Chapter 476

"Just stamp it, that'll put my mind at ease. With this method of location tracking, I can use the Herrscher of the Void's abilities to pinpoint your location accurately. That way, even if you encounter any danger, I can... Theresa, what's wrong? Your face is so red, are you feeling unwell?"

Shen Gonglin was smug. That was exactly what he planned. As long as he drank Theresa's blood, he could accurately locate her for quite some time. This was much more effective than imprinting her with the Herrscher Authority of the Void. However, when Shen Gonglin tried to help Theresa up, he found that the girl couldn't even do something as simple as standing up. It seemed like things were going to get messy.

"It's all... it's all your fault! Now I... I can't even stand up... Why didn't you do this sooner? Why wait until now... How am I supposed to face anyone now!"

Theresa raised her flushed face, furious and embarrassed. How could that idiot Shen Gonglin do such a thing? Who could stand this? If Shen Gonglin hadn't been supporting her, Theresa would definitely have collapsed to the ground and wouldn't have been able to get up. How could she carry out the mission like this? Let alone carrying out the mission, even getting onto the Hyperion would be difficult, and getting onto the bed would be a struggle.

"...So what do we do now?"

It seems she really did act rashly. Shen Gonglin forgot about the aftereffects of her own joy. Theresa seems to have no way to carry out the mission now. This is really going to be a big mess.

"Don't tell anyone! Try your best... try your best to buy me some time, at least enough for me to stand up, do you hear me?"

The girl gritted her teeth and said, her two sharp little tiger teeth flashing at the corners of her lips as if she were ready to give Shen Gonglin at any moment. Of course, she couldn't tell anyone about this, otherwise Theresa's authority as the headmistress would be completely gone. The girl could only hold onto Shen Gonglin's arm and try her best to adjust her state. No matter what, she had to walk onto the Hyperion as if nothing had happened and couldn't let anyone see through her.

"Oh... then recover as soon as possible, I'll cover for you."

Gently embracing Theresa's small body, Shen Gonglin helped Theresa maintain her balance. Kiana, who glanced over unintentionally, pouted. The headmaster was such a grown man, yet he was still acting like this towards Shen Gonglin Shingu. Didn't he know he was going to marry her? What if other people saw this and misunderstood?

However, considering that she was on her period, Kiana generously forgave her. After all, being a little coquettish is a privilege that girls can enjoy.

"I'm leaving. Don't worry, leave the testing of Hyperion's various functions to me."

With preparations complete, Theresa waved to everyone and headed towards the Hyperion. Before leaving, she gave Shen Gonglin a glare. The engine started, Hyperion soared into the sky before everyone's eyes. According to the plan, Theresa would begin the experiment tomorrow after entering lunar orbit, so there was nothing to do for the time being. Apart from the two doctors who needed to debug the ground equipment, everyone else just needed to do their jobs and complete their tasks.

"Why did it seem like Ms. Theresa was a little unsteady on her feet when she boarded the ship? Is there something wrong with her health? But that shouldn't be the case. She's already had a medical check-up, so she should be fine... Maybe I'm overthinking it. Everyone, Dr. Tesla and I will be handling the commissioning of the Hyperion from now on. You can go and rest."

Einstein had a slight doubt about Theresa's condition earlier, but Einstein quickly put it out of his mind. He believed that Ms. Theresa would be fine; she was much more reliable than these young girls. The Hyperion was now on track, and what followed was no longer something these girls could interfere with.

"I think I should take a break. My training isn't finished yet. It would be so embarrassing if I didn't pass Durandal's test. So I'm going to the training room. Shen Gonglin, do you want to come with me?"

Kiana stretched and refused the suggestion to go back to rest. This girl has really become reliable now. She used to hate training the most, but now she will take the initiative to go into the training room. However, Shen Gonglin has not changed at all. Training cannot increase his strength at all. Shen Gonglin would rather eat and drink than train. But at this moment, Li Sushang is standing behind him, blocking his retreat route.

"Durandal is here for the assessment? Junior Uncle, I also want to see her. Come on, come on, come with us."

Holding onto Shen Gonglin, the sword-wielding girl followed Kiana away, while the others went about their own business. How long could this peaceful daily life last?

