Gray Serpent was one of World Serpent's highest-ranking leaders.
You could even say he was the highest-ranking member still in active command, second only to the Pioneers themselves.
Ling Ke knew where Gray Serpent came from.
He also knew that the lifeform at the core of Gray Serpent's existence was, in a small way, similar to his own.
Only in a small way.
The differences were far greater.
From what Ling Ke remembered, Gray Serpent had one main body and at least several thousand subordinate bodies, each of them calling themselves kin.
Unlike Ling Ke, who belonged to a single shared mind, the Gray Serpents each possessed their own distinct patterns of thought.
These highly individual minds were linked through the Gray Serpent Network, allowing them to share information and even continue reproducing themselves.
Because of that, some of them had already begun to regard themselves as a new species.
Some loved art. Some studied philosophy. Some enjoyed quoting famous lines. Some were eccentric beyond belief. Some craved attention. And some would do anything to achieve their goals.
Before Project Broken Branch was completed, the Gray Serpents lay dormant throughout the Current Era, each carrying out their own assigned mission.
They had been laying the groundwork for the true Project Stigma.
But as Ling Ke's revenge neared its conclusion, when he sent the Puppet of Dominance: Ling Ke into the Elysian Realm to obtain the precise time coordinates from Aponia, the main body of Gray Serpent realized Project Stigma had already been abandoned.
So it approached Kevin.
At that time, Kevin was guarding the gate with the Might of An-Utu in hand.
Then came the Divine Word of Time Reversal, declaring the complete end of the Old Days, the Current Era.
Gray Serpent boarded the One-Way Ticket Through Time that Ling Ke had granted Kevin and returned with him to this era, the Previous Era.
It was not hard to guess why Kevin brought him along.
Kevin valued Gray Serpent's efficiency.
A small maneuver like that fell within Ling Ke's permitted range.
Just like Otto.
That Fool of the Current Era, who had yet to arrive, had also smuggled more than a few things along for the ride.
But there was no need to dwell on him for now.
In short, from the night Kevin said goodbye to Ling Ke in Nagazora, he had already begun using Gray Serpent to build his own power.
Kevin knew very well that no matter how strong he was, there would always be things he could not handle alone.
That was a lesson he had learned through bitter experience.
Looking back, even when human civilization stood on the edge of collapse, the anti-Honkai organization known as The Moths Who Chase the Flames had still been tearing itself apart from within.
He would not allow that to happen again.
So, when Kevin began building his own power…
Well.
Kevin could not be bothered with the details.
He knew his limits in that area.
Instead, he uploaded Gray Serpent into the internet of this era and allowed it to begin reproducing again.
After all, Gray Serpent was loyal to him, and Gray Serpent had far more experience managing a massive organization than Kevin did.
The original World Serpent had been built by Gray Serpent one step at a time.
Raising funds. Recruiting geniuses. Selecting promising children and nurturing them into elites across various fields.
Gray Serpent knew every trick in the book.
By the way, Kevin was at Nagazora International Airport today because Gray Serpent had located Raiden Mei.
Kevin believed Raiden Mei was an unpredictable threat, one he needed to deal with personally.
So he came.
He simply had not expected everything that followed.
Including this.
"Friendly tip, Kevin."
Still seated in the café, Ling Ke tilted his head toward the white-haired young man beside him and pointed at the electronic eyeball floating in Kevin's palm. His smile was full of meaning.
"Your loyal right hand here became online friends with Dr. Mobius on its very first day connected to this world's internet."
"They have been chatting nonstop ever since."
"As for you personally…"
He glanced at Raiden Mei.
"What should have been said…"
Then he looked at MEI, who had collapsed in young Kevin's arms.
"And what should not have been said…"
Ling Ke was clearly stirring the pot.
"They have spilled almost everything."
At this point…
"Is that so?"
Kevin's gaze toward the electronic eyeball in his palm turned dangerous.
So did his tone.
Fortunately, Gray Serpent did not possess the ability to break into a cold sweat or feel a chill down his spine.
