Chapter 187

Strictly speaking, this was the first time Ai Yue had faced an opponent he knew almost nothing about. He wasn't an idiot, so why would he choose to bet everything before figuring out the other party's background?

However, if you want to bring helpers...

After saying goodbye to Aponia, Ai Yue walked outside while pondering. However, just as he left the underground containment facility where Aponia was located, he saw someone standing not far away.

Upon seeing him appear, the other person walked towards him. "Doctor Ai Yue, are you planning to set off?"

"Magnificent?"

Looking at the girl in front of him, Ai Yue was somewhat surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Because you suddenly went out, Doctor."

Seeing Ai Yue's expression, Hua couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips slightly. "I bet you're planning to do something by yourself again, right?"

"Uh, no,"

Ai Yue subconsciously glanced to the side, starting to think of an excuse to fool the other party, "I just went to visit Aponia."

"You react like this when you're trying to fool someone, Doctor Ai Yue."

Hua shook her head. "Please don't lie. I know you're planning to go find the Herrscher of Aberration."

Feeling a little embarrassed by being so bluntly exposed, Ai Yue sighed and then looked at the girl in front of him, "Okay, that's true."

The girl nodded. "I understand. Shall we set off now? The car is ready."

"Wait, you're going too?"

Ai Yue then realized what the other person was thinking and quickly said, "No, listen to me, this time it's very dangerous..."

"So, as your bodyguard, it's only natural that I should go with you, isn't it?"

Hua interrupted Ai Yue forcefully, saying firmly, "Besides, I've already learned that I'm one of the few people who can resist the power of the Herrscher of Aberration, so I will absolutely not hold you back."

Ai Yue looked at the girl in front of him with some surprise, then suddenly smiled and said, "You've grown a lot, Hua. You rarely expressed your opinions so firmly before."

He suddenly realized that the girl in front of him seemed to have really changed.

Perhaps we shouldn't look at her with the same eyes we used to.

"No, it's just that we absolutely can't miss this opportunity again."

Hua blushed slightly and turned her head away. "I don't want to do nothing again."

During the Herrscher of Binding incident, Hua chose to follow Ai Yue's arrangements and stayed in a safe place for the future of the Divine Tone Project, thus missing that mission.

During the invasion of the Sea of Quantum, she stayed in Shenzhou because of her own decision, so much so that when she finally received the news, Ai Yue had already been missing in the Sea of Quantum for several days.

These two incidents have been bothering Hua ever since. She believes that as Ai Yue's bodyguard, it was a serious dereliction of duty of hers not to be by his side when he was in danger.

Moreover, Ai Yue was not just a superior to her, but a mentor who gave her a new direction in life. After losing her family, friends, and former captain, this was the first time she had been cared for and looked after by someone like this. So no matter what, Hua decided to stay by Ai Yue's side.

If we really encounter danger, then she will be the first line of defense.

"In that case, let's set off."

Ai Yue clearly understood Hua's thoughts from her words, so he stopped worrying about it and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you on your journey."

"It's all what I should do."

Hua asked in a serious tone, "So, what is the destination?"

"To the North Pacific."

Ai Yue closed his eyes, then opened them again after a moment. "Also, the car is too slow. Let's take the flying vehicle over."

The Heavenly Ark Type I aircraft is a small aircraft designed for rapid response. It can carry a maximum of four people and has a top speed of 5,000 kilometers per hour. Due to its high speed, both riding and piloting it require strong physical fitness.

Because navigation is no longer possible via satellite positioning or other means, Ai Yue had never taken an air route before. But this time, he sensed his destination, so taking the air route was obviously the most suitable option.

After all, only from the sky can one travel in a straight line to reach the destination.

After flying for about two hours, Ai Yue finally found the place where he had been connected with the vast ocean.

But there was nothing there.

"Doctor Ai Yue, are you sure we're here?"

Hua frowned as he looked at the calm sea. "Could it be underwater?"

"It seems that's how it should be."

Ai Yue closed his eyes and could sense the subtle energy fluctuations coming from underwater. "Activate the armor, let's go down directly."

He set the aircraft to hover mode and left it on the sea surface, then jumped into the sea with Hua.

As the two explored the seabed, the Star of Light Experiment Base soon appeared before them. It was perched crookedly on the seabed, its star-shaped form blending well with the ocean.

