[You have gained the appreciation of Logistics Officer Bronya and have become her personal guard.]
[Bronya Rand's Affection for you is—40]
...Is her judgment really that sharp? She could tell this old slacker had hidden potential just from watching me guard a door?
Ron was a bit shocked. He never thought a mere security guard like himself would catch Bronya's eye.
And who would have thought? The princess who always seemed so serious was actually cold on the outside but warm on the inside...
But why is her affection for me so high? 40 points right from the start. If I just casually grind it a bit more, I could probably trick her into bed a hundred times over...
Damn it, just for Bronya's trust in me, I have to carry this game!
Cocolia, just you wait! I'm going to put you in your place!
Brimming with enthusiasm, Ron spent the next few days living the life of a security guard who only worked so he could clock out.
After slacking off at his job for several days, he used all the time he'd squeezed out to grind the Life Simulation Game relentlessly.
In these few days, he simulated a full two years in the game. During those two years, he won over the guards and built up his strength. Excluding the guards on the front lines whom he couldn't reach, all the guards in the logistics district were now completely loyal to him.
To increase the chances of his coup succeeding, Ron also spent those two years frantically interacting with Bronya, wracking his brain to raise her affection level. After barely getting it to 70, he finally triggered a special event:
[Bronya has noticed your intentions and seeks you out for a talk late at night.]
An image appeared on the screen:
The wind and snow swirled over the outer walls of Belobog, dusting the fortress's caltrops and cheval de frise with white frost.
A bullet was chambered. The young woman aimed her gun at the back of the guard's head, her voice slightly agitated as she pressed him for an answer.
"I trusted you so much... Why would you be the one making all these little moves in the logistics district?"
"Winning over those guards, stealing the key to the armory... what is it all for?"
[Please choose—]
[1. Use clever words to hide your goal and deceive Bronya.]
[2. Appeal to her with emotion and reason, telling her your true plans.]
[3. Confess your crimes on the spot and beg Bronya to spare your life.]
What do you think I raised your affection so high for?
Ron confidently chose option two.
In the cutscene, the neatly dressed guard removed his helmet, revealing Ron's face.
This version of Ron was a bit thinner than his real self, but his eyes burned like fire, and he exuded a hardened, iron-blooded aura that warned others to keep their distance.
He paid no mind to the loaded gun in Bronya's hand, showing not a hint of fear of death.
He simply looked at her with determination, a trace of hope in his voice.
"Cocolia's rule is inept and corrupt. Belobog is in dire straits. The people need a hero."
"If we want to ensure the Preservation of Belobog, a coup is the best option..."
"Bronya, you are more suited to be the Supreme Guardian than she is."
The Bronya in the image fell silent for a moment. The rifle in her hands was clearly trembling, and the finger on the trigger turned white, as if she was about to pull it—
—but in the end, she lowered the gun.
"Within one month... if there is no news of victory from the front, and if Mother does not choose to fall back, I will agree to your plan."
She took the armory key that Ron had hidden and walked away into the snow.
Seeing this, Ron felt that he was a genius.
Raising Bronya's affection was definitely the right call. Based on his faint memories of the Honkai: Star Rail plot, Bronya was fiercely loyal to Cocolia and incredibly stubborn.
She only realized her mother's mistakes after witnessing the miserable state of the miners in the Underworld. Before that, she had nothing but trust for Cocolia.
If it weren't for Ron's persistent efforts over the past two years to raise her affection high enough, Bronya would not have shown any mercy just now. She would have pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"I've already waited two years, what's a mere month?"
Ron was smug. "After one month, when Bronya gives the order, I'll lead three hundred axemen into Qlipoth Fort and seize that damn seat from Cocolia..."
But the next development in the simulator hit Ron like a ton of bricks.
[October. The front-line forces are completely routed.]
[Captain Gepard returns, grievously wounded, leading the remnants of the army. The main force is scattered like snowflakes, the cold glint of their iron armor no longer covering the defensive line.]
[A tide of Fragmentum creatures pours forth. Bronya temporarily takes over Gepard's duties to command the guards, but the defensive line she forms collapses instantly. The creatures are about to flood into the Belobog Administrative District.]
[As Bronya's personal guard, you are tasked with a critical mission: you have been given command of the front-line army.]
[Please choose—]
[1. Gather the remnants of the army, issue an emergency conscription order for civilians, use up the armory's entire stock, and launch a counterattack against the Fragmentum.]
[2. Lead the army in a retreat. Abandon all attempts to stop the Fragmentum creatures and fall back to defend Qlipoth Fort.]
[3. Gather the remnants of the army for a last stand. Destroy the access bridges and defend the peripheral passages.]
"Damn it, what is this? Does it have to be this coincidental?"
Ron felt a bit helpless. He was just about to overthrow Cocolia with Bronya and throw that stupid woman in jail. Everything was looking good.
But he never expected that the front-line forces, which had held out for two years without issue, would be utterly crushed in just one short month. Captain Gepard was on the brink of death, and Fragmentum creatures were pouring out like a tidal wave...
The heart of the logistics district had suddenly become the front line, completely bogging down both him and Bronya.
"But I've spent the last two years just socializing with people, all my points went into interpersonal skills. I don't know the first thing about leading an army..."
Ron's teeth ached as he looked at the text on the screen. He wished he had chosen more training options during those two years in the simulation and run more drills with the guards under his command...
But now he was in command, and he had to step up, prepared or not.
It was just a game, anyway. No big deal if he lost.
However, Ron hesitated for a moment when looking at the options provided by the game.
Option one was something only a maniac bent on embracing destruction, like Cocolia, would choose. It wasn't a real option.
But options two and three each had their merits—
Retreating to defend Qlipoth Fort was without a doubt the most rational choice.
The Fragmentum creatures were hard to stop, and the Silvermane Guards were a broken, routed army. Fleeing to Qlipoth Fort might allow them to organize a strong defensive line, preserving the fort and humanity's last flicker of hope.
The price would be abandoning the entire Administrative District outside of the fort, letting the monsters roam free, and listening to the innocent screams of the citizens.
The other option, gathering the remnants for a last stand, was radical but still had potential. Destroying the bridges would at least slow the creatures' advance. Before the Fragmentum could completely warp the space, it would be enough time to build a simple but solid defensive line.
If they could hold the monsters back, they could preserve all of Belobog. It wouldn't be too late, and they'd have a chance to regroup.
But it was a gamble, a massive one with Belobog's future on the line. If they failed to stop the Fragmentum and the Silvermane Guards were completely wiped out, the result would be the total fall of Belobog, not even Qlipoth Fort would be left.
The last spark of civilization on Jarilo-VI would be extinguished, and this snow-white planet would fully embrace [Destruction].
Ron gritted his teeth. "Back in the day, Chen Daozai turned twenty bucks into thirty-seven million. It shouldn't be a problem for me, Ron, to save Belobog with a bunch of broken troops!"
"Besides, if we retreat to Qlipoth Fort, we might be too close to Cocolia and she could seize power back. It's better to roll the dice..."
He tapped his finger on the screen, selecting option three. "Let's do it!"