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

After saying this, he was escorted away by soldiers, leaving Dr. Mei with a thoughtful expression.

Moth to Fire also had its own courts, though they were rarely used. They were only convened when a member of Moth to Fire committed a serious offense.

Generally, most issues were battlefield-related. It seemed to be the first time a scientist was being put on trial.

After all, everyone knew that the scientists of Moth to Fire were all a little bit… problematic. If they were to truly put them on trial, not a single one would escape.

Ai Yue quickly sat down in his designated spot. In the vast courtroom, besides him and the soldiers guarding him, there wasn't a single living soul. Everywhere he looked, there were only projections, so blurred that only their forms were visible.

What a Cyber Court, how interesting.

As Ai Yue watched, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Be serious!"

There were no judges in the Moth to Fire court. Or rather, anyone on the decision-making level could act as a judge. Therefore, the layout here was less like a courtroom and more like an auditorium.

Ai Yue sat in the very center. In front of him, several rows of seats were arranged in a fan shape. The front row had only five seats, clearly reserved for the representatives of the strongest factions.

The projection that had just told Ai Yue to be serious was the one in the middle. After a pause, it continued, "Ai Yue, do you plead guilty?"

"I don't understand what crime I've committed," Ai Yue said calmly. "I just killed the Eighth Herrscher, who threatened the safety of human civilization."

"You used Artificial Intelligence to control global networks. That act is a threat to humanity!"

"But I just killed the Eighth Herrscher, who threatened the safety of human civilization."

"You also tampered with the military commands of multiple countries, severely endangering the safety of many nations!"

"But I just killed the Eighth Herrscher, who threatened the safety of human civilization."

"You also severed all contact between Moth to Fire headquarters and the outside world, thereby illegally seizing command of the soldiers!"

"But..."

"Silence!" Faced with Ai Yue's repetitive responses, the other party finally became somewhat enraged. "Even without you, we could have killed the Eighth Herrscher! But the crimes you committed are undeniable!"

"That's easy for you to say, sir," Ai Yue couldn't help but sneer. "Then can you tell me how you planned to locate the Eighth Herrscher?"

The other party was immediately speechless.

Honestly, they didn't even understand the situation yet. Why the Eighth Herrscher chose to hide, how she was found and killed – the entire process was a complete blank to them.

The time was too short. From the outbreak of the Eighth Great Honkai to the end of the Eighth Herrscher, and even to Ai Yue's current trial, less than forty-eight hours had passed.

Besides Ai Yue, no one would have connected the Eighth Herrscher to the strange coma incidents online, nor would anyone have noticed that certain content spreading online was causing these comas. Much less would they have been able to investigate the Eighth Herrscher's situation based on these events.

"Even so, that's no excuse for your actions," a slightly softer voice from another projection interjected. "You could have achieved your goals through more reasonable means."

"Of course, I could have used more reasonable means, but can ordinary people afford to wait?" Ai Yue shook his head. "Madam, the fact is, I solved a disaster that could have threatened the safety of all humanity in less than two days, preventing countless deaths and massive negative public opinion, and maintaining social stability and harmony. Yet, you regard me as a criminal."

"In all the Herrscher problems solved by Moth to Fire in the past, which one was more efficient than mine?"

"Stop making excuses," another projection said. "Even if you talk a good game, your actions still endangered the world's safety. You must bear the consequences for what you've done."

"Bear the consequences? Alright," Ai Yue spread his hands, a hint of anticipation on his face. "It seems you can't hold back any longer. Then let me hear the final verdict? Since you say I committed a 'crime against humanity,' the penalty should be death, right?"

"No, based on our discussions, you will be deprived of your freedom for life, under twenty-four-hour continuous surveillance and control, to continue your research for the development of human civilization." The other party replied. "This is the only way for you to atone for your crimes."

"Atonement?" The smile on Ai Yue's face completely vanished. "Yes, someone should atone, but who is it?"

"Everyone, you have just made your final wrong choice."

Ai Yue's tone was ice-cold, as if he were the one passing judgment.

Chapter 71: I Will Judge

"Dr. Mobius, is this really okay?"

