It started at some unknown point, as if a silent nightmare had descended upon the world. People everywhere began unknowingly falling victim to a strange "sleeping sickness."
Those afflicted would fall into a deep slumber without any warning, as if pulled by an invisible hand into another world.
After thorough verification and research, a grim-faced Mei announced that this was caused by an unconfirmed power of the Honkai. It was highly likely the so-called Eighth Herrscher had appeared.
The Eighth Herrscher possessed the ability of a memetic weapon. By contaminating certain words, it could cause people to fall asleep and enter an illusory "dream."
Although a corresponding drug had been developed—one that could affect people's cognition and make them unable to notice those specific contaminated words—the tainted terms kept constantly changing. The slightest lapse in attention could still lead to falling victim and sinking into slumber.
Moreover, the situation was becoming even more dire. While humanity was scrambling to locate the Herrscher, the Herrscher was also lurking in the shadows, seeking a way to pinpoint humans. What she could achieve then would be far more than just putting people to sleep.
...
In Mobius's laboratory, it felt like an isolated safe haven, all thanks to Vya's presence.
"This time, the little one isn't going to be of much use," Mobius said, gently ruffling Vya's small head, a hint of helpless yet fond amusement in her eyes.
Vya tilted her head, curiously watching the two sisters, Mobius and Mei. Her clear eyes were full of confusion, as if she was trying hard to understand the adults' conversation.
"But it's nice that she can guarantee our safety," Mobius joked. With Elysia absent for now, having Vya to herself for a while wasn't so bad, was it?
"Now the Herrscher is likely about to launch a real attack. If we still can't pinpoint the Herrscher's exact location, things will get troublesome..." Mei's expression grew increasingly grave. She knew all too well that if it came to that, those trapped in the dream might never wake up. They might even fall under the Herrscher's control, becoming puppets in her hands.
"Haven't you and Dr. Spacy reached the final stage of the plan you devised together?"
"Not to complain, but performing those surgeries on those people was quite exhausting."
Hearing this, Mei let out a slight sigh, a trace of weariness on her face. "I hope they succeed..."
At this moment, Kevin was a sharp, unsheathed sword, quietly waiting for the right moment, ready to strike like lightning, to pierce through the Herrscher's weak point and resolve this crisis once and for all.
Everyone else was also racing against time, dealing with the ever-increasing number of patients suffering from the "sleeping sickness."
...
On the other side, Dr. Spacy stood before the observation hub, watching Su and the others participating in the experiment inside.
After undergoing the surgery, they theoretically should be able to maintain their self-awareness even after entering the "dream."
If they could successfully "grab" the Herrscher's coordinates, then this terrifying disaster could soon be declared over.
Although it sounded simple, putting it into practice was like finding a needle in a haystack. After all, searching for the deeply hidden traces of the Herrscher within a dream shared by millions was unimaginably difficult.
"Su... what's wrong? Did you remember something?" Dr. Spacy asked, noticing Su's somewhat unusual expression.
As he spoke, he shook his head helplessly. The taste of the cognitive impediment drug was anything but pleasant.
"Just seeing things from the past..." Su replied, frowning slightly, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
"Uncontrolled memories are normal within the observation hub. Focus," Dr. Spacy reminded sternly. At this critical juncture, absolutely no mistakes could be allowed.
"I understand, Dr. Spacy," Su said, trying to calm himself and concentrate.
Just then, Long hurried over from nearby to report, "Doctor, the check is complete. All equipment and personnel status are confirmed normal."
"Good. Begin the experiment."
At Dr. Spacy's command, Su felt his consciousness begin to slowly sink, as if guided by a mysterious force, into another, entirely different world...
...
Elsewhere, Kosma and his two squad members, Abby and Abel, were in the base corridors. (T/N: Damn they have been around since the beginning and they got put under Kosma hahahah.)
They had just returned from a mission outside, each looking utterly exhausted.
"Just dealt with several dozen more. The hospitals and aid stations are completely overflowing now..." Abby said, shaking her head wearily as they walked, her voice full of fatigue and worry.
Abel chimed in beside him, "I heard the number has risen to two million now. Who knows when this will end..."
"Let's trust them for now. There will be a solution," Kosma said, trying to rally everyone, though inwardly he was worried about Dystopia...
As a rare mental-type MANTIS, she had some resistance to the Herrscher's abilities, but the mental cognitive impediment drugs also had little effect on her. This concerned Kosma greatly.
'Better not dwell on it. Need to get back quickly.'
Kosma quickened his pace.
As he walked, Kosma suddenly felt something was off.
Usually, these two behind him were quite chatty. Why were they so quiet now? It was unusually silent.
A bad feeling welled up in Kosma's heart all at once...
His danger sense was quite sharp, an intuition honed through countless battles...
Sure enough, just as internal alarms blared in his mind, a sharp dagger was thrust straight towards his back...
Kosma instinctively sidestepped while swiftly turning, only to find the person holding the dagger was Abby... and Abel already had his gun aimed at him.
Kosma was shocked. Why would his own teammates suddenly attack him?
Despite his confusion, years of combat experience made him react swiftly. He lifted his leg and kicked, precisely knocking the gun from Abel's hand. Simultaneously, he grabbed Abby's arm and executed a flawless shoulder throw...
Abby's body arced through the air and landed directly on top of Abel...
The two piled heavily together.
Seeing their condition was completely abnormal, Kosma quickly subdued and bound them.
Looking closely, a strange, swirling blackness filled their eyes.
"The Herrscher's attack... or something else...?" Kosma frowned, thinking to himself.
Suddenly, he remembered Mei mentioning that the Herrscher's ability in its first stage only dragged people into the dream.
If the Herrscher's attack entered the next stage, it could directly and thoroughly corrupt and manipulate a person's mind...
'Not good!'
Kosma's heart sank. He sensed unusual movement in the distance; likely many more had been affected.
Not daring to delay another moment, Kosma sped up, running toward those areas...
He didn't know what he could do, but he couldn't just stand by and do nothing...
…
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