"What?!"
Tesla's virtual image whipped around to face the new projection, causing the surrounding data streams to fluctuate violently. "What do you mean, another new peak?!
"Give me the model, now! And tell those old geezers that if anyone dares to fight with mathematical models in the experimental area again, I'll lock all their virtual permissions in a sweeping robot!"
The newly appeared projection was silent for a moment before speaking faintly while waving its fingers, "Dr. Tesla's attack range is quite wide. We old folks of the City of the Future feel quite offended."
Joachim clearly saw the face on Tesla's virtual projection rapidly change to the color of her hair.
"That's what I'm talking about! They're all old enough to be sleeping in the dirt! How can they still argue about such things?! I'm going to send all of them to Da Vinci to become her research materials!"
"Ahem, first of all, Lord Da Vinci hasn't performed a dissection in a long time. Secondly, this should just be an academic dispute... ah..." Albert's projection flickered, then sighed silently.
"Alright, Dr. Tesla, the situation has escalated. Dr. Galileo has attacked the other two doctors with her treasured iron ball... um, I hope you were joking when you said you would lock the three doctors in a sweeping robot."
"Is this any time for jokes?!"
From Joachim's perspective, Dr. Tesla's two fiery red twintails seemed to be dancing with her rage, turning into two menacing tentacles, determined to punish all the "great" scientists who might have already started pulling each other's hair.
Joachim didn't dare to breathe, afraid that the furious Tesla would notice him.
"Hm? Why are you still here?" Contrary to his wishes, Tesla turned her head and saw the silent Joachim. In an instant, Joachim felt Tesla's anger singeing his eyebrows.
"You little brat! The list and the models have been given to you! Act according to the plan! Don't die and add to my workload!"
Tesla threw a hasty sentence in Joachim's direction without turning her head. The next moment, her projection, along with Albert's, instantly dimmed and dissipated.
The rushing waterfall of data around them also seemed to be cut off by an invisible hand, suddenly stagnating and disappearing.
The virtual vision before Joachim was plunged into complete darkness, leaving only the cold, systematic prompt of Albert's system echoing in his consciousness:
[Communication forcibly terminated. The connecting party has actively cut the connection. Incomplete data transmission has been saved to the local cache.]
[Message from Dr. Albert Einstein: 'Good luck, little Arahata. Remember to bring back some physical samples of Honkai energy, if possible.']
His consciousness was abruptly thrown back into reality.
Joachim took off the helmet, fine beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
The communication with the two top scientists was brief, but the amount of information was huge, and it ended so abruptly. The final outcome made the ominous premonition in his heart even stronger.
The anomaly in Siberia, the Tower of Babel, the arguing scholars, the brand new spatial peak... all pointed to one fact: the anomaly was not only happening in Sapphire City. A huge change was accelerating on a global scale.
He forced himself not to think about what was happening in the Siberian snowfields and quickly browsed through the three Honkai energy diffusion models Tesla had sent.
The models were quite rough, with numerous variables, but they all pointed to a common result—the outbreak of the Honkai would be sudden and violent, accompanied by strong energy radiation and spatial distortion.
Conventional evacuation and defense measures, under the highest intensity predicted by the models, would have minimal effect.
It would help, but definitely not much. Joachim looked at the three models, his headache growing more intense.
"Time... is really running out," Joachim repeated this sentence in a low voice, but this time, there was no longer any confusion about the unknown, only a cold and decisive resolve.
The world was changing. A situation that could mobilize so many people had appeared in Siberia... maybe Fu Hua and the others knew something?
He glanced again at the list of [Sequence Two] support permissions Tesla had given him.
It included some non-lethal high-tech equipment, intelligence support permissions, and the coordinates of several safe houses and supply points in and around Sapphire City.
There were no big killers like the Titan mechs, but for his upcoming infiltration and investigation mission, it was enough. This equipment could even support him with powerful combat capabilities after the Honkai outbreak.
...if he didn't fall at the first hurdle of "Honkai energy erosion."
He memorized the contents of the list, then cleared all related records from the helmet and local equipment.
