Chapter 66: Hua's Fragility

"Hua! Over here!"

After navigating through various obstacles along the way, Hua finally saw the temporary base where Fire Moth was stationed, as well as the familiar red-haired figure.

"Captain Himeko, I'm back... I'm sorry..."

"Sorry for what?" Himeko patted Hua on the shoulder with some relief.

"You should say, 'Report! Hua, member of the Fifth Fire Moth Squad, has returned to the team!'"

"Yes! Report! Hua, member of the Fifth Fire Moth Squad, returns to the team!" Hua gave a military salute to Himeko.

"Pfft, you kid... welcome back to the team, member Hua." At the end of the sentence, Himeko also became serious. "If you're talking about searching for survivors, you've done a good job." Himeko glanced at Carol behind Hua.

"A qualified soldier is one who knows how to judge the limits of their own strength... We can't save everyone; this is a very cruel reality, and we must face it."

Himeko seemed slightly relieved amidst her indifference.

"To be honest, I regretted giving you the order at the beginning. After all, you didn't have the support you wanted or the equipment you wanted... But when I wanted to contact you again, the Honkai pulse, which was too strong, blocked communication."

"..." Hua listened quietly to Himeko's story.

"Anyway, it's good that you all returned safely... Hua, how is the situation in the city now?"

"...It's very bad. All I saw along the way were dead soldiers and corpses, and then only broken walls and ruins." Thinking of the scene in the city, Hua's expression was a little heavy.

"As bad as I imagined." Himeko nodded without any extra expression on her face.

"It's not just Canghai City. In fact, this disaster has affected most of East Asia... This is the third time. I really don't know how long this crusade will last..." 

Kevin and Mei were the ones who joined Fire Moth during the Third Honkai Eruption.

Before that, every time Fire Moth fought against the Herrscher, it could be said that they had sacrificed their lives.

"And... I'm sorry, your hometown was also affected by the disaster, and... it's quite serious. It's said that almost everything is destroyed."

"Then my dad..." Although Hua had expected it, her heart still sank when she heard the news.

"Your father is fine." Himeko comforted her, "Because of your father's excellent education, he was transferred a long time ago, and the Fire Moth base can also withstand the disaster caused by the Honkai."

This news made Hua breathe a sigh of relief.

Himeko looked at Hua, thought for a moment, and whispered a secret: "Now that I think about it... Actually, Fire Moth received news of this Honkai Eruption a month ago."

"What?" Himeko's sudden words made Hua look bewildered; she couldn't understand why they had received the news so early and still ended up in this situation.

Seeing the confusion on Hua's face, Himeko explained with a heavy heart: "Because... it was a very cryptic cipher text," Himeko couldn't help but smile bitterly, "At first, the technicians at Fire Moth didn't take it seriously. Because it was too indirect, after a brief investigation, they believed it was something accidentally sent by a hacker."

"And after that?"

"After that... it seems there were some idle and bored technicians who wanted to 'teach the other party a lesson,' so they wanted to trace the source of the cipher text, but they found that the other party was like a ghost on the internet, and there was no trace at all. The technicians then began to pay attention to this matter."

"This... can't this person be more direct in their words!?" Carol said angrily when she heard this.

"You're right... Although the cipher text was quickly deciphered thanks to everyone's efforts, there are still many doubts about it. For example, why did they beat around the bush? Why did they hide their identity? How did they predict the Honkai Eruption?"

Himeko gave a wry smile.

"These various doubts made it difficult for the higher-ups of Fire Moth to make a judgment. After all, it involved half of Asia, and no one dared to make a hasty decision. However, based on the principle of 'better to believe than not to believe,' the Fire Moth army made various preparations a week ago... However, the intensity of the Honkai Eruptions is getting stronger and stronger."

"Now that I think about it, I'm afraid the other party who sent the message should also have some difficulties."

"In other words, even with all kinds of preparations, Fire Moth still couldn't react in time, and the speed and growth of the eruption far exceeded their imagination."

"...It's a pity." Carol's face was a little depressed.

"Captain, is that secret letter signed?" Suddenly, Hua thought of something.

"Yes... the signature seems to be Tian? I haven't seen the original version of the cipher text either."

That's right, Hua subconsciously looked at Tian Shi. Hua also vaguely guessed some of Tian Shi's restrictions.

[Fu Hua Compatibility +10%]

"Hua, watch carefully. This is the disaster you will face in the future."

Tian Shi also looked at the entire city that was almost reduced to ruins in front of him.

This is the first time Hua has personally experienced the Great Honkai Eruption, but isn't it also the first time Tian Shi has personally experienced it?

"Hua, this is a life-and-death battle without any tenderness."

Tian Shi voiced the feelings of Reanna, the Valkyrie who has fought the Honkai for a hundred years, "The Honkai cannot negotiate with you, and it will not show mercy to any life; it is cold and ruthless."

"..." Hua was speechless.

"This is your enemy in the future... Now, I can do my best to protect you and the people around you, but I will leave in the future. At that time, you may have to face true 'loss' already."

"..."

"Seriously, I'm getting more and more confused about whether it's a good idea to entrust you with the responsibility of a warrior so early... Maybe I'm being too aggressive?" Tian Shi muttered to himself with some self-deprecation.

Although Hua seems so sensible, she is only sixteen years old now.

"Hua, don't show such a sad expression." Himeko patted Hua on the shoulder. "This is our fault, and it has nothing to do with you... You've done your best, and leave the rest to us, who have failed in our duty... Kid, take her back to rest."

"Okay, okay!" Facing Himeko, whose aura suddenly became stronger, Carol nodded in a panic.

