A few hours later...
Newborn World Serpent Headquarters, virtual conference room.
"...That is the situation."
MEI stood at the head of the conference table, presenting everything the two Elysias had discovered about the "Crystal Mountains." Some of the members were present in person, while the rest attended through remote projections.
Elysia and her Memory Body had both returned safely.
At the moment, however, they were slumped over the table side by side, too exhausted to care about appearances.
That couldn't be helped.
Before returning to headquarters, each of them had already crossed her assigned waters several times, searching every area where the strange structures might be hidden.
They had also spent hours cooperating with MEI and Vill-V, testing one method after another...
"So far, Elysia and her Memory Body have found more than a thousand of these structures."
"And that is only a partial count from the Atlantic Ocean and the waters south of India."
"If we account for the rest of the world..."
MEI's expression grew even more serious.
"The true number may be two or three times higher."
"..."
No one spoke.
Even those who had already expected bad news had not expected something on this scale.
Unfortunately, the number of structures was not even the worst part.
Vill-V's main body leaned forward and took over the explanation.
"If there were only a few thousand underwater structures, destroying them would be difficult, but still possible."
"The real problem is that they have already connected with one another and formed a large-scale circulating array."
"They can supply energy to each other, repair damaged sections, and restore any structure that gets destroyed."
She paused, noticed that several people were still trying to follow her technical explanation, and clicked her tongue.
"Fine. Let me put it more plainly."
A projection appeared across one wall of the conference room.
It showed footage from one of Elysia's battles earlier that day.
In the recording, Elysia drew her bow and released an arrow. The shot pierced the ocean and shattered one of the "Crystal Mountains" on the seabed.
For a moment, nothing remained but broken crystal and an empty crater.
Then, only a few dozen seconds later...
"As you can see, the structure remained completely destroyed for only 33 seconds."
"After that, it began rebuilding itself."
Vill-V accelerated the recording.
Crystal fragments gathered from the surrounding seabed. Energy flowed in from distant structures, and the shattered mountain slowly rose again.
"It took only 3 minutes to regenerate completely."
She froze the footage.
"That gives us 3 minutes and 33 seconds."
"Within that time, we would need to destroy at least 70% of the structures scattered across the world's oceans."
"Only then could we break enough of the connections to disrupt the array before it repaired itself."
"Otherwise, every structure we destroy will simply come back, and all our work will be for nothing."
The conference room fell silent again.
This time, the silence was heavier.
Vill-V folded her arms.
"Of course, MEI and I found another option."
"If we regularly destroy the structures located at several key nodes, we can interfere with the circulation of energy and slow the entire system down."
"That would delay the arrival of the Ice Age."
A few people looked up.
Vill-V immediately crushed the small spark of hope.
"But it would only buy us six months at most."
"Once those six months are over, the oceans will freeze completely."
"And we've already discussed what will happen when ice covers nearly the entire surface of Earth."
When she finished, no one rushed to answer.
After a long silence...
"Destroying more than 70% of those structures across the entire world within 3 minutes and 33 seconds..."
Kevin looked at the projection on the wall.
"We cannot do that with our current forces."
He turned to MEI.
"What if we use nuclear weapons?"
It was a brutal solution, but not an impossible one.
Aponia had already used her Discipline to seize control of the Moths' High Council, the United Nations supporting it, and the upper leadership of every major nation.
If they truly decided to launch nuclear weapons at the structures beneath the oceans, the people who normally stood in their way could be forced to cooperate.
However...
"There are two problems."
MEI raised one finger.
"First, the structures on the seabed are not defenseless."
"I had Elysia test their response several times today."
"Even the black sea serpents patrolling around them can detect threats from dozens of kilometers away. We still do not know how many other defensive measures remain hidden."
She raised a second finger.
"Second, we cannot hide an operation of that scale."
"Launching more than a thousand nuclear missiles at the same time would require an enormous amount of preparation."
"The preparations alone would involve too many people, too many facilities, and too many channels of communication."
That was the true problem.
The world might possess more than ten thousand nuclear warheads.