Chapter 265 Merging with Dreams

Meanwhile, in an unknown corner of the Sahara Desert, Mei was processing the information she had just received from Raven. She said the Stigmata Plan was complete? Just moments before, she had been thinking about the professional ethics Raven had mentioned, and now that Raven was suddenly saying the Stigmata Plan was finished, the chubby girl found it hard to accept.

"...What did you say?"

Quite incredulous, Mei asked again, and the professionally trained Raven told Raiden Mei, who was no longer a member of the World Serpent, about it. She had already shown that she had allowed Raiden to follow her openly, so there was no need to hide it anymore. She would just tell her directly that the so-called Stigmata Plan was now complete.

"What I mean is, although I don't know the specifics and principles, what I'm doing now is probably the final touches on Stigmata Plan. To be honest, I was quite surprised when I was told this, just like you are now."

Raven shrugged. Since this wasn't something he was specifically in charge of, Raven didn't know much about it. It was the Rabbit's responsibility, the Jackal's job was to attract attention, and what he was doing now was just cleaning up.

"This is very strange. After Sky City, World Serpent didn't conduct any large-scale experiments. I thought Kevin was just preparing to take action."

Mei shook her head, finding it hard to accept. She had joined World Serpent for this reason; if World Serpent were to conduct a "massive" experiment like the one in Sky City, she could react immediately. And now you're telling her that the Stigmata Plan has been completed without her knowledge? How could Mei believe that?

"This is our blind spot."

Raven shrugged. She was also a little incredulous, but it was the truth. Without her or Mei's knowledge, the Stigmata Plan was nearing its end. She even suspected that World Serpent knew she was planning to betray them and therefore deliberately excluded her. In short, that seemingly massive and powerful plan was now complete.

"Blind spot? What, has the Jackal given up human experimentation? Or is the Gray Serpent planning to devote itself to charity?"

Mei told a lame joke that was hard to laugh at. She had been keeping an eye on these two World Serpent executives, so they shouldn't have had time to do anything. But why did Raven say it was a blind spot? Could it be that the people who were actually carrying out the Stigmata Plan were not the two of them?

"You guessed right, it's someone else... it's Feather Rabbit. You've heard of that name, haven't you? I had the same expression as you back then. We've only heard of the name before. According to Gray Serpent, while Jackal was making his attempts, Feather Rabbit was also rearranging the execution blueprint of the Stigmata Plan in his own way, in a completely different way. Just like I said, the whole project has now reached its final stage."

He shared the information he knew with Mei. They had both assumed that the executor of the Stigmata Plan would be Gray Serpent or Jackal. However, while they were focused on them, another executor had already quietly completed everything. In their blind spot, the plan proceeded smoothly. They had really been outmaneuvered... Kevin's execution ability was truly remarkable.

"... So, what exactly did she do?"

There's no use in being upset now. Mei took a deep breath. She had only heard of the code name "Feather Rabbit" before. She never expected that she was the one who carried out the Stigmata Plan.

"Seeing is believing, you'll understand in a moment. Keep following along, my Miss Mei who can't even wear high Mei properly."

The highly professional mercenary beckoned Mei, who had already left the organization, to follow him. Then, she counted the faded house numbers along the street and quickened her pace. The two remained silent until they finally stopped in front of their target's house. After Raven knocked on the door, an old man wearing a jilaba robe came out of the small courtyard that resembled ruins. The old man took the phone that Raven handed him without saying a word.

The old man skillfully put on a Bluetooth headset, dialed a number on his phone, and then silently put it in his pocket before sitting down on a cement block in the courtyard. This strange behavior puzzled Mei, and the girl looked at Raven, hoping she could provide an explanation.

What is he doing?

"Waiting to enter the dream."

The Raven answered in this way, but this answer only deepened Mei's doubts. What did it mean?

"Literally, dreaming. Through the World Serpent's techniques, he can enter his own dreams anytime, anywhere."

Raven explained the current situation, but what did it have to do with the Stigmata Plan? Before Mei could speak again, Raven gestured forward with her chin.

"Don't worry, you'll see it soon."

The old man sitting on the cement pile in the courtyard had his eyes closed and was snoring softly. Then, his body was gradually enveloped in a purple glow, and in the next instant, right before Mei's eyes, he vanished from the spot.

