"Yes! The Antimatter Legion!"
She spoke decisively. The Antimatter Legion on Jarilo were just lying dormant anyway. Once reawakened, they would likely be influenced by the Honkai and mutate.
"And we can also use the Abominations of Abundance."
Kiana had already encountered them before.
Back on the Xianzhou, during the hunt for those abominations, she had fought against them—and had even caused a number of them to mutate.
Unfortunately, though…
She hadn't kept any useful specimens.
"Even if we're truly interested in Propagation, we don't have to start right away with the Swarm King experiments."
We can start with the small ones first.
Using Antimatter Legion, Abominations, or insects as test subjects didn't bother Kiana in the slightest.
What she worried about was the aftermath.
"Antimatter Legion? You mean the ones on Jarilo-VI?"
Of course, Ruan Mei knew exactly which ones she was referring to.
"If I must be honest, I'm more curious about those Kami who coexist with both Nihility and the Honkai."
That was how Kiana had been at first.
It had taken Ruan Mei a great deal of time and effort to stabilize her then—when her state was wildly unbalanced and she had fallen into a deep slumber she couldn't awaken from.
Now, the shadow of Nihility upon Kiana's body was fading more and more. Though it hadn't disappeared entirely, it was almost imperceptible now.
Ruan Mei had investigated the reason.
But unfortunately…
She hadn't gained much.
"Kami, huh…"
Kiana was momentarily stunned, her thoughts drifting to her time in Izumo.
The confusion and helplessness when she first arrived in that world, the kindness and malice she'd encountered there, her first meeting with the Kami, everything she had experienced alongside Acheron and Sirin…
Those memories…
It felt like they had happened so long ago.
Thinking of those past days, Kiana's gaze lowered slightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "There are still some Honkai creatures in Izumo—some of them were once Kami who transformed."
The Honkai creatures still living there had all evolved into new species adapted to the changed world.
They were strange and varied.
And quite dangerous.
"If we get the chance, I'll go to Izumo with you."
Ruan Mei nodded.
She had noticed Kiana's brief daze and, thinking for a moment, easily guessed what Kiana had been remembering.
But she didn't ask.
Even though she was indeed deeply curious about Kiana's past.
Their discussion on this topic ended there.
The unease born from her earlier distrust had vanished entirely.
"When are you planning to leave?"
Leave?
She had rushed to the Space Station mainly to confirm Ruan Mei's intentions. Now that she had achieved her goal—
Ruan Mei wouldn't conduct that experiment.
So what about her?
"Ruan, don't you want me to stay and keep you company for a while?"
After all, she'd only just arrived!
Kiana couldn't bring herself to rush off again after coming all the way here. She wasn't here on a business trip.
Acheron had Sirin and Bronya with her; Jyahnar… she had only just left Jarilo-VI not long ago.
And Jyahnar should be reliable.
Everything there was still calm.
As for the rest…
There didn't seem to be anything urgent.
That just left Robin—but Robin hadn't finished her own affairs yet, so it wasn't the right time to go play with her.
Unless…
She could realize that idea of hers.
If she could make it happen, she could go anywhere she wanted—never again bound by distance.
"Stay and keep me company?"
Ruan Mei's eyes glimmered faintly as she asked, "Didn't you promise Acheron you'd stay on the Xianzhou for a while?"
"Well, I'm already here, aren't I?"
Kiana said with a grin. "That was the plan before, but over on the Xianzhou, Sirin and Mei are there together."
She could stay here at the Space Station for a few days before returning—after all, Sirin and the others would still be in the Xianzhou for some time after their talks concluded.
She could go back later.
It would make no difference.
As for the Space Station—
She was already here, wasn't she? How could she just turn around and leave right away?
Even if Ruan Mei was busy, she couldn't be in meetings with Herta and the others twenty-four hours a day, right?
"Then stay with me for a few days."
Hearing her say that, Ruan Mei didn't argue further—she simply told her to stay.
"Let me give you a checkup."
Every time they reunited after some time apart, Ruan Mei always insisted on giving Kiana a full examination.
"Oh, right—Herta's been looking for someone to test the Simulated Universe. Are you interested?"
