The stronger Kevin became, the happier Chang Yuan was. In fact, if Kevin could reach his "Savior" form earlier, Chang Yuan would be even more pleased.
At that point, Kevin might not be able to guarantee a victory over the Herrscher of the End, but he would certainly have the ability to put up a fight.
As long as there was one strong enough combatant, the scales of victory would no longer be entirely tipped in favor of the Cocoon of Finality.
"Strong, but still not strong enough."
Squeezing his fist, Chang Yuan sighed with a hint of regret.
Similarly, he hadn't gained any special abilities—just an incredibly powerful physique.
"Hey, Vice Captain Chang Yuan!"
From a distance, a white-haired figure waved at Chang Yuan.
Looking up, Chang Yuan saw none other than Kevin, who was still in his cheerful and sunny phase.
"Kevin, what's up?"
"Hehe, so I heard there's something called the MANTIS surgery that can make you really strong. I want to get stronger too, so I can protect everyone—and Mei."
"...There is such a thing. You can go to Mobius or Vill-V for it. But even though it's been improved, there's still a chance of failure. I think you should ask Mei for her opinion first."
"Uh, I'd rather not. If I ask her, she'll definitely say no."
At this point, the situation wasn't as desperate as it had been in the original timeline. Even if they needed combat power, there were already plenty of MANTIS soldiers, so Kevin wasn't a priority.
As Kevin's girlfriend, Mei would never agree to let him take such a risk.
Unless absolutely necessary, Mei wouldn't want Kevin to put himself in danger.
In the original timeline, it was a last resort, and Kevin had chosen to take the risk to support Mei. At the time, Mei had no choice but to agree.
"Wow, so you're scared of your girlfriend, huh?"
"Ahem, Vice Captain Chang Yuan, let's not talk about that. It's embarrassing."
Hearing Chang Yuan's teasing, the pure-hearted Kevin blushed.
"But you really should discuss it with Mei. Or at least, make sure you don't have any regrets before going through with it. Even if the surgery is successful, there's a chance of side effects.
Some MANTIS soldiers end up with side effects like having a body temperature of over 60 degrees Celsius, or losing some human traits.
If you end up with certain side effects, the cost might be that you can never touch Mei again. This isn't just about you—it's about Mei too."
"Wait, no one told me about this."
Hearing that the cost could be so high, Kevin admitted he felt a moment of hesitation.
It wasn't the idea of never being able to touch Mei that scared him—it was the thought of losing some of his humanity.
"That's why you need to think things through. Don't make impulsive decisions you might regret later."
Patting Kevin's shoulder, Chang Yuan spoke with a meaningful tone.
Since Elysia had ended up with the same ability as in the original timeline, it was highly likely that Kevin would also end up with the side effect of lowered body temperature.
If that happened, he and Mei would once again become a tragic couple.
So, Chang Yuan decided to help them out.
Of course, if Kevin still insisted on undergoing the MANTIS surgery, there was nothing Chang Yuan could do.
But before that, it was best to make sure Kevin had no regrets.
"Got it, Vice Captain Chang Yuan. I'll go back and think about it carefully."
Scratching his head, Kevin smiled and left.
Seeing that he had done another good deed, Chang Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
"Doing a good deed a day keeps the karma at bay."
"I remember the MANTIS surgery is just the first step. After that, there's the Hyperion surgery to achieve artificial degeneration.
I think Kosma was the first to undergo artificial degeneration due to certain events, and that's how they developed the Hyperion surgery."
Recalling the details of the original story, Chang Yuan absentmindedly made his way back to his dorm.
However, unlike usual, someone was already waiting for him in his room—Kevin.
"Vice Captain Chang Yuan, you're back too."
"Yeah, but you can just call me Chang Yuan from now on. Calling me Vice Captain feels too formal."
Lying down on his bed, Chang Yuan stared at the ceiling, thinking about the future.
Out of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, six had already been gathered. The remaining seven were still out there.
"Aponia's 'Commandments' and her ability to see the future would be the most useful to me right now. I wonder how much all this will change. I'll send someone to find Aponia tomorrow."
Having made up his mind, Chang Yuan closed his eyes to rest.
Meanwhile, Kevin was furiously texting Mei on his phone.
Out of dozens of messages, he was lucky to get even one reply.
"Su, do you want to join Fire Moth? I can recommend you. I really respect your medical skills."
"Sure, but I'll need to resign from the hospital first."
"Great! We can share a dorm then."
Having successfully recruited his best friend to Fire Moth, Kevin's face lit up with joy.
His smile was even brighter than when he was chatting with Mei.
A few days later...
"Chang Yuan, are you alive? I need you."
Standing at the door of Chang Yuan's dorm, Mobius shouted loudly.
Hearing her voice, Chang Yuan immediately jumped out of bed and opened the door.
"Mobius, what's up?"
"Not here. Come to my private lab."
Without giving Chang Yuan a chance to refuse, Mobius turned and walked away.
Helpless, Chang Yuan could only follow.
Upon entering Mobius's private lab, Chang Yuan was greeted by the sight of various biological specimens preserved in formaldehyde.
The sight made his face twitch.
"Alright, we're here. Now, kill me with all your might."
"...What?"
Hearing Mobius's request, Chang Yuan was completely baffled.
What did she just say? Kill her? Is this some kind of joke?
But then it hit him.
A few days ago, when he and Elysia had left, Mobius had gone to Vill-V for the MANTIS surgery.
That meant Mobius had already fused with the Naga genes.
So, the reason she was asking him to do this was to test whether she had gained Naga's ability to resurrect after death.
"What are you staring at? Hurry up! Kill me with all your might. Don't be like Elysia and refuse."
"So that's why you came to me instead of Elysia. She turned you down."
Hearing the reason Mobius had come to him, Chang Yuan couldn't help but laugh wryly.