Honkai Diary: Start With Picking Up A White-Haired Treasure

The former Cocolia's Orphanage, now Anti-Entropy Headquarters, had largely evacuated its personnel to temporary encampments miles away.

Typically occupied only by Zeke and essential test subjects, the underground laboratory today buzzed with activity.

Zeke submerged himself within layers of sealed anti-Honkai Energy chambers. Kiana and Sin stood guard on either side of the entrance, clad in black armor, ready to unleash coordinated bombardment against any threat at a moment's notice.

From a distance, Bronya monitored every movement within a radius of tens of kilometers using her control privileges over the Hive System and all armed forces. At the first sign of abnormality, Titan forces and swarms would not hesitate to level the surrounding mountains.

Tesla oversaw the operation of the entire experimental setup.

Einstein served as the operator.

Hera Schariac closely monitored all experimental data and Zeke's physiological changes.

"His vital signs remain stable, gene chains continue to evolve, and Honkai Energy intensity fluctuates—Doctor Einstein, increase the power output of the Honkai Energy dilution apparatus by 30%."

"It's already underway. Additionally, I suggest activating the Schariac holy blood. He's nearing the critical threshold; we may need it at any moment."

"Rejected. Even if just activated, not fully utilized, the holy blood could affect the stability of surrounding Honkai Energy, introducing unnecessary variables. Unless there's no other choice, let it remain frozen."

"Understood."

Einstein chose to trust Hera, but she couldn't resist stealing a glance at this enigmatic yet beautiful girl from the corner of her eye.

It didn't surprise Dr. Einstein that there might be members of House Schariac she hadn't met. However, possessing both technical expertise and status significant enough for Zeke to take notice was highly suspicious.

'Hera... Soulium... Could it be?'

Recalling someone within Schicksal who had ties with Zeke and commanded his utmost respect, Einstein's hands remained steady, but her eyelids involuntarily twitched.

During the first Honkai outbreak, Einstein had personally witnessed Otto possessing Reanna's A-rank Valkyrie body. With this precedent, it wouldn't be entirely implausible for such a thing to happen again.

However, Zeke's experiment took precedence. Suppressing these distractions silently, Einstein focused solely on her work.

Hera paid no heed to Einstein's reaction—or rather, she seemed unconcerned about her identity being revealed.

Instead, she scrutinized the dense stream of data before her and suddenly frowned.

"Wait, what is the source of the Honkai Beast genes that Zeke selected?"

"He modified them himself using components from various origins. I didn't delve into specifics at the time; is there an issue?" Einstein replied.

Hera rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"He's too eager. And since I didn't want his carefully achieved equilibrium to fluctuate, I refrained from conducting a thorough analysis. Nonetheless, this concentration of Honkai Energy far surpasses any previous experiments I've conducted, and it's only the beginning... Could he have possibly used Archon-level genes?"

"And if it is?"

"The limit for pre-epoch Fusion Warriors was Imperial Rank Honkai Beasts. With Archon level... it's hard to say, but I trust Zeke has considered all possibilities. Be prepared to interrupt the process at any moment. While I believe in his capabilities, there are too many variables in fusion experiments; we must proceed with caution."

"Understood, I'll do my best," Einstein responded.

She paused, her focus intensifying, not daring to relax even slightly.

Hera glanced at Einstein and continued, "If necessary, I will forcefully initiate revival measures. His consciousness must be preserved, even if it means destroying this body."

"...I understand." Einstein nodded, simultaneously confirming Hera's true identity. However, as always, Zeke's safety took precedence over past grievances or affections, which had to be set aside for now.

After their exchange, the experiment steadily progressed step by step. Despite multiple layers of reinforced anti-Honkai energy barriers, they could not contain the gradually increasing concentration of Honkai Energy in the air.

Anxiety and concern inevitably surfaced on everyone's faces.

Hera let out a soft sigh.

"Zeke, oh Zeke, you truly leave us no choice. Couldn't you have been just a bit more patient?"

