A small disturbance occurred in Mount Isa.
However, Lu Xing wasn't interested in the battle between the Ice Emperor and those "acquaintances" who had yet to earn their Flame-Chaser titles, at least not until he himself possessed the capability to participate.
Little Purple certainly wouldn't be interested either.
Time once again skipped forward a bit.
Little Purple, having just awakened her autonomous consciousness, continuously advanced towards the location of "home" under Lu Xing's "command."
Before encountering Lu Xing.
Little Purple was merely a Ranger-class beast born not long ago—no affixes, obeying primitive directives (patrolling), and mastering only two basic skills.
But her encounter with Lu Xing brought about a different change in her Honkai-life:
Level... and even tier advancement.
Such speed.
It was extremely abnormal for any Ranger-class beast.
And this abnormality reached its peak after successively encountering two [Variant] Honkai Beasts and engaging in a life-and-death battle that also decided victory and defeat against humans.
She had become a Variant, just like him.
As a [Variant], Little Purple was, in fact, already free from the shackles of "directives."
But her consciousness, not much stronger than that of a human child, didn't know what she should do.
Either turn back east, where the most familiar aura of her short Honkai-life, from birth until now, resided; or continue west, where traces of her previous existence lay.
After a period of thought, which she wasn't particularly good at.
Little Purple still decided to head towards the direction of "home."
The distance this way wasn't too far, but unfortunately, Little Purple's path was anything but a "straight line," which was enough for many, many things to happen:
Encountered a human merchant caravan on the road, killed them.
Encountered human deserters on the road, killed them.
Encountered the territory of a [Leader] Honkai Beast, escaped heavily injured.
Encountered a rampaging [Variant] Honkai Beast, escaped heavily injured.
After more than two weeks of "tribulations," and tracing a super-massive circle, Little Purple finally returned to her home, which had already been razed to the ground—
Apart from the circular, deep pit blasted open by an explosion, nothing remained.
All traces of humans and Honkai Beasts had vanished, and even the free-floating Honkai energy wasn't particularly abundant.
Thus.
Little Purple continued westward.
By the time she overcame numerous difficulties and successfully reached the west coast of the Australian continent, Little Purple was no longer her former self—
Race: Sky King
Level: 28
Abilities: Dash, Spinning Slash, Power Strike, Electro-Shield, Hellfire, Space-Time Rend
Attack: 42
Speed: 42
Constitution: 42
Evaluation: Newbie Village BOSS
On par with the "Great Universe" in terms of tier, belonging to the highest echelon of Ranger-class beasts, the "Sky King" was Little Purple's current form.
Compared to the "Purple of the Purple-White Twins."
The purple on Little Purple's body, symbolizing Honkai energy, was even deeper. The Honkai Energy Halo above her head had transformed into an extremely vivid crimson—the ebbing and flowing Honkai tide within it gave the halo a color like the rosy hues of dawn.
At the same time.
Little Purple's journey was not a solo one. She was followed by two underlings: a "Space-Time Ripper" and a "Space-Time Guardian."
The most crucial reason these two Ranger-class Honkai Beasts weren't killed by Little Purple was the aura of Lu Xing on them.
There was no doubt.
These two were the Ranger-class beasts that had survived the "reconnaissance" and had been assigned a "straight-line patrol mission" by Lu Xing. When Little Purple had stopped at the ruins of her "home," she had coincidentally encountered these two incredibly fortunate Ranger-class beasts.
Thus, she brought them along.
Honkai Beasts that didn't die in battle were constantly evolving.
After an arduous battle against a "Thunderstone King (Ballista-class)," Little Purple advanced to "Sky King," while her followers evolved into "Space-Time Ripper" and "Space-Time Guardian" respectively.
Just as the three Ranger-class beasts paused on the sun-drenched coastline, contemplating whether to "take to the sea" next—
A colossal wave surged from the depths of the ocean.
An aura combining civilization and Herrscher power, a massive locomotive head, broke through the sea into their vision!
The Sea Abyss, the entrance to the Quantum Sea.
Many bizarrely shaped Honkai Beasts lived here, as well as enigmatic "Quantum Shadows." It was by no means a safe place.
Unfortunately, Little Purple didn't know this.
The [Cosmic Juggernaut], bursting out of the Quantum Sea, left behind a brief but relatively stable "entrance/exit" at the mouth of the Sea Abyss—it would probably lead to some world bubble, or another unknown land.
The appearance of the Key of God.
Like Moses parting the sea, it pointed the way for Little Purple.
Seizing this opportunity.
Little Purple, leading her two Ranger-class followers, followed the path opened by the [Cosmic Juggernaut] and plunged headlong into the depths of the Sea Abyss.
A certain Fire Moth base.
Underground on an artificial island, not far from the coastline, yet absent from any maps or intelligence reports.
"Father."
"Ra" stared solemnly at the data projected onto the wall.
"The Biological Research Institute is unreliable."
"If we want to save my sister, this is the last resort."
The voice calling Xiū "sister" was entirely realized by a modulated, mechanical tone.
And the source of this voice was a girl sitting in a wheelchair pushed by a robot, her entire body immobile except for her eyes: Tefu.
"I might lose both of you."
"It's better than having two incomplete versions of us."
"Ra's" voice was slow and deep.
Though it concerned her own life, Xiū's sister, Tefu, showed no sign of nervousness.
Tefu had suffered from Honkai Sickness since she was a child.
Thanks to various cutting-edge technologies, her body hadn't mutated into a Deadman. Instead, it "faithfully" supported the only part of her that still possessed some agility:
"Her spirit."
The two sisters' fates were diametrically opposed: one had lost her body, the other her consciousness.
"Father."
Tefu's urging voice slowly emanated from the speaker.
At the very center of the room, Honkai Cores, intertwined in red and blue, distinct yet seemingly a single entity, were slowly rotating around a titanium centrifuge.
They came from a certain undisclosed Twin Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
After a long silence—
"How long will this experiment need to continue?"
"A few months at the least, several years at most—forgive my bluntness, Mr. 'Ra,' but the success rate of this experiment is truly..."
The laboratory director, questioned by "Ra," didn't finish his sentence, suppressed by Tefu's gaze—even though the girl, slumped in her wheelchair, looked utterly unthreatening.
"I understand."
"Father!"
Tefu's urging voice came a second time.
"I understand..."
This "understand" was no longer a repetition.
Looking at her in the tank, and her who had been in a wheelchair for nearly ten years, "Ra" finally made his decision.
"The experiment..."
"Is approved to proceed."