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

This was merely the opponent's second trump card, after all.

Elysia pondered, then shifted her gaze back to Aponia. The nun was currently looking at Ai Yue, lost in thought.

Aponia... the abilities she displayed could hardly be described as anything less than terrifying.

And then there was Kalpas, who could contend with a Fused Warrior and wouldn't die even from a fatal wound...

Twilight Street hid so many formidable individuals.

Chapter 8: Just Be a Wild Cat

Things proceeded more smoothly than the group had imagined.

Less than an hour later, Elysia received a concrete reply.

"Dr. Mei and Kevin will both come," Elysia said, a relaxed smile on her face as she looked at the reply on her communicator. "This should resolve the issue."

Dr. Mei held a high clearance within Moth to Fire. Although her authority was currently suppressed, it was still far greater than Elysia's or the others'.

With her here, the matter of the sanatorium could be concluded with a resolution everyone would be happy with.

"Then, as we agreed, Sakura will stay behind as the 'captive,' and I'll go with you to meet them," Ai Yue nodded, not entirely surprised by the outcome. "Let's try to finish this quickly."

As he spoke, Ai Yue yawned—he was only of normal human constitution now, and prolonged lack of sleep was still tiring.

"I understand," Sakura nodded, saying no more.

Even though she was to play the role of a captive, Sakura felt no dissatisfaction as a member of the Poison Pupa.

In fact, the thought of helping those children live better lives brought her a touch of comfort.

I wonder how Rin is doing now...

"Miss Sakura," Aponia's voice brought Sakura back to the present. "Let's go wait at the sanatorium."

"Speaking of which, there's a place that's rather strange," Elysia said, looking at the three of them as they prepared to leave. "And there's someone else, did you forget about them?"

"Who?" Ai Yue didn't react immediately.

"Little Pardo!" Elysia exclaimed, a look of surprise on her face. "You really forgot about her? She risked her life to save you earlier!"

"Oh, her," Ai Yue finally realized who she meant. "Pardo wasn't part of my plan from the beginning."

"Why?" Elysia looked at him strangely. "Because she doesn't have abilities like yours, you looked down on her?"

Thinking about it, that explanation made sense. Ai Yue, Aponia, and Kalpas all possessed unique strengths, while Pardofelis was just a thief. Bringing the four of them together might give the impression of "Aren't you just here to be the mascot?"

"Of course not," Ai Yue denied naturally, without hesitation. "Pardo has no great ambitions and no particular pursuits. She just wants a peaceful and leisurely life, so Moth to Fire isn't a good destination for her."

Though it wasn't apparent on the surface, Ai Yue knew that Pardo's special ability was, in a way, the most outlandish among them. Her incredible luck was perhaps only surpassed by Elysia's unique status.

But Pardo yearned for freedom and leisure, which clearly conflicted with Moth to Fire's mission to eradicate the Honkai. Rather than have her join him and be bound by rules and regulations within Moth to Fire, it was better to let her remain a free-spirited wild cat.

After all, with him here this time, she wouldn't need to sacrifice herself.

"I see," Elysia blinked, saying thoughtfully, "But what if she wants to come with you?"

"Then I certainly wouldn't be able to stop her," Ai Yue shrugged. "So the decision is still hers."

"I understand," Elysia smiled and nodded. "I'm suddenly curious, what will she choose?"

Ai Yue was about to say something more when he suddenly heard faint noises from the surroundings. However, when he listened closely again, he could only hear indistinct sounds coming from above.

"Ah, Dr. Mei and the others have arrived." Elysia had clearly noticed something as well. She looked up, spotting a few flickering lights, and then pulled a glow stick from her tactical bag to guide the aircraft. "Hi~ Can you see me? Land here!"

Soon, two specially modified helicopters landed one after another on the relatively flat open ground. Before the propellers had even fully stopped, the door of the front helicopter opened, and a young girl in a white lab coat with her hair in a ponytail stepped out.

Ai Yue didn't need a second glance to confirm it was Dr. Mei.

However, he was more curious about the person in the second helicopter.

Shortly after, the door of the second helicopter also opened, and a young man with short, silver-white hair, two pistols holstered at his waist, stepped out.

Although he appeared to be around the same age as Dr. Mei, for some reason, he exuded a more world-weary aura.

"So Kevin really does have white hair," Ai Yue blurted out as the man walked towards him.

"Huh, did I tell you that?" Elysia asked, confused for a moment, but then she let go of the thought and walked towards Dr. Mei. "Hi~ Mei, long time no see!"

"We just had lunch together five days ago, Ely," Dr. Mei sighed, quickly shifting her attention to Ai Yue. "You must be Mr. Ai Yue of 'Twilight,' correct?"

What was this "Mr. Ai Yue of Twilight"?

