Collapse Iron: Today's mount is the female protagonist.

Page 43

She looked up towards the sunlight; it was time for her checkup again.

Her lips curled up and then fell back, and she headed toward the laboratory with mixed feelings.

She seemed to be in a good mood, ignoring the usual annoying gossip on the street. Her mind was only focused on today's checkup, and she even had a faint sense of anticipation.

However, everything changed when they arrived at the laboratory door.

Wendy's gaze froze, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. Her body stiffened, and she opened her mouth, all the unconscious anticipation that had filled her heart vanishing, leaving only darkness.

Because in the lab, it wasn't that guy, but a female researcher.

Wendy clenched and unclenched her fair hands, finally letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

What is she hoping for? When did she become so weak? No one said anything, yet she presumptuously made expectations. She only received a little kindness and she turned into this, indulging in unrealistic fantasies.

That's really awful.

But a more oppressive and suffocating feeling than usual lingered in her heart, so intense that it was almost suffocating. Wendy bit her lip so hard that a few drops of scarlet blood seeped out.

He seemed to have returned to his usual lonely and depressed state, silently pushing his wheelchair into the room without saying a word.

The female researcher was propping herself up on her arm, writing something on a report. She smiled and nodded when she saw her come in.

"It's time for your physical exam. Come on, lie down."

Although they were completely different people, the tone of voice that came from their mouths was very familiar to her.

Wendy's gloomy mood vanished in an instant. She blinked, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion, her mind seemingly blank.

What, what's going on?

In the morning, Qi Shi pushed a wheelchair with Wendy sitting in it. The two strolled in the garden, chatting easily. Wendy's complexion had improved a lot, and her skin had become healthy and rosy. She looked like an ordinary, beautiful girl who was sick.

"You've been recovering quite well lately, and your condition is commendable. Keep up the good work!"

"You make me sound like a sickly person."

Qi Shi said with a smile during the walk, while Wendy tilted her head and gave a soft hum.

Although the desire for the gem paralyzed her lower body, it didn't actually cause any trauma. Instead, it created a despairing lack of response, which is why Wendy remained so depressed.

Physical weakness is caused by environment and mood. As the mood gradually improves and one is no longer immersed in depression, one will naturally recover after recuperation.

However, in terms of personality, it can never be changed back.

Having experienced the indifference of the Oceania branch, Miss Green Seele has completely changed. She can no longer maintain her former gentleness, and her words are filled with a barbed tone of wariness towards this world. Her personality has also become somewhat radical.

Although Wendy hummed in dissatisfaction, she looked very happy.

Lately, she has felt very warm, as if she has suddenly escaped the environment she used to hate and berate. Her mindset has been very relaxed. Perhaps what she longs for is not fame and fortune or to become an S-class Valkyrie admired by thousands, but simply to avoid being so rejected and treated so coldly.

But even such a small wish is so difficult to fulfill.

She looked up at Qi Shi's profile, and in the sunlight, she could only see a somewhat dazzling outline.

In this utterly rotten Oceania branch, there was only one person who treated her gently. Only he would talk to her softly, care about her situation, and soothe her emotions with a gentle voice.

All she needs is the approval of one person!

Wendy's gaze gradually drifted off into a daze, and she only looked away nonchalantly when the other person noticed her looking over, though her cheeks inexplicably felt hot.

Although she knew that this guy was definitely not normal, and that face was definitely not the other person's real face.

During this time, she had seen Qi Shi change his identity more than a dozen times, including people she had met before. This didn't seem right at all.

Moreover, even when she encountered those uncomfortable discussions within the branch, before those members showed any disgust or said anything unpleasant, they suddenly seemed like different people and turned to do something else.

"Damn it! What are you two doing?!"

Just then, a furious shout rang out, and a middle-aged man walked over angrily, as if he had been greatly offended.

Upon seeing the other person, Wendy unconsciously shrank back, because she recognized the person at a glance. The person in front of her was the most powerful person in Oceania, the head of the Oceania branch.

The other person came over and started cursing angrily.

Qi Shi, however, remained completely calm and responded with a very leisurely expression.

"Branch Chief, isn't this the task you assigned to me?"

The Law of 'Consciousness' has altered your consciousness, and you find this perfectly normal.

"Huh?" The middle-aged man's furious expression froze, and he scratched his head in confusion.

That seems to be the case, it feels right, it makes sense, but why can't he remember the specific details?

Qi Shi said gently with a helpless expression, like a very good-tempered doctor: "It seems your amnesia has gotten worse again."

"Also, didn't you say you were going to roll a cactus to stimulate your acupoints? Don't forget that."

"Oh right, right!" the Oceania branch manager exclaimed immediately, realizing the implication.

"I have important business to attend to, so I'll leave this to you!"

After giving his instructions, he left. In the distance, he could still see the other party ordering others to prepare several truckloads of cacti, and those people immediately complied without any sense of impropriety.

Wendy's lips twitched uncontrollably as she watched the whole thing.

This is an intrusion, it must be an intrusion!

If it were the old her, she would definitely have taken decisive action to protect the safety of the Destiny Branch if she saw this, but now she has no desire to do anything.

On the contrary, looking at this fatso's appearance, I felt a sense of relief, and my irritable and aggressive heart seemed to be cheering.

