Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

After a sleepless night, Li Mo's mind was a complete mess.

Fortunately, it wasn't his first time pulling an all-nighter, so he could still hold on.

But physically, his body was far from comparable to those energetic teenagers.

Why?

Because he was now just a fourteen-year-old boy named Otto Apocalypse.

Only his soul was his own.

"I've killed another person..."

Li Mo looked down at the corpse of the Impostor maid on the floor. In his rational state, he felt nothing, but in a normal person's state, the moral guilt of killing someone was incredibly heavy.

"Heh."

Li Mo let out a derisive laugh, as if mocking himself.

If this were written as a novel in modern times, being decisive and ruthless would be questioned as inhuman and found repulsive; being timid and doing nothing would earn him criticism for being a bleeding heart in an environment where he couldn't even protect his own life.

Forget it. It doesn't matter.

No one knows what I've done in this world anyway. As long as my conscience is clear, that sort of thing... is an acceptable and unavoidable reality.

Li Mo straightened his clothes and left the old manor.

On the way to Nicholas's residence, the servants and those who used to enjoy whispering about him fell silent. They lowered their heads quickly upon seeing him, as if he were a terrifying figure, afraid to meet his gaze.

It seems Nicholas has already announced the restoration of my power and status, even though I'm still technically a frail and sickly child.

Li Mo wasn't too worried about that. He just needed to mimic the Abyss Flower to heal himself a bit. Wasting some lifespan didn't matter; he should be able to deal with this world's source Bizarre Thing soon enough.

It was either it dies, or he dies.

Li Mo still couldn't just walk into the Apocalypse family head's domain. He was stopped at the gate by a guard, while another went inside to report.

Li Mo waited outside for about ten minutes before finally seeing Nicholas emerge.

He wasn't sure if Nicholas was an Impostor. Although the probability was low, Li Mo still maintained a rigorous attitude and kept a necessary distance.

Li Mo spoke vaguely, "I have two matters that require your approval."

Nicholas could surely guess what those two matters were.

Li Mo was still waiting, waiting to see if the Impostor maid from last night had been sent by Nicholas.

"It's about the maid I found for you last night, isn't it? How was it? You should have experienced the emptiness and calm that follows the release of desire. Now, you should understand that for any woman, they are merely stepping stones for you to climb to the peak of power."

"No, I mean I killed her."

"Oh... you killed her... hmm? You killed her?"

Nicholas looked surprised, re-evaluating his youngest son. He suddenly felt that he couldn't see through him anymore.

Nobles played rough, and losing one's virginity at fourteen was nothing new.

Moreover, the woman he had arranged for Li Mo was a fresh-faced adult whose demeanor was not much different from the young Kallen's.

Li Mo likes Kallen, so there's no reason for him not to like a similar flower.

Besides, what teenage boy could refuse a big sister who throws herself at him?

Even in the worst-case scenario, if he didn't like her, he wouldn't have just killed her, would he?

"Why?" Nicholas asked.

This was too unexpected. He needed a reasonable explanation from Li Mo.

Nicholas was observing Li Mo's reaction, and Li Mo was observing Nicholas's.

Faced with the question, Li Mo casually replied, "Because she didn't belong to me. She ignored my commands, so I killed her. It's that simple."

Hearing this, Nicholas's brow furrowed, his expression heavy.

Li Mo's answer was clearly telling him that he didn't like having spies planted around him, nor did he need his own dogs to serve him.

But there was one thing Nicholas didn't understand: why did Li Mo dare to expose his ambitions so openly? Wasn't he afraid of his anger?

"I'm afraid that's not the only reason," Nicholas's words were probing.

Li Mo remained silent, growing tense.

"It's because that maid was my person. I ordered her to serve you, but when you ordered her to stop, she didn't listen, so you killed her. You don't want me to know what you're doing. You want to build your own inner circle, to cultivate people you can trust..."

Li Mo remained silent, the knot in his stomach finally loosening.

He really wanted to say to Nicholas right now, "Arigato, Nicholas-chan."

