67. The Herrscher descends, the high-ranking officials die suddenly, a fleeting dream.
Goodbye. Gao Qi couldn't even be sure if he would ever meet Hua and Mobius again.
But upon seeing their familiar yet unfamiliar faces, Gao Qi still stepped forward, waving and greeting them.
He still hoped they were the sister and lover from his past.
Under Hua's somewhat puzzled gaze and Mobius's intrigued look, Gao Qi walked up to them, revealing an innocent smile.
"We're looking for someone. Some call him Jörmungandr, others call him 'Gao Qi.' Have you heard of him?"
Such a direct question wasn't awkward. If they were the girls he knew, they would recognize each other again. If not, Gao Qi would just be a child asking for directions.
But their response disappointed Gao Qi—no, not exactly disappointment, just the expected reaction. He had already prepared himself mentally for this.
"Hello there, little one. Sorry, we... um, don't seem to know who you're talking about. Do you need help finding them?"
Hua shook her head somewhat indifferently, her eyes lacking any of the past closeness or admiration. With her captain gone recently, her mood had been... rather gloomy.
"No need, my little warrior. Look, who's that? Can anyone under Sakura be good? Have you completed the Serpent's mission, little fox? Would you be interested in another new experiment? I still have plenty of interesting ideas I haven't tried!"
On the other hand, Mobius's tone was still as aggressive as before, and the way she looked at you... was merely viewing an ordinary test subject.
Indeed, these weren't Gao Qi's girls. It seemed this operation had nothing to do with them.
"We have to report to the council. Sorry to bother you two."
Before Gao Qi could even feel regret, Sakura nervously rushed to his side, placed her hands on his shoulders, and began pushing him away from the two.
"Alright, I believe you know them, but now's not the time to discuss this. Don't cause too much trouble—let's go."
Soon, the four of them continued toward the council building. For some reason, Aponia walked up to Gao Qi, looking somewhat angry, and poked him in the waist, leaving him confused.
"Hey, hey, what's up, Sister Aponia?"
What exactly is this child's fate...
In Aponia's eyes, the moment they met Hua and Mobius, the threads of fate that Gao Qi had just repaired with her... split apart! And two threads split off at once!
This child could not only shape fate at any time and place but had also just said she was his only destined person. Now, he had suddenly created two more... Aponia felt a twinge of jealousy.
After Gao Qi left, Hua and Mobius, walking together, began talking again.
"Are you sure, Dr. Mobius? Your memory has gaps too? Like mine..."
"...I find it particularly interesting. I'm very confident in my memory. All my experiments and daily life records are meticulously documented, yet there are still significant gaps, not even filled plausibly—someone is tampering with our minds. I'm going to find out who!"
Hua's eyes were full of confusion, but Mobius was unusually excited. She seemed to have found something worth researching again—why did she say "again"?
Perhaps it was this commonality that brought these two people, so different in status, together as good friends.
Of course, Elysia often came to them, claiming she also had memory loss. But that woman was too much trouble. Under the guise of discussing serious matters, she'd drag them out shopping every day, so both of them often avoided her.
"I have a feeling that we just need a trigger, a key trigger, and we'll remember everything!"
Mobius smiled brilliantly. She never allowed her fate to be toyed with, so she would definitely find a solution.
——————
Soon, with Sakura and you working together, you infiltrated the entire council building and made your way directly to the high-level conference room. You heard that Mei was holding a meeting today.
She is your greatest threat but could also be your best ally. You plan to persuade her to clean up the high-ranking council. Given her desire for efficiency, she's unlikely to refuse.
However, before that, you need to face an opponent—Kevin. He's not someone who can be persuaded with words.
"Kevin, is Dr. Mei inside for a meeting? I have something to report to the council."
Looking at the powerful, threatening man, Sakura forced herself to stay calm. She was no match for Kevin, but this child said... he had a way.
"The meeting is in progress. Wait a moment, Sakura—I thought you were out on a mission?"
Resting his hand lightly on the Greatsword at his waist, Kevin had no trust in the fox-eared woman before him. She had attempted to assassinate Mei multiple times, yet Mei had forgiven her every time, which bothered Kevin greatly.
"Yes, I made some discoveries during this mission that need reporting."
Step by step, Sakura approached Kevin, preparing to make her move. Beside her, Kalpas was already poised, ready to strike this cold, worthy opponent hard. Aponia also began speaking softly, calming his emotions.
"Mr. Kevin, I am Aponia, a caregiver from the Sundown Alley Sanatorium. Please rest assured, we are here only to help the children survive..."
