Happy Birthday, Su Qing'an

"Happy birthday."

Accompanied by the firing of small cannons and the cheers of the little girls, the room was filled with colorful streamers.

The boy silently removed the confetti from his head. He looked at the large red posters and banners in front of him, along with the words "Happy Birthday Su Qing'an" written on the PPT and projector. The emotions surging in his chest were extremely complex.

Su Qing'an looked around at the lively scene and the crowd around her, feeling bewildered and unsure of what to do.

Happy birthday.

These are just four simple words, yet they possess the power and warmth to take root and sprout in one's heart.

In fact, he had long forgotten his birthday. It was like an invoice casually stuffed in a drawer, the string of numbers and prices on it becoming dispensable after a certain period.

For those who aren't so lonely, their birthday isn't a hard number to remember, since there's always someone who will send them a happy birthday message at that slightly special time.

Even if it's just a simple, somewhat perfunctory message, and the rest of the conversation is probably just a thank you and a goodnight, it's still warmer and easier to remember than a virtual cake in a mobile game email reminding you it's your birthday.

Animals will degenerate organs that are not frequently used; this is an inevitable result of survival of the fittest.

Therefore, humans also forget trivial details and small things that don't have much meaning, because the brain's memory reserves tend to remember more important things.

For Su Qing'an, his birthday date roughly falls into the former category, something like glancing at the production date before buying a can of cola to check if it has enough bubbles—a trivial matter.

Su Qing'an used to think that not being cared about by others was a big deal once you got used to it; watching cartoons and eating McDonald's's was enough to make her happy.

He still thinks that way now, but that doesn't stop him from feeling that being cared for is a very lucky and happy thing.

But happiness and sweets can sometimes be a drowning poison.

Anything that can be easily obtained from others is likely to be counterfeit, and anything that can be easily acquired from others will also be easily plundered.

On the contrary, the so-called genuine things are those that are so important that they are irreplaceable.

But precisely because it is irreplaceable, even obtaining the real thing is a terrifying thing.

If you accidentally lose it, is it gone forever?

A boy who has always held this view will dislike the warmth that appears out of nowhere and the happiness that comes suddenly, and he will also be afraid of the brilliance and gentleness that gradually approach him.

It's a treasure that you wouldn't want to lose once you've obtained it.

If the inhabitants of Greenland had never understood the warmth of the sun's rays, they would not have loathed the eternally long nights, nor would they have looked forward to the arrival of June.

If Su Qing'an hadn't been pulled out of her loneliness of eating braised chicken alone, she could still be simply happy to be able to eat McDonald's's Happy Meal.

But to take that step, one must also gladly accept the warmth that comes one's way.

A young person who has grown up can understand this fact.

In any case, those trivial fears and concerns are not enough to justify escaping.

Carole smiled Shiyu Qiluo's waist; Kambara Yuu peeked out from behind Kambara Shuichi; Bronya tugged at her clothes and held up her phone, playing the game's public chat; Kiana shoved her from behind, her smile radiant.

Himeko rubbed his head, while Teacher Shara took out her phone and started taking pictures; Mei and Yuno placed the dishes on the table, glancing at the boy in the center with warm expressions.

Yae Rin tugged at her older sister's sleeve, holding a gift bag in her other hand. She looked at Su Qing'an's unconsciously gentle expression as she stared in a daze, and felt a little happy.

Kevin and Mei stood at the edge of the venue, watching the scene with slightly parted lips; Lin Xinchán recorded this moment and posted it on her WeChat Moments and forums; Theresa was dealing with the uninvited maid with a headache, clearly finding it very difficult.

Seele held the cake in her hands, flour still on her nose, her orange-blue eyes full of laughter. Fu Hua stood behind her, his gaze gentle.

What should I say?

Su Qing'an thought that whether it was false or true, a response was necessary.

He pursed his lips and said softly:

Thank you.

Thank you for being by my side.

The Herrscher of Consciousness is the first being to truly make the entire world experience the level of danger posed by Herrscher.

Its scope and the number of targets it affected far exceeded the normal operating mode of the Herrscher in the past.

Unlike the persuasive power of missionaries that sowed countless seeds of rebellion, the actions of the Eighth Herrscher were far more domineering and swift.

Ten minutes have passed since the disaster occurred. There are zero casualties, the frequency of Honkai events has not exceeded the normal range, and the Honkai Energy phenomenon that would affect the living environment has not appeared. However, reports of people inexplicably collapsing have been coming from all corners of the world.

This is terrifying.

Let's tentatively call the Moth to Fire "Sleeping Sickness."

