K424 of the Collapse World

"I'm sorry, Ms. Shilis, I really can't accept that explanation. Although you said at that time that it was a surplus of the strong and a decision made in a fit of rage, after thinking about it, this still can't explain your motive for doing that. Generally speaking, who would spend such a huge price to rescue an enemy who almost killed them just because of a momentary impulse? With all due respect, no one with a mental illness would do such a ridiculous thing."

"..."

Listening to Jizi's complicated voice, Shilis couldn't help but feel a headache. Apart from a wry smile, she didn't know what expression she should show.

"But I was indeed mentally ill at that time... Well, I guess you won't agree with this statement. Really, I've already given it to you, why are you still having so much trouble?"

"Feel sorry......"

"It's okay. Since this has caused you confusion, then according to the agreement just now, I will do my best to solve your doubts."

Shilis stood up, looked directly into Jizi's eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. During this process, her eyes became extremely serious.

"Although what I said before was a little unbelievable, it is indeed true. Because, since before I came to this world, I knew that neither you nor Theresa were bad people. Although we have been hostile many times, it was all because of misunderstandings and protecting what we cherish. There is no right or wrong. The time you attacked me in Changkong City, wasn't it also to stop me, the Herrscher, from destroying the city?"

"What... knew it from the beginning? But even so..."

Jizi shook her head. Putting aside the inexplicable "I know", the girl's statement seemed to be completely objective, abandoning all her emotions and feelings. Although it was not wrong, it was still unrealistic. Humans are emotional creatures. Aren't there many people who know they shouldn't do that but still do the wrong thing? But she...

It just makes no sense.

Does Shilis have no emotions? Impossible, she has a lot of emotions. Even Ji Zi, who is not familiar with her, has seen all her joys, sorrows, anger and happiness. Although it is still unconvincing, the girl's expression at this moment does not seem to be perfunctory or lying at all...

I'm afraid only God can look at problems from an absolutely objective perspective and with absolute rationality.

"Don't show that expression. I'm not some great or advanced being. The one who controls this Herrscher is still an ordinary human being. It's just that when I came back to this world, I happened to know some things that I shouldn't have known."

Seeing the change in Jizi's eyes, the girl quickly guessed what she was thinking, smiled and clapped her hands, and put an end to this topic. Whatever questions Jizi had, this was all she could say.

Let the memory from another world be hidden deep in my heart forever...

480ME Club Episode and the Return of Shiris

Changkong City, me company building......

After the third collapse, the city completely cut off its connection with the rest of the world, citing the need to quarantine an infectious disease. With the collapse still unknown to the public, the outside media still had no reasonable explanation for what exactly happened in the city.

Today, as more and more abnormal scenes occur in this world, as new steel "fortresses" are built around the world, an international organization called Destiny gradually appears before mankind, and coupled with the mysterious "God's messenger" incident in Singapore, gradually, the events in Changkong City fade out of people's sight...

..

For some people deep in the dark world, this result is exactly what they want.

Unlike the original development trajectory, Raiden Ryoma, the leader of the Anti-Entropy ME Company, was not framed for economic fraud and forced to step down. The Far East Anti-Entropy Base did not fall into the hands of Cocolia, but was under the control of Raiden Ryoma, hiding in the outbreak area of ​​the third collapse, waiting for the opportunity to act...

The me company located in the no-man's land has an irreplaceable strategic position, whether as a base to fight against the collapse or as an outpost to guard against the destiny. For Shirley and others, the importance of the me company at this moment can be said to be second only to the Far East Branch and St. Freya Academy. Even the Anti-Entropy Headquarters in North America, under the strategy proposed by Shirley, has become something that can be discarded.

·————————————·

Midnight, lower area, -14f experimental area...

As a strict semi-military organization, ME has a complete set of armed forces and patrol systems, and patrol guards and alarm systems are also set up in each experimental area. For some special areas, there are also experimental personnel to conduct regular inspections.

Although there are many extremely dangerous instruments and experimental subjects stored here, with such a perfect system, any accidents from within are basically eliminated.

However, this is not absolute. As long as there is a second possibility, what will happen in the next second will always be unknown.

"By the way, who remembers how long we've been here?"

In a staff lounge somewhere in the experimental area, three people who looked like workers sat around a table, killing time with playing cards. Judging from the ashes piled up in the bottles on their table and the cigarette butts scattered on the ground, they had obviously been sitting here for a long time.