While Ai Yue was undergoing his trial, Mobius was busy in her First Research Institute.

Before her lay the corpse of the Eighth Herrscher. As the most authoritative scholar in genetics and gene science for Moth to Fire, and indeed the entire world, the task of dissecting the Eighth Herrscher's body and analyzing her genes naturally fell to Mobius.

This task, along with the information about Ai Yue's trial, had appeared on Mobius's phone, clearly conveying a message that they did not want Mobius to get involved in this matter.

After all, Mobius was known as a scientific fanatic within Moth to Fire, and she also had a very close relationship with Ai Yue. It was inevitable that the higher-ups would suspect Mobius's involvement in Ai Yue's plan.

Fortunately, Mobius was very cooperative with the tasks assigned by the upper echelons. She even provided proof that Ai Yue had coerced her into participating in the plan, thereby distancing herself from the matter.

However, to her assistant, Klein, such behavior was undoubtedly very strange.

When had Mobius ever cared about the orders of Moth to Fire's higher-ups? Before Ai Yue's series of shocking actions, she was the biggest troublemaker within Moth to Fire.

Performing a zero-success-rate Fused Warrior surgery on herself without anyone knowing wasn't something an ordinary madman would do.

The fact that Mobius was so cooperative under these circumstances could only mean that she was preparing to blow up Moth to Fire in a big way, perhaps even planning something on the same scale as Ai Yue's plan.

"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Mobius focused her gaze inside the Eighth Herrscher's chest cavity, not looking up. "Hand me the forceps."

"I'm talking about Dr. Ai Yue's situation," Klein said, handing over the forceps. "I know you must be upset that Dr. Ai Yue is being tried, but please don't do anything rash because of it..."

"What do you mean, 'do something rash'? What are you talking about?" Mobius rummaged around inside the chest cavity, then looked up at Klein. "Klein, your brain isn't suited for thinking about these things. Focus on what's in front of you."

"As for Ai Yue's matter," Mobius's lips curved into a slight arc beneath her mask. "It's hard to say who is truly on trial."

"Dr. Mobius!"

As Danzhu's voice rang out, two figures entered the operating room. Danzhu handed over a bag she was holding. "Here are the scan results. Please take a look."

Mobius accepted the bag and took out several black medical films from it. She held them up to the shadowless lamp and soon a smile appeared, "Just as I thought, I knew it."

"Knew what?" Klein asked subconsciously.

"Nothing," Mobius put the scan results back into the bag. "Danzhu, lock this thing up and don't give it to anyone, no matter who asks."

After saying that, she bent over again and resumed her dissection work.

However, the smile on the corner of her mouth grew more and more evident.

Through both dissection and scanning, the Herrscher Core that should have been present was not found within the Eighth Herrscher.

So, where should this thing be now?

"Watch your attitude, Ai Yue!"

Hearing Ai Yue speak such arrogant words, the projections expressed their dissatisfaction one after another. The leader couldn't help but bang on the table, "Don't forget your current identity. What right do you have to say such things?"

"Look at yourselves, you won't even call me Doctor." Ai Yue shook his head slightly. "I know you're used to being high and mighty, believing you control the future of civilization and won't allow anyone to defy the rules you've set."

"But in reality, you're just a pack of dogs who smelled blood," Ai Yue said slowly. "You really want it, don't you? The super artificial intelligence that can overturn the world order?"

"That's a project you should have handed over!" the projection couldn't help but say. "Don't forget, who provided the research funds for your project!"

"Of course, I haven't forgotten. Isn't this the tax money people from all over the world paid to you?" Ai Yue showed a confused expression, then suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I see. Do you lords consider this money your own?"

"Ai Yue, you..."

"Am I wrong?" Ai Yue directly interrupted him, then shook his head. "Sorry, maybe I've gone off topic. What I really want to say is – I'm truly disappointed."

"All this time, I've been restraining myself, wanting to be worthy of the light, so that in the future, I would have the qualification to wield that power." Ai Yue paused and said slowly, "So, even though I knew people like you weren't worth expecting anything from, I still gave you opportunities time and time again."