"Testing the Simulated Universe?"
"Yes."
Kiana was actually a little curious about the real Simulated Universe here. After all, this one wasn't the same as the stage-based version in the game.
However…
"I think I'll pass."
Though she was tempted and intrigued, she still shook her head and declined Ruan Mei's sudden suggestion.
"Not interested?"
"Of course I'm interested in what you're researching, Ruan!" Kiana explained. "But I use Honkai energy, remember?"
She scratched her head awkwardly. "You know that once I start using Honkai energy, I basically become a walking infection source. If I go into the Simulated Universe, wouldn't that cause… well, bugs?"
Ruan Mei fell silent.
Kiana wasn't wrong.
Introducing such a variable could cause unpredictable changes within the simulation. The Simulated Universe itself wasn't even fully built yet—if bugs appeared now…
That would be a huge hassle.
Fixing them would take time and effort.
As curious as she was about what might happen, the Simulated Universe was ultimately Herta's project.
After some thought, Ruan Mei decided against exploring that idea. If things broke, maintenance would be troublesome.
Besides, she didn't want to share Kiana's secret with anyone else. Herta, of all people, would probably take a special interest in her.
And her research already spanned too many fields.
"You're right."
"I probably wouldn't be of much help with the Simulated Universe, but if there's anything else, I can lend a hand."
"Anything else…"
Ruan Mei hesitated again. Almost instinctively, her eyes drifted toward the culture dishes on her workstation. In her spare time, she had been studying Propagation.
But Kiana would probably object.
And she certainly didn't want Kiana handling any of the dangerous components herself.
"For now, there's nothing else I need your help with."
After thinking for a moment, she looked up and asked softly, "What about you? You seem preoccupied—can I help with anything?"
"Me? I don't have anything on my mind!"
Kiana immediately denied it. Since Ruan Mei wasn't holding her hand this time, she couldn't just read her thoughts like an open book.
Of course she had things on her mind.
But they weren't big enough to trouble Ruan Mei with.
"Nothing at all?"
"Of course not!"
Ruan Mei frowned slightly, puzzled as to why she would deny it. But when something confused her, she always had a way to resolve it.
She extended her hand toward Kiana. "Give me your hand."
Kiana's smile froze in place.
A-again?
"Let's not do that!"
Kiana instinctively hid her hands behind her back—the embarrassment from last time was still fresh in her mind.
If they did that again…
If Ruan Mei read some of the thoughts she shouldn't see, Kiana would have no face left to show her.
Ruan Mei noticed the guilty look flickering across her face. She silently withdrew her hand, not pressing the issue.
She clearly didn't want her mind read.
Yet when Ruan Mei said nothing and quietly pulled her hand back, Kiana somehow felt even more guilty.
"Traveling back and forth takes too much time, so I was thinking of developing a power that lets me teleport directly."
Kiana broke the silence, shifting the topic to something else so the mood wouldn't grow awkward.
Teleportation, huh?
Ruan Mei could understand the idea—and she didn't think it was impossible either.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Do you have a direction in mind?"
"A few, yeah!"
Kiana began explaining the theories and ideas she'd been organizing recently, hoping Ruan Mei could offer some insight or guidance.
Of course, it was fine even if she didn't.
She just wanted to talk—she couldn't let the atmosphere go cold, could she?
But as they talked, Kiana soon forgot the reason she'd brought it up in the first place. Her excitement grew as she poured her energy into deduction and development.
Time, too, slipped by unnoticed.
Before she knew it, several days had passed.
Only when Herta called Ruan Mei to attend a meeting did Kiana finally come out of her obsessive state and calm down a little.
Stuck at a certain point and unable to think of a solution, Kiana decided to put it aside for now—she'd rest and clear her head before trying a new approach.
She had been here for several days straight.
She hadn't even stepped outside the laboratory doors once.
She rarely worked this hard. Suddenly stopping after such a long stretch of high focus, the exhaustion and strain she had ignored all flooded back at once.
Her body felt like it was carrying a weight of hundreds of pounds.
Ruan, despite staying up alongside her for days without rest, still had the energy to go to meetings.
Kiana truly felt the difference between people.