Aponia might even be able to force every nation to accept the plan regardless of the consequences.
But none of that mattered if the enemy learned about the operation before the missiles were launched.
Many of the alien monsters created by the Third Herrscher were already disguised as humans.
No one could guarantee that the officers responsible for launching the missiles were still human.
No one could guarantee that the orders would pass through every level of command without being intercepted.
A single Impostor placed in the right position could ruin the entire operation.
And according to Memory Body Su's report, the Third Herrscher's "eyes" were not limited to monsters wearing human faces.
A pebble lying beside the road could be one of the enemy's cameras.
A bird resting on a power line could be listening.
Even harmless objects could suddenly change shape and attack.
The enemy could be watching from almost anywhere.
And even if they somehow concealed the preparations, another problem remained.
How would they stop the structures from intercepting the missiles?
They could attempt a saturation strike, sending far more missiles than the enemy could destroy.
But that would require even more launch sites, more equipment, and more personnel.
The larger the operation became, the harder it would be to keep secret.
It was an inescapable cycle.
"What if..."
Dr. Einstein suddenly spoke.
"What if the launch operation were handled by a group the alien monsters cannot impersonate?"
Everyone turned toward her projection.
MEI understood first.
"Doctor, are you suggesting that we deploy the ELF Unit?"
"Yes."
Einstein nodded.
"ELFs are not made of flesh and blood. Each of their semi-independent consciousnesses is connected to the encrypted 'ELF' data network I designed."
"The highest level of their base logic can only be modified with a key that I possess."
"No one else knows it."
She adjusted her glasses.
"In other words, the Herrscher of Blood's monsters cannot replace them or infiltrate their command network in the same way they infiltrate human organizations."
"If ELFs handle the nuclear launches, we can remove most of the internal risk."
Einstein hesitated.
"The problem is our current production capacity."
"The ELF Unit is still in its trial phase on the Australian Continent and the Mu Continent."
"Even if we include the mass-produced models, we have fewer than five hundred available."
She paused and corrected herself.
"No. Five hundred at most."
"And the technology used for the custom models has not been fully finalized yet."
"Then accelerate production," MEI said before Einstein could continue.
Her decision came without hesitation.
"Move whatever personnel and resources you need to the Mu Continent."
She turned toward Aponia.
"Aponia?"
The nun nodded calmly.
"No problem."
"Those councilors will cooperate."
The way she said it left no doubt about what would happen if they refused.
"Good."
MEI looked around the conference room.
"The situation is clear now."
She began assigning priorities.
"First, we will send additional personnel to the Mu Continent."
"Dr. Einstein's safety is our highest priority. The ELF production lines must remain operational, no matter what happens elsewhere."
"Second, we need to increase our efforts to identify and eliminate the Impostors."
"Right now, the enemy is choosing when and where to act. We are reacting to them every time, and that leaves us far too passive."
"Third, we will form a dedicated unit to attack the structures located at key nodes."
"Even if we cannot destroy the array yet, we must delay the Cold Wave for as long as possible."
She continued, one matter after another.
They still needed to locate the Third Herrscher.
They needed to prevent their plans from leaking.
They needed to suppress the remnants of the "Old Days," the forces left behind by the Current Era.
The operations against the Fourth Herrscher also had to be completed. The Gray Serpents in Central Europe would continue clearing the battlefield and searching for her Herrscher Core.
After that came the plans for forging the Divine Keys.
Every problem depended on another problem being solved first.
Every delay gave the enemy more time.
Finally...
MEI turned toward Kevin.
"I believe we should issue a global warning about the Cold Wave immediately."
"Even if we begin evacuations now, we will not be able to save everyone."
Her hand tightened slightly against the table.
"The Fifth Honkai Impact has not even arrived yet, and we are already facing more threats than we can handle."
"We cannot allow more people to die simply because we delayed making an unpleasant decision."
She paused before stating the conclusion she had clearly been avoiding.
"Whether it is to survive the Cold Wave or prepare for what comes afterward..."
"The Base City Project must begin ahead of schedule."
The room remained quiet.
Everyone understood what that meant.
