The Cat Eavesdrops / Mobius's Motive...

"Don't worry, Mobius, we'll definitely complete the mission!" After saying that, Pardofelis jumped up, looking like she was about to rush out and complete the mission immediately.

There was no way the cat wanted to lie on Mobius's cold operating table. Even knowing that the other party wouldn't really kill her, so what!

'Heh, I look forward to your good news, Felis ~'

"Hmm." Pardofelis nodded gently, agreeing, and then left the old tavern, ignoring the prying eyes of the others.

After watching Pardofelis's figure disappear from sight, Mobius leisurely stood up. "It's still early, let's go back and check on the new samples."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mobius picked up his things and walked out of the tavern at a leisurely pace, disappearing quietly into the thin mist.

P. S.: Finally! Finally!

Chapter 2 The Cat Eavesdrops

After leaving the tavern, Pardofelis leaped onto the low-lying houses of Saltwind City. The salty sea breeze, mixed with the smell of decay, formed the sea fog of the night, making one feel nauseous.

Just moving around on the rooftops made Pardofelis feel her clothes getting wet. Wandering through the narrow streets and dense rooftops, even the wind seemed to be whispering evil and malevolent words.

Churches are not hard to find in the city. The Inquisition Church, which stands in the heart of the town, is the tallest building in the small town. Like a guardian of time, it has witnessed the changing times and vicissitudes of Saltwind City.

The stone walls are thick and solemn, and the marks sculpted by time give them an indescribable sense of historical weight. Once, it may have possessed unspeakable grandeur, but now it seems that only decay remains.

On the front of the church, two dilapidated bell towers point straight to the sky. The broken spires no longer have the imposing presence to pierce the heavens, just as Saltwind City is now almost completely reduced to dust and hidden in the waves.

Standing atop the houses surrounding the church, Pardofelis took out her binoculars. In the darkness of the night, such an action would normally be futile. But her luck was always exceptional; by the time she reached the church, the thick sea fog that had obscured the full moon had been completely blown away by the sea breeze.

The full moon hangs in the boundless sky, radiating a soft and clear light. The moonlight, as if washed clean, silently pours onto the ancient stone walls of the church. This light, as if emphasizing, outlines every intricately carved relief and the intricate arch contours, as if draping this solemn building in a silver veil, making it even more mysterious and elegant in the night.

He placed the binoculars on a stand and began observing the situation at the street corner.

Not long after... the guy that Pardofelis was monitoring appeared in her binoculars under the moonlight.

She walked resolutely along the paved cobblestone path toward the church, the silver light draped over her like that of a pilgrim disciple.

Having confirmed the location of the target's movements, Pardofelis wasted no more time and began her own operation, following the target's path.

The church was large enough that there was more than one way to enter it, and Quintus was seen entering through a side door.

Pardofelis simply climbed over the wall and went inside.

She knew very well that the inner part of the church was the bishop's preparation room and the choir's practice area. The place wasn't large, but it was relatively secluded.

With practiced ease, she vaulted over the wall and landed without making a sound. After briefly reviewing the general layout of the church in her mind, she slipped into the confessional beforehand.

This area is usually located on the side of the main cathedral hall, so the two walls are basically flush.

The soundproofing of this dilapidated church is also extremely poor.

"How is the situation?"

Just as Pardofelis had predicted, when she pressed her ear against the wall, the message reached her ears and she heard it clearly.

The one who spoke must have been Quintus.

Thinking about it, Pardofelis couldn't help but smile happily. It seemed that the matter that Mobius for would soon have an answer.

While Pardofelis caught in her own internal monologue, an extremely aged-sounding old woman replied to Quintus, "The Inquisition has finally withdrawn completely. They've abandoned this place and will probably never return. So, are you now going to begin spreading miracles?"

"Heh heh," Quintus said calmly, "People only crave redemption when their hearts are in turmoil."

"People only cry out for God's salvation when they are hungry. Some have already succumbed to hunger and joined us. With the withdrawal of the Iberian Inquisition, this hunger will not decrease but will only increase. Only then will I demonstrate God's grace, and the string called reason will break."

"At that time, people will no longer fear the swords and guns of the Inquisition, nor yearn for the salvation of the lantern. Only then will Saltwind City truly belong to us. So, madam, what are you worried about?"

Quintus's words were seductive, his syllables uttered like those of a choir, carrying complex emotions and a powerful, resonant tone.

"Or perhaps you're worried about that stranger who was swept ashore by the waves... that white-haired girl?"

