One day later.
Chen Ran once again confirmed that all the experiments of No. 666 had been completed and informed Fuxi and Nuwa that the experiments were over.
The two girls in the First Research Institute felt a bit regretful; they bore significant responsibilities, and their eagerness to understand the Honkai was evident.
However, the precautions in the First Research Institute left them with limited options.
Fire Moth only gave Shenzhou an opportunity, allowing personnel to be placed in various research institutes. However, whether they could learn anything in the institutes and report back to Shenzhou depended solely on their own abilities.
Nuwa even considered directly abducting Chen Ran to Shenzhou.
But that seemed a bit unrealistic.
Mobius was clearly keeping a close watch on Chen Ran.
Of course, at this moment, Chen Ran was unaware that he was highly sought after.
After informing Fuxi and Nuwa that the experiment was over, he said goodbye to Blanca and left the First Research Institute.
Although, in principle, one should not enter or exit during working hours, no one held Chen Ran accountable for this.
Now, Chen Ran had become Mobius's prized possession, something everyone could see.
Even though this prized possession often ran out every few days.
Engineering Department.
"You big busybody finally made it here. What's wrong? Wasn't what I gave you enough the other day?"
The girl in work clothes looked at Chen Ran mischievously, deliberately puffing out her chest. "Should we do it again?"
"If you just want me to test the weapon, you can say it directly."
Chen Ran dared not flirt with her here, nor did he dare to be flirted with.
He knew that Vill-V did not have that kind of intention towards him; on the contrary, she was simply coveting the knowledge in his brain.
He even heard Vill-V mention wanting to create a brain interface for knowledge sharing between the two of them.
But he had refused.
Knowledge sharing also meant a lack of privacy.
Chen Ran paused, took out the weapon Vill-V had given him earlier, and said, "I came to find you for a reason. I think you should be aware of part of my special abilities, so can you help me test how large a unit target I can destroy when I reach the limit of this special ability?"
He wanted to know where the marginal limits of his combat abilities lay.
Whether it was the previous battle against the Fourth Herrscher or this time against the plant-type Herrscher, Chen Ran felt his abilities were lacking.
Even though he had a wealth of knowledge in his brain about killing with fluid manipulation, this knowledge seemed somewhat powerless against the Herrscher.
The ideal fluid could not manifest in the real world; he could only rely on powers from beyond this world.
Chen Ran thought of Wendy's face.
He suppressed his thoughts and said to Vill-V, "Only you can help me now."
The First Research Institute did not have measures to test combat abilities, and Mobius was not interested in that.
The combat department had such measures, but if he revealed such abilities, the worst outcome would be that the First Research Institute would want everyone to become like him.
Currently, only Vill-V, who was working alone, was the best option.
She understood the secrets of Chen Ran's body.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have let Chen Ran test the weapon.
A hint of surprise flickered in Vill-V's eyes as she smiled. "Alright, so which one will you use, [Weapon 001 for Chen Ran] or [Weapon 520 for Chen Ran]?"
Chen Ran: "What the hell is 'Weapon for Chen Ran'?"
"As the name suggests, this is the weapon I invented specifically for you."
"Just to confirm, we are not enemies, right?"
Chen Ran felt a bit of a headache.
Vill-V smiled mysteriously. "Who knows?"
…
…
The human heart is the hardest to measure; even the most complex mathematical functions struggle to calculate a person's thoughts.
But if one binds the human heart with interests, then the most difficult tasks become the simplest.
Returning to the laboratory, MEI began to ponder Chen Ran's previous words.
She admitted that she had known that boy for quite some time, but she had never truly seen through him.
That boy was considered a genius in Fire Moth, but that was not what made him awe-inspiring. What was most impressive was his maturity when he spoke to the heart.
Fire Moth was not without its masters of manipulating hearts, but Chen Ran had opened a new door for MEI.
"Drawing a pie…"
"Even needing to draw it to the point of believing it myself…"
With MEI's intelligence, she naturally understood how to execute what Chen Ran had said.
The Honkai was Fire Moth's greatest enemy, but currently, there were no powerful individual beings among the Honkai that could shake the vast organization of Fire Moth.
Therefore, the idea of uniting Fire Moth through external hatred was temporarily unfeasible.
