Chapter 354
However, it doesn't quite make sense to say that Nguyen Mai used some means to remove it from a carbon-based organism and then transform it into metal.
Rather than saying that the human brain was transformed into metal, it's more like that metal grew a brain belonging to carbon-based life forms.
This speculation clearly coincides with Ruan Mei's research topic.
"Yes, it's a product of one of my experimental projects." Ruan Mei nodded and explained in the simplest terms possible, "The anti-organic equation can infect organic life through mechanical modification, so I tried to transform inorganic life forms infected by the equation into organic life forms, attempting to break it by developing a vaccine."
"... Unfortunately, the experiment ultimately failed, and this head is the final result."
"That's quite a bold attempt," Ai Yue commented with a strange expression before taking it. "No wonder it's in such a bizarre state."
Within a metallic body, the thinking organs of an organic life form have grown—something unimaginable to ordinary people, but not impossible in the hands of a genius.
Ai Yue even speculated that the experiment failed not because inorganic life forms could not be transformed into organic life forms, but because the "anti-organic equation" could not be transformed into a virus-like structure through this transformation, which is why the experiment failed.
This means that Nguyen Mai has a way to transform inorganic life forms into organic life forms.
"I'll accept it," Ai Yue said, casually putting the skull away after regaining his senses. "I'll return it to you once I've finished studying it."
"That doesn't matter. Although it's the final result, it's not the only result. You can stay if you want." Ruan Mei nodded noncommittally, and then a virtual screen suddenly appeared in front of her. "Ah, another project has been set up. I think you might be interested?"
"Is it the one you found outside?" Black Tower finally found a chance to interject. "You're being so mysterious. I asked you, but you wouldn't tell me. What did you find?"
"Come with me, and you'll see." Nguyen Mai didn't say it directly; clearly, in her view, facing reality was far more convenient than verbal communication. "It's in the confined compartment."
"That's not..." Black Tower hesitated, then shook his head. "Never mind, it was bound to be exposed sooner or later anyway."
As she spoke, Heita glanced at Ai Yue again—she always felt that nothing in this space station could be kept from him.
Ai Yue certainly knew what the confinement section was like; after all, he had been startled when he passed through it during the game. However, now was clearly not the time to care about such things. More than the unstable breeding envoy, he wanted to know what Ruan Mei had brought.
Soon, a tank-shaped life support capsule appeared in front of the three of them.
Upon seeing the interior of the life support pod, Ai Yue raised an eyebrow. Although he already had a vague guess, seeing this scene still made him want to exclaim that fate is truly wondrous.
Inside the life support pod was a fox-woman with a pointed head and ears. Her eyes were closed and her brows were furrowed, as if she were enduring immense pain.
The source of this pain seems obvious—there is a golden brand on her shoulder, which extends to the side of her neck, exuding an ominous aura, looking as if a sharp claw has been embedded in her shoulder.
This was the first time Ai Yue had met her, yet he already knew her name— Tingyun.
Considering the state the other party is in now, perhaps it's appropriate to call them a person who has forgotten their way home?
"This is... the power to Destiny of Destruction?" Black Tower frowned, recognizing the true form of the golden mark at a glance. "Wow, this is truly tragic... It's hard to imagine that she's still alive under such power."
"She should have died, but a sliver of life remained, and she received timely rescue, which barely preserved a chance of survival." Ruan Mei became slightly more talkative at this point, "But it is only a sliver of possibility. Whether she can piece together herself from her crushed consciousness and break free from the shackles of destruction depends entirely on herself."
"Or perhaps there's another way?" Heita looked at Ai Yue beside him. "You brought her here precisely for this reason, didn't you?"
"With my abilities, as long as this fox-woman doesn't give up her will to live, I can pull her back from the brink of death." Ruan Mei nodded, then looked at Ai Yue beside her. "But after seeing that design draft, I realized that perhaps someone could ignore such prerequisites and do the same thing."
"Then you've really come to the right person." In the short time it took to gaze at Tingyun, Ai Yue had already figured out her situation. "So what stage are we at now? Have you restored her body?"
"Yes, but that's all I can do for now. As for matters of the mind, it mainly depends on her." Ruan Mei nodded, a hint of a sigh in her voice. "This is the first time I've seen this kind of 'destruction.' It's different from the usual destructive power; it can simultaneously obliterate a person's body and spirit."
"It's not erasure," Ai Yue shook his head slightly, "It's taking away—her sense of self has been taken away."
