Those Who Meet / A Small Dance

However, in reality, when everyone else was dressed in elegant gowns, they stood out as the unique few in their everyday attire.

"Doctor... who are you waiting for?" Klein saw that Mobius didn't seem to be eating or dancing. Instead, his eyes darted around, scanning the faces of the crowd again and again.

After looking around at everyone again, Mobius shook his head with a gloomy face. "No."

"... Mr. Lin?"

"Why should I wait for him? I might as well wait for a pig."

"..."

Klein understood why Mobius had brought her along; he was most likely using her as a shield.

"Doctor, if you really want Mr. Lin to come here, you can go to him now." Klein sighed. "Although Mr. Lin is aloof, he rarely refuses requests. He might not agree to do something if someone invites him to, but he would probably agree to a request."

"... How do you know him so well?"

"Hmm? There's a series of books at headquarters called 'One Hundred Questions,' one of which is called 'One Hundred Questions About the Silent Helmet,' which provides an in-depth analysis of Mr. Lin's personality and behavior. Based on my observation, 90% of what's written in that book is correct."

There's actually such a thing? But who would be so bored as to analyze that guy Lin?

"Fine, I'm going back. You can go back to work overtime if you want." Mobius wasn't exactly resentful. She coldly released Klein's hand, turned around, and walked towards the exit of the venue, ignoring the stares of others along the way.

This was probably not anger. She had actually guessed that Lin was probably indifferent to everything in his current state, including the ball... and Mobius.

She felt she had really lost her mind. She would never have done something so stupid and ridiculous before. Why did she feel sorry for that guy? No, it wasn't pity. How could it be pity for that guy? It was just that... seeing Lab Rat lose its vitality made her wonder where the problem was.

Whether he was making excuses for himself or for Lin, Mobius walked with his head down to the exit of the venue.

Then he bumped into someone who walked in.

Chapter 110 Encounters

Mobius was too lazy to argue with anyone. He figured that if anyone else saw that he had bumped into her, they would probably run away with their tails between their legs, not daring to utter a sound, lest they be caught by "that Mobius" and taken to the laboratory.

But after looking down at her toes for a long time without the person in front of her moving aside, she couldn't help but frown, trying to scare away this clueless idiot with her expression.

But when her sharp eyes spotted the person in front of her, the funny face she was about to make froze on her face, looking extremely quirky, neither smiling nor angry.

"You... how did you get here?" In front of this person wearing a helmet who looked even more out of place than she did, Mobius's earlier toughness vanished, and she was caught off guard by his appearance.

"... Didn't you send me?"

Lin's voice was very soft, and it sounded even fainter through the helmet in the not-so-quiet environment, but Mobius heard it clearly.

Mobius nearly jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, explaining, "I didn't say you had to come. I just said that dancing at the ball might help you get back into shape. Besides, Klein insisted on coming and dragged me along, so I had no choice..."

"Doctor? Why are you stopped here? Didn't you say you were leaving?" Klein walked up behind Mobius with a puzzled look on her face. She looked at Mobius's stiff face and said, "I'll go back and finish the work I haven't done yet."

"..."

Mobius's face burned. If she could look in a mirror, she would see her cheeks as red as autumn maple leaves. She wouldn't have felt this feeling of being exposed before, but today...

Klein walked past the two of them and out of the venue, then let out a malicious chuckle.

"Ahem... That's so strange. How could someone find it fun to tease the Doctor? But it shouldn't be a problem to do it once in a while, right?"

To prevent Mobius from discovering something amiss and holding her accountable, Klein dashed back to the laboratory.

"Um... Klein is tired of it, and I'm actually tired of it too, so I'm planning to leave."

"Oh, then you can go."

Lin nodded and stepped aside without saying a word, leaving a bright and clear road in front of Mobius.

"..."

"What's wrong? Aren't you leaving?" Lin asked Mobius in confusion, a question mark appearing on the viewing window of his helmet.

"... What's wrong with your helmet?"

"Vill-V said she added some systems that she thought were really cool, I don't know..." Lin turned off the "emotional emoticon display" system on the helmet, and then asked, "Aren't you leaving?"

