Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　Dr. Mei's words of comfort stirred a ripple in his heart, but when he thought of what those people had promised them, Shadowblade made a decision.

　I'm sorry, Dr. Mei, but I still believe that the future of the venomous pupae should be in our own hands.

Chapter 538 The Growth of the Gray Serpent and the Emergence of Undercurrents

　"How many times has this happened?"

　Sakura has always strictly followed the training she received, and performing blood vibration before sheathing her sword has become an unconscious habit for her.

　However, the biting winds swirling around the icy prison caused the bloodstains to freeze solid, making her feel somewhat irritated.

　Both because they would hinder her from sheathing her sword and because they would awaken some unpleasant memories in her.

　Generally speaking, she would not use the Frostfire Blade to fight against humans.

　But facing this seemingly inhuman being who couldn't be killed no matter what, Sakura would never let her guard down.

　"You attempted to eliminate me a total of six times. You destroyed my organization and, incidentally, took my sexuality."

　"Life, eleven times in total."

　"Thank you for your help again this time, as always."

　Sakura ignored the man's words and began carefully cleaning the ice from the blade.

　"I'm still on a mission, and time is limited."

　"If you just want to talk to me again, like last time... try to do it as soon as possible."

　“I’m not in the mood to kill you today. Besides, even if I did kill you, you wouldn’t actually die… it would just be a waste of time.”

　"No, please kill me again. The journey to get here has been far too long."

　"This body is nothing to be regretted. Returning in this way is more efficient for me."

　"..."

　"Okay, I don't care... but you'd better not create any more of these messed-up organizations in the future."

　"A cult that worships machines... a mutual aid society that sees Honkai as baptism... a criminal organization that smuggles Honkai energy weapons..."

　“The organizations you have created... each one is a considerable problem, and some of them are even completely opposed to humanity.”

　"If you really value efficiency... you should understand that time is equally precious to me."

　"Besides... I no longer want to carry out missions that would put me at odds with humanity."

　"I'm sorry, Ms. Sakura. It was absolutely not my intention to cause you any trouble."

　"But... the freedom I have right now is a great gift from the Creator. I must make it have value."

　"The organizations I established were not meaningless—they stemmed from human desires and were also an experiment of mine."

　"For most of humanity, absolute freedom is nothing but a heavy burden."

　"Even if they haven't realized it yet...the fact is, they do prefer to let others make the choices for them."

　"Sorry, I'm not interested in what's going on in your lab."

　"If there's nothing else, I'll continue on my way."

　Finally, she sheathed the Frosty Prison Ice Sky again.

　Moros had naturally heard rumors about the temporary end of the Grey Serpent's "study abroad" journey.

　Given his deep affection and close relationship with Möbius, it was only natural that he would learn of such news.

　In fact, Gray Serpent never concealed his existence or his experiences from the necromancer and Mebius.

　On the one hand, the area around Möbius's permanent research institute is faithfully patrolled and guarded by undead forces year-round.

　They possess a perspective completely different from that of the living, enabling them to perceive many truths that are difficult for the living to detect.

　Although the gray snake can skillfully avoid human gaze thanks to its mechanical body, it is difficult to hide from the undead's unique vision.

　Therefore, Gray Serpent chose to treat him with sincerity, establishing a tacit understanding with the necromancer that required no words.

　On the other hand, Grey Serpent was convinced that he did not need to hide his actions from the necromancer and Mebius.

　He understood that for Möbius, the creator who gave him life, and Moros, who had always been concerned about his growth, his personal growth and transformation were far more important than the past that would eventually be forgotten by time.

　For this reason, Moros was fortunate enough to witness the Gray Serpent's growth.

　Whenever the gray snake returned from outside and stepped into Mebius's laboratory, the necromancer could clearly sense the changes in him.

　It was a transformation from the inside out, making one unconsciously feel that the gray snake was becoming more and more like a human.

　For Moros, the gray snake's metamorphosis was like a rare academic feast, providing him with abundant learning resources and profound insights.

