The Final Experiment, the Herrscher Core

As Mei watched this scene, a sense of anticipation welled up within her.

The technology used to extract Stigmata from the Herrscher of Death is clearly not mature. As long as the Stigmata Project corresponding to Su Qing'an is completed, the subsequent widespread Stigmata will not need to be upgraded to the level of Honkai Energy immunity.

In other words, both Seele Fulei herself and Mei herself would have clear reasons to completely stop human experimentation and seal this inhumane history into the past.

For her, this is undoubtedly a kind of redemption and liberation, and it is inevitable that she would have expectations under such a bright future.

The girl gazed at the indistinct figure within the blood-red cocoon and whispered:

"Prometheus, report the basic data."

Prometheus stated:

"Signs of life, no effect."

"There are no signs of consciousness returning, and the procedure for transplanting the Stigmata is not expected to cause severe pain."

"To date, there has been no rejection of the Stigmata substance by Mr. Su's body."

"Estimated completion time: 2 hours and 37 minutes."

Its voice paused for a moment, then continued:

"Dr. Mei, at least from a purely transplant perspective, the plan has been a success."

The phenomenon of a large amount of Honkai Energy appearing during Stigmata transplantation has been speculative and cannot be fully confirmed.

Now it seems that if Su Qing'an hadn't been able to control the process herself, the transplant would have been even more complicated.

However, the fact that he could control this power himself yet still couldn't let Seele's power interfere with him still puzzled Mei.

However, the girl didn't care about these minor details at the moment. She was unusually nervous about the final result. Even though she kept her expression calm, her heart was beating faster involuntarily.

Complex emotions welled up in Mei's chest, making her voice sound somewhat low and somber.

"Only the most crucial step remains. Once it's confirmed that Mr. Su's Honkai Energy adaptability has improved, the Perfect Stigmata plan will be a success."

"Until then... let's wait patiently."

As the boy gradually regained consciousness, he sensed the lingering scent around him, a faint fragrance like that of a bitter red plum blossom crushed in a white porcelain bowl with a wooden pestle among ice cubes. It seemed to linger at the tip of his nose, yet he couldn't quite grasp it.

The familiar yet elusive aura lies between reality and illusion, like a butterfly that has withered in spring and summer, ultimately impossible to trace back.

It's somewhat like...

As he inexplicably arrived at the answer, Su Qing'an opened his eyes. The orange halo of the chandelier reflected in his vision caused his pupils to become slightly unfocused, making it difficult for him to see the scene before him clearly.

But one thing is clear: I am not in the incubation chamber of the laboratory; it looks like I have been sent back to my room at home.

He felt the soft warmth against the back of his head, and his consciousness began to waver slightly.

Light gray hair fell around her ears, its smooth texture feeling slightly cloying against her skin.

Hua was using her legs as a pillow.

The boy felt her smooth, soft skin against the side of his face, and paid unprecedented attention to the strands of hair that fell in front of his eyes.

Gray is an achromatic color, meaning it has no hue or saturation, only brightness.

It lies between black and white, is an intermediate color in the color system, is applicable to any color system, and is often used to describe things that are dull and monotonous.

In a sense, the meaning that the color gray represents actually coincides with a part of Fu Hua's personality.

There is a type of gray known as sophisticated gray, which is often described as having a soothing quality, being soft and close to nature, having a creamy color, a washed-out look, and low saturation.

Su Qing'an's lips curled up slightly as he reached out and cupped a few strands of hair, thinking to himself.

They look very similar, don't they?

Fu Hua poked the boy's cheek, feeling the touch of his skin against hers. She felt a little shy. Seele, who was watching cartoons nearby, turned her gaze over with interest, which intensified her strange emotions.

But outwardly, the young girl remained very composed, and she asked:

"Awake? What are you thinking about?"

The boy looked into her downcast eyes and said softly:

I was wondering what color your hair is.

Fu Hua thought for a moment and replied:

"It's gray."

Su Qing'an twirled a strand of her hair and replied:

That's the specifics, but I'd like to know you a little better.

The little girl felt a little shy, but she could still bear it. She pretended to be nonchalant and asked:

Even if it's just hair color?

The boy repeated as if it were the most natural thing in the world:

Even if it's just the color of your hair.

She pursed her lips, feeling her cheeks gradually becoming hot.

"I don't know either. I don't usually think about things like more detailed color distinctions."

Su Qing'an smiled and said:

"It should be closer to winter gray, but a bit brighter."

