Honkai Impact 3rd: Saving the Pre-Civilization by Hand-Crafting Black Tech

"Yeah, the situation on Twilight Street is indeed very important," Aponia said with a slight smile. She then took out her phone and showed a chat log. "So, I asked Elysia to cover for me for a few days, and Eden reportedly agreed to help too, so it should be fine."

Elysia, you were involved too?!

Ai Yue was speechless, finally letting out a resigned sigh.

It was five days later when Mobius saw Ai Yue again.

"Did you... get fatter?" Mobius squinted as she examined Ai Yue, who had returned to his usual state and walked into the First Research Institute. She even reached out to pinch his cheeks. "We've only been apart for five days, have you been that indulgent with yourself?"

"If I said I was forced into it, would you believe me?" Ai Yue sighed, a look of painful remembrance on his face. "Aponia didn't treat me like a person at all. How can you treat an adult like a child! She even read me bedtime stories, you know? A few more days like this, and I feel like my mind will actually regress!"

Mobius immediately scoffed, "What are you bragging about?"

"I..." Ai Yue hesitated, then shook his head. "Never mind. I came to tell you that the experimental base in Australia is ready, so I'll be moving there next week. Therefore, in a couple of days, I'll need to..."

Ai Yue is moving away from the Moth to Fire headquarters?

Mobius blinked. Her brain, usually capable of immense calculations, was so overloaded by that statement that she didn't hear the rest of his words.

So, if I want to make a move later, it'll be hard to find an opportunity?

That won't do!

Mobius made up her mind, grabbed Ai Yue's arm, and dragged him inside. "Come on, let's go in!"

"Whoa, not you too?"

Chapter 33: Is This Medicine Meant for Humans?

"I can totally understand the eagerness of having a new research institute, but is it really necessary to rush like this?"

An hour later, Ai Yue and Mobius were lying side-by-side on the bed. After a brief silence, Mobius spoke first.

Mainly because Ai Yue was busy catching his breath and needed to recover before he could speak.

Not hearing a reply from Ai Yue, Mobius continued, "Look, the Simulated Herrscher Potion experiment still hasn't yielded stable results. The follow-up optimization of the Fused Warrior formula definitely needs you, and also..."

Mobius frowned, racking her brain for any other excuse to keep Ai Yue here.

But it seemed there was nothing else significant besides those two projects.

Mobius knew very well that for Ai Yue, no one was indispensable, including herself. Whether it was Mei, the top scholar, Vill-V, the top combatants Kevin and Elysia, or those close to him like Aponia and Pardofelis, these people were all reliant on Ai Yue, not the other way around.

Even if Ai Yue were alone, Mobius believed he would be fine.

As for so-called research projects, they weren't important to him either.

Were the projects Mobius was currently researching ones that Ai Yue couldn't figure out himself? No, it was simply because Ai Yue believed these projects were no longer the top priority, and coincidentally, she had the ability to take them over, so he handed them to her.

In other words, Ai Yue had no reason to stay.

In fact, Mobius also had no real reason to insist on Ai Yue staying. The Simulated Herrscher Potion project was now something she was working on independently, and she could no longer get involved in the Fused Warrior formula's follow-up. She generally only handled things like running virtual models. Even if Ai Yue wasn't at the Moth to Fire headquarters, their collaboration wouldn't be affected by current communication methods.

Moreover, without Ai Yue, Mobius would return to her previous position of "second only to one, above all others" at Moth to Fire headquarters. She wouldn't have to worry about someone constantly holding funding over her head or being bossed around. It should have been a good thing, but...

Mobius bit her lip, also confused about what she was thinking.

Maybe I should just move there too? Vill-V said the space there is huge, and Ai Yue probably wouldn't mind leaving a laboratory for me, right?

While Mobius was agonizing over this, Ai Yue finally caught his breath. "What, you can't bear to part with me?"

"I just don't want to lose my research material," Mobius retorted stubbornly, as hard as Soul Steel. "I thought I could study you anytime before, which is why I never acted. Now you're running away, so of course I can't agree."

"So you're getting your material this way today, huh?" Ai Yue shook his head slightly. "Besides, even if I go to Australia, it won't affect the projects here. It's easy to travel back and forth."

"Easy how? It's so far away!" Mobius turned her head and glared at Ai Yue. "Are you going to waste all your time on the road?"

"It's just a few steps, what's there to waste time on?" Ai Yue frowned. "You know, if you're not even willing to take those few steps, I might as well stuff the Gate in your closet."

"The Gate?" Mobius finally felt something was off. "What Gate?"

"The Teleportation Gate, of course," Ai Yue said matter-of-factly. Then he realized, "So you only heard the first sentence when I came in, right?"

Mobius's face flushed, but she couldn't find anything to refute him with, as it seemed to be her own fault this time.

However, she quickly changed the subject. "The Herrscher of Reason's authority, have you really figured it out?"

The Teleportation Gate, or spatial teleportation ability, naturally came from the Herrscher of Reason's authority. Mobius had briefly mastered this ability before through the effects of a potion during the decapitation tactic against the Eighth Herrscher.

