I already said this is not a life simulator!

Not to mention, the lost "unit" can even be said to be a key figure of "Fire Moth"...even a "hub" in a sense.

Not to mention Mobius, a veteran of "Fire Moth", Vilvi, the current "head" of the engineering department, and even the current leadership of "Fire Moth", and Eden, a major sponsor of "Fire Moth", are all related to him, and even he himself has made a lot of contributions to "Fire Moth".

But just so suddenly, under such abrupt circumstances... he disappeared, maybe even... died.

This cast a shadow over the "Fire Moth" which was originally full of confidence.

More importantly, the information that the Fire-Chasing Moth observed during that battle... that was the energy wavelength of two Herrschers! Two!

This is too horrible!

But...even so, it is not a reason for them or the "Fire Moth" to remain silent.

They must... fight, just as they have always done, against the Honkai.

We must move forward, and we can only move forward.

If you take one step back, even half a step, or even just a little bit... you will be swallowed up by the collapse.

"Aliceia, I have a mission for you... Lead the team, investigate that area, collect all the information you can, and see if there is anything else we can prepare."

Mei thought about it for a moment and then said so.

"As for Dr. Mebius and Velvet...I'll take care of it."

"Ask the Operations Department to increase vigilance and patrols... Just mention it to them, they know what to do."

"Please ask the higher-ups to increase the power of the "Fourth God Key". We can't let that abnormal "rainstorm" appear... Even if it does appear, we can't allow it to spread inland."

"And... let's move up the surgery for the next batch of fusion warriors. We need to move fast."

"Understood."xN

Everyone nodded, agreeing to Mei's order, and then dispersed to do their own things.

"I hope it's not too late..."

Mei murmured softly as she walked quickly.

"........."

On the other side, Alicia, who was about to lead the team to investigate, pursed her lips and subconsciously quickened her pace.

Xiwang...you really...

No, that's not right. You and I are the same. If that's the case, then you won't disappear so easily...

But...what if it's really the case?

He fought against another Herrscher, and finally... died.

Or maybe he would die in battle like humans do, in the human way.

Will you do this, Xiwang?

"........."

Alicia didn't know, she could only quicken her pace, head towards her destination, and try to discover something.

Chapter 4435: A little licking will stop the pain ()

Rain clouds accumulated and gradually covered the sky, with the cliff, or the coverage area of ​​the "Fourth God's Key" as the boundary. Inward was the land, where people lived.

With the help of the "Fourth God's Key", the sun is shining brightly here with few clouds. Occasionally, white clouds float across the sky, slightly blocking the brilliant sunshine and bringing some shade to the land that has become somewhat hot due to long hours of sunshine.

And looking out from the cliff... it is a completely different scene.

The rain clouds gradually accumulated, and you could see the clouds gradually changing from sparse to numerous, and finally becoming one, blocking the sunlight in the sky.

Going further out, you can find that the clouds are becoming thicker, changing from their original white to gray, and then to a dark color close to black... The sunlight can hardly penetrate the thick rain clouds, and therefore, everything in the distant sea appears extremely dim.

The sea breeze mixed with a damp smell blew in from afar, hit the cliff, and then either flowed back or circled over the cliff, squeezing slightly inland, bringing some moist air to the warm earth.

The waves surge from time to time, hitting the cliffs, and white waves occasionally emerge, washing the few rocks under the cliffs again and again... This is the proof of the coast that once existed here, and the only traces left of the broken land.

But the sea water did not seem to intend to let go of this last fragment. The waves surged again and again, submerging the rocks again and again, as if wanting to carry them under the deep sea as well.

Among the few rocks, Alicia was leading the team to carefully explore everything around, trying to find some clues in this place that could already be said to be in ruins.

There was no way. The sense of threat coming from the ocean was too strong. Moreover, the sky over there was also strange. It was gloomy, and there was a constant damp and cold sea breeze. There was also a vague feeling that they were being stared at by some dangerous creature... All of this made them nervous.

They even had a guess... the huge monster that appeared in the sea might not have left yet, and even the two "Herrs" might not have left!

If that's the case...their situation can be said to be extremely dangerous.

But since they have been down here for so long without any problems, they are probably safe...right?

Forget it, let’s not worry about it. The important thing now is to collect all the data that can be collected around, bring it back to the "Fire Moth", and see if we can analyze something... Hmm?

Alicia suddenly realized something, and regardless of the team members' questions, she quickly jumped over several rocks and dived into the sea.

This action scared the others. They shouted on the comms and moved closer quickly, wanting to know what Alicia had discovered and why she was so impulsive... Fortunately, Alicia jumped out of the sea water soon after and returned to the team members. She shook her head to get rid of the slightly sticky blue sea water on her body.

...Hmm? Sticky? Blue water?

"Be careful not to get hit by the sea water."

Alicia tidied up her hair which was soaked by the sea water, turned around and spoke to her teammates in a serious tone.

"It's okay if it's just a little bit, but if it's too much... you'll probably be dragged down."

"There seems to be something new in the sea water now. It's very dangerous... Tell others not to approach this area unless necessary. Also tell companions in other areas to keep an eye out for any abnormalities in the sea water."

"By the way, give me the sealing container. I'll collect some seawater and take it back. Dr. Mei and Mebius should be very interested in this... After we collect the seawater, we'll pack up and go back."

Alicia gave orders in an orderly manner, but the team members were a little confused about Alicia's last words.

"Captain, are you not going to continue the investigation? There should be some areas that have not been explored yet..."

“…It’s no longer necessary.”

There was a rare hint of sadness in Alicia's tone, and she showed the team members what she had just found underwater.

