Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Flashback

Location: Northwest Pacific Ocean, Mariana Trench, deep beneath the sea.

"Humanity's mission is to bravely explore the truth."

Dr. Tesla, sporting heavy dark circles under her eyes, muttered to herself while flipping through a mountain of documents with a "whoosh, whoosh" sound. She occasionally pulled out a document, looked at the various intricate lines and complex numbers on it, and grabbed her hair in frustration.

"Humanity's mission is to bravely explore the truth..."

Tesla repeated this sentence several times, faster and more agitated with each repetition. Finally, she snapped, stood up abruptly, and shouted at the top of her lungs:

"Aaaaaah, explore what truth?!"

"Closed environment, please be considerate, do not shout, Dr. Tesla."

Half a minute later, Einstein pushed open the door and walked in, kindly reminding her.

"Mind your own business, Mophead!"

Although Tesla was still complaining, she obediently lowered her voice considerably.

"Also, do you need me to give you a mirror to look at yourself?"

Einstein took the roll of drawings from Tesla's hand, carefully smoothed out the creases created by the forceful grip, then pointed to her messy, weed-like red hair, and said expressionlessly,

"Your current appearance is more in line with the definition you just used."

"You!"

Tesla was furious. She raised her hand and grabbed her hair, which she hadn't bothered to manage. The greasy touch made her own skin crawl. Finally, she put her hand under her nose and sniffed. This completely broke her.

"Aaaaaah, I can't take it anymore!"

"Why don't you go wash up, tidy yourself, and then find a bed and sleep? You'll feel much better."

Einstein calmly suggested, though it sounded more like a complaint:

"After all, long-term disruption of your sleep schedule will disrupt your endocrine system, making you irritable and easily angered. Dr. Tesla's current appearance is the best example."

"Shut up, mind your own business! Are you any better?"

Tesla glanced at Einstein's equally messy short blue hair and became even more frustrated.

"Why do you look the same as before?"

"Oh, you mean this?"

Einstein also raised her hand and smoothed her hair, saying calmly,

"Just cut your hair short, and the problem becomes much simpler – why don't you try it?"

"Forget it, Mophead. No matter how you fix it, it's still a Mophead!"

Tesla retorted with a bad temper. Then, after a moment of silence, she pulled another chair over, sat down dejectedly, grabbed her hair anxiously, and wailed,

"The more we survey, the more we investigate, the more we understand, the more I feel that this damn place is wrong! What should we do, Mophead?"

"This is not a deep-sea abyss, this is a huge powder keg!"

This was a deep-sea abyss reaching a depth of 9,000 meters, a place rarely visited by humans throughout history. No matter where the searchlights shone, it was always dark and deep, making people feel depressed and fearful just by looking at it from afar.

The place was lifeless and devoid of vitality. Even those bizarre-looking deep-sea creatures were almost extinct here. Everywhere were billowing black smoke from underwater magma, pale and terrifying exposed reefs, and deep-sea mud that had accumulated for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, emitting a foul odor.

The submarine the two doctors were riding in was currently suspended silently in this deep and terrifying environment.

For the sake of secrecy, since they joined Cocolia's group and submerged, they hadn't surfaced once in all these days. Whether it was eating, sleeping, or working, almost everything was done in this rather futuristic submarine.

After all, with the water pressure at nearly ten thousand meters deep, with their physical constitutions, if they didn't have any special protection, leaving the submarine贸然 would be equivalent to suicide.

So, Tesla was in such an environment, in this cramped working environment, staring blankly at the terrifying and silent scene outside the window.

As for why the submarine had windows?

One can only say that Anti-Entropy's technology was quite advanced...

But all these things that could make people shrink back were just a harmless facade. Buried beneath this eternally silent abyss were even more unsettling things for the two doctors.

"We shouldn't have come here, Mophead."

Tesla pushed the chair away, returned to the desk where she was working, and accurately pulled out a few large drawings from the thick pile of drawings and calculation papers. She carefully marked her latest calculation results on them, then threw the pen fiercely on the ground and said irritably,

"Cocolia was right, there is indeed a Previous Era historical site here, on an unprecedented scale! Even Schicksal, which almost rules the entire Earth, has never possessed such a large-scale ruin."

