Spear and Shield

Delta's right eyelid twitched as he saw Immer and Hua stopping Soul from wielding a scythe in the conference room.

"Hmm... she should be fine now. I'll go guide her a bit."

Himiko up to the drunken, grinning Soul, poked her cheek, and asked with a smile, "Little Soul, can you see who I am?"

"Hiccup~ Captain..." Hun blinked, then smiled and waved his hands in reply.

"Very good, it seems you're drunk but not completely out of it." Himiko took the chocolate from the table next to her and placed it in front of him. "Kon, Lin will be here in a little while. Do you remember what you're supposed to do?"

"I... I remember... it was..."

Hun took the chocolate with a puzzled look, staring at the handmade chocolate that he had prepared for a long time and learned to make over a month. Suddenly, his alcohol-induced brain had a flash of inspiration.

"Yes, you have to tell Lin you like him, give him chocolates, and make sure he accepts them, otherwise you'll pester him every day..."

"No, no!" Soul's already flushed face instantly turned a deep crimson, like a sunset. Her hazy eyes cleared instantly, and she jumped up in fright.

"Huh? You're awake now?"

Himiko was utterly astonished to see that Soul had suddenly become so fluent in his speech.

"Captain, don't worry about me. I know what I need to do. Team Member Lin's ideals don't lie in this. How can I force him? That would be too selfish. This chocolate is just my wishful thinking. I just plan to put it on his desk!"

A barrage of words came from Hun's mouth. She suddenly jumped up from the floor, grabbed the chocolate, and rushed outside.

So embarrassing... How could the captain have seen through my thoughts so quickly...?

No, the captain will definitely tell Team Member Lin, so let's just give this away! Then when they ask, we'll deny it to the death!

Hun, running with her head down, wasn't looking where she was going and bumped into someone. She didn't even have time to see who it was, as long as the other person wasn't wearing a helmet.

"Here, take it! Think what you want! But don't tell anyone about this, okay? Absolutely not! If you do... if you do, I will never forgive you!"

With tears streaming down her face, Hun ran past the person who had been forced to accept a piece of chocolate.

Lin looked down at the chocolate in her hand, then at Hun's back, pondered for a moment, and then turned and walked towards her room.

Afterwards, Himiko asked Hayashi about it, "Speaking of which, Hayashi, did you receive it...?"

"No."

Research project on kissing in the Valentine's Day special

What does kissing feel like?

"..."

In response to Mobius's sudden question, Lin put down the solvent he was holding.

The atmosphere in the private laboratory became extremely desolate due to the sudden silence, and coupled with the gaze coming from inside Lin's helmet, it had a chilling feeling, like that of a morgue.

After a long, silent gaze from Mobius, Lin replied, "I don't know."

"As expected, I didn't know either, so I'm very curious..."

"You can simulate a similar sensation or create your own mouth to experience it."

Lin turned her attention back to the experiment at hand. Mobius's whimsical ideas filled her little notebook, and he would occasionally offer some constructive suggestions to satisfy her imagination, so this matter did not attract his attention.

"Don't you know the difference between simulation and real combat?" Mobius scoffed disdainfully. "Besides, kissing should be an interaction consisting of feedback from both parties, so an artificial mouth cannot fully experience kissing."

"... So what do you want to do?"

Having said that, Lin understood what Mobius meant. She often used ambiguous words to circle around her true meaning, so Lin could easily hear what she really wanted people to know.

Mobius glanced at Lin's attire, which was no different from usual, and said in a tone that seemed somewhat disdainful but also helpless, "You'll do."

"..." Lin hesitated for a few seconds, wondering if there was any deeper meaning in her words, before saying with a slight hesitation, "Klein, Cangxuan, Danzhu... they are more suitable."

"Isn't kissing usually associated with the opposite sex?"

"The percentage of homosexuals worldwide is increasing every year..."

"I'm heterosexual." Mobius cut Lin off abruptly, raising an eyebrow, clearly displeased with Lin's reaction. "If it were Mebius, do you think she would choose someone of the same sex for this experiment? She would definitely choose Kevin."

"...I understand." Lin was convinced by Mobius. He thought about it carefully and realized that if it were Mebius, he would not choose someone of the same sex but would choose Kevin to do this. It seems that only he himself would think that using someone of the same sex would reduce the resistance. However, he himself is an oddball, so his opinion is not of much reference value.

"I just didn't have a choice. You're the only member of the opposite sex I'm close to, so don't even think about it... Never mind, you don't seem to care."

