At the center of the Honkai outbreak, Mobius called out to Ling Xi!
"Understood!"
Ling Xi had long been prepared. Holding Dawnbreaker, he declared, "Lightning, enchant!"
Following the usual routine, Ling Xi charged at the three most threatening Knight-class Honkai Beasts first. Targeting one of them, he immediately unleashed a round of super electrotherapy!
"Bzzzt..."
The Knight-class Honkai Beast was struck by the powerful current, but it only took minor damage. An attack of this level apparently wasn't enough to kill it!
"Tch..."
Ling Xi looked somewhat conflicted. It seemed these Honkai Beasts were stronger than the last batch.
Tesla was, after all, only a four-star Stigmata. Using ordinary lightning attacks against Knight-class Honkai Beasts was already starting to feel inadequate, and besides...
This time, there were more than ten Assault-class Honkai Beasts in addition to the three Knight-class ones. Though Honkai Beasts of that level were little more than cannon fodder to him, it would be troublesome if they reached the crowd or entered the city. After all...
This Honkai outbreak wasn't a natural phenomenon. Mobius had caused it, so...
He had to do everything possible to minimize the losses, and... there absolutely couldn't be any casualties!
"Aslaug, activate!"
At that moment, Ling Xi knew he could no longer hide his strength. He had to quickly kill the three Knight-class Honkai Beasts and wipe out the remaining Assault-class ones. Otherwise, if even greater losses were caused, the consequences would be serious!
Thus, Ling Xi finally used Aslaug's power. The situation before him was no longer something Tesla could handle!
"Burn to ashes!"
Ling Xi raised Dawnbreaker high, then slashed it down. In an instant, the firebird appeared once more. The three Knight-class Honkai Beasts, along with several nearby Assault-class Honkai Beasts, were reduced to ashes in an instant!
"So it really is..."
Watching the flames surrounding Ling Xi, Mobius finally confirmed his identity. Before, she had been ninety-nine point nine-nine-nine percent certain, infinitely close to one hundred percent, but not quite there. Now...
It was one hundred percent. The person who had appeared in H City two months ago was Ling Xi!
Looking at Ling Xi's back, Mobius couldn't help smiling. After two months, he had finally decided to use this power again?
Once Ling Xi used Aslaug's power again, the outcome was already decided. The three Knight-class and fourteen Assault-class Honkai Beasts that had emerged from the Honkai wormhole were all wiped out by Ling Xi.
Moreover, because Mobius had evacuated people and made preparations in advance this time, no one died. Only three people suffered minor injuries while fleeing, either from falling or running into walls. As for the property damage this time...
Uh...
Actually, it wasn't too bad. Just about a hundred million, perhaps. At least compared to the things in the institute, the losses really could be considered very small!
It was the moment of bankruptcy!.jpg
I'm the Doctor's Dog!
"Ling Xi, don't you... have anything to say to me?"
After returning to the laboratory, Mobius had Klein organize the data. Only Ling Xi and Mobius remained in the room.
"Uh..."
Ling Xi felt awkward for a moment because... he understood what Mobius meant.
"I remember that just a few days ago, someone told me..."
Mobius smiled at Ling Xi. "If you lie to me again, you'll have to be my doggy. What do you think, Ling Xi?"
"..."
Hearing Mobius's question, Ling Xi suddenly felt embarrassed. Did he... really have to become the Doctor's dog?
"If you can explain it clearly within one minute, I can consider letting you off the hook. After all..."
Mobius gave him a wicked smile. "Compared to dogs, I still prefer cats."
"Alright, Doctor, actually..."
Ling Xi scratched his head and smiled. "Actually, I didn't want to reveal my power because using it has certain side effects. They're slight, but they cause irreversible damage to both the body and mind. So... unless it's necessary, I really don't want to expose it."
Ling Xi wasn't exactly lying either. How could something like a Stigmata, which granted immense power, possibly have no side effects at all?
What Sirin had told him back then was merely that freely switching them wouldn't cause side effects. She hadn't said there were no side effects while using them!
"Then why did you reveal it today?"
Mobius smiled faintly. "Even if you hadn't used the power of fire and had only relied on lightning, you still would've been able to eliminate those Honkai Beasts. After all, you demonstrated that level of strength that day."
"This..."
Ling Xi hesitated, unsure how to answer. He had his reasons for doing it, but if he said them out loud... Mobius might not believe him.
"Because among the powers you possess, fire is far stronger than lightning. And since this Honkai outbreak was caused by me, if you slowly cleaned them up with lightning, there might have been casualties. At that point, public opinion would have been even more unfavorable toward our laboratory... especially me. So..."
Mobius moved closer to Ling Xi, gently poked his nose, and smiled. "You used the stronger power of fire so you could eliminate the Honkai Beasts immediately and prevent any casualties, right?"
"Huh? Doctor, how did you...?"
Ling Xi was utterly baffled. Why did Mobius know what he had been thinking?
"Hmph, I'm not stupid. How could I not figure it out?"
Mobius gave a soft snort, seeming somewhat displeased that Ling Xi had hidden it from her.
"Sorry, Doctor... I..."
Having his thoughts exposed, Ling Xi awkwardly scratched his head.
"Idiot, what are you apologizing for?"
Mobius covered Ling Xi's mouth and smiled gently. "You revealed this power for my sake, after all. But... since this ability has side effects, try to use it less in the future."
"Mm, I understand, Doctor..."
Hearing Mobius say that, Ling Xi felt a trace of warmth in his heart. After learning that his Stigmata ability had side effects, her first reaction wasn't to exploit it to the fullest, but to tell him to use it less.
"Besides, you revealed it because you were considering me, so..."
