The very next second, accompanied by a violent roar, Mobius's body exploded into pieces in front of Ai Yue. Blood, scraps, and bits of flesh splattered across almost the entire glass wall, completely blocking Ai Yue's view.
The instruments beside Ai Yue that monitored Mobius's physiological data instantly dropped to zero, indicating that she had died.
Soon after, the various cleanup machines in the operating room automatically started running. Nozzles at the top of the glass wall sprayed water to wash away the bloodstains, restoring Ai Yue's clear view.
At that moment, all that remained where Mobius had been sitting was a blood-soaked skeleton from her neck down to her pelvis.
However, Ai Yue was no longer in the observation room. He turned around, pushed the door open, grabbed Mobius's discarded lab coat, and walked into the operating room.
Mobius's resurrection was not something one could see just anytime.
Moreover...
Ai Yue's first action upon entering the operating room was to touch the blood that had splashed onto the door. He raised his eyebrows.
"Remains of a simulated defective artificial Herrscher (Rare): Usage value 100%."
"Adding it to the 'Artificial Pseudo-Herrscher' research project will increase research progress by an additional fifty percent."
Ai Yue picked up the largest visible piece of flesh and put it into the material storage box he carried with him.
At that moment, Mobius's resurrection ability also began to take effect. The Honkai Energy reading in the air began visibly dropping, eventually reaching zero in no time.
Ai Yue stared at the largest remaining section of Mobius's skeleton, only to discover that it was not the focus of her resurrection. After scanning the room, he finally spotted Mobius's mangled head in a corner.
Soon, the black, viscous, unidentified substance Ai Yue had seen before began spreading throughout the operating room. It swallowed most of Mobius's remains before eventually becoming a layer of "cocoon" that wrapped around her head, blocking Ai Yue's attempt to investigate further.
Although he could not see anything, he could still faintly hear some terrifying sounds. If someone with a vivid enough imagination had been standing there, they could probably reconstruct the entire process of a human body gradually "growing" from those sounds alone.
Judging from Ai Yue's increasingly fascinated expression, he was probably that kind of person.
Fortunately, the process ended quickly. About ten minutes later, a pair of fair arms tore through the thick black cocoon, revealing Mobius's newly reborn body before Ai Yue.
Ai Yue's gaze naturally focused on the black-green things covering her body.
Only then did he understand why Mobius always wore clothes that covered her entire body. Certain parts of her body had scales growing on them, resembling those of a snake.
"Had enough?" Mobius suddenly covered herself with her arms, also hiding the fine black-green scales. Only then did Ai Yue move his gaze upward and see the evasive expression on her face. "If you have, give me my clothes."
Ai Yue casually tossed the lab coat over her, then turned around to give her some space—though it did not seem particularly meaningful anymore.
"How do you feel?" Mobius quickly put on the coat and stood barefoot on the damp floor.
"An experimental reagent of this level isn't worth making at all. It only wastes materials and time. It's far too immature." Ai Yue gave his assessment. "Even a Fused Warrior like you couldn't withstand it for more than ten seconds. You might as well run through it a few more times in the simulation system. I'll ask Vill-V to build a Prometheus's sub-unit here for you sometime and have her take care of it."
"I see." Mobius nodded, then suddenly asked, "What about me? How do I feel?"
Only then did Ai Yue realize that she had not been asking about the experiment.
"Not very good." He shook his head. As Mobius's eyes lowered slightly, he continued, "Your resurrection was blocked by the black cocoon. I couldn't see anything. One star."
Mobius looked up at him in astonishment. "Huh?"
"What? Did you think I was going to say something else?" Ai Yue turned and walked toward the operating room exit. "That you disgust me, or that you're a monster?"
"I didn't realize you had a masochistic streak. I'll consider using those descriptions next time."
"Who has a masochistic streak? Don't think you can evaluate me however you want just because you proposed the project!" Mobius quickly chased after him. "What about the experimental data? I want to see the experimental data!"
Mobius herself found it difficult to understand what she was thinking.
If she had been in front of someone else, she probably would not have experienced so many chaotic emotions and thoughts. But it was Ai Yue. In front of this existence who far surpassed the limits of human imagination, she could not help doing unnecessary things.
