Chapter 60: Interrupting Cocolia's Plans

Perhaps it was because they were well-prepared, or maybe it was because of the advanced technology embedded in Bronie's attire?

Regardless, the skirmish at the mountain's base remained so discreet that even Cocolia failed to take notice.

Bronie orchestrated the entire operation while Cioara merely fired a couple of arrows from a distance as a symbolic gesture, thereafter witnessing Bronie skillfully maneuvering drones to transport the gold.

Gold, as you know, is exceptionally heavy, yet the drones effortlessly levitated it without impediment, delivering it directly before them.

Frankly, Cioara wished she had such a handy drone at her disposal.

With the gold secured and the two scientists discreetly making their escape, the next logical step was to locate Cocolia.

Serendipitously, they stumbled upon the very spot where Cocolia was to join Anti Entropy.

Though radicals might still lurk within Anti Entropy, Cocolia's absence would undoubtedly disrupt its operations.

Cocolia must bear partial responsibility for the tragedy she caused in the future and in the past.

While this turn of events would alter numerous futures, Bronie didn't believe those children should shoulder those burdens.

Any challenges that arose could be managed.

"How's it going? Is the target still in sight?"

"Absolutely. We executed our plan swiftly. Did you notice how Tesla wanted to curse me but hesitated?"

"But she still managed to curse you."

Cioara was taken aback by the fiery temperament of the scientist, especially such skilled extreme cursing, reaching as far as to insult the other party's ancestors.

However, observing Bronie's unperturbed demeanor, Cioara saw no point in antagonizing the Anti Entropy members.

"It's just a mere show of outburst to appear incompetent. But she likely prepared some lifesaving tricks up her sleeve. She was attempting to use it to buy time, hence the vehement cursing, and she's likely pondering if she's provoked me too much."

"Are scientists' minds always this quick and mobile? I thought they were all bookish types."

"They have been involved in the Second Herrscher's Battle, nearly encountering the death many times, can they not be a bit spirited for every encounter?"

"True. It seems Cocolia's side is even more sluggish with their movements."

Naturally, the transaction wouldn't occur at Cocolia's headquarters, so after bidding farewell to Einstein's group, Cocolia promptly ordered her men to depart.

Moreover, Cocolia was quite cunning. After traversing an alternate downhill path, she dispersed all her convoys, seemingly intending to utilize them to obscure her trail.

Additionally, the windows of each vehicle were tinted one-way, preventing any onlookers from discerning the occupants within.

At this moment, Cocolia was still fantasizing about her subordinates joining Anti Entropy, and then obtaining technology from Anti Entropy to research means to counter Honkai!

After all, Cocolia's determination to fight Honkai was genuine, and this sincere attitude was also the key to impressing both Tesla and Einstein.

However, neither Tesla nor Einstein had anticipated the extent of Cocolia's obsession with combating Honkai, reaching the extreme of even considering using children for human experiments.

Clearly, Mobius had perished in the previous civilization as well as laws and regulations were likely nonexistent in the face of survival.

But Cocolia?

On one hand, she professed love for the children she adopted, and on the other, she sent them one by one to the operating table.

The ultimate outcome remained unknown.

But Bronie had a feeling that Cocolia had likely disposed of many children before adopting Bronya, only they hadn't been discovered yet.

Taking care of Cocolia sooner rather than later might save more children!

...

Seated in her car, Cocolia crossed her arms and quietly observed the scenery outside the window.

To her, this operation went incredibly smoothly, but the smoothness made her feel a bit uneasy.

Indeed, after selling mercenary intelligence, Cocolia could also hear some rumors if someone bought information related to her.

So, the unusually smooth operation made Cocolia somewhat uneasy.

Especially when Einstein began investigating the surroundings, Cocolia realized that someone might have purchased intelligence and even alarmed the folks at Anti Entropy.

For safety reasons, Cocolia's next destination was naturally a safe house of her own, where she could lay ambushes for potential enemies and ensure her safety!

Cocolia chose a legacy left by the former Soviet Union, a shelter capable of withstanding even nuclear blasts, with enough supplies inside to sustain a person for several years.

"You're smart, aren't you?"

Cocolia's cleverness wasn't lost on Bronie. When she noticed Cocolia heading to such a shelter, with only one exit, Bronie sensed that this fox had sensed something.

"Bronie, we're the visitors here, and it seems she's quite perceptive. Where there's existence, there's inevitably a trace left behind. It seems Cocolia has heard about World Serpent gathering intelligence."

"Hmm, I didn't expect World Serpent's intelligence agents to gather information through conventional channels. Direct trading on the mercenary intelligence network? But no rush, let's play along with her for now."

"You can hack into the mechanical lock of the main gate?"

"Is it very difficult?"

Seeing Cocolia's convoy enter the shelter's compound, Cioara knew Bronie was planning to stage a surprise attack.

However...

"There are too many soldiers. I can't guarantee they'll all survive, so this hassle is on you."

Lazing around, huh!

Cioara felt like she had mastered the art of slacking off at work. Since arriving at the scene, all Cioara had done besides pulling a few arrows was nothing.

"I've breached fortresses tighter than this, and without anyone noticing. Plus, people make mistakes, and the body is susceptible to drugs, making it easy to manipulate. So, it's quite easy to handle."

"So...?"

...

"Ding dong, your takeout is here!"

Bronie appeared directly in front of the military camp's gate, holding an empty cardboard box. The guards immediately tensed up at the sight of Bronie.

"Don't move! This is private property, and unauthorized individuals cannot approach!"

"Soldiers, shoot quickly!"

"But, Captain! She's just a kid..."