But why did it sink here? Could it be that it ran out of energy?

Ai Yue was frowning in thought when he suddenly felt someone tap him. He turned his head and saw Hua Zheng gesturing for him to look in the other direction.

Following her directions, Ai Yue quickly discovered that the entrance on the side of the Star of Light had been violently damaged.

This means that the Star of Light experimental base was not breached by the Herrscher of Aberration through network intrusion, but rather by physical means.

This also means that there are likely hidden enemies inside.

More importantly, what will happen inside if this hole isn't repaired?

The two exchanged a glance, then swam toward the damaged entrance.

The good news is that there is still a protective barrier inside the damaged entrance, so there is no need to worry about the entire experimental base being flooded.

The bad news is that the remains of Honkai Beast were found at the entrance, which means that even without water inside, it's not necessarily safe.

Without further ado, Ai Yue decided not to go through the main entrance. He activated the Quantum Leap function on his armor and directly led Hua through the outer wall into the interior of the experimental base.

After he borrowed Pardofelis's special ability, this function has the effect of passing through walls. Although it is not usually used, it came in handy this time.

The interior of Star of Light is relatively dry, which means that thorough protection was in place before it was submerged. However, the base is now completely devoid of the usual busy drones and even lights, giving it a deathly still feel.

Where should we go now?

Hua cautiously surveyed his surroundings but found nothing unusual. "Strange, there are clear signs of intrusion at the entrance, but there don't seem to be many signs of a battle here?"

"Go to the central hall first."

Ai Yue sensed the situation for a moment, then walked forward. "Reboot the internal system and check the overall situation first."

Through the power of constraint, Ai Yue could sense that there was still energy reaction in the central control room beneath his feet, indicating that the server room was still active, and the Herrscher of Aberration was very likely there.

Therefore, Ai Yue chose to temporarily avoid confrontation—he needed to do some preparatory work before facing his opponent head-on.

The two quickly arrived at the central hall, which used to receive guests or organize events (mostly to provide a venue for Elysia). It was usually maintained and cleaned by many drones. However, it was now a mess. Not only were the Teleportation Gate and other devices damaged, but the ground was also full of the remains of drones and Honkai Beast, indicating that a fierce conflict had taken place.

Ai Yue found the spare control console, only to discover that all the processors had been burned out and were no longer usable, so that the main control system of Star of Light could not be restarted there.

Most importantly, all the damage to these devices was caused by drones.

"Where was this place... destroyed by drones?"

Hua also noticed something unusual from the other battle traces, "Why do I have this feeling that Honkai Beast are protecting this place..."

"Because that is the truth."

Although all the equipment in front of him was destroyed, Ai Yue smiled. "If the Herrscher of Aberration can occupy the host as its 'body' in the virtual world like a super Artificial Intelligence, then destroying them to restrict the Herrscher's hiding place is obviously the right choice."

As he spoke, he took out the black metal box and began searching for any remaining parts in the ruins that might still be of use.

It's actually a good thing that everything is destroyed.

Because in this way, the Herrscher will have no choice.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Didn't they say that fools are easy to fool?

Since the birth of the Internet, people have been imagining what this virtual world is like inside.

Some believe it is a binary world, with a black background and green "0"s and "1"s forming everything. Others imagine countless pieces of information intertwined to form a wondrous fantasy world. Still others believe it is a blank space with nothing in it, because for humans, data information is something that cannot be directly observed; it is a world that only electronic life can glimpse.

If the Herrscher of Aberration could hear these words, he would probably just scoff and dismiss them as "the delusions of a fool."

Because in His eyes, the so-called online world is nothing more than a lump of clay that can be kneaded at will. With just a thought, the network will change according to His will.

The only slightly annoying thing is that there are two other strange guys in this place who can do similar things.

The Herrscher, appearing in the form of Elysia, frowned as she recalled her previous encounter.

Prometheus and Queen —these two troublesome fellows, despite being mere tools created by humans, are surprisingly difficult to deal with.

Although they cannot influence and tamper with data at will like the Herrscher, they can rely on their powerful computing capabilities to correct the effects of the Herrscher authority, so much so that the Herrscher were initially at a disadvantage.

However, that's all in the past.

Looking at the clean, white scene before him, the Herrscher couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smug smile.

