Honkai Star Rail Simulation: I'm Surrounded By Characters

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With Su Qing holding an invitation, the originally challenging task of entering the auction venue became surprisingly simple for Kafka and her group.

Most attendees of the auction were either wealthy or influential, bringing attendants with them was quite common.

Each invitation allowed entry for up to five individuals. Naturally, necessary security checks and identity verification were still required.

At the entrance, Su Qing courteously asked the guard, "Is there a problem?"

The guard's forehead glistened with sweat. "No, just a momentary system glitch. Please wait a bit..."

The screen briefly stuttered.

Then, it displayed that Su Qing, along with Kafka and Silver Wolf dressed modestly in suits beside him, were all identified as security personnel, posing no risks whatsoever.

[Stelle: Security Personnel]

[Seele: Posing No Risks]

The guard finally sighed in relief. "All set, my apologies for the delay. Please proceed inside."

Walking beside Su Qing, Silver Wolf chuckled softly, "Piece of cake."

With their cooperation, they effortlessly cleared security.

The auction house had arranged exceptionally spacious accommodations for each guest.

Although these were individual rooms, it still meant sharing the same roofspace to some extent.

Observing Kafka's relaxed demeanor, showing no discomfort with staying together, Silver Wolf felt even more convinced that she must be Su Qing's ex-girlfriend.

Seizing an opportunity, Silver Wolf approached Kafka and whispered, "Hey, you two... haven't already...?"

Initially puzzled, Kafka then noticed Silver Wolf's slightly flushed face and understood her implication.

However, Kafka simply smiled without saying a word, leaving behind a mature, enticing, and enigmatic grin.

Silver Wolf watched her retreating figure, frozen on the spot.

If Kafka had been straightforward, it wouldn't have mattered much.

However, her composed demeanor and concealment instead sparked Silver Wolf's imagination.

Standing still, Silver Wolf allowed her thoughts to wander, feeling her cheeks flush slightly.

Shaking her head vigorously, her silver ponytail swayed, finally banishing those peculiar thoughts from her mind.

[Kafka (smiling): Little Silver Wolf seems quite preoccupied for someone so young.]

[Stelle: Naughty little Silver Wolf!]

[Firefly: Naughty indeed!]

[Silver Wolf: As if you all need to know.]

[Himeko: @Kafka, there's someone here pretending to be knowledgeable despite having no real experience—how amusing.]

[Kafka: ...]

[Kafka: Who asked you?]

[Qingque: Ha ha ha, swift boomerang return!]

For this mission, Kafka was entrusted with decision-making authority.

She quickly outlined their plan: "Silver Wolf, go to the Monitoring Room and gain access to the surveillance footage of the event."

"I'll stroll around the main hall to observe any notable individuals."

Silver Wolf asked, "And what about Su Qing? Should he come with me?"

"Su Qing..." Kafka pondered for a moment, "Just take it easy and rest."

[Silver Wolf: ???]

[Stelle: Silver Wolf still using question marks?!]

[Qingque: Ah, this is the caring Kafka versus Silver Wolf's lack of tact!]

Su Qing appreciated Kafka's concern but reminded her that he wasn't here merely to enjoy the auction or go on vacation.

After some thought, he suggested, "I'll approach the auction officials and see if I can gather more information."

Kafka responded with a gentle and agreeable tone, "Alright, that works too. Stay safe."

Witnessing this exchange, Silver Wolf wore an expression of disdain.

Ex-girlfriend...

Hmph, ex-girlfriend indeed!

Is this how you deceive Su Qing with your fake, sweet facade?

I'll make sure to expose your true nature later!

[Seele: Fun times, little Silver Wolf truly adds some humor.]

[Firefly: Silver Wolf has become quite the comic relief character!]

[Silver Wolf: You're the one who's a joke!]

[March 7th: Speaking of which, Kafka really can't seem to refuse Su Qing. It feels like she'd comply with whatever he says.]

