Experimental Results / The Beginning

"Huh?" Elysia gave a smile that was pretty much the same as usual. "Nothing~"

"Really? I noticed you were silent when Hen was talking about those things, and I thought you were involved in something." Lin said casually, seemingly without thinking, "Where do you think the part separated from the remains might be?"

"Anywhere is possible." Elysia thought for a moment. "Hen said it was a baby, but it might have grown up by now."

"Separated from the remains." Lin pondered, clutching the bottom of the helmet. "The original Herrscher..."

"Why did you conclude that it was a Herrscher, Lin?"

"...If all existing Honkai Energy comes from the remains on the moon, then the part that split off from the remains should be the highest known crystallization of Honkai — the Herrscher." Lin stated his consideration. "But if it was a Herrscher, it wouldn't be normal for it to have disappeared after so many years."

"What if... it was a Herrscher like Little Seven?"

"..."

After saying those words, Elysia regretted it.

Why did she deliberately reopen Lin's wounds?

Am I being too hasty...?

"Hmm, maybe." Lin didn't seem to notice anything amiss, gave a simple reply, and then fell silent.

Elysia changed the subject. "Lin, are you angry that the Fire Moth leaked Honkai Energy?"

It's impossible not to be angry.

If humanity itself has committed a grave error, then the meaning of their long-standing struggle will change.

He didn't want those people's sacrifices to become toilet paper for some people to wipe their butts.

But...

"Hen is right. Since it has already happened, we have no choice but to fight."

"If we keep blaming the past, we can't make progress."

"Oh, it's you."

Chrono sat in his seat on the transport plane, sneering at Sakura, who was sitting not far away, coldly wiping the blade of her sword.

"..."

Sakura naturally remembered the masked man, the man in that sanatorium who survived even after she stabbed him in the heart.

Dangerous, and... terrifying.

"I actually got assigned to the same team as you. This team, um... it's called Poisoned Cocoon, right? It's all about killing people, isn't it?"

"... You can interpret it that way too."

Sakura didn't want to glorify her actions, but Lin had told her that what kind of person she was was ultimately determined by herself.

"Where's Lin? Why isn't he here?"

"Because he doesn't participate in our mission."

"Huh? It's really strange that someone like him isn't in the Poisoned Cocoon Squad." Chrono tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. "I thought he would be the captain of the Poisoned Cocoon Squad, that would be interesting."

"..."

Sakura stopped wiping the blade, turned her head to stare at Chrono's mask for a moment, and then slowly sheathed the sword.

"Hmm? What's wrong? You're upset? Like that woman?"

The woman Chrono mentioned is Aponia.

"No, I have no right to say anything more about Lin's matter to others."

"Hahaha, I can tell you're not happy with how you look at me." Chrono taunted Ying with a mocking tone, "After all, you're on the same side, so what he did isn't much to you, right?"

"And you? You have a lot of issues with Lin?"

"Of course I have an opinion," Chrono said loudly, "And I have a very strong opinion."

"Because of the nursing home?"

Are there any other reasons?

Chrono suddenly noticed that Ying was looking at him with a pitiful look, a genuine look of pity that he found unbearable.

"What... do you mean by this?"

"No, do as you please." Sakura turned her head away. "Lin won't mind how you think of him, and I... naturally have no objection."

"Blood pressure, visceral stability, brain waves, adrenaline..."

Mobius carefully examined each item of her test report, much more thoroughly than a typical physical examination. Standing in the vast experimental field, she read through the half-person-high stack of test data in her hand, then folded it neatly and set it aside.

Then she placed the camera a short distance away, turned it on, and began recording.

"This is Flame-Chaser CM-003 Mobius, currently recorded as follows: The content of this experiment is to further enhance the functions of the Flame-Chaser and explore the degree of expression of the Honkai Beast genes. It is named the [Artificial Collapse] experiment. By injecting the Flame-Chaser with drugs that increase the dominance of Honkai Beast genes, the effect of changing form is achieved. This state is called [Artificial Collapse]."

Mobius took out a green solvent from the side, shook it, observed the precipitate, and after confirming that there was no problem, smiled at the camera, "The test subject this time is myself. Humanity is about to usher in a new revolution, and I will be the first person to do so."

