Chapter 249

Sōgen carefully put away the popularity votes before saying, "Popularity votes represent resources. Just accumulating resources is a pleasant thing in itself."

"To put it bluntly, isn't it just greed?"

Danzhu pursed her lips. "It seems you've really been suppressing yourself for too long in the research institute."

"You're not the only one talking. Who hid the comic books in the bathroom and secretly read them every day?"

Just as the two sisters began their usual sabotage of each other, the back door of the classroom was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Danzhu smiled habitually and stood up to look ahead, "I'm sorry, the art class activity has ended for today. If you want to participate, please come back tomorrow..."

She stopped mid-sentence, for it was only then that she saw the person's face clearly.

She was a girl who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Her long green hair, with slight curls, cascaded down her back. Her youthful face was expressionless, and at first glance, one would get the feeling that she was deliberately pretending to be an adult.

But that was actually an illusion, because the little girl in front of you was indeed an adult.

Sōgen wanted to tease his immature sister a bit more, but suddenly realized something from her reaction and looked towards the door as well.

Then, in the next second, she froze. "Dr. May, Dr. Mobius?"

Why is Dr. Mobius here?! Damn it, who leaked the information? Could it be Doctor Ai Yue?!

"Oh, I found it."

Seeing his two former assistants looking dazed, Mobius chuckled and walked toward the podium. "Sōgen, Danzhu, you two have really made something of yourselves, becoming teachers."

In her loli form, Mobius spoke in a soft voice, which sounded completely intimidating. However, how could Sōgen and the other two, who had worked with her for many years, not hear the emotions hidden beneath that tone? They immediately felt their legs tremble and just wanted to find a place to escape as quickly as possible.

"Dr. Mobius, it's been a long time,"

In the end, Sōgen was the first to react. She calmly went to meet her, and took the opportunity to shield Danzhu behind her. "Why are you here?"

"I heard that two little devils who left my place without saying goodbye have come to teach here, so of course I have to come and see if they will lead the children astray."

Mobius looked up at Sōgen Sōgen, who felt inferior. "What, aren't you welcome?"

"Not at all, of course you're welcome!"

Sōgen forced a smile and even clapped his hands, "Um, a warm welcome to Dr. Mobius for his guidance!"

Mobius looked at her human-machine-like actions and couldn't help but show a speechless expression. "That's enough, don't go too far."

Sōgen immediately lowered his hand in embarrassment.

As for Danzhu, Danzhu's still in a state of mental shutdown and hasn't been able to reboot.

However, after saying that, Mobius did not continue to make things difficult for the two of them, but instead began to observe the classroom.

Danzhu handled the arrangement and decoration of this classroom all by herself, putting a lot of thought into it—the walls were decorated with four-panel comics, the blackboard was covered with large-scale chalk paintings, and the paper-cuts on the windows and the garlands hanging from the ceiling were all made by her.

Although they were all hastily made handicrafts, they made the classroom look much warmer.

Mobius knew about Danzhu's little hobbies, but he had never seen her show them before, and now seeing this scene, he was still a little dazed.

"It looks pretty good."

After looking away, Mobius nodded. "I heard you guys made it onto the popularity charts. Looks like you're quite popular."

Sōgen could only force a smile.

"Alright, I'm short on time, so I won't ramble on."

At this point, Mobius also went up to the podium, while Sōgen pulled his sister down and became a student listening attentively. "In short, the first thing is—your resignations have been rejected."

As she spoke, she took out two envelopes from her bosom and threw them on the podium. They were the resignation letters that Sōgen and Danzhu had secretly placed on her lab table.

"This..."

Although Sōgen was somewhat prepared for this, he didn't know how to start the conversation for a moment.

She hadn't expected Mobius to follow her here, and naturally hadn't prepared any way to deal with the situation.

Do we have to go back?

"The second thing,"

Mobius didn't give the two men much time to react. Instead, he pulled out two more envelopes and placed them on the podium. "You've been laid off."

This time, not only Sōgen, but even Danzhu, who had just come to his senses, couldn't help but show a strange expression. "Is there a difference?"

"Of course there are, and the differences are significant."

As Mobius spoke, a subtle smile appeared on his face. "I'm always the one rejecting others. When did it become your turn to reject me?"

"Moreover, the compensation received for voluntary resignation and involuntary layoff is completely different."

After saying this, Mobius waved his hand and walked towards the door.

Sōgen thoughtfully picked up the envelope left by Mobius. From the feel of it, she could immediately sense that in addition to the letter, there was also a hard card the size of a bank card inside.

Chapter Fifteen: Watch me heal you with my golden touch.

Sōgen wasn't stupid; how could he not understand Mobius's thoughts?

The layoff compensation is just an excuse. After all, the First Research Institute is completely dominated by Mobius. Even if the Moth to Fire really exists, when has she ever followed the rules?

Holding the envelope in his hand, Sōgen was momentarily stunned.

She had imagined many times how this matter would end. For example, many years later, she and Danzhu would take the initiative to apologize to Dr. Mobius, or they would part ways and never have any contact again, or they would just bump into each other on the street and she would take the initiative to start a conversation...

Regardless of the possibility, Sōgen never expected that Mobius would take the initiative to find them. This was not only because she was familiar with Mobius's temperament, but also because the two of them were indeed at fault in this matter.

That's why Sōgen felt somewhat at a loss when he witnessed this scene.

"Sister,"

Danzhu then moved closer to Sōgen, "Shouldn't we... apologize to the Doctor?"

These words finally woke Sōgen up. She grabbed her sister's arm and chased after her towards the door, calling out, "Doctor! Please wait!"

Mobius, who hadn't gone far, turned around and looked at the two people rushing towards him, a subtle smile appearing on his face, "What, you think it's not enough? If you think it's not enough, there's nothing left."

"Of course it's not that kind of thing,"

Sōgen took a deep breath before bowing his head to Mobius. "I'm sorry, Doctor, we've let you down. We've escaped."

Danzhu also lowered her head. "Doctor, I'm so sorry."

Was Sōgen really so afraid of Mobius that he needed to seek help from Ai Yue?

The answer is of course no. After all, it is something that Ai Yue and Aponia both know. As Mobius's assistants, how could they not understand?

What truly prevented the two from facing Mobius was the guilt in their hearts. Because they couldn't bear the immense pressure and chose to run away, it meant that they had given up their academic research and pursuit, and at the same time wasted the teachings that Mobius had given them.

It was precisely because of these emotions that the two of them dared not face Mobius and ultimately chose to leave without saying goodbye.

"What's there to apologize for?"

Faced with the two men's behavior, Mobius paused slightly before feigning disdain and said, "You don't really think I care about you, do you? You're just tools to do my work. You work for me, and I pay you. That's all."

Sōgen and Danzhu couldn't help but raise their heads, staring blankly at her, unsure of how to react for a moment.

"Don't worry about the trouble caused by running away. Moth to Fire of your caliber. If all else fails, let Klein take on the burden."

Before the two sisters could react, Mobius continued, "If we're really talking about it, you should go and apologize to Klein —she's quite sad about your departure."

After saying that, Mobius turned to leave again, but she paused for a moment and then added, "But now no one is forcing you to work, right? Since you chose this path, don't give up halfway."

By the time Sōgen and Danzhu finally came to their senses, there was no trace of Mobius left.

"Sister, we..."

Danzhu looked at Sōgen, but the other shook his head. "Since Dr. Mobius has already said so much, then we can only leave it at that for now."

She glanced one last time in the direction Mobius had left, and unconsciously clenched the envelope in her hand. "However, I should still call my senior sister tonight."

Mobius was unaware of the two people's decision. At this moment, she walked briskly, and a genuine smile appeared on her face. Clearly, resolving this matter had put her in a good mood, and she even seemed to exude a childlike innocence that matched her appearance.

She rounded the corner, climbed the stairs, and soon arrived at the rooftop, which was usually locked up. Aponia and Ai Yue stood by the railing, looking down at the surrounding scenery while watching the whole process through telepathy.

"Using harsh and cold words to reduce the other person's sense of guilt is quite a traditional approach."

Noticing Mobius's approach, Aponia smiled and looked over, "How should I put it, it's definitely your style."

Compared to Aponia's subtle comments, Ai Yue's behavior was much more direct—he directly reached out and touched Mobius's lips, then deliberately showed a puzzled expression. "It doesn't feel hard to the touch?"

