Honkai, why do you only play high-end games?

As he was speaking, Cocolia had already received the notification - the new energy engine was assumed to be completed and the energy pipeline was connected correctly.

"very good."

Seeing that the preparations were complete, Cocolia simply left the two of them behind and walked straight over, shouting,

"start!"

Chapter 196: Eye of the Abyss (7,000 words)

"Sunk cost" is something that can easily make people lose their minds.

To put it simply, "I've already bought it", "I've already come"...

People often use this method to comfort themselves, allowing themselves to accept the disappointing reality with peace of mind; ultimately, this is a "loss aversion" mentality that makes people instinctively want to avoid losses in various ways.

Generally speaking, those gamblers who have lost everything have all become radical and extreme because their rationality has been overwhelmed by the huge sunk costs. Since they have lost everything, they might as well put their remaining assets into it as well, just in case they can turn the tables.

At this time, Cocolia was like a gambler who had lost all his money and became stubborn, paranoid and crazy.

To some extent, this is also an inevitable result:

Just like before everything started, when Tesla and Einstein found out that Cocolia had launched this ruins exploration mission without authorization at the cost of almost exhausting anti-entropy, even though they were furious about it and even though they knew that there was probably something fishy about it, they could only reluctantly admit the reality and join the action to give her a legal procedure for going it alone.

There is no way. In the eyes of the two doctors, most of the anti-entropy has been filled into this underwater abyss by Cocolia. They have to admit it even if they don't want to. Otherwise, they are doomed to suffer heavy losses and lose all their money. It may even cause dissatisfaction among other members of the organization and lead to a split.

So, they had no choice but to hold their noses and be tied to the chariot by Cocolia.

To some extent, the same is true for Cocolia at this moment...

Do you think she really doesn't understand that we have just survived a crisis and the situation is unclear, and the most sensible choice should be to retreat temporarily and take long-term plans?

How can it be!

However, the entire operation from beginning to end was a private act of hers without the organization's prior consent - even the two doctors joined in the middle, and only after paying the "Father's" blueprint in exchange were they able to join the operation as collaborators.

Up to this point, everything is still normal. The two factions can even use this action as an opportunity to begin to ease the relationship that had already become tense. This is a good thing that both sides would welcome.

However, when the operation suddenly suffered a major setback, it caused a huge disaster externally and suffered huge losses in manpower, material resources, and even military forces centered on mecha troops internally - especially when all the losses were suffered by Cocolia's own forces.

The conservatives represented by the two doctors only lost an Alaharto!

If they choose to retreat "rationally" at this point, Kokolia's fall from power will be the inevitable consequence; and someone must bear the consequences of the heavy losses suffered by the Anti-Entropy Organization - and that person can only be Kokolia himself, who has already lost power.

The consequence is most likely to be like Lei Dian Long Ma, being sent to court and imprisoned.

How can you expect Cocolia to accept such a thing?

Therefore, no matter for her own ambitions or the practical need to protect herself, she must and can only go her own way to the end!

"The battle is over, the crisis is over, and the fruits of victory are right before our eyes, within our grasp! We've come to this point, how can we give up? How can we give up!"

Cocolia's heart, which had already lost its mind, screamed hysterically and crazily.

"As long as we successfully open this relic, as long as we get that key and open the door to that quantum realm, all the costs and sacrifices will be worth it!"

"I, Cocolia, am the true hero of the anti-entropy movement!"

Moreover, the reason she had found before was not wrong - the sudden outbreak of destruction in Southeast Asia would indeed greatly attract the attention and power of Tianming, making it difficult to spare energy and manpower to cause trouble for herself.

So, now is the best time to take action, absolutely!

"Heh, if we want to ensure the smooth operation, we have to make sure those two annoying doctors stay put and watch from the sidelines so they don't cause any trouble."

When Kokolia took the opportunity to go out, she had already made up her mind to strike first - even if this would lead to a complete split between the two factions.

Otherwise, once I admit defeat, my faction will no longer exist. In this case, what difference does it make whether I break away or not?

As long as I can successfully open that door and prove that I am right, I will still have the capital to sit down and negotiate!

"Since there's no way out, let's just take a gamble!"

Cocolia seemed calm but actually thought frantically, took a deep breath, and gave a loud order.

"start!"

All the procedures had been basically completed before, and now she only needed to copy the answers verbatim. Therefore, the refusal of the two doctors to cooperate did not pose any threat to her at all.

