Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles? (Chapter 485-488)

Chapter 485: The Opportunity

Siberia, the snowfields.

He walked to the familiar place with ease. This was the fourth time, yet he was much calmer than the previous times. Lin Wei skillfully dug a large hole in the pristine white snow at the foot of the mountain, which seemed to be able to bury the entire world, and soon, the familiar low cave was revealed.

"Ahem..."

Lin Wei cleared his throat with a slight cough, then ducked his head in and reached out with his walking stick, tapping it a few times against the rock wall. Seeing no reaction, he poked a huge creature in front of him and whispered, "Brother Bear, wake up, wake up!"

The fat giant bear, which had been disturbed by Lin Wei three times, opened its sleepy eyes for the fourth time. This time, it finally saw clearly who this uninvited guest was, who had disturbed its sweet dreams.

"Roar..."

The giant bear turned its upper body and let out a low growl as a warning.

"Shh, quiet, don't be nervous."

Seeing that it had woken up, Lin Wei immediately pulled back and threw three beasts he had hunted on the way into the cave, thump, thump, thump, they landed on it, making the giant bear, who was still grumpy from waking up, dizzy.

What the hell?

"I apologize for the previous intrusions. Thank you very much, Brother Bear, for lending me your place to stay three times. I'm here to pay the rent this time."

Lin Wei politely explained the reason, not caring whether the other party understood or not. "Alright, it's nothing. You can go back to sleep now."

After confirming that the other party had received his "rent," Lin Wei waved goodbye and left before the "landlord named Bear" had a chance to say he was welcome.

What kind of gibberish was that? the wild bear thought. With a "ROAR," it rushed out of the cave, but there was no one in sight.

Was I dreaming?

The giant bear looked back in confusion. The three prey lying in the cave silently reminded it of the reality of the strange scene just now, and at the same time, aroused its voracious appetite, which had been dormant for several months.

What a psycho!

The giant bear roared in indignation, then turned its grief into appetite and prepared to have another big meal.

"Should I say you're still a child at heart?"

As the aircraft flew rapidly along the rock wall, Schrödinger said with a hint of speechlessness in Lin Wei's ear.

Although Lin Wei had righteously said that he wanted to express his "apology and gratitude," she felt that his actions just now seemed more like he simply wanted to play a trick on that poor bear again.

It was more of a prank, wasn't it?

"For someone of your age, this is truly a rare quality," Schrödinger concluded.

"Is that so? Thank you for the compliment."

Lin Wei smiled, pretending not to have heard that it wasn't a compliment at all. Then he carefully operated the aircraft and headed straight for the orphanage.

The severe cold and snow, which had once troubled Lin Wei to the point of being unable to move, were no longer an unbearable predicament for her.

Although she could clearly feel her body temperature rapidly dropping in the biting cold wind, at the same time, she could also feel a furnace burning in a certain part of her body, pumping out a steady stream of warmth and power, flowing through the lines on her back to her limbs, helping her resist the most ruthless invasion of nature.

"Heh..."

Lin Wei let out another long sigh, releasing the indescribable and complicated emotions in his heart. They were almost there.

Rustle, rustle, rustle

Using a portable device to filter out Cocolia's ubiquitous surveillance system, and then another black feather to disperse all the guards on duty in the gatehouse, Lin Wei gently pushed open the old gate and quietly closed it again, without causing any disturbance. Even the footprints left in the snow were smoothed over by the power of the Fourth Divine Key.

"Using the power of multiple Divine Keys for such a small thing, I'm really..."

As Lin Wei was mocking himself, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, making him stop in his tracks and hold his breath, trying his best to grasp the inspiration that made his scalp tingle for a moment. He could feel that it was an extremely important discovery.

"...Phew."

After a long silence, Lin Wei let out a long breath. "One Divine Key being able to use the authority of all Divine Keys is already very troublesome. But if... there was a Herrscher who could freely use the authority of all Herrschers—Dr. Schrödinger, what kind of scene would that be?"

"A very bold assumption, and also a very terrifying hypothesis," Schrödinger commented very pertinently. "If such a Herrscher really appeared, she would probably become an unprecedented enemy of the entire civilization and cause an unimaginable disaster."

"Hehe, yes, the former Herrscher of the Void possessed six different Herrscher authorities and almost single-handedly overturned the entire world. If she has the chance to fuse more Herrscher Cores in the future, and even fuse all the authorities into one, it's almost unimaginable what kind of existence she will become. Of course, the difficulty of realizing this idea should be very high, but..."

As Lin Wei spoke, he suddenly paused again, and then became inexplicably excited, as if he had accidentally glimpsed a treasure that no one had ever discovered before. "For example, if you, with the authority of the Herrscher of Reason and its almost infinite plasticity, could understand and learn the authority of other Herrschers... that should be a relatively more feasible solution, right?"

As we all know, our beloved Welt Yang, the most commendable thing about him, besides his respectable will to repeatedly come back to life, is that he managed to play the "Herrscher of Reason" account as the "Herrscher of Rock," controlling gravity with a raise of his hand, and even creating a pseudo-black hole with a little effort, making his enemies exclaim in disbelief.

Of course, besides that, he probably also self-taught a part of the authority of the Herrscher of Death—being able to create a brand new body with full health at any time and place, which indeed looked quite impressive...

"...Although I'd like to remind you that this has nothing to do with the problem we're facing now."

Schrödinger paused for a moment, then said, "Are you planning for the future? Do you want to become the next Herrscher of Reason? Or become a mentor on the path of the Herrschers?"

"..."

This sentence made Lin Wei's already flying brain calm down a little. "It's not really planning for the future, nor do I want to become the Herrscher of Reason, and I've never thought of becoming anyone's mentor. I just happened to think of it, after all, inspiration is rare, and if I miss it, it might not come a second time."

