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

"I'm too hyped up right now, how can I rest?" Ai Yue waved his hand, signaling Kevin to wait to the side. "Vill-V, release the Honkai Beasts!"

"You got it!" Vill-V, standing in the adjacent control room, waved to those below before activating the mechanism.

With the sound of cages opening, thirty Honkai Beasts surged into the arena and quickly locked onto Ai Yue's position.

Mobius took a step forward. If Ai Yue's new equipment didn't perform as he expected, then...

At that moment, Ai Yue put on his helmet. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. "Rose, load virtual Honkai Beast data. Target: 'Parvati'."

"Virtual Parvati, loading—"

As Prometheus's somewhat hollow voice echoed, the coil-like component on top of the helmet began to charge and quickly fired a beam forward.

However, this beam wasn't meant to harm the Honkai Beasts. Instead, it was projected onto the open ground in front of Ai Yue. The light's diffusion was very noticeable, covering a large area.

"Huh?" Kevin was the first to notice something was wrong. He looked around, a subtle expression on his face. "The Honkai Energy concentration is decreasing?"

"It's not decreasing, it's gathering." Mobius also sensed the flow of energy. She looked at the coil component on top of Ai Yue's helmet. "That device is using electromagnetic force to gather Honkai Energy? What does he want to do?"

"I don't know, but he mentioned Parvati just now." Kevin made a rare joke. "Ai Yue isn't trying to create a Honkai Beast, is he?"

The next second, both of them fell silent.

Because as the Honkai Energy continuously gathered, a faint purple figure gradually coalesced on the ground covered by the light.

A bulky form resembling a wild boar, prominent and sharp tusks, and horns curving forward from the sides of its head... This, wasn't this Parvati!

Even the Honkai Beasts that had been approaching Ai Yue felt a sense of threat. They stopped in their tracks, giving off an "uneasy" vibe, as if they didn't know whether to advance or retreat, stuck in place.

But soon, Kevin realized it wasn't similar to the Parvati he remembered. Because after this phantom finally solidified, a thick layer of ice armor condensed on Parvati's head, and at the tip of its nose, a sharp horn pointing straight to the sky materialized.

This appearance made the already ferocious Parvati even more monstrous, fully showcasing its identity as a weapon of war.

But a monstrous appearance alone wasn't enough. Whether this human-made Honkai Beast was just for show would depend on the actual combat.

"Very good, Parvati, attack!" Compared to the shock in Kevin and Mobius's hearts, Ai Yue was even more excited. He pointed forward, like some beast tamer. "Use 'Thousand Miles of Ice'!"

"Does this thing have its own consciousness?" Mobius's eyes widened instantly.

Creating a virtual Honkai Beast and creating a virtual Honkai Beast with self-awareness were two completely different concepts!

"No, Doctor Ai Yue is just having an episode," Prometheus explained in time. "After issuing the command, he still needs to control the virtual Parvati with his mind to use its abilities."

The next second, Parvati roared, and in its mouth, solidified purple ripples spread forward. Wherever the ripples went, countless sharp ice cones emerged from the ground, piercing diagonally upwards. In just one move, all the Honkai Beasts were impaled on the ice cones.

"Not bad," Mobius said, stroking her chin. "This effect doesn't seem to be its full power yet. On the battlefield, it should be quite useful. What do you think, Kevin?"

"Mm," Kevin nodded. "So this move is called 'Thousand Miles of Ice'?"

"...Are you having an episode too?"

The conversation between the two ended abruptly because Ai Yue had already turned around, his gaze fixed on Kevin.

Parvati behind him also turned around. Although Kevin couldn't see its eyes, he could feel that it had also locked onto him.

However, he didn't rush forward. Instead, he glanced at Mobius.

He certainly hadn't forgotten that two weeks ago, Mobius had absolutely forbidden him from retaliating.

"It's not like Ai Yue himself is fighting you anyway," Mobius shrugged. "Whatever you want."

Only then did Kevin step forward and condense an ice greatsword in his hand.

