The other Honkai Emperors were also cut down at almost the exact same moment.
The swarms came to a complete standstill for a split second, as if they had suddenly crashed. Then, they scrambled about in every direction without any sense of direction, screaming and flying chaotically in all directions, regardless of friend or foe.
The iron pilot columns regrouped separately once again, deploying their exceptionally sturdy Adamant Shields.
Though the targetless swarms still frequently crashed into the shields, it was far, far better than the original siege; at the very least, the iron pilot columns no longer needed to worry about their own safety.
Yet everyone remained silent, gnashing their teeth in helpless frustration.
All units, listen up. Use every possible means to secure yourselves to the ground. Your reinforcements have arrived.
Right at that moment, Cocolia's overbearing and strong command came through.
The next second, pitch-black spheres appeared one after another in the sky, acting like black holes and swiftly pulling in the wildly darting swarms. These small Honkai Beasts were drawn toward the nearest spheres, pressing, squeezing, and crushing together with countless companions, dying amidst sharp and piercing screeches.
When the abnormal gravity subsided and the blizzard cleared along with it, a dozen giant spheres made of swarm corpses floated in the clear sky, resembling a dozen small satellites rising from flat ground.
The blonde little girl holding a doll hovered in the air, her white trench coat snapping fiercely in the wind.
She lowered her head, her mechanical, lifeless purple eyes gazing at the giant bear corpse that looked like a hill.
Boom!
An invisible force instantly obliterated everything, completely shattering the giant beast's physical body as countless fragments flew far away.
Then, the girl's figure vanished.
The iron pilot columns, however, had no heart to care about this bizarre and terrifying little girl, instead piloting Titans of varying degrees of damage and flying over to the spot where the giant bear corpse had vanished.
A battered, single-armed Titan lay prone on the ground, guarding a narrow yet rock-solid safe space beneath it.
The iron pilots leaped out of their cockpits one after another, coming beneath the single-armed Titan and working together to drag out an immobile Kuerla.
Everyone could see that Kuerla's exoskeleton was already covered in all sorts of impact marks, with even a few pierced-through holes—clearly injuries inflicted by small Honkai Beasts during the bombing run.
Kuerla's blood welled up from those holes, completely staining the dragging trail beneath her.
"Hurry, strip the exoskeleton!"
"Medic, in position!"
"Captain, don't be scared, you'll be fine!"
Team members pried open Kuerla's helmet, revealing her pale-as-paper face with disheveled hair.
"Cough!"
Kuerla coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam and snapped her eyes open, yet she ignored her surrounding teammates and instead turned her head to look at the battered Titan locked in a rigid posture beside her.
"BT..."
The scene suddenly quieted down. Even the ones stripping the exoskeleton made every effort not to make a sound; they simply fell silent, clearing out as quiet a space as possible for this pair of partners.
"Kuerla... static... I am here... Are you... static... safe..."
"Ah, I'm safe."
"Kuerla... safe... whether... Protocol Three... static... protect the pilot... static!"
"You've completed your protocol. It's an honor to fight side by side with you... So, did you hear what I said?"
The single-armed Titan gave no further response, merely lying prone there in silence like an immensely sturdy steel sculpture.
Kuerla remained wordless, slowly closing her eyes.
Don't you think this acting is a bit too over the top? I see some of the iron pilots are actually crying...
Hmm... Let's just have Kuerla keep her promise, wear revealing black silk stockings, and do a dance.
Sorry, everyone, but this wasn't mainly acted out for you pilots to see; it's for those executors.
With formidable performance, exceptional intelligence, and absolute loyalty, the selling points of the Titan BT-72 model have been fully demonstrated. Although we don't plan on selling the puppets out and unnecessarily increasing risks, having this capital will leave Cocolia with zero resistance inside Anti-Entropy, allowing her to smoothly carry out her image whitewashing and transformation.
Wow, the iron pilots over there are really crying. I feel so bad for them.
Relax, it'll happen to them sooner or later. Facing the dangerous and volatile Honkai disaster, there's no way we can protect them unscathed every time. Just consider it getting used to it in advance.
The Anqis sighed apologetically. Although they had anticipated it, the performance affecting unintended audience members really didn't make them feel all that great.
Nothing happened today either. Wishing myself peace, and wishing everyone peace.3
Chapter 45: Anqi Attempts Whitewashing
"Are you saying that mass production and promotion of the Titan BT-72 Model will still take five years?"