The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

First, we do have a Herrscher of Reason on the same side. Second, he did successfully integrate the authority of gravity, which did not belong to him, into his DNA. Since he can master one authority, he can master a second, a third, and so on.

After successfully piercing that invisible window paper, Lin Wei's brain was like a runaway horse, leaving everything in the dust—

That's right! Since the Void Archives can use the forms and powers of all Divine Keys, why can't the Herrscher of Reason have lightning in her left hand, fire in her right, and with a glance, crush her enemies so they can't move, then kick open a portal, throw her enemies into the Imaginary Space, and finally, mercilessly fill the Imaginary Space with storms and snow?

Tsk, tsk, tsk, that scene would be brutal...

Welt obviously didn't have this opportunity. After all, he only had the Star of Eden, this one Divine Key, and he could only come into contact with this one Herrscher authority. But, our Bronya, she's different!

Raiden Mei, Kiana, and even the Herrscher of Sentience are her unquestionable companions. At least five Herrscher authorities are always by her side, within arm's reach.

As long as she has this awareness, would her good companions really drive her away?

Besides, Theresa probably wouldn't refuse to let her student study the Oath of Judah, and Einstein would probably be happy to lend her the Star of Eden for a few more days. Bronya's future is simply limitless!

"What a pity! Bronya is such a useless waste, I'm so angry..."

Lin Wei muttered resentfully in a strange language that Schrödinger couldn't quite understand. "She has no idea what a huge treasure trove of resources she possesses, but in the end, besides Project Bunny, she only learned how to ride a motorcycle!"

Even that motorcycle was just Project Bunny transformed.

"Tsk..."

Lin Wei thought about it and got even angrier.

Gaming is a scourge!

"Are you calling me?"

Just as Lin Wei's thoughts were wandering further and further away, a small girl with gray hair and twin tails quietly walked up to him. She tilted her head and looked at the strange stranger in front of her, her face full of question marks. "Do you know me?"

Bronya had noticed from upstairs that this person had been standing in the courtyard for a long time. Since they could appear here so calmly, they were probably not an enemy.

So, she went downstairs, intending to welcome her into a warm room to escape the snow and wind, because she felt that anyone who came here in such weather was probably a very important guest. She was even worried that she would disturb her while she was thinking about something important.

But as soon as she got downstairs, she vaguely heard this person seem to be cursing her, and her small face couldn't help but darken.

But she didn't feel angry at all, just a little strange, because the way they looked seemed more like "disappointed in her lack of progress." Only people who were very familiar with each other would speak in such a tone.

They know me?

Bronya tilted her head and thought for a long time, but she had no impression of this person at all, which made her feel even more strange.

"Uh..."

Lin Wei suddenly snapped out of it and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Getting caught talking bad about someone behind their back, how could this be?!

Although this person, strictly speaking, was not particularly "the person in question"...

"Ahem, it's nothing."

Lin Wei waved his hand calmly, looked at the small building behind Bronya, and directly stated his purpose. "Is Seele at home?"

"?!"

Bronya was immediately on guard. Her light gray eyes looked at Lin Wei without a trace, quickly locking onto several vital points where she could kill him with one blow.

"Don't be nervous, Bronya."

Lin Wei spread his hands to show that he had no ill intentions and said in a calm and gentle tone, "I'm not going anywhere. Could you please tell her that someone named Lin Wei is here?"

"..."

Bronya didn't budge. She just shouted, "Sin!"

After calling Sin from the building, she had her relay Lin Wei's message to Seele, while she herself remained on guard against this increasingly strange uninvited guest.

Sin reluctantly did as she was told, and soon, the blue-haired girl rushed down.

"That's great, Mr. Lin Wei, you're okay..."

Seele gasped for breath, her face full of relief. "Your experiment had an accident before, and then..."

Seele suddenly stopped. She remembered that this was a new loop. She had to swallow all her words and condense them into one sentence. "Anyway, it's good that you're okay."

She had been extremely anxious, not knowing if Lin Wei would be safe in the new loop after the obvious accident in the experiment.

This time, she didn't even have time to persuade Bronya to support her again. She just wanted to sneak out from behind when she and Sin weren't paying attention, just like in the first loop, and rush to the cave where Lin Wei had been staying to confirm that she was safe.

"Mhm, thank you for your concern, Seele. I'm fine. I knew you would be worried, so I rushed over as soon as possible this time."

Although there had been a small interlude, this time, she didn't have to be indecisive for various reasons. Lin Wei's speed was swift. Then he looked at Bronya, who seemed to have been treated as if she were air, and said meaningfully, "This probably isn't the right place to talk. Could you arrange a quiet room for us?"

"..."

Although Bronya was full of questions, Seele's relieved expression after seeing Lin Wei didn't seem fake, and her vigilance had also been greatly lowered. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and led them to a quieter room.

"Bronya Oneechan, I'm very sorry. I'll explain to you later, okay?"

"...Alright."

Although she wanted to stay and listen, since Seele had said so, although her mysterious appearance made her look like an outsider, and she felt a little sour in her heart, she just nodded, grabbed the foul-mouthed Sin, and gently closed the door.

Her appearance made Seele feel even more guilty.

"Hey, Seele!"

Veliona shouted in her consciousness, reminding her that there were more important things at hand.

Seele came to her senses and quickly asked Lin Wei about what she had experienced in the experiment and the final result.

Lin Wei didn't recount everything he had seen and heard. He just briefly summarized the cause and effect, and then concluded with a bitter expression, "The result can't be called a failure, but... hehe, it can't be called a success either."