The battle between the virtual Parvati and Kevin was as simple and quick as the battle between the virtual Parvati and the Honkai Beasts. The virtual Parvati used "Thousand Miles of Ice," but Kevin, enduring countless ice cones, slashed out with his sword, directly shattering its head's ice armor. The virtual Parvati prepared to use "Thousand Miles of Ice" a second time, but Kevin, closing the distance, split it in two with a single sword strike, causing it to dissipate into countless particles in the air.

"Very good strength," Kevin said sincerely. "I actually thought the first strike would have been enough to finish it."

This was truly his honest opinion. Although Kevin hadn't used his full strength, the first strike was close to sixty percent of his power. With that blow, even an Emperor-class Honkai Beast would have been sent reeling. Yet, the virtual Parvati had only managed to shatter a layer of ice armor.

And if he wasn't mistaken, with a little more time, that layer of ice armor could have reformed.

"Good strength my ass. The virtual Parvati is ice-elemental, just like the Honkai Beasts, so it has extra resistance to ice damage. Even then, it couldn't withstand it," Ai Yue rolled his eyes. "You're really strong, just wait, next time I'll make something even stronger..."

His words weren't finished, because fatigue was rapidly creeping onto his face, eventually overcoming his will and causing Ai Yue to fall backward.

However, Ai Yue didn't fall face-first onto the ground because Mobius caught him in time.

"This guy, how long has he been awake?" Mobius said exasperatedly. "I should let you fall and wake yourself up."

Although she said that, Mobius didn't let go. Instead, she adjusted her grip on Ai Yue's body and lifted him up.

"It has been over 76 hours since Doctor Ai Yue's last sleep," Prometheus replied. "During a total research period of 346 hours, Doctor Ai Yue's total sleep time was 10 hours, 48 minutes, and 29.35 seconds."

"Only slept this much in two weeks?" Mobius couldn't help but frown. "Fine, I'll go back and give you a five-day anesthetic injection!"

She carried Ai Yue and was about to walk out, but then stopped and looked at Kevin. "Today's events require the highest level of secrecy. You understand who you should and shouldn't tell, right, Kevin?"

Kevin nodded. He naturally understood how earth-shattering this invention was. Before the technology was mature, the fewer people who knew, the better.

Seeing Kevin nod, Mobius continued towards the door, supporting Ai Yue's body again.

She hadn't noticed it before, but this guy had a pretty good physique.

Chapter Thirty-One: Inject Me Quickly!

Mobius didn't take Ai Yue back to his residence but instead brought him to the First Research Institute.

"Doctor Mobius?" Klein looked at Mobius carrying Ai Yue inside, his eyes widening in astonishment. "You've finally started forcing people to be volunteers, haven't you?"

"What are you talking about? When have I ever forced anyone?" Mobius glared at her, then shifted her body to expose Ai Yue's profile to Klein. "Klein, go find two hospital gowns."

"I understand." Klein didn't ask any further questions, just nodded, then turned and left.

After Klein was gone, Mobius looked behind her. "So, why did you follow me?"

Following behind her was none other than Vill-V.

"What kind of question is that? Didn't you say you were going to perform surgery?" Vill-V blinked, a confused expression on her face. "How long has it been? You can't have forgotten already, can you?"

"As you can see, I don't have time right now. Let's do it another day." Mobius stopped looking at her and carried Ai Yue towards her room. "Have a good day."

But Vill-V acted as if she hadn't heard anything, continuing to follow Mobius inside.

"You," Mobius frowned, noticing this. "What exactly do you mean?"

Vill-V smiled. "The same as you."

Mobius looked at the expression on Vill-V's face and couldn't help but sigh.

It seemed her plan had gone up in smoke.

When Ai Yue finally regained consciousness, he found himself securely fastened to the bed with restraints.

"What's going on?" Ai Yue recalled the scene before he passed out and was greatly alarmed. "Someone could abduct me right under Kevin's nose? Did the damn Herrscher of the End attack?"

"What Herrscher of the End?"

The voice beside him made Ai Yue instinctively turn his head. It was then that he saw Mobius and Vill-V sitting nearby, as if guarding him.

"You two did this?" Ai Yue immediately frowned. "What are you doing? Don't you want your funding anymore?"

