Because Fu Hua had made her choice, Bronya decisively eliminated the one she had chosen from the three-choice question.
Mei, on her part, didn't take it too seriously.
After all, it was just a random, one-choice question. If someone could eliminate the error... even if the method seemed unreliable, it was worth a try.
Excluding Dr. Tesla's option D and Bronya's option B, the only two remaining answers were option A, Otto, and option C, World Serpent.
Although only one option was eliminated, it did remove a lot of uncertainty, significantly increasing the chances of answering the question. Choosing one of two is always better than choosing one of three, right?
Of course, that assumes they haven't eliminated the correct answer. Otherwise, choosing one out of three or one out of two would make no difference.
The right to choose was given to Kiana, who was relevant to the question.
Amidst everyone's eager anticipation, a hint of confusion crossed Kiana's pretty face.
But Kiana wasn't the type to overthink things, so having already figured things out after much thought, she didn't bother to dwell on it.
She simply made her choice without any second thought.
"I choose C, the World Serpent's plan."
[Correct]
The result was confirmed, and Kiana couldn't help but scratch her cheek, feeling a little unreal.
Is this the right answer?
Everyone was delighted that Kiana had answered the question correctly.
Well... Fu Hua, of course, was also happy, but at the same time, a sense of disappointment was also present.
This wave had been a complete loss.
Before Fu Hua could continue to lament, a video related to the question began to play.
This time, the video featured a chestnut-haired figure.
"Rita?"
Theresa was naturally familiar with Rita so she was somewhat surprised.
Besides this surprise, Rita in the video was wearing a sci-fi green ceremonial outfit.
Directly facing her was Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal, the very one currently hated by the entire St. Freya Academy.
The two conversed. Their words hinted at their pursuit of K-423, or rather, Kiana.
This also made Mei understand Kiana's situation as depicted in the Final Lesso .
Under Otto's orders, Rita and her Indestructible Blade were dispatched to Arc City to interact with a force called Heliopolis Life Sciences.
"He mentioned the Serpent."
Mei was concerned by the information Otto revealed, a hint of solemnity in her eyes.
"It seems Heliopolis Life Sciences has a connection to the unfathomable World Serpent."
Einstein's expression remained calm. "I'll investigate this company later."
Last time... After emerging from the question-Q&A Space, she had diligently investigated the organization known as the World Serpent.
But there were no leads. If it weren't for the connection to the World Serpent found in the journals left behind by Cocolia, Einstein would have almost believed the World Serpent didn't exist.
Now that she had found a clue related to the World Serpent, she naturally wouldn't ignore it.
"But... Heliopolis Life Sciences? I've heard a little bit about this organization."
Talking about this company, Einstein, who had always kept an eye on the outside world, rested her chin on her hand, her eyes gleaming with interest.
Normally, she wouldn't take any other company seriously, but Heliopolis Life Sciences was different.
"That company with a serious problem?"
Tesla was familiar with the company, but her impression wasn't positive.
Mei's puzzled gaze led Tesla to casually speak.
"I don't know the specifics, but it seems that company is providing anti-Honkai drugs and vaccines to the world, free of charge!"
She emphasized the word "free" deliberately.
"...providing anti-Honkai drugs free of charge?"
Mei was a little confused and instinctively quipped, "Is the boss of that company a philanthropist?"
"Who knows?"
Tesla curled her lips.
Even as a pioneer in the fight against the Honkai, Anti-Entropy still needs funding.
And this company providing anti-Honkai drugs for free… she admired them morally, but from the perspective of a superior, it was simply bizarre.
During the conversation, the image continued.
Rita chatted with a host named Cioara, sent by Heliopolis Life Sciences, while leisurely touring Kamisato and investigating K-423's whereabouts on Otto's orders.
She had indeed heard rumors of a lone ranger girl fighting Honkai beasts in Arc City.
And before Rita could make any preparations, she noticed this... clues hidden in the city.
After careful investigation, Rita discovered the secrets hidden underground and, guided by her mechanical hound, found the elevator to the basement.
After making her arrangements, she took the spacious elevator to the hidden depths.
Here was a breathtakingly spacious hall, but even more astonishing than its sheer size, was the sight within.
Among the numerous experimental chambers, there were the figures of the dead.
The skin of these zombies, who had fought countless battles, was covered in fine lines interwoven, forming glowing marks.
"...Stigmata?" Having been dealing with these things lately, Mei recognized it instantly.
Why the assassins had stigmata on their bodies is a topic worthy of attention.
However, compared to this...
Those suspended in the experimental chambers, of varying ages and heights, had all been implanted with Honkai Beast tissue, covered in silicon-based shells, or had missing limbs replaced with mechanical prostheses.
Like a museum, everything on display seemed to reveal to visitors the extent to which the human body could be transformed.
"Dirty human experiments."
Although moral boundaries have become increasingly flexible recently, for this... Mei, in a rare instance, gave a cold assessment of the scene.
"Clumsy garbage."
Even Mei was dissatisfied.
It's easy to imagine the feelings of the two Anti-Entropy doctors, who chose mechas for the sake of humanity, after witnessing this scene.
Given her temperament, Einstein simply kept a cold expression.
But the fiery Tesla made no secret of her displeasure, her forehead vein bulging.
"Don't let me know which bastard did this, or I'll make her feel the power of an iron fist!"
[Stigmata, the most precious legacy of human blood]
[Stigmata are not the product of natural evolution, but a miracle of biotechnology from the previous civilization. Its principles and operation remain a mystery to this day.
Before the previous era vanished, they implanted a complex Honkai antibody genome into the embryos of a few of their descendants.
These genomes create marks on the human body's surface, known as the Stigmata.
Humans bearing the Stigmata possess increased resistance to and control over Honkai energy, thereby displaying incredible powers.
Sadly, as human lineages passed, genes constantly mutated and exchanged, and the previously complete Stigmata genome eventually fragmented.
Once the puzzle pieces were disrupted, the meaning of the pattern was lost.
Therefore, while every modern human carries the Stigmata gene, only a handful can naturally express it.
Schicksal once artificially replicated the Stigmata and used it through postnatal implantation. However, this technique was fraught with flaws and dangers, and was merely a crude imitation.
However, inspired by the omniscient and almighty serpent, our research has made tremendous progress.
We now know how to activate and reorganize the latent Stigmata fragments within human genes through artificial intervention, rendering them complete.]
[This process is extremely difficult. Those who cannot endure will die or even become the walking dead.]
[But those who survive will have the power to survive the Honkai.]
[The cost is high, but it's well worth it...!]
[The activation progress is still slow, far from the expected number. We plan to conduct experiments in a densely populated city...]
After listening to the information Rita opened in the video, everyone who understood the World Serpent's so-called plan had a common assessment of the World Serpent.
"Madness!"