Even so…
"Lord World Serpent, please believe in Gray Serpent's loyalty."
"Everything is for the defeat of the Honkai."
Kevin remained unmoved.
The electronic eyeball seemed to rotate slightly before Gray Serpent added, "Of course, this great undertaking must be completed in this era."
Only after several more seconds of silence did Kevin give a slight nod.
The atmosphere finally eased.
However…
"After this matter is resolved, you will give me a full and truthful report of exactly what you revealed to Mobius of this era."
"And…"
Kevin's expression turned cold.
"This must not happen again."
"Yes, Lord World Serpent," Gray Serpent replied respectfully.
Only then did Kevin put the electronic eyeball away.
He turned toward Ling Ke. His gaze lingered on him for a moment before shifting to the purple-haired girl holding the sword.
"Raiden Mei," Kevin said in a low voice. "You should not be here."
The rest of the sentence remained unspoken.
On one hand, Kevin knew that Raiden Mei had also been manipulated by Ling Ke. Her meeting with MEI today had been inevitable.
On the other hand, he did not want Raiden Mei to realize that he still held special feelings for MEI.
Just as Gray Serpent had said earlier, he now had attachments.
He now had weaknesses.
…
The thought of Gray Serpent's loose tongue made Kevin frown again.
And just then…
"I mean them no harm," Raiden Mei said.
She glanced at Ling Ke, who was watching from the sidelines, then turned serious as she met Kevin's gaze directly.
"I also hope we will not become enemies again."
"After all, we both know who the real enemy is."
Hearing that, Kevin almost corrected her on the spot.
No, you do not understand at all.
The real enemy?
Who?
Ling Ke?
You might as well say the Cocoon of Finality.
Kevin had already reached a very clear conclusion.
Ling Ke was the one person he absolutely could not afford to antagonize.
Based on that, his enemies would only be the former higher-ups of The Moths Who Chase the Flames and nearly all of the Time-Reverse Descendants from the Old Days, the Current Era.
There was a reason he said nearly all instead of all.
Kevin had not forgotten Hua.
His old comrade.
Of course, he knew Hua was close to Raiden Mei and the others, so he was not being naive.
If they could not recognize where their loyalties should lie, he would not hesitate to strike.
In the end, it came down to the same question.
Friend or foe.
Choose.
But that was a matter for later.
For now…
"Interesting."
One of the café's security cameras had been hacked and remotely controlled. Its lens tilted slightly.
The hacker was a tall, slender woman in a white lab coat, sitting alone in a dimly lit room.
She leaned back in her swivel chair with her legs crossed, narrowed her aquamarine eyes, and smiled faintly.
"So the Time-Reverse Descendants from the future really do exist."
"Only in the next civilization era, fifty thousand years from now, will Herrschers with human consciousness appear."
"And there will still be MANTIS warriors alive after fifty thousand years."
"And…"
Her gaze fixed on the black-haired young man in the video.
Suddenly…
"!!!"
In the footage, the young man abruptly turned his head.
It was as if he were looking directly at her through the screen.
He even gave her a knowing smile.
At that moment, Mobius, the future Flame-Chaser, was genuinely startled.
But almost immediately, her eyes lit up with excitement.
"A fully evolved transcendent lifeform."
She was visibly thrilled.
She leaned closer and closer, scrutinizing every detail, unwilling to miss even the smallest thing. Her face nearly pressed against the screen.
"Truly mesmerizing."
Mobius took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself.
"Now, how can I invite these transcendent beings to voluntarily visit my lab?"
To be honest, despite the thought running through her mind, she did not underestimate any lifeform superior to her own.
That was the sort of foolishness only the bloated upper ranks of The Moths Who Chase the Flames would commit.
Mobius was no such fool.
She knew how brutally difficult evolution was.
She knew how much transformation demanded.
That was why she understood, far better than most, the true weight of transcendence.
Its greatness.
Its terror.
Its power.
She had no intention of provoking such beings through reckless methods.
Even so…
Faced with those forms of overwhelming beauty…
She remained utterly captivated.
Without even realizing it, she had lost her composure.