Chapter 96

Thinking of this, Ai Yue stood up abruptly. "There are quite a few things to deal with."

"Huh? In such a hurry?"

Pardofelis instead lay down and reached out to tug at Ai Yue's pants. "Brother Yue, you're just too tense. It's such a nice sun, it would be a shame not to enjoy it."

After hearing Ai Yue's firm demands, Pardofelis completely let go of her last bit of hesitation and unabashedly revealed her lazy nature to Ai Yue.

"... Never mind."

Ai Yue looked up at the sun, then at Pardofelis, who was patting the mat and inviting him, and finally lay down. "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Pardofelis was not surprised by this answer at all, because Ai Yue had always spoiled her like this.

And so, the afternoon passed by leisurely. Ai Yue closed his eyes, half-asleep, as if he were dreaming of familiar scenes again.

But when he opened his eyes, he couldn't remember what he had seen in his dream.

"Brother Yue, you're sleeping so soundly."

Pardofelis lay on her side beside him, propping her head up with her elbow, and just looked at him. She didn't know how long she had been watching him. "You must be too tired all the time. You should get more sun. We'll make sure you do that from now on!"

"So you're encouraging me to slack off more, huh?"

Ai Yue sat up from the floor mat, stretched his body, and a subtle expression appeared on his face. "You really are a rebel against Heaven."

"I've just figured it out! Brother Yue, you're always so busy, what you need is a master of slacking off like me to balance your daily routine!"

Pardofelis looked like she'd found a job, saying, "Work-life balance is key; you can't have work without leisure!"

Ai Yue could only make a helpless expression, then reached out and pinched Pardofelis's cheek.

"Wait, it's not over yet!"

Pardofelis slapped Ai Yue's hand away and said seriously, "I've thought about it. There's one more thing you have to promise me!"

"Speak, what else do you want?"

Ai Yue also lowered his hand. "If it's reasonable, then I can consider it."

Pardofelis said very seriously, "I want to become Fused Warrior."

Ai Yue paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll arrange the surgery for you when we get back."

"Huh?"

This time it was Pardofelis's turn to be stunned. "Brother Yue, aren't you going to stop me? Didn't you always warn me not to get involved with Sister Snake?"

"The past is the past, the present is the present."

Ai Yue waved his hand, "The Fused Warrior surgery is no longer risky. Since that's the case, I have no reason to stop you."

As he spoke, he pulled out a tablet computer from somewhere and handed it to Pardofelis: "Here, take a look for yourself."

"What is this?"

Pardofelis glanced down at the various Honkai Beast photos displayed on the tablet and couldn't help but show a puzzled expression.

"Hypervariable Factor selection system".

Ai Yue said, "You can choose one of your favorite Honkai Beast to be the source of the Hypervariable Factor used in the Fused Warrior surgery."

"Are things really this humane now?!"

41

Chapter 41 To become stronger, I'll stop being human.

In fact, conventional Fused Warrior surgery is not so humane. In order to maximize the Fused Warrior's abilities, a compatibility check is usually required, and the Honkai Beast is most compatible with each individual is selected based on their individual circumstances. There is no way you can choose a fusion partner based on your own preferences.

Therefore, the second generation of Fused Warrior also included things like "hating reptiles but ending up fusing with a snake- Honkai Beast" and "being afraid of heights but gaining the ability to fly after fusing".

Of course, Pardofelis doesn't have these worries, because Ai Yue will solve all her problems except for her preferences.

"That's not right,"

Pardofelis looked down and picked for a long time before suddenly realizing, "Brother Yue, aren't you going to ask me why I suddenly want to become Fused Warrior?"

"Anyway, if you really want to say it, you'll eventually be unable to hold it in."

Ai Yue shrugged. "Like right now."

"Waaah!"

Pardofelis made a sound of "I've been seen through," but she couldn't hold it in. "I just didn't want you to worry too much about me."

Ai Yue has always put a lot of thought into her safety, from the various props used in Twilight Street to the armor system used in Moth to Fire, each item embodies Ai Yue's care for her.

Pardo knew very well that she couldn't shoulder any great responsibility, nor did she have the ability to do anything for the future of the world, but at least she could make herself less of a concern for Ai Yue. Becoming Fused Warrior was a better option.

In this way, even if they can't become as powerful as Sister Ai Li, they can at least have the ability to protect themselves.

