"Chen Ran is conducting experiments at the First Research Institute. I just messaged him, but he hasn't responded. It's best not to disturb him right now."
"And just because you can say Chen Ran's name doesn't mean you've shed your suspicious identity, unless Chen Ran can vouch for you."
"By the way, you still haven't told me who you are?"
Kevin brought Kiana to the Fire Moth's lounge area, a massive shopping and entertainment complex that nearly dazzled Kiana.
She had wandered from Europe all the way to the Far East, and although she had shopped a few times, she had never been to such a large mall.
Hearing Kevin's question, Kiana hurriedly said, "I... I am Sirin."
She had no intention of using the name 'Kiana' anymore; in the girl's subconscious, that name did not belong to her.
"And what is your relationship with Chen Ran?"
"I am his cousin!"
Kiana quickly found an excuse and said, "I heard him mention being here, so I came looking for him."
"Cousin?"
Kevin frowned slightly.
Chen Ran was a typical Shenzhou person with black hair and black eyes, while Kiana, like him, had white hair and blue eyes.
Saying she was Kevin's sister would be more accurate—if Kiana hadn't spoken up, Kevin might have thought he had a lost twin sister.
In fact, Kiana herself felt quite confused.
At that moment, she had not yet met Kallen, and while spending time with Mei and Bronya, she would fantasize about suddenly becoming a boy—her imagined form was exactly like Kevin's.
She felt she had made a misstep; it would have been better to say she was searching for her Big Brother from afar.
But there was no helping it; after all, she only knew Chen Ran now.
Kiana looked at Kevin and couldn't help but ask, "So what is your relationship with Chen Ran?"
"Right now, I guess we're roommates."
Kevin instinctively didn't elaborate much, simply saying, "When the Honkai broke out in Nagazora City, we met and then joined Fire Moth together."
"He was originally a new recruit too, but he has a good talent in biology, so he later entered the research institute."
Kiana blinked and blurted out, "You guys also experienced the Honkai outbreak in Nagazora City?"
"Also?"
Kevin was puzzled: "Is there a second Nagazora City?"
"Ah, no, no." Kiana quickly corrected herself, "I just meant that your and Chen Ran... my cousin's fate is quite coincidental."
Kevin noticed that Kiana was hiding something but didn't press further.
He wasn't the one in charge of the interrogation, and besides, if this person really had a connection to Chen Ran, he still wanted to give Chen Ran some face.
In Fire Moth, having secrets was the norm.
"Essentially, there weren't many survivors at that time." Kevin paused and said, "That Honkai wave affected East Asia, impacting over two billion people. Yet, even such a powerful Herrscher could fall."
Kiana couldn't even begin to imagine how devastating a Honkai event affecting over two billion people would be.
After all, Raiden Mei had only affected one Nagazora City.
She suddenly felt that her understanding of Honkai was still too shallow.
Was the 'god' she encountered merely a part of Honkai?
While Kiana was lost in thought, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, Kevin, I haven't seen you in the lounge for a while. Hmm, this beautiful girl, is she your sister?"
Wherever there were beautiful girls, Elysia would appear.
Kevin felt a slight headache and introduced, "Elysia, this is Sirin, Chen Ran's cousin, here to find Chen Ran."
Elysia blinked at Kiana, then at Kevin.
She tilted her head, "So you and Chen Ran are actually related?"
Kevin replied, "You're overthinking it; I just met Sirin."
Elysia didn't ask further.
To pry into such matters again would be impolite.
She took Kiana's hand and smiled, "Hello, I'm Elysia, but you can just call me Ellie; I don't mind."
Kiana was startled by Elysia's fiery enthusiasm but didn't shy away.
She also enjoyed being close to girls.
"Hello, I'm Sirin, here to find Chen Ran and join Fire Moth." Kiana only remembered the name Fire Moth.
Kevin's lips curled in helplessness as he observed Kiana with a wary eye.
