47. The Quantum Sea, a Gift Across Ten Thousand Years.
Five minutes ago, on the beach.
As Gao Qi suddenly revealed his true strength and leaped into the whirlpool, Raven and Cocolia, despite their shock, immediately began evacuating the children.
"Hah... I knew that annoying guy was no simple mercenary. He has to come back safely—alright, hurry, hurry, keep up! I'll take a headcount."
Though anxious to the point of madness, Raven maintained her composure on the surface, directing each child to the evacuation vehicles.
"Alright, stop overthinking. Zero has always been like this. When he returns, I'll have a word with him! He'll come back, he definitely will."
Cocolia's expression darkened as she stared at the churning whirlpool in the ocean before her.
"The quantum realm... Even after all this time, Anti-Entropy's research has only scratched the surface. The Eye of The Deep City branch has been testing relentlessly but still hasn't managed to open the door to the Quantum Sea... How is this possible?"
As an Executor of Anti-Entropy, Cocolia was well aware of the Quantum Sea's existence. However, due to constraints from the conservative faction, she had never been able to fully dedicate herself to researching this field.
The theoretical basis for the earlier X-10 experiment was also related to Quantum Sea research. Yet, her love for the children and Gao Qi's persuasion led Cocolia to abandon the experiment.
This, in turn, eased tensions between her and Einstein's faction, allowing her to gain access to data from The Eye of The Deep.
But the undersea laboratory was only conducting the most basic research. How could it possibly open the door to the Quantum Sea so easily?
Before Cocolia could dwell on it further, while counting the children, she suddenly realized... two were missing.
"Bronya, Seele—come back, hurry back!"
Upon noticing the two children were gone, Cocolia immediately shouted, and Raven began searching around. They soon spotted the two girls by the shore, climbing onto the jet skis they had been playing with earlier.
Cocolia and Raven instinctively rushed forward but were suddenly stopped by several small figures.
"Mom, Bronya and Seele said they're going to bring Dad back. We believe in him."
"Rosalia is right."
"That's right, trust Seele. Even though she's usually a coward, today she isn't."
Rosalia, Lilia, and even Sin stood before Cocolia and Raven, earnestly persuading them. Before leaving, Bronya and Seele had asked them to reassure Raven and Cocolia, and they were determined to fulfill that promise.
"...Alright."
"Let's go. We'll evacuate the other children to safety first, then come back."
Looking into the determined eyes of the children before them, Cocolia and Raven both felt—they had truly grown up.
By the shore, Bronya was already seated on the jet ski, with Seele holding onto her waist, both facing the roaring waves ahead.
"Seele, what do we do? Tell me."
Bronya's expression remained calm, while Seele, though momentarily frightened by the turbulent waves, suppressed her fear upon remembering that Dad was still in that other world.
"U-um, Seele says she knows about the other world beneath the whirlpool. She has a way to get us in—"
Mid-sentence, Seele's appearance changed once again, revealing the other self within her.
"Hmph, I don't know why you want to save that guy, but since Seele kept begging me, I had no choice—not everyone can enter that world. At best, I can protect you for a few minutes. If you can't save him, then become quantum ghosts with him."
A flash of crimson eyes passed, and an azure ripple began to shimmer around Bronya and Seele.
"Okay, let's go save Father, save Dad!"
Bronya nodded, then abruptly twisted the throttle, sending the jet ski speeding straight into the whirlpool and through the distorted gateway.
Meanwhile, in the Quantum Sea, Gao Qi's battle with the shadow continued.
Though Gao Qi's strength was far inferior to the shadow's, the golden chains binding the shadow continuously weakened and restrained him, allowing Gao Qi to fight evenly.
"Must not... interfere. Let him walk his own path."
"Now you understand not to control others? Shut up and get lost!"
Breaking free from the golden chains, the shadow swung a fist at Gao Qi, but his agile movements allowed him to dodge and strike from behind with a heavy elbow blow, further enraging the shadow.
Initially unaccustomed, Gao Qi gradually adapted to the shadow's fighting style—straightforward, reckless, more like a primal beast than a martial artist, with each punch seemingly carrying the weight of rage against the entire world.
