Uh, this time it wasn't some romantic line about loving you until the end of the world. It was... the real end of the world!
This Money Doesn't Feel Safe in My Hands. How About I Take a Bite?
"By the way, where's Doctor?"
Klein looked around the hall and found that Mobius was absent again. She was probably doing something in her laboratory.
"She's in that lab."
Ling Xi pointed at the laboratory they had visited earlier and said casually, "Doctor took some of my blood earlier for a physical examination, so she should still be testing my blood sample."
"Is that so..."
An expression of "just as expected" flashed across Klein's face. After all... the main reason Mobius had asked her to bring Ling Xi here was to study him. Whether it was that video from H City or the ability Mobius mentioned, his ability to release electric currents last night, both were worth researching.
"Ling Xi, I'll show you around our workplace first..."
Since Mobius was studying the blood sample, Klein naturally did not want to disturb her. She could only take Ling Xi around the lab and familiarize him with the environment.
"Mm, okay. Thank you."
Ling Xi nodded slightly, then suddenly thought of something and asked, "By the way, Senior Klein, you..."
"Mm?"
Klein looked at Ling Xi with an adorably blank expression, waiting for him to continue.
"Uh..."
Ling Xi asked in a low voice, "Would it be convenient to tell me how much your salary is? Of course, I'm just curious. Just asking casually. It's fine if you can't say."
"Salary..."
Klein answered directly, "A base salary of five thousand. At the end of the year, a few months' worth of salary will be added depending on the situation."
Ling Xi: "???"
Wait, even a trusted aide like Klein only made five thousand, while he was getting eight thousand...
Ling Xi: "..." Why did holding this money feel a little unsafe? How about I take a bite... Uh, forget it. Better not.
"You don't need to look at me like that. I asked for this myself."
Klein seemed to have seen through Ling Xi's thoughts. "I used to work in another laboratory, where my base salary started at ten thousand. But after I came to Doctor Mobius's lab, I voluntarily lowered my salary."
"Huh? Why?"
Hearing Klein say that only made Ling Xi more curious. He even wondered whether there was really something wrong with her head, voluntarily cutting her own salary...
"Because our lab was rather poor, and funding for purchasing supplies and equipment was seriously insufficient. When I arrived, apart from the essential scientific instruments, the lab could practically be described as bare walls. There was even only one chair. As for things like sofas, televisions, water dispensers, refrigerators, and microwaves, don't even think about them!"
Then Klein continued, "So I asked Doctor to lower my salary and use the money to improve the lab's environment. Although Doctor always said the lab didn't need to be decorated too nicely as long as research could be done, she eventually agreed to my request."
"Uh..."
Hearing that, Ling Xi looked at Klein with admiration. He really did not know whether to call this girl foolish or stupid, using her own salary to buy shared supplies...
"But our laboratory..."
Ling Xi corrected himself and asked, "Isn't Doctor Mobius an amazing scientist? Logically speaking, the funding allocated to us shouldn't be low, right? How could there not even be money to purchase supplies and equipment?"
"Sigh, because... of Doctor."
Klein said quietly, "Mobius is a once-in-a-century genius recognized by the world. At your age, Doctor was already a scholar renowned around the world."
"But Doctor only wanted to focus on her own research. She didn't care about her status or reputation at all, nor did she put on airs around anyone. Whether it was the upper ranks of the Flame-Chasing Moths, the leaders of investors, or even the lab's cleaners, Doctor treated them all equally. She never changed her attitude because of someone's identity."
Ling Xi: "..." I know this kind of character setting...
"But because of that, Doctor offended quite a few powerful people. They couldn't openly do anything because of her achievements, but our lab's funding was cut again and again. In the end, we could barely cover our expenses, and nearly every quarter ran a deficit..."
At that, Klein sighed. "Fortunately, Doctor has changed a little recently after I persuaded her. At least... she is now willing to attend some banquets and events. So our lab's funding has increased somewhat lately. It's not exactly abundant, but at least we're no longer like before, when insufficient funding meant we couldn't even pay salaries, and everyone had to spend their days eating instant noodles with pickles."
Ling Xi: "..."
Still, after hearing Klein's explanation, Ling Xi understood Mobius a little better. He had thought scientists like her were all arrogant and aloof, but now it seemed that was not the case at all. No wonder Mobius's voice in the game had sounded so soft and cute, though... she was still quite different from the current one.
"Then... can I voluntarily lower my salary a little?"
