Himeko watched as the comics turned into black ash and drifted up into the sky, then let out a sigh.
Siegfried's homeland was clearly a romantic country, yet Siegfried himself had learned nothing but how to bluff with his mouth. "Men are boys until the day they die"—Himeko did not even know how many times she had heard that excuse. Her ears had practically grown calluses from it.
And now, that voice was gone. She did not know whether that counted as fortunate or unfortunate.
At the very least, that boy no longer had to remain in this cruel world and suffer.
And his will... someone would inherit it.
Himeko had already made up her mind. After this, she would go alone to seek refuge with the man known as the Star Master.
That man claimed that his ancestors had lived for thousands of years. He could give her what she wanted.
Although the man seemed somewhat unreliable, after the Tethys battleship was ultimately returned to MOTH, and after she had reported the situation only for the MOTH council to say nothing and demand silence, Himeko had begun to believe that what the man said was not false.
He was someone even the MOTH council feared.
But that had nothing to do with Himeko. She had endured those incompetent, corpse-occupying higher-ups in MOTH for years. Would she really be lacking tolerance for one more Star Master?
Right now, what Himeko lacked most was the power to protect humanity.
She would obtain from the Star Master enough strength to catch up to the Siegfried of the past.
She was alone to begin with, with nothing to lose. Was she really supposed to be afraid that the Star Master would deceive her?
It couldn't possibly be that the Star Master had designs on this half-faded body of mine, right?
In any case, Himeko had already arranged her itinerary. The plane ticket was booked. This trip had also been to explain the situation to Ato and bid him farewell. Within MOTH, the only one she was still worried about was that kid Ato.
Come to think of it, Ato had grown quickly as well. A few years ago he had still been a greenhorn. Now he even had a child.
And she was still a woman past her prime and unmarried. In the end, wasn't she the one who needed worrying about?
Unfortunately, the heavens were unpredictable, and plans could not keep up with change.
As clouds gathered thicker and thicker overhead, an invisible shadow began to shroud the peaceful, tranquil cemetery.
The rustling of grass in the wind and the rustle of leaves... was abruptly shattered by scattered, chaotic footsteps.
Himeko's brows twitched slightly. In a helpless tone, she said softly to Ato, "It seems... some people in MOTH can't rest easy about us. They want us to permanently close our mouths and stay in this cemetery forever."
Not long after, gunshots rang out across this secluded place, accompanied by the fierce sounds of combat...
...
"Hey, Chicken-Nest Head, we're here to sweep Planck's grave... that's right, isn't it?"
Dressed in a solemn black suit and holding a bouquet of white chrysanthemums, Dr. Tesla looked at Dr. Einstein beside her with a puzzled expression, seeking confirmation.
Dr. Einstein answered calmly. Her mechanical voice drifted into Tesla's ears on the sea breeze. "That's right, Dr. Tesla. We are here to sweep Teacher Planck's grave."
"Ha! Chicken-Nest Head, are you serious? Has work pressure fried your brain?"
"Teacher Planck's grave is clearly at Highgate Cemetery. And here you are, bringing me to some deserted island!" Tesla pointed angrily at the island surrounded on all sides by the sea.
The island was picturesque, with gentle terrain. There were no dense forests or lush vegetation, no highlands or hills. One glance was enough to take in the entire island.
Fine white sand glittered brilliantly under the sunlight, embracing the waves in soft, rolling tides.
It might be a pleasant vacation paradise, but as for a cemetery... the two were worlds apart.
And it was not as if Dr. Tesla had never been to Planck's grave before. In fact, she had secretly gone several times without telling Dr. Einstein. What exactly was Einstein thinking, bringing her to sweep a grave on a deserted island?
Out of trust in Dr. Einstein, Tesla did not turn around and leave.
The sea breeze lifted Einstein's hair as she led Tesla unhurriedly toward a patch of sand. "Don't worry, Dr. Tesla. We're not there yet."
"This isn't a matter of whether we've arrived or not! Don't tell me... you're planning to fly from this uninhabited island to Paris!"
Dr. Tesla viciously stomped on a coconut crab, burying it in the sand. "This is the Pacific Ocean! There's not even a U.S. military base here!"
