Chapter 307

Honkai Beast, who would create such a sculpture?

"It does appear to be made of cement and plaster, with no signs of life."

Shen Gonglin raised her hand and tapped the Honkai Beast's arm. The dull sound from it proved that these things were indeed not living beings. But who made this thing? To be fair, it was quite convincing.

"Don't miss it! Rare and exotic beasts exhibition! The rare and exotic beasts exhibition is here! Legendary monsters, Nian beasts, strange beasts, magical beasts, you name it, they're all here, absolutely real, you've never seen anything like them before... Hey, buddy, you can't touch these, the sculptures are for admiring. Hey, are those parents over there bringing their daughters to see the rare and exotic beasts?"

Shen Gonglin wanted to continue her research, but then a person who looked like the person in charge suddenly appeared. He greeted Shen Gonglin and the others very warmly, and it seemed that he mistook Bronya and Welt for father and daughter.

The leader of Anti-Entropy had a subtle expression. Could it be that he looked much older than he was? He always felt that he looked like a young man, while his daughter Bronya was so old... The Anti-Entropy Leader didn't know how to explain this.

Where did these sculptures come from?

Without dwelling on the issue, Bronya went straight to understanding it. These things were obviously suspicious. Usually, Honkai events would be concealed as natural disasters, but now these Honkai Beast statues were openly appearing before everyone's eyes. This was very strange, Bronya needed to find out the origin of these things.

"Oh, little girl, you're interested in sculptures? You clearly have a knack for art. But all I know is that we're here to help an organization organize an open-air exhibition, and these sculptures were sent to us by that organization. Oh, and just so you know, they said they're not allowed to sell them."

"What organization?"

Bronya was warmly greeted, and the staff dressed in mascot costumes explained the origin of the sculptures. Bronya frowned and continued to ask questions. Even if they were just sculptures, these things should not be displayed in front of ordinary people, especially in this kind of time.

Chapter 56

"Which organization exactly... we don't know. We just do things for them after we get paid. It's probably some kind of club that worships these strange and supernatural things. But to be honest, we felt a bit uneasy when we first got these exhibits. Even though we'd never seen these things before, seeing them for a long time made us feel really uncomfortable... Hey, look what I'm saying to the guests. Don't tell our manager here. That's probably the charm of the rare and exotic animal exhibition."

The staff member approached mysteriously and said something like that. He was just working for his superiors, and he did whatever they told him to do. But seeing how interested Bronya was in the sculpture, the staff member couldn't help but say a few words. Then he felt that he had said too much. How could the organizers say such things?

This is practically sabotaging their own business.

The staff continued to attend to other guests, while Shen Gonglin and her two companions exchanged glances. Shen Gonglin might not have been aware of the situation, but Bronya and Welt found it very strange. The Honkai Beast statue, with its incredibly realistic appearance and size, must be quite unusual. Logically speaking, apart from those fighting on the front lines of the Honkai, ordinary people would have little contact with Honkai Beast, let alone use them to create such a lifelike model.

No, although we don't know what the purpose of the people behind this is, this exhibition can no longer be allowed to continue.

"Sir, you must close this exhibition immediately; these things are dangerous."

Welt went directly to the staff and solemnly warned them. It was more convincing for an adult like him to speak on such matters. However, the staff were quite surprised. Close the exhibition? Why? They had received money from someone else. They couldn't just close it because of a few words from a man of unknown origin.

"Hmm... Father, I don't quite understand what you mean. What's dangerous about them? And look, your daughter seems quite interested in them... Are you worried about them collapsing? I understand. Don't worry, each statue has a support beam behind it. There will definitely be no collapse, and they won't grow legs and come to bite people, haha."

Thinking he had guessed what Welt was worried about, the staff member explained to him with a smile that he could understand the concerns of these fathers, who were afraid that their children would be in the slightest danger. Indeed, if it were him, he would also worry about such a beautiful little girl. But excessive worry was not good. What danger could these statues possibly pose?

