"Be good now, let me see your Herrscher core."
To Ghost, Jackal's current state was terrifying, to say the least.
The flushed cheeks, the moist eyes, and the heaving chest that rose and fell with each sharp breath—if this were any other setting, she would be more inclined to believe she was on the set of some adult film rather than in a biological dissection experiment.
But this woman wanted to skin her alive, literally.
And the tragic part was, for the sake of their grand plan, even if her powers weren't sealed, she had to lie on this operating table like a helpless lab rat.
Before the plan began, the three of them had reviewed all the possible accidents that could occur during the mission, which naturally included the possibility of ending up on Jackal's operating table.
Given Jackal's personality, she wouldn't just simply kill her experimental subjects.
Although the woman had almost no humanity, her spirit of scientific inquiry was commendable.
For a sufficiently precious, one-of-a-kind specimen, it was almost impossible for Jackal to just cut her open. She might not even conduct destructive research.
But speculation was speculation, and reality was reality. And Jackal's personality was extremely erratic; no one could guess what this madwoman would do next.
So, lying on her operating table was still extremely risky.
Who knew if, when she got off the table, she would suddenly hear:
"You're awake! Congratulations, you've become a Valkyrie."
Wait, she was already a Valkyrie.
But thinking about it that way, it seemed even worse!
Fortunately, after displaying a posture that left much to the imagination, Jackal didn't immediately put the knife to Ghost.
After all, even if she were to use the knife, she needed to have a thorough understanding of the target's body structure.
After all, she was here to conduct biological research, not to be a butcher.
"Lie still, let me see how your body has developed."
Jackal didn't immediately go for her chest, which let Ghost breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, Jackal operated a series of instruments that Ghost couldn't recognize, scanning her body continuously.
Ghost wasn't worried about her true identity being discovered; after all, she didn't even know what her true identity was.
But as Jackal scanned her with various instruments, her brow gradually furrowed.
"This isn't right... why can't I scan the Herrscher core? I can't locate the Imaginary node either?"
Jackal had a bad feeling. She was beginning to suspect that Raven, that brute, had been right.
And after confirming that there was no spatial frequency in this person's body similar to that of the former Herrscher of the Void, she finally broke down.
"Damn it! That crow-mouthed Raven was right, it's really not the Herrscher of the Void!" Jackal was unusually furious. "Damn rat, making me think it was the Herrscher of the Void, how dare you play with me like this!"
At Jackal's words, even as an enemy, Ghost couldn't hold it in.
"Hey, I never said I was the Herrscher of the Void! Why do you get your hopes up on your own, and then break down on your own?"
Jackal's face froze, then her anger flared up. She grabbed a scalpel from the tool tray next to her and stabbed it directly into Ghost's shoulder.
"Shut up, you damn rat!" Jackal looked at the specimen before her with a twisted face and gritted her teeth. "Even if I was a little negligent, are you completely without fault?"
"It's all your fault! Even that muscle-brained woman, Ciora, dared to laugh at me!"
The sharp pain in her shoulder shot up her neck to her head, making Ghost gasp.
She wanted to mock her a few more times, but considering she was at her mercy and Jackal's temper was unpredictable, she couldn't guess her next move.
So she decisively shut up and closed her eyes.
And seeing Ghost close her eyes, Jackal pulled out the scalpel.
Blood spurted out, but Ghost just frowned slightly, having no intention of paying any more attention to Jackal.
After all, this woman was crazy, and it wasn't worth arguing with a fool.
"Very good. Since you're so quiet, let's get to work!"
Jackal's face began to turn cruel. Since the other party wasn't a Herrscher, her value was naturally greatly reduced.
A Stigmata holder with spatial abilities wasn't that precious to World Serpent.
Of course, she didn't plan to dispose of her harmlessly. After all, all Stigmata holders were the property of the Serpent, and she couldn't waste them.
What she wanted to do was to satisfy her emotions a little while collecting data.
As someone of sufficient value, she had the right to do so.
With this thought, she picked up another scalpel.
"Although the Stigmata is not entirely from the expression of genes, and the pattern on the surface of the body is just an externalization of power..."
"But for the Serpent, it's not difficult to enrich the Stigmata genes in the body and then strip them off."
A cruel smile played on her lips as she brushed the back of the scalpel across Ghost's cheek. The cold touch made the hair on her neck stand on end.
Although she still didn't react, Ghost's heart was not calm.
As an A-rank Valkyrie of the Central Intelligence Division, her clearance allowed her to access a lot of important information. She naturally knew that although the natural Stigmata came from the expression of an individual's Stigmata genes, it could also be stripped off under certain extremely harsh conditions.
