Honkai Impact 3rd, Saving the Pre-Civilization Starting with Hand-Crafted Black Tech

But Hua didn't know that after Kevin became a Fused Warrior, all his training was focused on increasing his strength. After all, fighting Honkai Beasts didn't require much skill; he just needed brute force. Therefore, his lack of technique was indeed a minor weakness.

Of course, after Sakura's assassination attempt on Dr. Mei, Kevin started to take this seriously. So, the victor in their combat technique showdown would only be determined after they fought.

"Speaking of which, did Dr. Ai Yue make this armor?" Cosmo, unaware that his words were taken as polite pleasantries by Hua, shifted his attention back to the armor. "Does it have a name?"

"It's called Primordial," Ai Yue said with a smile. "How does it feel fighting it?"

"It's hard, really hard," Cosmo said, looking down at his claws. "My abilities don't seem to have any effect on it. Is this a new special alloy?"

Cosmo's abilities were somewhat "insidious" compared to others. Each of his attacks would leave difficult-to-remove energy on the enemy, causing continuous corrosive damage. This damage seemed negligible at first but could stack up. There was almost no upper limit, and it could even be detonated all at once by Cosmo once a certain level was reached, causing immense damage.

Furthermore, due to Vishnu's characteristics, Cosmo possessed extremely strong sustained combat capabilities on battlefields filled with Honkai Beasts. Relying on his powerful durability and peculiar abilities, even the strongest enemies could be fought by Cosmo, and he could even wear them down to death.

However, such abilities could barely leave any substantial marks on the Primordial armor. Cosmo had noticed before that even though his attacks hit Hua, the marks left by his claws were quickly erased, as if the armor had self-repair capabilities.

This was why Cosmo was dragged into a protracted battle by Hua and eventually went berserk due to a lack of Honkai Beast factor replenishment.

"Yes, its Honkai Energy resistance is very high, so it can resist your abilities," Ai Yue didn't explain much, knowing Cosmo's lack of understanding in this area. "This material will soon be used in new equipment, so look forward to it."

"That's great! By the way, will this armor be mass-produced?" Cosmo's gaze finally settled on Hua. "Will we be able to have it too?"

If Hua could unleash such powerful combat strength while wearing this armor, wouldn't Fused Warriors be even stronger?

Moreover, if this armor could be widely implemented for ordinary people, perhaps the Fusion Warrior Project wouldn't be needed anymore.

Cosmo knew how dangerous the Fusion Warrior Project was. Even though Vishnu's fusion danger level was the lowest among all Fused Warriors, he was the only one who survived among the same batch of experimental subjects. A project that required sacrificing countless people to achieve one person could not compare to the armor project.

Besides, it was just too cool; he really wanted it...

Feeling uncomfortable under Cosmo's intense gaze, Hua subtly took half a step back and hid behind Ai Yue.

"Unfortunately, the current manufacturing cost of this armor is too high, making mass production difficult." Recalling the expenses incurred in creating the Primordial armor, even Ai Yue couldn't help but shake his head. "Of course, Fused Warriors will definitely be qualified to equip it. I will design them differently according to each person's situation, which will naturally take more time."

"I understand," Cosmo's gaze remained fixed on the armor Hua was wearing. "Speaking of which, how is this armor worn? I don't see any interfaces. Are they all hidden? Would it be troublesome to put on and take off?"

Ordinary armor was designed with convenience devices for easy equipping and removal. Although it affected aesthetics, it at least wouldn't waste time on putting it on and taking it off. However, Cosmo couldn't find any such traces in the design of the Primordial armor.

As if reminded by Cosmo's words, Hua immediately said, "Primordial, disengage."

She knew Cosmo was just observing the armor. If she took it off, perhaps he wouldn't stare at her anymore.

"Command confirmed, armor integration disengaged."

Then, Cosmo watched with wide eyes as the Primordial armor emitted a golden light and was then "sucked" into several special devices like flowing mercury, revealing Hua's true form.

This, this...

"Well, I'm going to change," Hua said softly, then turned and ran towards the changing room.

Cosmo, however, couldn't bother with her anymore. The young man struggled to stand up and rushed to Ai Yue, grabbing his hands. "Dr. Ai Yue, how do we need to cooperate for you to design the armor?!"

"See, impatient again," Ai Yue pushed his glasses up with one hand, covering his curved lips. "These things take time, and there are many experiments to be done..."

"I'll cooperate! I'll cooperate with anything!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: Suddenly Entering the Realm of Metaphysics

"I suddenly understand you a little, Mobius."

