Pre-Collapse Civilization, My Wife is a Snake Oh Chapter 4

"Haaah..."

Ling Xi stretched, then left the classroom with the other students, planning to head to the academy cafeteria for lunch!

Though, there wasn't anything particularly novel about the food in this era. Most of the dishes he'd seen here could be found in fifty thousand years anyway. The staples were still rice and flour, and the menus weren't much different from the future. Still, he thought it tasted pretty good!

In the afternoon, Ling Xi was in his rented apartment, pondering how he should go to Shenzhou!

Since his identity was that of a Shenzhou native, returning would be simple. But the problem was that he was still a student at Qianyu Academy, and Qianyu Academy was a top-tier global institution. If he could graduate from here, he'd definitely have no worries about future employment, so...

If he left Changkong City, he'd have to leave Qianyu Academy early. And once he lost that status, trying to start from scratch to earn money and build an underground shelter would be incredibly difficult.

However, if he didn't leave, he didn't know when the Third Honkai Outbreak would occur. By then, the fate of Changkong City might not be much better than it was in Honkai Impact 3rd. Trying to leave then would likely be even harder.

"Ding dong..."

Just as Ling Xi was agonizing over when to leave Changkong City, the doorbell rang.

"Huh?"

Ling Xi felt a bit confused. In this world, he shouldn't... have any friends, right?

Of course, despite his confusion, Ling Xi quickly got up to open the door.

Opening the door, Ling Xi found a green-haired girl standing there. Although her expression was a bit vacant, it didn't detract from her beauty. The key thing was...

Why did she look so familiar...

"Hello, Ling Xi."

Upon seeing Ling Xi, the girl greeted him immediately.

"Uh... Hello, are you... Klein?"

Although Ling Xi wasn't entirely sure, she really looked so much like her. Even though the one he saw in the game was an automaton, the aura and her dazed, cute appearance were exactly the same.

"Oh no, he actually recognizes me..."

Hearing Ling Xi call out her name directly, Klein panicked inwardly. Because if Ling Xi knew her, it obviously meant he knew Mobius too. And with Mobius's infamous reputation, trying to recruit Ling Xi would be...

Well, she hadn't held out much hope before coming, and now, there was absolutely no hope left!

"Huh? Actually? What do you mean?"

Hearing Klein's words, Ling Xi was a bit confused.

"Mmm... Nothing."

Despite her momentary panic, Klein had been Mobius's assistant for several years. She had seen all sorts of situations during that time. She immediately said, "I'm just a little surprised that you know me. Can you tell me how you know me?"

"Uh..."

Ling Xi froze for a moment. How did he know Klein... Obviously, he knew her from the game, but he definitely couldn't say that!

"Never mind, I know even if you don't tell me."

Seeing that Ling Xi seemed reluctant to say, Klein had already guessed the answer. Undoubtedly, it was because of Mobius. As Mobius's assistant, many people knew about her.

Ling Xi: "..." What do you know?

"It's like this..."

Klein said softly, "My Doctor troubled you last night. Thank you for taking care of her, so my Doctor sent me to express her gratitude, and also..."

"The Doctor wishes to invite you to the laboratory to express her thanks in person."

Klein didn't dare to say that Mobius's intention was to recruit Ling Xi, because if she said that, Ling Xi might directly grab a broom and slam the door shut. So, Klein rephrased it, only stating that Mobius simply wanted to thank him in person.

"Doctor..."

Ling Xi suddenly thought of something and asked, "Your Doctor... she isn't by any chance named Mobius, is she?"

Immediately, Ling Xi recalled some information. When he played Elysian Realm, although he didn't pay attention to the plot and didn't fully complete it, he had learned from bits and pieces that Klein was Mobius's assistant. So...

Was the mature woman from last night Mobius?

Uh, wait, this script seems a bit off. Shouldn't Mobius be a little loli? When did she become a mature woman?

Ling Xi remembered clearly that before he transmigrated, the version was already 5.1. However, he had almost quit for a year. So after the version update, he only logged in to claim return rewards, then drew some gacha, and at most played Elysian Realm once. But as for the plot...