"Take it away?" Black Tower stared at the fox woman in the life support pod, realizing the implications of that word. "Could she be some important figure?"
"Tingyun, the leader of the Luofu Xianzhou Minghuo Merchant Group," Ruan Mei stated, then shook her head. "Although she is somewhat well-known, I suspect she cannot be considered a major figure in the Star Sea."
"That's interesting. Someone stole her self, which can be understood as her identity and memories, right?" Black Tower suddenly became interested. "This is clearly to use her identity for something, but what is it?"
"That's not something we need to worry about right now." Although he knew the truth, he couldn't say it outright, so Ai Yue changed the subject. "In short, let's save her first."
As he spoke, Ai Yue raised his hand and touched Tingyun's brow. His fingertips glowed with a firefly-like light, which quickly passed through the life support pod and entered the fox-girl's brow.
The next second, the girl's body trembled violently, but her tightly furrowed brows showed signs of relaxing, clearly indicating that with the help of that light, she was gradually returning to the world of the living.
At the same time, her body seemed to undergo a strange change—
The fox-girl stared blankly at the black mist that suddenly receded like a tide.
What happened? Weren't you just being aggressive?
Holding the burning fan in her hand, she was momentarily at a loss as to whether to advance or retreat.
Just now, she was enveloped by the black mist that could decay everything, but she was guided by a voice deep within her heart and struggled forward. Just now, it seemed that a ray of light descended from the sky and entered her body, and then... the black mist quietly dissipated.
All that appeared before her was a wide road emitting a faint white light.
But the girl hesitated, wondering if this was another kind of trap.
Until a strange voice resounded from the depths of her heart.
"Hey, can you hear me?"
"If you can hear me, don't hesitate, come out quickly, everyone is waiting."
The voice was gentle and casual, carrying an irresistible intimacy that made the girl want to believe him from the bottom of her heart, even though she didn't know him.
Without further hesitation, the girl gripped the folding fan that had also begun to glow white, and strode towards the end of the road.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl finally opened her eyes and woke up in a slightly cramped space.
Looking up, I saw three pairs of eyes, each with a different expression.
"What... is going on?"
Chapter Thirty-Three: Is Your Nine-Tailed Fox The Right Way to Do It?
"So, Miss Tingyun, you... can't remember anything at all now?"
Inside the Herta Space Station, Tingyun, reborn and dressed in a gorgeous dress prepared for her by Ruan Mei, is gradually getting to know her surroundings, accompanied by March 7th and Xing.
After all, the Herta Space Station is still undergoing reconstruction, and even Himeko and Dan Heng have been called away to help, so only a few of them have real free time.
"Yes, really... I can't remember anything at all." The fox-girl raised her hand and brushed it past the window beside her, staring into her own eyes in the reflection as if she were observing a stranger. "Even when I heard about the leader of the 'Minghuo Merchant Group,' I felt nothing. I'm truly sorry to all my benefactors."
"Miss Tingyun, please don't say that. That... uh, Ms. Ruan Mei also said that you are currently in the recovery period, so it's normal that you can't remember!" Seeing Tingyun's slightly disappointed expression, March 7th quickly comforted her, "Maybe after a while of recovery, you'll remember!"
As she spoke, she nudged the gray-haired girl walking beside her with her elbow and whispered, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, say something!"
"Uh," Xing pondered for a moment, then her eyes lit up, "Out with the old, in with the new?"
"Are you even speaking human language?!" March 7th immediately showed a speechless expression, then let out an awkward laugh, "Hahaha, Miss Tingyun, just ignore her, this girl has ruined her brain by rummaging through the trash can!"
"Hehe, actually what A Xing said isn't entirely unreasonable," Tingyun wasn't angry at all, but instead laughed. "After all, dwelling on what you've already lost is pointless. Looking forward and creating new memories is the most important thing to do, right?"
She lowered her head slightly, recalling the illusion she had seen when she was struggling on the brink of life and death—if she had retreated in the face of the black mist's threat instead of bravely moving forward, she probably wouldn't have been able to seize that sliver of hope.
No, it doesn't seem to be absolute, does it?
Recalling the white, radiant avenue to heaven he had seen in his hallucination, Tingyun's expression became somewhat subtle.
It seems that even if one is truly lost in illusions, that light can still revive them?
"Miss Tingyun?" Seeing Tingyun suddenly fall silent, March 7th cautiously approached her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I just suddenly... had some insights." Tingyun vaguely glossed over the topic, then smiled at March 7th, "Miss March 7th, you're always so distant, it really makes me a little sad. Why don't you just call me by my name?"