Inside the First Research Institute, Ai Yue was analyzing Cosmo's genetic data using Mobius's experimental equipment while speaking to Mobius in the corner.

"What do you mean?" Mobius, who had been watching him, quickly averted her gaze, pretending to have just reacted. "By the way, why is that guy Cosmo so enthusiastic about you? You didn't do anything to him, did you?"

Just now, Mobius had personally seen Cosmo walk into the First Research Institute with Ai Yue and undergo a complete examination that lasted two hours. He even left behind 1200cc of blood when he left. If Ai Yue hadn't strongly dissuaded him, he would have drawn another 1200cc.

Mobius had never seen anything like it. Cosmo, a man of few words and little expression, had never gone within 500 meters of the First Research Institute since undergoing the Fused Warrior surgery. He was arguably the most difficult to fool... I mean, to cooperate with research among the Fused Warriors.

Yet, in front of Ai Yue, Cosmo was as cooperative as if he were hypnotized. He did whatever Ai Yue said, and his expression cycled through "I'm so happy—no, I have to hold it in—can't hold it in, I'm so happy." If it weren't for the fact that he could tell from Cosmo's various details that he was clear-headed, Mobius would have suspected Ai Yue had brainwashed him.

No, even brainwashing couldn't achieve this level, right? Mobius even felt that if Ai Yue had said, "Next, we're going to take out your kidney for research," Cosmo would have willingly laid down on the operating table, bared his chest for Ai Yue to cut, and said something like, "Is one enough?"

This wasn't Mobius's overactive imagination. It was mainly because Cosmo had actually said something similar, "Is this little bit of blood enough? Should I draw a barrel more?" which had deeply shocked Mobius.

"While I can't say I did nothing, it's definitely not what you're thinking," Ai Yue shook his head. "I mean, by appealing to his interests, you can make him take the bait and cooperate with research. It does give a certain dark sense of satisfaction."

"Right? You finally understand," Mobius said with a look of agreement, then reacted. "Wait, what do you mean by 'dark sense of satisfaction'? Are you insulting me?"

Ai Yue grinned at her, saying nothing.

"Why are you so passive-aggressive!" Mobius slid over on her office chair, kicking the floor with her feet to nudge his calf. "And what exactly did you do to Cosmo?"

"Stop messing around, I'm doing important work." Ai Yue didn't look back, reaching out to push Mobius and her chair far away. "I just showed Cosmo the new equipment. He wanted it, so naturally, he had to cooperate."

"So what new equipment did you make?" Mobius frowned. "Weren't you busy with the Honkai Sickness serum recently? Are you secretly competing with me again?"

"Aren't you competing?" Ai Yue turned and gave her a look. "Do I need to remind you that the First Research Institute's computer system is now managed by Rose? I know better than you how much electricity your institute uses every day."

"This is no fun..." Mobius pouted, then quietly leaned closer. "So what are you researching? I can help with the Fused Warrior stuff."

"It's nothing much, mainly just checking if there are any changes in Cosmo's genetic information after he went berserk," Ai Yue said casually. "Currently, it seems there's no difference. It appears the balance within him isn't easily broken."

Ai Yue had expected that berserk, as a precursor to severe hyper-evolution, would leave some traces of mutation in Cosmo's genes. However, the equipment analysis revealed no abnormalities, as if going berserk wasn't enough to make Cosmo cross that line.

This meant that the mutation of Honkai Beast genes wasn't the key point for severe hyper-evolution?

"Cosmo went berserk? Did he hurt you?" Hearing this, Mobius immediately leaned closer, reaching out to pull at Ai Yue's collar. "Let me see!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Ai Yue quickly held his clothes down, preventing her from having any ulterior motives. "Hua was the one fighting him."

Incidentally, Hua also didn't want to enter the First Research Institute, so she's currently waiting outside the gate.

"So, the new equipment you prepared for Hua defeated Cosmo, which is why he's cooperating so readily?" Mobius quickly pieced together the truth from Ai Yue's fragmented words, then leaned closer to the equipment. "This gene expression is very stable. It seems the berserk period was quite short."

It could only be said that Mobius was indeed an expert in this field. While she couldn't compare to a cheat like Ai Yue, she was still a top scholar in genetics.

"I assume you've already researched this, so I'll get straight to the point," Ai Yue looked at Mobius. "Regarding 'Overweight Hypermutation,' do you have any conclusions?"

"I knew you'd ask this," Mobius flashed a triumphant smile and manipulated the computer to bring up a document. "Overweight Hypermutation currently only exists in theory. Due to the lack of real cases to support the arguments, further research is impossible. Do you think Cosmo can be one?"

