Grafted Hypothesis, Mei's Condition

Soul Steel Prison.

In the second week of studying the living Herrscher, the experiment first entered a difficult phase.

The Stigmata Project, which was based on the Herrscher of Death, made unprecedented progress, but the concept of "perfection" for the perfect Stigmata also became too advanced due to the limits of the blueprint.

Mei's original plan for a perfect Stigmata to grant Honkai Energy proficiency similar to Kevin's was already an ideal state within the limit. However, the pre-built product in the current blueprint can grant a terrifying level of Honkai Energy immunity.

This significantly increased the time required for the Stigmata Project. Using normal methods for research and replication, the originally estimated one year was far from enough.

Of course, reaching the ideal, perfect progress is far from enough, but reaching the original perfect standard has indeed been greatly improved.

The reason Me is troubled by this is that the possibility granted by the Herrscher of Death has greatly increased the feasibility of her original plan.

If Su Qing'an can truly acquire Honkai Energy literacy equivalent to that of Herrscher through this, then the plan that only exists in his mind will have the possibility of being truly implemented, which will have an immeasurable impact on the future.

Therefore, choosing to settle for second best under such a hopeful blueprint and researching the originally planned level of Stigmata to give to the other party is something that Mei finds hard to accept now.

Human civilization cannot afford to miss any opportunity that could potentially give it even the slightest advantage in future wars.

Mei has already stepped into the taboo realm of trampling on moral bottom lines, conducting inhumane human experiments on ignorant children whose values are not yet mature. If the most ideal results cannot be obtained even at such a cost, she cannot tolerate it emotionally.

However, fully understanding and replicating the secrets within the Herrscher of Death is still a very long way off.

It's like trying to depict every corner of the world with the brush of an artist in a short time—utterly inefficient and hopeless.

Leaving aside how long it will take, the sheer number of human trials required is almost unbearable for Mei.

She understood perfectly that if a perfect Stigmata was transplanted into Su Qing'an once, it could not be replaced again.

Because the foundation of a perfect Stigmata is that it is completely integrated with the body, and there will be no rejection reaction.

Under these circumstances, it would be impossible to develop a superior work that could overwrite or replace it.

Otherwise, the correct approach would be to directly develop a substandard product to address Su Qing'an's current lifespan limitations. Once that immediate problem is solved, then gradually work towards the ideal Stigmata.

After all, the current situation is extremely urgent.

The reason is that Mei suspected that the Honkai Consciousness might be deliberately targeting Su Qing'an. Even if the evidence is not clear enough, this possibility means that even if the boy himself is unwilling to fight the next Herrscher, he may not be able to get his wish.

Given his current physical condition, he would undoubtedly die if he were to fight Herrscher.

Based on the continuous convergence of Honkai Energy tides and the gradually diminishing peace caused by the emergence of Emperor-class Honkai Beast, the Seventh Herrscher may be born in the near future.

Considering that the last Herrscher appeared only a month ago, even the worst-case scenario is not impossible.

There must be a way, she thought.

Rather, it's more like a faint inspiration keeps floating in your mind; if you can grasp it, you might find the shortest path to success.

Eliminate the least likely yet seemingly necessary options; often, the details beyond that are worth pondering.

--Find a way to accelerate the understanding and replication of the Herrscher of Death's secrets.

Mei ruled this out first, arguing that whether using fishing nets or a giant ship for transportation, it would be pointless if the goal was to drain the Seawater.

If there truly were a fastest shortcut, it could only be explained using the simplest of principles.

After a long while, Mei came to an answer.

Grafting.

According to normal noun logic, grafting refers to grafting a branch or bud of one plant onto the stem or root of another plant, so that the two parts grow into a complete plant.

The same principle applies when converting to perfect Stigmata.

Her thinking was simple: since it was impossible to replicate or understand everything in a short time, she would simply transplant what was already available.

No need for strenuous replication or meticulous understanding of all the secrets; the porting can be accomplished with basic, introductory-level operations.

As Seele Sixth Herrscher, Fulei possesses a "Stigmata" that redefines perfection.

The explanation is extremely crude and almost entirely incorrect, but it can be explained in a way that is easy to understand: as long as all the differences between Seele Fulei's physical test data before she became Herrscher and her current physical test data are confirmed in advance, the same result can be obtained by completely transplanting these different elements.

Of course, there are many difficulties and areas that need to be overcome and confirmed through experiments. At the very least, the concern about whether it will cause rejection is one of the most basic issues.

But these difficulties are insignificant compared to thoroughly understanding the secrets behind it.

According to Mei's initial calculations, if everything goes smoothly, the boy could even possess a truly perfect Stigmata within a month.

And if it really succeeds...

The owner of a mass-produced, perfect Stigmata?

Did the very basic requirements for the Fusion Warrior Project completely disappear?

Could this be used to program and modify the genes and future of all humanity?

No, I can't keep thinking about this.

The girl tried her best to stop thinking for the time being, but desires and the ugliness of human nature, along with all sorts of possibilities that suddenly emerged after this success, swelled wildly.