After learning the lab's story, Ling Xi had some thoughts. He truly did not need such a high salary right now. After all, there was no point earning more money. In the end, Finality would wipe the world clean, and everything would turn to nothing!
So Ling Xi also hoped to reduce his salary a little and make the lab's funding more comfortable. It could count as a small gesture of goodwill from him.
"There's no need. Didn't I just say it? We aren't short on funding now."
Seeing that Ling Xi had the same idea, Klein smiled slightly. "And Doctor would never agree. I guarantee that if you told Doctor this, she would definitely be very angry."
"Uh... okay. I understand."
Ling Xi hurriedly nodded to show that he understood. Perhaps... this was simply Mobius being Mobius.
After that, Klein began guiding Ling Xi through the work in the laboratory. Since Ling Xi was a newcomer, Klein assigned him the simplest tasks, basically organizing documents, observing materials, recording logs, and so on...
Of course, today did not count as official work. It was only meant to familiarize him with the job.
As for his working hours, they were just as Mobius had said before. Aside from Mobius's special requests, Ling Xi could come whenever he was free and skip it whenever he was busy. It was extremely flexible, as long as Ling Xi remembered that he belonged to the laboratory.
In short, from today onward, Ling Xi officially became an assistant in the Mobius Laboratory of the First Research Institute under the Flame-Chasing Moths. A proper staff position, too.
And Ling Xi had decided that he would persist down the path of clinging to Mobius's thigh. Not for anything else, but simply so he could survive until the era of the new civilization!
Seele, Seele, Seele?
The next morning, Ling Xi went to Senba Academy for class as usual. However, because he had not slept well the previous night, he was still a little sleepy. He could not help it. Clinging to Mobius's thigh yesterday had left him just a tiny bit excited.
"Haaah..."
After taking the subway to the academy gates, Ling Xi got off and could not help yawning. He closed his eyes and continued walking forward...
Thump...
"Ah..."
Suddenly, Ling Xi felt as though he had bumped into something. He hurriedly opened his eyes.
Then Ling Feng saw a girl standing in front of him with her back turned. It seemed that he had just bumped into her...
"Uh... sorry. Are you okay..."
Since he was the one who had bumped into her, Ling Xi immediately wanted to apologize. Then he noticed a piece of jam-covered bread on the ground in front of the girl. Except... the bread was already on the floor.
Ling Xi: "..."
At that moment, the girl he had bumped into turned around and glared at him resentfully. There was even a trace of... grief and indignation in her eyes!
That was right, grief and indignation!
She was truly helpless. She had finally bought herself a jam bun in the morning and had only taken one bite when someone suddenly bumped into her from behind. Then... all she could feel was as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through her heart!
"Uh, I'm sor... Mm?"
Ling Xi had just wanted to apologize and offer compensation, but the moment he saw the girl's face, he froze.
Red eyes, black hair, and... that incredibly familiar face. This was...
Seele...
Ling Xi almost called out that name on instinct, but stopped himself at the last moment. He knew very well that this was the world of the Pre-Collapse Civilization, not the Honkai world he knew. Seele... could not possibly appear here.
So this was probably just a girl who looked very much like Seele.
"I'll compensate you."
Ling Xi quickly came back to his senses. Seeing the jam bun on the ground, he immediately said he would compensate her. After all, this really was his fault.
"Hmph. No need."
The girl shot Ling Xi a highly displeased glance, then turned and left directly. "Clean up your own trash!"
Ling Xi: "..."
Ling Xi rubbed his forehead helplessly. He really... had not done it on purpose.
Forget it. He could apologize the next time they met. As for the Seele matter...
Although this girl looked almost exactly like Seele, aside from her hair and eye colors, there was no similarity at all in their personalities. If that girl had truly been Seele, she would have said it was fine and accepted his apology, because Seele was very gentle.
In short, that girl was probably just someone who looked very much like Seele. Yeah...
This sort of thing did not seem unusual. After all, Mei from the Pre-Collapse Civilization and the cooking lady from the Honkai world looked alike, as did the Herrscher of Flame from the Pre-Collapse Civilization and Aunt Himeko. There was also an artificial intelligence called Prometheus who looked almost identical to Bronya, so...
That girl he had just met was probably the same kind of case. She looked like Seele, but had no connection to the Seele he knew.
"Forget it. I'll apologize next time..."
The girl had already left, so Ling Xi could only clean up the trash on the ground. They attended the same school, so they would meet again sooner or later. He could properly apologize after she had calmed down.
