"Hello everyone, my name is Natasha Cioara. Starting today, I will be staying at Major Murata's home. I look forward to being in your care."
Looking at Raven before him, now dressed in a teacher's uniform, Leo Ash could only feel...
—This plot is so fucking surreal!
Yesterday, Raven had stunned Himeko with the bombshell of the 'Stigmata Project'. Not daring to delay for a moment, Himeko immediately reported the matter to Theresa.
Theresa, who was also shocked by the report, forwarded the intelligence Himeko had obtained to Otto without alteration.
About ten minutes later, a direct order came from Otto to the Far East Branch.
Keep this woman, Natasha Cioara, stable, and make sure she reveals all related intelligence.
As for killing Raven, Otto himself neither said nor implied it.
And according to Leo Ash's speculation, he felt that no matter how petty Otto was, he had no time to deal with such trivial matters now.
It was common knowledge that in Otto's eyes, the importance of his plan far outweighed everyone and everything else combined.
Now that the Stigmata Project was a real possibility, World Serpent had become the greatest threat Otto had to eradicate.
If World Serpent attempted the Stigmata Project and failed, that would be fine. But if they succeeded and humanity defeated the Honkai, Otto's plan would go up in smoke on the spot.
He would absolutely not allow that to happen.
And although this intelligence was incomplete, with Otto's own methods and intelligence network, a few clues were more than enough for him to take action.
As for the Far East Branch, Raven, having successfully intimidated Schicksal with her trump card, immediately and decisively stated her demands.
"I know you won't trust me right away, and perhaps you never will before I die. I can understand all of that."
"But please believe in my sincerity. After revealing this plan, I have no way back—believe me, right now I want to flip World Serpent's table even more than you do."
"My demand is simple. I must live a normal life as a human being—as long as you agree to this condition, I am willing to tell you all the remaining intelligence without reservation."
Actually, at that moment, Leo Ash believed that Himeko beside him must have also seen it.
Raven was truly desperate. Under these circumstances, even if the Far East Branch wanted to drive a harder bargain, Raven would have no choice but to grit her teeth and agree.
So, at that time, after a moment's thought, Himeko gave her response.
"I can agree to your condition. I can even apply to the higher-ups to let you join Schicksal and become our comrade."
"However, just as you said, we cannot trust you immediately. So, before you join Schicksal, we must perform a small surgery on your body."
Ditching her previous business-like smile, Himeko explained in detail to Raven with a calm expression.
"We will implant a bomb in your body. The authority to detonate this bomb will be in the hands of several key members of the Far East Branch."
"If you agree to this request, we will strive to apply for better treatment for you after your surgery is complete."
"No problem!"
After hearing Himeko's conditions, Raven agreed without a moment's hesitation.
"If you had just said 'we trust you', I would have thought you were planning to use me and then get rid of me."
"This way... heh, being under someone's control is better than being dead. This condition is already quite good for me."
After she said this, Himeko took Raven to another part of the branch for the surgery.
And on the second day, after one night, Raven appeared in the dorm, wearing the same St. Freya High School teacher's uniform as Himeko.
To be honest, although Raven now wore a warm smile, the moment she appeared...
—All the members in the dorm, except for Himeko, showed a unanimous look of vigilance on their faces.
And Kiana, who was more straightforward, pointed directly at Raven and said to Himeko.
"Teacher Himeko! This person is the culprit behind the Jiuyou incident, right!"
"She definitely has ill intentions! Letting her live with us, you..."
Kiana, who wanted to say *are you stupid*, instantly changed her words under Himeko's subtle gaze.
"You're being way too nice!"
Before Himeko could speak up to help Raven out, Raven took a step forward and began to quietly look at Kiana.
"What do you want? You think I'll be scared just because you're staring at me!"
Recalling the events she had been through, Kiana took a defiant step forward as well.
However, she didn't expect that Raven wouldn't offer the excuses she anticipated. Instead, Raven bowed deeply to everyone with a look of apology.
"I am truly sorry. I was wrong about what happened before."