Shaking her head, amidst her concern, she couldn't help but feel anticipation building within her.

The outcome of Zeke's meticulously planned experiment was uncertain even to Hera, who specialized in human experimentation. Perhaps when he emerges from the experimental chamber, this young boy might genuinely possess the confidence to challenge her to a game of chess.

Far from fearing or disliking such a possibility, Hera eagerly awaited it. It would undoubtedly be quite intriguing!

"Seele, what are you doing?"

In the distant snowy field, Seele stood amidst the open expanse with her eyes closed and hands pressed together as if whispering to herself—or perhaps conversing with someone invisible.

At the sound of Wendy's voice, Seele paused momentarily before turning around. As expected, she spotted the girl pushing her wheelchair toward her.

"I'm...I'm just praying for Big Bro Zeke."

"That's what I thought. Don't worry too much; that guy won't run into any trouble."

"Thank you, Wendy. I believe Big Bro Zeke will surely achieve his dreams. It's just...I feel a bit discouraged. Whether it's Big Sisters Bronya and Kiana or Big Bro Zeke, they all have important tasks to accomplish, while I seem unable to help at all."

Seele lowered her gaze, unable to maintain her gentle smile, appearing unusually disheartened.

Wendy fell silent, looking down at her legs, which remained stubbornly unresponsive—The one who can't do anything isn't you, but me—the true invalid.

After a moment, she composed herself and looked up.

"It's okay, Seele. Just taking care of this home is more than enough. Your smile alone provides immense encouragement and support to them. Don't underestimate yourself—you're incredibly important."

"Okay. Then I'll prepare some food," Seele said with a smile before jogging off toward the mess tent. "Once Big Bro Zeke finishes his task, we'll deliver it right away."

As Wendy watched her leave, she gazed into the distance at the orphanage—the place that had become so familiar over time—and softly sighed.

"I certainly won't worry about enemies... But if they're friends..."

"They must succeed..." Whispering these words, Wendy breathed in the icy air, instinctively tightening her warm and adorable fur coat around her, lingering for quite some time without moving.

"Something's gone wrong," Gray Serpent suddenly declared at one of the World Serpent bases.

Jackal pressed a button, dissolving the xenogenic creatures within several nearby tanks, and asked, "What happened?"

"My doppelganger reported that his covert search was progressing smoothly. However, Cioara's tracker signal abruptly appeared over a hundred miles away from Anti-Entropy Headquarters."

"In other words, your doppelganger was deceived? Or could it be that your quantum signal channel was infiltrated and tampered with?"

"It's highly likely. We have limited knowledge about the grand plans of both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal, necessitating a reevaluation of their technological capabilities. It wouldn't be surprising if Anti-Entropy possesses means to deceive my collective consciousness," Gray Serpent said somberly.

Regardless, the current situation indicated that the waters around Anti-Entropy Headquarters were deeper than he initially anticipated. Worse still, there might have been specific arrangements targeting him all along.

Pacing beside Gray Serpent, Jackal pondered deeply as she walked. After a moment, she declared resolutely, "No matter! Deploy the signal activation device I created, unleash artificial Honkai Beasts, and launch a frontal assault!"

Jackal made a bold decision.

Gray Serpent pondered for a moment. Despite his cautious nature, this time he chose to agree.

"You're right. The situation suggests that Anti-Entropy likely had measures prepared against me long ago. And Schicksal's countermeasures would undoubtedly be even more formidable. My duplicate has been exposed, but I just discovered I can't remotely command it to self-destruct—the signal channel remains open. If we continue stalling, allowing them to exploit my duplicate and threaten our collective consciousness, they might succeed..."

Analyzing the scenario, Gray Serpent also reached a decisive conclusion.

The situation was already dire. Rather than passively letting the enemy unravel their collective consciousness, potentially leading to the destruction or control of all his duplicates, it was better to strike swiftly before they could react.

As long as either a Herrscher Core or Judgment of Shamash fell into the hands of the World Serpent, victory would be theirs!