The Astartes Project

"Oh my god! Mr. Sebas... you actually caught two Tyrant! And one of them is an even rarer evolved variant!"

"Fortunately, I managed to find the tracks of these beasts," Sebas replied modestly, as he was accustomed to doing, in response to Dr. Stylish's praise.

"However, Dr. Stylish, Tyrant being classified as an extremely danger species is not without reason..."

"The ferocious dragon really lives up to its name. It was beaten to the brink of death over ten times, yet its powerful cellular vitality and recovery ability allowed it to quickly regenerate... If I weren't just a bit stronger than it, this beast might have gotten the better of me..." Sebas said as he clenched his fists, gesturing with his fingers to emphasize just how close it had been.

"Uh..." Although Sebas was making sense, Dr. Stylish couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. Looking at how pristine and spotless you are, you don't really seem like someone who got into any trouble at all. Was it just a little close… or a lot close?

But quickly pushing aside those stray thoughts, Dr. Stylish refocused on Tyrant.

"General, do you know? Now that we have them, the pace of the experiments will accelerate rapidly... Such a beautiful form, I never imagined I'd get the chance to witness two legendary dragon-shaped super-danger species—Tyrant!"

In the rear courtyard of the fortress city, Dr. Stylish paced back and forth excitedly. Gazing at Tyrant's robust body, his eyes glinted like a pervert staring at a beauty. He couldn't tear them away.

He muttered incessantly about "dissections," "experiments," and "let me examine it."

For a "completely ordinary" fanatic scientist like him, obtaining such rare experimental material was an unparalleled fortune!

Sitting on a chair made from the hide of a precious danger species, Selene looked up at the constantly circling Dr. Stylish, her tone helpless. "...Dr. Stylish, the Tyrant are already yours. I keep my word... Are you really worried I'd go back on it?"

"No, no, General... I'm just a little excited, that's all. After all, Tyrant's cellular vitality is incredibly rare... Compared to these, the ones stored in the Empire's Science Bureau are nothing but old jerky!"

As he spoke, Dr. Stylish's body showed no signs of stopping. He dashed back and forth around the larger Tyrant's body. One moment he admired its three sets of eyes, praising them incessantly, and the next moment he stroked its bloodstained muscles, all while wearing a fanatical expression like some pervert savoring the moment.

"Alright, alright, Dr. Stylish. Let's get back on topic. I wanted to ask your opinion: What do you think we should do with the Orichalcum vein?" Selene asked.

Upon hearing this, Dr. Stylish stopped his "groping" of Tyrant's majestic body, his expression turning thoughtful. "Hmm... This is a tough decision for me..."

"My original plan was to focus solely on the Stable Honkai Energy Soldier Enhancement Project... But the discovery of the Orichalcum vein has really thrown me into a bit of turmoil."

Too many pleasant surprises had come all at once, and now he was torn between them!

Dr. Stylish's so-called "turmoil" was actually a form of ecstatic frustration. Simply put, he wanted it all.

The Stable Honkai Energy Soldier Enhancement Project was a monumental achievement, but the prospect of recreating brand-new Imperial Arms using Orichalcum was equally tempting.

Imperial Arms were weapons crafted using the materials from legendary super-danger species, rare metals like Orichalcum, and long-lost secret techniques.

Now, Dr. Stylish had all the necessary conditions to recreate them.

As for the fact that the first Emperor had gathered the greatest craftsmen from around the world to complete the original Imperial Arms...

Dr. Stylish could only scoff: You were all trash! I'm stronger than all of you combined!

What once seemed impossible was now within reach, thanks to Selene's support and the vast academic resources she had made available to him. Dr. Stylish's ambitions had grown more boundless than ever.

It was a large and simple ambition—Dr. Stylish wanted to surpass all the craftsmen and artisans throughout history!

"...Should I separate the two projects, or should I prioritize completing the Stable Honkai Energy Soldier Enhancement Project first, then move on to crafting the Imperial Arms?"

As he pondered this, enhanced soldiers... enhanced soldiers, a thought suddenly struck Dr. Stylish—a possibility of a perfect combination.

"Ah!" Selene, sipping tea while waiting for Dr. Stylish's response, saw him suddenly rush over, his face glowing with excitement. He gestured enthusiastically as he spoke, "General, I have an idea!"

"The Stable Honkai Energy Soldier Enhancement Project is designed to mass-produce super soldiers. Orichalcum could be used to mass-produce extraordinary weapons. So why should we still be thinking like ordinary people?"

"From my over four hundred previous experiments, every time Honkai energy was injected, unless you, General, were there to personally fine-tune the process, most of the test subjects who didn't dissolve outright experienced significant increases in bone and muscle density."

"But I've been trying too hard to control their size, wanting to keep them within the range of a normal human. Looking back, that was a mistake in my thinking! It went against the direction of enhancement!"

"Super soldiers should be visibly super! We don't need to keep them within the confines of an ordinary human form. After the enhancement, it's perfectly normal for their size to increase!"

"And once we have super soldiers, we'll need specialized weapons for them. But clearly, regular weapons won't match the power of super soldiers, and there are too few Imperial Arms and Subordinate Arms to supply them in any significant number."

"Although we've discovered an Orichalcum vein, the process of crafting Imperial Arms and Subordinate Arms is too complex to allow for mass production!"

"So, why not take a different approach, lower the standards, and use Orichalcum to mass-produce customized weapons for these super soldiers who've undergone stable Honkai energy enhancement?"

After listening to Dr. Stylish's rapid-fire ideas, Selene set down her teacup and stroked her smooth chin. "Indeed... it seems I was stuck in a similar mental trap..."

At first, Selene hadn't thought too deeply about it. She had simply been looking for a method to increase the success rate of Honkai energy enhancements without needing to personally oversee the process.

It didn't need to be overly powerful. As long as the enhancement brought people to a level above Captain America, that would be fine. For elite forces, she could still handle the enhancements herself.

But now it seemed that the lower limit for Honkai energy enhancement could be raised further. There was no need to restrict the size of the enhanced soldiers to normal human proportions. Even the idea of Captain America-level strength might be an underestimation…

According to Dr. Stylish's logs from over four hundred experiments, a body size of around 2.5 meters was the most balanced and suitable form for stable Honkai energy enhancement.

Hmm… Does this mean that in the future, her soldiers won't be mere Captain Americas, but rather an army of Hulks? An army of Space Marines?!

The thought excited Selene so much that, disregarding any potential bad omens, she made a decisive decision:

"Dr. Stylish, this plan is excellent! It's a great direction! I've decided—the Stable Honkai Energy Soldier Enhancement Project will officially be named: The Astartes Project!"

"Sebas, Leiva, let's discuss the details and make sure we complete it before Imperial Year 1024..."

...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven