Chapter 316

She quickly stopped Shen Gonglin's violence. The thought of him wanting to paint a picture of the Qingming Scroll on Seele terrified Black Seele. Even she had heard of that painting. In terms of being inhuman, she was indeed no match for Shen Gonglin Black Seele. After thinking for a moment, she simply took a pen and drew a few strokes on the photo next to her. The Seele in the photo, laughing and joking, was instantly turned into a pig's head. Humph, this was her revenge!

"... Just spoil her."

That's it? Is this her revenge?

Feeling bored, Shen Gonglin blurted out, "What a hypocrite! He was just talking about revenge, but all he did was scribble a few lines on the photo?" She really spoils Seele too much.

"... You're the only one who has no right to say such things! Who in this base doesn't spoil you? Even the two of us do, Shen Gonglin. I advise you to have some self-awareness and not be ungrateful!"

Shen Gonglin Black Seele and glared at Shen Gonglin, her face turning red. She had no way to refute him. How dare he say such a thing? In this base, which girl didn't dote on him? If they didn't all spoil Shen Gonglin, with his reckless personality, he might have been stabbed to death as soon as he left the base.

"Fine, fine, do whatever you want, I'm going to sleep. Sigh... How can this person be so spineless?"

Shen Gonglin shook his head and sighed. Then he threw off the covers and crawled into bed. Was he the only one left in the world with a tough and resolute spirit? It seemed he really had to live up to the name of a tough guy. A true tough guy should sleep on a princess bed like this and hug a soft, squishy girl.

"I just don't want to be talked to by someone like you... And why are you lying next to Seele like it's your right? Get down and go back to your own room!"

I feel that Shen Gonglin is even more hateful than those dolls. Black Seele is raging and helplessly baring her teeth and claws. I didn't even realize that there was anything wrong with the way this guy did it just now. He even hugged Seele and slept. Does he really think I'm dead?

"What's wrong? Don't be so stingy. I just saved you in the Domination Theater, so this little bit of interest shouldn't be a problem, right? I didn't see you react like this when I picked you up and sat you in the chair. Come on, go to sleep. I'm so sleepy."

Black Seele's attempts to stop her were completely ineffective against Shen Gonglin. This guy was the epitome of willfulness. Not only that, he hugged Seele even tighter. Kiana was too restless in her sleep, while Seele slept much more peacefully. Shen Gonglin was sleepy and just wanted to get some rest.

"You saved me, not Seele. Why should Seele pay this price? Let her go!"

Black Seele continued to argue her point, but unfortunately, Shen Gonglin was never a reasonable person. She couldn't beat her in a fight, and Rin wouldn't listen to reason. Black Seele felt so tired.

"It's all the same, isn't it all Seele anyway? Are you going to sleep or not? If not, please close the door for me. I'm going to sleep anyway."

Both were Seele, so Shen Gonglin felt there was nothing wrong with asking for payment. He yawned and waved to the Black Seele. That girl was so noisy. Look at the Seele in his arms now, she's so quiet.

"...Sleep, I'll sleep, okay?"

After trying to retreat for a while, Black Seele eventually returned to Seele's body despite her reluctance. It didn't feel so bad.

Chapter Ninety-Three: You Can't Steal It!

Salt Lake Base, Seele's room, six in the morning. The girl's brow was slightly furrowed in her sleep. Her usually peaceful face now faintly revealed a look of discomfort. The culprit was the koala clinging to her. Seele felt as if she were having a dream where she was being strangled by a python. It was so painful; she felt like she could hardly breathe...

[So sleepy... Hey, Seele, wake up. If you don't get up, those kids will laugh at you, how embarrassing... No, more than being laughed at, if you don't get up now, you might never be able to get out of bed again. Get up... Hey! Get up!]

The other Seele regained consciousness first, and then she felt the discomfort in her body. After seeing her current environment, the Black Seele's mouth twitched. She knew that this guy was a restless sleeper. This guy actually dared to put his hand inside Seele's clothes. Wasn't he afraid that Sister Bronya would find out and kick him out?

To prevent Seele from being too embarrassed when she woke up, Black Seele first used her body to pull the cat's paw out before waking Seele up in her mind. This silly girl, she didn't even know that someone had done such a terrible thing to her while she was sleeping. What would she do if it weren't for her?

"Whoa! You scared me... Another me, you're waking me up like this again... Eh, God, Shen Gonglin... Why is he here?"

