

Cocolia trembled all over.

The person standing beside her was a human with an elegant demeanor.

But he seemed more like a demon wearing human skin.

And this demon...

Was one she had "created."

Karmic retribution.

Some say: If you harm others too much, it will eventually come back to you.

Ling Ke had already struggled through his turn.

Now, it was her turn.

Cocolia bit her lip tightly.

She knew that her original thought of seeking death had been anticipated by him.

Back then, she had watched the interrogation sessions targeting Ling Ke.

Her subordinates were truly "excellent."

The methods of torture were endless.

At the time, she had even praised them.

"This is the fate of those who dare to defy me."

That's what she had said.

Now, the tables had turned...

"Well then, I look forward to our reunion in a few days."

Ling Ke left the photo behind.

He even "thoughtfully" left a dagger.

Its purpose needed no explanation.

Then, Ling Ke turned and walked toward the door.

Finally, he chuckled meaningfully and said, "Ms. Cocolia..."

"May you have sweet dreams tonight."

The door closed gently.

Inside the room, Cocolia stared blankly at the photo.

Then she glanced at the dagger placed beside it.

Her heart was in turmoil.

******

Ling Ke didn't spend too much energy on Cocolia.

For her... he just needed to check in occasionally when he had time and wait for the result.

After all, in the next few days, even if Cocolia wasn't physically harmed, she wouldn't have an easy time.

The psychological pressure was the "first course" Ling Ke had carefully prepared for her, something she had to endure.

And this "delicacy" would accompany her from the beginning to the end.

Continuously crushing her will.

Until she, too, broke.

"If someone had told me a few years ago that I could become this cruel, who would have believed it?"

"Indeed, people should occasionally try to push their limits."

Still seated on that high-backed, ornate throne.

Ling Ke propped his cheek with his left hand, while his right hand swiped across a semi-transparent rectangular virtual interface floating in front of him.

At this moment, the "Number One Player System" was continuously accumulating points.

What this meant was self-evident.

But Ling Ke had already chosen to become the "World-Ending Player."

So, naturally, he wouldn't wallow in self-pity or hesitate at this point, drafting half-hearted plans of action.

Now, the entire human civilization of the Honkai Impact 3rd world was, in his eyes, just a "game."

Among a group of NPCs, there were only a few key targets that needed special attention, ones that required careful handling.

The rest were just monotonous numbers.

It was during this process...

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a new game character template—Domination Puppet-1379.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a new game character template—Domination Puppet-1380.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a new game character template—Ayako Mitsuzuri.]

...

System notifications like these would pop up from time to time.

Ling Ke didn't pay real-time attention to them.

Because he had already discovered that not all the game character templates he obtained through "gacha" were powerful or possessed strange abilities.

Often, just like the blue-tier pulls in miHoYo games, the newly acquired game character templates weren't useless, but they didn't bring about any game-changing impact.

For example, the recently obtained "Domination Puppet-xxxx" was as common as cabbage.

It was the only game character template that could be repeatedly obtained.

Its effect was just one: to increase the number of Domination Puppets.

Other than that...

Characters like "Ayako Mitsuzuri," though from the famous Fate series, were just ordinary background characters.

As for these kinds of rewards...

"Fine, I guess it means I have a few more 'faces' to use."

Yes, Ling Ke treated these game character templates as skins.

In the future, if there were missions requiring infiltration into enemy ranks, they might come in handy.

Suddenly...

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a new game character template—Sixth Serenade.]

"Hmm?"

On the throne, Ling Ke was momentarily stunned.

Then...

"Heh!"

He revealed a dangerous smile that could make one's hair stand on end.

Immediately, he began issuing orders...

"All individuals currently carrying out slaughter missions outside, switch to the 'Sixth Serenade' appearance."

At this moment, Ling Ke was brimming with malice. "Otto Apocalypse, I know you're in the shadows, preparing for the final step of your long-term plan..."

"So, at this critical moment, when I make this move, will you respond or not?"