Beep-Thus Spoke Prometheus / The Transformation of Humanity

"Enough talk. Since you've already made up your mind, let's get going."

"Okay... then..."

"Drop------"

A sudden burst of bright light engulfed everything in front of the boy's eyes.

"The third simulation experiment has ended. The consciousness mimicry has reached the critical point. Prepare for retrieval."

The boy stood there blankly, gazing at the scenery before him.

His "world" has disappeared.

That was the literal meaning of "world," and what he saw now was a pure white, flawless scene devoid of anything or anyone.

And for some reason, he was unable to move.

Just a few seconds later, in the distance... He couldn't tell which part of this space was far and which part was near, but he judged from the size of the two figures that they were in a relatively far location.

As they approached, a storm raged within him.

The helmeted man stood calmly in front of him, staring at him with a gaze even colder than usual.

The other woman with long black hair was observing something else; her gaze was on herself, but she wasn't looking at herself.

Father, and Aunt Mei?

"What did you gain this time?" Lin asked Mei, who was standing beside him, in a rather indifferent tone.

"It's possible to mimic the opposite gender of consciousness, or to reverse the contamination by using the Herrscher's consciousness to pollute the original consciousness... However, the mimicry threshold appeared in just seventy-two hours. It would be difficult to contaminate the Herrscher's consciousness without the power of the Herrscher Core of the Eighth Herrscher, especially after she developed the idea of resisting Honkai, which accelerated the speed at which she reached the threshold."

"..."

What are they saying?

The boy couldn't understand what they were saying: experiment? consciousness? pollution?

"However, this situation only occurred in the Herrscher consciousness of the Sixth Herrscher. Perhaps it's just her unique characteristic, rather than a common feature of Herrscher consciousness." Mei withdrew her gaze and turned to Lin, asking, "Is the Herrscher Core inside the Black Abyss White Flower still in a stable state?"

"No problem."

"Then let's prepare for the next simulation experiment. We don't have much time left. After the Eighth Herrscher's Herrscher Core is made into Divine Key, it will be very troublesome to simulate the Herrscher's consciousness again."

"Wait a minute." Lin stared at the motionless boy in front of him and asked softly, "'Surname,' did you come up with that?"

"No, this is the result of the device's natural simulation. However, it is a good way to deepen the connection with future generations in a way other than 'name'."

"So, including that white-haired girl, are they all the result of natural simulation?"

"... Lin, have you heard of the saying that 'electrons are indistinguishable'? Electrons are identical, and they follow the Fermi-Dirac distribution. Only by assuming they are identical can we get the answer."

"That... the idea of a single electron in the universe?" Lin obviously knew this idea. He glanced at the boy and said, "Because of the indistinguishable nature of electrons, we assume that there is actually only one electron in the entire universe. It traveled through all spacetime in a higher dimension and became every electron in our eyes."

Since Lin knew this hypothesis, Mei could explain it much more easily, "There is another, even more far-fetched theory, which holds that the universe is a series of infinitely repeating fates, which is simply a concept from some theological theories... reincarnation."

"So you believe that 'Mei' and 'Kaslana' are both 'reincarnations' simulated by this device?"

"I can't be sure. Maybe it's related to the power of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast you fused with. But your Hypervariable Surgery failed. It's possible that the device just borrowed information from me and Kevin through the database." Mei paused and smiled. "But to be superstitious and think that it is the future might be a good idea."

"..."

"Then let's begin the next experiment. The consciousness simulated using your memories has already achieved a high level of intelligence and autonomy. The consciousness transfer you experienced during the Sixth Honkai War has also reached a usable practical scope. The 'Golden Courtyard' project may now be ready to be put on the agenda."

"What else needs to be simulated?"

"Hmm... This time, I'll use a completely new identity, one that's closer to my original consciousness, to test the stability of my consciousness."

"Phew... Okay."

Mei nodded and disappeared into the empty space.

Lin silently gazed at the terrified boy, and after a while, he said calmly:

See you next time, Seele.

The boy... no, the consciousness of the Sixth Herrscher, vanished into darkness.

Chapter One – Prometheus said this.

The soft dripping of the IV drip echoed in the quiet ward, the soothing, cool white light filling the room, while the gentle rustling of turning pages escaped from fingertips.

"Knock knock".

The not-so-bright sunlight lingered on my toes.

A refreshing evening breeze blew in through the open window, stirring the stagnant air and ruffling the woman's hair.

"You seem to be recovering quite well." Mobius, unusually, wasn't wearing her white lab coat, but instead a dark black suit. Her long, wavy hair was styled into a neat braid, and she walked slowly to the bedside.

After glancing at the person on the bed a few times, she sneered, sat down in the chair, and picked up the report.

