But she was the kind of woman who could say one minute that it was over, and the next minute go back on her word and ask, "Do you have any proof?"
The scales in Kiana's heart tipped to one side. She was already eighty percent certain that her ominous premonition was, in all likelihood, inseparable from Herta.
What she had said definitely wasn't meant literally.
If she went back now, could they reconcile?
After thinking about it seriously for a moment, Kiana felt the odds were slim. If what Herta had said earlier truly hadn't been literal, then her mood right now was probably terrible.
Turning back at this moment would very likely mean walking straight into the line of fire.
An even greater possibility was that she simply didn't have time to do anything right now. She would brush it off, say Kiana was overthinking, and then once she had time to spare...
"Forget it. Since things have already come to this, I'll go see Ruan first."
After hesitating between turning back to admit defeat and pressing forward, Kiana ultimately threw the matter to the back of her mind.
Whatever came next could be dealt with when it came.
She hadn't even planned to stay long at the space station in the first place, but because of various incidents, she had ended up remaining here for quite some time.
At the very least, the route from here to the containment zone—
She was so familiar with it that she couldn't be more familiar.
The first place Kiana went was the previous laboratory. There were still other people there. If she couldn't find Ruan, she could at least ask one of the researchers.
Although she had never spoken to them before,
They were probably quite familiar with her.
With the access card Ruan had given her earlier, she passed through without obstruction and arrived at the laboratory in the containment zone.
After swiping the card and pushing the door open, she realized that Ruan wasn't there.
"Not here, huh."
Kiana muttered to herself. The laboratory was clearly still operational, with several researchers working inside.
Just as she was about to ask someone, her attention was drawn to the foxian woman submerged in nutrient solution.
This time was different from when she had last seen her.
Not in appearance, but—Kiana sensed something familiar emanating from her.
She froze for a moment, then seemed to understand something. Her heart skipped a beat as she slowly approached the figure suspended in the nutrient fluid.
Her gaze locked firmly onto the person within.
She was still alive. If one focused carefully, one could sense that her mental fluctuations were not active. That was likely why she had yet to awaken.
There were still marks of Destruction on her body.
But those were not the most important thing. Tingyun being picked up by Ruan and saved was not surprising. A new form was only natural.
Having been destroyed by Phantylia and left with the brand of Destruction wasn't strange either.
What Kiana truly cared about was—
"Why... are there traces of Honkai?"
She could hardly believe her own eyes. The last time she had come, she hadn't seen any Honkai traces on her at all.
"...Miss Kiana?"
A soft female voice sounded from the side. Just hearing it made one feel that the speaker must be an extremely gentle person, someone who would never raise her voice.
Kiana shifted her gaze away from Tingyun and looked toward the researcher beside her. "You are?"
"You can call me Rena," the researcher replied. She wasn't tall and looked very much in line with her gentle voice.
"You're here to see Ms. Ruan, right?"
Kiana glanced at Tingyun before nodding. "Yes, I'm here to see her. She doesn't seem to be in the lab. Do you know where she is now?"
"Sorry, we don't know Ms. Ruan's whereabouts either." Rena showed an apologetic expression. "But you can wait in the lounge. Based on Ms. Ruan's recent habits, she'll probably come by in about one system hour."
"One system hour... I see." Kiana nodded, then gave the researcher a bright smile. "Thank you. That's very helpful."
"You're welcome. Would you like me to take you to the lounge?"
"Actually, I'm a bit curious about her situation." Kiana pointed at Tingyun. "Since you work here, you should know about her, right?"
"The foxian lady?"
Rena thought for a moment. Seeing no need to keep secrets from someone who could freely enter these important areas, she explained, "Ms. Ruan brought her back from outside. The marks on her body were inflicted by a Lord Ravager."
She added with some emotion, "Even someone destroyed by a Lord Ravager can be brought back. Ms. Ruan's abilities are far beyond what ordinary people like us can comprehend."
Ruan was certainly formidable.
Kiana had known that for a long time.
