Mobius: My House Is Quite Big

Klein was regretting her decision now.

Perhaps she really should have checked the almanac before leaving home yesterday, or found an old fortune teller in Changkong City to check her destiny in the Five Elements, to see if she was destined to have bad luck yesterday.

Otherwise? How could Klein, a model student, experience so many bizarre things in just one night??

It was just an ordinary day… until her homeroom teacher, who had been swamped with preparations for the graduating class's college entrance exams, suddenly found time to speak with her privately. The teacher insisted that Klein attend a lecture by a renowned biology professor at Chiyu Academy that evening, or else the teacher would "die"…

Strange… why would her homeroom teacher say she'd be ruined if she didn't attend the lecture?

Klein couldn't understand the reason behind it, but it was a request from the teacher who had taught her for a whole academic year. Moreover, Klein was already very interested in biology, so she didn't think much of it and agreed to her teacher's request.

And so… her journey of misfortune began.

Except for Kevin, who was exceptionally restless and was thrown out of the lecture hall by "Professor Serpent," the situation inside the hall was relatively normal… It was just that the biology knowledge Professor Serpent taught was a bit too profound… Even Klein, who was often praised by others for her exceptional talent in biology, found it incredibly difficult to follow.

However, the rewards were absolutely proportional to the effort. Klein could clearly feel that every word Professor Serpent spoke in class perfectly addressed her previous doubts and confusions about the textbook knowledge of biology, as if… Professor Serpent's lecture was specifically tailored for her…

At that moment, Klein thought that after class, she absolutely had to ask Professor Serpent for advice. If the professor happened to have time, she could resolve many more academic doubts and avoid detours that would take months or even years; even if the professor didn't have time, just getting acquainted with this knowledgeable young professor would be beneficial for her.

With such thoughts, Klein didn't pay much attention to the latter half of the lecture, which was taught by "Assistant Xu."

After class, Klein quickly packed her notebook and study materials, wanting to follow Assistant Xu to find Professor Serpent.

But… as she walked out of the circular classroom, she couldn't find Assistant Xu anywhere.

Klein fell into a brief state of confusion.

Little did she know, during her moment of hesitation, she had already missed her best chance to escape.

As for what happened next… Klein couldn't remember clearly. She only recalled seeing something very stimulating, as if Assistant Xu had pinned Professor Serpent down… No, no, that thought was too strange. After all, both Assistant Xu and Professor Serpent were "girls," how could they do something like that? So she must have been seeing things.

But when Klein's consciousness returned to clarity, she was surprised to find herself kidnapped along with Professor Serpent.

The black-clothed suspect wearing a mask was terrifying. His intelligence seemed unusually high, easily seeing through all her thoughts. Klein couldn't even understand how she had provoked such an intelligent criminal.

But that was secondary. After all, the other party was at least human. Although his words were sharp, they could only make Klein despair at most, not directly scare her unconscious.

—Imagine, in the dark night, someone who looks human but is approaching you with movements you can't comprehend, how would you react?

That was pretty much how Klein felt at the time.

While she was still wondering how to get the black-clothed suspect to let her go, she suddenly caught a glimpse under the distant lights of someone, a strange "person"… stiffly imitating human movements, approaching… getting closer and closer…

Klein couldn't recall the details at that moment. She only remembered the shocking… face buried beneath the messy hair of that bizarre figure.

"Ah!!!"

Klein suddenly woke up from her nightmare, her underdeveloped chest heaving. Her mind was filled with the terrifying image of the last, almost-human, intellectual entity. Touching her back, she was covered in a cold sweat.

"Awake?"

A gentle voice sounded beside her. Klein instinctively looked and saw a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes handing her a hot towel.

"Wipe your face now that you're awake."

Xu Ziling handed the towel to Klein, who was on the bunk bed, then pointed to the bedside table and said, "There's coffee over there. You can use it to calm down later."

"Who… are you?"

Klein looked around the simple-style room with some confusion. She dazedly took the towel Xu Ziling offered and asked, "Where am I now…"

"You were involved in a severe kidnapping and assault case yesterday, but don't worry, you're safe now."

Xu Ziling spoke the truth.

"You're… Ah, I remember."

Klein stared at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Xu Ziling for a moment before quickly saying, "You're Assistant Xu, right? I have something I must tell you immediately. I saw Professor Serpent being kidnapped last night! Kevin tried to save us, but he didn't succeed…"

After Klein finished recounting her terrifying experience, Xu Ziling realized that Klein, due to his "Physical Deep Sleep Method," didn't remember the extremely stimulating scene of him and Mobius in the academy… But that was for the best, saving him the trouble of explaining.

When Klein finished speaking, Xu Ziling smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, student. The fact that you can sit here now means that you and the Doctor have been rescued, right? Rest assured, you and the Doctor are safe now."

"Ah, is that so… Thank you."

Hearing that Professor Serpent, who had brought her so much knowledge in just one class, was safe, Klein immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the towel in her hand and wiped her face, relieving the grogginess that still lingered after waking up.

"Student, you don't actually need to thank me."

However, Xu Ziling said with a serious expression, "Although I did try to salvage the situation at the last moment… regardless, the fact that this matter escalated to that extent was indeed due to my negligence as the Doctor's assistant and bodyguard. You even suffered undeserved misfortune… You don't need to thank me. On the contrary, I should apologize to you."

