I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

As for Xiwang and Alicia, they were discussing something else, or rather, that was the real reason Alicia came to find Xiwang.

"【The Heroic Project】? Does it include me?"

"Of course~ After all, Nozomi is an important comrade to us too~"

Alicia swung her legs in mid-air, leaned back, spun around in mid-air, and then swam back to Xiwang's side, laughing as she spoke.

"...The Moth that Chases Fire probably won't accept this, right?"

"Hmm, that's true. After all, they think many people aren't worthy of the title 'Heroic Warrior,' even saying that only five people at most can truly deserve it... How can that be? Everyone is working hard for humanity, so naturally they can all bear the name 'Heroic Warrior'!"

When this matter was brought up, Alicia seemed a little unhappy, and her whole body looked sullen.

"I don't think I'm worthy of the title 'Heroic Warrior' either..."

"Don't say that! Nozomi is amazing too!"

"...However, since it's your plan, Alicia, I'll just go with it."

"I knew you liked me the most~ Ah, will Sakura get jealous if I say that? Don't tell her, okay? Hmm... but it doesn't seem to matter if she finds out~ right~"

"Alicia..."

Xi Wang felt somewhat helpless; Alicia was always so lively, and the topics of conversation were always so unpredictable.

"Alright, alright~ I won't tease you anymore. So... Wang, is there a number you like? I'm the one who ranked [Ying Jie] this time~ I might give you a little preferential treatment~"

"Ranking... it doesn't matter, but given the current situation... let's put [fourteen] at the very end."

"Huh? I thought you'd ask to sit next to Sakura, or maybe next to me... I even specially reserved the third spot for you..."

"...Why is it the third one?"

Xi Wang was a little confused for a moment.

"Because Wang is really amazing~ Kevin and I are ahead of you in line~"

"Is it ranked according to strength? Or are there some special requirements?"

"No, it's just that the first place has to be Kevin, and as for the second place... I don't plan to give it up either~"

"Then let's go with 'fourteen,' the last one will do."

Xi Wang understood. Kevin was definitely the first choice, otherwise the higher-ups of the Fire Moth would definitely cause trouble again. And there was no controversy about Alicia being the second choice. As for the subsequent positions... since there were no specific order requirements, she would just put herself last.

"Hehe~ Now it's my turn to ask a question, Alice~ Why did Nozomi choose [fourteen]?"

"I don't have any outstanding achievements... My attempt to save my comrades failed, and the [Herrscher] I destroyed was only a remnant of the [Tenth Herrscher]. Now, I'm even judged to be a [Herrscher] at any time... It's probably not right to rank someone like me at the top, is it? Last place is fine, and the ranking doesn't really have any significance, does it?"

Besides, I've killed far more humans than I've dealt with Honkai Beasts... How can someone like me be called a "Hero"? Being ranked last is already a great honor for me—Xi Wang didn't say these words out loud.

"...Seriously, now that you've said that, I don't even know how to refute it."

Alicia was silent for a moment, then laughed again.

"However, since Wang says so, then I'll make that decision~ Don't go back on your word later, okay?"

"Will not."

Xi Wang said softly.

"Besides... you've been staying a bit too long, you should go back now... otherwise the Fire Moths will cause you trouble again."

"That's so mean! Do you hate me that much? I'm so sad!"

"Alicia..."

"Alright, alright~ But we really should go now, after all, we have a surprise to prepare, you know? Look forward to it~"

"...Yes, I'm looking forward to it."

…………

………………

Phyllis, what do you think of Wang?

On the way back, Alicia asked softly.

"Ah? Brother Wang? Hmm..."

Padofelis pondered for a moment.

"To be honest, it was kind of scary when we first met, like I was going to be eaten... But after spending some time with him, I realized that Brother Wang is a really nice guy. It's just that sometimes when he talks... um... it's a little strange, but compared to Sister Nia, he's much better, so it's nothing."

"Also... when I'm around Brother Wang for too long, my tail gets wet easily, and it feels a bit uncomfortable. I should try to avoid contact with him as much as possible. Um... will saying this make Brother Wang angry?"