"..."

"First, we need to plan the content of this experiment. There are many standards for kissing. From a physiological point of view, it will trigger a series of physiological reactions related to parasympathetic nerve excitation, saliva exchange, and endocrine response. So, simply touching lips is not enough to fully experience it. Saliva exchange is necessary to induce nerve excitation."

Since it was an experiment ordered by Mobius, Lin also seriously considered the planning of the experiment. "Some research views believe that kissing originated from default and adaptive behavior, and is intended to test the health status, genetic compatibility, romantic interests and social coordination of potential partners. The purpose of the experiment should be closer to this direction."

"Hmm... French kissing also exists among chimpanzees and bonobos, so there is evidence to support this view. Some also believe that kissing can be traced back to the oral compensatory behavior of infants suckling at their mothers' breasts. Regarding this, I think we should focus on the sucking motion of French kissing." After tidying up the laboratory, Mobius leaned his tall body against the sofa, like a lazy snake with his hair draped over his right shoulder, and began writing down the key points of this experiment on a piece of paper.

"Another thing is that kissing is generally considered to be the beginning of sexual activity. If we consider the entire sexual act as a complete process, then kissing is the starting point of that process. Therefore, kissing alone may not necessarily cause nerve excitement."

Lin wrote the words "nerve excitement" on the paper. Mobius, who was pondering, frowned slightly and said, "So, if the ultimate goal is nerve excitement, is it possible that a simple kiss is not enough?"

"No."

Lin paused for a moment, feeling that the topic had been steered off course, but he didn't think much of it and continued, "Experiencing kissing may result in different feedback than expected; it's just a matter of recording these discrepancies."

Mobius spoke solemnly, like a stern teacher correcting a student's mistake. "But the ultimate purpose of kissing should be the nerve excitation caused by the exchange of saliva, so we should make both parties feel the same excitement to complete this act."

"..."

Lin didn't know what this sense of unease was all about. He recalled Mobius's words, and it seemed that... there was indeed no problem.

Mobius was a researcher who was very meticulous in order to ensure the rigor of scientific research. Although she was notorious, Lin observed that she never treated any experiment or surgery with a lazy attitude.

Lin nodded, the azure viewing window reflecting Mobius's face. "Then... what should we do?"

"You said that kissing is the beginning of sexual intercourse, and that the prelude to sexual intercourse, in addition to kissing, also involves physical touching."

After speaking, Mobius did not continue, but simply stared at the motionless Lin with her narrow pupils.

Lin nodded in agreement, somewhat admiring Mobius's comprehensive thinking, "I understand."

"Okay, go rinse your mouth now. The experiment will begin in five minutes. Remember to take off your helmet."

Mobius watched Lin walk into the bathroom, and after the sound of him rinsing his mouth came from inside, she slowly walked to the door of her private office and locked it from the inside.

Then she took off her slightly worn white coat, revealing a light green sweater and delicate black stockings underneath, and tied her long hair back with a rubber band to prevent it from falling out.

Finally, the green-haired mature woman sat on the sofa, gripped her water glass tightly, and stared blankly.

Is she... out of her mind?

I think I just accidentally said something nonsensical, planned a nonsensical experiment, and then inexplicably made Lin rinse her mouth.

This is really strange. It must be that her central nervous system was impacted during a recent experiment, causing some problems with her language system.

Why did that guy agree so easily? And why did she lock the door? And how much time is left?

She was definitely not nervous, was she? She was already a mature woman, and by age she was Lin's older sister. It was just a kissing experiment; he wouldn't think too much about it, and neither would she... think too much about it.

"Clatter".

Lin pushed open the door.

Mobius's pupils contracted, and he jumped up from the sofa.

"... What's wrong?" Lin asked, as if Mobius was having a stress reaction.

"It's nothing, we're just siblings."

"What siblings?"

"You misspoke, they're not siblings, they're an experiment."

"... Hurry up, I have other things to do after this experiment is finished."

When he saw Lin holding the helmet up with both hands, Mobius's heart began to pound for some reason.

I just have monosodium glutamate syndrome (a range of symptoms including headache, facial or other body flushing, sweating, and pressure in the mouth and face), right?

Finally, Lin lifted the helmet halfway up, revealing his nostrils and lips.

"Let's begin."

Lin remained in that position, then walked up to Mobius and approached his lips, which were still slightly trembling and Mobius face was blank...

"Bang!"

Just as their four lips were about to touch, Mobius suddenly shoved Lin away, the unexpected movement sending Lin sprawling to the ground.

