Chapter 1273 Consciousness Aggregate

The temporary command center of the Heavenly Mandate is located outside the isolation zone on the edge of City A.

Cecilia Shaniat had just finished a call with headquarters, a hint of seriousness on her beautiful face. She walked to her husband, Siegfried Kaslana, and whispered, "Bishop Otto sent word that Anti-Entropy's investigation in City B has run into trouble. Dr. Tesla... disappeared during the investigation, and his fate is currently unknown."

Siegfried scratched his head: "That red-haired dwarf? He was a bit noisy, but he's got some skills... Even she fell for his tricks? I hope she's alright. But this means things might be more complicated on our end than we thought."

Cecilia nodded, a hint of worry flashing in her azure eyes. She whispered a prayer for Tesla, then rallied her spirits: "So we need to be even more cautious. According to the medical department's preliminary analysis, the sleeper's physiological functions are intact, but his consciousness is almost completely stagnant, as if he is imprisoned deep within his consciousness by some unknown force. Conventional medical methods are ineffective."

Siegfried grinned: "A matter of consciousness? That sounds troublesome. But as long as it's something I can cut down, my Heavenly Judgment (pseudo) won't hold back!"

The two led a Valkyrie squad deep into the desolate city center for a patrol. The sleeping people on the streets had been gradually moved, but the suffocating silence in the air still lingered.

As they passed an abandoned commercial office building, Cecilia suddenly stopped, her keen intuition prompting her to instantly look up at the upper floors of the building.

"Up there!" she whispered. Just a moment ago, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a ghostly blue light, flickering like a will-o'-the-wisp at a window.

"What?" Siegfried immediately became alert and placed his hand on the (fake) Heavenly Fire Judgment.

Without the slightest hesitation, Cecilia moved like a white phantom, rushing into the building's stairwell at an astonishing speed and speeding upwards.

Siegfried shouted, "Wait for me!" and immediately followed.

The two moved with incredible speed, their footsteps echoing through the empty stairwell. Based on her earlier impressions and her perception of energy fluctuations, Cecilia precisely located the target floor—the fifteenth floor.

Cecilia rushed into the corridor on the fifteenth floor, her eyes flashing like lightning, instantly locking onto the "ghost fire" at the end of the corridor that was slowly drifting and emitting an ominous blue light!

The thing seemed to sense their arrival; its light flickered, as if it were about to flee.

"Don't even think about it! Black Abyss White Flower!"

Cecilia shouted and slammed the Black Abyss White Flower in her hand to the ground! Powerful life energy surged forth with the power of creation, and instantly, countless thick vines radiating a shimmering white light tore through the concrete floor slab, growing wildly like living things, weaving into a huge net that enveloped the ball of ghostly blue flames!

The vines quickly closed in, forming an airtight white cage that tightly enveloped the ghostly blue flames.

"Gotcha!" Siegfried arrived at her side and breathed a sigh of relief.

However, their ease lasted for less than three seconds.

Inside the cage tightly wrapped in white vines, the eerie blue light was not suppressed at all. Instead, it began to slowly "seep" out from the gaps in the vines like flowing water! The vines created by the Black Abyss White Flower, which contained powerful life force, could not bind it! It seemed to have no physical form, but was just a kind of pure energy... or rather, some kind of more bizarre existence.

The ghostly blue flames reformed and hovered in mid-air, their chilling malice once again locking onto Cecilia and Siegfried.

Cecilia's pupils contracted slightly as she immediately thought of the medical department's speculation about "consciousness imprisonment." If this will-o'-the-wisp was indeed the culprit behind the slumber and could directly affect the level of consciousness, then physical attacks and restraints would likely have limited or even no effect on it.

"Siegfried, don't act rashly!" She stopped her husband, who was about to draw the Heavenly Judgment. "This thing may not have a physical form; physical attacks are probably ineffective. It targets consciousness!"

Siegfried froze, staring at the eerie will-o'-the-wisp, and clicked his tongue: "Tsk, troublesome! What to do?"

“We lack effective means to deal with spiritual entities.” Cecilia made a quick decision. “Retreat! Report this discovery to the bishop immediately! This thing… requires someone skilled in the spiritual realm to handle it.”

As she spoke, she warily watched the ghostly blue flame, and she and Siegfried slowly retreated towards the stairwell. The flame didn't seem to have any immediate intention of pursuing them; it simply hovered silently, emitting a cold light, as if mocking their helplessness.

Meanwhile, at St. Freya Academy, Fu Hua, having just finished a day of "student" life, is being enthusiastically led by Alicia, who is trying to pull her towards the shopping street.

"Come on, Hua! I heard a new dessert shop opened, and their mango pudding is said to be a 'heavenly' delicacy~? We need to relax once in a while and enjoy the beauty of youth!" Alicia blinked her beautiful eyes, her voice so sweet that it was hard to refuse.

Fu Hua's face showed a hint of helplessness, but her eyes were gentle. Just as she was about to respond, she received a message from Mei.

After saying "Excuse me," Alicia understandingly let go of her hand and nodded knowingly, "Go on, go on, business is important~ Let's make dessert again next time!"

Fu Hua quickly walked to a quiet corner and connected the communication.

The holographic projection unfolded, and Mena's intelligent face appeared before Fu Hua, with the background seemingly being a high-tech laboratory of World Serpent.

“Hua, to make a long story short,” Mei’s voice was as direct as ever. “You should have already noticed the recent unusual reports from the two cities—the large-scale consciousness lapse in City A and the disappearance of people from City B.”

Fu Hua nodded: "I've heard that Destiny and Anti-Entropy have already intervened."

“The Gray Serpent has infiltrated City A and successfully made close contact with the ‘Source’ that caused the slumber—a pale blue, non-physical energy aggregate.” Mei pulled up a blurry but clearly visible pale blue ghost fire-shaped data image. “Based on the energy spectrum analysis and its effects on biological consciousness, I initially judge that this is not simply a Honkai energy creation, but more likely a kind of… ‘consciousness aggregate’ or ‘mental parasite’.”

She further explained, "It seems to be able to strip away or imprison a creature's self-awareness, plunging it into a deep, inescapable slumber. Conventional physical and energy attacks have little effect on it because it is essentially closer to a 'concept' or 'information' existence."

Fu Hua immediately grasped the key point: "Therefore, we need intervention at the mental level."

“That’s right.” Mei’s gaze focused on Fu Hua. “I need you to take ‘Feather Dust’ to City A to provide support, assist Schicksal’s investigation, and try to capture that ‘consciousness aggregate’.”

Fu Hua replied without hesitation, "Understood, I'll prepare to depart immediately."