In that case, Ai Yue wouldn't need to worry about her anymore.

This is what Pardofelis wanted to tell Ai Yue.

"I see. Our Little Pardo has really grown up."

After listening to Pardofelis's words, Ai Yue looked at her with kind eyes, "You know how to think of others."

"Don't talk like that old man!"

Pardofelis couldn't help but laugh when she saw Ai Yue's expression. "So, is this Honkai Beast powerful?"

She finally chose a Honkai Beast that resembled a feline. It was entirely black, with a smooth, satin-like surface that seemed to reflect light. Its overall appearance was slender and refined, and it didn't look like a dangerous Honkai Beast at all. Instead, it gave off an elegant and proud feeling.

"Oh, Buster."

Ai Yue took it and glanced at it, then revealed a subtle expression. "Well, while it may not be very strong, it should meet your needs."

Bast may not appear as large and ferocious as other Honkai Beast, nor possess terrifying combat power, but it is actually a genuine Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

However, although it sounds powerful, the damage it actually causes is extremely limited. Bast, which was born with the "Herrscher of Domination", was first discovered in a city in Europe. It destroys various facilities in the city at night, and because it has the ability to pass through matter, it is difficult to be detected.

The problem is that it is only the size of an average cat, and its abilities are not very destructive, so the damage it causes is quite limited.

Of course, the most crucial point is that the Herrscher of Domination was supposed to command its actions was discovered by Prometheus using the global surveillance network on the first night of its destructive operation. Prometheus immediately dispatched a Moth of Moth to Fire combat team to kill it on the spot, leaving only Buster to escape using her abilities.

Without the Herrscher's command, Bastet, which doesn't possess high intelligence, would hardly cause any substantial damage. Otherwise, if it could infiltrate key facilities in the city under the Herrscher's guidance and cause destruction, its power would not be underestimated.

"Oh, that sounds like a really good escape artist!"

After hearing Ai Yue's introduction, Pardofelis's eyes immediately lit up. "I want this one!"

"No problem."

Ai Yue agreed, "Then let's go back to Star of Light for the surgery first, and we can talk about the formalities tomorrow?"

"OK!"

Pardofelis readily agreed, but then suddenly hesitated, "By the way, Brother Yue, do you think I won't mutate after the surgery?"

"Mutations?"

Ai Yue was taken aback. "What mutation?"

"You mean... uh, turn into a cat?"

Pardofelis thought for a moment, "Or perhaps like Sakura, I could grow ears that aren't human?"

"It depends on your personal preference."

Ai Yue understood what Pardofelis meant and then said, "Currently, this part of the Redundant Aberration can be removed, but some people choose to keep it."

"Could it be that there are actually people who like this kind of thing?"

Pardofelis paused for a moment, then nodded as if she remembered something. "That's right, there are people who like that."

"Besides hobbies, Redundant Aberration can also increase the power ceiling of Fused Warrior, making them much stronger than other Fused Warrior."

Ai Yue continued, "Therefore, some people choose Redundant Aberration in order to gain greater power. For example, there is one of the Fused Warrior in this batch who has a tail. Not only is his strength much stronger than that of the warriors of the same period, but his tail is so flexible that it can be said to be a third hand. After training, he can use an extra weapon in battle."

"That sounds quite interesting!"

Pardofelis's face lit up with anticipation, but then she hesitated. "But wouldn't it look strange for a human to grow the limbs of a beast?"

"It's alright, animal ears are kind of cute, aren't they?"

Ai Yue casually said, "It depends on your personal preference. It doesn't really matter if you don't add it. That part of the combat power can be made up for in other ways."

However, he then showed a thoughtful expression.

Pardofelis's words reminded him that as the number of Fused Warrior continued to increase, more and more people chose to undergo Redundant Aberration in order to gain greater power. However, the instinct to reject outcasts is a fundamental human trait. Even though these warriors are heroes who fight against the Honkai for the future of humanity, their appearance makes them easy to mistake for monsters.

He remembered that Sakura seemed to have experienced something similar, so unless necessary, she would almost never expose her long ears to others, and after acquiring armor, she never disarmed herself in front of anyone other than her friends.

It seems we must also consider how to eliminate this prejudice and estrangement.

Ai Yue, he suddenly remembered a plan that he had forgotten for a long time.

In order to stimulate the vitality of human civilization, besides the Stage Plan, was there also a "Cultural Victory Plan"?

