Honkai: Star Rail: I Can Fix This Gender-Bent World — Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Serval

Seele stood before Bronya, her brow creased, a skeptical frown tugging at her lips.

“Do you even know how to get up there?”

Bronya’s footsteps faltered.

Seele had a point. The passages connecting the Overworld and the Underworld were few, far between, and under the strictest control. Just as the weight of that reality began to settle, Natasha’s calm voice cut through the tension. She pointed a thumb toward an inconspicuous corner behind the makeshift defense line.

“If you just need to get up, there might be a way.”

Her gaze shifted, landing on a flashy figure who was actively trying to shrink into the shadows and reduce his presence to zero.

“Sampo, stop hiding. Come out.”

Having been called out, Sampo shuffled out from behind a pile of scrap parts, a sheepish grin plastered across his face. He patted at his coat, brushing away dust that wasn’t there.

“Ah, Doctor Natasha, your eyes are as sharp as ever… I just saw everyone was busy and didn’t want to get in the way…”

“Cut the nonsense,” Natasha interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Bring out those special smuggling routes of yours. Now is not the time for secrecy.”

Sampo’s eyes darted around the group, his gaze sweeping over the visibly anxious Bronya. Finally, he spread his hands wide, flashing a smile that screamed, ‘There’s really nothing I can do with you people.’

“A way, you say… Well, there are indeed one or two old maintenance wells and emergency passages,” he conceded. “Usually, I keep them under wraps to make a living, but in this situation… sigh. Consider it Sampo doing a good deed for the day to earn some good karma.”

He patted his chest with an air of deep righteousness.

“But let me give you a fair warning: those paths are not easy to travel. They’re narrow, steep, and dark.” He paused for dramatic effect. “And they only lead to the more remote corners of the Overworld. Whether or not you can reach the core districts safely from there… well, that will depend entirely on your own abilities.”

“As long as we can get up there, a remote corner is fine!” Bronya declared immediately. “We are much obliged!”

Then, Bronya turned to Chen, and a conflict warred in his eyes—a fierce protectiveness clashing with the grim reality of their situation. He clearly didn’t want to let this girl, who might be his relative and appeared so fragile, walk into such danger.

‘This development is getting more and more off-track!’Chen thought, a thrill of excitement running through him.’I have to go up there and see what’s happening! Maybe I can find more clues about this whole mechanical rebellion.’And so, he raised his small face, meeting Bronya’s worried gaze. He summoned every ounce of his acting talent, mentally calibrating the perfect expression: three parts trembling fear, three parts steely determination, and a full four parts of’I-can’t-bear-to-be-parted-from-you’ loyalty.

“I… I want to go with you,” he whispered, his voice catching just so.

“Lord Bronya.”

“Teacher Dan Heng, March, Caelus… if you all go and I’m left here all alone… I’ll be scared, too.” He looked down at his feet, then back up, his eyes shining with manufactured sincerity. “Besides, with an extra person, maybe… maybe I can help a little more?”

Seeing her like this, the refusal on Bronya’s lips was swallowed back down. He thought of the words “Furina” had shared with him the previous night, and his own reflections on the nature of bonds… Finally, he let out a soft sigh and nodded, his tone softening, though it remained serious.

“Fine. But you must stay close to us. Absolutely no acting on your own.”

“Mhm!” Chen nodded vigorously, a wave of relief washing over him internally. Mission accomplished.

Thus, led by the ever-dramatic Sampo, the group bid a quick farewell to Natasha and Seele. They slipped into an extremely well-hidden and narrow vertical shaft, concealed behind a mountain of junk in the scrap yard.

After what felt like an eternity of climbing through the cramped, echoing darkness, they finally emerged from the ventilation grate of an old, abandoned warehouse on the edge of the Overworld.

Breathing in the cold but comparatively clean air, a collective sigh of relief passed through the group. The scene before them, however, was somewhat unexpected.

The anticipated chaos—smoke-filled skies, rampaging machines, and the thunderous cries of battle—was nowhere to be found. The old warehouse district they had emerged into was desolate and dilapidated, but the buildings were largely intact and the streets were completely empty. Only faint, sporadic explosions and the distant hum of conflict could be heard, suggesting the fighting was concentrated in areas much further away.

“Strange…” March 7th muttered, peeking around a corner. “Didn’t they say the fighting was intense? Why is it so quiet here?”

“Perhaps the front line has been pushed toward the more central districts,” Dan Heng suggested, his eyes cautiously scanning their surroundings.

Sampo rubbed his hands together, a self-satisfied smile on his face. “Well, everyone, I’ve brought you here. Mission accomplished!” he chirped. “The Overworld is a place of great trouble right now. As a lowly traveling merchant, I won’t be joining you in the thick of it! I wish you all good fortune in the battles to come!”

Without waiting for a response, his figure blurred, and he vanished into a nearby alley before anyone could say another word.

The group didn’t have time to worry about him. Bronya took a moment to get his bearings, then pointed in a determined direction. “To the temporary command post near the Everwinter Monument,” he said, his voice low and firm. “Gepard should be there.”

They moved quickly, sticking to the eerily quiet streets as they made their way closer to the city’s core. Soon, the first traces of war began to appear: the twisted wreckage of damaged Automated Sentries, patches of ground scorched black by energy weapons, collapsed roadblocks, and the scarred facades of several buildings.

But still, they saw no sign of the rogue automatons themselves. Only Silvermane Guards, their faces etched with tension, could be seen nervously patrolling the streets or hastily repairing fortifications.

Soon, they arrived at a temporary command camp set up near the Everwinter Monument. The atmosphere was tense and busy, with Silvermane Guard soldiers rushing back and forth on urgent errands.

Outside the simple command tent at the center of the camp, Bronya spotted two familiar figures at a glance.

One was his adjutant, Gepard. Her high, golden ponytail was slightly disheveled, and her normally careful Silvermane Guard uniform was stained with dust and what looked like oil. But she stood ramrod straight, crisply issuing orders to a group of squad leaders.

Standing beside Gepard, frowning at a damaged map spread across a crate… was someone who made Chen’s eyes widen in disbelief.

It was a man.

He looked slightly older than Gepard and stood tall, his clothes completely out of place amongst the prim military uniforms. His style was… unruly. A dark leather jacket adorned with rivets on the shoulder pads and belt was worn over a simple shirt. Tight trousers were tucked into a pair of thick-soled boots. Long, golden hair, the same shade as Gepard’s, was tied back in a loose ponytail, with a few rebellious strands falling across his forehead.

His face was handsome, but it carried a certain casual, artistic air. Right now, however, his brow was locked in a deep frown as his finger stabbed forcefully at a spot on the map, arguing a point with Gepard.

It was Serval.

In this gender-swapped universe, he had become Gepard’s older brother. A young man who looked like he was brimming with stories to tell, radiating a distinct rock-and-roll vibe.