NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 287: It Wasn't Me!
"Leaving?" Cocolia was furious, but Einstein interrupted her before she could speak.
"Ms. Cocolia, I'm not negotiating. This is a non-negotiable demand." Einstein's voice was cold, her tone brooking no argument. "Your reckless actions have endangered Anti-Entropy, and the world. You've brought us to the brink of civil war. There's no trust left between us. So let's be blunt."
"Blunt? About what?" Cocolia, her plans unraveling, retorted, her pride stung. "Civil war? That's a rather… bold accusation, Doctor! If that's your attitude, then there's nothing to discuss!"
"Bold? Cocolia, are you serious?" Tesla exploded. "Who started this?! Who escalated it?!"
Cocolia, realizing she was on shaky ground, simply scoffed, refusing to engage.
"Being blunt means your actions are… unacceptably dangerous," Einstein continued, calmly pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "If you refuse to cooperate, we will destroy that device." She paused. "Don't doubt my resolve, Ms. Cocolia."
They'd destroyed the 4th Divine Key without hesitation. These ruins meant even less to them.
"Are you insane?! You call yourself a scientist?! This is a crime against humanity!" Cocolia's outrage was genuine. She couldn't bear to lose this prize.
"I acknowledge its value. That's why I said you deserve credit for discovering it," Einstein said, her tone conciliatory, then her voice hardened. "But you also know the risks. If we can't reach an agreement, if the risks outweigh the benefits, then I believe the… appropriate course of action… is clear."
Cocolia's face darkened. She'd lost control. If she pushed them too far, Einstein would simply destroy the device and escape with her forces through the quantum network, leaving Cocolia and her remaining mechs trapped in the ruins.
And even if Einstein, out of some misplaced sense of loyalty, took them along, Cocolia would have lost everything.
Damn them… she thought, her lips pressed tightly together, her silence a grudging concession.
"Wow, Mophead! When did you become so… badass?" Tesla cheered, grabbing Einstein's collar, her earlier anger replaced by admiration. "Look at her face! She's speechless!"
"I learned from Lin Wei," Einstein replied, shaking her head. "That man… he taught me a few things…" Even Lin Wei would have been impressed by her tactics.
Who says scientists can't play dirty?
Tesla, remembering her own humiliation at Lin Wei's hands, fell silent, then, remembering his abrupt dismissal of her call, her thoughts turning to the unknown situation in Southeast Asia, her mood darkening.
"Mophead, we can't stay here any longer," she said, her voice filled with a sudden anxiety. "We caused a disaster. We don't know what's happening out there. We…"
"I know," Einstein replied, her gaze reassuring, then, turning her attention back to Cocolia, her voice cold, "Silence won't solve anything, Ms. Cocolia."
"…Fine, I agree. But I have one condition," Cocolia said, defeated, but still defiant. "We end this here and now. No more recriminations. After we leave, this incident is… forgotten. You won't be able to hold this over me once we're out of here, Doctor. Don't push me too far. This isn't good for either of us, or for Anti-Entropy."
Her threat was clear: they were still outnumbered, and if they left the ruins, she would retaliate.
But no one wanted that, not even Cocolia.
She didn't want to be branded a traitor. And her forces had been decimated. She needed to rebuild, not fight another war, even if it was a war of her own making.
Tesla, furious at her arrogance, was about to retort, but Einstein stopped her.
"Agreed," she said calmly.
She couldn't risk further internal conflict, not with the Honkai still raging outside.
With an agreement reached, the mechs vanished in a flash of blue light.
Above the ocean, the two fleets separated, warily circling each other, then turned and sailed away in opposite directions.
The fragile unity of Anti-Entropy, already strained by internal power struggles, exacerbated by the ME Corp incident, had finally fractured, splitting into two distinct factions.
Despite their anger towards Cocolia, the scientists felt a pang of regret, seeing the organization they'd built torn apart.
"Mophead…" Tesla's usual boisterous demeanor was gone, her voice filled with sadness. "How did it come to this?"
"There's no point in dwelling on what might have been. Our priority is Project Stigma, and…" Einstein paused, then addressed her AI companion, her voice regaining its usual calm efficiency. "Ein, compile a report on the damage in Southeast Asia, and Schicksal's response to the eruption." They needed to assess the extent of the damage, to plan their next move.
Ein's indicator light blinked as it accessed Anti-Entropy's database.
A few minutes later, the report arrived.
"May 22, 2015. A major Honkai eruption occurred in the Philippines, designated the 'Manila Eruption' by Schicksal. The largest and most devastating Honkai incident in Southeast Asian history. Preliminary estimates indicate over one million casualties. The number of infected and affected individuals is still being assessed. The situation remains critical…"
Philippines? Manila? One million? The scientists exchanged surprised glances.
They knew the true scale of the disaster they'd unleashed. The initial wave of Honkai beasts, far larger than anything they'd seen, even during the 2nd Eruption, could have easily overwhelmed Southeast Asia, the death toll potentially reaching hundreds of millions.
But the current casualty count, while still tragic, was comparable to the 3rd Eruption in Nagazora. It was like expecting a hurricane to flatten your house, but only a window breaking.
What happened?
Satellite images arrived, and they stared at the screen, speechless, seeing the large gap in the clouds above the Philippines.
It all made sense now.
"Yang… what is he doing there?" Einstein murmured, her brow furrowed.
"That idiot! Has he lost his mind?!" Tesla jumped up, her voice filled with panic. "I have to go find him!"
"Sit down!" Einstein yelled. "Where would you even begin to look for him? You have no information!"
"I can't just let him die!" Tesla's voice cracked, her composure crumbling under the weight of recent events. "He's not strong enough! Using his powers like that… he might already be dead! And even if he survived, he's surrounded by Schicksal Valkyries! What if Otto captures him?! Aren't you worried, Mophead?!"
Einstein remained silent.
This… echo of New York, decades ago, brought back painful memories. She'd lost her partner that day.
Of course she was worried. Of course she was afraid.
But Welt was likely already captured. And Tesla was on the verge of a breakdown. She had to be the strong one, the voice of reason.
Otherwise, they would both lose everything.
"Beep, beep, beep…" Her communicator chirped.
She saw the familiar frequency, her eyes lighting up, but Tesla snatched the communicator, slamming the answer button, her voice a mix of relief and anger.
"You idiot! Playing the hero again?! And you finally decided to call?!"
"Tesla, I…" Welt, relieved to finally contact them, was about to ask about the situation, but her angry outburst silenced him. He was confused. He'd been following their plan, staying at St. Freya, recovering, monitoring K-423.
Why was she so angry?
"Where are you?! Are you alright?! Hold on, we're coming to get you!"
"I'm in… Shanghai City. I'm fine… but…" Welt, finally understanding, quickly clarified, "I wasn't the one in Manila!"
It wasn't me! I didn't do it! You've got the wrong guy!
If even Otto had mistaken him for the one in Manila, then it was understandable that Tesla and Einstein had made the same mistake.
But it really wasn't him!
He felt unjustly accused.