Chapter 280: Punklorde Mentality 『 Part Six 』
「 "What? Why won't you believe me? I told you, it's the right side, the right!"
Under Silver Wolf's repeated insistence, the path on the left was simply blocked off entirely. With no other option, Stelle had to follow Silver Wolf down the passage on the right to its end.
Along the way, Stelle noticed that Screwllum seemed quite familiar with Silver Wolf—not merely with her hacking techniques, but even with her personality and temperament.
"You seem to know her well?"
"We have met but once," Screwllum nodded. "Stellaron Hunter, Silver Wolf. We've fought against one another before. Herta was there as well—perhaps she has mentioned this to you."
Stelle vaguely recalled that Screwllum had won that encounter, but he denied it. "In my view, that hardly counted as a victory. It was more like a test than a duel. She would attack, and I would defend — neither of us gave it our all. She failed to breach the defenses of the Planet Screwllum, and I wasn't able to stop her from leaving." 」
「 ..... 」
〜Hunter x Hunter World〜
The setting sun dyed the sky a deep tangerine, and the breeze rustled through the grass with a whisper. Gon sat cross-legged under a tree, hands clasped behind his head, gazing up at the holographic projection of the girl in the sky.
"Say…Killua,"
He began suddenly, his voice carrying a rare note of contemplation.
"That girl called Silver Wolf, she looks about our age, doesn't she?"
Killua was toying with a coin, his silver hair swaying gently in the wind. At the question, his fingers paused, and with a ding, the coin was flicked into the air.
"Hmm… she looks maybe three or four years older than us? You can't judge humans from the universe just by their appearance."
He caught the falling coin nonchalantly.
"Why? Envious that she can hack into the Simulated Universe?"
Gon shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the distance.
"A little envious… That Mr. Screwllum is a genius recognized by the Star Gods. To be able to compete with him in technology and not lose ground… she must have put in a lot of effort behind the scenes, right?"
Killua turned his head, looking at Gon's profile gilded by the sunset. Whenever this guy, who was usually so straightforward, showed this kind of serious expression, it always reminded Killua of a crystal-clear lake.
"Hey…"
Killua smiled helplessly.
"You say that as if you're terrible or don't work hard yourself. You didn't exactly spare any effort trying to save Kite, did you?"
"Besides, compared to Silver Wolf, I think you have something even more special than she does,"
Killua said earnestly.
Gon turned his head in surprise, meeting Killua's smiling blue eyes.
"What special thing?"
"It's just…"
Killua looked toward the distant forest, then suddenly changed the subject, asking a completely unrelated question.
"Gon, do you remember the people we met during the Hunter Exam?"
"Of course I remember!"
Gon grinned brightly, counting on his fingers.
"Leorio, Kurapika, Hisoka… and so many others."
The corners of Killua's mouth lifted unconsciously.
That's it… he thought.
Everyone can't help but be drawn to you. Even a freak like Hisoka is no exception. The most incredible thing is that even someone like me, who walked out of the darkness, is attracted by a light like yours.
Maybe… you've never realized just how dazzling you are.
—
「 Speaking of which, Silver Wolf had already arrived at the next room.
"Finally, almost there. Ha, there's even a miniature Herta over here." Silver Wolf leaned in to scrutinize the Herta puppet. "Is this person a narcissist or what? The whole space station is just her face—portraits, sculptures, and a whole pile of projections. I was planning on adding a mustache for her, but the spray didn't work — the entire space station feels like it's made of paper, but her portrait is near indestructible."
The Aether Cartridge was in the very next room, yet Stelle felt a strange sensation.
Screwllum spoke: "Indeed, this sense of dissonance has persisted throughout. While she certainly came for the Stellaron, she also showed a keen interest in the Curios. And just as we became aware of the Aether Cartridge's existence, she appeared in the Simulated Universe at exactly the right moment."
"I must admit, this feels less like a chase and more like a chance encounter."
"I recall a story about Punklorde. It is said that graffiti is a special kind of symbol there. Hackers see reality as a magnificent game and attempt to finish the stage we know as 'life.'"
"Whether for victory or for joy, they leave their mark on the places they traverse. One pattern after another, linking together a long journey, compiling the game of life." Screwllum smiled softly. "Does this not resemble the current situation? Perhaps she has gone to such great lengths simply to play a child's game with us."
Following Silver Wolf into the final room, Stelle looked at the Aether Cartridge sitting there, perfectly intact in front of Silver Wolf, and felt that something was amiss.
Screwllum also read the confusion on Stelle's face, indicating that there was an untimely third party present.
"If the Silver Wolf we see is a recording of the past, she could not possibly have reached this point; otherwise, the cartridge would not be safe and sound. Thus, the hypothesis contradicts the facts."
Therefore, he concluded that while Silver Wolf had indeed hacked into Herta's office, she did not stay. Facing the vast ocean of data within the Simulated Universe, to find a specific target in such a short time would be impossible, unless…
"Unless there was a suitable guide." Silver Wolf suddenly turned around, speaking in a leisurely tone. 」
「 ..... 」
〜Honkai: Impact 3rd World〜
"Leonard, Stelle, Screwllum, Herta… sure enough."
Bronya cleared her throat and began to mimic Blade's intensely magnetic vocal fry:
"Of five people, three are actors. Stelle… you are not one of them."
"Pfft—Hahahaha!"
Kiana couldn't hold it back and collapsed onto her desk laughing, her twin tails swaying wildly.
"B-Bronya… your impression is way too accurate!"
"I didn't expect Silver Wolf to act so naturally. It seems that besides her hacking methods, she has a bit of talent in other fields too,"
Himeko smiled faintly.
"Of course. Don't you see whose variant she is?"
Bronya lifted her chin triumphantly.
"Hey! Isn't your variant the Supreme Guardian in Belobog? The one who just got dunned by the IPC to pay back money not long ago!"
Kiana voiced her dissatisfied complaint.
"How come you get to have two variants, while I don't even have one! Mei doesn't either! That's not fair!"
"But that is simply the fact of the matter."
Bronya smiled slyly.
"Compared to that Supreme Guardian, Silver Wolf's personality is clearly more to my taste. Whether it's the moniker 'Silver Wolf' or the identity of a hacker… this Miss Silver Wolf is obviously much more like me."
—