Darkness once again enveloped the earth.
"Expert, this isn't the time to rest. Certain matters must be investigated immediately."
Inside the kindergarten's surveillance room.
"Well, Expert? Have you finished analyzing it?" Conductor asked Expert, who was controlling the body.
Plagued by all manner of negative debuffs, Expert held the fragments of the strange mirror with a piece of cloth. Her exhausted eyes watched streams of data flash across the lenses resting on her nose. "Hard to say. We may need more precise instruments to reverse-engineer it..."
"Is this mirror really that complicated?" Hua was crouching nearby and asked after hearing Expert's analysis.
No matter how she looked at it, the mirror resembled the sort of cosmetic mirror mass-produced in a factory. She could not imagine it being some form of advanced technology.
Enduring her dizziness and pounding headache, Expert nodded. "Yes, because this isn't conventional magneto-optical spectroscopy. So-called magneto-optical spectroscopy uses magnetically controlled lasers of different wavelengths to stimulate the cerebral cortex and deeper brain structures, thereby influencing a person's mental state."
"Huh? Oh." Listening to all those terms made Hua's head buzz as well. Magneto-optical spectroscopy? Magnetically controlled lasers?
"Stop, stop, stop." Conductor interrupted Expert's barrage of technical terminology. "Just give us the conclusion. Look, Hua is completely lost. You don't want listening to you to give her the same headache as sitting through a teacher's lecture, do you? She only graduated from middle school. Do you seriously expect her to understand your technical jargon?"
"Fine." Expert placed the mirror shard into a sealed sample container, then pinched the aching bridge of her nose. "Based on my analysis, this was most likely the work of the Ninth Mausoleum. Oh, I suppose they should now be called the National Boundary Guardian."
"Is that so?"
Conductor was not surprised. After all, she had long known that this organization would involve itself in the affairs of Barcelona.
Hua, however, had plenty of questions. Although Su had mentioned the National Boundary Guardian to her before, she knew absolutely nothing about what made the organization special.
Curious, she asked, "Is the National Boundary Guardian's technology different from that of other organizations?"
Expert nodded. "Yes. Fundamentally different. The foundations of the physical theories possessed by the National Boundary Guardian diverge from the foundations of current frontier theoretical physics."
"To give you an analogy, it is like the difference between a bioelectric computer, a difference-engine computer, and the electromechanical computers we use today. Although they may achieve the same results, their underlying architectures are entirely different."
As she spoke, Expert shook the mirror shard in her hand and said solemnly, "Don't be fooled by the fact that this thing looks like a mirror. It isn't actually a mirror at all. It was merely fashioned into the shape of an ordinary mirror as camouflage."
Hua looked at her reflection in the shard and was suddenly struck by intense dizziness before her mind abruptly cleared again.
Just now, she seemed to have seen certain fragments once more.
Hua did not know whether this was normal, but since Vill-V had not mentioned it, she assumed that was simply the shard's ability.
Expert did not seem to notice Hua's unusual reaction and continued, "Look. This shard doesn't use conventional photoelectric or magnetoelectric signals, and its structure is no longer even intact, yet it can still produce psychological projection effects. Can conventional magneto-optical equipment explain that?"
Hua stroked her chin and considered it seriously before agreeing. "True. The effect feels more like hypnosis."
"The effect is indeed similar to hypnosis, but hypnosis cannot make someone fall into a deep conscious illusion with a single glance, especially while they are mentally tense and engaged in battle. It... directly interferes with human consciousness."
"The Gravity Gun we encountered earlier worked the same way. It didn't act directly upon matter. Instead, it affected carbon-based biological cells. It was an extremely biologically targeted weapon, one humanity has yet to invent. Fundamentally, there would be no reason to go through so much trouble on Earth. Everyone here is a carbon-based life-form."
"In other words, this technology comes from that side."
With a grave expression, Expert pointed at the sky with her index finger.
Hua raised her head. There was nothing in the sky. Under Magician's influence, the clouds above this region had already dispersed, leaving only the pitch-black starry sky in view.
Aliens? Hua suddenly understood and silently followed Vill-V's reasoning.
"To use Dr. Mei's words, 'Every star in the sky is an enemy.'..."
Thud!
Halfway through speaking, Vill-V collapsed.
Hua thought aliens had attacked because Vill-V knew too much and had been silenced. Instead, Vill-V, lying face-first on the floor, waved a hand. "Expert really couldn't hold on any longer. She needs a break."
Conductor emerged and took control of the body.
Mentioning Dr. Mei made Conductor think of Ancestor Kevin, who would most likely come over and cause trouble later.
What a headache. There are already so many people who need my help—Zofia, Pardo, Mobius. Kevin isn't planning to join them too and make a full mahjong table, is he?
Vill-V rubbed her cheeks with a headache. She had already guessed what Dr. Mei was planning.
Aside from the possibility that this place might give birth to hope for human civilization, Vill-V could also infer part of the puzzle behind Dr. Mei's Project Cocoon through her familiarity with the original Honkai storyline.
Dr. Mei would certainly be reluctant to let Kevin stain his hands with blood. Once she learned of the situation here, she would surely kill two birds with one stone by sending Kevin here alone to stir up trouble.
And the Kevin who arrived would definitely be completely bewildered. After all, Dr. Mei would have no way to explain everything clearly within MOTH.
If she explained it clearly, her Project Cocoon would be exposed to the higher-ups.
Why call it playing around? Because two wise people familiar to Dr. Mei were already here to explain matters and clean up the aftermath, while Kevin's close friend Su could also lend him a hand. Dr. Mei did not need to worry about Kevin getting lost at all.
Although Kevin's arrival would cause trouble for Vill-V, Vill-V would still help him sort out his thoughts. After working together for so long, Dr. Mei understood her well enough to know that.
Dr. Mei had shamelessly taken advantage of even that. Did she have no sense of human decency? Was she not afraid Vill-V might truly sever ties with her?
The only problem was that Dr. Mei had underestimated the severity of the crisis here and placed too much faith in Kevin's abilities.
"Dr. Mei must believe that the higher-ups here are still Gazing at the Stars."
"But what she doesn't know is that the stars have already descended. Humanity's battle against the stars began long ago."
Kevin did indeed currently possess the strength to contend with an Unknown-class Honkai Beast, but given the present situation in the City of Dusk, one would need at least Herrscher-level strength to bulldoze through it.
As a newcomer who knew nothing of the area, Kevin probably would not even know where to go. He might end up joining the four-person mahjong table as well.
Ring, ring, ring—!
A ringing sound came from the kindergarten's surveillance equipment.
The sound only occurred when someone sent a communication request.
Who would call this place in the middle of the night?
Could it be the late-night snack Magician ordered?
Or had the president of the Ghostfire Syndicate received the news and, unable to rush over in time, decided to deliver a few threats first?
Conductor casually slapped the controls and accepted the communication request.
"Either way, let's hear them out first. When it comes to making threats, I'm no amateur either."
Just as Vill-V prepared to strike first with her words, the image of a young man appeared on the computer screen.
The young man was dressed in bright, luxurious clothes, and his eyes contained an authority far beyond his years.
In any case, he could not possibly be the legendary president of the Ghostfire Syndicate.
"Isn't that Granny Tao's grandson? He's still alive?!"