"Ah… ah?"

Klein, a student who had just turned eighteen and had a rather timid and conservative personality, couldn't handle such an apology. She became flustered and, seeing Xu Ziling take a step back and bow deeply to her, quickly said, "Ah… no… no need, you're too kind. It's good that Professor Serpent is alright. As for me… there's no need to be so formal."

"No, student, please at least accept my apology. This incident happened because of my personal negligence."

If one were to ignore Xu Ziling's behavior of only offering verbal promises without any tangible benefits, his words at this moment were incredibly sincere and convincing.

But Klein was clearly falling for it. Under Xu Ziling's apology, she seemed somewhat flattered.

"Um... if Professor Serpent is alright, then I don't need to be here anymore, right?"

Having stabilized her flustered emotions, Klein no longer wished to seek out Professor Serpent, who had just experienced a kidnapping incident like herself, to ask questions. She now just wanted to return to her normal life as quickly as possible and asked Xu Ziling, "Assistant Xu, can... can I leave now? Today is Saturday, and I have club activities at school..."

"Of course, student."

Xu Ziling nodded, then added, "However, student, before you leave, please sign a non-disclosure agreement with us. You are, after all, a firsthand witness to last night's events, and what happened last night... it's really not suitable for too many people to know."

"Huh? So formal... not suitable for too many people...?"

Klein was a little confused. Although the kidnapping was a serious crime, if the culprits had already been apprehended, it shouldn't be...

"Wait, are you saying the kidnappers of Professor Serpent and myself last night haven't been caught yet??"

Klein's tone became flustered. This was the only explanation for why it needed to be so formal as to require signing a non-disclosure agreement – because the culprits were still at large...

And if the culprits were still at large... wouldn't returning to Chiyu Academy now put her in danger? She had witnessed their insane criminal acts firsthand last night. If they found out she was back at Chiyu Academy attending classes today... even if they didn't care about such a provocative act, they would absolutely try to harm her again to prevent her from revealing what she experienced!

Klein had no doubt that the terrifying, inhuman strength and high intelligence the culprit displayed when she spoke with them last night would allow them to easily overpower her, a mere high school student.

If Professor Serpent could be kidnapped even with accurate protection from her assistants, Klein didn't believe Chiyu Academy could protect her if that person really targeted her.

In short, she definitely couldn't go back to the academy anytime soon. Going back would be dangerous!

—This was Klein's overactive imagination, fueled by her usual reading of romance and palace intrigue novels.

Meanwhile, Xu Ziling looked at Klein with surprise. He could feel that this girl, who shared the same emerald green hair and azure rainbow eyes as Mobius, seemed to have imagined something incredible. And from the looks of it... it was very beneficial to his next move?

After a moment of thought, he cleared his throat tactically and said, "Ahem... um, student, do you have anywhere to go right now?"

"Uh... yes..."

Klein nodded dejectedly. After all, with the college entrance exams approaching, if she missed a period of time at school, her classmates might pull ahead, leading to a drop in her final exam scores... But between her exam scores and her own life, Klein knew how to prioritize.

"Hmm... well, student, take a look around you."

Xu Ziling gestured to the well-decorated room and said, "How do you feel about it? I think... well, the Doctor's place is quite spacious..."

"?"

Hearing that dangerous word, a large question mark popped up above Klein's head. She then looked at Xu Ziling in confusion and asked, "Assistant Xu, what do you mean...?"

"I just thought about it. Letting you leave now would be like exposing you directly to the suspect's gaze. It's no different from sending you to your death..."

Xu Ziling spread his hands and said, "Here's what we'll do. Since this incident happened due to my negligence and you got involved, please let me compensate you in my own way... For the next few days, if you're scared, you can stay here. I have quite a bit of confidence in my personal strength. Although I might be spread thin at times, as long as you stay within the Doctor's residence and don't go out... I can guarantee that you will be absolutely safe. And the Doctor has also decided to stay in and conduct experiments for a while. After all, she was just targeted, and it's indeed not advisable for her to go out these few days."

"You... will protect me?"

Klein blinked, then looked at Xu Ziling's slender physique and fair skin. She looked like the kind of "weak woman" who needed protection herself. Could such a "weak woman" protect two people under the gaze of that highly intelligent criminal?

"Ahem."

Xu Ziling knew that his words alone were not convincing. He scanned the surroundings, picked up a pair of scissors from the room, and said, "Actually, I think I'm quite formidable... Student, see for yourself."

With that, Xu Ziling applied a slight force to his right hand. The scissors, including the sharp metal tip at the end, quickly twisted and deformed. Under Xu Ziling's almost unreasonable physical strength, the aluminum alloy scissors were forcefully crushed into a mixture of scrap metal and plastic, forming a near-spherical lump no larger than three centimeters in diameter.

Klein stared blankly at the scene. After a long period of thought, she said:

"Assistant Xu, you call the ability to twist alloy with your bare hands 'quite formidable'?"

"The Doctor is tall and aloof, making her a target for some ill-intentioned individuals... As her assistant and bodyguard, it's quite normal for me to be able to break steel with my bare hands, wouldn't you agree? Student."

Klein: "..."