Outside the First Research Institute.
Hidden in the shadows, the cherry-haired girl, dressed in dark clothing, moved along the blind spots.
Until, utilizing some special high-tech equipment, she successfully infiltrated a certain location inside the Institute.
She was not in a hurry to proceed further and immediately complete her mission.
Instead, she stopped at the outermost area, hiding in a dark corner and waiting patiently.
The cherry-haired girl closed her eyes, resting her spirit for the upcoming action.
Time quickly flowed by, bit by bit.
The sun in the sky moved from hanging directly overhead to slowly sloping west, until it set behind the mountains.
Dyeing the horizon with a stretch of blood-red sunset clouds.
This scenery bore some resemblance to the world currently engulfed in the Honkai disaster.
When the time reached around nine o’clock in the evening.
The land was plunged into darkness.
Perhaps due to good luck, today was an overcast day.
The bright moon was concealed by dark clouds, and the multitude of stars could not pierce the thick curtain of the sky.
The cherry-haired girl remained motionless, the slightly cool night breeze sweeping past her ears.
Judging by the sky, there might be a downpour later.
Until another quarter of an hour passed.
Some clamor gradually began to emerge from inside the Institute.
They were the researchers getting off work.
Although it was an era of calamity, people still needed rest.
Aside from a small number of people working the night shift, most staff members working there left the main laboratories one after another.
Her sensitive ears noted the noise becoming fainter until it completely vanished.
Yet, the cherry-haired girl still made no move.
On her cold, placid face, there was only calmness.
Only the occasional flash of a complicated look revealed the true thoughts hidden deep in her heart.
“Is doing this right?”
She was unsure whether the action she was about to undertake was correct.
But Sakura herself was merely a simple warrior.
Right and wrong were not for her to judge; she only needed to execute the orders passed down by those above her.
Looking up slightly, Sakura glanced at the sky and gently sighed.
Following this, she pulled out a necklace from her collar that held something resembling a stopwatch.
Opening the cover, inside was a photo of her and another youthful girl.
“Rin…”
Gently stroking the photo, she gazed at her younger sister, who also possessed cherry-colored long hair.
One of the reasons Sakura continued to fight was partly for Rin.
“I hope that after this time, I won’t have to do anything like this again.”
After rubbing it for a moment, lost in thought, she put the pocket watch away again.
She waited for an unknown duration.
Sakura glanced at the mechanical watch on her wrist; the hands were almost at twelve o’clock.
Exhaling, the girl’s eyes sharpened.
Even the darkness of the heavy night curtain could not obstruct her vision.
Utilizing night vision gear, she began her Breakthrough into the depths of the First Research Institute.
Her movements were swift and agile, like a cunning fox.
With a few deep leaps, she quickly advanced to the innermost area.
The First Research Institute Laboratory.
It was located in the central core area of this region.
At this moment, the area surrounded by numerous laboratories was quite silent.
Aside from the corridors and public areas, only the lights in a few occasional rooms were shining.
However, it was precisely within these few rooms.
The innermost room, which required numerous verification passwords to reach, was also brightly lit.
Inside the laboratory, which spanned hundreds of square meters.
Even though it was already deep into the night, several figures were still constantly busy.
One of them, a beautiful girl with a classical hairstyle, voiced a listless question.
“Can this kind of experiment really succeed?”
The girl had indigo-blue eyes, giving people a sense of weakness and fragility.
She also had blue ribbons on her head, complementing the hairpin inserted into her bun.
Beautiful, fragile, and lazy.
This was the first impression anyone had upon seeing her.
In reality, however, the girl was not like that.
Cangxuan only felt that she was merely “not expending unnecessary energy.”
Therefore, she usually acted very “energy-efficient.”
She possessed astonishing observational skills regarding the changes and flow of all things, and was adept at summarizing patterns.
Otherwise, she would not have been recommended by Blanca to come to Mobius’s research institute to serve as an assistant.
“Older sister, Doctor Mei’s instructions just need to be carried out; don’t ask so many questions.”
On the other side, a beautiful girl who appeared to be her twin sister and looked remarkably similar to her, reminded her.
Unlike her older sister, who looked similar, her eyes were crimson red, and the ribbons in her hair ornament were also red.
Cangxuan glanced at her younger sister, saying in a manner that suggested she might fall asleep at any moment:
“Before you say that, can you put away your figure?”
In her line of sight, Danzhu was clearly supposed to be recording experimental data, yet she was fiddling with an anime figure placed on the desk.
Besides the figure, Danzhu’s workspace was littered with comics, animations, novels, and other such items.
One look was enough to tell that she was definitely an old Otaku.
“What’s wrong with mixing hobbies into work?
As long as I complete my work well, it’s fine.”
Danzhu retorted with a tone of utter certainty.
Cangxuan glanced at her younger sister, and just as she was about to say something, she was interrupted by words coming from the other side.
“You two, once the experiment is over, hurry back and rest.
Don’t cause trouble here.”
The green-haired older sister figure was calculating something on a light-screen quantum computer, reprimanding the duo without turning her head.
Klein stood beside her, diligently recording parameters, completely ignoring the squabbling between her two colleague sisters.
Hearing Doctor Mobius’s reprimand, the twin sisters exchanged glances and stuck out their tongues.
Not daring to speak further, after finishing up the work they were doing.
Whispering to each other, the two honestly left the laboratory.
As the two sisters disappeared, the laboratory instantly became very quiet.
Until a moment passed.
Only when Klein also finished recording the parameters did Mobius stop manipulating the quantum computer.
“Alright, that’s enough for today.”
Usually, this was the time when work ended.
Her tone was slightly gentler, clearly different from how she treated Cangxuan and Danzhu.
Klein nodded obediently: “Doctor, I will be leaving now.”
Organizing the records, the usually obedient girl slowly exhaled and followed the path the twin sisters had taken to leave.
Up to this point.
Only the final two figures remained in the laboratory.
Mobius shut down the quantum computer and looked toward the opposite direction.
There, Mei, with her long purple hair unbound, was wearing a headset and chatting with someone.
At the other end of the video call was Vill-V.
At this time, she was discussing the Divine Key project with Mei.
Moreover, the Geniuses had drawn inspiration from each other and already completed several Divine Keys.
“Based on the defined parameters, as long as we proceed to the final experimental phase and confirm no errors, we can be certain of our success.”
Compared to many years ago, Mei was no longer a naive and inexperienced young woman.
She was calm and wise; a simple white lab coat could not conceal her excellent physique.
Her extremely beautiful appearance made her shine like a star.
Soon, Vill-V’s voice came through the headset.
“According to Prometheus’s calculations, the success rate will reach ninety-three point eight seven percent.”
“Unless a sudden mutation occurs, there should be no mistakes.”
Science has no luck, only undeniable truth.
Wrong is wrong, and right is right.
Hearing this probability, Mei’s expression relaxed slightly.
“In that case, wait until the next experiment concludes, and then contact me to inform me of the results.”
Hanging up the video call decisively, Mei put down her headset and saw a cup of Milk beside her.
“He brought it over and put it in the thermostat when he was looking after Griseo earlier.”
Mobius explained, holding a cup of Milk.
Mei also smiled slightly, picked up the steaming Milk, and took a small sip.
As the warm Milk went down, her originally exhausted body was once again injected with vitality.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”