After saying that, she injected the entire tube of solvent into her body without hesitation.

Then, she closed her eyes and felt the changes within her body.

Sudden--

Chapter 165 Experimental Results

"I feel like we've gradually gone from always fighting against the Honkai to fighting against our own people."

"..."

Hen, carrying two cans of beer, walked up to Lin, who was standing on the rooftop of the Branch 10, and sighed for some reason.

A gentle breeze was blowing; the wind in the Mu Continent was the gentlest in the world, carrying warmth and the aroma of bread.

The small town has a tranquil beauty, seemingly unchanged from morning till night. Only by standing atop this place overlooking all living beings can one see the densely packed, ant-like people bustling about.

Lin took in everything, then closed his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and said to Hen without turning his head, "No drinking during work hours."

"You can't just stand on the rooftop daydreaming during work hours." Hen placed a can of beer on the railing next to Lin. "People need to learn to be flexible and adaptable."

"..."

I vaguely remember that Hen used to be a strict elder type, but now he's a bit nagging and has a middle-aged man vibe, like a certain red-haired woman who's already dead.

Is this what happens after you have a family?

For Lin, the only difference between drinking alcohol and drinking water is the slight effect of the alcohol after drinking. He will not indulge in the slightly bitter taste like an alcoholic, nor will he be immersed in the stimulation brought by alcohol.

However, he won't refuse if someone wants to drink with him.

"Where were we? Oh right, I feel like we've turned into fighting against our own people."

"It's just that the Eighth Honkai War didn't have the destructive power of the previous large-scale Honkai, which gave you this misconception." Lin's fingers gripped the pull tab, and with a hiss, he opened the beer can.

"But since the Sixth Honkai War, what has been troubling us the most is no longer the Honkai itself." Hen took a sip of beer and smiled indifferently. "Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but I know best what those people up there are thinking."

A glint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, but it wasn't nostalgia or reminiscence; rather, it carried a sense of disgust.

"The current individual strength of the Flame-Chaser is already comparable to that of the Herrscher. More and more Flame-Chaser will be born in the future. The Honkai seems to have transformed from a disaster that threatens humanity into a good opportunity to promote human evolution, just like every difficulty and war that humanity has encountered in the past."

"Before the disasters and wars are over, they've already figured out how to divide the spoils, ideally with a 90/10 split, losing their fear of life and suffering. This is also why they're about to publicly reveal the lunar remains and the Svatogor 51 incident—they think it's no big deal, even if they were likely responsible for it. They might even think of themselves as great people who are pushing humanity forward."

"...I thought you were talking about Mobius." Lin paused.

"Hehe... Let me tell you something you might not believe. When we were studying the lunar remains, Doctor Mobius suggested that we shouldn't touch anything deep inside the remains before humanity fully understands and controls Honkai Energy." Hen waved his hand and smiled. "Doctor Mobius is a person who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. If you ask her now, she might tell you that she caused the Honkai Energy leak, but in reality... she is the one who tried her best to prevent the worst from happening."

"That really has her style."

"Right?"

Hen downed the wine in one gulp. He didn't know whether he was savoring the sweetness of the wine or lost in memories. He stared at the sky in silence for a long time.

Lin, being sensible, sipped his wine silently, staying by Hen's side.

This Stargate incident made Hen think of many things: his original intentions in joining the Fire Chaser and the Fire Moth, and those people who seemed to have never changed over the years, people who disgusted him.

"Don't think about those things anymore, it's pointless." Hen suddenly threw down the jar, grinned, and hooked his arm around Lin's neck. "Lin, my Lin, when will you get married? I've watched you stay at the Moth Chaser for eight years, and Griseo is already six and a half years old, and you're still as serene as ever."

"Why do you keep urging me to get married?" Lin was puzzled. In his memory, only Hen had been persistently urging Lin to get married.

"After all, I am your elder, and it's a tradition for elders to urge their children to get married. Besides, a man will only have the motivation to go home if he has a stable home and someone to care about."

"... I am already married."

"But you're still single, right?" Hen didn't linger on that somber topic. He chuckled and rubbed Lin's shoulder. "In my hometown, people would laugh at you for being this old and still unmarried. By the way, you're probably not a virgin anymore, are you?"