Fu Hua seemed inexplicably a little awkward, probably because she felt it was rather embarrassing to have been defeated so quickly. She asked:

"Isn't it good?"

The boy gazed at the ripples slowly spreading across the depths of those eyes, his lips moving slightly:

"I love so much."

The little girl silently covered Su Qing'an's eyes, hoping that this would prevent anyone from noticing her unusual behavior. She held her breath and said:

"Su Qing'an is a bad person."

As Seele watched the adorable sight of her cheeks gradually tinged with rouge, she felt that it seemed rather difficult for Sister Hua to win her over in return.

Just like my brother said about the difference in cooking skills, I guess we'll have to wait until 55,000 years from now.

She glanced at the photo on the communicator, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled.

But even as it is now, it's already very, very good.

The experiment failed.

Or rather, even if all the Stigmata materials have been successfully transplanted, the boy's Honkai Energy literacy has not improved at all, just like the initial results of those death row inmates who had "Stigmata" transplanted.

The lack of change itself is the biggest blow.

Moreover, this time is different from the last time. Last time, Mei could understand it as having huge technical limitations in extracting Stigmata, but there was still room for improvement.

This time, however, the transplant was performed using a Stigmata substance that could only be barely restored a year later with current technology. Under these conditions, the result was still unchanged. This not only dashed Mei's hopes but also made her think about a crucial question.

However, acknowledging this line of thinking would mean that all previous research and experimental progress would be rendered useless, and even the progress of the original Stigmata Project would need to be examined for its fallacies.

Mei isn't incapable of admitting her mistakes, but mere speculation isn't enough for her to simply abandon the enormous effort she's put in at such a high price.

Without concrete evidence proving it's a mistake, any seemingly timely attempt to cut losses could be a stumbling block on the road to true success.

Regardless of the approach taken, the current situation demonstrates that, apart from that Stigmata material, there are still some unknown elements missing in order to truly reach the Honkai Energy level of Herrscher of Death.

This is the price you have to pay for taking shortcuts. If you intend to follow in someone else's footsteps and replicate their perfect success, you must copy every single action and detail of theirs. Otherwise, even the slightest mistake will lead to failure.

Researching living Herrscher brought Mei a lot; from a researcher's perspective, it even inspired other projects. However, the grafting approach still imposed a fixed framework, limiting all paths to success to a straight line, where even the slightest detour would lead to failure.

She believed that the appearance of that Stigmata substance had already solved many problems for her, but other factors were still needed.

Mei could only seek a definitive answer from the Herrscher of Death herself.

That is, the Herrscher Core.

To put it bluntly, apart from the Herrscher Core, there are almost no secrets about Seele Fulei in Mei's eyes.

At least Mei can understand what is comprehensible and what is not about the rest, but due to many complex factors, she has never chosen to observe or study the Herrscher Core in a physical sense.

But now that a certain element is missing, the girl has no choice but to face this reality.

Assuming that transplanting the Herrscher of Death Stigmata actually be successful, then the Herrscher Core must contain a secret related to this.

Mei could detect through instruments that Su Qing'an's body had indeed undergone tremendous changes compared to the past. However, the fact that no change occurred after this seemingly subtle but fundamental "evolution" itself signified a turning point.

She believed that as long as one of the conditions was met, Su Qing'an could truly possess Honkai Energy literacy comparable to the Herrscher of Death, reaching a terrifying level of Honkai Energy immunity.

At that time, even if the Herrscher becomes stronger, it will no longer be difficult for the boy to preserve his life by absorbing the soul power of the Honkai Energy phenomenon.

This condition is either completely impossible to achieve, or it is hidden within the Herrscher Core.

Mei's fundamental reason for not attempting to study the Herrscher Core lies in her suspicion that, due to the special nature of her powers, the demise of the physical body for Herrscher of Death is merely a superficial change, like changing clothes. But then, what exactly constitutes the life essence of the Sixth Herrscher?

The answer can only be the Herrscher Core.

According to this conclusion, studying the seemingly ordinary human body and flesh of the Herrscher of Death is a completely different kind of cruelty compared to studying her Herrscher Core.

Even from a rational perspective, it was dangerous, because it meant that the life of the Sixth Herrscher was truly threatened. Under the intense pain and the budding sense of crisis, it would not be surprising if Seele went berserk at that time.

If she goes berserk, Mei, who is closest to her, will be the first to be affected. Not to mention the serious consequences that follow, the question of her own life after being caught in the crossfire is the key obstacle preventing this experiment from taking place.

