"Lost contact?"
Michael's first reaction was—How is that possible?
Just this morning, Mei and Kevin had sent a communication reporting that they were safe...
Of course, this disbelief wasn't just emotional; it was also the conclusion of rational analysis.
There were only two groups likely to pose a threat to Mei: first, the local municipal authorities in Rheinland, and second, the Tenth Herrscher.
Regarding the former, Michael didn't think they'd be that reckless. Even if individuals influenced by the Tenth Herrscher were stirring things up and pushing them towards hostile actions, Kalpas and Kevin weren't exactly pushovers. Not to mention the security team dispatched from HQ and the joint guard unit sent by the European Branch.
Comparatively, the latter possibility—the Tenth Herrscher—was more likely. Michael had even voiced similar concerns before Mei insisted on going to Rheinland.
He even wondered if Mei was treating this trip as the scenario originally planned for P-21. But that clearly wasn't right either; just last night, Michael had seen Vill-V running final operational tests on the Second Divine Key.
Furthermore, to prevent the Tenth Herrscher from attacking at the wrong time, Mei and Michael had strategized extensively, ultimately choosing Kalpas as the covert protector for a specific reason.
That's right, the reason Sakura wasn't assigned this mission wasn't entirely to give her a break. It was also because Sakura excelled at stealth and disguise, while it was hard for Kalpas not to show his hand. This was intended to give the Tenth Herrscher the impression that there was no opportunity to strike, thereby deterring their attack plans.
But Michael quickly felt like slapping himself—starting from the Fifth Herrscher, as Herrschers developed increasingly complex emotions, their actions no longer strictly followed purely rational principles. Wasn't it natural for them to make a few foolish mistakes occasionally?
"Understood. Give me the coordinates; I'll head there immediately for support. Have the other MANTISes gather at the Second Divine Key location and await orders."
—This was part of a pre-existing contingency plan.
But before the word "I" even left Michael's mouth, Himeko tugged at his sleeve. He quickly put the brakes on, took half a deep breath to calm himself as fast as possible, and then asked in a level voice:
"Lost contact? What are the specifics?"
He couldn't deny he'd been somewhat restless and impatient lately. This was a bad sign, especially for the Herrscher of Reason.
"It wasn't just Dr. Mei who lost contact. To be precise, Dr. Mei wasn't the first one to lose contact."
Prometheus's first sentence nearly made Michael stumble.
Unfortunately, the mobile terminal only transmitted Prometheus's voice, offering no view of Michael's expression. Otherwise, she might have dedicated some processing power to thinking—What exactly did I say wrong? Why does Michael look like that?
"At 15:22 HQ time, contact between the European Branch and Dr. Mei was severed. More accurately, the communication line remained intact, but the people on the other end wouldn't respond, no matter how many times they were hailed."
"So Mei took Kevin and Kalpas to investigate on her own, and instructed you to notify me immediately if she also lost contact?"
"Correct."
Michael rubbed his chin. An attack on a Fire Moth branch, resolving the battle instantaneously... besides a Herrscher, Michael couldn't imagine any other possibility.
"No abnormal Honkai Energy readings were detected?"
But that was the crux of the problem.
If the Tenth Herrscher caused this, they would have had to deploy a large number of individuals. Although each individual's Honkai Energy signature was weak, collectively, and especially if they used their abilities even slightly, the total Honkai Energy reading should have definitely crossed the 1000 HW red line.
"The instruments detected no Herrscher-level Honkai Energy reaction; otherwise, the alarms would have sounded long ago. I checked the instrument logs; in the ten minutes before the European Branch lost contact, there was an instant where Honkai Energy readings approached 900 HW."
"However, considering Dr. Mei was speaking with branch personnel at that time and no sounds of combat were heard, Dr. Mei and I initially concluded that there was likely a leak in one of the European Branch's Honkai Energy reactors, converting the entire branch personnel into Honkai Zombies silently and instantly."
Michael bit his lip, pondering. At the time, that was certainly the most logical conclusion. To instantly kill nearly a hundred thousand personnel across an entire branch without any alert being raised, Michael could only think of two possibilities.
The first was Mei's earlier hypothesis—excessive Honkai Energy radiation. But while that could explain the situation at the European Branch, it couldn't account for the instantaneous loss of contact with Kevin, Kalpas, and Mei herself.
Perhaps it was the second possibility: the adversary possessed extraordinary psychic abilities, capable of controlling the minds of a hundred thousand ordinary people in an instant.
And currently, only three individuals in the entire world could achieve that—Aponia, Michael, and the Eighth Herrscher sealed by Aponia in The Deep.
Setting the first two aside, the Herrscher of Sentience's physical body had perished after her core was removed. Her consciousness and core were stored separately; the core had even been made into a Divine Key, and her consciousness was suppressed by Aponia. There was no way she could cause trouble.
And the Tenth Herrscher? How could they possibly trap Kevin with only the limited powers of Sentience they commanded?
