"I'm telling you, you guys are way too impatient."
After contacting Einstein and Tesla, Daniel Davis and Fu Hua immediately made their way to Anti-Entropy's base deep beneath the Pacific Ocean—Sea Abyss City.
Sea Abyss City is a relic of the former civilization unearthed by Anti-Entropy, and it's arguably the best-preserved relic they've ever found. While Tianming excavated countless relics of the old civilization—including the AI "Ai-chan" on the Huberian—they had never come across a site kept in such pristine condition. This is probably because Sea Abyss City lies at a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level, which helped preserve its structure. In fact, most of its original functions remain intact.
In addition to a protective shield designed to withstand the crushing underwater pressure, Sea Abyss City also served as a laboratory for the former civilization's exploration of the Sea of Quantum. Long before they developed the "One-Mounted Unity of the Thousand Realms," the old civilization used this facility to study the Sea of Quantum.
Environmentally, Sea Abyss City is breathtaking—a place where one can marvel at the dazzling seascapes of the deep.
"The information from the Sea of Quantum vanishes in an instant. Even if we wanted to notify you, it wouldn't reach in time," Einstein explained, briefly outlining the reason.
"I understand. Don't worry—it was only Kevin causing trouble. I'm heading over to bring him back," Daniel Davis replied. For Einstein, Tesla, and Walter Young, knowing a comrade's whereabouts means that no matter the danger, they wouldn't leave them behind.
"Fu Hua, let's go—time to meet an old friend."
Daniel Davis then opened a golden teleportation portal, and he and Fu Hua stepped into the Sea of Quantum. Meanwhile, Walter Young and Einstein stayed back to ensure that Kevin wouldn't slip back into the real world through the "Sea Abyss Eye." Walter held off Kevin, and Einstein returned to close the portal.
"Over there—there's movement. It should be coming from that direction."
Once inside the Sea of Quantum, Daniel Davis quickly detected a massive concentration of Honkai energy off to the right. He and Fu Hua hurried in that direction.
"Eden Star, one-thousand times gravity!"
When they arrived at the scene, they saw Walter Young using an Eden Star to fend off a swarm of quantum shadows rushing toward him. Standing beside him was a woman whose face was partially obscured—one side of her face was hidden by a cascade of Roman curls that, unusually, shimmered in a quantum state.
"That has to be Schrödinger," Daniel Davis observed. Though he'd never met Schrödinger before, there was no doubt that the person appearing beside Walter Young could be no one else.
"Those who study the quantum realm eventually exist in a quantum state. There's probably no more fitting example than this," Fu Hua remarked as she and Daniel Davis made their way over.
"Don't tell me you're alright? The two doctors were so frantic when they called me—I thought something had happened to you," Daniel Davis called out cheerfully to Walter Young, who was being supported by Schrödinger. Then his gaze shifted to Kevin on the other side.
"Kevin—long time no see," Fu Hua said as she stepped forward and greeted him in a soft tone.
It had been fifteen hundred years since Fu Hua and Kevin last met. Back then, when routine communications every decade had begun failing, Fu Hua had even traveled to the West to search for Su—and for Kevin.
"Fu, it's been ages," Kevin replied, surprised to see Fu Hua. For a brief moment, an expression of genuine feeling flickered across his typically icy features.
"Your injuries are severe. You should head back. Leave this to us," Fu Hua said as she conversed with Kevin. At that moment, Daniel Davis opened another golden portal and sent Walter Young and Schrödinger back. Though Schrödinger was visibly amazed and curious about the portal, he knew Walter's side was too important to jeopardize, so he nodded and left with Walter Young.
"Kevin, are you really going to stick with the Sacred Mark Plan? How are people in this century supposed to choose their own fate? It shouldn't be up to us," Fu Hua said, echoing a sentiment similar to Su's. As survivors of the previous civilization, they could safeguard the current one or pass on ancient knowledge—but the method of countering the Honkai must be decided by this era's people.
"You know very well you can't stop me," Kevin replied coolly, his demeanor returning to its usual steely calm.
"Hold on—both of you, no need for swords drawn. Let's talk this through," Daniel Davis interjected quickly, just as it looked like a fight might break out.
"Kevin Kaslana, fancy meeting you again," Daniel Davis greeted with a smile as he waved at Kevin.
"It's you," Kevin replied, now recognizing Daniel Davis.
"Kevin, if there's another way to deal with the Honkai, would you be willing to abandon the Sacred Mark Plan?" Daniel Davis asked directly.
