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

Theresa watched the storm raging on the forum with a complicated expression, feeling a mix of emotions.

Yesterday, she simply posted the news that the two of them were going back to China together on the forum, but after being stirred up by a few people with ulterior motives, female students who like to ship couples started making increasingly strange comments, which eventually turned into the two of them fast-forwarding to an engagement.

"I thought you, Himeko, didn't care about this, but it turns out you were the one who started it all."

Using her access privileges, Theresa found the initial comments that had stirred up trouble. She couldn't help but smile. Although it wasn't the result she had initially wanted, it wasn't bad at all.

The reason I was so looking forward to the two of them returning to Shenzhou yesterday, besides the gossip and the strange mentality of elders, was mainly because I wanted Su Qing'an and Fu Hua to get a good rest. I doubt those two would actually rest properly while they were at the academy.

Every day is just meditation, nothing but meditation. Running a coffee shop as entertainment? This is clearly overtime! Theresa felt deeply distressed. She knew the torment of overtime all too well, but even if she said this to Su Qing'an, he would just dismiss it with a curt rebuke. So…

Then let's all go on vacation!

This way I can at least have some fun, cough cough.

Suppressing some unscrupulous thoughts, Theresa murmured to herself with a hint of worry:

"Although I set up those routes, I still handed over the specific details of the implementation plan to the logistics department. There shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"Hopefully they can have a few weeks of enjoyable relaxation."

For some reason, Theresa suddenly recalled the smile on her grandfather's lips when he said he had approved Su Qing'an's leave.

Why does she always feel guilty for doing something wrong when she recalls this scene?

Never mind, Grandpa isn't so bored as to go to the point of making a big fuss about a vacation for the two of them.

Having secretly put aside her doubts, Theresa, unusually, picked up a quill pen and looked at the mountain of documents on the table with a troubled expression, letting out a long sigh.

Damn it, why do people need to work?

-------------

Shenzhou, Canghai City.

When Su Qing'an stepped out of Hongqiao Airport with mixed feelings, it was already close to 5:30 pm.

The cloudless sky had lost its original azure blue, the sun gradually sank, and the moon, in contrast, had already set in a corner of the unobstructed sky, its outline already sketched.

The weather was exceptionally clear today, as if even the heavens were welcoming the two of them on their journey home.

Fu Hua stood next to him, dragging her suitcase. Today she was dressed in clothes more suited to urban life, and her long hair was styled into a single ponytail for convenience, revealing a dazzlingly fair complexion on the back of her neck.

Similar to Su Qing'an's feelings about returning home, her heart was also filled with some complicated emotions. As an immortal who had protected this land for five thousand years, seeing the city that had become so prosperous after the passage of time, she couldn't help but feel a little emotional, even though she had long been used to it.

Su Qing'an arrived empty-handed. He had plenty of clothes in his house in Canghai City, and even his usual "Calming the Waves" weapon had been confiscated due to the special nature of Shenzhou and Theresa's outrageous statement about what weapons to bring on vacation. As a result, he only had a cell phone on him.

The boy said as he walked toward the exit:

“My home is not far from the airport. I could have just taken a taxi from the previous underpass. However, Principal Theresa said that we are here on vacation and that the logistics department of Schicksal would take care of these trivial matters. So there will be someone to meet us at the entrance.”

Fu Hua looked at the bustling crowd ahead and said:

"So in this situation, how do we find the person in charge of making contact?"

Su Qing'an thought for a moment and replied:

"This shouldn't be something we need to worry about. There should be clear signs outside the gate, such as the St. Freya Academy emblem or the symbol of Destiny."

After stepping out the door, the two were speechless at the completely unexpected sight before them.

Su Qing'an had excellent eyesight; he noticed almost immediately that all the scenes that should have shown advertisements had been replaced with…

A photo of the two.

The incredibly clear photos are like large posters of models and celebrities on the runway, meticulously selected and retouched before being displayed on the screen. These bizarre "advertisements" thoughtfully switch to the next one every few seconds.

The game automatically plays photos from various angles, each unique, and even photoshops the two people's names into all sorts of corners.

For example, the way Fu Hua, dressed in a formal gown, whispers in Su Qing'an's arms; the scene of the two sitting together watching the sea at dusk; and the scene of them almost simultaneously putting away their boxing stances after finishing their practice.

The perpetrator practically crammed in every photo of the two that could be considered even remotely ambiguous and played it on an endless loop.

Most passersby's first reaction would probably be that this is a rich person's domineering way of showing affection, completely unaware that the person in question is actually unaware of this.

Through some of these scenes, we can understand that Otto did indeed obtain a lot of material during that mission, and he is now making good use of it.

After the atmosphere became so tense that the photos had automatically switched three times, Fu Hua silently lowered his head and put on his sunglasses. Clearly, even someone as composed as an immortal couldn't remain unmoved by this action.

Su Qing'an entered stealth mode expressionlessly. Using this move in an extremely densely populated area actually requires a lot of energy. At the same time, it allows one to slip out of everyone's subconscious. Even Rita, whom he had secretly learned, could not use it at will for a long time.

Therefore, this practice has begun to go against the original purpose of vacation.

Fu Hua rarely showed a girlish side; she wrinkled her delicate nose and frowned as she said:

"So where's the agreed-upon rendezvous point?"

Su Qing'an said quietly:

“Hua, turn around and look behind you.”

Fu Hua suppressed her bad premonition and turned to look behind her, where two huge red banners almost blocked her view.

