Nestled deep within the mountains outside the Imperial Capital stood a vast experimental complex. Along the fortress-like outer walls, rows of heavily armed soldiers stood vigilant, eyes scanning the dense forest beyond. Their presence alone was a testament to the Empire's investment in this facility.
As the Empire's primary center for strategic technological research, the Science Bureau enjoyed immense favor from the upper echelons of power. Each year, it received massive financial allocations, and the elite troops stationed here were proof enough of its importance.
Of course, such support from the government had little to do with benevolence. The Empire's rulers valued science only insofar as it could enhance their military strength or medical capabilities. The discoveries made here were never meant for the public's benefit.
In the eyes of the elite, ordinary citizens were nothing more than crops to be harvested—unless one possessed exceptional talent, in which case one might be granted special treatment.
Inside the complex, the central fortress rose directly from the mountainside, its laboratories and offices brightly lit even in the dead of night. The howling wind rushed through the corridors, producing an eerie, mournful wail that echoed through the steel-lined halls.
From what Selene could tell after walking for quite some time without reaching the end, the facility was vast—perhaps hollowing out the entire mountain itself.
"Any results from your experiments yet?" she asked casually.
Though she posed the question aloud, Selene had already extended her perception. Through her Honkai life-sense, she could feel the strange, dangerous presences stirring belowground.
"Yes, General," Dr. Stylish replied. Placing his left hand over his abdomen and extending his right palm upward toward his laboratory, he bowed slightly, smiling. "If you'll follow me, please."
As they entered his laboratory, a massive humanoid figure immediately caught Selene's eye.
Inside a reinforced containment chamber lay a giant—an artificially engineered humanoid Danger Beast. Its body was a grotesque masterpiece of muscle, towering several meters tall, currently in a state of deep slumber.
"Allow me to present, General—the power of the Danger Beast Serum!" Dr. Stylish announced proudly, his voice brimming with excitement.
Selene said nothing. She simply stepped closer, studying the monstrous creation through the reinforced glass. After a moment of silence, she spoke in an offhanded tone.
"You have backups of the experimental data, right?"
"Y-yes..." Dr. Stylish hesitated.
"Good." Selene's crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "Then let's perform a little test."
Imaginary Hand!
In an instant, a massive purple-red spectral claw materialized, reaching through the air and seizing the three-meter-tall humanoid in its crushing grip.
"ROOOOAAAR—!!" The artificial Danger Beast awoke with a furious scream, thrashing violently.
But its rage quickly turned to agony as Selene tightened her grip. The claw's crushing power increased, pressing it to its limits.
Crack—!
With a sickening crunch, the creature's bones shattered. Its body burst like an overfilled water balloon—blood and flesh splattering across the reinforced cell. Within moments, nothing remained but a mound of mangled tissue.
"Maximum endurance... around five thousand kilograms of force," Selene murmured, calmly assessing the remains. "Roughly ten times that of a normal human skeleton. Not bad. But it's hideous... and the side effects are excessive."
She turned to glance at the stunned scientist behind her. "It has potential... but it needs improvement. And for the love of all things holy, make it less ugly."
"O-oh! Y-yes!" Snapping out of his shock, Dr. Stylish hurriedly pulled out a notebook, muttering to himself as he scribbled. "Type-II Danger Beast Serum... maximum tolerance: five thousand kilograms..."
"Come on," Selene said, turning toward the next hallway. "Let's see your so-called art of modification."
Dr. Stylish's laboratory was enormous. As they moved deeper inside, rows of grotesque experiments filled their view—mutants, cyborgs, and humanoid beasts of all shapes and sizes. The variety was astounding, but none impressed Selene.
She shook her head, her expression one of mild disappointment. "Your taste is... something else, Doctor."
Most of the modified humans had long since lost their intelligence, sitting motionless in their cages like empty husks. A few retained traces of sentience—but they too were failed prototypes, weak and unstable.
Still, considering the Empire was only in the year 1015, this level of bioengineering was nothing short of genius.
After passing through countless storage chambers, Dr. Stylish finally led Selene into what appeared to be a surgical operating theater.
Before Selene's eyes lay an experimental subject currently undergoing surgery—completely naked, restrained upon the operating table. Around him, several researchers worked meticulously, performing a metallic limb augmentation procedure.
Most of these experimental subjects were death row inmates from the Imperial Prison. Though originally sentenced to execution, many had been transferred into Dr. Stylish's custody under the Imperial Science Bureau's petition.
The procedures varied—whether grafting Danger Beast organs into human bodies to bestow them with monstrous abilities, or replacing flesh with reinforced metallic prosthetics—but they all shared one thing in common: extreme risk. Failures were frequent, and corpses were regularly sent to the incinerator for disposal. Only the rare survivors were kept for observation in containment.
Naturally, given such a high mortality rate, even with Honest's regime producing a constant stream of new political prisoners, the Imperial Prison could barely keep up with Dr. Stylish's demands. No wonder he'd turned his attention to the southwestern tribal captives.
"Allow me, General," said Dr. Stylish, stepping forward to personally take over the operation. "Please, observe closely."
Normally, a simple augmentation like this would have been left to his assistants. But with Selene present, he chose to demonstrate his art himself.
Accepting a surgical scalpel, Dr. Stylish began his work.
His movements were deft and precise—so much so that Selene, merely watching, found herself impressed. The way he fused metal and flesh with seamless precision was nothing short of artistry.
So that's how it's done... transforming human muscle fibers into hardened, Danger Beast-like tissue... then anchoring them to an external exoskeleton of specially shaped metal plates. Ingenious. The perforations within the metallic armor allowed muscle fibers to contract and pull naturally—a brilliant design.
Through her enhanced vision, Selene studied every subtle motion of his hands. His skill was astonishing—beyond what she had expected from a man barely in his twenties. She could only imagine what level his modification techniques would reach in another seven or eight years.
In the other timeline, she remembered his ability to seamlessly replace severed limbs mid-battle with concealed weapons—an achievement requiring an extraordinary understanding of anatomy and biomechanics. Add to that his pharmaceutical genius—potions capable of turning humans into towering Danger Beasts—and it was clear that his expertise spanned biology, chemistry, medicine, and engineering alike.
Watching the young scientist at work—focused, eyes gleaming with passion—Selene felt a spark of recognition. So that's it... he truly loves what he does. His work isn't just science—it's art.
No wonder he'd achieved so much at such a young age.
I must have him, Selene thought silently, determination glinting in her crimson eyes.