The Operation Failed

"You're right, I should keep moving forward and not stand still."

"As for whether we get married or do something else, it doesn't matter. We'll find it eventually if we keep going. I'm already content to see you little ones grow up."

"Oh, right, Lin, after we get back..."

"I killed the Herrscher of Reason from the Previous Civilization."

Inhale, exhale.

Inhale—

"Team leader..."

He looked up and saw Hua's blank expression.

"Captain Himiko, she's become Herrscher, right?"

What's the answer?

At this moment, Lin should calmly tell Hua, just like Kevin did earlier, that Himiko has become Herrscher, just like Soul has become Herrscher.

But he didn't say it.

Hua already knew this; she wasn't there to ask.

Lin Zaihua left before his eyes could even meet his gaze.

Before going to Mobius's laboratory, Lin visited the cemetery.

He hadn't been here for a long time, and hadn't been immersed in the world of the dead for a long time either.

It was as quiet as another world.

"... According to Article 41 of the Fire-Chasing Moth, the cemetery is not allowed during a large-scale Honkai."

Prometheus walked silently to his side, her poker face appearing even more indifferent in the dim light.

"Lin, please do not violate the rules."

"..."

Is there such a rule about moths chasing fire?

He didn't know; his extraordinary memory hadn't told him about this rule, nor could he be sure if it was Prometheus's fabrication.

He originally planned to bring two people here after returning to headquarters.

One is Himiko, and the other is MSA-970.

Himiko move towards the future, and MSA-970 should also move towards a new beginning, starting from the cemetery that represents memory and death.

But Honkai never seems to offer any hope.

So, are we going to stay here and stagnate?

...No.

Humans are always like this, bearing the pain and moving forward.

Now it's just a matter of doing it again.

After the helmeted man entered the laboratory, Mobius stopped what she was doing. She silently tidied up the things on the table, gave Klein and the others some instructions, and then went into the private laboratory.

She closed the door and glanced at Lin.

Something has changed.

Just as Lin Cong had changed after surviving the Sixth Honkai War a few months ago, he has changed again now, reverting to the version of himself that she knows so well yet finds repulsive.

Silence, coldness, and hardness.

She didn't actually want to hear what he was going to say next.

"I want to undergo Hypervariable Surgery."

See? She doesn't want to listen at all.

Chapter Ninety-Two: Surgery Failure

The Flame-Chaser project needs a volunteer.

The success rate of the surgery was almost zero. Humans had never done anything so crazy. Even the alien races, such as the Stars, had only transformed themselves into creatures similar to Honkai Beast, rather than integrating Honkai Beast into their own bodies.

This is a surgery that is almost certain to fail, so so far, only two people have volunteered.

Kevin and Lin.

"I want to be the first to undergo the Hypervariable Surgery."

"Why?"

"The experience I gained can be passed on to Kevin, and his success rate in surgery will increase."

"..."

Even without asking why, Mobius understood the reason behind his actions.

He is now the MSA-079 she knows so well, a soldier who would use poison without hesitation for humanity, a living dead who would obey orders to die.

The iceberg within me that had been melting over the past few months, the effort I had made to change myself, and the enjoyment I had of life—that forest had vanished like a mirage.

The man who spoke in a cold tone, saying he understood her and even apologizing, is not the same person as this one.

Mobius gazed at the man who was half a head taller than her; his cold demeanor was exactly the same as always. "The first and second times won't be much different. The deciding factor in the Hypervariable Surgery is 'luck'."

"But we will definitely gain some experience." Lin's calm voice, like the tolling of a bell, rang out inside the helmet.

So are you just going to give up on your life like this?

Should we give up on the life we've already decided to face positively and enjoy like a normal person?

Mobius couldn't bring herself to ask; she couldn't refute him with "such a thing." He was so righteous, so rational, willing to sacrifice for humanity and for his friends.

All reasons for "selfishness" and all excuses for "personality" are exposed under his words.

She found it disgusting, and also because she was Mobius, she refused.

"I made a promise with you before, that I would be the first volunteer for the Flame-Chaser project, and you also told me that as long as I am alive, you will perform the surgery on me."

"Now is the time to fulfill the agreement."

