After realizing that Cocoon was secretly investigating him, Chen Ran no longer paid attention to being followed.
He didn't care whether he was being investigated; after all, he couldn't expect to persuade the higher-ups to stop the investigation with normal means and appeals.
In contrast, Chen Ran was more concerned about something on Kiana.
The Stigmata space.
"Thanks to the system for sending me quantum physics knowledge; otherwise, I would be at a loss."
He drew 400cc of blood from Kiana.
The weak Kiana still grimaced, but she was soon taken away by Fuxi and Nuwa for care.
Currently, most matters at the First Research Institute were handled by Klein, Fuxi, and Nuwa. Mobius rarely appeared at the First Research Institute, and it was unclear what she was busy with, while some tasks that should belong to the First Research Institute were assigned to other research institutes and laboratories.
Since Mobius was investigated by the higher-ups last time, although nothing happened, the tasks of the First Research Institute had decreased significantly.
Correspondingly, the funding also decreased.
Fortunately, the Herrscher Core was mostly at the First Research Institute, and the $10,000 visiting fee per person each time could still bring in considerable income.
Chen Ran began to explore the genes on Kiana, looking for something that might be related to the Stigmata space.
If his guess was correct, the Stigmata space should be something similar to the imaginary space, encompassing the realm of consciousness and not affected by the rules of time and physics.
No matter whether it is the Stigmata space or the imaginary space, the most important things that constitute them are consciousness and Honkai.
In the Stigmata space of the Kaslana family, there is a Stigmata administrator in the form of Kevin, which maintains all the members of the Kaslana family.
If we take each member of the Kaslana family as a temporal node, it means that Kiana can actually traverse from the present fifty thousand years ago to any point in time during the existence of the Kaslana family.
This includes Kallen, whom Otto longs to see.
However, the specifics of how to proceed need to be calculated slowly by Chen Ran.
Chen Ran has no ulterior motives towards Kallen, but he has a keen desire for time.
If Kiana can traverse through the Stigmata space, then he might be able to do so as well, even without relying on the system to reach fifty thousand years later.
If this civilization era ends with Finality Destruction, he can still survive.
Chen Ran feels that there is more and more he needs to do.
"Has he always been this busy?"
While he was calculating, Kiana couldn't help but ask Fuxi and Nuwa, the twin sisters.
Of course, her concern for Chen Ran was a pretense; she genuinely wanted to get close to the twin sisters.
Fuxi nodded: "Yes, Senior Chen Ran has been engaged in his own research at the First Research Institute."
Nuwa added, "But there are many aspects of this research that we don't understand; only the Doctor might understand, and she doesn't care about him."
After saying this, Nuwa expressed her frustration: "Why do we have to handle the daily work while Senior Chen Ran doesn't have to? It's really unfair."
Fuxi shot her a glance: "Usually, the daily work is done by me and Klein."
Nuwa quickly interjected, "I helped too, okay?"
She waved at Klein, "Klein, milk tea."
"Oh, okay, thanks."
Klein, who had been busy since early morning, happily went to drink her milk tea upon seeing it.
She is easily satisfied.
Kiana blinked: "You all really like milk tea, huh?"
"Brainwork consumes calories easily, and milk tea can quickly replenish them, so preparing milk tea and chocolate is part of our daily work," Nuwa said matter-of-factly.
Fuxi sighed: "It's purely because you want to drink it."
"Hmph, obviously Senior Chen Ran likes it too."
At the spot where Chen Ran was, a cup of milk tea caught attention.
Fuxi looked at Nuwa, who had a hint of obsession in her eyes, and couldn't help but sigh.
At that moment, the group chatting heard a familiar voice.
"Um, there's a strange presence in the lab."
Mobius walked in from outside the First Research Institute and then saw Kiana holding the milk tea.
She blinked: "You're the one who looks a lot like Kevin, Chen Ran's cousin?"
Kiana retorted, "Is it necessary for everyone who sees me to mention that?"
She stood up and said to Mobius, "Hello, Dr. Mobius, I'm Sirin. I often hear my cousin mention you, hehe."
Her signature silly smile piqued Mobius's interest: "Oh? What does he say about me?"
Kiana was instantly at a loss for words.
She was just being polite; how would she know anything about Mobius?
Mobius's reputation in Fire Moth isn't particularly good. Between the Second and Third Honkai Eruptions, she conducted special experiments where the subjects were humans.
In such circumstances, how could Mobius possibly have a good reputation?
But Kiana had been at Fire Moth for too short a time, and after arriving here, she joined Squad Five, knowing only names of everyone.
Kiana quickly said, "Cousin often says Dr. Mobius is beautiful, kind-hearted, smart, hardworking, and virtuous..."
She used all the compliments meant for Mei on Mobius.
Nuwa cautiously asked Fuxi, "Is there any truth to that besides being smart?"
Fuxi shook her head: "We should leave; Sirin is going to be in trouble."
The two sisters pulled the onlookers Klein away.
Kiana noticed Mobius's expression was a bit off and blinked: "Doctor? Dr. Mobius?"