Haha, you idiot, go eat a cactus!

Chapter 68 Don't Lie to Me

During this period, Qi Shi had completely taken control of the Oceania branch, and almost none of the higher-ups had a complete brain; they didn't even know what they were doing. Yet, under these circumstances, the environment of the entire Oceania branch was actually much better than usual.

The interrupted atmosphere was quickly restored, and after the two continued to chat in a relaxed and pleasant manner for a while, Wendy asked casually.

"Um, how's the gem experiment on my body going?"

"What you really want to ask is whether your legs can still support you, right?"

However, Qi Shi immediately saw through her true concern. Although her condition had improved a lot, as a Valkyrie, the other party was still very concerned about her crippled legs. If she could, she certainly wouldn't want to be a cripple.

"Hmph~" Wendy snorted softly, her thoughts exposed, and muttered to herself.

"If you're so smart, what's the point of being so capable?"

She was still somewhat concerned about her condition; the complete stillness of her body after the experiment failed had plunged her into despair.

However, her mindset has changed, and she has become much more accepting of her disability. Wendy has not paid attention to her physical condition recently, letting Qi Shi do whatever he wants.

At first, Qi Shi would use instruments to scan Wendy's condition, but later he simply stopped acting and just glanced at her to determine the situation, prescribe different medications, and take her to do various training sessions.

She didn't know how well Qi Shi had studied her body, but she still wanted to ask about her condition.

How much longer can she live?

"Don't worry, you're not in any danger right now. Since I'm taking action, I'm confident I can heal you," Qi Shi replied, which seemed to encourage Wendy.

"I've been giving you medication recently to improve your condition, and training you is to lay a solid foundation for everything."

The Desire Gem has now become one with Wendy, a part of her life, and cannot be removed.

The Gem of Desire, as the core of a Herrscher, contains immense power capable of destroying the world. Even if it is not activated now, or even if it is only used as a super-high-level Honkai energy crystal, an ordinary Valkyrie would be doomed if she tried to fuse with it.

However, due to the high compatibility between Wendy's body and the Desire Gem, she successfully withstood the fusion experiment.

But it was both a success and a failure; or perhaps the experiment was meaningless to begin with, and there was no such thing as success.

An unactivated Herrscher core is simply a high-level Honkai energy crystal, containing no power whatsoever.

The desire for the gem was like a malignant tumor implanted in Wendy's body; the experiment was only successfully completed because of her immense strength and high compatibility.

Her body and the power of the gemstone were intertwined yet conflicting; neither could forcibly assimilate the other, creating a very delicate balance between them. Any tilt in either direction would lead to her death.

However, this resulted in her lower body becoming completely paralyzed.

The fusion gem will not grant her any power; it will only serve to cripple Wendy, a genius A-rank Valkyrie.

This was an utterly brain-dead experiment, or rather, only the Oceania branch was brain-dead, while Otto simply needed a host that craved gems to control the birth of the Fourth Herrscher.

What Qi Shi has been doing recently is enhancing Wendy's adaptability to the Gem of Desire.

Since separation is no longer possible, he plans to improve the fusion result between the other party and the gem, making the two more compatible, and perhaps even further enabling the Herrscher Core to enter a semi-activated state, completely fusing into one, and exerting a better effect.

Having absorbed and reviewed a lot of experimental data, Qi Shi was quite confident in this matter, not to mention that he himself possessed the authority of the Wind Herrscher. Now it was up to Wendy to prove herself.

As the Herald of the Wind, and the Heavenly Emperor of another world, please don't let me down at the crucial moment.

Moreover, even if they fail, the worst outcome would be that the gem is accidentally fully activated, the Great Collapse occurs, and Wendy becomes the Fourth Herrscher.

At worst, he could act as Wendy's fighter, entering her consciousness space to help her defeat the Herrscher personality with cheat codes. However, the ultimate result of doing so would be that he would obtain a Wendy who is completely unable to use her own Herrscher core due to external forces, which would be even worse than Yaya's driver's license being suspended from time to time.

The title of "Honkai Impact 3rd Heavenly Emperor" is completely untenable, solidifying his reputation as a disgrace to the Herrschers.

Hmm... it seems that this kind of failure is quite hurtful.

"Can I really stand up again?"

Miss Green Hope was unaware of her bleak future. Upon hearing Qi Shi's words, she immediately asked him with some excitement.

What are the chances of success?

"Fifty percent, I guess."

"so tall!"

Qi Shi's assurances were very frank, and Wendy was surprised and delighted upon hearing the result.

For an experiment with such a high mortality rate, a 50% success rate is already an unimaginable achievement!

"Yes, fifty percent. It's either success or failure," Qi Shi explained frankly.

Wendy: "..."

"I'm going to strangle you! Is it fun to bully me?!"

Wendy, like a cat with its fur standing on end, tried to stand up from the chair, wishing she could die with Qi Shi. However, he stopped her with a hearty laugh, helped the girl sit down, and then told her that the success rate was actually much higher than fifty percent.

"Don't try to fool me." But Wendy was too annoyed to believe him anymore after hearing that.

"Trust me, and even if we fail, I will ensure your safety and help you get back on your feet. I promise." Qi Shi gently placed his hand on the girl's somewhat slender shoulder and said softly.