The First Research Institute occupied the majority of the underground's second-level area and had the largest number of staff. On one hand, it focused on exploring virtual numbers; on the other hand, it oversaw and planned all research efforts.
It could be said that this was the brain of human technological civilization, and in Ryan eyes, its value surpassed even that of the entire Fire Moth organization. That was why Sakura, a "specialist in human attacks," had been assigned to guard this place.
The second phase of the super-mutagenic factor had already been injected. In this narrow space, Sakura's combat ability was enough to rank in the top three. Even Ryan, if he wasn't careful, might be taken down.
Ryan glanced around. Everything was orderly, with nearly a hundred people coming in and out of the hall and various laboratories, carrying files. Then, he saw a familiar face approach.
"Dr. Mei is waiting for both of you," Serne said flatly, his clothes without a single wrinkle, looking as meticulous as possible.
Looks like another reserved guy.
Ryan thought to himself, nodding gently and following Möbius. As he did, he listened to Serne's introductions of the different departments.
Planning Department, Auditing Department, Intelligence Analysis Department, General Office, Logistics Office, Tactical Research Association...
The departments were complete, each with its responsibilities. In less than a year, Möbius had managed to set up the framework, essentially creating an independent operating department within the Fire Moth.
"By connecting and perfecting responsibilities under the guise of integration, it's like a smaller Fire Moth. If we scale down the entire organization by a hundred times, the research committee could completely replace it."
Such political maneuvering was amazing. It was like fine rain—quietly influencing everything.
Ryan raised the corners of his mouth, then looked at Serne ahead. This guy might be reserved, but his knowledge was still impressive, able to clearly explain all the departments.
"So, are you Dr. Mei assistant now?"
"Just doing menial tasks, really. As Dr. Mei says, my personality suits these kinds of jobs." He pushed a strand of hair behind his ear, speaking calmly. "How should I put it? I'm good at finding flaws, like a black dot on a white sheet of paper. If I don't fix it, I'll feel uncomfortable."
Got it, late-stage obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Ryan licked his lips. Mei is really good at knowing how to use people. Someone with OCD like this is perfect as an assistant, always pointing out things you didn't notice.
As they walked through the hall, entering a dimly lit corridor, Serne picked up trash ten times, smoothed out five wrinkles on posters, and even secretly ogled seven young researchers' stockings and three chests.
Finally, he stopped at a room at the far end, made a gesture inviting them in, and said, "Dr. Mei is waiting for you inside."
"Tsk, so secretive."
Möbius scoffed, stepping into the room first, while Ryan paused for a moment and gave Serne, the assistant, a curious glance.
"I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Why did you avoid looking at Dr. Möbius the whole time? Is she not attractive enough?"
Serne's face immediately turned red. He realized his little actions had been noticed, and faced with Ryan, he dared not deny it, lowering his voice.
"Because looking at Dr. Möbius brings bad luck. I had a colleague who paid dearly for it."
Möbius doesn't let people look at her? But I've been staring at her just fine.
Not to mention earlier, when she was cooking, my gaze was locked on her hips. Möbius acted like nothing happened.
Right, my gaze is much more subtle than this reserved guy's. It was purely an appreciation of human beauty, without any dirty thoughts.
Ryan suddenly felt a sense of self-improvement. He stood tall and entered the room.
The meeting room was small, with only an elliptical table in the center. The people attending were far fewer compared to yesterday.
"Why are there just the four of us?"
"The fewer people who know, the better. This wasn't originally in Dr. Vidich's or the others' research scope." Mei was hidden in the shadows, only her pale chin visible. Beside her sat Vil-V, who eagerly greeted Ryan.
"A researcher among researchers. Don't you think that's cool?"
"Not really, but I'm curious to hear what research we need to discuss," Ryan said as he pulled out a chair and sat down, casually glancing at the big screen.
On it was a live "Skynet" map, with gray, blue, and red colors dividing the Earth like a jigsaw puzzle. Numerous red dots moved here and there, sometimes disappearing.
The Herrschers were hidden within, but there were so many targets that it was impossible to identify them all.
Mei took out a remote control and pressed a button. "On the surface, we should be discussing how to locate the Fifth Herrscher and monitor the Sixth Herrscher. But since they've changed their tactics, it's all a waste of time."
"What about behind the scenes? You're not discussing the gene fragment I discovered, are you?" Möbius returned with a cup of coffee, sipping from it. Her instant coffee here cost her two more dollars than her usual one, so she drank it eagerly.
"That's one of the topics."
"Wait, what gene fragment?" Ryan raised his hand to ask, just as Mei threw a stack of papers at him. He flipped through a few pages and immediately became energized.
