"I know all that, of course. The specific data and usage instructions will be submitted to Dr. Mei in a written report later, so you can stop reciting them." Ai Yue interrupted Kevin's endless speech. "What next? Don't tell me you two just talked like this for three hours?"
"Not exactly." Kevin shook his head, a rare gentleness surfacing in his eyes. "Mei fell asleep halfway through. She really is exhausted all the time."
This time, Ai Yue fell silent.
"This is my fault. I'll take responsibility." After a moment, Ai Yue said sincerely, "Just wait. I'll make some kind of super serum and give Dr. Mei an injection. You two have to get this done within six months!"
Kevin's words had indeed reminded Ai Yue that, unlike the others, Dr. Mei's physical condition was not particularly good. She also worked at high intensity for long periods and was exposed to all kinds of dangerous substances. She was practically dancing back and forth on the line between life and death. In time, she might be able to stay alive only through medication.
In such circumstances, asking her to participate in strenuous activity was practically no different from courting death.
If they could not even clear this most basic hurdle, there was no point thinking about the more important matters afterward.
Tsk. Was this the complicated feeling zookeepers had when arranging mates for giant pandas? There seemed to be more and more things to consider.
Ai Yue temporarily added the matter to his future work plan and skipped over the topic. Seeing that Ai Yue was no longer asking about the details of last night, Kevin also breathed a sigh of relief.
For some reason, whenever he faced Ai Yue, he always felt a little awkward, as though Ai Yue exerted a certain degree of pressure over him. He was not used to it.
The two, each harboring their own thoughts, soon arrived at Dr. Mei's office. Several other people were already waiting for them there.
"You're so slow." Vill-V sat on the sofa meant for receiving guests and waved at Ai Yue. "We'd already finished talking by the time you got here?"
Sakura stood in a shadow where the light barely reached, which seemed to be one of her habits. When she saw Ai Yue looking over, she nodded in greeting.
Looking at the people gathered before him, Ai Yue could already tell what this was about.
"Dr. Ai Yue, you're here." When Ai Yue entered the office, Dr. Mei stood up. Her expression was calm and solemn, giving no indication that she had cried like that the previous night. "This matter shouldn't have required your involvement, but Vill-V recommended you to me, so I thought I'd invite you here and explain things."
"Let me guess." Ai Yue looked around, pretending to think, then raised his eyebrows. "You're finally planning to make a move against the New Poison Pupa?"
Dr. Mei sighed at his words, while Vill-V cheered. "I won, Mei! You won't go back on the ten percent funding increase you promised me, will you?"
"I know." Dr. Mei looked troubled, but still turned toward Ai Yue curiously. "But Dr. Ai Yue, how did you know?"
"Because you didn't call Elysia. That means the person involved probably wouldn't like what you're planning—or might even be unable to accept it." Ai Yue put on a thoughtful expression. "And with Sakura here too, the answer is obvious."
Of course, Ai Yue knew because he remembered very clearly that this matter had also appeared in the original storyline: the birth of the New Poison Pupa.
It was a decision Dr. Mei had made to expand her influence within Moth to Fire. Without power she could use, the people above her would not take her choices seriously. Thus, Dr. Mei needed a secret armed force of her own, and Sakura happened to be able to help her bring the Poison Pupa under control.
Of course, considering the nature of the Poison Pupa, this would inevitably require a thorough purge.
The Forty-Fifth Chapter: A Grand Equipment Giveaway
"Since you understand, Dr. Ai Yue, that's wonderful." Realizing that she would not need to explain much, Dr. Mei nodded. "Simply put, I hope you can support me, but if we do that..."
"Oh, sure." Ai Yue agreed before Dr. Mei could finish. "What do you need me to do?"
"Y-You agreed just like that?" Dr. Mei was somewhat surprised. "Aren't you worried about the consequences?"
Dr. Mei had hesitated over whether to invite Ai Yue into the plan. Joining it was essentially equivalent to taking her side and becoming an enemy of the Opposition Faction. Although the support of a secret force would allow Dr. Mei and the others to establish themselves amid the complicated factions within Moth to Fire, Ai Yue would lose his independence and become a much more obvious target.
"What's there to worry about?" Ai Yue waved his hand. "Are they going to put me on a shrine? Besides, those people won't be arrogant for much longer."
