Honkai Impact 3rd, Saving the Pre-Civilization by Hand-Crafting Black Tech

The Eighth Herrscher named this kind of dreamscape design "Spiderweb Dreamscape." It works by linking the consciousness of people trapped within the dream to weave a dream network capable of engulfing the entire world. Once the network is formed, it spreads outwards from each node, infecting people in their sleep and ultimately causing them to fall into the dream.

The most crucial aspect is that through this method, the Eighth Herrscher can sift through the memories of sleepers to find clues about the mysterious organization. By referencing the six degrees of separation theory, she can quickly uncover their tracks and then use the dreamscape to capture them all, thoroughly eliminating any hidden threats.

In the Eighth Herrscher's vision, this plan is practically perfect. By the time the number of comatose incidents online is enough to garner sufficient attention from humanity, her dreamscape will have likely grown to cover the globe. By then, it will be too late for them to resist.

But, but...

How could someone precisely locate those comatose individuals, master the corresponding method to enter the dreamscape, find her trail, and even escape successfully from layers of mental mazes when her plan has only just begun?!

The Eighth Herrscher couldn't help but shudder at the thought of the human who appeared in her dream, communicating with her in a calm and dismissive tone.

She knew very well that while her plan seemed perfect, it had one critical flaw: her power was extremely limited during the initial phase of the Spiderweb Dreamscape's expansion.

If someone could detect the anomaly at this stage and use absolute power to nip it in the bud, then no matter how terrifying the Spiderweb Dreamscape might become once it grew, it would simply be a joke.

But how could such foolish and short-sighted creatures as humans unite against such a terrifying threat? How could anyone realize something was wrong from the very beginning and launch a targeted offensive?

Even if he could realize the problem, how could he convince others to target such an insignificant matter?

If all these things could be considered reasonable, then his escape from the mental maze was utterly inexplicable.

Recalling the scene she saw in the playback of dream fragments, the Eighth Herrscher felt her mind go numb. A human, facing layers upon layers of realistic dreams, didn't fall into them or look for flaws. Instead, he escaped by committing suicide. This person was definitely problematic!

Once or twice would be understandable, but how could someone commit suicide 128 times in a row? Wouldn't he go mad!

No one understood dreams better than the Eighth Herrscher. She could simulate anything within a dream. While a real death could break free from the dreamscape, the experience of such a genuine death would undoubtedly be deeply imprinted in the person's mind. Experiencing this feeling over a hundred times would be unbearable for anyone. Even if they escaped the dream, they would ultimately become insane.

But would that person really go insane? No, was that guy even human anymore?

The more the Eighth Herrscher thought about it, the more absurd it felt. She even felt a strange emotion rising within her, an emotion that should never appear when facing humans: fear.

She was the judge of civilization, how could she be afraid?

"Calm down, stay calm..." The Eighth Herrscher took a few deep breaths, finally steadying her emotions, and then a smile appeared on her face. "No need to be nervous. So what if he's not crazy? He'll still be my stepping stone, won't he?"

As she spoke, the young girl unconsciously rubbed her fingers. In her field of vision, a flickering light was dancing at her fingertips.

It was a specific mental fragment belonging to someone.

With this, she could easily track the man's location. If that person really came from the mysterious organization that fought Herrschers...

Then, she could pay them a visit.

"The Eighth Herrscher might come looking for us."

In the familiar conference room, Ai Yue dropped a bombshell on a weary Dr. Mei.

"Wh-what did you say?" Dr. Mei blinked, her yawning motion interrupted. "The Eighth Herrscher? Coming here? What did you do?"

"Simply put, I went to have a chat with her. Unfortunately, we parted on bad terms," Ai Yue explained briefly. "I stayed in the dreamscape for a bit too long. Since she's a Herrscher specializing in this area, she can probably track my location."

"You're trying to trap her?" Dr. Mei didn't believe Ai Yue would be foolish enough to bring trouble upon himself, so she guessed his intention. "Do you need Kevin and the others to come back?"

Sakura had already taken the first batch of mental resistance drugs and soldiers to support Kevin and the others, bringing Kalpas along. Thus, Moth to Fire was left with only Mobius as a Fused Warrior. If Ai Yue intended to resolve the Eighth Herrscher issue here, Mobius alone wouldn't be enough.