Even as the subsequent surge of guilt and remorse caused even deeper heartache, Mei still understood that these emotions could not ultimately overwhelm everything else.

If she continues to focus her attention on this for an extended period, she will eventually abandon all principles of being a human being.

So-called human nature cannot withstand any test or temptation.

However, Seele Fulei's actions have been forcing Mei to move further into forbidden territory. The difficulties that arise along the way have significant implications for the future, countless tests of one's personality and self-worth, and trials and tribulations to the soul and will. Almost every one of these is a test and temptation of human nature.

The 14-year-old girl is indeed experiencing suffering and pain that most people will never feel in their entire lives, but the burden that Mei carries is just as heavy.

Each person carries their own purgatory, and they will forge ahead until they are completely crushed by this weight.

The experiment must be accelerated.

But...

The girl clenched the front of her clothes tightly. The hundreds of auxiliary screens in front of her went out, and her violet eyes stared at the hundreds of cultivation chambers in front of her, which were filled with beautiful fluorescent light that illuminated the dark vision.

A scroll depicting a hellish landscape reflected in my unfocused, gray eyes.

--Bright red flesh and blood, pale and delicate severed limbs, neatly arranged but mostly broken organs, and other indescribable things are all quietly displayed in the cultivation chambers, waiting to be used at some unknown time.

Scarlet, jet black.

The impressions that could be given between the eyes and consciousness reflected pure colors. After finishing the initial experimental log and recording of thoughts, Mei's thinking was forced to withdraw from a state of absolute rationality.

Humans are inherently emotional beings, and this is especially true for women. Therefore, maintaining purely rational thinking when conducting experiments is an act that goes against instinct and is destined to be unsustainable.

Once you exit this state, all your actions and the reality before you will oppress the very thing called emotion, giving you an overwhelming sense of guilt.

The girl's consciousness went haywire, during which she choked for ten seconds before suddenly snapping back to reality and frantically taking deep breaths.

She instinctively felt nauseous and even wanted to vomit, but found that she could only dry heave, which was unsightly, because she was only taking nutritional supplements.

Even so, Mei suppressed the urge to look away and forced herself to face it all.

Self-escape, self-deception, self-indulgence, self-satisfaction.

These are the only things Mei is unwilling to touch, no matter how deep the sins she has to bear or how intense the guilt and sorrow she has to endure.

But there was so much blood, and it was really red.

No matter how exceptionally talented or unparalleled Mei is, who recently turned 18 and entered adulthood, she cannot train herself to be strong enough to bear everything.

She was playing a game of self-reflection.

Question: Is it possible to face Herrscher without feeling fear?

Answer: Impossible. Just as a normal human with Honkai Energy awareness could perceive, someone as weak as myself could not help but feel fear. However, the willpower to defy instincts could maintain it perfectly without revealing a single flaw.

However, in this process, one must also fight against instinctive emotions to prevent oneself from being swayed or broken by those images, and the resulting mental pressure is unimaginable.

Continuing with the question: If one suppresses their true feelings with a brief moment of rationality, can the act of dismembering the human body and the incredibly bloody experiments truly leave them completely unmoved afterward?

Answer: Impossible.

The scene before me, as if by illusion, was stained with a chilling crimson.

So red, so red, really so red.

Mei's slender, fair hands began to tremble, yet she stubbornly continued to gaze at the scene. Her lips parted, and she murmured something barely audible:

"Be rational and calm."

Self-loathing, self-contempt, self-disdain, self-punishment.

The immense pressure that had been building up for the past six months, the unwavering will, the pure ideals, the bottom line of giving up, the tragic choices, and even the monstrous figures that had been lurking around us all came crashing down like a tidal wave crashing down.

The girl gripped the white cuff of her sleeve, her gaze hardening, and repeated expressionlessly:

"Be rational and calm."

After about five minutes, this mechanical, repetitive whispering, like magic, caused all emotions and trembling to recede and vanish into the vast emptiness within, silently rising and falling.

Mei returned to her original state. She tidied her appearance, snapped her fingers, and hundreds of cultivation chambers sank into the ground.

The girl said softly:

"Prometheus."

"Initiate mental health testing, and conduct preliminary exclusion using physical methods such as CT and MRI."

"Retrieve the EEG, then perform the routine visual, auditory, and somatosensory evoked potential tests, followed by various subsequent assessment scales."

"Finish these within an hour and schedule the next research project."

She murmured softly:

"The experiment... needs to continue."

Within the Prometheus intelligent module, rapidly moving characters combined to form an experimental log with some data deleted.

[Experiment Log: To ensure the mystery surrounding the Sixth Herrscher's "Stigmata" and its potential practical applications, as well as [unclear text], it is necessary to confirm whether the Herrscher's physical body adheres to the basic law of conservation of energy.]

[Confirmation method: ■■■■■■.]

[Conclusion: The body of the Herrscher of Death does not obey the law of conservation of energy, which has implications for subsequent experiments.]

The flow of data in the digital world has created severe disruptions.

After a long while, it brought up another set of real data that had just been deleted.

