Just Drive-Bronya Will Think of Something / Experiment Halted ...

"Ishiu, I know you care a lot about Seele. So do I. But how many times have I told you? Even if the experiment fails, Seele absolutely won't be harmed. Can't you trust Mom just once?" Cocolia's voice was full of helplessness. Thinking about it, she had answered Ishiu's question dozens of times, even showing him data from previous experiments, yet she still could not convince him to relax.

"Mom, listen to me. This experiment really can't continue. Something will happen to Seele!" Ishiu was so anxious he was practically jumping in place, but he had no way to prove that his words were true to Cocolia.

He could hardly tell her that there was a system in his head that had warned him Seele was in danger, could he?

Cocolia would probably call someone to have him examined immediately.

"Don't worry, Ishiu. Nothing will happen. I'm watching over things, and Seele absolutely won't be harmed... All right, no more talking. Mom still has work to do here. Seele will be entering the lab soon. Be good, and Mom will bring you a gift when she gets back."

"Hey!..."

Before Ishiu could say anything else, Cocolia had already hung up. When he called back, all he got was a notice that the phone had been switched off.

"Damn it!"

Ishiu punched the wall. Knowing something was about to go wrong yet being powerless to stop it nearly drove him mad.

Gritting his teeth, Ishiu did not remain where he was wallowing in despair. Instead, he turned and rushed outside.

He had to stop this experiment!

However, before he could run more than a few steps, Bronya blocked his path.

Bronya's expression was no longer as gentle as usual. It was cold as frost. She had already felt that something was wrong.

When she had asked Cocolia yesterday about the date of the experiment, Cocolia had not told her. She had merely told Bronya not to rush, saying there would be news in a few days.

Only now did Bronya understand. Seele had gone to take part in the experiment in her place!

"You... hid it from me and let Seele undergo the experiment?"

Bronya spoke softly, but the suppressed fury in her voice made even Ishiu's hair stand on end.

"Bronya..." Ishiu opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but when he saw Little Pudding's icy expression, he could only sigh and nod silently.

You Drive, Bronya Will Think of a Way

Bang!

The next second, Bronya drove a brutal punch into Ishiu's stomach.

"Ugh..." Ishiu clutched his stomach in agony and dropped to one knee.

Bronya had not held back this time. That punch had nearly killed him.

"What did you mean when you said Seele was in danger?" Bronya took a deep breath. Although she truly wanted to beat Ishiu senseless right now, this was obviously not the time.

"The experiment won't succeed, and Seele will be in danger," Ishiu said, pursing his lips.

At once, Bronya leaped onto Ishiu's back, hooking her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. She held her crutch in one hand.

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and save Seele!" Bronya shouted.

She did not ask why Ishiu knew the experiment would fail, or why he had not said anything earlier if he knew. There was no point in asking those questions now. Seele's safety was what mattered most.

"Yeah!" Ishiu said no more. He adjusted Bronya's thighs and sprinted downstairs toward the Orphanage parking lot.

The Orphanage barely had any vehicles. Its only one was a small truck used to transport ingredients and daily supplies. It was not exactly suitable for driving out, but there were no other cars available.

The Orphanage was rather remote. If they had to walk to the main road to wait for a bus or hail a taxi, who knew how much time they would waste?

After placing Bronya in the passenger seat, Ishiu took the driver's seat.

Fortunately, since it was the Orphanage's vehicle, the keys were left inside. There was no need to worry about anyone stealing it, which saved Ishiu the time of searching for them.

"Do you... know how to drive?" Only after getting into the car did Bronya remember that question, and she looked at Ishiu skeptically.

"Relax. I've driven bumper cars before." Ishiu smiled at her, then ignored the way Bronya's face instantly turned pale.

He skillfully pressed the clutch, turned the key, and shifted gears.

Vroom—

The small truck immediately began to rumble, like a dying old man squeezing out his last remaining warmth.

Ishiu started in second gear and slammed the accelerator to the floor. The little truck shot out of the parking lot like an arrow leaving its bow and sped onto the road.

"Bronya, help me navigate to Mom's company," Ishiu said without looking back, focused on driving.

Seeing how skillfully Ishiu handled the vehicle, Bronya realized he had been deliberately teasing her earlier. She rolled her eyes at him in irritation, then took out her phone and began setting up the route.

"You just focus on driving. Bronya will find the route."

It was nine in the morning, right in the middle of rush hour.

Yet Ishiu drove the nearly scrapped little truck through the endless traffic in a display of speed and passion.

He had pushed the vehicle to its limit. Fortunately, the Seven Nights Assassination Technique had given him superhuman reflexes and perception. Otherwise, they would have crashed and died long ago.

Thanks to Ishiu's reckless speeding, a journey that should have taken half an hour took them only fifteen minutes. That was not even counting the traffic police they had shaken off several times along the way.