"Don't look at me, I'm innocent!" Vill-V raised her hands in surrender. "Besides, I think you should be thanking me."

"Less nonsense." Mobius picked up a nearby syringe and walked towards Ai Yue. "Be good, take this shot and go back to sleep."

"Wait!" Ai Yue shouted. "I am the highest authority holder of Moth to Fire! If you give me this shot, your funding will be zero. Do you still want to do it?"

"Funding is something I can get from someone else." Mobius used one hand to pinch Ai Yue's face and pull it back and forth. "But you only sleep ten hours in fifteen days. If you continue like this, you'll die before you can spend all the funding in the world, understand?"

"If this continues, I'll really have to consider forcibly performing the Fused Warrior surgery on you. At least then you wouldn't die even if you stayed up for a month straight."

"Don't do that, I'm fine, really!" Ai Yue quickly explained. "Rose, explain!"

"First, what Doctor Ai Yue said is fifty percent true; he does use medication to maintain his health." Prometheus finally spoke unhurriedly. Whether it was an illusion or not, Ai Yue seemed to detect a hint of slyness in her words. "Second, I don't think Doctor Ai Yue should resist, because Miss Aponia will be here soon."

"Rose, you're backstabbing me!" Hearing Prometheus's words, Ai Yue's expression changed drastically. He then looked at Mobius. "Quick, give me the shot!"

Mobius blinked, not yet recovered from Ai Yue's sudden change in attitude. It was Vill-V, who had understood human nature since childhood, who instantly grasped everything. She walked over and pressed down on the syringe in Mobius's hand. "I have a feeling something fun is about to happen, don't you think?"

"Vill-V, you!"

But it was too late.

Just as Ai Yue was glaring at Vill-V, the door was pushed open from the outside. Aponia, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, walked in with a calm expression, her gaze fixed directly on Ai Yue.

Ai Yue could only offer her an awkward smile.

"You promised me before that you could take care of yourself." Aponia walked over, reaching out to unlock the restraints while speaking in a slightly low voice. "But it seems you didn't keep your word?"

Damn it, once Aponia starts using honorifics, things get troublesome.

"The situation was special this time." Ai Yue guiltily avoided her gaze. "It's a very difficult subject. If I don't seize the inspiration and finish it in one go, it will turn into a protracted battle."

Ai Yue wasn't lying. This technology for the materialization of virtual Honkai Beasts was something he had painstakingly developed with the System's assistance, using the knowledge he had acquired. It was a new technology created from scratch, without any existing technological tree to rely on.

This was different from the original virtual monster materialization technology. It combined the powers of the Third Herrscher and the Eighth Herrscher, thus discarding the cumbersome and complex power supply system. It directly drew energy from the battlefield, which could both prevent the high concentration of Honkai Energy from causing irreparable environmental erosion and weaken the combat power of Honkai Beasts, making it a multi-pronged approach.

Furthermore, by relying on the power of the Eighth Herrscher, even ordinary people with insufficient mental strength could "link" together to pool multiple people's mental strength at one point, thereby summoning virtual Honkai Beasts with combat capabilities.

If Ai Yue could solve the problem of the significant loss of mental energy during remote transmission, it would even allow people to remotely condense and control virtual Honkai Beasts for combat without having to reach the battlefield. This would enable more people to participate in the war against Honkai, greatly alleviating the crisis of random Honkai outbreaks that occurred all over the world.

"I'm not complaining about you, I don't have the right to." Aponia said with a hint of grievance, then glanced at the other two people. "I just… forget it. We'll talk about the rest when we get back."

Once Ai Yue was completely free, Aponia turned to face Mobius and Vill-V. She bowed slightly to them. "Well, I'll be taking Ai Yue now. Thank you for your care."

"Are those two acting a little strange?" After Aponia and Ai Yue left, Vill-V asked in a tone that clearly knew the answer. "Aponia's attitude, it's almost as if…"

"That's enough." Mobius interrupted her. The scholar with snake-like pupils had a calm expression, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. "Weren't you going to have surgery? I have time now."

"Wait, maybe I should reconsider?"