During the post-battle executor meeting, the executors had mixed reactions to the time limit proposed by Cocolia. Generally speaking, the conservative faction seemed somewhat relieved, while the radical faction frowned one after another.
"Ideally, yes. Mechs with such superior performance and intelligence, paired with a qualified pilot, can suppress an S-rank Valkyrie head-on without breaking a sweat—you surely don't think a mech like that has completely overcome all its technical bottlenecks already, do you? I don't have that kind of ability."
Cocolia pulled the reluctant An into her arms, stroking her absentmindedly while her expression looked slightly weary, and continued slowly:
"I need five years to continue cracking the mass-production technology of the BT-72, while also training pilots and researching matching tactics. Once this work is finished, I will naturally provide this power to everyone... depending on the situation."
As for five years later, the plot would go completely off the rails by then; whether she took it out or not at that point, she naturally would have plenty of excuses.
Cocolia lowered her gaze, pinched An's fair, tender cheeks that were puffed up in displeasure, and revealed a gentle smile.
"Reasonable and logical."
Einstein said with a calm expression.
The rest of the executors also nodded in unison.
Only most of the executors were letting their imaginations run wild over Cocolia's meaningful phrase "depending on the situation."
Depending on the situation—what situation could that refer to?
It was nothing more than seeing who could funnel more benefits to Cocolia!
Those who got things done got to eat their fill; the executors had no objections to this rule.
Besides, the phrase "suppress an S-rank Valkyrie head-on" hit far too close to the executors' pain points. To them, the greatest threat to their lives wasn't Honkai, but those S-rank Valkyries capable of breaking through the Titan Legion's interceptions—they had been shaken by Schicksal's decapitation tactics for far too long.
On this point, the only exceptions were probably Einstein and Tesla, who were stationed at the North American headquarters, possessed massive amounts of wartime technology, and could summon the Sovereign at any moment.
Therefore, upon seeing their colleagues exchange understanding nods, the executors' eyes began to flicker as they felt the pressure of competition, plotting in their hearts how to curry favor with Cocolia first.
"If there's nothing else, let's adjourn. Compared to arguing with you lot, I'd rather go handle the aftermath of the war right now."
Cocolia waved her hand impatiently, boldly displaying the demeanor of a supreme leader in a meeting like this.
Yet most of the executors either laved after the power of the Titan BT-72 or harbored deep reservations about the little girl who had resolved the swarm Honkai Beasts without a single word mentioned about her in the meeting. In short, all of them were cowed by the influence Cocolia had just displayed, and thus raised no further objections.
Only Tesla suddenly thrust her entire face close to the screen, her expression gloomy as she spoke:
"Wait! You haven't told me what's going on with that girl yet, why did she—"
"Dr. Tesla! And Dr. Einstein, if you have time lately, I cordially invite the two of you to visit Siberia. I have many very important matters that I hope to discuss heart-to-heart with you both."
Cocolia directly cut off Tesla's aggressive questioning, and after finishing her invitation, decisively severed the signal.
And she could well imagine the frantic scene of the hot-tempered Dr. Tesla flipping a table at this very moment after witnessing that familiar power. Thinking of this, Cocolia couldn't help but curve the corners of her mouth in pleasant amusement.
"Mom, you're smiling so craftily, like a bad woman!"
"Oh-ho-ho! Mom has never been a good person anyway. Aren't you the one who understands that best, little cutie about to be eaten up by mom!"
Cocolia spoke thusly, squeezing An forcefully into her expansive chest and pressing wantonly against the girl's warm body amidst the latter's panicked shrieks.
"Don't bite my face! Are you a little puppy by nature?"
"(ω)Hiahiahia! A little cutie like you is born to be eaten by mom! Let's start with your sweet and soft cheeks. You can't escape, hehehe!"
"I hate this so much!!!"
On this day, Rosaliya and Liliya—both newly recovered from their severe illnesses—peeked in from the doorway, hugging each other in sheer terror and not daring to enter the room.
The speed at which Tesla and Einstein arrived was far quicker than Cocolia had imagined.
On the third day after the war ended, the iron pilot columns returned to the largest snow mountain base in the Siberia Region to recuperate. After Cocolia extended her condolences to them, she met these two beautiful and charming old seniors in her office.
"...How are the casualties this time?"
Seeing Cocolia return, Tesla—who had originally intended to interrogate her directly—suppressed her temper, wearing a prickly expression on the outside while asking with concern on the inside.
