Mobius and Su Muxi

Australia's main city, Moth to Fire branch.

Su Qing'an sat on the sofa at the edge of the hall, her [hidden] veil as thin as ever, thus diminishing the outside world's perception of her.

It took about half an hour to reach the familiar area using [Thousand Stars].

The boy first opened his terminal and sent Hua a message saying he might not be home for dinner that night. Thinking about their previous conversation, he asked:

"Prometheus, haven't I met Doctor Mobius before?"

Prometheus was silent for a moment, then answered softly:

"Mr. Su, this is the main city of Australia, the branch of the Moth to Fire that you frequented before the Herrscher of Flames appeared."

"Although Doctor Mobius is mostly a homebody and occasionally goes out to conduct experiments in other areas, it is true that you have met."

"The other person may not remember meeting you, but that's because you've erased your existence. However, that doesn't mean you've seen her."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing'an tried to recall Mobius's appearance, but he stopped himself as soon as he attempted to do so.

He didn't know what the other person looked like.

The boy then opened the terminal, typed "Mobius" into the browser, and looked at the entries and accompanying photos that appeared one by one before continuing his recollection.

The power of the Soul Essence and the efficiency of [thought] allowed him to quickly arrive at the answer.

As shown in the photo in the terminal, Mobius was a tall and beautiful woman, but her expression was somewhat world-weary and indifferent, and her eyes were like the cold, lonely pupils of a snake. Combined with the white lab coat that researchers are known for, the overall atmosphere was one of unapproachability.

This was indeed not the first time the two had met.

We've brushed past each other or caught a glimpse of each other quite a few times.

It's just that neither Su Qing'an nor Mobius noticed the other's presence.

In Prometheus's view, Su Qing'an's autism skills were useful in every sense.

Although it regularly and consistently deploys a protective umbrella to filter network information, preventing certain malicious threats, transactions, and even other information from being transmitted to Su Qing'an's terminal.

But setting aside the fact that some emails sent by individuals like Mobius, whose names are in the gray area of the internal list, are not part of the screening network, complete isolation in reality is even more difficult.

At this moment, Su Qing'an's [hidden] nature actually made Mei, who didn't want him to come into contact with certain people casually, feel that it had great value.

Using Mobius as an example is quite intuitive. She has always been very interested in Su Qing'an, who fought against Herrscher with his human body, and even her long-term residence here is somewhat related to this. However, if she cannot detect the other party's existence, she will not have the opportunity to communicate with him.

All the conspiracies, schemes, and cunning maneuvers ultimately amount to nothing, finding no foothold.

But now that Su Qing'an is taking the initiative to contact the other party, Prometheus has no other choice.

Even Mei doesn't believe she has the right to restrict the other person's personal freedom.

Su Qing'an thought about those few meetings and replied:

"I remember, she recognized me."

"But it only works for a short while. After trying to create a small amount of Honkai Energy field around me and changing it to a specific frequency, this trick stopped working on me."

Prometheus remained silent, saying that Mr. Su's precision and skill in manipulating Honkai Energy were not something a human could replicate.

It is common knowledge that the other party can use Honkai Energy frequencies to disrupt electronic products.

However, Doctor Mobius's personality and abilities made it fundamental for him to modify the product in a way that would not be affected by interference. In other words, Su Qing'an subconsciously made the modification the moment he realized this and achieved a successful result.

After all, if a little more time had passed, Doctor Mobius would have made a good impression on the other party at that time.

That's pretty tragic.

"According to the search, she is still at the Moth to Fire branch. Doctor Mobius has three research institutes here. Her iris was recorded in the underground research institute on F6 just now for about fifteen minutes. If Mr. Su is interested in finding her, he can try going to the research lab there."

Su Qing'an glanced at the golden crystals and flesh contained in the miniature transparent capsule in his arms, and asked:

"If I do choose to cooperate with Doctor Mobius, could you please transfer the genes of Mahakala and Maheshvara to this branch?"

Prometheus stated:

"Mr. Su, Dr. Mei doesn't mind you collaborating with people other than her; this appropriate isolation is simply for security reasons."