The Stigmata had awakened, but the soul had not been able to return. It was as if a piece of his entire life had been peeled off, leaving him empty and uncomfortable.

The experiment was a success, but the loop had not been broken as hoped. They were still stuck in this strange circle.

"So... that's how it is..."

Seele clutched her chest, her expression also becoming empty. She murmured in a daze, "That... Miss Yae Sakura, is she really not coming back?"

Although she didn't know the girl Lin Wei called Yae Sakura, and she didn't know why this gentleman's Stigmata consciousness was a woman, she felt a strong empathy for Lin Wei's current mood.

Because, in her body, there was also another companion...

Seele's hands on her chest clenched even tighter. She had never felt so clearly how heavy a weight her other self was to her.

If she lost her, it would probably be as unacceptable as losing Bronya Oneechan. Seele thought to herself.

As for Veliona...

She had thought she would feel uneasy, angry, and panicked. But after hearing this result, she found that her heart was unexpectedly calm.

She could particularly understand that Yae Sakura's choice...

Seeing Lin Wei's lost expression, she actually felt an unexpected satisfaction. "If that day really comes, Seele will also be sad for me, right?"

That crybaby, if she started crying, it would never end!

Imagining Seele crying, she felt her heart ache again.

"Maybe there's another chance to get her back, but we have to leave this place first."

Lin Wei shook his head. She wouldn't dwell on things that couldn't be changed. "My experiment is over, but the loop isn't. So..."

Lin Wei conveyed a seemingly cruel conclusion to Seele in a gentle and calm voice. "Seele, the real key to breaking this loop might be on you."

Chapter 486: Three Seeles Make a Scene

"Seele, the real key to breaking this loop might be on you."

Lin Wei's voice was as gentle as ever, and in a slightly more euphemistic way, he gently spoke the cruel and excessive answer: "The real answer is for you, Seele, to get on the operating table again."

Clearly, it was still cruel...

It made sense. Seele had become a wandering ghost in the Sea of Quanta because of the X-10 experiment, separated from her closest loved ones by "life and death." Now that she had finally escaped from this dark prison, she had only fallen into another prison of eternal recurrence.

The familiar orphanage, the familiar friends, the familiar faces, the familiar people and things—a world that was exactly the same as in her memory, but it was just a seemingly real but false world, where the same experiences were replayed over and over again...

Was there a more malicious joke in the world?

The answer was: yes.

You want to escape all this and get on the road home? Fine, go through the X-10 experiment again!

What was this, seeing things through to the end?

Perhaps it was all just a coincidence. But in Lin Wei's opinion, this was simply cruel to the point of being vicious to Seele!

Thinking of the accidental discovery Schrödinger had told him about not long ago, perhaps she herself had already realized it. He had just been the one to break the news...

---||---

For some difficult and painful choices, people can naturally make up their minds with a moment of courage and awareness, but that is often based on not knowing the specific consequences.

Although the unknown can bring fear, ignorance can also bring courage.

Now Seele had already suffered the tragic price of one failure. The endless darkness seemed to be able to make people sink forever. Now that she finally had the chance to see the light again, would she still have the courage to go through the same thing again?

After all, who could guarantee that this time it would definitely succeed?

Even Lin Wei couldn't guarantee it.

After all, just an hour ago in his memory, at the end of the last loop, even he himself had almost had an accident, hadn't he?

"I..."

Seele's whole body trembled, and she couldn't help but take a step back. Her mind exploded, and an uncontrollable fear surged from her heart. Her face instantly turned pale, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Seele. It's really a bit much to talk to you about this as soon as we meet. I just feel that I shouldn't hide it from you."

Lin Wei tried to slow down his speech as much as possible to avoid stimulating this poor girl, who was like a frightened little rabbit, and comforted her. "It's okay if you can't accept it. You don't have to take this risk. We have plenty of time now. We can look for other methods with Dr. Schrödinger."

Yes, time.

But in each individual loop, time passed in a hurry, and everyone didn't have enough time to do much before it was over.

But if they didn't care about the shackles of the loop and no longer raced against time, then the time they had was almost endless. They could think, hesitate, and waste as much as they wanted.

Lin Wei had thought that Seele would need some time alone and was already preparing to get up and leave. But he didn't expect that Seele's response would come much faster and much calmer than expected.

"It's okay, Mr. Lin Wei. Seele... can overcome it!"

Seele felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, making it difficult to breathe, but she still tried to control the trembling in her voice and said in a weak but firm tone, "I should have thought of it a long time ago... No, in the last loop, when I returned to Mother Cocolia's laboratory, I had already realized it..."

"Oh?"

Lin Wei was surprised.

Schrödinger had once said that she had discovered some abnormalities in Seele at the end of the last loop. Lin Wei had originally thought that this was because Seele had already realized the truth, but was unwilling to face it and didn't dare to admit it, so she had carefully hidden it and not shown it to anyone.

So, Lin Wei had come to break this news, to tell her that being an ostrich was meaningless.

But that was all. If Seele was still unwilling to face it, Lin Wei wouldn't force her too much.

After all, in a world that was constantly looping, time itself had lost its meaning. Seele could slowly hesitate and think. And he himself wouldn't just sit there and wait. He would use this time to find other ways to break the loop.

But he didn't expect that he had just given her a little hint, and Seele had quickly made the most positive response, even though she looked like she was about to cry from fear.

So brave, so sincere?

Lin Wei looked at Seele with new eyes. Compared to her frankness, his own thoughts seemed shamefully hypocritical...

"Mr. Lin Wei's physical condition in each loop will affect his next loop. If he gets sick in one loop, he will still be unable to recover in the next loop. But I, I'm not like that..."