Dealing with the Honkai was Kevin's obsession. He was prepared to do anything—even become a ruthless executioner—to crush the Honkai. To persuade him to give up the Sacred Mark Plan, they'd have to offer an alternative path; otherwise, he wouldn't budge.
"Another method? I'm listening," Kevin said. He glanced at Fu Hua, who remained silent, and after a brief hesitation, he continued.
"Before I explain, let me share a bit about my background." Daniel Davis then recounted how he came from a world completely free of the Honkai.
"I can help implement the Endless Sands Project. If we wish, we can execute it right now. But the question is: are you willing to do the Endless Sands Project?"
Just as he had asked Einstein and Tesla earlier, Kevin hesitated. Not ready to push matters to the edge, he wasn't eager to run away from the challenge.
"Look, Kevin, if you don't want to execute the Endless Sands Project, then why cling to the Sacred Mark Plan? I'm not opposed to the Sacred Mark Plan—but it should only be used as a last resort. Even Dr. Mei from the former civilization only resorted to it in the final moments, right?"
Strictly speaking, the Sacred Mark Plan had been executed only once by the former civilization. In this era, the Sacred Mark is inherited from that time—but for some reason, the plan is incomplete. Consequently, the Sacred Mark only appears on females, while very few males even possess Honkai resistance.
Daniel Davis had done his homework on the three major families of Tianming. The Kaslana family needs no introduction—they're Kevin's descendants. The other two families also seem to have countless ties to the former civilization's Fusion Warriors.
"Regarding the observation of the World Bubble, Kevin, you should know what that means. I once had the privilege of observing a similar World Bubble and learned some details about the future," Daniel Davis continued, speaking openly with Kevin—leaving nothing hidden.
"How do you know there's no help from the Sacred Mark Plan?"
Kevin, who was good friends with Su and frequently exchanged ideas, knew more than most about the situation in other World Bubbles.
"I don't really know. But there's one thing I must say, Kevin: in the former civilization, you lost the battle against the Honkai. In terms of sheer power, this era's humans are no match for you. But you should know that countering the Honkai can't be achieved by strength alone."
One by one, Regulators began to appear—and they came out in sequence, not all at once. It was a very strange phenomenon. Why couldn't several Regulators appear simultaneously?
For the Honkai, manufacturing multiple Regulators with the same ability would be easy—but the Honkai didn't do that.
"I imagine you've already witnessed the power of the Regulators in this era. I doubt the former civilization ever expected Regulators to fight alongside humanity—and certainly not in numbers.
Right now, Saint Freya Academy already has the Thunder Regulator and the Wind Regulator on humanity's side. Add me—the Reason Regulator—and that makes three. During the Second Honkai, if it weren't for Otto's ulterior motives, even the Void Regulator might have sided with humanity. Now, the opportunity for the Void Regulator to join us has come."
"From my observations, at least half of the Regulators in the future will stand with humanity. Perhaps this time, we can even convince the Doomsday Regulator to side with us. And even if we fail, I plan to force the Doomsday Regulator to abandon its plan to annihilate humanity," Daniel Davis asserted.
"Kevin, that's for real," Fu Hua said solemnly, nodding in agreement. The result left Kevin silent—he never expected the situation to turn out this way.
During the Second Honkai, the power of the Void Regulator had surprised him. Even five- or six-core Regulators were, in terms of power, not even on par with some of the former civilization's Fusion Warriors.
"So, you say you have a way to make the Doomsday Regulator give up on destroying humanity. How exactly?"
After a long pause, Kevin finally spoke.
"It's simple. Bring the Doomsday Regulator to a world without the Honkai. Without the influence of Honkai consciousness, there'd be no need to destroy humanity. All we'd have to do is find a way to restrain its actions for a while."
"Uh…" Kevin was stunned. He never imagined such a solution existed. If the former civilization possessed this method, then they might never have destroyed themselves. In the end, Kevin's desperate final strike during the former civilization forced the Doomsday Regulator to halt all activity for twelve hours.
"Of course, if the Honkai consciousness doesn't play by the rules and creates another Doomsday Regulator, then this plan won't work. But I think the Honkai consciousness wouldn't dare," Daniel Davis added.
Creating another Doomsday Regulator would be a hopelessly underhanded move. If the Honkai really intended to obliterate human civilization, they'd have countless other means at their disposal without resorting to such measures.
