Chapter 152: Lost Dream (2)
“Thirty-first experiment. Another failure.”
“Alright, it seems… Bai’s power cannot be replicated. All my efforts have resulted in only a crude imitation, though still far beyond what a human could achieve…”
“The war outside is escalating. And Nisha has disappeared… what a headache…”
“Sister Neily, what are you talking about?” Bai asked, tilting her head, having overheard Neily’s murmurs.
“Huh?” Neily, startled, looked at Bai. “I… I wasn’t talking.”
“But I heard you,” Bai said seriously.
“I didn’t… wait, telepathy? Terrifying. Another new ability? I wonder what your limits are…” Neily sighed, her hand halfway to Bai’s head before she stopped, a flicker of something in her eyes.
She turned back to the transparent container, her gaze fixed on the dark shape within.
The murmuring in Bai’s head stopped.
“Did Sister Neily just talk, or not?” Bai wondered, mimicking Neily’s posture, her chin resting on her hands as she looked at the dark shape. “And what is that thing? It looks familiar… and I feel a strange… connection to it?”
As she watched, the dark shape began to coalesce, to take form, like… a small child?
No, it was a small child.
Bai stood up, walking towards the container.
The closer she got, the clearer the shape became, until she was standing before it, a small, cute, purple-haired little girl floating within.
Her eyes were closed, as if asleep.
“Stay back, Bai,” Neily’s voice came from behind her. Bai turned to see Neily, her usually neat hair now disheveled, her expression weary.
“Sixty-eighth experiment… a success,” she said, her gaze fixed on the purple-haired girl, a hint of relief in her voice, but no joy.
Whoosh…
The liquid in the container drained away, and the door opened.
The purple-haired girl’s eyes fluttered open. Bai wanted to rush over and pinch her round cheeks, but remembering Neily’s words, she held back.
But she still watched, her dark-gold eyes blinking with curiosity.
“Ugh…” The purple-haired girl looked around, bewildered.
Bai, as the “senior” here, felt she should say something.
But after a long moment of thought, she could only manage, “…What’s your name?”
“She doesn’t have a name yet,” Neily’s voice was cold.
Ah… right. She was just born. How could she have a name? So stupid.
But…
Bai turned to Neily. “Let’s give her a name, Sister Neily. Like me.”
“I’m not qualified to name her,” Neily said, walking over, her gaze cold as she looked at the purple-haired girl. “She’s not like you, Bai.”
“Why not? She’s cute too…” Bai asked, tilting her head.
But before Neily could answer, a knock came at the door.
“Researcher Neily, may I come in?”
A familiar voice. It must be the old knight from before.
Bai instinctively moved to hide, but Neily stopped her.
“No need, Bai.”
“Huh? I don’t?” she asked, surprised.
“Not anymore,” Neily said, taking a small, white lab coat from a nearby rack and tossing it to Bai. “Put this on her.”
The purple-haired girl was naked, having just emerged from the cultivation pod. Bai quickly dressed her—she herself was also wearing a similar outfit.
“Come in,” Neily called out.
The door opened, and a burly, yet aged, knight entered.
He saw Bai and the purple-haired girl, and paused, surprised. “Researcher Neily, this is…”
“The Weapon, Marshal,” Neily said, stepping in front of them. “As you can see, Project Zero has succeeded.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! Finally, some good news.” But then he frowned. “Why are there two? Project Zero wasn’t supposed to create two Weapons, was it?”
“One is a failed prototype, Marshal,” Neily said, her expression unreadable. “Only the purple-haired one possesses the true power of the Weapon. The other… is just a cute little girl.”
The Marshal was surprised, but with Project Zero a success, such minor details could be overlooked, especially at this critical juncture.
“In that case… I’ll leave it to you, Researcher Neily,” he said, saluting formally, then, his mind already on other matters, added, “By the way, the Empire has decided to grant you the highest authority over Vikarn.”
He looked at her, his expression serious. “Researcher Neily, you are the last flame of hope for the Empire. Please, stay alive.”
“…Yes,” Neily’s gaze flickered, but the Marshal didn’t notice, already turning to leave, a hundred other urgent matters demanding his attention.
“Sister Neily, what’s wrong?” Bai asked, peeking out from behind her.
The purple-haired girl, seemingly shy, also looked at Neily, then quickly hid again.
She was now clinging to Bai, as if the shy girl’s fear didn’t extend to her—or rather, as if she liked Bai.
And Bai also enjoyed holding the purple-haired girl. She was soft, her cheeks fun to pinch, her hair silky smooth…
No wonder Sister Neily liked to pat her head.
“It’s nothing,” Neily shook her head, looking at the purple-haired girl clinging to Bai like a kitten, then looked away, a flicker of something in her eyes.
“Bai, I promised you could go outside,” she said, her voice low, laced with an unreadable emotion. “Now… you can.”
“Is it not dangerous anymore?” Bai asked, her expression brightening.
“Not for you,” Neily said, turning to the lab table, to a small notebook. “Just remember, don’t wander too far.”
