"Don't you worry. If there's one thing I guarantee about my designs, it's excellent soundproofing."
Despite saying this, Vill-V nonsensically pulled out a radio—less practical than a portable speaker or computer, yet lacking the retro charm of the ornate phonographs and vinyl records Eden often favored.
But Vill-V liked doing things this way. Just because. No other reason needed.
She took out a cassette tape, inserted it into the radio, and gently pressed the button on top.
"Click—"
The crisp sound brought back memories for Mei... feelings from a distant past.
When she was little, her father, entangled in various research tasks, rarely made it home on time to spend time with her.
So, when he glanced at his schedule for the day and saw he might be late, he would hide a cassette tape and leave a trail of interconnected clues throughout the house.
Mei, barely tall enough to reach the table even on tiptoes back then, had to find all the clues before the day ended to get the tape her father left, so she could fall asleep listening to his voice.
Unfortunately... the sound that emerged, accompanied by the whirring of the tape, was merely the utterly mundane clamor of the Spiral Workshop.
Mei shook her head, left the laboratory, and passed through two more security doors before reaching the MANTIS resting room.
Only three figures occupied the vast space. Mei's arrival barely seemed to make a ripple.
Evangeline and Hua reacted first, straightening up, ready for orders—they too had heard the alarms. Even if their ears hadn't caught it, they couldn't have missed the blood-red lights flashing relentlessly overhead.
However, Kevin... only Kevin showed no reaction whatsoever.
Mei didn't seem overly concerned about his state. Ignoring Hua and Evangeline, she walked step by step until she stood directly in front of him.
Kevin kept his head bowed, arms tightly wrapped around the Cleaver of Shamash. If his eyes hadn't been closed, he probably would have seen the tips of Mei's shoes.
Yet he still didn't move.
"Two minutes ago, the flight group escorted by Aldemir was attacked by a large number of Tenth Herrscher individuals. We've completely lost contact. They've formed an attack formation and are heading our way."
"..."
"Using the Authority of Wind, this flight group needs only twenty minutes to bring P-21 within attack range. We need someone to establish an outer defense line."
"I understand."
Kevin's voice was as faint as a dream, but undeniably, it was a perfectly standard declarative statement.
Bone-chilling cold and suffocating heat simultaneously filled the enclosed resting room. Mei felt fine beads of sweat break out on her back, only to freeze instantly.
A thick layer of frost coated the Cleaver of Shamash as well. Under the influence of Honkai Energy, the ice deepened from azure blue to nearly black.
But within, the originally dim blade of the Cleaver of Shamash began to glow, until flames flickered to life.
"I know. I'll go."
Kevin stood up, offering no further farewell to Mei.
"The combat craft is in Room A-300."
Mei watched his retreating back, reminding him calmly.
"I know."
Kevin repeated the phrase until his back disappeared from Mei's sight.
"Hmph..."
Mei blinked, saying no more.
She turned her head. Evangeline stood leaning against the wall, mouth half-open, expression blank, making no sound.
Hua stood awkwardly between Mei and Evangeline, feeling lost. For some reason, she sensed that since that birthday party, the attitudes of Michael, Kevin, and Mei towards Evangeline had become somewhat strange.
A strangeness... whose common thread she couldn't quite grasp—
Michael seemed warmer towards Evangeline, often letting information that straddled the line between classified and unclassified reach her ears.
Mei and Kevin's attitudes, however, were the complete opposite. On reflection, maybe they had always been like this, but... Hua's intuition still screamed that something was off.
Mei moved silently, appearing beside Hua without her noticing. As their figures overlapped, Mei looked at Evangeline and spoke slowly:
"Although it's a bit premature to say this now, I still hope you can... prepare yourself mentally."
Soft choking sounds, "Heh... heh..." escaped Evangeline's throat. Mei didn't linger. As usual, after delivering the harshest reality with the coldest words, she turned and left quickly.
This approach was certainly blunt, but it mirrored her attitude towards Kevin moments ago, so no one could really criticize her.
Besides, it fit with what Hua currently understood—there were just over sixty hours left. Mei and Vill-V needed to complete the development of the Blank Key within that time.
Time was already tight, and now, it seemed the Tenth Herrscher had somehow discovered P-21's location, drastically increasing the difficulty. Mei had to save every second, even if her methods hurt everyone involved...
But, perhaps guided by the same intuition, Hua still felt something wasn't right.
Hua's thoughts trailed off. Mei's figure was long gone.
The sound of sobbing nearby, initially suppressed and incredibly faint, soon burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam.
She turned awkwardly, looking at Evangeline crying with her head buried in her hands, unsure how to offer comfort.
Having experienced similar pain doesn't grant one the qualification to console others.