"I..." Mobius stared at Lin's innocent-looking face for a moment, then said, "And you? What are you planning to do at the ball?"

"Just find someone to dance with, have something to eat, and listen to Eden's songs, that should be it."

"That's perfect, I was just planning to find someone to dance with anyway." Mobius nodded readily and turned to walk back into the hall.

"Weren't you planning to leave?"

"I was planning to leave because I couldn't find anyone to dance with."

Lin thought about it. Mobius had a bad reputation, and everyone kept their distance from her. Even the cat that the Fire Moth kept probably wouldn't like Mobius. The reason that she couldn't find anyone to dance with seemed to make sense.

"What are you doing? Come here right now."

Mobius, hands on his hips, stood out conspicuously in his white lab coat and snorted coldly at him.

"Is this the Moth of Fire? No wonder it's an organization that controls the pulse of the world economy."

Qianqi held a slice of watermelon in her hand, sitting in a corner of the ball carefully picking out the seeds. She had truly witnessed how different the Fire Moth was from the outside world in every aspect. Take this ball for example, its level of luxury far surpassed that of some state banquets she had seen in other countries.

Of course, being wealthy is only the least noticeable aspect of the Fire Moths. What Qianqi is impressed by is that after experiencing a disaster of the magnitude of the Seventh Honkai Eruption, the Fire Moths were able to regain their spirits and forget their sorrow in this way.

She quite appreciates this approach, which has many implications.

Many things related to her.

Of course, being unfamiliar with the place, she naturally wouldn't have a dance partner. In fact, she didn't even have anyone to talk to. The only two people she was familiar with were Lin and Ying, but she didn't see either of them at the ball.

That makes sense; a cold-blooded killer and a helmeted man would probably not be in this kind of situation. It just seems strange to think about it.

What a harmonious dance party! I might as well find a spot to lie down and watch them dance after I finish eating...

While enjoying the chilled watermelon, Qianqi suddenly noticed an "out of place" figure.

It wasn't that the person's clothes or appearance were strange, but rather that at first glance, the person's movements seemed natural, yet they kept wandering around in the crowd without a clear goal, nor did they seem to be looking for anyone; they were just aimlessly running around.

Normally, she wouldn't have noticed this person at all, but the atmosphere at this moment made it hard for her to ignore him.

Pardo had circled around several times but still hadn't found a target. Didn't these people carry wallets or anything like that? Jewelry... no, they didn't have any jewelry either.

Since most of the attendees at the ball were soldiers, and soldiers are often not used to wearing jewelry, Pardo didn't see anyone wearing a ring or necklace.

This left her at a loss. It looked bustling and lively, but she didn't even have any targets to buy goods from. Should she go and take those cups? But what's so valuable about cups?

Pardo simply stood in one spot, grabbed a chicken leg, and ate while observing her surroundings until she had seen everything before she realized what was happening.

Wait a minute, why would she even think about stealing? She seems to be one of those who follow the flame now.

Pardo, who had gotten used to it, shook her head in annoyance. She decided to eat to her heart's content and then try to find someone to ask where Brother Lin was, since she hadn't been able to find Brother Lin at the ball.

However, Brother Lin is a disabled person who uses a wheelchair, so he probably won't be at the dance.

"Hello."

Suddenly, a voice made Pardo's hair stand on end. She turned around in alarm and saw a girl with a puzzled look on her face walking towards her. She was clearly there to see her.

"W-what's wrong?" Pardo swallowed the chicken in her mouth, wiped the grease off her lips, and asked with a forced smile.

After years of struggling in the Dusk Street, faking a smile is easy for me.

"You... are you a newcomer too?"

"...ah?"

Pardo didn't immediately understand what Qianqi was saying.

"Great, me too! How about we become friends?"

Chapter 111 A Small Dance Party

"Is it him?"

"Well, except he won't wear that helmet..."

"He doesn't seem to be seriously injured?"

"Shh, keep your voice down..."

