Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

The soft, flowing light bathed the naked body, and the occasional rise and fall of the chest could be vaguely seen.

The liquid that rushed into the lungs with each breath did not bring suffocation or coldness, but only a nostalgic warmth and comfort.

Su Qing'an's consciousness was chaotic and hazy; he had fallen into a deep sleep. Only his instincts could barely comprehend the terrible state of his body, constantly correcting the nanobots to find the optimal solution and accelerate the repair process.

This scarred body was constantly peeling away its surface skin, revealing the flesh and fascia beneath, but even these were gradually pulverized and annihilated in the liquid.

In a situation that seems to be constantly approaching death, flesh and blood are simultaneously weaving new networks to replace the former body tissues.

The boy's entire body is undergoing a complete organ replacement process. The reason for this is that the residual radioactive material and radiation from the Honkai fission bomb can no longer be attributed to Honkai energy.

They are clearly distinct from Honkai energy and no longer intertwined, which makes it impossible for the conceptual ability of the [Stigmata] to continue to function, resulting in the flesh, bones, and organs slowly withering, softening, and even becoming deformed.

Based on the current situation, the medical technology of the pre-civilization and Su Qing'an's terrifying physical instincts naturally chose this massive plan that would leave no hidden dangers, but would consume the most resources, take the longest time, and even disturb a dormant mind.

The boy's consciousness sank into endless darkness and gloom, with only the slowly moving data on the panel proving that he was constantly approaching recovery.

[Soul Essence: 4.14 (78.31)]

……

……

Even at the very end, the woman did not reveal the name of the Third Herrscher.

She bought the bouquet that first caught her eye in the shop, hesitated for a moment, and then placed it outside the long coffin containing the girl's remains.

With Himeko's eyes lowered, the cool blue stood out perfectly in the dim, dark landscape.

Perhaps she hadn't chosen the wrong flower, she thought.

Buried in a place where no one can find you, but you're not so lonely?

In such a world, this is truly an enormous problem.

So, you can go find it yourself when you wake up.

Before that...

That's it.

……

……

Fu Hua gazed at the scene through the inspection window.

The man lay on the hospital bed, his temples graying, his sallow complexion making him look sickly.

He turned his head to look out the window, his expression habitually solemn, tinged with a hint of worry.

What struck the girl most was the purple pattern that spread across her arm like branches, wriggling like a living creature.

Honkai infection.

Perhaps in such a calamity, Fu Xiuran's survival is already a fortunate thing.

Even the Honkai infection is so common in the current situation and development that hospitals everywhere are overcrowded.

To be able to survive... even if it's just to live a little longer, is already incredibly lucky compared to those who were instantly annihilated into black ash.

Even so, the joy of his father's survival was fleeting, a moment of relief that passed in an instant.

After Fu Hua immediately realized that the other party had to endure the despair of certain death and the pain of their body being constantly devoured by Honkai energy, struggling to survive, she could only feel a suffocating sorrow.

How should I describe this feeling?

After learning that her father might be dead, Fu Hua's mind was a blank, colorless void.

Confused and lost, he could only cling to Su Qing'an as his remaining pillar of support, forcing himself to think about the so-called future, present security, and the changes in the world.

This might be an unhealthy mental state, but it's undoubtedly very useful.

As long as that person is there, it's okay to temporarily stop thinking about so many problems.

Even though she thought it was irresponsible to entrust all the responsibilities and problems to the teenager, Fu Hua still felt at ease because of it.

But now that Su Qing'an is gone, the only umbrella that sheltered the girl's heart from the storm has turned to ashes, forcing her to face the painful reality on her own.

In her current state, having realized that Fu Xiuran was not dead, but was destined to die at an extremely rapid pace before her eyes, Fu Hua felt an undeniable sense of reality and the source of her sorrow.

It is impossible to remain indifferent to this.

It is not possible to simply establish an unwavering will.

Fu Hua knocked on the glass door, tears welling up in her eyes uncontrollably. She struggled to suppress her surging emotions and smiled at the man looking at her.

"Dad, it's been a long time."

As Fu Xiuran gazed at her beautiful appearance, his pupils dilated slightly, and he subconsciously began to check whether his daughter was unharmed and had not suffered any injury.

Only after concluding that his daughter was safe and sound did the man finally smile.

Even though he believed that Fu Hua wouldn't be in danger with Su Qing'an by his side, and he had long understood that a calamity would occur, the worry on his face only truly disappeared when he actually saw Fu Hua.

Fu Xiuran's throat moved, but for a moment he felt that a thousand words were stuck in his throat, and he didn't know what to say. Looking at the tears that kept falling down the girl's face, he felt a little heartache.

The man awkwardly offered his words of comfort:

"It's alright, Xiaohua."

