The setting sun cast the wavering shadows of cherry blossoms onto the desk. Ryan looked out from the rest room, still seeing students carrying luggage.
With the official holiday beginning, the once-bustling campus was now quiet; most students had left for vacation. Even if they wanted to stay, they couldn't; the school would be implenting power restrictions tonight to maintain the experint.
Even the most dedicated shut-ins couldn't wait any longer. The normally crowded campus was now deserted, except for a few faculty mbers remaining for work. The physics laboratory, however, was bustling.
Ryan picked up his coffee, taking a sip. His grey eyes scanned the small garden below, where a couple was chatting.
On a bench, a girl with a ponytail was quietly reading an experintal report, her expression calm and focused. The white-haired young man sat beside her, feeding her dumplings.
His movents were gentle, as if afraid to disturb her thoughts. His expression was equally focused, fixed on her face.
Burp—
Ryan suddenly belched. He hadn't eaten dinner yet and was feeling full from the "dog food" display. For so reason, he thought of the reader who'd ntioned coming to Nagazora City for work.
Impossible. It's just a man pretending to be a girl.
Reason suppressed his nascent fantasy. Ryan propped his chin, frowning.
"If it weren't for that damned Honkai, with my skills, I could be living a carefree life of leisure."
That resentnt flickered and vanished. He couldn't choose a different path; he had to continue. He watched the couple, eventually unable to bear it, grabbing the black duffel bag leaning against the table and heading down.
Kevin, the idiot, was feeding i dumplings, then offering her water and peeling an apple. My coffee's getting cold, and you two are doing this?
"Hey, can you two stop the PDA? Consider us single dogs."
"Ryan, you're here!" Kevin turned, unconsciously slicing an apple. "Want so apple? I just peeled it. Did you have dinner?"
"No, but I'm full of 'dog food'." Ryan walked towards them, clearing his throat. "The experint starts in half an hour. There's a nice spot behind the garden; usually nobody..."
"Let's go!"
Before he could finish, i's voice cut him off. Her breathing seed slightly labored; after a mont, her flushed face returned to normal.
"Kevin, you'll be busy for a bit. The experint will probably end around eleven. Let's walk around campus then."
At least five more hours. Kevin showed no impatience, smiling and nodding. "Okay, I'll wait for you."
"Let's get this experint done. You two can have your fun for three days after." Ryan smiled at the unusual couple, leading the way into the lab.
The blast-proof door opened, revealing a control room filled with researchers in white coats. Various numbers flashed on the computer screens; the massive accelerator was visible beyond the glass.
"Dr. i, preparations are complete."
"Power ready. Pre-operational checks complete. All systems nominal."
Reports echoed from all sides. The shy girl from monts ago had transford; her expression was composed, radiating intense rationality as she signed off on each report.
All preparations were complete. She turned to Ryan, who was leisurely sipping his coffee. "You really want to observe this? What are you carrying?"
"Gym equipnt. I'm planning on exercising after the experint." Ryan shrugged, placing his cup on the table. "We need to allow for error, it's not dangerous. I'll record the data; I'll analyze it later. That fleeting spark might inspire ."
"Weirdo. You can't see anything with the naked eye in a thousandth of a second. Fine, if you want to observe, co along."
Laughter erupted in the control room. Everyone knew Dr. Ryan's penchant for laziness, but they couldn't deny his occasional flashes of brilliance that often provided the correct direction.
Ryan chuckled self-deprecatingly. He found staying in the control room boring. Moreover, he didn't need to see; the mont the particles collided and released Imaginary Internal Energy, he'd experience an inexplicable sensation.
Descending the stairs, Ryan entered the vast laboratory. The two circular accelerators lood before him; the powerful heat generated from the acceleration process prevented him from approaching too closely.
He sat at the foot of the stairs, putting on his headphones. "Begin."
Having just given the command, Ryan saw no dazzling spectacle, only the hum of the cooling systems starting up, a sound like a train rumbling past.
Hum hum hum...
Power surged; the cooling systems roared; particles accelerated along the spiraling tracks of the ring. Ryan leaned forward, staring intently at the central vacuum tube.
Coming soon.
Having participated in nurous experints, Ryan silently counted down, a vision flashing in his mind:
Particles colliding at light speed, releasing invisible rays. This bright spark would ignite within a thousandth of a second, its trace captured only by the most advanced detectors.
Honkai energy would surge montarily, briefly connecting to Imaginary Space, allowing data acquisition, then fading as quickly as it appeared...
"Sothing's wrong."
In an instant, Ryan's pupils constricted. He felt the Honkai energy, but it wasn't fading; it was becoming clearer, more familiar.
It was him. He was the Honkai.
Simultaneously, chaos erupted in the control room. Red lights flashed; piercing alarms blared.
"Experint out of control! Energy exceeding threshold!"
"Accelerator structure damaged! Detection systems offline! Data unobtainable!"
"Dr. i, look!"
No detectors were needed; i could see with her naked eye the vacuum tube exploding in a ball of red energy. Wherever it touched, even high-strength alloys began to lt.
"What... how is this possible?" Even i was stunned. How could microscopic world observation cause such a massive reaction?
The experint was like poking a needle into the mbrane separating realities. This tiny hole would usually seal itself, but now, it wasn't closing; sothing was actively pushing it open.
The earsplitting alarms were maddening, yet i remained calm, issuing orders. "Experint failed. Everyone evacuate. I'll take responsibility."
The researchers had been waiting for this; no one knew if the expanding energy might cause an explosion. They abandoned their posts and fled through the tunnels. i was the last one to leave, connecting her headset amidst the cacophony.
"Ryan, get out of there!"
"Too late. This isn't a simple lab explosion."
The temperature in the lab was rising rapidly; the concentration was high enough to cause human mutations. He stood on the stairs, silently unzipping his duffel bag.
"What are you saying? Go! Exposure to Imaginary Internal Energy without protection is extrely dangerous!" i's voice beca anxious.
"Don't worry, this amount of energy won't affect ." Ryan shook his head. He had no ti to analyze the cause; he ignored the expanding breach.
On the ground, in the sky, the Honkai cataclysm was gathering, far exceeding the scale of the incident in the shack area a few days ago.
Illogical, just like its random nature.
"Put on your protective gear, find Kevin, and leave the campus."
"What are you doing!?"
Click-clack.
The two-ter spear was assembled; its tip struck the stairs with a cold clang. The grey eyes were intensely focused, turning towards the wall.
BOOM—
The thick, heavy wall exploded; amidst the flying debris, a Honkai Beast, over two ters tall, burst forth. Honkai Beasts didn't grow; they spontaneously appeared when the energy concentration was high enough.
Energy organism??
i had never witnessed such a creature. Whether from fear or scientific curiosity, she forgot to flee, watching as the beast charged towards the control room, smashing through everything in its path. At that mont...
A crimson vortex appeared, slamming the colossal beast against the wall with a resounding thud. From the other end of the spear stood a familiar figure, his hands gripping the weapon.
He stood tall; his white coat billowed slightly in the air currents. Then, a familiar voice reached i's ears.
"Naturally, I'm here as a researcher to clean up this ss."
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