Honkai Impact 3rd: Starting with Handcrafted Black Tech to Save the Pre-Civilization - Chapter 41

Sakura had wanted to leave with Ai Yue, but in the end, she still could not bear to part with her sister. Thinking that she had no idea when they would meet again after this separation, she obediently nodded. "Thank you, Ai Yue."

Ai Yue waved his hand. "Then I'll have to trouble you with explaining things to the children."

After saying that, he walked outside, leaving Sakura standing there with a somewhat dazed expression.

You want me to explain things to the children?

"Doctor Ai Yue, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

As soon as she boarded the plane, Hua asked impatiently, "Did something happen at headquarters?"

Hua had assumed that there was some urgent mission for them, but when she noticed that Sakura had not left with them, she realized that the situation probably was not especially urgent.

"Nothing much. An experiment just produced a result." Ai Yue gave a brief explanation, then suddenly asked, "Hua, what do you think the essence of 'Honkai Energy' is?"

"Um... a kind of energy?" Hua was stunned for a moment before answering, then immediately realized that she had said something pointless. "Sorry, I don't know much about this."

"It's fine. That's also the most common opinion." Ai Yue did not mind and continued, "Honkai Energy is indeed a kind of energy, but it is more than just energy. Think about it. Why do Honkai Beasts emerge from erupting Honkai Energy? And why are humans corrupted by Honkai Energy and turned into monsters instead of simply dying?"

"Could it be because some special information is hidden within Honkai Energy?"

"Hidden... information?" Hua repeated Ai Yue's last words and seemed to vaguely understand. "Doctor Ai Yue, what does that have to do with information? Could it be that if we decipher the information within Honkai Energy, we could understand where this disaster came from?"

"Who knows? It's only a guess of mine. Even if Honkai Energy really does contain information, our current abilities are still nowhere near sufficient to decipher and interpret it." Ai Yue shook his head, then smiled faintly. "However, even if we can't interpret it, we can at least try the most basic process of filtering it out."

"If we can separate the energy from that strange corrosive property, perhaps we can obtain a purer energy source."

Chapter Seventeen: The Most Information-Packed Episode Yet

What exactly was Honkai Energy?

This question involved many complicated theories. Although Ai Yue could find plenty of clues in the original plot, his climb up the system's technology tree had not yet reached this mysterious field, so he could not give a definite answer.

According to the original setting, Honkai Energy was identified as "Imaginary Energy," a concept that could be simply understood as "energy from Imaginary Space."

If one reasoned according to this setting, then whether it was the Honkai eruptions that occurred in this world or the "Herrschers" who suddenly transformed from humans and wielded powerful authorities, they were all some kind of natural law indispensable to the development of civilization in this world.

But this conflicted with another setting Ai Yue knew: the "Cocoon of Finality."

The "Cocoon of Finality," located somewhere on the moon, was the existence that gave birth to all Herrschers. Yet the "Cocoon of Finality" itself had been created by an incomparably powerful civilization. Its purpose was to let other civilizations continuously develop and grow through the mechanism of the "Cocoon of Finality," repeating the cycle again and again until they matured into civilizations capable of transcending the "Cocoon of Finality."

Conflicting settings might exist in a game, but they would not exist in reality. How these two settings would manifest in the real world was also something Ai Yue planned to investigate.

However, since there were no relevant materials that could allow him to get straight to the answer, Ai Yue could only start with the fundamentals.

The "Project Purifier" was one such project. It used the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder to attempt to further dissociate Honkai Energy, separating purer energy from the other substances within it. This was a project Ai Yue had designed himself outside the system.

However, because the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder was difficult to control, and because dissociating Honkai Energy was extremely difficult, nearly every experiment ended in an explosion.

That was why Ai Yue had arranged the testing site in Vill-V's Spiral Workshop.

"You—don't use someone else's workshop for such dangerous experiments!"

That was Vill-V's protest after learning about Ai Yue's experiment. However, after Ai Yue doubled her research budget, she voluntarily raised Ai Yue's authority in the Spiral Workshop above her own.

Of course, this research budget was still generously provided by various plutocratic families around the world.

