"Agh! Agh! Agh! Where is the problem?!"
Delta rolled on the floor, clutching his greasy, bird's nest of hair, and accidentally crashed into a cargo crate, making a crisp "clang."
"..." Lin ignored the Research Department director's tantrum, which was much like a child's. He picked up the tablet and saw that the Floating Turret design blueprints were covered in X's. Comparing them to the actual photos, which showed virtually no change in appearance, he didn't know whether to chastise Delta or comfort him.
Compared to half a year ago, you couldn't say there was absolutely no progress; you could only say you couldn't find a difference even as small as a screw.
"That hurts... Anti-gravity suspension... ugh." After venting his frustration, Delta stood up grumpily and snatched the tablet from Lin's hand. "How do those bastard Herscherrs just know how to fly the moment they get a Herscherr Core? Is it their instinct? Can someone explain it to me?"
His assistant stood by and shrugged, "That's knowledge related to the Honkai. It's already an extremely difficult challenge for you, Director, to try to understand the Honkai itself using human common sense."
"I know! But aren't we here to challenge the domains unknown to humanity?!" Delta ground his teeth in frustration, glaring hatefully at the Floating Turret in front of him. "If we had the anti-gravity flight capability of a Herscherr, we wouldn't have to be passively beaten on the ground. Giving humans wings—that's the dream of so many predecessors!"
He turned his head. "Lin, why don't you install a Herscherr Core and become a Herscherr and then tell me how to break through this technical bottleneck?"
"..." Lin's gaze was cold enough to freeze.
"Ahem, just kidding. Herscherrs are all female. How could I possibly ask you to do that?"
Lin ran his finger over the exterior armor of the Floating Turret, which used a new type of material with much better flexibility than he had anticipated. He asked, "What does Vil-V think?"
"Uh... she said something a bit hard to understand." Delta imitated Vil-V's tone and said solemnly, "'Why don't we just let Lin awaken as a NewType?'"
"..." Lin might have to thank Vil-V for not changing the name of the Titan to -Titan.
Technical difficulties were not something Lin could help with. Mei, who should have been the most helpful in the R&D Department, hadn't been able to participate in the development of new cutting-edge technology due to various reasons. Even the research and development of Prometheus II had been postponed.
"Can't the other armaments and the main body be put into actual combat yet?" Lin asked a question he was more concerned about.
"The Floating Flight Backpack is the utmost priority in Titan's development. The overall parameters of the Titan need to be adjusted during the R&D process." Delta naturally understood Lin's thoughts. "Subsequent armament additions only need to be done according to existing parameters, but the Floating Turret can't."
"Besides, you definitely want to see a perfect Titan, right?" Delta winked at Lin, though he could only see his own goofy expression in the helmet's reflection.
From a pilot's perspective, Lin should indeed be looking forward to the complete Titan, not a half-baked version.
"Well, as compensation, I've already calibrated this thing for you. Here." Delta handed the Phase Shift Device to Lin. "Based on the development of the initial model, we have now configured a 'Time Fracture' system in every soldier's armor. It's a weakened, stable version of the Phase Shift, which won't glitch, won't kill you, and more importantly, has low requirements."
"Of course, you'll definitely continue to use the high-risk, high-reward Phase Shift, so I've adjusted this thing to be as stable as possible. The first few times shouldn't result in the consciousness loss you experienced last time."
Lin silently took the Phase Shift Device. It was true that he frequently used technologies with equal risk and reward, including the Burst Mode added by Delta, the Phase Shift, and the toxin from Mobius.
In a state where his lifespan was running short, he no longer had to worry about side effects.
"Ugh..." Delta rubbed his stiff neck, looking at Lin with gratification. "Speaking of which, we've known each other for over a year now. The kid who used to criticize why we didn't make a lightweight Titan now has a bit of humanity."
Lin looked back at him, "You too."
"Maybe I'm just getting old. I've been worrying about hair loss lately. Do you think I should go to Dr. Mobius's lab and ask for a prescription to treat hair loss?"
"..." The most likely thing she'd do is transplant a woolly mammoth's scalp onto your head.
"Oh, right. The research on the Third Herscherr is still ongoing. Unlike the functional nature of the Second Herscherr, the Third Herscherr focuses on weaponry. Do you have any ideas?"
This was to solicit Lin's opinion. Research can sometimes hit a bottleneck at a certain stage, and an outsider's opinion might yield unexpected results.
"I use the Raiden Cutter and Plasma Shadow very smoothly."
"But you can't use them forever, right? How about something cooler? Like miniaturizing the Floating Turret and mounting it directly on you..."
Lin helplessly listened to Delta's wild ideas, leaning back in his chair without saying a word.
Delta's gaze softened like a drizzling rain.
In this moment, it was as if he was transported back to the past, when he used to talk about those fantastic ideas with another person.
...
"Left arm, raise it to a ninety-degree angle."
Vil-V put down her top hat and picked up a camera to start recording a great experiment in progress.
Under a solitary spotlight, an arm so pale it was bloodless was raised.
"Very good. Lower it. Now the right arm, switch three times. Then switch to both legs, front and back, ninety-degree flat raises."
The subject followed the instructions one by one, their movements fluid and no different from an ordinary person.
"Basic mobility is fine. Good. Now look forward and begin the vision test." Vil-V turned on the projector. "How many Lins are in the image?"
"Two." A flat, uninflected voice.
"Uh... looks like the monitor needs adjustment." Vil-V marked an X next to the vision test item in the notebook beside her. "There is only one Lin in the image. It must be a problem with the light-based visual imaging... Next, the operation of the consciousness circuit. Don't disappoint me. The answer you gave me for Maiden Machine 1.0 made me wonder if we were from the same world."
"Dr. Vil-V, that's because the questions you asked were truly not questions that people from this world should ask. At least, my database has no corresponding records."
"It's Vil-V 'Grand' Mechanical Engineer," Vil-V corrected her, annoyed.
"..."
"Actually, your original form of consciousness existence seemed more convenient and more in line with your design philosophy. Having a body isn't necessarily a good thing," Vil-V said, excitedly licking her lips. "However, this truly makes me interested. Everything is more fun with a challenge."
"Vil-V 'Grand' Mechanical Engineer, please continue."
"Oh, right, I almost forgot the main point. So, do you know who you are?"
The red eyes, symbolizing a mechanical indicator light, lit up.
"I am Prometheus Alpha, the artificial intelligence assisting Lin."