Chapter 142

Ai Yue reminded him, "You should understand that even in cities with advanced medical facilities, this disease is incurable, and taking them in will not help."

"But I can't just turn a blind eye to this kind of thing."

Aponia looked at Ai Yue, "Even if it's just end-of-life care... and you'll help me, right?"

Ai Yue looked at her with a subtle expression, then sighed, "Of course."

Then he opened his arms and said, "But I need a hug as payment."

Aponia looked at Ai Yue with some surprise, but after a moment's hesitation, she took two steps closer and hugged him.

Ai Yue then tightened his arms around Aponia's soft body, pulling her close and whispering in Aponia ear, "Aren't you going to wake up yet, Aponia?"

He could feel the nun in his arms stiffen for a moment, then relax.

When did you realize it?

Aponia asked helplessly.

Her tone seemed no different from before, but Ai Yue could still hear a familiar feeling in it.

As Aponia uttered those words, the surrounding environment rapidly distorted and changed before finally dissipating completely, revealing the original state of the ward.

"Secret."

Ai Yue opened his eyes and looked at Aponia lying on the bed. "But you, you were actually awake from the beginning, weren't you? Why did you create an illusion?"

Aponia looked at Ai Yue and smiled back.

"Secret."

121

Chapter 121 is actually about a double suicide for love.

Aponia certainly didn't have any bad intentions; she just hoped to have Ai Yue all to herself for a short while in this way.

By the way, I'm hoping that the storyline could have started a few years earlier, with Ai Yue meeting me.

That's why Aponia created such an illusion the moment Ai Yue delved into her mental realm. Who knew that Ai Yue would be so oblivious to her feelings and see through her illusion so quickly?

Fortunately, the other party probably thought it was just a form of self-restraint and didn't pursue the matter further; otherwise, my situation would have been quite awkward.

Aponia thought this through and then decided to bury the events of today forever in her heart.

Ai Yue was certainly not oblivious to romance, but compared to other things, he was more concerned about Aponia's condition, so confirming the other party's true situation was the most important thing.

Seeing that Aponia was alright, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, "You were wrapped up so tightly, I thought something serious had happened to you."

"There are indeed some problems, but they are not the key issues."

Aponia smiled. "The main reason I chose to do this is because of you."

"Because of me?"

Ai Yue was initially surprised, then frowned, "Aponia, you..."

A room that no one but himself and Mobius could enter, a sealed-off place that could never be accessed without being awakened from the outside... Based on his understanding of Aponia, he vaguely realized the reason why the other party had done this.

Ai Yue was certain that in Aponia's plan, Mobius would also be unable to enter this room, which meant that if he did not return alive, Aponia would fall into a deep sleep forever.

Thinking about it carefully, this is practically the same as being buried alive with someone.

"This is not an impulsive decision, but something I had thought about from the very beginning."

Aponia's smile remained unchanged, as if the matter were as ordinary as taking a nap. "I believe you will agree with me after hearing my reasons."

Ai Yue remained silent, waiting for the other party to continue.

"The reason is simple: this ability is far too dangerous for humans."

Aponia sat up and looked down at her hands. "Once there's no one left who can control it, it's better for it to disappear, isn't it?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Ai Yue frowned, a look of dissatisfaction on his face. "Isn't it you who controls this ability?"

"You're deceiving yourself, Ai Yue."

Aponia glanced at Ai Yue, then gave a faint smile. "You only act like this when you say things you don't even believe yourself... In fact, I am not the one who controls this ability; I am merely a slave to fate."

"You can see the future, but you can't change it. You can only watch this future be realized little by little in your constant anxiety and fear... Ai Yue, the one who can truly control this ability is actually you."

Ai Yue opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

To others, Aponia's most terrifying ability is her "Commandments," a mysterious power that can unleash the deepest potential within the human body, which even a powerful Fused Warrior like Kevin cannot resist. However, only a very few people know that Aponia's most terrifying ability is actually the power to see the "Threads of Fate."