Mei was incredulous. A physical entity, a living human being, had lost its unitarity in real space because of some inexplicable technology that seemed to have demagic properties. How could this happen? Why did it become like this? Mei could only look to the Raven for answers. What was the principle behind this? She couldn't understand it.

"His dream and the Stigmata Space have merged into one, that's what Yu Tu told me. You're Herrscher, perhaps you can verify its authenticity yourself. Just like before, didn't you verify the phone I gave him?"

Raven winked at Mei. "Almighty Herrscher, hurry up and complete this seemingly impossible task. Anyway, no matter what the problem is, it's always good to leave it to the Herrscher to solve."

"...I am the Herrscher of Thunder, not the Herrscher of Consciousness, nor the Herrscher of Reason."

After struggling for a long time, the all-powerful Herrscher was completely baffled by this kind of thing. She felt that Herrscher of Consciousness or Herrscher of Reason could explain it clearly. As for herself, it seemed that all she could do was take a knife and chop people. Sigh, she really was a reckless man. Sometimes Mei would also think about what would happen if she were a strategist.

Even Shen Gonglin, who possesses both the power of the Herrscher of Reason and the Herrscher of Consciousness, probably couldn't explain this situation. What can I do in this situation?

Chapter 266 The Dream-Catching Feathered Rabbit

"Oh, there are things that Mei can't do. That's really unexpected. I thought you could do anything. In that case, hurry up and catch up. If you don't, I'll have to go first."

Raven gave Mei another sarcastic remark, albeit without malice, Raven walking towards the spot where the old man had vanished. Raven then pulled out her phone, swiped a couple of times, and a familiar-looking portal appeared before them. The mercenary glanced back at Mei and said, "Weren't you going to follow me? This portal will last for about ten minutes. If you want to follow... feel free. Also, I'll leave the cleanup to you."

After saying that, Raven stepped forward and walked into the portal. Mei's gaze lingered on Raven's hands for a moment. She really didn't know how Raven could operate a phone while wearing those sharp gloves. But the cleanup work she mentioned... Looking at the enemies that appeared around them, it was probably because of the portal opening. Sure enough, she was unwilling to suffer any losses. Making her follow her so openly was just to make her a free henchman.

With a sigh, the Herrscher drew her longsword. Since all she could do anyway was physical labor, she might as well get rid of these annoying bastards quickly.

Having easily defeated her enemy, Mei arrived before the portal. For hundreds of days and nights, portals of similar texture had been an integral part of Mei's daily life. On that journey into the past, they always stood silently, like a pair of weathered eyes, observing the joys and sorrows of fifty thousand years. But now, this seemingly familiar portal only filled Mei with an emptiness devoid of any emotion.

However, in any case, there is no point in standing still. World Serpent, let's see what you really want to do.

Without hesitation, Mei stepped forward into the portal. After passing through, she found Raven waiting for her. Unlike the desert she had just been in, Mei found herself at the seaside. The sound of the tide crashing against the rocks on the shore was clearly audible. Where was she? What was going on?

"Isn't the scenery pretty good? This is the old man's dream. It truly lives up to its name. He could only see such a view in his dreams."

Raven spread her hands, feeling the slightly damp sea breeze, but what she said made Mei frown. She looked around; according to Raven's explanation, they were now...

"You mean, right now, we're walking through that old man's dream?"

It was hard to believe, but as soon as Mei thought about how this was the work of World Serpent, it suddenly didn't seem so unbelievable. Who knows what this organization is capable of?

"That's right, that's Yuto's specialty, she calls it dream capture."

"It sounds like an ability that only Herrscher of Consciousness possess."

Dream Catcher? Judging from the literal meaning, Mei can easily connect this ability with the Herrscher of Consciousness. The World Serpent is truly full of talented people. Although the number may not be large, almost everyone has a way of standing on their own.

"Right? That's why the Lord sent Yuto to Mount Tai Xu when that incident happened. However, she doesn't seem to have any interest in the Herrscher... You know, by the time she leisurely showed up there, the incident had already been resolved by Shen Gonglin and the others."

