Chapter 148: Degeneration & Twins
"Identity verification, Bronya Zaychik, verification passed, please enter."
Amid the emotionless, cold electronic sound, the silver-haired girl floated into the base with an expressionless face.
On both sides of the gate of this Anti-Entropy fortress, there are several Titan mechas standing guard. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of uniform footsteps, probably from the soldiers responsible for patrolling the base.
Bronya was no stranger to such scenes. After entering the gate, the heavy iron door behind her slowly closed.
She stayed where she was until a Titan mech next to her started up and began to guide her.
Under its guidance, the girl then came to a relatively empty hall.
Judging from the decoration style, this should be a lounge, with a coffee table and sofas, and a huge screen hanging high in the sky opposite it.
After she arrived, the screen began to flicker, revealing an appearance that Bronya was extremely familiar with.
——Cocolia.
Purple eyes, waist-length golden curly hair, tall figure. Wearing the standard military uniform of this land in the past, with a white cape with a red cotton collar on her shoulders.
"…Mother Cocolia."
Bronya said calmly.
She had been speaking in this style since she lost her emotional center, so the other party couldn't hear any difference.
"It's been a long time since I last saw you, my dear daughter."
The blonde lady's eyes fell on Kirataka on the Project Bunny behind the girl, and she smiled with satisfaction:
"Well done, Bronya. Although we failed to capture the third Herrscher, a pseudo-Herrscher is still a useful material. Leave him to me."
As Cocolia finished her words, several fully armed soldiers emerged from the shadows and walked forward.
Bronya cooperated with their actions and handed the motionless Kirataka into their hands.
"Sit down, Bronya."
After Kirataka was sent away, the blonde woman on the screen said casually.
"…"
The silver-haired girl remained silent and sat down on the sofa as Cocolia said.
In the past, she would talk to her like this every time after completing a mission for Cocolia.
However, at those times, she always stood in front of her in person.
But now it is a remote communication method... This means that Cocolia is not in this fortress.
"How long has it been since we last sat down and had a good conversation since I sent you to St. Freya's Academy?"
"…It's been over a year since Bronya left Anti-Entropy."
Bronya answered simply.
Quite a long time has passed since the disaster broke out in Nagazora.
She has changed a lot in this year.
"How is it like living in the academy over there?"
Like a conversation between mother and daughter, Cocolia asked some simple questions.
"...Not bad."
Bronya saw no need to lie about this.
She really enjoyed her life at St. Freya's Academy, especially after Seele's return; there was almost nothing missing.
It was the warmth she felt there that made her realize the hypocrisy of Cocolia's past actions.
Cocolia sighed slightly.
"That's right. After all, you are different from ordinary children. You can't live in an ordinary school like them. It's not bad if you can make up for it a little bit there."
"…Is Mother Cocolia still conducting those experiments?"
Bronya asked abruptly.
"Well, Bronya, I know you have never liked the experiments I conducted, but the situation in the world is deteriorating rapidly, and even I am a little powerless. I must speed up the mastery of the power of Honkai. Forgive me, Bronya. Everything I do is to reverse entropy and to save mankind."
The blonde woman on the screen showed a kind expression and explained patiently.
She once again said something that Bronya was very familiar with:
"I just hope that my children can survive in this world that is gradually being eroded by the Honkai."
...Bronya was very familiar with these words.
This is what she always said to them, whether it was when she first let them try to adapt themselves to Honkai energy with mercury, or before other further experiments involving human bodies.
At that time, Bronya and the other children believed everything Cocolia said, obeyed her completely, and never doubted her motives for the experiment.
But these familiar words now sounded like hypocrisy.
"...Anyway, you have captured a Pseudo-Herrscher this time, which will be very useful for the future development of Anti-Entropy. I will arrange for someone to study him first."
While Bronya was stunned, Cocolia had already finished her words:
"Okay, Bronya, you look tired. Go down and rest. The room has been prepared for you. This time you attacked the students of St. Freya Academy. There is no going back. From now on, just interact with each other again under the banner of Anti-Entropy as before."
Attacking and knocking Kirataka unconscious and bringing him back here was an act of rebellion that couldn't be more obvious. In Cocolia's eyes, Bronya's spy career had to end here.
