Where is the overall commander?
This question has become the biggest problem for the Fire Moth in recent days. Countless people are asking each other, and all they get are blank shakes of the head. Fortunately, Ryan often disappears, so even though people are asking, they are not panicking.
Similar to the last time he sank into the Sea of Quanta, the Fire Moth suddenly lost its backbone. Even though Dr. Mei was brilliant, she was always missing something, that most intuitive thing called power.
When Ryan was here, he forced the Herrscher of Binding to retreat twice. Even though the latter is much stronger now, who else besides him can fight her?
The most crucial thing is that Dr. Mei is a bit abnormal. That decisiveness has suddenly disappeared. Besides sending the wounded to rest at sea, she has no other practical actions, letting the Herrscher circle around and gradually tighten the noose.
The Herrscher of Binding is almost at the midpoint. There has been no reaction yet. No matter how many times they ask, the answer is always 'wait a little longer,' and the people who were sent away did not escape their misery.
After their bodies recovered, they continued to return to the headquarters for their shifts, highlighting the repeated torment.
Screech—
The iron door was pushed open, making a grating sound. The Herrscher of Binding's irradiation of this place had exceeded two days, and some secondary Honkai energy engines had already failed.
The air was fresher than ever before. The Honkai energy concentration in the air returned to what it was before the Third Herrscher.
Aponia walked in. Besides the look of pity on her face, there was also a hint of fatigue. Fortunately, a hand gently supported her from the side.
"Thank you, Elysia. Using my ability in this environment, the speed of Honkai energy replenishment is very slow." Aponia patted the fair hand on her forearm and forced a smile: "Fortunately, the air is nice, which makes me feel happy."
"Happy? You've really been infected by Vil-V. I've been a little worried lately." Elysia was never discouraged. She ran to get a chair, pressed the nun to sit down, and gently massaged her.
"Thanks to you, otherwise Mei would have a big headache. Everyone has been very sad these past two days."
Elysia saw it and was anxious about it. The Herrscher's calmness, first of all, was a devastating blow to morale. That feeling of being restrained not only affected the body but also tormented the soul.
The warriors would rather rush to the abyss and die bravely than be tormented in this underground place. The resentment that gradually piled up began to challenge authority.
Then Aponia made her move. As Ryan said, she was invincible among humans.
[Please] calm down, everyone, and follow the command. [Please] endure the anger and wait for the day of the outbreak.
Gentle words could break the Herrscher's psychological tactics. It has to be said that Mei and Ryan had already considered all kinds of emergencies.
"I can only do this, help with some small things."
"How can you call it a small thing? Only you can do these things. No wonder Ryan is so at ease going into surgery." Elysia handed her another cup of tea, which made Aponia pause for a moment before taking it calmly.
Everyone participated in every battle, whether in the front or behind the scenes, silently contributing their strength.
'At least for these people, I don't need to impose precepts.' Aponia scanned the dim conference room and saw several people in different postures.
Sakura was quietly wiping her long blade. Hua was dozing off with her eyes closed. Kosma was hiding in a corner, muttering something. Pardo was walking back and forth, making tea and serving water. Kalpas noticed her gaze and glared at her fiercely.
This is good. The last bit of worry also vanished into thin air.
"Pardo, help me get my scarf. I have to finish knitting it before it gets cold."
"Okay, Sister Nia!"
Seeing that Aponia was knitting a scarf like an old lady, Elysia also retreated to the side, with a smile always on her face.
She liked this atmosphere of everyone working together to solve problems. No matter how much pressure the Herrscher gave, they would not fall into chaos.
That's right. We've been through so many hardships. What's a mere Herrscher of Binding?
She puffed up her chest slightly and glanced at the iron door that was pushed open for the second time. The white-haired young man walked in, yawning.
"Did Mei kick you out?"
"Uh, I guess so. She said that with Aponia's help, no one would be a threat to her." Kevin said and gave the nun a grateful look. A few days ago, people were in turmoil, which made him tense up, fearing that someone would jump out and stage a military coup.
Then Aponia went out for a while, and all the voices of doubt disappeared.
"I told you not to worry. Even if Aponia didn't work, we still have Eden." Elysia said with a confident look, her hands on her hips. "By the way, is there any news from Mobius yet?"
"No. The core experimental area is also locked down. Even Klein can't get in. I don't know what's going on."
"Then are you worried, Kevin?"
"Hahaha, how could I be? That's Ryan. Maybe he has already secretly snuck out to solve the problem."
Kevin laughed, and then Kalpas glared at him again, saying something like 'heartless,' which made the white-haired young man scratch his head. He wondered when Kalpas and Ryan's relationship had gotten so good.