Was she trying to show him her true self this way? Or was she trying to tell Ai Yue that one day, she would catch up to him through her own methods? Or perhaps...
Forget it. Things had already come to this. Looking at the experimental data was more important for now.
Mobius quickly cast aside those inexplicable thoughts.
She caught up with Ai Yue, but he suddenly stopped where he was.
"What's wrong?" Mobius asked instinctively, only to see an expression on his face that she had never seen before. "You're..."
It was an expression that seemed to say he had just learned that a time bomb had finally exploded and now had to deal with the aftermath.
"Nothing. You carry on with your work. I have to go." Ai Yue adjusted his glasses. "Oh, right. I may have to make a trip somewhere far away soon. Help me look after Pardo and the others."
"You're not afraid of me getting close to them anymore?"
Mobius teased him instinctively, but when she realized he was not responding at all, he had already strode out the door.
Only after leaving the First Research Institute did Ai Yue reactivate the display mode on his lenses and reread the message Prometheus had sent him.
It was merely a screenshot of a post from some forum.
"Help! My daughter suddenly fell into a coma for several days. We've been to several hospitals, but none of them could diagnose her. Please, all you online experts, help me take a look!"
The Fifty-Second Chapter: Arranged Down to the Last Detail (Two-in-One Chapter)
Falling asleep for an unknown reason and being unable to awaken through existing medical technology—this was precisely the manifestation of being affected by the Eighth Herrscher's authority, the Herrscher of Consciousness.
The appearance of such cases meant that the Eighth Herrscher had descended.
Mobius did not know why Ai Yue had suddenly made such a decision, but she soon received a message from the higher-ups as well.
The Eighth Great Honkai had erupted.
By the time Mobius reached the conference room, everyone except Aponia was already there. All the Fused Warriors, including Mei, were holding a strategy meeting.
In fact, the cross placed in the corner of the conference table showed that Aponia was also keeping an eye on things here.
"Where's the Herrscher?"
That was the first thing Mobius said upon entering.
"No sign of one." Mei sat at the head of the table, her brows tightly furrowed. "This Great Honkai is different from every previous one. There's no trace of a Herrscher at the scene, only Honkai Beasts."
"No Herrscher? Impossible." Mobius paused, then looked through the information on her phone. "A Great Honkai of this scale couldn't happen without a Herrscher being born. Did she hide herself?"
"That is the greatest possibility. This Herrscher may not specialize in direct combat, which is why she chose to conceal herself." Dr. Mei said, "Just as Fused Warriors are divided into Mental Perception types and Physical Enhancement types."
Mental Perception type and Physical Enhancement type were the two official classifications eventually established for Fused Warriors in different situations. The former included people like Aponia and Desdrobia, whose mental power—or soul—had undergone tremendous mutations, allowing them to wield telekinesis, connect minds, and accomplish many inexplicable feats.
By contrast, their physical bodies were relatively fragile. Although they were still far stronger than ordinary humans, they were far inferior to Physical Enhancement-type Fused Warriors like Kevin and Hen.
"Rather than saying Fused Warriors are different, it would be more accurate to say that Honkai Beasts themselves have such distinctions." Mobius corrected her. "So it isn't strange for Herrschers to have similar differences."
"That's why we must be even more careful this time. A Herrscher hiding in the shadows, whose authority may involve the mental realm, is definitely more terrifying than one standing in the open." Dr. Mei frowned. "Unfortunately, no information has come from the area where the Great Honkai erupted. We only have blurry satellite photographs, so we cannot yet determine the extent of the disaster."
Great Honkai events often occurred in densely populated areas, inflicting devastating damage on the local social structure. Of the seven Great Honkai events experienced so far, all except one whose casualties had been minimized by an accident had destroyed at least one city.
The most terrifying had been the Seventh Herrscher. Possessing strength far beyond human imagination, the Seventh Herrscher had destroyed the entire continent of Australia in just one week. There was now no room for human beings to survive there, only unpurged zombies and Honkai Beasts wandering about.
"Speaking of which, are you the only one in charge here?" Mobius finally noticed that something was missing from the conference room. "Where are those big shots?"