It was a somewhat damaged container. Perhaps because the surrounding Honkai energy was too dense, the "Soul Steel" was giving full play to its own characteristics and constantly replicating itself to repair the damaged parts.

But perhaps it was because of the special properties of the ocean, or perhaps it was because of something else in the ocean. A blue substance clung to the container like moss, occupying the damaged part, making it impossible for the "Soul Steel" to repair itself...

This strange moss-like substance even showed signs of invading other areas, as if it was about to destroy this container that was barely maintaining its balance... But fortunately, Alicia found it, found it in the accumulated sea water and among the complicated rocks, allowing it to complete its "mission".

Because... the thing sealed inside is a fiery red object that looks like a gem. It seems that because it has left the barrier of the ocean, the energy emanating from it can be faintly captured by people.

"...Captain, is this...that?"

The others swallowed subconsciously and asked nervously.

"...Yes, it should be the Herrscher Core."

"Then this container..."

"It should be a part of the 'box'. In other words, it was made by Xiwang... I'll find out when I go back and ask Wei Erwei."

"........."

"Let's collect some seawater and then go back."

"Well, we understand."

The team members nodded one after another, put away the sadness in their eyes, suppressed the thoughts in their minds, and focused on the things at hand.

After all... the appearance of a Herrscher Core means that a Herrscher has been defeated. Plus, as Velvet said, after she restored the data, she found that the last command of the "Box" was "self-destruction". And right before her, there is another part that may belong to the "Box" that contains the "Herrscher Core"...

Also, the information observed previously showed that the energy wavelength of a Herrscher appeared for a moment...

By combining all the information, everyone was able to reconstruct the situation at that time.

It was probably because Xi Wang fought hard here and found that the defense line had completely collapsed, so he decided to stay and cover their retreat. After forcibly sending Elini out of the battlefield, he stayed to fight with two "Herrsers"... No, it should have been one at that time, and then a new "Herrser" suddenly appeared.

Faced with the attack of two "Herrs", Xi Wang also planned to make a desperate effort to defeat a "Herrs" with the "self-destruct" program of the "Box", successfully defeat it and save its core.

As a result, he was attacked by another "Herrser" and died...

Such a story emerged in everyone's mind almost naturally, and they also understood what Alicia meant by "you can go back"... because various signs were filling in this "story" and at the same time leading their thoughts in a very bad direction.

This is really painful, because they did not see the "ending" with their own eyes. They did not see the corpse, or anything that could truly confirm Xi Wang's death. They could only rely on other things to infer.

But all these things led their thoughts to a bad ending, making them more and more certain... Xi Wang was dead, died in battle, died heroically in the battle with two "Hershers", and even killed a "Hershers" before dying, and successfully left behind the "Hershers Core".

They have basically believed this set of speculations because it is the only "reasonable" one.

Therefore, they showed sad emotions, and under Alicia's command, they carefully collected some sea water and quickly left, following the way they came, heading inland, towards a dry and safe place.

"........."

Standing on the edge of the cliff, Alicia paused for a moment, looking at the team members in front of her who were handing over to others. Looking at the "Herrser Core" that was handed over and sealed in a new container along with the old container, she pursed her lips, not knowing what expression to show.

? !

But suddenly, she seemed to sense something, and turned back abruptly to look at the distant sea that was as dark as the night.

She just felt as if someone looked at her.

"Captain, what's wrong?"

Someone noticed Alicia's abnormality and remained on guard while looking at the dim distant sea, as if they were worried that another Honkai beast was about to crawl out of the sea.

"...No, it's okay."

Alicia blinked, sensed carefully, and found that she no longer had the feeling of being watched, so she shook her head and spoke softly.

"Go back first."

Alicia glanced at the dim distant sea again, and after confirming that the feeling had not reappeared, she followed the team members onto the aircraft and flew towards the base of the "Fire Moth".

……

…………

And in the distant sea as dark as night, drizzles fell from the sky, landing on the sea surface, gently causing a tiny ripple, which was then obscured and covered by the waves.

wow-

It was the sound of crashing waves, accompanied by a hint of doubt.

"That's not the case, Mother."

Xi Wang slowly withdrew his gaze, gently stroked the surrounding sea water, and spoke softly.

"That [Core] is useless to me. I, and we, don't need that kind of thing."

wow-

"A threat? No, that's not a threat to us, is it, Mother?"

"Moreover...if we don't give them some expectations, some hope, and don't show them our shortcomings in some aspects...it would be too hopeless."

"And that's not what I want."

wow-

"…Um, I'm sorry, "Mother."

After a brief silence, Xi Wang slowly replied.

“I really like them…”

"I'm really sorry for being so willful all this time."

"Including this time, I added [siblings] without permission and made them the children of the "mother"... I am really sorry."

"But... no matter what, I will still do it."

wow-

The waves were gently rolling, and the white waves were quietly playing, gently lapping at his face, passing by his ears, and caressing the ends of his hair, which was white and the same color as the waves, adding a few drops of water to the hair that had already been soaked.

It did not blame him too much, but just touched him gently, giving him some comfort and strength... Just as it had said before, the [Ocean] would give him strength, support, and it was also his... [Home].

And, no matter what, compared to "before", Xi Wang was self-centered and willful, and after suffering from dryness and flames, he still wanted to leave [home] and stubbornly return to the land... Compared to that time, everything now is much better.

"...Yes, thank you, "Mother."

Xiwang tilted his head slightly, letting the sea water slide down his face, feeling the sea water that became sticky for an instant and then quickly became smooth. Xiwang smiled and responded softly.

"Thank you for favoring me so much..."

Pull pull——