A Candy That Wasn't Sweet at All

A warm breeze filled the room, and the temperature throughout the apartment was perfectly regulated.

Su Qing'an, wearing a white shirt, sat in a corner of the sofa.

As always, he didn't buy himself any new clothes, even though he hadn't brought any luggage.

The reason is that teachers receive complimentary shirts and other clothing, and most teachers would choose to wear their own casual clothes. However, for teenagers, these complimentary items can save them a lot of trouble.

As a result, Su Qing'an used the entire budget that could have been spent on herself to buy daily necessities that the little girl might need.

For example, this little dinosaur pajama set.

The boy glanced at the tail dragging on the ground and thought he had a good eye.

It's both warm and stylish.

The little girl in her dinosaur pajamas looked at the indifferent-looking boy with a wary expression, convinced that he was a bad person.

Although her little actions of rubbing her tail and secretly kneading the fabric were really cute.

But while those eyes were observing whether the other party was making any strange moves, they were also secretly scanning their surroundings.

Seele is clearly looking for an excellent escape route so that she won't miss any openings that arise when the opportunity arises.

After a long silence, Su Qing'an finally spoke first.

He tentatively asked in the language of this country:

"Nice to meet you. My name is Su Qing'an. And yours?"

Seele hesitated for a moment, then touched her lower abdomen and frowned as she said:

"Seele Fulei, that's my name."

As expected, that's the name.

The fact that there was no language barrier suggests that the laboratory likely belongs to a faction aligned with this country. However, just like the complex situation in Canghai City, it would be too hasty to judge the answer based on this detail alone.

It at least means that the chances of the other party finding this place have increased.

As Su Qing'an's thoughts raced, she also keenly noticed the girl's subtle movements.

You must be hungry.

The boy stood up and walked to the round table. As Seele subconsciously took a few steps back, he nonchalantly pulled out a chair and said:

"You haven't eaten in a long time."

"Sit here for a while, I'll go inside and bring the dishes out."

As she spoke, Su Qing'an turned and stepped into the kitchen, seemingly unafraid that Seele would run away.

The girl watched his retreating figure, then glanced at the tightly closed door and the pitch-black night outside the window. After hesitating for a moment, she moved her slippers and sat nervously on the chair.

Is this strange person going to feed me?

Is it that kind of food that tastes strange, like toothpaste? Or...?

She glanced discreetly at her wrist, her pure eyes appearing even deeper and darker.

Thirty minutes later.

Seele suddenly realized that the little cake the older sister had given her before actually tasted just so-so.

Compared to the numerous dishes such as braised pork ribs, braised eggs in soy sauce, beef with green peppers, and shredded pork with garlic sauce—so many that she couldn't remember them all at once—and the plump, snow-white rice, everything else paled in comparison.

Although the girl didn't yet have the concept of desserts and main courses, making such a cross-regional comparison seem unfair, the small piece of poria cocos cake and a cup of warm sweet milk presented on the porcelain plate after the meal completely balanced the competition.

The soft texture and the delicate fragrance of dried osmanthus blossoms on the lips and teeth are the initial notes. The filling of roasted white sesame seeds adds layers of flavor, while the milk helps to counteract the dryness caused by the pastry absorbing moisture, making the whole experience very pleasant.

Although she kept warning herself not to be corrupted by these external temptations, the girl's firm will still wavered slightly at a certain moment when her lips and teeth burst forth with fragrance.

The lack of a proper diet led to Seele being easily dealt a critical hit.

When she saw the table full of delicious-looking dishes, her instinct was to refuse them.

Because that's how Seele entered the incubation chamber for the last time; under the influence of sleeping drugs, she entered without any resistance.

The saying goes, "Learn from the mistakes of others," especially when this is something you've personally experienced.

But the constant protests from her stomach and her physical weakness indicated that she had no right to refuse.

No matter what the other party wants to do, given my physical condition, it's impossible for me to resist them.

It wasn't that Seele knew how strong Su Qing'an was, but rather that she understood how weak she was. Even putting on dinosaur pajamas was a bit of a struggle for her, and even if she successfully escaped, she wouldn't be able to walk very far in the outside world before she was out of breath, let alone in the cold winter outside.

Having broken free from that state, I could no longer wander in this unfamiliar territory.

Quantum State, this is its previous state.

On paper, this concept has always remained an unverified hypothesis, a term that researchers need to verify through brutal experiments before they can be definitively confirmed.

The reason I can go for more than ten days without sleep, food, or water, and still not be seen or touched, is because of this.

The reason Seele would know all this is simple: the experimenters had never hidden from her what kind of experiments they were conducting.

So the girl understood the initial reasons for the experiment and some fragmented information.

For example, they are using the Herrscher Core of the Second Herrscher to try to connect to another strange world called the Sea of Quantum.

Once this technology is fully mastered, even if humanity one day suffers an unexpected defeat under the Honkai, the Sea of Quantum can still be used as an everlasting backyard for the preservation of civilization and the storage of vast amounts of resources.

At that time, human heritage will not be completely lost due to the passage of time. This is a plan whose grandeur can be felt even from hearing about it.

Seele and her companions were the necessary sacrifices for the possible continuation of human civilization in the future.

The girl stared at the large amount of food still left in the bowls and plates, her pupils gradually losing focus.

She was no longer hungry, but in a moment of sudden relaxation amidst her mental and physical daze, she remembered something.

That was a one-sided conversation that took place in Seele's incubation chamber on the eve of the experiment's commencement.

Standing before her was an elderly man with gray hair. Through the goggles attached to the respirator and the Honkai Energy Inhibitor she had prepared beforehand, her face was already indistinct when it came into view. Seele could only tell that he was looking directly into her eyes.

