Honkai Simulator: Not for Kidnapping Herrschers!

He didn't plan to hide the System entirely; that would be unrealistic. For one thing, he would inevitably have opportunities to use his fluid control abilities in the future. Even if he didn't fight on the front lines, he couldn't completely avoid combat.

Perhaps the Stigmata, currently disguised by the System, could be revealed for Mobius to research.

However, he couldn't control what Mobius would discover.

Calculating with pure Reason, agreeing with Mobius was more beneficial than not.

"Then I can only wish Doctor a smooth experiment."

Under Mobius's arrangement, he took a shower.

Then, he lay down on the operating table.

"Doctor, I've informed the higher-ups about your request, and they'll make arrangements as soon as possible... What is this?"

When Blanca returned to the research institute, she saw Mobius already wearing a lab coat and conducting biological experiments.

"As you can see, I've found a suitable test subject."

Mobius's eyes were filled with a calm madness.

Blanca looked at the operating table, where Chen Ran lay quietly.

Her face paled slightly. "Doctor, if I recall correctly, you need approval from the higher-ups to conduct experiments using humans as subjects."

Mobius had violated a crucial rule of this civilization: ethics.

Ethics weren't governed by any physical laws, but they were a critical unwritten rule in constructing modern civilization. The most important tenet was: humans are the pinnacle of all beings, holding a supreme position at the top of the food chain.

This tenet couldn't be easily overturned, even by humans themselves.

Therefore, any experiment based on humans required extreme caution.

If human bodies were misused for experiments, ethics would eventually become untenable. This was also why Fusion Warriors were later ostracized by ordinary Warriors.

Although Fusion Warriors felt a sense of belonging to the 'human' collective, physiologically, it was difficult to define them as 'human' anymore.

Mobius said indifferently, "Those pedantic fools. If I listened to them, the experiment would never happen."

"Anyway, the experiment has already begun."

Blanca's expression was hesitant.

She felt that she and this Doctor still had differences.

Blanca was undoubtedly a good person, but 'good person' was the most meaningless evaluation within the Flame-Chaser organization.

"Alright, stop staring and hand me the things."

Mobius's expression became intensely focused.

Meanwhile, on the computer connected to Chen Ran, complex data that was difficult to comprehend began to be calculated.

Chen Ran had a dream.

A very long dream.

In the dream, he met Wendy again. The girl frantically searched for him all over the world, pursued by countless forces.

The girl called his name over and over, and he responded.

But his responses couldn't be heard.

Unobservable, imperceptible, incommunicable...

His existence was completely erased, all traces hidden by an unknown power.

Except for Wendy, no one knew who 'Chen Ran' was.

The final fragments of the dream became fragmented, and he seemed to hear sobbing.

Then he woke up.

Chen Ran opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Are you alright? The Doctor's experiment is over, but you seem to have had a very long dream."

Blanca said with concern, "The computer detected that your brainwave frequency was a bit off. Was it a nightmare?"

Chen Ran frowned. "Something like that. It's pretty hard to have a good dream here."

He said, half-jokingly, "My body shouldn't have had any weird things implanted, right?"

Blanca shook her head. "No, but... the Doctor said there's something special about your body."

"Ha, okay."

He knew this must be related to the part of him that was exposed due to the System.

But that was fine too.

In the Flame-Chaser organization, one could only live better by having value to be exploited. If one had no use at all, then that was the most dangerous time.

And judging by Blanca's current state, Mobius's understanding of him wasn't very deep.

This meant he could stay at the First Research Institute for a very long time.

And this time should be enough for him to absorb a lot of knowledge.

To fight the Honkai, relying solely on the System wouldn't be enough.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Precursor Experiments for the Stigmata Project Successful

Chen Ran put his clothes back on, then looked in the mirror.

The good news was that he had survived, without losing any limbs, and all his parts were intact. But the bad news was that he had been 'noticed' by Mobius.

Because of the System, Chen Ran's body was indeed extraordinary. Stigmata that shouldn't have appeared in this era had already manifested on him. Although it was a disguise by the System, it truly surpassed the era.

He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

If he wanted his own safety, he should have refused Mobius from the very beginning. That way, he could have lived out his days as an ordinary researcher.

Ordinary members of the Flame-Chasers also had a chance to survive until the end, like Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan.

But if he did that, it would also mean he would never be able to access the core of the Flame-Chaser organization.

To understand the Honkai better, he could only rely on the System and the Flame-Chasers. And being 'noticed' by Mobius meant he would have a better chance of learning more advanced knowledge from her.

He wasn't MEI, who could rotate through every research institute. Without MEI's talent, imitating her approach would be a fool's errand.

But by doing this now, he was undoubtedly increasing the risk to his life. Mobius was the most dangerous source of danger.

He could only say that there were gains and losses.

Fortunately, although Mobius was radical now, she still maintained some bottom lines.

And more than that, Chen Ran was actually more concerned about that dream.

Was it really a dream?

He frowned, hesitating for a moment whether to continue using the System.

But this hesitation didn't last long before he suppressed it.

A very practical problem: the arrival of Finality wasn't far off.

Even if he was lucky enough to live to the next era, should he let the people of this era die for nothing?

If nothing unexpected happened, his body was the possibility for this era to deal with Finality. Compared to that, some romantic entanglements seemed less important.

"I need to adjust my mood as soon as possible."

He took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Then I'll use my advantages to find the optimal solution to fight the Honkai."

With that thought, Chen Ran didn't leave immediately. Instead, he returned directly to his workstation.

Although Durandal had been returned to MEI, because of Durandal, he had actually downloaded a lot of cutting-edge knowledge about this era.

Durandal could learn independently, which could save him a lot of time.

However, as he sat down at his workstation, his mind couldn't help but think of Wendy again.

The girl's crying face, searching for him, was like a brand seared deep into his consciousness, always surfacing at the edge of his awareness.

He couldn't help but mumble, "The Simulator is really harmful."

Perhaps because the simulated scenario had merged with his consciousness, or for some other reason.

He found that he couldn't let go of Wendy at all.

That dream was like a reminder, making him constantly want to go back and see again.

Restless, he couldn't focus on studying.

"Then I'll go back and watch it one more time."

A young man always had excuses for himself, muttering, "Just one last time..."

While Chen Ran was contemplating continuing the simulation, Mobius was currently examining Chen Ran's physical data.

"Interesting."

She gave this evaluation.

Mobius herself was a master of biology, proficient in all fields of biology, and intimately familiar with the data of normal human bodies. She could tell what was wrong with the data at a glance.

But now, Chen Ran's physical data was highly problematic, yet the cause was unknown.

The Stigmata disguised by the System were not easily detected, but Chen Ran's Honkai Energy adaptability had already exceeded its original scope, even surpassing Kevin's.

Kevin was currently the most talented recruit of the Flame-Chasers, and his Honkai Energy adaptability was self-evident.

Many powers that normal people found difficult to wield could be unleashed through Honkai Energy, but Chen Ran's current physical data suggested he could even surpass Kevin after a little training.

This clearly violated objective laws.

Besides that, she also noticed a special Honkai source within Chen Ran's body.

Chen Ran didn't have a Herrscher Core, but he did have a core-like entity simulated by the System. This peculiar Honkai source would have been difficult to detect with the Flame-Chaser's current capabilities, had Chen Ran not revealed it himself.

It was precisely this that earned Mobius's assessment of "interesting."

"Humans and Honkai can achieve perfect integration..."

She thought of her research on other Herrschers.

The bodies of the First Herrscher and the Third Herrscher were both at the First Research Institute, where Mobius often studied their cellular tissues.

However, compared to unconscious Herrschers, Chen Ran's body was clearly more complex.

This showed her the possibility of perfectly integrating Honkai into human genes.

"Stigmata... Sacred marks. The name is quite fitting."

"This at least confirms one of my hypotheses: Honkai is indeed a special energy that causes evolution, but most beings fall during the process. Herrschers are the most adapted individuals to Honkai currently, but their consciousness cannot be controlled."

"Perfect evolution inevitably involves trade-offs between consciousness and body. The essence of this experiment is essentially to create a replica of a Herrscher."

"Stigmata probably correspond to the Herrscher Core."

For Mobius, the door called Honkai had swung wide open.

"This is truly delightful. The so-called truth of evolution is like this. Then, I am even more eager to see Honkai's true form."

"And in that case, whether Honkai can be defeated becomes unimportant."

"Blanca."

Mobius finally deigned to leave her laboratory and said to the assistant recording data beside her, "Help me get some instant noodles. I'm hungry."

Blanca, standing nearby, tactfully said, "Doctor, perhaps you should go to the cafeteria. Instant noodles are dehydrated and fried in palm oil, providing no nutrients other than starch and fat, and their sodium content is severely excessive..."

She was Mobius's assistant, and everything revolved around Mobius.