Well... Young man, do you see the skip button in the upper right corner?

Ling Xi: "..."

Damn it, if I had known I would transmigrate, I should have learned more about the plot back then. If I had just understood a little more, I wouldn't be so clueless now, to the point of not even recognizing Mobius.

"It seems you know my Doctor..."

After hearing Ling Xi say Mobius's name, Klein became even more certain that Ling Xi knew Mobius. Then... the recruitment matter was probably hopeless.

"Uh... Mobius, of course, I know her. After all, she's an excellent and great scientist."

Ling Xi chuckled and said, "It's just that I've only heard of her, I haven't actually met Doctor Mobius, which is why I didn't recognize her last night."

"Excellent, great..."

Hearing Ling Xi evaluate her Doctor so highly, Klein seemed somewhat surprised. It seemed that ever since she started working as the Doctor's assistant, whether it was from the outside world or internally, there were many evaluations of Mobius, but without exception... they were all negative!

Putting aside her excellence for a moment, as Mobius was indeed excellent, the idea of her being "great" was something everyone considered impossible.

However... judging by Ling Xi's reaction, she seemed to have a good impression of her doctor? Then the recruitment wouldn't be...

As a result, Klein's usually vacant expression broke into a smile that lacked any self-awareness...

Chapter 7: The Doctor's Guest? Respect You're a Man!

"Classmate Ling Xi, judging by your words, it seems you think highly of the Doctor?"

Klein suppressed the urge to drag Ling Xi back to the lab and began asking about Ling Xi's opinion of Mobius. If Ling Xi genuinely had a good impression of Mobius—and here, "good impression" didn't refer to romantic feelings, but simply a positive regard—then recruiting her shouldn't be difficult!

"Well... I suppose so. I personally respect her quite a bit."

Ling Xi thought carefully about Mobius's story. However, since she hadn't played much of the Elysian Realm, her knowledge was quite limited. The most memorable encounter was probably the first time she met Mobius in the Elysian Realm...

When she saw that little loli, she fell in love at first sight. Her voice was also very pleasant, soft and cute, making her one of the few dialogues Ling Xi didn't skip.

Later, while watching videos on Bilibili, she stumbled upon some of Mobius's story content. She forgot the specific details, but she had a general understanding of Mobius's story. In short, she was an incredibly formidable figure, a scientist who joined the Flame-Chasing Moths even before Mei!

Before officially diving into the Pre-Collapse Civilization storyline, Ling Xi had always thought Mei was the sole ruler of the Pre-Collapse era, a super scientist leading humanity against Honkai energy. But she later learned that besides Mei, Mobius was also a big shot. Despite being a loli, she was a true genius. It seemed the Stigmata Project and the Fused Warrior project were both participated in, or even led by, Mobius.

However, Ling Xi's understanding of Mobius ended there. Unfortunately, due to work, she really didn't have the time to patiently watch the story!

"Is that so... Then, about the Doctor's invitation I mentioned earlier, do you have time?"

Having received a positive answer, Klein asked again. Given Ling Xi's attitude towards Mobius, as long as she was invited back, the matter would likely be settled. As for what happened after... well...

That would have to be discussed another day.

"Of course, there's no problem. I have time right now."

Ling Xi originally didn't want to get involved with anyone else, especially with the Honkai imminent. But it was Mobius! A big shot in the Flame-Chasing Moths. How could she refuse her invitation?

Therefore, Ling Xi agreed decisively. After all, no matter what, she was one of her favorite Valkyries from before her transmigration... or rather, one of them!

Although this Mobius seemed a bit different from the one in the story.

Qianyu Academy wasn't far from the Changkong City branch of the Flame-Chasing Moths. The two organizations had a cooperative relationship. After all, Qianyu Academy was more than just a high school; it also had university and research departments, which facilitated a strategic partnership with the Flame-Chasing Moths.

Some enrolled students were even already working on related projects or research at the Flame-Chasing Moths. Consequently, a small portion of the staff at the Changkong City branch of the Flame-Chasing Moths consisted of interns from Qianyu Academy.

