"Mm. Still, the number of casualties this time is no less than during the Third Honkai Eruption."
Su pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing himself awake. For the past few days, he had not slept well at all.
Ever since becoming Mr. Mad Hatter, he had witnessed more of the world's cruelty and the brutal truths about the Honkai. He had not grown numb to casualty statistics. On the contrary, he took them extremely seriously, so much so that he remained sensitive to every number tied to each Honkai Eruption.
This time's death toll once again pierced his soft heart. He had tried many things, yet still felt powerless.
Looking at the latest casualty list of the Mad Hatter Party, Su thought to himself, Kevin, if it were you, what would you do?
...
In stark contrast to the Mad Hatter Party's active rescue efforts was the United Nations' passive response.
The first internal dispute within the United Nations concerned whether to disclose information about the Honkai. They planned to first decide how to define "Honkai" to the public, and only then carry out full-scale rescue efforts based on that definition.
After all, while conducting rescue operations, they also had to manage public relations.
Some advocated making Honkai information public. All citizens of Earth had the right to know, and awareness of the Honkai would help humanity resist it.
Others insisted on continuing to suppress the information. Public disclosure would cause worldwide panic, undermining each nation's organizational capacity and mobilization strength.
While some spoke for the sake of all humanity, others acted for their own interests.
Among those who supported disclosure, some hoped to sell Honkai-related information and resources in exchange for social status and wealth.
Among those who supported continued suppression, some feared that the already fragile power structure would collapse under the impact of the Honkai—the final straw breaking the camel's back. They wished to continue enjoying their privileged positions. Despite already possessing power and wealth beyond ordinary people's reach, they had no intention of sharing even the surplus in their hands.
The division within the United Nations extended into MOTH.
At the summary meeting following the Fourth Honkai Eruption—what should have been a commendation ceremony celebrating humanity's victory—once again devolved into chaotic shouting and bickering, like a noisy marketplace.
Dr. Mobius leaned back leisurely in her sofa chair, a faint smile curling her lips as she watched the people arguing endlessly on stage. She brushed back a strand of hair at her temple and remarked with sarcasm, "They don't even want to carefully summarize how the Fourth Herrscher was defeated. All they care about is drowning each other out with volume."
This was not a scientific conference but a post-disaster strategic review led by the Strategic Department. Thus, Dr. Mobius did not stand on the high platform. Instead, she chose a researcher's seat below.
She could have been up there—like Dr. Newton, who was currently on stage proposing research on the Herrscher's corpse.
But Dr. Mobius had used her authority to decline and slip down to the researcher's seating area instead. The higher-ups would never allow her to touch a Herrscher corpse anyway. Even if she were on stage, it would merely mean arguing for laboratory funding. She had no interest in that.
Compared to wrangling over funds, she was far more interested in something else...
"Vill-V, I was the one who invited you here. Could you at least not sit so far away? I don't feel like shouting across the room just to talk to you," Dr. Mobius said impatiently.
As a firsthand witness of the Fourth Honkai Eruption, Vill-V had hurried over to attend the meeting after coordinating certain plans with Su.
More importantly, she had received an invitation from the snake herself. Otherwise, she would have happily skipped the meeting.
According to MOTH's official report, the modified Chicago prison engineered by Vill-V had "accidentally" encountered the Herrscher of Wind, adding considerable economic losses to MOTH's ledger.
As for the fact that the prison had bought precious time for the MOTH fleet's pursuit—that credit had been attributed to a certain well-known MOTH expert who had never even appeared on the battlefield.
No one knew that it was Vill-V who had delivered the decisive blow to the Herrscher of Wind.
And even if they had known, would they have willingly handed over such tremendous credit?
Take Himeko, for example—the fleet commander who had ostensibly slain the Herrscher of Wind in MOTH's public narrative. Not only had she not received promotion or bonuses, she had instead been confined to solitary detention under the baseless charge of "disobeying superior orders."
Meanwhile, certain officials stationed safely in the rear loudly praised their own organizational arrangements, claiming they had defended North America's peace and freedom—as though victory would have been impossible without them.
They conveniently ignored the devastation littering North America, and the rebellion within the North American Strategic Command that had led to it all.
Had they truly valued civilian lives—efficiently evacuating populations and ensuring public safety—the death toll in North America could have been reduced by more than half.
What they had actually protected was their own property—and the assets of certain financial magnates.
What they boasted about now were intangible metrics like safeguarding the North American stock market and economy. If anyone mentioned the number of casualties, they dismissed it as unavoidable wartime sacrifice, claiming they had already minimized losses as much as possible.
At this moment, Vill-V sat on a small stool far away from Dr. Mobius' sofa. Hearing the complaint, she gave an awkward laugh and dragged her stool closer.
Dr. Mobius shot her an annoyed look. "Honestly, Vill-V, why are you so afraid of me? I'm not a snake. I'm not going to swallow you whole."
"Ha, Mobius... before you say that... could you maybe put those green syringes in your pocket back into their case first?" Vill-V pointed nervously at the bulging pocket of Dr. Mobius' white lab coat.
Dr. Mobius let out a small huff, took out the syringes, and placed them into a box.
"They're just a few tubes of truth serum and anesthetic. What's there to be afraid of?"
"I don't want to turn into some drooling idiot who can only babble!"
Clearly, Dr. Mobius had grown wary of Vill-V's constant stream of lies. Unable to discern truth from fabrication, the simplest solution would be to quietly administer an injection.
Of course, that was merely a passing thought. Dr. Mobius would not stoop to something so dishonorable. The truth serum was intended for an unruly little lab rat after the meeting concluded.
Once Dr. Mobius locked the reagents away, Vill-V immediately grinned mischievously and plopped down onto the sofa, pressing shoulder to shoulder with her.
"Hehe. Rule number one of snuggling—safety first."
Dr. Mobius was speechless. This girl's speed at changing faces was astonishing—almost like Elysia.
But she had not invited Vill-V here to talk about feelings.
"Dr. Mei seems to have a major plan."