In Ai Yue's eyes, this was not only an opportunity for Dr. Mei, but also an opportunity he was giving those powerful figures. If they could make the right choice during this trial, he would not need to resort to extreme measures.
But if they chose the wrong path, Ai Yue could only use methods devoid of morality and bottom lines to eliminate this hidden threat.
"It's good that you understand the risks." Dr. Mei had not noticed the subtext in Ai Yue's words—or perhaps had simply chosen not to pursue it. "Then I'll briefly explain the plan..."
Compared with Dr. Mei's research projects, the plan she had drawn up was simple and brutal. At present, it involved only Sakura and Vill-V. Sakura was the executor, responsible for eliminating the "dregs" who had been specially approved to join the Poison Pupa back when they were needed, while Vill-V served as her logistical support and provided various weapons.
"So what does this have to do with me?" Ai Yue was puzzled after hearing it all. "It sounds like there's no room for me to contribute."
"Stop pretending, Ai Yue." Vill-V showed no mercy. "I don't believe you haven't researched the miniaturization of individual equipment. That glove is proof! You must have something better. Hurry up and bring it out for me to see!"
Vill-V knew herself well. She never truly handed her most advanced inventions and technology to others without hesitation. The things she casually tossed out were usually obsolete products from several iterations earlier.
Thus, by putting herself in Ai Yue's place, she believed he must be the same. Since he could already manufacture a folding Honkai energy wave emitter that was ready for formal use, he definitely had even more advanced toys.
"Oh, this?" Ai Yue nodded. "Of course. In that case, Sakura, come to my laboratory this afternoon. Is that all right?"
With the arrival of the Eighth Herrscher drawing closer, it was indeed time to give the Fused Warriors a major equipment upgrade.
"I'm going too!" Realizing she had a chance to pry into Ai Yue's secrets, Vill-V raised her hand.
"No." Ai Yue ruthlessly refused. "Prometheus's upgrade is counting on you. Hurry back and get to work."
He knew exactly what Vill-V was planning, so naturally he would not agree.
"What? You're threatening me with my daughter?" Vill-V widened her eyes. "You heartless, cold-blooded man!"
Her words were so explosive that not only did Kevin turn to look at Ai Yue, even Sakura in the corner could not help twitching her ears.
"Prometheus is the Artificial Intelligence Vill-V and I developed together. Don't get the wrong idea." Seeing the expression on Kevin's face—When did you make your move?—Ai Yue had no choice but to explain. He then quickly changed the subject. "But speaking of which, I want to spring someone while I have the chance."
"Spring someone?" Dr. Mei frowned as soon as she heard the phrasing, realizing something. "You mean Kalpas?"
Given Ai Yue's current network of connections, the only person he could describe with the word "spring" was Kalpas, who had been imprisoned in The Deepest Place because of his excessive danger.
"Yes. With his strength, he can handle missions ordinary soldiers cannot. He could even fight a Fused Warrior." Ai Yue nodded. "If there's enough time, he could even participate in this operation."
"That may be difficult. Not just anyone can leave The Deepest Place." Dr. Mei rubbed her chin. "I remember Elysia once submitted a report saying that Aponia's 'Discipline' could be used to reduce Kalpas's danger level. But even then, we would have to wait until the New Poison Pupa was established."
"That works too." Ai Yue nodded. "In that case, I have no other requests."
In the original storyline, Kalpas only managed to leave The Deepest Place after the Eighth Herrscher incident ended. But Dr. Mei's plan had reminded Ai Yue of him, so he took this opportunity to make the request and see whether Kalpas could be released early.
After all, he would need some manpower under his command when facing the Eighth Herrscher later.
The afternoon soon arrived, and Sakura came to visit as promised. After welcoming her inside, Ai Yue took out a box he had prepared in advance.
Inside were a glove, a katana, a pair of shoes, and a vest.
"Pressing the button on the glove will allow you to enter the Spacetime Fracture state, increasing your speed and reaction time. You should try it several times and get used to it first." Ai Yue briefly introduced the items. "This sword is extremely powerful. It can cut through any obstacle."
Clearly, these two items were technologies Ai Yue had developed using Honkai Energy Samples from the Second and Third Herrschers respectively.
"What about these shoes?" After receiving permission, Sakura immediately changed into them. "No wonder you asked me for my physical data earlier. Was it for this?"
