"Keep it up, Captain Michael. Just 1,781 more stamps, and you'll have completed your standard workload for today."
Prometheus issued this 'friendly' reminder in a tone that was mechanical yet tinged with a hint of schadenfreude, all while maneuvering a robotic arm to collect a stack of stamped documents from the desk.
"Hey! It's not as simple as just stamping things!"
According to her calculations, there was over a ninety-eight percent probability that Michael would give a similar response.
After all, without her supervision, Michael would probably spend ten minutes stamping everything and then pack up and leave.
But not now. Like Mei, he needed to read through each report entirely, whether he understood it or not, and provide instructions or comments on some documents.
It was like reviewing imperial decrees.
To quote something he once joked about with Mei: "Now I finally understand why some emperors handed over state affairs to their ministers or eunuchs."
However, Prometheus waited for a long time, but Michael didn't respond.
In the office, which seemed rather small compared to the entire base, only the rustle of flipping pages and the occasional scratch of Michael's pen could be heard for a moment.
Nearly 1,800 documents—it certainly sounded like a lot, but when he truly focused, it only took about a minute to review one document, then affix the corresponding stamp or make annotations. As for the subsequent sorting, copying for records, and uploading digital versions—that was all Prometheus's job.
But soon, even a minute seemed "too slow." Michael's review time gradually shrank to half a minute, then ten seconds, until finally, it took barely a glance.
"Captain Michael, I must remind you, these documents can't just be stamped carelessly."
So, when Michael moved the processed document aside as usual and reached out to Prometheus for the next one, Prometheus refused him.
Clearly, she didn't believe Michael's brief glance was enough to fully read the entire document—a speed that even an AI like herself might not necessarily achieve.
"Hm?"
Michael hummed lightly. He didn't offer any explanation, simply pinching the top of the document he'd just handled between two fingers and holding it up in front of Prometheus.
"Ah... this..."
The annotations were highly relevant, and the proposed solutions were perfectly sound.
In other words, Michael's information processing speed was now approaching that of an AI.
"No problems now, right?"
Perhaps the powers of the Herrscher of Reason weren't always overtly demonstrated, leading this aspect of his identity to often be overlooked.
But upon closer reflection, the way a Herrscher of Reason's brain operated was less like a human's and more like an artificial intelligence.
When using their powers, the peak information load processed by the Herrscher's brain far exceeded the speed at which Michael was currently handling documents.
Not to mention, Michael's current brain had undergone metamorphosis twice.
It was just that, previously, he had never tried applying this information processing capability to paperwork.
"No problem." Understanding this, Prometheus had no further questions.
She began coordinating with Michael's speed, continuously handing out documents, taking them back, and processing them in various ways. Because the scope of her responsibilities was considerably more complex than Michael's actual handling, Michael even had to pause for nearly a minute after every ten or twenty documents to wait for Prometheus.
As a result, the nearly 1,800 documents were all dealt with in less than three hours.
Only after handing over the last document did the human emotion quickly return to Michael's eyes. He half-stood, stretched, and then collapsed back into his chair as if completely drained of energy.
"..."
If her bionic technology were realistic enough to perform a facial twitch, Prometheus really would have tried it.
After all, this Michael, yawning non-stop and looking utterly exhausted, compared to the Michael from minutes ago, who was working so intensely that even she struggled to keep up, couldn't be called identical, only... well...
"So, was the human idiom pàn ruò liǎng rén [like two different people] invented to describe situations like this?"
"Heh... Say, Prometheus, isn't it a bit too quiet today?"
It had been two full days since Mei left for Rheinland, and there had been almost no news from there. If Mei hadn't occasionally contacted HQ, Michael might have thought another accident had happened—
Speaking of which, they really seemed to have the "Conan curse"—Honkai Beasts popped up wherever they went, even on vacation.
Now that things had suddenly become so calm, it felt unsettling and hard to believe.
