"Performing brain surgery to alter consciousness?"
Mobius heard Klein's words, put down her work, and turned her chair to ask with a raised eyebrow, "Why are you interested in that?"
"Uh, a recent paper…" Klein explained in her unique soft voice.
"Oh… that." Mobius searched her memory, recalling a scholar who had mentioned related research at an academic conference. "Honestly, not many people pay attention to this technology. There are far more stable and convenient methods available now. Operating on the brain often leads to accidents."
Modifying the human body itself is one of the most thankless of all techniques, usually accompanied by incalculable side effects.
However, true technology often originates from the most dangerous places.
The Fusion Soldier project, which involved fusing humans and Honkai Beasts, also had its origin in human experimentation.
"The complexity of the human brain is far beyond what artificial intelligence can compare to. For example, Mei's Prometheus seems virtually indistinguishable from a normal person, but in many aspects, it is still just imitating Lin's way of thinking."
"And to modify the brain, the conditions require not only high-precision instruments and technology but also the age of the patient. The older the person, the less the impact. After the brain matures, physical methods can at most achieve destructive results by excising certain tissues."
Prefrontal lobotomy is one of the representative brain surgeries, and before it was banned for mass use as an inhumane neurosurgical procedure, it had received many honors.
"What, do you really want to try it?" Mobius licked the corner of her mouth. "It's possible. In the upcoming experiments, brain modification is also a topic that cannot be ignored."
Klein looked extremely flustered, "Uh… C-can I?"
"…Never mind."
The surgery was successful, at least Lin felt the surgery must have been successful when he saw the loss of all luster in Zero's eyes. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
With the capabilities of this couple, it was easy not to leave many post-operative scars on Zero's head. Zero recovered within a month and "returned" to his former appearance.
At this point, a sense of dissonance surged into Lin's heart.
This dissonance stemmed from the conflict in Lin's memory. His vague childhood memories began a month after birth. He remembered his parents were supposed to have died in a department store fire. According to Prometheus's records, the fire happened six months after his birth.
But in Zero's memory, his parents were by his side for those six months. The fire occurred, and they went to rescue people, but they did not die.
And after that, all the memories were misaligned.
"Now everyone believes we died in that fire."
"What about our research data?"
"Give it to them. Even if they meticulously follow the data and conduct another experiment, it won't work. This is something only our genes can achieve."
"What we need to do now is raise this child. He will understand what he needs to do."
The "mother" stroked the surgical scar on Zero's head and nodded resolutely to the "father."
Following this, the two, who were hiding in the Far East, watched Zero grow up day by day. Their identities became a teacher and a housewife. Everyone knew they had a child, but no one had ever seen that child.
He grew up in a prison without iron bars.
Lin stood behind Zero, watching him learn the knowledge arranged by his parents. But surprisingly, that knowledge was not profound scientific theory, but merely the common sense taught in ordinary schools.
They did not intend for Zero to follow their path, or rather, they were actually afraid.
Afraid that Zero's learning ability, once his knowledge level caught up to or surpassed theirs, would lead him to understand what they had done to him.
Zero's information integration and processing abilities were already starting to show at that time. A book only needed ten minutes of reading time. He could extract the complete outline and key information and restore the story.
But Zero became increasingly silent. He grew less like a child and more like an adult with clear logic and thought.
Of course, all stories must come to an end, and this couple was no exception.
"Thump!"
A gunshot rang out. The "father" fell in a pool of blood, beside the "mother."
Zero stood in the burning house that was once called "home," silently watching the fire.
Half of Lin's face was illuminated by the orange-red light.
He and Zero watched the "fire in the memory" that burned away the past.
"Who are you?"
A person came up behind him and asked.
Zero turned his head and saw a handgun.
On it was the emblem of a burning moth.
"…Zero." He said coldly in his childish voice.
"Elysia is also missing? Are you kidding me?"
Ato didn't know whether he should smash the table with his fist or show a bizarre expression. The current situation made it impossible to guess what would happen next.
A high-ranking official of Fire MOTH was assassinated. The body had just been cremated, and before the headquarters could even mourn, they had to turn the entire base upside down searching for the killer.
Before this, Squad Seven Captain Lin, a disabled person with no capacity for action, mysteriously disappeared from the headquarters' infirmary. And now, even Elysia was missing.
There was only a record of Elysia leaving the headquarters, but where she went was an unsolved mystery.
Kevin shook his head at Ato, "She occasionally leaves without reporting, but the headquarters' current situation is unique. Elysia's disappearance at this time will lead to suspicion of involvement in the assassination."
"...I won't believe it."
"Neither will I." Kevin transmitted a file to Ato. It was encrypted text and images shared only by Captains. "I'd rather believe Elysia went to look for Lin, but the problem is also that… Lin is also suspected to be the assassin."
"What is this?"
Ato saw that the file contained a weapon design blueprint, the shape of a pair of bizarre giant claws. Just looking at the 3D model, Ato could feel an imposing murderous aura.
Besides the model, the file also contained related textual information. This weapon was originally designated as…
"Lin's equipment?"
Ato saw this sentence clearly recorded on it and immediately felt incredulous: "Are you seriously telling me that they believe Lin, in that state, could pick up a weapon to kill someone and then escape?"
"Lin wouldn't do something like this," Kevin stated definitively. "But this incident happened after Lin's disappearance, and Lin once participated in a battle despite being severely injured, so some people believe Lin is completely capable of doing it."
"…"
"I will find out."
Whether it's the murderer or Lin—
This is all for a better tomorrow!