　Despite respecting and understanding Möbius's feelings, he could not rashly place this precious sample on the dissection table to analyze the secrets of its growth in the most direct way.

　However, through the feedback from the detection spell, he still managed to capture the subtle and profound changes in the gray snake in a non-invasive way.

　During this process, Moros gained a great deal and accumulated a wealth of valuable data.

　This data not only provided him with valuable clues for in-depth research into the mysteries of "Soul Studies," but also laid a solid foundation for his practice and innovation in the field of "Necromantic Sorcery."

　More importantly, they are like keys that not only unlock the shackles of existing knowledge, but also open the door to the unknown for Moros.

　Under these circumstances, the necromancer naturally wouldn't care about the big news that the gray snake occasionally caused in his territory.

　As fellow explorers on the path of seeking knowledge, Moros knew very well that practice was an indispensable part of Gray Serpent's study of the complex subject of humanity and human nature.

　Gray Serpent's personality meant that he would not deliberately avoid the necromancer's territory.

　While Moros regretted the potential trouble that the branches of the organization founded by Grey Serpent, which were hostile to humanity, might cause within his territory, he also considered it a necessary price to pay for obtaining that valuable data.

　--

　----

　Just as Moros was immersed in observing the growth trajectory of the Gray Serpent and making great strides on his exploration of [Soul Studies] and [Necromancy], the undercurrents within the Poison Chrysalis unit finally surfaced.

　These experienced assassins possessed a clear understanding deep within their hearts that their leader, Sakura and Thousand Tribulations, was a being entirely different from themselves.

　The steadfastness and strength of these two early fusion warriors destined them to stand by Dr. May's side and become her strongest support.

　For ordinary targets, assassins might not hesitate to use their expertise in poisons and sharp daggers to "guide" the target into making what they believe to be the "right" choice.

　However, faced with Sakura and Thousand Tribulations, two terrifying first-generation fusion warriors, the assassins had to adopt a more cautious and complex strategy.

　On the eve of taking action, they meticulously wove a complex web of challenging tasks.

　These tasks are not only extremely difficult, but also require a great deal of time and effort.

　Clearly, these tasks were meticulously designed to keep Sakura and Senju firmly in control, preventing them from paying attention to anything else.

　While Sakura and Chikara were preoccupied with these troublesome missions, the assassins made a desperate move, turning their sharp blades toward Dr. Mei.

Chapter 539 Dr. Mei's Decision

　"I'm sorry, Mei, it's entirely my fault that things have turned out this way."

　“You don’t need to apologize for this, Sakura.”

　Dr. Mei adjusted her glasses with her bandaged hand and spoke to the fox-eared girl in front of her, who was looking down and clearly felt guilty.

　"This kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later, but we just didn't expect it to happen today."

　Dr. Mei shook her head, her expression calm and seemingly indifferent to her injuries, but a resolute glint flashed in her purple eyes.

　"Sakura, have all the assassins from the Poisonous Chrysalis been eliminated?"

　Although Dr. May did not initially intend to exterminate these skilled killers, she would not show any mercy now that they had chosen to stand against human civilization.

　Yes, if their target is only her, then Dr. May could, for the sake of the bigger picture, simply send them to the "Deepest Place" and place them under the strict supervision of Aponia.

　After all, in this era of turmoil for human civilization, every bit of fighting power that stands with humanity is invaluable.

　Unfortunately, in order to increase their negligible assassination success rate, the Poison Chrysalis assassins chose a path that seemed like a shortcut but actually led to the abyss.

　With the covert assistance of powerful figures lurking in the shadows, the assassins of the Poison Chrysalis planned and launched an unprecedented riot.

　This riot quickly swept through most of the cities that exist in human society today, causing enormous chaos and destruction.

　Their purpose in doing this was simply to delay the advance of the Fusion Warriors who were firmly on Dr. May's side, creating an opportunity and buying time for their assassination operation.

