My Kidneys!

Welt Yang sighed and slumped to the ground. The cannons and aircraft constructed from blue energy modules dissipated one after another. Suddenly, he coughed violently, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.

"Cough, cough, what's going on with these two [Clone Is]? They actually developed consciousness to absorb Honkai Energy, and the combat suit used by that student Li Ming employs very novel technology, unlike the combat suits and power armors previously produced by Destiny. But there seems to be a fluctuation of the Star of Eden on it, is it my imagination?"

He put away the handkerchief and raised his right hand. A bead shaped like the core of that [Code??? I Clone] appeared in Welt Yang's hand. However, this bead was even more crimson and bright, its luster complementing the golden patterns on it.

"Using the Star of Eden at only 50% recovery to release a hundred times gravity was still too much of a stretch, but it did save student Li Ming's life. And this matter is rather peculiar."

After thinking for a while, he couldn't figure out the reason, but he decided to return to the base first. Causing such a big commotion today, how to clean up the aftermath is not a simple problem.

Mint Candy opened the wormhole door and peeked out. Finding that everything was fine, she didn't express surprise but quickly carried Himeko out. After placing Himeko on the sofa of a coffee shop, she quickly slipped away. "Run, run, good thing Elder Konpeito didn't find out."

"Mint Candy, what are you doing!" a soft voice called out.

Mint Candy panicked and quickly jumped back into the wormhole.

Schicksal Saint 7308 Research Institute Combat Room

When Ryusuke Murata pressed the button, everyone in the combat room was stunned. This was just a research institute, and its function was only to command battles, serving as a command center.

Once the missiles were launched, there was no turning back. But suddenly, they received news from Base G047 that all the launched missiles had been successfully intercepted, and no heavy casualties were caused.

Moreover, the Honkai Energy fluctuations that appeared in California also vanished the moment they reached their peak.

This could be considered a win-win situation.

Everyone in the combat room thought to themselves, but they were even more surprised that the usually gentle and weak-looking director had such courage. Wasn't the director afraid of being held accountable?

Ryusuke Murata returned to his room and leaned against the wall, slumping down with a blank expression. He held a photo frame containing a picture of a young Himeko, Ryusuke, and a gentle woman with fiery red hair. Ryusuke touched the surface of the photo frame as if afraid of damaging it.

"Himeko..."

A wormhole suddenly opened, and Mint Candy fell onto Ryusuke's shoulder. "Heh heh, done!"

"Himeko—are you okay?" Ryusuke asked after a long, muffled silence.

"With me here, it's bound to be foolproof!" Mint Candy boasted. Although it might sound like self-praise, she showed no embarrassment.

Embarrassment? That's a human emotion. I, Hughes, wouldn't feel that!

"Why are you so dejected? I've made a great contribution! You'd better buy me something delicious!" Mint Candy said, hands on her hips, looking at Ryusuke sitting dejectedly on the ground.

Putting down the photo frame, Ryusuke put his slightly trembling hand into his pocket, as if searching for something. "You say, humans already have the ability to explore the outside world, so why are we still confined to this small corner of Earth, threatened by Honkai and living in constant fear? Why do we still fight each other, damaging the already fragile balance? Mint Candy, tell me, do aliens really exist?"

Ryusuke searched for a long time before pulling out a cigarette, which he usually didn't touch, from his pocket. He held one between his fingers and trembled as he tried to light it twice.

"How would I know why humans are like this? I'm not human. As for aliens, aren't I one?" Mint Candy swung her feet, looking at Ryusuke strangely. He felt that Ryusuke Murata was somehow different, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

Ryusuke took a deep drag and exhaled a large cloud of smoke, his expression softening considerably. "Yeah, aren't you an alien!"

Meanwhile, in California.

Li Ming had just escaped the gravity field and was still a bit disoriented. Suddenly, voices from the system kept ringing in his mind. "Detected Gemini Soul Fragment *150, Soul Fragment *300, Anti-Entropy Imaginary Core *10, Micro Reactor *3, and Reconstruction Mold: Ability Specialization *1, Candlelight Armor: First Light Fragment *10. Do you want to pick them up?"

Hearing this, Li Ming snapped back to reality. After confirming the pickup, he stood up unsteadily, glanced at the armor on his body, and gave a wry smile. He looked at the core fragments on the ground, hesitated for a moment, and then collected them.