The sound, passing through the reinforced glass, traveled through the still liquid and into my ears.

[Your efforts are worthwhile, Seele Fulei.]

The old man pronounced the girl's name accurately, his gaze filled with both pity and resolve:

This is for humanity.

[For that more distant future, even if the path to that outcome is strewn with countless drops of blood and sin, the sanctity of that future remains unquestionable.]

[You are all orphans adopted by the state. Without the state, you wouldn't be alive today. But even with that assumption, your lives should not be so trampled upon and exploited without any choice.]

[I acknowledge that, in your eyes, what we have done is an unforgivable crime, and I have no intention of defending whether our actions were justified or righteous.]

The old man's words were so deep and powerful, a tone and spirit that only someone who understood he had embarked on the path of Asura yet remained unwavering could display.

But in Seele's eyes, it was like a priest covered in blood holding a Bible with faded and worn words, claiming to be a devout saint.

It's meaningless and ridiculous.

He read the girl's name again and said softly:

[There's only one reason I'm saying all this to you: I want you to know that your sacrifices are meaningful, and that you haven't lost your freedom or even your lives in the struggle for personal gain and power.]

[If you understand this, at least...]

The old man stopped abruptly, choosing not to continue speaking, as if he himself understood that these words were essentially more about self-satisfaction.

How can you expect a 14-year-old child who has never received a good education to be deeply affected by these words?

This is simply asking the impossible.

This behavior did not deny his own crimes, but it seemed like a form of atonement. He remained silent for a moment before saying:

[I repeat similar words to each child before the experiment begins, Seele Fulei.]

Try to live on, both for the sake of the experiment's outcome and for your own sake.

After saying that, his figure slowly disappeared from sight.

The layers of transparent cage closed silently once more, leaving Seele with only profound silence.

The memory ended there. The girl continued to grip the chopsticks awkwardly, a dark emotion surging in her mind, dispelling the fleeting pleasure brought by the food.

I... survived.

But I will never go back, and one day I will destroy it.

The grand principles about humanity were utter nonsense that Seele couldn't comprehend at all. She only knew that she was different from the outside world, and that her friends were different from the outside world as well.

Why are we born only to die for this?

That shouldn't be the case.

Images flashed through my mind: children snuggling up to their parents on the street; high school girls strolling hand in hand, laughing and chatting; colorful balloons outside shops; a girl lazily blowing in the night breeze, a happy expression on her face as she talked on the phone...

That shouldn't be the case...

Seele slowly loosened her grip on the chopsticks, her eyes growing increasingly dull and gray.

Su Qing'an noticed the little girl's changing expression, but understanding her state, he knew that asking too many questions would only become a burden that could have been avoided.

So the boy, seemingly oblivious to the other person's odd behavior, casually asked:

Are you still hungry?

Seele simply lowered her eyes, trying to conceal the turmoil in her heart, and silently shook her head.

Even when faced with such delicious food she had never tasted before, she maintained a certain degree of restraint, because these things she had never seen in the orphanage were causing Seele's guilt to swell and grow.

Why has Seele chosen to wander like a ghost these past few days instead of taking the time to observe the outside world and appreciate these sights she's never seen before?

The reason is this inescapable sense of guilt.

Even though she thought about showing everyone the beauty of the outside world and experiencing the happiness that others had never felt, she felt that only in this way could she live up to this hard-won good fortune.

But deep down, the girl believed it was a naive thought, nothing more than an excuse to numb herself and make herself feel justified in enjoying herself.

The more magnificent and unforgettable the colors she had witnessed these past few days, the more desperate she felt about the past, which caused the innocence in Seele's bones to be gradually worn away.

From the very beginning, she could no longer convince herself with this initial idea.

The girl looked up at Su Qing'an and said softly:

Why are you being so nice to me? Is it because you want to draw my blood?

It sounded like a question, like a doubt, yet it also seemed like a simple soliloquy.

Every word struck Su Qing'an's heart, leaving him unsure how to cope with this deep-seated sorrow.

She continued murmuring:

"Just like that older sister in the orphanage, they always liked to give Seele a piece of candy before they planned to do anything too cruel to Seele."

"In the end, everyone died because of a piece of candy."

"Do adults all believe that the sweetness of sugar is enough to compensate for the bitterness brought by death and all suffering?"

"But when it came to Seele's turn, Seele felt that the candy no longer tasted sweet at all."

So it's all a lie.

"It can't make up for it at all..."

The girl gazed at the boy's face, a sad expression on her face. She seemed to recall the smiles those people had given her when she thought they had stuffed candy into her palm, and her heart ached even more.

She wouldn't allow herself to cry, yet she couldn't hold back her sobs as she spoke.

The girl's deep blue eyes welled up with a misty haze. Stubbornly swallowing her sorrow, she gritted her teeth and cried out:

"If that's the case, then don't give me candy in the first place!"

The words reached the boy's ears. He watched as her crystal-clear tears flowed uncontrollably down his face, speechless.

She still cried.

The girl rolled up her sleeve, stared at the exposed veins, and murmured blankly:

"Why can't it be done all at once?"

"Is this the future adults want, one where everyone is filled with hope as they face an inevitable death?"

The world began to split the moment those words were spoken.

Fragmented senses suddenly flooded her entire body in the instant of her fluctuating emotions. This strange feeling, as if her whole body was slowly falling apart, made Seele's gaze become blank.

Quantum State.

She instinctively understood that this was a sign that she was about to return to the Sea of Quantum for a long journey.

That dark, desolate, and terrifying place... is that my future?