I was a little late today. Jingliu might be confused, even worried. If I told her what was happening here, she might go ask the Astral Express crew, who still hadn't picked up the Stellaron.
Though asking them would be useless anyway.
A moment later.
Bai Yan frowned.
Why hadn't he entered the Hyperdimensional Space yet?
He carefully reached out with his senses.
Something was wrong. The feeling was distant, like he held the key, but the door was still far away.
And he couldn't move. He could only wait for that distant door to slowly approach him.
Beside him, the white-coated researchers had already put on their gloves, and some had begun calibrating the equipment.
They had long been ready for the experiment. They only needed to match the data for the new test subject.
"The Gem of Desire is ready."
"The subject's Collapse Energy adaptability has been reconfirmed. Everything is normal—no, it has exceeded expectations!"
"The subject's physiological indicators are all normal."
"All testing instruments are functioning normally."
"Wait, why is it a man?"
"Stop asking and start the experiment. If we delay the schedule, both of us will be executed."
"As for gender, does it matter? If it succeeds, he'll be a Herrscher, and we'll all have to keep his secret as instructed. If it fails, he'll be dead. What's the point of worrying about it?"
Once the laboratory chief spoke, everyone fell silent and lowered their heads to work.
The white coats moved back and forth, methodically carrying out the experiment's preparations.
Yet Bai Yan was already drenched in sweat.
You were telling me I couldn't enter the Hyperdimensional Space immediately at a time like this?!
According to his senses, he probably wouldn't be able to enter even after the experiment began.
Bai Yan's face reddened. For the first time, he felt true despair.
Even when he had been sent to meet Otto as a child, he hadn't felt this desperate.
"Could it be because someone else lit the mosquito coil?"
That was possible. Since he hadn't performed the ritual himself, perhaps that unseen existence wasn't willing to acknowledge it.
This was bad!
Second by second, the experimental preparations were completed.
Bai Yan tried once more to break free, but the materials used for the operating table were clearly custom-made, specifically designed to prevent an accident caused by insufficient strength.
Thinking about it, they had even captured Wendy, an A-rank Valkyrie. How could they not have considered this?
Bai Yan felt even more desperate.
Originally, he had thought that with Bronya nearby and Raven being pursued, even if Bronya transformed into Dark Bronya to guard the area, it would still become a three-way melee.
He had never expected that chasing Raven would lead him straight to where Cocolia was hiding!
The place where she had set her ambush happened to be near a dock.
A few kilometers farther inland lay this laboratory.
Could the problem have been Raven?
But how could she have known Cocolia was lying in ambush there? Did she not know she was playing with fire?
There were some hidden circumstances Bai Yan didn't know about. Raven clearly wouldn't have made such a decision herself. Someone behind her must have instructed her.
In other words, Cocolia hadn't hidden herself well at all. World Serpent not only knew roughly where she was, but had even allowed her to do certain things.
Such an arrangement...
Before Kevin returned, did World Serpent have this kind of foresight?
A group that had the initiative yet still couldn't even seize the Thousand Worlds One Step properly—could they really manage such meticulous planning?
But no matter how much Bai Yan guessed, it couldn't change the fact that the gem was about to be implanted into him.
The white coats finished preparing everything and began moving the Gem of Desire.
One of them carried the glass cover over slowly, as though he were holding a full bowl of hot soup and feared spilling even a single drop.
Bai Yan no longer dared to struggle recklessly.
It wasn't because he had lost hope. He was afraid those people would inject him with a sedative or forcibly knock him unconscious to keep things stable. Then he truly would have no chance left.
At that moment, the Gem of Desire was in position.
Despite wearing protective suits and masks, the white coats still instinctively held their breath.
The leader carefully and slowly opened the glass cover.
The next instant, the radiance emitted by the Gem of Desire flooded the entire room.
The chief nodded to the others. "Begin."
Only then did everyone start breathing again. They exhaled heavily inside their masks and hurriedly began the implantation procedure.