Because the suffering borne by two different people can never be identical. Therefore, saying "When I went through this, I did such-and-such" is merely self-important arrogance.
"Tick, tock, tick, tock..."
Hua glanced at the wall clock. Forty-seven minutes remained until the Second Divine Key finished recharging.
She numbly found a seat, sat down again, clenched her fists, and readied herself for battle.
Evangeline's weeping seemed endless, and Hua couldn't help but feel irritated.
But she knew this irritation was wrong; she had no right to deny another person their grief.
Since that was the case, she could only change her own mindset. Closing her eyes, she tried hard to recall every punch she had thrown earlier, as if this could grant her a moment of peace.
In fact, this was her usual method whenever she felt emotionally troubled.
The effects were usually obvious...
But this time, amidst Evangeline's cries, her mind refused to calm down. She even began to feel dizzy, her head heavy and feet light. Before she could open her eyes, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice called out beside her ear:
"Girl? Girl?"
"..."
"Hey! Silly girl, why aren't you talking?"
Hua sniffled, took a quick, deep breath, and felt her entire neck and chest begin to tremble.
In that instant, countless possibilities flashed through her mind, boiling down to one thought—
"Could it be... that everything I've experienced these past years was just a dream?"
If she just opened her eyes, just opened her eyes, she would find that all these years—from her father's injury to studying alone in Canghai City, right up to the Honkai—it was all just an illusion, right?
She knew it was impossible, but her mind, as if possessed, couldn't stop thinking it.
Fortunately...
"Hua..."
Another familiar, yet not unfamiliar, voice whispered right beside her ear, instantly snapping her back to reality.
She opened her eyes. A blurry figure stood before her.
Hua squinted, forcing the tears blurring her vision out of her eyes. Unsurprisingly, it was Evangeline standing in front of her.
"I... I'm sorry, I... I need to use the restroom..."
Evangeline covered her face, uttered these words, and fled the resting room as if escaping.
Hua stared at the empty room, suddenly gasping for breath again—
No mistake! There's no mistake!
Her father's voice just now was a hallucination, but not just a hallucination!
Evangeline had just used the abilities of a psychic-type MANTIS on her, even standing right in front of her... What was she trying to do?
A cold chill spread down her spine, followed by a rapid draining of strength from her entire body... Could it be, she was...
But setting that aside, Hua quickly found a point where logic failed—
If Evangeline was indeed one of the Tenth Herrscher's individuals, standing before her with that intent...
Then Michael's voice, which suddenly woke her up?
Where did that come from?
"Michael?"
She called out tentatively, turning her head to look around, but there was no one else in the resting room. As for what was really going on with Evangeline, Hua wanted confirmation. She tried to stand, whether to go directly to the restroom to find Evangeline or to notify Mei and Vill-V in the lab... but for some reason, her legs gave way, and she slid back down.
She wanted to turn her head to check the time, but the clock was hanging directly above her.
"Damn it... Not now, of all times!"
She punched her thigh hard twice, but physiological fear wasn't so easily dismissed.
The only consolation was that Mei must have anticipated this. Furthermore, the restroom and the laboratory were on opposite sides of the resting room; Evangeline couldn't directly harm Dr. Mei.
Of course, against Vill-V... she probably wouldn't stand a chance either.
So what would she do? What did she want to do?
Minutes ticked by. Feeling some strength return, Hua used the wall to pull herself up and immediately looked at the clock.
Thirty-one minutes remained until the Second Divine Key finished recharging.
Evangeline had been gone for fifteen minutes.
Only then did she notice the surveillance cameras in the resting room. Her worry that Dr. Mei might be completely unaware vanished.
But why hadn't they reacted at all?
Hua grew tense again, continuing to brace herself against the wall, preparing to enter the laboratory to investigate.
But she had barely taken two steps when the alarms overhead blared again. A jolt went through her, accompanied by a rising sense of confusion—
If she remembered correctly, that was the fire alarm, wasn't it?
Did she go and... start a fire?
But immediately after, the alarm lights in the resting room turned red. Simultaneously, the fire sprinklers on the ceiling automatically activated, drenching Hua in a misty spray that chilled her to the bone.
"This..."
This was the sabotage the Tenth Herrscher planned?
Not entirely useless, perhaps, but... wasn't it a bit childish?
Because she was already in a weakened state from physiological distress, she didn't immediately notice anything else unusual...
Until... she realized the water spraying out seemed to have a faint, metallic tang...
"This is—"
Before she could speak the word, the door Evangeline had run through suddenly opened again.
Hua turned, meeting countless pairs of blood-red eyes.
Even weak and powerless, she instinctively assumed a martial arts stance.
However, the assembled individuals of the Tenth Herrscher didn't rush into the resting room, likely due to the ongoing "serum rain" within.