This bizarre ability, far beyond human comprehension, allows her to glimpse everyone's future, from small things like events a few days in advance to the end of life; nothing escapes Aponia's eyes.

More importantly, fate is called fate precisely because what Aponia sees is destined to happen, and even if she intervenes knowing the outcome, she cannot change what she sees.

As Aponia said, all her efforts to prevent fate from coming to pass would ultimately only contribute to the inevitable outcome. This feeling of knowing the ending but being unable to change it would be enough to drive any normal person crazy.

In this context, it seems quite plausible that Aponia would say she is merely a slave to fate.

As for what she said about the person who truly controls this ability, it's not entirely objective. After all, Ai Yue never intended to use Aponia's ability, so there's no question of controlling it.

"Without you, such power would only bring disaster to humanity."

Seeing Ai Yue's expression of being unable to refute, Aponia revealed a somewhat smug smile. "This is a fact I realized through constant self-reflection, so making this choice is the right thing to do, isn't it?"

I disagree.

Ai Yue frowned. "Such an ability can indeed have negative consequences if it's not used properly, but wouldn't it be better to just not use it at all? There's absolutely no need to go to this extent!"

"How could anyone possibly control it?"

Aponia said calmly, "When you look up at the sky and see that everyone's fate is a straight path to destruction, can you really control yourself from trying to change it?"

"Ai Yue, in the short time you've been Herrscher, that kind of future has appeared before my eyes once again. Can you imagine how desperate I felt when I saw this scene?"

Aponia regarded Ai Yue as the true controller not because he could wield this power, but because he possessed the power to transcend fate.

His actions did not merely alter the course of fate in Aponia's eyes, but rather blurred or even caused the originally clear "threads" to disappear without a trace.

This means that Ai Yue not only possesses the ability to change fate, but even his very existence transcends it.

Above all, so-called fate.

This is why Aponia never questions the other party's actions, because no matter what, Ai Yue's attempt will inevitably allow humanity to break free from the shackles of fate.

That's why Aponia made this choice when she realized that Ai Yue might not be able to come back.

Ai Yue hesitated for a moment, then could only sigh and say, "I'm sorry."

He had considered whether it was necessary to risk his life given the heavy responsibilities he carried, but ultimately he made his own choice.

However, this also undoubtedly places unnecessary responsibility on others.

"I'm not blaming you, Ai Yue."

Seeing Ai Yue's reaction, Aponia couldn't help but smile. "However, since you would say something like that, then you must understand my choice, right?"

"No."

Regardless, Ai Yue remained as stubborn as ever, saying, "Besides, you won't have the chance to do this kind of thing again."

Aponia paused for a moment, then her smile broadened, "That would be the best, of course."

122

Chapter 122 No, is it really just a coincidence?

The topic ultimately ended inconclusively; Ai Yue was unable to persuade Aponia to change her mind, and Aponia was unable to convince Ai Yue to accept her ideas.

The two of them tacitly changed the subject, no longer discussing this matter that they were destined to never understand each other.

Just then, the door to the ward suddenly opened, and Mobius walked in impatiently. "I've been waiting for ages, are you done talking?"

You chose to come in at this time; don't you know whether we've finished our conversation or not?

Ai Yue and Aponia exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile helplessly.

"That's all that matters now that we've finished talking."

Mobius didn't wait for their reply. He walked over, grabbed Ai Yue's sleeve, and tried to drag him away. "Now it's my turn to use him. You can wait a bit longer."

"OK."

Aponia nodded, having no objection to the scene, and even waved, "Take care, you two."

"What are you saying? What are you saying?!"

Ai Yue protested verbally, but did not resist Mobius's actions. "What do you take me for, a public utility?"

Aponia only began to frown after the two people had left.

She sensed no fluctuations of mental energy from Mobius, which was highly unusual for a human... no, for any living being.