In the classroom, the teacher was still lecturing almost obliviously at the front, while Ling Xi yawned and wanted to sleep. He felt that he no longer needed to attend school at all. After all, the Honkai outbreak in Changkong City was about to happen. How much longer could Senba Academy even exist?
Besides, he now had a job as Mobius's assistant, so his future livelihood and survival were no longer problems.
If he had to say what use attending school still had for him now, there was probably only one thing!
Finding Mei and Kevin. Though... those two did not seem to need finding at all. Mei was a beautiful, well-behaved girl, a genius whose grades ranked among the best in the entire school... no, the entire country. Asking anyone at Qianyu Academy would reveal where she was.
As for Kevin, wherever Mei was, Kevin was there. Ling Xi could practically see Ancestor Kevin playing basketball in the activity room or on the court every day, surrounded by the screams of a crowd of fangirls...
Yeah, damn it. He hated guys with good family backgrounds who were also handsome the most. If he were not worried that changing the future timeline would cause Kiana to cease to exist, he would have snatched Mei away and put the Archbishop's hat on Kevin himself.
Of course, that was only a thought. After all, he quite supported Kevin and Mei as a couple. Sadly, the two never truly ended up together. Their only descendant was a test-tube baby, and Kevin was without question a great hero and warrior!
Mm... of course, that was in the future. The current Kevin was still just a young man who loved showing off and acting cool.
Come to think of it, with Mei's current level of knowledge, she should already qualify to join the Flame-Chasing Moths, right? Klein had said yesterday that Mobius had already been a world-famous big shot at around Ling Xi's age. Mei should not be much worse.
According to the normal plot, Mei would only join the Flame-Chasing Moths after the Third Honkai Eruption in Changkong City. If he changed the timeline and had Mei join the Flame-Chasing Moths earlier, would human civilization's technology advance even further?
Though the final outcome might still be destruction...
But then again, Mei still did not know how terrifying the Honkai was. If she had not personally experienced the terror of the Third Honkai Eruption, her future might turn out differently too.
In short, it was best not to affect too much of the plot. Letting things take their natural course was best. After all, his only advantage right now was knowing a little about the future. But if he changed too much and turned the future plot into a complete mess, then...
If he somehow ruined the Pre-Collapse Civilization's Project Fireseed, then it would truly be over.
So he should just let things take their natural course. He could stay safely hidden in Mobius's laboratory and wait for Finality to descend, then head to the new era. It was not that he did not want to change anything. Rather, in the face of absolute power, he was simply far too insignificant.
Unfortunately, his cheat was Sirin, not the legendary Lying Flat System. Otherwise, given his current situation, he could absolutely lie flat for fifty-five thousand years. That was only about an Immortal's age. By the time the new civilization began, perhaps he would have already survived his way to invincibility...
Still, even if he did not plan to change anything, there was no harm in getting to know Mei and Kevin in advance. Especially while Mei was not yet a big shot. Building some goodwill early was definitely the right move!
Then he could cling to the snake's thigh with his left hand and Mei's thigh with his right. Other than Finality, he would dare talk back to anyone!
I'm Seele, the Real Seele!
"Ring, ring, ring..."
At last, the dismissal bell rang. It was time for lunch break. Ling Xi planned to fill his stomach at the academy cafeteria first, then go find Mobius at the laboratory. He had no classes in the afternoon, so he could spend more time in the lab.
Very soon, Ling Xi arrived at the academy cafeteria, where a long line had already formed ahead of him...
Ling Xi: "..." Should I just eat outside...
Looking at the line in front of him, Ling Xi felt a little intimidated. Sure enough, no matter what school it was, once mealtime arrived, everyone turned into food-obsessed eaters!
Shaking his head, Ling Xi still decided to eat outside. He had just received a year's salary yesterday, so he was not short on money anymore. Thus, Ling Xi decisively left the cafeteria and prepared to eat at a restaurant outside.
"Mm? She's..."
However, after walking only a few steps, Ling Xi spotted a girl standing in front of a bakery window.
"Mmm..."
In front of the bakery, the girl stared at the bread inside and fell into deep thought. Her current budget was enough to buy one pork floss bun, but...
One pork floss bun was clearly not enough to fill her up. After all... some bastard had knocked her jam bun onto the ground this morning, leaving her breakfast with only that single bite. After an entire morning of classes, she was already starving.
So what should she choose now? Should she buy one pork floss bun she liked, or two cheaper plain buns?
Before you continue