Honkai Star Rail: I am Godzilla, domineering and rampant.

But having Yaoqing's help would give them the edge.

"General, what if we invite Godzilla to join the battle?" Fu Xuan's eyes lit up.

"That's a possibility. We'll need to think it through," Jing Yuan nodded.

"In fact, this could be a good chance to hold a grand martial arts tournament."

Jing Yuan mused.

With some time before Zephyro's arrival, this event might become the grandest martial arts festival in years.

------------------------------

The arrival of Zephyro did not cause panic.

Ignorance was one factor, and distance was another, unless Zephyro reported its location in real time every day and sent updates to the Xianzhou Alliance.

Otherwise, many would simply treat its arrival as a casual topic of conversation over meals.

After all, when the sky falls, there are always taller people(Jing yuan) to hold it up; and if that fails, Master Diviner can bear it.

Despite her short stature, her abilities are truly sky-high.

…

"The experimental data is complete, and the rest is within reasonable parameters. Alright, thank you for your help. Please rest well, we still have a few more experiments to complete."

Gurururu...

An unintelligible sound.

Ruan Mei put away her notebook, tapped a few times on her phone, and walked away without looking back.

Seeing its creator leave, the experimental subject designated as No. 0 extended a hand, actually a vine, and poked the motionless Qingque, who was lying on the ground and didn't want to move.

"Wah!"

The strange sensation made Qingque shiver instinctively. She quickly got up and backed away, keeping close to the wall and warily watching the strange creature standing in place.

"She said I could go, so bye! Hope to never see you again!"

Never seeing it again was impossible, but seeing it less was still a win!

The Cloud Knights stationed outside only saw a flash of green dart past them. Before they could get a clear look, their eyes were filled with dust as the figure sped away like the wind.

…

Qingque's departure didn't affect Ruan Mei's experiments. After all, she'd have to come back.

"The experimental data is perfect. Moreover, the creation fused with plant gene samples shows a strange hostility toward all surrounding life forms."

Ruan Mei pondered. This wasn't unfamiliar to her.

Many creatures displayed such behavior under certain conditions, and she knew some had destructive tendencies embedded in their genes.

Life forms, or more specifically plants, affected by Godzilla also seemed to carry this trait.

So then...

Why aren't humans affected?

Ruan Mei thought deeply. Could it be, as they speculated, that Godzilla's ability either doesn't work on humans, or it activates according to Godzilla's intent?

She personally leaned toward the second theory.

Her gaze landed on the obedient No. 0.

Ruan Mei felt she should ask a Godzilla expert.

…

Astral Express.

"Please have a seat, Ms. Ruan Mei. I didn't know you'd be coming, so I only have some simple tea to offer. Forgive the lack of hospitality," Welt said, pouring tea for Ruan Mei before Himeko could.

"I'm the one imposing. My research has hit a bottleneck, and I thought Mr. Welt might be able to help," Ruan Mei said softly.

The "simple tea" was actually the Happy Tea from Luofu, though Welt's tea-making skills were unrefined. Still drinkable.

Himeko, ever perceptive, noticed Ruan Mei's mood and smiled.

"Not a fan of tea, Ms. Ruan Mei? I have some freshly brewed coffee here. If you don't mind, try my handiwork." She offered the cup in front of her.

Welt's expression changed instantly and he was about to speak, but Ruan Mei said,

"Mr. Welt's tea has a lovely fragrance. I like it very much. But I'm also curious to taste Ms. Himeko's coffee. I gladly accept."

She took the coffee. At a glance, the mysterious liquid emitted an ominous aura, with an unsettling feeling.

Ruan Mei pondered, this craftsmanship was truly extraordinary.

Driven by a scholar's curiosity, she cautiously took a sip.

"…"

"How is it? To your taste?" Himeko asked with eager eyes.

Gulp.

Ruan Mei couldn't think of a proper adjective, but somehow she managed to swallow it.

"Mm~, a very unique flavor. Maybe I'm not used to coffee, but Ms. Himeko, your technique is excellent. I really liked it."

She calmly set the cup down, then lifted the cup and downed it in one go under Welt's complicated gaze.

"Cough cough, Ms. Ruan Mei, you said you came to me with a research problem. How can I help?"

Savoring the lingering coffee fragrance, Ruan Mei spoke slowly:

"I wanted to ask you, Mr. Welt, about Godzilla's various environmental effects. As you know, I've recently been conducting research at Scalegorge Waterscape and the Alchemy Commission. I've found that plants affected by Godzilla all develop a unique… aggressiveness. I've investigated, and the more unfamiliar the subject, the stronger the repulsion."

"Ms. Qingque, Ms. Bailu, and a few regular members of your crew move around those areas easily. But I and others who rarely go near, or only recently started going, face varying degrees of rejection."

