"News from the Corporation. A star system has detached from the star-rail network. The Corporation received incomplete information and is still in the process of deciphering it."
Welt, his expression exceptionally grave, pushed the report about the detached star system towards Wende.
This was a signal. Even if most people didn't understand the message it conveyed, they did.
"Can you give me the coordinates of this system?"
Putting down the report, Wende looked up at Welt.
"Of course, I'll send them to you now. By the way, the problem on the Honkai world's side... it might be far more severe than we imagined. But they can still be of assistance to us. You can trust them... except for that one person."
Welt adjusted his glasses, speaking to Wende with great earnestness.
"Don't worry, Uncle Yang. I know."
Wende nodded at Welt and walked out of the conference hall alone.
Outside, three figures had been waiting for some time.
"You really have a lot of nerve. Knowing there are three Stellaron Hunters on your home turf, and you're not the least bit worried?"
Silver Wolf questioned Wende as he emerged, chewing on a piece of gum. You really don't take the three of us Stellaron Hunters seriously, do you!
"Hmm... You won't do anything out of line, right?"
Looking at the indignant Silver Wolf, Wende shrugged helplessly and said with a smile.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's find another spot to discuss our collaboration."
Wende clapped his hands, and the four of them were instantly transported to a wide, empty, and silent area.
"..."
Kafka maintained her gentle demeanor, as if she had long anticipated this move from Wende. Silver Wolf, on the other hand, was startled, and the light blade on her partner Prometheus flashed into existence in an instant.
As for Blade, who stood behind them... for some reason, perhaps because his days as a security guard had been too peaceful, he seemed to have become detached from worldly affairs. This was a world of difference from the frenzied man he once was.
"Don't be alarmed, Silver Wolf."
Kafka spoke softly to the triggered-looking Silver Wolf, who obediently retracted Prometheus and stood by Kafka's side.
It's her Spirit Pledge.
Seeing Silver Wolf's dazed expression, Wende noted inwardly.
"What did he see?"
Wende didn't waste time on pleasantries with Kafka, getting straight to the point.
"He saw a great deal. The Master Diviner of the Luofu should have sent someone to share the contents of the Matrix of Prescience's divination with you, correct? What Elio foresaw was much the same, except..."
Kafka walked forward gently, her vacant eyes gazing quietly into Wende's purple pupils.
"He saw you. You are the key to the future."
---o---
When Stelle, who had been working for Herta at the space station, was called back by Wende, she was completely bewildered. She couldn't understand it. She had just gone to the space station with March to test out Herta—ah, no, to test out the Simulated Universe. How did something so major suddenly happen?
miHoYo Interstellar Inc. had paid the Stellaron Hunters' bounty back to the IPC, and then recruited all the Stellaron Hunters into miHoYo Interstellar Inc.'s "Special External Dispatch Department"?
Stelle was, admittedly, stunned when she returned to see Kafka sitting with Himeko, discussing the latest fashion in overcoats. Should she... should she be happy... or happier?
Beside her, March saw Stelle staring at Kafka with a gaze so intense it was almost tangible. She decisively reached out with her wicked little hand and gave Stelle's waist a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree pinch.
"Ah!"
Stelle was snapped out of her fantasy. Seeing Kafka's and Himeko's eyes now on her, she momentarily fell into a daze once more.
"Hmm... This really isn't a dream..."
"You're back? Very surprised, aren't you?"
Kafka elegantly placed Himeko's coffee to the side. Under Himeko's slightly regretful gaze, she stood up, walked over to Stelle, and gently caressed her face with her hand.
"You've worked hard during this time..."
"Hiss... Miss Himeko, what in the world is going on?"
March sidled up next to Himeko, whispering to her with a look of utter disbelief.
"Well... it's hard to imagine, but it's the truth. We are indeed allies on the same side now."
Himeko was also rather helpless about it. When Kafka first boarded the Express, Pom-Pom had nearly been triggered into kicking her off. Fortunately, Himeko had received a message from Wende in advance and managed to soothe Pom-Pom in time. Otherwise, what might have happened... was anyone's guess.
---o---
Meanwhile, on miHoYo Planet...
"Hehehe, Dan Heng, I truly never thought... that you and I would one day be working together!"
Blade watched Dan Heng, who was completely engrossed in his work, with a cold smirk. Who would have thought... that things would turn out like this in the end...
"Are you that free? The company has another batch of equipment being delivered soon. Instead of watching your monitors, what are you doing here making trouble for me?"
Dan Heng said without lifting his head. He was very busy right now and had no time to deal with the convoluted mess between him and Blade.
Or rather, he couldn't be bothered to deal with him in the first place.
"..."
Blade showed no signs of shock or anger. An unusually awkward smile appeared on his stone-faced visage, and he turned and left.
Dan Heng: ...
Gently putting down the file in his hands, Dan Heng watched Blade's retreating back and couldn't help but frown.
Why did something feel... not quite right?
---o---
"Wendy... are you sure this will work?"
In Belobog, at the very top of the creation platform, Rand Duckie looked up at Wendy, who was floating at the highest point like a deity, and shouted loudly to her.
"I... I'm not entirely sure, but I can definitely try..."
Wendy looked at her own hands, a little hesitant.
Logically speaking, her current power shouldn't be enough to alter the atmospheric environment of an entire planet. But for some reason, after arriving in this world, she could clearly feel that the gem inside her body had undergone some kind of change. The energy didn't feel like Honkai energy... but she couldn't quite identify what kind of energy it was...
However, based on the knowledge in her mind, while she couldn't completely melt the ice and snow of Jarilo-VI, it was still possible to weaken the cold wave once more, lowering the temperature outside Belobog to a level suitable for people to go out and explore!
Although doing so would awaken some of the Fragmentum creatures hibernating in the glaciers, for the current Belobog, those creatures were not the greatest source of pressure. As long as they could weaken the effects of the external cold wave, they could expand Belobog's current industrial chain! Being constantly confined within the city walls was not a good long-term solution. Besides, they now had plenty of aid, and with the technology excavated from the ruins, dealing with those Fragmentum monsters would not be a problem at all!