The Gem of Desire was removed with a precision instrument. Then someone pulled down the stockings on Bai Yan's legs, revealing smooth, pale thighs.
Implanting the gem was a long process, but the moment it began, Bai Yan felt as if both body and mind were being destroyed.
"Aaaaah!"
Pain. Endless agony surged over him like a tide, and Bai Yan let out an uncontrollable wail.
He couldn't even control his screaming. The extreme pain shattered his sanity on the spot.
Stop. Stop it now!
Someone, save me!
Master Jingliu! Teacher Ragna! Big Sister Rita!
Faces flashed through his mind one after another, yet the instinct buried deep within his sea of consciousness told him that none of them could reach him in time.
No one would come. It wouldn't stop. It wouldn't succeed...
Gradually, the pain seemed to be drifting away.
Maybe he was about to pass out?
Was it the body's self-preservation mechanism?
But no, he couldn't sleep yet. If he fell asleep now, he would completely lose his chance!
This was Bai Yan's only remaining thought.
"Life signs are weakening."
"The gem fusion stage is obstructed."
"All indicators are within the safe range..."
"Are we going to fail again?"
"As expected. Although this subject has strong adaptability, there is still a degree of inherent incompatibility as a Herrscher vessel."
"So he can only become a container again?"
"No, wait a little longer. The process isn't complete yet. There may still be a variable."
Bai Yan listened to their conversation, trying to maintain consciousness by distracting himself.
But it was only a drop in the ocean. He could no longer resist falling unconscious.
"Must... hold on..."
As the pain eased, Bai Yan finally recovered a sliver of consciousness from the brink of collapse.
Sweat had completely soaked Bai Yan from head to toe. Not a single piece of fabric on him remained dry.
Even so, beads of sweat continued to appear, covering his body before dripping down.
He gasped desperately, as if he needed vast amounts of oxygen to mend the suffocation in his mind.
Endless agony still drowned his body, but now he could finally raise his head above the surface and enjoy the fresh air.
Bai Yan lowered his head and looked at his legs.
He couldn't feel them.
At the same time, terrifying crimson patterns spread across them like metal wiring inside electrical components.
Starting from Bai Yan's knees, they gradually spread across every inch of skin.
This was not a positive development. It signaled that Honkai was eroding Bai Yan's body.
If it had been an ordinary human with low Collapse Energy adaptability, the laboratory would have gained another zombie by now.
The white coats had finished everything and were nervously staring at the various instrument screens.
Their expressions were not much better than Bai Yan's. Clearly, the feedback from the instruments was far from encouraging.
Taking advantage of this time, Bai Yan tried to restore his senses.
He tried again to see whether he could enter the Hyperdimensional Space.
As long as he could reach that place...
The Honkai erosion continued to spread. Both Bai Yan and the people in the laboratory remained silent, fully focused on it.
They all hoped Bai Yan would survive, perhaps even successfully become a Herrscher.
As long as the experiment succeeded, everything would get better.
However.
Cocolia suddenly returned, looking slightly tense.
Before she even entered the room, her raised voice rang out.
"How is it?!"
The white coats looked at one another, none of them knowing how to answer.
Cocolia entered and walked straight to Bai Yan. Without caring about the details, she only stared at the patterns on his thighs.
Her face darkened.
The chief approached Cocolia, forcing himself to speak.
"We—"
"Alright, I already know. Continue. I'm going out for a moment."
She listened to nothing and left without looking back.
Her footsteps were swift, as if she didn't want to pause for even a moment—or look any longer.
The white coats seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
At least Cocolia had not taken her anger out on them yet.
They continued watching the instruments.
In truth, everyone had already reached the same conclusion.
It had failed.
Although it wasn't over yet, the current situation was enough to confirm that outcome.
Such a result was terrible.
Like Wendy, Bai Yan would become a useless cripple, existing only as a container for the Gem of Desire.
Inside the life-support pod beside him, Wendy still had her eyes closed, completely lifeless.
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