And no injuries. Otto scanned the area, seeing no wounds on Li Pu.
Even if this was only a simulation, this was still a Honkai Beast! If she was hit, she would get hurt just the same, and in severe cases, she might even die!
Yet not a single part of Li Pu suffered any damage.
Rather than looking like she had failed due to a fatal injury, she looked more like she had suffered psychological trauma.
It caused her to completely lose her will to fight.
This psychological trauma. Ganesha did not possess the ability to launch psychological attacks, and similarly, the simulation would not add this capability to Ganesha.
So where did this psychological attack come from?
Theresa, Otto thought for a moment and said, Temporarily deactivate all Valkyrie training equipment. Perhaps we need to re-examine things.
Why?! Theresa retorted. Could it be that something is wrong with the equipment?
Head of Teaching, you're the one who promised nothing would go wrong.
In theory, nothing should go wrong, Otto said. But Cecilia's current condition looks very much like her mind was attacked, leading to her defeat.
Her mental state was already unstable, and her willpower right now isn't as firm as it used to be.
If she was subjected to a psychological attack, it would be very easy to break her.
Send her to the infirmary first. I need to inspect these equipment.
Psychological attack? Theresa paused and exclaimed in shock, Where did a psychological attack come from? Would this kind of equipment carry psychological attacks? Head of Teaching, you never mentioned this.
It's just a setting, Otto explained. In simulating new Honkai Beasts that might appear in the future, we simulated ones that might primarily target the mind.
For example, mental pollution, psychological attacks, or mind control.
Although such a setting exists, it certainly wouldn't be Ganesha.
The equipment must have been tampered with!
Tampered with? Himeko suddenly figured something out and said, Could it be that those people from Anti-Entropy did this?
They're simply going too far!
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Anti-Entropy, the Scapegoat
St. Freya's infirmary.
As an academy built specifically for training Valkyries, the infirmary here was actually not just a place with a few beds and a single female doctor assigned to handle minor injuries, treat non-serious illnesses, or provide first aid.
St. Freya possessed a complete set of highly advanced medical equipment and an exceptionally skilled medical team.
Training Valkyries came with certain risks; this medical equipment and team existed to minimize those risks to the lowest possible level.
Li Pu was sent to the intensive care unit of the infirmary.
Lying inside a medical pod-like contraption frequently seen in sci-fi worlds, Kiana sat anxiously beside the medical pod, waiting.
Outside the intensive care unit.
Her condition has stabilized, said a bespectacled doctor. She'll wake up after a while.
Mmm, Theresa nodded and said, Thank you, Doctor Li.
What about Kiana? Mei peered through the glass window of the ICU door at Kiana sitting inside, and asked, Should I call her out? Will it affect the treatment?
It won't, Doctor Li pushed up his glasses and said gently, Let that child stay inside.
Cecilia's condition isn't grim; it's simply mental instability.
Her body is very healthy, and she didn't suffer any injuries.
Her mental state is also basically stable, she just needs to rest.
Thank you, doctor. Mei bowed slightly with great politeness.
If there's nothing else, I'll go back to work first. Doctor Li smiled and quickly left the area.
Outside the door of the intensive care unit, only Mei, Fu Hua, and Theresa were left in a short while.
Are these equipment related to Anti-Entropy? Fu Hua pushed up her glasses and asked, appearing to analyze the problem with utmost seriousness, Is all the academy's equipment connected to Anti-Entropy?
How should I put it? Theresa sighed and said, We can't detach ourselves from them. Anti-Entropy excels in high-tech gear.
Anti-Entropy has always had the advantage, and some equipment can only be manufactured by them.
Anti-Entropy... Mei seemed to have heard this name before as well, and now that it was brought up again, she couldn't help asking, What kind of organization are they? Are they our friends? Or enemies?
Why would they tamper with the equipment?
Neither friends nor enemies, Theresa shook her head and said, Anti-Entropy used to be a part of Schicksal as well.
The goal is the same—both exist to fight against Honkai.
Then why? Mei asked with even greater astonishment, Why does it look like they're still...
Undermining each other and engaging in political infighting.
Right now, they can only be considered strangers with a common goal, Fu Hua added. Humans really are creatures that can never forget internal strife no matter when it is.
Is that so, Theresa said helplessly as well, Schicksal trains Valkyries to do battle, and the strongest Valkyries can even rival Herrscher. Meanwhile, Anti-Entropy places greater value on technological products, utilizing modern tech alongside research into Honkai Energy.
They can manufacture powerful autonomous robots to attack and thereby resist Honkai.
Because they used to be part of Schicksal, Theresa said with a hint of regret, some of their technologies are interconnected.
It's just that this time, they went a bit too far.
Should we lodge a protest? Mei asked, Like filing a protest against Anti-Entropy or something.