Mobius had no intention of hiding her capabilities from Ai Yue. The moment he mentioned Overweight Hypermutation, she knew she had to lay everything bare. She understood clearly that if she couldn't demonstrate her abilities and usefulness in this area, he would simply brush her aside and do it himself. Within days, he would present results with a success rate of over ninety percent, rendering her own research obsolete.

Given that, it was better to be upfront from the beginning. Perhaps she could even get Ai Yue to cede leadership of the project to her.

After all, he generally wasn't interested in projects that weren't particularly challenging.

"These cases are all individuals who failed directly during the Fused Warrior surgery," Ai Yue flipped through the document. "So, what do you believe is the key factor causing Overweight Hypermutation?"

"Emotions, willpower, or perhaps mental state," Mobius snatched the computer's control back from Ai Yue and dragged the file to the end. "Compared to all current successful cases, the berserk mutations in failed cases mostly occurred when the surgeon's emotions were chaotic, their willpower collapsed, or their mind was scattered. To describe it in a less rigorous way—"

"The soul is the key determinant for the success of Fused Warrior surgery."

Chapter 24: The Ultimate Answer to the Universe is Love

Whether the soul truly exists is a highly debated topic in any world.

Ai Yue certainly believed the soul existed. After all, if it didn't, his own transmigration would be inexplicable. However, how to concretize this abstract concept and apply it to scientific research was not something that could be solved with a simple "belief."

Here, "belief" changed nothing.

"I don't believe in miracles... Alright, I didn't before," Mobius continued, but then glanced at Ai Yue and changed her wording. "Before you intervened, the success rate of Fused Warrior surgery was practically zero. But even so, we've had so many successful cases. Are we to attribute all of them to miracles?"

"I believe there must be a crucial factor at play that cannot be quantified," Mobius continued as Ai Yue remained silent. "Aponia's appearance filled the last blank in this theory, allowing me to reach this conclusion: regardless of whether the soul truly exists, the strength of mental power does indeed affect the outcome of the surgery."

"Is there a specific quantifiable unit for mental power now?" Ai Yue asked.

"The specific standards are still in the drafting stage, and someone needs to develop the relevant mental power detection instruments," Mobius looked at Ai Yue. "But the strongest equipment development personnel in our Moth to Fire are busy working for you, so they have no time to attend to my needs."

"Then you'll have to wait a bit longer," Ai Yue patted her shoulder. "If not, I'll get you a temporary one to use later."

"You said it! Starting tomorrow, I'll call you three times a day to urge you," Mobius immediately showed a satisfied smile. "Alright, let's get back to business. Regarding the theory I mentioned, there's another piece of data to prove it."

She opened another file, and soon, countless dense film strips filled the screen, all displaying different brain scan results, each unique.

"The normal ones at the top are the brain scan results of several Fused Warriors, including myself," Mobius's finger slid along the top results. "The ones below are arranged in order of increasing severity of mutation from the failed cases."

Mobius had thoughtfully noted the outcomes of the failed cases on the edges of the film strips, ranging from "direct death" to "still possessing basic human structure," and finally to "complete mutation into a beast." One could see a normal brain gradually shrinking, twisting, and finally undergoing bizarre mutations, becoming unrecognizable as a human brain. Even an ordinary person with no scientific knowledge would feel a sense of dread seeing this series of changes.

"The degree of brain erosion is positively correlated with the degree of mutation," Ai Yue nodded. "This is within my expectations, but how can we prove the causal relationship between them?"

According to Mobius's explanation, brain mutation and physical mutation were clearly a cause-and-effect relationship, with the degree of brain mutation determining the degree of physical mutation. However, such a causal relationship could also be reversed: the degree of physical mutation determined the degree of brain mutation.

Clearly, these film strips alone could not prove the role of mental power, or the soul, in this process.

"Yes, it's precisely because we cannot prove whether mental collapse caused the complete physical mutation or whether excessive physical mutation led to complete mental collapse solely from the failed cases that we need an actual case," Mobius said. "If there exists an entity that can maintain its sanity after entering the state of Overweight Hypermutation, then my theory will be truly established."

"Cosmo is indeed the best candidate. Vishnu's genes have growth potential, and it is controllable to a certain extent," Ai Yue nodded. "However, there are still many uncontrollable difficulties to overcome with Overweight Hypermutation, so you should stop thinking about Cosmo."

"I wasn't considering using him for experiments," Mobius chuckled. "Because he's not the best choice yet."