Welt thought for a moment before answering:

"Regarding what you said, Ms. Ruan Mei, I believe it may be due to Godzilla's nature as an environmental modifier. The plants may be evolving with Godzilla as a reference point. When foreign elements invade Godzilla's domain, it instinctively reacts with strong aggression. That may be your answer."

"As for what you said about not attacking Stelle and the others, it's probably because they're often around Godzilla and have picked up his scent,"

Welt analyzed confidently, especially certain when it came to Stelle and March 7th.

Particularly Stelle.

After all, she was personally acknowledged by Godzilla as his little follower/sister.

As long as those plants sensed even a trace of danger, he didn't think they would risk their lives to attack Stelle.

After all, those plants evolved under Godzilla's influence, evolving in his direction, not because they gained his cells and developed hostility toward him.

That kind of premise would only be possible if they were far enough from Godzilla, or else a single swipe of his tail could send them out of this lovely world.

Oh, even retreating might not work.

Welt suddenly recalled Godzilla's ability to travel through space, a power that should have belonged to Space Godzilla, but was now being used by this one. In that case, even if some cells had escaped, they'd likely be targeted by Godzilla before they could mature.

Thinking that, Welt immediately felt relieved.

No one wanted to face a terrifying entity whose cells could survive even through a black hole, especially when it was unclear how far those cells could grow.

Hearing Welt's words, Ruan Mei looked thoughtful, her eyes gleaming.

"Then, if I combined Godzilla's cells with Phantylia…"

Ruan Mei seemed hesitant and unwilling to speak further.

Upon hearing Ruan Mei, Welt instantly became serious and said firmly:

"Ms. Ruan Mei, I believe anyone who understands Godzilla would never consider doing such a thing.

And as the only one currently knowledgeable about Godzilla, I oppose your idea.

Perhaps you think I'm being alarmist, but if Godzilla's cells were to merge with anything, the resulting creation, no matter what it is, would inevitably bring immense devastation to the world.

I believe, as a master in the field of life sciences, you understand this better than anyone."

After finishing his serious tone, Welt returned to his usual demeanor.

Ruan Mei's idea was dangerous, but it was impractical.

Godzilla could thrash an Emanator, granted, that Emanator wasn't a combat specialist, but still.

So, Phantylia, you're out.

And Ruan Mei, while she had unparalleled authority in research, in combat… even half a Godzilla could beat countless Ruan Mei's to a pulp.

...

Herta knew nothing of Ruan Mei's ideas.

Their research fields were entirely different, and in the realm of life, she had no interest in creating beings that required care.

She preferred adding Godzilla into the Simulated Universe, experimenting with model iterations to test catastrophic development scenarios.

And the reason she was still staying in Luofu…

"How could I miss such a lively occasion, with the Emanator of Destruction personally leading the expedition?"

Herta sat in her chair, swinging her short legs, speaking casually.

The Emanator of Destruction personally leading an assault on Luofu, possibly even going up against the entire Xianzhou Alliance, how could she possibly miss such a major event?

But that wasn't her main reason for staying.

"Godzilla's evolutionary power is beyond formidable, and Scorching Flare's destructive force is rare in this world. If those two were to collide..."

Imagining the scene, Herta was instantly immersed in the thought.

Phantylia's no good. Gotta count on Scorching Flare now.

The future progression of the Simulated Universe depends on you, Scorching Flare!

"Hehehe… Scorching Flare, Scorching Flare."

Lightly humming Scorching Flare's name, Herta watched the path to Luofu unfold.

An Emanator of Erudition, Ruan Mei, several powerful warriors of Luofu, and a likely appearance by Godzilla…

Does that kind of lineup excite you?

...

Stargazer Navalia.

"Eh? Isn't that Qingque?"

March 7th stood on tiptoe, pointing at a figure running toward them in the distance, then turned to Stelle.

"That's her."

A short answer confirmed Qingque's identity.

As they spoke, Qingque had already run to within five meters of them.

"Qingque!" March 7 reached out, intending to stop the charging Qingque.

The next second,

"Whoa!!!"

With a strange posture, both Qingque and March 7th were sent flying together.

Stelle looked at the now-empty space and the skewer of meat not there in her hand.

"...Aahh!" I was going to eat two of those!

"Oww, my waist! Qingque, what's with you? Panicking like that, don't tell me you were slacking off playing cards again and got caught by Fu Xuan?"

Gently rubbing her sore waist, March 7th winced and asked.

Having recovered, Qingque looked at the two before her and sighed helplessly.

"So it's just you two. Sigh, it's a long story."

Qingque, practically sobbing, recounted the bitter tale of her recent suffering.

"Here's what happened: I got drafted by the general to assist Ms. Ruan Mei. They said I'd be her assistant, but in reality, I was tormented by her endless wild ideas. Sigh, life is just unbearable."