At the same time, even if Seele overcomes everything, it will still be very dangerous.

Even Mei herself couldn't confirm the extent to which the Herrscher Core and the living Herrscher separated, or even what would happen if they were completely separated.

Will it result in complete death? Or will it blur, or even sever, the connection between the soul and authority?

Does the ambiguity of the link between these two things render the powers unusable?

Herrscher are unable to use their powers and no longer use them to link to the Imaginary Space will lose the fundamental ability to control infinite Honkai Energy.

So, could Seele Fulei still be considered Herrscher at that time?

After studying past cases and living Herrscher, Mei believes that the Herrscher Core is the source of all the Herrscher's power. Herrscher loses the Herrscher Core may be no different from an ordinary person, except for the Honkai Energy be immune to Honkai energy.

She even suspected that without the Herrscher Core as a medium, it wouldn't be so easy for the Honkai Consciousness to connect with the Herrscher at will.

If that's the case, perhaps losing the Herrscher Core would be a good thing for Seele Fulei herself, at least preventing incidents like the Shiyu Qiluo and Carole from happening again.

However, this experiment was extremely risky, and Mei even considered giving up.

However, the losses caused by abandoning the project at this stage are almost unbearable. The girl has a pessimistic view about whether the Stigmata that she has researched and developed for other paths will conflict with the Stigmata substances in Su Qing'an's current body. It can be said that she only has one choice in front of her: to go all the way down this path.

Nowadays, apart from the need to observe the Herrscher Core, there is almost no need to conduct other experiments.

However, if the experiment continues to make no progress, and Mei states frankly that she doesn't need Seele's help to conduct the experiment, it wouldn't be surprising if Seele, given her personality, attributed everything to herself.

At that time, there might even be experiments where the other person develops a disturbing or pathological condition without being tortured.

Such a future may sound funny and ridiculous, but this very distortion may be the real reason why Fulei never broke down despite all the hardships Seele endured.

Mei looked at the girl opposite her.

She sat obediently in the chair, her hands placed politely on her knees. Her face was delicate and pretty, the kind of face that should be in the classroom at school, daydreaming about when get out of class will end.

The topic of life and death should be irrelevant to her; worrying about how much homework she has, what her family made for dinner, who she can play with after class, and where she can go with her friends after school would probably be more in line with her personality.

But now it involves a real conversation about life and death, Mei stated:

"You could die. This experiment to separate the Herrscher Core is unlike anything before; it's a dangerous experiment that directly targets your powers."

"I hope you will consider this carefully, Seele."

"Using the power won't have no impact on you; the experiment should be limited to a few trials."

Seele asked softly:

"Did the grafting experiment fail, Sister Mei?"

Mei remained silent, knowing that she couldn't hide these things from the other party. Even when Su Qing'an returned, it was Seele came to pick her up.

From the very beginning, everything about the Stigmata experiment was made transparent to them. The reason for doing so was naturally to let them understand that the experiment was progressing, so that they could clearly understand their role and gain satisfaction and peace of mind from it, thereby indirectly alleviating the pain of the experiment.

Although the method of obtaining these was rather convoluted, Mei had to admit that it was indeed effective.

Besides, hiding it is pointless; the other party will find out the truth sooner or later.

She responded:

"It can't be considered a failure. The transplantation of the Stigmata can be considered a success, but it didn't achieve the expected results."

"There are probably some other elements missing, and the Herrscher Core might contain the answer."

Seele clutched the center of her chest. She could sense the Herrscher Core there, just like the heart that supplies blood to the whole body. The Honkai Energy flowing throughout her body rose and fell naturally with the rhythm of the Herrscher Core.

In a way, for the Herrscher of Death, this might be the true heart.

She was acutely aware that this experiment was vastly different in terms of its level of danger from previous ones, but it was equally important.

The significance of this can be understood from the fact that Mei, who had always been vaguely resistant to it, took the initiative to bring it up.

She said softly:

"It's alright, Sister Mei."

The girl smiled and comforted her:

"If all goes well, this will be the last experiment, right?"

Mei loathed herself for who she was now; the existence of this meeting was so hypocritical and filthy.

From the very beginning, Seele Fulei could not possibly refuse.

Every word she uttered, from the beginning to the end, was exactly what she had anticipated. This precise, nauseatingly accurate conversation was like a razor-sharp knife, the pent-up pain tearing her heart apart and making it increasingly difficult for her to feel any other emotions.