"Has it been a year? Or two? Anyway, we haven't left this building since Changkong City became like this. Damn it... Anyway, is it day or night now? We haven't seen the sun outside for more than a year, right?"

One of them frowned and threw the two cards in his hand down fiercely. Changkong City was nominally completely closed to the outside world, but the members of the ME Society were naturally not restricted by these external laws and could still enter and leave freely as before.

Originally known as the electronics industry company, ME Company is divided into two layers: the inner and outer layers. They are the deep members involved in the Anti-Entropy Organization and the ordinary employees who are unaware of the outside world. In the internationally renowned ME Company, economic and trade activities will naturally be carried out normally, and those social elites will be recruited as employees.

However, after the third collapse, with the destruction of Changkong City, the Massive Electric Company, which was used as a disguise, lost its meaning. With the militarization of ME Company, the original company employees also lost their role.

These people would have been treated the same as ordinary survivors, and would have been sent to different parts of the world in batches, living the rest of their lives in a safe and unfamiliar place under an assumed name. However, Raiden Ryoma did not completely abandon these former employees. Those who were willing to stay in Changkong City could continue to work as members of the ME Company. However, in the ME Company's experimental base, no business experts were needed. The only jobs suitable for them were the lowest-level equipment managers and inspectors.

Although this has led to a mixed bag of people within the ME company, they can still complete the simplest tasks with quality and quantity.

The three people present are all such employees. From being a high-ranking successful person, they suddenly became a worker at the bottom of the organization. At the beginning, no one could accept such a gap. But after the polishing of time, they had to bow to life and become a conscientious worker...

For secondary employees like them, if there is no special situation, they are not eligible to apply to leave the ME building unless they leave the organization. However, how far can ordinary people like them go in the outbreak zone of the collapse after leaving the protection of ME?

"Let me see... It's eleven o'clock at night. So, is it our turn to check the operation of the equipment in area C today?"

Throwing away the last card in his hand, a bald man wearing glasses frowned and said, since they have chosen to stay in Changkong City, they must complete the work assigned by their superiors. Otherwise, the punishment regulations of the special period of the me company are not something they can afford.

"As for the work...why not just hand it over to the new guy? We're not primarily responsible for that area anyway, so as long as someone goes and takes a quick look, there won't be any problems, right?"

The person who spoke first took over the conversation, threw his cigarette butt directly on the ground, and without waiting for the remaining two people to respond, he started shuffling the cards again, obviously not intending to get up and finish his work.

This has to be said. After all the surrounding abandoned areas were designated as the base area, the scope of ME's recruitment is not limited to former company employees. All survivors in the entire Changkong City can become members of ME after receiving training.

The man was referring to a young man who had just joined the ME Club. Like many other survivors, he was a poor man whose family had been torn apart, and most of them were pessimistic and silent.

, and spend the rest of their lives in a daze. It is not surprising that these taciturn people are isolated by some small groups.

480ME Club Episode and the Return of Shiris>>

"But... once in a while it's okay, but isn't it a bit too much to leave all these things to that guy alone?"

"What are you afraid of? When we first arrived, weren't those former researchers looking down on us? Really... if it weren't for the damn Honkai, how could that shady little character have jumped over our heads?! Now that we have finally made it, it's time for things to change, right?"

"You're right. Those young people should do more work! Otherwise, why would ME recruit those guys who just eat for free? To be honest, I used to be the general manager of the trade and export department. I know better than you how to use these young people. For example, an orphan whose whole family has died might commit suicide one day. Why can't we let him make more contributions before he dies in vain?"

"...Okay, what you said makes sense. To be honest, I don't want to do such meaningless things in the middle of the night, but since I have to punch in, I have to do this."

“Hahaha… That’s how it should be~!”

Playing poker cards noisily while slightly drunk, these former upper-class people completely gave up the idea of ​​working and just waited for a young man to finish cleaning the passage and then hand over the task to him.

What they didn't know was that while they were laughing and chatting inside, the young man they mentioned had returned to the door of the lounge long ago, but he had not yet opened the door...

"..."

The young man lowered his head and pressed one hand against the metal wall next to the door. His wrist began to tremble slightly, as if he had exerted too much force. Finally, he slowly turned around and walked towards the passage leading to Area C.

"A bunch of scum..."