"You should be more careful," Ai Yue glanced at her, knowing exactly what Mobius was thinking. "You seem to have shrunk quite a bit these past few days; you're even wearing high heels now."

He glanced at Mobius's feet. She wouldn't have chosen to wear high heels in the laboratory before, but now, to maintain her height, she had to resort to these uncomfortable shoes.

"Oh, you noticed," Mobius feigned a sigh and finally stood up. "Don't worry, with more important research projects ahead, I won't conduct such experiments. If Overweight Hypermutation is irreversible, even if I can be reborn, I won't be able to eliminate its side effects. Until there's a sufficiently suitable test subject, I can't let my precious brain suffer any damage."

With that, she smiled and stood in front of Ai Yue, gesturing to the height difference between them. "With these on, I'm even a little taller than before. No wonder some people like wearing these."

"If you die a few more times, you'll have to wear stilts," Ai Yue said expressionlessly. "I've decided, when it's your birthday, I'll give you a pair of stilts as a birthday gift."

"You jerk, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Mobius rolled her eyes. "Can't you even give a compliment?"

"You still care about such things?" Ai Yue scoffed and turned to walk outside. "I've left Cosmo's blood with you. Remember to use it sparingly."

"Anyway, he's always available, so I can just find him again after I use it," Mobius didn't seem to care, and a thought flashed through her mind.

If she approached Cosmo in Ai Yue's name, could she really trick him onto the operating table?

"Don't you dare use my name to swindle people," Ai Yue knew what sneaky thoughts she was having just by looking at her expression. "If I find out, I'll send all your research funding to Vill-V!"

After saying this, Ai Yue left Mobius's laboratory.

However, what she had said continued to echo in Ai Yue's mind.

Mobius didn't know that what Ai Yue found most concerning in her words was not the soul or the spirit, but "emotions."

He vaguely recalled that in the original storyline, Cosmo had experienced the phenomenon of Overweight Hypermutation for the first time only after his extreme disappointment and anger towards Moth to Fire and Kevin, following Himeko's death.

And in the next generation, Otto also proposed a similar theory, believing that with sufficiently strong emotions, one could break free from the Herrscher's original restraints and wield the power of Honkai through their own will.

Coupled with the "will fragments" from an unknown entity hidden within Honkai Energy...

Could it be that emotions are truly the ultimate answer?

Chapter 25: Hand-crafting a Cheat is Basic Operation for a Scientist

Whether emotions are the ultimate answer to defeating Honkai is something Ai Yue, with his current knowledge, cannot yet prove.

But at least, analyzing various pieces of information, it can be confirmed that emotions, souls, willpower, and spirit—these intangible, unquantifiable yet undeniable factors—will be key elements influencing the future course of events.

Today's seemingly ordinary conversation gave Ai Yue a new idea.

From the original storyline, it's almost impossible for humanity to defeat the Herrscher of the End through their own strength by advancing their technology. Even with so many exceptionally talented individuals emerging in the Pre-Civilization, they still couldn't bridge the vast gap between humanity and the Herrscher of the End.

Even with the help of the Pre-Civilization, the current civilization, which started and developed beyond the Pre-Civilization of the same period, and which resolved two of the most troublesome Herrschers with almost no disasters due to special means, ultimately failed to solve the problem when facing the Herrscher of the End.

In Ai Yue's opinion, the current civilization's method was merely to indefinitely postpone the final problem through clever means. While this was a path for civilization's survival, it was definitely not what the unknown civilization that released the Cocoon of the End wanted.

So the question arises, what kind of answer was this unknown civilization seeking?

Could it be that by creating an endless cycle, stacking countless civilizations together to create a special existence akin to black tech?

Or perhaps, they sought something else?

Ai Yue thought for a moment and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Wait, what does it matter to me what these bastards want as an answer?"

Trying to guess someone else's thoughts is too much trouble.

So why not just flip the table?

"What the hell is this Cocoon of the End? I'll dig you out and stuff you into the Plasma Spark Tower as a battery!"

Thinking of the backing he had, Ai Yue was filled with ambition and returned to his laboratory. His expression was as resolute as if he could craft the Plasma Spark Tower tonight.

However, five minutes later, he collapsed onto his desk like a dead dog.

"Damn it, why is this 'Data Transcription Technology for Genetic Information' so difficult to handle?"

When he first saw that "special research projects require specific materials to advance their progress," Ai Yue didn't take it to heart. After all, if he wanted to, he could have over ninety percent of the Earth's materials delivered to his laboratory within a day. With the entire Earth behind him, could he not solve a mere special research project?

As it turned out, he couldn't.