HI3: Starting from the Previous Civilization

[General POV]

Time slipped by day after day. 

Ever since that gathering where the dozen or so members of Break of Dawn had used the soul-summoning device to see their loved ones in the Underworld, their spirits had visibly brightened.

Actually, to be precise, they became a bit… well, more carefree, perhaps even silly at times. The once-stoic Yan, who used to keep silent and act aloof, now cracked jokes without hesitation.

But in the present moment—

"Gaaah!!" 

All across the training ground, Yan and the others lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

From the distance came the roar of an engine. Instantly, everyone leapt up like rabbits startled by a gunshot. Even the white-haired grandpa at the back sprinted to the front, proving that vigor truly knows no age limit.

An armored jeep—one of the "Engineered Robots" at the wheel—rumbled over. It stuck its head out the window (so to speak), slammed the gas, and shouted, 

"Why are you just standing there? Charge me! Crying like that won't defeat the Honkai! Wipe away your worthless tears!"

A cacophony of thuds followed as bodies were tossed into midair like ping-pong balls. They then crashed to the ground in an array of bizarre poses.

[General POV: Explanation]

So… why this chaos? 

This group had all become "Fusion Warriors" of a sort—though different from official designs. Thanks to the only Honkai Beast gene available to Fan (that of the Charging-type Beast), it was the best he could do for now.

Fan hadn't been idle these past days. First, he cranked out a mechanical exoskeleton. But somewhere in his research, an idea struck him. After all, given his trio of unusual abilities, he was certain the "Big Eye in the Sky"—the End's Cocoon—kept special tabs on him. That implied his own blood might have unique properties as well.

Hence he mixed some of his blood with the Charging Beast's DNA. The result was a chemical reaction that pushed fusion success rates to a neat 100%. 

The first volunteer—more like the first "guinea pig"—just so happened to be Yan, because… well, let's say he'd once driven a certain taxi a bit too recklessly. Yes, revenge is best served quick, in Fan's opinion. He wasn't exactly a noble gentleman, nor was he particularly evil. He was just an ordinary guy who might decide it's payback time whenever the mood strikes.

Anyway, mixing his blood with Honkai Beast genes did produce changes. Visually, it left no obvious mutations, but their regenerative power skyrocketed. As long as it didn't kill them on the spot, with a bit of recovery time they could get back on their feet. Thus the new training regime was simple: 

"If you're not dead, keep going."

And that's where the engineering robots came in, happily running them ragged day and night. For whatever reason, those robots seemed bizarrely enthusiastic about the job. But you didn't need to worry about this group's eventual combat prowess; after all, in the storyline, Kevin managed to fuse multiple Honkai Beast genes. By comparison, these folks should develop well enough over time. Any new Honkai Beast DNA would be doled out accordingly.

Fan even injected himself. Upon doing so, he felt some strange energy in the air flow into his body. Checking the system interface, he found:

[Unformed Herrscher Core Detected]

"…(╯°□°）╯︵┻━┻ Right, I was suspicious from the start—guess I was dancing into its trap from the moment I ran into that Beast."

Panicking, he downed a vial of Mental-Fortification Serum. It initially felt like a refreshing head massage—then it turned into the agony of dropping a 10 kg iron weight on your pinky toe. The mind-numbing headache nearly made him swear aloud about who designed such a torment in a bottle.

[General POV: Meanwhile, the Research Institute]

As for the arrangement with Mobius and the rest of the "official scientists," all that was finalized. At first, those high-and-mighty researchers bragged that no amount of money could sway them. But once they heard how much Fan was willing to invest, they softened up immediately. Now the institute was up and running, busy with certain projects.

As for the underground "Big Hollow" lab, Fan didn't want to let random folks wander in. So far, the only outsider who'd been brought here (besides Mobius) was a Dr. EINSTELN—yes, spelled a bit differently, but effectively an "Einstein" figure, sporting a tuft of red hair and red-rimmed glasses. The conceptual father of "weaponized dolls," so to speak—a big talent. If you know, you know.

