Mary''s voice was calcted and methodical as she outlined her vision, "Although we already operate hundreds of facilities, we have yet to achieve self-sufficiency."


    "I n to expand our operations tenfold in the uing decade, and eventually by a hundredfold, which would eliminate our dependency on external fuel sources—"


    Her words, absorbed intently by all present, were suddenly shattered by an explosive interruption.


    Boom!


    "SHUT UP!"


    A massive, booming voice thundered through the facility, causing the workers on the facility to swivel around.


    Their gazes were sharp, their expressions stoically unfazed by the outburst.


    "HOW CAN YOU SAY ALL THAT WITH SUCH A STRAIGHT FACE!?"


    "DO YOU HAVE NO HUMANITY LEFT!?"


    Takashi, overwhelmed by emotion, couldn''t contain his anger. His hand mmed against the ss with such force that it thundered through the chamber.


    Boom!


    Tears welled up in his eyes as he stood, trembling with rage.


    Behind him, the othermanders and Li Zhiming appeared equally unsettled, unsure how to respond.


    Despite themotion, Mary did not modte her tone or pause her discourse, her voice continuing to echo clearly across the room,pelling everyone to listen.


    Takashi, unlike the others, couldn''t contain his outrage.


    While the rest of the group listened with bitter resignation, he felt an uncontroble urge to react.


    "I see you have quite the notable hand there..." Mary''s lips curled into a subtle smirk as she observed Takashi''s hands, which seemed unusual, almost as if they had been enhanced in some manner to cause such uproar. "However, this ss is reinforced to a degree that even I cannot break it. You should give up."


    "!"


    Takashi''s eyes bulged with disbelief, "Yo—"


    "Take him away," Marymanded briskly before he could finish his sentence.


    Two figures swiftly approached from behind, seizing Takashi firmly.


    "ARGH!— LEAVE ME!"


    "LET ME GO!"


    He shouted and struggled vehemently, his protests echoing through therge space, but it was futile.


    The guards dragged him resolutely back towards the stairs, forcing him to ascend to the surface against his will.


    Meanwhile, Mary pped her hands sharply, snapping the attention of everyone back to her.


    "Let''s put that matter aside for now. You might all be pondering the necessity of such a project," she announced, capturing the curiosity of the room with hermanding presence.


    Mary''s lips twisted into a knowing smile, revealing a hint of the depth of her strategy. "Have you ever considered what happens when two Deviants have a child?" Her words dropped like a bomb.


    "!"


    However, Mary''s next words were even more startling. "What happens when a Deviant pairs with a normal human? Would such a union be sessful? And the resulting child—would they be a normal human, or would they possess the powers akin to those of the original Deviant? Do genders y a role? And critically, what are the chances of inheriting powers from the Deviant parent?"


    The whole ce went silent.


    The group exchanged puzzled nces, overwhelmed by theplexity and implications of her inquiries.


    Wang Xiao nced at Luna, seeking any hint of understanding, but found her gaze locked on Mary, tinged with subtle yet growing anger.


    Seeing their confusion, Mary''s eyes sparkled with a mix of pride and mischief, and she leaned in slightly as if sharing a confidential secret. "Perhaps I should rify what exactly a Deviant is—Deviants are not merely individuals with abilities; they are the next step in human evolution, through a series of enhancements, they undergo tough trials beyond this space.


    They possess capabilities far beyond those of an ordinary human."


    Her voice grew more animated as she continued, "The purpose of Project Transcendence was to ensure that humanity would not just survive, but thrive, transcending our biological limitations."


    "And we have already achieved remarkable sess with Deviants. Each one that emerges from the tunnel is treated with a specially developed solution, a culmination of years of research. This solution enables them to reproduce normally with humans. However, the probability that their offspring will inherit these enhanced abilities is still less than ten percent."


    Her enthusiasm was evident, even as it bordered on fanaticism, revealing the depth of hermitment to her vision—a vision that reshaped the very essence of human potential.


    She continued, "Thus— our goal has been to produce so many Deviants that, after ten, no, a hundred years, humanity as we know it will change once we begin to release them en masse, rather than merely using them as soldiers."


    "As per our projections, we need to release only one million Deviants a year, and within eight hundred years, the entire poption of the world will have achieved Transcendence, in some form and the project would reach singrity!"


    "Our new solution, which aims to increase the chances of inheriting superpowers, is also under development."


    "All of this could significantly shorten the timeline for thepletion of Project Transcendence to within the next hundred years!"


    "The project is scheduled to finally conclude on the 27th of May, 2247." Mary''s voice carried a hint of relief as she announced the final conclusion date, suggesting the immense weight of the centuries-long n she was orchestrating.


    "..."


    "..."


    Crack...


    The silence that had enveloped the hall, punctuated only by the faint hum of machinery and Mary''s confident derations, was shattered by an ominous yet abrupt cracking sound.


    "Huh?"


    Mary paused mid-sentence, the colour draining from her face as she turned sharply towards the source of the disturbance, her eyes widening in stark disbelief.


    "What—," her voice caught in her throat as she stared in horror at the once imprable ss, now webbed with fractures.


    The pristine barrier she had so proudly proimed unbreakable was now filled by a spreadingwork of cracks.


    The instigator of this unexpected chaos was a girl who seemed scarcely sixteen.


    She stood calmly, contrary to the escting tension in the room, her light rainbow-colored hair shimmering subtly.


    Wang Xiao blinked, taken aback by the surreal turn of events. "Mimi?" he whispered surprised, recognizing the girl.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Thest time he had seen her, she was just like a ghost; this might be him witnessing her properly for the first time!


    Naomi''s index finger rested lightly yet defiantly against the ss, the epicenter of the fracture radiating outward as if her touch alone had unleashed the damage.


    Her eyes locked on Mary, filled with a calm defiance that bordered on challenge.


    Gasp!


    Ignoring the stunned murmurs around her, Mimi''s lips curled into a slight, knowing smile.


    Her gaze did not waver from Mary''s, who now faced her with a mix of shock and calction.


    "This... this is impossible," Mary stammered, struggling to maintain herposure as she assessed the young girl who had just turned her world upside down.