"But you've truly disappointed me." Ai Yue sighed, his tone filled with deep exhaustion. "People can pursue profit, but they absolutely cannot only pursue profit. The most important thing right now is the aftermath and cleanup of the Eighth Great Honkai, but what are you doing? Arguing amongst yourselves to snatch benefits, and framing me for 'crimes against humanity'!"

"Am I truly harming humanity? Or is it the benefits you're all holding so tightly in your hands?"

"Ai Yue, watch your words!" a projection issued a stern warning. "Allowing you to live is already a testament to your contributions to humanity!"

"Isn't it to squeeze out the last bit of my usefulness?" Ai Yue retorted with a cold laugh. "I'd rather you sentence me to death. At least then it would prove that when facing an unstable factor with the ability and willingness to threaten civilization's stability, you still have the resolve to abandon personal gain for the greater good!"

"But you don't even have that!" Ai Yue finally roared. At this moment, he seemed to have shed all burdens, revealing his true self before these false projections. "Congratulations, you've succeeded in making me abandon what I value most!"

Ai Yue took a deep breath and raised his right hand.

In his palm, a crystal emitting brilliant light pulsed with terrifying energy fluctuations. The moment it appeared, all sound vanished from the courtroom.

It was the Herrscher Core of the Eighth Herrscher. With it, one could temporarily wield the authority of consciousness.

"Now, all of you, kneel." Ai Yue said, word by word. "And then, worship me as the supreme deity in your hearts."

In the ensuing silence, all the projections, as well as the soldiers standing behind Ai Yue, slowly knelt on the ground.

They lowered their once noble and arrogant heads, offering their purest faith to the new god of the world.

Chapter 72: Thinking Further Won't Benefit Anyone

Outside the courtroom, Dr. Mei and the members of the Fused Warrior squad were all waiting.

When Vill-V arrived, she saw a group of people standing outside the door with furrowed brows, some pacing back and forth.

"What's going on?" Vill-V greeted them with a strange expression. "You guys look less like you're waiting outside a courthouse and more like you're waiting outside a delivery room..."

"Actually, it might be similar. In the worst-case scenario, none of us will make it out..." Cosmo said, but quickly lowered his head when he received death glares from everyone. "Sorry, I was joking."

"Vill-V, come here for a moment." Dr. Mei then called Vill-V to a secluded corner. "What did Ai Yue plan with you all? You seem to know a lot more than I do."

"No, I'm just doing as he asked. It should be the same as you, we're just in charge of different parts." Vill-V shrugged, looking relaxed. "Don't worry, people like him, would he do something he's not sure about? He doesn't even want to take a one percent risk, so how could he casually put his life in someone else's hands?"

"I was worried about him at first, but now I realize I might have been wrong." Dr. Mei sighed, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "Ai Yue has probably been orchestrating today's events from the very beginning."

"Ah, you know?" Vill-V was stunned for a moment, then said, "Sorry, Ai Yue actually told me about it before he locked down the Moth to Fire internal network, but I didn't tell you then."

"No, the real plan didn't start from then." Mei sighed, her tone unclear whether it was admiration or fear. "Ai Yue was already laying the groundwork for today when he traded his patent for Kalpas's freedom, but why?"

First, he showed weakness to the higher-ups through the matter with Kalpas, displaying a vulnerable and easily bullied side. Then, he showcased his value through Prometheus's abilities, causing those above to label him as prey. Finally, he used himself to stall for time, giving the latecomers a chance to stir up trouble, and then through Vill-V's "backstab" and advice, guided them to choose judgment.

In this way, a hunting ground exclusively for Ai Yue was created by the prey themselves.

Even the timing was perfect – Dr. Mei was certain that Prometheus's network unlock time was definitely not synchronized. Only by making a certain group of people believe they had seized the initiative would they rush to Moth to Fire without even having time to consider the doubts, attempting to claim all the benefits.

When the latecomers "received the news" and entered the fray, the entire situation would be muddled. By then, no one would have the inclination to care about the underlying issues.

But this still couldn't explain Dr. Mei's final question – how would this hunt ultimately conclude?