Before even stepping out the door, the two could see a corner of the banner through the glass door.

Su Qing'an had secretly complained back then that the two pieces of fabric that floated down looked like some kind of strange slogan advertisement.

Such a rough and direct art style is obviously not suitable for such an important public building, but due to the angle, the two of them could not see the writing on it at all before, so neither of them, who do not like to meddle in other people's business, had the habit of dwelling on it.

But now it seems that this banner is not only not unrelated to me, but is actually very relevant.

[A warm welcome to Ms. Fu Hua and Mr. Su Qing'an to Canghai City.]

Please proceed to the taxi with license plate number 沪D60S88 in the airport underground parking lot. Considering that you two are on vacation and likely prefer not to attract attention or be disturbed, we will only reimburse the fare. We ask for your understanding.

Su Qing'an was speechless.

You're telling me this isn't attention-grabbing?

So, is it only necessary to broadcast it 24 hours a day, buy a few news channels to report on it extensively, and put the names and photos of the two people into the textbooks for nine-year compulsory education to make it truly eye-catching?

He was beginning to doubt the purity of this vacation. Principal Theresa was a bit gossipy and might occasionally have a wicked sense of humor, but she probably wouldn't do something this outrageous.

As for the mastermind behind this, we can rule out all possibilities.

That means it's that person.

Su Qing'an and Fu Hua almost simultaneously recited the name of the instigator.

Otto Apocalypse.

What exactly is your purpose?

Both feeling that the other must be confused, the two tacitly chose an escape route that deviated from normal thinking.

To be precise, the two of them quietly descended from the layers of elevated highways onto the rest of the streets.

The scene of the girl dragging her suitcase, her hair flowing in the wind, was very beautiful.

The drop of more than ten meters was like walking on flat ground for the two of them. After successfully getting into a taxi half an hour later, Su Qing'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He's already wearing a baseball cap and a mask. If Su Qing'an were wearing a hooded sweatshirt, he would probably put the cap on as well.

He bought this in a shopping mall, naturally to cover his appearance.

Using stealth techniques is not a bad approach.

But to appease a joke-like advertisement that hasn't been around for very long, a hat and a mask are enough.

The advertisement automatically switches between the walls of skyscrapers and loops on the LCD TVs in shopping malls; it can be described as ubiquitous.

Of course, Fu Hua prefers to describe it as a lingering ghost.

Su Qing'an knew that this time would not last long. He asked the people in the mall, and they said that the advertisement would only last until six o'clock.

This was clearly a prank used by the other party to simply tease the two of them. They calculated the time when the plane would land and played the video on a loop for half an hour in the vicinity, probably just to see the two of them react.

Su Qing'an asked softly:

"Do I need to throw away my phone and hide my whereabouts?"

The girl pulled her mask up a little, covering her high, delicate nose. Looking out the car window at the darkening sky, she leaned closer to the boy and whispered in his ear:

"No need, the other party is a sensible person."

"If not, I will teach him."

Fu Hua spoke her last sentence in a seemingly nonchalant tone, but Su Qing'an, who knew her well, could detect a hint of gritted teeth in her voice.

Although the two were in the same position, Su Qing'an strangely felt no annoyance or anger at all; in fact, he even felt a sense of pleasure and smugness.

That feeling is probably like when you're paired with a girl you like in a three-legged race during PE class. You feel the tightness of the rope binding your calves together, and the inevitable closeness of your skin and the sound of each other's breathing. These little details are all reasons why your heart beats faster than usual.

Su Qing'an felt just like that. Fu Hua from 50,000 years in the future was too far away for him. Only her occasional expressions and gestures could make him truly feel that this person had not completely left him.

So even if it's just getting a little closer to her in this way, he's happy.

And... she didn't seem unhappy at all.

Su Qing'an glanced at the girl's slightly reddened earlobes and felt as if the speed of blood flow was clearly heard in her ears.

On the bustling streets, taxis slowly drove through the leisurely twilight, and the lush green belts and occasional passing schools filled the air with a peaceful atmosphere.

At this moment, the two felt that time was passing both very slowly and very quickly.

132. Su Qing'an likes Fu Hua.

The hour hand moved to 6:30, when the sun was setting below the horizon.

The two got out of the taxi, and Su Qing'an used her phone to open a payment app that she hadn't used in a long time to pay the bill.

After hearing the notification that fifty-three yuan had been deposited, the driver glanced meaningfully at the two people who had concealed their appearance the entire way as they got out of the car, then started the car and merged into the rest of the traffic.

Using his access card to swipe through all the obstacles, Su Qing'an led Fu Hua to the neighborhood where "he" had lived most of his life. Putting aside the few childhood memories he had left, this place was just a mark of his long, aimless years.

It's like something that's made up of countless trivialities and endless little details, seemingly dispensable, but at some unrelated moment and in some unrelated place, a vague familiarity and echo will occasionally flash through your mind.

Then you will suddenly realize that your past life was not entirely worthless. You have left some lingering image of your future self at some point. And often, as long as you follow this lingering image, you can overcome all hardships and despair, defeat many unbearable pains and sorrows, and live on in an ugly yet resilient way.

For example, Himeko Murata, Theresa, Sara Nishikujo, and many, many other people...

This also includes Su Qing'an and Fu Hua.

And this is probably the meaning behind this seemingly insignificant act, and also the reason why Fu Hua never asked Su Qing'an why she wanted to go home or what she wanted to do there.

Because she has very little memory left, she is the one who can best understand this feeling.