Startled awake, Seele was jolted awake. Only her other self would wake her up this way. Seele muttered her complaints about her other self's cruelty. But when she tried to sit up, she realized that there was someone lying next to her. Wasn't that Shen Gonglin? Why was he here?

In an instant, Seele's cheeks turned bright red. Seele wouldn't be surprised if he appeared in Kiana's room or Bronya's room, but to appear in her own room... Shen Gonglin finally made her move?

However, he never seemed to have said he would let me go.

Who knows? This guy might have sleepwalked here last night. Get up quickly, or he might strangle you.

"I won't tell Seele what happened last night," another Seele said irritably. "That Shen Gonglin is such a restless sleeper. It's only because Seele is such an idiot that she didn't notice anything was wrong. My chest hurts so much. That guy is such a jerk."

Sleepwalking? Shen Gonglin has this problem? But I remember locking the door properly when I went to sleep. I really don't understand how Shen Gonglin got in. Her face was flushed. Seele gently nudged Shen Gonglin. It's time to get up. If Sister Bronya saw Shen Gonglin in her room, Seele really wouldn't know how to explain it.

"Um... Good morning... Where are my steamed buns? Where are my two big steamed buns...?"

Waking up to Seele's nudge, Shen Gonglin opened his eyes groggily. Still low on blood pressure from waking up, he had no idea what was going on. He only remembered dreaming that he was eating a steamed bun, but before he could even eat it, someone snatched it away. Then he was woken up. What was going on? Who was he? Where was he?

"Steamed buns? It's not breakfast time yet, Shen Gonglin, get up, get up now."

As she pulled away from Shen Gonglin's embrace and saw Shen Gonglin about to fall asleep again, Seele quickly shook his shoulders. She had no idea Shen Gonglin could be like this.

"It's not breakfast time yet... Well, then wake me up when it's time to eat..."

As she spoke, Shen Gonglin fell asleep again. However, just then, an alarm sounded, but the sound was anything but alarming.

All combat personnel, please assemble in the conference room.

Einstein's distinctively languid voice slowly rang out, giving Seele the feeling that it wouldn't be too late to go over after having breakfast. Einstein really wasn't suited to say such things. Indeed, this kind of alarm should have been recorded by Dr. Tesla. Einstein's voice just couldn't make anyone tense.

Even Seele has learned to make sarcastic remarks, but despite thinking this, Seele still cheered herself up. The Doctor must have something important to tell everyone to gather, and they couldn't delay any longer. Seeing Shen Gonglin's low blood pressure after waking up, Seele thought for a moment and realized that this was the only thing she could do.

"I'm sorry, Shen Gonglin, we have to get there as soon as possible."

With a swift movement, Seele scooped up Shen Gonglin and ran out of the room toward the conference room. Even a delicate girl like Seele could carry Shen Gonglin; he was no match for her own Nursery Rhyme.

"That's strange... Shen Gonglin was definitely here when I went to sleep yesterday, but how come she disappeared when I woke up? Bronya, did you really not see Shen Gonglin?"

In the corridor, Bronya and Kiana were heading towards the conference room. Kiana rubbed her neck, quite surprised. Shen Gonglin was still beside her before she went to sleep, but he was gone after she woke up. Didn't he do anything to her while she was asleep? What an idiot.

"Kiana, shut up. Bronya doesn't want to talk to you."

However, Bronya, standing to the side, uttered such heartless words. With a sullen, cat-like face, she didn't want to talk to this sly cat next to her. She originally wanted to go to Shen Gonglin's room to find Shen Gonglin, but as soon as she entered, she saw Kiana fast asleep on Shen Gonglin's bed. How could this not make Bronya angry? Sure enough, that so-called Girls' Alliance was a joke.

"Hey Bronya, don't be so stingy. I just asked Shen Gonglin to take care of my physical condition. You know, only he can solve this problem for me. Then I was so tired that I just fell asleep. You know what I mean. Cheer up."

Kiana patted Bronya on the back casually, but her explanation only made Bronya more annoyed. Kiana, she really was a cheater; she wanted to cuckold her the moment she wasn't looking. She wasn't going to listen to her.

"Are you really angry? Bronya, don't be angry. You just have to get used to this kind of thing... Hehe, Bronya, I don't know if you can get used to this kind of thing? I certainly can't."

As the two were talking, they saw Seele carrying Shen Gonglin and rushing towards the conference room. Kiana's lips twitched, while Bronya's face turned completely black.