Though not a MANTIS, Aponia's ability to soothe and "persuade" people still existed. If Kevin didn't raise his guard or hostility, Gao Qi could guarantee her power would still take effect.
Sure enough, Kevin removed his hand from the Heaven's Fury Greatsword and seemed about to say something more.
Knowing Kevin's strengths well, Gao Qi understood that Kevin's greatest weakness was on the mental level. Previously, when facing the Herrscher of Domination, the simulated power of the Herrscher of Sentience had directly affected him.
Now, it was up to Sakura, Kalpas, and him to perform.
Thud—Clang!
But just as they were about to act, a sudden thud echoed from the room. Kevin immediately gripped his greatsword, turned around, and opened the conference room door.
"What's going on—"
"Don't, Kevin, no! It's a Herrscher! Close your eyes!"
A woman's scream suddenly came from inside the room.
Pushing the door open, Gao Qi saw Mei covering her eyes and shouting. He instantly understood what was happening.
In this simulation, Gao Qi had been on guard against an early Honkai outbreak. He was tired of being toyed with by the so-called butterfly effect.
From the Herrscher of Ice, Herrscher of Death, to the later Herrscher of Flame, Gao Qi had prepared for them all. If they appeared early, he would fight desperately.
And the 8th Honkai Eruption—this was the world's answer to him.
Before shifting his gaze away, Gao Qi didn't hesitate to cover Aponia's and Sakura's eyes beside him, avoiding the crimson, flashing text on the conference holographic projections.
As for Gao Qi himself, the "Will Shackles" developed by Mei are still within him. This power specifically designed to counter the Herrsher of Sentience's memetic contamination remains effective at this moment. In Gao Qi's eyes, all text that might cause him to lose consciousness is covered with dynamic mosaics.
However, Gao Qi only has two hands after all. The next second, two thudding sounds suddenly rang out beside him as Kevin and Kalpas stiffly collapsed to the ground.
Done for!
Ugh, this so-called savior is truly fucking disappointing!
Right now, Gao Qi feels that Kevin is like a Superman with low magic resistance. During the Herrscher of Domination incident, he was ambushed by Hua, manipulated by the Herrscher of Domination using the Herrscher of Sentience's power, and fell into a deep sleep. Now, facing the Herrscher of Sentience herself, it's no surprise he got hit on the spot.
"Sakura, please tell me, is there a MANTIS warrior named 'Su' among your companions? Remember, close your eyes, don't look."
Although Gao Qi understands that the rejection from the world this time hasn't manifested clearly, likely waiting to hit him with something major, he still tentatively tried to hear some good news.
"No, I don't know any Su."
However, Sakura dashed Gao Qi's last hope. He shrugged and began destroying the screens and speakers in the conference room.
"If you have mobile phones or any display devices that can receive signals, remember to let me help you get rid of them."
Soon, Gao Qi brought Aponia and Sakura to Mei's side, who had now opened her eyes.
Nearby, the high-ranking officials of MOTH, Gao Qi's long-standing targets, were lying on the ground in rather unseemly postures, scattered haphazardly, looking exceptionally disheveled. Their life force was rapidly fading.
"The 7th Herrscher was just eliminated not long ago, and now the 8th Herrscher has emerged. You are... I've never seen you before."
Mei remained calm but clenched her fists tightly. The sudden attack by the 8th Herrscher left her no time for analysis. She could imagine that without the help of this child before her, she might not even have been able to leave this conference room.
"Don't worry, Sister Mei. A proper Herrscher wouldn't launch such a sudden attack. Her assault is because of my presence... Alright, let's not dwell on these issues. MOTH is probably completely compromised by now. If we want to save the world, it's likely up to us."
Gao Qi walked up to Mei. A long time ago, in reality, Rita even encountered a girl who looked exactly like her.
Unfortunately, the current Mei doesn't have the mature, wifely aura of Raiden Mei.
"Let's make a deal, Sister Mei. I know you've actually long been dissatisfied with these parasitic high-ranking officials of MOTH, right? I'll help you eliminate this Herrscher, and you make sure that the high council—those who you believe endanger MOTH, who seek to elevate themselves above MOTH for personal gain and restrict your actions—never wake up. How about it?"
Facing Mei, this genius, Gao Qi didn't even bother introducing himself. He made the proposition directly. With this being of absolute rationality, only benefits could sway her.
