Schrödinger wanted to say more, but Lin Wei had already closed his eyes again, so she had to let it go.
"...What an unreasonable person."
She muttered to herself, a little helplessly, "He gave a whole bunch of seemingly grandiose reasons, but he avoided the core issue of the risk. That's a truly despicable way of arguing."
With her intelligence and life experience, how could she be deceived by Lin Wei's calculating words?
It was purely a case of evading the important and dwelling on the trivial, only good enough to fool a child like Seele!
Is the key point whether the lost Stigmata can be found?
The key point is whether you will die, you bastard!
The thought of Lin Wei's attitude, as if he were treating everyone like an idiot, made her furious.
The most infuriating thing was that this guy, taking advantage of being a patient, had forcibly ended the topic with the excuse of "I'm not feeling well, I'm going to sleep," not even giving her a chance to raise any objections!
In any case, the topic had come to an end for the time being.
A little while later, Bronya, who had quietly left to give the "three outsiders" some space, returned with a sulking Sin.
They hadn't been eavesdropping; they just didn't want to participate in this "outsider" gathering—especially with Seele there.
Sin had a bad temper, and her prideful nature made her hate this feeling of not being in control of her own destiny.
It made her feel weak and powerless. Knowing that if she stayed, she would inevitably cause some trouble, she had decided that out of sight was out of mind.
As for Bronya, she didn't want Sin to be alone, so she had followed her out. With her by her side, although Sin didn't have any kind words to say, she still felt a lot better.
But even so, as soon as she stepped through the simple "gate" of the cave, Sin's usually aggressive mouth couldn't help but start with the sarcastic remarks. "What, you've already finished discussing the great topic of 'deciding the fate of us all' so quickly?"
"Sin."
Bronya pulled her back. Sin pouted, but with a "I'm giving you face" expression, she shut up.
"Seele, did you come to a conclusion?"
Bronya asked softly. She and Sin also had a right to know the answer.
"...Yes."
Seele's mind was in a turmoil, but she still told her two companions about Lin Wei's decision.
"Huh?"
Sin immediately cried out. After being pulled back by Bronya, she lowered her voice and said, "As the one who was originally supposed to be the next test subject, she and Bronya, although they didn't feel it as deeply as Seele, were also very aware of the danger and horror of this experiment. Before them, eight children had already died because of it. If nothing unexpected happened, she and Bronya would be the ninth and tenth."
She was also afraid of such a future, which was why she especially didn't want Bronya and Seele to end up the same way. That was why she had helped them escape, and why she had agreed to escape with them.
It was precisely because she was afraid that she found Lin Wei's decision so unreasonable. She sneered, "Does he think this is just a minor surgery to remove an appendix?"
Ignorance is bliss. What does he know!
"..."
Seele looked at her and silently shook her head, and Sin also fell silent.
Then, she snorted coldly, turned, and walked out again.
"...Sigh..."
Bronya looked at Seele helplessly and had to follow her again. So much to worry about, day in and day out...
The winter days in Siberia were short. When Lin Wei woke up for the third time, the sky was already dark again. Everyone was once again gathered in the small cave. After all, it was night, and it was cold outside.
"Phew..."
Lin Wei sniffed. He felt much better than before and sat up.
"You're awake?"
Sin impatiently tossed a small box over.
This was her "unexpected gain" from her last trip out. "Here, these are the medicines Mother Cocolia prepared for you. There are also some daily necessities, including food and winter clothes."
With that, she looked at the person who had just sat up. From under the several layers of animal hide "blankets," a shockingly out-of-place beach T-shirt was revealed. She couldn't help but click her tongue and say sarcastically, "You look so cool, some people can't stand it anymore!"
"Medicines?"
Lin Wei didn't mind Sin's sarcasm. He was surprised by her words. "Cocolia was here?"
He was a little uncertain. Why would Cocolia suddenly do this?
Has my disguise been exposed so quickly? It shouldn't be...
"No, it wasn't Mother Cocolia herself. It was one of her subordinates. She delivered the things to the place where... we met them. And Sin just happened to see it and brought it back."
Bronya explained for her, then added, "I just checked. There are no traps or anything."
The fact that the usually tough Cocolia she remembered would do something that seemed like a sign of weakness also surprised her.
Out of suspicion, she couldn't help but open it and check first, to prevent Lin Wei from accidentally falling into some trap.
Although she hadn't known Lin Wei for long, and they had barely spoken, she couldn't help but care about his safety.
"Thank you, Bronya."
Although Lin Wei didn't understand Cocolia's intentions, he trusted Bronya. He reached out and opened the box, glanced inside, and indeed, as Sin had said, it was neatly packed with some futuristic-looking medicines, high-calorie food, and a few sets of similar clothes, which seemed to be for changing.
Lin Wei checked it carefully and scanned it several times with Pandora. There were no hidden listening devices or any other traps.
"..."
Lin Wei frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, he looked up and asked, "Seele, can you roughly describe your experiences with Cocolia in these few loops?"
This Cocolia's style of doing things felt a little strange. Considering that the personalities and habits of characters in a world bubble often had subtle differences from their original world counterparts, he decided to learn more.
"Uh... okay, okay..."
Seele was a little nervous. She timidly glanced at Bronya beside her, then at Sin. She took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and told him everything about her "encounters" with Cocolia in these two loops.