Einstein nodded and added,

"And it's still so well preserved to this day. It's truly a miracle."

"Is that so? You're really optimistic..."

Tesla said expressionlessly,

"I also hope things are really that simple, but... even the energy estimated to be needed to open the ruins can be extracted from this seabed mud!"

Tesla roared somewhat anxiously,

"That's Honkai energy! Not oil, not natural gas! Do you know what this means?"

"Of course I know, Dr. Tesla."

Einstein said calmly,

"According to the historical data compiled by Schicksal under its monopolistic development and excavation of Previous Era ruins, the Previous Era once had a continent called 'Mu', with advanced technology and splendid culture. Later, it was overturned and submerged in the Pacific Ocean during the disaster of the Ninth Herrscher, and since then there has been this vast ocean – and the ruins we are now excavating are part of this authentic civilization's ruins."

"And here, there is still such a huge amount of Honkai energy hidden, which means that the aftermath of the devastating Honkai disaster that occurred 50,000 years ago is still there, still sleeping in this seabed. But there is also good news – this Honkai energy buried in the seabed for 50,000 years has never caused any harm to human civilization."

Einstein said calmly.

"That's because no one has ever danced on this powder keg like we have!"

Tesla said furiously,

"If we're not careful, we'll all be buried here!"

"In my opinion, the best solution now is to evacuate as soon as possible before everything officially starts! Just pretend that everything here doesn't exist!"

Tesla muttered irritably,

"As for the lost funds and resources... just pretend they were all thrown into the sea!"

"Even if we really evacuate, can this Honkai buried deep in the seabed just disappear out of thin air, Dr. Tesla? You should know that only three Herrschers have appeared so far."

Einstein rubbed her own messy hair, her tone still calm,

"Just the Second Honkai Eruption caused damage to mankind that has not yet been fully healed. In the future, there will be more, more difficult, and more terrible challenges – can you guarantee that this Honkai energy on the seabed will continue to sleep like this, and will not be reactivated by a new 'Ninth Herrscher', and then cause greater and more serious damage?"

"This... of course not..."

Tesla slumped, like a defeated rooster.

"'Humanity's mission is to bravely explore the truth.' This is what Copernicus, a scientific pioneer in medieval Europe, said – of course, for you and me, such so-called famous quotes have no meaning. On the contrary, with your and my current status, perhaps some casual remarks we make will be hung on the wall as famous quotes in some elementary or middle school somewhere..."

Einstein told a cold joke seriously, and then said with a serious expression,

"But, Dr. Tesla. The meaning of this sentence is correct. Whether it is the corrupt church of the Middle Ages or the Honkai that stands in front of mankind today, they seem to be daunting and invincible things."

"Each generation has its own mission to undertake, and each generation has its own truth to pursue. The problem is here, the hidden danger is here. The key to the answer we are looking for may really be here too. Since you and I have seen it, will closing our eyes and burying our heads in the sand like ostriches really have any practical significance?"

"Aaaaah, do you need to lecture me on this kind of reasoning?"

Tesla protested indignantly, and then said somewhat stubbornly,

"But at least we should be fully prepared? Wait until Joachim's injuries are healed..."

"Then can you stop Cocolia?"

Einstein raised a finger and completely ended the discussion with a casual sentence.

"..."

Tesla was completely silent, as if she had been sunk. After a moment, she burst out, shouting angrily,

"That damn vixen is definitely up to no good!"

As Einstein pointed out, this ruin was discovered by Cocolia herself, and she had put all the resources she could muster into this excavation operation. As conservatives, Tesla and Einstein were just participants who joined halfway.

In this situation, to go and persuade Cocolia to give up this operation and go home?

Heh, who knows how she would mock them!

As for persuading her with physical means?

Tesla slightly calculated the current balance of power between the two sides in this sea area, and decisively gave up this reckless proposal, which could be called suicide.

It was for the same reason – Cocolia had almost put all her power here, and this sea area was currently her home field. As guests, the two doctors were naturally at a disadvantage.