"No, I have other help," Ai Yue said with a smile, suddenly hearing a knock on the door. "It seems they're here."

Dr. Mei blinked and saw the conference room door open, revealing two familiar figures entering: "How is it, did the Eighth Herrscher come?"

Vill-V, whom they hadn't seen in a while, appeared with Aponia, who was supposed to be at The Deepest Place.

Chapter 61: Oops, Not a Substitute, It's a Cheater

"You guys..." Dr. Mei looked at Vill-V and Aponia, then realized, "Was this all your plan?"

"Just a backup measure. I didn't expect to use it so soon," Ai Yue said nonchalantly, then looked at Vill-V. "Is the matter at The Deepest Place resolved?"

"Of course, otherwise Aponia wouldn't be here," Vill-V said with a smile, then pulled out the chair to Ai Yue's left and sat down. "Speaking of which, how long did it take you to prepare that blueprint? It doesn't look like something you whipped up on the spot."

"On behalf of the people of The Deepest Place, I thank you, Ai Yue," Aponia sat to Ai Yue's right, looking at him intently. "With that, their suffering will be alleviated, right?"

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Dr. Mei grew increasingly confused. "Dr. Ai Yue, did you plan something behind my back?"

She had long felt that bringing Ai Yue and Vill-V together was a bad idea, but this bad idea seemed to have come too quickly.

"It's nothing much, just a small renovation and upgrade for The Deepest Place," Vill-V gestured with her fingertips, creating a miniature universe. "According to Ai Yue's blueprint, we've installed a mental soothing device that can block external mental influences and alleviate the mental issues of the personnel inside."

Most of the members in The Deepest Place weren't heinous criminals. Many of them were warriors whose mental states had deteriorated due to stress during their fight against Honkai. Unable to reintegrate into normal life, and with the management unable to abandon such combat power, The Deepest Place was established as their sanctuary.

"All plans for The Deepest Place require approval from above..." Dr. Mei said instinctively, then even laughed at herself. "Oh well, they probably don't have the time to worry about this side of things now."

With that, she looked at Ai Yue again. "So, Dr. Ai Yue, what are the specifics of your plan?"

"Firstly, the Eighth Herrscher won't come in person. She'll only use her mental power to probe here and then create a dream to engulf us," Ai Yue said. "But similarly, this is also our opportunity to track her in reverse."

Although Ai Yue obtained a mental sample of the Eighth Herrscher from the dreamscape, he wasn't a true mental ability user and couldn't bring it into reality for mental positioning.

Moreover, that thing had already been used as experimental material.

Therefore, the immediate priority was to find a way to lure the Eighth Herrscher out a second time without entering the dreamscape, and then use her mental fluctuations for positioning to lock down her location in reverse.

This was also why Ai Yue needed to bring Aponia out of The Deepest Place. As the strongest Mental Perception Fused Warrior currently available, Aponia was undoubtedly the best candidate to counter the Eighth Herrscher. Even if the Herrscher could create a dream that trapped everyone, Aponia would surely remain conscious.

Moreover, only Aponia could maximize the effectiveness of the mental positioning technology. Her mental power could extend to most parts of the Earth, while even Ai Yue, using "Aponia's Embrace," could only cover a small area. The intensity was simply not on the same level.

Therefore, the plan was for Aponia to locate the Eighth Herrscher, then have Mobius use a potion to temporarily gain the Second Herrscher's pseudo-authority, and appear before the Eighth Herrscher, crossing the spatial distance to eliminate her.

This plan might seem very simple and crude, but upon careful consideration, one would realize that completing it required corresponding technology. Any single method involved was beyond the capabilities of humanity at present.

In other words, only Ai Yue would be able to come up with such a simple and crude plan using the System.

"Are you confident?" Dr. Mei frowned. "If the Eighth Herrscher truly controls consciousness, how can we trace it back?"

In Dr. Mei's opinion, the first step of Ai Yue's plan was full of uncertainty. After all, competing with a Herrscher who manipulates consciousness in terms of mental skills was an act of overestimating oneself.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Vill-V said with a smile, patting Ai Yue's shoulder. "Although Ai Yue speaks arrogantly, he only says things when he's confident. If the success rate of this plan were less than ninety percent, he wouldn't use it."