Schicksal's artificial Stigmata technology was a derivative of this, the difference being that artificial Stigmata didn't need to be stripped from a living body, but came from mass production in a laboratory.
But the side effects of both were the same. They were both foreign objects to the human body, and naturally had extremely terrifying rejection reactions.
One could only rely on an individual's strong Honkai energy adaptability to resist it, which was also the reason why Schicksal focused on screening people with high Honkai energy adaptability.
After all, there were too few complete Stigmata holders, and relatively speaking, there were many more people with high Honkai energy adaptability.
And as a natural Stigmata awakener, Ghost had never thought that she would have to worry about her Stigmata one day.
Unaware of Ghost's inner anxiety, Jackal pulled up a projected control panel in the air, and after tapping it a few times, a series of mechanical arms descended from above.
"Don't worry about your life, because soon you won't have to. Death will give you release."
"But before that, you need to feel some pain," Jackal smiled maliciously. "After all, the pain of stripping the Stigmata is the highest pain limit the human body can bear."
"Oh, I forgot to remind you, there's no anesthesia for this surgery."
"Madwoman!" Ghost cursed in her heart, her heart also rising. "Kiana, Luo Li, if you two don't come soon, you'll have to come and collect my body."
As if hearing her call, the laboratory door suddenly opened, making Jackal pause.
Jackal turned her head and saw a man with gold-rimmed glasses pushing a life support pod in.
"Miss Jackal, the specimen you requested."
She knew this person, a research assistant with no talent, but he was quite efficient. Although he was not helpful for her experiments, he was good at handling miscellaneous tasks, so she kept him.
But Jackal was confused. When had she asked him to bring a specimen over?
"Fool, when did I ask you to prepare a specimen?"
Being disturbed when she was in high spirits made her very unhappy.
She decided that if this fool didn't give her a reasonable explanation, he could serve the great vision of World Serpent!
"No, of course you did."
Luo Li suddenly exerted force, instantly appearing behind Jackal and chopping her on the neck.
Jackal's pupils dilated, and she swayed a few times.
Thud!
Watching Jackal fall to the ground, Ghost finally opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, you're finally here."
At this time, Kiana pushed open the door of the life support pod and sat up.
Ghost saw this and understood how the two of them had come to the heavily guarded core laboratory unimpeded.
Soon, after being injected with a neutralizing agent for the Honkai energy inhibitor, Ghost's body was once again wrapped in white mist.
Soon, Ghost, in the form of a white-haired, blue-eyed little girl, reappeared before the two of them.
She jumped a few times on the ground and couldn't help but sigh.
"This form is still more comfortable. Next, let's blow up the gate of the Stigmata Space and end all this!"
"But, have you found the specific location where the space gate opened?"
At this question, Luo Li and Kiana exchanged a look, then both shook their heads at Ghost.
But then, the two of them looked at the unconscious Jackal on the ground.
Ghost was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
"So you left her alive for this reason!"
---||---
The sharp pain in her neck awakened Jackal from the darkness.
"Hiss!!!"
She took a sharp breath. A slight turn of her head sent a sharp pain straight to her brain, clearing the chaos in her mind.
Jackal's eyes snapped open.
And what greeted her was an exceptionally dazzling light.
The milky white light shone on her face, constantly stimulating her eyes, causing tears to flow uncontrollably.
And in the heavy light and shadow, three figures stood tall.
Coupled with the intense pressure at this moment, they looked like giant gods looking down on the world from the high heavens.
Jackal was stunned by this scene and couldn't help but want to retreat, but her limbs didn't obey her commands, and her body was firmly attached to the spot.
Only then did Jackal begin to assess her current situation.
Her head was not fixed. Enduring the pain from her neck, she turned her head to avoid the dazzling light and quickly scanned her surroundings.
Obviously, the surrounding decoration style was still her familiar laboratory.
And if her memory was correct, then this position should be... the operating table?
"!!!"
In an instant, the memories that had been temporarily ignored due to her dizzy head gushed out like a spring.
She remembered!
She had just been ambushed!
And now, she was tied to this operating table that had dissected countless lives, just like the specimens she had once tied to it.
"Damn rats, how dare you do this to me, how dare you!"
Jackal was furious.
The same treatment as her former specimens made her feel extremely offended.
She considered herself a pioneer of the future of human civilization, and her ultimate goal in life was to complete the great ambition of World Serpent, for which she would pay any price.