Mobius's face was stiff: "You keep talking; I'm listening."
At this moment, even Kiana felt something was off and quickly said, "Ah, I have training tasks; I'll be going now, cousin, goodbye."
Just as she was about to leave, Mobius grabbed her by the collar.
"Wait, since you're Chen Ran's cousin, of course, we have to treat you well at the First Research Institute."
She leaned close to Kiana's cheek, but Kiana felt no warmth; instead, it was as if a venomous snake was watching her.
Mobius whispered, "Sirin, you actually have a strong desire for power, don't you?"
Kiana was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
She saw Mobius release her and walk deeper into the research institute.
For some reason, Kiana followed her in.
At this time, Chen Ran had already set aside his calculations.
Seeing Kiana follow Mobius inside, he sighed: "I hope your luck is good this time."
Indeed, Mobius was called over by Chen Ran.
The only reason Chen Ran could summon Mobius was that Kiana's body had unactivated super mutation factors.
Mobius didn't care about Kiana's true origins; that was Cocoon's responsibility.
To Chen Ran, Mobius was one of the few people he could trust.
Setting aside their past relationship, she herself was not a tormentor, so Kiana's life safety was not a concern.
Originally, Chen Ran intended to personally perform the surgery related to the super mutation factors, but now it was clear that Schariac's genes and the Stigmata space were more worthy of research.
If his research direction was correct.
Then, relying on the time-ignoring characteristics of the Stigmata space, a global network centered around a certain terminal could be established.
Once this global network was established, humanity's fate would intertwine, sharing information and resources, and people from fifty thousand years ago and fifty thousand years later could even converse...
Chen Ran suddenly broke off his thoughts.
He thought of another matter.
In all the simulated scenarios he had traversed, whether it was Otto or others, none had sensed the existence of the global network.
This meant that the plan for global connection had actually failed?
"No, I can't let the future affect the present."
Chen Ran forced himself to continue measuring the genes of the Kaslana family and the plans he had conceived.
Although the future is a predetermined future that has already occurred, it does not mean it cannot be changed.
After all, in the plot he was familiar with, Elysia did not survive to fifty thousand years later. This actually meant that the future had already been adjusted, right?
The more information he received about the future, the easier it was to influence his current mindset.
According to Novikov's rules regarding time paradoxes: a person can return to the past, but cannot change the course of history because of it.
Although this is an unproven theory, it essentially emphasizes human powerlessness.
He took a deep breath, dismissing all thoughts.
At that moment, Chen Ran felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.
He was slightly taken aback, then felt his cheek being pressed against something.
"Hi, are you still busy?"
It was Vill-V.
After she entered, she went straight to Chen Ran and leaned close to him.
Fuxi instinctively looked at Nuwa, then saw Nuwa pouting, looking very unhappy.
But what could she do about being unhappy? In the public eye of Fire Moth, Vill-V and Chen Ran were already in a romantic relationship.
Although to everyone at the First Research Institute, they seemed like the least couple-like pair.
Fuxi whispered to Nuwa: "Seeing this, aren't you going to give up?"
"The despicable big-breasted girl will never defeat me."
Nuwa made a face that Vill-V couldn't see.
Fuxi shook her head: "No saving you."
...
...
"What's up?"
Chen Ran looked at Vill-V, slightly surprised.
Vill-V blinked: "Is it not okay to find you if there's nothing going on, my little boyfriend?"
"Let's skip the mushy talk; neither of us is the type to waste time on pretenses."
Even though there were some flirtatious and ambiguous moments with Vill-V, Chen Ran did not feel any ambiguity from her.
Perhaps both had mutual feelings of affection, but Chen Ran was very clear that rational people are often not dominated by emotions, and this was true for both Vill-V and Mobius.
It was hard to imagine that they would be madly in love with someone, wishing to stick together every day.
That's neither scientific nor realistic.
If they were truly love-struck, they wouldn't have achieved what they have now.
In fact, during the days led by No. 666, Chen Ran spent most of his time without any opposite sex around, except for Nuwa bringing milk tea.
Everyone had their own things to do; couples who hadn't seen each other for ten days or half a month were common.
Even Blanca and Ato, who had a daughter, spent little time together when Blanca was still an assistant at the First Research Institute.
So in that sense, Wendy is the true love.
"Are you thinking about other women?" Vill-V's soft voice nearly startled Chen Ran.
He even suspected that the girl in front of him had mind-reading abilities.
Seemingly sensing Chen Ran's surprise, Vill-V smiled: "Don't forget my profession; a magician must be adept at understanding the audience's mind, after all, deceiving logic is the essence of magic."
Chen Ran tugged at the corner of his mouth: "I learned something; now, let's talk about what's going on."
"I've almost finished researching the secrets of the Herrscher Core."
She directly sat on Chen Ran's desk, then placed her feet over the absolute territory.
Chen Ran looked up at her: "Can you get down?"
"Mm-hmm? This is a rare benefit."
"Forget it, just continue; what do you want to do?"
"Integrating Honkai genes into related surgeries."