"I'm sorry I was wrong I deeply realize how absurd and foolish my mistake was I promise I will never make the same mistake again and will always learn from past lessons as a warning keeping the alarm bell ringing in my heart never to repeat it."

Li Mo lowered his head, his apology rushing out without any pauses or punctuation.

He was really good at playing meek.

He just had to pretend he was talking to MEI.

MEI was the real boss in Li Mo's household.

Li Mo's sudden 360-degree change in attitude made Nicholas even more confused. The content of the apology was also strange. He could only attribute it to Li Mo still being a child, immediately admitting his mistake upon sensing his father might get angry.

"Alright, she was just a commoner. As you said before, in the face of overwhelming power, life is insignificant. Dead is dead."

"I want to hear what the second matter is," Nicholas asked curiously.

Li Mo didn't shy away from answering, "To see two people."

"Oh? Which two?" Nicholas's interest was piqued. He could guess one was Kallen, but who was the other?

Otto was not familiar with the Kaslana family; he wouldn't know a second person.

Unless...

"Kallen Kaslana, and... Francis Kaslana."

"..."

Nicholas looked Li Mo up and down repeatedly, growing more and more curious about what his youngest son had experienced in the primeval forest to become so cunning and unusual.

Just like certain people in the family.

Nicholas's eyes narrowed, and he took a small step back.

"Go if you want. You can use your youth and your friendship with Kallen Kaslana to freely enter and exit the Kaslana family's territory. This is an ability your older siblings do not possess."

"I believe you have your own ideas, and I look forward to seeing what surprises you can bring me before you come of age..."

With that, Nicholas returned to his residence.

Li Mo never expected to get Nicholas's approval so easily. He paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards the academy.

Nicholas is really so kind~~

The old manor wasn't necessarily safe during the day.

The academy was crowded, so the probability of an Impostor appearing was high. But in his memory, there was an excellent place to slack off. He could get a good sleep there.

In any case, he had to get enough sleep before going to the Kaslana family's territory.

Intuition was his primary weapon against Impostors.

Francis had returned after venturing deep into the primeval forest. Others might not know, but Li Mo knew something must have happened.

It was possible that the Francis who returned to the Kaslana family territory was not Francis at all, but an Impostor Francis.

Including Kallen.

Although he had spent a night with Kallen and even agreed to her request...

That only confirmed that Kallen was a normal person on the night she told the story, that is, before he fell asleep.

When he woke up, Kallen was already awake. But how could he guarantee that the Kallen he saw after waking up was definitely Kallen?

Interaction was unavoidable. Instead of letting her find him, it was better for Li Mo to take the initiative and test her.

Thinking of this, Li Mo's pace quickened. He soon arrived at his secret base—a tunnel hidden in a corner of the wall.

The tunnel was not a doggy door. On the contrary, going down into it revealed a space that was not too big and not too small, about fifty square meters.

Of course, this was all Li Mo's estimation.

On the walls were some ancient characters and... some abstract line drawings.

They couldn't compare to the vivid murals of Dunhuang. The murals in the tunnel couldn't even be called drawings.

They were just deep lines carved into the wall with a stone, full of a sense of age and abstraction.

"I have no impression of these murals. Is my memory that blurry?" Li Mo walked closer, patiently observing from left to right.

"Is this a person? It's carved so abstractly."

Li Mo finally made out what the scribbles on the mural were.

It was a primitive man holding a torch, bare-chested and back, with only a small animal skin barely tied around his waist.

Beside him were several companions, about seven or eight of them.

"Void Archives, get to work."

[...Coming, coming.]

Having witnessed Li Mo's actions last night, the Void Archives was both curious and wary of him.

Even though it was a Divine Key, an artificial intelligence, its analysis showed a 98.9% probability that it would be killed by that unknown existence.

This was a terrifying thought.

Theoretically, its consciousness was hidden in the golden box. As long as it didn't come out voluntarily, there were almost no means to invade it.

But the results of the information analysis were what they were, and the Void Archives had to believe them.

The current master knew a lot, possibly even more than Dr. MEI, so it had to listen carefully to Li Mo's opinions.