Walking to the bedside, Yae Rin was still sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place here, a conversation that could decide the fate of the world.
Joachim tucked her in, his eyes complicated.
He placed a portion of cash and a piece of paper with a simple contact method next to the breakfast, then quietly placed a communicator, which he rarely used but was highly encrypted and idiot-proof, by the child's pillow.
He had already notified his friend in the City of the Future... which was Anna here. However, he had not revealed any information about the Honkai to Anna. This was a request from the future Anna.
Joachim didn't know why the other wanted to prevent her other self from knowing about it. He could keenly sense that Anna didn't seem to be in a good mood when she made this decision.
But he still respected the other's opinion and made this choice.
According to his estimation, the girl would wake up in the afternoon. At that time, it would be very close to the time of the Honkai's descent that Fu Hua and the others had mentioned. He could only hope that he could rush back in time.
Even if the girl woke up in the middle of it, the note could tell this child what to do. The communicator could not only contact him, but also Anna from the City of the Future who was on her way, and could even dial any phone number the girl could remember.
But he hoped even more that this girl would also be able to survive the first hurdle of Honkai energy erosion.
After doing all this, he did not linger. Taking a deep breath, Joachim no longer hesitated. He put on his glasses, straightened his clothes, making himself look like an ordinary young programmer who might have just returned from working overtime, then quietly left the rented apartment.
The door was gently closed.
Inside the door, there was a still-peaceful dream and a tranquility that was unknown how long it could last.
The breakfast was quietly placed on the bedside table, with the cash and the note pressed underneath, like an ordinary farewell on an ordinary morning.
Outside the door, there was the already bustling city and the disaster that was counting down.
The morning sun completely dispelled the darkness of the night. The streets were bustling with traffic, pedestrians hurried by, and everything seemed no different from usual.
But Joachim knew that under this calm surface, an undercurrent was already raging.
Tesla's abrupt termination of the communication, the abnormal spatial readings from Siberia, and the three Honkai models in his mind that were constantly calculating, pointing towards destruction, were all like alarm bells ringing in his heart.
He blended into the morning crowd, his gaze sharp and calm as he scanned his surroundings.
He no longer thought about the disputes in the City of the Future, no longer worried about the anomaly in Siberia, and even temporarily suppressed the battle situation at the Taixu Martial Arts School.
At this moment, his goal was very clear—the first address on the list of survivors, the place where the man named "Yun Feng" was located, a place that could become the core of a future shelter—
The Sapphire Pearl.
His battle had no smoke, but it was about the future.
This would be a secret war against time. Before the shadow of the disaster completely enveloped this city, he had to lay as many pieces as possible and connect those sparks that might shine in despair.
Inside the huge circular stadium, the lights were as dense as stars on the dome, as brilliant as the stars that had just faded.
But at this moment, only the work lights for debugging were lit in the stadium, casting cold light spots on the empty seats and the stage.
Yun Feng stood at the very front of the VIP seating area, his posture upright, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit, but his tie was slightly loosened, revealing a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
He lowered his head and spoke in a low voice to Chen Shicheng beside him. "Shicheng, the sensor feedback from security door number three on the east side is still a bit delayed. Have the technical team check it again. It must be resolved before the concert starts."
The air was filled with the faint smell of cable rubber and the slight hum of the fresh air system. Chen Shicheng pushed up the black-framed glasses on his nose and frowned slightly.
He quickly recorded it on his terminal and said, "I've already rushed them twice about this. I'll go and supervise them personally again.
"Also, about the backstage catering, Sister Liu just finished communicating. There was a small problem with the delivery, but she said she can handle it, so we don't have to worry about the front."
Yun Feng nodded, the worry on his brow easing a little. "I'm relieved when Sister Liu handles things. You shouldn't be too tired either.
"The process here is almost finalized. When you go to the technical team, can you check on Mengxi? She... hasn't replied to my messages."
"If she hasn't replied, can't you go and see for yourself?" Chen Shicheng raised his eyes and glared at Yun Feng.
Yun Feng's mouth twitched, and he could only laugh awkwardly. Chen Shicheng immediately put on an expression like he had eaten sh*t. "You two again..."
