Nowhere to Go, Forced to Leave

Kiana was startled by his pale face and deathly expression.

For a moment, she felt as though she had come to visit not a patient, but a zombie.

Hearing the voices and seeing the three of them standing at the door, he barely managed to compose himself. "What is it?"

"Um..."

Kiana hesitated.

Instead, Bronya spoke up. "Himeko told us to come apologize to you."

"You don't need to apologize. It has nothing to do with her." Chen Ran shook his head. "She already did her best within her abilities. I'm very grateful for that."

Though the final result had been far from satisfactory, Chen Ran was not someone who failed to recognize kindness.

Theresa had not expected Anti-Entropy to attack, and neither had he.

He had relied too heavily on his knowledge of the plot from before he crossed over, to the point that when the plot and circumstances deviated, he had not even considered how to respond.

There was a hint of helplessness in his voice.

There was only one thing he could do now: wait.

Wait for news from Theresa.

He could only pray that Wendy had not died, but had instead become a controllable Herrscher.

Seeing this, Bronya said, "Sorry. Bronya wasn't able to help yesterday either."

"The attack happened at four in the morning, when people are sleeping their soundest, so there's no need to apologize." Chen Ran shook his head. "And don't worry about me. I believe Wendy will be all right."

The girl hesitated briefly before speaking. "Bronya can help you contact Anti-Entropy."

She recognized the mechs that had attacked St. Freya. They belonged to the radical faction led by Cocolia.

Though she had already decided to leave Cocolia, under these circumstances, helping Chen Ran contact Cocolia was not impossible.

Chen Ran forced a smile. "Then I'll have to trouble you."

He did not hold out much hope.

Clearly, World Serpent had joined forces with Anti-Entropy this time to seize the Gem of Desire. Their goal was to use the Herrscher Gem to open the Eye of the Deep, establish a passage between the Sea of Quantum and the current civilization, and free Kevin.

In other words, if Wendy had been captured, she was most likely there.

The only good news now was that Raven had captured Wendy, not Cocolia.

If it had been Cocolia herself, she would probably have directly used the Gem of Desire as the power source for the Father. That would have put Wendy in real danger.

But now...

If Wendy had not escaped, she might be on Jackal's operating table being studied.

He was growing irritated.

No matter which outcome it was, neither was one he wanted.

Chapter 35: Nowhere to Go, Forced to Leave

While Chen Ran remained at St. Freya, Wendy had just finished a battle.

She was no longer the girl who needed a wheelchair to move. On the contrary, winds from every direction could now become her support.

The sudden eruption of Honkai Energy had directly destroyed Raven's aircraft, but Wendy knew Raven was not dead.

The seawater and wind had become her weapons. With the high concentration of Honkai Energy and the crashing aircraft, the assassin codenamed Raven was clearly not having an easy time.

But Raven was not dead.

Wendy could sense killing intent surrounding her from all directions.

However, this place was far from the mainland. Whether in the sky or on the sea, it was her home ground.

Her authority over fluids allowed her to stand naturally undefeated over the ocean.

Herrschers were called the agents of gods because they possessed authority like that of gods.

Still, Wendy did not dare relax.

The Honkai eruption she had triggered had occurred in midair rather than inland. She had absorbed only a small amount of the Honkai Energy in the air.

Without sufficient Honkai Energy, she could not use her authority either.

The only thing she could be thankful for now was that Raven would most likely die in these waters before she did.

Yet she could no longer see where Raven was.

That mercenary was indeed stronger than ordinary people. Wendy even suspected she possessed combat strength comparable to an S-rank Valkyrie.

Simple waters were probably not enough to trap her.

But just as Wendy waited for Raven to make the first move, the killing intent permeating the surroundings slowly vanished.

Clearly, Raven had retreated.

Fighting at sea was not Raven's home ground. Even though her body had also undergone Fusion Warrior modification technology, the sea surface could not trap her.

However, once she left land, Raven's various offensive methods would be difficult to use.

After weighing the pros and cons, retreating was the best choice.

Raven would not sacrifice her life for World Serpent. She was not loyal to Kevin; she was merely a mercenary.

