Five black off-road vehicles sat parked outside the factory building, their headlights cutting harsh white beams across the ruined stretch of concrete, lighting it up bright as day.
Kiana and Rita had just stepped out of the collapsed rift zone when a group of Anti-Entropy staff in protective suits rushed toward them, various portable scanning instruments in hand.
Tesla stood beside one of the off-road vehicles, not wearing a protective suit, a tablet cradled in her hands.
"How did it feel?" Tesla skipped the pleasantries, her eyes sweeping over the armor on both of them while her fingers flew across the tablet screen. "This was your first real combat run — anything feel off? Was your output stable? How was the feedback lag?"
Kiana reached down and slapped the waist of her White Comet armor twice, producing a crisp clang.
"It feels way better than what I used to wear back at St. Freya!" She gave Tesla a thumbs-up, grinning. "The movement's so much lighter, and the recoil when firing is way lower too."
Tesla stopped what she was doing and rolled her eyes.
"You just said 'way better' — how is anyone supposed to understand what that even means? You think that goes into a lab report?" She rapped the edge of the tablet with her pen. "Once we're back at base, I'm pulling every combat log and data point out of that armor. Then we'll see whether it's the gear that's amazing, or whether you two were just being reckless."
She glanced over at the mechanical hound trotting along beside Rita.
The Genome Reaper's metal shell was smeared with grayish-white Honkai Beast residue.
"Good thing that when we were planning this out, someone suggested mounting a recording module on that tin dog's head," Tesla said. "It's built to withstand the strong magnetic interference inside a Spatial Rift, so it recorded the whole battle intact. Now we've finally got firsthand footage from inside a rift."
Rita stepped forward.
She raised her right hand, holding out the scythe — now reduced to half a blade — toward Tesla.
"Doctor Tesla, I'm very sorry." Rita bowed her head slightly. "I've damaged the weapon you worked so hard to make."
Tesla's gaze dropped to the broken scythe.
She froze for a couple of seconds.
Then a shriek tore through the night air of the factory yard.
"How on earth did you manage to break this thing?!"
Tesla snatched the broken blade, her eyes going wide as saucers as she examined the fracture.
"This was forged from high-strength Pseudo-Soulsteel alloy! That hardness should cut through a steel plate like it's tofu! Did you run into some kind of terrifying monster out there? But I just looked at your armor and there isn't even a decent scratch on it!"
Rita opened her mouth, about to explain the situation.
Kiana quickly scratched the back of her head and cut in.
"Well, uh, we did run into a pretty tricky one," Kiana said, shooting Rita a glance as she smoothed things over. "But you know, with me and Rita working together, no matter how tricky the guy is, he's still gonna end up on the losing end!"
Tesla eyed Kiana with suspicion, then looked back down at the broken scythe in her hand.
She furrowed her brow, biting her lower lip, seemingly lost in thought.
"That doesn't add up..." Tesla muttered. "Did I mess up the metal fatigue testing?"
She handed the broken scythe to a staff member nearby and waved a hand.
"Forget it. Maybe the strength of this weapon I made just can't keep up with your combat needs anymore these days."
She lifted her head, and whatever twinge of regret had been there vanished instantly, quickly replaced by a scientist's absolute confidence.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter. The reverse-engineering work on Skadi Ondurgud is basically finished by now." Tesla crossed her arms. "Our manufacturing process here at Anti-Entropy still can't match genuine soul-steel components, sure. But based on the materials breakthroughs we've made, the substitute we're producing should already reach at least seventy percent of true soul-steel's strength."
Hearing that number, surprise flickered across Rita's normally composed face.
She knew exactly what seventy percent of soul-steel's strength meant.
Even back in the original Honkai world, with Schicksal Headquarters pouring in vast resources, mass-producing alloys reaching that strength had been nearly impossible. This was a technological breakthrough capable of changing the tide of a war.
Tesla caught the flash of astonishment on Rita's face and let out a smug chuckle, straightening her back even more.
"I'll admit, you two come from a world with far more advanced technology, one with all that messy Honkai energy floating around."
Tesla pointed at the off-road vehicles parked nearby, their roofs mounted with Anti-Entropy's latest detection radars.
