Honkai: Strijder

"Um, excuse me, are you two the one who saved my daughter?" Robbins asked with a feeling of uncertainty while serving some orange juice to the two children.

No matter how he looked at it, these two kids who seemed only slightly older than Vira couldn't have snatched her from those ruthless killers. Robbins thought logically that his daughter must have gotten lost and they kindly brought her back home. But how did they know he was here? Could it be that the location of the safe house was no longer a secret in the town? Did he mistakenly believe it was well hidden?

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

"Yes! It was me who saved her!" Kiana proudly raised her head, patting her chest before picking up the juice.

Sigurd glanced at the juice, then at Kiana, taking note of her lack of defenses. He casually said, "What you really want to ask is how we knew you were here, right?"

Robbins' expression stiffened.

Sigurd propped up his leg, one hand supporting his face, the other tapping lightly on the table.

"Robbins Klov, male, 38 years old, 187 centimeters tall, 167 kilograms, born in... the household has three main occupants, two of which are present. Three months ago, assets amounted to 20 billion, currently 8 billion remain. Account number and password are... Like boxing and golf, the greatest punching force this year was... Last medical checkup was four months ago. Overall good health, slightly high blood pressure, doctor advised you to get more sleep and eat more fruits and vegetables... Well, how should I put it? Instead of asking me how I knew your whereabouts, you should ask me what else I don't know about you."

"Who the hell are you!?"

Robbins almost instantly picked up Vira with one hand and retrieved a handgun from under the table with the other, pointing it at Sigurd.

The sudden change in the situation startled both Kiana and Vira.

Vira shrunk into her father's embrace, while Kiana tugged at Sigurd's sleeve.

"Sig, don't-"

"Kiana, the adults are talking, don't interrupt," Sigurd said indifferently, with a cold gaze that made Kiana obediently sit in her place.

Unlike the confrontation from last night, Sigurd was now dealing with things seriously. Kiana keenly realized that she should stand by his side—Sigurd was doing something important. She could only give Vira an apologetic look.

As Robbins looked at the bruises on Sigurd and Kiana's faces, he seemed to remember something and suddenly exclaimed:

"I remember now, I have indeed heard about a special force in the national intelligence agency that recruits orphans and trains them! The injuries on your faces must have come from that kind of training, right? Are you after my money? No, you already know my account number and password, you can transfer the money easily. What exactly do you want? Is it for Vira? No, I will never let Vira become like you!"

"..."

Sigurd sighed silently at Robbins' wild imagination, feeling that the script had slightly deviated from his own setup. However, he still didn't find any problems and began to wonder if the meeting between Kiana and Vira was really just a coincidence.

"It has nothing to do with what you're thinking. I only represent myself. I need someone who can work for me. As long as you agree, there will be opportunities for doing revenge against the Delin Gang, you can both protect your daughter and make a comeback. By the way, we've brought this little girl with us so openly. Don't you think the hunting dogs chasing after us won't be able to pick up your scent?"

Robbins' pupils contracted.

That's right, his daughter appeared at the door. How could such a conspicuous event escape the attention of those people? It's over, the safe house has been completely exposed. The next step is, where should he take Vira and run?

No, the first problem to solve is:

"Who the hell are you?"

Robbins repeated the question once again.

The young boy in front of him seemed mysterious, making him wonder what dark secrets were hidden behind him.

Sigurd spread his hands and answered nonchalantly, "Nobody. Just a nameless pawn in someone else's plan."

"What kind of joke is this?"

"Does it really matter who I am? As you said, I already know your account and password. I can easily take the 8 billion. But what's the significance? How many times do I have to do the same thing, how much time and effort do I have to spend to turn 8 billion into 80 billion or 800 billion? But with you, it's different. I just need to sit back, occasionally solve some extra troubles for you, and billions will slowly flow into my hands. Recognize your own value, Robbins, in the 21st century, talent is the most precious thing!"

Sigurd narrated calmly, and the light shone on him, casting a long shadow behind him. This scene resembled a mastermind villain manipulating the hearts of people.

Robbins felt a tightness in his chest.

He still had doubts, but in Sigurd's calm expression that seemed to have everything under control, he couldn't help but believe a little.

"I—"

"We don't have much time left, and my patience is limited. People like you aren't in short supply. You have about three minutes left. If you don't give me an answer, I can only watch you and your daughter die at the hands of those hunting dogs."

"I–I agree. As long as you can help me deal with those bastards, I'll do anything for you!"

Robbins' expression changed for a moment, and finally, he gritted his teeth and said slowly.

There was no time to make other plans. As Sigurd had said, the hunting dogs were approaching, and it was either trust him or face death.

Robbins chose to take a gamble, believing that he had some value that others would recognize, and also betting that Sigurd possessed extraordinary means.

"Deal."

Sigurd nodded satisfactorily.

So far, there were no issues. However, purely from a recruitment perspective, he didn't believe that a brief exchange would guarantee loyalty. Further actions were still needed.