During this time, some soldiers with strong will and rigorous training were affected but managed to remain conscious. Through this unexpected event, the Moth to Fire obtained valuable information.

Those who suffer from Sleeping Sickness enter a dream that is incredibly realistic, and only those with exceptionally strong willpower and relevant training can detect the incongruity within it and break free from it.

The existence of [dreams] is not omnipotent.

The fact that some people could resist the onset of unconsciousness through sheer willpower proves this point, but the soldier's brainwaves soon showed abnormalities again.

This shows that the erosion of [dreams] does not disappear by relying on self-awakening. Once contaminated by [keywords], one can never escape the radiation and influence of this power.

In this way, even the most resilient soldiers will only face the fate of being tormented to death by the [dream].

Himeko was gradually worn down in a similar way and was taken advantage of, which shows that pure self-restraint cannot resist the interference of this power.

Given the current prevalence of Sleeping Sickness, within three months, humanity will face the terrifying prospect of 90% of the population being in a coma.

The information provided by Prometheus was very helpful, at least saving Mei from wasting time analyzing the enemy's propagation medium.

[Keywords], [Meme], [consciousness and cognition], [pollution], [dreams].

The enemy first used the [keyword] to target and successfully scheme against Su Qing'an, causing him to fall into a coma.

Mei has reason to believe that the rampant spread of the opponent's power is just the beginning, and the Eighth Herrscher will launch even more precise and fatal attacks.

Even though sniping the higher-ups and oneself would be difficult, targeting the staff and soldiers of the Moth to Fire would be no problem.

The Eighth Herrscher doesn't need to put all of humanity to sleep; she only needs to render all the Moth to Fire unconscious, and civilization will be declared defeated.

Mei was unable to find a way to truly isolate and kill the polluted mind in a short period of time.

However, anticipating the other party's potential use of suggestive language and isolating oneself from this perception still offers the possibility of accomplishing something before it becomes irreversible.

But it will still take time.

Mei's research is a race against time. This research could truly determine the future of humanity in a short period of time, so she had to entrust Su Qing'an's current situation entirely to Kevin and the rest of the team, while she focused all her energy on this research.

Therefore, the fusion experiment, which is already halfway through, is currently under the complete control of Prometheus.

Located on the last floor of the underground Soul Steel Laboratory.

The girl's arms were wrapped around her chest, her slender body curled up inside the enormous Soul Steel cube, slowly rising and falling, falling into a long slumber.

She calmly absorbed the genes of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast known as Garuda. Her exposed skin appeared even whiter in the faint fluorescence, and her cherry blossom-like hair was scattered in the air, covering most of her private parts.

Yae Sakura.

This is the fourth soldier to undergo the fusion experiment.

The second and third warriors after Kevin both died from genetic collapse, and the experiment never achieved a second success.

Despite learning of these two disastrous failures, her willpower remained unwavering, and she resolutely decided to continue participating in the gene transplantation experiment.

Yae Sakura chose to stand under the Grim Reaper's scythe. The reasons woven from her past are not important. Whether she can find the answer to what she hopes for in this experiment is also unknown.

Prometheus is purely a tool and intelligence; its only responsibility is to collect data and assist in experiments, and it naturally has no other thoughts about it.

According to Mei's recent revisions and improvements, the transplantation of Fusion Warrior is no longer as terrifyingly difficult and agonizing as before, and the possibility of genetic collapse has been greatly reduced.

In fact, this conclusion can be drawn by observing the outside of this experiment. Compared to Kevin's large-scale experiment, this gene fusion was more subtle and gradual, and appeared gentler and safer.

The only negligible cost is that it takes longer to determine whether something has succeeded or not.

This essentially extends the fusion process from one day to a week for a slow adaptation, thereby reducing the mortality rate and indirectly increasing the success rate.

Therefore, if successful, the shell is expected to hatch in about a week.

Failure will result in the sudden transformation into mindless flesh and blood within an irregular timeframe, or directly dissolving into ash due to genetic collapse that destroys the original Honkai Energy resistance.

The soldiers in the first two experiments undoubtedly met the same fate, and although the experimental data has increased, success still depends on a certain element of luck.

Since the Fusion Gene experiment has entered a mature stage and is no longer as extreme and unstable as before, Su Qing'an was not asked to come and use the Black Abyss White Flower to assist in this experiment.

But now it seems that perhaps it would have been a better choice to inform the missionaries later and allow them to conduct auxiliary experiments in the laboratory.

Time passed by, bit by bit.

