On how PhDs become human evil

P.S.: Update

P.S.: This is my second time applying for a contract. I hope it gets approved. Also, please give me more recommendations, monthly tickets, and rewards. Thank you!

P.S.: I've already figured out how to make Talulah and the others play a role.

P.S.: By the way, it's still late today. My back has been hurting lately, so I need to rest.

Section 51, Chapter 25: Going to Sea

—Nine Netherworlds.

The name of a place recorded in an ancient book discovered by Tianming is likely the place where Ji Lin, the first female warrior in the world, sealed Chi You. Therefore, it can also be said to be the place where Ji Lin was buried.

As the first Valkyrie of this generation to possess a Holy Mark, Ji Lin's remains are of immeasurable value. Even though her remains have been corroded by seawater over the long years, the Holy Mark she carries must still exist.

Therefore, the most important task for the Far East Branch during this trip to the Nine Netherworlds is to retrieve Ji Lin's Holy Mark. The Far East Branch has been preparing for this for nearly a month.

However, Bai Jie, the leader of the exploration team, is now facing a problem.

"I said...can't I not go into the water? I really can't swim!"

Yes, whether in Terra, the dungeon, or Honkai, Bai Jie has never learned to swim; he is a complete landlubber.

Because there has been no underwater battle so far, this weakness has not been exposed. However, since Jiuyou is underwater, it is necessary to go into the sea.

"Captain, don't you have that Gaia Memory? Don't you have anything that would allow you to move in the water?" Fu Hua asked.

The twenty-six Gaia Memories that Bai Jie possesses have abilities that cover all aspects, and it's likely that one of them could help Bai Jie overcome terrain problems.

"Right! Let me look... Heat won't work... Joker, pass... Ice Age—this one will do!" Bai Jie took out the ice-blue memory chip. "Just freeze the sea, then dig down!"

"I'm telling you... do you even know how big this sea area is? Even if your memory has amazing effects, it's impossible to freeze an entire ocean, let alone one that's connected to the Pacific Ocean." Himeko sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Don't you have any memory that can manipulate water?"

"Um... I'm not sure if this counts." Bai Jie took out a sea-blue memory from his pocket. "[Ocean], a memory that can liquefy my own body. You could say it can manipulate water, but..."

"No, if you liquefy, you'll be assimilated by the seawater in an instant."

As Chen said, if Bai Jie were to liquefy and enter the sea, the ever-flowing ocean currents would immediately carry Bai Jie to some unknown place, and might even tear Bai Jie to pieces.

“That’s it!” Fu Hua suddenly clapped his hands. “How about we liquefy the captain and put him in a bottle? That way we’ll have one less person to carry, and it’ll be much easier to move around.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Zi and Chen both showed expressions of sudden enlightenment, while Bai Jie looked horrified.

"Hey, hey, hey, you guys aren't really planning to put me in a bottle, are you? Have some humanity!"

"What does it matter? Just make a small sacrifice, honey." Chen patted Bai Jie's shoulder with a smile, then took the memory chip from Bai Jie's hand and inserted it into the slot on his gauntlet.

Bai Jie's face showed obvious hesitation, and then, as if accepting his fate, he transformed into a stream of water and entered the bottle at Chen's waist.

Seeing that Bai Jie's problem was solved, Ji Zi, as the leader of this operation, clapped her hands and said, "Alright, everyone's okay now, let's go!"

"Yes!" ×N

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The ocean has always been the most mysterious place. Even though human technology can now observe places millions of light-years away from Earth and reach the moon, which is 380,000 kilometers away from Earth, our exploration of the ocean is only about 10,000 meters.

Unlike the sky, which humans have always yearned for since ancient times, the ocean was once referred to as the "abyss" and feared.

Himeko and the others' destination, the Nine Netherworld, is located nearly a thousand meters below sea level.

Thanks to the equipment modified by Bai Jie, even at a depth of thousands of meters, the group could not feel the pressure from the seawater. After arriving at the entrance, Chen drew Chi Xiao and blasted open the blocked entrance with a single sword strike.

"It's amazing. Even though we're underwater, not a single drop of seawater has seeped in, and most importantly, we can actually breathe here." Himeko exclaimed as she looked inside her diving suit after taking it off.

