Furina sat in the carriage, happily humming a tune while counting the gifts she had brought back for Neuvillette and the others.
"This water is for Neuvillette. I wonder if he'll like water from another world."
Next to her, Clorinde looked at the inactive teleportation gate resting nearby.
"Lady Furina, where should we place this teleportation gate?"
Furina rubbed her chin thoughtfully at Clorinde's question.
"Let's put it in my living room. Didn't they say we should place it somewhere regular people can't access? My house is perfect for that."
Furina figured that by keeping it at her home, she could visit Ye Yun and the others whenever she wanted.
Clorinde nodded in response.
"Understood."
Furina looked at the flower cakes she had bought earlier—only a few were left.
"Clorinde, let's stop by that old lady's place later to buy some more flower cakes."
Clorinde nodded.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Then Furina laid leisurely by the carriage window, enjoying the scenery along the way.
Any monsters encountered were instantly dealt with by the Lancelot Knights.
They arrived safely at Qingce Village. After clearing out the old lady's stock of flower cakes again, Furina boarded the ship back to Fontaine with Clorinde and the Lancelot Knights.
On the train, inside Ye Yun's shop:
Everyone from the train crew gathered inside Ye Yun's shop.
Ye Yun held out an invitation card from another world.
"We've got a new friend arriving soon."
Star tilted her head curiously.
"A new friend? From where—Luofu?"
Ye Yun shook the invitation card in his hand.
"Nope, from another world entirely. You'll see in a moment."
With that, Ye Yun tore up the invitation.
A second later, a teleportation gate opened nearby.
Soon after, a white-haired girl with a ponytail and dressed in a tight-fitting combat outfit stepped out.
"Whoa~ So this is the place that voice told me about? It really is something else!"
The newcomer was none other than the main character of the Honkai Impact 3rd world—Kiana!
Kiana looked around and quickly spotted Ye Yun and the others.
Standing up straight, she introduced herself with energy and confidence.
"Hi there! I'm Kiana Kaslana! Nice to meet you all!"
At the sight of her, Welt was completely stunned.
"Kiana?! How is it you?"
Kiana noticed Welt.
"Mr. Welt! You're here too? Didn't that voice say this was another world? Don't tell me it was lying!"
She looked around carefully.
"Aunt Himeko?! You're here too? And dressed so… um, what's the word?"
Welt immediately facepalmed.
"Elegant."
Kiana clapped her hands at the reminder.
"Oh, right! Elegant!"
March 7th and Star glanced over at Welt.
"Uncle Yang, you know her?"
Welt nodded.
"Yes, we're from the same place."
Stelle lit up.
"Oooh? So Kiana's your hometown buddy, huh?"
Welt nodded vaguely, but after a closer look at Kiana, he added:
"Sort of. We're from two different parallel timelines.
The Kiana I knew was a powerful Valkyrie."
Kiana beamed at the praise.
"Mr. Welt, are you saying I become super strong in the future?"
Welt gave her a small nod.
"Yes."
Hearing that, Kiana's eyes sparkled with joy.
"Yay~ I knew it! I'm totally going to become the strongest Valkyrie in Destiny!"
Ye Yun smiled and turned to Welt.
"Welt, since she's from your world, I'll leave it to you to show Kiana around the shop."
Welt agreed and started showing Kiana around.
After a full tour, Kiana got a grasp of her situation.
She realized that the "Aunt Himeko" here wasn't the one she knew—just someone who looked similar.
Same with "Mr. Welt." He was a future version.
Kiana scratched her head, a bit dazed and overwhelmed by it all.
Welt watched her flustered expression and smiled—she really was still the same old airheaded Kiana.
He handed her 200 Star Coins.
"Here, Kiana. These are Star Coins. Take these 200 and go try out the shopping system here."
Kiana's eyes lit up as she accepted the coins.
"Awesome!"
She dashed off to the little bar area, remembering how Welt had explained it all just now.
A few minutes later—
Welt looked at her with a deadpan expression.
Just as expected, Kiana had happily bought a huge bucket of "Super Ultra Deluxe Delicious Instant Noodles" from the system.