"But don't forget — the scientists we've gathered at Anti-Entropy are second to none."
She turned, looking toward where the rift had just collapsed, her tone growing excited.
"The combat data you two brought back this time is exactly what I needed. Our war-armor program finally has a blueprint that can actually be put into practice."
Kiana leaned in to listen.
"Kevin and the others aren't like you real Valkyries," Tesla explained. "They can't directly channel Honkai energy or Imaginary energy. So the armor we design for them has to carry an internal reactor core capable of stable high-output power."
"You've seen that movie Iron Man, right? Our concept is basically along those lines."
Tesla clapped her hands.
"If you'd pitched me this idea a few months ago, Einstein, I would've thrown a wrench at her face and told her she was dreaming."
"But now, with the tech Su Yu brought us, plus the sample data you two provided, this isn't some far-off fantasy anymore."
She looked at Rita and Kiana.
"When the time comes, you two will charge in wearing your Valkyrie armor, leading the front line. And we science folks will build our own war-armor with the wisdom of humanity from this world, to fight alongside you!"
Tesla was talking faster and faster now, her eyes shining.
"Like Su Yu said before, the Genetic Lock mainly enhances an individual's physical body — reflex speed, muscle fiber resistance to tearing, recovery rate, that sort of thing."
"But getting a special power like your Stigmata — the kind that lights up and crackles with energy — out of a plain human body just from that? That's not happening anytime soon."
"Which is why we need external equipment to make up the difference."
Tesla slammed a fist onto the hood of the off-road vehicle.
"We're going to take these super-humans who've unlocked their Genetic Locks and combine them with the most cutting-edge technology we've got. We're going to build a squad of warriors that belongs entirely to this world — ones who can go toe-to-toe with that damned apocalypse!"
"Sure, our world doesn't have mutations, no supernatural power falling from the sky."
Tesla pointed at her own temple and tapped it twice, hard.
"But humanity's greatest weapon has always been right here. Let's take the steel and wiring built by human ingenuity and give that unlucky apocalypse a lesson it won't forget!"
Watching Tesla in this state of pure enthusiasm, Kiana couldn't help laughing.
It really was something.
Having a scientist like Dr. Tesla — someone this fired up — in this world was a genuinely lucky thing.
She turned her head, mentally switching to Fenghuang's comm channel.
"Squad Monitor, is Su Yu done over there yet?"
A few seconds later, Fenghuang's voice sounded directly in Kiana's mind.
"He's finished his match. Won cleanly," Fenghuang said, pausing briefly. "He's on his way to the Anti-Entropy base where you all are now."
"Good."
Kiana cut the connection and looked at Tesla.
"Su Yu's done on his end too. Squad Monitor says he'll bring new combat footage back to base as well," Kiana said, stretching herself out with a big yawn. "We've been at this for so long today — can we call it and head back? I remember there's a dessert shop near the Company that stays open late."
Tesla didn't answer. She just reached out, grabbed the back collar of Kiana's jacket, and yanked the gluttonous Paramecium back before she could make her getaway.
"Dessert shop? Dream on."
Tesla's expression was flat as she pointed at the tablet in her hand.
"This footage needs to be analyzed tonight, no delays. You and Rita were the ones actually in that fight — if you're not there in the meeting room walking us through it frame by frame, telling us the physical feedback and energy flow at each moment, what are we supposed to get out of a bunch of silent footage?"
Kiana's face fell instantly.
"You're kidding..." she said, deflated. "Not another debrief meeting."
Tesla shoved her toward the car.
"Quit whining and get in! You were the one going on about how much I wanted to see your heroic battle moves — well, if you don't show up to narrate it yourself, that's just rude."
Kiana yanked open the car door and climbed in, resigned to her fate.
"Fine, fine, I'll go, okay?"
Watching her pouty little sulk, Tesla smirked. "Cecilia's already got snacks waiting for you, you know."
"Really?!"
"Obviously! What else would she be cooking?" Tesla rolled her eyes and swung her twin tails as she headed back to her own car.
Rita climbed in after Kiana.
The off-road vehicle started up and rolled slowly out of the abandoned factory grounds.
Kiana leaned against the window, tilting her head to look up at the sky.
