Stepping into the now-ruined vault, Ming Yu silently looked at the battle scars left on the walls, a shadow of gloom in his eyes.
Events had unfolded as he had expected. To stop Anti-Entropy's plan, Fu Hua had rationally chosen to stay behind as rearguard, letting Kiana go first to retrieve the Gem of Serenity.
And inside the vault, stimulated by the Gem of Serenity, the Second Herrscher's consciousness within Kiana began to awaken and chose to devour the Gem of Serenity to reclaim its former power.
When Fu Hua, having dealt with the Anti-Entropy troops, arrived at the vault, she must have been met with Kiana, controlled by the Second Herrscher, Sirin.
As K-423's monitor, Fu Hua certainly couldn't turn a blind eye to the Herrscher consciousness's "accidental awakening." And so, a great battle erupted!
Feeling the high concentration of Honkai Energy lingering in the air, Ming Yu couldn't help but sigh softly. With a flip of his left hand, he summoned the Dustless Sword and began to absorb the Honkai Energy in the area.
Fu Hua and the Second Herrscher had left in too much of a hurry, not even having time to clean up the mess. Sirin had only taken the most important thing, the Gem of Serenity, completely scorning the fragmented Honkai Energy crystals left behind like dregs.
But what were dregs in the eyes of a Herrscher were like deadly poison to people like Ming Yu. If it weren't for the fact that he possessed a Divine Key capable of absorbing large amounts of Honkai Energy, he probably wouldn't have had any good way to deal with these Honkai Energy crystals, and would have had to resort to more... artistic solutions.
Ming Yu had no doubt about the outcome of that battle. Fu Hua would be victorious.
Neither Shadow Knight nor Fenghuang Down were things the Second Herrscher in this state could contend with. With two trump cards in reserve, Fu Hua held an overwhelming advantage against the incompletely awakened Sirin.
Activating his Sword Heart state to sense his surroundings carefully, Ming Yu could still feel the intense fluctuation of Honkai Energy emanating from somewhere in the hotel.
After descending upon the world again, the Second Herrscher (Pufferfish Herrscher) had no intention of restraining herself, unhesitatingly choosing to announce her existence to the world.
Sensing another, more obscure Honkai Energy fluctuation, Ming Yu nodded to himself.
It seemed Fu Hua had chosen to start with Shadow Knight, keeping Fenghuang Down in reserve just in case. Compared to the Moonwheel armor, which could be used for sustained combat, Fenghuang Down's duration was simply too short, making it more suitable as a follow-up move.
As the last of the Honkai Energy crystals turned to dust and dissipated, Ming Yu watched the reading on his Honkai Energy Detector drop back to a normal level and couldn't help but feel relieved. Staying in a place with such a high concentration of Honkai Energy for an extended period was also a considerable burden for him.
Glancing at the still largely intact control console, Ming Yu turned his gaze towards the entrance and said, "The rest is up to you, Doctor!"
As Ming Yu's words fell, an old man in a white lab coat walked into the vault. It was none other than Dr. Magi.
Giving Ming Yu a deep look, Dr. Magi walked over to the console. While his ten fingers flew rapidly across the instruments, he said in a grave tone, "I can help you achieve everything you desire, but I hope you will also keep your promise. Otherwise..."
Faced with Dr. Magi's thinly veiled threat, Ming Yu simply nodded, a confident smile on his face.
Receiving Ming Yu's answer, Dr. Magi also gave a slight nod and focused his attention on the control console.
Looking at Dr. Magi's busy back, a complex emotion flickered in Ming Yu's eyes.
Regardless of the reason, using the power of Fenghuang Down to manipulate someone's mind was, in the end, not very humane, even if used on an enemy.
If Fu Hua knew he was using the feather like this, she would probably give him a stern lecture.
But to achieve his goal, Ming Yu did not regret it. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this world has never cared for "humanity"!
It was just that because the power of half a feather was limited, Ming Yu couldn't alter too much of Dr. Magi's memory. He merely planted a thought in his mind, making him believe that he could bring an end to the profession of the Valkyrie, thereby completing his own atonement.
If one had to describe it, Ming Yu had exploited the void in Dr. Magi's heart.
Ever since his own granddaughter died before his eyes because of the Gem of Serenity experiment, Dr. Magi's heart had been filled with doubts about the Valkyrie profession.
It was laughable, really. This great doctor had presided over the Valkyrie modification experiments of countless young girls, sending countless girls to the battlefield as Valkyries. Yet, just by witnessing the death of his own blood relative, he negated everything he had done in the past.
And that HSN-b46 serum, which could neutralize Honkai Energy, was a product of Dr. Magi's guilt.
Touching the syringe in his pocket, Ming Yu could almost feel the weight of the life it contained.
So far, everything was developing in the direction Ming Yu had hoped. Neither the Gem of Serenity nor Dr. Magi had exceeded his expectations.
But in the face of this smooth progress, Ming Yu felt no joy in his heart.
In the end, this was nothing more than a compromise and an escape.
Ming Yu lacked the power and courage to defy Otto, so he could only proactively cooperate with the Archbishop to play out the script he wanted.
Although during this Gem of Serenity incident, all parties had their eyes on the Gem of Serenity at the center of the whirlpool, Ming Yu knew very well that the key to this incident was actually the unremarkable B-rank Valkyrie—Kiana Kaslana (K-423)!
In Otto's eyes, there was no so-called "Gem of Serenity experiment." From the very beginning, Schicksal had only one plan!
"Project Sirin!"
Clenching his jaw, Ming Yu uttered the name of that forbidden plan in a trembling voice.
Whether it was the coup in Singapore or Dr. Magi's defection, they were all just insignificant parts of the plan.
The core of this incident was to let K-423 come into contact with the Gem of Serenity to test the Second Herrscher's reaction to it. That was all!
The sensational Gem of Serenity experiment, Dr. Magi's defection, Cocolia's ambitions within Anti-Entropy—they were all just to create a suitable opportunity for K-423 to come into contact with the Gem of Serenity!
If the outcome this time did not meet Otto's expectations, Ming Yu had no doubt that there would be another defector carrying the Gem of Serenity, and another city would be chosen as the experimental site.
Everything that happened in Singapore would be replayed in another place without the slightest difference.
Using all living beings as chess pieces, Overseer Otto sat high in the position of the player. With just a casual move, he could decide the fate of countless people!
Faced with such an Otto and such a Schicksal, Ming Yu was afraid. He retreated. So he chose to be the Overseer's accomplice, delivering the results he wanted to Otto's desk.
"At least, in Singapore, I can still see everything clearly."
Muttering under his breath, Ming Yu tried to convince himself.
Only in this familiar place, relying on his foreknowledge, could Ming Yu achieve the results he wanted, minimize the negative impact of the experiment, and also maximize his own interests.
This was also the only thing he could do.