207. 'Please'
[You and Mebius seem to get along quite well,] Ling teased.
"She's a worthy opponent, definitely more interesting than the others from the Fire Moth," Vill-V didn't deny it.
[Mutual appreciation between geniuses?] Ling countered.
"It doesn't have to be so disgusting. It's just that, as fellow human scientists, we support one another. And besides... the way she looks in that pink dress is really... hahaha."
Vill-V burst into laughter. How to put it? She finally vented her anger.
After all, their feud dates back to the Second Honkai Impact.
"She's super cute, isn't she?"
A voice quietly appeared behind Velvet.
"Hmm? Elysia, what's up?" Vill-V tilted her head.
"I'm just curious who our great magician is chatting with." Elysia blinked; there were only the two of them there, no one else.
"I'm chatting with my younger brother, Ling. Although he always refuses to admit it, he really is my younger brother," Vill-V introduced Ling as usual.
"I really want to meet this Ling. I saw his portrait at Aponia's." Elysia said, her hands behind her back.
Upon hearing this, Vill-V's wariness instantly increased.
"You're not here to steal Ling from me, are you?" Vill-V asked cautiously.
"That boy named Ling is indeed quite handsome…" Elysia deliberately dragged out her words, seemingly teasing Vill-V.
Seeing Vill-V's increasingly wary expression, Elysia chuckled.
"Just kidding! I never thought our genius inventor Vill-V would have such weakness." Elysia narrowed her eyes, revealing interest.
Vill-V rolled her eyes and sighed softly. As long as she wasn't here to steal Ling, everything was fine.
"Actually, I came to see you about something else. Dr. Mei asked me to inform you that the mass production of the Tenth Divine Key and the Meta-Morph preparation experiments are about to begin," Elysia explained her purpose.
"Okay, I understand." Vill-V nodded. Leisure was truly a distant concept for her.
Vill-V, working with Dr. Mei and Mobius, completed the mass production of the Tenth Divine Key, and the Meta-Morph preparation experiments began.
Unfortunately, only one member of the team, named 'Hua,' successfully awakened as a MANTIS Warrior.
Subsequently, Dr. Mei, based on the characteristics of Aponia's 'Commandments,' developed a 'Divine Sound' project.
'Commandments' possess a mysterious power; they are akin to psychological suggestion, but are more than just that.
They can enable humans to do many things that are normally impossible for them to do.
In other words, they can unleash non-existent human potential.
For example, the memetic contamination of the Herrscher of Sentience—a terrifying force that no living being could resist—Kevin gained resistance to the memetic contamination after Aponia imposed a commandment upon him.
However, this ability wasn't solely due to the commandment; it originated from Kevin himself after being activated.
Therefore, using the 'Commandment' is far more complex than Aponia simply saying "please."
She couldn't make a person without legs stand and walk, nor could she make a human fly.
While she could issue such commandments, failing to do so would have a severe impact on the recipient, potentially even causing a mental breakdown.
Activating non-existent potential within the human body—this was the 'Divine Sound' project.
There were approximately a hundred volunteers, yet only one survived.
It was the warrior named 'Hua'.
Mobius developed a strong interest in her, but after examination, she found nothing unusual.
Her success seemed to be simply due to good luck?
Dr. Mei seemed to know her days were numbered, working at a high intensity for months on end.
The plans that emerged during these months were far more daring and dangerous than before.
For example, there was the "Artificial Cascade", a secondary modification plan for MANTIS warriors based on the characteristics of Kosmo's overweight hypermutation.
Or, there was the "Chimera Project" proposed by Mobius, which aimed to combine all Honkai Beast ICHOR into one person, creating a monster.
These plans would have previously been met with immediate, humane annihilation, but Dr. Mei defied all opposition and released them all.
Including the "Stigmata Project," the "Spark Project," and the "Ark Project," virtually every conceivable method was laid bare.
Whether it was war or escape, Dr. Mei provided the most detailed plans.
Dr. Mei was paving the way for civilization in this generation because she didn't know when she would disappear. At that time, Prometheus would assist the next leader in calculating the feasibility of the plans and then executing them.
Vill-V, naturally, lost her vacation, spending three to five days a week in the lab with Dr. Mai and Mobius.
As time passed, the Eleventh Honkai Impact finally arrived.
This time, it was an "Anti-Herrscher" that defied common sense. MANTIS warriors couldn't unleash their power within the barrier and would die after a while.
Living bodies died instantly, ordinary machines were rendered useless, and Honkai energy weapons were also rendered unusable.
This left the Fire Moth completely helpless.
How could they kill the Eleventh Herrscher, which was theoretically unbreakable?
Vill-V boldly suggested a reverse approach: filling the interior "Divine Grace Barrier" until it exceeded its threshold, and creating an opportunity.
But the danger of this suggestion is self-evident, because to fill the Divine Grace Barrier, it was impossible to bring Honkai energy-containing substances into it from the outside.
And the only place within the barrier where Honkai energy could appear... was inside the body of a MANTIS warrior!
Their bodies can store Honkai energy and retain it for an extremely short time.
But how much Honkai energy is needed to fill the barrier, and whether the plan is feasible, is unknown.
While it is indeed possible, a certain amount of calculation and testing is still needed.
Despite the disagreement, Vill-V wasn't annoyed; she simply got up and left the meeting room.
She packed her things, ready to pull off something big.
However, Aponia suddenly appeared in front of Vill-V, blocking her path.
Vill-V's alarm bells rang because Aponia seemed anything but friendly at this moment.
"I'm sorry, Vill-V, Ling, forgive me..."
"What do you want to do?" Vill-V immediately took a few steps back.
Aponia's eyes turned blood red, a sign that she was about to use her power.
"Please do not approach the 'Divine Grace Barrier' in any way."
...