Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

After the cleaning ladies left, only Theresa, Bianka, and Rita remained in the fifth basement level. They walked silently down the corridor, passing by rooms with their doors left open. The more Bianka saw, the more silent she became.

The vast difference made Bianka feel a sense of unreality. She didn't understand why she, of all people, was living in such a luxurious house from the get-go...

Was it because she was a warrior of Fire Moth? But she had only officially become Theresa's subordinate today. She hadn't even been to the front lines or set foot on a battlefield...

An invisible pressure settled on her. While it was far from enough to crush her, it still weighed heavily on her spirits.

The metal floors, meticulously cleaned by the janitors, were polished to a near-mirror shine. The smooth, minimalist corridors had a clean, simple look. All the rooms were identical, with no distinguishing features.

Except for one...

Bianka stopped in front of a room with an open door, her brow furrowing in confusion as she looked at a small plaque placed on the floor just outside.

"This is..." Staring at the same sentence written in Shenzhou characters, English, and several other languages, Bianka hesitantly read it aloud.

"The Former Residence of Shu — Captain of the Fire Moth Task Force, 'The Captain'..."

"..." Bianka read it again. Then she looked up at the empty room, which didn't even have a set of bedding. She looked left, right, up, and down, but she couldn't for the life of her see how this room had any connection to the term "former residence."

"Lady Theresa, this..." Rita also called out to Theresa with a smile, hoping for an explanation.

Theresa, who had been called to a halt, paused and glanced back. "Oh, this is where Shu used to live..."

She trailed off, having also seen those two glaring words.

"Former Residence."

For a moment, the image of Shu in Theresa's mind transformed from a young warrior with incredible powers into that of some great literary figure or statesman from a past century.

Shaking her head vigorously, Theresa grimaced at the plaque, then at the two faces filled with curiosity. For a moment, she didn't know how to explain Shu's influence within Fire Moth.

"Lady Theresa." Bianka pointed at the plaque. "Who is this... senior, Shu?"

Theresa: "..."

Great, now she had even more to explain. She'd have to start from the very beginning of who Shu was.

"Lord Shu is a warrior of Fire Moth, and he is the most powerful warrior I have ever seen," Rita spoke up at that moment. It was clear she had also watched the live broadcast of that battle. At the very least, she knew who Shu was.

"What? The most powerful warrior in Fire Moth?!" Bianka looked at Rita in shock. The next second, a golden light burst from her eyes.

"Then how strong is this Lord Shu to be called the strongest warrior?!"

That was something Rita found difficult to describe. Slaying a dragon with a single slash? Shattering a building with one punch? None of that was the full extent of his power... It was nothing compared to that being named a Herrscher, the one that could cause grotesque mutations in living things.

Theresa thought for a moment. "Bianka, you've seen the [Sword Valley] in ARC City, right?"

Bianka nodded seriously. Of course, she had seen that straight-edged canyon with smooth walls that cut across ARC City. Could it be... that Lord Shu came from there?

"Shu carved that out with a single sword stroke," Theresa said.

Bianka froze instantly. It wasn't just Bianka; even Rita found it hard to believe.

Something's not right... the genre feels off...

We're all still at the level of rooftop-leaping and rock-smashing, so why did someone who can move mountains and split the sky suddenly appear?

But thinking back to the abilities Shu had displayed during that live broadcast... it didn't seem entirely impossible to accept... Part of the reason Rita had chosen to set out and walk for three months across nearly half of Shenzhou to reach ARC City was because of Shu's powerful display.

Rita, at least, had been somewhat mentally prepared and quickly accepted this fact.

But Bianka's worldview was well and truly shattered.

She had seen how massive that canyon was. Such a magnificent, grand landscape was man-made?! And with a single sword?

At that moment, Bianka more or less understood why a simple dorm room like this could be honored with the title "former residence"...

Thinking of this, Bianka couldn't help but stare a little longer at the empty room. Even though she knew it was just an ordinary dorm room and had nothing to do with the legendary powers of Lord Shu, she couldn't resist looking...

"Alright, you'll definitely get to know him in the future," Theresa said after letting them look for a while. "You can just see him in person then."

Bianka nodded and pulled her gaze away, her fists clenching involuntarily.

Meeting a warrior that powerful... Bianka couldn't imagine the disappointment on his face when he saw someone as weak as her.

I have to work harder... I must work harder!

At the very least, I need to be able to see his footsteps!

But as she recalled the scale of that massive canyon, the confidence Bianka had just built up began to crumble again.

Did she... Did she really have the right to stand by that person's side and fight alongside him?

Just as a look of self-doubt appeared on Bianka's face, Rita, who was beside her, spoke up.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lady Theresa. Since Lord Shu is so beloved by so many, he must have other extraordinary qualities. I wonder if it would be possible for him to guide Lady Bianka and me when the time comes?"

"Er... about that..." Theresa was at a loss for words. She understood why Shu was so strong, and she also knew what his combat skills were like before.

That method was clearly impossible to replicate. How was Shu supposed to teach others to become stronger?

I hope by the time Shu gets back, he'll have enough experience, or maybe he really can teach others to become stronger...

"Since we're done looking here, let's get ready to go to the next place." Theresa felt like a tour guide, taking them from the restaurant to the "former residence," and now to the next location...

You know what, why not just take Bianka and Rita to meet everyone?

Himeko and her Titan mecha unit were currently stationed on the front lines in Sapphire City, but Kallen-neechan had just returned to base after swapping places with Natasha's squad...

Yes! It's decided! After finishing the tour of these attract... er, after getting familiar with the base's facilities, I'll take them to meet Kallen-neechan, and Fu Hua!

Heck, why not wake Grandpa up too!

In his sleep, Otto's eyes snapped open again.