Seeing that it was Vill-V calling, Chang Yuan quickly answered.
"Big V Teacher, what's up? Is something wrong?"
"I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Big V Teacher, why are you playing these games with me?"
Hearing that Vill-V was in the mood to joke around, he knew the bad news couldn't be too serious.
So, he responded in his usual casual tone, teasing her.
"Alright, alright, I'll cut to the chase. The good news is that after discussions and improvements between me and Mobius, the success rate of the MANTIS surgery has now reached 20%.
And that's based on ordinary people. For seasoned warriors who have also been injected with anti-Honkai serum, the probability could be several times higher.
In other words, the MANTIS surgery is now in its most perfect state.
However, the bad news is that those councilors are getting restless. They seem to be spreading rumors that there are two doctors in Fire Moth conducting human experiments, and they want to use public opinion to eliminate us."
Vill-V spilled both the good and bad news in one breath.
"Restless? Then let's blow up a few to calm them down. As for human experiments? Isn't that the truth? You can submit the list of volunteers and let those guys see that they were all willing.
They made sacrifices for the continuation of civilization, for the safety of the world, and to protect humanity. They are heroes."
"Alright, I'll go blow up a few then. By the way, when are you coming back for the surgery? As the Honkai grows stronger, your combat power seems to need an upgrade."
Hearing this, Chang Yuan fell into a brief silence.
Then he looked at Elysia.
"Elysia, the MANTIS surgery is almost perfect now. Do you want to come back with me and undergo it?"
"Sure, by then we'll definitely become stronger, and future Herrschers won't be a threat."
Elysia nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan continued talking to Vill-V, "Tomorrow, then. Please find the most suitable Honkai beast DNA for us."
"No problem, leave it to me."
After that, the two chatted about everyday things like friends before hanging up.
"Phew, Elysia, we're going back for the surgery tomorrow. How do you feel?"
"Not much, really. Since you're asking me to come back with you, it must mean Vill-V has increased the success rate to a point where you're no longer worried about safety. So, I'm not afraid."
Just as Chang Yuan understood her, Elysia also understood Chang Yuan.
If something wasn't safe, he would never involve her unless she brought it up first.
Otherwise, Chang Yuan would keep it from her as much as possible.
"Well, I'm a bit scared, to be honest. It's not a 100% success rate."
Compared to the original success rate of 1/100, or even lower, reaching over 40% was already a monumental achievement.
This was largely thanks to Vill-V, who had now ventured into biology instead of focusing solely on mechanics like in the original timeline.
After all, a genius like Vill-V should be encouraged to learn more, not just specialize in one field.
"I just wonder if this will cause a butterfly effect."
Thinking of the original timeline's Herrscher of Binding, many speculated that it was a high-dimensional civilization's tool to eliminate MANTIS soldiers.
Only after reducing the number of MANTIS soldiers to a certain extent could this Herrscher be defeated.
If that were true, then the current 1/5 success rate of becoming a MANTIS soldier might lead to even more brutal battles in the future.
And the Herrscher of Binding might be even stronger than in the original timeline, with other Herrschers potentially receiving boosts as well.
After all, the Cocoon of Finality wasn't a lifeless object—it had its own will.
"Hmph, with me around, a girl who smiles a lot will always have good luck. And being with me, your luck won't be bad either. Let's see who succeeds first."
Seeing Chang Yuan's tension, Elysia playfully blinked and laughed, boasting about herself.
With Elysia lightening the mood, Chang Yuan's tense feelings eased a bit.
Forget it, we'll deal with it when the time comes. He wasn't good at thinking too much, and he had already shared most of what he knew with the best minds.
If they couldn't solve the problem, then it would just be a repeat of the original timeline, with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood to defeat the Herrschers.
Time passed slowly until both of them fell asleep.
But Elysia, as if summoned by something, suddenly opened her eyes.
Glancing at Chang Yuan, who was still sound asleep, Elysia didn't wake him.
Instead, she quietly got out of bed.
To avoid disturbing Chang Yuan, Elysia leaped out of the window.
She then followed a guiding presence to a dense forest.
In the forest, Elysia finally reached the place that had drawn her there.
There, she saw a massive pink-and-white stingray.
The stingray, as if it had been waiting for her, shook off a small piece of its hard shell, then disappeared into an unknown space.
But Elysia was left baffled.
Had it lured her here just to give her a small piece of its shell?
"That aura... it was a Honkai beast? But why didn't it attack me or destroy the city?"
This puzzled Elysia greatly.
In the past, Honkai beasts, even the mindless ones, would only seek to destroy civilization. Even the intelligent Judgment-class Honkai beasts were solely focused on destruction.
But the Honkai beast she had just encountered gave her a feeling no less powerful than a Herrscher's companion beast.
This was why Elysia found it so confusing.
But she didn't dwell on it. As long as it wasn't destroying civilization, it was fine.
Picking up the piece of shell, Elysia pocketed it.
Then she quietly returned to the hotel and went back to sleep, with Chang Yuan none the wiser.
This somehow made Elysia feel a bit relieved.
The older she got, the more mysterious her past seemed, and tonight's events added to that mystery.
But she didn't dare tell Chang Yuan about these mysteries.
The next day, after checking out of the hotel, Chang Yuan and Elysia boarded a Fire Moth special aircraft and returned to headquarters.
As soon as they arrived, Chang Yuan went to find Vill-V.