Time in a collapsing world

Chapter 1292 Freedom

While Zijing was conducting a highly dangerous self-purification experiment in the quiet room, in another highly encrypted meeting room of the base, a plan that was equally important for the future and even more radical was being discussed intensively.

Attendees included Alicia, Dr. May (projected remotely), Velvet, Sue, Aponia, Welt, Kevin, and Fu Hua, among others. Their expressions were all unusually serious. Otto was not present; he had more important matters to attend to.

“Zijing has chosen an extreme and unpredictable path.” Dr. Mei’s voice came through the projection, tinged with complex emotions. “We respect his choice, but we must also prepare for the worst. At the same time, we cannot place all our hopes on his 'transformation' alone.”

“The threat from those ‘extraterrestrials’ and ‘gods’ is imminent,” Kevin’s voice was icy. “Conventional methods of confrontation have proven futile. We need a variable, a variable that can break the current deadlock.”

Alicia turned her gaze to Fu Hua: "Hua, how's that 'little guy' you're taking care of doing?"

Fu Hua nodded slightly, a wisp of pale golden light flickering at her fingertips, reflecting the image of the small golden tree deep within her consciousness, nurturing a ghostly blue flame. "It is stable and pure. Stripped of all the painful memories of those devoured and the aggressive instincts of the Herrschers, it is more like a wisp of unclaimed, highly condensed 'consciousness' and the original template of 'Honkai energy adaptability.' Its essence has the most direct common origin with 'Honkai Will'—or rather, 'Prometheus'."

“It’s like a key without any markings, yet it can unlock the door to the core database.” Velvi rubbed her hands excitedly. “What if we ‘directively program’ and ‘amplify’ it, turning it from an unconscious echo into an active and powerful ‘beacon’ or ‘questioning machine’?”

Sue opened her eyes, then closed them again after a moment: "The theory is feasible. My abilities and Aponia's can weave a sophisticated 'consciousness-inducing circuit,' using this spark as a relay and amplifier. The goal is... to send a strong, unignorable 'stimulation signal' directly to 'Prometheus.'"

"Exciting content?" Walter pushed up his glasses.

“It could be a ‘false alarm’ about a civilization’s destruction crisis, a ‘faked’ higher priority target, or it could be…” Dr. Mei’s projection paused for a moment, “…a clear ‘evolutionary request’ or ‘challenge declaration’ pointing to ‘the end’.”

Aponia spoke softly, her compassionate eyes filled with determination: "Accelerate the process of Honkai itself. Since 'Honkai' is one of the obstacles to those 'gods' intervening on Earth, then making this obstacle itself operate at a speed and intensity beyond the preset limit may allow it to expand ahead of time, disrupt the 'gods' plans, and even... create a brief respite for us."

“Before this opportunity disappears,” Alicia continued, “whether it’s the new power that Li might gain, or all the forces we’ve gathered, we might be able to find a chance to reverse things or negotiate. Of course, the risk is extremely high, because it would cause the Herrscher of the End to arrive prematurely, bringing destruction. But… rather than sitting idly by and watching the world be 'ruined' little by little by those outsiders, we might as well press this uncertain button ourselves.”

The plan was crazy and audacious, akin to dancing on the edge of a cliff, deliberately setting a powder keg beneath one's feet.

But faced with an almost unsolvable attack of dimensional reduction, this may be the only risky move that can regain a little bit of the initiative.

"Fu Hua, nurture the flame, prepare to receive 'programming'."

"Su, Aponia, begin constructing the 'consciousness-inducing circuit'."

"Vilvie, prepare the signal amplifier and stabilizing anchor."

"Everyone else, be prepared to deal with any form of enemy counterattack that may occur immediately after the 'stimulation,' including... the remaining Herrschers that may appear at any time, or even the direct projection of the Herrscher of the End."

The order was swiftly issued by Dr. Mei. A high-stakes gamble, running parallel to the self-purification of amethyst and equally fraught with peril, quietly began.

……

This is an inconspicuous planet located at the edge of the solar system.

Since Li left, Vita and the seven little Vitas have been here, experiencing countless reincarnations. They are creations of "Suo," watching helplessly as this world is destroyed and rebuilt again and again, like dolls that can be discarded at any moment.

Originally, Vita was still in an endless wait, unsure whether she was waiting for the Creator's patience to run out or for the boy who had left to return and keep his promise.

But recently, everything has changed.

At first, there were "cracks" in the sky. Not physical fissures, but like a cheap canvas being forcibly torn open, revealing a chaotic, distorted "nothingness" flowing with incomprehensible colors and geometric shapes. In those cracks, there was no longer the familiar, indifferent fluctuation of "Suo," but instead overflowed with completely different auras—some were cold and lifeless, some were wildly noisy, and some were full of greedy voyeuristic desire.

Next came the "collapse" of the earth itself. The ground was no longer stable, sometimes sinking like quicksand, sometimes rising and twisting like a living thing, forming sharp peaks or abysses that defied the laws of physics. The material structure that formed the foundation of the planet seemed to be brutally pulled and fought over by different "rules," and could fall apart completely at any moment. Turbulent energy flowed in the air, sometimes as hot as a furnace, sometimes as cold as absolute zero.

What chilled Vita to the bone was that she sensed the "shackles" belonging to "Sa" that had been subtly entangled deep within her soul were... loosening? No, not loosening, but rather the "source" itself was malfunctioning!

She could "sense" that the faint flow of power originating from the distant "Suo" that she used to have to carefully sense to detect was now intermittently and uncontrollably "leaking" towards her! That power no longer carried the will of "Suo," but was more like an "ownerless thing" flowing out of a broken container, pure and vast, yet full of unstable restlessness.

This unusual phenomenon did not bring her joy; instead, it chilled her to the bone like never before. What had happened to that almost omnipotent being who indifferently watched the birth and death of countless worlds? Had it fallen into slumber? Or had it been… attacked?

“Sister Vita…” A timid voice pulled her back to reality.

The youngest Vita clung tightly to her leg, her pale purple eyes filled with fear as she looked up at her. The other six Vitas also gathered around, nestled beside her; they could only rely on each other, on this "older sister" who had always taken care of them.

Vita lowered her head, looking at the pure dependence and fear in her sisters' eyes, then looked up at the hideous "cracks" in the sky and the increasingly unstable, cracked earth beneath her feet. The world was crumbling before their eyes, and they were powerless to stop it.

But she could no longer just watch, no longer just passively await the judgment of fate, whether it came from "Sao" or from these unfamiliar "breaths".

Taking a deep breath of the thin, dust-laden air, Vita's gaze gradually hardened. Her heart, forged through countless years of solitude to protect her sisters—a heart that belonged to a "guardian," not a "doll"—began to beat fiercely.

To sever ties with "Svaha." This thought once existed only in the deepest recesses of my imagination, tinged with fear of the unknown and trembling at the potential punishment from my "master." But now, it might be the only way out. Svaha herself may be too preoccupied to care about anything else; the leaked power is an opportunity—an opportunity to sever ties with the past and reclaim autonomy!