In his first battle today, Candlelight Armor: First Light encountered such an outrageous enemy. And what was that red, octopus-like thing he saw?

Li Ming felt that the thing looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he said uncertainly, "No way, could it really be that?"

Thinking further, Li Ming suddenly felt a chill. He glanced at the people around him with a look of terror. After reorganizing his emotions, Li Ming decided to find Himeko first.

He looked at the guards lying on the ground and found that the most serious injury was unconsciousness; no one was severely hurt. Thus, Li Ming felt relieved.

After identifying the direction, he found the building where he had left Himeko. Although the armor was damaged by over 30% and energy loss reached 50%, its basic mobility was still intact.

Li Ming stepped on the wall and, with a few leaps, reached the rooftop. To his surprise, Himeko wasn't on the rooftop. He noticed the stairwell door on the adjacent building was open and guessed that Himeko had gone downstairs.

However, he didn't know if she went down herself or was taken by someone. Li Ming quickly ran down the stairs but couldn't find Himeko anywhere.

After running around the entire street, he finally found Himeko in a coffee shop. Seeing Himeko unconscious on the sofa, Li Ming checked her. Fortunately, she seemed to be just normally unconscious, with no serious issues, but she still needed to go to the hospital for an examination.

Besides, the injuries on his waist and legs were not minor and required basic bandaging at the hospital. But he hadn't paid for medical insurance yet, so it would definitely be another hefty expense.

"Sigh, money is a bastard, we'll earn more if it's gone!" he muttered, making a silent vow, then scooped up Himeko and slung her over his back.

Seeing that the guards were still resting and hadn't noticed him, Li Ming quickly slipped away with Himeko on his back.

However, after leaving the street, Li Ming realized that due to the [Code??? I Clone], most people had taken shelter in their homes or nearby shopping malls, and the streets were completely deserted.

But this wasn't the main issue. More importantly, the surrounding trams and subways were all suspended!

This was truly a sad story. There was no choice but for Li Ming to carry Himeko and walk back.

Fortunately, he hadn't removed his armor, otherwise, Li Ming estimated his stamina wouldn't be enough to reach the apartment, as it was quite far.

Moreover, Li Ming still needed to go to the hospital. Otherwise, he wasn't sure if his wounds would get infected, especially his kidneys, which absolutely couldn't be harmed!

Fortunately, Li Ming remembered there was a private hospital near the apartment. By the time Li Ming carried Himeko to the vicinity of the apartment, it was already seven or eight in the evening. Gradually, the areas farther away began to become active, and people started asking what had happened.

Li Ming wiped the sweat from his face. "Good, it's not closed."

However, since his current attire was inconvenient, Li Ming found a corner outside to remove his armor before going in.

Li Ming lifted his black short shirt. The wound on his waist was like a sprain, full of bruises, especially the purple part. When he touched it with his finger after removing the armor, he almost screamed in pain. Li Ming felt that he must have suffered severe internal injuries.

Gritting his teeth, he walked into the hospital. With every step, Li Ming felt a twinge in his waist. He glanced at Himeko, who was still sitting peacefully on the chair. He got a form and registered her for a check-up, but he also requested a full-body examination for her, as he didn't know what had happened. Gritting his teeth, he carried Himeko inside.

"I don't know what she did to be sleeping so soundly!" he grumbled, but he still carefully placed Himeko on the nearby sofa and drew the curtain.

"What, you're not closing the curtains? If you don't, my pure and chaste kidney will be exposed!"

As soon as he looked up, he saw a hairstyle that screamed "potential expert." The reflective scalp made Li Ming squint.

"Mr. Li Ming, what seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked, looking at Li Ming. The doctor wore a mask, but Li Ming could still see the doctor's slightly curved eyebrows, which looked very kind. However, the Mediterranean-style blond hair was permed into curls with hairspray, which made Li Ming want to laugh.

Taking several deep breaths, he finally suppressed his urge to laugh and lifted his shirt. "Doctor, take a look at this. What needs to be done?"

After several checks, the doctor even poked the bruised spot on Li Ming's kidney. "Your... "

The doctor said a few words, then suddenly stopped, looking very troubled. This made Li Ming anxious. "No, just tell me what's going on, doctor. What happened?"

