Kevin Kaslana.

I can't remember how many times Awakened in the dead of night, the scars inflicted by that Emperor-class Honkai Beast still throbbed day and night, like being cut by a knife.

It was clear that after emerging from the medical pod Nanobots had completely reshaped and healed the flesh and blood at the wound site. The trauma that had almost pierced through the chest cavity left only a faint scar, as if to prove the existence of something.

Kevin understood that it might just be some kind of psychological aftereffect of losing his comrades and encountering a desperate situation; as for his physical health, he had undergone several medical examinations, all of which showed that he was perfectly healthy.

His physique has always far surpassed that of ordinary people. The Honkai Energy that should have been the most troublesome to erode his body was like mosquitoes biting steel, and the negative effects it brought were negligible.

The key to Kevin's exceptionally high survival rate compared to normal Moth to Fire warriors likely lies in this.

His instructors at the recruit camp once praised him as a born warrior.

And that is indeed the case. Unlike ordinary people, Kevin is a complete genius. Whether it is his body or his will, he is born with the potential to reach the top.

Kevin possessed qualities that even seasoned veterans might not possess: the ability to face death without fear, failure without confusion, and adversity without despair. He had already achieved this state during his very first mission.

This boy, who had just turned 18, seemed to need no growth at all to reach the other side that ordinary people could never reach in a lifetime.

Even so, the grief of losing comrades and the helplessness of facing death caused this soldier, who should have remained steadfast in the face of everything, to feel somewhat weary after the war.

Kevin's white hair fell in front of his eyes. His handsome face was expressionless, but his azure eyes were fixed on the only number on the communicator, unable to look away for a long time.

He had no intention of dialing the number with his fingertips.

Since the Great Honkai six months ago, Mei has gradually drifted apart from Kevin.

During the three months of closed training in the recruit camp, there was naturally no contact. In the following five months, apart from the initial communication, the only time he could see her frail figure standing outside the medical pod was when he was injured and on the verge of death.

Mei's beautiful face was so pale and tired, and her eyes were fixed on me, containing a determination and sorrow that I hadn't felt half a year ago.

If it weren't for this Great Honkai, perhaps no one would have known that this young girl, not yet twenty, possessed the talent to change the world.

Kevin understood why Mei was so busy that she could only come to see him at those times. In the past six months, news about her had been emerging one after another and had spread far and wide.

Such achievements, all concentrated in just a few months, must have required unimaginable hard work, even with her unparalleled talent.

Therefore, Kevin couldn't bring himself to be so selfish as to bother her. He understood Mei's personality; even if her heart was filled with grand goals and visions, it was still difficult for her to completely ignore his letter.

The feelings that sprouted in the summer of my 17th year were buried in the snow that overturned the whole world, and are now covered with frost and cold.

The more Kevin understood Mei's choices, the more he realized how inadequate he was. He knew that with his current abilities, he was far from being able to protect Mei, who had chosen that path.

Even though she acquired the latest armor thanks to her excellent mission record, and through long battles she learned some ways to instinctively control Honkai Energy from the fluctuations in the core formula of Honkai Energy used by the armor.

However, even now, he cannot withstand the Emperor-class Honkai Beast when fighting alone, and he even faces the risk of death when facing the next-lower level Honkai Emperor.

The superhuman physique is only noticeable when compared to ordinary people. In the face of various battle situations, the body's own strength and speed are obscured by the amplification provided by the armor, making them less apparent.

Only physical fitness can still play a role in extending the combat time of the armored vehicles.

Kevin opened the message history, stared at the words inside, and remained silent.

[Artificial Stigmata are meaningless to you, Kevin.]

He had heard Mei say that he was highly skilled in Honkai Energy, but when he first learned about the Artificial Stigmata project, Kevin still held a glimmer of hope in his heart.

The impact on lifespan caused by Honkai Energy erosion is not a significant side effect for Kevin. The belief in becoming stronger is deeply rooted in his soul, making it impossible for him to ignore any possibility of becoming stronger.

But as I vaguely understand it in my heart, Artificial Stigmata are incomplete products that allow ordinary people to chase after the shadows of geniuses.

The Honkai Energy literacy that a normal person needs to expend their lifespan to acquire is something that some people are born with, and some are even far superior to those who acquire it at such a cost.

Kevin undoubtedly falls into this category, just as Mei said, Artificial Stigmata are meaningless to him.

But the information Mei left behind goes beyond that.

Therefore, Kevin Kaslana embarked on a journey.

The vast land was in ruins, and the relentless wind carried black dust and corpses, sweeping through the streets and alleys of the entire city.

This is because the fixed Honkai Energy environment leads to the continuous eddy current phenomenon. In such an environment, Honkai Energy detectors are like travelers deep in the fog, unable to see whether there is a cliff or a forest ahead. Conventional detection methods are almost ineffective.

This is a dead city located on the edge of the Mu Continent; similar places are common all over the world.

However, due to policies implemented by the government more than a hundred years ago, the survival rate of residents here is much higher than in places like Canghai City and Changkong City.