Seele recalled her experiences in each previous loop and slowly explained the similarities and differences between herself and Lin Wei. "No matter how seriously I was injured in the last loop, everything would return to the starting point at the beginning of the next loop. Except for my memory, my body was reset again and again in the loop. Compared to Mr. Lin Wei, Seele is more like Bronya Oneechan and the others..."

Her consciousness and memory were not affected by this loop like Lin Wei, but her body was completely in sync with this world.

"If there is an anomaly in this world, it must be me... me."

It was obvious that Seele had also thought about this seriously during the time Lin Wei was absent. But from her tone, it seemed that she was also very lacking in confidence.

It was obvious that even now, she was full of unease, even worry and fear, about such a result and future. But she still chose to face it.

"You're much braver than I thought, Seele."

One should look at a person with new eyes after a three-day separation. If Bronya saw the current Seele, would she be happy for her growth, or would she feel sorry for her?

"Actually... Seele is not brave at all. Even now, thinking about what I've been through, I still feel scared in my heart..."

Seele said with some embarrassment. "But, only in this way can I return to the real Bronya Oneechan's side. And only in this way can I return the real Seele to Bronya Oneechan..."

The Bronya Oneechan here has already done enough for me. I can't be so selfish!

Seele took a deep breath and expressed her determination in a weak voice that was still trembling. "Since only I can end all this, then let me end it!"

I'm already in the Sea of Quanta. How much worse can it get?

She silently comforted herself. Since Mr. Lin Wei has the courage to go through it, why can't I?

What's more, she had another self who had always been with her, never abandoning her. Thinking about it, those dark days didn't seem so lonely and unbearable...

Thinking about it, the worry in Seele's heart unknowingly faded a lot.

"Thank you, my other self..." she thought silently in her heart.

"?"

Veliona was about to fly into a rage because of Seele's arbitrary decision, but when she suddenly heard this sentence, she was at a loss for words.

What did I do?

"Nothing, I just wanted to say..."

Seele hesitated for a moment, then said shyly, "With you by my side, I don't seem so scared anymore."

"Uh..."

Veliona was stunned. She felt that all the anger she had just felt had suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. In the end, she just waved her hand impatiently. "Forget it, I can't be bothered with you!"

What else could she say?

"Is that so?"

Lin Wei didn't know how rich her inner activities were at this moment. He just gestured toward the door and asked, "Do you want to tell them here?"

Even though this was a new loop, Lin Wei was still unwilling to treat Bronya and the others as complete strangers, and he believed that Seele was even more so.

"I..."

Seele hesitated for a moment, shook her head, and said, "It's better to wait until it's over and let the Seele here tell Bronya Oneechan everything... Oneechan..."

As she was speaking, Seele's expression suddenly became extremely frightened. She collapsed to the ground without any warning, as if she had been frightened by something. She kept scrambling backward, crying out in grief and terror, "No... don't!"

BANG!

The thin wooden door was violently broken open in an instant. Bronya, who had been waiting outside the door, heard the terrified cries in the room and rushed in like lightning, her face full of terror. She lunged at Lin Wei almost without thinking.

Lin Wei had no choice but to retract the arm he was about to use to help Seele up and block her powerful kick.

"No, stop!"

It was Seele's cry again. Although it sounded very similar to the one just now, this time it was no longer terrified, but simply astonished, as if she was also in disbelief at her own sudden and drastic change.

"You've been calling for so long, you're finally out!"

It was still Seele's voice, but this time it sounded extremely irritable, and she shouted in a fit of anger, "Seele, don't stop me, let me teach her a good lesson!"

It turned out that Veliona had come out from the realm of consciousness.

What's the meaning of this? Has Seele's schizophrenia gotten worse? Has a third personality appeared?

The innocent Lin Wei, who had been caught in the crossfire, was completely dumbfounded.

Bronya's attack was blocked. She was just about to wrap her arms around Lin Wei's neck, but she was pulled back by Seele impatiently. "Alright, stop!"

The next second, the irritable expression on her face melted away like ice and snow, replaced by a gentle expression like water. She looked at Lin Wei and the bewildered Bronya with guilt. "I'm sorry, that was my fault just now..."

"What on earth is going on?"

Bronya was silent. Even if she was a fool, she could see that there was something wrong with this Seele.

The next second, Sin also rushed in from the doorway in a hurry. Then, more children were attracted by the commotion just now, and the corridor was packed.

"What are you looking at? Go back!"

Sin kicked and pushed the irrelevant people away, then walked over again, looked suspiciously at the strange Lin Wei and the not-quite-right Seele, and asked seriously for once, "Bronya, what happened?"

"..."

Bronya shook her head silently, her eyes still fixed on Seele. She was also waiting for an answer. So Sin also locked her eyes on her face.

"I..."

Seele's heart tightened under their gaze, and for a moment, she didn't know how to say the words in her heart.

"Hmph, useless!"

Sin snorted disdainfully. Seeing this, Seele couldn't help but become even more nervous.

"Alright, I probably know what's going on..."

Lin Wei, who had been on the side, spoke first. "Seele, the change just now, was that the 'Seele from here' you mentioned?"

With one sentence, he attracted the attention of all three of them. Lin Wei didn't feel anything. He gestured to Bronya and Sin with his eyes to "calm down," then continued to look into Seele's eyes and asked softly in a low voice, "Can you tell me, is the you now the Seele I know, or the original Seele from here?"

At this point, how could he not have realized that Seele had not completely covered and replaced her self in this world bubble, but had always existed in this body.

No wonder her body also looped with the world. I see, Lin Wei suddenly realized.

"Mr. Lin Wei, I'm sorry, the me from here, she's hiding again..."

