Mobius Got Married!?

The Herrscher was still wreaking havoc. As a member of the Fifth Squad, Hua had no choice but to race from battlefield to battlefield under Himiko's command.

At last, after one encirclement operation, the Third Herrscher was successfully eliminated, and the war brought by the Third Honkai finally came to an end.

During this time, not only had Hua distinguished herself in battle, but her weapon modification skills had also gradually gained a reputation among the soldiers of Moth Chasers to Fire.

At a Moth Chasers to Fire branch base, the participants held a banquet to celebrate their victory in the war.

"Hua, aren't you going? You finally got such a beautiful outfit."

The woman in a cheongsam walked out of the ballroom and looked at Hua, who seemed somewhat lost.

"Captain... I... I don't understand." Hua wore an expression of confusion and distress. "So many people died in the war, and several branch bases were destroyed. But why can everyone forget the past in the blink of an eye, singing and dancing so happily?"

Hua was not only asking Himiko. She was also asking Liu Bai, and herself.

"...No one is made of iron." Himiko swirled the wine in her glass, her face reflected against its side. "Perhaps I forgot to tell you that, for us, forgetting is bitter medicine. No one chooses to forget for no reason. Forgetting is a means... what it brings is happiness, but not entirely."

"Hua, although they may look like a bunch of drunken fools right now, you should know better than anyone how bravely they fought on the battlefield."

Liu Bai spoke from the side as well.

"Do you remember the story I told you about... that warrior named Reanna? She had served her organization for over a hundred years. Power, status, fame—she already had everything she should have had. Yet even so, at the most critical moment, she resolutely chose to help us."

Hua remembered.

Even the wish of the warrior named Reanna in that story—to become a "watcher"—had deeply moved Hua.

"...Was it because she wanted to preserve hope?"

That warrior had abandoned an ancient, decaying organization in order to protect something better.

"Heh, aren't you catching on quickly?"

Hearing Hua's words, Himiko froze for a moment before laughing.

"That's right. Perhaps this is our way of reminding ourselves—we won this war, and we'll win the wars to come as well."

Even though these battle-hardened soldiers had already realized that the Honkai was growing stronger, they still had to tell themselves that they could win.

Drowning too deeply in grief would only crush them before the next war arrived.

Hua inexplicably thought again of the story of that warrior named Reanna.

She had once favored a junior, who had survived the battlefield only to be consumed by guilt and grief, eventually choosing to end his young life through suicide.

"...Mm, I understand."

Hua glanced toward the noisy ballroom, then shook her head.

"But I don't know anything about dancing, so I'll pass. Besides, I think I can still hold on."

"...Hua, your will is so tough it's almost frightening." Himiko seemed to have no intention of rejoining the party and simply sighed to herself.

"Me... tough?" Hua paused. "No. I just have a clear goal."

Along with Teacher Liu...

"That's exactly why it's frightening. Not everyone can keep their eyes fixed on their goal and press forward without wavering—at least, I can't." Himiko sighed in regret. "Oh, right, Hua. Do you want to work at headquarters?"

"Headquarters?"

Hua was slightly stunned by Himiko's suggestion and had no idea what she meant.

"A transfer... or..."

"Don't overthink it. It's not a transfer, and it's not because I have any issue with you."

A smile appeared on Himiko's face.

"To be honest, when it comes to merits... you'd never guess this, but in this war, based on merit alone, you already qualify to take my position."

Himiko looked at the sixteen-year-old girl before her with emotion.

Throughout the many battles, large and small, during this period, Hua had become the spearhead of the entire Fifth Squad, leading the team to break open the situation and even delivering the decisive blow.

And in terms of kills, Hua had practically stood head and shoulders above everyone else. It was hard to imagine anyone accomplishing such things with nothing but a pair of fists.

"What I actually mean is further training."

"Further training?" Hua was even more confused.

"Hua, in every war, squads are wiped out while carrying out missions or due to accidents. Therefore, in order to maintain our combat strength, squads must be rebuilt quickly. I mentioned this before, didn't I? Your merits are already enough for you to serve as captain."

"Then what does that have to do with further training?"

"First, it builds up your credentials. Second, it trains you to become a captain."

Himiko explained.

"But you're a little special. Aren't your weapon modification skills very strong? I submitted your Fist Blades Type II, and the response was quite good. It even caught the attention of those scientists in the weapons department, who asked whether I was willing to let you go."

"Let me go..." The phrase made Hua feel a little awkward.

"But don't get too happy just yet. It would have been one thing if only the weapons department had noticed you." Himiko suddenly wore an expression of headache mixed with a trace of schadenfreude. "By sheer coincidence, your combat talent also caught the attention of that great scientist from the biomedical department. I hear she's now very interested in your body, Hua."

Interested... in her?

From Himiko's phrasing alone, Hua could sense that something was very wrong.

At the same time, Liu Bai's expression became strange as well.

That great scientist from the biomedical department...

"So, Captain, you sold me out?"

Hua's tone could not help turning resentful.

"Ahahaha... how can you put it like that?"

Himiko's gaze drifted away. "The bookworms in the weapons department and those old men at headquarters are easy enough to deal with, since they're only showing symbolic interest. But that big shot from the biomedical department..."

Himiko spread her hands, her face full of helplessness.

"Your captain really can't afford to provoke her, and I don't dare to."

Hua: "..."

"The weapons department and those old geezers at headquarters don't really need you one way or another. Even if I found an excuse to refuse, they'd only express some regret and then stop asking. But that person from the biomedical department... if I dared refuse her, she could put my name on the experimental materials list tomorrow."