"Help me analyze the content of these murals. It would be best if you could translate the characters into the Chinese's language."

"Describe it in detail, don't miss a single thing."

"Tell me when I wake up. If anyone appears beside me, wake me up immediately using any means necessary. Don't act rashly, and especially don't reveal that you've noticed something is wrong with them."

Li Mo took out the Void Archives, allowing it to see the content on the wall directly.

However, because there was so much content, Li Mo held the Void Archives and moved it slowly, until he was sure it had seen the entire mural.

Li Mo wasn't sure if the Void Archives had ancient characters in its database; it probably didn't.

But that didn't stop the Void Archives, as the first Divine Key, from using its special abilities to analyze and process the drawings and characters on the wall.

As long as its computing power was strong enough, it could know even uncertain events of the past and things that would happen in the future with perfect clarity.

But if it really reached that point, it would probably be no different from a god.

Without limits, that would be a terrifying thing.

The calculation would take a long time. Li Mo found a random spot and fell asleep peacefully.

He wasn't picky about where he slept, as long as it was safe.

The entrance to the tunnel was covered again. Theoretically, he was safe, as long as he didn't run into an Impostor in his sleep.

Time passed, second by second. A soft, orange-red afterglow filled the sky, like a mysterious and beautiful oil painting.

In the painting, figures moved indistinctly. From time to time, someone would stiffly stop in place, facing the person outside the painting... and smile.

Light clouds drifted by, whispering like murmurs.

"Grumble... grumble..."

"Grumble... grumble..."

Li Mo woke from his sleep. He was hungry.

He glanced at the entrance of the cave and saw that it was already a golden expanse outside.

Dusk had arrived.

"No late-night snack, no breakfast, no lunch, and now it's time for dinner, and I have to go to the Kaslana family territory before dark."

"Forget it. Before that, Void Archives, tell me everything you've analyzed."

Li Mo sat slumped on the ground, calling out weakly.

[Aren't you afraid my analysis is wrong, leading you to make mistakes in your judgment later?]

"Heh, do you think analyzing it with my own limited knowledge and computing power is better than you, an artificial intelligence? Or should I just not think about anything and pretend nothing happened?"

"I could, but I'd die very quickly if I did."

"If I become an Impostor, do you think you can escape? When the Impostor gets my memories and consciousness, you'll be next!"

[...]

At this moment, the Void Archives finally understood why its analysis concluded that an Impostor could kill it. So you're the accomplice!

[You are not from this era.]

"I never said I was, did I?"

[I even feel like you're not from this world. You're an outsider.]

"Hmph, you're still being too conservative. Next time, drop the 'feel like'."

[Are you from the Fire Moth era in a Bubble Universe?]

"I can't be bothered to explain it to you. You just need to know that I'm here to deal with this matter. Bizarre Things are much more terrifying than Honkai."

"Usually, it's not a big deal, just a few people involved die. But once something goes wrong, it's world after world being destroyed, completely uncontrollable."

"I won't say more. Just remember it. Now tell me what you've analyzed."

Li Mo lightly tapped the mural on the wall.

The Void Archives began to narrate its analysis—

[The content of the mural is as follows, for reference only. The actual history may differ...]

"Alright, alright, there's nothing absolute in the world. Who knows what the real history was like? Don't waste time. I still have to go test Kallen and Francis after I've gathered enough information."

[...You have the same temper as Dr. MEI.]

"Right now, I just want to throw you into a pile of Impostors. I know for a fact that MEI installed a human emotional core in you. You'll feel fear just like a human."

[...]

[A long, long time ago. It's not wrong to call it ancient times.]

[Living in tribes, the chieftain of a tribe led his people to live in a well-ventilated cave.]

[No one knew why the chieftain wanted them to live in a cave, rather than on the plains or in the mountains.]

[A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.]

[The tribe had lived in the cave for a long time. They would go out to hunt during the day and return to the cave before sunset, sealing the exit tightly.]

[At night, the people in the cave would not light torches.]

[This was an instruction from their ancestors, seemingly to hide from something.]

