Chapter 178

Recalling the loss of control that had happened to her before, Sakura quickly realized what was going on.

"It's an anomaly, not out of control— the Fused Warrior themselves have no problem,"

Ai Yue emphasized this point before explaining the whole story to Ying. Finally, he sighed with some regret, "Unfortunately, although the enhancement brought about by the mutation exceeded the original limit, it did not provide much of a boost. I even came up with a new name, but it turned out to be completely useless."

Although the mutation phenomenon further strengthens the Honkai Beast genes, thereby increasing the strength of the Fused Warrior, the increase is not significant enough. As a result, even when Ai Yue performed a second Mutated Weapon surgery on Sakura, it did not help her improve her strength much.

This kind of increase is at most just adding a derivative form on top of the basic form; it's still far from being a fully enhanced form.

"It doesn't matter. After all, strength is earned through hard work. Using such methods to improve makes one feel uneasy."

Sakura, on the other hand, didn't have any particular thoughts on this. After all, she was the down-to-earth type who would only hone herself through diligent practice, so she was much more at ease than Ai Yue. "But you mentioned the aberration phenomenon... Is this a problem that every Fused Warrior will encounter?"

Clearly, she had realized something from Ai Yue's few words: "Could this method be that of Herrscher?"

"Yes, but for now, there's no need to worry about Him,"

Ai Yue waved his hand, "Compared to these, there are more important things to entrust to you right now."

"I see."

Sakura instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword. "Has another troublesome Honkai Beast appeared there?"

"No."

Ai Yue shook his head. "It's a delivery."

"Huh?"

Due to a lack of sufficient troops, people can only rely on the defense systems of Fortress City for passive defense. The lack of effective containment has led to an increase in the number of Honkai Beast in the wild, making travel a huge problem.

What Sakura needs to do is escort the representatives from various countries who have come to the meeting back to their own countries, so that the information can be transmitted as quickly as possible and to prepare for the subsequent plans.

Although she had just recovered from the mutation, Sakura did not hesitate at all about the task at hand. She knew very well that there was a shortage of manpower right now, and even the smallest task had to be done by someone.

But before leaving, she couldn't help but ask, "How is my sister?"

"Don't worry, Ling is fine. She's safe at the Morning Sun Academy."

Dr. Mei smiled and nodded. "Because Aponia has been away these past few days, she's been handling a lot of things at the Morning Sun Academy —your sister has become very capable."

"That's what they say, but Rin shouldn't be an adult yet, right?"

Ai Yue muttered to himself, "Isn't this illegal?"

Dr. Mei and Sakura exchanged a glance and decided to pretend they hadn't heard anything.

Over the next few days, Ai Yue repeatedly went through the cycle of creating aberration correction agents, treating Fused Warrior, and performing Mutated Weapon surgery on them. After three busy days, more than a hundred Fused Warrior returned to normal, and the entire Moth to Fire base was finally able to operate normally again, beginning to shoulder the responsibility of eliminating Honkai Beast once more.

It is worth mentioning that since these Fused Warriors were basically participants in the second batch of projects, even if their strength was enhanced by the mutation, it was difficult for them to reach the level of "Mutated Weapon". Therefore, Ai Yue could only settle for second best and only performed local surgery on them.

Through localized surgery, armor can be applied to each Fused Warrior's dominant hand or the part they are good at using, thereby enhancing their combat capabilities. Although this is obviously far inferior to true Mutated Weapon, it still greatly increases the strength of the Fused Warrior.

"Is this the last one?"

After completing another Mutated Weapon surgery, Ai Yue crossed the other person's name off the list provided by Dr. Mei, only to find that it was already at the end of the list, which made him raise an eyebrow.

He knew very well that there was one person who had been deliberately "ignored" by Dr. Mei and therefore did not appear on the list.

Kevin, the most powerful warrior of the Moth to Fire and a participant in the "Brahma Project," is the most troublesome target in the Aberration Event.

Chapter 59 Kevin: I really have no objection.

"You're going to wake Kevin now?"

Upon hearing Ai Yue's plan, Dr. Mei paused for a moment, then frowned. "Wait, I don't recommend you do this."

"Why?"

Ai Yue said with some surprise, "Do you really think I have no way to suppress Kevin right now?"

Prior to this, the two had tacitly avoided mentioning Kevin's name, and Ai Yue had anticipated this, so he didn't say anything.

He knew that given Dr. Mei's absolute rationality at work, she would obviously not show favoritism towards Kevin just because he was her lover. Given the circumstances of the Moth to Fire, any mistake during Kevin's treatment would have unimaginable consequences. Therefore, Kevin's treatment should obviously be postponed until the very end.