Seele was both helpless and confused. She also didn't know why it had become like that just now.

She only knew that the Seele who had never appeared before suddenly jumped out and took control of her body, which scared her a lot. The other her was angry because of this and wanted to teach this impolite guy a lesson.

She was slow to react and hurriedly gave up her body to the bad-tempered her, while she herself returned to the realm of consciousness, intending to have a good talk with the third her, whom she had never met before.

But she didn't expect that she had only been out for a moment, and then, as if she had exhausted all her courage, she had shrunk back into a corner where no one could find her.

Helpless, she had to give up and come back to clean up this unexpected mess for "herself."

"What is this..."

Lin Wei facepalmed in frustration. What is this? Three Seeles make a scene?

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

Sin, on the side, had lost her patience. She walked up to Seele and questioned her loudly, "Who are you, and what did you do to Seele?"

Bronya also looked at Lin Wei uneasily, wanting an explanation for what was happening before her eyes.

"This matter is both simple and complicated. Let me explain."

Seeing the troubled and pained expression on Seele's face, Lin Wei didn't want to make things difficult for her anymore. He took on the job and said to Bronya, "This should be the third time we've met in this world. Now, let me tell you and your friends a story. It's about Seele, and it's also about you..."

Chapter 487: Choice

"No, I'll do it, Mr. Lin Wei."

Just as Lin Wei's voice fell, Seele, with a tone full of apology, yet gentle and firm, took over the responsibility of being the narrator. "After all, you only officially met us much later. These things related to Bronya Oneechan and the others, probably only Seele herself can explain them clearly."

The Seele who could only cry when they first met had now become so proactive and assertive. For this better proposal, Lin Wei naturally had no objection.

So, in the next ten minutes or so, Lin Wei, along with Bronya and Sin, listened to Seele recount her complete experience during this time.

From the beginning of the X-10 experiment to its end; from the lonely drifting in the Sea of Quanta to the confusion and bewilderment when she saw the light of day again in this world bubble; from the indecisiveness in the first loop, the disastrous consequences of her reckless actions in the second loop, and the sacrifices Bronya and Sin had made to protect her in both loops; and in the third loop, the two of them choosing to believe her story and helping her officially meet up with Lin Wei, and finally, the story came to the present—the beginning of the fourth loop...

"Huh? What's all this nonsense?"

Sin, who was always impatient, crossed her arms and nudged Bronya. "This one's imagining strange things again. Did you understand any of it?"

The usually noisy girl was surprisingly quiet at this moment.

"..."

Bronya was silent for a long time, looking at Seele with a complicated expression, her heart filled with a sense of disorientation. After a long time, she finally summarized it into a dry question, "So, you... are not Seele, right?"

In the several loops, this was the first time she had denied "Seele's" identity—even though she had already learned about her choices in the previous loops from Seele's own mouth.

Or perhaps, it was precisely because she knew these things and believed what Seele had said that it drove her to make such a seemingly opposite choice after the truth was revealed in this loop.

This was not just about seeking an explanation for her past self; it was also because Seele's contradictory personality, as if she had multiple personalities, was telling her that "things are not that simple."

"Ah..."

Seele's whole body trembled. Even though she was fully prepared, the questioning from Bronya Oneechan still made her feel particularly uncomfortable. Although she was a little sad, she still nodded. "Yes... that's right."

"...I'm sorry, Seele."

Seeing Seele's fragile appearance, Bronya immediately felt a pang of guilt.

Although this Seele seemed particularly unfamiliar, much more mature than the Seele she was familiar with, she knew that she was still Seele. So, in that second, she understood the choice of "her past self"...

"Alright, that's enough reminiscing for now."

With Schrödinger's subtle reminder, Lin Wei appropriately interrupted the slightly heavy topic. "Seele, your performance today was truly unexpected. Whether it was your honesty, or just now..."

Lin Wei briefly mentioned Seele's indescribable abnormal behavior and asked directly, "Did you have any unexpected new discoveries?"

He had friends with multiple personalities before. Vill-V's multiple personalities were even more severe, and each of them seemed a bit abnormal. But seeing that Seele would also have her personalities fighting with each other was still a bit surprising.

"Mhm, yes. Seele thought that my arrival had unknowingly replaced the Seele in this world. But not long ago, I discovered that the truth was not like that..."

After Lin Wei brought the topic back to the main point, Seele nodded in relief. Then she placed her hands on her chest, as if talking to herself in the dark, and said something shocking, "The original Seele has always been here. She didn't disappear because of my arrival. Instead, she... gave this body, which belongs to her... to the current me!"

"What..."

Sin wanted to speak again, but was pulled back by Bronya. She, who also wanted to question her, forcibly suppressed the urge to question, her flat chest heaving violently for a moment, her gray eyes looking at Seele anxiously, quietly waiting for her to continue.

What on earth is wrong with Seele?

Bronya only had Seele in her heart and was a little worried. Lin Wei was not like that, so he looked at Seele in a daze and said softly, "Dr. Schrödinger said that in the last few seconds of the previous loop, she saw you, who had originally fainted due to the loop restart, secretly get up and cry softly. Now it seems that that was 'this world's Seele'?"

When he had just learned about this matter, he and Schrödinger were still worried about Seele. But he didn't expect that after the truth was revealed, it was a completely different answer.

"Is... that so?"

Seele was stunned. She obviously didn't know about this either. She shook her head. "From the moment I stepped into that laboratory, Seele's feelings became very strong: fear, worry, trembling all over, and tears couldn't stop flowing..."

"Seele thought it was her own reason, because she had once experienced the torment of the X-10 experiment there, so after returning to the same place again, she became so abnormal, so scared..."