The eerie blue afterimage of the Sea of Quanta that had hung over Arc City moments ago, sparking citywide panic, had completely vanished now.
The night sky had returned to its usual deep gray.
"Rita."
Kiana watched the streetlights flying past outside the window.
"This time it was a reflection of the Sea of Quanta hanging up there. What do you think will show up the next time the sky splits open?"
She thought of the Raven she'd glimpsed inside that bubble earlier.
"And this time, the Spatial Rift even created a bubble where the two worlds briefly touched," Kiana said, her voice low. "I think the day that barrier finally shatters completely, and the two worlds are fully connected... it's really not far off anymore."
Rita sat beside her, both hands resting flat on her knees.
"You're right, Lady Kiana."
Rita looked at Kiana's profile reflected in the car window.
"But that isn't something we need to worry ourselves over tonight."
She leaned back against her seat.
"There's an old saying in Shenzhou — meet soldiers with generals, meet floods with earthworks, and when the cart reaches the mountain, a path will appear. Lord Su Yu has already arranged for everything. All we need to do is handle the part that's ours to handle."
"You're right." Kiana nodded, her tone growing lighter. "Instead of worrying about things that haven't happened yet, let's think about something more important — what should we eat for our midnight snack once we're back at base for the all-nighter?"
Meanwhile, at the same time.
On the mountain pass road.
Su Yu and Welt walked out from where the rift had completely collapsed in on itself.
They headed down the road, and within a few steps, they saw the harsh red and blue lights flashing on the mountainside.
A dozen or so police armored vehicles blocked the middle of the road, with long stretches of yellow police tape strung up.
Fully armed riot police patrolled the area, while a few Anti-Entropy field agents in plain clothes gathered environmental data with instruments by the roadside.
The entire lane had been sealed off so tightly not even a stray cat could slip through.
Su Yu slowed his pace at the sight of the roadblock up ahead. He turned to look at Welt walking beside him.
"Uncle Yang, question for you," Su Yu said, hands in his pockets. "With commotion this big, what story are you guys going to feed the news tomorrow?"
Welt pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"The police statement's already written."
"The gist of it is that tonight, Arc City police launched a major crackdown operation to net an illegal street racing ring in this area. The plan leaked, the racers fled ahead of time, and the police just set up checkpoints on the spot to inspect vehicles, along with a riot drill."
Su Yu paused mid-step for half a second, then gave a thumbs-up.
"The official storytellers in Arc City really are getting better at this. What a waste, not working as a scriptwriter over at miHoYo," Su Yu said with a laugh, looking up at the flashing police lights. "At this rate of shutting down streets and clearing people out every few days, how long before this city turns into Fuyuki City?"
The corner of Welt's mouth twitched, a somewhat helpless expression crossing his face.
"I feel the same way — the disasters hitting this city lately do seem awfully frequent."
He clasped his hands behind his back, his pace unhurried.
"But thinking it over, it really is remarkable."
"Back then, it felt like some invisible force was quietly pushing me along, keeping me here in Arc City, leading me — without me even realizing it — to build Anti-Entropy Entertainment."
Welt looked out at the night ahead of him and took a deep breath.
"Looking back on it now, I suppose that force was what people call fate."
Fate.
The word landed in Su Yu's ears and made his shoulders feel inexplicably heavier.
He thought back to what Aponia had told him, down in that dark basement in the deepest place.
He thought of the countdown at the very bottom of the System's quest panel — the one still ticking down in bold red text, labeled 'Destined Death.'
That number shrank a little more every day, like an hourglass counting down to a death sentence.
Su Yu turned his head to look at Welt's broad shoulders.
"Uncle Yang," Su Yu said. "Someone who's been through as much as you — do you actually believe in something like fate?"
Welt stopped walking.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, took off his glasses, and slowly wiped the fog off the lenses.
"What exactly is fate, anyway."
Welt put his glasses back on.
"I once heard a line that stuck with me. Never mind — you probably know the name of the person who said it too. He said, 'A man's character is his destiny.'"
Welt folded the handkerchief and tucked it back into his pocket.
"That statement's a bit of an oversimplification, sure, but it holds true for the vast majority of people I've met."
He turned and kept walking.