Mobius Got Married!?

Put her captain on the experimental materials list?

Hua was somewhat stunned upon hearing that.

Was she really that fierce? The Fifth Squad was one of Moth Chasers to Fire's elites, the sharpest blade among sharp blades, yet that scientist could casually use their captain as experimental material?

"I'm not lying to you." Himiko smiled bitterly as she brushed back her hair. "Since you'll definitely be going, I'll tell you about that doctor first."

...She did not even have the right to refuse anymore?

Even someone as unflappable as Hua could not stop the corner of her mouth from twitching when faced with this.

"Can I refuse?" Although the other party's meaning was obvious, Hua still wanted to ask.

"...You can try." Himiko narrowed her eyes.

She did not want to become a lab rat.

"...Captain, is it possible that you can't beat me?"

Hua did not want to become a lab rat either.

As for Himiko's half-threatening tone, Hua did not take it to heart at all.

Though she did not like fighting by nature, if the two of them fought one-on-one without equipment right now... Hua was completely confident she could wrap up her captain and deliver her herself.

"Ahaha~~ Hua, you really know how to joke."

Himiko looked away. If they both had equipment, she felt she could still give it a try, but in this cheongsam...

Forget it. Hua would beat her black and blue.

"Where was I? Right, that doctor."

Himiko directly dragged the topic back.

"Even if you don't want to go, there's no harm in learning more about the big names at headquarters, right?"

...That reasoning left Hua unable to refute her.

Mm, it certainly sounded better than becoming a lab rat. Was becoming a lab rat something any normal person would agree to?

"First, that doctor's name is Mobius. Within Moth Chasers to Fire, if someone mentions 'the Doctor' on its own, there's a good chance they're referring specifically to Dr. Mobius."

"...She sounds impressive."

Himiko's opening introduction made Hua pause slightly. Being able to make the title "Doctor" refer specifically to her within Moth Chasers to Fire undoubtedly proved Dr. Mobius's capabilities.

"More than impressive. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a monster." Himiko corrected her with three parts reluctance. "By herself, she probably equals the entire biomedical department of Moth Chasers to Fire. If she doesn't feel like working, the entire department would probably be half-paralyzed."

"She really is impressive, then. But... 'she'? Is Dr. Mobius very old?"

Though she had never met her, Hua unexpectedly felt that she could not be very old—at least, not some old woman in her sixties or seventies.

"Not old... otherwise, she wouldn't be called a monster." Himiko—Himeko's counterpart from another dimension—wore an exhausted expression and let out a deep sigh. "As for age, she's probably a little older than me."

"So she's pushing thirty?"

"..."

Hua's words left Himiko choking on her reply for a long time.

What did she mean, a little older than me meant pushing thirty?

I didn't know Hua had become so bad at talking!

"...Dr. Mobius is the one pushing thirty. It has nothing to do with me. Besides, she's very beautiful, and her figure is good enough to make people jealous. In everyone's private polls, she's basically always in the top three."

No matter when it was, Himeko cared a lot about age...

Also, Hua was very curious just how good Dr. Mobius's figure was for even her captain to envy it.

"Also, never say that in front of Dr. Mobius. I can't guarantee that your physical examination won't turn into being sliced up."

"..."

"Believe me, normal dissections require a long process and plenty of procedures. But unfortunately, Dr. Mobius is one of the few people who doesn't need those procedures—or, more directly, she's the one who approves those applications."

Himiko pursed her lips, seemingly quite dissatisfied with Mobius acting as both referee and player.

"She can just give you an anesthetic, tie you to an operating table, and start cutting. The only things that might require her to submit a report to someone higher up are probably the tissue samples of top-tier Honkai Beasts, or even Herrschers."

"...That kind of authority is practically cheating." Even Hua could not help complaining at this point.

But that was not the end of it. Himiko even seemed to think she had not frightened Hua enough, adding, "By the way, Dr. Mobius herself is also one of Moth Chasers to Fire's founding members. Although she's restricted in many areas, she still has her own voting rights at major meetings—which is why she noticed your outstanding performance."

No wonder that doctor knew about her information.

Hua even suspected that the transfer order from those big shots in upper management... perhaps that big shot was Mobius?

How was she supposed to deal with that?

Hua truly did not want to go to Moth Chasers to Fire headquarters at all now. With her small frame, wouldn't she only be at everyone's mercy there?

She was strong, yes, but she was still within the bounds of an ordinary human—unless Liu Bai's enhancement was involved.

In other words, there was simply no chance of a plot where she fought one against many and broke out of an encirclement inside a Moth Chasers to Fire base.

"But don't be afraid. Honestly, Dr. Mobius is actually quite reasonable, and her contributions to humanity are beyond comparison."

"Then why are you so afraid of Dr. Mobius, Captain?"

...A question straight to the soul.

"Ahem, I was just ignorant when I was young." Himiko coughed lightly to hide the embarrassment on her face. "Let me tell you about Dr. Mobius's achievements. For example, more than ninety percent of the special medicines currently used by Moth Chasers to Fire were developed under Dr. Mobius's leadership."

"Mm..."

That surprised Hua. After all this time, she had come to realize just how effective Moth Chasers to Fire's special medicines were.

Whether Moth Chasers to Fire soldiers could return safely from a battlefield of normal intensity depended entirely on the special medicines in their hands.

Not only could they stop bleeding and relieve pain, they could even suppress the Honkai Energy around wounds and prevent Honkai Energy infection.

It could be said that without these medicines, it would not be impossible for casualties in every battle to double.