Chapter 269: Is it too much to put pressure on someone just because they are getting better?

[...]

[When Hua woke up, she found herself in a ruin. Red flames were still burning around her, burning and evaporating the accumulated water that tried to spread over. The air was filled with a dry smell, which also drove away the moisture that tried to fill this place.]

[There is no trace of Kaiji around, and even the Herrscher has gone somewhere unknown... Did he retreat? Or something else?]

[But no matter what, there is one thing Hua knows... they failed]

[Everything in front of her is still the same. They did not sink into the "Quantum Sea", so the "Herrscher"... naturally did not sink either.]

[She still failed to do anything and was even worse than before. This time... she was the only one who survived.]

[Hua didn't know what to do for a moment, and could only stand there in a daze... She didn't understand how she survived, and she didn't understand why the "Herrscher" retreated, and... why she became like this]

[At this moment, her arms and legs were covered with a layer of feather-like... "shell"? It was soft and hard at the same time, and her five fingers became like claws. Her feet also changed their appearance and became like the feet of birds, which looked a bit weird.]

[There are several red tail feathers extending from the tail vertebrae behind it, and energy like fire flows through them, and occasionally some sparks will float up.]

[Not only that, her original combat uniform also disappeared, and her body was covered with a layer of light white and red feathers and "skin", temporarily covering her body.]

[…No matter how you look at it, this doesn't look like a "human". Instead, it looks more like a Honkai creature.]

[Hua didn't understand, so she could only remain silent, constantly adjusting her thoughts in her mind to confirm that "herself" was still her]

[Finally, Hua still determined her thoughts and confirmed that she was still herself... Then, she stood up again, chose a direction, and then... rushed away]

[Her companions... her teammates are gone, all dead, leaving only her... She is now alone. In other words, she has nothing to worry about.]

[After changing her posture and having no companions or team members to take care of, Hua, as a fusion warrior, has improved her combat power and mobility by several levels. After running and fighting day and night, Hua successfully crossed the long land and came to the seaside... Don't get me wrong, she has no intention of jumping into the sea.]

[She was just...trying to vent in this way again]

[After all, after becoming like this, she still doesn't know what to do]

[She thought she was still the same person, her thoughts were still clear, but the aura she exuded and the changes in her body made her somewhat hesitant...]

[Therefore, she could only vent her troubled thoughts by running and fighting non-stop. At the same time, she could also check on the people in the shelters along the way and clean up some of the "Kaiji" to reduce the probability of them encountering accidents.]

[Of course, she did all this while hiding from people's sight. To others, they could only see a ball of fire with red tail feathers passing by from a distance or nearby, dispersing the humid air while burning all the "Kaiji", like a giant bird covered in flames flying by.]

[…Hua doesn't know how to face other people right now, and she doesn't know how others will judge her like this, so she can only do this]

[And...she does need some time to think...]

[But unfortunately, Hua still overlooked the powerful aura she exuded, as well as the special characteristics of Dystopia and Aponia, who were also fusion warriors.]

[When Hua broke through most of the Mu Continent and came directly to the seaside, Aponia sensed her... After all, in the Mu Continent full of humidity and interference, a dry, clear and powerful breath was so obvious...]

[Immediately, Aponia established contact with Hua, and then, Dystopia also came over. The two fusion warriors stranded on Mu Continent met again for the first time... and then Dystopia was frightened by Hua's appearance.]

[But it's not bad, at least Hua still looks like a human, just with some extra things… and considering that Kaiji hates and rejects fire, Hua with such fiery power should not be Kaiji in human form… In addition, Aponia also confirmed that the Hua in front of her is still the same Hua.]

[In short, after a rather difficult and funny recognition session, the rejection and vigilance that Hua had expected did not appear. Instead, what came was only the care and love of her companions, and... Dr. Mei's request for a physical examination.]

[By the way, there is also a report requested by "Fire Moth"]

[Hua was stunned for a long time by the attitude of the crowd, and then she smiled with a little helplessness and self-mockery... She felt helpless that she had hesitated for so long on such things before, and she also laughed at herself for not trusting her companions so much that she was worried that they would not recognize her just because she changed her appearance...]

[As if to relieve the boredom in her heart, Hua also expressed these thoughts and then received the comfort of Dystopia and the approval of Mei... Mei felt that Hua was not wrong to have such thoughts. This is human nature, especially when the situation is getting more and more tense. It is normal to worry about what others think of you because of your own changes. Everyone will subconsciously have such concerns.]

[However, there are some things that Hua did not clearly understand... For example, after she became a fusion warrior, she had actually stepped into the "inhuman" realm... Especially since she was fused with an Honkai beast, it was normal for some special changes to occur. These were all written in the report left by Mobius, and were also within the expectations of Mei and "Fire Moth"]

[More importantly, the power Hua displayed is fire. If that's the case, there's no need to worry too much... You know, the main threat to Honkai right now is still Kaiji, and Kaiji hates fire and dry environments the most.]