Mobius blinked and smiled. "Let's write off the matter of you deceiving me before. But if you lie to me again next time, I really will put a leash on you and take you home to raise you as a doggy."
"Uh... hehe, I won't, Doctor."
Ling Xi smiled at that. Knowing Mobius wasn't angry over this, he couldn't help thinking that this was his Doctor. Though her reputation outside wasn't very good—one could even say it was full of malice—she was genuinely good to her own people.
Woof woof woof woof!.jpg
Two days later, after school in the afternoon, Ling Xi came to the laboratory as usual. He found all four of them in the lobby, and none of them were smiling. Instead, their faces were filled with seriousness and indignation.
"Doctor, what are you doing here?"
Ling Xi walked in directly and asked curiously.
"Ling Xi, you're here."
Only when she saw Ling Xi did a faint smile appear on Mobius's face. "It's nothing much. It's just that our laboratory's funding may run into some problems for a while."
"Huh? What happened? Did they cut our funding again?"
Ling Xi took the issue of laboratory funding very seriously. Laboratories burned money at an alarming rate. Salaries were a minor expense; equipment, materials, and all the necessary technologies were the real money pits!
And now Mobius was suddenly telling him that their funding might be in trouble. Of course he had to take it seriously.
"Yes!"
Klein nodded. "The day before yesterday, after the Honkai outbreak, the people at the institute jointly submitted a report to headquarters. Several elders from headquarters sent instructions demanding that the Doctor suspend her Honkai-related experiments, citing human safety as the reason. Naturally, the Doctor refused, and then they brought up our laboratory's funding. Although the official document hasn't been issued yet..."
"Sigh..."
As she spoke, Klein sighed as well.
"..."
Even though Klein hadn't finished speaking, Ling Xi already understood what was happening. After all, Mobius's laboratory had a history of having its funding cut.
"There's nothing we can do. My experiment that day caused such a huge commotion. Now the entire Flame-Chasing Moths knows that our Doctor can create Honkai, so..."
Cangxuan spread her hands. "They're afraid. They're afraid the Doctor will create even stronger Honkai, and they're also afraid of... public opinion."
Ling Xi understood Cangxuan's words very well. The Flame-Chasing Moths already had a poor reputation, and since it was a United Nations organization, the distribution of power within it was extremely complicated. If public opinion became too unfavorable, they would be in a very difficult position.
"Klein, how much funding do we... have left now?"
Ling Xi silently looked toward Klein. He knew she was in charge of the laboratory's finances.
"We aren't short on funding at the moment, since we still have investors. But... some planned projects will probably have to be postponed or canceled."
Klein spoke quietly. "Also, because the Doctor refused to cooperate, the institute intends to hold us accountable for the damage the Honkai caused to the institute. So... we actually owe the institute one hundred million now. Fortunately, responsibility for the previous Honkai outbreak hasn't been placed on us yet, but..."
"If responsibility for the previous Honkai outbreak is placed on us too, then... we'll have to repay at least two billion in debt!"
Two billion?
Holy shit, that was thirteen billion!
Ling Xi: "..."
Say, was it still too late for him to grab a bucket and run?
"Sigh, forget it. It's not their fault."
Mobius shook her head and smiled. "After all, I really did create Honkai. In most people's eyes, I'm probably a demon."
"Doctor, that's not true!"
Ling Xi immediately refuted her...
"Ling Xi, you don't need to say it. I know what you want to say."
Mobius merely smiled. "But it's fine for now. A symposium will be held on the Mu Continent soon. The upper ranks of the Flame-Chasing Moths and most of the world's top scholars will attend. Of course, I'll be there too. Then..."
Mobius smiled faintly. "I plan to reveal some information about Honkai at the symposium. That should make them take it seriously, I think."
"I..."
Ling Xi seemed to want to say something, but he ultimately remained silent. Still... he didn't think Mobius's words would be useful!
The Flame-Chasing Moths were the world's largest organization for internal strife. Even when humanity had only three cities left, they would still be scheming against one another. Expecting to persuade an organization like that with reason? You might as well hope to win over the Herrscher of Finality and save the world!
"Doctor, of the final three experimental groups, two lost activity yesterday, and one just lost activity."
Cangxuan suddenly received another data alert. Looking at the data on her phone, she said helplessly, "All four hundred of our experimental groups have failed."
"Sigh... just as expected..."
Mobius sighed. Yet she didn't seem especially surprised by the result. Ever since Cangxuan's report that day, she had already guessed this would happen. That damned... genetic protection.
"Alright, alright, don't just stand around. Go take care of your own work."
In the end, Mobius waved her hand, ending the discussion and telling everyone to return to their work!
"Understood, Doctor!"
At her words, Klein and the other two immediately went back to their tasks. Even though part of their funding had been cut, it wasn't enough to make the laboratory unsustainable. They still had quite a few investors, after all. At worst, some research would be delayed.
So, they were more angry about what the higher-ups had done than worried about funding!
"Ling Xi..."
Just as Ling Xi was about to leave as well, Mobius called out to him.
"Is something wrong, Doctor?"
Ling Xi stopped and turned to look at Mobius.
"Ling Xi..."
Mobius hesitated, then smiled softly. "Could you take a walk with me? I want to... clear my head."
Is the First Step of an Experiment... Marriage?
Two hours later, the car stopped by the sea...
For some reason, whether in TV dramas or movies, whenever the protagonists were in a bad mood, they always liked going to the beach. So when Mobius had handed Ling Xi the keys and told him to go anywhere he wanted, Ling Xi decisively drove them to the seaside!
"Mm, the ocean... it does seem like it's been a while since I came here..."
Before you continue