Following her order, all the remaining mecha troops, except for the "guards" guarding the two doctors, began to move in an orderly manner, carrying countless corpses of Honkai beasts from inside and outside the ruins, and then filling them into the energy furnace one by one.

The silent furnace once again slowly emitted light amidst the humming sound, and after the humming sound gradually turned into a roaring roar, the originally subtle and soft light became extremely bright in a very short time, illuminating this always dark and silent underwater world like daylight.

The high temperature generated by the engine stirred and evaporated a large amount of seawater, causing the seawater in a small area around it to jump and boil. Countless bubbles stirred up a long and thin vortex, engulfing the huge engine and the surrounding mechas responsible for the engine's operation, as if to stir and tear them apart as well.

But how could this little bit of power possibly defeat anti-entropy technology?

The high-speed engine outputs surging energy, which is all injected into the dried-up ruins through cables that are unimaginably thick. The barrier system that had briefly lit up and then fallen silent not long ago was activated again, supporting a dome as bright and brilliant as crystal.

"Hahahahahaha..."

Seeing that the game was going as smoothly as expected, Cocolia couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"What should we do with this chicken coop head? Are we just going to watch this happen?"

Alahato was destroyed. Inside the cockpit, which had been separated from the aircraft and had become an escape pod, Tesla angrily pushed the joystick, which had long since lost all meaning, and shouted unwillingly,

"We have to find a way to stop her!"

"Don't waste your energy, Dr. Tesla."

Before Einstein could reply, Cocolia interrupted with a sneer.

"For your own safety, and to prevent you from doing anything stupid, Doctor, I think it's best to take some safety measures in advance..."

"What do you want to do?"

Tesla is in trouble.

"The doctor has such a bad temper. Be careful not to accidentally press a dangerous button that shouldn't be touched, causing the terrifying seawater to invade the cabin. The consequences... hehe, I'm afraid I don't need to repeat myself."

Since she had decided to take the initiative, Kokolia was not polite at all, and then arrogantly gave orders to her left and right.

"Dr. Tesla is, after all, a key member of Anti-Entropy, possessing a brilliant mind. As a colleague and close collaborator, for your safety, I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure—weld her hatch shut!"

"you!"

Tesla's eyes widened, he could hardly believe his ears.

Cocolia completely ignored Tesla's anger and accusations, and even kindly reminded him,

"Be careful. If you damage the air circulation system inside, it will be troublesome."

"Cokolia!"

The welding sounds of the mecha faithfully executing orders, along with the roar of the energy engine in the distance, easily drowned out Tesla's roar that was like an explosion.

Tesla, who was proud of himself, felt indescribable humiliation for a moment when the mecha he designed behaved like this!

"Dr. Einstein, I think you should understand my difficulties, right?"

Cocolia was too lazy to listen to Tesla's polite words, so she changed her target and explained to Einstein in a seemingly friendly manner,

"After all, I think neither you nor I want to lose an important colleague here, am I right?"

"...You're right, Ms. Cocolia, thank you. I'm indeed worried that Dr. Tesla might do something irrational under impulse; however, I'm very curious..."

Unlike Tesla, who was becoming increasingly furious, Einstein was the complete opposite. She was completely disappointed with Cocolia at this moment, and naturally no longer felt the slightest bit of anger towards her. She just asked calmly,

"You've done so many evil things. When the leader returns one day, how are you going to explain this to him?"

Walter was an unshakable banner, the core that kept Anti-Entropy united and continuing to this day. Therefore, although Joachim was still a somewhat impulsive and immature guy in her eyes, both she and Tesla always tacitly helped him maintain his authority as the "Anti-Entropy Leader."

Even though Walter himself was absent for a long time - sometimes they even had to bring him back and force him to work by holding his head down - it did not stop them from doing so.

"...Humph, I will naturally offer achievements that will satisfy the Lord Alliance Leader."

Cocolia couldn't help but pause when she heard this, and waved her hand awkwardly.

As a latecomer, she didn't know what secrets were involved.

In Cocolia's mind, the First Ruler Walter, the leader of the alliance, is both mysterious and powerful - otherwise, how could he have been able to compete with Destiny and Otto for so long?

"Really? That'd better be the case."

Seeing this, Einstein understood what was going on and was too lazy to talk to her anymore. He used silence as a silent resistance, and also as a way to protect himself.

After all, she could see clearly that Cocolia was a little crazy at the moment. If she provoked her and caused herself and Tesla to die here, wouldn't that completely fulfill her ambition?