Ai Yue blinked, then saw Elysia winking at him and immediately understood that this was likely the name she had given to his so-called organization.

"Yes, that's me."

Ai Yue nodded, then extended his hand. Dr. Mei naturally reciprocated, shaking his hand as a greeting.

Neither of them paid much attention to it, but Kevin, who had been standing about five meters away, couldn't help but take a step forward.

"Alright, pleasantries over, let's get down to business," Dr. Mei quickly entered work mode. "What is your plan?"

Ai Yue paused, then looked at Elysia.

"Oh, in my mission report, I used a bit of a cipher to ask Dr. Mei for help," Elysia explained then. "Otherwise, it would be difficult for a busy person like her to come all this way directly, right?"

"And you weren't planning on concealing anything at all, were you?" Dr. Mei sighed. "Otherwise, you would have at least slightly restricted Mr. Ai Yue's freedom of movement, instead of allowing him to actively shake my hand like this."

"Hehe, it's because I knew you'd help me, Mei," Elysia said, leaning in affectionately. "Mei, you're the best!"

Kevin, standing nearby, finally spoke up. "I think it would be better to get straight to the point."

His voice was warmer than Ai Yue had expected, even carrying discernible emotions. Clearly, Kevin hadn't yet gone through the series of events that would eventually drive him mad.

"Simply put, we want to join Moth to Fire," Ai Yue said, cutting to the chase now that things had progressed this far. "We hope Moth to Fire can meet a few of our conditions."

Chapter 9: Everything I Have Today Is Thanks to My Talent!

Ai Yue briefly explained the situation at the Twilight Street nursing home and laid out their conditions.

The demands were quite simple: they hoped the patients and children at the nursing home would be properly settled, and that Kalpas and Aponia would receive the same treatment as regular members.

Ai Yue knew very well that both Kalpas and Aponia had numerous issues. Kalpas was a ticking time bomb; he'd only give Ai Yue a sliver of respect because Ai Yue had saved the children. Aponia appeared normal, but her cursed abilities could trigger disasters far more terrifying than Kalpas.

Therefore, the best way to prevent disaster was to avoid provoking them.

Kalpas was easier to handle. As long as he could fight the Honkai, he likely wouldn't care about much else. But Aponia was different.

In Ai Yue's view, it would be best to prevent Aponia from becoming a Fused Warrior, thereby eliminating the possibility of her Judgment abilities being further amplified. He had plenty of other means to enhance combat power, so losing a rare psychic Fused Warrior wouldn't be a great loss.

As for the "Divine Sound" later developed based on Aponia's abilities, it was even less important.

This was also why Ai Yue wanted Dr. Mei to be present. Besides her, the combined opinions of the others present likely wouldn't be enough to sway the higher-ups of Moth to Fire.

"I understand the situation," Dr. Mei said, nodding after hearing Ai Yue's explanation. "If this is all you want, then I can personally approve it."

She paused, then changed her tone. "In return, I have a request. I wonder if Mr. Ai Yue can agree to it?"

Ai Yue had anticipated this. "I'm all ears."

"The organization 'Twilight' must be disbanded after you join Moth to Fire," Dr. Mei stated. "Of course, this isn't to force you to cut off contact and become strangers, but rather that close-knit cliques cannot form within Moth to Fire. You should understand, right?"

While it was impossible for large organizations to not have small interest groups, if this condition wasn't included, Ai Yue and his companions would surely face ostracism within Moth to Fire, or even be under strict surveillance by the higher-ups.

After all, the three of them were exceptionally skilled and not ordinary people. A pre-existing clique before joining the organization would also hinder their integration into the new environment.

"Of course," Ai Yue said, fully understanding Dr. Mei's concerns. "Don't worry, we will never act under the name 'Twilight' again."

It didn't exist in the first place, after all.

"Then our temporary agreement is established," Dr. Mei said with a casual nod. "The subsequent specific operations will be handled by Elysia."

"Huh?" Elysia, who had been trying to stifle a laugh, looked surprised. "Why me?"

"Because you're free right now, aren't you?" Dr. Mei asked with a smile. "I'll discuss the specific conditions with the higher-ups, but the matter of Twilight Street will be your responsibility."

"I will give you a formal reply within three days at the latest," Dr. Mei said, deliberately ignoring Elysia's pout. She then looked back at Ai Yue. "For these three days, I'll trouble you to help Elysia with the matters of Twilight Street."

Dr. Mei's words carried an implicit promise: "I'll handle things with the higher-ups." This statement was more meaningful than any flowery speech.

"Then I'll trouble Dr. Mei to negotiate with the important figures," Ai Yue said, handing over the blueprints for the Honkai Energy Absorber. "This might be able to help you."

"This is..." Dr. Mei's eyes widened in surprise as she briefly scanned the blueprints. "Did you make this yourself?"