Even if she had to die for World Serpent, she would do it in a more noble way, not lying on an operating table like those useless burdens who had no use for the Serpent's plan.
"Let me go, you fools, you have no idea of the Serpent's power!"
"You really have no self-awareness. Can't you have the decency of a fish on a chopping block?" Along with Ghost's voice, what answered Jackal was a sharp scalpel.
Plop!
Ghost held the handle of the knife and plunged it into Jackal's shoulder, exactly where Jackal had stabbed her just now.
"Ahhh!!!" Jackal screamed in pain.
But unfortunately, Jackal had considered the problem of the specimens screaming and yelling, so she had taken into account the soundproofing effect when building this laboratory.
So, even if she screamed her lungs out, she couldn't attract a single helper.
Those biologically modified weapons, laboratory guards, riot control mechs, all the forces she could mobilize were just a wall away.
But separated by a wall, it was a different world.
"Sure enough, pain is effective against an extremely self-centered person like you."
Luo Li and Kiana exchanged a look, then tacitly stepped back, letting Ghost handle it.
As a Valkyrie specialized in intelligence work from the Central Intelligence Division, interrogation was also her specialty.
And professional matters should be handled by professionals.
Ghost stood on a stool, leaned down, and looked down at Jackal.
"Don't think about getting out alive. I can give you a quick death."
"But before that, I need to know where you opened that door."
But unexpectedly, although Jackal was in so much pain that tears were flowing, she showed no sign of compromise.
"I won't tell you anything!!!"
Ghost casually twisted the handle of the knife in her hand, listening to Jackal's screams. This role reversal cleared up all the frustration she had felt recently.
At Ghost's actions...
Kiana's eyes widened, as if she were deep in thought.
And Luo Li showed a look of doubt.
"Is there a way to pry her mouth open?"
"Of course," Ghost turned around and showed Luo Li a confident smile.
She pointed at the bottles and jars in the laboratory and said to the two of them:
"There's nothing that can't be found out. Even a dead person can talk."
"Thanks to Miss Jackal's abundant supply of medicine here, I'll definitely give her a surprise."
"Ghost jumped off the chair, rummaged through Jackal's supplies for various medicines, and then turned to Luo Li and Kiana, "I suggest you turn around, or I won't be responsible if you get traumatized."
So Luo Li decisively turned around. He wasn't a very curious person, so he naturally wouldn't let his eyes be polluted for no reason.
But when he turned around, he found that Kiana beside him was leaning forward slightly, her azure eyes wide open, with no intention of looking away.
Thinking of this girl's current mental state, Luo Li decisively acted, pressing her head and turning it back.
"See no evil, children shouldn't look at things they shouldn't."
"You're not much older than me..." Kiana's cheeks puffed out, but she didn't seem angry, and she squatted in the corner with Luo Li.
Soon, endless screams echoed in this space, but thanks to its perfect soundproofing, the guards outside were completely unaware.
The cage built by Jackal finally trapped herself, and the butcher holding the knife finally became the animal on the chopping block. The wonders of the world were no more than this.
Jackal's screams didn't last long before they got what they wanted.
"Alright, you can turn around now!"
Luo Li turned around and saw Ghost covering Jackal with a white cloth.
And on Jackal's exposed face, there was only a look of dementia, saliva constantly drooling from the corner of her mouth, her eyes empty.
Obviously, Jackal was completely broken.
Ghost wiped the blood from her hands.
"I know where that door is now."
She pointed gently at her feet, and Luo Li understood.
And Kiana beside her also realized.
"So, should we try to teleport there?"
But Ghost shook her head gently.
"No need, there's a direct way."
"And, there's this..."
With that, she pulled up Jackal's hand and pulled up a projection panel out of thin air.
Ghost pressed Jackal's hand and tapped a few times.
Then, the operating table descended, and a new platform rose.
And on that platform was only a silver-white box, with a symbol similar to the character '非' on it.
Everyone present knew what this symbol meant.
"Schicksal's symbol?" Luo Li was a little strange. "Why is a Schicksal thing here?"
"Of course it was stolen!" Ghost took it down and looked at the number on it. "So it's this thing!"
"You know it?"
"I do," Ghost nodded and explained, "Before coming to ARK City, the Central Intelligence Division issued a top-level wanted order for an Anti-Entropy spy."
"This spy somehow infiltrated Schicksal's Third Laboratory and stole something very important."
Luo Li became curious.
"What is it?"
Ghost wanted to follow Schicksal's confidentiality regulations and stop this topic, but then she thought that the situation was critical, and it was a question whether they could even get back to report.