Thus, she had to draw a pie.
Drawing a grand pie of 'eliminating the Honkai' for the higher-ups of Fire Moth.
But Fire Moth's internal structure had more than just MEI as a genius, so this pie must be realistic enough.
It even needed to be realistic enough for her to believe it herself.
"The Honkai, after all, is just a special form of Energy."
"So, what if we could decompose, reconstruct, or even fully absorb this part of Energy?"
Her mind began to bubble with many ideas, like a school of fish swimming actively on a rainy day.
And these ideas intertwined, forming a spark of inspiration.
Then, as if struck by a sudden insight, she began to write a paper.
"The God of War Project"
…
…
Chen Ran enjoyed two versions of the weapon for Chen Ran.
Whether it was 001 or 520, both left him feeling a bit sore.
But the results made him somewhat pleased.
"According to the results, you can now independently fight against Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, but even so, you may still fall short against some special types of Emperor-class."
Vill-V concluded, "However, if you use weapons and modify them well, this limit can be raised."
"Ultimately, the cost of improving your personal ability limit is too high, and the marginal effect is too poor; it's better to focus on upgrading your equipment."
This is akin to a person's college entrance examination.
If a person can score 130 in mathematics but only 55 in English, then the first thing to improve should be the foundational knowledge of English, not the ability to solve complex math problems.
Chen Ran was in such a situation now.
A person capable of defeating an Emperor-class Honkai Beast alone was already the limit for someone in this era. Further enhancing his personal level would yield diminishing returns and high costs.
It would be better to upgrade the weapon.
Chen Ran felt a headache coming on.
If he could use real weapons in the simulated scenarios, he wouldn't be in such pain. Clearly, unless he used ideal fluids from beyond this world, he had no ability to confront the Herrscher head-on.
And to enhance his combat abilities, he would likely have to increase his physical strength.
He recalled the Stigmata resonance provided by the system.
"Thank you, Vill-V."
Chen Ran suppressed his thoughts and said to the girl, "After this test, I have a rough idea now."
"Hmm? So how are you going to thank me?"
The girl in work clothes winked playfully at him. "I won't accept just a verbal thank you."
"Well, I can't exactly sell myself to you, can I?"
Chen Ran knew that Vill-V's desire for his body was not a fleeting whim.
Vill-V winked. "You don't have to sell yourself entirely to me; after all, I know you're quite popular. But right now, I do need your help with something."
"Go ahead, what weapon are we testing this time?"
"Don't think of me as a weapon fanatic; making weapons is just my means of understanding the Honkai." Vill-V paused and said, "The core of the Fourth Herrscher is also in the First Research Institute, right?"
Chen Ran nodded. "Yes, it's ten thousand dollars per visit; you can go anytime you want."
After Chen Ran and Kevin defeated the Fourth Herrscher, the corpse and core of the Fourth Herrscher were handed over to the First Biological Research Institute.
However, Mobius was not enthusiastic about researching the Herrscher Core.
After all, the First Research Institute already had several Herrscher Cores.
To maximize resource utilization, Chen Ran suggested that Mobius open 'Herrscher Core visitation tickets' and charge ten thousand dollars per visit, only available to Fire Moth internal personnel.
When Mobius received this suggestion, she hesitated; she didn't think this Herrscher Core visitation could be worth such a high price.
After all, who would be foolish enough to spend such a large sum to visit something they couldn't understand?
But Mobius did not expect that there were many such fools.
The number one fool among them was MEI.
The value of the Herrscher Core was immense; the abilities it granted to the Herrscher were something even the mediocre could realize the implications of.
If one could glimpse the secrets within…
Just this thought drove the geniuses within Fire Moth crazy.
Chen Ran was not a genius, but he had communicated with MEI for a while, so he naturally knew that all geniuses carried a certain arrogance.
Just like the Goldbach Conjecture in the field of mathematics, it always attracted countless mathematicians wanting to prove it. The principle of the Herrscher Core was the same.
Mobius doesn't care about reputation, but that doesn't mean others don't care.
So the result is that Blanca has received so much money that her hands are sore.
Vill-V cast a resentful glance: "Do I look like someone who has ten thousand dollars? I contributed most of the materials here."
