Adorable Purple Patterns

Lin Li lay on the operating table for a long time. Mobius had been holding her hand, her brow furrowed, seemingly without any clue.

Indeed, she had no clue. Mobius had never encountered this situation before.

When she first met Elysia, the time Elysia disguised herself as a soldier to trick her out of her emblem, Mobius was already researching someone infected by Honkai.

Within the first few tens of minutes, purple patterns would spread across the entire skin. After that, it would gradually erode the body's cells, leading to death.

She had actually developed a corresponding medicine, but... Lin Li's current condition made her hesitant to use it carelessly.

Although it was specifically designed to combat Honkai, it was only a temporary solution and hadn't been perfected. Using it on a person would inevitably have some side effects.

At this moment, the purple patterns on Lin Li's fingertips were in a strange state, as if they had found their home... attachment? Mobius felt that this word could describe it.

Of course, this was an utterly absurd word.

"Honkai" being attached? Mobius couldn't even imagine the significance of such a statement.

"Are you feeling anything unusual?"

Mobius asked. Due to wearing a protective suit, her voice sounded muffled, even a bit comical.

"Mmm... No, if I had to say anything, I feel my hand is very warm," Lin Li replied honestly.

"Damn it, that's because I'm holding you," Mobius rolled her eyes.

However, it had been over ten minutes, and Lin Li showed no symptoms. It seemed there was indeed no problem.

So, what was the reason for this "0" adaptability? Shouldn't she be eroded the moment she touched the Honkai energy?

Tsk, Lin Li, you are truly mysterious...

"You should get some sleep. I don't dare let you leave right now. I'll watch you here."

"Uh, but it's work hours now."

"Are you still concerned about that right now?" Mobius said speechlessly. "Even when you're working, you're just sitting there playing around, no different from sleeping."

"..."

The truth had been spoken.

Lin Li's pretty face flushed from the remark, and she simply closed her eyes to sleep.

But her hand was still being held by the Doctor, so she had no sleepiness at all.

Could she just pretend to be asleep and lie here? That seemed too unrealistic.

Maybe she should just tell the Doctor.

"Doctor, I'm really fine."

"Shut up!"

"..."

Never mind, she wouldn't say anything more. The Doctor wouldn't believe her QAQ.

Mobius continued to frown.

The invasiveness of Honkai was undeniable. What she was considering now was Lin Li's unique physical condition.

There was a question that people seemed to rarely notice.

Since the world could produce something like Honkai, why couldn't it also produce something that could resist it?

Perhaps Lin Li was such a person, the antidote to the world's affliction?

"..."

Mobius mused, a slight smile appearing on her lips, as if she had found the truth of the world.

However, just as she thought this, the purple patterns that were originally on Lin Li's fingertips suddenly extended to her wrist, then, with lightning speed, traveled all the way to Lin Li's neck before disappearing.

The entire process was incredibly fast, taking less than a second.

Mobius was stunned. She roughly turned Lin Li over and looked at the back of her neck, but there was nothing there either.

Unwilling to give up, she even lifted Lin Li's clothes, but still couldn't see any purple.

It's over. Mobius only had these two words in her mind now.

"Mmm... Doctor, what's wrong?"

Lin Li's face was pressed against the operating table, and her hand was held by Mobius, meaning she couldn't exert any force.

Why was the Doctor lifting her clothes? This was too embarrassing!

She was wearing the pink camisole that Elysia had placed by her bedside when she woke up that morning... She really didn't want anyone to see it!

"There's a huge problem," Mobius said with a hint of panic. "That thing is gone. It should still be on your skin. Take it all off and look for it."

"Ah... Ah?" Lin Li's eyes widened at the words.

"All, take it all off? Is it that serious..."

"Damn it, or do you think I'm joking?" Mobius yelled.

She was already starting to regret her recent lapse in attention.

"Okay, okay... Can you flip me over first, Doctor? This is really uncomfortable..."

"..."

Mobius paused for a moment, turned Lin Li over to face forward, and released the hand that was holding her.

She took out a vial of potion from a small drawer under the operating table. It was a pale green color, looking unsettling.