Recalling the memory from that time, Seele began to tremble slightly again, as if she had returned to that feeling. She slightly shrunk her shoulders, paused for a moment, and continued, "But, it shouldn't be like this for me. This time, it was Mr. Lin Wei who was on the operating table, not me. At that time, my true thoughts were clearly to worry about Mr. Lin Wei's safety and to look forward to the end of this world's loop... I shouldn't have felt so scared, as if, deep down in my heart, another me was secretly telling me: it shouldn't be Mr. Lin Wei on that operating table, but me. It was also from that time that I began to realize... to realize..."

Seele was already used to talking to and getting along with her other self in her heart, so she was particularly sensitive to this subtle feeling. This cowardly, childish behavior of refusing to face reality out of fear, Seele, who used to like to do these stupid things, understood it all too well. After hesitating for a while, she said with some helplessness and loneliness, "The Seele belonging to this world still exists in this body. She just carefully hid herself, so that we couldn't find her..."

Lin Wei suddenly realized and thoughtfully added a summary, "So, at the end of the previous loop, she realized that she could no longer hide, so she cried secretly at the end of the loop, after we all left, and even suddenly jumped out to stop us just now. And that means..."

"Mhm, the real key to breaking this loop is on Seele. Otherwise, she wouldn't have..."

Seele nodded frankly and said with some guilt, "Seele probably realized it a long time ago, so she hid. I'm so sorry, Seele... I should have discovered it earlier..."

This was the first time she had called someone else "Seele," and she said it so naturally, which made Veliona feel a mix of emotions. Although she didn't know what she was feeling complicated about, she just felt a wave of annoyance.

"What on earth are you talking about, Seele?"

The more Bronya listened, the more scared she became, as if she had realized something. "Didn't you say it was about you joining and the world looping? How did it get involved with Mother Cocolia's experiment?"

This makes no sense! she shouted.

But in this world, there are always many unreasonable things. As mortals, we can only passively accept them.

"I'm sorry, Bronya Oneechan..."

Seele's tears fell again. She didn't even know which Seele these tears belonged to. She forced a smile and said, "This time, Seele is going to be willful again..."

Beginning with the X-10 experiment and ending with the X-10 experiment—for such a somewhat cruel "loop," Seele accepted it with extraordinary frankness.

"Yes, everything in this world is very similar to Seele's memories: the orphanage, Bronya Oneechan, Mother Cocolia, the X-10 experiment..."

When she realized that there was another Seele quietly existing, her understanding of the truth of this world bubble had completely surpassed Lin Wei's and Schrödinger's. After all, she was the "prototype" of this world bubble—

"Yes, in the story I experienced, Seele eventually stepped onto the operating table of the X-10 experiment. But now, in the same story, Seele is always absent..."

In the orphanage, Bronya Oneechan, who liked to play games, had once told her about "game errors and reloading saves." She didn't quite understand it at the time, but now, she found that what was happening in this world was very similar.

Because she, the most important part of the story, was absent midway, the story had to start from the beginning. If the "loop" of this world was understood in this way, everything became so logical.

And the key to the problem was naturally obvious...

Just like when she had made the same choice, although there was fear of the future in Seele's heart, there was more peace and joy, because...

"Only when Seele accepts her fate can Bronya Oneechan and Sin have a real tomorrow!"

Although the Bronya Oneechan in this world was not the Bronya Oneechan in the original world, Bronya Oneechan would always be Bronya Oneechan. Just like, for Bronya Oneechan, she herself was also Seele...

If so, what was the difference?

If she was lucky enough to succeed in the experiment, she could return to her own world and tell another Bronya Oneechan about her experiences these past few days. If she failed, it would just be returning to that dark place again. What was the difference?

"No, you can't!"

Bronya became agitated. She obviously understood what Seele was thinking, but before she could express her opposition, Seele quietly appeared behind her. With a "smack, thud," she and Sin were knocked unconscious to the ground.

"Tsk..."

Seele curled her lips in annoyance, but didn't say much. The next second, her expression became regretful again.

Lin Wei watched from the side. Even when the real Seele switched personalities, her appearance didn't change much, and she wouldn't be dyed in a scarlet color that was completely different from before. It was just from the look in her eyes and the subtle temperament in her gestures that some subtle changes could be seen.

"Have you made up your mind?"

Looking at the unconscious Bronya and the others on the ground, Lin Wei asked softly.

Not long ago, in the previous loop, this was the sentence that other companions had used to ask him. At that time, they had no reason to stop him. And now, he seemed to have no reason to stop Seele.

What a strange feeling, Lin Wei thought to himself. But the result might not be so bad. Just now, Lin Wei had already come up with several intervention plans to prevent accidents. It was just that some of them needed to be discussed with Dr. Schrödinger.

"Mhm, yes, Mr. Lin Wei."

After gently helping Bronya and Sin into a more comfortable sleeping position, Seele nodded. "But, before that, there's one more thing I need to do..."

Lin Wei was silent, waiting for her to continue.

"This body belongs to the Seele of this world. It's really a bit selfish to make such a decision without her consent. So, I want to talk to her."

Seele placed a hand on her chest and said thoughtfully, "She is also Seele. She will definitely understand and support me, just like my other self..."

"I don't support you..."

Veliona grumbled with some annoyance, but no one heard her.

"Is that so? What a gentle child..."

Lin Wei sighed with some pity. This Seele was really easy to like. "What do you want to do? Do you need me to help you find her?"

"Ah, you can?"

Seele was a little surprised, because she couldn't find the Seele who was hiding.

"Mhm, it's very simple. Here you go."

Lin Wei handed her a feather. "Close your eyes and use it to browse your consciousness. It should be easy to find her."