The flesh and blood inside the girl's body went through stages of turning to ash, repairing, wriggling, and mutating. The gene chain gradually broke and repaired, and the blue veins on the surface of her skin were faintly visible, flowing with a pale golden glow.

In this gradual process, she is slowly embarking on an inhuman journey.

Consciousness is clouded, and memories are confused.

The illusory images and the real past flashed by like a revolving lantern, weaving together to form a barrier that blocked his way. Ever since Kevin received Prometheus's message, he had already set off for Greenland.

The Fusion Warrior were more efficient and faster at moving than the vehicles Lin Xinchán drove, yet they ended up in their current predicament.

[Su Qing'an], [Missionary], [Greenland], [Herrscher].

These contaminated words and phrases were all part of a pre-arranged trap.

The Honkai Consciousness did not want Su Qing'an to continue living, which makes Prometheus's ability to transmit information unimpeded all the more significant.

The missionaries did not truly overlook such important details; rather, they did so intentionally, replicating the tactics they used against Su Qing'an.

The Honkai Consciousness's target was Kevin from the very beginning.

The culprit who killed the Herrscher of Flames last time was essentially this powerful warrior who embodied the highest achievements of current civilization.

Before Su Muxi unleashed that Void Sword God, Kevin the only one in the world who could truly threaten the missionary's life and guarantee Su Qing'an's rescue.

The calculations yielded favorable results. Long-term observation and information obtained from the missionaries' perspective made the plan resemble a chain reaction, locking down all external forces.

Kevin is indeed being hampered in his rescue efforts. He is clearly heading towards the Antarctic Circle, but his onboard AI keeps giving him incorrect directions.

Clearly, before Mei developed a corresponding method, he had no other means to counter it. Like Su Qing'an, he was caught off guard, which allowed the power of the Herrscher of Consciousness to take root in his soul and devour it frantically.

Although it was not as severe as the treatment where the entire Antarctic Circle's power was concentrated on Su Qing'an alone, Kevin's experience is still worth taking seriously.

The limit of Herrscher of Consciousness can interfere with lies here.

Whether it's Su Qing'an, whose soul has been tempered many times and is already incredibly powerful, or the Fusion Warrior soul and flesh are closely linked, making them difficult to interfere with, both are beings that must be restrained and have a significant amount of power consumed.

One is acceptable, but not two.

The Eighth Herrscher could no longer immediately plunge Kevin into the same coma; she could only wage a long and arduous battle to wear him down.

Therefore, Kevin's situation is much better at the moment. He can still maintain his self-awareness, but he inevitably has to bear a lot of pressure. The hallucinations in front of him are constantly affecting his sense of direction, making his journey to Greenland somewhat difficult.

The infection of [keyword] is like a medium and a precise coordinate. It has a certain resistance and can only last longer. If there is no way to cut it off, it can only passively endure the erosion.

The Eighth Herrscher, located in an unknown territory, stands in a completely invincible position, making her utterly impossible to defeat.

In this situation, if she possessed the ability to fight head-on, it wouldn't be impossible for her to wipe out Kevin and Su Qing'an, who were both in a weakened state, in one fell swoop.

However, the value of information asymmetry lies largely in its ability to First Kill.

In other words, the goal is to exploit this advantage to inflict maximum damage when the other party is initially unaware of one's information.

The fact that the Eighth Herrscher is lurking in the shadows, cannot fully utilize this ability is its biggest flaw and oversight.

The reason is that Kevin Kaslana is a monster who can fight back after surviving the First Kill.

Soul, consciousness, shackles, mist.

Kevin, who can instinctively find ways to resist soul oppression, possesses a talent and strength that is even more unreasonable than that of the Fusion Warrior himself, a crystallization of civilization.

The white-haired warrior remained calm, his mind weaving together wondrous sensations as the dreams flickered, like sparks rustling near his ears, and fragments slowly piecing together a jigsaw puzzle.

His eyes were lowered, staring directly at the chaos and illusions before him, the azure within them growing ever deeper.

It'll be soon.

The more intense the invasion by the Eighth Herrscher, the faster he can find the key to initially resist using his soul.

At that time, Kevin Kaslana will be able to completely dispel the fog and escape the reality that he can never reach Greenland.

Teacher... wait a little longer.

Meanwhile, on the helicopter piloted by Lin Xinchán, the young girl closed her eyes and stroked her sword. As she held her breath and calmed her mind, the ripples in her Mind Lake completely subsided.

For some reason, Su Muxi's sword strike was deeply imprinted on her senses afterward; it was probably the last thing she did before she lost consciousness.