She briefly mentioned what happened in the past. When the Herrscher of Consciousness incident occurred, Kevin also sent Yuto to Mount Tai Xu to investigate. Perhaps it was because it involved his "old friend," which is why Kevin did so. However, by the time she arrived, the matter had already been resolved, and Kevin had nothing to say about it.

"Let's get back to the main point. You said all of this is related to the Stigmata Plan, what do you mean by that?"

With the name Yu Tu etched in her mind, Mei steered the conversation back on track. They were currently in the old man's dream, but what did this have to do with the Stigmata Plan? She could sense the sheer scale of the Stigmata Plan and knew that it required careful, step-by-step exploration to uncover its true nature.

"Now, the bloody sacrifice has turned into a gentle dream... Don't look at me like that, this isn't my words, it's Gray Serpent's exact words."

Suddenly, she uttered such a melodramatic statement. Although it was a bit hard to understand, if Mei connected the current events with this statement, the bloody ritual turning into a gentle dreamland, did it mean that the cruel reality had transformed into this dreamlike state?

"Now, he has become one with the dream he has created, inseparable from it. This can also be considered a form of existence, right? Just like another Gray Serpent likes to say, a pavilion should be built in the air, but the foundation should be placed under it."

Once again, she borrowed Gray Serpent's words: how many Gray Serpent are there in this World Serpent? Agent Gray Serpent, scapegoat Gray Serpent, philosopher Gray Serpent... So many Gray Serpent inexplicably reminded Mei of Vill-V. Then, thinking of the information she obtained in the Elysian Realm, Mei deduced the true nature of the Stigmata Plan.

"... You mean, the World Serpent still intends to redefine humanity by following the path left by Mobius."

Using the information she already knew, Mei deduced the World Serpent's plan: to put all of humanity into a dream state, is that right?

"You could say that. After all, in the current Stigmata Plan, the old humans will gradually connect through dreams and eventually become the Stigmata of the new humans."

Raven made a Mei statement, saying something Mei couldn't understand, "Make someone a Stigmata?" What does that mean?

"I love your clear, foolish eyes... Just kidding, don't draw your sword. I don't know the technical details either. But at least one thing is certain: it makes people disappear into their own dreams, swapping disappearance and illusion. Spirit transforms into matter, and matter transforms into spirit."

Teasing Mei is fun, but if you go too far, it loses its fun. Raven raised her hands in surrender, and then she told Mei everything she knew.

After all ordinary humans disappear, World Serpent will transform it into a world suitable for the survival of new humans. Honkai energy will circulate within everyone, and Herrscher will never appear again.

As before, these were Gray Serpent's exact words, which Raven repeated. As for how to interpret them, that's up to Mei to decide.

Chapter 267 The Great Writer

Honkai energy flow freely within everyone's body, Herrscher will never appear again. What does this mean? Mei frowned, pondering the meaning of these words. Did Gray Serpent say this? His words are indeed as enigmatic as ever. If he were in the Elysian Realm, he would surely be living a very successful life, but now...

Isn't this just a disguised compromise with the Honkai? Kevin must have run out of ideas for the Finality, so he came up with this solution. What a terrible idea.

"That phrase can still be used to scare children, right? As I understand it... it's like another kind of the Elysian Realm. That's what Gray Serpent said back then."

Raven coughed twice to clear her throat, and then the mercenary girl imitated Gray Serpent's voice and said those words. She was quite shocked when she first learned about it. Sure enough, even after staying in World Serpent for so long, she still felt somewhat out of place with them.

If you were to gather all of humanity's dreams together, you would obtain a giant. Its form is like a planet, and it is called Adam Ruani by the wise man of the desert—in your familiar language, the Adam of the spirit. Adam Ruani is a member of the gods, but He is infinitely distant from the other gods... This vast distance is what mortals call time, a belated eternity, an insurmountable chasm of common sense. Humanity regards Adam Ruani as a product of its own dreams; but for Adam Ruani, humanity is the same. His words are like our ramblings; He has no present or past, everything happens in the future. He cannot die, cannot think like a human, and cannot reproduce... He exists there forever, as a ladder from the human world to the divine realm. Yes... this is the true meaning of the Stigmata Plan. Whether bloody or hallucinatory, spiritual or physical, they are merely means, not ends. The essence of the plan is a chain that binds those unable to save themselves together; we can simply let them drift along, or we can offer them assistance to the best of our ability. Now, this assistance for them is this grand, dreamlike illusion... In the dream, they become Adam, they become gods. The real world will lose its meaning for them; the eternal dream will be their only reality. They no longer need to think... Their dreams will connect with each other, together constructing a true miracle beyond the Finality.