"Uh, are you... are you starting to undress me now?" Lin Li's face flushed, extremely embarrassed.

"Hurry up. If you want to die, keep stalling. Then you can wait for Elysia to collect your corpse," Mobius said with a serious expression.

"O... Okay."

Lin Li placed her hands on the hem of her clothes and slowly began to lift them.

Because the operating room and the laboratory were separated by a layer of frosted glass, Danzhu and Cang Xuan, who were at their workstations, couldn't see exactly what was happening inside the operating room, but they could vaguely guess.

"Cang Xuan, why weren't you watching Lin Li more closely?"

"Can... can you blame me for this? Lin Li herself didn't know she walked into it, let alone me?" Cang Xuan retorted, feeling extremely nervous.

If something really happened to Lin Li, she would definitely be the most responsible.

To cause such a big problem on her first day of work... she might as well not come in anymore.

"Sigh, I hope Lin Li is okay." Danzhu looked at her sister's guilty expression, pulled her closer, and looked at the frosted glass.

"Huh? Is the Doctor making Lin Li take off her clothes now?"

"It... it really looks like it?" Cang Xuan wasn't sure.

"..."

"Can you hurry up?" Mobius urged.

In the past minute, the height of Lin Li's hands on the sides of her clothes had barely changed.

"But... Doctor, I really feel fine. I feel great right now..."

"I don't want what you think, I want what I think," Mobius's tone was unyielding. "Or do you not want to undress yourself and want me to do it? Or perhaps Elysia?"

"No, no need, I'll undress now..." Lin Li panicked at the words, and just as she was about to lift her hands, Mobius stopped her again.

"Stop, don't take them off."

"Huh?" Before Lin Li could ask why, Mobius leaned in, her gloved hand on her protective suit cupping the back of Lin Li's head. She stared into Lin Li's eyes and said, "It's in your eyes."

"?"

Lin Li blinked, not feeling anything in her eyes.

Mobius glanced to the side. On the operating room wall, there was a small mirror. She picked it up and held it for Lin Li to see.

Only then did Lin Li realize that her normally dark pupils were now a deep purple, looking extremely... alluring?

Like a blooming violet, she was even mesmerized by her own reflection.

"It's very smart," Mobius said softly. "The eyes are a place the human immune system cannot detect. It found the right spot."

"Then, Doctor, do I need to do anything now?" Lin Li asked.

"I don't know." Mobius shook her head. "I haven't encountered a situation like yours before, so I don't dare to perform any surgery on you without knowing what to do, especially since you are my employee."

"For now, it doesn't seem to be doing anything to you, but I'm not sure. So, you should stay in the operating room. I'll go out to research. I'll bring your phone to you later. Contact me immediately if you feel anything abnormal, understood?"

"Okay."

Lin Li didn't overthink it.

The System definitely wouldn't lie to her, so she was sure she was fine. It was just that if she told the Doctor, the Doctor wouldn't believe her anyway.

This situation was actually quite good. She could play on her phone again, hehe.

She had been lying here for so long that she didn't even know what time it was, nor if it was close to quitting time.

To be honest, when the Doctor just said she was going to have Elysia undress her, she actually... shamefully felt a little flutter of excitement.

Really, Lin Li, how could you think like that! That's too embarrassing!

When the Doctor brought her phone from outside, Lin Li realized it was almost six o'clock.

Did time really pass that quickly? She remembered telling Danzhu and Cang Xuan the Honkai story from Elysia's perspective this afternoon, and then it would be time to get off work.

Wait... what time was quitting time? It couldn't be midnight, could it?

Lin Li opened her camera and looked at her eyes.

They were really beautiful. Purple, sparkling, just like gemstones. She liked them more and more the longer she looked.

Speaking of which, Elysia's eyes also changed, right? She seemed to have seen Elysia's eyes turn pinkish-purple once or twice, and they were also very beautiful.

If Elysia saw her like this, she would definitely like it very, very much, right?

Hehe.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, what are you thinking, Lin Li! Why are you thinking about making Elysia like you!

Lin Li covered her face, a blush spreading to the roots of her ears, unsure of what she was thinking.