It would be better to use this thing, maybe it could have some miraculous effect.
So she replied, "The Holy Blood of Schariac, and it's the original blood from the former Holy Maiden, Cecilia."
As something written in Schicksal's history textbooks, Luo Li of course knew what the Holy Blood of Schariac was.
It was a miracle born from the Schariac family, one of the three major families of Schicksal, which had the effect of neutralizing Honkai energy.
Unlike various types of Honkai energy inhibitors, the Holy Blood of Schariac had the effect of completely neutralizing Honkai energy.
And according to Schicksal's tradition, the Schariac with the highest purity of Holy Blood would serve as Schicksal's Holy Maiden.
And Schicksal's last Holy Maiden was the former strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, Cecilia, who died in battle during the Second Honkai Eruption.
It was said that the power of her Holy Blood even quelled the Great Honkai Eruption caused by the birth of a Herrscher. If not for her sacrifice, the losses of the Second Honkai Eruption would have been even greater.
Luo Li understood.
Even without considering the political significance, just from a practical point of view, the loss of Cecilia's Holy Blood was an immeasurable loss to Schicksal. No wonder they had issued a top-level wanted order.
But Luo Li keenly noticed that Kiana's state beside him seemed a little off.
She stared blankly at the thing in Ghost's hand, a very complicated expression on her face.
But when Luo Li's gaze fell on her, she pretended to be fine and looked away, smiling at Luo Li.
Young lady, your acting needs to be improved!
Kiana's change in expression didn't deceive Luo Li. He realized that Kiana seemed to care a lot about the Holy Blood in Ghost's hand.
So, what was the connection between Kiana and Cecilia's Holy Blood?
Wait...
Kiana, Siegfried... Cecilia.
A guess suddenly appeared in Luo Li's mind.
He couldn't help but look at Kiana, which made Kiana a little confused.
But Luo Li didn't ask about it. He looked at Ghost.
"Miss Ghost, where is the place you said that leads directly to the 'door'?"
After Luo Li asked, Ghost put away the Holy Blood.
Then she controlled Jackal's hand again and pressed a few times on the control panel.
Then she grabbed Jackal's hair and pointed her eyes at the scanner that protruded from above.
As it scanned Jackal's eyes, a cold voice sounded.
[Identity verification passed.]
Then, the entire laboratory trembled.
Then, the wall on the side retracted, revealing an elevator.
Ghost nodded at Luo Li and Kiana and said with a smile, "Let's go!"
Luo Li was a few steps behind the two of them. After Ghost and Kiana had walked some distance, he picked up the scalpel on the ground.
With a swift motion, he pierced the neck of Jackal on the operating table.
Then, he left without looking back.
Jackal on the operating table was like a slaughtered chicken, struggling and spurting.
Finally, her legs kicked violently, and her life was gone.
The pungent smell of blood came. Kiana subconsciously turned her head, but as soon as she turned her head, a finger was pressed against her head.
Luo Li's finger exerted a slight force, turning her head back.
---||---
After entering the elevator, with a feeling of weightlessness, Luo Li knew they were descending.
A few minutes later, the elevator came to a halt.
As the elevator doors opened, Luo Li and the two people beside him exchanged a look, then stepped outside.
And after stepping out of the elevator, a few steps forward, the entire space opened up.
A dome with no support was like a real sky, and under the sky was a space the size of several football fields.
A light from an unknown source illuminated the entire space as bright as day.
And in the center of this space, under that dome, was a deep rift.
The rift was nearly a hundred meters long, emitting a dark purple light.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Luo Li felt that the cross-section of the rift above his head was extremely neat, not at all like it had been torn open.
Instead, it was more like a scar cut by a single slash...
But no matter what, after so much trouble, they had finally arrived here.
As long as they could close this rift, everything would be over.
But at this moment, Kiana, who had been arranged to be on guard in advance, suddenly felt something in the surrounding space.
She immediately reminded Luo Li.
"Be careful on the right, there's something there!"
At the same time, Luo Li felt an extremely dangerous aura lock onto him.
Boom!
A violent cloud of dust exploded, and Luo Li's figure emerged from the side.
But there was no joy on his face, only full vigilance.
He saw the thing that had attacked him.
It was a creature that was entirely deep blue, with a body of several tens of meters, like a lobster.
Its figure was faint, as if it were between a projection and a real object.
Its two pairs of claws tapped lightly, like a drum beating on Luo Li's heart.
An unprecedented sense of crisis came over him.
His face became grim.