At the end of January 2000.
Chen Ran had been simulating for half a month, and Cecilia had also stayed here for a week.
During this week, she felt it was even harder than training for a month in Squad Snowwolf. The hardest part was undoubtedly teaching Sirin math.
And Sirin herself was also struggling.
"I finally figured out the problem of one inlet and one outlet. Sigh, math really is a headache."
The girl doodled on a new notebook, lamenting while drawing.
Avrora, hearing this, couldn't help but laugh, "Stop complaining, Sirin, let's go play jump rope."
The Babylon Tower didn't have many entertainment activities, but the kids didn't lack fun when together.
Bella, with her hands on her hips, said, "Hmph, don't call Sirin to jump rope; her legs are too short to do it."
"Bella, watch out or I'll hit you!"
Sirin bared her teeth, pretending to be fierce.
However, her overly cute appearance rendered her completely non-threatening.
Bella giggled and made a face, "Silly Sirin, you need to eat more meat to grow taller."
Sirin couldn't help but pout her lips high.
"Bella is bullying me."
However, at that moment, Sirin and Bella didn't know that their actions were being watched by another 'person.'
Kiana looked at the girl in front of her who also called herself Sirin and couldn't help but feel strange, "Didn't you say Bella is your follower?"
"Hmph, my follower is Benares; she has nothing to do with Bella!"
Herrscher Sirin's eyes seemed to spit fire, yet inadvertently revealed a hint of envy.
She had no friends.
Even though she used her authority to give Benares Bella's consciousness, that was still Benares, not the original Bella.
But this timeline was different; now, Sirin and Bella, along with Avrora, Galina, and Ataga, were all good friends.
They didn't have to face an unknown tomorrow in fear, nor did they have to undergo those inhumane experiments.
Everyone treated Sirin well; even some experimenters who didn't like children wouldn't treat them with a bad attitude.
Sirin's biggest worry every day was not being able to learn math well, rather than calculating how much life she had left.
Herrscher Sirin suddenly lost the motivation to rewind the strings of fate.
This way, isn't it pretty good?
Although the vessel carrying her would thus disappear, she also wouldn't be entangled by painful memories anymore.
Kiana seemed to sense Herrscher Sirin's thoughts and whispered, "We've found out that everything happening is related to that Chen Ran. Do you... want to go find Chen Ran now?"
Herrscher Sirin remained silent, her gaze fixed on the doodles made by the girl.
The girl was doodling randomly in a new notebook. Although it was hard to tell what she was drawing, one could at least feel her inner peace and happiness.
"I..."
"I don't really want to find him anymore. This situation, actually, isn't too bad."
Herrscher Sirin lacked the courage to face reality.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been sleeping within Kiana for so long.
Kiana's eyes slightly lowered, "Yeah, if what you say is true, and the Second Honkai Eruption didn't happen here, then the thirty million people in Siberia wouldn't be displaced."
She too felt a bit timid, wanting to back out.
Kiana had learned from Herrscher Sirin about her origins and the reasons for her presence here.
Now, the tragedy that occurred fourteen years ago had changed, and the price was just a synthetic life called 'Kiana.'
She suddenly thought, if one were to forcibly meddle with fate, would she be responsible for the displacement of those thirty million people?
The more she thought about it, the stronger her desire to back out became.
Fear and retreat surged in her heart, and just when Kiana didn't know what to do, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Kiana!"
Outside the membrane of the world, Wendy, Raiden Mei, and Kiana with Herrscher Sirin gathered together.
…
…
At this moment, Chen Ran naturally had no idea what was happening outside the world.
He was fully focused on dealing with Otto.
After filling in the data with his eyes closed, he organized his experimental research into a phase report and sent it to Otto. At the same time, he did not hide the fact that he had altered the original experimental approach.
After all, if Otto didn't know about the Babylon Tower's situation, it would be too disrespectful to him.
He could fool the young assistant, but that didn't mean he could fool Otto.
However, at this moment, Otto had not seen the divine, and what he was thinking the most was quickly iterating Herrscher and reviving Kallen when the Herrscher of Death appeared.
So, Otto might not be too concerned about the Babylon Tower's experiment.
After all, if Otto truly cared about the Babylon Tower, the Second Honkai Eruption wouldn't have happened.
In this situation, dealing with Otto should be quite easy.
In fact, Otto was indeed handled quite well.
Chen Ran's experimental design had already been discussed with MEI during the pre-civilization era, so there wouldn't be any outrageous mistakes or loopholes.
Essentially, the Honkai Energy adaptation experiment was the Stigmata gene activation experiment, which he was most skilled at.
Otto was very satisfied with the experimental results presented by Chen Ran.
After saying a few words of encouragement to Chen Ran, he suddenly shifted the topic to Cecilia.
More precisely, he shifted to the topic of 'Schariac' and 'Kaslana.'
"I can provide you with the blood genetic data of the Schariac and Kaslana families. Based on this data, you can conduct research as you wish; I only ask for one result."
"To find the gene that expresses Herrscher using this data."
