Chapter 302

The little girl looked at Kiana with great envy, while Kiana scratched her head awkwardly. She thought it best not to become like her when she grew up. If she wanted to become Herrscher when she grew up, someone would probably slap her in the face... How could she have such thoughts? It must be because she had spent too much time with Shen Gonglin, and her thinking had become like Rin's.

"As long as you keep being a good child, you'll definitely be able to do it."

"You have a real talent for coaxing children, "Seele said with a smile. The little girl, motivated by this, looked very determined. She clenched her fist and made her decision.

"I understand. I'll go home now and help Mom with the housework. I'll be a good girl! Goodbye, sister!"

The girl waved goodbye to the two girls. Looking at the well-behaved little girl, Kiana and Seele simultaneously thought of Shen Gonglin. If only he could be as obedient as this little girl. Watching Shen Gonglin approach from a distance, the two girls shook their heads and sighed. They were thinking too much. If Shen Gonglin could be that obedient, he wouldn't be Shen Gonglin.

"... What's with you two looking at me with your eyebrows furrowed and shaking your heads? It's really infuriating... But Seele, you really know how to coax kids. Maybe if I had brought you along when the Class President and Little Herrscher of Consciousness were having a fight, things would have been much better. You really know how to handle kids."

Unsure what impolite thoughts the two girls were having, Shen Gonglin looked at Seele with a sigh. He had witnessed their interaction with the little girl earlier. Among their group, Seele and Mei were probably the best at coaxing children. Sometimes, Little Herrscher of Consciousness acted like a little girl herself. Back then, neither the Class President nor Kiana knew how to coax children. Look at Seele, how amazing she is.

"Indeed, Seele is amazing, and... thank you."

Kiana sincerely thanked Seele. She must have considered her feelings just now. This girl was indeed very nice, gentle and kind, and also very understanding.

"No... I didn't do anything. Let's go check on the mechs first."

Being praised like that made Seele very shy. She wasn't as good as they said. Feeling her face burning, Seele quickly changed the subject. Now was not the time to praise herself. It was more important to find out why these mechs went berserk. Why did they suddenly lose control? Dr. Tesla's technology shouldn't be the problem.

Shen Gonglin and Kiana nodded in agreement, and the three of them began their investigation. Although there were three of them, Shen Gonglin was just there to make up the numbers; Kiana and Seele were the ones who did the investigation. However, looking at the mecha fragments around them, both of them looked very troubled. The mecha had been dismantled like this, and even if they were to investigate, they would have to transport these things back to the Salt Lake Base for analysis to get any results. With their current methods, they simply couldn't analyze anything.

"Hey, HOMU... is that the mascot costume the guy who handed us flyers was wearing? It's all torn to shreds, I hope he's alright?"

With no clue as to the cause of the rampage, Seele noticed a discarded mascot costume in the corner. The brightly colored costume was now covered in wounds. Seele quickly ran over, and Kiana and Shen Gonglin followed closely behind. Thankfully, it was just a mascot costume.

"There's no blood, and the mascot costume is empty. It looks like the people inside have been safely evacuated... Wait, something fell out... Hmm? It's a key, with the apartment number on it. Was it accidentally lost?"

After checking inside the costume, Kiana didn't find any bloodstains, so the situation shouldn't be too bad. However, Kiana found something else inside the costume. Looking at the key in her hand, Seele was a little worried. The girl was kind-hearted, and if conditions allowed, she wanted to help.

"The person must have escaped, right? But losing the apartment key will probably be a big problem. Anyway, we still have time. Should we go and return it to him? We can also ask him about what happened at the time. The mech rampage should have started right here, so that person should know what happened."

Seele's suggestion was reasonable from any perspective, and Kiana and Shen Gonglin agreed with her idea. However, Kiana had other things to do before that.

"Seele, you're right. But I need to find the person in charge here first to understand the details of the incident. Then I need to report the situation to Anti-Entropy. Wait for me here for a bit, I'll be right back, and then we'll go investigate together... Come on, what are you doing here? Hurry up and come over."

Kiana, pulling Shen Gonglin along, went to negotiate with the person in charge. Kiana, of course, preferred to keep Shen Gonglin by her side, while Seele waited quietly. She hadn't expected such a thing to happen, and there were also the problems Kiana had told her about before... There was no point in just thinking about it alone. Since she had time, she should discuss it with her other self.