"Less nonsense, hurry up and go!"

Chapter Thirty-Two: Aponia Can Become the Future, I Forgot the Rest

It was already late at night by the time they left the First Research Institute.

"Time has flown by so fast today. I remember it was morning when I left, hahaha…" Ai Yue said, trying to make awkward conversation with the silent nun walking ahead of him. "By the way, Aponia, is everything going smoothly on your end?"

Because the school in Twilight Street was preparing to officially begin accepting orphans from other settlements, someone needed to lead the team for the acceptance work. Considering the need to pass through many dangerous areas and deal with children, Aponia was the most suitable candidate.

"It's going relatively smoothly, but compared to the number of children needing help, the school is still too small." Aponia sighed with a hint of melancholy, and her steps slowed down, allowing Ai Yue to walk alongside her. "Compared to those beasts that bring destruction, humans are too fragile."

"Countries have already increased their aid to disaster-stricken populations. In the future… no, soon, many shelters like Twilight Street will be put into use." Ai Yue comforted Aponia. "Of course, if we only focus on post-disaster relief measures, we'll never solve the real problem. That's why we need means that can truly turn the tide."

Although he didn't say it directly, Ai Yue's latter half of the sentence was undoubtedly a defense of his previous actions.

Aponia stopped walking and then tilted her head slightly, looking into Ai Yue's eyes.

Ai Yue averted his gaze after meeting her eyes for five seconds. "I was wrong."

Of everyone Ai Yue knew, Aponia was the one who gave him the most headaches.

This wasn't due to her peculiar abilities, but rather the attitude she displayed when facing him.

Ai Yue always had different ways of dealing with different people. For instance, with a genius scholar as proud and independent as Mobius, simply showcasing "talent" that could crush her was enough to earn her recognition, or even her followers. Even with an "anomaly" like Vill-V, whose thoughts were erratic and personality hard to fathom, all it took was to grasp her weakness (meaning funding) to make her obediently cooperate.

As for warriors like Kevin or Hua, they were actually the easiest to handle. As long as you were on the same side as them, they would trust you.

Only Aponia. She neither adopted a forceful stance nor attempted to use cunning tricks to achieve her goals. When facing Ai Yue, she would only convey her requests with a gentle, even pleading, look.

Yes, just like now.

Ai Yue was the type of person who yielded to softness, not hardness. If Aponia had forcefully stopped his actions, or tried to restrain him with her "Judgment," Ai Yue would have absolutely resisted her with all his might.

But once Aponia placed herself in a humble position, expressing her demands to Ai Yue like a believer praying to a deity, he found himself completely unable to refuse.

Of course, this was probably a common human weakness. After all, who could resist someone radiating maternal love, genuinely wishing for your safety and health?

"No, you did nothing wrong in this matter," Aponia said, shaking her head unexpectedly. "Of course, I want you to take good care of yourself, but if it's for the future of civilization, how can it be your fault?"

Aponia reached out and gently caressed Ai Yue's face, her thumb rubbing against the dark circles that had yet to fade. "This is clearly my fault, yet it's being projected onto you because of the chaotic emotions in my heart."

"If only I could have stayed by your side during this time." Seeing Ai Yue about to speak, Aponia placed her other hand over his lips. "I don't understand science at all, but at the very least, I could have used my abilities to alleviate your mental fatigue. Even if I couldn't share your burden, I could at least have soothed your spirit. Yet, I couldn't even do that."

Even though the other person was self-critiquing, Ai Yue's heart tightened, feeling as though something bad was about to happen.

As expected, the next second he heard Aponia change the subject.

"However, at least I still have a chance to make amends," Aponia withdrew her hands and gave Ai Yue a gentle smile. "For the next few days, I will take good care of you, ensuring you can recover from your previous exhaustion as quickly as possible and return to a healthy life."

I understand the logic, but why did you emphasize the words "take good care of you"? It sounds like "take harsh care of you."

"That won't be necessary, won't Twilight Street need you?" Ai Yue attempted a final struggle. "The children's matters are the most important, aren't they? Besides, after my project is finished, the remaining tasks will be easy, and I can definitely take care of myself!"