Yun Mengxi met Fu Hua's greeting with a gentle smile.
She didn't press Fu Hua on how she remembered, nor did she allow herself to get lost in the sentimentality of their reunion. Instead, she cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"Fu Hua, I know what you're all doing... You're trying to stop that disaster, aren't you?
"Can you tell me what I need to do this time? Do I just need to stay here quietly, or is there something you need me to cooperate with?"
Fu Hua admired her directness—at least, she would have, if she hadn't been thinking about how this person had been a fragile young girl in the previous loop.
That admiration lasted only a fraction of a second before it shifted into a heavy silence—the grim realization that they were forced to put a child on the front lines.
Fu Hua walked over and sat in the chair opposite Yun Mengxi. Without any preamble, she used the most concise language possible to outline the current state of the board.
"Arahato's actions have successfully seized the absolute attention of both the government and the corporate giants. Sapphire City is now under lockdown. All non-essential commercial activities have been forcibly suspended for twenty-four hours, including businesses currently in operation."
Yun Mengxi's eyes widened slightly.
Wait... has something that big happened outside?
What on earth have you all been up to?
She truly hadn't expected the situation outside to have escalated to such a degree.
Fu Hua continued, her voice steady and rhythmic. "This means the vast majority of overworked employees will cherish this sudden 'holiday' and choose to stay home.
"However, this city still contains a massive number of young people with nowhere to vent their energy.
"With standard entertainment venues closed, there is currently only one large-scale gathering in the entire city that is legal, tacitly permitted by the authorities—and even being covertly pushed by them to distract the public..."
Her gaze locked onto Yun Mengxi.
"—And that is your final 'Starry Sea Dreams' concert."
At this moment, the eyes of the entire city—and perhaps even further—were focused here.
The authorities needed its popularity to bury their scandals; the remnants of the corporations were still looking for a chance to profit; and the ordinary audience was desperate for solace or a release of emotion.
Yun Mengxi's brow furrowed. She was beginning to grasp Fu Hua's meaning, but the sheer difficulty and complexity of the task made her feel a sense of suffocation.
Fu Hua tapped the air, and her terminal's projection system unfolded a 3D map of the city.
"The Honkai outbreak isn't actually random... Based on data from previous loops, we've marked high-probability areas for initial Honkai Beast spawning, as well as relatively safe 'dead zones' and 'buffer belts.'
"When the disaster strikes, the initial distribution of the crowd and the direction they move will directly determine the scale of the first wave of casualties."
She looked at Yun Mengxi, her eyes burning with intensity. "In the final hours before the disaster, we need to use the spotlight of this concert and your influence to gather as many people as possible.
"Specifically those impulsive young fans who might scatter into dangerous areas. We need to guide them, evacuate them, or temporarily settle them near the identified safe zones.
"Note: this isn't a forced evacuation. It's 'guidance.' We can only avoid government detection by guiding them... or rather, by making sure their reaction time is slower than the moment the Honkai actually descends."
There was no look of enlightened excitement on Yun Mengxi's face. Instead, she looked troubled, as if bearing an immense weight.
"But... our time... don't we only have twelve hours left?
"No, it's probably less than seven or eight hours now... In such a short time, to change the minds of so many people, to guide their actions...
"There isn't even enough time for the news to spread or for a narrative to take hold... How is that possible...?"
Looking at her rare display of age-appropriate, almost cute anxiety, a very faint but undeniably powerful smile slowly spread across Fu Hua's face.
It was a smile that seemed to say—It is precisely because it is impossible that we must make it happen.
"Standard PR and narrative-building would indeed be too slow," Fu Hua said, her voice clear and unwavering. "So, we won't wait for things to 'develop.'"
She leaned forward slightly, emphasizing every word.
"We're going to be loud. We'll make sure everyone in the venue—and everyone watching the livestream—hears us!"
Yun Mengxi's breath hitched.
Brilliant as she was, she instantly caught the most critical and daring pivot point in Fu Hua's words.
"You mean... using the concert itself?"
Yun Mengxi fell silent. She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
This wasn't just about singing and dancing. This was asking her to take a grand performance she had meticulously prepared for months—one that carried the hopes of countless people—and, at the final moment, transform it into an emergency evacuation operation for tens of thousands of lives.
I see...
Now that the authorities had fully intervened and taken control of all channels within Sapphire City, her concert was indeed the last chance to broadcast a message to the entire city.
And that meant this concert—
Had to be destroyed by her own hands.
So this is the ending... or rather, this isn't the end yet. This is just a necessary condition to reach the perfect [END]. A single grain of dust from the era.
And that grain of dust had, as expected, become a mountain on her shoulders, enough to crush her entire life.
The path before her had split in two once again, but this time, she didn't need to hesitate.
"I understand." Yun Mengxi took a deep breath and let it out slowly in front of Fu Hua.
Then, she gave a serene smile, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Fu Hua. "Leave it to me."
What came next was her stage, her concert.
No one was more familiar with its every detail than she was, and no one... could influence the people in the audience more than she could.
She looked at Fu Hua, and for a moment, a look flashed in her eyes—newly born, yet hauntingly familiar to Fu Hua.
That look...
Fu Hua felt her heart suddenly twitch.
That serenity...
In the silence, Fu Hua placed a micro-storage device containing encrypted data gently on the table.
"All the data is in here... including the safe zone locations, the predicted Honkai outbreak timeline models, and the optimal evacuation routes for different areas.
"How to translate that information into the language of the stage... that is your domain."
She stared into those eyes that were gradually becoming dim, and the tearing sensation in her heart intensified.
Yun Mengxi reached out toward the small storage device.
"I know," she said softly. But her hand moved past the device, crossing the distance between them, and gently pressed down on Fu Hua's hand, which had unknowingly clenched into a fist.
"Fu Hua, do you remember... a question I once asked you?
"If a person could avoid being distracted by the hardships and obstacles on the road, and just purely keep moving forward... would she be able to reach the end?"
...