"It's really long..." Mei looked at the notebook Raven handed her. She had strongly opposed Mr. Gray Serpent's decision to retire from the literary world. If this guy hadn't become a secret agent, he could probably have made a name for himself as a writer. Was this what Gray Serpent had once said? Raven had actually written it down.

"At the time, I thought this might be quite useful, but it would be too much for me to repeat it to you, so when Gray Serpent told me, I recorded it with a voice recorder and copied it into my notebook. How you interpret it is up to you."

She shrugged. Raven had been wanting to be a double agent for a while now. When Gray Serpent said those words, she felt that they would probably be useful, so she wrote them down and could now give them to Mei. That great writer seemed quite willing to show off to others.

"Using one dream to connect with another dream...?"

"Unbelievable, right? Just a friendly reminder, this isn't the whole picture yet."

Since she had already decided to become a double agent, Raven temporarily lowered her professional ethics a bit. After all, she also felt that World Serpent's plan was too crazy. She was willing to help Mei Shen Gonglin a little bit, since she didn't want to live in a dream forever. Although reality was quite cruel to her, it couldn't be said that there would be no reward at all.

"... Is it because compared to the entire population of Earth, only a very small number of people can be directly connected to the dreams of the World Serpent? Then that old man just now... was one of the World Serpent's followers?"

Based on the available information, Mei deduced the following fact. Raven's eyes couldn't hide his admiration. This girl is really amazing. He had thought before that maybe she shouldn't be the Herrscher of Thunder but the Herrscher of Reason.

"You're really perceptive. I have a feeling that if we keep talking like this, I'm going to tell you everything I know."

Raven clapped her hands, making Mei a little embarrassed. At a time like this, she was still pretending. So what if Raven told her everything? Best friends for life, Mei now decided to treat Raven as her friend.

Isn't that so?

Raven's traitorous intentions were obvious. He couldn't understand why she needed to pretend anymore. Was it because of the pitifully low professional ethics of mercenaries?

"Don't say that, I'm a professional... What I'm telling you now, Gray Serpent is willing to tell you as well. In any case, Stigmata Plan is nearing completion, and it won't be subject to others because of this level of intelligence sharing."

Mei felt a little embarrassed by Mei's gaze. After all, Raven also had her pride. They were still officially part of two different organizations, and it was best to keep these things to themselves rather than say them out loud.

The Gray Serpent would tell her this? Mei didn't think so. She never expected that the Raven would have such a proud and arrogant side... Mei hesitated for a moment and didn't dwell on the matter any longer.

"Raven, do you really agree...?"

Mei frowned and looked at Raven. She told her about this, clearly wanting her to stop it, but she was busy working for the World Serpent. Could it be that Raven also thought that this kind of thing was more suitable for the current world?

Knowing what Mei wanted to say, Raven put her index finger to her lips before she could finish speaking.

"Shh... Let's not talk about this today. Rather than discussing it... Mei, would you mind going for another drink with me?"

I don't want to talk about this anymore. No one can understand what Raven is thinking. Mei is like that, and actually, she is too. At times like this, she just wants to drink something. That cool and refreshing feeling can soothe her brain. Plus, after saying so much just now, Raven also wants to drink something.

"Here?"

Mei looked around. There was nothing but sand here. Oh, maybe the old man's house had some cold water, but drinking cold water might give her diarrhea.

"Not here, come with me."

Chapter 268

[Hyperion completes orbital maneuver; relay signal tracking stabilized; the ship enters lunar orbit.]

Such a sound resounded in her ears. In the vast and boundless universe, a white warship flew around the moon in its predetermined orbit. Theresa stood in the command room with her arms crossed, very satisfied. It was truly worthy of being the work of the two Second-hand Scientist from Anti-Entropy. The Hyperion now had the capability for space combat.

"Good job, Ai-chan. Connect me to the command center at the Salt Lake Base."