Seele, everything in the world belongs to your older sister. If your older sister doesn't give it to you, you can't take it from her!

Chapter Ninety-Four

"Everyone's here, right? Good. I thought you'd be a little late. After all, you guys don't seem to be very nervous whenever I issue a warning or order to assemble... just like Shen Gonglin right now. Hey, wake up, I have something very important to say."

In the conference room, Einstein was already waiting. The Doctor's face was gloomy. Although her expression was usually very calm, her appearance today made Kiana and the others feel the seriousness of the situation. Everyone held their breath and waited for Einstein to make his announcement. However, one person's behavior was a bit inappropriate. Looking at Shen Gonglin, who was leaning on Seele's shoulder with her eyes half-closed, Einstein helpless.

What did this guy do last night? Why is he so sleepy? Could he be staying up all night studying?... Is he just trying to get something for himself?

Shaking Shen Gonglin's shoulder, Shen Gonglin finally opened her eyes, still half asleep. Her big purple eyes looked around blankly. Everyone was here. Was this a dinner party? She remembered that she had fallen asleep at Seele last night because she was too tired. How did she end up in the conference room when she woke up?

"Seele, leave Shen Gonglin to me. Bronya is better at this kind of thing... Doctor, what happened? Please tell me directly."

Kiana and Bronya reached out and pulled the dazed Shen Gonglin over. Once again, the fragile girls' alliance was formed, and this time the target of their resistance was Seele. This girl looked gentle and weak, but unexpectedly, she was a shrew who could quietly achieve great things. Bronya felt that she was the weakest one right now.

"Alright, Dr. Tesla's communication just came through... I apologize for the suddenness, but the situation is urgent, and I have something important to tell you."

Einstein said in a deep voice. There was a little worry between the girl's eyebrows. Just like the worst-case scenario he had anticipated, things had indeed developed to this point. However, the Anti-Entropy was not the Anti-Entropy as before. In the past, it would only be him and Dr. Tesla to deal with it, but now with these people in front of him, there would definitely be no problem.

What happened? I can finally go back?

The communication screen next to him lit up, and Tesla's energetic figure appeared on the screen. The Chicken Coop Head suddenly contacted him. The important thing was whether he could go back. To be honest, Tesla was almost driven crazy by his time in the Diet. Dealing with those old fogies who couldn't understand human language all day long, and having to argue with them not to set their sights on Shen Gonglin, was incredibly annoying for Tesla. When could he finally go back?

"The conclusion is correct, but it's probably not good news for Dr. Tesla. The worst guess has come true. After comparing a large amount of data, the crystals peeled off the doll are extremely similar to a certain Herrscher recorded in the Previous Era — the Tenth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Domination. In the Previous Era, it also had another name, the Herrscher of a Thousand People."

He uttered words in a deep voice that astonished everyone present, and the conference room fell silent. They had suspected this before; only Herrscher could cause such a global uproar, but the confirmation was still hard to accept. Herrscher ...

"The Thousand Herrscher..."

Even Seele knew the seriousness of this matter. Anything becomes difficult once it involves Herrscher. Just look at the expressions on Bronya's and the others' faces. And what kind of Herrscher?

[It's said that there are over a thousand of them. While the individual abilities are weak, they are well-organized and planned, making them quite troublesome, as they are lurking within the group. However, the Chicken Coop Head hairstyle, a characteristic of the Tenth Herrscher from Previous Era, doesn't entirely match this incident.]

When the Herrscher was involved, even Tesla became serious. In the video, she pushed up her red-rimmed glasses and seemed to become more intellectual as she raised her doubts.

[Those thousand Tenth Herrscher were all human, their cores residing within their bodies. There had been no prior record of any puppets or theaters.]

It is said that this incident involves a thousand Herrscher, but Tesla also read the documents left by the Previous Era, so this cannot be completely compared with the previous Herrscher.

"Indeed, that's why I didn't draw a conclusion before. Rather, the differences make the problem more complicated. Starting with the First Herrscher, there are subtle differences between the Herrscher of this era and those of the Previous Era in terms of abilities, order, and patterns. As humanity changes, the Herrscher also change. Shen Gonglin is the best example. Whether in the Previous Era or now, have you ever seen anyone with such characteristics?"

Having shared his insights, Einstein drew everyone's attention to Shen Gonglin. This guy hadn't recovered from his low blood pressure after waking up and looked like he was senile, but he was indeed the biggest difference of this era.