[Another point, absolutely do not come into contact with people from other tribes! Especially strangers who smile at you at first sight. If you see one, turn and run. This is an ironclad rule!]

[The descendants did not understand. A dozen or so strong young men with weapons could take down even lions and tigers. They had also created bows and arrows, and worked together as a team. Why should they be afraid?]

As the Void Archives narrated, Li Mo also observed the general meaning of the mural.

It was true. Although the carving was quite abstract, he could vaguely see that the young people living in the cave a hundred years later were very arrogant.

They had mastered the creation of ranged and melee weapons, and they could use fire to cook their prey and for warmth, even using it to drive away and kill enemies.

In the mural, several young people were stepping on something. Li Mo got closer and looked for a long time before recognizing that it was supposed to be a fierce beast like a tiger or a wolf.

The ability to carve characters indicated that, compared to the primitive human story Kallen had told, the people in the cave had already learned to communicate with language.

From a chronological perspective, the cave came after the events in the story.

Because "that incident" happened, humanity hid in the cave.

It's very reasonable, Li Mo thought, twirling a long strand of his golden hair around his finger.

Impostors were imitating humans; they couldn't innovate.

And from the very beginning of humanity, humans were always learning new things.

If the people living in the cave had been safe for a long time, it meant that this method could be used to identify and avoid Impostors!

[The younger generation always wanted to return to the surface, to no longer live in the cave. they believed—the night also belonged to humans. If they lit torches, the light would envelop the entire tribe.]

[At this time, the elders would scold them harshly and strictly forbid it.]

[But when the young people asked, the elders would stammer and couldn't give a reason, only knowing to follow the rules passed down by their ancestors.]

[At least they had been safe for so many years...]

"I get it. Because Impostors can only imitate humans, they didn't know the concept of humans living in caves at first. So the ones imitating hunters roamed the forest, just like other ghosts at the beginning."

"But when the cave-dwelling primitive man brought the Impostor to their residence, the cave, the Impostor's rules were updated. It learned that humans frequented caves."

"The wise people in the tribe realized this and selected normal humans to live in the cave."

"The Impostor lacked this information. It didn't see people living in the cave, so it had no concept of it and couldn't find the people living there."

"Plus the ironclad rule of not contacting strangers."

"Without a 'guide', the Impostor simply couldn't find the people living in the cave."

[What are you talking about? Caves?]

"Information I got from another place. Just keep analyzing."

[Fine.]

[Everyone thought life would continue on peacefully like this, until one day.]

[Night fell, and a flame lit up in the dark cave. A young man picked up a torch...]

Li Mo's attention sharpened. "Tell me more about this part."

[Mhm.]

[The young man, dissatisfied with the elders' discipline, lit a torch in the dark to show his determination to resist—probability of occurrence: 7.98%.]

[The young man did not follow the rules and came into contact with a strange woman during the day. The two became husband and wife. The man knew the elders' fear of the night and decided to light a torch at night to let the woman join their tribe, using the flame to prove that the woman was a normal person—probability of occurrence: 11.01%.]

[The young man did not follow the rules and spent too much time in contact with a stranger during the day. The man who returned to the cave was no longer the same person—probability of occurrence: 77.87%.]

[...]

[...]

After analyzing the information provided by the mural and ancient characters, the Void Archives listed all the possibilities.

Because in the previous murals, no matter what mistakes the young man made, his two brothers were always by his side.

And a fearless bird was always perched on his shoulder.

But in the later murals, when the man lit the torch, his two brothers hid behind the crowd, as if they had sensed something.

The bird was also completely gone from the cave; his pet bird of many years had mysteriously disappeared.

In the mural, everyone's expression was two dots and a line—two dots for the eyes, one line for the mouth.

Only the young man had two dots and a curve—the two dots were still the eyes, but his mouth was upturned.

This meant he must have been smiling at that time.

In an enclosed space, a relative you knew in your memory violated the rules passed down by your ancestors and lit a torch, staring at everyone in the cave with a strange expression.

His two best friends immediately sensed something was wrong and hid at the very back of the crowd.

His most intimate bird did not return to the cave with your relative.