"What's her condition now?"
"Ms. Ruan helped her reconstruct her body and allowed the destroyed parts to reach a balance, preventing collapse," Rena said. "Her awakening is only a matter of time."
Why inject Honkai power into the process?
The question rolled around on Kiana's tongue several times, but in the end she swallowed it back down without asking.
"Thank you for the explanation."
"You're welcome. I'll take you to the lounge."
"Sorry to trouble you."
Kiana followed her out of the laboratory. On the way, the researcher named Rena hesitated several times before finally, very cautiously, asking a question.
One that most people in the lab were extremely curious about.
"Your relationship with Ms. Ruan... is it very close?"
Rather than bluntly asking what kind of relationship they had, Rena circled around the topic.
"Oh?" Kiana looked at her in surprise. "Are you curious, Miss Rena?"
"No, I... well, alright, I am a little curious. To be recognized by Ms. Ruan and have permission to freely access all areas..."
She didn't continue, but it was obvious that their relationship wasn't ordinary. When Ms. Ruan wasn't around, the lab staff had gossiped about it more than once.
Some believed they were lovers. Others thought that someone like Ms. Ruan would never engage in romance, and that they were probably just collaborators.
Like her relationship with Ms. Herta.
"But if this makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to answer," Rena quickly added. "It's just my personal curiosity."
Kiana seemed easy to talk to—not like Ms. Ruan or Ms. Herta, who were such towering figures that most people didn't even dare initiate conversation.
Even so, if one of those great figures called your name and spoke to you, it would be enough to make you excited for an entire year.
What greater acknowledgment could there be from a genius?
Kiana looked at her for a moment and said, "Are you curious about a genius' gossip, Miss Rena?"
"It's fine if you can't say."
"There's nothing I can't say." Kiana smiled. "Ruan and I are lovers. She's my beloved. That's why I can come and go freely in these areas."
That guess had actually been right.
Ms. Ruan had truly fallen in love.
What shocking news.
"But remember to keep it confidential."
"Please rest assured, I won't spread it around!"
She really was easy to talk to. She had actually managed to hear the truth from her.
Having satisfied her curiosity with such explosive news, Rena's expression turned serious.
Gossip about a genius was one thing.
But if word spread from her, her career would likely end right there. She had finally joined Ms. Ruan's project team. With this on her record, her future was bright.
She wasn't about to dig her own grave.
The lounge was some distance away. As Kiana walked with her, she suddenly sensed something. Her expression changed.
She reached out and stopped the person who was about to continue forward.
"Miss Kiana?"
Kiana didn't reply. A handgun suddenly appeared in her hand. Combined with the coldness that had overtaken her expression, it made Rena's heart leap into her throat.
Was she going to silence her?
Had she so easily satisfied her curiosity because she had already decided to leave her corpse here?
Was gossip about a genius really worth such a terrifying price?
The corridor was desolate and remote, not a single figure in sight. Under the pale, indifferent lighting, Kiana's faintly furrowed brows and stern expression only made the atmosphere more unsettling.
She raised the gun.
But instead of pointing it at Rena, she fired straight ahead—two shots in quick succession.
Bang!Bang!
Rena didn't even have time to breathe in relief before she saw the bullets strike something. The air ahead twisted violently, and two shadowy forms exploded into view.
"That's—!"
Rena recognized them at once. Her eyes widened in horror.
True Stings.
As one of the assistants in Ms. Ruan's laboratory, she knew that Ms. Ruan was currently researching the power of Propagation in the space station's containment zone. It wasn't exactly a secret.
But she had never imagined that True Stings would appear in the corridor here.
If they were here, did that mean some of the insects had escaped from Ms. Ruan's lab?
Rena's face turned pale as she recalled the records of the Swarm Disaster.
They were ordinary researchers with fragile mortal bodies.
If not for Kiana, she wouldn't even have noticed the spatial distortion ahead. If she had walked straight into it by accident...
Kiana crouched down and reached out, touching a finger to the liquid splattered on the ground from the exploded insect.