"Or to put it another way, as humanity evolved, so the Honkai also evolved. As things stand, it is not appropriate to make judgments based solely on the records of Previous Era."

The sentence summarized the current situation, and Kiana, Bronya, and the others listened attentively. They couldn't interfere in such decision-making matters; professional matters should be left to professionals, and these two doctors were clearly suitable for this kind of job.

[Sigh, in short, they've become even more troublesome, haven't they? I remember that in the previous era, the thousand Herrscher could sense each other regardless of distance, which allowed them to coordinate perfectly and create chain attacks. If that hasn't changed, it's not hard to explain why the puppets can always accurately issue crime warnings.]

Tesla sighed. How long had it been since they'd had any peace? It felt like the Herrscher were popping up one after another. But then she cheered herself up. Just like Welt had said, he could foresee that the Honkai would be destroyed in this generation, and that humanity would eventually defeat the Honkai. She was just as certain. Since it was already here, she might as well face it calmly.

"According to information from Schicksal, similar events have been occurring all over the world for the past month. The source can always be found to be broken dolls and performance tickets. In addition, there are some sites where similar traces were found but nothing was left behind. Perhaps they were collected by World Serpent. In short, this event has escalated into a major event affecting the whole world."

Einstein said in a deep voice, "Cheer up, we're about to face a major battle."

Chapter Ninety-Five: Preparations for War

"Even Schicksal and World Serpent? Then the existing evidence can already classify this series of events as Herrscher. You're right, that means I can indeed go back, but this is by no means a happy thing... Shen Gonglin, is there any gift you want? How about I bring you some local specialties when I go back? There are some surprisingly good hot pot ingredients here, but you don't seem to be able to eat spicy food... How about you have some?"

The situation was quite tense at first, but Tesla suddenly changed the subject and started talking about other things. Shen Gonglin, who hadn't come to her senses yet, was completely confused. Hot pot ingredients? Who wanted hot pot ingredients? Was Tesla coming back?

Okay, let's not worry about what this guy is thinking. He hasn't listened to a word I said after all this time.

"Dr. Tesla, the issue isn't about what local specialties we plan to bring back; there's an even worse problem we haven't mentioned yet."

Einstein sighed slightly. Couldn't she be a little more serious? She knew Tesla would be very happy to be back, but the important matters hadn't been discussed yet. She deliberately saved the most serious thing for last; now was not the time to relax.

[Huh? There's something worse? I noticed your expression was off... Could it really be something?]

"I really hope you don't use your keen senses at a time like this. Just now, the soil trace analysis results from the last performance tickets came out. Their next target is the Salt Lake Base."

The moment Einstein uttered those words, the entire conference room fell silent. The performance ticket was a harbinger of crime, and the soil analysis results indicated the next crime scene. And this time it was the Salt Lake Base! Well, this was the legendary act of daring to mess with the powerful!

[I'm heading back right now! You guys keep an eye on the house! Good heavens, they actually dare to come here and bully us? Do they really think we Anti-Entropy are made of clay? Shen Gonglin, you guys keep an eye on the house, I'll be right back!]

Tesla couldn't tolerate the fact that they dared to choose Anti-Entropy as the crime scene. Anti-Entropy was her stronghold, her home, and now these trashy dolls actually wanted to attack the Salt Lake Base. Who could stand for that? Tesla on the other end of the communication line couldn't sit still any longer. After leaving such a declaration, her image disappeared. It's not hard to imagine that this girl is probably packing her bags now. Well, judging from her appearance, it probably won't be long before we see those red twin tails again.

"Dr. Tesla, Dr. Tesla... Alright, I knew this would be the result. It's good that she's back, but we need to make some preparations before that. There are many people at the Salt Lake Base, but most of them are researchers without combat capabilities. What we need to do now is to transfer those people away first. To prevent any accidents, only personnel capable of fighting should remain at the entire base. Now, let's begin."

Tesla left in a hurry. Einstein sighed and gave the order: if nothing unexpected happens, the next location for the dolls to appear will be the Salt Lake Base. To prevent any accidents, it would be best to safely transfer the other personnel. As for dealing with the dolls, leave that to them.

"Clear!"

Kiana and the others stood up with serious expressions. Then they dragged the silent Shen Gonglin out of the conference room. The doll attack could happen at any moment, and they had to act immediately. Shen Gonglin was completely confused about what was going on.

Is war about to break out?

