As a MANTIS, Chang Yuan naturally heard Kevin and Su's conversation.
But he didn't pay attention to it, as it was insignificant.
What he was thinking about now was how to deal with the 8th Herrscher, the Herrscher of Consciousness.
If the Herrscher of Flame had received an epic-level enhancement, then had the Herrscher of Consciousness also received a similar boost?
Had she become so strong that even Aponia couldn't handle her?
In the original story, she was easily defeated by Aponia, but this wasn't the original world anymore.
So, to be cautious, Chang Yuan decided to discuss this with the doctors tomorrow.
...
"Based on what I've said, do any of you have any good suggestions?"
"If she's been enhanced, it's indeed terrifying. Memetic infection—just seeing a word could lead to infection. If she's been enhanced, she would definitely use more common words to pull people into illusions.
But there are so many common words, how can we determine which ones?"
Vill-V, the 'Expert', propped her chin with her hands and offered a speculation.
The most common words, the ones on everyone's lips—there are so many. We can't just temporarily erase all those words from the world, can we?
"Each Herrscher is expected to take at least a year to be born, so we still have a year to prepare. This time, it's an unprecedented challenge."
Compared to Herrschers that fight head-on, those that prefer to attack from the shadows are the most troublesome.
"I have an idea. Herrschers usually have some judgment ability in their early stages. They would definitely prioritize killing the most important people to humanity. So, if we expose the daily life of someone important,
The 8th Herrscher would definitely prioritize using the content they've seen as memes, which could narrow down the range."
At this point, Vill-V, the 'Expert', proposed a not-so-great idea.
As soon as she said this, everyone's eyes turned to a certain man.
Compared to the others, this man wasn't the strongest or the smartest, but he was crucial.
Although his existence had caused the Honkai to strengthen significantly, the number of deaths had actually decreased.
"This isn't good. If it's him, what if something goes wrong? The MANTIS procedure only enhanced his physical abilities, not his mental defenses."
This suggestion was immediately vetoed by Vill-V, the 'Expert'.
If something really went wrong, it would be a disaster.
So, no matter who the bait was, it couldn't be this man.
"It's fine. I might be able to do it, but I'll need Aponia's help. She can place a commandment on me. If I'm pulled into an illusion by a meme, that commandment will be the key to breaking out."
"What are the chances of success?"
"99.9%. The remaining 0.1% is for unexpected events. Leave it to me. If it's you three, who aren't good at combat, you would definitely be her main targets.
So, it has to be me, someone more important. If any of you three were targeted, losing even one would be a huge blow to civilization."
This was why Chang Yuan didn't let the three of them be the bait but instead exposed himself to become the bait.
The world could do without him, his existence was insignificant.
He had already done everything he could, and it wouldn't make a difference whether he was here or not.
But these three were the hope for Elysia's survival. They absolutely couldn't be harmed.
Hearing this, the three of them fell silent.
Their intuition told them that the 99.9% success rate was probably exaggerated.
"Elysia wouldn't want you to do this."
"But you three are more important. I've already told you everything I know. Even if I die, human civilization will endure.
But you three are the only hope for Elysia's survival. I don't want to gamble, and I won't. So, expose me, let me be the bait. We have at least a year."
"...You're so stubborn. Fine, if you really die, and we manage to defeat the Honkai, we won't even build you a tombstone."
Vill-V, the 'Friend', said this with some helplessness.
This guy's personality was the same as always, there was no convincing him.
"Survive, or else that girl will definitely come bother me."
"...Good luck."
The tough but soft-hearted Mobius, the rational Mei, everyone gave their blessings.
And so, a grand deception began.
The next day...
"Did you hear? The reason we've been able to fight the Honkai so smoothly is all because of Vice Captain Chang Yuan. He has the power to see the future.
So, every time, he can tell the doctors about future developments in advance, allowing them to prepare."
"Of course I heard. I used to be angry about Vice Captain Chang Yuan's position, but now I see how narrow-minded I was."
"Who wasn't? If someone hadn't revealed it, who would have known how amazing Vice Captain Chang Yuan is?"
As she walked, Elysia overheard people talking and frowned.
What's going on? She remembered that only people above the rank of vice-captain knew about this. Who leaked it?
With this question in mind, Elysia searched for the truth.
But in the end, she found nothing. Finally, she went to Vill-V.
"This, I can only say it was his own choice. I couldn't interfere. He did this for the sake of the 8th Herrscher."
Entering the game to gain half a move against the Honkai.
Since the Cocoon of Finality wants to destroy civilization to make humanity evolve into its own kind,
Chang Yuan has entered the game to prevent it from succeeding.
Even if it's just a faint light, it's still a horn of defiance.
Seeing that this was Chang Yuan's own decision, Elysia didn't say much, but she still asked the question that concerned her: "How dangerous is it?"
"I don't know."
Vill-V, the 'Expert', could only shake her head at this.
Memes—their power can be strong or weak.
If you can avoid the things she chooses to infect, the damage will be zero.
But if she chooses something very common, it could even threaten the entire world.
Although the Herrschers haven't been enhanced to the point of affecting the world yet, who knows if the next one will be?
"Yuan..."
Elysia knew that Chang Yuan was doing this because of her wish.
Otherwise, he could have chosen not to do this, and there were countless ways to protect the important people while sacrificing ordinary people to kill the Herrscher.
But because of that promise, he chose to enter the game.