"Noodles~ Noodles~ I love noodles~"
The bucket cost 20 Star Coins.
She originally wanted to buy 10 buckets, but thankfully Welt stopped her so she'd have money left for other things.
Nearby, Xiangling noticed her preparing the noodles.
"Kiana, right? I'm Xiangling, the chef here."
Kiana nodded cheerfully.
"Yup yup, nice to meet you!"
Xiangling pointed to the noodles in her hands.
"Want me to cook those for you? It tastes better that way—and I'll add some ingredients too."
Kiana quickly agreed.
"Yes, please! Thank you, Xiangling!"
Xiangling smiled and shook her head.
"No need to thank me. Just wait a bit, I'll cook it for you."
She took the bucket and went into the kitchen.
While waiting, Kiana chatted with everyone.
During that time, she got to know the rest of the crew.
They also learned from her what kind of world she came from.
Kiana quickly bonded with Stelle, March 7th, and Lumine—they were all about the same age and vibe, making it easy to click.
She was amazed listening to Stelle's stories.
"Wow~ your adventures sound amazing!"
Stelle patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry—we're heading to our next destination tomorrow. You can come along!"
Kiana gave an enthusiastic nod.
"Sure!"
Soon, Xiangling returned with a steaming bowl of noodles and placed it in front of her.
"Here, give it a try, Kiana."
Kiana sniffed the aroma and her face lit up with joy.
"It smells so good~ Oh my gosh~ I can't resist!"
She picked up the chopsticks and slurped a mouthful.
The moment the noodles hit her tongue, she froze.
Then—
"These noodles are incredible! The best I've ever had! Xiangling, you're amazing!"
Xiangling scratched the back of her head.
"I'm glad you like it. Eat it quick—won't taste as good if it gets cold."
Kiana nodded eagerly and happily slurped up her noodles, making satisfied little "mmm" sounds with every bite.
***
Kiana was wolfing down a big bowl of noodles, eating with such gusto that even Stelle, who had already had breakfast, felt a little hungry just watching her.
Kiana finished the bowl, not even leaving a drop of soup behind.
Wiping her mouth, she placed the bowl heavily on the table, looking completely satisfied.
"Ah~ That was so good! I need to bring some back for Mei and the others—this is seriously the best instant noodles I've ever had~"
Himeko handed her a wet wipe.
"Kiana, don't wipe your mouth with your hands after eating. You'll get them all dirty. Remember to use a napkin next time. Here, wipe your hands."
Kiana scratched the back of her head with a silly smile as she took the wipe.
"I got it, Auntie Himeko!"
Kiana casually blurted out "Auntie Himeko."
Himeko flicked Kiana's forehead with her finger.
"Call me sister."
Kiana laughed awkwardly and rubbed her forehead.
"Sister Himeko."
Only then did Himeko nod in satisfaction.
"Let's go check out what today's dungeon is."
The group arrived at the dungeon teleportation gate.
Kiana leaned in and read the title slowly.
"To-day's-dun-geon... CFGO Biohazard Mode?
What does that mean?"
Stelle looked a little surprised.
"CFGO again? But what's 'Biohazard Mode' supposed to mean?"
Ye Yun said, "We'll find out once we get in. This mode is actually kind of fun, just a little scary."
March 7th started imagining horror movie scenes the moment she heard the word "scary."
"Yikes~ This is how all horror stories start... a group of people enter a deep, pitch-black cave...
And then... then..."
Stelle mischievously patted Kiana's shoulder and whispered something in her ear.
Kiana looked confused.
"Why are you patting March's shoulder?"
Stelle nudged Kiana. "Just go do it. Trust me."
Still puzzled, Kiana patted March 7th on the shoulder.
March 7th was already a little scared, and the sudden touch made her jump up on the spot.
"Eeek!!! A ghost! Himeko! Save me!"
March 7th clung to Himeko, hiding behind her.
Kiana, seeing her reaction, felt proud and giggled with Stelle.