Although Dr. Mei was also a top scientist, she was usually busy with work and didn't have much contact with Ai Yue. Therefore, her understanding of Ai Yue was far less than that of Vill-V and Mobius. Her impression of Ai Yue was still at the stage of "human-like."

However, in the eyes of Vill-V and Mobius, Ai Yue had long since transcended the human realm and reached an indescribable level.

"Actually, I'm just letting you know," Ai Yue shrugged in response to Dr. Mei's confusion. He glanced at his phone and then showed a subtle expression. "It's too late even if you veto this plan now—she's already here."

Dr. Mei froze for a moment, and then her phone reacted. She answered the call, and a slightly panicked voice came from the other end of the line: "Mei, Dr. Mei! Everyone suddenly fainted for no reason! I..."

The voice didn't finish speaking before suddenly falling silent, leaving only the sound of someone falling to the ground from the receiver. It was clear that the other person had not escaped this sudden fainting spell.

Aponia closed her eyes and then slowly spoke, "I 'see' her. She's walking this way—"

The next second, she opened her eyes. "She's here."

Almost at the same time, Ai Yue also smiled. "Good timing."

He spread his hand, and something like a headset appeared in his palm.

"Put it on, Aponia," Ai Yue tossed it to Aponia. "You'll know how to use it."

The moment Aponia put it on, a black humanoid figure slowly materialized in the center of the conference room.

It wasn't a real body, but a projection left in the minds of several people by the Eighth Herrscher using her authority.

When humans saw this figure, it meant they had been captured by the enemy.

"We meet again, humans." The Herrscher scanned the conference room and finally looked at Ai Yue, a clear mockery on her face. "Thanks to you leading me, I was able to find this place."

"Yeah, after all, if you give a dog a bone, it's hard for it not to follow," Ai Yue retorted with the same mockery. "So dogs are just dogs; they don't have the intelligence to think if it's a trap, right?"

"You!" The Eighth Herrscher trembled with anger. "You glib-tongued fool! When I torment you in the dreamscape, I hope you can still say such things!"

"You won't have that chance," Aponia opened her eyes again, her calm expression hiding a surging emotion. "I've found you."

Although it was just a casual remark, the Eighth Herrscher's expression changed instantly.

Because her main body could feel a powerful mental force that had suddenly and inexplicably locked onto her.

How was this possible?

Chapter 62: Where are my teammates? Help!

Mental perception and positioning were not unfamiliar methods for the Eighth Herrscher.

This was one of the uses of the authority she possessed, and it was precisely with this technique that the Eighth Herrscher was able to lock onto Ai Yue's location from such a great distance, successfully finding the Moth to Fire headquarters.

But she never expected that humans would have such a means to deal with her.

When she realized she had been locked onto, the Eighth Herrscher's inner reaction was not disdain like "You're using my own spell against me," but a deep fear.

Herrscher authority was a divinely granted right, a miracle belonging to gods. How could it possibly be stolen and imitated by mere humans?

And when did he steal it!? They had only interacted in the dreamscape for less than thirty seconds, and he could succeed with just that?

A thousand thoughts flashed through the Eighth Herrscher's mind in an instant, leaving only one sentence in the end.

What the hell is going on!

However, the situation had already developed to this point, and there was clearly no time left for her to express her thoughts. After a brief period of consideration, the Eighth Herrscher finally made what she believed to be the most correct choice—

In the Moth to Fire conference room, the black mist-shrouded girl's body instantly exploded, and the entire room was covered by a surge of mental energy. This energy formed a vortex, intending to drag everyone into the abyss of the dreamscape.

Dr. Mei and Vill-V fell unconscious almost instantly. Ai Yue and Aponia were in slightly better condition, but they were still affected. The once clear reality became blurry and distorted, greatly hindering their senses' observation and judgment of the outside world.

After sacrificing a portion of her consciousness to delay Moth to Fire as much as possible, the Eighth Herrscher's main body also opened her eyes. A mental command centered on her spread in all directions, calling for her soldiers.

Since war was inevitable, she naturally wouldn't sit idly by. Amidst the endless torrent of Honkai Beasts, the Eighth Herrscher was about to launch her final offensive.