"Shoot! The nearest town is two kilometers away! No child would play in this godforsaken place, let alone talk about takeout!"

The young soldier immediately raised his gun. When he looked back at Bronie, he found her smiling.

"Done!"

Suddenly, the young soldier felt a pain in his neck, and he collapsed to the ground.

He didn't even understand what had happened.

But then, the alarm in the camp went off, and countless soldiers aimed their guns from all directions, ready to eliminate the invaders.

Cocolia also peered out, wanting to see who dared to storm the military camp directly.

But all she saw was a child strolling leisurely towards her.

A dark shadow covered the sky, making her gaze stray from Bronie to the sky.

"What the hell..."

The array of drones in the sky almost blocked out the sunlight. It was like a tidal wave of malice for her. She instantly closed the window and hurriedly ran off.

Then, the drones opened fire, raining tranquilizer bullets covering every inch of the camp.

Bunkers?

Bunkers were utterly useless against vertical attacks; unless there was a roof above, which would also be targeted by Bronie's sniper drones.

With just a glance, all Cocolia's soldiers seemed to collapse

Cocolia hid in the corner and called for backup.

"Requesting backup! Shelter C-0-7 under attack! Immediate reinforcements needed!"

"Hmm, got it~."

At the other end of the satellite phone, a girl's voice came through, and Cocolia immediately realized that her satellite phone had also been intercepted.

From a distance, a silver-haired girl with twin drills walked directly towards her, and Cocolia knew instantly that the girl's target was her.

Why hadn't she died?

Wasn't it because she was currently half-hidden inside the shelter, ready to close the door at any moment?

"Who are you? What's your purpose? How much were you offered? I can pay it double."

Her voice pleaded as if begging for mercy, but Cocolia's body was very calm, showing no signs of waiting to be slaughtered.

She closed the heavy metal door of the shelter, and then, with the sound of mechanical gears, locked the entire gate, just like a safe.

"Who am I? I'm the messenger of justice. Remember this: You are the demon who dared to use orphanage children for human experiments!"

"I did it for their own good!"

After the gate was firmly locked, external signals were difficult to transmit inside. However, Cocolia still heard Bronie's reply.

Cocolia hadn't expected the other party to answer so calmly.

Upon hearing Bronie describe her like that, Cocolia immediately retorted.

But it only made Bronie laugh.

"How many have died?"

"...How do you know? ...But they all volunteered, and their sacrifice was not in vain."

Cocolia felt extremely guilty inside because Bronie's tone made it seem like she knew everything.

Most of her words were just self-convincing hallucinations Cocolia had always used to deceive herself to feel justified in continuing her experiments.

Fortunately, every experiment had made progress.

"How many more do you want to kill? How many will satisfy you?"

That question was like a bombshell.

Because Cocolia couldn't see the end of the experiments.

She only knew that sacrifices would only increase. As for when she would be satisfied?

Perhaps when the technology matured, and more children acquired the ability to survive in the Honkai filled future, would she stop?

"Will you really stop? What if your done with the Stigmata research, the Metamorph surgery research, the Quantum experiments. Is immortality next? Then creating your own army of MANTIS soldiers to unify the world, and then, your goal shifts to conquering the sea of stars?"

The eternal desire drives human progress.

But for Cocolia, it was the motivation for her continuous wrongdoing.

Cocolia realized that no matter what she said, it was a feeble and powerless defense.

Because Bronie seemed to truly understand her thoughts.

Stigmata, that was what Cocolia currently wanted to research. It was said to be the only hope against Honkai, the most likely way to survive when the end of the world arrives.

As for the Metamorph Surgery, it seemed to be used to merge the genes of Honkai beasts with human genes to obtain powerful strength and resistance to Honkai. This information came from a mysterious person.

As for the Quantum research, she didn't understand that one.

Of course, many things Bronie mentioned, Cocolia didn't quite understand, but she realized that in the eyes of the other party, she was a greedy individual.

"I just want children to have a safer home and a better future!"

"But everything you do is pushing those children into the abyss! And you're enjoying the fruits of it, trying to lead more children into that dark future!"

Suddenly, Cocolia felt the metal door become extremely hot, and even the air around it began to burn.

She quickly searched for her pistol in the surroundings, hoping to strike back when the door opened.

"They volunteered..."

"Heh, if it weren't for you wanting them to participate in the experiments, how could they have known about such things? They wanted to participate in the experiments, and you couldn't refuse? In the end, they don't matter in your eyes. They're just expendable materials that can be consumed at will. You say you love them and it's for their own good, but what about your actions? You can't deceive others without deceiving yourself~"

Regardless, the sacrifice of the children was an established fact, something that couldn't be changed from the beginning.

The door grew hot, emitting a dazzling light.

Then, the metal door gradually melted away, and a small figure emerged from the light, causing Cocolia to lose her composure.

Raising her gun, she emptied the magazine at Bronie.

But all the bullets hit an invisible shield, creating no ripple.

"I speak with facts. All your actions harm those children. So, I won't let these things happen again. From now on, I'll take over your orphanage."

Passing through the molten metal door, Bronie's assault rifle aimed at Cocolia's head.

Although it had a pink bunny motif, the cold barrel, coupled with the familiar smell of gunpowder, made Cocolia realize that the gun was real.

"No, it's impossible. I will never hand over the children to you!"

Cocolia attempted to rise and attack Bronie.

But within seven steps, the gun was accurate and fast. Bronie shot Cocolia in the knee, causing her to collapse in pain.

"Well, sorry. Since you can't control your hands, I'll let you retire completely from your mercenary career. But don't worry, you probably won't die. I hope you have enough pension to get you through the rest of your life, and reflect on your sins."