He could sense that Kiana was quite capable, at least able to fight against Honkai Beasts.
Ordinary families couldn't cultivate such warriors, so saying Kiana was Chen Ran's cousin, he didn't truly believe it.
It was just an excuse.
After the girl who called herself 'Sirin' finished her last sentence, Kevin fell into thought.
Perhaps joining Fire Moth was her true objective.
But how did she appear inside Fire Moth?
Could she be an infiltration expert?
Unaware of Kevin's strange misunderstanding of her, Kiana was enjoying her time with Elysia.
...
...
Fire Moth, First Research Institute.
Klein was analyzing the composition of a mass of black sludge.
Meanwhile, Chen Ran was arguing with Mobius.
"Doctor, I think it's better to proceed step by step."
With Klein present, he said, "You should know that that thing has already fused with your body. If you continue to integrate the genes of the Shesha, I can't guarantee there won't be conflicts between the genes."
Mobius's purpose in bringing Chen Ran over was simple: to help her integrate the genes of the 3rd Herrscher's companion beast, Shesha.
In other words, he was about to execute a complete MANTIS experiment.
Chen Ran couldn't bear the risk of the experiment.
At this point, Mobius had already undergone the super transformation surgery to fuse with a Herrscher.
He didn't care about Mobius's thoughts and directly said, "Doctor, you should know that regardless of the risks of this surgery, once successful, you will be taking the first step from human to Honkai Beast."
The essence of MANTIS is to transform a human into a humanoid Honkai Beast.
Human collapse is the liberation of all Binding's Honkai consciousness, thus gaining the powerful strength of Honkai Beasts.
Moreover, as Chen Ran delved deeper into the study of Honkai genes, he understood MANTIS more and more, naturally realizing that once a person becomes MANTIS, their human form essentially becomes a burden.
Sakura's fox ears, or Pardo's cat tail... these were all side effects of the MANTIS surgery, essentially signs that they were trying to break free from human form and transform into Honkai form.
Human genes cannot suppress Honkai genes; they can only rely on thought to suppress them.
And once a person collapses too much, the will's constraints on the Honkai genes will decrease, thus leaning more towards the Honkai side.
This is MANTIS.
A so-called warrior, but in reality, an experimental product increasingly leaning towards Honkai Beasts.
However, Herrscher genes wouldn't have this problem.
Because Herrscher genes are more human than anything else, so there wouldn't be the side effect of human collapse.
In response to Chen Ran's words, Mobius said lightly, "I've thought about all this long ago."
She casually said, "Chen Ran, I want to ask you a question."
"What concept makes you think that the human body is the most important?"
"Humans stand at the pinnacle of this world because of their wisdom, not because of their weak bodies that struggle against tigers and leopards. In fact, the various ailments of the body have long limited human imagination."
"If we cannot abandon this weak flesh, we won't be able to fly in distant space, seeking civilizations similar to ours. We also won't be able to walk in a vacuum, as the pressure difference would cause blood vessels to rupture, nor can we see higher dimensions with the naked eye, which is why we still know so little about Honkai."
Since that day when she conducted experiments with Chen Ran, Mobius became obsessed with the study of consciousness.
Through her research, she discovered something shocking: flesh and blood are weak, and it is Honkai that allows ascension.
The Herrscher genes are not perfect because the vast majority of the genes are similar to humans, with only a small portion related to Honkai.
Thus, even though she had grasped some of the Herrscher's powers, she was still very dissatisfied.
This was not the Infinite she sought.
While powerful strength is important, it is not her ultimate goal.
After the Honkai Beast named Shesha reappeared, Mobius had a bold idea: she wanted to fuse with Shesha's genes.
She wanted to transform her body into an artificial Honkai Beast.
Compared to the realms humans can observe, Honkai Beasts can achieve far more.