Because Fan often traveled, and the equipment would otherwise sit idle, he needed a caretaker—a genius, no less. So Yan's squad got their very first mission: invite Dr. EINSTELN to the base. 

In the end, they did bring him, but… in a sack. Tied up.

When Fan saw that wriggling bundle at his feet, with Yan grinning proudly, Fan facepalmed. Clearly his instructions had been misunderstood. Ever since they'd visited family souls in the Underworld, this crew's sense of caution… well, vanished.

Fortunately, after a lot of apologizing and explaining the reality of the Honkai threat—and their broader ideals—Dr. EINSTELN decided to stay. Fan was baffled. 'He was so stubborn at first; how'd my speech suddenly change his mind? Did I unknowingly pick up some "talk-no-jutsu" or something?'

Not long after, something happened that made Break of Dawn label EINSTELN a "high-risk" troublemaker: during a tour of the base, he spotted the soul-summoning device—which someone was actively using—and, as a good scientist, immediately tried to disassemble it with a screwdriver. 

Fan had to physically stop him. The contraption required special resources not found in this world. With more "down-to-earth" (pun intended) explanations, EINSTELN finally gave up. But from that moment on, everyone watched him like hawks whenever he came near the device, lest he start tinkering again.

As for additional Honkai Beast parts, Fan leveraged connections left by his parents, lugging around a few silver crates and striking a "deal" with Mu Continent's national leaders. In exchange for shared research data, they'd deliver materials. That settled the lab's immediate needs, much to Mobius's delight. 

She also discovered that mixing "Guinea Pig" Fan's DNA into Honkai Beast samples eased the violent nature of the genetic code. By the time she personally arrived at the Big Hollow, she found all the records and even finished serums. Fuming, she seized Fan by the collar, shaking him madly:

"Why didn't you tell me you'd finished this research ages ago?!"

Fan couldn't very well answer, 'I just needed you as a figurehead to lure the bigshots into cooperating and to scrounge up more materials for us…' but at least it wasn't as if she'd come up empty-handed. Their new anti-Honkai protective suits were a direct result of her official labs.

[General POV: Family Reunion—Part Two]

In other news, Fan finally managed to contact his parents' souls in the Underworld. At first glance, he almost mistook them for a pair of sleepy pandas—heavy dark circles under their eyes. Their father, Wing, wasted no time scolding:

"Kid, what are you doing down here? Go home! This isn't a place for you to visit!"

After Fan explained everything, they recognized the soul-summoning apparatus and realized he was a transmigrator—though it was actually his parents who spelled that out first. It turned out that after passing on, they joined the Underworld's bureaucracy as a judge and secretary, respectively. They'd come across plenty of curious info, including a specialized "Transmigrator Reincarnation Department," rumored to be super idle. They'd been told, "Hey, come work there!" but smelled something fishy and turned it down.

Now they were stuck in other roles, each with a 100,000-year contract. Only by taking this short "incense break" could they pop up for a glimpse. Before vanishing, they told Fan:

"Don't worry about us, we're just overworked! So no need calling that department—they're too busy, or maybe too free? Bah, either way!"

Fan watched them vanish, noting their bleary eyes with a sigh. 

'Truly, "until spring silkworms spin all their silk, until candles burn to ash, they never rest." Good luck with the job, Mom and Dad…'

With that, Fan prayed for their well-being, then returned to the living world to continue his own mission. 

[End of Chapter]

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[Idiom/Reference Notes] 

• "When the East Wind fails and all flowers wither" conveys a sense of opportunity missed or a sudden change that ruins the hopeful spring—a classical Chinese poetic line. 

• "Until spring silkworms spin all their silk, until candles burn to ash" is a phrase implying tireless dedication until the very end (paraphrased from a famous poem).