July 3, 2017, Anti-Entropy, Salt Lake City Base.
“Kiana, please have a seat. How have you been feeling lately?”
“Ah, thank you for your concern, Doctor. My appetite’s been great lately. I eat four meals a day like normal, and on training days I can even squeeze in a burger. Everyone at Anti-Entropy is so kind. Being around them has really helped me relax.”
Bronya, who was nearby, smiled and said:
“At this rate, Kiana’s going to go from the Herrscher of Ice to the Herrscher of Food.”
Kiana laughed at Bronya’s teasing and replied:
“Enough about me—how’s Bronya doing?”
Everyone knew exactly what Kiana was referring to.
“Don’t worry. Although Bronya still can’t use the Herrscher of Reason’s Authority, it doesn’t affect her daily life. What the Herrscher of Reason taught Bronya is the ability to perceive the essence of things. Even without the Authority, Bronya won’t forget that.”
“By the way, Doctor, has there been any new progress in tracking the Herrscher of Domination?”
Einstein’s expression turned complicated:
“I wouldn’t say there’s been no progress at all. With Anti-Entropy and Schicksal working together, we’ve successfully foiled several plots and prevented social tensions from deepening further.
Both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal have also recovered several puppets from the scenes. Inside the puppets, we discovered tiny crystals. Although the magnitude of Honkai energy doesn’t match other Herrschers’ Herrscher Cores, in every other aspect, their characteristics are almost identical to a Herrscher Core. This discovery turned our hypothesis into reality.”
“However, although a single Herrscher of Domination is far weaker than other Herrschers, they are massive in number and can coordinate to strike from multiple points simultaneously. Also, although their upper limit is 1,000, once a puppet is destroyed, they can absorb new members through some means. So Anti-Entropy and Schicksal’s actions are, in the end, just a drop in the bucket.”
“Just two days ago, the Sydney Opera House suddenly caught fire. We suspect the Herrscher of Domination was behind it. Their behavioral logic differs from other Herrschers. Rather than directly destroying large cities or carrying out mass slaughter of humanity, they prefer to ignite internal human conflicts by disrupting normal social order.”
“They really are a bunch of… annoying and troublesome fellows…”
“Ah, Ms. Fu Hua and Ms. Theresa have arrived. Perfect timing. Anti-Entropy personnel in Australia discovered this at the scene.”
Einstein held up a photograph. Theresa took it and was immediately startled.
“This is… Bella, the companion Honkai Beast of the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin?”
“Yes, this was captured after the Sydney Opera House fire. This shows that it’s not just us—Enoxia and Sirin are very likely cooperating with World Serpent to launch an offensive against the Herrscher of Domination. And given their methods, they’ve probably already made considerable progress.”
Kiana glanced at the photo, then placed her hands on her hips and said with full confidence:
“Then we need to work hard to catch up with them too. I’m already prepared for tomorrow’s operation.”
Clearly, it was precisely because striking back after the Herrscher of Domination disrupted social order had yielded little effect that Anti-Entropy decided to take the initiative. And without a doubt, Kiana was the best bait.
After discussions, Tesla proposed to the Doctor a plan to transport Kiana to an uninhabited Arctic region for containment. Once proposed, the plan immediately gained congressional approval. The normally inefficient, buck-passing Senate reached a consensus on the spot, expressing willingness to provide Anti-Entropy with all possible assistance.
So Tesla returned to Salt Lake City that very night. As for why Congress suddenly displayed such astonishing efficiency this time, she knew perfectly well. Obviously, whether Democrat or Republican, not a single politician wanted to bear responsibility for the consequences of a Herrscher going out of control.
“Silly Kiana, the more you talk like that, the more it means you’re actually nervous… If Mei were here, she’d definitely find a way to truly calm you down…”
“Maybe… Maybe Mei is right now… at World Serpent, doing something even more important than we can imagine.”
“Alright, being too serious won’t help the mission go smoothly. Kiana, did you forget the main reason I called you and Seele over?”
“Huh?”
Kiana scratched her head in confusion.
Seele smiled and said:
“Today is Anti-Entropy’s 60th anniversary! There’s a celebration tonight. The things Kiana and I bought together earlier will finally come in handy.”
“Oh… right. Hehe, 60th anniversary, which means the 61st founding day. I never thought Anti-Entropy would have weathered so many years of storms.”
Fu Hua gazed into the distance, recalling the scene when she met Welt Joyce in London all those years ago.
July 3, night. The Salt Lake City base was brightly lit. Before the celebration began, everyone’s eyes fell on Anti-Entropy’s leader, Welt Yang.
“Everyone, from the very first day of its existence, Anti-Entropy has faced all kinds of internal and external difficulties. In 1976, when we celebrated our 20th founding day, I asked Professor Planck, the organization’s founder, this question:
【Where exactly does Anti-Entropy’s future lie?】
“Back then… constrained by Schicksal’s containment, we couldn’t establish a foothold anywhere outside the United States. Research on the Moonlight Throne was also making no progress. So I believed that these external limitations were severely restricting the organization’s development.”
“And she, pointing to her own heart, said:
【Everyone is Anti-Entropy’s future.】
【If we calmly contend with Schicksal, Schicksal will find no opening. If we settle down and focus on building, Anti-Entropy will grow stronger step by step. And if one day we can make every person in the world feel the beauty of the world, then humanity will surely overcome the Honkai!】”
“I believe this is Anti-Entropy’s most fundamental spirit. Today, we gather here to celebrate Anti-Entropy’s 61st founding day. Tomorrow, even harder tasks await us. Everyone, to the spirit of Anti-Entropy—cheers!”
“Cheers!”