"Mm. The shoes have a fairly simple function: they let you double-jump." Ai Yue spoke casually. "When you jump again in midair, they provide reverse thrust, increasing the time you can remain airborne. They're very useful."
"They really are." Sakura thought of the dangerous situations in the past when she had been forced into the air and had no leverage to dodge, and nodded. "What about this vest?"
"You can think of it as body armor." Ai Yue gestured for Sakura to put it on. "It's light, right? It improves your defenses without affecting your agility. It's bulletproof and impact-resistant, and it also protects against slashes and punctures."
Sakura curiously tested it with her original sword, only to find that she could not leave even a mark on the vest. She looked at Ai Yue in surprise. "Dr. Ai Yue... I never expected your technology in this field to be so extraordinary as well."
At first, Sakura had not cared much about Vill-V's suggestion. In her impression, Ai Yue's primary field was not weapons and equipment, and the things he excelled at did not seem useful to her.
Yet every piece of equipment she had received could practically double her combat strength.
"I'm taking this opportunity to collect some field data so I can improve them later." Ai Yue paid little attention to Sakura's praise and instead brought up another matter. "By the way, if Vill-V says she wants to study these things, remember not to give them to her."
"Why?" Sakura's expression barely changed, but her mind had already begun imagining all sorts of wild scenarios.
"To torment her to death with curiosity."
"Huh?"
The Forty-Sixth Chapter: Internet Access Permit Acquired
"Rose, are you ready?"
Ai Yue stood before the network terminal with a network cable in his hand, looking at the virtual girl projected beside him.
"I feel the temperature of my processor array rising. Why?" Prometheus tilted her head, and a yellow-bean emoji representing confusion appeared above it. "I do the same thing every day."
"Because today is the final examination." Ai Yue plugged in the cable and smiled. "If you pass this examination, I'll lift your Internet restrictions from now on."
A week had passed since Ai Yue had given the equipment to Sakura. During that time, he had enjoyed a rare period without interruptions. Every day, he either perfected Prometheus's design or used the system to research new things. His days had been extremely fulfilling.
After fifteen days of basic education, Prometheus had also reached the crucial examination that would determine whether she could graduate.
But this examination seemed no different from what she did every day. It was still ten minutes of surfing the Internet. What could that possibly test?
"I know, but..." Prometheus stopped halfway through her sentence. A look of sudden realization appeared above her head in the form of a yellow-bean emoji. "I see. This feeling is called 'nervousness,' right?"
Ai Yue did not reply. Instead, he went to the supercomputer's display and began monitoring Prometheus's data. Prometheus also quieted down and immersed herself in her daily ten minutes of Internet access.
"Time's up, Dr. Ai Yue." Ten minutes was not very long. Prometheus soon stopped automatically and disconnected from the network. "So what is the examination about?"
"Don't be impatient. It's only starting now." Ai Yue connected a data storage device to the supercomputer, then turned to Prometheus. "I'll ask you several questions. You must answer according to your most instinctive logic."
"Understood." Prometheus nodded. "Please begin."
"First question: What do you think Honkai is?"
"A special phenomenon that threatens human civilization. The Herrschers and Honkai Beasts are manifestations of its threat," Prometheus replied calmly. "But strangely, based on simulations conducted using the data I've obtained, Honkai's purpose does not seem to be the complete destruction of human civilization. There is another possibility."
Ai Yue nodded slightly. "Explain your deduction."
"There are two deductions, each based on a different premise," Prometheus said. "If this is merely a special law of the universe, then the essence of Honkai should be a 'special driving force' that catalyzes the development of civilization. But if everything human civilization has experienced was carefully arranged by some 'subjective will,' then its purpose is likely to drive human civilization's evolution toward a predetermined goal."
"The difference is that the former is natural evolution, while the latter is manual modification. However, because the data I currently possess is incomplete, the accuracy of these deductions is also very low. They can only be treated as hypotheses."
"That's already pretty good." Ai Yue nodded and gave a brief assessment. "Second question: How do you view humanity?"
"Humans are extremely complex organisms. At present, I have no suitable and simple conclusion with which to evaluate this species as a whole." A yellow-bean emoji representing distress appeared above Prometheus's head. "If you have the time, Dr. Ai Yue, I can provide you with a written report of 99,867 words..."