[Compared to Kaiji and the Herrscher in the sea, Hua's situation is nothing.]

[Even after Hua told her story about her and Einstein's experience, Hua was commended by the "Fire Moth" to thank her for helping the "Fire Moth" recover a lot of precious data and instruments, and even a lot of scientific researchers and trapped soldiers]

[Although it would be troublesome to go to the moon and bring them back, the advantage is that we don't have to risk facing the "Herrscher" and going deep into the Mu Continent.]

[In addition, there is also the consolation from "Fire Moth"... After all, Hua is the only one who survived in the entire team, so comfort and recuperation are definitely necessary.]

[And no one questioned why Hua was the only one who survived... Come on, Hua was the only fusion warrior with incredible combat power in the entire team. It would be strange if she didn't survive, right?]

[If I have to say something strange... it's why she was able to survive the hands of the Herrscher. This is indeed a questionable point.]

[However, after learning about Hua's current power, "Fire Moth" felt a little relieved... With Hua in this state, the fighting power she showed was even comparable to Kevin and Elysia, and the power she possessed was fire... Perhaps she could indeed survive the hands of the "Herrscher"?]

[No, this is not enough. In the beginning, the Herrscher suppressed a group of fusion warriors for a long time. This level alone is not enough... Therefore, we still need to be careful.]

[Therefore, for a period of time afterward, Hua acted together with Dystopia, with Dystopia directly supervising and Aponia observing remotely to prevent any abnormality from occurring in Hua...]

[But in the end, Hua behaved quite normally. Even after she joined, the "Fire Moth" saved a lot of people. After all, what "Kaiji" hated and rejected the most was fire, and Hua's power happened to be fire...]

[…Well, it seems that there is no problem. Hua is still Hua.]

["Fire Moth" put their mind at ease for the time being. As for the deeper investigation, they will wait until Hua returns.]

[After that, there was a long and boring period]

[With the help of Eden, Mei successfully found the special frequency in the "Song" that would affect the fusion warriors and even humans. Then, together with Vill-V and Klein, who gradually became proficient in her work, they developed an instrument that could reduce this effect and installed it one by one in the existing defense line.]

[This success has made the defense line of the "Fire Moth" stable again. After all, this has greatly reduced the temptation from the Honkai and the ocean, and the soldiers' mental state has greatly improved... Fortunately, Mei and others have come up with results.]

[Otherwise, "Fire Moth" would have ordered Aponia to force her to use "Discipline" to ensure the soldiers' mental state... But fortunately, everything happened so coincidentally and in time.]

[Later, "Fire Moth" also restarted the Fusion Warrior Project, letting Klein be the lead surgeon for the Fusion Warrior surgery, with Blanca assisting... Although the success rate of the surgery was much lower and there were many "failures", Klein once fell into depression and self-blame.]

[But not many people blamed Klein. After all, not everyone is Mobius, and the decline in the success rate of the operation is understandable... What's more, those people did not die on the operating table, they just became "failures" and the fusion operation was not very successful.]

[Except for their strange appearance, some changes in their body, and mental instability... everything is pretty good.]

[Of course, more importantly... even these "failed items" have considerable combat power.]

[Although they are certainly not comparable to the fusion warriors who have undergone successful surgery, they are much stronger than ordinary warriors. Therefore... after the discussion with the "Fire Moths", these "failed" warriors were also allowed to set foot on the battlefield, but the prerequisite is that they need to accept Aponia's "discipline" and undergo regular examinations.]

[Of course, these are nothing to the soldiers. When they were ordered to undergo the operation, they were already prepared to transform themselves into "non-humans"... Although it is a bit of a pity that they cannot become as handsome and powerful as Kevin, or as beautiful and powerful as Elysia, but... as long as they can contribute to protecting mankind, it is good enough.]

[For this reason, "Fire Moth" is also working hard on publicity so that ordinary people will not regard these warriors as "monsters"... No matter what, they are "heroes" who sacrificed their lives for humanity.]

[Although this process has become somewhat difficult... because as the battle with "Kaiji" gets longer, all kinds of monsters and demons have appeared one after another...]

[Such as stigmatizing "Fire Moth", questioning the legitimacy of "Fire Moth", accusing "Fire Moth" of conducting inhumane experiments... and so on.]

[I don't even know where a "madman" dressed as a theologian appeared from, often shouting that "Kaiji" are the destination of mankind, and that the children favored by "Him" will lead us to an infinite future. Let us embrace each other, throw ourselves into the sea, and throw ourselves into "His" arms…]

[In simple terms, he is a madman who believes in "Kaiji", and there are even many people who choose to believe and follow him! This gives "Fire Moth" even more headaches.]