Quintus, as the leader of a cult, was extremely adept at manipulating people's minds. During their conversation, he astutely noticed the thoughts flickering in the old woman's eyes. He then brought it up.

Hearing this from outside, Pardofelis became even more engrossed, hoping to glean more information from their conversation.

Seeing that the old woman did not continue the conversation, Quintus began to look at him with a worried expression again.

Quintus continued, "She has a rather large wound on her body, and there are some problems in her brain. Her treatment will take more time. Please believe me, okay?"

Quintus reassured his wife for a while, knowing the reason for the situation.

It's just a simple effect of empathy.

Her son refused to eat the twisted food and starved to death, which is why she now remembered that equally pitiful young lady.

When a person loses their anchor, they will seek another. If it weren't for her help in deceiving the Inquisition, he wouldn't have been able to obtain such a good experimental subject.

After a while, the old woman received assurances and decided to return to her own residence.

Quintus didn't really want her to live; her body wouldn't last more than a few days. And he didn't want the secret to be passed on to someone else. Kind people are always kind; perhaps when she was on her deathbed, the secret wouldn't be a secret anymore.

Those who are cautious must always be cautious; even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Caution is always a virtue.

However, Quintus had no intention of getting his hands dirty. He watched the old woman leave the church, saying, "Let her rest in peace in the alley, and I will give her a dignified funeral."

He walked with his hands in his pockets, very slowly, as if floating on the sea, as if stepping on soft sand, without making a sound.

Pardofelis observed Quintus's movements. The layout of the church area was fairly familiar to a master thief. His actions just now convinced her that Quintus was heading towards the church cemetery.

So, is it inside a tomb?

The cat isn't stupid; the other party's intentions have already revealed their location. So, is the next step to enter the tomb and investigate?

But just as she was about to follow Quintus suddenly stopped and abruptly looked towards the warning room...

In an instant, Pardofelis knew it was time for her to leave...

Chapter 3 Mobius's Objective

Quintus, as a deep-sea bishop, considered himself cautious and had fairly accurate intuition. So, upon noticing the anomaly, he immediately trusted his instincts and stopped.

Something was watching him, which made him feel slightly uneasy.

To be honest, Quintus hadn't felt this way in a long time. After all, since joining the Swarm, he'd always been the one using his fellow countrymen to monitor others; he couldn't stand others watching him...

He glanced in the direction of the warning room, and ultimately, out of caution, decided to go and investigate to figure out what had just happened.

Having made up his mind, Quintus moved in that direction. Within moments, his body moved to the doorway with incredible speed.

Quintus arrived at the door and opened the door to the admonition room almost without hesitation, looking inside.

He had already used all his speed to block the door; he refused to believe that any little mouse could sneak away right under his nose.

"...?"

However, while the idea was appealing, the empty room in reality was like a slap in the face, completely stunning Quintus.

He was quite certain he had felt someone watching him, but where was the person? Surely no one could turn invisible or teleport, right? How could that be?

While pondering, Quintus began to contact his compatriots who were monitoring the church, asking them if they had discovered the intruders.

After receiving a negative answer from his compatriots, he was somewhat relieved, though he still had doubts. He absolutely could not allow the Inquisition to discover the secrets of the church.

After contacting his compatriots and asking them to strengthen surveillance in the surrounding area, Quintus cautiously made his way deeper into the tomb.

Meanwhile, in a basement within Saltwind City.

The air in the basement was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant mixed with chemical reagents, creating a nauseating odor.

In the center of the room stands a stone dissection table covered with a white sheet, the human-shaped mound beneath which silently recounts what happened here before.

Meanwhile, the temporary owner of this basement Mobius, was holding his recording equipment, recording something that was unclear.

The moment her hands stopped moving, Pardofelis's familiar voice rang in her mind, perfectly timed.

"Wow, Mobius, let me tell you, that was really close! We were so close to being discovered by that bishop!"

"Oh, thank you for your hard work, Felis ~" Upon hearing this, Mobius, who knew that Pardofelis had completed the mission, unusually refrained from teasing her and instead spoke in a lazy tone.

"Haha, it's no trouble at all, just a small matter... Mobius, the experimental site you're looking for should be right under the tomb."

After hearing Mobius's words, Pardofelis chuckled and began to explain.

"We saw the bishop walk that way. Going to a place like that at this time, there's only one possibility. But how to infiltrate is up to you, Mobius; we can't help you with that."

"Hmm... I understand." After hearing Pardofelis's explanation, Mobius calmly put down the instrument in his hand.

Actually, Mobius knew the general location of the testing ground he was looking for, but he didn't know the exact location of the entrance.