Otto was quite mad.
At this point, he had already realized that there should be some connection between Stigmata holders and Herrscher, and he intended to use this method to try to grasp the true Herrscher.
According to his plan, the Babylon Tower's research on Stigmata was merely a preliminary, the first step of research.
The most important part was to shift towards the research on Herrscher.
Unfortunately, in the current world, there was only one Herrscher, and Anti-Entropy had already been established. Otherwise, Otto would have captured her for research long ago.
And in the unaltered history, the Babylon Tower hadn't even completed the first step of research before being destroyed by Sirin, so naturally, there was no second step.
"Alright, Bishop Otto."
Chen Ran agreed on the surface but was indifferent in his heart.
As a participant in Stigmata, he naturally knew what the essence of Stigmata was.
It was essentially the gene expression against Honkai memory.
The reason it was so similar to Herrscher was entirely because Herrscher also possessed gene expressions that adapted to Honkai; the two were essentially of the same origin.
In the first research institute, he could also access the bodies of Herrscher, and essentially, Stigmata holders and Herrscher had similar gene expression characteristics.
But this did not mean that Stigmata holders were Herrscher; it could only be said that compared to ordinary people, Stigmata holders were more likely to become Herrscher.
If consciousness is a special Honkai, then Herrscher is 'Stigmata expressing Honkai.'
However, there was no need to tell Otto this.
After all, he didn't think he had much time to study this.
However, Chen Ran was indeed very curious about the genes of Kaslana and Schariac.
"I wonder what Kevin's genes are like; it sounds interesting."
For Chen Ran, the genes of Kaslana and Schariac were certainly worth researching.
Kaslana was fine; it was just a fusion of Kevin's genes with Parvati's genes, plus the subsequent Chimera project, which fused multiple genes.
But Schariac was entirely a mutation of this era; compared to the artificially formed Kaslana, Schariac was more like 'the self-expression of genes.'
Of course, what Chen Ran really wanted to study was 'Kiana Kaslana.'
Otto provided the gene expressions of 'Kaslana' and 'Schariac,' not the gene expressions of 'Siegfried' and 'Cecilia.'
So even with these two gene data, he couldn't piece together a 'Kiana.'
However, this did add some content to his boring life.
"By the way, if I were to integrate the genes of Kaslana and Schariac into my body, would I then gain Durandal's talents?"
Chen Ran suddenly had this thought, and then he realized that it might actually be feasible.
Although Otto only provided gene data, this data might still be implantable into the body. After all, he had conducted various similar experiments, and as long as the materials were sufficient, it might be possible.
And now, he was the head of the Babylon laboratory.
The Babylon Tower had various resources specially approved by Otto, far better than the conditions of the Extreme East branch.
"It's simply fate."
Chen Ran's eyes grew brighter.
He certainly wouldn't foolishly merge these two types of genes; after all, it was unwise to experiment on his body without testing.
But that didn't mean he couldn't make some preparations.
Whether it was the MANTIS experiment, the Herrscher gene fusion experiment, or Project Stigma or other experiments, having the genes of the Kaslana and Schariac families could save a lot of trouble.
And all of this only required his body as a carrier.
"Let me think, now my body has Wendy's genes, Stigmata resonance, special Stigmata provided by the system, the potion injected by Mobius, and some strange things."
"If I add Kaslana and Schariac."
"Oh no, I've become a 360 all-in-one meal."
At this moment, Chen Ran was oblivious to the four pairs of eyes watching him from behind.
Wendy's eyes flashed with complexity.
If it were just her, she might have used the time-contradiction weapon given by Vill-V to confront Chen Ran. However, there were three other people beside her.
She suddenly realized her position was somewhat awkward.
On one hand was her lover.
On the other hand was a temporary companion who had lost a friend.
Wendy was not the extreme Raiden Mei; even she couldn't choose between Kiana and the thirty million people in Siberia.
However, Kiana was right here watching.
Raiden Mei said, "I will use the time-contradiction weapon immediately and try to meddle with the trajectory of fate."
"Mei, wait a minute!"
Kiana quickly spoke up, stopping Mei's impulsiveness.
Raiden Mei couldn't help but ask, "Kiana, what's wrong?"
"Mei, I was just thinking... we shouldn't be so impulsive." She rarely used reason to argue with Mei, saying, "If the future world has no Major Honkai Eruption, and my mother... the real Kiana's mother Cecilia doesn't die, then it should be a very good world."
She subconsciously looked at Sirin, who remained silent.
Sirin's feelings about the current situation were naturally very complex.
If the strings of fate were disturbed, then it could be foreseen that there would be no Herrscher Sirin, and if that were the case, there would be no her and Kiana.
However, Sirin could attain true happiness.
Raiden Mei frowned and said, "Kiana, have you thought about what I should do?"
"Bronya has already forgotten your existence. Do you want to be the only one left to remember you in the future?"
Her words left Kiana momentarily speechless.
After a long time, Kiana finally spoke, "Mei, I... I feel like I'm not that important."
