Honkai Impact 3rd: Starting to Save the Pre-Civilization with Hand-Crafted Black Tech

"Uh, guide it with mental power?" Su closed his eyes, furrowing his brow slightly. After a moment, he opened them again, a hint of confusion in his gaze. "How exactly do I do that?"

"That's true, it's a power you just acquired, so it's normal not to know how to use it." Ai Yue glanced at his phone. "Coincidentally, Desdrobia and the others just finished their mission and returned to headquarters. I'll call her over to give you a lesson."

"No need," Su suddenly said, slowly raising one of his arms. "I think... I know how to do it now?"

"Your comprehension isn't bad." Ai Yue was only slightly surprised before nodding. "As expected of you."

As someone known for his intelligence even in the original storyline, Su indeed displayed extraordinary comprehension. After a brief moment of confusion upon waking, he began to gradually grasp this power that didn't originally belong to him.

After a thirty-minute observation period, confirming that Su showed no abnormalities or adverse reactions, he had basically mastered his abilities and fully recovered from the anesthesia.

Unlike Desdrobia's telekinesis or Aponia's hypnosis, the ability Su possessed was "Mental Interference." It could disrupt others' minds, causing their senses to become confused and leading to hallucinations.

With sufficient skill, one could even create illusions so realistic they would make the victim believe they were living in a false world.

From this perspective, if Su could develop this ability to its extreme in the future, he might even have a chance to recreate the Eighth Herrscher's "Spiderweb Dreamscape." However, given his personality, he probably wouldn't be willing to pursue that direction.

But it didn't matter, he had already obtained this power anyway.

Ai Yue placed a small tube of Su's blood into his pocket, a look of harvest joy on his face.

Although he already possessed the gene information of the Herrscher of Consciousness and technically no longer needed the abilities of any mental-perception type Fused Warrior, the feeling of completing his collection was still captivating.

At the same time, Ai Yue also realized another significance of the Superpower Instrument to him.

If he could record the genetic information of all humanity within it, then even if he ultimately couldn't defeat the Herrscher of the End, the Superpower Instrument would serve as a fallback for civilization's reconstruction.

Of course, it would be best if such a fallback was never needed.

"So, what are we doing now?" After sending Su back to rest, Kevin followed Ai Yue to the training grounds. "I heard from Cosmo that you've been developing new equipment that Fused Warriors can use. Is it for this?"

"New equipment?" Mobius, who had also followed, looked at Ai Yue suspiciously. "Are you researching something else behind my back again?"

Cosmo, that guy, is too excited!

And Mobius, what's with that tone?

"No, that equipment still needs more time to be designed." Ai Yue shook his head, bypassing the topic. "I invited you two here today mainly to test another invention of mine."

Ai Yue turned around, facing Kevin directly. The Superpower Instrument on his wrist began to activate under the control of mental fluctuations. Soon, centered around him, the surrounding temperature began to drop sharply.

"This is..."

Kevin and Mobius's expressions changed instantly. Kevin's was one of astonishment, while Mobius's was anger.

"You finally did it to yourself?" Mobius stepped forward, wanting to observe Ai Yue up close, but the extremely low temperature made her frown. "But why are you using Parvati's genes?"

After becoming a Fused Warrior, she had begun to dislike low temperatures. Perhaps it was the "snake" side of her influencing her.

"No, I don't feel the aura of a 'kin'." Compared to Mobius, Kevin's intuition was sharper, but this also made him confused. "But this feeling... is it me?"

Yes, if Kevin closed his eyes and "observed" Ai Yue purely through his senses, he would feel like a weaker version of himself was standing before him.

"What an intuitive fellow. Fortunately, I don't dislike that." Ai Yue, who almost uttered a villainous line, smiled and decided to be direct. "That's right, this is equipment that can simulate your abilities, but for now, only I can use it."

"Are you going to test its strength?" Kevin extended his hand, and frost gradually condensed into a greatsword shape in his palm. "I'll be careful."

"Wait, no!" Just as the two reached an understanding, Mobius suddenly rushed out and blocked them. "Ai Yue, you absolutely cannot get hurt!"

Chapter 28: An Expert is Still Needed, Understands Instantly

Mobius's attitude was firm because she knew clearly that if humanity had any chance of defeating Honkai, Ai Yue absolutely could not be harmed.