Vill-V was still building a new laboratory for Ai Yue. In reality, the entire Spiral Workshop had already fallen under Ai Yue's control. But this did not make him happy, because what he wanted most was not here.

Vill-V had moved her treasured vault away long ago.

"What a stingy woman." Thinking of this, Ai Yue could not help muttering. Fortunately, he did not care about it as much anymore, so he finally focused his attention on the experiment. "Rose, are the results ready?"

After repeated failures and explosions, Ai Yue finally gave up on brute force. Instead, he handed all the experimental data to Prometheus and provided several plans for her to simulate and deduce. They would only conduct the actual experiment once the success rate reached an acceptable level.

After twenty-four hours of repeated simulations, Prometheus finally gave her answer.

"A 90.13% success rate?" Seeing the plan Prometheus had submitted, Ai Yue could not help frowning. "I said anything above ninety percent was worth trying, and you really just barely cleared the line?"

"Please don't make things difficult for me, Doctor Ai Yue." Prometheus's voice seemed to carry a hint of helplessness. "I am only an artificial intelligence in its infancy, born less than a hundred days ago. If you keep pushing me, I'll crash."

Prometheus had her own difficulties. Scientific innovation was not her area of expertise. If Ai Yue had not marked the variables in several plans in advance, allowing her to repeatedly adjust and test them, she probably would not have been able to produce a result with a success rate above ninety percent even now.

"That's true. My fault this time." Ai Yue shook his head as well, then decided to do it himself. "Wake up all the machines. It's time to get to work."

He then took out a crystal that had been carefully protected.

"Herrscher Core: Herrscher of Thunder."

If there was any method that could allow humans to use a Herrscher's authority to the greatest extent, it was naturally direct use of a Herrscher Core. After all, none of the technologies Ai Yue had developed using simulated Herrscher authorities were powerful enough to dissociate Honkai Energy.

Of course, ordinary people directly touching a Herrscher Core was no different from seeking death. Even Ai Yue had to prepare certain protective measures.

Thus, he made a mechanical gauntlet specifically for controlling a Herrscher Core. He embedded the Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Thunder into the groove in its palm, allowing the design inside the gauntlet to control the core's output and prevent accidents.

Incidentally, the gauntlet was called the "Limited Gauntlet."

Under Prometheus's control, the equipment used for the experiment was gradually moved in front of Ai Yue. It was a metal platform roughly two square meters in size. A crystal emitting a faint purple glow was placed at its center, while pillars at the four corners supported a trumpet-shaped device above the crystal. It looked extremely crude.

In fact, it was. The only advanced technology in the device was the trumpet-shaped energy absorption apparatus at the top. Apart from the most basic low-temperature equipment, there was little else. This brought the workbench's cost down to a minimum. Even blowing it up a hundred times would cost less than Vill-V's daily research expenses.

But the experiment was still very expensive because most of the cost was concentrated in that purple crystal.

It was a special crystal that could only be collected during a Great Honkai eruption, formed entirely from aggregated Honkai Energy. It was, in a sense, a natural energy source. As long as it was placed inside a suitable energy-extraction device, it could directly power various machines.

It could do more than provide energy. In an emergency, it could also be detonated directly as a bomb through simple and crude methods. It would not only cause physical destruction but also rapidly spread Honkai Energy, affecting both human bodies and electronic equipment. For that reason, it was also extremely valuable in war.

Moreover, the energy density of a Honkai Energy Crystal was astonishing. A piece only the size of a little finger could provide the Spiral Workshop with enough power for a month. If Ai Yue could not exploit the powerful and extract gold coins from their pockets for his own use, he would certainly have no way to conduct research on Honkai Energy Crystals so recklessly.

Of course, Ai Yue had already submitted research on the artificial synthesis of Honkai energy crystals to the system. It should produce results soon.

"Be careful, Doctor Ai Yue." Seeing the Herrscher Core on Ai Yue's gauntlet begin to glow, Prometheus reminded him, "A 9.87% failure rate is not low. Moreover, unauthorized operation will increase the experimental risk."