The scene froze in a strange standoff. Hua's mind was empty, devoid of sound. She just stared coldly at Evangeline standing at the very front, looking somewhat disheveled like her teammates—if Hua wasn't mistaken, their wounds must be the price for breaking through Vill-V's "back door."
The serum rain overhead gradually subsided, the rushing "whoosh" sound turning into "drip... drip... drip..."
Hua swallowed hard, not understanding why Dr. Mei, who was supposedly prepared, hadn't unleashed her final killing move yet.
"Gulp... Gulp..."
She swallowed hard again, twice.
...
"This is! This is serum!"
Vill-V slumped back in her chair, completely drained of energy.
In contrast, Mei, sitting opposite her, looked no different from usual, apart from being thoroughly soaked.
"So that's how it is."
Mei chuckled bitterly twice.
She had been wondering, putting herself in the Tenth Herrscher's shoes—no, more accurately, in Its shoes—what method would It use to force her, Mei, to don the Blank Key?
The simplest, most direct method that came to mind was serum.
Still, the sheer quantity the Tenth Herrscher had managed to gather was somewhat alarming.
Unlike Soulium, which was difficult to produce even knowing the technical principles, the principle behind the serum was very simple. Anyone aware of it could easily create samples.
Though the efficacy might be lower, and the cost higher, it worked.
The prerequisite was collecting enough corpses of those who died from Honkai sickness... but in this era, such corpses were practically worthless.
So, it wasn't entirely unimaginable that the Tenth Herrscher had plundered the vaults of certain prominent families to acquire so much serum.
It was just excessively extravagant...
And...
"So, it has the powers of the Second Herrscher too? Otherwise, there's no way it could have mixed the serum in so covertly."
"Looks like... it's my turn to take the stage..."
Mei stood up. In front of Vill-V, she gently removed her glasses, then shed her clothes piece by piece, finally walking over to the Blank Key.
"Though it might sound inconsiderate, this suit isn't exactly easy to put on alone. Vill-V, could you give me a hand?"
She reached out, gesturing towards the Blank Key, somewhat regretting its design.
But Vill-V remained silent, stirring a sense of foreboding in Mei.
She spun around quickly. Thankfully, Vill-V was merely dozing weakly in her chair. Noticing Mei had turned, she suddenly let out a "Pfft" of laughter.
"Oh dear, Mei, haven't you realized yet?"
"Realize what?"
That strange feeling surged within Mei again, but it was no longer "foreboding," but rather a sense of... theatrical absurdity, like being the butt of a joke.
She reached out to touch the Blank Key hanging before her, but behind her came Vill-V's weak laughter:
"Hahahaha... The Blank Key, how could it possibly be hanging on a coat rack... Hahahaha!"
Mei's brow furrowed sharply, but quickly smoothed out again.
She didn't believe Vill-V herself would play tricks like this. The greater possibility... no, the only possibility was...
This was all part of Michael's plan.
And how did the person replacing her sneak onto P-21? Needless to say, Mei had spent two hours returning from the Binding barrier to HQ—exactly the time needed for the Second Divine Key to recharge once.
She touched the replica of the Blank Key, asking curiously:
"So, who did Michael arrange? Is he so confident that person can bear this fate?"
"Tsk, in his own words, it's someone whose [Fate Has Already Been Changed]. Tsk tsk tsk, honestly, I didn't expect it to be her either..."
Vill-V turned her head, winking at Mei.
But honestly, under these circumstances, Mei barely registered it.
She pulled the coat rack aside and pushed open the small door behind it. Inside was another small laboratory. In the center sat a culture tank, and on the floor lay a crumpled, old-style battlesuit.
...
"Drip... Drip... Dri..."
The last drop of water fell, but the ripples on the surface continued to spread.
"Is it starting? I..."
With no sign of backup from Dr. Mei, Hua clenched her fists. She was scared, truly scared, but then again, somehow, the fear lessened.
Wanting to live stemmed from unattainable desires, attachments, a kind of obsession. The lessening fear came from acceptance—if you know you can't obtain it, why dwell on it excessively?
But whether afraid or not, fighting the Herrscher before her seemed the only option... until she heard a familiar voice behind her:
"Yo! Michael assigned you here too?"
Before she could turn or say anything, the person grabbed her by the back of her collar and flung her backward.
"Sorry, bit rough this time."
Though the Honkai-inhibiting serum still pooled on the floor, vibrant purple Honkai energy now swirled like ribbons around the figure's back.
As Hua tumbled through the safety door, catching a final glimpse through the rapidly closing gap, she saw—
Those floating ribbons ignited like fuses, and then, the entire Blank Key erupted in flames, turning the same crimson red as the woman wearing it.
Immediately after, tongues of fire leaped along the hem of the black cloak, as if announcing the return of the woman who burned like a torch.
Captain!