Humanity would abandon vast stretches of land.
Resources, industries, and survivors would be gathered into fortified cities capable of enduring Honkai disasters.
The old world would not disappear immediately, but this decision marked the beginning of its end.
Reason had won.
"This is the most feasible plan."
Kevin nodded.
He did not object.
MEI was still the one developing their strategies.
However, without anyone formally announcing it, the authority of the "Supreme Leader" had already returned to Kevin.
The final decision was his.
"Then we will proceed."
His voice was low, but it carried through the entire conference room.
"Begin the detailed task assignments."
"Once that is done, everyone will move according to the plan immediately."
"The sooner we stop the Cold Wave and defeat the Third Herrscher, the more people will survive."
He looked at the purple-haired girl beside him.
"And as MEI said..."
"It is time for humanity to enter full combat readiness."
Kevin's gaze swept across the room.
"The Base City Era begins now."
This meeting involved too many classified matters.
Only a small number of people had been allowed to participate, and even fewer had been permitted to attend through remote projection.
The danger was obvious.
The Newborn World Serpent could not ignore the possibility that someone using the virtual conference system might be observed, followed, or replaced by one of the Herrscher of Blood's "spies."
Inside headquarters, Aponia could monitor everyone present and remove that risk.
Outside headquarters...
"Dr. Einstein, is the meeting over?"
"Yes."
The door of a sealed chamber opened on the Mu Continent.
A blue-haired woman with a red streak through her bangs stepped outside.
Memory Body Hua was already waiting for her.
"Miss Hua, did anything happen while I was inside?"
"No."
Three feathers of Fenghuang Down floated above Hua's palm.
They had been borrowed from Fu Hua... or, more precisely, from Xiao Shi.
Hua closed her hand around them.
"I examined the chamber before the meeting began."
"Afterward, I continued monitoring the surrounding area."
"I detected no foreign mental fluctuations within thirty meters."
"That's good."
Einstein released a quiet breath.
She pointed toward her forehead.
"I won't repeat the contents of the meeting aloud."
"Read them directly from my mind."
"Understood."
Memory Body Hua nodded.
For safety, she had already constructed several layers of mental defense inside Einstein's consciousness.
The defenses would not make Einstein completely immune to the Herrscher of Blood, but they would make silent infiltration far more difficult.
If anything foreign entered Einstein's mind, Hua would notice.
A moment later...
"I understand the plan."
Memory Body Hua opened her eyes.
"So..."
Whoosh!
Her right hand shot forward.
Two fingers closed around a blood-red spike less than an arm's length from Einstein's head.
The spike had emerged from a gap in the wall without making a sound.
Flames burst from Hua's palm.
The blood spike burned away before it could twist free.
"..."
Einstein stared at the empty space where it had been.
Then she let out another breath.
"You really have gone through a lot of trouble for me."
"Thank you."
Her gratitude was sincere.
Incidents like this had happened several times over the past few days.
Sometimes it was a blood spike.
Sometimes it was an insect that should not have been able to survive inside a sealed laboratory.
Once, even part of the floor had tried to wrap around Einstein's ankle.
Every time, Memory Body Hua had stopped the attack before it reached her.
Einstein knew that Hua was only carrying out an order.
Even so, it was difficult not to feel grateful toward the gray-haired youth who had concealed her true appearance with advanced equipment and remained by Einstein's side under an unremarkable false identity.
"It's my duty," Memory Body Hua replied, as formal as ever.
She turned toward the corridor.
"Let's go, Dr. Einstein."
"We still have another mission."
"Oh."
Einstein scratched the back of her head and followed.
Meanwhile...
At the Newborn World Serpent Headquarters.
"Vill-V."
"Yes?"
Someone approached Vill-V's Memory Body.
The figure remained outside the light, their face hidden in shadow.
"I want you to manufacture the Honkai Fission Bomb again."
The words were spoken calmly, as though the request concerned an ordinary weapon.
Vill-V's expression changed.
The shadowed figure continued.
"If we want to break the Herrscher of Blood's strategy..."
"Nuclear weapons and ELFs alone will not be enough."