"Well, maybe there wasn't any danger before, but after you said that, I'm sure there's a lot of danger now. Look, it's moving, isn't it?"

Shen Gonglin suddenly uttered these words, his purple eyes flickering. He sensed something was amiss, just like when he and Seele had investigated before. In his perception, some kind of thread descended from the sky and connected to the statues. He gestured with his chin toward the statues to signal the staff. Just as he thought, after setting such a flag, it would definitely be taken back immediately.

This can basically be considered a natural law.

To everyone's astonishment, the statue, which had been standing firmly, suddenly moved. The staff member turned his head in confusion, only to see the statue raising its huge pinkish-white arm, ready to smash down. This unusual event left the staff member completely bewildered. Although he found the statues unsettling, he never expected them to suddenly move.

This is completely unscientific!

"Eek!! What the heck?!"

Startled, the worker sat down on the ground, screaming as he watched the enormous arm crash down on him. This should be considered a workplace injury, right? Just as he was lost in thought, the giant arm was suddenly stopped in mid-air. A large half-body mech materialized before him, and Bronya stepped forward to shield him. This was no ordinary situation; thankfully they were there, otherwise it would have been very dangerous.

"It's strange, these Honkai Beasts... don't show any signs of life or energy."

Bronya controlled the Heavy-duty Rabbit to block the Honkai Beast's attacks. The staff shouted and ran away. Blue energy gathered in the air. Shen Gonglin used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to construct iron railings to block the moving statues. The tourists on the observation deck also left quickly. However, Bronya felt something was wrong. At such close range, she found that these Honkai Beasts were different from those they had fought before.

It's like... an inanimate object?

"These threads again... It seems that the other side is using these things to control these Honkai Beasts and those mechs. As long as the threads are not destroyed, these things will keep moving."

Shen Gonglin saw the threads connecting the void to the Honkai Beast sculptures. Bronya and Welt didn't seem to notice these things. In essence, those Honkai Beasts were still inanimate objects, sculptures made of cement and plaster, but under the influence of these threads, they all came to life.

"Focus on the battle; leave the investigation for later."

Welt gave the order, while Shen Gonglin shrugged and didn't interfere. Bronya didn't see any danger in the statue, which was so rigid in its movements and could only be attacked with ordinary physical attacks. Following the threads in the air, Shen Gonglin tried to find what was controlling them. If she destroyed that thing, these things should lose their ability to move.

If these things are puppets, then this thing should be the puppet's core.

"It's strange, why do these sculptures move... It's still the inner substance of the sculptures, but they move just like real Honkai Beast."

Bronya constructed the Herrscher of Herrscher of Reason's floating cannons, treating this incident as a practical training exercise. She easily resolved the crisis, but looking at the scattered plaster blocks on the ground, Bronya was very puzzled. How could these things move? She couldn't understand it at all.

"Perhaps this is related to the recent unusual events. Let's gather clues and bring them back to the Salt Lake Base for analysis... What about that staff member? Let's see if we can trace the supply channels through him."

Welt glanced at Shen Gonglin. This guy seemed to be thinking about something since earlier, and what did he just say... threads?

Neither he nor Bronya seemed to have noticed this thing.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Jack's Pumpkin

After dealing with everything, the next day, he returned to the Anti-Entropy conference room and informed everyone of what had happened. Everyone was analyzing the incident, feeling that some strange things had been happening recently. The intelligence gathered from Schicksal also confirmed this. These seemingly unrelated things seemed to be connected by a large web of threads, and something bad was definitely happening. However, they still had no idea what it was.

"How could this happen... Shen Gonglin and Sister Bronya, I'm so glad you're alright."

Seele looked at the two people in front of her with great relief. She wanted to tell her other self to put her mind at ease, but no matter how much she called, her other self refused to come out. She was fine just now, but after Shen Gonglin appeared, things changed. Yesterday, she used her body's control. Did something happen between the two of them during that time?

"Seele, don't worry. Enemies of that level are not difficult to deal with, but if an ordinary person were to encounter them, it would be a big problem."