"Mom's company is up ahead!" Bronya pointed at a high-rise building in front of them.

"Good." Ishiu narrowed his eyes and lightly pressed the brake.

The little truck stopped just before it crashed into the front gate.

Ishiu opened the door. Ignoring the shocked crowd caused by his arrival, he started running toward the company building.

"Don't think about leaving Bronya behind!" Bronya was decisive as well. Knowing she could never keep up with Ishiu on crutches, she simply tossed them aside and lunged toward him.

She had only just gotten out of the car, while Ishiu was already ten meters away. Obviously, she could not possibly jump that far.

If Ishiu failed to catch her, she would have no choice but to fall to the ground.

But she still jumped, because she believed Ishiu would never leave her uncaught.

Sure enough, when he saw her flying toward him, Ishiu had no choice but to stop and turn around, catching Bronya in his arms.

"Move!" Bronya swiftly wrapped her arms around Ishiu's neck, flipped herself around, and climbed onto his back.

"If you hadn't jumped over here, I'd already be inside the company by now." Ishiu complained helplessly, then ran into the building with Bronya on his back.

The Anti-Entropy organization Cocolia belonged to was an organization that fought the Honkai. However, for certain reasons, Anti-Entropy's existence had not been revealed to the public.

To ordinary people, Anti-Entropy was simply an animation production company. Nothing more.

On the surface, this high-rise was also just an ordinary animation studio. But no one would have imagined that Anti-Entropy's true face lay beneath the building.

Because Bronya had previously carried out several tasks assigned by Cocolia, she was familiar with this place.

After the two entered the Anti-Entropy company, Ishiu followed Bronya's directions. First, they took the elevator to the parking lot on the third basement floor, then tapped a few spots on an ordinary-looking wall.

The wall actually split apart.

Behind it was another elevator. Once they entered, Bronya pressed the button for Floor -17, and the elevator quickly began to descend.

When the elevator opened again, Ishiu looked at the enormous underground factory and research facility before him, with its futuristic atmosphere, and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Be amazed later. Right now, we need to find Seele first." Bronya patted Ishiu on the head, snapping him out of it.

"Do you know where Seele is?" Ishiu asked.

Several branching paths lay before him. As someone who had just arrived, he had no idea which one was correct.

"I'm not sure, but she should be in the laboratory area. Let's take the left path," Bronya suggested, shaking her head.

"Okay..."

"Ishiu, Bronya! Why are you here?" Before Ishiu could say anything, Cocolia's angry voice came from the far-left passageway.

As the voice rang out, Cocolia's carefree figure appeared before Ishiu and Bronya.

In fact, Cocolia had received word the moment Ishiu and Bronya entered the company.

If she had not instructed her subordinates beforehand, Anti-Entropy personnel would have surrounded Ishiu and Bronya in the parking lot. How could they possibly have been allowed to enter Anti-Entropy's headquarters so smoothly?

Read it early, or it'll be gone.jpg

P.S.: I don't know how many people are reading my book right now, but the results have been truly miserable. There are basically no comments or recommendation votes. Writing feels like playing a single-player game, and it really hurts my confidence...

I really want to keep writing this story. If there are any readers willing to continue, please support it. Even leaving a comment would be enough, at least so I know someone is still reading...

Experiment Terminated

"Mom..."

"Mom."

Upon seeing Cocolia, Ishiu and Bronya reacted differently, but there was one thing they shared: deep determination in their eyes.

"Ishiu, Bronya, I need an explanation." Cocolia walked up to them, crossed her arms, and let out a deep breath.

"The experiment must be stopped. Seele will be in danger," Ishiu repeated.

"Ishiu! How long are you going to keep causing trouble?! I've told you dozens of times that there won't be any problems with the experiment, and Seele certainly won't be harmed!" Cocolia practically shouted. Her voice was so loud that it even made Bronya sway backward.

In Cocolia's eyes, Ishiu was simply making trouble. She had confirmed things countless times. Although the experiment carried some risk, the danger was manageable and entirely within her control.

"I'm not causing trouble." Ishiu raised his head and calmly met Cocolia's eyes. "Mom, please believe me just once, okay?"

Cocolia sighed, and the anger that had risen on her face instantly faded away. She raised a hand and gently stroked Ishiu's hair.

"Ishiu, I know you care about Seele deeply. So do I. Do you really think I would let Seele undergo an experiment that would certainly kill her?"

"And Bronya, I understand what you mean. But this was Seele's own choice, and she has awakened her Stigmata. Right now, she truly is the most suitable candidate for the experiment."

"So please, trust Mom just once, okay?"

Cocolia's words were already as sincere as they could be. The fact that she had not immediately ordered her subordinates to throw Ishiu and Bronya out was itself a sign of respect.