Establishing a stable Teleportation Gate capable of cross-space transmission for both locations was obviously much more difficult than simply relying on potions.

Fortunately, the Herrscher of Reason's authority theoretically used the imaginary space as a springboard for teleportation. Therefore, theoretically, no matter the distance, it was the same. Otherwise, establishing a Teleportation Gate from Moth to Fire to Australia would have been even more troublesome.

"It's been done for a while. It's just that assembling the Teleportation Gate requires Vill-V's help, so we have to wait for her to come back," Ai Yue shrugged. The detailed blueprints for the Teleportation Gate were Vill-V's responsibility, so assembly and other tasks would naturally be handled by her. "I came today to tell you about this, who knew you..."

"Alright, alright, don't say anymore!" Mobius quickly rolled over, pressing herself onto Ai Yue, and then covered his mouth. "Why didn't you say something like this earlier?"

"You're blaming me?" Ai Yue's eyes widened as he struggled and shouted, "You didn't give me a chance to explain! And you drugged me! I haven't settled the score with you yet!"

"That... that was just a precautionary measure!" Mobius retorted, her face red, while suppressing him to prevent him from getting up. Soon, they both froze.

Because in such an intimate environment, close physical contact would lead to some awkward consequences.

"You..." Mobius subconsciously lowered her voice. "You were tossing and turning for so long just now, how are you still so energetic!"

"I suspect the dosage of your drug is problematic," Ai Yue also lowered his voice. "Confess, do you have the antidote?"

"How can something like this have an antidote?" Mobius said helplessly, then showed a charming smile. "At worst, I'll solve it for you?"

Watching the expression on Ai Yue's face at this moment, Mobius suddenly realized that at this very moment, she was the one in control of the situation—something that had never happened before in their interactions.

Realizing this, she couldn't help but become excited.

Since things had already gone wrong, why not… double down on it?

As for the consequences she would have to face later, Mobius no longer wanted to think about them.

The scholar, who had always presented herself to others with an image of calmness and rationality, chose to obey her deepest desires for the first time.

Even if it was only for this moment, just like this…

Chapter 34: The 21st Century is the Century of ()

"And that's done," Vill-V said as she installed the final module into its designated position. The mechanical device, resembling a door frame, began to operate. The empty frame gradually filled with golden particles emanating from its surroundings, eventually transforming into a black and gold vortex, much like the back of a Yu-Gi-Oh! card.

Of course, this thing was ultimately placed in an empty laboratory, not stuffed into Mobius's closet.

"Speaking of which, wasn't the installation supposed to be yesterday?" After putting away her tools, Vill-V looked at Mobius and Ai Yue beside her with a puzzled expression. "I was all ready to come over, but then Roon suddenly told me you had a new research project to work on, so it was rescheduled to today. What kind of project was so urgent?"

"Cough, it's about genetics. You're in mechanical engineering, you wouldn't understand even if I told you," Mobius said, her expression unchanged, though her left hand subconsciously clutched her right arm. "So, this means it's ready to use?"

"Of course! I've tested it many times. The stability and safety are impeccable!" Vill-V gave a thumbs-up, not paying much attention to Mobius's earlier words. "But words can only do so much. Why don't we head over there first? Hua is waiting."

Ai Yue had given Hua full authority to inspect the new base, as Hua's serious and meticulous personality made her the most suitable person for the task.

"Come to think of it, I've only seen pictures, I haven't been there in person yet," Ai Yue recalled something. "I wonder how those little guys are developing."

"Little guys?" Mobius caught onto his words. "You're raising small animals over there?"

"Those aren't small animals, they're very powerful inventions," Vill-V chimed in to answer for Ai Yue. "If you want to know, why don't you come along?"

"Sure, let's go," Mobius said without further hesitation, nodding. "You first."

"Honestly, even if you don't trust my skills, you should have confidence in Ai Yue's inventions," Vill-V shrugged, but didn't say anything more. "Fine, I'll go first. Here I come!"

With that, Vill-V strode forward and disappeared into the black and gold vortex.

As Mobius was about to follow, she noticed Ai Yue frowning and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ai Yue glanced at her. "Did you perform the Fused Warrior surgery on Vill-V?"

"How did you know?" Mobius was taken aback. "You can tell that?"

After becoming a Fused Warrior, Vill-V's behavior was almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person. Even Mobius found it difficult to detect anything unusual through observation. This was the first time Ai Yue had met her after Vill-V's surgery, and he had discovered it immediately?

Ai Yue simply smiled in response and said nothing.

He knew, of course, because Vill-V's personality today was completely different from before, almost as if—she was a different person.

And the ability to sever the mind and reconstruct the personality was precisely what she had gained after becoming a Fused Warrior.

The two didn't dwell on the topic and soon followed Vill-V through the teleportation gate.

Unlike the previous use of simulated Herrscher powers, the experience of using the teleportation gate was not like stepping through a door and arriving at another location. Instead, it felt like entering a giant bubble, being enveloped by something. One had to take another step towards the vortex in front of them to truly arrive at the other side.