As someone who had recorded Fu Hua's Udu-dust for a very long time, the girl naturally understood what Fu Hua needed back then. This action not only allowed her to understand that the current situation was not at a critical juncture, but also gave her a sudden realization.

However, the prerequisites for becoming a Sword God are far too lofty for Fu Hua at present. What she can see from them is trivial and insignificant, and meaningless in the short term.

But after realizing that Su Qing'an was temporarily unharmed, the girl, now able to calm down, began to reflect on herself and entered into Zen Meditation, stroking her sword and focusing her mind.

The ability to perfectly control one's emotions without silently Sword Heart Technique Mantra is a necessary factor on the path to perfection.

Even if the safety of a loved one is at stake, my Mind Lake will not be disturbed.

Tranquil, serene, otherworldly, and detached from worldly affairs.

Purely negative and fluctuating emotions cannot make anything better, nor will they make the force and speed of a sword strike stronger or faster.

When distracting thoughts arise in the chest, the Mind Lake will be stirred, and the Honkai Energy cycle connecting with the outside world will become less stable than usual. The inspirational arrangement that requires extremely precise control of Honkai Energy to be generated at will will become even more difficult to reproduce.

As for the immortal techniques and sword gods above that, they are simply out of the question.

Mount Taixu of the nature of their inheritors, those who wish to fully realize the limits of what they have learned in their lifetime must maintain a state of perfect tranquility.

Anger, sadness, hatred, pain, jealousy, and other emotions, once they exceed the threshold, will cause the sword heart that has been painstakingly honed over many years to perish.

Even in the Realm of Great Void, this is true.

This is the path of self-cultivation, and also the rules and framework for self-discipline and restoring propriety.

Slaying demons and monsters, upholding righteousness.

The essence of the martial art established by the Immortal Chi Yuan, besides imposing a shackle on himself and his successors, is more about guiding their minds towards a path that makes it easier to reach the pinnacle.

Those who cannot transcend the mundane will find it meaningless to even attempt to become true sword gods.

Meanwhile, the young girl was taking advantage of this fortuitous encounter and slowly moving forward on the path she would create for her future self.

Touching the sword, I calm my mind.

The Realm of Great Void failed to accumulate even a fraction of this, which is the natural order of things.

Her martial arts skills were ultimately too shallow and insufficient; without a solid foundation, how could she possibly unleash her full potential?

However, Fu Hua personally understood a principle for the first time. After understanding this principle, her comprehension of the Void Sword Qi itself became more profound, and the so-called inspiration Meme naturally approached the state of "water flowing into a channel".

The sword strike that severed the Herrscher of Flames's attack was merely the first time the girl grasped the core of the Inch Heart Fist, but it did not mean that she had mastered it completely, let alone wanted to use it at will.

But now, Fu Hua is confident that she can unleash a sword strike similar to the one she did that day.

The missionary may be very strong, but he still couldn't escape unscathed from that Void Sword God.

As long as one can consistently exert their full strength, protecting Su Qing'an, who has fallen into a coma, should not be difficult.

So all I need to do is wait patiently until I actually arrive in Greenland.

The snowstorm is fierce.

Su Qing'an sat on a bench on the platform, the subway whizzing by, the strong wind blowing past his ears, the rustling sound making him think of something for some reason.

The snowstorm is fierce.

The boy silently repeated those four words to himself again. He looked at the sky in front of him where several maple leaves were swirling up, his gaze following the vibrant red that was anything but dull, as if chasing after the fleeting moments of time.

Finally, our gaze lingers on the higher horizon.

The sky was as blue as the sea, and the drifting clouds resembled lazy fish, swaying leisurely.

It's been a long time since that birthday party, so long that the coffee shop in Canghai City hasn't been open for almost a year.

It seems that a new year and graduation season will be just around the corner.

Wow, that was fast!

Su Qing'an glanced at the red string on her wrist. It was woven from two hollowed-out curved tubes of different lengths, and a delicate little lock was threaded through the knot as an accessory, giving it a rather antique feel.

This was the gift Fu Hua gave me for my birthday.

However, if it was brought from Mount Taixu, then it probably cannot be interpreted as an object of ancient style.

"Have you been waiting long?"

The boy didn't immediately look in the direction of the voice. He first stared at the red rope on the fair wrist, which was almost identical to the one on the wrist, except that the lock had been replaced with a key. Then he said to the person who had come:

Ten minutes.

Fu Hua nodded seriously:

"I won't do it again."

Su Qing'an responded:

"It doesn't matter."

"I won't do it again."

He stared at the girl's cool yet adorable face and said:

"... good."