While her mind was focused, she hadn't noticed it much—but once she stopped, the mental fatigue was overwhelming.
She collapsed onto the couch in the break area, picked up her phone, and finally noticed that four whole days had passed.
Rubbing her sore temples, Kiana checked her unread messages, sent out a few explanations about her current situation, and replied to Jyahnar—who, without fail, sent her a message every day whether or not she received a reply.
After finishing both, she closed her eyes, clearing her mind of all those complicated thoughts and formulas.
...
When she closed her eyes, she had no idea how much time passed—maybe a few minutes, maybe a few hours, maybe longer.
Just as she managed to push all those tangled theories and symbols from her mind, she suddenly felt herself wake up again.
But this awakening…
Something about it felt strange.
At the deepest part of her consciousness lay endless darkness, and within that darkness, a golden diamond-shaped crystal glimmered faintly.
It was the only source of light in this infinite void.
Kiana didn't know why she had appeared here. Even though everything around her was dark and unfamiliar, she didn't feel afraid.
Her gaze was fixed on that light.
That crystal.
Something compelled her toward it—an irresistible curiosity to approach and find out what it was.
Was this her inner consciousness?
Or somewhere else?
What was that glowing crystal?
Was it connected to the Honkai… or to the System?
Could it be the System's true form?
Filled with questions, Kiana finally walked up to where the crystal hovered. She could now see it clearly—a flawless, golden gem that shimmered brilliantly.
It was beautiful. Without a hint of fear that anything might happen, Kiana reached out, wanting to touch it and examine it more closely.
But to her surprise—
Her hand passed straight through it.
The radiant crystal wasn't solid at all.
Kiana froze, startled.
"What's going on here?"
Unwilling to give up, Kiana tried several more times, but the result was the same—the seemingly solid crystal was nothing more than a shadow.
If she couldn't touch it directly, maybe she could try something else.
She summoned the Honkai energy under her control and reached toward the crystal once more.
This time, with the Honkai energy flowing through her, she finally touched something solid. It was no longer just a projection.
But before she could even feel any joy—
The instant her hand made contact, the crystal exploded into a burst of dazzling, blinding light.
Kiana reflexively shut her eyes, but the sudden flash still stung painfully.
At the same time, the crystal she had just managed to grasp vanished from her hand before she could even take a good look at it.
Gone?!
Startled, Kiana's eyes flew open to see what had happened—but instead of the mysterious golden crystal, she found herself staring at…
"What's wrong?"
Ruan Mei tilted her head slightly, confusion written across her face as she looked at the utterly bewildered Kiana.
It was Ruan Mei.
Kiana hadn't even noticed when she returned—now she was sitting quietly beside her.
"I… I…"
Kiana's mind was still reeling. She propped herself up and looked around. She was still in Ruan Mei's lab.
Everything looked completely normal.
That darkness… that crystal…
Could that have been the true form of the System?
A new layer of mystery settled over her thoughts.
"What did you see?"
Noticing her shaken reaction, Ruan Mei's gaze turned thoughtful. She had been back for a little while already.
When she saw Kiana sleeping, she'd quietly sat down beside her—and hadn't noticed anything unusual happen.
"It felt like I was dreaming."
Kiana tried to recall, but her memories were fuzzy. All she remembered was the endless darkness and the light within it.
"I dreamed I was standing in a dark place, and there was a golden crystal there. When I touched it, it suddenly shone brightly—and then I woke up."
Rubbing her temples, she told Ruan Mei everything. She couldn't tell if it had been real or just a dream.
Could she even dream?
Of course she could.
But this kind of dream—it was the first time.
"It doesn't sound like a dream."
Ruan Mei frowned slightly. It didn't seem like an ordinary dream at all—more like some kind of omen.
She took Kiana's hand and said softly, "Try recalling it again—every detail."
Kiana nodded and replayed the strange dream in her mind from start to finish.
But the details of the crystal itself…
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall them.
When she finished, Ruan Mei fell silent. She had never seen or heard of anything like the crystal Kiana described.
"Did you feel anything else?"
Ruan Mei asked quietly, clearly unconvinced that this was something normal.