"The Great Honkai involves many matters. Every country should have entered a state of preparation, so the Moth to Fire has temporarily been placed under my command." Dr. Mei sighed, rare emotion entering her voice. "As for the others... it's probably because the network signal in the shelters is poor."
As she spoke, Dr. Mei looked at Mobius again. "Where's Ai Yue? Didn't he come with you?"
"He said he had something to take care of outside..." Mobius replied instinctively, then her expression changed. "That guy... don't tell me he plans to act alone?"
No scientist could resist the temptation of researching a Herrscher. Mobius was no exception.
But she also knew very well that no matter how immortal someone was, it was absolutely impossible for one person to fight a Herrscher alone.
But Ai Yue... did that man really understand this?
Mobius instinctively felt that he genuinely believed he could handle the Herrscher.
Just then, the projector on the conference room ceiling suddenly activated. It rotated several times before projecting a figure before everyone.
"Long time no see to those I know, and greetings to those I'm meeting for the first time." Prometheus in the projection gave everyone a slight bow. "I am the artificial intelligence 'Prometheus' from Research Institute X. I have come here on behalf of Doctor Ai Yue to discuss our plans going forward."
Kevin, Hen, and the others exchanged glances. Unlike Dr. Mei, they were unaware of the Artificial Intelligence Project's existence, and unlike Sakura, they had never seen Prometheus in person. Naturally, they were somewhat surprised to see an artificial intelligence whose appearance differed little from that of a human girl.
"Where's Ai Yue?" Dr. Mei asked first. "Did he go to search for the Herrscher alone?"
"First, Doctor Ai Yue is not acting alone. He has a detailed plan and reliable teammates." Prometheus spoke calmly. "Second, the matter of searching for the Herrscher is precisely what I am about to discuss."
"First, please look at the main screen."
Prometheus pointed behind herself. The other projectors began operating one after another, displaying the content she had selected on the projection wall behind her.
They were screenshots of messages from various social media platforms and even certain chat applications. The wording differed considerably, but they all conveyed the same message.
Someone had inexplicably fallen into a coma, and the hospitals were helpless.
"You are saying that these incidents were caused by the Herrscher?" Dr. Mei's brows drew together. "A Herrscher... capable of using her authority through the internet?"
After thinking briefly, she decisively said, "Prometheus, can you disconnect the Moth to Fire from the external network?"
If the Herrscher could truly spread her power through the internet, it would only be a matter of time before she found the Moth to Fire. Before that happened, they had to hide the organization. Otherwise, their decapitation strategy against the Herrscher would fail before they even located her.
"The network connection was severed ten minutes ago." Prometheus nodded. "The Moth to Fire can now only access its internal network. With me here, I can at least prevent outside observation for a short period."
"That's good." Dr. Mei then looked at Kevin and the others. "Suspend the operation plan for now. Kevin, without sufficient mental protection, rashly making contact with the Herrscher could result in pointless sacrifices."
"Doctor Ai Yue has already prepared for this." Prometheus spoke up at that moment. "Research Institute X has special equipment prepared for Fused Warriors that can resist mental interference."
Dr. Mei: "Huh?"
However, she quickly recovered. "Excellent. At least some people's safety is assured now. Then, Mobius, let's go to the Fifth Science Department and find Minister Spasi to develop medication against mental interference and ensure the ordinary soldiers' safety."
Ordinary soldiers did not need to bear the same risk of directly confronting the Herrscher as Fused Warriors, but that did not mean their lives could be sacrificed at will. Necessary protection was still required.
If expensive resistance equipment could not cover the entire army, then cheaper medication could be used for temporary protection.
"Doctor Ai Yue has already prepared for this as well." Prometheus spoke again. "The formula for medication resisting mental interference has been sent to the Fifth Science Department. Dr. Mei, I hope you can go there to persuade them and coordinate the transport and production of the raw materials, so that mass production can be achieved as quickly as possible."
The people in the Fifth Science Department certainly could not be expected to fully trust an unfamiliar formula that had appeared out of nowhere. This was where Dr. Mei's reputation was needed to persuade them and ensure that the mass-production plan was implemented as quickly as possible.