The purple mass in her eyes seemed to sense Lin Li's emotions, crawling out from her eyes and forming a small flower above the corner of her left eye.

So cute! (●'?'●)

Lin Li found it incredible.

Did this purple thing have a life of its own? How magical!

"Um, can you go back into my eyes first? If the Doctor sees you when she comes in, I'm in trouble."

"..."

The only response the purple pattern could give Lin Li was its obedience, which was its miracle.

It didn't seem like a creature that could think normally, yet it could understand what Lin Li was saying...

Wait, could it really understand her words?

Lin Li silently repeated a few phrases in her mind, only to find that the purple pattern could only move vaguely in the direction she was thinking, not quickly teleporting, as if it was also unsure.

Lin Li was a little disappointed. She thought she had actually been controlling this thing...

"System, System, what exactly is this thing?"

When in doubt, ask the System. The System would surely give her a satisfactory answer for anything out of the ordinary.

But what she didn't expect was that the System was currently playing dead!!

She had called out to it dozens, even hundreds, of times in her mind, but the System still hadn't reacted at all.

"You darn System... Hmph."

Lin Li pouted, not daring to scold the System too much, so she stopped paying attention and let the purple pattern return to her eyes.

"Little guy, you'll stay inside my eyes from now on, okay? You look so pretty."

As soon as she finished speaking, the pattern twitched inside her eye, looking so cute and mischievous.

Lin Li liked it more and more.

Just then, the Doctor sent her a message:

"What are you muttering to yourself in the operating room? Are you feeling unwell? Tell me immediately."

Lin Li: "No, Doctor, I feel great."

"Tsk, good. Don't push yourself, or you'll really be waiting for Elysia to collect your corpse," Mobius sent another message. "The research institute usually closes at eight, but you can stay an hour longer today. If there's nothing unusual by seven, then come out directly. Oh, right, before that, remember to send a message to your Elysia to pick you up."

"Mhm, mhm, mhm, thank you, Doctor! But can Doctor stop always saying Elysia is mine... it sounds a bit strange."

"Isn't she? Oh, right, I forgot Danzhu and Cang Xuan are also living at your place now. Looks like I'll have to say 'your family' from now on, is that it?"

"... That's not okay either!"

"Alright, stop talking about these trivial things and get some rest."

"Okay!"

Lin Li's lips curved into a smile.

It seemed the Doctor really cared about her, hee hee (●'?'●).

Mobius did indeed care about her. On the operating table outside, she had taken out Lin Li's blood from that morning.

She drew out a little and poured it into a petri dish. Then, she took a small piece from the pale purple tissue and placed it with the blood.

However, what she expected did not happen.

Lin Li's blood, just like in previous experiments, was still being fiercely torn apart by the Honkai energy, being completely consumed within minutes.

"...Tsk." Mobius's beautiful brows furrowed. She lifted her light green hair, turned, and looked at Danzhu and Cang Xuan, asking, "Why do you two keep staring at me? Are your tasks done?"

"Ah... No, no."

"Then hurry up. The tasks I've given you are less than one-fifth of what Bianca usually handles. If you don't finish, you'll have to stay and work overtime tonight. I'll keep you company."

"Mhm..."

Cang Xuan didn't dare to delay. She glared at Danzhu and resumed her diligent work.

Mobius was still trying to figure out what on earth was going on.

Why was the performance of that purple pattern on Lin Li so different from its performance on others? Wasn't this because of Lin Li's own special circumstances?

But if she was special, why did the purple pattern, upon encountering Lin Li's blood, devour it as if it were normal cellular tissue...

Honkai is truly unfathomable... and so is Lin Li.

Could it be that the Honkai-infected cellular tissue she and Danzhu were researching was different? That was impossible. It was all brought back by Flame-Moth soldiers after cleaning up a small Honkai outbreak site outside Changkong City yesterday. It couldn't be different.

Tsk.

Mobius shook her head and decided not to focus on Lin Li's peculiarity, busying herself with other matters.

There were plenty of confusing things in the world. She was just one among the masses. If she understood everything...

It might even invite more trouble.