Based on records and subsequent observations, of the original nearly one million residents, at least 60,000 humans possessed adequate Honkai Energy proficiency. Even after being attacked and slaughtered by Honkai Beast, the number of survivors should still be considerable.

However, the result was that all the rescue teams arranged by the authorities were wiped out inside, and all 60,000 people who should have survived were buried in this dead city. The Honkai Beast siege that has continued to this day has prevented the authorities from sending any more personnel to investigate.

In the past six months, Mu Continent has become the most favored area by the Honkai.

Even with the most advanced technology and the highest population density in the world, the Mu Continent possesses unparalleled cohesion and powerful military support, yet it still struggles to cope with the almost endless Honkai Beast in many areas.

The fact that Himeko was stationed on the Mu Continent for most of the time during the Great Honkai outbreak shows just how urgent the situation there was.

However, contrary to the perilous situation, as a region where the government's credibility still reigns supreme, the city here, apart from gradually implementing and popularizing education related to the Honkai, continues to maintain its original peaceful life in other aspects.

The barely maintained peaceful life and the ubiquitous high-tech surveillance prevented the missionaries from approaching the Mu Continent. As for the core areas of humanity, unless they possessed the ability to instantly perceive and manipulate large areas and interfere with electronic devices, it was clearly wishful thinking to try to silently erode them as they had done in the other chaotic lands.

At the same time, Mei acknowledged the possibility of missionaries' existence, and therefore, the higher-ups adopted a "better safe than sorry" attitude in carrying out strict monitoring of their situation.

Taking the Ashwatthama incident, where the Emperor-class Honkai Beast slumbered in Adelaide, as a starting point, Mei recently created a Honkai Energy detection instrument with higher search accuracy and greater precision in order to more easily obtain materials from Emperor-class Honkai Beast and to deal with the possibility of the existence of missionaries.

Two months have passed, and major cities across the Mu Continent have upgraded their Honkai detectors.

Some of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast that Su Qing'an killed in the past two months were found and killed using this method.

However, unlike Adelaide, who had fallen into a deep sleep for unknown reasons, the Emperor-class Ashwatthama Emperor-class Honkai Beast that were found later, although they were fixed in a certain area with strong Honkai Energy interference, showed no signs of falling asleep.

Although no concrete evidence or theoretical support can be found at the moment, Dr. Mei believes that the reason these Emperor-class Honkai Beast wander aimlessly is likely because, without the guidance of Honkai Consciousness, their intelligence is insufficient to allow them to act autonomously.

If the surrounding area is a vast, uninhabited wasteland, it will enter a standby mode of doing nothing. According to this theory, Ashwatthama might have been like that before.

Meanwhile, an advance team carrying heavy equipment was stationed and setting up their equipment three kilometers outside the city's edge.

Half an hour later, Kevin, clad in jet-black armor, watched as the robot in the transport vehicle quickly finished adjusting the instruments. He then watched as the Honkai Energy index on the detector gradually rose to the red line before pressing the communication button to send a signal.

This is the task Mei suggested Kevin take on.

She said she would take this opportunity to meet someone.

A Martial Immortal who has a way to bring about his transformation.

Mei could introduce the other party directly to Kevin, but she felt that it would be difficult for him to immediately understand such strength through words. Perhaps only after witnessing it firsthand would he understand the true meaning behind some of the achievements and words.

Only then will Kevin be able to truly understand whether that person possesses the ability to help him.

Since the existence of Emperor-class being did not require the boy to enter the [Udu-dust • Critical] mode, the day-to-day battles did not cause Su Qing'an much trouble.

After two months of not using [Udu-dust • Critical], the overdraft of [Stigmata] was successfully compensated by the passage of time, and the occasional disconnection problem disappeared.

However, given the numerous Herrscher he is destined to face in the future, it remains to be seen how many more times Su Qing'an can withstand the risk of his [Stigmata] disconnecting.

Before that, in order to ensure that Fu Hua's status as Fusion Warrior was not shattered by his arrival, he had to make the Fusion Warrior Project succeed as it had in the original timeline.

Su Qing'an didn't understand whether her existence would disrupt any rules, causing Mei's experiment to produce negative anomalies and fail.

After all, whether it's scientific research or martial arts, some things only exist for a fleeting moment, a mere millisecond. Mei's ability to create something in the original timeline doesn't mean she can do it perfectly in the current timeline.

But since not interfering was no longer an option, the boy could only choose to help the other party accelerate the progress of the experiment in his own way.

An armed helicopter slowly landed next to the advance team's camp—though it was called an advance team, it actually consisted only of Kevin and a fully autonomous transport vehicle equipped with intelligent navigation.

The young man slowly stepped out of the cabin, dressed in a white shirt and suit pants, looking relaxed and at home. However, his indifferent dark eyes and bland expression diminished the friendliness that came with his casual attire.

Su Qing'an looked at the soldier standing beside him. What came into view was a strangely familiar white hair and eye color. With these features, for some reason, he could find a few traces of familiarity in the outline of this face.