"Because there are no precedents for transplanting almost all organs and half a limb in one procedure, there is a high possibility of excessive rejection after the surgery." She glanced at the words on the report and asked casually, "Are you experiencing any discomfort now?"

"No."

"Given the extent of your previous damage and the depth of your symptoms, I cannot be certain whether the replacement parts will match your original physical capabilities... Perhaps Spasi understands this better. It is crucial that the serum completely clears the Honkai Energy from your body."

"..."

"However, after conducting a preliminary physical examination on you, I found that your Honkai Energy Adaptability is still the same as before. If I take a rock and randomly hit someone on the streets of Shenzhou, their Honkai Energy Adaptability would probably be higher than yours, but their Honkai Energy resistance has increased to an exaggerated level. At least in my opinion, the possibility of you Honkai Sickness again in the future is very small."

Mobius paused for a moment, then continued, "Anyway... continue to observe. I will come to see you in a week. The unprecedented experience of human consciousness entering the Herrscher Core is truly exciting. Before that, you should first recover your health and then deal with your own problems."

"...Thanks."

"Thank you? For those medicines? Ha..." Mobius pursed his lips, feeling very uncomfortable. "I should thank you for bringing me such novel and valuable information."

The changes to the headquarters of the Firemoth after the Sixth Honkai War were considerable.

Reconstruction of the damaged parts is an essential step. The original plan was to use an anti-gravity flight device to place the Headquarters Base in the airspace above North America, but this battle has had to be temporarily shelved, and the Aerial Base cannot be completed in the short term.

The reconstruction work was halted due to a lack of manpower. Fortunately, May and Einstein contributed their research results, Prometheus IV and Armed Puppet, to assist in the reconstruction of the base. With tireless Artificial Intelligence for planning and Armed Puppet for construction, the reconstruction was almost completed in just a few days.

Of course, base reconstruction is just a necessary procedure; what's important is the change in the personnel of the Moth Chaser.

The sharp reduction in the number of High Council personnel forced them to promote some people to keep things running, including May, the Head of Research and Development. Her previously blocked plans were restarted and are now in full swing. As a result, Vill-V and her Spiral Workshop have also come into the public eye. She will be in charge of the development and production of the Divine Key.

The role of Titans was proven in the Sixth Honkai War, so apart from some of May's plans, the re-production of Titans was put on the agenda. However, the only self-made Titan, TT-079 Kai, was completely scrapped in the Sixth Honkai War. The high cost and harsh conditions led the High Council to abandon the redevelopment of the self-made Titan.

Headquarters is also preparing to expand its personnel and relax recruitment criteria to quickly fill vacancies. Existing combat personnel have been promoted to become team leaders to increase the number of teams.

After the Sixth Honkai War, reports of Honkai Sickness and Honkai sightings surged worldwide, likely due to the effects of the Sixth Herrscher's death. However, the efficacy of the Fifth Branch's Honkai Sickness Serum was proven, so the Fire Moths specially assigned some personnel to collect information on Honkai Sickness.

All of this... has nothing to do with Lin.

He put down his book, rubbed his bandaged nose, and listened to the hurried footsteps outside the ward, his expression peaceful and calm.

It has healthy eyes, hands, and feet; a brain without strange noises or hallucinations; and skin without twisted, ugly purple lines.

He was "normal," more "normal" than ever before.

After the battle against the Sixth Herrscher ended, Lin received treatment from Spasi at the Fifth Branch, who had just completed the research and development of the Honkai Sickness Serum. He was terminally ill but miraculously survived and was cured of the Honkai Sickness. He then returned to headquarters, where Mobius cloned his body to replace the necrotic parts. He recovered to normal in about a month.

Several years passed in the blink of an eye. The nightmarish Honkai Sickness that had plagued him for so long had disappeared after he woke up. Lin was not excited when he learned this; he simply accepted the situation quickly.

However, as Mobius said, he needs to deal with some of his own problems.

In the early stages of the Sixth Honkai War, Lin defied the orders of the Fifth Branch Chief Spasi, and announced his withdrawal from the Firemoth. After the Sixth Honkai War ended, although he was reinstated to the Firemoth, which was in dire need of manpower, his position as captain and his original rank were revoked. He is now just a private at the lowest level, and all the captain's authority he originally enjoyed has been taken back.

After he recovers, he will be reassigned to the team, but this time he will be even lower in rank than his teammates Hua and Immer.

What's most unique is Lin's experience during the Sixth Honkai War. His consciousness was transferred into the Herrscher Core, the highest secret of the Herrschers. His feelings and influences are essential information for humanity. He may face endless experiments, and returning to the battlefield is impossible in the near future.

To this end, the Fire Moth also developed several experimental plans, including the Stigmata Project experiment of May and Mobius and the Consciousness Transfer Project experiment.