When the vortex that had obscured their vision dissipated, the scene before them became clear—a large, empty room appeared in Ai Yue's sight.

"Welcome, welcome to the 'Star of Light' experimental base!" Vill-V, who had arrived before them, greeted them with a flourish, taking off her hat. "How does it feel? In this place that will one day replace the Mu Continent as the center of global technology, do you feel a special aura?"

"Why are you speaking like you're the owner?" Mobius frowned. "This isn't your Spiral Workshop."

"Although this isn't the Spiral Workshop, the Spiral Workshop has a branch here," Vill-V raised her hand and projected a flat map, pointing to a room in the corner. "See, Ai Yue has already agreed to let me use this room!"

"There's such a thing?" Mobius immediately shifted her gaze to Ai Yue. "What about me? I want a room too!"

"You can choose yourself," Ai Yue waved his hand, not particularly concerned about this matter. "Where's Hua?"

As if on cue, the door beside them was opened from the outside.

"Sorry, I was in the training room just now." Hua, dressed in loose training clothes with a towel around her neck, walked in. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"I want to check on the 'Swarm'," Ai Yue said. "Where's the main control room?"

"Don't you manage your own experimental base at all?" Ai Yue's words drew a complaint from Vill-V. "Isn't it too strange not to care about things like this?"

"Please follow me." Hua seemed unfazed, or perhaps she was simply choosing to follow orders. "The Swarm's main control room is underground."

"Swarm?" Mobius also came closer at this moment. "So that's the little guy you were talking about? Don't tell me you've created some kind of artificial chimera or something?"

"What do you take me for, a perverted alchemist?" Ai Yue couldn't help but roll his eyes at her. "What's so good about chimeras? Are they as stable as machines?"

"Exactly, exactly," Vill-V chimed in beside him. "Biology has no future. This century will be the era of mechanical engineering!"

Mobius snorted, deciding not to stoop to the level of the "dust-sweeper."

The group soon arrived at the central control room on the first underground floor, led by Hua. This room housed the central computer that managed the entire experimental base, as well as the artificial intelligence "Queen Bee" specially created by Ai Yue.

Upon entering this vast room, what first caught Mobius's attention was not the supercomputer located in the center, but the… drones? that were shuttling back and forth within the room.

The central control room was filled with all sorts of small machines. Some had flight devices and moved through the air, while others were equipped with tracks and wheels and moved on the ground. Although there was no one in the room, it gave a surprisingly lively impression.

"This is the Swarm you were talking about?" Mobius finally connected what she was seeing with Ai Yue's previous words. "How many are there in total?"

A drone system that could be called a swarm would definitely not be limited to just the few she was seeing.

"10,653," Ai Yue pushed his glasses up his nose and then added, "Oh, now it's 10,654."

Chapter 35: Too Late, Organism!

Regarding the experimental base Ai Yue established in Australia, more than one person had advised him to reconsider.

The location was simply too dangerous and too far from the main operational areas of Moth to Fire. For Ai Yue, one of Moth to Fire's most crucial scholars, this decision clearly showed a disregard for his own safety.

Even if he absolutely had to set up a base here, he should have at least been equipped with a fully armed squad of warriors, or perhaps even had a few Fused Warriors deployed.

However, Ai Yue not only ignored these warnings but brought only Hua as his permanent guard, because he had his own countermeasures.

The "Swarm" was his confidence.

"Long time no see, Doctor Ai Yue, and Sister."

As several people walked into the main control room, a virtual projection appeared on the central computer. It depicted a woman who bore some resemblance to Prometheus but appeared more mature.

She finally looked at Mobius and gave a slight bow. "You must be Doctor Mobius. It's a pleasure to meet you. Our codename is 'Queen Bee,' but you can also call me 'Queen'."

Since Ai Yue had chosen "Queen Bee" as the codename for the Swarm's main control AI, he naturally used "Queen" as her name.

Although it sounded a bit perfunctory, considering Ai Yue's talent for naming things, this might have been a good outcome.

Mobius merely nodded at Queen's greeting. She wasn't very skilled in matters of mechanical creations and thus wasn't particularly interested.

"It hasn't been that long, Queen," Prometheus's voice came from Ai Yue. "But it's perfect timing. Lend me your processor to play games. Doctor Ai Yue, please connect me to Queen's main unit."

"Queen, what's the status of the Swarm?" Ai Yue raised his hand to connect Prometheus's sub-unit to the central computer. "How is the reconnaissance mission progressing?"

"The Swarm is in good condition, as you can see. The 'Hive' has officially begun operations, and the reconnaissance mission is expected to be fully completed tomorrow." Queen displayed a map before Ai Yue, then turned her head. "Sister, why don't you help out a bit too?"

"That won't do. I'm training your abilities right now," Prometheus shook her head. "If you can't accumulate experience and knowledge little by little from these basic tasks, how will you be able to take on more important responsibilities in the future?"

"Is that so?" Queen nodded. "I understand. I will work hard, Doctor Ai Yue."