Bronya shook her head slightly. Strictly speaking, those things were just moving stones, nothing to do with them, the trained Valkyrie. But they would definitely cause a big problem for ordinary people. These recent events... they weren't exactly big, but they weren't small either. It felt like ordinary people were taking revenge on society. What exactly was going on?

"We are also working hard to investigate the black market for Honkai Beast sculptures. Once discovered, they will be destroyed on the spot. The leader is already tracing the supply chain of the sculptures. It has been confirmed that the same workshop is producing these sculptures, and we will be able to locate the specific address soon."

Sitting to the side, Einstein also made her own arrangements. Even without the time that Shen Gonglin and the others had encountered, Anti-Entropy had already begun to take action. Blindly waiting was not the best option. She had already informed all members of Anti-Entropy that things had been rather turbulent lately.

"That's great, hopefully there won't be any more victims..."

What worried Seele was this. For them, even if these things happened, they could be resolved, but what about ordinary people? The girl couldn't help but think of the college student who died silently and no one cared. She didn't want such things to continue to happen and hoped that the cause could be found out as soon as possible and then resolved.

[Hmph, in my opinion, those people brought it on themselves! They courted death by acquiring such dangerous goods, clamoring that they had to see them alive at least once in their lifetime, but when they actually saw them alive, they ran faster than anyone else. They deserved it!]

On the nearby display screen, Tesla was trying to increase its presence. Dr. Lobster Head was still in Congress, and Theresa was there too. After hearing about the incident, Dr. Lobster Head crossed his arms and scoffed, saying that he looked down on those people who claimed to worship monsters but then ran faster than anyone else when the monsters came. He was really useless.

"This story... Class President, haven't you told it before? I think it's called Lord Ye's Love of Dragons?"

Bronya looked at Fu Hua, who was sitting quietly over there. At the Salt Lake Base, Fu Hua had always been very quiet, except for the occasional night raid on Shen Gonglin. But now the master and apprentice were whispering to each other, and no one knew what they were saying.

"Yes, it does have a similar feel to that story. Speaking of which, is Dr. Tesla alright? I heard from Einstein that there are several hearings every day there."

Silk threads... Fu Hua was pondering over there after hearing Shen Gonglin's words when she unexpectedly found herself suddenly brought up the topic. Strictly speaking, it did seem a bit like that. These were turbulent times, and Tesla and Theresa were probably not having a peaceful time in Congress either.

Putting the two of them in diplomatic roles... Fu Hua really didn't know what Anti-Entropy was thinking.

It's okay, those guys just want to force us to take the blame, ha, dream on. But right now they're in complete chaos themselves and don't have time for me, so I can finally slack off, haha.

Tesla on the screen looked quite cheerful. It seemed that arguing with those old men these past few days hadn't affected her mental state. The girl had a smug smile on her face. She was always causing trouble for Anti-Entropy, and now that the trouble was happening to them, it was quite amusing.

[You know what... oh, I don't think I've told you yet, after what happened yesterday, we were investigating based on the intercepted black market transaction list, right? It turned out that one of the congressmen was also a buyer. Now the entire Congress is in a panic. Everyone from top to bottom is calling him, demanding he hand over his collection. But this guy has gone completely mad, saying he'd go down with his treasures. He actually dragged his precious possessions and ran away overnight! The whole Congress is in an uproar.]

Tesla gesticulated wildly as she described the events that had occurred in Congress. This time, it was finally her turn to laugh at these old fogies. They spent all their time trying to frame Anti-Entropy, even suggesting it was all a conspiracy by the Herrscher of the Void. If that were true, how much free time would the Herrscher have?

Finally, his precious sculptures came to life shortly after he ran away. If Theresa hadn't arrived in time, his head would have been bitten off, hahaha.

Tesla laughed gleefully, but when Shen Gonglin heard her words, a sudden thought struck her. Why did this scene feel so familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before? Shen Gonglin subconsciously looked at Seele, and Seele realized it too; she had the same feeling as Shen Gonglin.

