Chapter 53: Iron Will
Everyone was scrambling to get Ein inside the base to begin in healing him. "Get out of the way!" Mobius ran with Ein's stretcher as they rush to the lab.
He was then put inside a capsule specialized in healing and diagnosis. He was put inside as the tube filled with water. "Begin detailed diagnostics STAT!" Mei ordered the assistants as they quickly started to scan him more thoroughly.
After 30 minutes, the results came as they read it. Severe honkai poisoning, forearms missing, a leg as well. Multiple holes on organs that healed too quickly, resulting in scarring, and fried nerves due to overuse of the 3rd divine key.
The soulium in his muscles are working overtime to clear up residual honkai energy. They only need to repair his organs and wait for the miasma of the 6th herrscher to clear. So his arms and leg could regenerate. They need to insert soulium again though.
Everybody sighed in relief, learning that he isn't in immediate danger. Elysia called Eden and told her his condition.
"Hah. He's not in mortal danger, but look at him. We could only give limited support." Mei frowned as she looked at his form.
Mobius was silent. Looking at him quietly with a glimmer in her eyes. "Elysia, Himeko. Let's rest first, Ein will be fine. He'll be up and running in no time." Kevin tapped them on the shoulder.
Elysia hesitated. Tears flowing from her eyes. "Will he? He even lost 3 limbs... And we could only stall, we would've died too if he didn't show up."
Himeko gritted her teeth, her fists clenched as her palms bled. "Let's go Elysia. Kevin is right, let's leave this to Mobius and Mei. They'll take care of him." She looked at Mobius' unmoving form, her eyes not even blinking while staring at the capsule.
They silently left Ein behind. "Mei, will he really be alright? He's in pretty bad shape." Vill asked with concern and anxiousness in her voice.
Mei nodded. "We've already made a diagnosis. It's only a matter of time before he recovers, he's made of tough stuff after all." She left as well. She needed to do some damage control, the 6th caused too much disaster.
Vill looked at Mobius and tapped her on the shoulder. She was unresponsive, so she left as well, deciding to focus on inventions to better fight the honkai.
The door closed as Mobius was left alone inside. "This is unacceptable... You must be better. I can't lose you..." She walked up to the capsule as she touched it softly.
She shed tears for the very 1st time in her life. "I must do better. We have to make humanity perfect... You, have to be better than perfect. And I'll make it happen." She left as well. With newfound determination to make him the strongest.
"Klein. Dr. Mobius was very scary just then, what do you think she'll do? This is a pretty big thing for her." Nuwa nervously asked.
Klein shook her head. "I don't know. But be prepared for more work. She'll probably work herself to death."
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Kevin visited Mei in command as she was diligently trying to control the damages. "Mei. I know you guys are trying to do something. A supersoldier project right?" He asked with a steely tone.
She nodded, not taking her eyes off the monitor. "Yes. And we should focus on it with all our might. We'll funnel all genetic specialists and biologists to it. Ein cannot get away with single combat forever." She clenched her fists.
Kevin looked down on the ground as he gritted his teeth. "I want to be the 1st one in it." He said with conviction.
Mei looked at him and studied his facial expression. He has decided it seems. She sighed in her mind. "It's in the early stages still Kevin. And the survival rate would probably be next to zero."
Kevin looked her in the eye. "Then so be it." As he left.
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After a few hours. The news about the massacre of the 6th herrscher went to every news station world wide. They reported that Moth wasn't able to stop her efficiently as she killed millions of people and destroyed multiple cities and Moth bases.
Elysia and Himeko watched it as they frowned. "Ungrateful fucks!" Himeko threw the remote on the t.v. As she seethed with rage. "Millions more would've died if we didn't evacuate them quickly or if we bombarded the place!"
Elysia held her shoulders as she shouted. "Himeko! Calm down! That's the point! They don't know what we do. So they pick on everything they can because it's a story they could take advantage of." She looked her in the eye.
Himeko took her hands off her. "Still! Look at him Elysia! Look at the condition he is in! Every zombie we have to kill that were people once. Every comrade we lose when we go to missions. Every person we see that lost everything as they evacuate with soulless eyes. These fuckers don't know what we go through!"
