HI3: Starting from the Previous Civilization

Everything Fan said was the truth—this was his life's experience for the past sixteen years. Every time he recovered fragments of his memories, some catastrophic scene would replay in his mind.

(In reality, these "disaster images" came partly from games he'd played in his previous life. Because he hadn't been fully awakened, his memories were jumbled up—he'd blend bits and pieces together whenever he ran into familiar names like Mu Continent, Cang Hai City, Chang Kong City, and so on. He took them all at face value.

He'd also found some images of Honkai Beasts on the internet.

At the time, he was quite the hotheaded teen (a bit "chūnibyō") and honestly believed he was the savior of this world.

Hence, he "went all in," which explains how he pushed his hacking skills to EX rank.

He never really bothered training his body back then—just keeping up with his studies was already draining enough.

Moreover, his memory fragments weren't limited to disasters; he also recalled a giant robot locked in battle against another giant machine, each wielding drills. It was the only full, vivid scene he remembered. The sight got his blood pumping, and he was determined to build that colossal robot one day, sure that it could weather any apocalypse.

(…Of course, if he actually pulled that off, the entire world would be bowing to him…))

…

Fan pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to Mobius.

"Dr. Mobius, are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?" He already had his phone out, poised to dial emergency services.

Mobius, breathing raggedly, snatched Fan's hand, shook her head, and indicated that she didn't need it. She grabbed her glass of water, drank it down, and took several deep breaths to calm herself.

Fan thought it odd. 'What in the world is up with her? She was fine a moment ago. Why's she suddenly drenched in cold sweat—like she just saw something terrifying?'

He touched his own face. 'Could it be my looks?'

But he immediately dismissed that notion.

'No way—absolutely impossible. Not to brag, but my face charmed quite a few girls in my past life, so it's not like I'm hideous, right?'

Meanwhile, Mobius had her hands clasped in front of her, emerald eyes trembling as sweat poured down. She was still reeling from the vision she'd just seen—so disturbingly real—and from all the research directions it implied. The images of experiments she glimpsed… indeed, they were things she herself might be capable of creating. She only regretted not getting a full view of the experimental process. If she had, she could probably replicate those results soon. Still, she at least got a clue for future research.

Most importantly, from those scattered details, Mobius learned:

The mutated beasts—called "Honkai Beasts." The possibility of a large-scale outbreak called a "major Honkai." The emergence of "Herrschers," mysterious humanoid beings.

No wonder her earlier research on those creatures failed to uncover usual biological traits. It turned out they were energy-based lifeforms, so their organs didn't follow normal biology. Some of them still kept vestigial digestive systems only because they hadn't fully evolved under Honkai corrosion. Once fully evolved, Honkai Beasts could presumably survive by consuming the ambient Honkai energy in the air.

Gradually piecing everything together, Mobius frowned. 'Why did I see that future at all? Logically, I shouldn't be able to. Maybe that's only triggered because I met this boy…'

Suddenly, a realization crossed her mind. She stared at Fan with an almost feverish gaze—drool nearly trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Under that intense look, Fan shivered, feeling like prey trapped by a sinister presence. He unconsciously scooted back a bit, certain that Mobius wanted to dissect him on the spot.

His hunch wasn't wrong—Mobius's first impulse really was to carve him up.

Fan shrank back, voice quavering: "D-Dr. Mobius, what's wrong with you? You're staring at me like that, and I'm… kinda scared."

Mobius let out two small coughs, pretending nothing was amiss, her pale fingers tapping the table in a show of casual indifference. "So this is your reason for wanting to fund my private research facility?"

Fan gave a small nod. "Yes, that's right."

Mobius kept quiet for a moment, lost in thought:

'Should I follow that "future trajectory" and join Fire Moth… or accept this boy's funding and set up my own independent lab?'

Each path had pros and cons. Taking this boy's money seemed to have big advantages: he obviously wasn't short on funds, and he wouldn't hamper her research. For human experiments and such… well, spending money to buy death-row prisoners from a prison would do. The drawback was a shortage of Honkai-related materials at first. Even if she cooperated with Fire Moth for their supply, it wouldn't be much.

On the other hand, joining Fire Moth outright would give her direct access to Herrschers (those "miraculous beings") and a wealth of experimental material. But she'd be subject to heavy restrictions, plus her research budget could be slashed repeatedly. She'd also have to attend a bunch of social events to schmooze for funding.

Still, Mobius leaned heavily toward forming her own research lab. Sure, it might be tough at first, but it'd pay off later. Concluding, she looked at Fan.

"I agree," Mobius declared, crossing her arms and speaking in a calm tone.

Fan was overjoyed. He'd already prepared a contingency plan in case she refused—namely, focusing everything on developing gear to escape into the Sea of Quanta. By the time the Ninth Herrscher arrived, he'd hide there for a few years. He'd probably never return to his original reality, but at least he'd be alive.

Because, after all his calculations, even if he poured every resource and system reward into personal combat strength, he couldn't defeat the Herrscher of the End. He also computed that, if all humankind united in a technological arms race against the Honkai, they might have a 45% chance at victory. Building a lightspeed starship to flee gave a 60% survival rate. In repeated simulations, he still hadn't found a way to achieve a 100% guaranteed triumph over the final Herrscher. Sometimes he got even lower results—below 20%. Yet no calculation is set in stone, because humans are complicated creatures.

All those figures assumed he'd survive no matter what. But, well, "People put themselves first," as the saying goes, and surviving was Fan's top priority. As for romance? Kinda need to stay alive for that.

Besides, everything can still change. Maybe he'll have some great breakthrough, pushing his magnetic-field manipulation to a million. Or maybe the system would kindly toss him another cheat one day, or he might randomly hitch a ride with some god-tier figure on a "group mission" and pick up scraps. You never know—variables abound.

'Anyway,' he thought, 'I'm already here, so I might as well do something. After all, I was a huge fan of Elysia and 'Miss Snake' back in my previous life. For a while, they were my spiritual pillars. So if we can beat the final Herrscher, that's a win—I can stay here and marry Elysia and Snake. If we lose… well, I'll grab Elysia and Snake, hide in the Quantum Sea, leave a coordinate, and come back in a few centuries. By then, maybe I can one-punch the Herrscher of the End.'

…