After being notified, the several squads gathered to discuss the situation.
The temperature actually went up. What exactly was going on…
"Can we conduct a more precise monitoring?" Ato asked Immanuel.
"This is the display from the most precise monitor at the Third Branch."
"..."
Elysia offered some unique insight: "Instead of assuming the Honkai energy in a specific location surged and then dropped too quickly to be monitored, perhaps we should assume the overall Honkai energy in Trance rose, which is why a specific location couldn't be detected."
If the city's overall Honkai energy level rose, it could indeed explain the issue with the image.
"But why did the temperature rise instead?"
According to the initial hypothesis, the sustained drop in temperature was a precursor to the birth of a Herrscher, so an increase in Honkai energy should have caused the overall temperature to drop further.
Yet, the exact opposite of the expected phenomenon occurred.
"Hmm... Could we have been wrong?" Someone muttered.
"Could the sustained temperature drop actually have been a Accidental, not a sign of a major Honkai event? Think about it: before those lowest temperatures appeared, no one expected it to be that cold, right?"
There was some merit to this statement.
"So... we were wrong?"
"Must have been…"
Ato frowned at the scattered whispers and raised his voice: "This is only one day's data! It proves nothing. All squads continue to maintain vigilance! Have the survey personnel conduct regular patrols!"
…
Soon, the conference room turned into a meeting of only the squad leaders.
"Lin, can you guarantee your deduction is correct?" Ato looked at Lin, who was sitting in the corner with his visual display extinguished, and then shook his head, denying his own question. "No, no one can guarantee anything…"
"All we can do is wait," Elysia leaned against the wall, offering a helpless smile.
Sudden increases and drops in Honkai energy had occurred before and could not be taken as factual evidence. On the contrary, the abnormal rise in temperature would become a factor in rejecting the judgment that the Fifth Honkai Eruption would occur in Trance.
"Well, let's look on the bright side. Maybe it really was a Accidental? Maybe the Fifth Honkai Eruption won't happen here?" Elysia patted Lin's shoulder and smiled sweetly.
A Accidental, huh…
Lin actually also hoped the Fifth Honkai Eruption would not occur in a densely populated residential area. The highest number of casualties in previous major Honkai events were at the moment of the Eruption; the inability to counter the first wave of impact resulted in heavy losses.
If the Fifth Honkai Eruption truly descended upon Trance while residents had not been evacuated, at least two-thirds of those millions of lives would perish in the Honkai Eruption, and nine-tenths of the remaining one-third would die from Zombies and Honkai Beasts.
Hopefully, his deduction was indeed wrong.
"Lin, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Ato turned back to remind Lin as he walked out of the conference room.
Personally, he admired Lin. Lin's obedience, discipline, and capability were among the best of the soldiers. Moreover, his wife, Bianca, would occasionally mention this young man who had left a deep impression on her before she left Mobius's lab.
Whether the deduction was correct or not, Lin had taken action, and that alone was enough. It would be overly domineering and cruel to place any more pressure on Lin.
"I know," Lin, seated in the shadow, replied in a low voice.
…
"It's… it's getting cold…"
The cat-like girl squatted by the wall, shivering and hugging her shoulders.
Due to its geographical environment, the temperature and humidity of Twilight Street were relatively stable year-round, so it didn't matter if she just found any place to sleep. She was constantly moving from corner to corner anyway, and with the temperature being suitable, where she slept didn't matter.
But this winter seemed intent on freezing people into popsicles. The chilling wind blew incessantly, weaving through the streets and alleys, climbing up her back from her pant legs.
Even the cats, who usually came out to forage at this time, were afraid of the cold and hid away. Based on the girl's understanding of them, they had probably burrowed into houses with fireplaces and air conditioners.
And she needed to find a way to get through this difficult period. She didn't want to be frozen into dried meat for a beggar to dig out of a trash heap.
"...As expected, is that the only place left?" The girl's gaze subtly drifted in a certain direction.
No one came looking for her after the huge commotion last time, so it seemed she hadn't been exposed, and the place didn't look like anyone was living in it.
But what if she really got exposed this time?
The girl considered that if she didn't go, she would freeze to death, and if she did, the worst that could happen was being caught. If she were caught, she would just go to jail for food and drink, which was better than being outside.
Having affirmed her "free food and lodging" plan, the girl headed toward the house.
She soon arrived at the house, which stood out in Twilight Street. Using her superior skills, the girl bypassed the security system and the fence, then picked the lock and stealthily entered the house.
"Meow... so warm."
After a quick check of the house, not finding anyone or any alarm devices, the girl finally relaxed.
With the cold shut out, the girl curled up contentedly on a soft cushion, stretched her well-toned body—developed from years of exposure to the elements—and fell peacefully asleep.
She slept for a full day.
Waking up the next day, the girl first looked around groggily.
"Ah... right, I'm at someone else's house right now…" she mumbled to herself in a half-asleep state.
During the time spent looking for some firewood in the courtyard to dry inside, the girl's stomach grumbled. So, she went to the place where she had previously found food and took some more dry rations to fill her stomach. To ensure she could live smoothly for a period without starving, she judiciously divided the food into several portions, enough to last her for over a month.
A warm nest and enough food—that was enough for her; it was practically heaven.
But as the saying goes, once people are full and rested, they start to stir.
The girl wandered around the house, finding it large and comfortable. It wasn't necessarily luxurious, but it certainly must be exceptionally cozy to live in.
How could such a good place exist in Twilight Street? Why had she never noticed it before?
She walked into the master bedroom and found several photos on the bedside table.
The photo was a front-facing picture of a boy.
The girl picked it up and looked at it: "He looks really handsome, but his expression is a bit scary."
The black-haired boy looked about ten years old, extremely delicate and pretty. This was the first time the girl had seen a boy who could be described as so "beautiful."
However, the boy's expression didn't change in any of the photos. He just kept his head slightly lowered, his bangs half-covering his eyes, staring expressionlessly at the camera, as if looking at the person outside the photo.
Is this the family's child?
The girl didn't want to dwell on it. After putting down the photo, she quietly left the bedroom.
Three hours of heavy rain in November had passed, and winter, with its falling snow, was about to arrive.