"Cough, cough, cough..."
In a sealed room filled with the heavy scent of medicine, Wendy sat in her wheelchair, coughing weakly. Her face was deathly pale and bloodless, her body emaciated, and her eyes dim.
Because of the Gem of Desire experiment, Wendy—who was once the most promising candidate to become Schicksal's fourth S-rank Valkyrie—had lost the ability to walk. After the Gem of Desire was injected into her legs, the side effects rendered her a cripple.
Not only that, but the Honkai energy released by the Gem of Desire was constantly eroding Wendy's body, torturing the young girl as if hundreds of ants were incessantly gnawing at her limbs and bones.
If Wendy's Honkai adaptability hadn't far exceeded that of an ordinary person, anyone else would have died long ago.
Wendy looked out the window, staring blankly at the azure sky like a bird trapped in a cage longing for freedom.
"If I had refused the invitation to the Gem of Desire experiment that day, what kind of life would I be leading now..."
It wasn't the first time the girl had thought this, for she had already guessed the final outcome of this experiment.
As experiment after experiment failed, Wendy gained nothing but endless torment.
Even the scientists responsible for the project no longer bothered to hide the disappointment on their faces as the number of failures mounted.
Every time Wendy was wheeled out of the laboratory, she was met with their looks of loathing and impatience—a complete reversal from the warm and considerate attitude they had shown her at the beginning.
In their eyes, the failure of the experiment was inevitable, and therefore Wendy no longer held any real value for them.
Once Wendy saw through the masks of these hypocrites, her hatred for them and for Schicksal grew with each passing day.
Thinking of those loathsome, familiar faces, Wendy's expression darkened, and her hands involuntarily clenched into fists.
Knock, knock.
A tapping sound came from the door.
Having learned to endure, Wendy quickly regained her usual calm. She turned her wheelchair toward the door and called out softly, "Come in."
The door opened, and a white-haired old man in a lab coat entered with a smile, followed by several middle-aged men also dressed in white coats.
Seeing their arrival, a flash of disgust crossed Wendy's eyes, but she quickly hid it.
"I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news to tell you."
The lead old man paused, quietly observing the girl's expression. Seeing her show a hint of interest, he felt a bit more relaxed and said:
"Let's start with the bad news. You're aware of the progress regarding the Gem of Desire experiment. To our shame, we simply cannot find a way to move the experimental protocol forward. Therefore, we have formally applied to Schicksal to terminate the project, and the Overseer has granted his approval."
A look of shame appeared on his face, and the others behind him offered a chorus of apologies.
"Has it failed..."
The last sliver of hope in Wendy's heart shattered. She was in no mood to listen to these insincere apologies.
She lowered her head; all she could see were her legs, which had long since lost all sensation.
Wendy closed her eyes in resignation, accepting the cruel reality that she would spend the rest of her life as a cripple.
"However, the good news is that the Overseer of the Far East Branch, Lady Theresa, possesses a panacea that can cure all diseases. It should be able to help you stand again."
Seeing Wendy so despondent, the lead old man hurried to deliver the other piece of news: "The people sent by Lady Theresa are already on their way to collect you, and they're bringing the panacea with them."
"Really?"
Wendy looked up in surprise, a spark of light appearing in her dim eyes.
Theresa was her teacher. During her time at St. Freya Academy, Theresa had given her meticulous care and guidance; she was the person Wendy respected most.
Yet, she was also the person who had recommended her for the Gem of Desire implantation experiment. Consequently, Wendy's feelings toward Theresa were currently very complex.
"Of course. I believe you'll hear the engines of the Hyperion very soon," the old man nodded.
Wendy slowly calmed down and asked, "What do you plan to do with the Gem of Desire inside me?"
"We have transferred full authority to the Far East Branch. As for how to handle the Gem of Desire, you can ask Lady Theresa."
"And what about the panacea you mentioned?"
"It is a medicine Lady Theresa obtained from the Acting Overseer. I am not entirely clear on its origins."
The old man hesitated for a moment after speaking, then added after a thought, "A year ago, Lady Theresa sent three doses of the panacea to the Oceania Branch, saying she hoped they would help you."
Hearing this, Wendy felt a warmth in her heart.
The old man continued, "But unfortunately, those three doses were mysteriously stolen. By the time we identified the culprit, it was too late. The medicine had already flowed into the black market and could not be recovered."
"When we informed the Far East Branch of this unfortunate event and tried to apply for another dose or two, Lady Theresa refused, claiming the panacea had been exhausted."
That was what he said, but the truth was quite different.
The three doses sent by Theresa hadn't been lost, nor had they been used on Wendy.
One dose had been used on a patient severely infected by the Honkai.
After confirming the rumors that it could cure any disease, they used the final two doses for experimentation in hopes of replicating the medicine.
Since the Gem of Desire implantation experiment had never made any progress, they feared that if the project failed, they would have no chance of promotion within Schicksal. Thus, they decided to gamble on the panacea.
If they could successfully replicate it, it would count as making up for their previous failures.
After all, they hadn't heard of the Far East Branch making any moves to replicate the drug.
As for why they didn't use even a single dose on Wendy, it was because they discovered through the first test subject that the panacea would expel Honkai energy harmful to the human body.
The Gem of Desire was the source of Honkai energy; if the panacea expelled it from Wendy's body, their entire experiment would have been for nothing.
This experiment concerned their future careers, so they absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen to Wendy!
Three years had passed, and both the Gem of Desire implantation and the plan to replicate the panacea had ended in failure.
To rid themselves of Wendy, who had become a hot potato, they immediately contacted Theresa after receiving Otto's permission.
As for those three doses of medicine... the relevant evidence had been destroyed, and they were all in the same boat. They weren't worried about anyone reporting them. Their strategy was simple: there were no witnesses or evidence, so Theresa couldn't do anything to them.
Wendy's gaze swept across each of them. She was no fool and naturally didn't believe the stupid lie about the medicine being stolen.
However, she did not flare up immediately, instead tacitly accepting their explanation.