Padofelis shook her tail to remove the remaining water droplets, then shrank back and asked somewhat fearfully.

"Haha~ Of course not, Hope won't care about such things~ But... Phyllis, it's perfect that you think that way~ When the Firemoth asks you later, be sure to report the truth, okay? Don't be fooled by their rhetoric~"

"……what?"

Padoflis didn't understand what Alicia was saying for a moment.

"This was actually arranged by Moth Chaser, it was Wang's investigation~ Only if all of us believe Wang's condition is stable can he be given a leave of absence. We went to great lengths to get this opportunity from Moth Chaser~"

Alicia said with a light step and a smile.

"We have a surprise in mind! We can't do without everyone – we're all teammates!"

Chapter Fifty: Bell's Awakening

After Alicia and Padofelis left, the remaining surviving Fusion Warriors came to see you. Of course, they all came on orders from the Firemoth to assess whether you were fit to leave the area...

Furthermore, the Fire-Chasing Moths require them to guarantee that if you exhibit any unusual behavior outside, they must collectively launch an attack against you... This is a necessary safeguard for the Fire-Chasing Moths.

[And the final result was as expected. With everyone's assurances and Alicia's efforts, you were granted a chance to go out. As for what this matter was that caused Alicia, and even all the surviving fusion warriors, to go through so much trouble...]

[Well... in Alicia's words, it's naturally a gathering to celebrate the official establishment of the "Fourteen Heroes of Fire Chaser"~ Such an important event naturally needs to be celebrated, after all... everyone will have to go their separate ways afterward.]

This was also the first team-building activity for the "Fire Chasing Heroes".

You will be filming a movie called "Summer Survival Rhapsody," and the fourteen of you will be the main characters.

[This script, titled "Summer Survival Rhapsody," was supposedly written by Alicia herself, later incorporating some of Velvi's whimsical ideas, and finally polished by Eden before reaching your hands.]

According to the script's setting, it's a peaceful world that hasn't collapsed. All fourteen of you live in a place called "Golden Courtyard," and you're all friends. In the script, you're all just ordinary people, but your professions reflect your individual characteristics.

For example, Mebius is set up as a biological research scientist, and Eden is still a world-renowned superstar in the setting, and incidentally the owner of the "Golden Garden," which is not surprising, since the real "Golden Garden" was built with Eden's funding.

Kevin is set up as a programmer... huh? And May is set up as his childhood friend, which is not surprising. However, May didn't come because she had something to investigate, and she won't appear in the main story. So May will only make a cameo appearance in Kevin's communications, just to show her face.

[Aponia is a nurse who often works night shifts... Velvi is an architect and part-time magician, with Padofelis as her assistant... Sue is a doctor... Qianjie? A butler? A model? Seriously?]

Gretchen, a middle school student, is a fairly famous manga artist, while Kosmo is a somewhat chuunibyou (delusional) high school student.

[And Hua? That's unexpected. And judging from her background, she's the most "normal" and fitting one here—a college student who's practiced martial arts since childhood, practically identical to the current Hua.]

【Alicia is a streamer... How come you're not surprised at all?】

Sakura is a white-collar worker, and Rin will also appear in her communications, making a brief cameo appearance.

[As for you... you're a marine observer, and also have the duties of a lifeguard, and you're even set up to be Sakura's... lover?]

Oh well, as long as they're happy.

The film was still shot on "P21 Island," because if it were filmed elsewhere, the Fire Moth definitely wouldn't want to let you out.

The entire filming process went smoothly. Although there was some bickering along the way, everyone performed very well. After all, all the characters were designed based on the actors themselves, so everyone just needed to act naturally and say a few necessary lines. The rest was up to them to improvise.

After filming wrapped, everyone partied on the beach, indulging in this rare moment of freedom... Then, Velvet quickly finished editing the film, and late at night, you all sat on the beach, watching the projected images and enjoying the movie you starred in.

Surprisingly, everyone was very quiet, even Qianjie didn't make much of a fuss, and the group spent this rare day peacefully.