Elysia bit her lip and started to tear up. She held Himeko's head and looked at her close. "This was a risk we had to take! Do you think I don't feel anything when we had to take him back here! With his body missing limbs! With him probably receiving numerous holes on his body as he fought! But that's what he wanted to do! And he does it for us..."
They both went silent as they sat. Someone then opened the door like they were in a rush. "Where is he!?" Eden entered, out of breath. Dropping everything to come to the base.
Elysia stood up and escorted Eden to his location. Leaving Himeko to her own devices as she stared on the ground.
"Elysia. Tell me, what really happened? You only told me he's in bad condition." Eden asked anxiously.
Elysia just looked at her with teary eyes as they walked. "I... I can't tell you Eden. Let's just go in and see for yourself." They walked quickly.
Entering the lab, Eden saw him floating in a capsule. Missing 3 limbs and unconscious, with signs of honkai corruption all over his body.
She gasped. As she fell on the floor on her knees. "Is... Is he going to live?" Her voice shaking. As she started to sob.
"He is. According to Mei, he'll be fine. We just have to wait." Elysia crouched with Eden as she hugged her.
Elysia then helped her stand up as she escorted Eden outside and back to her room. "Don't worry Eden. He'll be fine, he's tough. He would probably be nice and perky after just a full day." Elysia cracked a small smile.
Eden nodded and silently followed Elysia.
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After some hard work in controlling stories and damages. Mei walked in the lab as she saw the assistants. "How is he? Did you guys try anything?"
"Dr. Mei. We only made some nano machines repair his organs. His honkai resistance is too high to use the antibodies, so we've done everything we can for now. We tried to get stem cells from him to remake his limbs, but it is volatile and doesn't respond well in lab conditions." Klein answered.
"His cells don't replicate if it isn't in his body. We're not sure why, but we could only observe it and expose it to the elements. When manipulations are done to it. It does not respond kindly." Fuxi gave Mei some data about his cells.
Mei read it and saw that his cells start to devour anything when it was inserted to other organisms. And they live on indefinitely, as it adapts to the surroundings. The cell only dies when it's manipulated directly, mutating to ridiculous levels. It was concluded to be a defense mechanism by Dr. Mobius.
"Then we can only wait. At least he will recover, tell Mobius I need to speak with her about something important." Mei left as she said her goodbyes to them.
Klein left a voice message to Mobius as they returned to monitoring him.
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Mobius and Mei was sitting in front of each other. Mobius in an obviously foul mood. As she raised a brow and talked.
"So? What do you want Mei." Mobius asked quickly. Her hand tapping on the table, not wanting to be there.
"Look at this. I've based it on Ein's project Odin." Mei gave a file to Mobius. She received it and scanned it quickly.
"Project Soldier? So you were starting to make a plan on this already." She continued to read. Mei wants to use honkai genes on suitable hosts to make fusion warriors.
And she already has a candidate. "So this is a much safer one. Ein actually wanted me to make it suitable for normal humans unlike him. We've only sequences Vishnu's regeneration. And it doesn't respond well to organic things." She remembered the test subjects bloating and exploding, just from the regeneration alone.
"We should modify it further then. Let's test if we can isolate their abilities, make it recessive. And activate it later when needed for battle? It will lessen the side effects, and the chances of them mutating would plummet greatly." Mei based it on recessive genes so they won't overpower the genome completely. And have the soldier integrate with it slowly.
Mobius nodded. "I'll focus on sequencing the genes. I'll send Vishnu's data to you, try to modify it with your chosen team. I have different methods with you." And Ein doesn't need weaker genes. He'll probably throw it out and say it's some weak sauce or something.
"Project Soldier is a go. I'm counting on you Mobius, Ein can't be in multiple places at once after all." She remembered the crystalline honkai beast. If one of those things appear again, then we might just lose for good.
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Project soldier is a go. I'll slow down for a bit, because I'm now going too fast. This part of the story is critical, as MANTISes are going to start to appear. Anyways, ciao.