The problem was, these two didn't have any bad intentions from the beginning. How could they have mobilized their entire force from the start?

What about their base in North America?

Besides, even if Tesla wanted to follow Cocolia's example and go all-in, with the subtle relationship between the two factions, which were almost openly competing, Cocolia would not agree to let these two bring all their assets like she did.

She was afraid of them stabbing her in the back!

Moreover, Cocolia didn't intend to backstab them either. She really wanted the two doctors to help her excavate this Previous Era ruin buried deep in the seabed abyss completely and smoothly.

In short, at the beginning, both factions regarded this joint operation to excavate the ruins as a catalyst to help bridge their relationship! So, to show sincerity, after the two sides reached an agreement, the two doctors only brought a few assistants and the most basic guards, joining in almost as if they were "moving in with just their suitcases."

And Cocolia, seeing that these two professional scholars really obeyed her arrangements, was already satisfied and did not continue to make things difficult for them. Instead, she protected and took care of them very well.

For a time, the two sides really felt like they were returning to their honeymoon period...

As time went by and the exploration deepened, this "sincere cooperation" gradually turned into "living under someone else's roof" in the hearts of the two doctors. And if the relationship deteriorated again, it was very likely to evolve into "being at the mercy of others", becoming "prisoners", the kind that no one could save unless Welt returned...

Thinking of this, the two doctors glanced at each other, sighed together, and felt both chagrined and fortunate.

They were upset about the previous hasty decision that put them in such a passive situation.

And they were fortunate that they had successfully intervened in this exploration of the ruins. With their intervention, things wouldn't go in an uncontrollable direction from the start.

Okay...

After so much psychological comfort, the more they comforted themselves, the more they felt like they'd lost out.

"Look on the bright side. The Previous Era facility used to explore the quantum realm, if we get it and use it properly, we will definitely be able to gain an advantage in the race against the Honkai."

Einstein comforted calmly,

"On this level, Cocolia has indeed made a great contribution to the organization."

"Heh! Who knows where she suddenly got the information! How come there was no sign beforehand, and she suddenly found such a facility without a sound?"

Tesla was still indignant,

"I even suspect that there is some conspiracy in this?"

Her prejudice against Cocolia was deeply rooted, and after the Honkai eruption in Nagazora city, it was ingrained and unchangeable.

"All the reputation of Anti-Entropy for half a century has been ruined by you!"

Tesla gritted her teeth with hatred.

"Sigh..."

Einstein looked at Tesla like this, and no longer tried to persuade her, just shook her head gently.

To be honest, she also hated Cocolia.

But as a leader of the organization, one cannot arbitrarily judge others based on personal likes and dislikes. One must follow rules, speak with evidence, be impartial, and all purposes must be to maintain the unity and stability of the organization.

Originally, this responsibility should have been borne by Welt as the leader, but at this moment he was alone outside. Tesla's personality... not making trouble was already the greatest help. So this role of almost "arbiter" could only be reluctantly taken on by her.

To be honest, Einstein also felt that this was quite tiring, but if she didn't step up, there would really be no one...

"Ring ring ring..."

While they were talking, the communicator rang. Once connected, Cocolia's iconic image appeared on the screen.

"Everyone, the preliminary survey work and the peripheral excavation work have been basically completed. It's time for us to move on to the next step."

She was here to issue an invitation.

The two doctors looked at each other, and Einstein spoke,

"Madam, this is a matter of great importance. We should first have a meeting to discuss the specific plan for the excavation work."

"Oh? Dr. Einstein, are you so anxious to confirm your share of the benefits now?"

Cocolia raised her eyebrows and said somewhat unexpectedly.

Who the hell wants the broken things here! Tesla cursed inwardly.

"You misunderstand, Madam."

Einstein said neither humble nor arrogant,

"I just hope to minimize accidents during the process, so that we can all return to the surface safely – after all, this is nearly ten thousand meters deep in the sea. If any safety accident occurs, none of us can afford the consequences."

"..."

Cocolia looked at Einstein's eyes seriously through the screen, glanced at Tesla who was sulking on the side, thought for a moment, felt that there was no problem with this, and nodded,

"In that case, I await your presence in twenty minutes."