"Hurry up! Head to the underground tunnels leading to the safe zone outside the city—there's no time to waste. The swarm of Honkai Beasts has breached another line of defense!"
"Wait! There's a nearly completed design model inside; let me pack it up first! It took me two years to make—an S-ranked optimized power engine..."
"Boom!!"
Intense flames almost entirely melted the metal model occupying half the living room. A disheveled scientist in a lab coat stiffly turned their head toward the steel soldier wielding a massive thermal weapon.
The sturdy soldier's helmet automatically reshaped itself, revealing the lower part of their face. They placed a cigar ignited by the burning weapon between their lips and puffed out smoke, saying,
"Now, there's nothing left for you to pack. Move quickly—you're slowing us down."
"My design model! My achievements! My merit points! I'll take you down, bitch!"
"Bang!"
The disheveled researcher lunged forward but was swiftly knocked down by the soldier's iron fist.
While basic optimization serums had become widespread in this era, granting most people remarkable physical attributes, the average scientist still couldn't match up to soldiers.
"That's enough; your life matters more. Head out and catch up with the team on your own. I need to support the front lines now. Good luck."
"Understood... QAQ..."
In moments of crisis, most normal individuals can prioritize their actions. For those few exceptional cases, gentle persuasion usually brings them back to their senses, much like the aggrieved but still obedient little girl getting up and going out at that moment.
As for those utterly uncooperative, with their heads seemingly addled—our apologies, resources are limited during great calamities. Please continue with your business; we won't disturb you further.
These three scenarios are considered standard, and the handling methods generally follow as described.
Now, regarding the fourth, abnormal situation...
In an underground space somewhere, several black-robed figures converged from different subterranean passages.
"Is everyone here?"
"Raj hasn't arrived."
"What happened? Could he have betrayed us?"
"He betrayed us, so I dealt with him appropriately without any information leaking."
"That's good. In today's world, virtually every corner is under the emperor's watchful eye. Any slight slip-up would mean our demise... Alright, now we have secured resources, technology, coordinates for the world bubble, and manpower. Our plan can finally commence."
"We're in an isolated space more than forty kilometers underground, essentially safe from the Finality's threat. What remains to be done is wait—until the outcome of the war above becomes clear. Either we'll emerge to bury the remnants of their forces and seize control of this world, or we'll capture the world bubble, then with abundant resources and manpower, venture into the Sea of Quanta to find a safer haven... In short, the war unfolding above concerns us not at all. Regardless of how it turns out, the ultimate victors will be us!"
"Reaching this point amidst the omnipresent gaze of the Central and Hive Systems has been truly challenging. To a brighter tomorrow, shall we raise a toast?"
"Yes, cheers... Wait! Why is it getting bright up there..."
"BOOM!!!"
On the ground, two recently finished execution soldiers, while reporting the mission completion to the Central System, headed in a specific direction.
"Captain, why do you think that despite knowing they were up to something for so long, the higher-ups waited until just before their operation to strike?"
"Don't you usually analyze intelligence carefully?"
"Huh?"
"Take a closer look at your intelligence records. Did you notice that to prevent their intentions from being exposed... these individuals worked exceptionally hard, often achieving nearly top rankings within their respective regional departments?"
"???"
The young soldier stopped, glanced back in the direction of the recently annihilated underground space with a peculiar expression. Finally, he looked up at the sky and blurted out his heartfelt sentiment:
"Damn, it's truly fucking ruthless!"
Then, the older Captain, more experienced with the world, silently distanced himself slightly—just in case calamity struck unexpectedly, sparing him as collateral damage.
Zeke did not focus on the evacuations and war situations unfolding elsewhere.
His gaze remained fixed on the golden area over the Mediterranean Sea, waiting and pondering deeply.
As for other details—below the emperor, it was unlikely that everyone was just freeloading, and ensuring the future of civilization wasn't solely Zeke's responsibility, right?
Even beyond Zeke, both Nihlath and Welt, present at the meeting, were now primarily concerned with developments in the Mediterranean Sea. After all, only this location could determine the value of their efforts thus far.
However, the "hatching time" of the evil dragon, as Zeke had mentioned, proved to be much longer than they anticipated.
One day, two days, three days.
For a full three days, in the Mediterranean region—the former site of Schicksal Headquarters and where the original "Young Lady" should have been—the accumulating Honkai Energy grew increasingly immense. It had reached a point where even fighters stationed at the opposite end of the planet could distinctly sense its boundless magnitude.
Yet apart from this, everything remained unsettlingly calm.
"Tap! Tap!"
Three days had passed, and the Mediterranean Sea remained tranquil. In the decision-making conference room, the three leaders waited silently without closing their eyes or leaving once.
Zeke received a message at that moment. Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, he drew Hera and Welt's attention and said:
"The planned evacuation has been fully executed, even managing to relocate numerous production facilities. The remaining nearly forty billion people have been armed; they no longer have any retreat options. All will become fighters, striving to contribute their utmost on the battlefield, engaging with Honkai forces to wear each other down until either the war ends or... we suffer total annihilation."
At this moment, the entire planet was a battlefield. Countless humans—whether willingly or by force—were locked in relentless combat against equally vast numbers of Honkai Beasts, Zombies, and more.
With every monster spawned by Honkai Energy eliminated, humanity depleted a portion of the energy fueling the Major Honkai Eruption, gradually reducing the difficulty of the War of End, if only slightly.
Through the accumulation of these small victories, they would eventually become an indispensable force.
Hera and Welt remained silent, both contemplating deeply.
Hera's expression remained calmly composed; this was simply the necessary action to resist Honkai, with no need for further questioning.
Welt's eyes dimmed slightly, his slightly parted lips trembling. Yet, he ultimately said nothing. He had grown up now, and in the adult world, one often has to make choices unimaginable in youth—no matter how brutal, if it is right, then it must be done. That was the only way Welt could convince himself.
Zeke observed both individuals, focusing mainly on Welt. Upon confirming his sorrowful yet resolute demeanor, Zeke felt a slight sense of relief.
"Welt, I'm glad we don't have to waste energy comforting you at such a critical moment."
"It's something we decided long ago. I won't hold us back, Zeke... But please, end this as swiftly as possible. Even preserving just one more life holds immense significance."
"I understand."
After their brief exchange, the trio momentarily froze before simultaneously turning towards the golden area on the map.
The stable, unyielding boundary of the ultra-high-energy zone suddenly began to fluctuate.
At the same time, they all sensed the distant surge of Honkai Energy, awakening like a ferocious beast, sending an indescribable feeling of peril straight into their souls from thousands of miles away.
'It's happening. But why only now, after we've made all our preparations? Were you deliberately suppressing it until this moment? Even as the embodiment of Finality, do you still strive to protect the world... Kiana?'
Zeke pondered, slightly straightening his posture, and with a flick of his finger...
In the 3D map, a swarm of bright dots representing the Tesla robot forces swiftly flooded into the golden region, dense and rapid.