Cocolia raised an eyebrow. While calling over An and Liliya to prepare hospitality refreshments, she casually scooped up the dazed Rosaliya, walked over to her boss's chair, held Rosaliya in her lap, and spoke with a fatigued expression:
"The interception was timely and the iron pilot columns performed exceptionally; there were no internal casualties. But the cold wave still spread to Novosibirsk. Although we carried out disaster relief at the fastest possible speed, a small number of civilians probably still died from the sudden drop in temperature, I'm afraid."
"Mm, if you have any demands, you can bring them up with us, and we'll provide help as much as possible. Also, at least this time... you did a great job."
Tesla crossed her arms, looking somewhat unpleased, but still offered sincere praise.
An and Liliya quickly returned with refreshments.
Cocolia invited the two old seniors to sit down, cutting straight to the point amidst the heavy air:
"That child is the final result of Lord Joyce's genetic research."
"What did you say!?"
"Don't glare at me like that; it's not like I spearheaded it."
Cocolia maintained a righteous and confident tone.
Tesla slammed her palm fiercely on the desk.
"If you didn't do it, then who else could it possibly be, ***? Do you take us for fools who didn't investigate? Do I need to have the Sovereign himself come and ask you, ***!?"
"Lord Joyce's genetic research began as soon as the radical faction reared its head, and it's been going on behind your backs for decades now. I only joined Anti-Entropy a decade ago, and I've only held power for these past three or four years—do use your brains, two Doctors. If it weren't for decades of long-term development, could such power have been created?"
Cocolia explained with absolute calm, though Rosaliya in her arms flinched at the sound of the table slam, forcing Cocolia to stroke and soothe her while frowning.
An's gaze instantly turned sharp—speaking to Cocolia in such a loud voice right in front of her, did they take her, An Mals, for dead?
As a pure militant, An began to stir restlessly, but fortunately, Cocolia reached out and pressed down on her head, thereby preventing Tesla from getting thoroughly beaten up.
"Dr. Tesla, there are children present. Please mind your demeanor and language, or else I, as a mother, will get very angry."
Cocolia said lightly, skillfully scratching Rosaliya under the chin and quickly making her forget her recent fright as she giggled merrily.
Tesla's long-accumulated momentum was abruptly choked off, just like a runaway flamingo grabbed by the neck.
This was the weakness of good people: even if she felt justified in shouting questions and cursing up a storm, with an innocent and cute little girl right beside them, Tesla had to rein in her expression. After taking a deep breath, she awkwardly pulled at the corners of her mouth in an apology toward Rosaliya.
Seeing Tesla go all out only to flag in the end, Einstein—who had remained silent for a long time—finally opened her mouth:
"Although a good portion of the investigation results point to you, I understand the games of power and risk shifting too. That child's ability is far too astonishing; at first glance, she looks practically like another Welt. As a conclusion, indeed, what you said makes more sense. That must be power gained from long-term research."
The clever Dr. Einstein naturally could not have imagined that this was a Thousand-Person Ruler who had usurped a clone of the Herrscher of Reason and formed that power after a flawless fusion.
Cocolia nodded, her expression unwavering:
"Believe it or not, I really don't have the time to commit that many bad deeds. I merely halted that slow-yielding research upon taking over, and then, based on the principles of resource conservation and humanitarianism, preserved the existing results. That's all."
"To us and the Sovereign, Joyce holds an importance you cannot possibly imagine. Therefore, I hope you truly did halt it."
"If I hadn't, would I dare expose it directly to you? Alright, I believe in your wisdom, and I don't wish to discuss this matter anymore. Can we talk about business now?"
"No, before that, we want to meet that child."
Einstein said calmly.
From a rational and logical standpoint, Einstein could accept Cocolia's explanation, but as for how to present this to Welt Yang in the end and what handling recommendations to give him, Einstein believed she needed to converse with that child first before deciding.
"I certainly hope you two can actually hold a proper conversation with her."
Cocolia put on a headache-inducing expression hinting at many hidden inside stories, muttered under her breath, and nodded.
Chapter 46: Suppose We Had Children
"Hey, Chicken-Head, do you actually believe those fairy tales of Cocolia's?"
On the way to the top of the snow mountain base, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around them, Tesla pulled on Einstein's arm and asked somewhat sneakily.
Einstein returned from her thoughts and absentmindedness, her ocean-deep blue eyes glancing sideways at Tesla as she calmly spoke:
She didn't say she wouldn't do it; she said she didn't have time to do it.
"Ha? What's that supposed to mean?"
Before you continue