Delving into her heart, Seele begins to search for the existence of another version of herself, another me. Where are you? Seele is coming to find you.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Another Jealous Person

"You've been unusually quiet lately. You hardly ever talk unless I reach out to you."

Lost in her own thoughts, in the darkness, Seele saw another version of herself sitting on a crimson throne. The girl in black and red sat with her legs crossed, looking utterly bored. The black checkered floor made this inner world seem exceptionally tranquil. The girl on the throne looked at Seele with a scrutinizing gaze. Hearing her words, a slight smile appeared on her face, which was exactly like Seele's but exuded madness.

"Oh? Isn't this exactly what you want? It won't bother you and your... new friend."

The girl on the throne spoke each word clearly, and Seele blinked in confusion. What did she mean by that? Why did she suddenly feel such a strong sense of jealousy? And why did she seem a little strange today? What was wrong with her? Her other self had never been like this before...

"No, that's not true. If you don't say anything, I don't know who to talk to. I have so many things I want to discuss with you."

Seele shook her head, not understanding why her other self was acting strangely, or rather, she had been acting a bit odd lately. Usually, she would eagerly try to exchange consciousness with her, but recently she had become quite lazy. Except when facing Shen Gonglin, she seemed to have some energy, otherwise she stayed alone deep inside her mind. Seele had many questions she wanted to ask her.

"Hmm? What issue are we discussing?"

Sitting up a little straighter, Black Seele became somewhat interested. She still needed her help. Since that was the case, she might as well try to think of a solution and see what was wrong with her.

"What happened just now was a bit strange. The mecha suddenly started moving, and I had a vague feeling that something was wrong, so I wanted to hear your opinion."

Seele recounted what had just happened. This mech rampage was too bizarre. It was working normally before, but suddenly it started causing destruction to its surroundings, as if it had suddenly fallen ill. But with mechs, could it be that someone had implanted a virus?

That would constitute a premeditated act of sabotage.

"I didn't find anything either. Those mechs seemed to move on their own. I didn't see anyone operating them. Is there anything else?"

Black Seele knew what had just happened, but this wasn't their area of expertise. Besides, even if there were any problems, the mecha had already been dismantled, so there was no need to worry about them. And she probably didn't come to me just to ask about these things.

"Well, you heard what Kiana said earlier, right? She's having a lot of trouble figuring out how to fight her other personality, so I was thinking, could we offer her some help? After all, we're more experienced in controlling the body."

She also wanted to help Kiana. Seele felt she should offer some advice on Kiana's problems, since she also had two personalities, and the two of them got along so well, while Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void were like enemies. Seele wanted to help Kiana solve this problem, but she didn't know how, so she asked her other self. After all, her other self had been protecting her, and she should be more convincing in this matter.

"Huh? What do you mean? Do you think... I'm the same kind of person as that girl named Sirin?"

To Seele by surprise. She stood up from her chair and glared at her angrily with her dark red eyes. Had she said something she shouldn't have? Seele panicked. That wasn't what she meant.

"No, that's not what I meant..."

Seele quickly tried to explain, but her other self didn't give her a chance. She knew Seele didn't mean it that way, but she just wanted to vent. After all, Seele had been hanging out with her new friends all this time, so she had to be a little willful too. After all, that was her true nature.

"Dangerous, violent, ruthless—you're comparing me to that kind of guy?"

She looked somewhat menacing as Black Seele glared at Seele and said those words. To be fair, she did look dangerous, violent, and ruthless, which was exactly what Seele thought. But Seele didn't dare to think that way. How could her other self have thought of such things? She definitely hadn't thought of them.

"No! Sirin has been hurting Kiana, while you are protecting me. You are different!"

Seele quickly voiced her true thoughts, and seeing her attitude, Black Seele calmed down a bit. She knew Seele wouldn't think that way; there was no one in the world who understood each other better than them. But there were some things she just wanted to hear her say herself.

"Then tell me—what am I in your eyes?"

She sat back down, and the black-clad Seele regained her composure. Seele also took the opportunity to think about what kind of existence her other self was to her.

"You... you are..."

This question was a bit complicated, so Seele's answer was a little slow. But this made the other Seele a little impatient. This idiot hadn't thought it through at all. She was all ready to listen to the long essay, but she got stuck again. Had she been with Shen Gonglin for too long? How come Seele's emotional intelligence was so low?

"Hey, why did you have to be silent at a time like this? I was waiting... Alright, alright, I knew it would be like this. Forget it, I won't abandon you anyway. What would you do without me? But don't ask me questions like this again, I don't like hearing them."