"Alright, that's enough for now. I don't need you here for the time being. Go back to Lungmen and have some fun with your friends~" After sorting out the general situation in his mind, Mobius raised his eyes and said to Pardofelis in his mind at a leisurely pace.

"Hey, goodbye Mobius! And take care of yourself." With those two sentences, Pardofelis ended her conversation with Mobius in the blink of an eye.

What a joke! She knows Mobius's personality well. What if she hesitates a little longer and then suddenly changes her mind and drags her off to scout ahead?

Just think about the eerie atmosphere of Saltwind City, damn it! We absolutely have to!

"Heh~" Upon hearing this, Mobius couldn't help but chuckle softly, without saying anything more, and instead turned his attention back to the instrument.

Mobius took the upcoming actions seriously, but that was about it.

She had already decided on her plan: a simple and direct infiltration through the entrance. So there was no need for her to waste any more time on this.

After all, if she wanted to, those little lab rats underwater couldn't stop her...

As for why the clever and cunning Mobius chose such a brutal method to infiltrate... well, it's because she had no other choice!

The laboratory she wanted to infiltrate was in such a prime location—in a cave beneath the city, surrounded by the sea and guarded by Seaborn.

From the very beginning, the Mobius had only two choices: either find an entrance and violently invade it, or enter the ocean and use even more force to wipe out the swarms of sea Seaborn that invaded.

Given the interconnectedness and shared bloodline among these mice in the sea, Mobius chose the former option to avoid making things too complicated.

To be honest, if her goal for this trip could automatically appear in front of her, she really wouldn't bother to deal with those Seaborn (guinea pigs) in the ocean, except during experiments, of course.

"..."

Thinking of his goal this time, Mobius couldn't help but narrow his gradient-colored snake eyes slightly, then revealed a confident smile.

She was determined to get her hands on Laurentina, or rather, Specter, who was currently imprisoned in the underground laboratory.

That's right, this time Mobius went to great lengths, from hiring people to investigate to violently infiltrating, all to snatch this Abyssal Hunters from Quintus.

Actually, at the very beginning, Mobius hadn't set her sights on the Specter. Her purpose in coming to the beach was merely to conduct some research and capture some Seaborn for study.

Because before she arrived at the seaside, neither she nor the other "selves" could be sure whether the Abyssal Hunters had been rescued or taken to an island.

However, it wasn't until Mobius himself arrived and investigated, discovering that the Specter hadn't been rescued, that he changed his mind and turned his attention to the imprisoned Abyssal Hunters.

There's no way around it; compared to those creatures in the water that are mentally polluting even to look at, Mobius prefers Laurentina, the guinea pig. Besides, a combination like Ægir + Seaborn + Originium isn't something just anyone can easily possess...

Stopping the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Mobius threw himself back into his work, quietly awaiting the dawn of tomorrow.

Chapter 4 Actions and Invasion

Qianqian had been busy in the basement all night. After checking the time and confirming that it was almost time, Mobius stood up and stretched his slightly stiff body.

According to Mobius's previous investigation, there will be a gathering organized by Quintus at the church today. Although it won't be of much use, it's better than nothing and at least it can be considered an opportunity. She plans to use this opportunity to start her own operation.

Since he had no intention of returning after succeeding, Mobius took advantage of the early hour to quickly tidy up the basement, which he was temporarily using as a makeshift laboratory.

Pack up everything useful and take it with you; destroy the useless stuff on the spot without leaving a trace.

After doing all this, Mobius leisurely left the basement and went up to the house. She walked to the window and pushed it open.

The salty, damp sea fog outside had long since disappeared, replaced by the sun, which had somehow risen from the sea, and the cold sunlight that fell upon this historic but now decaying town.

Withdrawing his gaze, Mobius didn't waste any more time, turned around, pushed open the door, and walked outside.

The streets were deserted and quiet, completely devoid of their usual hustle and bustle. Only a few seagulls circled over the abandoned stalls, occasionally letting out a few mournful cries that broke the surrounding stillness.

Most of the houses on both sides of the road are dilapidated, with exposed wooden structures blackened by the passage of time, windows tightly closed, and doors locked, refusing all visitors.

The whole city felt gloomy and unsettling.

Of course, Mobius was not among those who felt uncomfortable or uneasy; she had seen enough of the desolation here in the past few days.

Because she was completely unaffected, Mobius walked quickly and lightly to the church, arriving at her destination in no time.

The church wasn't crowded, but it wasn't empty either; there were more people than when the Inquisition had held services. After all, in this starving town, few could resist the offer of food during worship.