"Since you are willing to take that risk of your own volition, I will still carry out the original mission and provide you with assistance within the scope of my authority."

"The carriers of these two genes are sealed underground in this branch, and I will grant Doctor Mobius the corresponding access rights when the time is right."

Su Qing'an was silent for a moment, then he said seriously:

Thank you.

Prometheus asked:

"Hmm, won't you reconsider? Doctor Mobius might take this opportunity to conduct human experiments on you to satisfy her own interests, which wouldn't be surprising given her personality."

The boy understood what the other person was saying.

The reason Doctor Mobius had so little control over the Moth to Fire was most likely closely related to her unscrupulous and taboo experiments. Expecting such a person to be obedient to interesting "experimental subjects" was a very risky thing.

Even if the other party agrees on the surface, whether they will do anything unnecessary behind the scenes is another matter entirely.

Su Qing'an indeed disliked Mobius's personality and actions.

Perhaps, as Prometheus said, this is something he himself was unwilling to identify with.

But if Dr. Mei was the one who proposed the Fusion Warrior Project, then Mobius was the one who brought the application of this technology to its peak.

Su Qing'an could never deny that the other party's choice had brought about tangible results. He had already considered these judgments and attitudes when he first met Seele.

In such a world, perhaps there are only some things that only someone like Mobius could accomplish.

Whether one agrees or not is not important.

The fact that the boy has now chosen to seek out the other person corresponds to the preceding statements.

Su Qing'an herself understood that even if Mei hadn't fallen into a deep sleep, she would most likely have made a similar choice.

So he responded:

"Time is running out, Prometheus."

"Fuxi's soul fluctuations are reaching the awakening threshold at a steady pace every day."

"No matter how hard we try, we cannot reduce the casualties caused by the Honkai to a tolerable level. The micro- Honkai tides that erupt all around us all the time are an unstoppable natural disaster."

"You and Mei both know very well that Fuxi will awaken sooner than we originally expected."

"Otherwise, given Mei's personality, he couldn't possibly be unaware that risking his own death to save time is a calamity that modern civilization can hardly bear."

"She knew Kevin needed her, she knew the Moth to Fire needed her, and she knew even more that civilization and humanity could not afford to lose the balance point chosen amidst internal power struggles."

Su Qing'an continued:

"Mei can no longer be a pure scientist; a sense of duty and responsibility are shackles she cannot escape."

"Yet, knowing all this, she still chose such a risky approach, completely unafraid that her slumber might alter the internal structure of civilization. You and I both know why."

"A year was only the time when Fuxi awoke, as calculated at that time."

"With each change in the number of deaths due to the Honkai, her awakening time will also be shortened. The thousand-person experiment was launched to reduce casualties and indirectly delay time, but it only stopped the decline and its actual effect was a drop in the ocean."

"With the united efforts of many Fusion Warriors, the next Herrscher may not be able to destroy this civilization, but if we cannot find an effective method before Fuxi awakens, our survival will depend on whether she can communicate and make judgments."

"The higher-ups should already know this, and I believe Doctor Mobius is well aware of it as well; she won't reject my proposal."

"Whether it was out of a desire to save the world that was uncertain of its existence, a will to survive, a perfect experimental environment, or simply because the experimental materials were delivered, she had no reason to refuse."

"As for the experiment you mentioned..."

"As long as there's a sense of proportion, it's fine to let things go as they please."

Prometheus:

"I've recorded it, and I'll send it to Miss Fu depending on the situation."

Su Qing'an: "?"

What's going on? Why is this unexpected and out-of-place tactic happening all of a sudden?

Prometheus:

"The recording was uploaded to the cloud the moment I spoke, so there's no need to deliberately start adjusting the Honkai Energy frequency."

Su Qing'an: "..."

In your eyes, am I the kind of person who would change my decisions just because Hua might hear the recording?

Prometheus:

"Based on past personality data model calculations, this is the most effective method."