In the hotel lobby, Kafka observed for any notable individuals.

Pinned to her chest was a small brooch designed by Silver Wolf, capable of scanning faces in real-time and searching online databases instantly. If someone before her was well-known, she would swiftly receive their information.

The attendees over there belong to the Intelligentsia Guild; everything seems normal, no need for extra attention...

These are company personnel, keep slightly vigilant...

Annihilation Gang members? How did these guys sneak in?

After passing two individuals closely,

Kafka reviewed the obtained data: Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express.

Now that's an important figure.

Additionally, Kafka noticed Himeko glancing back at her. It seemed Himeko had keen senses, warranting even more caution.

Appearing casual yet methodical, Kafka strolled around systematically.

She managed to gather information on most of the attendees present.

Meanwhile, Silver Wolf had secured floor plans of the venue much earlier, including a 3D model.

This allowed her to quickly locate the Monitoring Room. By causing a minor disturbance, she temporarily diverted the staff away from it.

Inside the Monitoring Room, after performing some operations and gaining access rights,

Chewing gum casually, Silver Wolf left without a trace.

In her leisurely mood, she even blew a bubble and flashed a victory sign towards the camera at the entrance. After all, with Ether Editing, the camera couldn't capture her presence at all.

[March 7th: Kafka and Silver Wolf are amazing! Their efficiency is outstanding!]

[Qingque: Having two Stellaron Hunters as teammates.]

[Qingque: With Su Qing's track record of carrying so many times, he can truly sit back and win this one effortlessly.]

[Black Swan: True, but for Su Qing, the real challenge of this simulation seems not to lie in these tasks...]

Meanwhile, holding his invitation, Su Qing quickly contacted the event organizers as a guest. Upon interacting with them, he received a new faction quest.

[Faction discovered.]

[Faction Three: Heartfelt Observer. Faction Quest: Ensure the smooth conduct of the auction. Guaranteeing uninterrupted operations for five days or more will be considered a perfect completion.]

The auction was scheduled for seven days.

Su Qing had consulted with Silver Wolf beforehand; the vintage game console she desired should be easily attainable at a reasonable price, posing no significant issues.

However, with the Stellaron being auctioned on the final day, chaos is inevitable.

If Su Qing aims to complete all faction quests simultaneously,

it means that at most, only one more day can afford an uncontrollable mishap.

Considering he will receive a golden Talent based on mission completion score, naturally, Su Qing hopes for as high a score as possible.

Thus, he amicably offers his assistance should any disturbances arise after the auction.

The supervising official, pleased by this gesture, readily accepts.

It seems the Heartfelt Observer's authorities also recognize the potential turmoil from various factions mixing during the auction.

***

On the first day of the auction, disguised and concealing his appearance, Su Qing entered the venue.

Kafka and Silver Wolf were also granted ornate, gold-embossed cards similar to invitation passes.

Once appearances were hidden, anyone not belonging to the same selected faction would perceive them as mere shadows. Not only was their face obscured, but even their voice underwent alteration.

The first day saw a relatively sparse crowd; the items up for bid were ordinary, attracting few participants.

Those causing trouble on the inaugural day were predictably not formidable figures...

Su Qing, effortlessly subduing and pinning down an Annihilation Gang member, felt somewhat bored.

While ensuring no disruptions to the auction was his priority, where was the promised high difficulty? Where was the thrilling combat he had anticipated?

He sighed and handed over the captured gang members to the authorities.

Hopefully, the upcoming days would bring at least some amusement.

[Fu Xuan: These individuals don't even seem like key members of the Annihilation Gang, just minor henchmen.]

[Sparkle: Hehe, speaking of which, some from the Annihilation Gang wanted Destruction's attention so badly they claimed they'd assassinate an Aeon. The Fun God even sponsored them.]

[Stelle: That's intense! Which Aeon did they target?]

[Sparkle: ? They chose Nihility.]

[Stelle: Oh boy.]

[March 7th: We're doomed!]

[Acheron: ...]