[Self-inspection applicant: Mei.]

[Previous History: None.]

[Family history: No family history of mental illness.]

[Present Illness: Honkai Energy infection, estimated lifespan impact years are ■■, ■■■■■■, ■■■■■■...]

[Physical examination: Mild anemia and frailty, within normal range.]

[Overall score on self-assessment scale: ■■.]

[Diagnosis result: ■■■■.]

[Recommendation: Take a long break, cut off exposure to negative news, avoid work, eat meals on time and in a reasonable manner, undergo regular supplementary medication, and engage in appropriate recreation and exercise.]

[Final Conclusion: The self-inspection personnel have reached the mandatory retirement standard for the Moth to Fire. The system has been linked to the upper-level database to match their identity information, and arrangements for handover are expected to take place within three days.]

They know neither sorrow nor joy, nor understand human nature.

The super-intelligent system, which should have acted as it did, reviewed all the memorized information several more times. It silently gazed at the case that had been intercepted under orders and utterly destroyed and deleted it.

The tools born from this sacred duty can only ever be tools.

Assuming there is an afterlife.

Perhaps only then can this feeling of grief and affection truly be expressed.

A bright, sunny day.

The girl's sun hat shielded her from the slanting sunlight, her tangerine blue hair fell onto her delicate shoulders, and her white skirt swayed gently in the breeze.

This outfit, besides being stylish, also seems surprisingly suitable for the beach.

Seele sat on the bench, giving the third seagull a serious look before gazing at the distant coastline, munching on a strawberry-flavored fruit smoothie, exuding an inexplicably peaceful atmosphere.

Judging from her actions in chasing away the seagulls, she seems to have completely forgotten her recent proposal to reject this approach and is now working hard to protect her fruit smoothie.

Nearby shops have posted seagull-related disclaimers at their cash registers, stating that they will not compensate customers for any incidents where the seagulls steal food, as they did not instruct the seagulls to do so.

This made the little girl very cautious.

There are gun shops nearby that sell firearms, and they kindly remind tourists that they can use them for self-defense.

Of course, they were selling water guns.

After all, various laws provide a natural protective shield for seagulls, and using real guns and ammunition to deal with them would only add more disharmony to the relationship between humans and nature.

In the past, when the number of tourists was incredibly large, these obviously overpriced water gun rentals sold very widely.

Unfortunately, after the Honkai, everything has become much more desolate. Although the cloak of peace still seems to remain, natural disasters that bring death are ever-present.

The most striking and obvious sign is that both the opera house and the aquarium are nearly empty, appearing quite deserted.

Without the constant influx of tourists from other places, local residents who have lived there for a long time naturally don't find it very interesting.

Given this, coupled with the fact that multiple coastlines have experienced Honkai in the past, and the fact that the aquarium's structure has not been rebuilt to prevent the possibility of marine life mutating into Honkai Beast, it is truly difficult to feel at ease.

Even though the Honkai Energy detectors installed by the authorities in the nearby sea area consistently showed normal readings, indicating little possibility of Honkai Beast being born, the public's spontaneous anxiety still resulted in very few people being willing to come.

From a safety perspective, this is a perfectly normal choice.

Even putting yourself in their shoes, a normal person would avoid doing anything that could easily lead to unexpected risks during this period.

But none of these were within Seele and Su Qing'an's considerations. The water gun rental shop was on the verge of closing down, but it still welcomed customers on the eve of its actual closure.

The boy pulled the trigger on a seagull flying erratically in the distance, a cell phone dangling from its beak. He watched it flap its wings, looking disheveled and soaked, and fell silent.

Most of the shops are operated by intelligent robots, and apart from the rare passersby, the seagulls are actually the creatures that accompany us the most on this journey.

Although it was annoying in every sense, it was also surprisingly interesting.

At least seeing the little girl trying so hard to keep an eye on the other person is fun enough.

He asked:

How was your first visit to an aquarium?

Seele nodded earnestly:

"There are so many small animals, and huge sharks too, much clearer than in nature documentaries."

She counted a bunch of advantages on her fingers, and finally stated:

"It's more fun than the opera house."

As Su Qing'an placed the phone, which had been left behind by a seagull, into the lost and found box, she asked:

Isn't the opera house fun?

Seele answered seriously:

"The music at the opera house is lovely, but the seagulls outside are much more annoying than those here, so the aquarium is much more fun."

The little girl finished the last bite of her fruit smoothie. She gazed at the coastline, then turned to the young man's profile, a beautiful smile curving her lips as she said:

"Let's go back, brother."

"Seele is already very happy today."

Su Qing'an took her hand, returned the water gun to the store, thought for a moment, and replied:

"Hmm, shall we play a little longer? We can go back and help Hua make dinner when she's almost done."

Seele was a little conflicted. She asked:

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

The boy glanced at the communicator and said:

"There's a wildlife park nearby, aren't you going?"

After hearing this, the little girl asked the store for a fruit smoothie, and she earnestly said:

"Then, brother, can you ask Sister Hua to cook later?"

"Good."

The quiet, uneventful daily routine seems to continue.