Then he gently picked up the unconscious Bronya from the ground, preparing to take her and Sin back to their room. Otherwise, Seele would probably be distracted.

"Mhm, thank you."

Seele looked at Lin Wei with some gratitude. She certainly knew that Lin Wei was trying to avoid suspicion and also wanted to give her a quiet space. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and, as Lin Wei had said, carefully browsed through the sea of her consciousness.

"Why..."

In the deepest corner of her consciousness, a frail Seele was curled up helplessly. She questioned Seele with both sadness and confusion, "Isn't it good to stay 'here' with Bronya Oneechan forever?"

Chapter 488: Past and Future

Seele had a very long dream...

Not long ago, a long time ago, she was still living in this orphanage as usual, enduring Sin's constant teasing and ridicule, and also enjoying Bronya's care and affection.

Childhood was always particularly long, and even a short day was filled with many joys and sorrows.

From dawn to dusk, this small courtyard was enough to contain all the life of a sensitive and fragile girl, as well as her entire world.

She thought that such days could last for a very long time. Until that day, a slender needle pierced her equally slender arm, and a light yellow reagent was pushed into her blood vessel bit by bit.

The next second, a strange feeling surged up from her soul, like a clear spring from beyond the sky, injecting into her small world bit by bit, bringing messages from afar.

The next second, she read her entire life—she saw Sin ambush and seriously injure Bronya Oneechan in front of her; she saw herself walk alone to the blue sea she had once longed for; she saw herself turn to ashes bit by bit in the experiment called "X-10", and then fall into another deeper and darker sea in helplessness and despair.

The next second, Seele fainted in shock and fear...

"Why... is this happening?"

Seele cried helplessly. That was the past that the other Seele had experienced, and it was also her future. But she desperately rejected such a future.

"No... don't!"

She didn't want Bronya Oneechan to be hurt like that, but she was also afraid that she would bear such a future. The pain and loneliness made her lose all courage just by seeing it...

"If only time could stop, then I wouldn't have to worry about such a future..."

In the girl's deep dream, Seele cried and made a naive wish like a fairy tale: "As long as the future never comes, we can live happily here forever..."

Whispering such hopes, she also fell into a deep sleep in her dream.

---||---

Passing through the palace of consciousness and the labyrinth of memory, Seele followed the guidance of the feather and found a tattered wooden box in a corner far away from all memories, without a trace of any marks, as if it had existed there since the beginning of time. There was also a rusty big lock on the box, as if to tell the world that no one could open it and find its secrets.

"Ah... so you're here?"

Seele let out a long breath, slowly squatted down in front of the wooden box, and gently stroked the rusty lock. The feather turned into a key at this moment and smoothly inserted into the rusty keyhole.

With a click, the lock fell to the ground and disappeared without a trace.

Seele opened this sealed heart with a mixture of relief and a trace of complicated feelings, because...

Opening the wooden box, there was nothing else inside but a thin and weak girl curled up, her face covered with tear stains, and even the bottom of the box was soaked with a large patch of water.

"Hello, Seele."

Seele greeted the girl in the box softly in a gentle voice. She had the same face as herself. With a joyful expression, her voice was like a warm spring breeze. "This is the first time we've officially met."

"Why... Bronya Oneechan, or anyone else. I've obviously given everything to you..."

The other Seele sat up from the box in a daze, shrinking into a small ball like a newborn kitten, and asked with both sadness and unwillingness, "Isn't it good to live happily like this forever?"

She envied this Seele who had come from a parallel world, but she couldn't make such sacrifices and be so fearless. So, at the moment when their two consciousnesses came into contact, she silently hid herself and gave her body and the name "Seele" to her.

She only hoped that this braver Seele could live happily forever in place of this useless self...

"What a simple wish..."

Seele looked at the girl in front of her with some pity, as if she was looking at her past self, who was also uneasy. She empathized with her and spoke the truth that she dared not say out loud. "False happiness is also happiness. As long as you don't touch that thin curtain, you will never be pierced by the terrible reality. The little fairy tale hiding in the corner can continue forever. But..."

Seele earnestly delved into her own soul, wanting to pass on her courage to her past self in front of her. "But, Seele, we can't always let others bear the heavy pressure of reality for us with a clear conscience!"

"Sob..."

The other Seele cried softly, as helpless as if her beloved toy had been taken away.

Her past self would always hide in a corner and cry helplessly, but no matter where, Bronya Oneechan would always find her, give her a warm hug, and gently comfort her.

So, learning from Bronya Oneechan's gentleness, or perhaps she herself was a gentle person, Seele also gave her past self a equally gentle hug, without saying a word.

"Waah!"

The girl being hugged cried out loud, and the girl who gave the hug also shed silent tears in empathy. "I'm sorry, Seele..."

---||---

Every child longs to grow up, but that's because they don't know what "growing up" really means. Otherwise, they would be glad to be a child and wish to be a child forever.

Just like the current "Seele," she saw "her own" future too early and was trapped in an inescapable fear...

But for the sake of those who love her and those she loves, a "child" must always learn to grow up.

Seele firmly believed in this, so she said softly, "You'll understand me, right?"

A person can never deceive themselves. When "oneself" has a soul-to-soul dialogue with "oneself," any verbal persuasion appears pale and ridiculous. One only needs to convey their truest soul to the other party and accept the truth of the other party's soul.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... but..."

The past Seele trembled. "I'm not as brave as you. I can't do it..."

This future Seele was warm and firm, while she, who was cowardly by nature, even hesitated to say the word "afraid." This huge gap made her feel even more inferior.

"I'm so useless..."

The past Seele thought. She admired the bravery of her future self, but she also feared the price she would have to pay to become such a person...

"Actually, like you, I'm not brave at all..."

