Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

The night inevitably descended upon the world, even though Shu was a thousand times unwilling to see the sun go.

Sometimes, he was quite envious of Kuafu [a giant in Chinese mythology who chased the sun]. He had the courage and the ability to chase after the sun. Even if he didn't get anything in the end, at least he had seen the sun's brilliance and left behind a peach forest for later generations to continue moving forward.

Unlike him, who could only point at the sun and shout, "Stop for me!"

It was all useless and just a waste of saliva.

Shu put on an extra coat and went to the balcony where Fu Hua had been practicing her morning exercises. He sat down, facing the outside world.

He remembered that the Honkai beast had appeared from this spot, so this was his main focus for the night.

He didn't plan on sleeping. After all, staying up late wasn't unusual for him, and he wasn't the type to die from just one night without sleep.

That's what Shu thought at 11 o'clock, but he didn't think the same way at 12.

He looked at the clock they had taken from the store, his eyes bloodshot, and for the first time, he felt that time was passing so slowly.

As it turns out, staying up late isn't really my thing; it was the temptation of video games that did it.

If only I had a phone... Shu thought resentfully, but couldn't stop himself from yawning, looking even more listless.

At this rate, he might actually fall asleep...

Maybe I should find a book to read? I wonder if there are any novels in this convenience store... Then again, there are no lights here. If I want to read a novel, I'd have to light a candle. Wouldn't that hurt my eyes?

Shu blinked, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Come to think of it... his vision seemed a little blurry today when he looked at distant objects. He didn't know if it was his imagination or not. He couldn't verify it now anyway. Everything was dark outside, how could he possibly see if things were blurry?

Of course, there was also the possibility that he was just too tired lately, so it was normal that he couldn't see things clearly.

"Hmm… let me think." Shu reached out and rubbed his eyelids, then simply closed his eyes, lifting his hand to press on the acupoints around his eyes. "How did the eye exercises go again?"

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, two, two, three, four…" After recalling it, Shu's fingers began to gradually exert force, pressing and rubbing the acupoints around his eyes.

Shu closed his eyes quietly, reciting the rhythm and the mnemonic in a low voice.

In the silent night, there were no familiar zombie roars, no cicada songs from summer nights, no birds chirping, not even the "whoosh" of the wind. Shu could only hear his own low chanting.

He closed his eyes and calmly switched between the movements, counting the rhythm from the beginning again.

Come to think of it, his movements might not be that accurate, but when he was the most accurate in his childhood, he had never done eye exercises this seriously before.

He had always wanted to open his eyes and outwit those who came to check on him. But now, without anyone checking, he kept his eyes tightly closed.

Perhaps that was the difference between doing something willingly and being forced.

Shu still opened his eyes. During the third set, he suddenly heard an unusual sound, which made him open his eyes immediately, looking around vigilantly.

"Ah?" Fu Hua, who had a small blanket draped over her shoulders, had just put down a small stool. She looked at the alert Shu with a start, and couldn't help but smile apologetically, "Sorry, did I disturb you?"

"It's Fu Hua." Shu let out a sigh of relief after seeing who it was. He stopped what he was doing and looked at Fu Hua, who was now sitting beside him, curiously, "What's up?"

Fu Hua shook her head, pulling the small blanket tighter around her body, "Nothing much, it's just…"

Fu Hua trailed off for a while, then sighed, "Okay, actually, I'm also a bit sleepy, but I don't want to wake Kiana and the others so early… So… did I disturb you?"

Shu quickly shook his head. "No, no, no! It's perfect. I'm just like you! I was planning on talking to you anyway."

Fu Hua let out a sigh of relief and didn't respond. She just stared blankly at the darkness ahead, not sure what she was thinking.

Shu didn't try to pick up the conversation again. Maybe he had tried, but couldn't find the words. It wasn't something he was good at anyway.

For a moment, the scene was completely silent. Shu could only hear a very small voice coming from afar: "Hehe...Mei..."

Kiana is really sleeping soundly. It's better not to disturb her rare dream.

The two of them stayed like that for a while. Shu watched as Fu Hua gradually shrunk into her blanket. Suddenly, he felt that his coat wasn't warm enough, so he also curled up.

"Shu." After a long silence, Fu Hua suddenly spoke softly. Her voice was so low that Shu didn't even hear what she said.

"Huh?"

Fu Hua sighed, her eyes lowered sadly. Her whole body was filled with hesitation and unease.

Shu had never seen Fu Hua like this before... In his previous life, there were two scenes where Fu Hua had shown similar appearances.

One was when Hua in the Previous Era was first exposed to Honkai and hid by a trash can. The other was when she was trying to seal herself and the Herrscher of Sentience together, when Kiana broke the seal.

At other times, Fu Hua had never revealed this kind of lost little girl look, even when injured or facing setbacks.

Her image seemed to always be resolute, hardworking, and in control. Shu never expected that she would show such a vulnerable side to him.

For a moment, Shu was even more nervous than Fu Hua, who had struggled before speaking.

"Shu, do you think... I'm useless? That I'm just a burden?" Fu Hua opened her mouth slightly, and said those words softly.

Shu: "???"

Huh? You're useless? Then what am I?

Fu Hua quietly glanced at Shu's reaction and saw that his face was full of confusion and an expression that seemed to say, I suspect you're flexing on me. The expression didn't seem fake. Fu Hua looked at it a few more times, and the nervousness and depression in her heart immediately decreased a lot.

"How could that be?!" Shu denied loudly, and then quickly lowered his voice, getting closer to Fu Hua. He said urgently, "Who said you're useless?! Let me see what's going on?! Come! Let me see what's going on!!"

Faced with this serious question, Shu was wearing an ugly face and shaking his head, making Fu Hua almost burst out laughing.

"It's not what others say, but what I think of myself," Fu Hua lowered her head, looking at her bandaged foot. Her emotions sank again.

"Look, I've been injured the whole time, and I've even troubled you to carry me. I haven't been able to take care of your meals, and I even need your reminders to…"

"Oh..." Shu nodded, then his head began to ache again.