I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

Page 174

[Soon after, Kevin and Alicia became Fusion Warriors, and even Mebius violated regulations by secretly undergoing surgery, becoming the third Fusion Warrior to successfully complete the operation... But so far, apart from these three, no one else has succeeded.]

[But we can't worry about that now. After witnessing the incredible power of the fusion warriors, the "Fire Moth" is pushing this plan forward and has started selecting people with high compatibility with Honkai Beast genes... like Sakura, like you.]

Ah...yes, and there's your question too, this "Moth Chasing the Flame" issue that I don't want to bring up, but I have to deal with.

[Although your actions during the "Seventh Great Collapse" saved many people... after all, the "Seventh Herrscher" was indeed attracted by your song and focused its attention on you. In other words, you successfully played the role of a "mocking puppet."]

In this "punitive expedition," the casualties among ordinary soldiers were only 30%... Compared to previous punitive expeditions, this is an outrageous figure.

[Furthermore, this also made "Moth Chaser" realize that while your singing can indeed attract "Herrschers," it doesn't have any calming effect on them; instead, it makes them focus their attention on you... Therefore, having you try singing during the "Great Collapse" was undoubtedly a mistake, both for you and for "Moth Chaser."]

[You shouldn't have suggested staying to sing in the first place, the soldiers present shouldn't have agreed to it, and "Moth Chasing the Flame"... shouldn't have agreed to this attempt either.]

But that's how people are; they carry a sliver of hope, wishing for even the slightest possibility. Everyone hoped your song could influence the "Herrscher," hoped your song could soothe the "Herrscher"... But it was precisely this hope that plunged everyone's "hope," and you, into the abyss.

When you returned to the "Firemoth" base, the soldiers who escorted you remained silent, simply walking with their heads down. The others stared at the faint purple markings that had appeared on your neck, wanting to speak but unsure how to begin. In the end, they could only let out a helpless sigh and hurriedly led you into the infirmary to check your condition.

[Should we blame you for anything? Not really, because your actions did benefit the soldiers. Before the arrival of the Thousand Calamities, the casualties among ordinary soldiers were only 30%, and most of those deaths occurred when facing the "Herrschers." Before that, the soldiers saved many survivors.]

[Even thanks to you and Qianjie's restraint on the "Seventh Herrscher," troops from other regions were able to save many people, resulting in a far greater number of survivors in this "Great Collapse" than expected.]

Should we criticize you? Not really. After all, your intentions were good, and the suggestion was agreed upon by the soldiers present, as well as the "Moths of Fire." Throughout the process, no one objected to your suggestion; everyone hoped that your song would trigger a "miracle."

It could be said that everyone's expectations pushed you to this point, and everyone's hopes caused you to become like this... Everyone made mistakes, but no one was entirely wrong.

All we can do is sigh, lament, and lament.

As expected, the final result is that Honkai is gradually eroding your body, and because of the slight Honkai energy you already possess, this erosion is accelerating... In other words, your life is already on a countdown.

Of course, there's good news too! At least your voice is still fine, and singing is totally okay. Plus, there's been some progress in research on your voice, which means your singing can now be "copied"! Haha!

However, this news is anything but happy.

The potion to cure Honkai erosion is not yet fully developed. Although it is in its final stages, it is still an unfinished product... In other words, the only thing that can "save" you and relieve you of the suffering caused by Honkai erosion is the Fusion Warrior Surgery.

But this suggestion was met with opposition from everyone. The reason was simple: the success rate of the fusion warrior surgery was too low. What if you died on the operating table? That wouldn't do. At least... at least we should "copy" a few of your songs as a backup plan, right?

Everything was so coincidental, like the rain in the midst of a raging fire—too much of a coincidence, making one wonder why the world is so heartless, giving hope only to be followed by cruelty that extinguishes that glimmer of hope.

Ultimately, after everyone discussed it, all they could say was... delay as much as possible. Use your own song and Mebius's medicine to slow down your symptoms as much as possible and see if you can hold on until the cure is successfully developed. In the meantime, we'll try to "copy" your song as much as possible, and then... use the fusion warrior surgery as a last resort.

Although no one wanted to, compared to the inevitable death in the end, striving for that tiny success rate of the fusion warrior surgery was undoubtedly better, wasn't it?

So... let it be, quietly waiting... for that final moment to arrive.

--------

"Help……"

A weak voice came from beneath the ruins.

"Hey, hey, found it! There's another one here!"

It was a sound of joy.

"This is Padofelis. I've found another survivor. Can someone help me out?"

After saying that, Padofelis turned to the people under the rubble and spoke again.

"Don't worry, you'll be saved. The main force is coming soon. Hold on!"

"Okay...but my leg..."

"Is your leg trapped? I understand, I'll have the team bring some tools."

"Thanks……"

"Well, it's okay, it's part of our job."