As a scientist, Dr. Mei's discerning eye was far sharper than Elysia's. She immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the design.

Seeing Ai Yue nod, Dr. Mei smiled with anticipation. "With this, perhaps the outcome will be even more perfect than you and I imagined."

"Is that thing really that amazing?"

After Dr. Mei and Kevin left, Elysia asked Ai Yue, "It's quite rare to see Dr. Mei make that kind of expression."

"The value of the same item differs in the eyes of different people," Ai Yue replied. "Moreover, this item, besides its inherent value, actually conveys another message."

"What message?"

Ai Yue shamelessly spread his hands, striking a pose of "I'm amazing." "This is something I researched in Twilight Street, and as you can see, the resources here are scarce and the conditions are rudimentary..."

"So if you had better conditions," Elysia understood his meaning, "you could achieve even greater things?"

Ai Yue smiled slightly, not answering directly.

While he enjoyed showing off, he was well aware of the true origin of his "abilities."

Meanwhile, at the nursing home, Sakura also received a message from Elysia.

"The matter is mostly resolved," Sakura said, a slight smile gracing her lips as she read the message filled with various cute expressions. "Dr. Mei has made a promise, and we'll have a formal response in three days."

"That's wonderful," Aponia's usually calm face showed a hint of emotion. "Thank you again for your help, Miss Sakura."

If Sakura and Elysia hadn't been so easy to talk to, this matter likely wouldn't have been resolved so smoothly.

"It's nothing, I was just going with the flow," Sakura said, shaking her head. "The one who truly put in the effort here was Mr. Ai Yue."

From calming the agitated situation to persuading Elysia and Aponia, and then negotiating with Dr. Mei, Ai Yue had been the driving force behind it all. Sakura could sense that everything that happened tonight was within his control. Even if negotiations had failed and the situation had escalated to violence, he would have had a plan.

And at that point, she probably wouldn't be leisurely sipping tea in the church.

Lost in thought, Sakura suddenly felt Aponia's gaze, which was focused on the top of her head.

"Please forgive my boldness, Miss Sakura," Aponia said, her curiosity finally unable to be contained after confirming the matter was resolved. "Are those ears real?"

"...They are."

Sakura had wanted to avoid the topic, but considering they would likely be colleagues from now on, she answered. "They are a side effect I had to endure to gain power. Please stop staring, it's a bit... embarrassing."

"I see," Aponia nodded, closing her eyes thoughtfully.

Chapter Ten: Brother, You Won't Be Angry, Will You?

Dr. Mei was indeed a very efficient person.

Although she had said the results would be ready by the third day at the latest, Ai Yue and the others actually received a reply from Dr. Mei in just over thirty hours.

"According to Dr. Mei, all three of you need to go to the Moth to Fire headquarters to complete the formal procedures, as well as for investigation and training," Elysia summarized the message from Dr. Mei. "Additionally, there are two options for the sanatorium's arrangements."

Upon hearing the most crucial part, not only Aponia but even Kalpas, who was sitting in the corner of the room as if asleep, lifted his head.

"The first option is to move the entire sanatorium to a big city," Elysia said. "Moth to Fire has branches in many cities and cooperates with numerous hospitals, so finding a suitable place to settle them shouldn't be difficult."

Kalpas snorted at this proposal. "It's not difficult for you, naturally, but these brats are too delicate; they probably won't be able to adapt."

"Moving the children and patients away from their familiar environment is indeed not a good choice," Aponia added. "Moreover, I believe you... the people of Moth to Fire, wouldn't overlook this point, right?"

"Yes, so the second option is that everything remains unchanged, but Moth to Fire will send professional medical and educational staff to take over the sanatorium," Elysia said with a smile. "Of course, Aponia, you can also come back to visit when you have a holiday, but you understand, after joining Moth to Fire, you won't be able to be stationed at the sanatorium like this anymore."

"I understand. In that case, let's choose the second option," Aponia nodded. "I assume Kalpas has no objections either."

Kalpas let out a cold snort in response, saying nothing further, clearly indicating his tacit agreement.

"Alright, then pack up. We'll be ready to depart in another two hours!" Elysia sent the reply to Dr. Mei, then stood up. "Oh my, I'm already starting to miss my room."

Two hours was clearly the time Elysia was giving Ai Yue and the others to say their goodbyes.

After all, Aponia also needed to explain the upcoming situation to everyone at the sanatorium, and as for Ai Yue—while he didn't have as many people to look after, there were still those he wanted to bid farewell to.

Pardofelis. Ai Yue hadn't seen her since that night.

Perhaps it was also related to him staying at the sanatorium the whole time. After all, with so many important figures gathered here, Pardofelis probably wouldn't approach easily.

With that thought, Ai Yue returned to his own residence.