"I will not ask for your forgiveness. I will only use my future actions to prove that I have turned over a new leaf and seen the light."
"If you still feel there's something wrong with me then, then... I believe Major Murata will make a fair judgment about me."
Seeing Raven accept Kiana's scolding with such a humble attitude, the others, including Kiana, found it hard to reprimand her further.
At the end of the day, everyone in the dorm was essentially a soldier.
Although they could joke around with their commander Himeko usually, now that the commander had made a decision...
—Only a blockhead like Kiana would jump out and speak up.
Now that the higher-ups had already permitted this prisoner to join the Far East Branch, nothing they said would matter.
Plus, the other party's attitude was so humble, which indeed made it easier for others to temporarily lower their hostility towards her.
Seeing Raven still maintaining her bowing posture, Himeko, having collected her thoughts, spoke to everyone helplessly.
"Mm, it's actually just as Cioara said. She did do wrong in the past and almost caused an irreversible disaster."
"However, now, considering that she has indeed provided us at Schicksal with invaluable intelligence, plus her good attitude and outstanding personal abilities, the higher-ups have permitted her to join us for the time being."
"Of course, it's normal for everyone to have doubts about this order. I don't even fully trust her myself, let alone you all who don't know the full picture."
"Therefore, I will give some authority to Leo Ash and Fu Hua—you two can make a judgment at any time. As long as Cioara does anything that you find problematic, you can activate the authority immediately."
Hearing these words, Raven instantly felt two icy gazes sweep over her body.
But, what could she do?
She certainly didn't want to be so subservient, but the problem was—when you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head.
From a third-party perspective, the things she did were indeed excessive.
At the very least, she unleashed a Judgment-class Honkai Beast. At the worst, she almost laid waste to the entire Jiaozhou region of Shenzhou.
For a war criminal like her to receive such good treatment now could only make Cioara feel...
—Wow, the benefits here are so good, I want to go back to World Serpent even less now.
As for being scolded by a young girl, although it was annoying, was it really a big deal?
The mercenary business requires not only outstanding personal ability but also for the mercenary to be shameless and heartless.
It wasn't that Raven didn't care about her reputation as a mercenary, it was just that...
—She wasn't above creating a few aliases, using Alias No. 1 to accept an assassination mission from Client A, using Alias No. 2 to accept an assassination mission from Client A's sworn enemy, Client B, and then killing both to collect a double bounty.
In any case, only the reputations of Alias No. 1 and Alias No. 2 would be known to the outside world. How many people would know that she was playing both sides?
As someone who was shamelessly dedicated to survival, Raven could only think—sigh, these young girls are truly kind-hearted.
If it weren't for that one called Leo Ash still staring daggers at me, I feel like I could relax a little.
As for the current Leo Ash, although the way he looked at Raven was off, it was different from what the others expected.
Leo Ash's suspicion towards Raven herself wasn't actually that strong.
As a transmigrator who knew Raven's character, Leo Ash was well aware that there was nothing Raven wouldn't do to survive.
As for her loyalty to World Serpent...
Did such a thing even exist?
She was willing to apply for leave from Gray Serpent just to open a shop and make money, which showed that for Raven, World Serpent was just an ordinary workplace with no sense of belonging.
Having such a person as a teammate didn't provide much security, but as long as the bomb near her heart was still there, Leo Ash, who had the authority, could eliminate this woman in an instant.
But then again, Leo Ash felt that he really should learn from this senior, Raven.
He thought he was already quite shameless and heartless, but after seeing Raven's actions now, he truly felt that he was still too naive.
Compared to Raven, his own obsession with 'survival' was far from strong enough.
[No, no, the System thinks your obsession in this area is already strong enough.]
[Anyone else with your strength would already be partying every day, yet you're still grinding away in your dreams—is that proper!]
Damn you, if this were a slightly safer world, I would have started partying long ago.
But this Honkai world is ten times more dangerous than the original.
Two Herrschers who appeared separately in the original story appeared at the same time.
Raven, who never appeared at Jiuyou in the original story, unleashed Chiyou.