The super-intelligent's usually cold and soft voice wavered slightly, almost revealing a hint of helplessness:

"Given Mr. Su's personality, your bottom line will become excessive with the aid of the complete Soul State and the Black Abyss White Flower. According to Doctor Mobius's personality, it will definitely evolve into a scene that you can accept, but which is insane no matter how you look at it. I'm sorry, I can only use unconventional methods to persuade you."

"In short, please be careful not to agree to any strange requests from Doctor Mobius."

The White Sparrow, which had somehow gotten atop the boy's head, tilted its little head and ruffled the boy's hair with its tiny claws, as if to express its agreement.

"Prometheus is right. Su's sense of proportion is a bit different from normal people. When he says he's fine, he means he is. When he says he won't die, he means there's a chance of dying. When he says he hasn't broken any arms or legs, he means they actually have, but they've healed."

How can you possibly trust the sense of propriety spoken by someone who has already died three times?

Anyway...

Su Muxi didn't believe it; anyone who did was a fool.

In fact, Su Qing'an hesitated to speak. He really wanted to say that he had a good grasp of the situation, and that the problems that had occurred in the past were basically due to being unable to control his own destiny.

However, simply by exercising self-control in cooperating with the experiment, it is impossible for it to escalate into the situation described above.

He's not stupid.

But Su Qing'an looked at the White Sparrow rolling around on her head and accidentally rolling into her palm, and thought that it might not be a bad thing for Xiao Xi to be less worried.

So the boy rubbed its soft feathers for a while, tapped its head with his fingertip, and responded:

"Okay, I understand."

But instead of a response from Su Muxi, she was greeted by another childish voice:

"Oh dear, I always thought the artificial intelligence Dr. Mei created would be very close to me. Even though there are a lot of strange rumors circulating, people shouldn't think so badly of me."

Following the boy's gaze, a remarkably cute girl came into view. She was wearing a white lab coat that seemed a little too old for her, and underneath, a brown sweater that was out of season.

A charming smile graced her doll-like face, softening the inherent coldness of her gradient-colored vertical pupils and instead giving her a mischievous air.

The girl's long, dark green hair, as deep as a forest at dusk, cascaded down her back, contrasting beautifully with her already fair skin, which resembled milk in a porcelain bowl—delicate and radiant.

Compared to her former tall and slender figure, Mobius is now more alluring yet still somewhat untouchable.

After a few moments of thought, Su Qing'an realized that the person in front of her was the doctor she was looking for.

Although there has been a drastic change in appearance, some features still remain similar to the past. In an overall comparison, it is as if the life cycle has been reversed to the age of teenagers.

Based on the lifespan and metabolism of Fusion Warrior, it is estimated that she will still look the same even after thousands of years.

In every sense, this is a curse.

Perhaps, like Yae Sakura's ears or Kevin's extreme cold constitution, this is the price Mobius himself paid to become Fusion Warrior.

But she herself clearly didn't care about it.

At least, you can't tell from his smile now.

"Doctor Mobius, you used abilities similar to mine?"

Mobius smiled upon hearing this and responded softly:

"Anyone who, after receiving no response to their persistent and enthusiastic invitations, would inevitably start to study the rejection tactics of their 'crush,' right?"

"Plus, with a little bit of the ability to Fusion Gene, it's only natural that it wouldn't be detected."

Su Qing'an thought for a moment, but still didn't respond to this bizarre stalker-like behavior. Compared to the missionary's pure nature, he thought Mobius was very upright and normal, and wouldn't be considered abnormal for the time being.

"I've memorized your soul's aura. Next time, you could consider improving your methods of concealment in this area."

"Same to you, your methods are outdated too."

Su Qing'an felt that using her full Soul State for a minor argument was a bit childish.

Doctor Mobius could use the excuse that his age had reversed as a cover-up, but as a normal adult, he needed to be more mature, so he didn't deliberately refute it.

Meanwhile, Prometheus indifferently interjected, offering his response:

"Unless Dr. Mei gives me explicit instructions to do so, I maintain only basic, unbiased respect for Doctor Mobius."