Gathering everyone together would lead to a result where, after a period of conflict among all factions, a balance would eventually be maintained. Although in such a situation, Ai Yue would usually not be in mortal danger, he would definitely not have a good outcome either. From Dr. Mei's perspective, she didn't believe Ai Yue would be satisfied with such a result, so he must have been planning for more.

However, the high-ranking figures from the upper echelons would not appear at Moth to Fire in person. This meant that conventional methods would be meaningless against these people. Even if Prometheus's performance surpassed the era, it would be difficult to eliminate all of them through the internet. Moreover, simply killing these people would be meaningless, as their organizations could always replace them with a new batch.

The key to breaking the deadlock that Dr. Mei could think of was the authority of the Eighth Herrscher.

A Herrscher who manipulated consciousness, her abilities could even affect every corner of the world through the network. Such power, in this environment, was almost invincible.

One could even say that this hunting ground was prepared specifically for the authority of the Eighth Herrscher.

But if Ai Yue had truly been planning this hunt from so early on, how did he incorporate the Eighth Herrscher's abilities into his considerations?

Compared to "Ai Yue mastering the power of the Eighth Herrscher's authority in a mere few hours," the idea that "Ai Yue could predict the Eighth Herrscher's authority" was far more terrifying.

Of course, the former was already astonishing, but given it was Ai Yue, one had grown accustomed to it.

"You thought of it too?" Vill-V's expression didn't change much, but she was still a genius on par with Dr. Mei, so she naturally noticed something. "How should I put it, perhaps it's not as exaggerated as you think? After all, this plan can be terminated at any time. Ai Yue isn't an idiot. If he hadn't encountered the right opportunity, he could have postponed things indefinitely."

Compared to Dr. Mei, Vill-V, who had experienced the ups and downs of society and even engaged in scams herself, clearly had a broader perspective. In her eyes, Ai Yue possessed noble character and had left himself plenty of escape routes, so he didn't seem overly mystical.

"...It was my oversight." Dr. Mei pondered for a moment, her train of thought quickly led astray by the other party. "This possibility is indeed more likely."

She no longer dwelled on whether Ai Yue could predict the future Herrscher powers, nor did she seem to think Ai Yue was that mystical, or perhaps she didn't want to spiral into more terrifying thoughts from this line of inquiry.

Aponia's premonitions about humanity's fate implied that humanity had never truly possessed freedom. If even the existence of Herrschers could be foretold, did it mean that Herrschers, and even the Honkai itself, were orchestrated by some order beyond human comprehension?

After a brief exchange, neither of them brought up the topic again, and soon, the gates of the court finally opened.

Under everyone's expectant gazes, Ai Yue walked out at a leisurely pace.

Looking inside through the gate, there was no longer any sign of projections in the vast courtroom.

"It's over?" Kevin was the first to speak. "What was the result?"

"Acquitted." Ai Yue shrugged. "I told you there was nothing to worry about. Alright, everyone, go about your business."

"Acquitted?" Desdrobia couldn't help but widen her eyes. "How is that possible? Such a grand spectacle, and it ended so casually?"

Cosmo beside him couldn't help but nod. To be honest, he had already prepared for a prison break, but the fact that it ended so peacefully left him feeling a bit disappointed.

"No matter what, it's good that he's safe." Elysia finally smiled. Although she had been encouraging everyone not to worry too much, she hadn't held out much hope. "Oh right, since Ai Yue is safe and sound, shouldn't we have a party?"

According to Moth to Fire's tradition, a party was held after defeating a Herrscher to relieve the long-term combat stress of the soldiers.

"Is a party really necessary this time?" Hen couldn't help but complain. "Except for that one special situation, this is probably the most relaxed battle I've ever participated in."

"Then let's hold a celebration banquet for Ai Yue..." Elysia quickly changed the name, but when she turned around, she wore a surprised expression. "Huh? Where's Ai Yue?"

"He already left." Vill-V picked up the conversation, looking in the direction Ai Yue had gone. "Do you guys feel like Ai Yue is acting a bit strange?"

It was such a joyous outcome, so why did he look so sad?