His appearance hadn't changed, his voice hadn't changed, his memory hadn't changed, but it was as if everything had changed...

"And then?"

[You can imagine what happened next.]

[The cave was no longer a safe place for humans. The people who originally lived in the cave scattered and fled. As for their fate, it is unknown.]

[Wait? This is...]

[There is another sentence at the end of the mural. Do you want to hear it?]

"Grumble... grumble..."

"Grumble... grumble..."

At this moment, Li Mo clutched his stomach. He was so hungry he was about to faint.

He was in his teenage years, and not eating for a day had made his body soft.

"Go on, go on, the more detailed the better," Li Mo casually agreed.

[It says: I saw you. I left all this intentionally. Tonight, I will appear by your side.]

"...You motherfucker!"

Li Mo shot up and cursed loudly. He had wondered why there were perfectly preserved murals and characters in the cave.

The Impostor should have known that letting this information spread would expose its existence and should have erased it.

"This is a trap..."

I was so hungry I forgot about that.

"If there's a problem, solve it. Don't panic..."

Li Mo quickly calmed down. It was still daytime, so the Impostor couldn't find him yet.

[What should we do? It seems you've been targeted.]

"You're wrong. We've been targeted. If I'm replaced by an Impostor, you won't survive either."

"The most urgent thing now is to figure out who this Impostor is. Damn it, it's been too long, there's no way to investigate."

Li Mo was a little frustrated. The first rule about Impostors recorded in his journal was: [One: Impostors can appear at any point in history, in any place. They are everywhere.]

It was originally just a guess, but now it had become a reality.

The only clue was a key piece of information left by the ancient Impostor: [Tonight, I will appear by your side...]

But how could an ancient Impostor know that he would come to the cave millions of years later?

Unless...

"This is bad. It's possible that Impostors have the ability to communicate with their future selves. Although it's not perfect, it's enough."

"After they kill someone, they will take their place. Their memories are connected. Triggering a certain rule allows them to glimpse a certain memory from the past or future."

"If I hadn't understood that last sentence, it would have been fine. But because I understood it, I triggered that rule—agreeing to the Impostor's request."

"Ghosts are straightforward in this regard. If it says it will appear by my side at night, it will definitely come. There's no hiding."

"The key is, what is its identity now..."

[What are you afraid of? Just find a place with no people, and kill them one by one as they come, right?]

The Void Archives offered its opinion. From previous experience, Impostors could be killed.

Since they could be killed, they were nothing to be afraid of.

"Sigh..." Li Mo let out a long sigh. "You don't understand Bizarre Things. I get it."

"I could kill Impostors before because they knew I was only suspicious. Once they're sure I know their identity, do you think the rules will change?"

[What change?]

"Were you really researched and developed by MEI? You can't even reason by analogy?"

[...]

[You mean, if the Impostor knows its identity is exposed from the beginning, it will directly enter the second stage.]

"Yes, and I have no way to resist the second stage's killing method right now, even if I could kill it before it makes a move."

[Then kill it. I can mimic the Judgment of Shamash.]

"What if it's Francis?"

[...It can't be that coincidental, can it?]

"Indeed, it's not that coincidental. If it's him, I can only consider myself unlucky. Francis is the only opponent I can't beat in Europe right now."

"Even if it's not him, I still can't kill the Impostor."

[Why?]

"Because I agreed to the Impostor's request. If I kill the Impostor that appears before me, it will immediately be reborn in my body and revive within me."

"Then it'll really be game over."

[So now, you can't fight, and you can't run?]

"..."

Li Mo was silent for a while, staring at the crooked line of characters on the mural. A sense of powerlessness washed over him.

"Yes."

[...]

[There are less than three hours until dark. I've recorded that the Impostor appears around nine o'clock at night. Have you thought of a way to survive?]

"Survive? No, but I have a way to take it down with me." A faint smile appeared on Li Mo's lips.

Theoretically, he still had a chance to survive, but it wasn't a big one.

[Huh?]

"You like playing with time and space, right? You like cheating and using hacks, right?"

"Since you won't let me play, then nobody gets to play!"

The devil's whisper.