Chapter 184

After Ai Yue left with the armor drive, Hua Cai squatted down against the wall, covered his face with his hands, and muttered to himself, "Idiot, what do you take Doctor Ai Yue for!"

The thought that Hua had actually thought Ai Yue was going to take back the driver he had given her made her face turn bright red.

After finally calming down, the girl remembered Ai Yue's encouragement to her earlier and couldn't help but show a slightly silly smile.

But then she sat cross-legged on the ground and closed her eyes—it would be better to meditate and refine her "qi" while she had some free time.

The next ten days were very fulfilling for Ai Yue.

During the day, he led the Shenzhou professional team to treat the Fused Warrior, teaching them in detail all the possible situations that might arise during the process. At night, he studied the mysteries of "Qi" with Hua and tried to help her summarize a systematic method that could be used to teach "Qi" to others. He spent the rest of his time dealing with some projects at hand, and finally, he had to set aside two hours for forced rest by Elysia.

Ten days later, forty percent of the Fused Warrior housed in Tianjiang City had recovered. Ten scholars from the Shenzhou Organization's professional team were recognized by Ai Yue as being able to independently treat the Fused Warrior and were therefore transferred to other Fortress City to speed up the rescue of the Fused Warrior.

Ai Yue has also made a major breakthrough in his research on "Qi"—just as Mobius now possesses both spiritual and material qualities, the "Qi" that Hua has mastered also possesses both spiritual and energy qualities.

The basic operation of this dual nature, embodied in "qi," is a means of controlling objects remotely, much like Desdrobia's telekinesis.

Because "qi" possesses both the property of energy that can interfere with matter and the property of mental power that can move at will, it can perform simple actions such as lifting, just like a pair of invisible hands.

Of course, the reason why he could only perform such an action was not because of the "qi" itself, but because Ai Yue did not actually know how to control his mental energy.

Even this simple method of telekinesis took the two of them several days to figure out. Ai Yue, at least, couldn't achieve the flexible and versatile, even multi-faceted, telekinesis techniques that Desdrobia possessed.

As for something more advanced, like how to use the dual characteristics of "qi" to interfere with the minds of others, we'll have to wait until Aponia recovers before we can discuss that.

In contrast, the teaching methods of "Qi" have progressed rapidly. After research, Ai Yue discovered that the "Qi" that Hua possessed could be transferred to others to slowly "transform" their spiritual power, so that their spiritual power could also be gradually assimilated into "Qi".

The only difficulty is that this kind of "qi" that can be transferred to others needs to be carefully nurtured by Hua, so it can only be taught to one person at a time.

However, since this method has not yet undergone safety testing, it can only be put on hold for the time being, and research will be conducted after the world has fully returned to normal.

Twenty days later, the nearly ten thousand Fused Warrior housed in Tianjiang City had all returned to normal, and the scholars of Shenzhou had all completed their training. At the same time, Shenzhou's factories began producing the first batch of equipment for treating and housing Fused Warrior. All of this meant that Shenzhou had passed through the most difficult stage and would soon be able to return to normal.

At the same time, this also means that Ai Yue's work in Shenzhou has been completed, and it's time to move on to the next step.

Standing atop the high walls of Tianjiang City, Ai Yue couldn't help but gaze southward.

It's time to check on the current situation of the Herrscher.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Kevin, resurrected in glory.

Two days later, Ai Yue returned to the headquarters of the Moth to Fire, but this time, it was not Elysia who accompanied him on the return journey, but Hua.

The various unique aspects of "qi" still require more detailed research and exploration. Although the laboratory provided by Shenzhou is of a decent level, it is ultimately only at the current cutting edge of human civilization's technology, and obviously cannot compare with the equipment that Ai Yue developed through the system.

On his last night before leaving, Ai Yue met a special guest.

The Shenzhou representative, who had previously exchanged views at the Earth United Conference, arrived in Tianjiang City at this time and brought him some unexpected intelligence.

It was a somewhat blurry photograph. The photograph showed a vast blue sea, and in the middle of the sea, a white object could be vaguely seen floating in it.

Although it is blurry, you can still tell from its shape that it is not a ship—because so little of it floats on the surface of the sea, which is not how a ship should look.

Ai Yue quickly recognized it. "It's the Star of Light... Where was this photo taken? When was it taken?"

"The filming took place on the beach near Canghai City about three days ago."

The Shenzhou representative responded, "So, it really is your experimental base?"

"Yes, but it shouldn't be here."

Ai Yue frowned. "You didn't touch it rashly, did you?"

In the last records left by Prometheus, there is no mention of the Star of Light activating its voyage mode, so theoretically, the Star of Light should still be standing on Australia at this time.

But it has now drifted to the vicinity of Shenzhou, which suggests that something else must have happened.

If what happened here is related to the Herrscher, then it's best not to make contact rashly.

"Don't worry about that, I guarantee no one has come near it."