Vill-V has never been a wealthy person.
She is a genius, a magician, a fraudster.
But she is also a patient with schizophrenia.
She can obtain certificates in three months that would take others three years to achieve, but due to her curiosity and pursuit of new things, all the money she earns with her intellect is spent by herself.
The vast majority of the money has turned into new materials and weapons.
Fire Moth does not provide infinite resources to everyone, even for Vill-V.
Right now, she is completely working at a loss.
This spirit is truly heart-wrenching.
Vill-V has never regarded Fire Moth as a so-called workplace, but rather as a platform to showcase her value.
So she is completely unconcerned about her enormous expenses.
Chen Ran exclaimed, "I see, you want to freeload."
The girl puffed out her chest: "If you want me to contribute something, I wouldn't mind."
Chen Ran's eyes narrowed slightly.
He knew Vill-V was definitely doing this on purpose.
Ever since that day when he fled in disgrace, Vill-V has enjoyed teasing him like this, as if opening the door to a new world.
The girl enjoys excitement and loves to see people's astonished expressions.
But Chen Ran has no intention of letting it go on like this; after all, being at the mercy of others can lead to many losses.
He is not a cunning and experienced person, but he knows that if he shows a clear weakness, he will definitely suffer because of it.
Not to mention, this is Fire Moth.
It is the largest platform for exchanging interests in this world.
"Alright, then I'll collect interest first."
He forcefully wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, and under her astonished gaze, he bit her lip.
"The magician's eyes show surprise, Vill-V, your performance should change to another level."
The girl gradually lost herself in it.
…
…
"I have fully calculated the limits of Honkai Energy to drive machines, which far exceeds my calculations. The accumulated Honkai Source from the global Honkai disasters is enough to support a machine as large as a continent. And this machine's terminal network can cover the entire planet."
"By relying on satellite remote sensing to send commands, the terminal system built around it can detect global Honkai. Once a Honkai event occurs, even if Fire Moth's combat personnel are caught off guard, it can eliminate the Herrscher at the first moment."
"Connecting all systems is the essence of the War God."
In the high-level meeting of Fire Moth, besides Blanca from the First Research Institute, the main heads of other research institutes were present.
Their purpose was singular: to listen to the girl in front of them explain the War God system terminal.
The "War God Project" is the name given by the girl.
This system network, which requires overturning Fire Moth's manpower and resources, theoretically can cover the entire surface of the globe and eliminate the Herrscher before it even appears.
Just as Chen Ran said, Fire Moth is full of geniuses; when she paints a vision, she must believe it herself.
The War God Project is, from any perspective, a theoretically flawless product.
The head of the materials research institute spoke up: "What about the materials?"
"I deconstructed the Honkai Beast and found that Honkai also possesses miraculous powers. The body of the Honkai Beast is merely sand and stone, yet the Chariot requires strategic-level missiles to bombard. So theoretically, the endless Honkai can become an important supporting material."
The head's pupils slightly constricted: "You mean..."
"That's right, the main body of the War God is a giant artificial Honkai creature, but to ensure that this creature obeys human commands, I specifically asked Mu Continent to tackle the relevant issues."
"Since Honkai can be used by the Herrscher against humans, then humans can naturally use Honkai-based creatures to combat Honkai, right?"
Her eyes sparkled with madness.
The girl looked at the high-level members of Fire Moth, who were the ones she had invited to hold this meeting.
This high-level member looked at the heads of various research institutes.
The silent Blanca looked at MEI, her eyes filled with surprise and shock.
She hadn't expected that in just a short time, the girl in front of her had grown to this extent.
Blanca is not someone who knows nothing; otherwise, she wouldn't have become Mobius's assistant.
But precisely because she knows everything, she can feel how much madness is embedded in the plan proposed by MEI.
"I will inform the doctor; the First Research Institute will provide support within its capabilities," she spoke on behalf of Mobius.
The other heads exchanged glances and similarly agreed.
And when this meeting concluded and the minutes were uploaded to Fire Moth's intranet.
Chen Ran, returning from the engineering department, felt a chill in his brain.
No words could describe his feelings; after a long time, Chen Ran uttered two words:
"Wow!"
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