"...Bronya understands."
The girl nodded slightly.
She lived like this for nearly a year after the X-10 experiment and the Valkyrie Project were implemented.
According to the instructions issued by Cocolia, she went to various places around the world to complete missions.
Because of her outstanding efficiency in completing tasks, she even earned a name within Anti-Entropy—[Anti-Entropy Saint].
The last mission she carried out from Cocolia was to retrieve the Third Herrscher in Nagazora.
…For some reason, Bronya remembered the time when she met Cocolia.
At that time, as a military assassin, she worked together with other team members to kill Cocolia, a thorn in the military's side.
Then, all the teammates except her were killed by the opponent.
And because she was still a child, not only did she not suffer any revenge from Cocolia, but she was taken in by her orphanage and cared for.
She still remembers what Cocolia said to her at that time:
——"Don't worry, you won't have to go to the battlefield anymore."
At that time, Cocolia was undoubtedly a kind person.
She resisted the tyranny of the military and saved countless children who had become homeless due to the Honkai and war amidst the hail of bullets.
For a long time, she enjoyed a happy life in the orphanage. Despite the poverty and hardship, she persevered with the support of other children.
But then, everything changed...
Cocolia began to use her wantonly, training her into a warrior who could skillfully use Honkai energy to perform various tasks, once again stepping into the battlefield of life and death.
So, when did Cocolia change?
Bronya didn't know.
Today, this once gentle mother may have long forgotten her original intention.
"…"
The silver-haired girl did not stand up immediately but asked in a calm tone:
"Mother Cocolia, now that we have captured the Herrscher, can we save Seele?"
This was the reason why she served in Operation Cocolia before, and it was also the driving force Cocolia used to control her.
Now, she probably doesn't know that Seele has already been rescued.
"If we want to save Seele from the Quantum Sea, we must capture a true Herrscher."
Cocolia was slightly stunned, then replied.
"...Mother Cocolia, can you tell Bronya why she must use the Herrscher to rescue Seele?"
The silver-haired girl asked immediately.
In the past, she had never doubted the truth of this statement, but judging from the fact that Kirataka had previously rescued Seele, the so-called Herrscher Core was not a necessity at all.
Cocolia frowned and refused to answer:
"This is not something you should know, Bronya."
"…Sorry."
The silver-haired girl stood up calmly.
The long-awaited mother-daughter conversation ended there.
Although she and Kirataka were separated temporarily, she still had to continue with the tasks she was supposed to perform.
Since Cocolia is not here, Bronya's next task is to find a way to locate her.
She noticed that the frequency band that Cocolia used to communicate with her was a short-distance frequency band, which meant that even if she was not in this fortress, she must be in Siberia.
…
The bright screen gradually turned dark. Cocolia, far away in Siberia, turned away and looked at the blue sky outside the window, muttering to herself:
"Bronya, why... did you betray me?"
Although she said this, she didn't feel too sad about it.
Then, the blonde woman's gaze fell on the shadows on the side, where stood a man in black holding an umbrella.
He wore a white mask with only his right eye exposed, and on it was a black pattern of two intersecting daggers.
Cocolia asked directly:
"Gray Serpent, are you sure the Third Herrscher will really come to Siberia?"
"Of course, after all... this is the information we got from the data network of the Far East Branch of Schicksal," the other party answered casually.
Bronya is not the only hacker expert.
It was also they who informed the other party that Bronya was very likely to have betrayed Cocolia.
"Someone previously investigated the location of Raiden Ryoma through the World Serpent's intelligence network. In my opinion, this is their purpose. This is also a great opportunity for you to capture the Herrscher."
Cocolia clenched her hand into a fist, then relaxed it:
"Hmph... This time, I must get the Gem of Conquest."
"Your previous attempt to create the Sixth Herrscher in Singapore failed. We have already suggested to you that there is no need to do that. Just hand over the gemstone to us, and we will be able to meet all your needs."
Gray Serpent said slowly:
"Whether it's more advanced mecha technology or more advanced biotechnology, we can trade with you."
But it was obvious that at that time, the suspicious Cocolia did not trust them that much. After all, they were two different forces.
