Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

But now they've arrived at a Holiday Inn that mainly caters to weddings. The table is set with extremely casually served pork knuckles and roasted lamb legs, and the champagne in the ice bucket is a cheap product with a factory price of no more than three figures. They are all dressed in suits as if they are seriously attending a couple's wedding, and each of their casual accessories is more expensive than the entire table of food.

In the banquet hall, where there were no staff to entertain guests, almost every detail revealed the meticulous budgeting of the person in charge of renting the venue.

What made Su Qing'an realize that the auction was finally about to begin was the curtain that was suddenly pulled back.

The stage was supposed to be where the newlyweds and the emcee were supposed to be. The emcee would then say words of blessing according to various rules, and of course, he would also be responsible for creating a lively atmosphere before that.

The stage was almost empty except for one man who was yawning and leaning casually and rudely against a chair. He had his legs crossed, his elbows on the armrests supporting his head, and his light blue eyes were slightly narrowed, giving him a very lazy look.

The man was toying with a transparent glass reagent in his hand, its bright and dazzling purple light drawing everyone's attention.

The rustling sounds gradually subsided, and everyone's attention had clearly been successfully drawn to the man.

Perhaps that's the medicine advertised.

Su Qing'an pondered to herself that, judging solely from its appearance, this reagent seemed to be of good quality.

The man opened his eyes wide, looking as if he had just woken up. His expression was somewhat irritable and dissatisfied. He casually tossed the reagent into the air, spun it a few times, caught it, and played with it, muttering to himself:

"Tsk, is it time yet?"

"Then let's begin."

The man pressed the remote control in his coat pocket, and the projection appeared in the void as the machine started.

He stood up and clapped his hands in front of the microphone set up on the stage. The crisp sound was particularly loud in the banquet hall where only breathing could be heard.

"As you can see, I have what you want."

He shook the reagent in his hand, and the liquid inside emitted an extraordinary luster. The man continued:

"But you'd better not get any funny ideas. I'll be blunt: there's a little device on the invitation that can pinpoint your location. Unless you destroy the invitation, you won't be able to find it. And most technologies can't detect it."

"So I know that 121 friends have come to Singapore today."

"But as you can see now, only forty-six people have actually arrived at the actual location."

"I hope you understand what this means."

An eerie silence fell over the crowd, but the man ignored it and clapped his hands with a smile.

A video that almost everyone present had seen before was then played on the projector.

A heartwarming story about a patient who was theoretically diagnosed with ALS and whose muscles had gradually atrophied to the point of being unable to walk, but who slowly recovered his health after taking this medication.

But both Su Qing'an and Fu Hua could see that something was wrong.

There is no such convenient drug in the world. If Su Qing'an, who has extremely poor adaptability to Honkai energy, could only sense that something was wrong, then Fu Hua, who was sitting in a wheelchair, could clearly perceive the weak Honkai energy locked in the potion bottle.

Although we don't know what technology the other party used, we can imagine that the patient is probably already in the cemetery, and at worst, he may have become black ash floating in the air, leaving no trace.

Su Qing'an believes that very few people who can still come here now are truly here for the pure purpose of seeking medical treatment.

Even if people don't know the specific knowledge system of Honkai, those who can be lured in by just a video are still a minority. Compared to the so-called drugs, the weapons of Schicksal should be the main attraction of this auction, which is why the two have remained inactive until now.

Because they couldn't confirm who was really in charge, there were clearly other, deeper controllers behind the scenes, but that wasn't the point of this mission; they only needed to retrieve the weapons.

Therefore... it is very important whether the man on the stage is in charge.

The man opened his arms and said with a smile:

"OK, now it's time for a free special offer. I'm sure everyone is eager to see it after watching the video, right? But I understand the concern that you might buy a fake product if you spend money. So now is the time to show you for free."

"Now I will randomly invite a lucky audience member who is unwell to come up on stage, relieve their pain and help them usher in a new and wonderful life."

"Of course, if many people sign up, I'll choose the most enthusiastic one. How about it? Interested?"

A dozen seconds or so after he finished speaking, no one responded. The dozens of pairs of eyes staring at him like he was a fool, and the silence, made the man extremely unhappy. He listlessly glanced around at everyone present and muttered to himself into the microphone:

"That's true. Not everyone here is a fool. It's not so easy to just swindle money out of people like this. Lord Cocolia has really given me a task that I'm not good at."

This clear soliloquy was transmitted well to the ears of everyone present through the microphone.

The man's expression turned cold, his gaze became indifferent and dangerous, like a wild beast waiting to devour its prey, exuding a terrifying and oppressive atmosphere.

"Then let's achieve our goal in my favorite way."

"Hey, you guys asked for this, it's not my fault at all. I did give you a chance."

"Tsk, let's just go through the motions with the auctions from now on."

He walked down from the stage step by step, an invisible and colorless force field covering the front row of the banquet hall. The tables and chairs were crushed into powder by the inexplicable force, and the dust was firmly stuck to the ground as if bowing down to something.

As the ground slowly cracked, the already nearly silent banquet hall became even more deathly still.

121. Blooming here like fireworks.

"My name is Walter Joyce, tsk, even if I told you, people of your caliber wouldn't know, would they?"

"After all, you're just ignorant insects and pigs, blinded by the dreams others have created for you. You must be having a great time every day, right? Hahahaha."

The man who called himself Walter laughed loudly, the upward curve of his lips revealing a manic quality. Blood vessels gradually spread in his light blue eyes as he stared at everyone in front of him, as if he were both angry and mocking.