Mobius finally realized that she still hated Lin.

This has remained unchanged since they first met.

"The Honkai Beast to be fused will be Wasak, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast born from the Second Honkai War. It is the Companion Honkai Beast of the Second Herrscher, and MSA-079, as the slayer, has a certain compatibility with it."

"Will MSA-079 require anesthesia during the procedure? The intense pain generated during the surgery may have a positive effect on maintaining his consciousness."

"What if the surgery fails..."

"Injected Honkai Energy..."

"The part that was replaced..."

An academic discussion on how to transform humans into monsters will take place at the headquarters of the Firemoth, which may be assimilated by an alien civilization, in just a few dozen hours.

They racked their brains, doing their best to perfect the plan for the operation. The most advanced equipment was brought into the laboratory, and colorful liquids were put into syringes.

Everyone spoke their minds without reservation, condensing their thoughts into a surgery that lasted less than three hours.

Yes, this surgery was scheduled to take only three hours.

The Hypervariable Surgery was scheduled to take nearly ten hours.

According to the plan, they have two Hypervariable Surgery to perform next. The time is tight, and there is simply not enough free time. The first one, which has a lower success rate, is more of an experimental verification.

In other words, they were convinced from the beginning that Lin's surgery would fail.

Mobius sat at one corner of the long table, not participating in the discussion, but staring at Mei, who sat in another corner, with icy eyes.

They both stared at each other in silence, and May simply accepted Mobius's sharp gaze, which seemed to pierce through her.

Are there any other suggestions?

After the discussion ended, May asked everyone.

Only one person, at that moment, uttered a discordant and jarring sound.

"I oppose performing Hypervariable Surgery on MSA-079."

When the others saw that it was Mobius, their expressions changed. Even though they were all co-planners of the Flame-Chaser, it didn't mean that they all shared the same personality as Mobius.

She's crazy, even among this group of crazy people, she's the craziest one.

But Mobius, seemingly oblivious to their gazes, slowly rose and looked down at the crowd. "His Honkai Energy Adaptability is far below average, while his Honkai Energy resistance is boosted by the Honkai Energy serum, which completely fails to meet the requirements of the Flame-Chaser project. Even if the surgery is successful, he may not achieve the expected results we need."

The Honkai Energy Adaptability and high Honkai Energy, which is contrary to the original intention of the Flame-Chaser project.

Therefore, this is the most "reasonable" reason.

"But MSA-079 was one of only two volunteers."

"..."

May's words silenced Mobius.

She knew perfectly well that when two individuals were to undergo the same experiment, the one who was more likely to fail and had more variables would often be chosen as the primary experimental subject.

This is common sense.

This isn't a question of whether it's suitable or not, because even if it's not suitable, they have no other choice.

So, unsurprisingly, the meeting ended in silence after a "madman's" insignificant "crazy ramblings."

Mobius occasionally thinks about his childhood.

Human memory is selective. If a person's childhood is tragic, they may forget it without realizing it as they grow up.

But Mobius clearly remembers his past, his childhood ending with the smell of drugs, a dirty ceiling, and someone's hysteria.

Her goal was set back then: to evolve humans into something more "beautiful," instead of a bunch of wriggling lumps of flesh, drug-addicted worms in a stinking ditch.

She will stop at nothing to survive, to allow humanity to evolve, and, just as her name suggests, to witness the "infinity" of life.

This is the truth that Mobius believed to be true.

She should have scoffed at Lin's life principles, which were so different from her own, for so easily giving up herself just to give others a chance to live.

But now, she has doubts.

The hand holding the scalpel had begun to tremble without anyone noticing.

Having performed countless cold-blooded surgeries, whether taking or giving life, without any hesitation, he stopped at this moment.

She was the chief surgeon.

"Smack."

A hand grasped her trembling hand, making her grip the scalpel tightly.

She was lying on the operating table, without even being given anesthesia, and he held her hand with unprecedented tenderness.

"Let's begin."

Don't say it.

Mobius wanted to cover his ears.

Don't say that to her.

"I trust you."

Her heart was pounding.

My heart, which had stopped hurting the day I left the cave called "home," is throbbing.

Three hours later, Lin's Hypervariable Surgery was declared a failure.