Black Seele rolled her eyes. This guy thinks he can solve the problem of someone else's two personalities? It's because he spoils Seele, while Sirin wants to kill Kiana. The problem is fundamentally different, okay? What an idiot.

"I'm sorry, I really can't answer your question right now. But I will think about it carefully, try my best, and I will definitely give you an answer in the end. Can you give me a little time?"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Seele lowered her head and apologized to her other self, while the other Seele could only sigh helplessly. Well, what could she do? She could only forgive her.

"Alright, but to show your sincerity, you should eat more sour food when you go back for dinner. I want some. Now let's go, your new friend is here."

With a wave of her hand, she dismissed Seele from her consciousness. Black Seele sighed, resting her chin on her hand. She was truly pathetic.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Discovery of the Hi Fu

"Kiana, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"

Having been expelled from her consciousness by another version of herself, Seele had just come to her senses when she saw Kiana and Shen Gonglin walking towards her. Shen Gonglin was as carefree as ever, while Kiana's expression was rather unpleasant; it seemed things weren't going well.

"It's nothing, there are just some issues with the person in charge. Things are more complicated than I thought. I need to continue investigating the surveillance footage here, and I expect to stay for a while longer."

Kiana shook her head. This matter was not simple. She had already reported it to Anti-Entropy, but they couldn't spare any manpower for the time being. Before the person in charge arrived, Kiana had to investigate first. This matter might have some special connection with the information shared by Schicksal a while ago. Just as Rita said, something bad was happening. It seemed that she had to take it seriously.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

Kiana is busy, so there's no reason for me not to help. I didn't expect to run into something like this just because I came out to buy something. It seems Kiana is busy with things here. Seele wants to know what I can do to help. I can't just sit here doing nothing.

"It's alright, I can handle things here by myself. Go find that guy in the mascot costume and ask him what happened. We urgently need a statement from the scene. The person in charge said he's a college student from around here named John Doe. Here's his electronic student ID from when he worked here. I'll send it to you. Go investigate him. As for Shen Gonglin ..."

The task is complex, so we have to divide the work. Kiana needs to investigate the surveillance footage, and the task of finding out what's going on can only be left to Seele. And at this time, she is also a fellow countryman, Shen Gonglin. This guy has been silent since earlier, and we don't know what he's thinking. Maybe he doesn't care about what's going on here. Although Shen Gonglin is very strong, neither Kiana nor the others subconsciously want Shen Gonglin to get involved in troublesome matters. This kind of thing can be left to them.

"I'm fine, you guys go about your business, I'll wait for you here."

Upon hearing his name called, Shen Gonglin shook his head at Kiana and Seele. Kiana had originally wanted Shen Gonglin to go with Seele or go on his own, but since they had said so, she decided to leave him alone. Seeing Shen Gonglin's expression, Kiana nodded thoughtfully.

"In that case, alright. Shen Gonglin, you stay here and wait. Shining, don't run around and make sure nothing like what happened on Coral Island happens again. You remember my phone number, right? Be sure to call me if anything happens."

Shen Gonglin kept giving him instructions, which made Shen Gonglin feel annoyed. It was like she was treating him like a spoiled child. But he could only nod. Otherwise, Kiana might not let him act alone. He thought he was the best in the world, but he was being treated like this. It was really unfair.

"Alright, you two go do your own thing, don't worry about me."

Shen Gonglin waved Kiana and Seele away, and only after watching them leave did he prepare to do his own thing. Originally, he didn't want to keep it from the two of them, but since it involved Little Herrscher of Consciousness, she didn't want others to know that she was here with him, so he had no choice but to act covertly.

As for the phone number Kiana mentioned... well, Shen Gonglin only remembers Rita's number. But there's no need to worry about it. She won't get lost, so why bother with such a thing? It's more important to focus on the present.

[Little Herrscher of Consciousness, you said you just detected traces of consciousness... What do you mean?]

The girl, who had just returned to her own consciousness, was questioning the Herrscher hidden within it. She had often slipped away alone to wander around, only returning to her consciousness to rest after she had had her fill of fun. Upon her return, she explained a situation she had witnessed at the scene of the mech rampage: the mechs themselves didn't possess consciousness, but some threads of consciousness controlled their actions. If nothing unexpected happened, these threads of consciousness were likely the culprit.