He squeezed out a few sounds from between his teeth and walked alone to the area that the team was responsible for inspecting. No matter how easy the work is, if you do it with a heavy heart, it will become full of bitterness.

No one knows what this ordinary person is thinking.

It is true that an immature person is more dangerous than a stupid person...

It was already after midnight when Hyperion returned to the Far East.

The giant battleship quickly cut through the dark night sky. The faint sound of the energy engine was extremely clear in the quiet night. However, the battleship's return destination was the Far East Branch's airport, so there was no need to worry about whether the sound of the battleship would affect the Valkyries who were resting at St. Freya Academy.

"Leave the job of docking the Hyperion to me and Jiuxiao. Ms. Shilis and Wendy can go back to the academy with Elena to find Theresa. She is waiting for you. She always says that those who sleep late will not grow taller, so she rarely stays up until this time."

According to Ji Zi's arrangement, before Hyperion landed, the three of them took a flying vehicle to St. Freya Academy first.

Under Elena's control, the aircraft landed steadily on the Saint Freya landing pad. Standing on this familiar land, Silis looked at the usually bustling Saint Freya's quiet appearance at midnight, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

With her special vision, she could clearly identify all the objects in the pitch-black scenery. The faint moonlight cast a shadow on the magnificent buildings in the distance, creating a unique and refreshing scene.

How many times have I traveled back and forth between Saint Freya and the mission location?

Beside her, Wendy, who was using the minimum amount of energy to stay suspended, was also looking at the academy where she used to study, and she was also unable to calm down.

Finally, she left the New Zealand Research Institute, which was no different from a breeding farm, and returned to the place where her dream began. She once dreamed of becoming a righteous Valkyrie and fighting to protect the world. But after being inexplicably chosen as the fusion of the Desire Gem, how much of her former will was left...

At this time, Elena, who had turned off the aircraft, walked out of the cabin, looked at the night view of St. Freya Academy, and naturally came between the two girls.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here? It feels so quiet here, and there's hardly anyone in the academy. This is really rare..."

"Isn't this nonsense? Which Valkyrie in the academy would run around in the middle of the night... Anyway, can't you pay a little attention to the atmosphere?"

Smiling, she pushed away Elena's hand on her shoulder, sighed, and shook her head gently, temporarily hiding the long-lost sense of relaxation. She cheered up again and walked towards the teaching building of St. Freya with the girl beside her...

"Ah?"

Taking the elevator of the teaching building to the familiar floor, Shirley saw at a glance a silver-haired girl who was sleeping against a pillar.

"Lady Theresa...?"

"This is really...Puchi~"

Under the pressure of Wendy and Elena

Amid the low cry, Shirley walked forward with a smile on her face. Looking at Theresa, who was fully dressed but already completely asleep, she sighed again and gently picked up the sleeping girl.

"He's really like a little kid. He fell asleep while waiting for us to pick him up... But never mind. The official meeting will be tomorrow anyway. Let's all have a good rest tonight."

Looking at the silver-haired girl in her arms who looked like Kiana, Shilis turned around and, according to her vague memory, brought Wendy and Elena to a lounge in the office area...

"You two, let's just stay here for one night. But before that..."

As she spoke softly, a sly smile appeared on Shiris's face.

"Now, we have found a loli, what should we do?"

481 Whisper in the Dark

Late at night is the best time for sleeping. Far East has been completely shrouded in darkness. But at this time, the underground experimental area of ​​​​ME Society is still brightly lit. In such a large-scale research institute, it is normal for some staff members to have reversed day and night schedules.

In the underground research institute, although most of the rooms are filled with common experimental equipment, as well as some unimportant terminal databases and experimental samples, all that needs to be done for these things is regular inspections. However, in addition to these, there are also relatively special areas in some of the laboratory partitions.

For example, this young man is about to go to the C-11 quarantine area to complete his work...

·————————————·

The full name of the ME company's C-11 quarantine area is called "ⅹⅰ Special Dangerous Goods Storage Area". However, compared to the name of a storage area, it is more appropriate to call it a dungeon.

Because the "dangerous goods" stored here are not radioactive objects such as Honkai crystals, but living Honkai creatures...

Honkai creatures are extremely dangerous to ordinary people, but the inspection work does not require direct contact with Honkai creatures. However, even if it is, there are still not many people who can overcome the instinctive fear of those things.