"Huh?"
Before March 7th could react, Xing beside him gave a thumbs up. "Okay, Tingyun, no problem Tingyun!"
"Look, A Xing has already agreed," Tingyun immediately switched to a more intimate form of address, "In exchange, I'll call you by your name now, March 7th?"
"Of course, no problem!" Seeing Tingyun's response, March 7th couldn't help but smile. "Call me March 7th, or March, Little March... either is fine, Tingyun!"
At this point, March 7th also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a somewhat subtle expression. "That's great! To be honest, when I first met you, I thought Tingyun was also the kind of noble, unapproachable type!"
It's not that March 7th was too reserved; anyone who saw someone dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a noble and elegant demeanor, standing next to a member of the Genius Club would feel that they were someone to be admired from afar.
Oh, except for that one star core spirit that's less than a month old.
"It seems this outfit is what's going on," Tingyun said with a smile, brushing the lotus decoration on her chest. "March, you've reminded me that perhaps to get along better with everyone, it would be better to change into something simpler."
"Actually, the attire is only part of the reason," March 7th's gaze drifted somewhat towards Tingyun's back, "How should I put it... those tails always give off a very powerful feeling."
Seemingly sensing the girl's gaze, Tingyun's tails twitched slightly, then, under their owner's deliberate control, they gathered together a little more.
A fox-woman with five tails is certainly extraordinary—after all, according to a rumor that has been circulating for who knows where, the more tails a fox-woman has, the more powerful she is.
"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. When I woke up, my tail was already like this. Mr. Ai Yue said it was because my strong will to survive triggered my potential... or something like that," Tingyun's smile turned slightly troubled. "I'm afraid it will take some time to practice making them less conspicuous."
"So that's why Brother Yue told you to be careful?" March 7th nodded, then couldn't help but ask curiously, "But, if you continue to get stronger, Tingyun, will you grow nine tails?"
"This..." Tingyun hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. She looked around and, finding that they were in a relatively secluded and quiet corner, slowly spoke, "How should I put it? Actually, I should have nine tails now?"
"Should?" March 7th blinked. "Why do you sound so uncertain when you talk about it?"
"Because—" Tingyun closed her eyes, seemingly trying to guide some kind of power, "I don't know if this is a normal situation or not."
As she spoke, a white light shone from Tingyun's body, and then four more fluffy tails unfurled from her back. However, unlike the previous five tails which had some red on them, these four tails were pure white and looked somewhat ethereal, as if they were not real but rather the manifestation of some kind of power.
But what was even more baffling was what followed. To the astonishment of March 7th and Xing, the four pure white tails detached from Tingyun's body and floated up into the air, hovering around her. It looked as if Tingyun was controlling them with her will.
"Is this... is this correct?" Xing blinked, then looked at March 7th. "What is this, Fox-Playing Cannon?"
"Don't ask me, how would I know!" March 7th also looked bewildered. Although she had more experience with the Nameless Guest than Xing, she had never seen such an outrageous scene. "It seems like it must be Brother Yue's handiwork, right?"
On the other side of the Herta Space Station, Ai Yue suddenly glanced in a certain direction, then revealed a subtle smile, as if he had seen something interesting.
"What's wrong now?" Heita was the first to notice Ai Yue's absent-mindedness, and couldn't help but follow his gaze, but found nothing. "You don't have any particularly sinister abilities, do you? Like being able to sense when someone calls your name?"
"Wouldn't that drive me crazy?" Ai Yue looked away and changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. Let's continue reading Ruan Mei's experimental records."
"This is the newest one." Following Ruan Mei's guidance, the three arrived at the lowest level of the confinement chamber. In this experimental site isolated from the outside world, stood a huge cultivation device. "The strongest creation I can cultivate with my current abilities is right here."
"You actually went to all this trouble here," even Black Tower himself, a lawless fellow, couldn't help but look at Ruan Mei with a hint of disapproval. "If Ai Yue weren't here, how long were you going to keep this from me?"
"They'll probably destroy all the evidence behind your back, as if it never happened, right?" Ruan Mei replied calmly, seemingly unperturbed. "But didn't you already foresee this when you lent me this place?"
"That's true," Black Tower refocused his gaze on the grotesque figure in the cultivation device, "but I never expected you to actually pull it off—"
"The messenger of the Aeon of Propagation, the Star-Shattering King Insect Skarakkabaz."