"You'd reduce the risk just by staying quiet." Ai Yue injected a dose of "Aponia's Embrace" to ensure he could sustain the heavy mental load, then slowly moved his palm closer. "It's fine. Watch me make up for the missing success rate with skill—"

The next second, the Honkai Energy began emitting intense light. It was a sign that its stable state had been disrupted and the energy was about to erupt.

Ai Yue immediately pulled his hand far away and only breathed a sigh of relief after the Honkai Energy Crystal returned to a stable state.

Prometheus quietly added, "The success rate is now below ninety percent."

"Shut up, Rose. Now we're getting serious." Ai Yue rolled his wrist again. "You're not allowed to speak!"

"Voice system disabled."

Ai Yue composed himself and once again moved the hand wearing the Limited Gauntlet toward the Honkai Energy Crystal.

He had set the output a little too high earlier. After lowering it again, there should be no problem.

Ai Yue had actually tried dissociating Honkai Energy long ago. However, even if he succeeded in dissociating low-concentration Honkai Energy, it would quickly disperse into the air, making it impossible to collect the energy. That was why he had ultimately chosen a crystal formed from highly concentrated Honkai Energy for the experiment.

But highly concentrated Honkai Energy was extremely unstable. Even though it was currently in an aggregated crystalline state, once it received enough stimulation, it would explode and scatter directly. Forget dissociating it—if Ai Yue ran too slowly, he would be injured.

If Ai Yue could control two Herrscher Cores at once, he could also try using the Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Ice to stabilize the Honkai Energy Crystal. Unfortunately, he could not do that, so he could only use existing technology as a substitute. It was not ideal, but it could have some effect.

Fortunately, this attempt succeeded. The radiation released by the Honkai Energy Crystal gradually increased within controllable limits, proving that Ai Yue's operation had indeed worked. Under Prometheus's control, the Limited Gauntlet also continuously adjusted the energy output and circulation according to the current situation, ensuring that the entire process remained within the parameters established at the beginning.

Surrounded by faint crackling arcs of electricity, the Honkai Energy Crystal gradually began to shrink. The entire process was nearly invisible to the naked eye, but the glasses on Ai Yue's face analyzed every frame in real time, ensuring that he could monitor every detail.

At this rate, the Honkai Energy Crystal would be completely dissociated in only five minutes. But Ai Yue did not dare relax in the slightest.

That was because the energy density of a Honkai Energy Crystal was not consistent throughout. The energy density of its inner core was noticeably higher than that of the outer layer. If he failed to adjust the Herrscher Core's output in time, or made an error while adjusting it, something could easily go wrong.

Several previous failures midway through the process had been caused by exactly this problem, leaving him with nothing. Thus, Ai Yue focused all his attention on the Honkai Energy Crystal, unwilling to let the same thing happen again.

However, what was meant to come would always come. When the Honkai Energy Crystal had shrunk to less than the size of a fingernail, the brightness of its light suddenly began to soar. In the blink of an eye, it reached the brink of explosion.

Only then did Ai Yue realize that the energy density of the Honkai Energy Crystal was not merely higher inside than outside. There was also a situation in which the energy density outside was higher than inside!

Prometheus still did not speak, but the Limited Gauntlet's output had already begun to decrease. The entire gauntlet also started transforming automatically, wrapping around Ai Yue's entire hand and the Herrscher Core to protect him from the coming explosion. At the same time, a scarlet warning box appeared on Ai Yue's lenses, ordering him to retreat immediately or face danger.

But this was the closest he had ever come to success. How could he give up now?

"Cancel the protective measures. Increase the output!"

Ai Yue issued the command instantly, overriding Prometheus's independent judgment and taking control of the gauntlet again. At the same time, he made a bold move.

He no longer relied on the faint arcs of electricity emitted by the Herrscher Core to dissociate the Honkai Energy Crystal. Instead, he gripped it directly in his palm!

The remaining energy was no longer important. But whatever remained after the Honkai Energy was stripped away, he had to preserve it!

The next second, violent energy erupted outward from his fist. Dense lightning shattered the entire gauntlet into fragments, and Ai Yue's clothes were torn into rags, exposing the protective suit he wore underneath.

"Doctor Ai Yue, you really are insane." Prometheus only reopened the microphone after the energy fluctuations had completely subsided. "Do you really not understand how dangerous that was?"