"...Let's get an X-ray first!" the doctor said slowly.

Li Ming: Can you stop with the dramatic pauses!

Of course, he only complained internally and didn't say it out loud. However, if an X-ray was needed, Li Ming figured he could take Himeko for her check-up first.

After the examination, he saw a female doctor helping a half-conscious Himeko out. "There are no serious issues. She just got a shock to her head and fainted."

"It's good that there's nothing serious."

Seeing Himeko wake up, Li Ming had her sit in the lobby while he got his X-ray and then went to find the Mediterranean doctor.

When the doctor finished looking at the X-ray film, he examined it from every angle. Li Ming felt like he might end up on the next issue of "Human Discoveries" if the doctor kept looking.

The doctor suddenly put down the film and coughed twice. "You were hit by blunt force, weren't you?"

Li Ming nodded. "Yes, yes, yes. Is there something wrong with my kidney?"

"The bruise on the outside can be treated with some medicine. As for your kidney..."

The doctor again hesitated, picked up the film, and started looking at it again. Li Ming watched the doctor's eyebrows furrow and then raise, making his heart sink. "Doctor?"

The doctor seemed to be muttering something very quietly, but Li Ming couldn't understand it, as if it were a local dialect. The doctor suddenly looked up, raised an eyebrow at Li Ming, and said, "Your kidney is fine. Perfectly healthy!"

"Really?" Li Ming looked skeptical. He had heard that some doctors tell white lies to comfort patients.

Could it be that my kidney is beyond saving? Oh, my kidney!

Li Ming felt his life turn dark, but the doctor continued, "Perhaps your physical condition is quite good, or maybe you managed to avoid hitting your kidney directly. So, your kidney is completely unharmed."

"It's good that it's okay."

Li Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor's dramatic pauses had made his emotions fluctuate wildly.

After getting the medicine with the prescription from the doctor, he looked at the still groggy Himeko. He had no choice but to carry her back to the apartment.

Fortunately, the apartment wasn't too far from here, so it was manageable.

He walked towards the apartment, his steps uneven as he carried the dazed Himeko.

With the armor in between, he hadn't felt much before. Now, Li Ming suddenly felt Himeko's body pressed against his back. Hmm, there's still room for growth.

When Li Ming reached the apartment building with Himeko on his back, Himeko suddenly spoke, her voice as faint as a mosquito's. If Li Ming hadn't been so close, he wouldn't have heard her. "Li Ming, what was that today?"

"Probably some experimental product or maybe some organization from the Americas. Haven't they always talked about bio-hazards and stuff?" Li Ming told a white lie.

Himeko clearly didn't know about the Honkai yet. In fact, most people didn't know about the Honkai situation. If it caused panic, wouldn't they just create a thousand people?

Gathering a thousand Quasi-Herrschers?

Except for places like Schicksal, which had a certain foundation and background and conducted appropriate drills and education, other places kept most knowledge and information in the hands of a few.

Ordinary people's understanding of the Honkai was basically limited to natural disasters, infectious diseases, and the like. However, they wouldn't usually call it the Honkai, so they knew even less about Honkai Beasts and Mantis.

Himeko couldn't determine the truthfulness of Li Ming's words. She only felt like her head had been hit by a ton of bricks, and her brain was throbbing. "Um, will we get infected too?"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Didn't we just get checked at the hospital!" Li Ming was confident about this. He had noticed it before this incident broke out and had taken Himeko away from the coverage of that [Code??? I Clone] early on.

He himself might be eroded by Honkai Energy, but Himeko definitely wouldn't be. Besides, he had received Serum in Schicksal before, and with Apponia's [Precept] applied, he didn't need to worry about Honkai Energy erosion for the time being.

However, Wang Sheng had mentioned that every branch would have Serum. But after arriving in California, he hadn't seen anything resembling a branch. Instead, the government led, and various departments were responsible, which was quite similar to later times.

So, were branches unique to Schicksal?

While Li Ming was lost in thought, Himeko, as she lowered her head, noticed faint reddish-brown patterns on Li Ming's right wrist, which quickly disappeared.

After sending Himeko back to her room, Li Ming prepared to slip away. It wouldn't be good if Himeko saw the bag of medicine in his hand.