"I'm not worried about Ryan. It's the current situation. Calis and the others are right to be anxious." Kevin quickly became serious and plopped down on the chair Elysia offered him. "The Herrscher of Death appeared near the Sea Abyss City. Su just repelled her, but the ocean has been polluted."
"The Herrscher of Death is ranked sixth, right? She's been alive for a long time. She really lives up to her authority of life and death."
Kevin glanced at her sideways, a little unable to keep up with Elysia's thinking. Why was she lamenting the lifespan of the Herrscher of Death?
But that's true. On the long list of deaths, the Sixth Herrscher was all alone in the middle, which was indeed a bit strange.
"Ahem, that's not important. It's just that there's still one Herrscher who hasn't appeared. Su and the others are about to reach their critical point." Kevin was worried, but a hand gently patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry. Since Mei can still endure it, there must be a reason. People who are dumber than her don't need to waste their brain cells."
Looking at the eternally optimistic Elysia, Kevin was a little lost in thought. It wasn't until the girl disappeared in front of him like a butterfly that he came back to his senses and looked at Aponia, who was knitting a scarf next to him.
"Is Elysia complimenting Mei on her intelligence or calling me an idiot?"
"I think it's both. Kevin, you can ask Elysia in person next time."
"Haha, Brother Kevin, you're so funny."
"You almost made me choke on my tea."
"Bastard, why are you blushing!"
The quiet room suddenly became lively. Looking at Hua, who was dozing off with her eyes closed, her shoulders trembling, Kevin first blushed for a moment and then started laughing as well.
With Elysia around, it was really hard to feel tense, let alone despair. And with Ryan as the cornerstone behind them, as long as these two were here,
"There seems to be nothing to panic about."
Hum, hum, hum.
Elysia hummed a song and walked through the slightly dark corridor. Her steps were light, in sharp contrast to the serious expressions of the warriors she passed.
This was a bit out of place. After her identity as a Herrscher was revealed, there was no lack of gossip. But Elysia didn't care about any of it.
Since she was embodying her 'true self,' she couldn't put on a bitter expression. Let others gossip if they want. Maybe it could even help Mei relieve some pressure.
Discipline couldn't make people optimistic, and Elysia didn't expect to infect everyone. She came to the end of the corridor to wait for the elevator, planning to go back and clean up the courtyard.
Elysia hadn't gone home for a while, but she would clean up the yard every day and sit in the garden in a daze, as if a certain black-haired young man would appear outside the fence at any moment and greet her with a feigned coldness.
Ding.
While she was lost in thought, the elevator door opened. The person standing inside made Elysia a little stunned, and the smile on her face froze.
Why is it him?
The purple-haired man stood in the center of the elevator. When he saw Elysia at the door, he showed a feminine smile.
"Good afternoon, Miss Elysia."
"Uh, hello, Lieutenant Colonel Calis." Elysia walked into the elevator. It wasn't that she disliked this person; it was just that he always gave her a strange feeling.
A low-level MANTIS, the only successful product of the Chimera experiment, with an excessive physical mutation. Plus, he used to be in charge of the inspection department. It was always difficult to get close to him.
Besides...
He had a strange smell about him?
After becoming the Herrscher of Human Ego, Elysia no longer needed her eyes to judge a person. It was more like an intuition. It was a bit vague usually, but now that they were alone, the feeling was even stronger.
"What a coincidence, Miss Elysia."
It seemed a bit awkward to be in the elevator alone without talking. Calis greeted her with a graceful gesture. Then he saw Elysia quickly turn her head and seriously examine him. This made his feminine face a bit stiff.
"What are you looking at me for?"
"I think you're a bit strange."
"What's strange about me?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it. I just feel like we've always passed each other and never had a good chat, and I've never even observed you carefully. Did you deliberately avoid me?"
Elysia was a well-known social butterfly in the Fire Moth. From MANTIS to logistics soldiers, she treated everyone with enthusiasm and got along with everyone. Only this lieutenant colonel, who held an important position, had little contact with her.
"Maybe I don't have a strong presence, and my intuition is a bit sharp, so I know how to avoid danger." Calis said directly, then a hint of apology came over him, indicating that he didn't mean it that way.
Elysia didn't mind. This reason was barely plausible. After all, she was a Herrscher. It was good enough that the other party didn't show any clear hostility.
Ding.
Before she could think more, the elevator door opened at the living quarters.
"I'm here, Miss Elysia. I hope you have a pleasant day." Calis nodded gently like a gentleman and then stepped out. The two of them didn't talk much, just like two strangers.
The elevator door closed, cutting off Elysia's view. She blinked, as if she was in a state of confusion. With the feeling of weightlessness as the elevator ascended, her purple gem-like eyes slowly widened.
For no reason, a thought suddenly flashed in her mind. She felt that the faint discomfort from the other person was a little familiar.
This... is the smell of a Herrscher?