"..."

"It shouldn't be... right?"

"..."

"..."

"Doctor Mobius... what is this...?"

Su stood at the doorway, his face filled with disbelief, staring at the disgusting scene before him, covered in black slime, as if some kind of monster had been born. He felt as if the cold, viscous liquid was sliding down his spine, sending a chill straight to his head.

Amidst the devastation, a figure slowly raised her head from a large pool of black, viscous liquid. The seemingly still-living slime dripped from her green hair. Half of her body was submerged in this nauseating liquid. Her returning, hazy consciousness made out the person standing in the doorway.

"Hehe... You're here..." She gave a weak, satisfied smile. "The time from when I sent you the message to now is about the same as I calculated..."

Su hesitated for a moment. After all, Mobius didn't seem human to him at the moment; he was more like Honkai Beast. But upon hearing the familiar voice, he suppressed his confusion and fear. "What happened here? And Doctor Mobius your body..."

"Oh?" Mobius looked down, but her body below the neck was still submerged in the mucus, so she could only ask Sue, "What happened to my body?"

"It's gotten smaller."

"It's shrunk... So that's how it is. Is this the 'price'?" She excitedly stuck out her long, thin tongue and licked the corner of her mouth, her eyes shining even brighter. "Thanks to this experiment, I have finally figured out the secret of the Flame-Chaser."

"An experiment? Doctor Mobius, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Heh, let's talk about that later. First, get me some clothes, and I need to replenish my energy. This 'price' is a bit higher than I imagined..."

"No, Doctor Mobius." Sue stared firmly at the smiling Mobius. "I suspect you are conducting experiments that could harm the Fire-Chasing Moths. You must tell me what you have done."

"Tsk, just as troublesome as your teacher. I thought we would get along well."

Mobius twisted his neck, and whether it was his imagination or not, Sue seemed to see a venomous snake writhing around.

She gave a strange smile, "It's just dying once, it's no big deal."

Chapter 166 The Beginning

"Vill-V, what do you want with us?"

May and Vill-V had discussed some shady plans in private more than once or twice, but it was quite unusual for them to bring Kevin along. Seeing Vill-V fiddling with something with her back to them, and waiting for a long time without her turning around, she frowned slightly. "I have something else..."

"Oh dear, can't you guys be a little more patient like Lin? If it were him, he would definitely wait silently until I speak first." Vill-V had a sly smile on her face and pushed her hat up with a wrench. "I'm starting to miss the days when he was still around."

"He's only been gone for two days."

"Oh? Really? I thought it had been two years. Maybe I've learned time magic?"

"So... what exactly happened?"

"Hmm... that's why Mei sometimes doesn't suit my taste, but as long as Kevin glares at me, I don't dare to do anything reckless. I really envy having such a powerful boyfriend~"

Vill-V shook her head as if genuinely envious, then, under the dual gazes of May and Kevin, she put away her performative desires and patted the curtain behind her.

"Come out."

The curtain was lifted from the inside, revealing what Mei and the others saw—

"No. 1?"

Behind the curtain was Prometheus, whose signature mechanical expression and light gray hair made May recognize her at a glance. The reason she "recognized" her was because her appearance had once again undergone a dramatic change.

The girl, who was originally seventeen or eighteen years old, has grown taller again. Her full figure and a slightly curly ponytail make her look completely mature.

"I created this new body for her based on my own data. Her original body and chip were burned out last time, but luckily Lin brought them back in time, preventing data corruption." Vill-V circled the new Prometheus and smiled smugly. "It has a full-soul steel body, possessing the flexibility of a human, while also being more resilient than other creations. It's equipped with Floating Cannon, hand cannons, and split missiles using the Second Herrscher's space-folding technology, and also features my latest beam particle technology."

"The ultralight antigravity device implanted in her body cannot fly for long periods of time, but it can achieve brief and flexible levitation, like jumping in the air. It also has an emergency data transfer system, which allows her to transfer data within three milliseconds in the event of physical damage. It can be described as being able to run and fight."

Kevin stared at Prometheus's mechanical face for a moment, then said, "That's all?"