"The containment zone is no longer safe."
She stood and made her judgment, looking at Rena. "I don't know why they're here, but you understand the danger of the swarm."
"Notify the others. Don't leave your posts unless necessary." After thinking for a moment, Kiana added, "I'll check the surrounding area to see if there are any other escaped True Stings."
Rena wanted to say it was dangerous, but remembering that Kiana was no ordinary person, she swallowed her words and hurriedly nodded. "I'll go back and inform everyone right away."
"Don't wander around," Kiana reminded her again.
The insects seemed to be genetically modified products. They didn't actively propagate without limit, nor did they proactively attack distant targets.
"Destruction, Honkai, and now Propagation..." Kiana muttered as she continued forward. "You're really interested in every dangerous thing out there."
There weren't many True Stings. After sweeping the entire area, Kiana only found three in total.
All of them were blown apart with a single shot to the head.
Just as she was considering whether to search other sections for any that might have slipped through the net, she unexpectedly ran into Ruan.
Ruan didn't seem surprised to see her.
"Ruan!"
She had just been grumbling about how dangerous Ruan's research was, yet the moment she saw her, she couldn't help but smile and step forward to wrap her in a hug.
Ruan looked at her for a moment and said, "It seems you and Herta are getting along quite well."
Kiana's smile stiffened.
How was she supposed to respond to that?
Any answer would be wrong.
"I ran into some True Stings just now. Did they escape from your lab?"
Not knowing how to reply, Kiana simply pretended she hadn't heard Ruan's earlier comment.
"They escaped?"
Ruan nodded, indicating she understood. She didn't look anxious. "No need to worry too much. They're experimental materials. I made a few minor genetic adjustments. They won't cause too much trouble."
"But they can still hurt people," Kiana couldn't help saying. Even if they didn't endlessly reproduce on their own, reducing the risk to a minimum, just looking at those mandibles—one snap was enough to bite someone's head clean off.
"Mm. The experiments here no longer require assistance from others. I'll arrange for the staff to be transferred elsewhere."
Hearing that Ruan had already considered the safety of others and wasn't ignoring their lives, Kiana quietly let out a breath of relief.
"Um... do you need my help?" Kiana asked. "I can help clear out the escaped insects."
"They won't be easy to eliminate," Ruan replied. "Although I edited some of their genes, certain underlying codes aren't so simple to alter. When faced with danger, they will still self-replicate and propagate."
Kiana couldn't help but say, "Then—"
"Once the experiment concludes, I'll clean everything up," Ruan said calmly.
"That's good."
As long as things were still under Ruan's control.
There was no way Herta didn't know about what was happening in the containment zone. Kiana didn't believe there weren't any of Herta's puppets stationed here.
If Herta hadn't stopped Ruan, then it meant the situation wasn't considered serious—something manageable.
Ruan led her to the lounge.
As the door closed behind them, Kiana thought of another issue.
Although neither of these matters had been her original purpose in coming to see Ruan, since she had encountered them, she couldn't ignore the unease in her heart.
"I saw Tingyun in the lab just now—the foxian from the Xianzhou," she said, looking at Ruan. "There are traces of Honkai on her. Ruan, you used her?"
"Hm? The experiment was quite successful, wasn't it?"
Ruan looked up, slightly puzzled by the cautious tone in Kiana's voice.
"Wasn't she part of your deal with Luocha?" Kiana couldn't help saying. "Why add Honkai energy to her?"
"Wasn't the experiment successful?" Ruan repeated calmly.
"But Honkai energy..."
"The brand of Destruction runs deep. I cannot erase the influence Destruction left on her," Ruan explained. "So I thought to try using Honkai energy. Although it still couldn't completely remove Destruction's impact, it minimized the damage. There is indeed a decent compatibility between Honkai and Destruction."
"I see."
At this point, what else could she say?
She could only silently offer a second of mourning for Miss Tingyun and hope that, for her, this wouldn't turn out to be a bad thing.