When she mentioned that Sin had secretly prepared a bag of food for Bronya to take her and escape, Sin scratched her chin a little unnaturally.
When she mentioned that in the second loop, after being seriously injured by Sin after her precious secret was discovered by Mother Cocolia, Bronya couldn't help but look back at Sin, only to be glared back at.
What are you looking at? I don't remember any of this!
"..."
Bronya silently looked away, just feeling that it reminded her of the story Seele had told, of what her other self had suffered in another world...
And the ending of being taken to participate in the experiment for different reasons in the two loops made the two of them feel a sense of sorrow.
Unlike the "participants" who were deeply involved, Lin Wei, as an outsider, listened much more seriously.
"You're saying that her attitude toward Bronya and you... was very cold?"
Lin Wei asked thoughtfully. Seeing Bronya shake her head with a somewhat bewildered expression, but not very resolutely, he couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart and asked, "Bronya, what's wrong?"
"...It's nothing."
Bronya shifted a little unnaturally and said, "Mother Cocolia... she's just very strict with us."
"I see..."
Lin Wei nodded in understanding. "Then, in the second loop, she was able to find the runaway Seele in a distant town all by herself. Then she was able to notice the abnormality in Seele on the way back to the orphanage. She was also able to bring her to the trap I had set up beforehand without arousing suspicion, and then mercilessly and decisively interrogate her..."
"Hiss..."
Lin Wei's teeth ached. This woman... was not easy to deal with!
Compared to the arrogant, self-righteous one from the original world, the Cocolia in this world bubble was strict, sharp, ruthless, and calculating...
No matter how you looked at it, she seemed like a formidable character who could go a few rounds with Otto!
Compared to her cunning and forbearance, something like "defeating Veliona with a slow, cold approach" seemed insignificant.
"But, if that's the case, why was she so easily persuaded to back down before?"
Lin Wei was suspicious. Could it be that she hadn't interacted much with "Welt," but had great faith in him, which was why she hadn't noticed his disguise in that short conversation?
That's also possible. After all, using the Divine Key to make a grand entrance was very impactful...
"But why would she send me these?"
Lin Wei's gaze fell on the exquisite box that was quietly placed on his left, and he couldn't help but understand.
It seems that although that woman had outwardly obeyed and retreated, she was still hiding somewhere and observing me. It's just that I was indeed too weak at the time and fainted, which happened to fit the bullshit story I told her about "having a big fight with Schicksal." Plus, there was nothing to observe about an unconscious me, so she didn't find any flaws immediately.
And these things she sent, were they a gesture of goodwill to him as "Welt," or a meaningful warning?
"...It seems we don't have much time."
Lin Wei thought for a moment. In addition to his admiration, he also decided to raise Cocolia's danger level. He let out a long breath. "If we can't have another loop and reset the progress, I'm afraid we'll have to start acting by tomorrow at the latest."
With that, he couldn't help but smile. "It's not so bad. When I made the 'agreement' with Cocolia yesterday, I happened to say 'I'll give her an answer in a day or two.' So, it's not a breach of contract?"
Bronya was stunned. She shook her head. "Whether it's the X-10 experiment or..."
She swallowed the words "making things difficult for Mother Cocolia."
"Hehe, my body isn't as bad as you think. Thanks to your care, I've rested well for a few days. I should be almost recovered by tomorrow."
Lin Wei smiled. After all, he had been tempered in that Honkai-ravaged world for so long. How could his body really be as weak as it used to be? "Besides, if we delay any longer, I'm really afraid that mother fox will suddenly figure things out and make a preemptive strike!"
With the same face and the same identity, the Cocolia from the original world is far worse than her!
"..."
Hearing Lin Wei use such a derogatory term to refer to that woman, Seele was at a loss, Bronya was speechless, and Sin didn't give him any face at all, glaring at him fiercely. "Hey, watch your mouth!"
Lin Wei was speechless.
"You're taking a risk, Lin Wei. Not just by acting hastily without being fully recovered."
Schrödinger ignored this little interlude. She was concerned about something else. "All your previous reasons were just rationalizations. You say you want to use it to get your Stigmata back, but without the protection of the Stigmata, you're not prepared, and it will be difficult for you to even last until the end of the experiment!"
Cocolia might not be able to do anything to Lin Wei, but if he was looking for death himself, then not even a god could save him.
"Don't worry, Doctor. I cherish my life. But that is a problem."
Lin Wei smiled lightly and turned to ask, "Bronya, if I remember correctly, the selection criteria for the X-10 experiment subjects is based on their Honkai energy adaptability, right?"
"...Yes."
Bronya nodded hesitantly.
"Is that so? Then there's no problem."
Lin Wei let out a long breath. "Due to some past experiences, I once injected a super-large dose of anti-Honkai serum. Even without the extra bonus of the Stigmata, my Honkai energy adaptability is probably among the top."
His body had once been an absolute "one-in-ten-thousand waste," but after receiving the anti-Honkai serum of two thousand people, he could be called a "one-in-ten-thousand genius." It was just that he had never had the opportunity or the time to properly develop this talent.
"...Sigh, alright."
Schrödinger was speechless. You're so confident, what else can I say?
"Tell me, what exactly do you plan to do?"
After that, she added, "Tell me everything, and don't hide any key points."
"..."
Lin Wei was speechless. Am I that untrustworthy to you?