[At the Same Time, in the Video, Outside the Ruined City.]
World Serpent executive Raven was crouching under a high building, holding a weapon, vigilantly guarding the surroundings.
She truly couldn't believe that World Serpent would one day cooperate with Schicksal.
As far as she knew, the current overseer of Schicksal, Otto Apocalypse, was a refined and selfish egoist, and also the instigator of the recent Great Eruption.
Thinking of this, a trace of pain appeared on Raven's face.
———
[By the way, what kind of grudge does this Raven have with Schicksal? Feels like her feelings toward Schicksal aren't very good.]
[Actually not just Schicksal, she also doesn't seem to have a good attitude toward Kiana.]
[Could it be that Schicksal did something to her family in the past?]
[Very likely. With Otto's personality, human experiments and such should've been nothing for him.]
———
[In the Video.]
From the fleeting expression on Raven's face, one could tell that the recent Great Eruption made her go through very painful things.
But very soon, a voice from Gray Serpent suddenly sounded in her earpiece.
'Raven, put away your weapon~ the transaction is complete!'
———
[That's it? Transaction complete already?]
[No, I was still waiting for World Serpent and Schicksal to go to war, then Anti-Entropy could reap the benefits as the third party!]
———
[Then the Screen Changes. It is Now the Next Day.]
Inside the Helios conference room, Raiden Mei was looking at the broken coat in her hands, silently saddened.
In her mind appeared Kiana's figure, and she recalled everything she had seen and heard these past few days.
She was truly afraid that after seeing those scenes invaded by the Honkai, Kiana would blame all the mistakes on herself.
She also feared that she would, just like in Skydome City, choose to bear all the responsibilities alone.
But what she feared the most was that look of Kiana enduring everything by herself, while she, Mei, could do nothing. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to do anything.
Just then, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open.
Doctor Tesla of Anti-Entropy shouted as she entered, "Mei, pack your gear, get ready to depart! Seems like we've found traces of Kiana!"
Then, Raiden Mei and Tesla boarded the Helios and went to Changkong City, where Kiana's traces were suspected to be found.
Upon arriving at a wide-open area, Tesla began setting up a Herrscher detector.
While setting up the detector, the two chatted idly about the Third Honkai Eruption in Changkong City.
From their conversation, it was revealed that the Third Eruption was caused by Raiden Mei awakening as a Herrscher.
And this experience was always a thorn in Raiden Mei's heart. She often thought, if she hadn't been so weak back then, perhaps none of this would've happened.
However, whether it was due to revisiting an old place or not having rested well recently, Raiden Mei suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if something inside her was trying to burst out.
At that moment, Tesla shouted in surprise, "Huh? We found it already?!"
Hearing that, Raiden Mei looked toward the detector not far from Tesla. A striking red dot appeared on the screen, blinking non-stop.
———
[Whoa! This twist? Could it really be found?]
[Hahaha, didn't even need to try hard!]
[Kiana, Mei is coming for you~]
[I can't wait to see the pretty girls sticking together!]
———
[In the Video.]
Thinking they'd soon find Kiana, Raiden Mei ignored the strange sensations in her body and hurriedly asked, "Doctor, could this be..."
Looking at the red dot on the screen, a smile also appeared on Tesla's face. She truly hadn't expected that searching for Kiana would go so smoothly, completely effortless.
However, after closely checking the coordinates of the red dot, she suddenly noticed an awkward problem...
Because the coordinates of this suspected Herrscher reaction, were actually right next to her.
Seeing this, Tesla looked up at Raiden Mei, an awkward expression on her face.
"This seems to be... a reaction from your body..."
———
[No way, man!]
[That's it, yet another reason to take out the MiHoYo writers.]
[You're just messing with us, huh?]
———
[In the Video.]
After the farce, both of them were in low spirits, but they still had to continue searching.
During the search, Raiden Mei comforted the dispirited Tesla, saying that the reaction from her body wasn't unique.
"Dr. Einstein once told me that this phenomenon is not a special case. Because Anti-Entropy leader Welt Yang also experienced his Herrscher core being removed, yet residual Herrscher energy still remained in his body."
Hearing this, Tesla irritably shook her head, "Ugh, I should've remembered that..."
Thump!
Tesla felt like she kicked something under her foot. Picking it up, she found it was an Anti-Entropy guiding mecha.
Looking at the machine already in a shutdown state, Raiden Mei wondered, "Looks like it's broken... was it left here by someone three years ago?"
But after inspecting it carefully, Tesla said, "This model doesn't look like a three-year-old design. Looks pretty new. To be precise, it should be model NS-619 (this is an Easter egg)..."
Then Tesla tossed the mecha aside and irritably ruffled her hair.
"Ahhh! No, no! Now's not the time to think about this, I should quickly set up a new detection point!"
After some busywork, the new detector was installed by Tesla. But to their disappointment, they still didn't see any trace of Kiana.
Just when Raiden Mei was feeling discouraged, Tesla suddenly made a surprising discovery.
"There's a strange signal, not a deadwalker, not a Honkai beast... seems more like a human signature?"
Tesla's speculation shocked Raiden Mei. She truly couldn't imagine that humans could still be surviving in Changkong City.
After some searching, the two found a purple-haired girl who had fainted in a bush.
After waking the girl, they learned that her name was "Kong", a refugee from Changkong City.
They also learned that besides her, over a dozen children lived in a place called "The Nest."
Upon hearing this, Raiden Mei and Tesla decided to escort Kong back to The Nest and investigate for intel on Kiana along the way.
From the children living there, they learned that someone suspected to be Kiana was seen in the western district of Changkong City.
After getting the information, Raiden Mei naturally couldn't wait to go to the western district to investigate, but Tesla stopped her, citing safety concerns.
Still, Raiden Mei insisted on doing whatever she could, even if only a little, to find Kiana faster. Even if her efforts might be insignificant.
Knowing that Raiden Mei wanted to go to the western district to look for someone, Kong volunteered to be her guide.
Along the way, perhaps sensing the pure and untainted heart of Kong, Raiden Mei opened up and started talking.
In Raiden Mei's memories, she was originally the eldest daughter of the Raiden family in Changkong City.
But due to some incident, her family declined. Her father was framed and sent to prison, and her mother died when she was very young.
Those so-called friends at school didn't comfort her, instead, they distanced themselves and even bullied her.
Maybe because of how long ago it was, Raiden Mei showed no expression when speaking of her painful past. As if she was narrating someone else's story from the perspective of a bystander.
Only then did Raiden Mei understand the real reason those people had approached her back then.
So from that moment on, Raiden Mei chose to walk alone, until that girl appeared.
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