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

Su Qing'an glanced at the panel in front of him, a symbol of a prison. There was no point in continuing to force himself. His fingertips rested on his pale hair, and in a low voice, as if reciting a bedtime story, he whispered:

"I'm going to sleep for a while, maybe... a very long time."

The boy's pupils flickered like extinguished candlelight, leaving only pure blackness and deathly silence. His eyelids slowly drooped, and his long, blood-red eyelashes covered his dusty skin.

Su Qing'an's body remained unchanged, and the movement of his fingers gathering his pale hair stopped, like a still oil painting, which made Himeko stunned for a moment.

This is a martial arts immortal who is capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Third Herrscher, but such an existence, which has transcended human history and reached the pinnacle of individual existence, is so frail at this moment that it exudes a fragile beauty.

The boy's face and bloodstained appearance were still vaguely discernible, yet strangely, the scene of his numerous wounds did not appear particularly wretched.

He was so lifeless and decaying, yet still clinging to life, like the dying aurora and the setting sun reflecting each other.

Himeko thought, "So Su Qing'an is really this fragile now."

He was so fragile that simply leaving him where he was was enough to drive him into a desperate situation.

Perhaps even Himeko herself wasn't sure whether choosing to save the other person was a good thing or a bad thing, but since it was a decision she had already made, she wouldn't go back on her word no matter whether the final outcome proved it to be right or wrong.

The woman's expression was complex. She gazed at his face and murmured words destined to be unheard by anyone:

"Once you wake up, you will reclaim your rightful name."

……

……

July 21, 4:32 PM.

The remains of the Third Herrscher were destroyed by the Honkai Fission Bomb, while the Herrscher Core was successfully recovered by the Fifth Squad.

The authorities have begun to urgently deploy a new batch of experimental personnel and establish a corresponding research force for the core of the Third Herrscher.

The speed at which the Herrscher was killed was so fast that there was practically no data available at the scene.

The only clues were all destroyed in the massive Honkai fission bomb, making it impossible to trace them any further.

This also led to the official understanding of the Third Herrscher's powers remaining merely on paper. Consequently, the initial direction of the experiment regressed from the first step of gaining a deeper understanding by utilizing the superficial form of the powers to focusing on what kind of powers are inherent in the core.

Even though the Third Herrscher's victory in the great war gave all of humanity a boost of morale, the resulting losses were immeasurable.

The shortage of rescue personnel has left countless displaced survivors in too many areas unable to be rescued in time, and the authorities have maintained the previously planned decision.

Using limited manpower to prioritize recruiting the most outstanding elites is a more realistic approach.

In the aftermath of this third Honkai outbreak, apart from sending most of the Firemoth's manpower to important regions like the Mu Continent, the remaining members were responsible for finding outstanding talents of the relevant level one-on-one, protecting them, and bringing them back to safe areas.

Even as the captain of the fifth squad, she had a much wider range of choices and more authority than the other members.

However, Himeko herself had to use this plan as an excuse and adhere to this principle on paper in order to make it seem natural for her to go to Canghai City.

Although Su Qing'an had not demonstrated the combat power to fight against a Herrscher before, he had revealed something extraordinary about him. His mastery of the technique of manipulating Honkai energy with a human body would undoubtedly allow him to be included in the talent retrieval program's file.

These submitted materials have not yet received official approval. If it weren't for the confirmed emergence of a third Herrscher in Canghai City, even as the team leader, she would likely have faced some criticism.

After all, the higher-ups value research-oriented talents in various aspects more than individual combat capabilities.

From the perspective of the higher-ups and the official authorities of the Firemoth, important combat power like Himeko should be placed in the hands of high-end talent in this field.

However, it was precisely because of Himeko's arrival that the official focus was quickly placed on the specific location of the Third Herrscher; otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult for the Honkai Fission Bullet to kill the opponent so easily.

So even though the retrieval mission wasn't perfect, the higher-ups still didn't question her at all.

Given the uncertainty of when the Fourth Herrscher will appear, the authorities have gone all out in research and countermeasures, attempting to find new breakthroughs to deal with the calamity that may strike again at any time.

Clearly, even though the official response to Su Qing'an's role in this battle has been overlooked, this level of vigilance and attention is still justified.

Unfortunately, the act of dropping the Honkai Fission Bomb caused the authorities to fail to accurately identify the most efficient research direction for combating the Herrschers, which sowed the seeds for a series of subsequent events.

……

……

June 22th, morning.

Australia, on the periphery of the fire-chasing moth distribution.

A private hospital, underground.

Himeko gazed at the medical pod, which had fallen into hibernation and was now completely closed.

The area around the hospital contained dozens of similar instruments, making the medical ward that the red-haired woman was carefully examining seem rather unremarkable.

But that's exactly the effect Himeko wanted to achieve. In reality, apart from the medical pod in front of them, the rest were large pieces of junk that had been phased out decades ago.

The woman said softly:

"He is safe inside."

"This is an underground facility modeled after a nuclear bomb silo. The built-in power supply and all related materials are sufficient to keep him inside for three years without any impact. As for the upper floor, you have already seen it; it is a private hospital."

“Great disguise, isn’t it?”

Fu Hua looked at the medical pod, its metal shell covered in mottled patches. The rough, cold surface was painted with yellow paint, marking the corresponding letter numbers and the year of production.

However, it seems that due to the wear and tear of time, these words have become blurred and indistinct.