Joyce's clone, who dared to attack the Far East Branch alone in the original, came as a group of three this time.
Everyone's intelligence and ability to act seem to have been greatly enhanced. Even Cocolia knew to strike when the enemy was vulnerable to achieve a brilliant result—and you want me to go party?
Grind, I must grind.
Not only must I grind, but everyone else must grind with me.
It's good that Raven is here. A Divine Key user, as long as she's obedient, is a powerful asset.
And now, the fact that Otto could so decisively let Raven join Schicksal means he's really getting anxious.
As long as he diverts some of his attention to World Serpent, the pressure on my side will probably lessen considerably.
When he and World Serpent start fighting like dogs, as long as I seize the time to grind, many problems will no longer be problems!
[Oh, a good plan, but the problem is...]
[You already know this world is vastly different from the original. What makes you think this world will let you have your way so easily?]
...Don't be like that.
Can't I just have a moment of peace?
[Also, did you forget something?]
Huh?
[The detonation authority for her heart bomb is in your hands. To her, your orders are absolute.]
[Such great conditions! Such a great body! Such a great face! So what are you waiting for!]
[For a beautiful girl who almost got you killed, you should use this to threaten her directly, and then hehehe—]
Ah, the standard development.
You're really afraid these people around me haven't been stimulated enough, aren't you.
[Wow, what are you talking about? The little woods, the rooftop, aren't these places easy to find?]
First, it's the little woods, then the rooftop and the infirmary, and after that, the entryway, the whole Trajectory of Honest.
[For the record, the last one isn't the territory of the Sawagoe Clan. And it doesn't stop there—eventually, it's 'you are all my wings' and 'you've come at a good time'!]
I've had it with you. I have a pile of worries right now, I'm not in the mood for that.
"Second Lieutenant Leo Ash, I know you still dislike me very much."
"But, I'll say it again, I will prove myself with my actions, so..."
Seeing the expression on Leo Ash's face gradually turn ugly, Raven, who had stood up, took the initiative to walk forward and extended her right hand to Leo Ash.
"From now on, please take care of me."
Heh, take care of you.
In the next instant, Leo Ash slapped Raven's hand away and decisively walked out of the living room, returning to his own room.
How could an avenger who despises the Honkai immediately show trust to a villain who had previously unleashed Honkai Beasts?
Anyway, even if she's petty, it's not like she can...
No, even if she is petty, she doesn't have the power to retaliate against me.
So why should I care? Instead of staying here and continuing the act, I'd rather go back and catch up on sleep.
With this thought, Leo Ash decisively flopped onto his bed, and, in a rare moment, closed his eyes to rest during the day.
As for the others at the scene, although they had temporarily accepted Himeko and Raven's explanation, they naturally couldn't welcome Raven with open arms so quickly.
After everyone had unceremoniously returned to their rooms, Raven, having been snubbed, helplessly shrugged at Himeko.
"See, I told you they wouldn't be happy if I came here."
"But you also know you had to come, don't you?"
Walking over to the sofa, Himeko leaned against it wearily and spoke to Raven with her eyes closed.
"You know we can't trust you so quickly, so you must naturally operate under our noses."
"Under this prerequisite, the most suitable place for you to live is here."
"We have met your demand. Now, you should also keep your promise and tell us all the other key intelligence."
"Alright."
Sitting down on the sofa with a carefree air, Raven's expression, however, did not relax. Instead, it became very solemn.
"Although I am also a cadre, the authority of those two is clearly greater than that of an action-oriented cadre like me."
"I don't know what they're thinking, but World Serpent, in cooperation with Cocolia, has clearly set its sights on a place within Anti-Entropy called 'Abyssal City'."
"Gray Serpent didn't say much, but I can feel that he has an abnormal obsession with the Eye of the Deep, so..."
"—We had better deal with Cocolia before they make their move."
"Cocolia is the leader of the radical faction within Anti-Entropy. She might really know the specific coordinates of Abyssal City."
"As long as she's dead, Gray Serpent's plan will surely be delayed for some time."
...