"Wait, Shen Gonglin, you thought of this too, didn't you... Foolish Jack, Foolish Jack, Foolish Jack who is obsessed with pumpkins, he picked up his beloved pumpkin, and the pumpkin bit off his head... This is the performance ticket that Shen Gonglin and I found in that college student dormitory. It says this performance program on it. Is this... a coincidence?"

Seele said uncertainly that she and Shen Gonglin found the performance ticket with such words written on it in that apartment, and now this has happened. The Foolish Jack corresponds to that councilor, and the beloved pumpkin corresponds to his treasured Honkai Beast statue. Then the pumpkin bit off the head of the Foolish Jack, and the councilor's head was almost bitten off by the Honkai Beast statue that came back to life. Is all of this just a coincidence?

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Crime Forecast

"Foolish Jack and Pumpkin Head..." Upon hearing Seele's words, Shen Gonglin felt a chill run down his spine. He had tried his best not to think about it. Even though it was broad daylight, Shen Gonglin still couldn't help but get goosebumps after hearing these lines. This thing was like his sister's doll, making him feel uncomfortable. However, now that Seele had mentioned it, it did seem to have a slight connection.

[Seele, are you saying that the play predicted this unfortunate guy's fate? That's ridiculous.]

Tesla shook his head, expressing his disbelief that such a thing was simply a fantasy. However, Einstein felt that it was too easy to deny it, as they had encountered countless strange tales in their lives.

"We can't rule out that possibility... However, rather than a prophecy, I'm more inclined to Seele's a crime premonition. We've already conducted a forensic examination on the performance ticket you brought back from the apartment, and trace amounts of soil residue were detected on the ticket... After analyzing and comparing the soil's organic matter composition, we found that it doesn't match any soil samples from any area within a five-kilometer radius of the apartment. In other words, it didn't originally belong to that apartment; it's more likely to have some connection with the perpetrator of the incident, or even be a trace of a crime deliberately left by the perpetrator."

Picking up where he left off, Einstein came to this conclusion: the things Seele and Shen Gonglin brought back from the apartment were very valuable for analysis. Originally, these things were piled up in Einstein's head, but after what happened at Tesla's place, Einstein felt that these things could be connected. This was not a coincidence, but rather some kind of necessary connection.

"Also, the mechs that Seele and Shen Gonglin encountered before, and the Honkai Beast they encountered this time, I remember you mentioned them in your mission reports, right? These things are quite different from the things we've fought before?"

His mind was perfectly clear. As expected, those who use their brains really do. Looking at the Einstein, Shen Gonglin suddenly felt Einstein to him. But perhaps it was because he was born with the mind of a commander? He'd leave the advisory work to others. Shen Gonglin sat obediently at the table, pretending to listen attentively. In fact, he was secretly squeezing the Class President's hand under the table. He couldn't help it; this kind of thing was practically hypnotic for him.

"Yes, Seele told me that the mechs she encountered before and the Honkai Beast sculptures I encountered this time have a strange similarity: their movements are stiff, their attacks are one-dimensional, and they have many flaws, as if they are being manipulated by something... Shen Gonglin said that those things are being manipulated by strings, but Bronya didn't notice."

Summarizing his situation, Einstein nodded slightly. He was being manipulated. Moreover, Shen Gonglin said that there were strings controlling their actions. It shouldn't be Shen Gonglin's imagination. Strings, puppets, manipulated Honkai Beast sculptures and mechs... what exactly are these things combined into?

"I also received a similar report from Theresa. The information shared by the two women from the same Schicksal also mentioned that such things had happened. This suggests that the recent mecha rampage incidents may be related to the Honkai Beast sculpture incident. Therefore, it is a reasonable guess to use the evidence left at the previous scene to predict the next crime."

Based on the available intelligence, Einstein conveyed the following message to everyone: if it was just a coincidence, that would be even better, but if it was true, then the whole picture of the event might be far beyond their imagination.

Hey, Chicken Coop Head, you didn't discover something, did you?

