If an interesting game makes one wish it would never end, a boring game one is forced to play only makes one desperate for the finish.
Finally, the two arrived at the other side of the island, the source of the Honkai beast's roar.
But they didn't see any Honkai beast. Far from the sky-blotting silhouette Lin had imagined, there wasn't even a single animal—only a desolate beach.
As expected, the path involves using information to uncover the true form...
Just as Lin was wondering if he had missed a key piece of information during the journey, he suddenly looked up.
"Who—"
...
"Aren't they out of the consciousness world? Sakura is already awake, so why hasn't he?"
"Hmm... his brainwaves are normal. He should just be in a normal state of deep sleep, but why can't we wake him? Could it be... a kiss of love? Hehe, let me try~"
"You're always saying such lewd things!"
Lin regained consciousness from a half-dreaming state. His fully awake mind immediately realized that this familiar sensation was not normal.
"Ugh..." Lin opened his eyes to see a pair of thin lips approaching...
He reached out, pushed Vil-V face away, and sat up. Propping his forehead with one hand, he began to search his memory.
Something was wrong.
A segment of his memory was missing. He remembered arriving at the western part of the island, but everything after that was gone. It wasn't a hazy blur; it had simply vanished.
"What happened at the end?" Lin asked Vil-V and Mobius. They were supposed to be monitoring the world, so they had to know.
"Oh, how cold, Lin." Vil-V stood aside with a smile, hands on her hips. "Are you curious? I'll tell you once we finish what we were just doing."
"Tsk, your 'heat' is becoming an embarrassment," Mobius clicked her tongue, then turned to Lin. "At the very end, the consciousness world experienced a collapse phenomenon. The cause is unknown. Both of your consciousnesses were forcibly sent back to your bodies."
A collapse phenomenon?
No. Even though Lin didn't have that memory, he was certain he had "seen" something. Even now, his hands were instinctively trembling. Why was he constantly running into consciousness-related problems?
"However, the data collection is complete. It was quite an interesting experiment."
"What kind of experiment was this, exactly?"
He didn't mind participating in experiments, but being sent into a consciousness world with Sakura without a word... that didn't mean he wouldn't care.
"Go find Mei. She conceived it; the two of us were just the hired help." Mobius was in a bad mood for some reason. She pointed coldly toward the door. "We need to organize the data now. Watch yourself on the way out."
Lin was kicked out in a daze. He stood at the door for a moment, then went downstairs, observed the villa, and walked toward a specific room.
Knock, knock.
A few seconds after he knocked, the door opened.
...
"I know you have many questions. As compensation for being a volunteer, ask whatever you like."
Mei handed him a cup of black coffee and settled into a beanbag chair, looking at Lin with a rare air of laziness.
"What was the experimental project?"
"It was an experiment on ideological modification and enhancement, abbreviated as the A.R. Experiment. Primarily, it involves using the Eighth Herrscher's authority to attempt modifications of consciousness. This experiment touches on multiple projects. Thanks to the unique nature of the Eighth Herrscher this time, we were able to borrow the Herrscher's power to a certain extent."
In fact, the Eighth Herrscher had also been brought to this island. She was being continuously injected with massive amounts of stabilizers to prevent her from waking up.
"Actually, you were the one who gave me the inspiration, Lin. You previously discussed the possibility of consciousness modification with Vil-V and Mobius."
"..."
True. Back then, Lin had thought of modifying consciousness to implement a certain plan. Now, Mei was turning that idea into reality.
"Why me and Sakura?"
"You were recommended by Elysia, and your consciousness is very unique. We agreed that adding special data would increase the success rate." Mei took a sip of coffee, stirring the thick black liquid and staring at the reflection within. "As for Sakura... as you've likely guessed, her consciousness had an issue."
Lin wasn't surprised. Just as Mei said, he had already suspected it. The "host" of that consciousness world was likely Sakura herself.
"During her last mission investigating an extremist group called the 'Human Salvation Society,' her consciousness was contaminated by the same source as the Eighth Herrscher's video recordings."
"However, she didn't fall into a coma. She just displayed extreme emotional volatility. After consideration, we decided to have her undergo this experiment to heal the contamination."
In that world, Little Red Riding Hood's existence was special. She was a combination of the "Hunter," the "Wolf," and "Little Red Riding Hood." This multi-faceted, contradictory existence was a true reflection of Sakura own self—one side conflicted, the other cold.
However, Lin cared more about how Sakura was contaminated. "The Human Salvation Society?"
"An organization claiming that humanity's unforgivable sins brought about divine punishment, and that they will save mankind. At first, it sounds like any other religious story. But their internal dogma mentions Fire Moth, and they are an extremist criminal organization. Their leader's brainwashing methods made them highly dangerous, so Sakura was sent to eliminate them."
"Humans exist as a collective. In my travels, I have seen countless collectives, including Fire Moth. Therefore, by starting with the mode of existence, I should be able to understand humanity the fastest."
A certain synthesized mechanical voice echoed in his mind. The dangerous aura emitted by that umbrella-holding artificial lifeform in the rain was far more intense than that of any ordinary person.
"Any other questions? If not, go enjoy the rest of your vacation. Though, if possible, I hope you won't mess around in the villa with those girls. The soundproofing isn't great, especially regarding Vil-V and A—"
"...Can a Herrscher's consciousness also be modified?"
Lin single question caused the temperature of the relaxed conversation to drop to freezing.
Mei took a sip of coffee and quietly closed her eyes.
"...Lin, some things should not be spoken aloud."