Not to mention, the disturbances caused by the Tenth Herrscher had also gradually subsided.
Yesterday morning, Michael had received at least ten urgent support requests. At the time, he'd felt somewhat impatient being interrupted repeatedly by such things.
But today, there hadn't been a single one, which paradoxically gave him a bad feeling.
"The absence of urgent support requests doesn't mean nothing is happening. Disturbance reports uploaded from various locations are even more numerous than yesterday. It's just that no region required urgent support today."
Prometheus explained patiently from the side. Of course, she also felt a slight confusion; she didn't believe Michael was unaware of this—
"Yes, Prometheus, I'm aware of that. Theoretically, it's not illogical—because the Herrscher has dispersed its forces, reducing its influence and destructive power in any single area. But I just have this bad feeling..."
Michael habitually rubbed the stubble on his chin, accidentally plucking out a couple more hairs, though he was so used to it now that he no longer winced in pain.
"I see. Are you just looking for an excuse to slack off this afternoon?"
Prometheus gave him a deadpan stare, looking as if she'd seen right through him.
"Hmm... Good point. Since the standard workload is done anyway, maybe I'll go check on the new recruits' training this afternoon?"
Michael said it half-jokingly, half to himself.
Prometheus clearly took him seriously and refused sternly:
"No. Although you've finished today's documents, considering the possibility of urgent support requests or unforeseen incidents at any time—just because none happened this morning doesn't mean they won't this afternoon. You must stay here. You can't go anywhere."
"Come on, I'm not that dumb..."
Michael was clearly prepared for this. He flipped his palm over, and blue light intertwined within it, eventually forming a phone-shaped object.
"That's..." Prometheus wasn't unfamiliar with the object, but she couldn't immediately confirm it.
"Hm? I thought you'd be quite familiar with it. Isn't this your mobile terminal?"
"!" Prometheus's semi-mechanical voice suddenly jumped several decibels:
"Where did you find the blueprints!"
"Why are you so worked up?" Michael fixed her with a knowing gaze.
No, referring to Prometheus—or more accurately, Prometheus No. 17—as "her" was somewhat inaccurate. After all, her essence was artificial intelligence; she shouldn't be classified as human.
Even with Mei's design and Vill-V's technical support, she had obtained a tangible, humanoid body, but this merely made her appearance closer to human. In terms of thought and emotion, the underlying foundation remained AI.
Michael had always thought so, until that moment just now when No. 17 showed inexplicable nervousness.
Prometheus herself gradually realized—why had she been nervous just now?
Was it because Michael had looked at Dr. Mei's blueprints without her permission? Clearly not.
Since Mei didn't mind Michael handling documents directly in her office and hadn't implemented any security measures for the corresponding blueprints and such, the subtext was obvious—she didn't care if Michael looked through these things.
And Prometheus No. 17, as Mei's long-time assistant, was clearly aware of this.
But she had still become nervous.
This nervousness stemmed from a vague fear—Michael now easily possessed the ability to construct her vessel. This also meant that her existence could be controlled by more than just her creator, Dr. Mei.
Of course, this wasn't to say she distrusted Michael. Whether from Michael's perspective or her own self-assessment, that momentary nervousness seemed like a stress reaction.
Prometheus quickly shook her head, backed up that complex, indescribable emotion from moments ago, and then deleted it from her emotion module—AI didn't need such superfluous emotions; they only reduced information processing speed.
Michael chuckled softly but didn't stop her actions. Nor did he offer any comment.
He simply pointed to the terminal in his hand and asked quietly:
"So, now that I have this, if anything urgent happens, you can contact me quickly, and I can return instantly using Void powers. The previous concern is resolved, right?"
"Logically speaking, that is correct."
Prometheus's voice reverted to its cold, mechanical tone.
Thus, Michael was able to skip out on work, satisfied.
Though perhaps it couldn't exactly be called skipping work. After all, no one had stipulated how late he had to work. The only restriction was the workload, and hadn't he finished it?