Xi'er pressed her five fingers tightly against the outer shell of the medical pod containing the boy. She was clearly only sensing the low temperature of the metal, yet it seemed as if she could hear Su Qing'an's heartbeat through the layers of barriers.

Both of them remained silent. The joy they had felt upon learning that Su Qing'an was indeed alive had vanished, leaving only a sense of powerlessness and sorrow upon facing her tragic state.

Himeko delivered the message from the battleship's medical unit.

At that time, they could only confirm that the other was still alive by the faint life index displayed outside the cryo-chamber.

The boy's jet-black hair was tinged with frost, and his pale skin, after being cleaned, appeared even more lifeless in the low temperature. His body, covered with crisscrossing scars, was obscured by the cold air, with only the glaring dark red bloodstains vaguely proving the arduous battle he had endured.

Unlike nanobots that are geared towards combat, nanobots that serve purely medical purposes barely maintain a normal human body structure and slowly repair itself.

Otherwise, given Su Qing'an's previous state of being, with most of his bones shattered to varying degrees, his muscles and fascia torn and turned outward, and his flesh withered, it would be an indescribable and truly tragic sight.

Himeko will probably have to wait a while before bringing Fu Hua the news that Su Qing'an is not dead, since the impact of that scene was just too great.

Even a battle-hardened warrior like her couldn't help but wonder how the other party had survived, let alone someone as close to Su Qing'an as she was and so naive.

Even with the support of cleaning and nanobot internal structures, the boy's current appearance can only be described as a dead corpse.

Himeko broke the awkward silence, seemingly to reassure the two of them, by explaining:

"This medical pod is the most advanced product available today. The outer shell is only to prevent some unnecessary accidents. He can receive the best treatment inside."

Fu Hua remained silent, suppressing her emotions for the time being, and began to ponder.

After learning about the existence of the Fire-Chasing Moths, she understood the irrationality of Himeko's actions.

The underground of this hospital is indeed very safe, with a tranquil world far removed from the surface and the best medical equipment.

However, it is located on the very edge of the jurisdiction of the Moth of Fire branch, making it difficult to resolve Honkai events that occur here immediately.

So, in terms of safety, it would be sufficient to place the medical pods directly in the wounded area of ​​the Moth of Fire branch. Why go through all this trouble?

Given the hospital's secluded location and relatively high level of security, it's clear that Himeko genuinely had good intentions towards Master Su and truly wanted to protect him.

Fu Hua silently recited the information he currently knew.

Master Su, the Honkai fluctuations within the city that are ten thousand times more terrifying than Emperor-level Honkai Beasts, and the annihilation of Canghai City.

There must be many things that he doesn't know about these three elements, which is why Himeko, as the captain of the fifth squad, believes that placing Su Qing here is the safest option.

She looked into Himeko's eyes and asked directly:

Why did you choose this place?

Himeko understood her question after hearing this.

She wasn't particularly surprised that the little girl had noticed this fact.

This behavior is unusual if investigated even slightly, so it's perfectly normal that Fu Hua, who cares so much about Su Qing'an, would notice it.

But this is something that doesn't need to be hidden. Given Fu Hua's relationship with Su Qing'an, this is the naked reality she will have to face sooner or later.

The woman considered her words carefully before speaking:

"Because Su Qing'an is very strong, the prosperity of Canghai City at that time was the aftereffect of his battle with the Third Herrscher."

"And that Honkai Fission Bomb, after killing the Herrscher located in the center of Canghai City, also completely destroyed Su Qing'an's possibility of joining the officialdom."

Upon hearing this, Fu Hua's blue pupils trembled for a moment.

She lowered her head and silently recited the new term "Herrscher" in her mind, but amidst the turmoil of her emotions, she understood what Himeko was about to say.

Himeko glanced at Seele beside her, who remained calm and unsurprised, and continued:

"Therefore, this power, given that he was lucky enough to survive, has become a threat to the authorities."

"Regardless of Su Qing'an's own will, the authorities will inevitably suspect whether he will take any extreme actions."

"With his power, if he were to take any extreme actions, he might pose a greater threat to humanity than the Herrschers."

Fu Hua's azure eyes blazed with fury. She pursed her lips and spoke in a barely suppressed, agitated tone:

"Even if Master Su wasn't the type to choose to do this, even if Master Su was fighting on the side of humanity, even if the initial mistake lay in the orders they chose..."

The girl's voice, which had been so passionate, suddenly softened into a low murmur. She gazed at the medical pod, at Su Qing'an inside, whose awakening time was uncertain, and said softly:

"He also has to endure this unreasonable distrust, have his original glory erased, have his beliefs ignored when fighting enemies like the Herrscher, and even... might he be killed while he is in a coma due to serious injuries?"

Himeko did not respond, but her silence was an admission.

Fu Hua clenched his fists together, his heart surging with a torrent of emotions.

The girl couldn't immediately imagine how complex the emotions Su Qing'an must have felt after being betrayed.

Even someone who wasn't directly involved can feel a chill and anger just by hearing the whole story. How must the boy have felt at that time?

The thought of him being sad made the girl feel sad too.

It's normal to speculate that Su Qing'an will choose revenge; anyone with a modicum of empathy can imagine the possible consequences of being treated this way.

But... no one could understand that if it was merely a betrayal that nearly cost him his life, it would be difficult for Su Qing'an, who was not concerned about his own life, to go to such an extreme.

If one day the boy truly ends up on that path, it won't be for himself, but for the girl whom everyone sees as a monster.

That girl who, until the very end, could only see such ugly fireworks.

Fu Hua said softly:

"It's ridiculous."