"Hua, let's go rest first... You don't have to blame yourself too much. I think Captain Himeko is right. You've done your best. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have died in this disaster."

"...Um."

Master Tian... is he leaving?

Hua felt a little confused.

She really knew very well that she was able to reach this point with determination and resolve all thanks to Master Tian.

She doesn't believe she is a very strong person. She felt that if Master Tian wasn't by her side, the pressure might crush her very quickly...

If it weren't for Master Tian, her father would have been recovering in the hospital in their hometown due to the Death Man attack, and then he would have died in the Honkai Eruption, instead of being able to stay away from the disaster as he is now as an instructor at Fire Moth.

And Carol, if Master Tian hadn't reminded me to stay a little longer, she should be here now, preparing for search and rescue, right?

Will Carol be able to survive in this situation?

Based on what she had seen along the way, in this huge city that once had a population of tens of millions, could only one in a thousand people survive this disaster?

Maybe one in a thousand is an extravagant hope. So, with Carol, how could she survive in such a dangerous place?

"Hua, what's wrong?" So, how could Carol survive alone in such a dangerous place?

"...No, nothing, just... a little happy to have survived a disaster."

"Hua, has anyone ever told you that you are not fit to lie?" Carol curled her lips. "Your reason is even more ridiculous than the one I gave for hiding my exam because I failed it... Well, maybe you need to be alone. Go over there."

Carol led Hua to a large tent that had the words "Rest Area" hanging on it.

Apparently, the tent had just been set up and was still empty.

"I'm going out for a walk first! I'll go ask how to join the army." Carol left this sentence and fled. Being able to blend in at school, Carol's emotional intelligence is really good, leaving this space alone for Hua.

"Master Tian..."

"I'm here." A reassuring sound. But the more this happened, the more inexplicable fear Hua felt.

"You said you would eventually leave, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know when." Tian Shi replied calmly. "But we will meet again in the future."

"When would that be...?" For the first time, Hua showed a helpless look.

"...I don't know, but it shouldn't be too long." For Tian Shi, the next "recent" time is naturally going to Fu Hua after returning, although Fu Hua at that time will not recognize him.

But for Hua, this happened more than 50,000 years later: a figure enough to make any normal person despair.

"Yes." Hua tried hard not to look too sad.

The atmosphere between the two became silent, and no one seemed to know how to speak. However, Hua is very clear that she is being stubborn.

Unreasonable willfulness. Stubborn to the point that even she can't understand herself.

"That is to say, there is a possibility that you, Master Tian, will always be with me, right?"

Impossible.

Hua realized this without needing Tian Shi's answer. So, I'm just being stubborn, just making trouble for no reason.

"Who knows? Who can predict what will happen in the future?"

"Um... that's right." Master Tian is indulging her stubbornness.

"Master Tian... tell me, if you leave, will I still be able to protect my father and Carol?"

"...Fist," Tian Shi said softly after being silent for a moment, "I said before, Honkai cannot negotiate with you, it will not show mercy to any life; it is cold and ruthless. Simple awareness cannot change anything. How much you can protect depends on how hard your fists are."

"So... power?"

"No, power is only a means, not an end; I believe you, as a martial artist, should know better than me," looking at Hua, who was a little confused, Tian Shi continued.

Hua's familiar motto is the typical family motto of a "wandering knight."

"Tsk, if you think about it carefully, it's really outdated rhetoric." Tian Shi smiled self-deprecatingly again. "Hua, you are not a cowardly girl. On the contrary, you have a sense of justice and are very precocious. At this age, you can realize the truth that 'every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world'; in that sense, you are much better than me. In fact, I am quite lazy and like to eat without doing anything."

"Master Tian... I... I may not be mature enough." Hua sat down on a chair, hugged her legs, and curled up into a ball.

"Just think about the scene where my father and Carol died because of the Honkai. I... I'm not you, Master Tian..."

"They are not dead yet, don't curse them." Tian Shi patted Hua lightly on the shoulder. He fully understood Hua's vulnerability. "Besides, I, your master, am not leaving yet... So, how about you make a promise with me, your master?"

"Promise?" Hua raised her head in confusion.

"Yes, a promise." Tian Shi embraced Hua. "Even if I, your master, leave in the future, it will only be temporary... It's really temporary."

His future simulation is still long... There are still ten of the Thirteen Heroes left, and there will always be a chance to meet them again.

"Em..."

"How about this? After I leave, you temporarily protect their safety?"

"Temporarily?"

"Lead them forward, hold on until I return, and then leave the rest to me," Tian Shi said firmly.

"..." After Tian Shi finished speaking, Hua fell into a brief silence and then showed a smile. "Master Tian Shi... do you mean nothing has changed at all?"

Nothing has changed, but... I feel unexpectedly relieved. How cunning...

"Hahahaha~ I thought I could get away with it, but I didn't expect to be found out."

"Well, pinky promise." Hua extended her slightly bent little finger towards Tian Shi.

[Fu Hua Compatibility +20%]

...

"Speaking of which, Master Tian Shi, have you ever wanted to help others like this before?" Hua, who had regained some energy, seemed to remember something.

"Huh? Why do you ask that?"

"Before... it was the first time I encountered a Death Man. Master Tian, you murmured, 'Damn it, if Reanna or Rita were here, this Death Man would be killed in one blow.'"

Have I ever said that? Tian Shi pondered for a moment... it seemed... as if he really had said that?

"I'm glad you still remember..."

"Mmm…" Hua blushed slightly. Why does this suddenly feel like a medical check-up?

"Although I can't go into too much detail with you, it's okay to briefly talk about their characteristics... Well, let's start with Reanna... But here's a word, I haven't been her Guardian Angel."