"Ahem... it's just pre-concert psychological counseling... as her big brother..."
"Isn't it because you're her big brother?" Chen Shicheng complained, then lowered his head again and said something to reassure Yun Feng.
"I just came from backstage. She's in the dressing room looking at the lyric sheet... don't worry, when has your sister ever messed things up? Especially the things you've mentioned, which one of them hasn't she put twelve-tenths of her effort into doing seriously?"
Yun Feng, a standard domineering CEO, was rebuked so much that he lost his image and rubbed his nose, trying to resolve the embarrassment with this image-destroying action. "Indeed, indeed... hahaha, it's as if Mengxi is afraid of me."
The two of them fell silent at the same time. Yun Feng whipped his head around, a hint of horror on his face. "Could it be—"
Slap! Chen Shicheng slapped Yun Feng on the back, making him stumble.
"Your sister is afraid of disappointing you, of making you unhappy!" Chen Shicheng said through gritted teeth, looking as if he were angry at iron for not becoming steel. "Afraid of you? What authority do you have to make others afraid of you?"
After saying that, Chen Shicheng turned around and glared at the few burly bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses behind him. The few burly men, who were like his own brothers, immediately understood.
"CEO Yun is approachable and treats his subordinates with respect. We only have admiration for CEO Yun! Never fear!"
Chen Shicheng turned back and continued to stare at Yun Feng.
Yun Feng was a little ashamed by the chorus of the few people behind him and laughed awkwardly.
His usual image really didn't have much of a shelf. It could be said that all his authority was supported by the "King of Hell" personality that Chen Shicheng had established.
Usually, the two of them played good cop and bad cop. Their reputation among competitors in the industry was extremely poor... at least among those who only looked for someone to bully, the two of them had a terrible reputation for being tough nuts to crack.
He didn't dare to look at Chen Shicheng's "don't you know in your heart" eyes, and Chen Shicheng was still outputting his "angry at iron for not becoming steel" speech.
"You're just being overcautious because you care too much," Chen Shicheng said ruthlessly, then his tone softened a little. "Alright, I know you're nervous about her.
"Don't worry, she's stronger than you think. I'll go and see her later, and by the way... um, I'll bring her a cup of her favorite milk tea in my own name, without mentioning you."
Yun Feng whipped his head around again, a pre-fabricated look of gratitude on his face.
He patted Chen Shicheng's shoulder hard and said with great emotion, "Good brother! I'm counting on you!"
Chen Shicheng: ...
"Hey, you f*cker—" Chen Shicheng raised the tablet in his hand and was about to smack it on Yun Feng, but Yun Feng, with the same pre-fabricated action, cupped his fists and smiled gratefully while quickly retreating like he was moonwalking, creating distance.
"Mengxi has been watching her figure recently. Remember to add more sugar to the milk tea. She won't have to be on camera for a long time, so she can eat more sweets to improve her mood."
Chen Shicheng, who was retreating in a strange state, didn't forget to smile and give Chen Shicheng a reminder. Chen Shicheng's hand, raised in mid-air, trembled, and he almost threw the tablet at that guy.
But he held back. And his eyes rolled, and he immediately came up with a very vicious idea.
"Then I'll go and tell your sister that every pound she gains from now on is because you secretly added sugar," Chen Shicheng slowly lowered the tablet and said loudly as if he didn't care.
"If I say that, then for the next month, a certain someone might not be able to see his most cherished and concerned sister~"
Yun Feng, who was retreating into the distance, his face changed drastically, but this time it was Chen Shicheng who was retreating quickly, and a thick black wall had already separated the two of them.
Yun Feng looked at the disappearing Chen Shicheng, put away his expression, and silently glanced at the few "conscientious" big, dumb guys in black who had blocked his way, his mouth twitching.
He suspected that these guys were doing it on purpose.
"Mm, there's a two-hour meeting tomorrow. You guys will accompany me," he muttered, choosing the cruelest form of punishment.
In an instant, a few tragic wails sounded.
"CEO Yun! We were wrong! Why don't you just dock our pay instead?!"