She knew Kevin's strength well; in a head-on battle, even the Herrscher of Flame was no match for him. It could be said that unless an even more outrageous Herrscher appeared, Kevin was the most powerful being on this planet.

Fighting someone like him, even a sparring match, carried immense risk—potentially greater than facing the Eighth Herrscher.

After all, when facing the Eighth Herrscher, Ai Yue had Aponia, whose mental strength was not inferior to the Herrscher's, as a safeguard. But now, with only Mobius present, she wasn't confident she could protect Ai Yue.

Of course, Mobius wasn't trying to stop Ai Yue from testing new equipment. Her request was simple: Kevin was not allowed to retaliate.

Thus, Kevin could only reluctantly replace his greatsword with a shield to block Ai Yue's attacks.

Ai Yue didn't mind. After all, he just wanted to test how much power the Superpower Instrument's energy mimicry could unleash compared to his true body. Whether it was actual combat or a training dummy, it was all the same.

The final result could only be described as unsatisfactory. According to Kevin's evaluation, the current output limit of the energy mimicry was only about 40% of Kevin's full strength. Although this level of power was enough for Ai Yue to instantly wipe out a full company of soldiers, if he were to compare himself to Fused Warriors, even a scientist like Mobius might not be a match for him.

"What do you mean?" Hearing Kevin's evaluation, Mobius's eyes widened. "Are you looking down on me? What do you mean, 'even I can't be a match'?"

"I didn't mean to belittle you, Doctor Mobius." Kevin showed an embarrassed expression. "But it's true, you're not skilled in combat, are you?"

"Alright, let's not dwell on this." Ai Yue patted Mobius's shoulder. "It's just equipment; it'll be iterated and upgraded slowly."

As for the Superpower Instrument's performance, Ai Yue could only say it was within expectations. After all, energy mimicry was merely one application of the Superpower Instrument, so a lack of output was normal.

Moreover, Ai Yue had already vaguely sensed the root of the problem: the energy system.

If the energy supply efficiency was too low, it would lead to insufficient output from the energy mimicry. However, excessively high energy supply efficiency would cause the unit to heat up rapidly, eventually leading to overload. Therefore, the current efficiency was a necessary compromise.

It was a pity that the Herrscher of Ice died too suddenly, preventing her remains from being preserved in time. She also existed for too short a period, without any decent accompanying creatures. Now, only one Herrscher Core remained, and Vill-V had taken it to improve machine efficiency. She probably wouldn't return it anytime soon.

Ai Yue couldn't easily ask her for it, as she was currently working for him.

"What are you thinking about?" Mobius's voice interrupted Ai Yue's thoughts. "Kevin's already gone. Are you going to continue the experiment?"

"Forget it, it's meaningless for now. Let's go back." Ai Yue shook his head, looking at the devastated training room. "Someone will handle this place, right?"

Originally, Ai Yue had wanted to try mimicking Mobius's abilities with energy mimicry to see if he could gain regenerative capabilities like limb regrowth. However, this seemed difficult for now. It would be better to wait for the next iteration and upgrade.

"Put it down, it's just a simple modular replacement. The Logistics Department is used to it," Mobius shook her head. "The commotion Kevin and the others caused back then was much bigger."

Recalling the scene where Kevin's unrestrained attack had instantly turned the entire training room into rubble, Mobius still felt a lingering fear. This was also why she insisted Kevin not fight back.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but say, "Before you conduct similar experiments in the future, can you tell me first? You're really risking your life, casually using Fused Warriors for combat training!"

"Next time, I definitely will," Ai Yue said perfunctorily, waving his hand. He then walked towards the door. "I didn't expect you to worry so much about my safety. You were practically grinding your teeth at me when we first met."

"Back then, I was worried my funds would be taken by a useless pretty boy. Who knew a true dragon would appear," Mobius shook her head. "And now, even though human civilization has been destroyed, you must survive, Ai Yue."

"Why the sudden heavy declaration?" Ai Yue glanced at her, somewhat surprised. "You're really reluctant to see me go?"

"Yes. Although you're arrogant, strange, and always exploiting me, you are indeed the most likely person to lead humanity to victory against the Honkai." Perhaps because she had already let go, Mobius said with ease, "Even if we ultimately fail and the world is destroyed, you'll surely have the ability to rebuild everything from the ruins..."