The Shenzhou representative said, "After all, without navigation and satellite systems, the risks of going to sea have become very high. Moreover, your experimental base has not remained in place."

"It drifted away again?"

Ai Yue sighed, "Well, that's not surprising."

"Sorry, this is all the information we can provide for now."

The Shenzhou representative said with some regret, "We expanded the scope of our search, but in the end, all we could conclude was that it was moving in a northeast direction."

Hearing this, Ai Yue breathed a sigh of relief—moving northeast was a typical result of following ocean currents, which at least indicated that the Star of Light's propulsion system had not been activated.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. If someone inside the Star of Light activated the power system, then whether it's Prometheus or the Herrscher, the first thing they would do would definitely be to find a place to dock.

"Notify neighboring countries as much as possible not to approach similar objects after seeing them,"

After giving a word of advice, Ai Yue looked at the Shenzhou representative and said, "You've come here for more than just this, haven't you? What else do you need? Why don't you just say so?"

"Doctor Ai Yue is very straightforward. In that case, I'll get straight to the point."

The Shenzhou representative was not surprised by Ai Yue's reaction. After all, anyone who had even a little contact with Ai Yue knew his personality very well. "With the method to cure the mutations being promoted globally, the Aberration Event should be completely over soon. The next thing to do is to defeat the Herrscher, right?"

Do you have a concrete plan for this matter at the moment?

"Interesting. Are you planning to help? Or are you curious to see if there's anything you can gain from this?"

Ai Yue looked at the person in front of him with a somewhat subtle gaze. "Although the Fused Warrior have begun to recover gradually, does that mean that Shenzhou has the resources to consider these things right now?"

"No matter what, we live on this planet, so we can't shirk our responsibilities for any reason, can we?"

The representative from Shenzhou said with a smile, "Defeating the Herrscher is something that all of humanity should face together, nothing more."

"This matter should have been raised as an agenda item at the next joint meeting, but I guess you won't let it drag on until then, right?"

Given the current state of human civilization, it would take at least two more months to convene another United Earth Government meeting of the same scale. However, as the representative from Shenzhou said, Ai Yue clearly would not allow the Herrscher to live for another two months.

"You're right, but for now, you're not part of my plans."

Ai Yue nodded in agreement, then stood up again, "However, I still approve of your attitude. Just allocate more funds to the Moth to Fire in the future."

Given Ai Yue's style of doing things, he would obviously try his best to avoid involving more people in this dangerous plan. This time, he even planned to go alone, so it was impossible for him to involve the people of Shenzhou.

"Well then, I have one last thing to say,"

Realizing that the other party intended to see him out, the Shenzhou representative could only offer a helpless smile and stand up as well, saying, "Please take care of yourself—unless absolutely necessary, please don't put yourself in any more danger."

Clearly, this last sentence is what the Shenzhou representatives really wanted to say; obviously, Ai Yue's disappearance for more than seventy days left a deep psychological scar on them.

If, prior to this, some high-ranking officials in various countries still held doubts or even opposed the importance of Ai Yue, then this Aberration Event has successfully brought everyone to a consensus.

Ai Yue absolutely cannot be harmed—at least until the Honkai is completely defeated, his safety is the top priority.

"I believe you are telling the truth, but you also need to understand that if you don't do certain things, it will lead to more serious consequences."

Ai Yue shrugged. "Don't worry, at least I can guarantee that the disappearance won't happen again."

Ai Yue will absolutely not enter the Sea of Quantum again until the problem of the Cocoon of Finality is solved.

As for the plan to defeat the Herrscher...

"Speaking of which, there's something you can actually help with."

Ai Yue, who had already seen the Shenzhou representative to the door, suddenly spoke up again, "I remember that Shenzhou has been pushing forward the 'virtual Honkai Beast' project, right? You were the first to use it in buildings and battlefields."

"Yes, although we've lost the global internet and the Fused Warrior, we can still control virtual Honkai Beast to fight thanks to wired connections,"

The representative from Shenzhou was taken aback for a moment, then immediately said, "But you are the initiator of this technology, and we are afraid we can't be of much help in this regard..."

"That is indeed the case with technical issues."

Ai Yue gave a slightly subtle smile. "So what I need is something else, it just depends on whether you're willing to take it out."

Even as he embarked on his journey back to the Moth to Fire, Ai Yue could still recall the astonished and bewildered expression on the face of the Shenzhou representative when he heard what he was asking for. To elicit such a reaction from a representative who was able to represent the country at a global conference was enough to demonstrate just how unreasonable Ai Yue's request was.

The next step is to see if he really has that much influence.

Ai Yue couldn't help but smile as he worked with his head down.

Immediately afterwards, he felt the vehicle begin to slow down and eventually come to a steady stop.

"We've arrived, Doctor Ai Yue."

Hua, who was driving, turned around and asked, "Shall we go and rest for a bit first?"

"No need, go directly to the First Research Institute."