Artificial Intelligence does have certain advantages. For example, they do not have a physical form, so they can move between different hosts through the network system. Herrscher, on the other hand, cannot directly corrupt them. Therefore, they can only destroy the foundation on which they depend for survival little by little, and eliminate Artificial Intelligence in this way.

Just now, He finally seized the opponent's weakness and completely erased the last trace of these two Artificial Intelligence. In this way, the last obstacle no longer exists.

Although the cost was the inability to restart the network system, this outcome was still acceptable considering that those two annoying Artificial Intelligence had already shut down the global internet beforehand.

Regardless, without the internet, humanity can no longer unite, and their plans can finally proceed smoothly...

The Herrscher was still envisioning a bright future where he would destroy human civilization when he suddenly sensed something amiss.

It seems that something else has connected to the host where it is located—but the network connection has clearly been destroyed.

While he was still in a daze, he saw a blurry figure gradually taking shape in front of him.

It has to be said that going online using consciousness transmission is indeed a technical skill. Although Ai Yue had tried it several times at the First Research Institute, he still felt some discomfort.

This discomfort reached its peak when he opened his eyes and saw what was in front of him—appearing before him was a being with the appearance of Elysia, but whose main color was purple.

You really like purple that much?

"Ai Yue?"

Just as Ai Yue was still feeling a bit out of place, the Herrscher recognized him from his appearance and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"It seems you know me, then things will be simple."

Ai Yue wasn't surprised by the other party's reaction, because He must have learned a lot from Elysia. "Where are Rose and Queen?"

"Are you looking for those two Artificial Intelligence?"

The Herrscher feigned deep thought, then exclaimed with sudden realization, "Oh right, you created those two, didn't you? But unfortunately, you're too late~"

The Herrscher mimicked Elysia's tone, but her face revealed a mocking smile that Elysia would never use, "Those two poor Artificial Intelligence have completely disappeared from this world, haven't they?"

"You?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Yue instead revealed a disdainful expression, "I don't see where you get this kind of strength."

"Whatever you want,"

Seeing that Ai Yue wasn't angry about it, the Herrscher didn't care either. "Anyway, you can try to look for it. Maybe you can find some traces of their existence?"

After saying that, the Herrscher made an exaggerated expression. "Oh, sorry, I forgot, this place has also been cleaned up."

"Oh, is that so?"

Ai Yue simply shook his head at this, "Never mind, none of that matters. At least they did what they were supposed to do, and that's enough."

"Things you should do? Let me guess, you don't mean to keep me here, do you?"

The Herrscher laughed upon hearing this. "If it weren't for the need to completely annihilate them, I would have left long ago. Besides, what difference would a little delay make? Do you think you can resolve the mutation of the Fused Warrior?"

Although she said that, the Herrscher herself was not sure.

Because she knew very well what the appearance of the person in front of her meant.

This man Ai Yue held an irreplaceable place in Elysia's heart, and not only her, but it seemed that everyone who knew of his existence believed that he possessed the ability to save the world.

When she first possessed Elysia's body, she heard more than once things like, "What would Doctor Ai Yue do?", "If it were Doctor Ai Yue, he would have taken care of everything directly", and "I wish I were one percent... no, one ten-thousandth as smart as Doctor Ai Yue".

He then gradually learned that it was this guy named Ai Yue who had led many campaigns against the Herrscher. Before him, four Herrscher had died tragically at his hands—and most importantly, none of them had posed much of a threat to human civilization.

So when the Herrscher of Aberration learned that this so-called Doctor Ai Yue had lost his way in the Sea of Quantum, he seized the opportunity and eagerly began to implement his plan.

Everything went very smoothly. Relying on Elysia's social circle and the communication and contact between the Fused Warrior, the Herrscher of Aberration spread her power to almost all the Fused Warrior. After that, she detonated everything and created chaos.

Before that, she had already left Elysia and, taking advantage of Alicia's previous entry into the Star of Light, infiltrated an ordinary electronic device here, successfully hacking into the global internet.

It was here that she finally understood why so many people had such a high opinion of Ai Yue, and she was glad that she had seized this hard-won opportunity. Judging from the online reviews and records of Ai Yue, even if his actual ability was only half of what his reputation suggested, her plan would inevitably be greatly hindered.