42

Chapter 42 has completely turned into a dusty mess.

The Cultural Victory Plan, like the Stage Plan, was a program prepared by Ai Yue to revitalize society.

In this era of rampant disasters, people have become increasingly negative and pessimistic. Although the efforts of governments and international organizations have been made to maintain a semblance of harmony, this semblance of harmony has become difficult to sustain after the Seventh Great Honkai destroyed the entire Australia continent.

Specifically, this manifests as a gradual shutdown of society, stagnation in technological development, a continuous decline in population, and a rapid loss of vitality throughout civilization.

It is important to understand that although geniuses and elites have the ability to guide the development of civilization, the foundation for the continuation of a civilization still lies in ordinary people. If the majority of people choose to give up, then the decline and chaos of civilization will be inevitable.

While powerful nations may be able to maintain a relatively stable situation, in some smaller countries, a single Honkai could lead to the collapse of the entire nation. The global chaos index is rising, with evil forces and cults running rampant, expanding their influence in areas where the United Nations has little say, adding fuel to the fire for a civilization already on the verge of collapse.

These forces are very troublesome to deal with because they have illicit connections with many large conglomerates, or are even simply front men for certain countries.

It's fair to say that in this era, it's common for a country to declare bankruptcy or even disintegrate. Every day, countless victims emerge, desperately struggling in this chaotic world.

In addition to fighting against the Honkai disaster, the warriors of the Moth to Fire must also deal with the forces that breed chaos and evil, as well as rescue the disaster victims and prepare the most basic resettlement environment for them.

In fact, the Twilight Street gathering place was established with the help of the Moth to Fire. Aponia was actually aware of this, so she had been helping the Moth to Fire cover up their existence to prevent it from being exposed to the world too early.

Incidentally, it was because of this incident that Vill-V met Aponia, and it was also because of Aponia's riddle-like behavior that she mistakenly identified the Moth to Fire as the culprit who caused the Honkai disaster.

Of course, these are all digressions. The main point is that, faced with increasingly frequent Honkai disasters and rampant extremist forces, even if the Moth to Fire can use one person as five, it will be difficult to take care of the whole world.

Until Ai Yue appeared—to be precise, after he obtained the Herrscher Core of the Eighth Herrscher.

The irresistible mind control and the opportunity to contact high-ranking leaders allowed Ai Yue to quickly investigate the evil forces. Then, relying on Prometheus's computing power, he began to unite the armed forces of various countries to purge the extremist forces around the world.

With a specific list, the cooperation of various countries, and the infiltration and guidance of Prometheus, the whole process went very smoothly. In less than three months, 95 percent of the world's extremist forces were wiped out. The remaining people retreated to the deep mountains and forests to put up a last-ditch resistance. However, these small fry were obviously not worth the effort to deal with, so Ai Yue stopped paying attention to them and left the monitoring to the locals.

Without this preemptive purge, things might not have gone so smoothly when the Moth to Fire Honkai. You see, if someone with malicious intent were to incite panic at this time, it could easily lead to uncontrollable consequences.

Of course, even if these extremist forces are eliminated, it will not solve the current predicament of human civilization, which is why Ai Yue prepared the "Cultural Victory Plan".

The plan to guide humanity to regain hope through the vigorous development of the cultural and entertainment industry sounds simple, but in reality, it is fraught with difficulties.

When material conditions cannot meet basic human needs, how can people possibly be in the mood for entertainment?

Therefore, the foundation for implementing this plan lies in improving people's quality of life.

Of course, there are people working on this plan.

After Pardofelis's Fused Warrior surgery was completed, while waiting for Pardo to wake up, Ai Yue dialed Vill-V's number.

"Hey, busy person~"

A teasing voice came from the other end of the communication line, accompanied by the hum of various machines running. "Why did you suddenly think of contacting me? Mobius isn't here?"

"And who are you, Vill-V?"

Ai Yue sighed, "Never mind, none of them matter. Anyway, how's your progress?"

"Well, how should I put it, about sixty percent."

"The wiring and piping are all done. Give me another ten days, and this place will be almost finished," Vill-V said casually.

"You are holding 70% of the Moth to Fire's budget for this year."

Ai Yue pointed out, "So much time has passed and you still can't even manage a small metropolitan area?"

"Small? Dude, this is a city that is expected to accommodate five million people. How come you're calling it a small metropolitan area?"