And he had provided his own solution for potential emergencies.
Since it wouldn't affect anything, why not let himself relax a bit?
Besides, training and integrating the new MANTISes was also official business, especially against the backdrop of the Tenth Honkai Eruption.
With this mindset, Michael first "accidentally" ran into Pardofelis and had lunch with her, then went to the artificial lake outside the base and fished for two hours.
Then he sat on a deck chair, basking in the artificial sunlight, while watching that cloud cat perched on a branch, its eyes filled with greed as it looked down at the fish in Pardofelis's hand, who was waving at it from below the tree. But when its gaze shifted to Pardofelis herself, it couldn't help but narrow its eyes, a strange aversion welling up from within.
So, no matter how Pardofelis, holding the fish by its tail, tried to coax or entice it with kind words, the cloud cat remained unmoved. Finally, it flicked its tail dismissively, turned its head, and darted into the dense forest further away.
Pardofelis didn't give up, placing the still-flopping fish in front of the tree, then turned around with a pout, shuffling back to the deck chair.
She rested her elbows on her knees, her fingers fluttering as they lightly touched her own cold cheeks.
The cat ears on her head twitched slightly. Something suddenly bumped against the side of her face—it turned out her tail had acted on its own, picked up an apple, and nudged it against her cheek.
Just like that, she munched on the apple, basked in the sun, and idly counted the shimmering reflections on the lake surface before her.
She was unusually quiet for a moment. After all, a cat's hearing is very sensitive; Michael's sudden departure hadn't escaped her notice.
She tried mimicking a cat's "meow meow" a couple of times. From the lakeside bushes, a small cat's head popped out at the sound, but upon seeing it was her who made the noise, it recoiled instantly as if seeing a great demon, pulled back into the foliage.
"Sigh..." The slightly melancholic sound had just escaped her lips when it was immediately interrupted by hearty laughter.
"Endless sunbathing, endless canned food, plus Boss Michael and Sis Ely—isn't this way better than before!"
...
When Michael arrived at the training ground for the new batch of MANTISes, he unexpectedly spotted two familiar figures.
"Captain, what brings you here?"
"Mah, well, I'm not even thirty-five yet, can't say I'm heading for forty. After resting for a few years, I got a bit restless."
This explanation didn't convince Michael. He pressed his lips together tightly and circled Himeko again and again, searching for any signs left by the Meta-Morph surgery.
Until Himeko gently pressed down on his head:
"Alright, stop overthinking. My heart truly couldn't sit still, but my body ultimately couldn't withstand that kind of surgery. It's not like I didn't secretly approach Mobius, but even she refused to operate on me. The sun must be rising in the west."
Hearing her say this, the worry in Michael's heart finally eased slightly.
As for why Mobius refused to operate on Himeko, it was unclear whether it was out of consideration for Michael, or simply because she didn't lack for such a test subject.
"Then, Captain, you..."
"It was Ely who invited me. She said that out of the four squads, she couldn't manage the one you're responsible for, so she asked me to help oversee it. I wasn't confident at first, after all, the way you MANTISes fight is completely different from how we used to. But now it seems I worried too much—that kid is much more capable than me. If it weren't for her lack of seniority, I'd actually think putting her directly in charge wouldn't be bad."
Michael followed Himeko's gaze towards the training area, where Hua, face stern and serious, was meticulously correcting everyone's movements.
When Michael turned back and saw the complex glint in Himeko's eyes, he seemed to understand something.
"Captain."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Actually, you refused Ely's invitation, didn't you?"
Himeko gave an exaggerated yawn and said:
"How could that be? Who could possibly refuse a request from Elysia?"
But Michael didn't reply, just met her gaze intently.
Himeko quickly conceded. She waved her hand dismissively, speaking with some annoyance.
"Honestly, I can't hide anything from you. Alright, I did refuse Ely's invitation. But then Hua came looking for me, saying Ely had asked her to temporarily manage this squad. She felt she lacked the seniority and wanted my help to lend some authority...