Blue-purple cliffs and ground, bizarre rocks, streams of water whose origin and destination are unknown, and roads of varying heights... Perhaps this is what the underworld in mythology looks like.

Bai Jie flew out of the bottle at Chen's waist, transformed back into human form, and pulled out the [Ocean] Memory: "Damn it, I was suffocating! I'm never using this Memory again. It's so uncomfortable, I feel all sticky! But this place... the Honkai energy concentration is really high, almost as high as Changkong City, right?"

Through the scan of his monocle, Bai Jie clearly understood the information about this Netherworld Space.

First, there's the Honkai energy concentration; the data is already at an unbelievable level. Even Valkyries with Stigmata could be infected if they came here.

(If I hadn't been helping you purify this Honkai energy, you would have been dead long ago, okay?) Talulah said calmly in Bai Jie's mind.

(Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work, I am very grateful.)

(That's too perfunctory! Froststar, you should also tell us about this heartless man!)

(Lady Talulah, being too hasty is not a good thing.)

(You two, stop talking in my head, it's too noisy!)

After forcibly calming Talulah and Frostnova down, Bai Jie rubbed his aching temples.

Ever since Talulah appeared before him last time, she seemed like a different person. She often talked to him in his mind, and for some reason, the Reunion Movement's executives were also there, almost driving him crazy.

"Everyone, be careful! The Honkai energy concentration here is so high, there are definitely Honkai Beasts and assassins around. Don't get separated—"

Before Himeko could finish speaking, one after another, white Honkai Beasts with purple light emanating from their surfaces emerged from around the corner ahead. Judging from their size, they were likely Chariot-class and Knight-class Honkai Beasts.

With a wry smile, Himeko drew her Sunfire Greatsword: "I didn't expect to be working right away. I'm really popular."

"Wait, Himeko, don't make a move." Just as Himeko was about to rush forward, Bai Jie reached out and grabbed her. "Your body can't take your recklessness anymore. In this battle, you will join me as the commander."

"But...."

"Don't worry, their combat power is more than enough. —Indra, Exia, Warfarin."

Three portals of light appeared in front of Bai Jie, and Indra and the other two quickly walked out of the portals.

Charging into the Honkai Beasts like a wild beast, Indra killed one with a flurry of punches, and laughed, "Is it finally my turn to make a move, Doctor!"

"Why do you always call me? Let me rest once in a while, boss." Although Exusiai was complaining, her hands were not slow at all. With one burst of fire, she blew the heads off several Honkai Beasts.

"I'm still working on a new drug experiment with Bayi, Doctor. Calling me over is really bothering me." Warfarin glared at Bai Jie with displeasure, which made Bai Jie quickly shrink back, afraid that she would suck his blood right away.

"Well, it won't take long, please, Warfarin."

P.S.: Update

P.S.: I've forgotten most of the plot of the Xuanyuan chapter; I typed this out while researching.

P.S.: Please recommend, vote, and tip!

Section 52, paragraph 26. Dr. Rhode Island, the negotiation (physics) expert

Himeko and Fu Hua felt that they might be superfluous.

The exploration of the Nine Netherworlds has reached its midpoint, and recalling the bits and pieces of the journey, Himeko and Fu Hua couldn't help but feel as if they were in a dream.

First, there are the Honkai Beasts and Death Warriors in the Nine Netherworld. Because of the accumulation of thousands of years, the number of Honkai Beasts and Death Warriors here is terrifying. You will encounter a wave every few minutes. Every time you encounter Honkai Beasts and Death Warriors, the wild girl Indra will rush up instantly and use her fists with brass knuckles to blow up all the enemies. Even if one or two are missed, Exusiai will finish them off immediately.

Having such strong teammates is undoubtedly a good thing, but Himeko and Fu Hua always feel a bit frustrated, like poor scholars who are well-read but have no opportunity to use their talents.

As for terrain exploration, it goes without saying that Bai Jie and Chen are both professionals. Not to mention terrain exploration, Bai Jie even took the time to draw a map of the Nine Netherworld, showing all the places they had explored. Ji Zi was also surprised to learn that Bai Jie was such a good artist.