The Seele, who seemed to have crossed worlds and time, softly recounted her experiences and stories. "When Bronya Oneechan was hurt, I was right there, but I didn't have the courage to stand up and stop it. I just cowardly shrank in a corner where no one could see, not daring to make a sound. Then after everyone had left, I locked myself in a small box and cried non-stop, just like you are now..."

"I..."

"Then, for various reasons, I came to this world that was almost identical to my memory and became the Seele of this world, which is you. And what happened after that, we all experienced together. Seele, you should remember it clearly, right?"

"...Mhm."

The Seele of this world hesitated for a moment and nodded imperceptibly. Her memory was completely synchronized with the Seele from the outside world, but she had been carefully peeking at everything the other Seele had experienced from a bystander's perspective.

In front of "herself," Seele recounted every detail of her experience in each loop, as if reliving a past story, and as if looking back on her own journey.

In the first loop, Seele, who had finally seen the light of day again, unexpectedly returned to the familiar orphanage and saw Bronya Oneechan, whom she had not seen for a long time. At that time, she coveted this long-lost comfort, just like her past self coveted this false happiness. Then...

At that time, I watched everything happen bit by bit, but I did nothing. Until Mother Cocolia suddenly appeared, and Bronya Oneechan was taken away by her to protect me and Sin...

Seele said with both regret and guilt.

If it weren't for the "loop" in this world that could reset everything that had happened, Seele would have regretted her inaction for the rest of her life.

"So when I returned to the starting point of time again, I let out a long sigh of relief."

"In the second loop, she knew she couldn't continue to do nothing and wanted to take action, but she didn't know what to do. So, the dark her made a choice for her."

"At that time, I knew that the other me was acting a bit too rashly, but I didn't stop her. Because in my heart, there was actually a very selfish thought..."

Seele clutched her chest and bravely faced her true self. "Since there's another me who can act for me, isn't it enough for me to just obediently get out of the way and quietly wait for the final result?"

"I..."

Veliona wasn't here, but the Seele of this world lowered her head in shame. Isn't that what I was thinking?

Seele watched her continue to recall these memories.

The self that did not stop Veliona's reckless actions in time paid the price for her侥幸心理 again. Her sudden disappearance caused the orphanage to explode in an instant. The overly obvious abnormal behavior also aroused Mother Cocolia's suspicion, and then...

This time, Sin stood up and paid the price for her mistake.

"The good news is that Mr. Lin Wei encountered Bronya Oneechan because of this and successfully came to the orphanage to find me. And I finally knew what I could do in the third loop..."

So, in the third loop, Seele, who had tasted enough of the bitter fruit, finally stopped running away. She mustered up her courage and confessed everything to Bronya Oneechan, and then guided the story to a not-so-bad ending...

"In this loop after loop, I have repeatedly tasted all the bitter fruits caused by my immaturity and weakness, and then I get the opportunity to make up for it in the new loop. I should thank you, Seele..."

Seele, who had recalled all her experiences, said gratefully. "This is our common experience, not just my harvest alone. You, me, and the other me who is not here, this special experience is our common treasure."

"...Really...?"

The Seele of this world shook her head in a daze and shame. She was just a spectator, a deserter, and had done nothing at all. How could she be qualified to share in this growth?

"Of course! Because you are also Seele, because you are me!"

Seele's smile was extremely gentle, with a special kind of satisfaction, as if she had handed in a fairly satisfactory answer sheet to her past self. "Actually, I'm not brave at all. Every time I loop, my heart is full of apprehension and unease, including now..."

"But, Seele knows, I can't keep stagnating, I can't always watch Bronya Oneechan, the other me, or even Mr. Lin Wei make choices and sacrifices for Seele. And I can't let my guard down just because I can 'start over.' I—must... learn to bear it myself, learn to grow up!"

Seele took a deep breath, as if releasing a burden in her chest. "So, now, there is something that only Seele can do, and Seele can't escape it no matter what, because..."

Seele smiled gently, her tone firm as she revealed her heart to her self in front of her. "Everyone is sacrificing for their companions, working hard for tomorrow. How can Seele be so selfish and stay in yesterday, not moving forward?"

How could she not be afraid of the X-10 experiment? She just knew that she couldn't continue to escape.

Last time, she didn't know what was waiting for her ahead. She just relied on a moment of courage and welcomed her fate with tears.

This time, after several turns in the loop of life and death, Seele already understood what was waiting for her ahead. But this time, she had learned to be calm and could take her own steps forward with a smile.

"Seele, I want to return 'tomorrow' to Bronya Oneechan, to everyone!"

The cowardly girl of the past had finally learned to grow up. She could no longer need the love of others, but could pass on her own warmth to others—even if the one she was passing it on to was the self who was still trapped in yesterday...

"I... I'm scared..."

The past Seele was still cowering, but this time she at least had the courage to say the word "afraid."

"It's okay. This time, the three of us will share it together!"

Seele extended her hand to her, holding her past, and wanted to take her to the future together, smiling and hoping, "If all goes well, Seele will be able to have a better future with Bronya Oneechan in this world that has tomorrow again."

What if it fails?

The other Seele was still uneasy, but she didn't say it out loud.

"If it fails..."

Even though Seele had learned to be brave, her heart was still uneasy. She let out a long breath and said, "There's you, me, and the other Seele who is not here. We're together, hand in hand. Even if we fall into the Sea of Quanta again, it doesn't seem so scary..."

"..."

The other Seele hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered up her courage and grabbed the hand from the future.

The other Seeles were still working hard to move forward, how could she keep dragging them down?

So, the future was set.

---||---

One more chapter, and this world bubble will be over.

again the author is not reliable source, same with me