Mobius had no objections to Blanca bringing Chen Ran to the First Research Institute.
After asking a few routine questions, she had Blanca arrange work for him. Mobius trusted the judgment and character of this assistant who had followed her for so long.
But trusting her was one thing; not wanting to interact with Chen Ran was another.
Ever since Heng had whisked Blanca away and she had given birth to little Griseo, Blanca's focus in both work and life had visibly shifted toward her family. Though Mobius never said it aloud, she was somewhat displeased.
Recently, although Blanca had not mentioned it, Mobius could sense that she was about to leave.
It was only out of responsibility as an assistant that Blanca remained here before finding a suitable replacement.
Chen Ran only felt fortunate about that.
It was good that Mobius paid no attention to him. His greatest wish now was to keep lying low in Flame-Chaser, become a Fusion Warrior, and survive after the Finality descended.
That way, with fifty thousand years of ample time, he would most likely be able to find a way to fight the Honkai.
And even if he could not, it did not matter.
At least he would have lived for fifty thousand years.
But right now, the issue was not how to lie low, but how to clear the stage.
No matter how well someone hid, it was meaningless if they could not clear the simulation scenario.
"World Serpent, huh? I'll remember you."
Asking Mei How to Kill
The system had informed Chen Ran that none of his real-world items could be brought into simulation scenarios.
However, the physique he had built up in reality could be recalibrated in the simulation.
Still, relying on improved physical strength to kill that assassin in return was far too difficult. In terms of combat power, the gap between him and the assassin was roughly the difference between a person and a cat.
Unless he became a Fusion Warrior, she would be difficult to handle.
Not to mention that not every Fusion Warrior was Kevin. He might end up becoming Pardo instead.
Chen Ran was not stupid. Naturally, he knew that relying on physical strength alone probably would not let him clear the stage. The solution was likely in the hour before his death.
He could only outsmart her.
But he did not know the wisdom of killing people.
"Maybe I can use drugs."
Chen Ran narrowed his eyes slightly.
In biology, there were many drugs capable of causing immediate death. Among them, the fastest were drugs that directly caused tissue cells to fibrose.
Paraquat, for instance.
No matter how powerful someone was, even if they possessed Honkai Energy, fibrosis itself was irreversible. Just as you could not make a cooked chicken heart alive again.
But if he simply used poison, he feared he would die before he could even get close to the assassin.
Clearly, the Oceanic Branch in 2014 had already caught World Serpent's attention. Its goal was the Gem of Desire.
But World Serpent had not chosen to seize it by force. Presumably, World Serpent at the time had determined that it could not directly clash with Schicksal, so it resorted to this method instead.
The Divine Right Plan might actually have succeeded. The Oceanic Branch could not have been completely useless.
But World Serpent supported Cocolia of Anti-Entropy while also sabotaging the Oceanic Branch from within, causing the plan to fail. That would allow the Gem of Desire to fall into the open, while also drawing Schicksal's full attention onto Anti-Entropy, allowing World Serpent to slip away.
And through that, World Serpent had also accomplished an important objective: getting Kevin out of the Sea of Quantum.
But since this was a simulation scenario, his priority was naturally to complete his objective. World Serpent's goals were not something he needed to consider.
What he needed to consider now was how to survive the assassin's hands—or even kill her in return.
That was a technical job.
So he needed to consult a professional.
The First Research Institute's workload was not particularly intense for the time being. Until the Third Herrscher appeared, although the Honkai had affected most people, Flame-Chaser's response had been fairly prompt.
Mobius focused wholeheartedly on researching evolution to higher forms of life, with Blanca assisting her.
Chen Ran had also been assigned a task: improving Flame-Chaser's existing biological agents. Given his store of biological knowledge, that was not particularly difficult. The hard part was integrating biology with the Honkai.
In his view, if Flame-Chaser's soldiers were to become physically stronger, the benefits of building muscle would be brief and limited. It would be better to consider increasing their Honkai Energy adaptability.
But because of the simulation scenario, Chen Ran could not settle down and work on that.
Though he had a direction for improvement, he had no motivation.
It was like an author having a novel outline but refusing to write.
Human focus was limited, especially for an ordinary person like Chen Ran. With his mind entirely on the simulation scenario, he naturally could not devote himself fully to his actual work.
But that would not do.
This was not some company job where the boss would turn a blind eye while he slacked off.
He looked at Mei, who was conducting biological experiments at an independent lab bench not far away, and walked over.
"Um, ahem, Dr. Mei."
Although Chen Ran had some nerve, he really did not dare call Mei "sister-in-law" in front of her. Their relationship was not close enough for that sort of joke.