But judging from Dr. Mei's reaction now, it seems that the situation is not as he thought?

"This is not a security issue,"

Dr. Mei subconsciously offered an explanation, then realized, "That's right, I didn't tell you before because I was afraid it would distract you, but it shouldn't matter now."

As she pondered, she walked out of the office. "Come with me. I hope you're prepared for this—after all, it's something you created."

Ai Yue followed behind Dr. Mei, but his expression became somewhat strange because of her last words.

What does this mean? Something unexpected and unusual has happened to Kevin?

And is it related to the "Brahma Project"?

Dr. Mei's riddle piqued Ai Yue's interest, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

To be honest, his ultimate expectation for the "Brahma Project" was to create an enhanced version of "Chimera" without any side effects. In this way, if no way could be found to prevent Elysia from sacrificing herself, at least Kevin could serve as a qualified vessel to temporarily assume the responsibility of becoming the "God of Earth".

Of course, even if it doesn't reach that point in the end, a Chimera without side effects would still be powerful enough to play a significant role in the direct confrontation against the Herrscher of the End.

The two quickly arrived at the underground facility where the Fused Warrior had been housed. After the Fused Warrior gradually returned to normal and left, the area became increasingly quiet and cold.

Ai Yue had long realized that this chilling feeling was related to Kevin, but it wasn't until he arrived at the door at the end of the corridor that he realized things weren't as simple as he thought.

Because the door was covered with black frost.

They spread along the edges towards the surrounding walls, ceiling, and floor, looking quite eerie. But what's even stranger is that the temperature here is much higher than outside.

It's as if these black frosts themselves don't absorb heat.

"These black frosts are very strange. Not only can they withstand extremely high temperatures, but their strength is also incredibly high, with various properties comparable to the first-generation Soulium,"

Dr. Mei explained the things in front of her, "So it will be very troublesome every time you want to enter this room, but they shouldn't be able to stop you, right?"

"That's natural, since it's essentially a special substance formed from Honkai Energy."

Ai Yue placed his hand on the door, and the black frost quickly dissipated. "But you just said it's troublesome every time, does that mean it keeps spreading?"

This black frost is not merely an extension of the cold air, but rather the result of Kevin's constantly surging power. This means that Kevin has not completely lost consciousness due to being frozen, but has maintained a certain degree of awareness.

However, if, according to Aponia, physical deformities can cause immense mental harm, then Kevin's lucidity is actually a form of torture compared to other Fused Warrior.

I know what you're trying to say.

Dr. Mei nodded, then pushed open the door. "And that's why I stopped you."

Beyond the gate was a room almost entirely filled with black ice crystals. In the center of the room, a monster that was beginning to take on a human form, but whose exterior was covered with twisted and deformed skeletal armor, stood quietly in the ice, as if in a deep slumber.

However, Ai Yue was able to sense the power that was continuously being released from him and outwards by relying on his Authority of Binding.

It is this energy that continuously sustains the surrounding environment, allowing these ice crystals to transform into sturdy cages, trapping the monster at the center.

"It looks scary, doesn't it?"

Dr. Mei stared at the figure for a moment before speaking, "When you were carrying out the Brahma Project, did you imagine that you would create such a monster?"

"This is just the result of being affected by the distortion. If it were a normal process, Kevin's Overweight Hypermutation would be really cool."

Ai Yue responded, "Trust me, I can turn Kevin back to his original form."

"I trust you,"

Dr. Mei smiled. "But until then, I choose to believe Kevin."

Ai Yue looked at her with some surprise, wondering what she meant by those words.

Dr. Mei took out several photos from her pocket and handed them to Ai Yue: "These photos were taken in ten-day cycles after Kevin was frozen."

Ai Yue took the photo and was immediately shocked—if Kevin in front of him was a "monster," then Kevin in the photo was "a bunch of monsters"—it was like a Frankenstein's monster, where a bunch of messy monsters were cut into pieces, then rearranged and reassembled.

Are you sure you're not mistaken?

Ai Yue quickly flipped through several photos, then looked up at Kevin, before turning back to Dr. Mei. "You mean Kevin is relying on his own strength to adapt to and process the effects of the mutation?"

These photos, along with the scene before him, perfectly showcased Kevin's transformation from the beginning to the present to Ai Yue. He could even determine which part of his genes had been modified from the changes in the photos... But to accomplish this through his own will, even with the "Brahma Project" as a boost, was a bit too outrageous, wasn't it?

"You should already be able to draw a conclusion,"

Dr. Mei didn't look at Ai Yue, but kept staring at Kevin. "After all, you created this, didn't you?"

