At this point, Otto knew that cursing anyone wouldn't change the situation.
But thinking about how things had gotten to this stage, Otto still felt—so damn infuriating.
Although things hadn't reached an irreversible point yet, the thought that the Honkai would take such direct action made Otto feel that he could no longer force himself to be optimistic.
True, Otto had set up contingencies in some Schicksal bases outside of HQ.
He had also released Li Sushang ahead of time, placing her in this base because he judged that 'his old friend had been visiting a bit too often lately,' to avoid an early encounter between the two.
But now, Otto had to admit that he was temporarily on the back foot.
If he went back now, Fu Hua's murderous intent might be amplified by the Herrscher Personality, and she'd come looking for trouble.
And Otto hadn't forgotten one thing.
That damned Su was Fu Hua's comrade.
Although a comrade being lured by a Herrscher Personality wasn't a good thing, when Otto thought about the crazy way Su had crashed Thousand Worlds into him last time...
He had a feeling the probability of the two pioneers teaming up to take him down was ridiculously high.
At this point, Otto felt that if he didn't pull off something drastic, he probably wouldn't be able to break the stalemate.
The Gem of Haste had to be delivered, but just putting himself in the shoes of a World Serpent executive, Otto felt that even delivering the gem was an incredibly difficult task.
There were many reasons why World Serpent had gone from a powerful organization lurking in the shadows to its current miserable state.
But no matter how many objective factors there were, the one who had directly struck them was Otto, who had been constantly attacking World Serpent.
Now, it was practically an open secret who held the Gem of Haste. If the World Serpent executives had even a shred of intelligence, they would not easily believe that Otto, the man who had pushed them to the brink, would give them something so precious.
The thought of this gave Otto a phantom headache.
*Sigh, time.*
*I remember just half a month ago, I was thinking 'Kiana's affection for Leo Ash should be high enough,' and preparing for the next step of my plan.*
*But it's only been half a month!*
*It's one thing for Leo Ash to have gotten so much stronger, but my old friend also regained her past strength.*
*It's one thing for my old friend to have regained her past strength, but the Honkai actually took such a gamble and turned her into a Herrscher.*
*It's one thing for the Honkai to take such a gamble, but my old friend has such a huge problem with me, and the Honkai's gamble actually paid off.*
Even though Otto had just received the video from Amber, showing Leo Ash denouncing Su and being annoyed at Otto for giving Su authority, the current Otto truly felt besieged on all sides.
To be honest, Otto had paid a high price to stabilize the previously frenzied Su.
But in the past, Otto felt that as long as he could get his hands on Thousand Worlds, the price wasn't actually that high.
In the past half-month, Otto had planned many schemes to kill Su and had indeed come up with some suitable methods.
But before he could even start preparing to execute them, the situation had become so dire.
*Leo Ash... sigh, this young man knows I'm a bad person, but he still trusts me.*
*It's just a pity that in front of someone like Su, even if you have a brain, you haven't been trained in the art of political maneuvering.*
*You and Theresa can't win against that man.*
*The time I have left is truly running out. World Serpent...*
*I'll just have to take a gamble.*
At this moment, having made his decision, Otto opened the screen before him and spoke to his confidant within.
"Have Sushang come see me."
"I understand, Lord Otto."
A few minutes after issuing the command, Otto saw Li Sushang, now wearing the Godsbane Armor, [Jade Knight].
However, looking at Otto, Li Sushang immediately showed a look of concern.
"Raksha, are you alright?"
"Why do I feel like the moment I saw you, your expression showed a kind of... exhaustion?"
"Haha, it's just a small matter."
Realizing he had lost his composure, Otto chuckled lightly and said to Li Sushang.
"Let's not talk about me. Sushang, how are you feeling now?"
"How am I feeling?"
"How am I feeling..."
Hearing Otto's question, Li Sushang replied with a sense of helplessness.
"You just told me five hundred years have passed. How do you think I could possibly be feeling?"
"Although I feel that life for the common people now, aside from some more convenient tools, isn't much different from the past, to say that I'm already fine with it..."
"Hah, there's no point in deceiving myself. My heart is still in turmoil."
*That's true, after all, five hundred years have passed.*
*Even a carefree girl like Sushang couldn't possibly adapt to this completely different environment in just a few days.*
"But, you didn't call me here just to ask about my well-being, did you?"
Looking at Otto, Li Sushang spoke directly.
"I owe you a favor. If you need my help, just ask."
"Heh, then I thank you in advance, Heroine Sushang."
At this moment, Otto picked up the Gem of Haste, which was stored in a small Soulium box, and said to Li Sushang.
"This Herrscher Core is something that can sway the balance of the world."
"And right now, in my opinion, this core should not remain with me, but should be given to someone who can make use of it."
"So, I hope that you, Sushang, can first help me deliver this item and a letter to a certain place. With your strength, completing this task should be a small matter."
"Huh?"
Watching Otto place the Gem of Haste back into the small box and hand it to her, Li Sushang showed a strange expression.
"Although I can feel that this gem indeed has a powerful true qi fluctuation, I slept for five hundred years, and my first job after waking up is to be a courier?"
Hearing Li Sushang's complaint, Otto spoke with great seriousness.
"Sushang, believe me. Although this mission may seem simple, it is an action that can absolutely change the state of the world."
"I'm facing some trouble right now, and the only person I can rely on is you."
Faced with Otto's heart-stirring words, Li Sushang was momentarily stunned.
*Wow, I thought this Raksha was some big shot, but now he's giving me the impression that he's fallen on hard times.*
*Oh well, since he's put it like that, there's no harm in helping him out.*
"Say no more, say no more. This young lady will be waiting for you to give her the address."