[It was early morning, and the time for parting had come. Qianjie, unable to contain himself any longer, challenged you once again, but you ignored him.]

"Stop pretending! Take off that boring, hypocritical mask and show yourself! Be as decisive and efficient as you were before! Or are you still believing in those stupid trash? Stop joking! Stop pretending! Come on, let's fight! Drop those pointless thoughts and hypocritical ideas! Come and fight me!" — Qian Jie said.

But you ignored him.

[Until the very end, Qianjie couldn't hold back any longer and attacked you, but Kevin stopped him, resulting in a fight between Kevin and Qianjie.]

Fortunately, Qianjie didn't unleash his full power, since his target was you, and Kevin stopped attacking after suppressing Qianjie, thus sparing the island from destruction.

Afterwards, everyone left, and you returned to the "Deepest Place"... Naturally, you haven't yet escaped your status as a "prisoner."

[Mei seems to have returned to the Moth of Flame, bringing back the news that there should be 14 Herrschers. In other words, current human civilization still needs to face 3 Herrschers, and the last Herrscher will end everything and completely destroy civilization.]

This is not good news. There is widespread panic within the Firemoth, and May and Möbius have begun to plan for the "next generation"—they believe that this civilization is doomed to destruction and that they must start making more preparations to leave hope for future generations.

Thus, Möbius's "Stigmata Project" was put on the agenda, while Möbius also continuously adjusted his original overly radical design.

However, we can't give up right now, after all... what if? Right?

Thus, the "Chimera Project" came into being, striving to maximize the combat power of fusion warriors and further pushing them towards a "non-human" direction.

[A necessary escape route must also be prepared, so the "Ark Project," based on leaving Earth and escaping the Honkai, was put on the agenda. The Moths began to sort through the remnants of human civilization, such as plants, crops, embryos of surviving animals, as well as knowledge, books, and works of art, striving to preserve traces of civilization.]

Meanwhile, with everyone's help, Alicia's "Hero Project" continued to progress. Finally, before the heroes parted ways, "Paradise of the Past" was completed, where everyone left their "memories" and "power" in the hope that these would help future generations.

[Coincidentally, the previously researched theory of "converting Honkai energy into ordinary energy" has made a breakthrough, and the warship named "Moonlight Throne" has begun to be built intensively in order to alleviate the Honkai energy that is currently spreading all over the earth, and also serve as a weapon to fight against the "Herrscher".]

The entire surviving human race was mobilized, everyone on edge, striving for humanity's survival... But in this high-pressure environment, too many people couldn't withstand it, many committed suicide... These were considered relatively mild cases; many more suffered direct mental breakdowns leading to violent incidents, which in turn triggered even greater unrest.

The various chaotic matters and numerous plans to deal with the Honkai left Mei feeling exhausted. Coupled with the ongoing Honkai erosion, her body grew increasingly weak... Just as the "Tenth Herrscher" had said, her life was already on a countdown. She had to find a way for civilization to survive in the remaining time... At the very least, she had to leave hope for future generations.

To alleviate May's stress, Aponia issued a "commandment" to the lower-level personnel: "Never give up hope of fighting the Honkai." This stabilized everyone's spirits, and with the help of Moth of the Flame's arrangements, society temporarily returned to stability.

Humanity is left with only three cities and a few bases of the Firemoths. Humanity cannot withstand any more turmoil. This "commandment" is inevitable and necessary.

Then, the "Twelfth Herrscher" appeared, or rather... was discovered.

--------

"It's been a while... Sakura."

"……Um."

Faced with Xi Wang's greeting, Ying smiled somewhat blankly and nodded, then sat down gently beside him, her gaze fixed on the front, lost in a daze.

Finally, she slowly leaned to one side, resting against Xi Wang. Her ears twitched slightly as she habitually patted the back of Xi Wang's head gently, and then she nuzzled him affectionately.

The scent lingering around my nose is a slightly damp, sweet aroma, along with a faint fragrance of lilies...

"Excuse me... let me lean on you for a moment, it'll be over soon..."