Wendy hovered over the ocean for a while. After confirming that Raven had left, a trace of confusion flashed through her eyes.

"Where can I go now?"

For Wendy, becoming a Herrscher was probably the hardest thing to accept.

Since childhood, she had received an education steeped in hatred for the Honkai. Becoming a Valkyrie to fight the Honkai had always been her goal.

But now, she had become the very thing she hated most.

Wendy held no illusions. She knew that with Schicksal's capabilities, they would soon discover that another new Herrscher had appeared and launch a campaign against her.

That was determined by Schicksal's foundation. If they left a Herrscher unchecked, that Herrscher would become a dangerous ticking bomb.

Even she herself did not believe she could completely control her authority.

Do what you desire to do.

A voice whispered in her mind, continuously disrupting her thoughts.

"Shut up!"

You have things you desire to do, don't you? Why suppress yourself?

"Shut up!"

Herrschers are not beyond contact. Think about it—doesn't St. Freya have one of your kind? Hehehe, maybe more than one.

"I said shut up!"

Wendy was growing irritated.

Of course she wanted to return to St. Freya. She wanted to go straight to Chen Ran's side, hold him, and tell him about all the grievances she had suffered these past days.

But she could not do that.

She knew that after becoming a Herrscher, she would automatically become Schicksal's enemy. If she contacted Chen Ran again, it would mean his freedom would be restricted, and even his life might be endangered.

Not to mention that the unknown force that had kidnapped her would target Chen Ran as well, forcing her to submit.

Civilization was a shackle binding life.

Herrschers were the freest forms of life.

That was where the conflict between Herrschers and civilization lay.

Even if she returned to St. Freya, she could not guarantee Chen Ran's safety completely. She would rather not go back.

But if she did not return, where else could she go?

The girl's eyes revealed her disappointment.

Nothing in the education she had received at St. Freya had taught her what she should do in this situation.

After all, she was only fourteen years old.

Three days later.

Chen Ran left the infirmary.

Looking at the vast St. Freya campus, a trace of bewilderment appeared in his eyes.

Theresa still had no news about Wendy, leaving him not even knowing what he should do now.

Wasting time here was not a good choice, but it was all he could do at the moment.

The system had said that after he exited this time, if he entered this scenario again, his influence on it would be zero.

Chen Ran knew what that meant.

According to physics, there was only one possibility for influence to be zero: his existence would disappear.

Unobservable, imperceptible, and unable to communicate.

He would watch this scenario as an observer, but the scenario would erase every trace of him.

In other words, a quantum state.

However, Chen Ran knew that even waiting here was actually meaningless.

As long as he remained in a simulated scenario, he would eventually reach the limit of what his consciousness could bear.

When that time came, he would have to exit the simulated scenario to avoid damaging his consciousness.

"There isn't much time left."

His eyes held a trace of dejection.

Chen Ran took a deep breath and walked heavily toward the laboratory.

"Since simulated scenarios can affect a Herrscher's fate, then... I hope I can still do one last thing for you."

Chen Ran locked himself away.

That was what Theresa heard from the people in the Science Department.

When she hurried to the Science Department, she saw the enormous department filled with all kinds of parts, some familiar and some unfamiliar. There was also a pile of casually placed Honkai Energy crystals.

The young man was controlling mechanical arms, polishing something.

Theresa asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"A potion."

The young man's face was bloodless as he said to Theresa, "Or rather, this is the last thing I can make. After that, I'll leave this place."

Theresa saw that Honkai Energy patterns had appeared on his arm. It was a sign of corrosion.

Clearly, the high concentration of Honkai Energy had already pushed Chen Ran's body beyond its limits.

But because the system had increased his Honkai Energy compatibility, aside from pain, he felt nothing at the moment. The Honkai Energy had even left his brain in a highly active state.

She was horrified. "Are you crazy? You'll die!"

"Don't worry. I won't die."

Chen Ran grinned. "Principal, you came at just the right time. If Wendy comes back, help me give this potion to her. I might not get to see it, but this should be able to help her."

"I wrote the instructions myself."

Weariness filled his eyes.