Einstein walked to a seemingly unremarkable spot on the island, bent down, and lifted a long-sealed hatch from the ground, revealing a pitch-black staircase descending below. "But... there is an entrance to a MOTH research facility."
"This way." Without caring whether Tesla was willing or not, Dr. Einstein stepped inside first.
"Hiss—" Tesla stared at the dark opening, took a deep breath of sea air, and with complicated emotions tossed the bouquet in her hands onto the ground.
The flowers clearly had no further use here. Carrying them would only get in the way.
...
[Beep— Iris authentication successful. Welcome, Dr. Newton.]
Einstein's forged iris glasses, combined with Newton's cloned D-card, opened the doors to this highest-level confidential MOTH laboratory. In this operation, Dr. Newton and Dr. Mei had both provided considerable assistance.
[Beep— Honkai energy detected. 86 HW. Please take protective measures.]
Einstein's Honkai energy detector issued a warning.
Walking behind Einstein, Tesla felt uneasy when the system announced "Dr. Newton" rather than "Dr. Einstein."
"Hey, Chicken-Nest Head, you're not doing something illegal, are you? Why isn't this ID card under your name? And why is there excessive Honkai energy here?"
In most laboratories, Honkai energy was not permitted to leak beyond the designated testing grounds.
Humans might be able to withstand small amounts of Honkai energy, but that did not mean it had no effect on the human body. In fact, the impact was significant. In severe cases, it could drive people insane or even cause them to contract Honkai Sickness.
Honkai Sickness was not limited to Honkai erosion alone. Honkai energy could also trigger conventional diseases, such as the Black Death.
Yet here, Honkai energy was already detected in the laboratory corridors themselves. That was clearly abnormal.
Facing Tesla's questioning, Einstein said mysteriously, "Don't be impatient, Dr. Tesla. Once we arrive, everything will have its answer."
"So secretive..." Tesla muttered.
Einstein had no intention of answering Tesla's many doubts. Instead, she led her to a changing room, where they put on Honkai energy isolation suits.
The suits were tightly sealed. The two continued walking deeper into the laboratory.
The corridor felt empty and gloomy, leaving Dr. Tesla even more puzzled. "Strange. Such a large MOTH laboratory—why is there no one here?"
"There are actually quite a few people," Dr. Einstein replied. "They're just all ours, stationed at key locations."
Tesla's brows knit together. Her sharp gaze swept across Einstein's face. "Yours? Then what about the others?"
Einstein continued her explanation. "During the Fourth Honkai Eruption, because of General Selwyn's betrayal, those connected to him were reassigned elsewhere. A large portion of this facility was under his faction's control, which gave us the opportunity to take over here."
"Selwyn... oh, that guy who had the same smug face as Edison? Heh, I always knew he'd betray humanity."
Tesla struck her chest with her fist, raising her brows in vindication. Clearly, she had suffered quite a bit from that man in the past, having once worked at MOTH's North American base.
Einstein went on, "Their faction is overwhelmed now and has withdrawn its forces. They're focusing on securing bases tied to politics and funding. This experimental base has fallen outside their immediate concern."
"Is this experimental base not important?"
"No. It is important. Extremely important." Dr. Einstein's eyes flickered. "Precisely because of that, its political value is low."
Because it was so important—an asset vital to all of humanity—it could not be used as an ordinary political bargaining chip.
Tesla's eyes widened. She had not expected this base to be so crucial... Something important to that extent—could it be...?
Dr. Einstein pressed her hand against a gray, one-way tempered glass panel. The gray coating dissolved like foam, revealing the scene behind it.
What lay beyond was an enormous crystal coffin.
Countless iron chains and pipelines bound the crystal coffin. Colorless liquid flowed through the pipes—liquid nitrogen, one of the most stable elements on the periodic table.
Only within liquid nitrogen was the corrosion and dissipation of Honkai energy slowed to its minimum. It was not merely due to the ultra-low temperature approaching absolute zero, but also because of its inherent stability.
Einstein's voice carried a trace of reminiscence.
"Because this is the secret research base of Honkai's chief apostle—the First Herrscher, the Herrscher of Reason—Planck."