Inside the current West Asia Branch base, five individuals occupied a very special place on Ling Ke's "most wanted" list.
Three of them were the white-coated scientists who had used him as a human guinea pig.
In truth, far more lab assistants had been involved in the experiments on him.
But he didn't yet know their names.
These three, however, were constantly addressed by the assistants as:
Dr. Antonio. Dr. Eggerth. Dr. Moniz.
Among them, Dr. Antonio was a cold, unsmiling man obsessed solely with data.
He never cared how much agony his subjects endured on the operating table... or whether they could even survive the procedure.
Honestly, if Ling Ke hadn't been deemed "too valuable," he would have died on that man's table countless times over.
Many times, he had only survived the brink of death because his colleague, Dr. Eggerth, intervened and pulled him back.
Yet Ling Ke felt no gratitude for this so-called "life-saving grace."
Because...
"Your suffering today is for the sake of all humanity defeating the Honkai."
"Endure it. You should feel honored!"
Those were the famous words of Dr. Eggerth himself.
An ambitious glory-hound through and through.
Ling Ke had overheard him muttering more than once about how someone as brilliant as him should have been stationed at Schicksal HQ long ago.
He also loved badmouthing famous high-ranking Valkyries.
For instance, the world's most celebrated Valkyrie, Bianka Durandal Ataegina—in his eyes, nothing more than a "naïve little girl coasting on bloodline privilege."
Ling Ke had heard it all.
Frankly, some of the criticism wasn't entirely wrong.
But that didn't stop Ling Ke from despising the petty little man.
As for the last one, Dr. Moniz...
She was a middle-aged woman.
Rumor had it she had a beautiful family.
Her husband ran an ordinary business, but the two of them were deeply in love.
And to give her children a better life, she... had been relentlessly corrupt.
Over the years, the scientists at West Asia Branch had discovered that anti-Honkai serums derived from Ling Ke's blood were vastly superior to those produced at other branches.
So Dr. Moniz secretly exploited that advantage, building connections by siphoning off portions of the high-grade serum and selling them on the black market to powerful figures in politics, business, and the military.
Of course, being such a loving family woman, she kept plenty of stock for herself and her kids.
Ling Ke only learned these dirty secrets because, on several occasions after experiments, his body's freakish ability to rapidly adapt to toxins and drugs allowed him to wake from induced comas earlier than expected.
One could say the sheer extent to which he had been consumed as "meat resource" was prolonged significantly because of this woman.
He already had very special "hospitality" planned for all three of them.
And aside from those white coats, two more names were on the list...
First—the Branch Director of West Asia Branch himself.
A Zafkiel from the Jacoban nation.
Second...
Currently stationed inside the West Asia Branch base were two active Valkyrie squads.
Their codenames: "Snow Lotus" and "Crimson Wing."
Both squads were led by A-rank Valkyries, with B-rank Valkyries as members.
All of them had been selected from Jacob and the Astraean nations.
The captain of the Snow Lotus Squad was named: Edwy Iwenn.
Just looking at her appearance, she was top-tier stunning.
Golden hair, emerald eyes, porcelain skin—an absolute embodiment of "angelic face, devilish figure."
Unfortunately...
Several years ago, it was precisely this woman—along with the West Asia Branch Director—who, upon discovering Ling Ke's unique properties, immediately intercepted and kept him for themselves.
Ling Ke later learned that the pair had used similar methods to swindle, trick, and abduct countless other test subjects.
While locked in the underground prison, he watched day after day as someone was dragged into the neighboring cell, taken away for "procedures," and never returned.
Every few days, the "neighbor" changed.
And the cycle repeated.
Once, that woman named Edwy Iwenn—perhaps on a whim—actually visited the underground prison level and met Ling Ke face-to-face.
The very first words out of her mouth... he still remembered them crystal clear.
"You're still alive? You're like a cockroach."
"Heh!"
Inside the Theater of Domination, Ling Ke's true body let out a cold laugh.
By now, he fully understood just how many utterly terrifying, disgustingly dark facets existed within this Honkai Impact 3rd world.
And all of it was from firsthand experience.
So...
"Since we're hosting 'guests,' a lavish banquet is only proper."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Prepare some cockroaches."
"Shouldn't be hard to catch!"
The moment those words left his lips...
Bzzz!
Outside the cell that once held him, a portal rippled open.
One after another, "Domination Puppet · Anby" stepped through.
The three-digit numbers on their backs were all different.
As soon as they emerged, they split off in separate directions.
At the same time...
Along every route the original "Domination Puppet · Anby" had taken, new portals sporadically opened.
Even more "Domination Puppet · Anbys" poured out.
Floor by floor, their figures flooded the facility.
Clearly, Ling Ke had no intention of conserving strength.
The infinite respawn of the "Respawn Room" gave him all the confidence he needed.
999 "Anbys"—even at base level—each possessed combat power comparable to a B-rank Valkyrie.
They were more than enough to sweep the entire West Asia Branch.
"Remember: those five can't be killed yet. Leave them for me. I want to take my time~"
"As for everyone else?"
"From the underground prison level upward—wipe them all out."
"What about the ones still locked up?"
"No rudeness. They're guests at the banquet too."
"Understood!" ×999
In the quantum-entangled communication unique to the Thousand-Man Herrscher, the conversation between Ling Ke's core self and every "instance" ended in an instant.
Then came the blood mist.
All 999 "Domination Puppet · Anbys" moved as one.
Charge, draw blade... SLASH!
Whether it was armed security personnel on high alert, or unarmed administrative staff hugging their heads and begging for mercy on their knees—
Ling Ke didn't bother distinguishing "innocents."
The kindness and conscience he once possessed had long been riddled with holes, shattered beyond repair.
The current him was pure malice.
But rather than mindless slaughter, he preferred "using evil to curb evil."
Thus, to rapidly grow as the newly chosen "World-Exterminating Top Player" and unlock more game character templates...
[Points: 167]
[Points: 225]
[Points: 276]
More than who each "Domination Puppet · Anby" killed—or whether innocents were caught in the crossfire—he only cared about the rising point total.
Finally...
[Points: 280]
"Heh. 280 points for a single pull."
Ling Ke sneered inwardly. "Really does have that classic miHoYo gacha flavor."
"Predatory as hell!"