Qingque was on the verge of tears.

All she wanted was to be a library manager, slack off a bit, sneak out for card games, show up for work occasionally, how did all these inhumane tasks end up dumped on her?

Could this be divine punishment from the Emanator of Enigmata for all her slacking?!

"It sounds strange, very strange."

Upon hearing Qingque's words, March 7th rubbed her chin, eyes narrowing slightly as she carefully sized up Qingque.

"We've been to the Scalegorge Waterscape quite a few times. It's true that Godzilla caused some weird plants to grow there, but weren't things always fine when we went before? They couldn't have forgotten us after just one day, could they?"

March 7th's words received agreement from Stelle.

They were familiar with those plants, having seen similar ones on Jarilo. Many of them would die in the struggle for nutrients.

But no matter what kind, when they came into contact with them, or more accurately, when they came into contact with her, they all obediently wanted to be…

Even if she tried to pull them up by the roots, they wouldn't resist.

"That's different. Those were created by Madam Ruan Mei. And I'm not like you all, wandering around everywhere, always going to where Godzilla is. With Madam Ruan Mei's modifications, it's totally normal if they don't recognize me anymore."

Qingque spread her hands helplessly.

"That's true," March 7th nodded slightly.

"So, should we go check it out?" Stelle spoke up.

"Eh? Eh! How can you have such a dangerous thought! Didn't you hear what I said? It's really dangerous there. That thing hung me up on the first day, and Madam Ruan Mei was taking notes on the side, she didn't even consider letting me down."

Remembering that miserable experience, Qingque couldn't help but tear up.

"But… Madam Ruan Mei's creation, I'm a little worried."

Stelle scratched her head as she spoke.

She still couldn't forget the 56-second Emanator of Propagation.

She almost didn't make it out of the space station.

"Exactly. If it really is something highly dangerous, we definitely should eliminate it so it doesn't harm more people!"

...

March 7th raised her arms, trying hard to add some muscle to herself, but unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, her fair, delicate arms just couldn't produce that kind of solid muscle.

Two against one.

Under the strong urging of the two Nameless, Qingque dejectedly turned back. Perhaps, this would be her last time in Stargazer Navalia.

'Master Diviner, please find someone even better than me at slacking off!'

...

Alchemy Commission.

The group skillfully arrived at Ruan Mei's laboratory.

Ruan Mei's lab was close to the ancient sea, a sparsely populated area. Clearly, it had already been overtaken by something.

Opening the door, a sinister and terrifying atmosphere immediately rushed out.

Vines and various green plants could be seen everywhere. It was clear the place had been taken over.

"It wasn't like this when I left," Qingque felt like her legs were trembling, definitely faster than her card-playing frequency.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should go back?"

Swallowing hard, March 7th voiced the thought in her heart.

"This scene feels exactly like in movies, when the protagonists go to retrieve something and find the place already overtaken by enemies. It's so scary it's making my hair stand on end."

She rubbed her arms but still couldn't feel any warmth.

"Well, we're already here."

Unfortunately, Stelle uttered that sentence Xianzhou people find hard to refuse.

The two followed Qingque's lead toward the plant's chamber.

Along the way, all the plants avoided Stelle.

As a result, things went more smoothly than expected, almost miraculously so.

This strange phenomenon made Qingque widen her eyes in shock, looking at Stelle as if she were a savior.

In fact, in Qingque's eyes, Stelle was a savior now.

"Hehe, um," rubbing her hands together, Qingque sidled up to Stelle with a flattering expression:

"Would you be willing to help? With your skill, I'm sure you'd do better than me, and that would put my mind at ease."

Stelle shook her head firmly.

"The express docks for seven days. Strictly follow the conductor's orders, no overtime, no early departures."

At that moment, the entire research facility emitted a blinding light.

That light made countless plants cower in fear, retreating even through walls of distance.

"Hey, did you ever say that to Pompom?"

March 7's mouth twitched, hands on her hips, staring speechlessly at this person who was all talk.

Why don't you act this serious the rest of the time?

"We're here."

Reaching the doorway, Qingque trembled as she touched the handle, as if she were about to make a noble sacrifice. She turned and pushed it open!

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"Huhhh?"

The door opened to reveal a scene inside that was shockingly anticlimactic.

March 7th, who had come expecting something extraordinary, immediately spotted a creature shrunk into the corner.

Based on Qingque's description, she was fairly sure this was the thing they were looking for…

"Qingque, are you sure this is the plant that supposedly strung you up?"

March 7th's eye twitched as she pointed at the figure radiating a pitiful aura, even from behind.

"…Probably, maybe, I think… I didn't get it wrong?"

Qingque also began to doubt herself.

Was that pitiful thing in the corner really the terrifying danger she had sworn never to approach again?

'Ugh...'