While cleaning up the debris she could move, Padofelis tried to comfort the other person in a lighthearted tone... This tone seemed to convey a sense of ease, preventing the other person from becoming too tense and ultimately breaking down.

"Oh, did you hear that? Someone's here? Uh... wait, Wang-ge, you're here too?"

When she heard the hurried footsteps approaching, Padofelis was speaking to the people buried under the rubble in a rather cheerful tone, but when she turned her head to look, her body stiffened.

"What's wrong with me? Is there a problem with my presence? Aren't you welcoming me?"

"No, no, no, it's just... um... Brother Wang, you've finished your work, right? You've cleared out all the Honkai Beasts around here, so... shouldn't you rest?"

"I want to help."

"But your body..."

"I want to help!"

"...Sister Ying, Brother Hen, please try to persuade him!"

"........."

Sakura, who had arrived with Xiwang, remained silent and did not respond to Padoflis's request. She simply worked silently with the others to move the building debris and rescue those buried underneath.

"...Just let him be, Pado... After all, it's already come to this point, there's no difference."

Hen looked at Xi Wang, who was excitedly helping others, and shook his head helplessly at Padofilis, smiling wryly.

"But……"

Padofelis opened her mouth, wanting to refute something... The main problem was that everyone was letting Xiwang act according to her own wishes without any intention of stopping her. This kind of behavior always gave the feeling that they were letting Xiwang fulfill her last wish... Padofelis hated this feeling.

Especially since Xi Wang confirmed the countdown to his death, apart from normal rest, he has been running around with the rescue team. He even went to the patient settlement to sing, just like before, to soothe the patients' emotions. He also actively cooperated with Mebius and the others' experiments to help the "Fire Moth" "copy" the songs.

He even had time to comfort Eden, who was suffering severe psychological trauma from the "Seventh Great Collapse," and tried to get her to play along... Unfortunately, given Xiwang's current state, his comfort, while not entirely useless, was certainly of little effect...

There's no way around it; once you realize that Xi Wang's life is already on a countdown, looking at the smile on his face always brings a strange sense of sorrow.

Faced with a cold and cruel reality, any words of comfort seem pale and powerless.

As for a cure being developed in time? That would be wonderful... but the problem is, it hasn't been developed, it hasn't been developed at all!!!

And the Fusion Warrior surgery as a last resort? To try and get that tiny chance of success? Ha... Even Mebius himself resisted this method, insisting that it should only be done when "it is absolutely necessary".

But now...

"........."

Padofelis looked at Xi Wang, who was trying her best to help but soon became out of breath, and pursed her lips... Xi Wang seemed to notice her gaze, turned around, and smiled at her with a slightly embarrassed expression, as if apologizing for her uncooperative body.

But this only made Padofilis feel worse, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache and a sense of... unwillingness.

If I were there, would things have been different? After all, I can run fast and I know how to dodge... No, no, given the situation at the time, it wouldn't have mattered whether I was there or not. The "Great Collapse" is something no one person can change.

But... if it's just about saving people... we... should be able to do it, right?

Padofelis always thought this way, or rather, many people thought this way. Whether it was Kevin, Alicia, or other warriors, they would always fantasize in their hearts about whether the outcome would be different if they were there, or if they had done "this or that" back then, would things have turned out differently?

But in the end, they will abandon such naive ideas... The outcome of the "Great Collapse" will not be changed by any one person, and it was impossible to take Xiwang away in advance.

It's very simple. Xiwang wanted to use his song to help the soldiers improve their survival rate and reduce the pressure of combat. The soldiers agreed to this in order to survive. "Moth Chaser" even planned to take this opportunity to test whether Xiwang's song could be effective against the "Herrscher," since the "Great Collapse" just happened to be born next to him... Under these circumstances, how could they possibly take him away in advance?

And his songs will attract the attention of the "lawbreakers"...

As mentioned before, it was everyone who pushed him to this point, and it was everyone who caused his current situation... even if he did it voluntarily.

But as expected, there was still a little bit of resentment...

"Ah, it's you!"

Xi Wang's voice came with a hint of surprise.

"Long time no see, Elgar~"

"Ah... um... um, it's been a long time... Xiwang."

The rescued woman opened her mouth, her eyes darting around, but faced with Xi Wang's approaching smile, she could only look away and nod dryly in response.

"I haven't seen him much since high school..."

"Yes...yes..."

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous~ You're saved, you're safe now~ Hmm... Let's go, let's continue~"

"Xiwang, it's ready."

Hen spoke softly.

"...Is that so? Come to think of it, it seems like it's almost time..."

Xi Wang tilted her head and sighed, seemingly a little regretful.

"Oh right, and this... she needs an injection."

“Xi Wang, that’s yours. Keep it safe. We have inhibitors here… and we just injected this young lady with one.”

"Oh, sorry, I forgot, hehe~"

Xi Wang scratched his face somewhat embarrassedly, then took Ying's hand as if apologizing, and led her on the way home.

"Let's go home!"