About fifteen minutes later, Ling Xi followed Klein to the Flame-Chasing Moths base. Contrary to her expectations, the base wasn't built underground or in the sky; it was simply a campus. Armed guards patrolled the entrance.

"Halt!"

Seeing Klein and Ling Xi approach, a guard immediately stopped them and said, "Hello, Klein. Please present your identification!"

Although the guard recognized Klein, identification was required for entry; it was the rule, so the guard could only follow procedure!

Of course, he only dared to enforce the rules when Mobius wasn't with Klein. If it were Mobius... then...

Ahem, there's a saying: no one would be foolish enough to impersonate Doctor Mobius...

Klein then took out her ID card and swiped it on the device presented by the guard. Her identity was immediately displayed.

"Hello, you may enter..."

The guard was just going through the motions. Now that her identity was confirmed, he naturally let her pass. Then he looked at Ling Xi, "Hello, please present your identification..."

"This is my Doctor's guest."

Klein simply stated quietly...

Guard: "..."

"Please enter!"

The guard immediately let them pass.

Ling Xi: "..."

"Uh... thank you!"

Ling Xi said thanks, feeling a bit speechless.

"You're welcome, brother. You've worked hard. For the future of humanity..."

The guard returned a salute to Ling Xi, looking at her with respect.

Ling Xi: "..."

Klein: "..."

Klein couldn't stand it any longer and quickly pulled Ling Xi away...

After walking quite a distance, Klein realized she was still holding Ling Xi's hand and quickly let go, saying apologetically, "Sorry, I pulled you this far without your permission..."

"It's fine. I'm more than happy to have such a cute girl take my hand."

Ling Xi naturally didn't mind and used a joke to ease Klein's awkwardness. She then continued, "By the way, your Doctor seems to be quite respected!"

Seeing how the guard let them pass without questioning or checking after Klein said she was the Doctor's guest, Ling Xi couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. As expected of Mobius, a true big shot of the Flame-Chasing Moths.

"Uh... yes."

Klein rubbed her forehead, contemplating whether to tell Ling Xi the truth, because...

The guards' behavior just now wasn't out of respect for their doctor at all; it was purely because of the "Respect You're a Man" sentiment. After all, among the top ten rumors about Flame-Chasing Moths, Mobius herself accounted for eight. One of them stated that guests of Doctor Mobius generally didn't have a good ending...

So, the guards' attitude towards Ling Xi earlier was genuinely just a sign of "Respect You're a Man"...

Following Klein, Ling Xi passed by several buildings and saw quite a few people. However... their expressions turned somewhat strange when they saw him walking with Klein...

After about three minutes, Klein finally stopped at the entrance to a laboratory in a large building!

"Ling Xi, the Doctor should be in the lab, but..."

Klein said, "Because the Doctor's research is in bio-genetics, there will be some experimental subjects in the lab. You might find them a bit unsettling, so I hope you're mentally prepared."

"Don't worry, I'm not the type to be scared off by something like this."

Ling Xi nodded to show he understood. A scientist's lab, you know how it is. If you don't, I can't explain it. Anyway...

It's not strange to find some weird stuff!

"Mhm..."

Seeing that Ling Xi seemed genuinely fine, Klein then led him through the laboratory door.

Mobius's laboratory was naturally more than just a single room. It was divided into areas. Upon entering, they were in the main hall, where Mobius usually rested and ate instant noodles, and where Klein also worked overtime. There were also five other rooms, essentially standard lab configurations.

After entering the main hall, Klein asked Ling Xi to wait there while he himself walked into Mobius's laboratory.

Chapter 8: The Doctor is bigger than I imagined!

"Doctor, Ling Xi is here..."

Entering Mobius's laboratory, Klein saw Mobius still researching small animals...

"Oh, you actually managed to call him here?"

Hearing Klein's words, Mobius seemed a bit surprised. She quickly put down the instrument in her hand and asked curiously, "Klein, how did you do it? You actually got Ling Xi to come. I thought you'd be crying... uh, cough, cough, well done, Klein."