"Additionally, Doctor Ai Yue took my portable sub-unit with him when he left. It is highly efficient at searching for the Herrscher." While Dr. Mei was still stunned, Prometheus continued, "Once the Herrscher's location has been confirmed, Doctor Ai Yue will contact me through my sub-unit. At that point, you can act."
"Do you have any assignments for us in the meantime?" Hen asked as the leader of the Fused Warrior squad.
"Not for now. You can remain on standby at the base," Prometheus said. "Or you can go to the area where the Great Honkai erupted and deal with the Honkai Beasts. Either way, I can always contact you."
"In that case, we should get moving." Hen looked at Kevin, then at Cosmo and Desdrobia. After receiving everyone's approval, he turned to Dr. Mei. "We'll head to the worst-affected area first and assist the local military with extermination and disaster-relief missions. Is that all right?"
"Approved." Dr. Mei nodded. "A special route has already been opened. Just go to the airport and find your transport aircraft."
"Then we'll go collect our equipment first."
Hen turned and left after speaking, while Kevin looked at Sakura. "I'll leave Mei's safety to you, Sakura."
As the strongest Fused Warrior, Kevin could not possibly be absent from this war. Therefore, the responsibility of protecting Dr. Mei had to fall to someone else.
Sakura hesitated slightly, but ultimately nodded. "I won't let anyone hurt Dr. Mei."
"You can actually act together. There is no need to worry about Dr. Mei's safety." Prometheus spoke up at that moment. "Before leaving, Doctor Ai Yue authorized my 'Ultimate Alert Mode.' Under this mode, every device throughout the Moth to Fire base will be under my control. The locations of all personnel will be refreshed once per second and continuously reported to my monitoring model. No suspicious individual will have any possibility of approaching Dr. Mei by any means."
Dr. Mei: ?
Wait a moment. What did she mean by every device throughout the Moth to Fire base being under her control?
"I have a strange feeling that I've been sidelined." Dr. Mei's expression became somewhat peculiar. "So what am I supposed to do now?"
"Go to the Fifth Science Department first and solve the issue with the mental-resistance medication." Mobius patted her shoulder, wearing an expression that said, You'll get used to it. "Then... why not try taking a vacation?"
Dr. Mei nodded slightly, uncertain whether she was considering the problem or deciding that Mobius's suggestion was not entirely unacceptable.
But she was, after all, a veteran who had experienced several Honkai outbreaks. Although this was the first time she had felt as if there was nothing for her to do, Dr. Mei quickly came to her senses, rapidly sorted through the situation, and made a decision.
"Prometheus's capabilities can be trusted. Since she says there's no problem, there should be no problem." Dr. Mei then looked at Sakura. "Sakura, come with me to the Fifth Science Department first and resolve the issue of mass-producing the medication. If everything goes smoothly, once I return to the Moth to Fire headquarters, you can head to the front line with the ordinary soldiers receiving the first batch of medication. Is that all right?"
The Fifth Science Department was not inside the Moth to Fire headquarters. It was in another nearby base, a branch facility expanded from a hospital.
Precisely because this place lay outside Prometheus's area of control, Dr. Mei needed Sakura to continue serving as her bodyguard.
"Mm." Sakura nodded slightly, but the ears atop her head gave away her excitement. "Thank you, Dr. Mei."
"You don't need to thank me. I can't go to the battlefield, so I can't keep those capable of doing so tied to my side." Dr. Mei nodded with a faint smile. "Don't forget to collect your equipment from Ai Yue."
"All right, since everyone has something to do, I'll head back first." Mobius waved her hand. "That old man Spasi has always disliked me. I won't go over there and make things worse for you."
Without waiting for Dr. Mei's response, she left the room on her own.
"Dr. Mobius?"
Just then, a familiar voice called out to her. Mobius turned around and saw Klein, who should have been on vacation, standing at the other end of the corridor and looking at her.
"What are you doing here?" Mobius looked at the dark circles under Klein's eyes and sighed helplessly. "Don't tell me you're so used to working overtime that you don't know what to do when you're on vacation?"
"Not at all. I went to the library to read." Klein answered honestly as she raised her phone. "Besides, weren't you the one who told me to wait for you here?"
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