[Ms. Pink Fairy asks you if you can stay for a few more days, just like last time.]
[From her expression, it can be seen that she doesn't hold much hope. ]
[You also agreed without hesitation. ]
【...】
【! ! ! 】
【? ? ? 】
[You agreed! ? ]
[Miss Pink Fairy really didn't expect to get such an answer. She was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses.]
[The corners of her mouth lightly drew a playful and unpredictable smile, indicating that it was too late for you to "change your mind". ]
[She still has a lot of things to deal with~?]
[After saying that, he put one arm around the obviously unwilling Tailmon and the other around the faintly unwilling Jigglypuff and walked away.]
[You watched them walk away without saying anything more.]
[You probably really hope that Tailmon and Slime can stay for a few more days. ]
[… That’s all. That’s all.]
-----------------
【The technology of human civilization has made rapid progress. 】
[Your mechanical ascension experiment is also proceeding in an orderly manner. ]
[At the same time, you asked for the Ice Herrscher's Core from the Fire Chaser, which is now actually led by Mei, and explained that it was used to fight against the Honkai.]
[Currently, all the shining people of the Fire Moth have great trust in you, and the core of the Ice Herrscher was originally left to the Fire Moth by you.]
[Now, driven by the above reasons, they will easily return the core of the Ice Ruler to you. ]
[After obtaining the Herrscher Core, you entrust it to Vilvi and ask her to create a batch of life-sustaining devices that can "stagnate" humans so as to welcome a new era and a new civilization.]
【...】
[It stands to reason that after overcoming the difficulties of the Great Collapse, humans should have a year to breathe and grow. ]
【But this time, everything seems to have changed. 】
[Only three months later, the seventh Great Collapse broke out, and the location of the outbreak was Australia. ]
[The collapse seems to be getting more and more urgent...]
[The Herrscher born in this Great Collapse was originally the captain of the fifth squad of the Fire Moths, Himiko. His ability manifested as a firework that could burn everything, so he was identified as the Herrscher of Flame. ]
[As soon as Himiko transformed into the Herrscher, she immediately chose to attack the Fire Moth 5th Squad led by herself. Except for Hua who survived and escaped by chance, no one else in the 5th Squad survived.]
[Perhaps because of her rich experience in fighting Honkai, Himiko, who has become a Herrscher, not only possesses more power than the previous Herrschers, but also has a well-versed destructive technique.]
[In just a few breaths, the whole of Australia turned into a horrific sea of fire that burned all lives. ]
[This move happened to affect the superstar Eden who was performing at the "Australian Dome" at the time. ]
[Faced with the huge losses and casualties caused by the Seventh Herrscher Himiko, rather than being shocked or sad, people felt more of an unbelievable feeling that was so unreal that it couldn't be any more unreal.]
[It is clear that the most that the previous Herrschers could do was to pull the atmosphere to make it escape during their final counterattack, which was ultimately a reversible move.]
[Why, why did the Seventh Herrscher's power suddenly rise to the point where he could burn down the entire Australia in an instant? ]
[So, will His next step be to continue heating up the ocean water on Earth and boil it into boiling water? ]
[Faced with such bad news, humans don’t even have time to panic and can only respond hastily. ]
[After the integrated purge, the decision-making efficiency of the Fire Moths has been improved by far more than one level. 】
[Mei, who was the supreme leader of the Fire Moth at the time, immediately dispatched Kevin, the only fusion warrior in the Fire Moth.]
[As for the auxiliary staff, there are only Qianjie and Leon. ]
[Taking ordinary warriors into a battle of this magnitude can only be said to be a meaningless sacrifice. 】
[It would be better to form a small group of three and travel light. ]
[I don’t know if it’s God’s will, but the power of ice that Kevin mastered after the fusion happened to be the opposite of the Seventh Herrscher’s power of fire.]
[Logically speaking, he should have some advantages when fighting against the Seventh Herrscher.]
[But this news, which could only be considered half good news, did not make anyone feel at ease.]
【Everyone held their breath and watched the battle. 】
[Hope mankind can overcome the difficulties; hope the heroes return safely. 】
【...】
[At the end of the battle, Kevin, Qianjie, and Leon worked together to kill the Seventh Herrscher.]
【Human civilization has once again overcome difficulties. 】
【However, no one celebrated. 】
[The Fire Moth did not hold a newcomer dance, because there were not many newcomers. ]
[The whole of Australia has turned into a lava field, continuously emitting shockingly high temperatures that are unbearable for ordinary people.]
[And the number of survivors of the Seventh Collapse is only a few thousand, not even a fraction of the population of Australia. ]
This is hardly a victory.
【Or maybe, this isn’t a victory at all. 】
[If the damage caused by the Sixth Herrscher could still be attributed to human negligence, then there is no chance of luck this time.]
[For some reason, in this long-lasting race, Honkai suddenly accelerated and left humans behind. ]
[Do you want to chase? How to chase? ]
[No one knows, and no one can stop. Even if you vomit blood, you have to keep running. ]
【Human civilization is still advancing in technology. 】
[Your research has never stopped, and so far, your body has been completely mechanized.]