I've been listening to Einstein's conclusions the whole time. She's been like Sherlock Holmes today, stealing all the limelight. Tesla feels like she's about to be overshadowed by Einstein's reputation as a high-IQ PhD. Is it just my imagination? It seems like she's been showing off all day.

"This is exactly what I'm going to tell you next. It's a little unexpected, but it also makes sense. We've analyzed the doll remains recovered from the apartment. It wasn't because the young man overdid it, as Shen Gonglin had previously thought... We extracted crystals similar to the Herrscher Core from the doll's body."

He dropped a bombshell, and everyone present immediately became serious. Shen Gonglin didn't know why they were so serious, but in order to show that he had been listening attentively, he also put on a serious face. Herrscher Core? What is Herrscher Core?

Tsk, it's all the Class President's fault for having such soft and smooth hands; he made me not pay attention to Einstein's lectures.

"Relax a bit. At least for now, things haven't gotten that bad. The energy level of the Herrscher crystals detected is far lower than that of ordinary Herrscher Core, which is why they haven't been detected before. However, although its threat is small, we need to prepare for the worst: a new wave of... Honkai impact."

The peaceful days will eventually be broken. This incident is like a harbinger. Only by being prepared can we deal with unexpected situations. Einstein said this to keep them on their guard and not to let their guard down just because things have been peaceful for a while.

[This Chicken Coop Head, you're trying to say this thing is Herrscher? That's so useless, how can someone like that be Herrscher?]

"It's not entirely certain yet, but if my guess is correct, we may find new similar crystals that will eventually lead us to the real culprit behind this incident."

She already had a certain guess in her mind, but the evidence was insufficient. Einstein needed more evidence to prove her guess, so she didn't fully express her conjecture to avoid increasing everyone's psychological burden. However, it was definitely not wrong to take it seriously from now on. Even if it was Herrscher, there was nothing to be afraid of. Who among you hasn't experienced a few Herrscher incidents?

[Ha, if he really Herrscher, instead of confronting them directly, he resorts to these petty tricks. It's quite the twisted humor... Wait, so could the mecha malfunction incident at the Congressional headquarters also be his doing? But what would his purpose be?]

Tesla crossed his arms and mocked, "Look at the Herrscher of the past, the Herrscher of the Void, the Herrscher of Wind, the Herrscher of Ice, the Herrscher of Rock... Which of those Herrscher didn't fight head-on? They're Herrscher, yet they're still sneaking around like this. They're really useless..." Then Tesla suddenly connected this to what had happened. There's always a reason for doing things, right?

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Unyielding Power

"As for the purpose... it's to undermine Anti-Entropy's credibility, or to distract Anti-Entropy's attention, or both... In terms of results, detaining Dr. Tesla has also greatly reduced the efficiency of our operations."

A fair assessment was made, but this conclusion left Tesla with a slightly peculiar expression. So all that the other party had done was to get her away from the Salt Lake Base. It seemed that the other party also understood that she, Tesla, was the most important person in the entire Anti-Entropy, otherwise why would they go to such lengths to get her away... No, now is not the time to be happy about such things.

[Ugh, this is infuriating! But now that this happens, a lot of things make sense. Hey, you with the Chicken Coop Head, is the evidence you have enough to get me back? Since they want to get rid of me, we can't let them have their way!]

In the video, Tesla was gesticulating wildly like an angry gorilla. The girl crossed her arms and tapped lightly on the arm covered in red armor with her fingers. She already knew what Tesla was planning. Tesla didn't want to stay in Congress for another second. What was the point of talking to these old fogies?

"... Don't talk like we're in jail. We still lack conclusive evidence. Therefore, this workshop investigation is very important. We need to gather enough information to determine the nature of the whole incident. On the other hand, this operation is also dangerous. If the criminals can make premonitions, then in the worst case, the workshop itself may be a trap."