[It means exactly what it says. As long as you study my power properly, you'll be able to feel it too... Alright, I knew you didn't take my words to heart. I specifically told you to use the core of the Herrscher of Consciousness properly, you idiot!]

A vibrant voice rang in Shen Gonglin's mind, but Shen Gonglin selectively ignored it, picking at his ear. Hi Fu indeed told him about this: Shen Gonglin possessed several Herrscher Core, and these Herrscher Core hadn't harmed him at all. However, this guy was too lazy; despite having Herrscher Cores, he rarely trained his power. Even Bronya, under the training of the Anti-Entropy Leader, had mastered the power of the Herrscher of Reason, while he...

With the Herrscher of the Void Core, the Herrscher of Thunder Core, the Herrscher of Reason Core, and her own Herrscher Core, Shen Gonglin already has four cores. However, she is only quite proficient with the power of the Herrscher of the Void. She rarely uses the other cores, which makes Little Herrscher of Consciousness very angry. Why doesn't she use her own power? Does she find the Herrscher Core too smelly?

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that he only uses the power of the Herrscher of Consciousness the least. He is on par with the real Herrscher of the Void Herrscher of the Void Core of Void. He can also use the Herrscher of Thunder's ability very skillfully because he has mastered Electromagnetic Force. He has even tried to mold other people's dolls with the constructive power of the Herrscher of Reason. He never uses his own power of the Herrscher of Consciousness. It's so annoying.

"Hey, I'll train hard when we get back... But you're here now, aren't you? With you, the real Herrscher, around, I'll always have to step in. Class President monitor, tell me what you've found!"

Afraid that she would start rambling on and on again, this Class President, Hi Fu, was different from the fairy Class President. She was a chatterbox, and if she didn't change the subject, she could talk about it all day long. Even the clearest and most melodious voice would give Shen Gonglin a headache if she talked all day long, so she decided to get straight to the point.

[I'm not being good! No... I'm only slightly obedient. It's so annoying. I found the remnants of the consciousness controlling those mechs. Such faint consciousness, it seems the controllers aren't very determined. Just follow the direction of those broken consciousness lines. I'm telling you, my power is very useful. You better behave...]

While dealing with the mental Hi Fu, Shen Gonglin kept her head down and hurried on her way, slightly regretting that she had struck up a conversation with her.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Fear Arises Because of Insufficient Firepower

Following the guidance of the Hi Fu in her mind, Shen Gonglin traveled back and forth through the streets and alleys of the city. According to the Hi Fu, the mechs themselves were not the problem, but rather that someone was using their consciousness to control the mechs, which caused the riot. Now they were searching for the culprit based on the remaining traces of consciousness. However, according to the Hi Fu, this consciousness was not firm at all.

Forget about being a villain with unwavering convictions; strictly speaking, his spirit seems even weaker than that of a normal person. It's the obsession he's so persistent about...

What is obsession? I don't think I quite understand.

Guided by the Hi Fu, Shen Gonglin approached her destination while communicating with the Hi Fu in her mind. She was an expert in the field of consciousness. Although Shen Gonglin also possessed the core of the Herrscher of Consciousness, she rarely used it and did not understand these technical terms very well.

[It's the idea that we must achieve something. Everyone has some kind of obsession, more or less. I can feel it. This obsession... Well, Shen Gonglin, things might not be so simple. I have a bad feeling that something is just ahead.]

Hi Fu couldn't figure out what had happened either, but she believed that brute force could overcome anything, and whatever happened, she just needed to destroy it. She had a lot of faith in Shen Gonglin's strength. Besides, she still had herself. Although she didn't have a body right now, she was still a Herrscher, and there was also... there was Tokisaki-neechan and Angel-neechan, so she didn't need to worry too much about Shen Gonglin's safety.

Shen Gonglin stopped speaking, and at this moment he also came to a secluded alley. There was no one else in the quiet alley, but there was a figure leaning against the wall not far away... No, it wasn't a person. Was this thing a doll?

As Shen Gonglin approached, she saw a blonde doll with an eye patch leaning against the ground. Spherical segments connected its limbs, and its gothic-style clothing made it look extremely eerie. Shen Gonglin frowned as she looked at the doll against the wall. "Is this the source of consciousness that Little Herrscher of Consciousness mentioned? But isn't this just a doll...?" To be honest, Shen Gonglin wasn't really into dolls, probably because of the horror movies she'd watched. Dolls played a rather important role in horror films, after all.

For example, deathly silence.