Mobius raised his hand and slapped Ai Yue's palm away, rolled his eyes at him, and then returned to his adult appearance. "That's enough. Saying too much is not in line with my image."

"In fact, I think you could totally persuade them to return to the First Research Institute,"

Aponia said, "After all, they aren't just tools that can be easily replaced, as you say, right?"

"Of course, would I allow a bunch of mediocre people into my research institute?"

Mobius first proudly raised his head, then sighed, "However, there's no need for that. It's fine as it is now."

"Really?"

Ai Yue looked into her eyes and asked, "Then when I contacted you, why did you say you wanted to capture them and use them as slaves?"

"That was just said in anger! Are you deliberately playing dumb?"

Mobius gave Ai Yue a light kick to the shin and rolled his eyes again. "If it were before, I might have really taken them both back, but there's no need for that now."

She said in a complicated tone, "This is a brand new era. There will be no pressure to survive, and no discrimination based on class. Everyone can do what they love. Perhaps that is why Sōgen and Danzhu made such a choice."

Ai Yue nodded, then asked, "What should we do about the lack of manpower?"

"Then let's slow down a bit, there's no rush now anyway."

Mobius, on the other hand, seemed indifferent. "As long as Klein doesn't leave, none of the other problems matter."

"Then I'm relieved."

Ai Yue and Aponia exchanged a glance, then said, "But since we're already here, why not stay a couple more days?"

"No thanks, I'm very busy."

Mobius casually refused, then stared at Ai Yue for a long time before finally shaking his head. "Never mind, you really need to get some rest."

After saying that, she also stood by the fence and looked down.

Everywhere on campus, you can see energetic young men and women, and even from a distance, Mobius can see the joy and excitement on their faces.

That was something she never had from the beginning—as someone born with knowledge, even without experiencing that tragic childhood, Mobius was destined never to have such an experience.

However, for ordinary people, this kind of experience is the best.

Aponia glanced at Mobius, then at Ai Yue, and finally walked towards the rooftop exit. "I'm busy on this event day, and I have things to take care of, so I'll trouble you to entertain the guests for me."

Without waiting for Ai Yue's reaction, she disappeared into the exit, clearly intending to leave the two of them alone.

Ai Yue had no objection to this, because although the relationship between Aponia and Mobius had long since improved and even reached the point where they could almost be called friends, Mobius was obviously unwilling to show his vulnerable side to Ai Yue in the presence of Aponia, due to certain reasons.

"So, what came to mind this time?"

Ai Yue came up behind Mobius, and Mobius leaned back against him. "It's nothing, I just suddenly felt that if I just stopped here and became a biology teacher, it might be pretty good."

"Are you in your post-coital phase?"

Ai Yue analyzed the situation for a moment, then reached into Mobius's collar, saying, "I have a way to cure this illness—"

"Stop fooling around, we're being serious."

Mobius slapped away Ai Yue's groping hand, then sighed, "I was looking at those kids downstairs just now, and I was already imagining what it would be like to teach them."

"Then think about it. It doesn't really matter."

Ai Yue immediately became much more tolerant. "Think about the students who cause trouble in class, think about the simple knowledge that no matter how you teach it, think about the endless homework and tests with all sorts of mistakes that you can't seem to get right, and then think about..."

"Alright, stop talking."

Mobius's tone immediately calmed down, "I really can't get used to this kind of life."

Ai Yue simply smiled – he had long anticipated that Mobius would react this way.

As a scholar at the forefront of human scientific research, Mobius has long since detached herself from the lives of ordinary people. Everything she has come into contact with far exceeds the average human level. If she wants to return to the lives of ordinary people, she must avoid everything related to her former field of research.

Otherwise, she would inevitably develop an incomprehensible gap with ordinary people, thus affecting her own life and the lives of others.

Of course, this is all predicated on the assumption that Mobius truly intends to live as an ordinary person, but Ai Yue knows very well that this is impossible.

Mobius will never give up his pursuit of evolution, and naturally he will never truly leave the First Research Institute. Unlike Sōgen Danzhu, who joined the First Research Institute to fight against the Honkai, even if there is no threat of Honkai in the world, Mobius will definitely embark on the path of researching biological genetic evolution.

Studying evolution itself is what Mobius loves most. She may slow down because the threat of Honkai has disappeared, but she will never stop.