The ground was cracking deeper and deeper, clearly indicating that as Walter's emotions fluctuated, his power was also going berserk to some extent.

This is a guy with great fighting ability and a very unstable personality. Any complicated or difficult matter that requires thinking will make him subconsciously irritable, causing Walter to refuse to think.

This is a flaw he was destined to have since birth; otherwise, the cruel truth and false memories wouldn't have been able to hide from him for long.

Unfortunately, no if.

Walter, who is unable to think calmly in normal times, is a convenient tool in Cocolia's hands.

False memories, poor self-control, and below-average intelligence are all cages that woman created for him, like a tamer who chains a wild beast, maintaining just the right balance and distance.

But for now, this beast is a crisis that everyone is facing.

Among the crowd present, there seemed to be no experienced hunters who could use a hunting rifle to fight against wild beasts.

As a result, everyone present was shocked and terrified by the supernatural power before their eyes.

The fact that no one screamed demonstrates that everyone present had excellent mental fortitude.

Walter appreciated the fear hidden in these people's eyes. His ugly expression and emotions softened, and he said:

"It seems you've more or less grasped the gap between us, so I hope you can be sensible. I've completed my mission and naturally won't bother killing anyone."

He flashed a bright, natural smile and raised his arms, shouting:

"OK, the auction is now officially open!"

Walter smiled, brought the microphone closer, and continued softly:

"My friends."

The young lady looked timid, burying her head in the butler's arms, her soft arms wrapped around the boy's waist, her slender white fingers tightly intertwined, revealing her unease.

Even after witnessing something beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, the young butler remained unmoved. He gently pulled the young lady's hand away, knelt down, and comforted her, saying:

"Okay, okay, I'll protect you, please don't worry."

The young lady nodded timidly and whispered something in his ear.

"Su Qing'an, did you notice? There's something wrong with that reagent. I can tell you for sure that it contains trace amounts of Honkai energy. Drinking any of it won't make you healthy; it will only make you die."

"Yes, you don't need to answer, just keep listening to me."

“That man who claims to be Walter Joyce is definitely an imposter. That’s the name of the leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance, and I’ve met that person before, so he’s probably just a pawn.”

"But judging from his performance just now, he does indeed possess some of that person's abilities, so even if he's a fake, he's not easy to deal with."

"The Cocolia he mentioned must be the mastermind behind it all. And counterfeits of this caliber aren't something that can be made casually. So it's very likely that this auction was entirely entrusted to him."

"Simply put, if we find an opportunity to defeat him, this mission should be complete. As for finding the equipment, we'll probably have to trouble Wraith and the others. After all, judging from their current attitude, it's unlikely that the lost weapon of Destiny is here."

The girl's warm breath made Su Qing'an's earlobes turn slightly red. He nodded gently but did not say anything more.

Walter said with distress:

"It seems you're still not very enthusiastic, but given my attitude, there's nothing I can do about your doubts. So, let's just randomly pick a name then?"

"Tsk, are there almost no patients who come in person?"

"Then you're all right, little girl named Anastasia."

The man looked at the girl curled up in the boy's arms in the wheelchair and revealed a cruel smile.

Taking lives wasn't particularly interesting to him, but the intense sense of superiority he felt over others gave him an inexplicable sense of pride and arrogance that brought him immense pleasure.

The delicate and beautiful girl, who showed obvious fear, completely ignited the dark flames in Walter's distorted worldview.

Such beings are well-suited to become sacrifices.

In his view, the girl's life, which was short-lived like a fleeting flower after she regained her health, the way her body gradually turned to ashes, and the bewilderment and despair that finally appeared on her face would be the best drama.

Su Qing'an looked indifferently at the man in front of her and said softly:

"Say it again?"

It was a sound that seemed to have been chilled, containing the faint chill of an ancient well and a murderous aura as sharp as winter snow.

At this moment, Su Qing'an was not simply playing the role of a loyal butler who cared for the young lady; the killing intent came from his true nature.

The man's deep-seated malice towards Fu Hua made him genuinely unhappy.

I want to tear his face apart, pierce his heart with my sword, tear his body apart with Honkai energy, and reduce his limbs and bones to dust.

If it weren't for keeping his promise to Fu Hua, given Su Qing'an's personality of speaking less and doing more, he would have directly used the artificial Stigmata to activate [Thousand Stars] and unleash [Time Slash] instead.

At this distance, even if the opponent's abilities are unpredictable, they would have no chance of reacting to the combined speed of multiple factors without any warning. At that point, the folding knife pressed against the inside of Su Qing'an's arm would be enough to sever his throat, and the last thing Walter would see would be a flash of bright light.

The boy was already starting to regret agreeing to Fu Hua's request not to use artificial stigmata. Without going all out, his skill level was insufficient to kill this person.

The other party is dangerous, which is why he has been patient until now.

This was the first time, apart from that woman, that Su Qing'an had a clear desire to kill someone.

The reason for this might be that the person in front of them is clearly connected to that woman.

Cocolia, and... the man before him, are both beings who can evoke pure killing intent in the boy.

Walter was stunned for a moment, as if he were surprised that someone could still have the desire to resist after witnessing such a scene. Then his face darkened, and he asked:

"What do you mean?"

Su Qing'an was getting impatient. Originally, it would have been best to wait for others to test the waters and observe how things might develop, but the other party's unprovoked provocation made those possibilities almost zero.