"This thing looks like a regular doll..."

Shen Gonglin stepped forward and picked up the doll with both hands. It wasn't noticeable when it was lying on the ground, but Shen Gonglin realized that the thing was almost as big as herself after picking it up. But in the end, it was still a doll. If you say that this thing is the culprit that controls the mecha, then it is clearly the thing that is being controlled, right?

[It seems so... No! There's a conscious being here, Shen Gonglin, let go right now!]

Little Herrscher of Consciousness was also very puzzled, but at that moment she suddenly realized something. Before she could finish speaking, the doll in Shen Gonglin's hand suddenly moved. The head, which was originally weakly tilted back under the influence of gravity, suddenly lifted up. Even though she was wearing an eye patch, Shen Gonglin felt as if a thousand people were staring at her. It was terrifying!

"Shen Gonglin, Shen Gonglin, you'll do anything..."

The doll's head began to spin and speak, but before she could finish, Shen Gonglin, startled by the sight, threw the doll away in horror. These kinds of jump scares were the most frightening! The doll, quite pleased with Shen Gonglin's reaction, seemed to know everything. They knew everything because they contained an individual who knew about Shen Gonglin's situation; therefore, they knew everything...

Oh, they don't seem to know much about this scene now.

"Angel Mode, Permanent Air-to-Air Chasing Missile!"

Before the doll could continue speaking, Shen Gonglin immediately switched to Angel Mode. Countless missiles shot out from her pink wings, the roar engulfing the doll. Shen Gonglin, panting heavily, hadn't yet recovered from the horror he'd just experienced. He was terrified. He was naturally afraid of scary things; once, watching a horror movie with Durandal had scared him half to death. Now, this was happening right before his eyes... Dolls were just too terrifying. He'd better not play with dolls anymore.

After the bombing ended, Shen Gonglin sat on the ground, still shaken. All his fear stemmed from the lack of firepower. Although the doll had been blown to smithereens, Shen Gonglin was still a little worried. Maybe he should fire a final arrow, otherwise he was always afraid that this thing might sneak up on him while he was sleeping.

The possibility of being assassinated by a puppet is very small, but it can't be said to be impossible.

"... Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here. Don't worry, I'm with you."

A figure quietly appeared beside Shen Gonglin. Hi Fu, with a strange expression, reached out and hugged Shen Gonglin's head, gently patting his back. She had just wanted to hear what this doll had to say, as it was a clue she had finally obtained. However, Shen Gonglin had bombarded her with missiles without saying a word, so she hadn't gotten any clues at all. But she didn't expect this guy to be afraid of this kind of thing... Tokisaki-neechan said that she had dressed up as a ghost to scare Shen Gonglin before, and it seemed that she ended up being beaten up by him because she was so frightened. Since she had learned from that experience, Hi Fu would definitely not try such a thing again.

Because she was afraid that if she tried it, she would die immediately.

"How terrifying! Little Herrscher of Consciousness, did you see that just now? That thing's head could turn, like it could turn in a circle, and it could even talk! It was so disgusting and scary!"

Holding Hi Fu in his arms, Shen Gonglin gave up his plan to use the final arrow to cleanse the area. He hugged Hi Fu tightly and loudly complained that he should never have come to investigate alone. It was too scary. He would never dare to sleep alone when he got back. Just think, who would he feel safe sleeping with? Shen Gonglin was really scared.

"Hmm, I know, I know... But this clue is finished. However, based on the remnants of consciousness on the doll, I think I can trace back to an entity that had contact with it. Shen Gonglin, should we go investigate? Don't worry, if there's any danger this time, just blow it up. Shall we go check it out?"

Little Herrscher of Consciousness smiled broadly as she stroked Shen Gonglin's hair. It turned out that this guy was so well-behaved and cute when he was scared. Having tasted the sweetness, Little Herrscher of Consciousness wanted to continue experiencing this feeling. Otherwise, she wouldn't bother with such things. Let's go, let's go. She suddenly felt like she was taking her timid boyfriend to a haunted house.

Chapter 40: Theater Preparations

[He's dead.]

Yes, it really is dead...

[How pitiful, he died without even finishing a single sentence...]

[Yeah, yeah, nobody listens to him anyway, and it's the same again this time. What a tragic life, haha, just like us.]

[I told you dealing with Shen Gonglin wouldn't be so easy. Didn't he already say that Shen Gonglin is very powerful?]

Oh? Is it really that amazing...? It certainly seems so.