"Speaking of which, isn't that guy next to him...? How did those two end up together?"

Neither Lin nor Mobius paid any attention to the whispers that surrounded them, and Mobius was already used to the complicated or fearful looks from others.

However, this is also the main reason why Mobius doesn't want to go out. Habit and indifference are two different things. No one wants to be treated like a monster all day long, not even Mobius.

For some, the fear of Mobius might have been multifaceted, but for Lin, the initial fear had transformed into a complex emotion.

The news of Lin's failure in the Hypervariable Surgery spread like wildfire. For someone who was willing to risk his life to participate in an experiment to save humanity, no matter how much one might not understand his past actions, he should at least be given the respect he deserves.

"You're too late, there are no seats left."

Mobius looked at the dance floor, where there wasn't even room to put his feet, and immediately complained to Lin in dissatisfaction.

But she didn't actually want to dance; firstly, she couldn't dance, and secondly, she didn't want to be seen...

She found a swivel chair and was about to sit down and have a glass of red wine when, before her bottom even touched the chair, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"Huh?" Mobius's view of Lin's helmet rapidly zoomed in, and then Lin silently pulled him by the hand and led him towards the dance floor.

"Wait, what are you going to do?"

"Didn't you want to dance?" Perhaps after a few days of practice, Lin's grip was just right, not too strong for Mobius, but not strong enough for her to break free.

"But this isn't without..."

"I have a way."

Lina's uncompromising attitude left Mobius confused, leaving him no choice but to be led by the nose.

Lin glanced across the entire dance floor, then strode over to a couple who were chatting. Before they could react, he said to the man, "Could you give us your seats?"

"Uh... you are..." The bewildered man and woman had no idea where this person had come from. As newcomers, they obviously hadn't heard of the legend of the helmeted man from headquarters.

"Your hormone levels have exceeded normal levels. I suggest you go to your rooms or the artificial lake now and do whatever you want. If needed, I can help you search for some videos to increase your excitement and purchase some toys. Headquarters has a dedicated supply transport channel, and supplies can be transported back from outside in less than two hours."

"..."

His overly blunt suggestion caused the two women to stare at him with awkward and puzzled looks, and then they both walked away from this strange man and left the dance floor.

"Hey, you..." Mobius stared in disbelief as Lin calmly turned around and looked at her after doing all this.

Is this his solution?

Lin pulled her into the dance floor, then gently took her hands in time with the soothing music, and nodded, saying, "There are seats available."

"What's wrong with you..." This was the first time Mobius had seen Lin so assertive; he was different from how he was that afternoon, but...

"What?" Lin asked in return.

Mobius's heart pounded faster and faster with the rise and fall of the music. She felt she shouldn't look at his face, and even with the helmet on, she didn't want to meet his gaze.

Why are this guy's hands suddenly warm...?

His hands, which had been as cold as a rock after the surgery, were now as warm as a piece of unpolished jade by a stove.

She couldn't get the words out, and could only lower her head, letting her bangs cover her expression. "But... but I can't dance..."

"It's okay, someone taught me before, I can teach you."

Before Mobius could even refuse, Lin had already taken her hand and started dancing on the dance floor.

Lin didn't know many moves, but he knew the most basic ones, which Elysia had taught him at the ball. Now he used these simple dance moves to lead Mobius slowly through the dance floor, passing by countless dancers.

Mobius, who was initially extremely ashamed, gradually calmed down as she danced. She carefully observed and found that there were still many inconsistencies in Lin's movements, but Lin quickly corrected them.

"... What happened to you this afternoon?" After getting used to Lin's rhythm, Mobius gradually adjusted her dance steps and spoke softly to Lin to the soothing music.

"...nothing."

"Hmph, that's right, even if something happened, you wouldn't tell me."

"...Hate?"

"Not really."

Lin and Mobius's attire was quite unusual on the dance floor, so before the song was even halfway through, everyone's attention was focused on them, which made Mobius's previously calmed heart uneasy again.

"Just don't look." Lin's calm voice was like a reassuring pill, instantly pulling her out of her anxiety.

"..."