The boy had some guesses in his mind, but he only asked:

"Was the Honkai Energy fluctuation reaction of Emperor-class originating in that city?"

Kevin was momentarily stunned by the other person's appearance, but his soldierly discipline quickly brought him back to normal.

He stated:

"According to the location displayed by the instrument, the enemy is in the center of the city," Kevin said, handing the other person a small device. "This contains a precise map exported by the instrument via satellite link, and it will also observe and record corresponding combat data to populate the database. Please be careful."

Su Qing'an nodded and accepted it, then asked:

What is your name?

He looked into the boy's eyes and answered softly:

"Kevin Kaslana".

Upon hearing this, Su Qing'an was filled with countless thoughts. The white hair and blue eyes passed down through generations, as well as the terrifying talent that allowed a trace of Honkai Energy to naturally surround him, almost presenting a subservient posture.

He was certain that even in the post-modern era, Raiden Mei, as a natural Stigmata holder and the Third Herrscher, was inferior to Kevin Kaslana in certain Honkai Energy qualities.

This is such an unusual event that if it were placed into a game, Kevin Kaslana would be like a protagonist who defies normal rules and laws, an existence born to cope with the apocalypse.

But what bothered her even more was that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the soldier before her should be the ancestor of the Kaslana family in later generations.

Su Qing'an had a deep understanding of the Fusion Warrior Project. He knew that, given the other party's qualifications, if the project succeeded in the future and they possessed the appropriate Honkai Beast genes, it would be only natural for them to become Fusion Warrior before him.

After all, the complete Stigmata Project is much more difficult to implement than the Fusion Warrior Project.

Is it an innate talent?

Su Qing'an remained unmoved by this, for there was an insurmountable gap in their natural talents between them.

However, he was already used to this, as almost everyone at the St. Freya Academy was naturally more talented than him.

However, given that both are men who should be rejected by the Honkai Energy environment, these ideas seem less easy to accept.

Even so, the boy remained unmoved.

Even if he had a perfectly intact personality and normal emotions, Su Qing'an wouldn't dislike him, let alone now.

More than anything, he should feel grateful for this encounter, which may or may not be considered fate.

However, Su Qing'an immediately felt something was amiss that someone of such caliber was being given this task.

In theory, similar situations could be resolved directly by transport vehicles in conjunction with Mechanical Force. For the Moth of Moth to Fire Unit, which lack manpower, Kevin Kaslana's existence should not be wasted in this way.

By analogy to Fu Hua's team, who are currently on a mission to a border country to oversee a new round of infrastructure construction, Kevin probably wouldn't be very free under normal circumstances.

Su Qing'an strangely recalled the pairing of Kiana and Mei, and after calculating the formula, he directly asked based on his intuition:

"Do you know Dr. Mei?"

Kevin paused, and his previously calm tone changed slightly:

"Yes, Mei and I were classmates at the same school."

Su Qing'an didn't know how to interpret this strange coincidence, but the reason why the other party would do this task must be related to Mei.

It's quite rare for Mei to do things outside of experiments, given her personality. It seems Kevin and she have a close relationship. Did he send her on this mission so I could mentor her?

Given the other party's current inexperience, Su Qing'an's guidance may indeed have some value, and he has no intention of keeping it to himself.

The boy tries to imagine what he would do in his past self; this is one of the personality rehabilitation training programs Mei set up for him.

Su Qing'an thought that if she were normal now, she might choose to learn from the customs of the St. Freya Academy, watch the fun, and ship couples while sighing.

Unfortunately, I don't feel much interest in it now.

The young man said calmly:

"I see."

"Then you'll have a very tough time in the future."

Before Kevin could figure out what the other person meant, the slender figure in front of him disappeared from his sight like a frame-by-frame image.

He was stunned as he sensed the residual Honkai Energy fluctuations at the spot. He vaguely understood something and quickly connected to the perspective of the instrument in the other party's hand, transmitting the corresponding video footage to the virtual screen in front of him.

Soon, a huge, blurry shadow came into view.

Near the center of the storm composed of pitch-black dust, the vast open space appeared extremely abrupt, and the monster's body became less indistinct as the distance closed.

If Ganesha's prototype is roughly a white elephant, then the Emperor-class Honkai Beast before us seems to be based on some kind of raptor.

Those magnificent wings encompass an area about 100 meters long, and at first glance, they look like a golden city standing peacefully there.

However, it only lasted for a moment.

The once unattainable Emperor-class Honkai Beast became within reach in an instant; its beastly eyes were almost the size of the boy's torso, and the internal textures and colors were clearly visible.

Wow, that was fast.

But before Kevin could utter such a remark, the inky light engulfed the scene before him.

Then, all that could be heard were the sounds of machinery.

[Search the thesaurus to name the Emperor-class Honkai Beast.]

[Based on preliminary ability calculations and physical appearance, the code name is confirmed as Garuda.]

[The remains are 87% intact. The rate of Honkai Energy particle spillover is low. It is recommended to store them in a sealed space within three hours.]

At that moment, Kevin finally understood why Mei had asked him to come.