"Many of those strange rumors circulating outside have already been confirmed in the files. Doctor, please consider your reputation."

"Based on the total number of whistleblower letters received, 300 million yuan of your research funding and a large amount of experimental materials have been withheld, and the remaining funding approval is still under discussion."

"Leaving aside your personal circumstances for now, almost everyone in this Moth to Fire branch knows the name Mobius."

The girl remained expressionless upon hearing this, but said melancholy:

"People's prejudices are always persistent. I'm just doing things that everyone wants to do. How did these win-win, mutually beneficial things become what you say?"

She blinked, looked at the boy's face, and smiled as she said:

"But rumors always stop with the wise. I believe there are still people who can see the true value in something. What do you think, Mr. Su?"

Before Su Qing'an could respond, White Sparrow flew down from his palm and transformed into a little girl with black hair and black eyes. She stared intently at this much taller older sister and said seriously:

"Xiao Su is an idiot."

He finished speaking.

The boy glanced at the Little Feather that had retreated back into the Mind Lake, feeling speechless yet somewhat amused.

Mobius was also rendered speechless by Su Muxi's timid actions. Her smile faded slightly, and she seemed a little more serious as she softly said:

"Mr. Su, I am already very clear about why you contacted me and why you think I will agree."

"Then I'd like to ask, what makes you think I can help you deal with Fuxi?"

Su Qing'an looked up at her expression and asked:

"How much information about me can you get from Mei?"

Mobius twitched the corner of his lips and used a vivid metaphor to express it:

"Hmm~ about as few times as you've met me, right?"

"Dr. Mei has always used the highest level of confidentiality measures regarding information about you."

"Most of what I know is just my own guesswork, or information that can't be hidden from the outside world, but the fact that she's kept your affairs so well hidden makes me even more interested."

Su Qing'an could completely understand Mei's wariness of Doctor Mobius. In the past, this might have been just a matter of treating everyone the same, but after he had a preliminary grasp of the Soul State, it was estimated that it had risen to another level.

But nowadays, whether you want to gain the other party's trust or ensure the experiment can proceed, your own information is essential and cannot be concealed.

So the boy countered with:

"Doctor Mobius must have privately studied the life form of Fuxi, right?"

The girl was clearly happy to answer the question, and her smile was more genuine than ever before.

"Certainly."

"In a sense, it is even more perfect than Mei's masterpiece. It does not follow any previous rules or principles, but is born solely from an ethereal concept. No one can refuse its beauty."

Su Qing'an asked:

"You like it very much, don't you?"

Mobius answered seriously:

"Mr. Su, humanity opened the forbidden door the moment the Stigmata Project and the Fusion Warrior Project began, yet even so, we still suffer repeated defeats against the Honkai."

"Anti-Honkai Potion cannot save everyone, nor can the Fusion Warrior and Stigmata Project. Even if the war between humanity and the upper echelons of the Honkai ends in the future, so what?"

"For most people, life remains precarious. When the line between living and dying becomes blurred, do you think society can return to what it was like before the Great Honkai?"

"Ultimately, we need to come up with a more fundamental solution, Stigmata Project was born out of this need."

"While Fuxi's form of existence is almost impossible to replicate, she proved that humans possess a soul, and can even continue to exist as a soul, thus ignoring the so-called Honkai."

"This is simply a beautiful painting, so beautiful that one can't help but want to copy it."

What do you think?

Su Qing'an silently transformed herself into Idealistic Lifeform.

From the outside, not a single second had passed, and even his appearance, due to the manifestation dominated by [thought], remained unchanged from before.

But the sudden, overwhelming pressure exerted on the surrounding beings proclaimed a difference in social standing.

The boy's eyes, almost ethereal in appearance, were lowered, his pupils seemingly radiating a sacred and beautiful light. He gazed unflinchingly at her vertical pupils, which were slowly igniting with a spark of light, and at her upturned lips, and softly said:

"Doctor Mobius"

"I've already copied part of that painting, but to deal with Fuxi, it still needs the remaining colors."

"And that is why I came to see you today."