"Alright, let's not talk about such heavy topics." Seeing her tendency to jinx things, Ai Yue quickly cut off the conversation. "Speaking of which, aren't you curious how I mastered Kevin's abilities?"

"If it's something you can talk about, you wouldn't be able to keep it in. If it's something you can't, you definitely wouldn't tell me," Mobius rolled her eyes. "Just like that new equipment Cosmo mentioned, right?"

"Ahem, that was just a prototype. Nothing worth mentioning," Ai Yue rubbed his nose, feeling a little guilty.

"Don't give me that. If you give something to others to use, you'll definitely keep something better for yourself," Mobius had a look of "How could I not know you?" but didn't pry further. "So, how did you do it? With this watch?"

"Heh heh," Ai Yue chuckled triumphantly. "Have you heard of 'Data Transcription Technology for Genetic Information'?"

With Mobius's earlier words, Ai Yue knew that the person in front of him would never betray him, because they were all on the same path.

Since that was the case, some things could be shared. They could brainstorm and see if others had any good ideas.

Besides, even Ai Yue himself hadn't fully understood the specific principles of this technology. He didn't have to worry about Mobius conducting research that exceeded expectations behind his back.

"Energy Mimicry? Did you misuse it?" After hearing Ai Yue's brief explanation, Mobius was still bewildered. However, as a top scholar in the field of genetics, she eventually found a blind spot. "After digitizing genetic information, shouldn't the most reasonable application be research towards data and electronic simulation?"

Electronic? Electronic...

Ai Yue suddenly froze. Just as Mobius reached out to grab his clothes, Ai Yue abruptly pulled her into a hug and spun her around twice. "Mobius, you're a damn genius!"

"Huh? What?"

By the time Mobius came to her senses, Ai Yue had already sprinted away and disappeared.

That's right, electronic! How could I not have thought of that?

Digitally transcribing genetic information, then redesigning and outputting it. He had seen this technology before.

The monster's electronic armor in "Ultraman X" was created this way!

Chapter 29: Ai Yue, I'm Not Human Anymore

Virtual Monster Technology.

The technology that converts a monster's genetic information from material form to digital form, allowing special equipment to reassemble it electronically into equipment or electronic monsters, thereby utilizing their abilities.

Perhaps it was the deep fascination with Energy Mimicry that caused Ai Yue's train of thought to rush directly towards the Superpower Instrument from the very beginning, making him forget the conventional approach after digitizing genetic information.

After digitizing genetic information, one could utilize the advantages of data in terms of re-editing and recoverability, constantly experimenting with virtual models to find the method that maximizes the potential of genetic information. Even if it couldn't be re-materialized, the data could be applied in various scenarios.

But theoretically, this was the case, yet practical operation was fraught with difficulties.

Although Ai Yue could use the Data Transcription Technology for Genetic Information to replace the biological information digitization technology in the original work, the subsequent data materialization was still a difficult hurdle for him. After all, this was unique to Ultraman X's abilities in the original work, and not something that could be easily replicated.

But this was at least a direction to explore, and compared to Energy Mimicry, its versatility was much broader.

Even if he couldn't manage data materialization in the end, creating an electronic solidified monster like Virtual Gomora would be good.

Compared to conventional weapons and equipment, electronic solidified monsters had the advantage of not needing to worry about repairs. This was because they were essentially electronic entities bound by a force field, condensed through the resonance of digitized biological information and human mental fluctuations. Even if they were heavily damaged and dissipated, as long as the relevant equipment was not destroyed, they could be re-manifested.

Such special weapons would be far more useful on the battlefield against Honkai Beasts than ordinary weapons and equipment.

Of course, the technical challenges that needed to be overcome far exceeded Ai Yue's expectations.

"Is this guy really okay?"

Outside Ai Yue's laboratory, Mobius paced back and forth, her brow furrowed, a deep sense of unease on her face.

Two weeks had passed since Ai Yue suddenly hugged her, spun her around, and rushed home. Yet, to this day, Ai Yue had not left this house, which made Mobius unable to help but feel curious.

With Ai Yue's capabilities, what kind of research project could keep him locked away for so long?

Mobius strongly suspected that Ai Yue would eventually come out holding something and say, "This is the Honkai Bracelet, and with it, I can defeat all Herrschers."