Something even the genuine Eighth Herrscher couldn't do was even less likely for the Tenth Herrscher relying on partial abilities.
Well... it wasn't entirely impossible. After all, in the original history, Kevin killed the Sixth Herrscher with an assault rifle before becoming a MANTIS, while Immer, possessing only a fraction of the Sixth Herrscher's powers, had been killed dozens of times without truly dying.
But assuming the attacker was the Tenth Herrscher, the problem circled back to the initial contradiction—Why was there no significant Honkai Energy reaction?
Michael leaned lightly against the railing of the viewing platform, staring at his own feet.
What kind of power could, in an instant, if not defeat, at least severely restrain Kevin and Kalpas...
"Wait a minute!"
His sudden sharp intake of breath startled Himeko. He gripped Prometheus's mobile terminal tightly, asking almost through gritted teeth, word by word:
"Prometheus, did you check if there were any other abnormal energy readings at the Western European Branch around that time?"
"?"
Prometheus seemed to glitch for a moment as she began querying databases outside of Fire Moth HQ—Fire Moth, after all, was primarily built to combat Honkai. Honkai Energy, being highly radioactive, was relatively easy to monitor.
Conventional energy was harder to track and generally considered unnecessary to monitor closely.
However, the United Government did have two conventional energy monitoring systems: one on the Mu Continent and one in Greenwich. The former was lost along with the continent into a Bubble Universe, but the latter was close to Western Europe. Prometheus was likely querying the Greenwich records now.
While searching, she reminded Michael: "I don't believe this search is necessary. Conventional energy, regardless of its form, would inevitably have high visibility. It couldn't possibly operate silently... Hmm, there actually is an anomalous energy fluctuation."
"Gulp..."
Michael swallowed hard.
"Convert that. What's the equivalent Honkai Energy level?"
"One... Twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) HW... Wait, receiving updated satellite imagery. A massive golden light Curtain has appeared at the former location of the Western European Branch. Its diameter is expanding... It's already exceeded fifty kilometers... Michael? Michael?"
Sensing the silence from the man holding her terminal form, Prometheus called out again.
"It's alright, No. 17. We... are already here."
"Hmm?"
Michael finally activated the terminal's projection function. Only then could Prometheus see that they were standing on the only small hill in a vast, featureless plain. On the originally dark horizon, a translucent golden glow had completely replaced the grey, hazy sky.
Michael had been cautious, choosing a phase-jump destination quite far from the Western European Branch's location. Even so, the distance between him and the light curtain was already less than five kilometers.
And the bowl-shaped screen was visibly expanding.
"What... What is this?"
This was the first time Prometheus had expressed genuine confusion since clearing her emotion module data.
She couldn't analyze the light curtain before her from any existing scientific perspective. And if the Honkai was behind this, why was there no massive Honkai Energy reaction?
However, she had already relayed the crucial point to Michael—The energy conversion result showed that the conventional energy fluctuations emanating from this screen were equivalent in intensity to a Herrscher operating at full power.
"It seems I was right..."
Michael chuckled dryly.
"I kept thinking, the Honkai eruptions are coming faster and faster these days. I wouldn't even be surprised if two happened at once someday... Tch, well, here it is."
Michael felt he had a bit of a jinxing mouth.
But if he knew that Mei had also entertained this thought more than once, perhaps it could be considered fate.
"Honkai?"
Prometheus wasn't sure how Michael determined this energy originated from the Honkai. But she had been present during that discussion between Dr. Mei and Michael. Although she hadn't personally seen the fated script, she knew of its existence.
Meaning, if Michael judged this to be Honkai, he was likely correct.
"Should I issue the alert for the Eleventh Honkai Eruption immediately?"
The mobile terminal was just a vessel for No. 17. She could instantly switch back to the main terminal at Fire Moth HQ via electromagnetic waves, issue the Honkai alert, and switch back, all in less than a second.
But she didn't act unilaterally. As an AI, she remembered her duty was to assist, not make decisions for humans.
And with Dr. Mei's status unknown, in Prometheus's judgment, Michael was undoubtedly the best representative of humanity to make the decision.
Even though, strictly speaking, Michael wasn't human.
"Yes."
Michael responded softly first. No. 17 waited patiently, not acting immediately, because her predictive model of Michael's habits indicated a greater than ninety percent chance he would pause and then give more specific instructions.
"Alright, after issuing the alert, keep Sakura, Vill-V, Ato, and Blanka at Fire Moth HQ on standby. Hua will also remain on standby. Have Elysia lead the remaining MANTISes in regular deployment in two waves. Use the Second Divine Key to rapidly transport them to a safe location near here, then have them rendezvous—tell Vill-V not to use our current coordinates as the teleportation target."
"Understood."
Prometheus's projection flickered for a frame. An observer might not have noticed, but she had already transmitted the Eleventh Honkai alert and Michael's orders.
Then, she waited quietly for Michael's next command.