A fluctuation of mental energy is proof that a living being possesses self-awareness, but Mobius currently lacks this ability entirely. Judging by normal circumstances, Mobius should undoubtedly be dead.

However, the other party's vivid expressions and actions were clearly not in line with common sense. After thinking for a moment, Aponia could only think of one thing that might be related to this.

The "Stigmata Project"... that Ai Yue considered the most important part of this project, could its result be the current Mobius?

Although Aponia only had a brief encounter with Mobius at this moment, she could sense that Mobius was no longer affected by the "commandments".

After all, Aponia couldn't even comprehend the other's state of mind, so naturally she couldn't apply the power of the commandments to her.

If Aponia knew that during her slumber, Mobius was able to freely enter and leave her ward without any hindrance, then she would be certain of her speculation, and indeed, it was true.

"All the data for Stigmata Project has been compiled."

In the laboratory, Mobius casually handed a document to Ai Yue, saying, "I've removed some redundant data; you can analyze the rest yourself."

"No need, I've already looked into it,"

Ai Yue took the document, glanced at it casually, and closed it. "You've had a hard time. It must have been tough for you."

After leaving Mobius's Stigmata Domain, Ai Yue used the system's capabilities to supplement the content of the Stigmata Project using some of Mobius's samples. He not only fully understood the data that Mobius gave him, but also clearly knew what the part that had been disposed of under the guise of "redundant data" was.

That was the experimental process that Mobius constantly refined and corrected through repeated deaths; it was everything she had given to this project.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

Mobius wasn't surprised by Ai Yue's words, but emphasized, "Let me make it clear that all my efforts for this project were voluntary, not because I received orders, nor for anyone else's purposes, so you don't need to feel any remorse, understand?"

"Understood,"

Ai Yue nodded obediently, "So I won't apologize."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp pain shot through the soft flesh of his waist, followed by Mobius's voice, filled with gritted teeth. "You really don't feel any remorse at all!"

Ai Yue immediately begged for mercy.

In the end Mobius was satisfied with the empty promises made by the other party, such as "increasing the budget" and "expanding the research institute," but the two, who were already very tacit, knew very well that this was just a way to end the heavy topic.

Mobius genuinely didn't care about the matter, but she knew very well that Ai Yue must be having a hard time letting go of it. Ai Yue also knew that so-called promises couldn't make up for anything, but doing so would make the other person happy. After all, their relationship had long since transcended the realm that ordinary people could understand. Therefore, this topic, which was originally somewhat heavy, was easily resolved by them.

"From the current perspective, although the methods were too crude, at least the result was not problematic."

After the above exchange, the two quickly shifted the topic to business. "All that's needed afterward is to adjust and correct the process. As for the other results—judging from your current state, it seems self-evident?"

Although Mobius did not explicitly state it, Ai Yue had already determined through observation and touch that the other party's physical condition had improved by several years compared to before the Stigmata Project. This meant that by completing the Stigmata Project, the other party had overcome the inherent flaws of the Fused Warrior's abilities and sublimated these abilities.

In other words, Mobius's biological age will no longer be reversed due to death.

"Yes, and that's not all."

Mobius smiled slightly. "I was planning to show it to you later, but it's really hard to keep such a secret to myself."

As she spoke, Mobius's body began to change at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her height shrank, her limbs became thinner, and her facial features and face changed in an instant in the direction of a child. In just a few seconds, Mobius went from being a woman in her twenties to a child of only twelve or thirteen years old.

No, it could even be smaller than that?

How about this?

A charming smile, incongruous with her youthful appearance, appeared on Mobius's delicate face. She hugged Ai Yue, but due to the height difference, she could only look up at his expression. "Will it give you a different kind of thrill?"

"... I was just terrified."

Ai Yue looked furtively around, saying, "You'd better change back quickly, or we'll be in real trouble if someone sees this!"

"How could anyone possibly come at a time like this?"