"Take the simplest example. Do you think the people we call heroes become heroes because of some special ability?"
Su Yu caught up to walk beside him.
"Because of ability?"
"No. Because of choice."
Welt's tone was as even as if he were discussing tomorrow's breakfast.
"Do you think they're fated from birth to become heroes? I've never believed that, at least. No one is born stamped with the seal of a hero," Welt said, shaking his head. "Becoming a hero usually requires a trigger — a disaster striking, or a moment when someone needs help."
"It's their own character that determines how they instinctively react when that trigger arrives."
Welt's gaze settled on Su Yu.
"And that choice made in the critical moment — that's usually what separates a hero from an ordinary person."
Neither of them continued the topic after that.
Some things are best left unsaid past a certain point.
Su Yu understood that Old Yang had noticed the heavy pressure he'd been carrying lately, and this was his way of trying to ease it.
They skirted around the row of police armored vehicles and walked out of the cordoned-off zone.
In the open lot at the base of the mountain, several black luxury sedans were parked.
Eden stood beside a Maybach, talking with Lewis, who stood nearby.
When she saw Su Yu and Welt approaching, Lewis stopped talking.
The police chief, who always carried herself with a hearty, big-sister energy, gave Su Yu a firm nod in greeting.
Her sturdy arms strained visibly against the fabric of her police uniform.
Not far from the Maybach sat the matte-black JDM sports car.
Sakura leaned against the car door.
The fox mask she usually wore was now held in her hand, being fiddled with, and her long pink hair was tousled by the mountain wind.
She said nothing, just quietly watched Su Yu and Welt walking toward her.
Ever since unlocking her first-stage Genetic Lock, she'd become extremely sensitive to the aura a human body gave off.
In her perception, that gentle, bespectacled man seemed to have a bottomless well hidden somewhere inside him.
And Su Yu — he was like a blade, sheathed but still radiating a palpable edge of sharpness.
Either one of these two men, pulled out at random, could stir up a bloodbath in the underground world of the Far East.
Sakura's fingers tightened slightly around the mask.
She finally understood — the organization behind Su Yu really was some kind of hidden giant, a sleeping dragon coiled beneath the surface.
"Let's go."
Welt waved a hand at the Anti-Entropy field agents.
"We're heading back to headquarters. The official people will handle the cleanup here."
"Get in, Mr. Producer," Eden said, reaching out to pull open the back door of the Maybach for Su Yu.
Su Yu didn't get in right away.
He turned his head to look at Sakura, still leaning against her own car.
"Coming along?" Su Yu asked, tilting his chin toward her.
Sakura blinked, caught off guard.
Her thin, delicate eyebrows drew together slightly.
"'Coming along' meaning — you want me, an outsider, to go with you all to your headquarters?" Sakura's voice carried a note of wariness. "Is it really fine for you to just bring random people back there like that?"
Su Yu laughed.
"Don't worry about it." He pointed at Eden standing beside him. "This lady here is our genuine, bona fide top investor at Anti-Entropy. If the rich lady herself is opening the car door for you personally, then it's definitely fine."
Sakura's expression turned subtly complicated.
Her gaze swept back and forth between Su Yu and Eden.
She hadn't forgotten what had happened not long ago, at that starting line.
In front of all those underground racers and street-racing crowds, this woman of such exalted status — the golden Diva herself — had kissed this man on the lips without a shred of hesitation.
A financial magnate worth more than entire nations, a global superstar known the world over, and yet she carried on this completely unconcealed, intimate relationship with Su Yu.
Still, thinking back to how thoroughly she herself had just been crushed on the track by Su Yu's driving — as if he could predict the future — Sakura found she could sort of understand it.
A man who could make a woman like Eden fall for him this hard — his frightening qualities clearly went far beyond just driving skill.
"Fine, I'll go with you."
Sakura tossed the fox mask onto the passenger seat and straightened up.
"But I need to call Rin first and tell her I won't be home tonight."
When she mentioned her sister's name, the wariness in her voice noticeably softened.
At this hour, Rin — an ordinary high school student — had probably already finished getting ready for bed.
She was Sakura's only soft spot in this world, and also the final reason she wanted to become stronger.
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