Unlike other defenseless areas, after passing through several heavy metal isolation doors, there is a long straight passage. In the dimly lit passage, in addition to some unknown high-tech devices along the way, you can also see a lot of alarm devices and sensor-based weapons, such as dangerous equipment such as machine guns and turrets, all pointing at the heavy metal door at the deepest part.

When an uninformed person comes here for the first time, he will be surprised by such a formation. What kind of thing would require such a strict defense? Moreover, why should the weapons be facing inward when in standby mode?

Even though he had been to this place more than once, the young man still couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw those induction automatic machine guns. Although he knew that nothing would happen under normal circumstances, anyone would have wild thoughts at this time. For example, the induction system suddenly had a problem and locked him as a target...

If this kind of thing really happened, I guess that rotary machine gun with a diameter of more than 20 mm would be enough to beat a human body into a pile of mud in just half a second?

The moment this thought came to his mind, the young man felt a chill in his body. Even though his life had lost its purpose after the Honkai disaster, he was just an ordinary high school student before that. Humans' fear of death is not so easy to disappear.

That's right, since I don't want to die, I just live for the sake of living. Even in this state, I just want to continue to maintain the status quo, like a machine, doing these repetitive tasks in the expanded me company...

"You really deserve it."

He murmured to himself, turned his back to the countless machine gun turrets in the passage, walked to the metal door at the end, and gently pressed his ID card to the sensor at the door.

——Didi

"Verification passed, inspector number n412t0047, authority level e, opening time - 30 minutes"

As the gate opened, the defense devices in the passage also lit up yellow lights and switched from standby mode to alert mode.

The lowest level of authority can only open area C-11 for a maximum of minutes, which is basically enough time to complete all the inspection work. This is a group inspection work, and if a group of people work together, it can be completed in less than ten minutes.

only......

Thinking of his colleagues in the same group, the young man's eyes became a little gloomy. He was not qualified to join the combat unit, so he could only live in the same room with those "worms" and do these menial jobs alone.

As the electronic prompt sound ended, the extremely heavy metal door slowly rose up, revealing the huge metal space enclosed inside to the young man...

"call......"

Slowly stepping into this space that looked like a large warehouse, the young man took a deep breath. As the images of those hideous monsters flashed through his mind, his heartbeat began to accelerate.

It doesn't matter. It's impossible for the Honkai creatures to break through the isolation layer. Let's finish this task as soon as possible...

This huge warehouse is divided into countless

The abscission layer was divided into many small rooms, and the Honkai creatures used for experiments were locked in these isolation rooms. A narrow passage was left between the vertical rows of small rooms, and the young man's job was to confirm whether there were any abnormalities in the status of these imprisonment devices.

After a brief hesitation, he walked into one of the passages.

On both sides of the narrow passage, there are various unknown instruments and mechanical equipment, and behind them, through the glass, you can see the Honkai beast locked in the alloy cabin...

Of course, this is a one-way perspective glass with extremely high strength. These low-level Honkai beasts cannot break through the isolation layer, nor can they confirm the external situation. However, even if they look at those huge and deformed monsters through the cage like this, many people still feel scalp tingling. Only those who have truly experienced the Honkai disaster know how dangerous these monsters that look funny are.

While adjusting his breathing, the young man checked the monitoring instruments one by one according to the procedure. He tried hard to ignore the strange rustling sounds, which were made by some small collapsed creatures. To the young man, no matter what they were doing, it had nothing to do with his job.

For this inspection, the Honkai beasts in the isolation room were just appetizers. What was really unacceptable was the cultivation tanks deeper down that stored low-level dead soldiers. These zombie-like Honkai creatures transformed from human corpses were different from the higher-level Honkai beasts. Their body cells would die and their flesh would rot, so they naturally could not be stored in the isolation room. Instead, they were all soaked in transparent containers and displayed on both sides of the passage. For those who came here in person, such a scene was no less than the high-energy shots in horror movies.

The most terrifying thing is that some of the dead soldiers still retain a little ability to move. Even if they are soaked in a container, when their sight catches a creature passing by, they will also make some instinctive reactions...

When checking the area, the young man had almost given up thinking. With the negative emotions of giving up and the anger of being isolated, he mustered up the courage and completed the equipment inspection under the gaze of those twisted death soldiers.

"Huh...huh..."