Hearing them laugh, March 7th quickly realized what had happened.
She stomped her foot angrily.
"Kiana! Why'd you scare me?"
Kiana pointed innocently at Stelle.
"It was Stelle's idea!"
March 7th immediately turned her wrath toward Stelle.
"Stelle! You're gonna pay!"
She drew her bow and fired an arrow.
Stelle tried to dodge but was grabbed by Lumine.
Stelle struggled desperately to escape.
Lumine just giggled.
"Stelle, prepare to face justice!"
March 7th's arrow hit Stelle, who yelped in pain.
She had used just enough force for it to sting before the arrow dropped to the ground.
Ye Yun clapped his hands.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Let's go clear today's dungeon."
Everyone quieted down.
Ye Yun checked the dungeon info.
CFGO Biohazard Mode. A total of 32 players can participate. The top three scorers receive 3000, 2000, and 1000 star coins respectively. The rest get nothing.
Everyone, including Stelle, signed up and waited on the side. The game couldn't begin until all 32 players were gathered.
As time passed, more people arrived on the train.
Ningguang, Yelan...
Jean, Lisa...
Jing Yuan, Huaiyan...
Calestia, Nahida...
Soon, the full 32-player roster was complete, and they were all teleported into the game map.
Kiana looked around after landing. She was with Stelle, March 7th, Zhongli, Jing Yuan, and Nahida.
She tried to move but found her feet wouldn't budge.
Stelle said, "Kiana, the game hasn't officially started yet. We have to wait for the rules to be announced. Once it starts, we'll be able to move."
Kiana nodded and waited patiently.
She took the time to look around. They were in an abandoned street, the flickering lights casting an eerie atmosphere.
Soon, the system voice rang out.
[This Dungeon: CFGO Biohazard ModeMap: District 13
Game Mode: Two factions—Bio-Zombies and Human Mercenaries. There are 17 rounds, each lasting 20 minutes.
Victory Condition: If time runs out and not all humans are infected, the humans win. Otherwise, the zombies win.
Scoring: Mercenaries get 1 point for every 1000 HP dealt to zombies. Zombies get 1 point for every human they infect.
Rewards: Top scorer earns 3000 star coins, second place 2000, third place 1000.
3
2
1
Game Start! Please choose your primary and secondary weapon. You can only choose once per game, so choose wisely.]
As the announcement ended, everyone began selecting weapons.
Kiana watched how Stelle did it and followed suit.
Stelle picked her trusty heavy machine gun, Negev. March 7th chose a sniper rifle again.
Kiana thought for a moment and picked an AK-47.
Stelle shouted, "Gogogo! Time to slay some zombies! Who's the zombie? Step up!"
Zhongli, holding a shotgun, replied calmly, "The countdown hasn't finished yet. We'll only know who the zombie host is after that."
Stelle called March 7th and Kiana to join her on top of a shipping container.
Inside the dungeon, everyone's physical stats had been standardized to normal human levels.
Time ticked by. People grouped up and took positions they thought were defensible.
Stelle saw Hu Tao and Yaoyao passing by.
"Hu Tao! Yaoyao! Over here!" she waved.
They climbed up to the container where Stelle was.
Stelle cocked her gun with a cool look. "Watch me lead humanity to victory!"
Just then, the countdown ended, and a light flashed over Stelle.
[This round's Bio-Zombie Hosts: Stelle, Jing Yuan]
Hu Tao, Yaoyao, March 7th, and Kiana were all stunned.
No way... that unlucky?!
Stelle's body transformed into a zombie, everything except her head.
She clawed forward. "I shall lead the zombies to victory!"
She immediately infected Yaoyao.
Hu Tao, March 7th, and Kiana reacted quickly, opening fire on Stelle.
Stelle was forced back and eventually fell off the container.
Hu Tao reloaded and sighed in relief.
"Phew~ Good thing we reacted fast and knocked her off."
Suddenly, she felt a chill behind her.
Turning around, she saw Yaoyao had already infected March 7th and Kiana. March 7th lunged toward her.
[March 7th has infected Hu Tao]