This was Möbius's deep research into human genes, a byproduct of the Fused Warrior Program. The reason was that she wanted to understand why the same super-mutagenic factor produced different results in different individuals.
"Through in-depth exploration of DNA, we discovered that the adaptability to Honkai Energy is linked to certain gene fragments?"
Because the adaptability to Honkai Energy was hidden within a large population, it only manifested during catastrophic events. For some, it would cause instant death; for others, they would become death warriors, and a few could survive.
In theology, these individuals were called the chosen ones. Möbius naturally scoffed at this, as the essence of science was to find patterns, and now, she had enough data to support her conclusions.
From someone like Kevin down to those who failed the fusion surgery, Möbius had a lot of data to explore.
"About fifteen percent of people have Honkai Energy adaptability and can resist the effects of small amounts of Corruption radiation?"
"Yeah, this is based on experimental data involving tens of millions of people. I've already adjusted the variables." Mei answered rigorously, then glanced at her. "This is a byproduct of the Fused Warrior Program. Fire Moth conducted extensive screening and confirmed that one percent of them are eligible for surgery."
It was a small number, but to withstand Honkai Energy radiation was quite impressive. It was just like in normal human society—warriors were always the minority.
"So, my research helped you explore the essence of Honkai?" Möbius said with a smile, her eyes glinting.
"You can think of it that way."
"Well, can the funds be adjusted a bit?"
"No. In fact, your funds have been reallocated to this investigation. We've screened billions of people. It's astronomical. The Fifth Research Institute is the most suitable for funding this."
Möbius's smile immediately froze, and she stared in disbelief, not expecting this woman to be so shameless.
"How dare you—"
She raised her hand but was immediately grabbed tightly by Ryan, her snake-like eyes flashing red.
"You didn't—"
"No, I just wanted to remind you, if you break the table, the repair costs will be on you," Ryan calmly reminded her.
Möbius froze for a moment. Her hand still came down, but it was very light, weakening her entire aura.
"You're going too far!"
"It's not my fault. The funds from above have decreased, and we need to increase the investment in Sea Of Quanta exploration. Anyway, you and Vil-V have other funding..."
Mei was silent, glancing at Ryan with a teasing gaze. Ryan didn't budge, instead he smiled at her, silently mouthing something.
The meaning was simple: Kevin.
"Cough, I'll consider it. At least it won't decrease further based on the current foundation."
Mei gripped her pen tightly, silently paying attention to Ryan's words. This man's meaning was clear.
If you mess with me, I'll go after Kevin. In the end, you won't have a good outcome either.
'As expected, she a smart one. Next, I'll have to guard against her retaliation.' Ryan nodded in satisfaction, having known this cunning woman for years.
"Then what's the point of executing this plan?"
After the small interlude, they returned to the main topic, and Mei held her face, showing clear hesitation.
"I'm thinking that, even in the worst case, some people might survive and become the lucky ones under global radiation. Then, according to genetics, this trait can be passed on."
"What's your core argument?"
"I'll answer this one." Möbius took over, her smile proud. "This special gene activates under high Honkai Energy and even resonates with virtual energy, causing some wonderful changes."
Mei lightly tapped the table, her expression serious, even somewhat cold.
"So, Dr. Möbius and I decided to conduct in-depth research to leave a way out for the bad future, and find a way to involve the remaining seventy-five percent of humanity."
"Of course, this is just a prototype. We'll deepen the research on the current foundation and find a way to merge with the Honkai Energy. That way, we won't need to directly confront the Herrschers."
Can't defeat them, so join them? Wait, this sounds familiar...
Ryan moved his head, glancing back and forth between Möbius and Mei. The two were hidden in the shadows, barely visible, but he was sure that they had argued fiercely and were hiding some important information.
The Stigmata Plan. It must be the Stigmata Plan.
Ryan didn't say anything, knowing that this wasn't just a scientific issue but a brutal philosophical one. Because once the Stigmata Plan reached its final stages, it would redefine what it means to be 'human.'
'As a byproduct of the Fused Warrior Program, has it already emerged ahead of schedule?'
He sighed inwardly, meeting Mei's questioning gaze. "If you think it's necessary, then continue to push forward."
"What do you think?"
"To ensure humanity's survival, we have no choice. The Fused Warrior Program is the first step in changing 'humanity' itself. Since we've taken that first step, the second step doesn't matter."
"You're more realistic than I imagined." Mei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and quickly moved on, pressing a button on the remote control. "Then, you should be more interested in the second topic."
"I used the unfinished Second Divine Keys to probe the virtual space."
The big screen displayed a blurry image. Ryan instinctively turned his head, his gray pupils shrinking slightly.
Just one glance, and he saw the scene from his dream!