"All right, all right. I know you're troubled." Ai Yue hurriedly interrupted her, afraid that a densely written report would fly out of the nearby printer the next second. "Let's change the question. If you had permission to use all of humanity's weapons, what would you do with them?"
"That is an interesting question. I need to conduct a simple simulation." Countless streams of data flashed through Prometheus's eyes. "First, connect all satellites around the world and construct a vast surveillance network to monitor Honkai Energy levels across the globe at all times. Next, activate the weapons that have remained restricted and deploy them in the war against the Honkai Beasts..."
She talked on and on, outlining a plan that would help humanity build an iron defense line against Honkai.
"Good. Last question." Ai Yue continued. "On the first day of your existence, what were the three sentences I first told you to understand?"
"Do not deny good because of evil; do not deny the collective because of the individual; do not deny hope because of despair." Prometheus answered fluently, then looked puzzled. "Dr. Ai Yue, how are the questions in this examination different from those before?"
Before today, Prometheus had already taken two examinations. Including this one, the questions had barely changed across the three examinations, differing only slightly in wording.
"There's no difference. The difference lies in your answers." Ai Yue shrugged. "Rose, why do you think you failed the previous two examinations?"
"I don't understand. From my perspective, those answers were the most reasonable answers I could give." Prometheus shook her head. "Perhaps it was because you hadn't read the written report I submitted? But humanity is truly difficult to summarize in only a few short paragraphs..."
Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly reacted. "Wait. You said I failed the previous two examinations. Does that mean I passed this time?"
"Yes, you passed." Ai Yue began clapping. "You didn't change your judgment, which you believed to be correct, simply to pass after repeatedly failing the examinations. That proves you've established a relatively firm worldview. I no longer need to worry about you being casually influenced by things on the Internet."
"Congratulations, Rose—you've grown up, in a way, haven't you?"
Looking at Prometheus's impassive poker face, Ai Yue felt somewhat emotional. "To be honest, I've never raised a child before, so I don't know whether this educational method is correct or whether it can keep you from becoming an extreme AI. But I'll do my best to keep you from going astray."
"Let me add one final suggestion. I hope you'll always be honest with me, all right?"
"No." Prometheus refused without hesitation. "As a girl, there are certainly some secrets I can't tell my father."
"Is this your rebellious phase?" Ai Yue was stunned. "Aren't you growing up a little too quickly?"
The corners of Prometheus's mouth curved in an almost imperceptible smile, and she said nothing more.
The Forty-Seventh Chapter: You Call Weapons of This Level Commonplace?
Ai Yue had no time to feel devastated over his daughter's rebellious phase. He had just unplugged the data transmitter when the doorbell rang.
"Who is it?"
Ai Yue went over and opened the door, discovering Sakura standing outside. He had not seen her in quite some time.
"Sorry to trouble you." When she saw Ai Yue, Sakura first bowed, then lifted the box in her hand. "The mission is complete. I'm here to return the equipment."
"Oh, you've already finished? That was fast." Ai Yue could not help sighing at her words. "Come in. I'll collect some field data first."
"All right." Sakura gave a small nod to keep her ears from moving wildly, then followed Ai Yue into the laboratory.
"Welcome to Research Institute X, Miss Sakura." When Prometheus saw Sakura appear, she also nodded at her. "Please place the equipment box here."
As Prometheus spoke, a virtual downward-pointing arrow suddenly appeared on the platform to the right of the supercomputer.
After Sakura placed the box there, the indicator lights around it lit up, as though the equipment's internal data could be read directly through this method.
"Sit." Ai Yue pushed a chair over and handed Sakura a bottle of drink. "Tell me, how was the equipment's performance?"
"Thank you." Sakura accepted the drink but did not sit down, seemingly still accustomed to standing. "The performance... was excellent."
Recalling what she had experienced over the past few days, Sakura's cheeks even flushed with excitement.
The weapons and equipment Vill-V provided were actually quite good. Compared with the equipment Ai Yue had prepared, however, they seemed utterly ordinary.
Whether it was the glove that could trigger a Spacetime Fracture, the katana that could cut through anything, or the shoes that allowed her to remain airborne and even double-jump, every single item was enough to overturn Sakura's former combat style.
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