In the VIP room, Aisha patted her chest, feeling slightly shaken. "Trouble on the very first day, and right next to us."

She turned gratefully towards Himeko. "Himeko, thank goodness for you! Otherwise, I could have been in real danger!"

Smiling, Himeko assured her there was no need to thank her and offered comforting words.

Meanwhile, at that moment, the door to the VIP room opened and someone entered.

The supervisor appeared to be speaking with them, "Thank you for your assistance, swiftly calming down the disturbance. As a gesture of gratitude, if there are any specific auction items you're interested in, please let us know beforehand."

Hearing this, Himeko instinctively turned back...

***

Let's split the narrative here. First, let's check on Kafka after a couple more days of the auction.

With the mission progressing smoothly and the main event—the Stellaron—scheduled for the final day, Kafka found some leisure time to read the novel recommended by Silver Wolf.

Normally, she wouldn't indulge in online fiction, but the demon hunter theme piqued her interest enough to give it a casual browse.

As she continued reading, Kafka noticed something peculiar.

[Stelle: Something's off, why does this feel so familiar?!]

Certain elements within the novel might go unnoticed by others, but Kafka paid extra attention. For instance, the psychic abilities of her teammate, the presence of a kind-hearted psychologist, or the protagonist's approach to battling demons...

The universe is vast, and "demon hunter" isn't exclusive terminology unique to Tianyi-5. However, as she delved deeper, especially through various details, Kafka became increasingly convinced that this novel was recounting the story of Tianyi-5, specifically, the tale of "Su Lie."

Kafka casually purchased the entire novel series and attempted to search for instances containing the keyword "teammate."

She noticed that throughout the latest chapter, this term appeared quite infrequently.

Kafka's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

If this truly is based on Su Qing's story, why am I barely mentioned at all?

And even Katherine has an alias, but from start to finish, I'm just referred to as "teammate"?

[Qingque: Ha ha, getting emotional!]

[Sparkle: Enjoying it.]

[Kafka: It's alright, I don't really mind.?]

Indeed, Kafka wasn't overly concerned about it.

Her primary focus now was whether she should ask Su Qing directly if he wrote this novel.

Kafka exited the reading interface and clicked on the author's profile picture.

She discovered that this author had another book, completely unrelated—a popular science read about interstellar aviation.

Curious, Kafka opened it and found the content intriguing.

Without personal research or experience, one likely couldn't produce such high-quality scientific material.

After browsing through some pages, Kafka intended to exit the book and close her phone. However, as she stepped back to the cover page, a sudden realization struck her like lightning, connecting seemingly unrelated events.

If the demon hunter novel was indeed written by Su Qing...

And this science popularization book was also written by Su Qing...

The fact that he could write this suggests he had experiences I wasn't aware of...

Previously, Silver Wolf inexplicably mistook me for Su Qing's ex-girlfriend...

I thought it was just her wild guess, but considering these clues together...

[March 7th: Oh no, this is bad!!]

[Seele: So you realized it from reading his novel?!]

Kafka stood up.

This time, her expression visibly darkened.

She had a suspicion and urgently needed to confirm it with Silver Wolf right away.

In the hotel lobby lounge area, Silver Wolf leaned back on a sofa, browsing the internet through the electronic light screen while casually enjoying exquisite free fruits with a toothpick.

[Firefly: hhh, Silver Wolf looks so relaxed!]

[Herta: Are you really here just for vacation?]

Noticing Kafka approaching with a troubled expression, Silver Wolf cleared her throat, turned off the light screen, and set down the fruit. "Just finished checking the surveillance footage; now taking a brief break."

[Qingque: Enjoying yourself, eh? Silver Wolf: No slacking, I swear!]

Kafka shook her head. "That's not important."

Silver Wolf immediately felt puzzled. "Ah? If the mission isn't important, then what is?"

Kafka swiftly sat down on the nearby single-seater sofa, gripping its armrests.