"Kiana, are you interested in demonstrating your... gunfighting skills? You claimed that your gunfighting technique is the best in the world, didn't you?"

"Are you... asking me to kill people?"

Kiana hesitated and asked. She had understood some of their conversation and realized that they would soon face the bad people threatening Vira and her father.

But even so, killing people was not something she felt comfortable with.

Kiana resisted, just like that night in Mondstadt. At most, she had only assisted Sigurd and had never truly harmed anyone.

Sigurd looked at her silently for a moment and said, "It's up to you."

Then, he walked out of the room.

Outside, the morning sun shone on the small town, still covered in snow, creating a dreamlike scene.

Sigurd sighed softly.

Yes, he hoped Kiana would learn to be ruthless, even to become bad, as long as she didn't end up covered in injuries like before.

But ultimately, it was Kiana's own life, and she had to make her own choices. What if she didn't want to change? What if, even knowing that she would be covered in injuries, she still wanted to be the kind-hearted and beloved Kiana?

...

The hunting dogs arrived quickly.

If it were in a city with relatively strict security, they wouldn't dare to openly kill and cause chaos before nightfall.

But Uluru Town was different.

In the surrounding area, the political situation is complex, and the control of the legitimate government is extremely weak.

In this town, firing their guns rapidly and quickly leaving the scene, even if someone sees it, so what? Will anyone dare to investigate afterwards? Will anyone be willing to investigate? Even if they do, can they withstand the suppression of multiple layers of dark forces?

Prosperity and stability are never synonymous.

Just like a certain beacon of freedom, even though the economy is highly developed, no one dares to easily go out on the streets once it gets dark. Even during the daytime, how many people have been shot and killed in broad daylight?

The attacking group consists of about a dozen or twenty people, armed with guns, but only ordinary handguns, without heavy machine guns or rocket launchers.

Indeed, this firepower is sufficient to deal with Vira and Robbin. Having too many weapons would only waste money and increase the risk of exposure.

However, a dozen handguns are nothing more than a pile of scrap metal in the face of the current Sigurd.

Sigurd hid in the shadow of the corner, only giving it a glance, but he already had all the data in his mind, then he directly fired both guns.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In just the blink of an eye, seven or eight people in the front row fell to the ground.

In the rear, the remaining people quickly started to counterattack.

In the midst of the dense sound of bullets, invisible trajectories appeared in Sigurd's eyes.

He couldn't clearly capture the bullets yet, but it was effortless for him to perceive the positions of the gun muzzles and barrels. Combined with his brain's analysis, how the bullets were coming and how to dodge them, it was as if he had the answers and was simply filling out a multiple-choice test, so easy that it couldn't be any easier.

Sigurd walked out of the shadows, taking a few simple steps, and successfully withstood a round of counterattacks unscathed. At the same time, his dual guns never stopped firing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of screams, and in the blink of an eye, the formidable group that was just there was reduced to only one person, whose fingers were broken and the firearm fell to the ground, eliciting a cry of despair:

"It's impossible! Devil! You're a devil!"

The last survivor fled in panic, obviously having lost his sanity in the brief experience of that moment.

Sigurd put down his hands.

Bang!

A figure running suddenly fell to the ground.

It wasn't Sigurd who pulled the trigger.

Sigurd turned around and saw Kiana standing at the doorway, biting her lip, pale-faced, as she put down her handgun.

"Sig…. they... were scum…. right?"

Kiana asked in a low voice, her voice trembling.

Sigurd nodded.

"Every single one of them."

"That's good."

Kiana looked relieved.

Sigurd couldn't help but ask her, "Why did you suddenly take action?"

Kiana forced a smile, touched her nose, and said, "We're friends, after all. I can't just let you do everything, right?"

Kiana didn't understand the term "sharing both prosperity and adversity" yet. But she instinctively realized that if she simply watched Sigurd kill people while she remained in a safe and clean place, enjoying the peace that Sigurd brought her while he bathed in blood, it would be too cunning and unfair to Sigurd.

Since Sigurd chose to kill someone, Kiana also chose to shoulder this guilt together. That's what friends should do.

"No need to force yourself. Kiana, just do what you want to do."

— On the condition that it's not something perverted like watching some porn video.

Sigurd didn't voice his thoughts.

The two exchanged a smile.

Then Sigurd said again:

"Actually, that guy was intentionally released by me as bait for the other, you just ruined my plan."

Kiana: "(⊙x⊙;!"

"But it doesn't matter. I forgive you."

Sigurd calmly holstered his guns. What he didn't say was that he had originally planned to use that guy to test Robbins and Vira.

But forget it, what he could do in terms of testing and observation had already been done. Continuing further would be not vigilant but paranoid. It's a pity he doesn't have Siegfried's contact information, otherwise he could have asked him to come out and observe... but forget it, it's useless, that guy wouldn't be of any help, otherwise he wouldn't have been manipulated by Otto all the time.

Inside the house, Robbins cautiously came out holding Vira.

Seeing his stunned expression when faced with the corpses, Sigurd knew that his first tool was in place.