Mei glanced at him in surprise and said, "I haven't even graduated high school yet. I'm not a doctor."
"Don't be so modest. You're already in Flame-Chaser. Becoming a doctor is only a matter of time."
Chen Ran was the kind of person who did not stand on ceremony. Mei immediately concluded that dealing with someone like him required simple, direct communication. There was no need to waste words on pleasantries.
She asked, "What is it?"
"I'd like to ask you how to kill someone," Chen Ran said with a grin.
Killing someone was not particularly difficult. Even the weak could raise a blade against the strong.
Otherwise, humanity would have long since submitted to the Herrschers.
Still, when Chen Ran suddenly asked Mei, she was genuinely stunned for a moment.
Her gaze lowered as she confirmed that she and Chen Ran had never met before. Then the girl realized where she was: Flame-Chaser.
Do not treat Flame-Chaser's people like ordinary people outside. Everyone here had a unique personality. That was what Mobius had warned Mei after she arrived at Flame-Chaser.
Within this organization, all kindness and ethics were useless.
Between people, there was only the relationship of using and being used.
Suppressing her curiosity, she said to Chen Ran, "Since you're asking that question, it means this person is stronger than you."
"Very strong. In terms of physical ability and use of tools, I'm no match for her. And her intelligence is above average. She has no weak points, and there's no way to threaten her."
There was nothing wrong with asking someone smarter for advice.
Chen Ran did not think his current abilities could deal with the assassin, but if it was Mei, that might not be impossible.
Do not use the thinking of mortals to set limits for a genius.
Mei frowned slightly.
Clearly, the conditions Chen Ran had laid out were extremely harsh. Since the other party was smarter than the average person, simple tricks of intelligence would not work.
"Either borrow a powerful weapon."
"Can't get one. Or rather, the victim can't get their hands on a powerful weapon," Chen Ran hurriedly added.
"If that's the case, then you can only try this method..."
Chen Ran listened to Mei's words as his mind raced wildly.
A plan slowly took shape in his mind.
As expected, asking Mei for help had been the right choice.
There was a reason Mobius called Mei a monster of reason. Chen Ran had learned a great deal from her as well.
Their conversation ended there, and Chen Ran returned to his station.
He simply turned on the computer and used modeling software to run simulations.
Computers were wonderful things, especially Flame-Chaser's internal computers. They already had basic AI assistance, greatly lowering the threshold for many tasks.
Chen Ran was somewhat unfamiliar with computers, but under the guidance provided, he quickly learned how to use one.
Then he began attempting four-dimensional modeling.
Setting the scene.
Placing character models.
Performing mathematical function calculations.
Faced with a life-or-death crisis, Chen Ran was very patient. Like a creator's savior, he arranged the scene in his mind bit by bit.
It was as though he were creating a world.
Wendy, Help Me
Chen Ran entered the simulation scenario again.
This time, the scenario began one hour before his death. He had already finished telling "Wendy Battles Durandal" and was about to take her back to her room to rest.
A faint blush from her lingering smile remained on Wendy's face, and Chen Ran subconsciously slowed his steps.
If World Serpent's goal was the Gem of Desire and it did not want a direct clash with Schicksal, then Wendy should be absolutely safe.
Only brainless idiots like Cocolia would directly attack Wendy and invite Schicksal's retaliation.
"You seem to be thinking about something?"
Wendy noticed that something was off with Chen Ran. After spending the past two days together, though she could not read his thoughts, she had a rough grasp of his personality.
He must have encountered some kind of problem to stop like this.
Chen Ran blinked and said, "No. I was just wondering whether I'd look good in women's clothes."
"Huh? You have that kind of hobby?"
Wendy was somewhat stunned.
"I didn't before, but because of you, I do now."
He seemed to think of something, then headed lightly toward Wendy's room.
Thanks to the robot, the girl's room was kept very tidy. Chen Ran glanced around and found many books on Wendy's desk.
Most were about weapon maintenance and logistical support. Even under these unusual circumstances, Wendy had not abandoned her studies.
Chen Ran blinked. "Quick, quick, take out your coat, little skirt, and bra."
"Pervert!"
Wendy's face turned red, like a kettle about to boil over and release steam. "You actually want to do that... You really are too..."
"Please, show a little respect for my intelligence, okay? If I really wanted to do that, would I do it right in front of you?"
Chen Ran retorted speechlessly.
Then he moved closer to Wendy, crouched down, and whispered into her ear, "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Feeling his breath beside her ear, Wendy only felt her cheeks burning hot.
Until Chen Ran said, "Now, help me."
Before you continue