"I just remembered I have something to do. The experiment is suspended and postponed until next time." Mobius coldly said this, then ignored Lin lying on the ground, unlocked the door, and walked out.

Lin didn't say anything. Such things happen occasionally. Mobius usually goes about his business in a hurry. According to the agreement, everything he owns belongs to her, so he has no right to protest.

Mobius, covering his steaming head, rushed out the door, sprinting all the way to the deck, and then...

He plunged headfirst into the sea.

"Something terrible has happened! Doctor Mobius is swimming in the sea!"

Chapter 104 Spear and Shield

The muscles in his left hand and left arm were torn, blood entered his right eye and stuck his eyelid to his eye socket, and a heavy, agitated sound came from inside his body.

Himiko stomped on the head of the Honkai zombie on the ground, crushing it, and stared fiercely at the Emperor-class Honkai Beast not far away, which was in no better condition.

The porcupine-shaped Emperor-class Honkai Beast, apart from having one eye blinded and one hind hoof missing, and its tail severed in half, had lost most of the anger in its turbid beast eyes, and looked rather desolate.

Himiko to be alright, but in reality, she was exhausted. The fact that she was still able to fight this Honkai Beast to a standstill was simply because it wasn't as powerful as Himiko had imagined.

That's right, this Honkai Beast has a feeling of being all bark and no bite.

Is it overly cautious? After being overwhelmed by Himiko's aura, it seemed to be constantly wary of Himiko down with her. Moreover, it had just consumed a lot of Honkai Energy, making it even more careful. It often had other Honkai creature stop her before daring to make a move itself.

This also made Himiko realize that it was fundamentally different from the previous Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Even if those Honkai Beasts had a certain level of intelligence, they would not care about their own lives, so they fought with all their might, making them quite troublesome.

This porcupine... you could say it gives the impression of fighting with humans.

Both sides were assessing each other's strength and endurance, waiting for the moment when the other side exposed a weakness to deliver a decisive blow.

Himiko didn't even know if it was pretending; she had never seen such a cunning Honkai Beast before.

After the interference of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast was removed, the front line gradually stabilized, and there were no further casualties.

The rate at which Honkai creature are born in the city has also slowed down significantly. This is because the overall Honkai Energy content is decreasing. Once this number falls below what the Titan unit can handle, it will be their victory.

However, she couldn't afford to waste any more time with this porcupine.

The Emperor-class Honkai Beast seemed to sense her thoughts, with black energy surging across its body, indicating that it also wanted to end the battle quickly.

The dark beam of light that could dissolve everything gathered again in the mouth of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, and Himiko narrowed her eyes, raising her sword with one hand and aiming it at its head.

Both sides are waiting for an opportunity.

Whoever makes the first move will lose the initiative.

However, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast had other Honkai creature assisting it, Himiko could not maintain her sword stance for more than twenty seconds before being interrupted by a Chariot-class Honkai Beast charging from behind.

The arrow is on the string and must be released.

Himiko forward, her sword slicing through all the monsters in her path. A human-like sneer appeared in the eyes of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, and a beam of light shot out from its mouth!

The moment it made contact with Himiko, a dark shadow leaped up from above the beam of light, a seemingly insignificant action that the Emperor-class Honkai Beast precisely detected.

The exact same strategy as last time.

Its head suddenly rose, and the sweeping rays suddenly turned into vertical lines, precisely engulfing the figure.

After the beam of light dissipated, there was nothing left there.

"..."

The moment Elysia saw Lin's motionless body, her beating heart fell silent.

She had actually prepared herself mentally long ago. This was the path Lin had chosen, and he would follow it to the end without hesitation. Even if he was taken away from the Fire Moth, Elysia knew that was not what Lin wanted. So she respected Lin's choice and told him that someone was waiting for him.

So she wouldn't be surprised if Lin died on the battlefield or as a moth drawn to fire one day.

But all of this happened so suddenly, so suddenly that Lin didn't know the truth of the matter. He left before he could even take one last look at the world he was protecting.

Elysia burned the letter the Speaker had given him. That letter wouldn't change Lin's path, but it would only further wound his already scarred heart. So Elysia wanted to hide the Speaker's coldness and make Lin believe that the Speaker could abandon his principles for love.

Returning to the Moth of Fire, Lin can also return to his friendships. Even if it's just a trivial act of tenderness, it should at least allow this man, who has never felt warmth since birth, to experience the feeling of being waited for.