"I'm not a member of the Kaslana family, and I'm not a hero."
For her, the most shocking thing about this unexpected appearance was not the disappearance of her body, but that the world she lived in was a world woven entirely of lies.
Theresa and Himeko's kindness towards her, her proud identity as a Kaslana—
—all of these were false.
Raiden Mei was slightly taken aback.
Kiana's emotions were somewhat despondent, and she forced herself to smile, "Isn't it pretty good now? The real Kiana is already a warrior of Schicksal; she will become a true hero, more suited for that name than I am."
"And I can quietly be a coward outside the world."
She felt timid.
She had no reason not to feel timid.
Since her existence was a cleverly woven lie of the world, then when the lie was pierced, everything about her should come to an end.
Now, the fate that Chen Ran had meddled with had changed many tragedies, which for the girl, was not an unacceptable thing.
Raiden Mei suddenly felt a bit at a loss.
She didn't know how to comfort Kiana or help this helpless girl.
The Kiana in front of her was like a helpless infant, wanting to curl up in the corner of the world, and she quickly hugged her tightly.
"Foolish Kiana, isn't it nice to have me as your hero?"
Wendy observed the situation of the two with her eyes.
Suddenly, she recalled something Chen Ran had once said to the past Wendy:
"The person we painstakingly saved, in the recorded files, is just a cold data point 1. There may be many survivors here, but there are far more who have died."
"The number 1 is so small that I feel that whether to save or not save, it doesn't matter to the whole world. Naturally, I wouldn't care about them."
For some reason, she also thought of what Bronya had once said to her.
"He is a liar."
Wendy turned to look at Chen Ran, who was immersed in observing data, her expression somewhat complex: "So, every life in your eyes is just a cold number 1? Even including yourself?"
"So, you would choose to sacrifice one 1 to save the majority."
"Right?"
The girl felt she should do something.
She yearned for answers.
Right now, she was desperate to see Chen Ran's true face.
Perhaps her inner desire had been expressed, as Wendy once again heard that voice.
[Since this is your choice, then I will help you.]
"That voice again."
Before she could react, she suddenly felt weightless, falling to the ground.
Then, in pain, Wendy instinctively lifted her head and saw Chen Ran, whose eyes were filled with complexity.
"Hi." She felt a bit embarrassed and greeted him, "We meet again, don't we?"
——
In 2014, at Schicksal Headquarters.
After the mockery of fate, Otto locked himself in his office, frowning at the blank 'Sirin Project'.
He did not rush to find Kiana, who had already become a Valkyrie of Schicksal, nor did he send anyone to look for Cecilia.
Even after Wendy took Raiden Mei to World Serpent, he did not send anyone to inquire about it or to follow up on the matter.
Aside from instructing Amber to ensure that no one disturbed Wendy, Otto issued no further commands.
"What a surprise, I thought you wouldn't call for me again."
In the depths of consciousness, a familiar voice echoed.
"I thought you had forgotten about me, your old friend."
Otto knew the source of this voice.
Key of Revelation. Void Archives.
It was a relic of infinite wisdom, existing in the knowledge space of Infinite derivatives, recording all knowledge of that era.
Its existence was the foundation upon which Schicksal could develop to its current scale.
But it was also a demon, skilled at stirring people's hearts.
"I've run into trouble, and I don't think I need to repeat the specifics to you." Otto said lightly, "As the perfect combination of artificial intelligence and Divine Key, you have the ability to know what is happening to me."
"To put it simply, I need all the information about Chen Ran, and I want to know why you have never mentioned this person to me before."
Otto directly issued the command.
The voice in his consciousness fell silent for a moment.
"Chen Ran..."
"Hehe, if possible, I really wouldn't want to mention him."
"Why?" Otto was clearly very curious about everything related to Chen Ran.
"Hehe, because there's nothing much to say. Compared to you, compared to Dr. MEI, compared to many brilliant geniuses of that era, he was just a lucky guy who stood in that time."
Otto raised his eyes: "Just lucky?"
"Hehe, at least that's how it seemed to me back then, and to anyone else." Void Archives paused and said, "But looking at it now, he might be the most unfortunate person of that era."
"A person drifting through time, hehe, what a terribly unlucky guy. In comparison, I feel I have been quite lucky."
The time traveler is unfortunate.
This was the view of Void Archives.
However, Otto was surprised: "You are not surprised by his ability to traverse time?"
"In that era, nothing that happened should be surprising." Void Archives said matter-of-factly, "After all, even more surprising things have already happened."
Otto nodded: "Indeed, being able to continue civilization after the emergence of Finality and shorten the time to fifty thousand years is, in comparison, a more surprising matter than a person drifting through time."
"However, that does not prevent me from wanting to understand everything about Chen Ran now and to find a way to traverse time."
Otto felt he was running out of patience.
A single Chen Ran had disrupted all his arrangements.
Void Archives said lightly: "If you truly trust me, I wouldn't mind helping you establish a connection with your past self."
"But, do you dare?"
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