For example, being able to walk in a vacuum means that the cost of interstellar travel would be significantly reduced, and humans wouldn't have to pitifully carry oxygen tanks, nor would they need to carve out space in limited ship quarters to grow plants.
Ignoring Klein's presence, she directly teased Chen Ran's chin with her hand.
"Of course, if you regret that the genes in my body cannot be passed on, we can have a child to continue the genes before proceeding with the experiment."
"Or we could just clone another me; I wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer."
What she meant by continuing the next generation was naturally not mating, but rather in vitro fertilization.
Mobius was not someone who would waste ten months of time giving birth.
Chen Ran: "Let's skip that."
He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "Since you insist on this, Doctor, I can only try to ensure the experiment's success."
"Klein, come help after the composition analysis is successful."
Since Klein was here, it meant that Mobius had tacitly allowed him to be informed.
This was not because Mobius trusted Klein, but because she trusted Blanca.
"My lab rat, so obedient."
Mobius placed a kiss on his cheek and then blew into his earlobe: "This is the last bit of time I have as a human; do you want to give it a try?"
Chen Ran: "Stop messing around, Doctor."
Klein, on the side, could only pretend not to see.
"Then, let's begin the experiment."
Mobius closed all the light-exposing areas and blocked all external channels, turning the First Research Institute into a black box once again.
Then, she directly took off her clothes in front of him.
...
...
Fire Moth, lounge area.
Kevin quickly found himself alone, as Elysia had gone to buy a dress for Kiana.
He didn't know if it was because of a special fondness for dresses, but Elysia loved giving dresses to others.
Whether it was Mobius, Griseo, or Nuwa and Fuxi, they had all received gifts from her.
Of course, Chen Ran felt that this was actually related to Elysia's living environment.
After all, Elysia had grown up in the orphanage Dean, and the happiest moments for the orphans there were when they received new clothes.
So giving a dress was actually her way of expressing kindness, and her favorite color was pink. Therefore, if Elysia gifted a pink dress, it meant that Elysia regarded her as someone very close.
"Wow, you look really beautiful."
Elysia looked at Kiana, who had changed her clothes, and smiled, "How about changing your hairstyle? The braid is cute, but I think another hairstyle would look even better?"
At that moment, Kiana was wearing a light blue long dress, feeling a bit shy.
Due to her life as a wanderer, she was used to wearing snug long pants that gave her a sense of security; she had never really worn a dress before.
She could feel the coolness at the top of her thighs, and it was indeed uncomfortable.
"Ah, the hairstyle is... never mind."
Her hairstyle was taught to her by Siegfried, who said that braids would keep her hair from getting loose, making it convenient for combat.
Because of this, Kiana had always styled her hair in braids.
But now, in the world she lived in, everything had become a lie, and it seemed unnecessary to keep that hairstyle.
Even Kiana herself felt that the braid was too old-fashioned.
She said, "But I still can't get used to wearing a dress; I think I should change back to my original clothes."
"And besides, I don't want to trouble you..."
"It's okay, I can just ask Chen Ran for money later," Elysia said with a bright smile.
After a brief period of contact and understanding, Kiana had come to grasp Chen Ran's position in Fire Moth.
In simple terms, he had no status.
Currently, Chen Ran was working at the First Research Institute, had two rumors about him, and participated in the campaign against the Fourth Herrscher alongside Kevin. Other than that, he was relatively unknown.
This was completely different from what Kiana had imagined.
She had thought she had arrived in a pre-civilization era akin to the apocalypse, but now Fire Moth was extraordinarily powerful, and although the impact of Honkai was widespread, there were no signs of world destruction.
After all, when Chen Ran traveled to the future, he had told Kiana and the others that the pre-civilization era was facing Destruction.
There was only one explanation: Chen Ran had traversed many timelines and had foreseen various outcomes within those timelines.
Anyway, that was all Kiana could think of.
However, neither Kevin nor Elysia knew that Chen Ran would traverse through time.
Although Kiana was not good at math, her mind was still sharp.