As for the result, the Singapore incident was a waste of effort. Cocolia simply wasted a lot of troops and lost a high-quality Watt series clone.
That incident not only caused some losses to Anti-Entropy, but for some reason, since then, Schicksal seemed to be intentionally investigating the World Serpent, causing them considerable trouble.
Many spies hidden within Schicksal have been uncovered.
This cooperation between World Serpent and Cocolia is beneficial to both of them.
Cocolia covets the power of the Herrscher, and they urgently need to conquer the gems and the deep-sea ruins managed by Anti-Entropy—Abyss City.
Specifically, it is the Eye of the Abyss in Abyss City that can open the gate to the Quantum Sea.
Cocolia snorted coldly and said:
"You mentioned earlier that you would provide support for the operation to capture the Third Herrscher... I hope you won't let me down and let me see the World Serpent's cutting-edge technology."
The operation to capture the Herrscher of Thunder was jointly initiated by her and the World Serpent.
In order to ensure that the Herrscher of Thunder would take the bait, she did not even bring out Raiden Ryoma, but instead imprisoned him in the base as usual, as bait to attract Raiden Mei.
Gray Serpent smiled slightly and said confidently:
"Please rest assured, the arrangements against the Herrscher of Thunder have already been made in that fortress. You just need to watch the show here. That is... a very restrained prop for the Herrscher. Now we just need to wait for the bait to be hooked."
…
After being taken away by the Anti-Entropy soldiers, Kirataka had all his equipment and weapons stripped away, leaving him with only a thin set of clothes.
Afterward, he was temporarily detained in a small room.
This small room was pure white on three sides, and one side was blocked by a railing. Kirataka knocked on it gently. Hmm, the main material should be soulium.
He calmly deployed the electromagnetic field, intending to use it to figure out the specific structure of this large fortress. It would be even better if he could use it to directly determine where Raiden Ryoma was.
But the trick that had always worked before failed this time.
Nine out of ten times, the electromagnetic waves he emitted never returned, as if they had penetrated into a bottomless pit.
Kirataka realized something and narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the wall of the room:
"...The walls of this fortress are all coated with anti-electromagnetic materials."
After all, electromagnetic control is a capability that relies on the laws of physics, so naturally, there are corresponding countermeasures to counter it.
This anti-electromagnetic material can absorb electromagnetic waves, which is equivalent to a shielding cover or shielding film, blocking the propagation of electromagnetic waves.
The exploration methods that were once able to easily gain insight into everything about this fortress are now unable to make any progress and cannot obtain much effective feedback.
Not only the walls around them but also those outside the corridor and even other places in this fortress—I'm afraid the same material has been used.
This material was used throughout the entire fortress. It was simply...
It was as if they were preparing for the arrival of the Herrscher of Thunder.
"This old witch has indeed made the corresponding preparations," Kirataka pondered.
This means that she has already received intelligence that the Herrscher of Thunder may attack here and has prepared countermeasures against this possibility.
In other words…
This is a trap that has been prepared.
When did she realize it? Was it when she was investigating the whereabouts of Raiden Ryoma and was sold to Cocolia by Gray Serpent as intelligence, or was it when Bronya was using hacking methods to collect information about Cocolia and she discovered it?
Or maybe... both?
The former is fine, but if it's the latter...
'I'm afraid that Bronya's betrayal of Cocolia has probably already been known to the other party.'
Well, this was indeed within his expectations...
Although her methods are far inferior to Otto's, Cocolia is still a local tyrant after all. If she couldn't even get this little information, she wouldn't have been able to climb to her current position of almost dominating Anti-Entropy.
She has already set up a tight net, waiting for Mei to take the bait.
'In addition to these materials that block the propagation of electromagnetic waves, I'm afraid there are other preparations.'
In short, Kirataka began to make noises in the cell step by step.
In any case, as a prisoner who had just "awoken," he should certainly react more violently.
He approached the edge of the cell, preparing to shout to the soldier who was watching him to come over, but suddenly he heard the voices of two girls, one weak and the other lively, whispering:
"Liliya, Liliya, look, it's snowing, but this big brother is wearing such thin clothes. Isn't he afraid of catching a cold?"
"...Rozaliya, Rozaliya, I don't think we have the right to say that."
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