After dealing with another batch of Honkai Beasts, Bai Jie looked at Indra, who was panting a bit, and said, "Indra, take a rest. I see you've used up a lot of energy."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I can still fight. This kind of exertion is nothing special." Indra said nonchalantly, then hugged Bai Jie tightly. "I really have to thank you, Doctor. Staying in that Gensokyo is really boring. I only get to fight Fujiwara a couple of times now and then."

Fujiwara no Mokou, according to Indra, is a woman who is impossible to kill no matter how you fight her. Her fighting style is the kind that hurts the enemy a thousand but also hurts herself eight hundred. The two became friends after fighting each other. Indra often helps her fight against Kaguya Houraisan, and sometimes Siege King will also get involved.

Of course, in the end, it was Yagokoro Eirin and Warfarin who stepped in and taught both sides a lesson, and then everyone drank together and ate offal soup.

Well... it's pretty peaceful, isn't it? Gensokyo.

"By the way, Fu Hua, can you understand what this inscription means? I can only read half of it before I can't understand it anymore." Chen said, pointing to a stone tablet with several lines of text.

Because the text was written in ancient script, only Fu Hua among those present could understand it, so she had to be the translator.

Looking at Fu Hua translating alongside Chen, Himeko smiled wryly and said, "I really have become superfluous."

"Don't say that, Ms. Himeko. You are a patient, and as a doctor, it is my duty to ensure that you receive treatment. Moreover, Ji Lin's Holy Mark is key to your treatment, so you cannot be absent," Warfarin comforted her.

"Speaking of which... and doctor, could you please stop sucking my blood?"

Upon hearing Himeko's words, Warfarin immediately released Himeko's arm, which she had been biting, and wore a polite but embarrassed expression: "I'm very sorry, it was an accident..."

"Warfarin, Himeko, Anor, come here for a moment, the inscription here has been deciphered."

Just then, Bai Jie, who was deciphering the inscription with Fu Hua and Chen Ju, called out to the three of them.

"Just like before, this is also an inscription left by Shennong. If you go forward and turn around two corners, you will find the secret room where the Xuanyuan Sword is stored."

"It feels like an RPG game. There are clues everywhere, and the difficulty is way too easy," Indra said with some dissatisfaction.

Patting her on the shoulder, Bai Jie said, "Isn't it because our team is too strong? You alone could have cleared this place, but if it were the Valkyrie squad from Schicksal, they would have suffered losses by now."

"Huh? Is that so?"

"Indeed, just as the captain said, this Nine Nether Ruins is definitely one of the most dangerous ruins. If Destiny wants to fully explore it, it will have to pay a price."

Fu Hua and Himeko shared the same opinion regarding Bai Jie.

After the chat ended and the equipment was packed up, just as everyone was about to continue walking, Bai Jie's communicator suddenly rang—

"Captain, can you hear me? This is the Hyperion!" Mei's voice came through the headset.

"I heard that, Mei, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Reverse Entropy has arrived! And its target seems to be... Nine..."

Mei's words were interrupted by static before she could finish speaking. Just as Bai Jie was about to say something, another person's voice came through the earphones.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Fafner, I am Einstein."

Einstein! One of the executives of entropy reduction!

Signaling everyone to be quiet, Bai Jie composed himself: "This is truly a rare guest. I never expected to receive your message under these circumstances. Is Anti-Entropy also eyeing the secrets of the Nine Netherworlds?"

"Although I was against it, the proposal was passed by vote within Anti-Entropy, and I have no choice but to accept it." Einstein's tone revealed a hint of weariness. "So, to get back to the point, although we are going to explore the Nine Netherworlds, I do not want to start a war with you."

"So you plan to explore together with us, and then divide the contents of the Nine Netherworld 50/50?"

"As expected of Dr. Fafnir, but you're wrong about the conclusion. Since we were the ones who were rude first, I think a 40/60 split would be better."

“That’s really generous. I thank you in advance—but I refuse.” Bai Jie resolutely rejected Einstein’s proposal. “Dr. Einstein, you are a dove of Anti-Entropy, not the kind of person who would initiate a war. That means this Anti-Entropy operation is led by the hawk leader Cocolia, right? And I don’t think that she-vix Cocolia would agree to a 40/60 split.”