"A Herrscher invasion, high-ranking officials dropping dead—how pleasing that sounds! Don't worry, Sister Aponia behind me has an ability. Even if the high-ranking officials are alive, we can transform them into efficient beings who fight purely for humanity, devoid of personal desires and useless emotions."
Gao Qi knew Mei would agree.
"You are a MANTIS warrior. Strange. No, perhaps... I agree."
And Mei... without any hesitation, she directly, while wearing gloves, drew a firearm from her waist and, with practiced and precise skill, shot one by one at half of the high-ranking members present—she had also been fed up with these people for a long time.
One shot, one kill. Blood gushed out, yet Mei's expression remained placid as she stuffed the firearm into the hand of a deceased council member.
"This is indeed a good opportunity to remove the dead weight. I'll handle the rest. How do you plan to proceed?"
Mei would record every important matter, but starting from the Herrscher of Death, there had been a certain emptiness and dissonance in the archives she kept for herself.
Mei knew her records definitely shouldn't have such issues. It was as if an external force forcibly distorted her records—was it the Honkai?
But today, seeing this MANTIS warrior who appeared out of nowhere, Mei suddenly felt she needed to trust him. His existence seemed to erase all sense of dissonance.
Mei rarely trusted intuition or instinct, but this wasn't mere intuition. After Mobius and Hua reported this matter to her, she understood it might be a case of collective amnesia altered by a powerful force, such as the Honkai.
Gao Qi looked at everything before him and nodded satisfactorily. In the end, his greatest enemy remained the Honkai.
To be honest, he didn't dislike this extra scene orchestrated by the Honkai this time. At least it allowed Gao Qi to achieve his goal smoothly.
"The Herrscher of Sentience is pure memetic contamination. Its true form is hidden. I know you must have something like brainwave monitors, right? Connect me to them—I'll find it."
And then, a pair of delicate hands gently rested on Gao Qi's shoulders.
"And me. I said I would accompany you... to the very end, Gao Qi. You cannot refuse me."
Gao Qi still wanted to dissuade her, but when he saw the resolute and uncompromising look in Aponia's eyes, he relented.
"Alright, let's go together. I'll protect you, Sister Aponia."
Perhaps he shouldn't, as before, always think about dying alone. This simulation was both Gao Qi's attempt to change Aponia and to change himself.
He should trust the people he loved a bit more.
[To prevent the Herrscher of Sentience's invasion, you checked everyone who could be affected and went with several others to Mei's laboratory.]
[There, Mei quickly replicated the "Will Shackles" based on the formula you provided, injecting everyone. She even praised the creator of this invention as a genius—this strengthened your resolve to rely on repeated simulations to continuously advance technological iteration.]
[Otto never suppressed technological progress. On the contrary, to revive Kallen, he had to ensure both technology and the Honkai advanced together. What he strived for was to give human technology sufficient dominance over the Honkai—complacency, stagnation in development would only lead to the predicament of the Schicksal family. Humanity must continually progress to truly pass this major test of the Honkai.]
[Carrying Kevin and Kalpas, you arrived at the core laboratory, preparing to connect with Aponia into their minds, entering the thought network controlled by the Herrscher of Sentience, ultimately finding its true form—no, best to eliminate it within the dream itself!]
[Soon, aside from the MANTIS warriors whose strong wills only led to deep sleep, many ordinary people controlled by the Herrscher of Sentience woke up. The Herrscher of Sentience seemed to have discovered your plan and began to attack you. Sakura stepped outside the laboratory to fend off the controlled individuals, ready at any moment to charge toward the Herrscher of Sentience's true location.]
[You and Aponia connected to the brainwave monitor observation hub modified by Mei, released the Will Shackles, and sank into the depths of consciousness—you had to remember the mission, otherwise you might get lost in the maze of dreams composed of countless victims, much like in Inception.]
[Then—you woke up.]
"What are you thinking about? It's my turn to cook today. What would you like to eat?"
The next moment, in a daze, Gao Qi found himself in a clean, tidy, and exceptionally warm little house. He couldn't quite remember what happened before. It seemed he had always belonged here from the start.
He was still in that small form, sitting on a soft sofa, browsing news on his phone.
And before Gao Qi, a voluptuous woman with light brown long hair, Aponia, was looking at him with a smile. She was no longer wearing her devout nun's attire but loose home clothes.
In her arms, she was cradling a nursing baby, carefully feeding her. Her tone was exceptionally gentle. Seeing you staring directly at her chest as she fed the child, her face blushed slightly, filled with happiness.
"Dear, would you like to hold her? Or... would you like some milk?"
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
Please support the original author: warboss
Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?