“Dad contracted this strange disease a long time ago. If it weren’t for Xiao Su, he might not have made it this far. Now that he has survived such a disaster, every extra day he lives is a blessing.”

Upon hearing this, the girl's blue eyes, which had been rippling with moisture, turned even redder, and she couldn't help but cry as she spoke:

"I know all of that."

"I know all of this, I just couldn't help it."

Looking at Fu Xiuran's bewildered face through the large reinforced glass, she composed herself and whispered to Himeko:

"Can I go in? Master Su said I have a good understanding of Honkai energy, and I won't be infected by my father."

Himeko didn't tell Fu Hua the real reason for her quarantine. She simply nodded silently and gestured to the mechanical soldier guarding the gate with the identification in her hand, ensuring that this moment of warmth, which was destined to last only a short time, would not be hindered or disturbed.

Seele watched Fu Hua walk into the room, and asked softly:

"Have the higher-ups still not developed a cure for the Honkai infection?"

Himeko shook her head and revealed what was considered classified information:

"No."

"We have always suspected that the Honkai is conducting some kind of large-scale screening of the entire human civilization, and the initial threshold of this screening is the Honkai adaptability."

“Fundamental research on this topic is always surprisingly slow, and even if it is successfully developed, the first to consume these resources will be the people at the top.”

“That should be easy to understand, Seele.”

Following Himeko's train of thought, the little girl thought for a moment and then said:

"High position and great power do not necessarily mean having the ability to adapt to Honkai energy, right?"

"However, the reality of a high proportion of men in the upper class is in great contradiction with the deviation value of the male and female Honkai energy adaptability. Under such circumstances, even if a truly effective drug is created, it will not be available for use by ordinary civilians in a regular hospital before it can be mass-produced."

Himeko said indifferently:

"Even if they are unwilling to admit it, when major decisions are conducive to the survival of civilization, many people in the upper echelons do not mind using this power to gain more capital for their own survival."

"The events involved are intertwined with various experimental plans, and even the executors may sometimes be unclear whether the original reason for the experiment they are responsible for was sacred for the future of humanity, or dirty for someone's selfish desires."

“Seele Voller, you should understand these things best.”

Seele remained noncommittal upon hearing this, her deep blue eyes like a sea without light, lifeless and profound.

At this moment, she looked at Himeko with these eyes and said:

"What is the limit of your protection and constraints on me?"

The woman sighed softly:

"Literal meaning."

The little girl understood that the offer to join the Firemoth Logistics Department was the limit of Himeko's power.

The Moth Chaser is an organization with most autonomy. The reason for doing so is that this shell allows the government to break free from the original heavy factions and disputes, creating a brand new field that allows it to fully mobilize the power of humanity and implement extreme efficiency in order to better fight against the Honkai.

This is essentially a distorted product created by weighing various factors in order to protect oneself.

With the Honkai Impact 3rd incident spreading worldwide, the relationship between the official authorities and the Firemoth has gradually become unbalanced.

This meant that with this new identity, he was no longer the unregistered person who could be manipulated at will. As long as he stayed obediently within the sphere of influence of the Fire Moth, even the Quantum Sea research, which was part of the Fire Seed Project, could not do anything to him.

Even so, there are still loopholes in the literal meaning of Himeko's statement.

Seele and Himeko were both fully aware of this, and they both tacitly chose to talk about this dark past only when Fu Hua was not around.

After that, the two stopped talking.

It's difficult to draw a definitive conclusion as to how much of a price Su Qing'an was willing to pay for the agreement with Himeko.

Himeko does indeed have a gentle and kind side.

But now, after experiencing the ways of the world and enduring countless trials, if Su Qing'an had truly died in that Honkai Fission Bomb, it would be absolutely impossible for her to proactively pull Seele Voller into the Fifth Squad.

Only when Su Qing'an's existence is valuable enough for women to temporarily ignore the significance of the Quantum Sea to humanity will she have a reason to convince herself to deliberately obstruct him.

Himeko glanced at the little girl's obedient and silent appearance, and with a sigh in her heart, she hung the Fifth Squad's identification tag around her neck.

Immediately, Seele raised her little head.

She glanced at the still silent red-haired woman for a while, pursed her lips, and whispered thank you.

Himeko didn't respond; in fact, she sometimes thinks about it.

Living in such a bleak world, maintaining one's original aspirations may be even more difficult than one imagined on the day one first enlisted.

84. Dialogue, inner fire.

The hospital's isolation ward.

Fu Hua quietly peeled the apple into delicate little cat shapes and placed them on the tray. She listened to the man's rambling words, her thoughts a jumble of complex emotions.

He said that Su Qing'an knew long ago that a calamity might occur, and the two of them had thought about it a lot on their own without knowing anything about it.

Master Su thought for a very long time, but still didn't know any good way to get through this disaster.