After listening to what Immer told him, Lin Yi nodded silently. After a certain change in his heart, he seemed to be in no hurry to return to the front line. He spent more time in the ward in a daze. Even the nurses who were originally disgusted by his cold temperament after being admitted to the intensive care unit many times thought that the atmosphere around him had eased a lot.

However, he would occasionally reveal a fierce look in his eyes.

"What kind of look is this?"

After putting down the book, Lin couldn't help but ask the "person" beside him.

"The original bionic body could no longer be used after suffering irreversible damage, so Dr. Vill-V recreated a new one. Beep —Prometheus Unit 1 said."

Prometheus appeared to have transformed from a little girl into a young woman, emitted a strange standby tone.

Chapter Two: The Change of Man

Lin Cong imagined that one day Artificial Intelligence would grow up.

Well, he had considered that Prometheus, with the improvement of both hardware and software and the enhancement of the perfection of the simulated personality she learned, would make her, this "Artificial Intelligence," grow up, but he never thought that an Artificial Intelligence- inhabited bionic robot would grow up.

I never expected my appearance to change from a loli to a teenage girl.

This was the first change that Lin, who thought everything was still the same, experienced.

"In the visual data collected on Lin, 70% of women over 20 years old had their eyes fixed on her for more than five seconds, 25% of women over 25 years old had their eyes fixed on her for more than five seconds, and 5% of women under 20 years old had their eyes fixed on her for more than five seconds. Therefore, Dr. Vill-V adjusted her appearance age based on the data in order to ensure Lin's mental health. 'Beep— 'Prometheus Unit 1 said expectantly."

"..."

Lin responded with the same expressionless face to those gray eyes that were completely flat and devoid of any light effects. He didn't know whether to complain about Prometheus collecting visual persistence data first, or about Vill-V's thought process that never seemed to be on the same wavelength as anyone else.

Moreover, the added line at the end, which seems like a deliberate attempt to be cute, is a complete copy of the original setting.

"What did you mean by your last sentence?" Lin asked tentatively.

"Dr. Vill-V said..."

"Alright, no need to say anything more."

To put it in analogy, it would be that Vill-V knew Lin particularly liked to eat large intestines, so she made a special kind of braised large intestine and forced him to eat it.

However, in terms of visual effects, Prometheus's new body does give him a more human feel. The ball joints that were originally highlighted on his body have been replaced by real limb joints. His clothes are no longer a simple white and blue combination, but have many more decorations. He has a moth symbol pinned to his right chest, and his light gray curly hair, like a drill, is draped down his back.

Just like she is constantly changing.

"Is Lin disappointed?" Prometheus suddenly stopped and asked Lin, who was calmly leaning against the headboard.

"What's disappointing?"

"Your tone is different from before, it's changed by about 32%," Prometheus replied mechanically, then lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong. "Are you disappointed that I chose to stand by and watch the Cleansing Incident happen?"

"..."

Lin didn't know the full picture of the Cleansing Incident, but he knew that Prometheus must have been by his side when the Speaker transferred him to Dusk Street. And judging from the fact that the Cleansing Incident was almost completed with little hindrance, Prometheus had used him to exchange for the High Council.

This also means that she did not follow what Lin had taught her, and even did the opposite.

Therefore, in her view, the reason why Lin experienced such "significant" emotional fluctuations after waking up was due to the roles played by Prometheus and May in this incident.

Do not judge humanity from a superior position, and do not believe that life can be measured by value.

None of them achieved this. According to calculations, the deaths of those High Council individuals actually contributed to the overall progress of humanity and the fight against the Honkai.

From a moral standpoint, those High Council who condoned and even promoted human experimentation committed countless crimes; from a rational standpoint, their existence did nothing to benefit the moth-to-a-flame system.

But this is ultimately just another form of private legal sanction.

"... If we choose to participate, then the system of the Moth Chasing Flames will not change, which is not necessarily a good thing."

Prometheus looked up when she heard Lin's soft voice. She had thought that Lin would use more rigorous and professional language to reprimand her, or simply remain silent. But Lin's words this time were unexpectedly... very peaceful.

"They did it for humanity, and so did you. From the perspective of their motivations, there is no fundamental difference between them and you. If I were to condescendingly criticize you simply because I am not involved myself, that would be nothing more than an act of escapism."

So whether it's right or wrong, we may not be able to tell... Let's leave it all to time.

Lin knew that Mei was a similar type of person to him; she was willing to kill humans for the sake of humanity and become the kind of person that humanity needed.

Would she willingly kill someone? Would she willingly stand by and watch?

She didn't want to, but she did it anyway.

She didn't care what others thought of her or how they criticized her, while Lin... understood these people who had no control over their own lives.

"No, Lin, I did it all for you," Prometheus corrected.

"..." Lin Tang was suddenly speechless.

Just for... him?