As Himeko left, only Ryusuke Murata remained in the room.
He sat there still, motionless.
And Himeko, wearing that wristband, had no thought of delaying at all.
Regarding everything happening now, both of them knew perfectly well.
Ryusuke Murata knew Himeko would never stop for him again, and Himeko knew Ryusuke Murata handed the wristband to her definitely not because of "family affection" or "guilt."
He did this only for one reason—the current her was outstanding enough, her future bright enough.
And just as Ryusuke Murata could see Himeko's heavy responsibility and future, Himeko could also see Ryusuke Murata's current destitution.
How could a core member of the City of the Future, possessing such a massive amount of nanorobots and quantum wristbands, possibly leave the City of the Future and rely on investments from the outside world to continue attempting his experiments?
This man's road had come to an end, and his dream was still far away.
...
So in the end, I still couldn't find any opportunity to get close to that man...
Forgiveness? Never existed.
Understanding? Perhaps never will.
But the road must go on. The future of this city was now in her hands.
Himeko took a deep breath. After confirming again that she indeed possessed the authority of this wristband, Himeko took out her personal terminal and dialed the number of the Taixuan Dojo.
"Himeko, mission accomplished." Calming her mood, ever since she left that room and couldn't see that man, Himeko's reason had reoccupied the high ground.
"Mmh." On the other end of the terminal, Fu Hua's voice also carried a bit of exhaustion. "Hard work, Teacher Himeko... I'm also ready here, heading to the Pearl of Sapphire to contact Yun Mengxi and Yun Feng.
"A few minutes ago, Senior Kallen also sent a message. She persuaded Joachim and the Yae sisters. Action will commence before long... Now only Natasha's side hasn't sent success news yet, but Natasha's safety is confirmed."
The communication fell into silence temporarily. Neither spoke immediately.
Exhaustion was like a spiderweb draped in the veil of night in the alley corner, quietly entangling them as they passed through this alley, carrying disgusting filth and dust.
This was already their fourth loop. In each loop, they experienced at least eleven hours.
Even though this loop hadn't started long, each of them had already solidly burdened 33 hours of fatigue.
Thirty-three hours of full tension, rushing about... plus various analyses, and intense battles...
So... is this the pressure Shu has been bearing all along?
Himeko smiled bitterly, shook her head, pushed away distracting thoughts in her mind, and quickly rushed towards the Pearl of Sapphire.
That was their gathering place this time.
The cold air was filled with the nearly odorless ozone smell unique to advanced disinfectants and operating precision instruments.
Natasha leaned back silently on an ergonomic medical chair, lowering her head to look at the latest message popping up on the terminal.
The concert promotion originally hanging on the headline was squeezed down by another urgent message. The headline [ALS finally conquered!] which was very familiar from the previous loop was dazzlingly eye-catching.
Natasha could almost recite the subsequent development. She had long instructed all the things to be done. As long as steps were followed, everything would develop smoothly like the previous loop.
And she was waiting for someone now.
Or rather, waiting for the Herrscher of Evolution to walk into the trap.
In the communication just now, when Fu Hua's calm voice conveyed the final order—"Try to persuade the Herrscher of Evolution to cooperate"—for a few seconds in the communication channel, only the slight hum of instruments and her own extremely steady breathing could be heard.
Silence.
Persuade the Herrscher of Evolution?
I have to persuade that existence who exists because of me, collapses because of me, inherits all my brother's memories but heads towards a completely different end?
Like the suffocation and resistance Himeko felt in front of her father, something cold also instantly gripped Natasha's heart.
But her silence was shorter than Himeko's.
Himeko never received any care from Ryusuke Murata, but the Herrscher of Evolution... even if that care from the other party came from her brother's legacy, it had sincerely been shown by her side.
Towards the Herrscher of Evolution, Natasha didn't have such deep hatred. It was more of a repulsion towards the Herrscher of Evolution arising because of her brother.
She leaned quietly on the chair, curling up her legs in the empty office, staring wordlessly at the development on the phone.
The expected second message came quickly. The previous message hadn't stayed in the headline position for long before new progress squeezed it down.
[Heliopolis Life Sciences is about to hold a public presentation on ALS therapy! Elites from all walks of life are breaking their heads for a spot!]
[Patients attend the ALS presentation!]
[Is Heliopolis Life Sciences seeking collaborators?!]
Message after message popped up crazily. Now everyone in Sapphire City could see these hot news immediately upon opening their phones.
The outside world was gradually being ignited, and Natasha finally welcomed the guest she was waiting for.
A crisp mechanical sound rang out. Natasha unfolded her curled legs, her whole person recovering from the lazy sitting posture due to fatigue to a proper posture.
Standing in front of the opened office door was that familiar figure.
Only this time, there was a slight difference from before.
The Herrscher of Evolution was no longer in that posture with hands in pockets, but let his hands hang crampedly by his sides, standing slightly hesitantly outside the mechanical door, looking at Natasha inside the office from a distance.
Seeing Natasha's appearance, the Herrscher of Evolution seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then stepped into the office.
He revealed a smile enough to make Natasha dazed, sincerely carrying a trace of doting that only Vakh had.
"Brother..." Natasha indeed dazed for a moment, but she adjusted equally quickly.
"Natasha?" The Herrscher of Evolution pretended to be very surprised, asking back softly, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be..."
The Herrscher of Evolution's words were cut off halfway by Natasha's stagnant gaze. He choked, still trying to maintain his "brother" disguise: "Wait, why are you looking at me like this? Making it seem like we don't know each other..."
"Hoo..." Natasha exhaled a long breath, then pulled herself together.
"No need to disguise, Herrscher. Thank you for letting me see my brother again... But I really cannot accept a brand new soul disguising as my brother."