But...

The Eighth Herrscher frowned in confusion.

Why weren't her most powerful subordinates responding to her summons?

"What's going on?"

Looking at the Honkai Beasts retreating around them, Cosmo frowned. "Do Honkai Beasts run away too?"

"Could it be because the Emperor-class Honkai Beast died?" Desdrobia stood nearby, glancing at the enormous dead bird-like Honkai Beast not far away. "Without the Emperor-class Honkai Beast and no Herrscher commanding them, they're running away?"

After a fierce battle, the Fused Warrior squad finally killed the Emperor-class Honkai Beast that had appeared along with the Herrscher this time—a gorgeously colored bird-like Honkai Beast resembling a peacock.

Due to the lack of firepower support, it was quite troublesome for Kevin and the others to deal with this giant bird. It flew in the air, making it difficult for Kevin, Hen, and Cosmo's attacks to reach it. Moreover, because of its extreme agility, Elysia and Desdrobia's long-range attacks were also ineffective. This led to the decapitation operation ultimately devolving into a war of attrition, resulting in a stalemate.

In the end, it was only because the opponent was somewhat tired and exposed a weakness, allowing Elysia to shoot an arrow through its neck and Desdrobia to wound its wings with psychic blades, causing it to fall to the ground. Otherwise, it wouldn't have ended yet.

"Honkai Beasts don't run away. They lack intelligence and emotion, let alone morale," Hen walked over. "Since the first time we faced Honkai Beasts until now, I've never seen Honkai Beasts scatter just because their leader died."

"This isn't running away; it's a transfer," Elysia, who was overlooking the battlefield from a high vantage point, also returned to the ground. "Their departure route is traceable. They aren't scattering randomly but are being summoned."

"Being summoned?" Cosmo was stunned for a moment, then realized, "The Emperor-class Honkai Beast is dead, so there's only one entity left summoning them."

"Although I'm not sure exactly what happened, the Herrschers must be gathering them," Kevin said, walking over after finishing off the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. "Rest here for five minutes. Then, Cosmo and Desdrobia will stay to hand over with the reinforcements. Everyone else, with me."

"Vice-captain, we can still fight!" Cosmo exclaimed, sounding anxious at the thought of not joining the next battle. "It's definitely not enough for just the three of you to face the Herrschers!"

"But Desdrobia is already exhausted. Her consumption is too high, she can barely stand," Elysia walked over, supporting the swaying blonde girl. "Are you going to leave her here alone?"

"Actually, I can still fight..." Desdrobia said softly, though her confidence was clearly lacking. "Besides, as a Mental Perception Fused Warrior, I can definitely be useful."

Cosmo fell silent at this, shifting his gaze to Desdrobia.

"Execute the order," Hen, as captain, delivered the final word. "Don't worry about us. If Dr. Ai Yue's prediction is correct, the Eighth Herrscher's combat ability is clearly not outstanding. Perhaps we can resolve this without too much trouble."

Cosmo nodded, no longer arguing. He returned to Desdrobia's side, took her from Elysia's grasp, and helped her to a safe corner to rest.

The blonde girl seemed to completely relax at this, eventually leaning her head on the young man's shoulder and falling asleep.

"Looks like I'm a little late."

As the group was resting, a voice suddenly reached Kevin and the others.

Kevin instinctively tightened his grip on his weapon but didn't attack. He simply turned his head, watching the fox-eared girl emerge from the shadows.

"It's not over yet," Kevin shook his head. "You've arrived at a good time; you can join the next battle."

Kevin didn't ask why Sakura had left Dr. Mei behind to come here. Knowing her personality, she wouldn't have left her post without Dr. Mei's permission.

"That's good then," Sakura nodded, then vanished back into the shadows. "The reinforcements are on their way. I came ahead, they should be here in about thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes," Kevin glanced at the time. "Then we should be able to finish this before they arrive."

What Kevin didn't know was that while the Fused Warrior squad was resting, Ai Yue and Aponia had already found Mobius.

"You've really come at the perfect time."

Looking at the two who pushed the door open, Mobius held up a vial of pale purple liquid and shook it. "Just finished making it, still warm."