Evening, Valkyrie Dormitories.
"And that's victory number 121 for Bronya."
"Ugh, so annoying! How did I lose again!?"
Kiana and Bronya were locked in a heated gaming session in the living room, while Hiko was enjoying a rare mont of peace, savoring a glass of fine wine. Everyone was lost in their own little world.
Including Kallen.
"Sakura... tonight, I'd like to take a soak in the bath by myself for a while," Kallen said, looking at Sakura with a faint flush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Mm..."
Sakura's eyes flickered with a hint of uncertainty, but she nodded nonetheless.
"Alright. Just don't stay in too long, or you'll get dizzy."
Kallen let out a quiet sigh of relief. After all, she had a major operation planned for tonight.
As Sakura turned and headed down the hallway, Kallen watched her figure until it vanished around the corner. Only then did she allow herself to relax. She slipped into the bathroom and clicked the lock shut.
The bathtub was already brimming with steaming hot water. She could have easily shed her clothes, rinsed off, and succumbed to the comfort of a long soak.
"I really just want to forget everything and jump in," Kallen grumbled softly to herself. Instead, she pushed open the bathroom window.
Imdiately, a sea breeze carrying a hint of salt wafted into the room.
"Ti to move..."
After a cautious glance outside to ensure the coast was clear, Kallen hopped over the sill and landed lightly on the grass. Staying low, she began to creep stealthily toward the Research Departnt.
Back in the dorm, Fu Hua—who was sitting on the sofa sipping tea—stiffened for a split second. Her expression shifted, but she quickly went back to drinking her tea as if nothing had happened.
It didn't take long for Kallen to reach the periter of the Research Departnt.
The building was still ablaze with lights. Through the windows lining the corridor, she could see researchers buzzing about their work. Kallen watched them for a mont before slipping inside.
She snatched a stray lab coat off a desk to throw over her shoulders—a makeshift disguise to hide her most recognizable features—and began making her way toward the deepest sector of the facility.
After all...
Kallen wasn't like the original Kallen. She wasn't foolish enough to put on a simple masquerade mask and a flashy outfit and expect people not to recognize her.
Within seven or eight minutes, she reached the laboratory where her blood samples were stored.
Lady Luck was on her side tonight; the lab was completely empty.
Kallen let out a shaky breath. "This is it. If I destroy all these samples, I won't have to worry about Theresa and the others finding out that I'm destined to die the mont I go back."
Just as she was about to step into the lab, sothing caught her eye. Her heart skipped a beat as a familiar figure appeared around a nearby corner.
Rita!
The mont she spotted that elegant silhouette, Kallen lunged into the laboratory and pressed herself against the wall, exhaling sharply.
That was close... way too close.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Kallen felt a pang of confusion. Rita... why is she here?
There was no way Theresa would have given Rita full clearance to the Research Departnt on her very first day. Especially not after Schicksal headquarters had sent infiltrators just a few days ago to steal a vial of her blood.
Thinking about it made Kallen's face darken.
It was obvious. Rita was either tailing her, or she was here to steal more blood samples!
What a terrifying woman...
Deciding she might as well go all the way, Kallen approached the cryogenic storage unit. She pulled out a hairpin she'd swiped from the bathroom—she wasn't even sure whose it was—and made quick work of the lock.
She scanned the labels rapidly until she found the vials containing her blood.
"Purple-red..."
Looking at the dark, shimring fluid inside the glass, Kallen went silent for a few seconds, an expression of pure disgust crossing her face.
These samples were crawling with countless strains of bacterial Honkai beasts. Even though they were dead, just thinking about it made her skin crawl.
How should she get rid of them?
She looked toward the lab sink but imdiately killed that thought. Who knew what kind of disaster throwing this stuff down the drain would cause in a world governed by such weird logic.
"I'll just use this..."
The wings of her Sündenjäger Valkyrie armor manifested behind her. Using the lowest possible energy output, she vaporized the vials, physically erasing the samples from existence.
"Phew..."
With the deed done, a sudden, inexplicable sense of relief washed over her.
"Now I don't have to worry about Theresa and the girls looking like the sky is falling one day."
Kallen allowed herself a satisfied smile.
While she enjoyed the idea of one day turning into a character from Genshin Impact and teasing Kiana by telling her that Raiden Ei's personality had been suppressed by the Shogun puppet, she had no desire to see Sakura's face if she found out Kallen was walking toward certain death.
That would be way too cruel. Even more heartless than that ti she brought a "family photo" to camp the bridge in a ga.
"Ti to go, ti to go."
Relaxed now, she turned to leave. But the mont she reached the lab door, she froze.
Rita was standing there, waiting.
Her wine-red eyes watched Kallen silently, an elegant, charming smile playing on her lips.
Kallen's entire body tensed. Her expression turned sour in an instant, though she tried to act like soone who hadn't realized they were being followed until they were caught red-handed.
What did Rita want? Did Kallen just destroy her mission objective? Was she going to fail her task? Or was she planning to expose her?
As Kallen's mind raced through a dozen worst-case scenarios, Rita simply gave a slight, graceful bow and turned to walk away.
She hadn't uttered a single word.
Kallen stood frozen on the spot, her mind a chaotic ss. What the hell is she playing at?
But now wasn't the ti for questions. As soon as Rita was gone, Kallen quickly scrubbed any trace of her presence and fled the Research Departnt.
She bolted back to the dorms and jumped straight into the shower to wash away the night.
"Hah..."
Standing under the spray, Kallen's brain was still spinning. What was Rita doing? There was an 80% chance she'd already reported everything to Otto. But what would Otto do with that information?
After a long bout of frustrated thinking, she decided to stop dwelling on it. She sank into the bath for a quick soak, then dried herself off.
-- --
anwhile, on the other side of the base.
Rita had returned to her temporary quarters and pulled out her communicator.
"Lord Overseer," Rita said, bowing slightly to the virtual projection of Otto Apocalypse. "Lady Kallen destroyed her blood samples tonight."
Otto, who had already returned to Schicksal HQ, remained silent for several seconds. His gaze drifted to the laboratory surveillance footage Rita had sent over.
He watched the recording of the girl "sneaking" around, clearly convinced that her clumsy disguise made her invisible. A soft laugh escaped him, his smile tinged with a deep, aching nostalgia.
He thought back five hundred years, to the days when he had donned a dress just to provide cover for Kallen's antics.
Kallen really hadn't changed at all.
"Let her be."
Rita nodded slightly. "Understood, Lord Overseer."
However, a trace of doubt lingered in her eyes. Otto caught the confusion and offered a gentle explanation.
"No one can stop what Kallen wants to do. Kallen Kaslana... has always been that way."
"Rita understands."
Otto nodded. After a heavy silence, he spoke again, his voice soft. "Rita... for these next four days, watch over her. Do not interfere. Just... watch her closely."
"Yes, Lord Overseer."
After the call ended, Otto sat in the silence of his office. Only after a long ti had passed did he let out a slow, heavy sigh.
-- --
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