"Relax, what could go wrong with Ai Yue?" Vill-V also stood nearby, playing on her phone, and said casually, "Besides, didn't Rose say everything is normal? What's there to worry about?"

"Dr. Ai Yue's various physiological data are within healthy parameters, please rest assured," Prometheus's voice came from Vill-V's phone. "Of course, his mental state is not entirely normal, but considering the usual situation of scholars, I believe this is within an acceptable range."

"Were you just saying that we people are not normal?" Mobius narrowed her eyes at Vill-V, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait, weren't you working in Australia? Why are you back all of a sudden?"

She was just on her usual walk today and happened to pass by here, so she came to see if Ai Yue had come out. Running into Vill-V was pure coincidence.

"Of course, it's because I finished it," Vill-V looked up, a triumphant smile on her face. "Fifty days, a large research institute covering an area of 10,000 square meters, two floors above ground and three floors underground, with a separate ultra-large practical training room. How about that, impressive right?"

"It took much longer to build The Deepest Place, didn't it?" Mobius looked at her former colleague, with whom she had some friction, and no longer dwelled on those matters. "How much did Ai Yue pay you?"

"I can't tell you that, lest you get jealous," Vill-V's smile held a hint of teasing, then she turned serious. "Besides, it's not just about the money—Ai Yue helped me improve a lot of equipment, otherwise, the efficiency wouldn't have been so high."

"Just improved?" Mobius immediately saw through her lie. "I guess it was completely redesigned, wasn't it?"

"That was still based on my original equipment!" Vill-V's face clearly showed a bit of embarrassment, then she sighed. "Alright, there's nothing to be ashamed of. After all, Ai Yue is indeed a bit outrageous, and losing to him isn't shameful."

Unlike Mobius, although Vill-V's mindset was very similar to hers, she didn't possess the "pride" of a genius.

To Vill-V, she wasn't a genius, just a con artist. She'd packaged herself as an expert in mechanical engineering merely as a means to get into Moth to Fire.

It was precisely because of this that when Vill-V discovered Ai Yue was ridiculously inhuman, she easily accepted the fact.

However, Mobius still saw through something. "But you don't actually want to lose, do you? What does it feel like to meet someone you can't defeat, Vill-V?"

The smile on Vill-V's face gradually disappeared. "What are you trying to say, Mobius?"

"I just want to help you out." This time, it was Mobius's turn to smile. "A human body always has its limits. Machines are indeed useful, but they are ultimately just external tools. So, when you, as a human, feel you've reached your limit, why not try to... break through those shackles?"

"Become a Fused Warrior, right?" Vill-V wore a subtle expression. "Just like everyone says, you really don't let any opportunity slip by."

Mobius was about to say more, but Vill-V chuckled. "However, it is indeed a good suggestion. I admit I've taken the bait—when do we start?"

Just then, the long-sealed door was finally opened from the inside.

"Start what?" Ai Yue, unshaven, with dark circles under his eyes, messy hair, and emitting a strange odor, walked out of the house. He looked at the two people inexplicably standing at his doorstep with a confused expression. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just a chance encounter." Mobius exchanged a glance with Vill-V, and both tacitly decided not to mention what had just transpired. "Is that thing in your arms the product of your recent sleepless nights?"

In Ai Yue's arms was something resembling a helmet. It looked brand new, a stark contrast to Ai Yue's disheveled appearance.

"You found me out." Ai Yue couldn't hide his smile. "Come on, let's go to the Special Training Ground with Kevin and open your eyes."

Chapter 30: The Era of Honkai-mon is About to Begin

The Special Training Ground was a special facility used to simulate battlefield environments. Not only was the interior vast, but it also contained captured live Honkai Beasts and had a high concentration of Honkai Energy. It was only activated during large-scale combat exercises.

Of course, with Ai Yue's current clearance in Moth to Fire, no one would object even if he used it every day.

"What is it this time... Why did you make yourself look like this?" Kevin, who was on standby at headquarters, immediately came to the Special Training Ground after receiving the message. He was first shocked by Ai Yue's appearance. "Why don't you go rest for a bit?"

Honestly, it was the first time he'd seen Ai Yue looking this way. What had he researched? Could it be a weapon capable of instantly killing a Herrscher?