"It turned out fine. I'm still alive, aren't I?" Ai Yue shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "The result was good, so what does it matter?"

"Setting aside the only Third Herrscher Core in the world, Doctor Ai Yue, your own value is immeasurable. I do not recommend that you recklessly risk your life in an unimportant experiment." Prometheus's tone remained as calm as ever, but soybean-sized angry emoticons kept popping up above her head. "It seems I need to update the authorization system independently to prevent myself from becoming an accomplice to your dangerous operations."

"Fine, fine. I won't do it again." Ai Yue dismissed Prometheus perfunctorily. "Besides, this is not some unimportant experiment."

Only after the numbness in his palm finally faded did Ai Yue regain control of it. He spread his hand open, revealing a charred, senseless palm, along with two crystals, one large and one small.

The larger one was naturally the unharmed Herrscher Core of the Herrscher of Thunder. The smaller one was only the size of a grain of rice. If Ai Yue's fingers had not been tightly closed, it would nearly have slipped through the gaps.

Looking at the material information provided by the system, Ai Yue rarely wore such a serious expression.

"Will Fragment of ??? (Special): Usable Value 100%."

"Using this material can unlock one special research project."

"Notice: Special research projects must consume materials in order to advance research progress."

Chapter Eighteen: System, Does Your Gacha Have a Pity System?

An unidentified Will Fragment.

A "Special" material independent of the material-rank system.

And a special research project that could only be unlocked with special materials.

Ai Yue had never expected that before he even touched the true target product of this experiment, its by-product would give him such a huge surprise.

But the surprise was immediately followed by a serious question—who exactly did this Will Fragment come from? Could even the system not identify the other party's true identity?

Ai Yue was the first to reject that possibility. The system's limits were clearly far beyond this. It recorded all kinds of bizarre technological projects that could cross multiple universes and grow without limit. Ai Yue did not believe that Honkai could be so special as to surpass the system's limits.

If there was nothing wrong with the system, then the problem lay with him.

Ai Yue removed his glasses and rubbed his brow, looking somewhat tired and helpless.

That was indeed possible. After all, whether it was the unknown civilization that created the Cocoon of Finality or the mysterious source from which Honkai might have originated, they were all existences beyond Ai Yue's understanding. Even within the system, many projects were displayed to him as "???". Perhaps they represented things he was incapable of understanding.

But he only could not understand them for now. One day, he would light up every star in the galaxy.

As for what special materials and special research projects actually meant...

Ai Yue first put the Herrscher Core away, then clenched his fist and sent the special material into the system.

The next second, a never-before-seen interface unfolded in front of him.

If the technology tree previously displayed by the system was as magnificent and dazzling as a galaxy, then what now appeared before Ai Yue looked more like the universe in its most primordial state: cold, silent, and empty.

It could hardly be described as a technology tree, because Ai Yue could not see any route that could be climbed along a certain path.

He could not even see anything on it.

What does this mean? It gives me a chance to choose, then doesn't give me any options?

The moment this thought appeared in Ai Yue's mind, the scene before him suddenly changed.

The entire image seemed to shrink, finally revealing itself in full before Ai Yue.

It was a black hole. What Ai Yue had seen just now had only been the deep "opening" at its very center. Dark-red light like a halo swirled around the black hole, making it look like an eye.

After the black hole had been fully revealed, a point of light gradually lit up within its central opening, eventually filling the entire interface in front of Ai Yue.

"Special research project unlocked."

Accompanied by the system's notification, Ai Yue finally saw the contents of the interface clearly.

"Data Transcription Technology for Genetic Information."

What was this?

Ai Yue narrowed his eyes, confusion showing on his face. This was the first time he had seen such an outrageous project title.

Data transcription of genetic information?

The term "transcription" did indeed exist. In biology, it generally described the process by which genetic information flowed from DNA to RNA. But what was data transcription?

Did turning genetic information into some kind of data mean that humans could be converted into data? Or did it mean something else?

Ai Yue's curiosity immediately surged. However, this project was completely different from the research projects previously unlocked with designated materials. It had no research progress at all and needed to be advanced bit by bit from scratch. At present, he could not see any useful information whatsoever.