The Eighth Honkai Eruption

Su pushed a cart loaded with supplies, following Lee and Eden, occasionally generating some energy for her.

The fish was firmly hooked, no need for further bait. Lee was chatting happily with Eden.

"Pardo hasn't been causing too much trouble, has she?" Lee asked, while recording the residents' information. "She's a good kid, but a bit too energetic sometimes. Don't spoil her too much."

"She's been very helpful. Sometimes she's even better than me at resolving disputes between residents." Eden smiled. "Such a helpful child deserves a little reward, but I know my limits."

Just a few small boxes of gems. Surely that wasn't spoiling her?

"You better…" Lee said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

The former superstar, now a member of the Fire Moth's logistics department, had initially surprised Lee, then delighted her—Eden had an 85% energy generation efficiency!

Lee's course of action was clear. With everyone else's affection maxed out, ready to burst with energy, she focused on Eden.

Eden was undeniably a kind and gentle soul, evident from her numerous charity concerts. Joining the Fire Moth hadn't changed that. She even used her wealth to improve the lives of the disaster victims, compensating for the notoriously corrupt logistics department.

Eden clearly preferred interacting with people and helping them directly, rather than being stuck in an office with paperwork. So, to get closer to Eden, Lee embraced the volunteer life—after all, while becoming stronger was still a distant goal, contributing to humanity fit her persona perfectly, right?

Through frequent "coincidental" encounters and her irresistible charm, Lee successfully infiltrated Eden's circle. But this approach was slow. After six months, Eden's affection level had only reached six.

Eden's life was simply too perfect: happy, fulfilled, talented, and wealthy. There were no vulnerabilities to exploit. Without a major incident like the one Su had experienced, it would take time…

Their conversation caught Su's attention. Hearing a familiar name, he couldn't help but ask, "Pardo? Is that the little Pardo you knew from the Twilight Street, Senpai?"

Back then, Lee often sent him messages, sometimes even pictures of the Twilight Street orphanage. Su remembered Pardo as a mischievous, cat-like child.

"I remember Aponia and Kalpas too. Are they also with the Fire Moth now?"

"…Yes, they're here." Lee smiled, seemingly unperturbed.

But the fleeting sadness in her eyes didn't escape Su's notice. He was constantly observing her.

Did something happen to Kalpas and Aponia? He didn't show it, but Su decided to investigate this matter thoroughly.

As the sun began to set, Lee and Eden finally finished collecting data, the results troubling.

"The number of people afflicted with the sleeping sickness has increased again…" Eden frowned at the statistics. "A seventy percent increase compared to last month."

"It can't be helped. We can't just ban everyone from using the internet." Lee sighed. "There must be two million cases worldwide now, right?"

The sleeping sickness. A mysterious illness that had emerged in the past two months. People browsing the internet would suddenly fall into a coma, eventually dying.

"It exceeded that number before I came to HQ." Su shook his head. "My Fifth Science Division is currently researching the sleeping sickness. Based on brainwave analysis, we've confirmed that all patients are dreaming, and most likely the same dream."

"A dream?" Eden asked, puzzled.

"The trigger for the sleeping sickness is similar to memetic contamination. Seeing certain words or phrases on the internet causes immediate coma." Su explained. "We haven't identified the specific words yet, as they change rapidly every day."

"Sounds even more troublesome than a Herrscher…" Eden's expression turned grim. "At least we can see and touch a Herrscher."

"Who knows? The Honkai always manages to be worse than we imagine." Lee sighed, looking at Su. "Is there a solution?"

Looking at Lee's hopeful eyes, Su desperately wanted to say, "Of course!"

Unfortunately, the world wasn't that kind. He couldn't do the impossible.

"Currently, we only have temporary containment measures…"

Silence fell over them. They weren't as morally bankrupt as some at HQ.

After a while, Lee forced a smile. "Let's not talk about this. Isn't Eden supposed to perform for everyone here today? In times of hardship, art and music offer hope."

"Yes, Lee, you're right…" Eden took a deep breath. "I'll go prepare—"

Suddenly, their communicators blared, the urgent alarm cutting through the air.

The relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly. They all recognized the sound—the Herrscher alert!

"The sleeping sickness… confirmed as… the Eighth Honkai Eruption?!" Lee quickly checked her communicator, her face paling.

"The Eighth Herrscher's ability is a memetic weapon, capable of trapping those who see the contaminated words in a dream controlled by her…"

Many words in the message were replaced with unusual terms, clearly indicating they had become the Herrscher's weapons.

"Looks like the performance will have to wait." Lee closed her communicator. "Let's go."

Eighth Herrscher, you've finally arrived… Time to initiate the power-up plan!

Su saw a flash of determination in Lee's eyes.

Senpai… what are you planning?