It's hard for me to say on this, Theresa shook her head and said, If Otto can't get his hands on any solid evidence, we can't lodge a direct protest either.
Moreover, Theresa always felt that even if Otto found some solid evidence, he wouldn't speak up about it.
The relationship between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy was truly ambiguous beyond description.
Therefore, even if evidence was found, they wouldn't simply lodge a protest or directly cause trouble for Schicksal.
The means of handling it would be relatively tedious and obscure.
The matter of Li Pu's coma was not so simple either.
Only she herself knew what was going on!
My head hurts...
I do not know how much time passed, but Li Pu finally woke up. At this very moment, she had been transferred out of the intensive care unit and was lying on the bed of a regular, small private room in the infirmary.
My hands feel a bit numb...
Setting aside whether she saw an unfamiliar ceiling or anything of the sort, her arms felt numb first.
It felt like the numbness caused by something pressing down on them.
It feels like there's something else pressing down on my stomach too, making it a bit hard to breathe.
Not only were her arms paralyzed from pressure, but she also felt as though something was resting right on her belly, making it somewhat difficult to catch her breath.
Is it a cat?
Li Pu forced her slightly heavy eyelids open and took a look.
Ah, Kiana...
At a single glance, she spotted a familiar head of white hair. She looked carefree as she pressed down on Li Pu's lower abdomen, sleeping soundly.
Remaining still without pushing Kiana away, Li Pu turned her head to look out the window.
It was already late.
A slightly cool night breeze blew in through the window, and silver moonlight shone into the room through the glass, bringing with it a faint sense of loneliness.
Li Pu was suddenly struck with a wave of poetic inspiration.
What a motherfucking waste of a fight that turned out to be.
Li Pu had no intention of waking Kiana, and this sudden poetic outburst was merely self-deprecating and amusing banter.
She had failed!
She failed thoroughly, being defeated completely and utterly when facing Ganesha.
Although she lost, Li Pu suddenly felt she should thank this test; otherwise, when she truly faced Honkai and failed just like today,
Then she might not have the chance to lie on this bed anymore.
Instead, she'd be lying straight inside a small box, waiting either for the crematory flames or for earth to bury her.
Perhaps she really ought to think seriously about some things, and make changes to certain aspects.
She knew why she had suffered defeat in this simulated battle. She was not stupid, nor was she someone who, after stumbling once, failed to reflect or strive for self-improvement.
This simulation battle made Li Pu understand one crucial issue.
Equipment does not equal the ability to unleash combat power.
Many factors influenced the display of combat power, and one very important factor lay in her own mindset. She had acquired the character Cecilia, yet she lacked the corresponding mentality, and her own cowardice, retreat, and even passive response when facing difficulties would severely impact the release of combat power.
Her avoidance and passive attitude did not match Cecilia at all, and this wasn't something that could be resolved simply by 'understanding' her.
If she wanted to unleash the character's combat capability,
It required more than just blindly 'understanding'.
Simply knowing the settings and lore was not enough.
Chapter Forty: We Start as Friends
When the new sun rose steadily on the horizon, the warm sunlight shone upon the earth, chasing away the cold of the night.
Wuwu~
Kiana shifted her body, emitting a purr-like sound of satisfaction akin to a kitten.
Wriggling about, she seemed to regain a sliver of awareness.
With that tiny bit of consciousness came the sensation that something extra had been added to her body. Twisting again, she felt as if she had been covered with a blanket, but the blanket slid down along her body due to her squirming.
It didn't slide down much before it was pulled back up and draped over her again.
Who could this be?
Mom...
Mom?!
Kiana snapped awake from her dream.
She had been waiting here for a long time because Mom had fallen into a coma due to that simulation battle.
Although the doctor assured her there was no issue and that she was merely unconscious from a psychological attack, Kiana was unwilling to leave like this. She stayed right here, waiting.
Waiting for Mom to wake up from her coma.
Accompanying Mom by her side, staying with her as she left the intensive care unit, and following her into this regular small private room in the infirmary.
Inseparable, going nowhere else—she waited right here.
Waiting for Mom to wake up from her coma.
At last, heaven rewards those who do not give up.
She had finally waited.
Kiana looked at the person before her, the one with the same hair and eye color as her own, the gentle person. Looking at her, watching, tears welled up and broke free from her eye sockets.
Mom~ Wuwu~ Mom!!!
Kiana ultimately cried unashamedly. Having waited fourteen years for a hard-won reunion, only to encounter this ordeal,
She was truly, truly terrified that Mom would fall into this kind of eternal slumber and never wake up.
What are you crying for? The person before her gently stroked her face, wiping away her tears. She said so softly and warmly, If you cry—if you cry more, you'll really turn into a crybaby with a cat face.
Before you continue