Honkai Star Rail: Summoning the Chrysos Heirs — Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Choice

“Full marks.”

The tip of Lei Ye’s red pen pressed heavily against the bottom of the test paper, the faint scratch of metal on parchment echoing in the dead silence of the training ground.

He lifted his gaze. His eyes traced the dense, immaculate handwriting one last time before locking onto Cyrene’s face.

Every answer was terrifyingly precise. Details that the Testing Team had only verified by pulling security footage and analyzing it frame by frame were laid out on the page. The girl had reproduced the scene with the flawless accuracy of a photograph. Even the obscure serial number printed on a document held by a background police officer matched perfectly.

“Ho ho ho—”

A burst of irrepressible, theatrical laughter shattered the quiet.

Lin Xiaoya spun around, the back of her right hand pressed dramatically against her mouth while her shoulders shook.

“As expected of the companion chosen by my Demon Eye! In that chaotic river of Remembrance, thou couldst actually capture the fragments of fate with such absolute precision.” She suddenly splayed her fingers, revealing her uncovered eye, and stretched her lips into an exaggerated, lopsided smirk straight out of a comic book villain’s repertoire. “I knew that as an ally of this Apostle of Condemnation, thou wouldst never disappoint me!”

An Ning, standing nearby, didn’t even spare a glance for her teammate’s daily bout of delusions. She leaned over Lei Ye’s arm, her eyes darting across the ink-filled pages. Her pupils dilated.

“Full marks? For real?!” She snapped her head up to stare at Cyrene, her voice cracking with sheer disbelief. “Those questions were so twisted I couldn’t even remember the phrasing a minute later. Cyrene, you actually nailed every single one?”

“The evidence is right here. Look for yourself.” Lei Ye offered no further explanation, casually tossing the graded paper onto the metal table.

He stepped around the desk. The heavy thud of his military boots against the steel floor measured the distance between them. He stopped exactly two paces away, looking down at the pink-haired girl who barely reached his chest.

“Congratulations. Regarding the test of Remembrance, you’ve passed.” His voice remained a cold, hard baseline, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. “Now, there are two paths before you.”

Cyrene tilted her head up. Her hands rested obediently in front of her, and a perfectly measured hint of curiosity surfaced in her diamond-shaped eyes. “Two paths? Does that mean… I get to choose?”

“Correct.” Lei Ye raised a single finger. “First, join the Special Bureau and officially become a member of the Xinhai City Anomaly Handling Squad. This grants you the legal right to carry a firearm within city limits, high-level law enforcement authority second only to a Police Superintendent, and a complete benefits package including a premium salary and full medical coverage.”

He let the weight of those privileges settle before raising a second finger.

“Second, sign an S-rank Non-Disclosure Agreement and walk away. You go home right now and resume your ordinary life. School, shopping, whatever you wish. As long as you never leak a word of what you’ve seen and never use your Ability in public, the Special Bureau will leave you alone. No one will bother you.”

Cyrene didn’t answer immediately. She lowered her gaze to the toes of her shoes, playing the part of a conflicted teenager weighing her options.

A moment later, she looked back up, her azure eyes entirely clear.

“Captain Lei, the way you describe it… the first option is all benefits, and the second is all freedom.” She tilted her head, her tone soft and inquisitive. “But nothing in this world comes with all profit and zero risk, right? What’s the actual cost behind these choices?”

A flicker of genuine respect crossed Lei Ye’s stoic features. To look past the allure of authority and wealth, instantly grasping the hidden catch—it was a mindset far more mature than most adults possessed.

“You’re very sharp.” He nodded, his posture stiffening. “The cost of the first option is direct. Danger. Joining us means stepping into the line of fire against twisted monsters. Just like An Ning facing that Revenant, even if your Ability leans entirely toward reconnaissance and support, you must walk onto the field prepared to die. We are the defensive line. We keep the nightmare away from civilian eyes.”

His voice dropped an octave, heavy with duty. “As for the second option… the choice itself has no penalty. The danger lies entirely in your identity as an Ability User.”

He turned to face the massive one-way mirror lining the wall. “An Ning should have warned you. To an Abomination, an Ability User is a blazing torch in the dead of night.”

Cyrene gave an obedient nod. “Mm. Sister An Ning told me on WeChat. She said we attract them.”

“That is the fatal flaw in walking away.” Lei Ye looked back at her. “Ability Users constantly emit a specific temptation. If you join the squad, you move into the Bureau’s Exclusive Apartments with the rest of us. If anything breaches the perimeter, An Ning, Lin Xiaoya, myself, and every other operative in Xinhai City can be at your door in ten seconds.”

He took a slow breath. “But if you refuse… when you are home alone, or walking back from class, and an Abomination locks onto your scent, we cannot cross the city instantly. In that critical window, the only person keeping you alive is you.”

He held her gaze. “Although the probability of a random encounter is usually quite…”

The word ‘low’ died in his throat.

Lei Ye froze. Yesterday’s incident report suddenly flashed across his mind. In a single twenty-four-hour period, this seemingly harmless girl had been hunted by an Abomination twice—once at noon, once at night—and nearly died both times.

That kind of catastrophic luck defied all statistical logic.

He closed his mouth, swallowing the reassurance before it could leave his lips. A thick, awkward silence settled over the room.

“That is the reality of the situation.” Lei Ye cleared his throat, forcing the briefing back on track. “The pros and cons are on the table. Make your decision.”

He crossed his arms, waiting.

Cyrene stood perfectly still, her slender fingers nervously twisting the hem of her shirt. She glanced at An Ning, who was practically vibrating with anticipation, then at Lin Xiaoya, who was still holding her dramatic pose.

Finally, she took a deep breath.

The girl lifted her chin, her eyes entirely solemn. “I choose the second option…”

The atmospheric pressure in the training ground plummeted.

An Ning’s encouraging smile shattered. Lin Xiaoya’s hand, still covering her eye, gave a visible tremor. Lei Ye’s brow furrowed, a deep flash of disappointment darkening his gaze as he silently reached into his pocket for the NDA recording pen.

“However.”

Just as his fingers brushed the metal casing, Cyrene’s crisp voice cut through the tension, her tone suddenly bright and melodic.

“—is impossible!”

Lei Ye’s hand jerked to a halt. He stared at her.

The deeply conflicted, serious girl from a second ago had vanished. Instead, she leaned forward, her hands clasped behind her back, flashing him a brilliant, cunning smile. Her eyes curved into two beautiful, teasing crescents. There wasn’t a shred of hesitation in her posture.

“After all, I finally awakened such a rare and wonderful ability.” Cyrene lifted a finger, tracing an invisible arc in the air as if painting the sky. “If I have to hide it away and never speak of it, wouldn’t that be far too lonely? It would be like locking a bird that longs for the clouds into a dark, sunless cage.”

She spun around, crossing her arms with an airy, confident grace. “Besides, having to check under my bed every night for monsters… just thinking about living like that gives me the shivers.”

She turned back to Lei Ye, her azure eyes practically glowing.

“So I’ve decided. I choose the first option! I’m joining the Special Bureau to become a member of the Anomaly Handling Squad!”

She spread her hands, tilting her head as a dazzling smile bloomed across her face. “I get to see the hidden side of the world, be protected by all you amazing people, and even collect a salary on top of it. With a deal that sweet, only an absolute idiot would say no, right?”