With a heavy heart, Chang Yuan left the laboratory.
The 'Expert' Vill-V and Prometheus exchanged a glance, then continued with the cloning process.
Looking up at the rising sun, Chang Yuan wasn't sure if what he was doing was right, but one thing was certain: Elysia would absolutely hate it.
"I've done something she would despise, but I have no regrets."
As if somewhat relieved, Chang Yuan's heavy heart lightened.
If it meant saving her, then bearing any amount of criticism was worth it. Wealth and honor mean nothing if they come at the cost of one's principles.
"Chang Yuan, can... can you take a walk with me?"
At this moment, Elysia appeared out of nowhere.
Seeing Chang Yuan, her face no longer bore the bright smile it usually did. Instead, there was a hint of hidden sorrow.
"Elysia, what's wrong?"
Noticing the sadness on Elysia's face, Chang Yuan's relieved smile stiffened once more.
"Nothing, I just had a nightmare. I dreamed... no, it's nothing. Just take a walk with me to clear my mind."
Looking into Chang Yuan's eyes, Elysia ultimately chose not to say more.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan didn't press further. He simply took Elysia's hand and walked with her.
Over the next few months, Chang Yuan personally sent off over a thousand clones of Elysia who had developed self-awareness but lacked her uniqueness.
This gradually numbed Chang Yuan's heart, pushing him to the brink of madness. He even began to wonder if he would one day become indifferent to Elysia's death.
Whenever this thought arose, he would force himself to recall their past, softening his icy heart once more.
Beautiful memories were a powerful remedy for despair.
Among the clones he had killed, some had already begun to grasp basic human knowledge.
To improve efficiency, the 'Expert' Vill-V had cloned dozens, even nearly a hundred, at a time.
While many clones lacked consciousness, a few would still develop it.
And those who did were as intelligent as Elysia herself.
By simply listening to conversations, they quickly understood many things.
"Chang Yuan, that's what the real me calls you, right?"
"Please, for the sake of the real me, kill us. For her, and for you, my love who doesn't belong to me."
"Our destruction will bring her new life, so please, show no mercy."
"Allow me to say this one last time: I love you, Chang Yuan."
Every word spoken by these clones struck Chang Yuan harder than all the pain he had endured before.
At times, Chang Yuan even considered stopping the experiment.
But whenever this thought crossed his mind, he would remember the clones of Elysia.
Those clones with basic consciousness were willing to sacrifice themselves for the real Elysia, even though they knew their existence was a mistake.
Their words only strengthened Chang Yuan's resolve.
If he gave up now, what would their sacrifices mean? They would have died in vain.
"Chang Yuan... AI-3039..."
Sitting on a bench under the twilight, Elysia swung her legs and murmured a string of numbers that made no sense to others.
They might not understand, but if Chang Yuan, Vill-V, or Prometheus were here, they would know exactly what it meant.
"To those versions of me who sacrificed themselves for me, my sisters."
Holding an imaginary glass of wine, Elysia poured it out toward the sunset.
....
"How many self-aware clones have there been so far?"
"Clone number AI-, excluding those without self-awareness, a total of 4,131."
"I heard there's an Eden concert in Austria soon. Why don't you and Elysia go and relax?"
The 'Expert' Vill-V looked at Chang Yuan, who had just killed another self-aware clone, with concern.
She had witnessed Chang Yuan's transformation from reluctance to indifference, and she feared he might truly lose his mind.
"...Alright."
Once again, Chang Yuan watched as a clone of his beloved died. His calm eyes flickered with emotion.
Eden's concert, in Austria—it reminded him of the Seventh Herrscher.
This time, he had to go.
Hearing that Chang Yuan was willing to go out, the 'Expert' Vill-V breathed a sigh of relief.
At least on the surface, he still seemed normal.
Leaving the laboratory, Chang Yuan took out his phone and invited Elysia to the concert.
"Sure."
Without much thought, Elysia agreed immediately.
This time, it wasn't just her. Himeko was also coming, along with her socially awkward squad member.
A few days later, Chang Yuan, Elysia, and Skadi, who had been temporarily assigned to him, arrived at the venue for Eden's concert.
Skadi clung to her whale plushie the entire time, saying nothing.
Himeko's seat happened to be right in front of them, giving Chang Yuan the perfect opportunity to keep an eye on her.
As Eden took the stage, the atmosphere in the venue reached its peak.
However, Chang Yuan's focus remained entirely on Himeko.
As time passed, Chang Yuan's eyes stayed fixed on Himeko.
Until...
"Damn this weather! Why is it so hot? The air conditioning should be working!"
"Maintenance team! Is the AC broken? Fix it now!"
As the crowd began to complain about the unbearable heat, Chang Yuan knew the time had come.
He immediately stood up.
"Everyone, evacuate the venue immediately! A major Honkai outbreak is about to occur!"
Hearing this, the crowd stopped their chatter and began to evacuate in an orderly manner.
Meanwhile, Hua, sitting next to Himeko, noticed that Himeko's body temperature was abnormally high.
"Captain Himeko..."
"Elysia, take her away. Leave this to me and Skadi."
With that, Chang Yuan grabbed Himeko by the back of her collar and threw her out, shocking both Elysia and Hua.
Since Himeko was the Herrscher of Flame, Chang Yuan had to severely injure her first. Otherwise, Skadi's authority wouldn't be able to freeze her for long.
Seeing Chang Yuan's actions, Elysia immediately understood.
But this realization also filled her eyes with sorrow.
She knew she was about to lose a friend.
Without hesitation, Elysia began to guide the crowd to safety and protect the others.
Fortunately, the venue was already staffed with many MOTH soldiers, so there were no major issues.