Even though all of this was done in accordance with the other party's wishes, in Mei's view, Seele, as a child with immature self-judgment who needed correction from adults, did not have her own wishes to be a suitable reason.

He who orchestrated the events and had the power to prevent this tragedy is undoubtedly the culprit.

It's natural that Mei, who has come this far with this philosophy and understanding, feels unable to let go of it. Now, she has to carry this pain through one of the cruelest experiments in history.

The girl gave a sorrowful smile and said softly:

"Yes, it will, no matter what... this is the last time, Seele."

Once the experiment is completed, a large amount of data can be obtained, allowing us to determine whether there is anything that can cause the revival of the Stigmata.

Assuming that the incomplete substance can be removed without endangering the other party's life, then it can naturally be removed along with the other part.

Conversely, Mei would choose to announce the completion of the experiment, temporarily concealing the true results.

So whether it succeeds or fails, this will be the last time.

Looking at Mei's increasingly pale face, Seele couldn't help but feel sad. She was a bad person who shouldn't be forgiven for forcing Mei onto this path.

Even so, she didn't want that person to suffer from the torment and pain of Honkai Energy anymore.

Therefore, this outcome was an unavoidable choice.

This time, however, Seele didn't want to use her powers to hide her emotions, so she hugged the girl's waist and buried her head in it, not wanting anyone to see her expression.

She said softly:

"I'm sorry, Sister Mei."

"I think Seele must be really annoying."

"But just like you said, this is the last time."

Mei didn't respond for a long time, nor did she choose to hug him back.

She lost that right long ago, and as for right or wrong... it's no longer important.

The next day.

The experiment was scheduled for a period of time after Su Qing'an and Kevin went out to eliminate the Honkai Beast.

Even before the Herrscher of Death appeared, Mei, who knew about the Herrscher's powers in advance, had already considered how to deal with such a bug-like power.

Controlling the apoptosis and growth of biological cells, coupled with the Herrscher's unlimited supply of Honkai Energy, means that humanity's greatest weapon to date— the Honkai Fission Bomb —has lost its meaning.

The Honkai Fission Bullet, which requires a large number of stacks to break through the opponent's surface defense and cause damage, has a fatal flaw against the Herrscher of Death.

Efficiency.

The efficiency of slowly building up defenses is too low; even if some damage is done, it can't keep up with the time it takes for the power to repair itself.

Based on the experience gained from subsequent energy conservation experiments on living Herrscher, and combined with corresponding data calculations, even if Honkai Fission Bomb were launched successively worldwide at three times their previous yield, they would ultimately fail to inflict serious damage on the Herrscher of Ice.

This means that before Mei can figure out how to deal with this power, all of humanity's current means must be exhausted to possibly kill it, and the number of casualties that will result is too numerous to list.

Both Mei before and Mei after officially starting research on living Herrscher are working hard to develop a way to restrain this power in order to prevent accidents from happening.

The result we've achieved so far is a special agent that can suppress most of the Herrscher of Death's power.

The original plan was to completely seal the opponent's powers for a short period of time, and to combine these special agents with the Honkai Fission Bomb to cause armor breakage and negative effects on healing, so that the Herrscher of Death's health bar could reach the kill threshold, and then use the other planned methods to complete the kill.

However, it seems that even with the original body as the experimental subject, the effect is still somewhat unsatisfactory. The power to control biological cells can only be suppressed temporarily, and even if it is only for a short time, complete sealing is not realistic.

Of course, this was also because she had focused most of her energy on the Stigmata Project, and the research on the special agent had become a relatively easy daily interlude, so the feedback she received was naturally not satisfactory.

But at least for now, the existence of this special agent is absolutely crucial.

The Herrscher Core is the lifeline of the Herrscher of Death. Even if Seele deliberately manipulates her powers, she cannot stop the spontaneous reaction of the powers when the foreign object cuts open her chest cavity in an attempt to remove it.

It wouldn't be surprising if it turned into a long tug-of-war between flesh and machine. To prevent this, the experiment will proceed as planned inside a giant Soul Steel sphere filled with special agents.

The outer mass of the entire Soul Steel Prison silently became as light as a thin shell, with the vast majority of the Soul Steel converging in the huge underground metal cavity, thus creating a massive experimental field.

This is the most extreme measure we can prepare to prevent the Herrscher of Death from going berserk in the event of a dangerous situation.

Even so, Mei understands just how much unnecessary risk she, being the closest to the situation, is taking.

But... there's no going back.