Zeke remained unconscious for three full days.
The physical strain was secondary; after all, his foundation as a perfect Fusion Warrior ensured that no matter how severe, it couldn't cause irreparable damage.
The primary concern lay with his mental state. Harnessing colossal amounts of Honkai Energy twice, coupled with the backlash from Herrscher Authorities, had taken a significant toll on him.
Upon regaining consciousness, Zeke's clear gaze immediately outlined their next steps: "It's time to prioritize analyzing the principles behind 'Divine Sound' technology."
In response, a small white-haired ball and a little pink-haired ball simultaneously pounced on him, pinning him down.
"Zeke!" ×2
"Plop! Plop!"
Two merciless hand strikes landed swiftly, leaving sizable bumps on their heads.
"Wahh QAQ~" ×2
Kiana and Sin wailed together, clutching the swollen lumps while slumping at the edge of the bed like dejected ducks.
Zeke lifted the blanket, sat up, and stretched his neck with a few cracks.
"Crrrk! Crrrk!"
His stiff body emitted crisp sounds as joints popped back into place. Then, expressionlessly, he glanced at the two girls beside the bed.
Ah, their spirits seem quite high—excellent.
Bronya entered the room, pushing a cart laden with food to Zeke's bedside.
"Would you prefer to eat first or take a bath?"
Bronya's voice remained cold and emotionless as usual, but her expression held a hint of gentleness.
Zeke rubbed his empty stomach, reached for the food on the cart, and stuffed it directly into his mouth, answering through action.
After devouring the meal hastily, Bronya handed him a wet wipe for his hands and gently cleaned his face with a warm towel while he wiped himself.
With closed eyes, Zeke savored Bronya's attentive care, mentally nodding in satisfaction—the progress in taming his capable assistant and affectionate secretary was swift, just as expected from him.
Kiana and Sin watched this scene, somewhat taken aback, feeling inexplicably a twinge of jealousy.
Following a brief interlude, Zeke, now refreshed and clad in a thin white nightshirt, sat confidently on the bed. With one leg crossed over the other and leaning forward, he exuded an imposing aura like a seasoned boss.
Bronya efficiently tidied up, not forgetting to hand lollipops to Kiana and Sin, ensuring the two mischievous kids would sit quietly nearby.
Zeke glanced at her and asked mildly, "Where's Welt and Hera?"
"They're both busy outside; there's a funeral ceremony this afternoon."
"Oh? A funeral? Whose idea was that?"
"It was proposed by Lord Leader, and Schicksal agreed to it as well."
"Has Hera tried anything these past few days?"
"No. Following your final instructions, we three have been guarding here constantly, even taking turns for breaks within the room. She wouldn't dare force her way in, lacking any opportunity to approach."
Zeke nodded, somewhat surprised.
Had Hera truly remained so compliant?
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Zeke suddenly had an inkling. He summoned a worker bee with a wave of his hand and brought up a virtual screen.
After quickly scanning recent data records, Zeke's eye twitched slightly.
As expected, traces of massive data breaches were evident in both the worker bees' intelligent systems and his personal database, indicating significant information theft during the vulnerability.
Additionally, the logs showed that over the past three days, hundreds of the latest model worker bee sub-units mysteriously lost contact.
"Not surprising from you." Zeke rested his forehead on one hand, letting out a resigned sigh. It seemed likely that soon after he fell asleep, that individual began their infiltration, possibly still at it now.
Zeke's fingers began tapping swiftly on the virtual screen, quickly patching the vulnerabilities and subsequently tracing the data transmission path to detonate a series of Otto's intruding computers.
In reality, it was rather futile.
Given Otto's nature, he undoubtedly had hidden backups of the stolen data. At best, Zeke could only signal for him to cease his activities, but the damage already done was irreparable—fortunately, Zeke had implemented stricter concealment and safeguards for crucial information; otherwise, Otto would have completely emptied him out this time!
Shortly after Zeke finished, as expected, Hera entered the room with a graceful smile, noticing that he had awakened. She lifted her dress hem gracefully.
"Greetings! Did you sleep well, Zeke?"
"Quite well, if not for discovering your 'surprise'."
"Oh dear? What are you talking about? I'm afraid I don't quite understand! These past few days, I've been tirelessly occupied with post-war matters, so much so that my bones ache!"
Hera spoke with utter sincerity, even twisting her waist slightly, seemingly trying to alleviate her fatigue.
Zeke believed she indeed must have been busy, though not with post-war affairs. Instead, she was likely focused on breaching his systems and studying the latest designs of the worker bees.
Zeke, with a deadpan expression, retorted sarcastically, "Don't casually claim Amber's achievements as your own."
Hera narrowed her eyes, while Zeke maintained his signature lifeless gaze. After staring at each other for a full three seconds, they moved past the topic.
"How is Schicksal's damage assessment?"
"Approximately eight thousand Valkyries perished. As for the injured, we can't count them all; thanks to your anti-Honkai energy inhibitor, most will recover fully."
"Eight thousand... That's far fewer than anticipated."
Despite saying it was less, Zeke fell silent, his demeanor turning particularly grim.
Hera spread her hands, her smile unwavering, showing no trace of sympathy or regret. "Who could've predicted Sir Zeke would be so exceptional? First, the Heavenly Sword strike, followed by the Moonlight Throne's barrage coverage. The success in this incident largely rests on your shoulders. The Valkyries' contribution, in truth, was minimal."
From a numerical standpoint, that was indeed accurate. Zeke virtually single-handedly dealt with Chiyou, and 99% of the Honkai Beasts were destroyed by the Moonlight Throne.
However, without the Valkyries and Titan forces intercepting outside, countless giant Honkai Beasts would have reached land, leading to unimaginable human losses.
From this perspective, the Valkyries' contributions were indeed invaluable.
Hera's evaluation relied solely on cold, calculated data; she cared not for human lives, whether they be Valkyries or ordinary people.
"How soon is the funeral?" Zeke asked after a long pause.
"Three o'clock this afternoon," Hera replied. "That gives us about three hours."
"You can leave now. I need some time alone."
"Certainly." Smiling, Hera turned and departed.
Zeke's aloofness didn't bother her; rather, it indicated his strong adherence to moral principles, which pleased Hera even more—this worked to her advantage. It's easier to manipulate and influence someone with a good heart.
After all, individuals devoid of morals cannot be so easily coerced!
"Zeke, don't be too upset; it's not your fault."
After Hera left, Kiana sat on the ground, leaning against Zeke's legs, and held his hand, offering comforting words.
Zeke merely reached out with his other hand to gently pat her head, saying nothing.
Indeed, it wasn't his fault. In war, especially one against Honkai, countless sacrifices were inevitable.
But as human beings, confronting such a vast number of losses—all young girls in their prime—stirs emotions deeply.
"Honkai..." Zeke murmured this word, knowing all too well its terrifying implications, yet still feeling an overwhelming heaviness in his heart.