Lynelle felt a headache coming on.
The Propagation and the Abundance undoubtedly shared a connection—that much was undeniable.
Leaving aside the fact that both could be seen as facets from the concept of Permanence, the mere fact that Ruan Mei and Luocha had attempted to use the remains of Propagation to eliminate the Abundance spoke volumes about their relationship.
Even though, before Lynelle's transmigration, the storyline hadn't yet reached the part about Abundance, she could still piece together some of Ruan Mei's plans based on her Myriad Celestia Trailer and various texts.
Ruan Mei's ultimate goal was probably to create an Aeon, much like Zandar had done.
And the Abundance—it was highly likely meant to play the role of "the one whose concepts would be plundered" in her scheme.
Simply put, Ruan Mei probably intended to exploit the overlapping concepts between Propagation and Abundance, just as Harmony had devoured the Order.
She would use the remains of Propagation to seize a portion of the concepts from Yaoshi, then combine them with ideas like the Beauty mentioned in her Myriad Celestia Trailer to forge a new Aeon.
Of course, Ruan Mei's plans could be set aside for now—after all, this was just Lynelle's speculation.
However, the bug that had fused the powers of Abundance and Propagation was now very real and right before her eyes.
Even after being attacked by Lynelle, it hadn't retaliated; it had only let out a few sharp, piercing cries.
Though she couldn't understand the True Sting's meaning, Lynelle's innate psychic sensitivity allowed her to vaguely grasp the emotions it was trying to convey.
And honestly? The insults were pretty filthy.
"Is this…" Lynelle's lips twitched.
"They couldn't possibly see me as one of their own because of that tiny, trace amount of Abundance power in them, could they?"
Yes, while Lynelle had sensed Abundance power within these True Stings that shared the same origin as her own, the proportion was minuscule—almost negligible.
After all, Ruan Mei wasn't a fool.
History had seen creatures combining Abundance and Propagation before, and in the equations of the Simulated Universe, such things were downright sanity-shattering.
So even if Ruan Mei wanted to experiment with whether the direct Abundance power Lynelle possessed—originally belonging to Yaoshi—could merge with Propagation to test the feasibility of hunting the Abundance using Propagation, she definitely wouldn't inject a lethal dose into the True Stings.
These bugs, unremarkable in appearance yet unnervingly tenacious, were likely among her early prototypes.
But… Lynelle hadn't forgotten: beneath the Seclusion Zone, a bigger one was still hiding!
The fusion rate in these smaller True Stings might be low, but what about the large one?
And with the Abundance's enhancement, would its lifespan extend beyond the original fifty-six seconds? Lynelle had no answers to these questions.
"Now I understand why Ruan Mei asked me and Stelle to handle this commission together. If Stelle had gone alone, she might not have made it…"
"Though if I remember correctly, when dealing with that Emanatorof Propagation, Dr. Ratio should have been nearby providing backup. Hopefully, things will go smoothly this time…"
Thinking about the mess she was about to face, even Lynelle—no stranger to putting out fires—couldn't help but sigh.
"Never mind. Let's deal with these bugs first… I was planning to hold back a little, but since they're already tainted with Abundance, I'll have to bring in some external help."
As she spoke, a Character Card shattered in her grasp. Lynelle's appearance transformed once more, this time into a graceful, gentle woman with a heroic yet maternally tender aura.
That's right—Cecilia it is.
Lynelle had only drawn this Character Card once, but its three uses still hadn't been exhausted.
Moreover, as her own strength continued to grow, the Character Cards from Honkai Impact 3rd were increasingly leaning toward functional utility.
The main reason Lynelle used this card now was for the authentic Black Abyss White Flower it came with.
Unlike the self-destruct version Lynelle could cobble together, the true authority of the Black Abyss White Flower lay in rewriting the genetic code of organic life—making it the perfect counter to monsters like those empowered by Abundance, with their rapid regeneration.
After all, this was literally a "healing prohibition" effect on a physical level.
"What a shame. I was hoping to brush up on my scythe skills… But now that I've used this transformation to mask my Abundance aura, these bugs immediately see me as an enemy? Seems their intelligence still needs work…"
Watching the swarm quickly closing in from all sides, Lynelle's lips curled into a slight smile. An unsettling black mist began to spread from the Black Abyss White Flower.
"Well then, time for a thorough cleanup♪"
--+--
"This should be the Seclusion Zone Lynelle mentioned… Phew, you scared me. I thought I'd be stuffed into a toilet and flushed down here like those Cake Cats."
Stelle let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the docking bay.
Even someone as abstract-minded as her couldn't shake off the psychological trauma from the researchers'… unique transportation method.
"But where's Lynelle now… And why does the air smell familiar? Isn't this the same scent as those True Stings we encountered before…?"
Stelle sniffed the strange odor lingering in the air.
It really did smell similar—after all, escaping from that giant True Sting's stomach had left the memory of that smell deeply etched in her mind.
"Hey, dummy! Don't just stand around outside!"
Just as Stelle was lost in thought, the broadcast in the Seclusion Zone crackled to life.
"Follow the broadcast instructions and head to the greenhouse area now. All the Cake Cats are gathered there."
"Don't linger in the outer sections—there might still be some bugs I haven't cleaned up. They have optical camouflage, so be careful not to get hurt."
Stelle, who'd been about to pull out her bat and declare she wasn't afraid of bugs, sheepishly put it away and quickly followed the route Lynelle had outlined over the broadcast.
Before long, Stelle noticed the air around her growing fresher. Clearly, the greenhouse system Lynelle mentioned was kicking in.
And just as Stelle entered the greenhouse zone, a figure holding a Cake Cat appeared at the far end of her vision.
The only issue was… Why did Lynelle's vibrant pink hair seem noticeably lighter? And had she… grown taller?
"Lynelle?" Stelle ventured closer, calling out tentatively.
"What, don't recognize me?" Lynelle turned her head and winked playfully at Stelle.
"I thought you'd remember this form of mine. After all, the last time you saw me like this, you ended up awakening…"
Before Lynelle could finish, the Cake Cat curled in her arms let out a startled cry.
The reason was simple: a certain Stellaron-possessed girl had already thrown herself at Lynelle, and the poor (?) pink Cake Cat was now squished between the two of them, buried in their ample, milky-soft bosoms.
"Of course I remember!" Stelle cheered, hugging Lynelle tightly. "It's Mama-form Lynelle!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.