[But this is not so bad. After all, this kind of organization that is completely considered a "cult" by others can be directly suppressed violently... The real trouble is those half-truthful, organized and premeditated slanders and accusations.]

[Especially those fusion warriors who became "failures", became the evidence for some people to attack the "Fire Moth", accusing them of denying humanity itself...]

["Let the Fire Moths continue. There is no need for Honkai to happen. The Fire Moths can destroy humanity... Look at those so-called fusion warriors. Can they still be called human beings?" —That's what those people said.]

[The Fire Moths are well aware that the war of public opinion has already begun. Although they cannot do anything for the soldiers on the front line, at least in the rear, in logistics, and in reputation, they have to do their best to protect it.]

[Honestly speaking, this aspect is not bad, because the big star Eden and the famous model Sakura is also standing by the side of "Fire Moth", so there won't be any problems with publicity. Especially with Eden around, it will be easier to control public opinion...]

[But here's the problem. Ever since Eden came into contact with the "song", her mental state has gradually become abnormal, and she sometimes seems a little dazed... According to her, it was "him" who was calling her from afar.]

[Here, the understanding of "Fire Moth" is naturally that the "Herrscher" is calling Eden, after all, Eden has come into contact with the "Song"...]

[Originally, after discovering this situation, "Fire Moth" should have stopped Eden immediately. After all, this behavior has affected Eden's health, and even further... it will affect her life.]

[However, the severe situation on the front line, the concerns about combat effectiveness, the worries about the "Herrscher", and Eden's own wishes... Under the superposition of various reasons, "Fire Moth" could only persuade Eden in the end, and then asked Eden to cooperate with Mei to research a solution as soon as possible...]

[Fortunately, Mei successfully produced the results, which I mentioned before.]

[But... corresponding to this, Eden's condition has worsened. Because of long-term and repeated contact with the "song", her mental state has become worse and worse. Recently, she has begun to sleep more and more. The awake time in a day is only eight hours... and it is constantly getting shorter.]

[This has put "Fire Moth" at a disadvantage in terms of public opinion... Who made Miss Eden, who is loved by everyone, fall into such a bad situation within "Fire Moth"?]

[But fortunately, due to the early publicity of Eden and "Fire Moth", the overall direction of public opinion is still favorable to "Fire Moth".]

[At the same time, because the Fusion Warrior Program was restarted, the combat power was effectively supplemented, so the "Fire Moth" was able to devote its energy to rescuing the trapped people on Mu Continent, and at the same time sent a team to the moon to recover data, equipment and personnel.]

[Afterwards, with the efforts of everyone, especially the hard work of Hua who changed her appearance, the people trapped on the Mu Continent were taken out one after another. Dystopia and Hua were also able to return to the "Fire Moth" and were examined by Mei, Vill-V, and Klein...]

[Finally, it can be confirmed that Hua is still human. Her posture and strength are the manifestation of her further fusion with the Honkai beast genes in her body... Although she is becoming more "inhuman", her strength is also correspondingly stronger.]

[After discussion, Mei also named Hua's attitude - "artificial Honkai", which means that the fusion warrior actively embraces the power of Honkai.]

[Later, because of the powerful combat power brought by "Artificial Honkai", "Fire Moth" began to try to promote "Artificial Honkai" among fusion warriors, striving for every fusion warrior to be able to do it... If it can be achieved, maybe it can counterattack "Kaiji" in one fell swoop?]

[Although it was later proved that not every fusion warrior could maintain a clear self-awareness like Hua after the "artificial Honkai", but... at least the strong combat power is guaranteed. It can be confirmed that every fusion warrior has a more dangerous "trump card".]

[At the same time, Vill-V has also completed the construction of the "Sixth Divine Key", allowing the combat power of "Fire Moth" to reach a higher level...]

[In particular, the "Sixth Divine Key" held by Elysia, like the "Seventh Divine Key" held by Kevin, shines brightly on the battlefield... but Elysia doesn't seem to like using it very much.]

[More importantly, the "Blank Key" that Mei is mainly researching has already produced its first test product.]

[If successful, "Fire Moth" will have another powerful weapon against "Kaiji"... After all, it is a tool that allows humans to master the power of "Herrscher" level!]

[It's just that… it's like a light breeze brought news to "Kaiji" as if a "traitor" appeared within. Soon after the "Blank Key" prototype was produced… "Kaiji" started to riot.]

[And the inland area, which had always been protected by the "Fourth Divine Key", suddenly began to drizzle.]

[The Fire Moth knows that the Herrscher has arrived.]