"I need to see proof."
"Not a problem—I'll show you the evidence."
Seeing Kevin's expression soften a bit, Daniel Davis felt a wave of relief. Bringing Fu Hua along had been the right call; if he were alone trying to reason with Kevin, a fight might have been unavoidable.
His timing was a bit off—if Su had also handed over the One-Mounted Unity of the Thousand Realms to Youlandel and chosen to sacrifice himself, convincing Kevin would have been even easier.
As a Fusion Warrior of the former civilization, Su ultimately could survive—but he had chosen to end his life after observing for over fifty thousand years, to validate something with his final act.
"Look—there's the third Regulator, the Thunder Regulator. She's almost become the 'Kitchen Regulator.' If I hadn't intervened, she would have ended up as a top official in World Serpent Headquarters. You recruited her yourself."
Once Kevin's tone softened, Daniel Davis led him away from the Sea of Quantum. Daniel Davis trusted Kevin's character—he wasn't the kind to go back on his word. After all, he wasn't some fair-weather collaborator.
"Mei…"
For the first time, Kevin's eyes widened at the sight of Thunder Regulator Mei, and he couldn't help but utter her name.
"Almost forgot—Thunder Regulator Mei looks exactly like Dr. Mei. Too bad Yae Rin didn't show up; that would have been even more interesting."
Yae Rin was currently staying inside Theresa's Sacred Mark Space. Incidentally, Theresa herself carried Kaslana blood, but awakening the specialized Sacred Mark of the Kaslana family was nearly impossible.
"Now that's the Fourth Regulator. She's become such a silly little sister—this is the true knowledge needed to counter the Honkai. If the former civilization had studied this even a little, perhaps things wouldn't have ended up like this," Daniel Davis said.
Kevin glared coldly at Daniel Davis, saying nothing. In the former civilization, there were those who proposed communicating with the Regulators—Mebius was one of them—but alas, even he couldn't do anything under the overwhelming circumstances.
If other Regulators, with their immense power, wreaked havoc without dialogue, that could be somewhat excusable—but the Invasive Regulator, the Twelfth, was an entirely different matter.
At that time, humanity still had three cities with millions of inhabitants. In the end, even though Dr. Mei and the Fusion Warriors reached a consensus to temporarily refrain from acting against the Invasive Regulator, they still couldn't quell the terror of others—and she was mercilessly killed. After that, humanity was doomed.
"Once you're ready, contact me," Kevin said as he prepared to leave. Finally escaping the Sea of Quantum, Kevin naturally wanted to return to World Serpent Headquarters to check on matters there.
"Wait—Kevin, may I enter the Land of Bygone Joy?" Daniel Davis interjected immediately, seizing the chance. One of his goals in halting the Sacred Mark Plan was to access the Land of Bygone Joy.
"The Land of Bygone Joy? What do you plan to do there?" Kevin asked, clearly surprised.
"I'm going there to pay homage to the heroes of the former civilization. And there's something you might not know: Mebius is planning to leave from inside. If your World Serpent operative, Crow, hadn't reacted so quickly last time, you'd probably be seeing her right now."
Regarding Mebius, Daniel Davis had already explained the truth to Fu Hua. Previously, he had pretended that Mebius's death was inevitable; now that they stood on the same side, he no longer wished to hide it from Fu Hua.
Fu Hua knew the truth about Mebius's death. Not only she, but all surviving Fusion Warriors from the former civilization, including Kevin, had witnessed Mebius's end. They had all doubted, even after seeing it with their own eyes, whether it was a genuine death or just an illusion.
"Mebius—I will take care of it," Kevin said, his brow furrowing at the prospect.
"Fu, shall we go meet them?" Kevin then looked toward Fu Hua. Ever since the collapse of the former civilization, Kevin had not set foot in the Land of Bygone Joy.
"There's no need right now. Perhaps, when we finally defeat the Honkai—if I'm still around—I might go in and see them," Fu Hua replied.
"Alright," Kevin said. Though he didn't say it explicitly, his lack of refusal meant he agreed. Daniel Davis then accompanied Kevin to World Serpent Headquarters. One must admit, World Serpent's headquarters was as astonishingly located as ever.
"Zongzhu,"
As soon as Kevin arrived, the cadre of World Serpent officials gathered immediately, all watching Daniel Davis with curious expressions—especially Grey Serpent. The others didn't know Daniel Davis, but Grey Serpent certainly did.
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