She looked at Chen Ran and said, "I know you and Mobius have conducted such surgeries, using a human body to harness the power from the Honkai side."
The super mutation surgeries at the First Research Institute have always been confidential, known only to a few.
However, confidentiality does not mean that others cannot perceive it.
There are other geniuses within Fire Moth besides Mobius and MEI.
Chen Ran had once displayed powers akin to a Herrscher in front of Vill-V; although she did not ask, she still investigated.
If it weren't for her previous research on the Divine Key, she should have brought up this surgery with Chen Ran much earlier.
"Do you want to do it, or study it?"
"Both."
Chen Ran sent the surgical data he had been working on to Vill-V.
Of course, the records couldn't be related to Mobius, so he had to use Nuwa's data as a substitute.
"The above is the entire process of my recorded data from the later stages of the surgery. With your intelligence, you'll understand it quickly."
After Vill-V confirmed receipt of the information, she got off the table and kissed Chen Ran on the cheek: "So good, let me tell you some good news."
"Our benefactor has increased their investment in us."
Chen Ran was slightly taken aback: "Eden? What did you do?"
"Don't think of me as some kind of villain. I simply ran out of money for materials and sold some information."
"However, to be precise, it was Eden who approached me. You don't think that such a huge commotion as the Fifth Honkai would go unnoticed, do you?"
Vill-V briefly explained the situation.
The location of the Fifth Honkai outbreak was near the equator, where the hot equatorial climate suddenly cooled down. Such abnormal weather would naturally be easily noticed.
Ordinary people would only think it was an anomaly, but wealthy individuals like Eden would certainly find ways to inquire about the relevant information.
And they had already interacted with Eden.
So, it was only natural for Eden to increase her investment.
"Prepare yourself. With Eden's financial power, joining Fire Moth is only a matter of time. When that happens, you'll have to charm our benefactor."
"Why not you?"
"I'm busy." Vill-V said matter-of-factly.
The threshold for Fire Moth was undoubtedly very high, but that was only relative to ordinary people.
No organization would refuse the entry of wealthy individuals, even if it meant sacrificing some of their influence.
And how wealthy was Eden?
Let's put it this way: after the destruction in Australia and the devastation of Mu Continent, Fire Moth's finances had already collapsed. At that time, the United Nations and various governments could no longer support the normal operation of Fire Moth.
The world's financial and normal trade markets had been destroyed, but Eden was able to provide funds to inject into Fire Moth, and any research progress of Fire Moth had not stalled.
One can imagine how wealthy Eden was at that time.
So even if Eden invested in Chen Ran and Vill-V, it essentially wouldn't diminish her wealth.
Chen Ran sighed: "Alright, I understand."
Vill-V waved her hand: "I'm off."
The girl left without any lingering feelings.
Chen Ran didn't mind.
Just as he was about to continue measuring Kaslana's genes, he heard Nuwa's soft voice.
"Senior Chen Ran, that feeling just now must have been good."
Nuwa's eyes lost their luster.
——
In 2014, at Schicksal Headquarters.
Wendy and Raiden Mei met 2014's Sirin, along with Kiana, who was being dragged along for training by Sirin.
"I thought Durandal's efforts and seriousness were innate, but it seems that's not the case."
Even though Durandal no longer existed in this world, Wendy and Mei still used that name to refer to her.
Mei looked at Kiana, who had her mouth pouted high, and felt a moment of daze in her eyes.
The two were so alike, both in appearance and personality.
The difference was that the real Kiana didn't like to wear her hair in braids; she preferred to inherit her mother's hairstyle.
2014 was the endpoint of their time journey.
Everything that happened here could change in the next second.
Perhaps tomorrow, the diligent and serious Durandal would appear, and Sirin would disappear.
In the face of fate's uncertainty, Raiden Mei felt powerless.
Wendy looked at Mei, sighed, and said: "It seems Bishop Otto isn't here."
After they returned to Schicksal Headquarters, they were received by Rita and Amber. But no one was in the mood to enjoy it.
"So what are we going to do next?"
"I don't know either."
Wendy said somewhat dejectedly: "I've never encountered a situation like this, wanting to go back, but it seems that even if we go back, we can't do much."
No one had given them orders.
There were no enemies to eliminate.
Both Wendy and Raiden Mei could feel the invisible hand of fate tightening around them little by little.
At that moment, Wendy's communicator suddenly rang.
After reading the message, she was momentarily stunned.
Mei couldn't help but ask: "What's wrong?"
"It's a message from Raven. She wants us to find her in Nagazora City."
"Raven? Wasn't she knocked out by Gray Serpent?"
"Yeah." After telling Amber, Wendy disregarded whether Schicksal's people opposed it and took Raiden Mei to Nagazora City.
Then, they saw Raven, safe and sound.
"I've withdrawn from World Serpent."
Raven took off the communicator in her hand and threw it to Wendy: "This was supposed to be collected by the organization, but Gray Serpent told me to give it to you. You'll use this to contact World Serpent in the future."
Her first message left Wendy feeling shocked.
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