Of course, a direct hit would likely render Gao Qi combat-ineffective, but his skills were now far beyond what they once were. With full-force bursts, he managed to avoid every blow.
"Good, good, very good. You're still that cunning insect. Come, let me crush you!"
"Damn it, can you speak human? Are you a reincarnated telegraph machine? I don't understand what you're saying—are you an alien?"
Unable and unwilling to communicate, the two exchanged curses mid-air as they battled within the quantum realm.
Until... butterflies appeared.
Blue butterflies, wrapped in golden lightning, emerged from the shadow's body, forming a brilliant electric net that bound the shadow, paralyzing its movements and rendering it immobile.
"Damn it, I said I don't need your help! You have no right to restrain us!"
"You cannot interfere in his battle. He does not need your salvation. The him here is unrelated to us—let him walk his own path until we meet."
"Save him? Hahahahaha, I only want to kill him with my own hands! You too! You two wretched lovers! Even death won't absolve you!"
The shadow roared, struggling against the chains of lightning that seemed unable to fully contain it.
Watching the gentle and violent voices seemingly arguing, Gao Qi was perplexed.
But he soon had no time to ponder their words. Accompanied by butterflies, he saw Bronya and Seele materialize before him.
"Wait, why are you here? I told you to go to your mom and Raven! You little rascals—"
Gao Qi's primary reason for entering the Quantum Sea was to prevent Bronya and Seele from getting involved—one losing her emotions and ability to walk, the other turning into a quantum ghost.
Yet here they were, charging in anyway—damn it, it must be the Will of the Honkai's fault!
"Because they wanted to save you, understand? You said it yourself—they've grown up. They have the right to choose their actions!"
Seele had now fully transformed into her black-haired, crimson-eyed persona, urgently urging Gao Qi to leave.
"Yes, everyone else is safe now, Dad. Your safety is the most important. Let's go!"
Finally dropping the overly formal "Father," Bronya, now inside the Quantum Sea, began to feel immense pressure. Signs of Honkai erosion appeared on her body, with stripes of Honkai energy marking her calves and face.
But there was no choice—without her, Seele couldn't pilot the jet ski into the whirlpool alone. In reality, they were just ordinary children.
"I feel something terrible approaching us. Hurry and leave—oh, since you also have a Stigmata, you should be able to learn the knowledge within mine. I'll give you the key now!"
Without hesitation, sensing the imminent threat, Dark Seele pressed her finger against the Stigmata on Gao Qi's chest. Both Stigmata began to glow.
Instantly, countless complex memories and knowledge flooded Gao Qi's mind. Much of it was chaotic and quickly forgotten, but the most useful pieces remained.
For a moment, he seemed to see Mobius, then Mei, and most importantly... knowledge about the Quantum Sea!
Vaguely, he glimpsed the serpent-like girl smiling at him within the illusion.
"Received it? Good, I knew you would."
Then, the illusion faded.
"The world—so clear."
Gao Qi opened his eyes again, and the Quantum Sea before him had transformed. He seemed to perceive the truth.
Snap
Another crisp snap of his fingers, and the swarm of quantum Honkai beasts charging toward him shifted from translucent azure to pale white, collapsing from a superposition state into particles that dissipated like dust in the wind.
"Wow... so these are the monsters in the game that require special mechanics to defeat—ugh."
Bronya tried to joke, but the Honkai erosion grew more severe, causing her to slump weakly against Gao Qi.
"Hah... alright, you're right. You've grown up, and saving me was your choice. Thank you, Bronya, Seele. You did well."
Gao Qi chuckled, shrugging lightly and patting the girls' heads.
Seeing the Quantum Sea from a new perspective, Gao Qi noticed things he hadn't before—like a terrifying quantum creature speeding toward him from afar.
He could feel it coming to kill him—Tonatiuh Sunshade.
"But there's one more thing I haven't told you—if children make decisions that could harm themselves, adults still need to handle the aftermath."
Gao Qi gently clapped his hands, and Bronya and Seele were astonished to find themselves gifted with something. Simultaneously, teleportation flashes began to swirl around them.
Destiny? He didn't believe in destiny. If the two girls had stepped onto the path of their so-called fate, then he, as their father, would send them back!
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?