Ishiu pressed his lips together tightly. He knew everything Cocolia said was true. If the system had not warned him, he never would have imagined that Seele could be in danger.

But the problem was that he had no way to make Cocolia believe him.

"...Lady Cocolia, something's wrong! The X-10 experiment has experienced a Quantum Entanglement Phenomenon!"

At that exact moment, a middle-aged woman in a white lab coat and glasses ran over, speaking to Cocolia in a panic.

"What?!" Cocolia's beautiful eyes widened instantly. She grabbed the woman by the shoulders, her violet eyes radiating a sharp, imposing aura. "What happened?! Wasn't everything fine just now?"

"I-I don't know why. The experiment went perfectly according to plan, and we successfully collected data related to quantum phenomena. But during the final step, the test subject suddenly produced an unknown energy."

"That energy seemed to attract the Sea of Quantum. She... appears to have been assimilated by the Sea of Quantum."

"How... how is that possible..." Cocolia swayed blankly, nearly falling over.

"Mom! If you stop the experiment now, it might still not be too late!" Ishiu grabbed Cocolia's arm and said seriously.

"Mom..." Bronya looked at Cocolia as well, her eyes full of pleading.

"...I need to see the situation for myself." Cocolia bit her lip, turned around, and strode back the way she had come.

"Ishiu, Seele won't be all right, will she?" Bronya lay across Ishiu's shoulder, her palm-sized face filled with worry.

"..."

Ishiu kept his lips tightly sealed and said nothing. Wind seemed to gather beneath his feet as he chased after Cocolia.

He could not promise Bronya anything, not even with a simple nod, because he did not know just how bad the situation was.

After following Cocolia for only a short while, Ishiu arrived at Seele's laboratory.

The laboratory was completely sealed off. A group of researchers in white lab coats stood behind the transparent glass wall to its left, observing and recording the experiment.

Inside the lab, Seele lay on an experimental bed. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her expression seemed pained. But what shocked everyone most was the way her body occasionally became translucent.

Seele now looked like a projection. Her body constantly shifted between solid form and an illusory shadow, and as time passed, the duration she remained a shadow was gradually surpassing the time she existed as a physical body.

"What exactly is happening?! Why has Seele become like this?" Cocolia slammed her hand against the table, staring fixedly at Seele inside the laboratory.

"L-Lady Cocolia, we don't know why. Everything had been fine before, and we successfully collected quantum data. But during the final stage of the experiment, an inexplicable energy suddenly appeared inside the test subject's body."

"That energy seemed to have drawn in the Sea of Quantum. She is currently being assimilated by the Sea of Quantum."

Cocolia's face alternated between green and purple. Almost instinctively, she shouted, "Then what are you waiting for?! Stop the experiment immediately!"

She had allowed Seele to participate in the experiment, but that did not mean she did not care about Seele. On the contrary, she cared about her daughter more than anyone else.

But the experiment had to be done. Otherwise, she could not guarantee the children's future.

Even so, she had never intended to obtain that precious data at the cost of sacrificing her own daughter.

Unfortunately, her decision came too late.

"I-I'm sorry, Lady Cocolia, but the experiment can no longer be stopped. The test subject is entangled with the quantum phenomena too deeply. Simply stopping the experiment can no longer restore her," the researcher explained, drenched in sweat.

"Trash! A bunch of trash! You can't even do something this simple, so what do I need you for?!" Cocolia flew into a rage, but there was nothing she could do.

After all, she was merely the one carrying out the project, not a researcher. She did not know much about quantum phenomena, a mysterious force on the same level as the Honkai.

"Mom, have them open the laboratory door. I'll bring Seele back!" Ishiu said in a low voice.

"N-No, you can't! The laboratory is already filled with Honkai and quantum energy. The situation inside is extremely dangerous. If you go in, it's very possible that..."

"Shut up! Open the damn door!!!" Ishiu glared fiercely at the researcher. His eyes had turned slightly red. He could not accept Seele being harmed right in front of him. That would hurt worse than killing him.

The researcher shuddered. For a moment, she had felt as though a savage beast were watching her.

"Open the door," Cocolia said coldly.

The researcher did not dare defy Cocolia's order and could only obediently open the laboratory doors.

"Mom, take care of Little Pudding for me." Ishiu directly tossed Bronya from his back to Cocolia, then used Flash Step to charge into the laboratory at top speed.

"Ishiu! You bastard! Mom, let go of me! I'm going too!" Bronya's furious voice came from behind him, but Ishiu could no longer spare attention for her. The instant he rushed into the laboratory, a powerful wave of energy slammed into him head-on. If he had not used Flash Step's special footwork, he would have been blown away already.

Sea of Quantum