"But it doesn't seem like you're putting up much of a fight."
The Director gave a slight wave of his hand, and the three guards behind him immediately stirred into action.
"Now that everything's been made clear, come along quietly. Don't worry, while we never held back when terminating you on the operating table, that was only because of your abilities… Once we fully determine the upper limits of your body's regeneration, our methods will become much more gentle."
"In fact, once we successfully use your genes to create a large batch of exceptionally gifted Valkyries… Granting you two a limited degree of freedom isn't out of the question."
"…Alright."
Lynelle let out a sigh, her little face falling in a show of 'resignation,' as she raised her hands in a classic gesture of surrender.
"But you must not make things difficult for Sirin."
"Rest assured, our intentions are purely for experimental purposes…"
Before the Director could finish his sentence, the sharp whistle of a blade cutting through the air suddenly erupted right in front of him.
It was met instantly by one of the "guards" who immediately moved to shield him.
"…?"
"It seems I underestimated you, Miss Lynelle…"
The Director's face instantly darkened. "I never imagined the gifts you received from the Stigma would far exceed my expectations…"
"Indeed, a dangerous and disobedient test subject like you should be kept under strict control… Since you have the ability to resurrect, how about we temporarily remove your limbs?"
"Stop using experiments as an excuse for your weird fetishes! And isn't using three Valkyries as your personal bodyguards a bit excessive?"
By now, Lynelle held two completely transparent short blades in her hands. If she had to describe them, they somewhat resembled a power called the Sonic Blade from an anime she'd watched in her previous life.
The pity was, while the [Temporary Stake] could provide Lynelle with energy amplification and defensive capabilities, her offensive options were rather lacking. She could only rely on ordinary physical attacks or the corrosive properties inherent to these secretions.
"What would you know? The Soviet Union isn't exactly safe these days… But I see, so your attacks are all for show?"
The Director adjusted his glasses, glancing at the Valkyrie who had shielded him. Her guard uniform was now completely torn, revealing the Valkyrie armor beneath, which bore only a single scratch.
"It appears, even this trial version of defense-specialized armor is not something you can easily breach…"
"In that case, don't hold back. Kill her outright, then seal the main torso in a specially designed containment pod. Don't forget, there's still a little rat causing trouble downstairs."
Perhaps because these three Valkyries belonged to the Director's own faction, they bore none of the mercy Lynelle remembered from her past life's impressions.
Upon hearing the order, they immediately raised their firearms.
Three specially crafted armor-piercing rounds were spat out with tongues of flame in an instant, aimed directly at Lynelle's chest.
Lynelle, however, made no attempt to defend herself. After all, she wanted to test the limits of her own defensive capabilities—if standard-issue firearms could easily punch holes through her, she might as well surrender now and wait for Sirin's Herrscher awakening a week later.
"Clang—"
Almost simultaneously with the gunshots, a clear, metallic clang resounded from Lynelle's chest.
Accompanied by a grating sound, the three bullets succeeded only in drilling three small holes in her clothing.
Of course, this wasn't because Lynelle possessed exceptionally sturdy 'frontal armor' like a certain 'Quincy' or 'Lexington'. Though both were pink-haired, Lynelle's physique and hairstyle more closely resembled a more petite version of Elysia, rather than a certain pink-haired guitarist who could use her own chest as a mousepad.
What had truly blocked the three bullets was the instant hardening of the [Temporary Stake] over her chest.
"Just as the system said, this thing is basically a well-armored turtle shell…"
After briefly assessing the energy consumed, Lynelle felt considerably more at ease.
The energy drain from these armor-piercing rounds, capable of easily piercing through various armors, was completely acceptable. At this rate, even if she stood still and tanked shots, it would take several minutes to deplete the [Temporary Stakes]' energy.
On the other hand, relying solely on herself, even if she completely ignored their attacks, she seemed unable to break through the blockade formed by the three Valkyries.
However… she wasn't alone.
"Schlick—"
The sound of a scalpel piercing flesh suddenly rang out from behind the four. It was followed by a scream, shrill and pained, like a pig being slaughtered.
"Got it, Lynelle!"
Sirin, who had just materialized from the air, wore a triumphant smile. In one hand, she held a scalpel still dripping with fresh blood; in the other, she clutched the access card she had just taken from the Director.
The price for obtaining this card was that the very man who moments ago wanted to turn Lynelle into a 'human swine' had now gotten a firsthand taste of what it felt like to lose the 'Power of the King.'
"Why not just kill him?"
Lynelle quickly wrapped her arms around the purple-haired girl who had thrown herself into her embrace. At the same time, the transparent film expanded outward, enveloping both of them within its protective barrier and blocking the retaliatory fire from the three firearms.
"I… I didn't really dare…"
"Never mind, it doesn't matter…"
Lynelle's eyes swept their surroundings, then she casually tossed out a small blue canister.
Instantly, a massive amount of refrigerant began spreading from Lynelle's feet.
Since this stuff was originally intended for use on spacecraft capable of deep space travel, its cooling effect far exceeded Lynelle's expectations.
It seemed the early versions of Valkyrie armor from this era had made the same mistake as a certain second-generation Iron Man suit.
The intense cooling effect appeared to instantly overwhelm the armor's internal temperature regulation systems, allowing Lynelle to seize the chance to burst through the trio's encirclement.
'Did Herta just strip her own ship for parts?... I'll have to thank her properly when I get back.'
Lynelle muttered this under her breath.
While she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, she was far from stupid. Judging from the daily doubling of various wonderful small gadgets in the [card pool] and their item descriptions, it was clear Herta had already figured out the mechanics of her 'gacha' system. The only question was how much Herta currently understood about her system.
However, Lynelle had never intended to keep her special abilities a secret in the first place.
Besides, within the cosmology of [Star Rail], her little tricks probably couldn't be hidden anyway.
Moreover, if she could truly escape Babylon Tower with Herta's help, she'd be massively in the woman's debt. How to repay that… was still a problem.
After all, in the world of Honkai, Lynelle could confidently claim the Herrscher of the Void as 'one of hers.' But over in the Star Rail side of things… it seemed the only thing she could offer as payment was herself?
Don't get the wrong idea. She was mainly thinking she could act as a test subject for Herta's Simulated Universe.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.