Watching Li Sushang leave with the box, the smile on Otto's face gradually faded.
During this time, Wraith's investigation into the ruins of World Serpent's bases had not been entirely without progress.
It was just that in Otto's view, the intelligence Wraith had gathered was still too little.
Even if some of World Serpent's industries hadn't been uprooted, Otto couldn't be bothered to touch them anymore.
One must leave a way out in one's actions, otherwise, when trouble arises, it becomes easier to be cornered by the enemy.
And now, Otto was incredibly glad that he hadn't completely destroyed World Serpent's remaining foundation.
His current plan was simple.
World Serpent wants the Current Era's Herrscher Cores, so Otto will give them one to show his sincerity.
As for whether World Serpent believes him, Otto wasn't sure, but he also didn't really care.
If World Serpent grows stronger, and Otto is officially 'missing,' then if World Serpent believes Otto and they cooperate, Otto will have turned the current stalemate around.
And if World Serpent doesn't believe him and thinks it's a trap, given how desperate they are, they won't just sit on the gem and do nothing.
The current situation is unfavorable for Otto, so Otto will just break the current situation.
As for what the situation will be like afterwards...
—LMAO, the situation is already this bad. When you're at rock bottom, any direction is up. What's he afraid of?
And as for having Li Sushang deliver the gem, it was purely because Otto felt that the God of Honkai must have its eyes on him.
He has one thought, and Fu Hua immediately becomes a Herrscher and breaks his neck.
He walks towards the Gem of Haste, and Fu Hua is immediately empowered by the Honkai and blows up the warehouse he's in with a single punch.
In the current situation, if Otto were to deliver the gem himself, Fu Hua might just mysteriously appear at that location, guided by the God of Honkai, to ambush him.
As for whether Li Sushang would be targeted, the probability was always lower.
*Now, I've done everything I can. I hope World Serpent isn't foolish.*
*Besides, I still have questions for them.*
*My plan requires a 'fully awakened Herrscher of the Void,' 'Thousand Worlds,' and that beacon.*
*Putting Kiana's awakening aside for now, Thousand Worlds is not in my hands but is within my sight.*
*But this beacon, I have clues, but not enough information.*
*World Serpent's foundation is strong enough. If we can cooperate this time, maybe I can obtain what I want from them.*
...
About a few hours later, at World Serpent HQ.
Inside World Serpent's headquarters, Gray Serpent recalled the recent events and felt himself becoming more and more unwell.
He was a cyborg, and cyborgs were not supposed to feel fatigue.
But looking at the current state of World Serpent, Gray Serpent, for some reason, just felt mentally exhausted.
Jackal was already working very hard.
After she further modified those twins, they even gained new abilities.
With their current abilities, they were already strong enough to be a formidable combat force.
As for Wendy, that little girl was still trying to maintain an optimistic attitude. Gray Serpent had already given up on turning her into a Herrscher.
When the time comes, they'll just toss Wendy into the Eye of the Deep, and whether the plan succeeds or not will be up to fate.
And for the modification of the Staff of the Netherworld, Gray Serpent could only say that Jackal was truly doing her best.
The modification of this item involved various technical issues. Jackal had been frantically researching and working on it, becoming so thin that she was like a different person.
Although Jackal told Gray Serpent she had some plans, Gray Serpent really felt that the probability of failure was still high.
*Damn you, Otto!*
*Damn you, Leo Ash!*
*Damn you, Su!*
*And that ungrateful Hua!*
*If you had all obediently followed the footsteps of the Lord, humanity would have been saved long ago!*
*But now, after the Lord was betrayed, our Stigmata Project has been unable to proceed...*
*Wait, what is this intelligence?*
Looking at the intelligence sent by the other Gray Serpents, the administrator Gray Serpent clicked on the information sent by his 'brother' and was instantly stunned.
*What the hell?*
*Hua wrecked Schicksal HQ?*
*Otto went missing after being beaten up by Hua?*
*Su and Hua don't seem to be on good terms?*
*Hua and Leo Ash fought?*
Looking at the video clips sent at great risk by his subordinates lurking in Schicksal HQ, the administrator Gray Serpent felt like he hadn't woken up properly.
Just a moment ago, Gray Serpent was cursing these damned enemies.
But not even two minutes had passed, and his subordinates had sent this baffling intelligence to him.
It could be said that all the people Gray Serpent had just cursed were caught up in this turmoil.
And facing this situation now, Gray Serpent felt not joy, but only shock.
Happiness had come too suddenly.
The enemy's home base was fighting amongst themselves. The result now was Otto missing, Fu Hua missing, Leo Ash injured, and Su not teaming up with Hua.
For Gray Serpent, this was, in a sense, the best possible outcome.
And that wasn't all.
In the next moment, Gray Serpent received another message.
Just today, a woman from Shenzhou, claiming to be an associate of a Raksha, had left a letter and a box at one of World Serpent's businesses.
And according to the image Gray Serpent saw, inside that box was—without a doubt, a Herrscher Core!
*What the hell?*
*Isn't this the Gem of Haste?*
*The only reason Dr. Magi was able to get the Gem of Serenity back then was because Otto had set a trap.*
*But now, the well-guarded Gem of Haste has appeared before me. Am I dreaming?*
At this moment, a very absurd thought suddenly occurred to Gray Serpent.
*The only person who could access the gem is basically Otto.*
*And Otto is missing.*
*So, the person who sent the Gem of Haste...*
*—could it be a subordinate of Otto Apocalypse?*
.....