"I see. So, it's to prepare for a possible battle at the Salt Lake Base, which is why we're moving all these people away. I understand."

In a corner of the base's transport warehouse, after listening to Kiana's explanation, Shen Gonglin finally understood the situation. The two of them were now responsible for assisting the last batch of scientific and technical personnel to leave. After being busy for a long time, Shen Gonglin finally realized what she was doing. Good heavens, they were actually preparing to attack the Salt Lake Base. How audacious!

"... You weren't listening before, what were you doing last night? Weren't you sleeping with me at first? What were you doing after I fell asleep?"

Kiana was completely exasperated by Shen Gonglin's behavior. This guy had absolutely no sense of urgency. He hadn't listened to a word of what Einstein had said. Where on earth had he been sneaking around last night? Although Shen Gonglin usually suffered from low blood pressure upon waking up, it had never lasted this long.

So it's very likely that this guy went somewhere to steal chickens and dogs, otherwise why would he be with Seele this morning? Kiana felt that she had grasped the blind spot.

"He went to save a troubled girl, Kiana, don't worry about him."

Shen Gonglin casually brushed off Kiana, but the girl puffed out her cheeks. What fallen girl? She was a fallen girl herself, right in front of him, and he didn't save her but went to save others. Was this guy crazy? Kiana was very unhappy and needed to be coaxed.

"I think I should care about this kind of thing! Shen Gonglin, you already have me, you don't need other fallen girls, understand? If I find out again that you're trying to cheat on me, this is over between us!"

Holding Shen Gonglin's face in her hands, Kiana attempted to threaten Shen Gonglin with her imposing gaze. Did she even remember what the Herrscher of the Void's gaze looked like? Damn it, she couldn't imitate it properly no matter how hard she tried. She really needed to discipline Shen Gonglin; otherwise, this girl wouldn't take her words seriously at all.

But even so... Kiana really doesn't know how to manage Shen Gonglin. The Class President used to claim to be Shen Gonglin's guardian, but in the end, she was still tricked into bed by Shen Gonglin. So she absolutely can't be like the class Class President... No, she should be like the class Class President.

After all, Kiana also wanted to trick Shen Gonglin into bed.

"Shen Gonglin... and Kiana- san, everything's packed. Shall we set off now?"

While Kiana was pondering this matter, a staff member ran over to report to the two of them. After staying at the Salt Lake Base for so long, many people had come to know Shen Gonglin and Kiana. Just as Seele said, although many people were still afraid of Kiana, many more had accepted her. You could tell from the staff member's eyes that she was one of those who believed in Kiana.

"We've got the gist of the story. Let's do our best! The Salt Lake Base is ours; we can't lose to those tattered puppets! [Even Schicksal and World Serpent? Then the existing evidence can definitively classify this series of events as Herrscher. You're right, this way I can indeed go back, but it's not exactly a happy thing... Shen Gonglin, is there any gift you want? How about I bring you some local specialties when I go back? There are some surprisingly good hot pot ingredients here, but you don't seem to be able to handle spicy food... How about you try some?]"

The situation was quite tense at first, but Tesla suddenly changed the subject and started talking about other things. Shen Gonglin, who hadn't come to her senses yet, was completely confused. Hot pot ingredients? Who wanted hot pot ingredients? Was Tesla coming back?

Okay, let's just ignore what this guy is thinking. He hasn't listened to a single word I said after all this time.

"Dr. Tesla, the issue isn't about what local specialties we plan to bring back; there's an even worse problem we haven't mentioned yet."

Einstein sighed slightly. Couldn't she be a little more serious? She knew Tesla would be very happy to be back, but the important matters hadn't been discussed yet. She deliberately saved the most serious thing for last; now was not the time to relax.

[Huh? There's something worse? I noticed your expression was off... Could it really be something?]

"I really hope you don't use your keen senses at a time like this. Just now, the soil trace analysis results from the last performance tickets came out. Their next target is the Salt Lake Base."

The moment Einstein uttered those words, the entire conference room fell silent. The performance ticket was a harbinger of crime, and the soil analysis results indicated the next crime scene. And this time it was the Salt Lake Base! Well, this was the legendary act of daring to mess with the powerful!

[I'm heading back right now! You guys keep an eye on the house! Good heavens, they actually dare to come here and bully us? Do they really think we Anti-Entropy are made of clay? Shen Gonglin, you guys keep an eye on the house, I'll be right back!]