You must first ensure that you have a future before you will have the opportunity to settle all your accounts!

"Humph!"

Einstein's sensible attitude made Cocolia very satisfied. After a light hum, he devoted all his energy to the command of the restart of the ruins.

The barrier has been opened, so the next step, of course, is to drain the water again.

As for drainage, there are new problems - several points related to the center of gravity balance calculated by Drs. Tesla and Einstein are no longer valid after the great battle and the horrific backflow of high-pressure seawater. They should be re-surveyed and recalculated.

But firstly, the two sides have already fallen out, and we can't expect the two doctors to cooperate as fully as before;

Secondly, the anxious Cocolia was unwilling to delay any longer, lest any further complications arise.

After all, in her opinion, all the accidents that were supposed to happen had already happened. The previous brutal battle did not cause the seabed to crack any wider, nor did it allow more and more powerful Honkai beasts to crawl out from deep underground and join the battle; that meant that she no longer needed to be as cautious as before.

In that case, why hesitate? Just go for it!

Even so, she still had a cautious mindset and assumed that the furnace was inside the ruins - in this way, even if a major catastrophe of the same level as the previous one really happened again; with the protection of the barrier, they would not be able to affect her pace of opening, controlling, and mastering the ruins and the key!

With such madness and ambition to achieve the goal regardless of any consequences, Kokolia directly ordered the full-power drainage program to be started without hesitation.

And so, under the two doctors' sometimes complicated or angry gazes, and as Cocolia waited anxiously, the water level within the ruins began to drop at a rate far exceeding that of the previous time. The entire ruins began to sway, rotate, and vibrate involuntarily like a tumbler, hoping to find a new balance in its ever-shifting center of gravity.

But the water level has been dropping and the center of gravity has been changing, so the shaking and vibration have continued.

Fortunately, no matter how much trouble Cocolia made, no new changes occurred on the seabed outside the ruins, which had already been in a mess. This made the three of them involuntarily breathe a sigh of relief at the same time.

Soon, the water level dropped to the bottom, and the ruins slowly emerged from the seabed again, just like before, like a palace in mythology, quietly floating in the water, not touching the ground.

"Hahahaha!"

Seeing that everything was going as expected, Cocolia couldn't help but be overjoyed. She laughed loudly and led everyone into the deepest part of the ruins.

At the end of the road, there was a gigantic, peculiarly shaped device. Like a pair of folded wings, it emanated a deep, oceanic blue luster. It stood quietly atop a massive cylindrical "container," like a carefully protected sleeping angel, quietly waiting for someone to wake it...

If Lin Wei were here, he would be surprised to find that the appearance of this device was quite similar to another device with a completely different purpose that he had seen in the paradise of the past life!

"Is this... the Eye of the Abyss?"

Cocolia couldn't help but open the cockpit of the mecha, revealing the slender figure of a blonde woman in a navy blue military uniform. She couldn't help but stand up from her seat, her eyes hazy as she reached out her hand, as if wanting to touch it herself.

"Chicken Coop Head, think of a solution!"

Tesla, unable to move, shouted anxiously.

Einstein was hesitant. Was he planning to take advantage of the opportunity to launch a sneak attack?

That's too despicable!

"Dr. Einstein, Dr. Tesla, did you see that?"

Cocolia excitedly shouted,

"This is the Eye of the Abyss, recorded in ancient civilizations! It was a magnificent device used by the once technologically advanced Mu Continent to explore the quantum dimension! Although it was sealed for tens of thousands of years by the disaster caused by the Ninth Herrscher, it remains intact... It's truly a tremendous miracle!"

"I understand how you feel, Ms. Cocolia, but I hope you can calm down."

Einstein said indifferently,

"I'm also curious how you know the specific name of this device. The detailed structural diagram you gave me previously didn't mention anything like 'Eye of the Abyss.'"

"...Huh, of course I saw it in some material other than the structural diagram. Isn't that strange, Doctor?"

Cocolia was very disappointed and snorted coldly,

"Most importantly, now that it's in our hands, we can reopen and complete the work that our predecessors left unfinished!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but get excited again and shouted,

"We! Against entropy!"

"Ha! Are you worthy?"

Tesla didn't give any face and directly retorted.

"Hmph, Dr. Tesla, I'm really disappointed in your stupidity and shortsightedness."

Cocolia was upset and could not help but retort angrily,