Ai Yue waved his hand, "I still have a lot to do, I don't have time to rest."

After returning to the First Research Institute, Ai Yue handed a memory device to Hua: "Give this to Dr. Mei and report to her about your work. You can rest for a while afterward and come back in three hours."

As he spoke, he eagerly rushed into the laboratory.

To minimize casualties caused by the Herrscher, it is crucial to prevent Herrscher from escaping the network. Once she returns to the real world, her lack of physical form will make her extremely difficult to deal with.

However, since the internet is the opponent's natural home turf, the risks of fighting Herrscher in it can only be described as "immeasurable".

Of course, these are not the problems that Ai Yue needs to consider right now. His current problem is how to enter the network and fight the Herrscher head-on.

In the original storyline, humans relied on Artificial Intelligence as warriors and used Hua and Sakura as bait to lure the Herrscher of Erosion into a black box from which there was no escape, which was barely enough to seal her away.

Even so, the Herrscher of Erosion did not yield, and it was not until the next generation of civilization, fifty thousand years later, that it was finally truly defeated.

What Ai Yue and his group are now facing is Herrscher of Aberration may be enhanced in every way. Moreover, due to the different possessors, the experience gained in the original storyline is probably not very useful. Therefore, it is estimated that Prometheus and Queen alone will not be able to defeat the opponent.

Most importantly, due to the characteristics of the Herrscher of Aberration, releasing her would cause huge casualties among humans, while locking her in the network would make her unreachable. Therefore, Ai Yue tried to find a way to allow people to directly enter the network and fight the Herrscher.

In fact, he does possess similar means—the large infiltration device he previously created to enter the "simulated Domination Domain" can be modified to directly connect human consciousness to the network, thus giving humans the possibility of directly confronting the Herrscher.

However, that's not enough. After all, even Fused Warrior with a mental perception ability would find it difficult to hold their own against Herrscher in the network.

Therefore, he also needs to create a battlefield that is beneficial to humanity.

As Ai Yue was pondering, he heard a rapid knock on the door, followed by Hua's voice. "Doctor Ai Yue, Dr. Mei wants to see you—she says you should go directly to Kevin."

Has Kevin recovered? Or is there some other problem?

Upon hearing this, Ai Yue was stunned for a moment, then put down his work and walked towards the underground room where Kevin was sealing himself.

Before even entering the room, Ai Yue keenly sensed something was wrong—not only had the temperature in the corridor risen considerably, but the black frost had also disappeared from the walls and other areas around the door.

If Dr. Mei did this in order to get into the room, then she obviously didn't need to clean up the walls and floors as well.

Therefore, it is very likely that the range of Kevin's power has decreased.

Ai Yue didn't dwell on it too much and simply pushed the door open and went in. After all, the facts were right in front of him, and he didn't need to overthink it.

Upon opening the door, a huge black ice crystal came into view. Inside the ice crystal, the originally enormous and ferocious humanoid monster had shrunk to the size of a normal human. If someone who did not know the truth saw this scene, they might think it was just a human wearing a strange exoskeleton armor.

Dr. Mei stood in front of the ice crystal, gazing at Kevin, until Ai Yue pushed open the door and entered, which caught her attention.

"It seems the recovery is going very smoothly."

Ai Yue glanced at the changes inside the room before looking back at Kevin. "The speed is much faster than I expected."

Judging from the changes in the photos provided by Dr. Mei, it would have taken Kevin at least three months to recover to his current state, but he did it in just one month, which is nothing short of a miracle.

"But the most crucial part is yet to come."

Dr. Mei spoke in as calm a tone as possible, but still could not suppress the slight tremor in her voice, "Given Kevin's recent condition, he will soon undergo his final assimilation."

"Assimilation?"

Upon hearing the unfamiliar words, Ai Yue raised an eyebrow. "Did you come up with this result through your research, or did Kevin tell you?"

The former suggests it's just speculation, while the latter confirms Kevin's current condition.

"Kevin told me that he had several brief moments of regaining consciousness during this period."

Dr. Mei said, "I guess that's why he was able to recover so quickly."

It was only then that Ai Yue noticed that there were many testing devices placed on the ground around the ice crystals, displaying various data and waveforms. Dr. Mei must have been able to determine when Kevin would wake up based on the information on these devices.

As the two were talking, some faint sounds finally came from inside the ice crystal.

That was a sign that Kevin was starting to become active.

Along with these sounds, the entire ice crystal began to expand, not only extending outwards but also becoming increasingly darker in color. If at the beginning it was just like some kind of black, semi-transparent glass, allowing people to see Kevin's specific appearance, then now it had become pure black, completely engulfing Kevin's figure.

Was it like this before?

Ai Yue backed away while asking Dr. Mei question.

"Yes, each change brings Kevin one step closer to becoming human."

Dr. Mei stared intently at the blackness before her. "This time will likely be no exception."