　Perhaps in the eyes of these assassins who once risked their lives for the Moth of Fire, sacrificing the lives of some ordinary people would be enough to increase their chances of success, even if it was insignificant, it would still be worthwhile.

　However, such actions placed these assassins directly in opposition to human civilization.

　"Ah."

　Sakura nodded slightly, giving an affirmative response.

　With her strength, and with the strong support of Kevin and Qianjie, two equally powerful Hero-level Fusion Warriors, eliminating all the assassins involved in this conspiracy within the Poison Chrysalis unit would undoubtedly be a piece of cake.

　Admittedly, she could easily achieve this goal on her own.

　However, the moment Kevin witnessed May being harmed, he did not hesitate to offer to help her eliminate these threats.

　Knowing the deep friendship between Kevin and Mei, Sakura naturally wouldn't refuse.

　As for Qianjie, the anger in his heart had not yet subsided.

　He never forgot the troubles those assassins caused him because of their assassination plot.

　With the combined efforts of these three Heroic-level Fusion Warriors, all of whom are among the best in their class, the assassins from the Poison Chrysalis had no chance of escape.

　But Sakura knew in her heart that Mei's questioning was not limited to the assassins who directly carried out the missions, but pointed deeper to the masterminds behind the scenes.

　Those powerful figures who fanned the flames and attempted to regain their former privileges through assassination.

　She then added further.

　"Including Gabriel, Alexei, Conrad... all the culprits who planned and participated in this incident have been brought to justice by my own hand."

　"Well done, Sakura."

　Dr. Mei’s words contained a subtle sense of relief and affirmation.

　However, this peaceful atmosphere did not last long.

　She quickly composed herself, calming the turmoil in her heart caused by the major decision that was about to be made.

　Then, Dr. Mei, in a gentle yet firm voice, summoned the crystallization of wisdom she had created herself—Prometheus 17.

　"Number 17, tell me, how many people were involved in this riot?"

　"According to the latest intelligence, the riots have spread to 4317 cities, including the necromancer's territory, and the number of people involved has exceeded one billion."

　A girl with pigtails, wearing a short skirt and a sleeveless jacket that was so thin it was almost transparent, floated up to Mei and Ying.

　She answered Mei's question in an emotionless, inorganic voice.

　"Is this so..."

　After a moment's thought, Dr. Mei made a decision.

　"Then, mobilize the counter-insurgency forces immediately and take action."

　Although her voice was soft, it revealed an unquestionable firmness.

　With Dr. May's intelligence, she must have been aware of the chain reaction this order would trigger, but she also understood that in the face of such a situation, delay would only make things worse.

　This riot was instigated by a group of powerful people whose power had been almost completely stripped away, and it shook the foundations of society in a very short time. The truth behind this is a thousand times more complex than it appears on the surface.

　Dr. Mei pondered to herself.

　Ultimately, the widespread scarcity of goods in the market, and the refugee groups who lost their homes and were in turmoil due to the collapse, are the core driving forces behind this storm.

　In such a pressing situation, even knowing that her decision would lead to a large number of casualties, Dr. Mei had no choice but to make this ruthless decision.

　"Doctor, according to my calculations, the attitude and actions of necromancers may become a variable that cannot be ignored if we are to carry out a counterinsurgency operation."

　Number Seventeen posed a very crucial question to her creator.

　Upon hearing this, Dr. Mei's gaze deepened.

　"Number 17, carry out my orders. As for the necromancer, I will personally handle the communication."

　The bureaucrats stationed in Canberra, those agents who managed the necromancer's territory, naturally dared not make a decision on Dr. May's request to quell the rebellion.

　Although they are currently overwhelmed by the rioting crowds, these bureaucrats still possess at least basic political acumen, knowing that such matters of great importance can only be decided by the necromancer himself, and any unauthorized action would be an unforgivable overreach of authority.

　In the past, the necromancer's territory was able to maintain a semblance of peace only because of the support of two iron fists.

　On one hand, there were those ruthless rulers, like local tyrants, who used extremely harsh methods to suppress the rebellion.