"The two thousand-plus new MANTISes not yet officially integrated, deploy them immediately via transport aircraft. Have HQ plan their routes independently, drop them at a safe location nearby, and then have them quickly rendezvous here."
"Hmm... Hmm... Anything else?"
This time, Prometheus seemed to take slightly longer.
This anomaly didn't escape Michael's notice. He simulated electromagnetic wave movement using his Thunder powers, just as No. 17's projection stared back at him. Then, the semi-artificial intelligence and the artificial intelligence spoke in unison:
"I see!"
"The intense conventional energy is distorting electromagnetic wave transmission. So, 'lost contact' doesn't necessarily mean death; it might just be that electromagnetic waves can't get out. But given that your initial communication wasn't interfered with, the interference strength... Anyway, keep transmitting our location to Dr. Mei's communicator. Hopefully, that can guide them out."
"Is Dr. Mei really alright?" Prometheus No. 17 asked with concern, delivered in her uniquely detached AI tone.
"Of course..." Michael squinted, then muttered under his breath, as if trying to convince himself: "So, this is the positive aspect of Aponia's fatalism—Mei, Kevin, Kalpas will be fine. It's destined."
But whether that destiny was already twisted beyond recognition, whether it had strayed beyond the scope of convergence, Michael didn't know.
However, people tend to numb themselves with more positive possibilities, convincing themselves that a better outcome surely awaits them down the road.
"Any further orders?"
"One last thing..."
Watching the light curtain surge towards him like a tide, Michael prudently retreated another five kilometers before giving his final instruction: "No. 17, your database should contain the design blueprints for the SELENE, right?"
"It does not."
No. 17's projection shook its head, mimicking a human gesture.
"All data, files, and archives are backed up with No. 0. However, you have clearance to view them. If required, I can retrieve the blueprints right now."
Without even waiting for Michael's confirmation, Prometheus No. 17 projected the schematics for the SELENE's engine.
Michael glanced at it quickly, then turned his head back to stare at the light curtain.
"Hmm, no need to rush that. Does Vill-V have clearance to view this file?"
"Not currently. Dr. Mei believed the SELENE design was incomplete, and if given to Vill-V now..."
"She has clearance now."
"Huh?"
"Send those blueprints to Vill-V immediately. How long until all MANTISes are in position?"
No. 17 tilted her head, calculating for a second before answering.
"Estimated time is approximately two hours and thirteen minutes."
"Then tell Vill-V I need her. Within two hours, using this energy conversion engine as a base, she is to design me a cannon capable of converting massive amounts of Honkai Energy into a focused beam of conventional energy."
Prometheus immediately relayed the order, but that didn't mean she lacked questions.
"According to the laws of thermodynamics, energy transfer through a medium inevitably involves losses. If you intend to use the SELENE to convert your own Honkai Energy into an energy beam to break this light curtain, why not attack directly with Honkai Energy?"
"...That's actually a simple question. I can demonstrate if you want to know."
Michael spread his hands. A Void Lance shot past his ear, but upon contact with the light curtain, it instantly disintegrated into light particles.
"The Void Lance just vanished? Or disintegrated?"
No. 17's mechanical voice repeated her confusion, while Michael stroked his chin, narrowing his eyes.
It was more complex than the Void Lance simply being disintegrated by the light curtain. Correspondingly, Michael felt a portion of the Void powers he mimicked diminish.
Although it was an infinitesimal, minuscule loss, and Michael's powers were all replicated using the First Herrscher's abilities, this loss was, unfortunately, irreversible.
The reason was simple. Fundamentally, the portion of power he lost wasn't the replicated Void power, but his own inherent Reason power.
"Is that how it is? What humans call 'Binding' is just their definition, but its true principle isn't binding, but 'Recycling'?"
Michael mused silently.
"Kiana's powers also suffered irreversible damage upon touching the Binding barrier. Although Mei later restored her powers, how was that done?"
"But anyway, according to Kevin, this loss of power is irreversible. That means the true nature of the Binding power is actually to reclaim touched Honkai Energy back into the Imaginary Space."
"Precisely because it's reclamation, not binding, that portion of power isn't re-issued by the Imaginary, hence it's irreversible."
So, if they hadn't directly confronted the Eleventh Herrscher, they might have actually been safer, because the Tenth Herrscher would also be unable to use their powers within this light curtain...
Furthermore, Michael's Herrscher intuition told him that if he rashly entered this light curtain, it likely wouldn't just cause his powers to dissipate, but his entire being...
...might be annihilated.
After all, compared to MANTISes, who were part-human, part-Honkai Beast, a Herrscher was, fundamentally, Honkai.
Of course, of course, all of the above was merely speculation.
It was just conjecture about the intent of the "problem setter," based on the "problem" of "Binding" itself.
And Michael was long accustomed to answering questions without fully understanding the prompt or the setter's intentions.
Besides, he held the answer keys for multiple correct solutions.
But the question was...
Was it really necessary to solve the problem right away?