Getting straight to the point, she asked, "When you were part of Punklorde's team with 'Su Yu,' did you hear about his girlfriend... heard about me?"

Upon hearing this, Silver Wolf retorted defiantly, "So what if I did?"

Her suspicion was confirmed.

Kafka fell silent, her hands tightly clutching the armrests.

Silver Wolf continued, "What do you want to say then? Did you come here just to brag?"

"My question is," Kafka spoke up again, directly addressing the core issue, "did you personally hear Su Qing talk about it? It wasn't your guess, right?"

"Of course not my guess." Silver Wolf grumbled, "At that time, I was curious, and Su Qing herself told me the story of your romance."

"She only gave me the gist, but I learned about your relationship from start to breakup," Silver Wolf added.

A gloom gradually clouded Kafka's expression. "Oh—really? So, we... I, ultimately broke up with him?"

"You're asking me? I'd rather ask you," Silver Wolf responded, quite discontent. "As soon as you heard about a temporary separation, you immediately wanted to break up. Seems like you were playing with Su Qing's emotions from the beginning, huh? That's outrageous!"

"Ah, I see now."

Kafka gently lifted her chin, her tone reflecting a profound realization amidst extreme anger, yet it softened slightly. "So that's how it was."

Silver Wolf glanced at her, startled. "Why does your expression look so terrifying?!"

[Qingque: 6, Silver Wolf wonders, wasn't I questioning you? How come you're even angrier?]

Kafka didn't respond; she simply stood up.

She murmured softly, "Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable."

"Toying with Su Qing's emotions and then breaking up..."

"How could someone like that exist?"

"I hadn't even had the chance, I hadn't even..."

Leaning against the wall, somewhat unsteady, Kafka repeated these words under her breath as she left the break room.

[March 7th: ?? That's getting really scary!]

[Bronya: What's going on with Kafka?]

[Stelle: Let me put on my combat—no wait, my gravitational detection glasses to check. If the maximum value is 100, let's see what it reads...]

[Stelle: (Beeping sounds) (Red Alert)]

[Stelle: ? What?! Kafka's gravity is shockingly high at six hundred! Such a terrifying number!]

[Qingque: Is she really ramping up her intensity?!]

Kafka's silver wolf barked several times, but she didn't respond.

Watching Kafka walk away, Bronya was dumbfounded.

Silver Wolf suddenly felt perplexed.

What exactly is going on here?

Isn't Kafka just Su Qing's ex-girlfriend? Why would hearing about my situation affect her so strongly?!

[Seele: Seems like Silver Wolf is still completely clueless!]

[Stelle: ? Pathetic, little Silver Wolf!]

[Firefly: I've noticed; the difference between me and Silver Wolf is that I watch the drama from the sidelines, while Silver Wolf gets caught up in it.]

[Herta: Don't be too harsh. At least Silver Wolf can assist their opponent.]

[Firefly: Hahahaha?! True enough!]

[Silver Wolf: You can't judge solely by in-game performance; wait for the final settlement.]

[Bronya: Even if Silver Wolf won't win outright, at least she maintains confidence - that's commendable.]

[Silver Wolf: ...@Bronya, you betted on me, have some more faith, please!]

***

***

Expressionless, or rather, cold as ice, Kafka approached the elevator.

Considering the importance of this matter, she decided to head straight upstairs to confront Su Qing.

Already waiting at the elevator was someone else.

Kafka glanced at the figure with red long hair.

Oh.

It was Himeko from the Astral Express.

Himeko seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits, radiating happiness like blossoming flowers overflowing with joy, though it was unclear what had uplifted her mood.

Unfazed, Kafka's thoughts were solely focused on Su Qing's ex-girlfriend.

As they entered the elevator, Himeko stood near the buttons and asked, "What floor?"

Kafka replied coolly, "Fifth floor, thank you."

Himeko pressed the button for five, smiling, "Ah, we're going to the same floor then."

After that, both fell silent as the elevator doors closed, carrying them upwards together.