Chen Ran had not told Kevin about these matters, which naturally meant he had his own thoughts.
In that case, she had to keep her mouth shut.
After Elysia eagerly took a few photos, Kiana changed back into her original clothes.
A hint of relief flashed in her eyes.
Elysia, still smiling, asked, "So, Sirin, shall we go have some pastries next and talk about your past?"
Kiana's eyes flickered with a hint of panic.
What past did she have?
Moreover, even if she fabricated some past stories, what if Elysia asked Chen Ran about it, and they couldn't coordinate their stories in time?
But just as Kiana was feeling flustered, she suddenly saw a familiar figure.
"Mei?"
Kiana blurted out, then quickly covered her mouth.
"Who is Mei?"
MEI, who had received a message from Kevin, looked at the white-haired girl in front of her with a hint of confusion.
But she quickly introduced herself, "Hello, I'm MEI, a friend of Kevin and Chen Ran. I came here after receiving a message from Kevin."
Elysia also greeted her, "Hi, MEI, it's been a while since I saw you out and about."
MEI nodded, "The Divine Soldier Project has made breakthrough progress; the experiment on artificial Honkai has succeeded, which means the technical requirements of the project have been met, and now only the adaptation issue remains."
"Wow, that's impressive! A giant Honkai Beast that can cover the globe, just thinking about it is thrilling."
MEI just smiled, not wanting to elaborate further.
Kevin said to Kiana lightly, "I hope you don't mind that I informed others without asking for your consent."
Kiana laughed, "I don't mind, of course not."
"Mei is a very good friend of mine. Just now, for a moment, I felt like you were her, so please don't take offense."
"My name is Sirin, and I am Chen Ran's cousin," Kiana was becoming more accustomed to her new 'identity.'
She glanced at Kevin, who looked very similar to her, and then at MEI, who resembled Mei, and thought to herself, could these two be a couple?
Aren't they just like the scenes she often fantasized about being with Mei?
If they were a couple...
Did that mean she and Mei...
Wait, calm down, she was currently someone else's replica.
Oh, and her body in the future was also gone.
Kiana felt a bit down as she thought about this.
MEI directly said, "At first, Kevin mentioned that Chen Ran's cousin was coming, and I was curious, but now it seems... do you really have no relationship with Kevin?"
Kiana shook her head, "There shouldn't be any relationship."
How could anyone have a connection with someone from fifty thousand years ago?
At that moment, Kiana had no idea where the Kaslana genes came from, so she naturally leaned towards the idea that her resemblance to Kevin was just a coincidence.
But this coincidence was just too coincidental.
She suddenly thought of Nagazora City and the Third Honkai Eruption that occurred there.
Wasn't this a cycle?
So, when the 'God' mentioned the joy of seeing intertwined destinies, was it referring to this?
From a higher-dimensional perspective, this truly was a grand play.
It was like how humans would use honey or sugar water to attract ants and manipulate them into different shapes. Essentially, from the divine perspective, humans and ants were not much different.
Kiana felt inexplicably that the enemy known as Honkai was becoming increasingly complex.
Perhaps Finality was very likely just the beginning.
However, what kind of stance did the 'God' that helped her return to fifty thousand years ago hold?
She began to doubt whether the Honkai Destruction civilization was merely a misunderstanding of Honkai by humanity, or at least an incomplete understanding.
Kiana was preoccupied with her thoughts and didn't want to say too much.
MEI could sense that Kiana had something on her mind.
She said, "If you're worried about Chen Ran, you don't need to. Chen Ran often conducts experiments at the First Research Institute or in the dormitory, and it's possible to not see him for half a day or even several days in a row."
Kiana blinked, "Then what does he eat?"
"Instant noodles," MEI replied expressionlessly.
Kiana: "..."
Elysia smiled brightly, "Alright, let's not just chat here. It's rare for us to be together, so let's go eat something. My treat?"
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