The two doctors were talking, and everyone else in the conference room could only listen attentively. They might not be good at combat, but no one present was better at intelligence analysis and research than them. After hearing Einstein's conclusion, Tesla in the video scratched his head again. This feeling was really annoying. Even if it was a trap, he had to step on it in order to gather information. What an annoying guy!

"Einstein, can this mission be assigned to Bronya?"

Finally having a chance to speak, Bronya volunteered. This matter concerned her greatly, and if possible, Bronya hoped to let Kiana rest for a while. After learning about the effects the Herrscher Core would have on her, Bronya wanted her to stay put and avoid using the Core as much as possible.

"Okay, but if we don't know the other party's background, we should try to avoid acting alone... Seele, you and Bronya will go together this time, and the rest of you can stand by and deal with any emergencies."

Fortunately, St. Freya and her group joined the investigation; otherwise, Einstein would have had to investigate personally. Compared to Schicksal, Anti-Entropy is far inferior in terms of the mobility of its members, and it basically lacks high-end combat power. And when it comes to investigations, how can sending mechs compare to actual human operation?

Furthermore, we cannot devote all our manpower to this practical investigation, because we are unsure whether the other party is trying to lure us away from our base. Therefore, it is best for the remaining personnel to remain on standby at the base.

"Okay, okay! I'll go with Sister Bronya. I was there during the last incident, so I know the details. I'll definitely be able to help. Besides... I also want to know the truth about what happened. It's the least we can do to comfort the deceased."

Seele had always wanted to go with Bronya, so Einstein's suggestion was exactly what Seele. Especially since she would be going on a mission with Bronya, it was the best choice for Seele in every respect.

"Okay, I understand. I will notify you immediately after receiving the coordinates. Please prepare for the attack."

Einstein nodded, and the meeting ended there. Bronya and Seele went to make their preparations, while Shen Gonglin seemed rather idle. He wasn't assigned to this mission, not because he wanted to, but because he was bored. Even the Class President Shen Gonglin her own things to do, making him feel like he was the only one who was just sitting around doing nothing. Although Shen Gonglin was indeed a bit of a slacker, well...

Look, nobody needs you anymore, you...

Who's speaking?!

Suddenly, a comical voice rang in Shen Gonglin's ears. In a daze, Shen Gonglin seemed to have left the Anti-Entropy base and arrived in a strange place. Broken walls, upside-down rings, like a theater. The Herrscher of the Herrscher of the Void's instinct told Shen Gonglin that this was not a space he knew. Where was he?

Suddenly, that strange doll reappeared in her line of sight. The doll's tone was comical and its movements were ridiculous. Its constantly turning head sent a chill down Shen Gonglin. What is this thing? Why is it moving...? Don't come any closer!

The doll seemed to want to speak, Shen Gonglin snapped his fingers, and countless Spear of the Void appeared from the void, piercing the doll before it could speak. This disgusted Shen Gonglin. What was it trying to say just now... Before Shen Gonglin could continue his investigation, his vision blurred and he was back in the Anti-Entropy base. What happened? Was that an illusion? It must be because of his neurasthenia. He had planned to get a good night's sleep yesterday, but Mei kept him up too late, so he didn't get any rest and his body felt weaker. He needed to find a place to catch up on his sleep.

Shen Gonglin shook her head and started looking for a place to sleep. In the unknown space, several identical dolls were whispering among themselves, looking at the broken doll parts on the ground. "It's been taken apart again. It was taken apart by Shen Gonglin before they could even finish speaking."

Seriously, that guy is completely uncommunicative!

[Yes, yes, the poor girl was cut off before she could even finish speaking... So pitiful.]

[Tsk, we can't take away his Herrscher Authority at all! Even if we use the power of Herrscher, we still can't seize his power!]

A puppet knelt on the ground, angrily pounding the floor. This puppet looked like an ordinary person who was disappointed in life. They had already dragged him into the theater, and he had used the power of the Herrscher. Why couldn't they take away his power? If they could take away the power of Shen Gonglin, then they could get the power of the Herrscher of the Void, the Herrscher of Reason, the Herrscher of Thunder, and the Herrscher of Consciousness.