"They… they did it."
Mei stood before the observation console, her eyes fixed on the massive basin that had appeared in the central Pacific on the screen, seawater now surging violently into its depths.
The edges of that basin were unnervingly precise, as if a giant spoon had carved out a chunk of the planet, a sight that chilled the soul.
She knew it then—Einstein had succeeded.
The continent of Mu hadn't been crushed by the 'black hole' the Herrscher had created. Instead, it had been transported away through the Eye of the Deep.
Yet, not a trace of relief showed on Mei's face—there were far too many worries still weighing on her mind. The true side effects of Mu's disappearance—its impact on the world's ocean currents, its geological structure—hadn't fully manifested yet. The ensuing chain reactions were impossible to predict.
More importantly, the Herrscher who had created that 'black hole' was still out there. How to deal with that threat… Well, that was up to Kevin, Ato, and the others now.
...
Sector P-21, Coastline.
Aponia stood at the cliff's edge, the white fabric of her nun's habit fluttering softly in the sea breeze.
Although this place was also in the Pacific, it was still some distance from the disaster's epicenter and hadn't suffered a direct impact.
But the turbulence on the sea's surface was deeply unsettling.
The waves seemed to be chasing some invisible thing…
Aponia's eyes were closed, her hands clasped over her chest as if sensing information from afar.
After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes and turned her gaze to Kalpas, who stood beside her.
"Kalpas, I hope you can go and help them."
Her voice was soft, tinged with a plea.
Kalpas, leaning against a jagged rock nearby, let out a derisive scoff at her words. "And why should I?"
"They need… they need you," Aponia looked at him, her expression gentle. "You have the strength to do this."
Kalpas's tone was dripping with scorn. "Don't flatter yourself, Aponia. They don't need me."
"You have the strength, but no obligation," Aponia didn't argue, merely sighing quietly. "Although… this is just my personal request. Whether you do it or not, I won't blame you."
Kalpas fell silent. He seemed to consider it, his eyes—hidden behind the mask—staring into some unseen distance, their light dimming slightly.
...
"This situation isn't looking good…"
Einstein's expression was grave as she surveyed the nearly omnipresent white light surrounding them.
This was a unit of space within the Sea of Quanta, light permeating every corner with an unreal, hazy quality.
After being transported here, the continent of Mu seemed to have formed a brand new World Bubble, suspended within this void.
The news was a mix of good and bad.
The good news, of course, was that the transport had succeeded. At least they hadn't been swallowed by that 'black hole.' Lives had been spared.
But this inexplicable light around them hadn't dissipated yet, likely a lingering aftereffect of the spatial transfer.
Yet, this light also made the extent of the devastation below all too clear—and that was the bad news.
The entire continent of Mu had been torn into several large pieces under the strain of the twisted space, like a cake smashed on the floor, connected now only by scattered fragments of land.
In this strange visual field, they could actually see the entire continent's full form, a shattered vista that weighed heavily on the heart.
"Dr. MEI… are you alright?"
Elysia had been staying by her side. Seeing the tension on Einstein's profile, she asked softly.
"I'm fine," Einstein shook her head, her voice slightly hoarse. "I'm just thinking… about what to do for the people trapped here now."
"Although the life support systems weren't completely destroyed, they should be able to provide oxygen, water, and other essential resources for some time…"
"But staying in a place like this, with no stable environment and no sufficient supply lines, everyone here would only face a slow, creeping death…"
Einstein paused. Though they could just leave this place directly using Vya's power…
"Since I was the one who made the choice to transport us, I naturally have to take responsibility for it."
Just then, Vya suddenly raised the very pretty sword in her hand.
She gave the sword a little shake and asked quietly, "Dudu, Dudu, do you have any ideas?"
"Let's not make Dr. MEI worry anymore."
Einstein turned, her gaze falling on the sword. "That is…?"
She looked more closely, then suddenly remembered. "The core vessel from the Macroscopic Modification of Microscopic Particles project?"
"Huh? Dr. MEI, you know about Dudu?" Vya blinked, somewhat surprised.
Einstein nodded. "I heard the project was successful, though it later ran into some technical difficulties and never saw deployment. I didn't expect it to be in your hands."
"That's right, it's me!"
Dudu suddenly shifted from sword form into a small, winged blade, hovering by Vya's hand.
"It developed self-awareness?" Einstein murmured. "Well, that explains why there were problems."
Dudu flapped its tiny wings, a touch of pride in its tone. "That's not the point right now! The point is how to solve the problem of getting back!"
"Hmm~" Elysia reached out with a smile, lightly poking Dudu's wing with a finger. "So, do you have a solution?"
Dudu wobbled from the poke but didn't dare complain—after all, this was the boss's sister. Not someone to mess with.
It got serious. "Among my basic functions, the only one useful now is spatial cutting."
It paused, then added with a hint of showing off, "Of course, if you want, wielding me could also enhance your vitality, turn you into an invincible superhuman! Pretty impressive, right?"
Einstein clearly had no interest in its 'additional features,' asking directly, "The superhuman part is unnecessary; I'm not interested. You said you can cut space. To what extent, specifically?"
If Dudu could pinpoint their original homeworld and establish a stable passageway, then everyone here could be saved.
Dudu answered, "Probably enough to traverse space and return to Earth."
Einstein pressed further, "Can you establish a stable channel? It needs to be stable enough for this many people to pass through."
"Stable is definitely not possible," Dudu shook its head. "Even if we could force it open, it wouldn't last long. The spatial fluctuations would be too intense."
"Doctor, you surely understand the difficulty—maintaining a stable connection between two different spaces requires an unimaginable amount of energy."
Einstein fell silent for a moment, carefully considering Dudu's words, then slowly nodded. "There's hope, at least. If we can establish a temporary channel, allow communication between both sides, relay the situation here back, and have them figure out a way to receive us… then there should be a path forward…"
She let out a long breath, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly.
At least, things hadn't descended into the worst-case scenario.
As for more specific details—like the channel's energy supply, the order of personnel transfer—those would need to be worked out slowly.
But… the continent of Mu housed the vast majority of the world's armed puppets.
Should the humans leave first, leaving the puppets behind to maintain order temporarily?
Or should humans and puppets coexist here, waiting together for transfer?
Or perhaps, simply abandon this shattered fragment of Mu and have everyone, humans and puppets alike, evacuate through the channel together?
Questions swirled in Einstein's mind.
"Should humanity abandon Mu?"
…
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