"I was originally thinking—this kid's personality is quite similar to yours. I was afraid she might get stuck in her own head like you do... So, anyway, that's how it is."
She gently stretched her shoulders. Years of rest had caused her to gain some weight, and the battlesuit from long ago now felt a bit tight on her.
She took a slow, deep breath—Michael thought he heard the fabric groan—so she had to exhale again.
Michael gave an awkward smile and said: "How about this? I'll transfer your enlistment, Captain, over to Anti-Entropy. How about in the capacity of an Honorary Instructor? That way, we can also have the logistics department tailor a new battlesuit for you."
"No, absolutely not." Himeko waved her hands repeatedly again.
"Your Anti-Entropy requires MANTIS status for entry. Since I'm not a MANTIS, it's not appropriate for me to get involved in this."
"Then an Honorary Instructor position in Fire Moth isn't out of the question either."
"Sigh… You!" Himeko chuckled, lightly poking Michael's forehead with her index finger.
"Everyone knows I retired from active duty long ago. And now, without having made any recent contributions, suddenly getting slapped with the title of Honorary Instructor... What do you think people will say?"
"What's the problem? With your past qualifications, Captain, it's perfectly justified."
"That's not necessarily true. There are many whose seniority is only slightly less than mine."
"Didn't you just say their seniority is slightly less? So, looking at it that way, it's fair and reasonable, right? No one can gossip."
"Hm?" Himeko paused for a moment, then rested a hand on Michael's shoulder and began to chuckle.
"Hahaha, so that's what you meant... No, no, no, Michael, you misunderstood. I wasn't talking about how people would see me—but how they'd see you, you silly boy."
"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"
Seeing Michael's clueless look, Himeko chuckled and placed a hand to her forehead.
"Silly boy. Maybe some people's qualifications don't match mine, but seniority isn't exactly a quantifiable standard. Everyone weighs it differently in their own minds.
"I used to be your captain—everyone knows that. If you make me an Honorary Instructor, those who believe their qualifications are no worse than mine might not necessarily disrespect me, but they definitely won't have a good impression of you.
"And within Fire Moth's long-closed promotion system, relationships are intricate and complex. You and Mei are essentially outsiders to that structure. A single careless personnel appointment can easily spark resentment among others. It's just that—for now—all dissatisfaction is diluted by the pressure of the Honkai, but…"
Himeko paused, thoughtful. As she spoke, it gradually occurred to her that Michael surely couldn't be unaware of these things—but still, she leaned in and whispered near his ear, as a quiet reminder:
"You two also need to consider what happens after defeating the Honkai. Especially you, Michael. Mei is a normal human. The MANTISes, at least, were once human. But you…"
(The news that Elysia was also a Herrscher had only circulated among the "Flame-Chasers," so Himeko didn't mention Ely by name.)
Michael pressed his lips together, momentarily at a loss for words.
It wasn't that he didn't understand all of this. He did. But… after defeating the Honkai? Where would that "after" even come from?
But looking at it from an angle Himeko often used...
"Seems like you're full of confidence about defeating the Honkai, Captain! That must represent the view of most Fire Moth soldiers too, right? Mm-hmm, morale is good!"
"I'm talking serious business with you!"
Himeko reached out, unsure whether to laugh or cry. She initially wanted to pat Michael's head, but after thinking about it, she gently patted his shoulder twice instead.
"Alright, Captain, don't you worry about these things. Whether you wanted to rest before, or feel restless now, of course I support you... So leave the paperwork to me..."
Wooo—Wooo—Wooo—
Michael instinctively looked up at the indicator lights first, but the next second, feeling the vibration in his pocket, he realized the sound was coming from Prometheus's mobile terminal.
Before he could even operate it, Prometheus's cold voice sounded directly through the terminal:
"Michael, we've lost contact with Dr. Mei."