"It's just a copy; it has neither the power of the Envoy nor true life," Ruan Mei shook her head slightly, clearly dissatisfied with her research results. "Once it leaves the cultivation device, its survival time probably won't exceed one minute."
"But that's enough to cause a catastrophe worthy of the Antimatter Legion invasion." The Black Tower sighed. "This place has only just escaped a disaster; could you please stop causing trouble?"
"Don't worry, it won't cause any trouble." Ruan Mei shook her head slightly, then looked at Ai Yue, "I just wanted to take this opportunity to hear Mr. Ai Yue's opinion."
"Well, the idea is good, but this thing is really a bit ugly, isn't it?" Ai Yue stroked his chin, looking at the breeding envoy in front of him, his brows furrowed. "Can you really study the origin of life from it?"
To be honest, compared to the model in the game, the Starshattering King Beetle in front of me has many more details that belong to arthropods, which makes it look much more disgusting than in the game.
It is difficult for Ai Yue to understand that it is a bit too twisted for a beautiful woman like Ruan Mei to not study more cute and beautiful creatures, but instead hide in such dark corners all day long looking for bugs to play with.
"Speaking of the essence of life, I believe very few beings can compare to the Aeon of Propagation. If I weren't lacking in ability, I would really like to use Him as a model for my research. The messenger before me is merely a second-best outcome," Ruan Mei explained. "Do you really think this is so far removed from the essence of life?"
"I don't know much about the nature of life," Ai Yue shrugged. "However, the Aeon of Propagation is indeed powerful in terms of reproduction, but reproduction is only one part of life. Without the growth process, I'm afraid these insects will hardly have a future."
"Growth is indeed a crucial part of life," Ruan Mei nodded in agreement. "For example, even ordinary beings have the opportunity to grow into star gods. The trajectory of life is truly full of infinite possibilities."
"The second half is correct, but becoming a Star God can hardly be considered growth, right?" Ai Yue stroked his chin. "This process, rather than growth, is more like resonating with something and thus gaining some kind of power... At least, this is not a path that can be replicated."
Although he hadn't had much contact with the Star Gods, Ai Yue vaguely sensed that the Star Gods and the Fate system were actually similar to the Honkai and the Herrscher.
Ordinary beings gain immense power for some reason, thus ascending to a higher dimension and wielding great authority, but losing their humanity. This process, while not exactly the same as the selection of Herrscher by the Honkai, is certainly very similar.
From this perspective, the universe might just be a larger version of our Solar System. Perhaps above the infinite sea of stars, there is a device similar to the Cocoon of Finality, enveloping the entire universe and causing this world to operate according to certain specific rules.
If there is any difference, it lies in the fact that the Honkai selects Herrscher with a clear purpose. Regardless of what kind of Herrscher they are or what powers they possess, their goal is to target the development of civilization. However, the Star Gods are not like that.
Or perhaps they actually share a common goal, one that Ai Yue hasn't yet discovered?
Recalling how every nook and cranny of the game seemed to subtly point to a future "war of gods," Ai Yue narrowed his eyes.
He vaguely remembered that the Amber Lord built the wall to defend against something, and the existence of the Aeon of Nihility also subtly hinted at some unknown disaster lurking beyond the observable universe.
"What's on your mind?"
Looking at Ai Yue, who seemed lost in thought, Ruan Mei finally couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing much, just some insights," Ai Yue casually changed the subject, while turning his gaze to the cultivation device. "Since you've already seen it, I'll dispose of it for you?"
"Please clean this up properly," Black Tower sighed. "This is a confined compartment. I don't want to have to deal with all sorts of dismembered limbs and disgusting slime myself... not even a puppet!"
"Don't worry," Ai Yue flicked his finger and walked outside, "I guarantee not even a scumbag will be left behind."
With a flick of his finger, a thin white ray of light pierced straight through the entire cultivation device. Almost the instant the light touched the device, the Star Shattering King Worm inside began to disintegrate silently, until it finally turned into complete nothingness, without even a single struggle.
A copy of the messenger vanished in the blink of an eye, and just as Ai Yue had assured him, not even the slightest trace remained.
"Uh, sorry, I didn't expect him to be so thorough," Heita said somewhat awkwardly, glancing at Nguyen Mai beside him. "You must have collected samples beforehand, right?"
"At least the data has been saved and uploaded," Nguyen Mai replied, her tone slightly ambiguous. "As for the samples... they shouldn't be needed anymore."