"Even if that's true, you have to understand that describing this process as 'painful' is an exaggeration."

Ai Yue sighed softly, then said, "What kind of damage will this process cause to Kevin's mental health? Will it lead to Kevin's mental breakdown and even death? These are all uncertain factors. Do you really want to stick to your own ideas?"

"It's not me who's insisting."

Dr. Mei finally turned her gaze back to Ai Yue, "Or rather, it's not just me who's persisting."

It was only then that Ai Yue noticed that Dr. Mei's eyes were a little red and her hands were clenched tightly together, clearly trying her best to control her emotions.

She took another photo from her pocket and handed it to Ai Yue: "Kevin briefly 'woke up' when this photo was taken."

The photo was very blurry, but that didn't stop Ai Yue from seeing the monster in the picture opening its bloody maw and roaring.

"Have you had any contact with him?"

Ai Yue looked at the somewhat frail girl and asked, "Was it him who asked us to maintain the status quo?"

"I didn't get a chance to speak to Kevin, but I could sense that he would never succumb to the distorted will."

Dr. Mei said, "I believe he can overcome the mutation on his own, thus revealing more possibilities for human evolution."

"If you interfere, this whole thing could fall apart— Doctor Ai Yue, what will you decide?"

"Now that things have come to this point, it would be impolite for me to insist any further, wouldn't it?"

Looking at Kevin, who was encased in solid ice, Ai Yue found it hard to ignore the stirring expectation in his heart. "I will come to observe Kevin's condition every day. If I judge that things are getting worse and Kevin is unable to overcome the anomaly on his own, then I will intervene. That should be fine, right?"

"Of course, no problem."

Dr. Mei bowed slightly to Ai Yue, "Then I'll trouble you."

"I can't just watch my important experimental subjects get into trouble, can I?"

Ai Yue returned the photo to Dr. Mei. "To be honest, if it were anyone else, I would never agree to this crazy request, but... he is Kevin after all."

Yes, what truly made Ai Yue choose to remain on the sidelines for the time being was Kevin's uniqueness—as someone who survived the first-generation Fused Warrior surgery with an almost zero success rate and gained terrifying power, Ai Yue believed that Kevin definitely possessed potential beyond that of ordinary people.

In addition, given his current ability to gradually correct the distortion, Ai Yue couldn't help but think that he might actually be able to turn the power of the distortion into his own.

Moreover, this phenomenon gave Ai Yue a new idea.

The root of the distortion phenomenon comes from the power of the Herrscher —a power that Ai Yue never considered when designing the "Brahma Project." If Kevin can truly make perfect use of this power, then he may be able to surpass the upper limit envisioned by the "Brahma Project."

If Kevin's attempt succeeds, could we go a step further and try to incorporate the powers of other Herrscher into the "Brahma Project" in some way?

With that thought in mind, Ai Yue couldn't wait to find a place to make some proper plans.

However, just as he was about to leave, he noticed that Dr. Mei was still staring at Kevin's figure, seemingly not intending to leave.

"Oh, you go first. I still have half an hour to rest and want to spend more time with him."

Noticing Ai Yue's actions, Dr. Mei turned around and gave him a slightly bitter smile. "After all, I can't do anything else, so I can only satisfy myself in this way."

Ai Yue shook his head, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Having left Kevin's cage, Ai Yue returned to the First Research Institute —where Dr. Mei had given him free rein while Mobius and the others were away, and the various equipment Ai Yue had prepared for Mobius was now perfectly suited to meet his own research needs.

However, just as he stepped into the research institute, a pair of hands covered his eyes. "Guess who I am?"

"Elysia,"

Ai Yue didn't even need to think to get the answer, "You're probably the only one in the entire Moth to Fire who would do something like this, right?"

"Oh, I just noticed you seemed a bit down, so I wanted to cheer you up."

Elysia immediately let go of his hands, walked around to face Ai Yue, and looked at him with a smile, "Come on, give me a smile, look at your eyebrows, they're almost like springs!"

"What kind of description is 'wrinkled like a spring'..."

Ai Yue subconsciously made a sarcastic remark, then couldn't help but laugh, "When did you get back?"

"Ten minutes ago,"

Seeing Ai Yue smile, Elysia's smile grew even brighter. "I heard you were back, so I finished up what I was doing and came here to wait for you."

She then circled around Ai Yue again. "It doesn't look like anything has changed. The Sea of Quantum must be dangerous, right?"

"It's hard to describe; it's a very strange place."

Recalling his experience in the Sea of Quantum, Ai Yue couldn't help but shake his head. "Fortunately, we shouldn't need to have any contact with that place again for the time being."