[Not far away, not far away from everything you have foreseen. 】
【It just takes some time. 】
[On the Fire Moth side, with the development of science and technology and the maturity of technology, Mobius's fusion warrior experiment has achieved true success. 】
[Except for Que Mei, the rest of the Shining Ones gradually joined in and became Fusion Warriors. ]
[There are also a small number of qualified ordinary warriors in the Fire Moth who participated in the experiment of fusion warriors and successfully became fusion warriors. 】
[At the same time, Mei successfully developed the key of destruction - the Holy Judgement of Heavenly Fire, using the Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Flame.]
[With the experience of developing this God's Key and achieving success, she proposed a concept that was born from the God's Key plan but was independent of the God's Key: the Blank Key.]
[Blank Key, as the name suggests, is a special anti-Honkai equipment that can be linked to the Herrscher Core at will and dyed with a corresponding color, allowing the user to temporarily exert the power of the Herrscher. ]
[From a conceptual point of view, the power that this equipment can exert should not be inferior to any of the divine keys. ]
[If used properly, it might even be able to exert a power that surpasses the Key of God under certain circumstances.]
【But Mei, who was conducting relevant research with such a beautiful idea in mind, became more and more solemn. 】
[She seemed to have finally figured out what she and Mobius had been neglecting in their research and experiments, and she also understood why the Seventh Collapse and the Seventh Herrscher's strength jumped to that level after the appearance of the Fusion Warriors.]
[A drop of cold sweat ran down her pretty face, reflecting the light of "the cruel truth" through the flickering lights.]
[Perhaps, perhaps the strength of the Honkai side will leap forward with the advancement of human civilization and technology. ]
[With such a terrifying guess in mind, Mei, as a researcher, did not rigorously collect evidence, nor did he make this guess public as a leader.]
[At this moment, the only person she can think of who she can rely on, who can make her feel at ease and who she can confide in is you. ]
She found you.
Game Life Company.
The candlelight flickered, various exquisite dishes were spread on the table, and a perfect couple sat opposite each other across the table.
Under the warm light, there is actually a sense of home warmth.
"What happened?" Lu Mian asked, but his face was no longer that signature gentle smile, but more like... loving?
Mei stared at this loving smile, seeming to have forgotten all the sorrows and worries in her heart, and murmured softly like in a dream:
"I guess the strength of the Honkai side may increase with the advancement of human civilization and technology. We may have taken some detours..."
While she was making this horrible guess, she was silently paying attention to Lu Mian's expression.
Is it shock? Or disbelief? Or something else?
nothing.
The loving smile on Lu Mian's face did not change even a little bit. He spoke slowly:
"I see. You finally discovered this, later than I expected. Earlier than I expected."
"Eh?" Mei tilted her head slightly, somewhat unbelieving what she had heard.
Chapter 29: The “Anchor Point” of Human Nature (Four in One)
After hearing Mei's conjecture that "the overall strength of the Honkai side will become stronger with the advancement of human civilization and technology", Lu Mian did not show any shock or disbelief.
He still smiled lovingly, his pair of dark starry eyes filled with a tenderness that seemed to drown people:
"I see. You finally discovered this, later than I expected. Earlier than I expected."
"Eh?" Mei tilted her head slightly, somewhat unbelieving what she had heard.
Mian, have you always known about this?
Why…why?
Then wouldn’t all the persistence, struggle and even sacrifice of everyone have become a joke?
Lu Mian took in all the changes in Mei's expression, then stood up from his seat and slowly walked over to the latter.
His voice was long and lingering:
"Do you remember the third collapse? Due to some strange coincidences, I personally experienced the coming of the collapse. I was not afraid of the erosion of the collapse, but Padu who was with me suffered from it.
"At that time, the relationship between her and I was not as good as it is now, not enough to be together for life, but even so, she was already very important to me. I protected her all the way to an alley, and met you who was dying.
"In the end, I saved you by cutting out my 'Mark' and giving it to you."
Mei, who was eager to know the truth, did not interrupt Lu Mian's story. She listened silently, with a layer of reminiscence in her lowered purple eyes.
That was when the two of them first connected, and that was when their relationship really began.
Lu Mian stood straight, looking down at Mei, the gentleness on his face gradually turned into a sneer, "People only feel pain when they are beaten. Paduo is a very important girl to me. You are the girl who shines in my eyes. Seeing you suffering and even dying because of the collapse, I feel extremely angry.
“Why should I wait until you are injured or killed before I lend you a helping hand? What I should do is to let you live in happiness from the very beginning!
"With this thought in mind, I was determined to fight against Honkai and posted the 'useful information' I knew online in a way that everyone could accept without any hesitation."
Hearing the sound, Mei suddenly raised her head.
Seeing the sneer on Lu Mian's lips, she seemed to have guessed something and felt a current running through her spine, which was an indescribable shock.
Lu Mian didn't pay attention to Mei's changing expression, and was still immersed in his story, putting a period to it:
"Isn't it true that useful information can bring a lot of unimaginable convenience and help to the fight against Honkai? I did this with this idea in mind, but in the end, I didn't get a good ending.
"Once the useful information was sent out, it was hidden and fell into oblivion. That night, I also encountered an assassination attempt, a secret assassination by the Fire Moth you were working for."
The words, which were full of strong personal emotions yet light, fell like a hammer, hitting Mei's heart hard.
She only knew that Lu Mian had sentenced human civilization and humans to death in his heart, but she didn't know the reason and specific plan for doing so.
Now, everything was clear, and she finally figured out why there was helplessness amidst the endless tenderness on Lu Mian's face when he heard her say "I will prove it to you".
That's it, that's it.
It all made sense.
