The mob boss muttered to himself. Even though his underlings really were screaming in agony, he still felt as if he were dreaming.
Kongming had turned into Huang Yueying or Xiao Qiao.
How could I, Liu Xuande, be having such a terrifying dream?
But nightmares were not so easily stopped.
The Capitalist Tycoon affected a coy voice and continued acting cute.
"Since we happened to meet here, I suppose it's fate. I spotted a very pretty dress. Will you come try it on with me later?"
"If you refuse, I'll be very sad."
She even sent a pitiful-looking emoji after saying that.
The sight immediately left the other members of the group speechless...
They had thought that being proficient at trickery, deception, and scams was already Russell's limit. Who would have thought Russell also had the potential to become a virtual streamer?
"Stop pretending. You're not Elysia."
At that moment, Mobius was the one who came to her senses.
She stared coldly at the screen and made her judgment.
"After you spoke, the others barely said anything—they're all waiting for you to make a decision. You're the center of this group, perhaps even its absolute center. That definitely isn't how Elysia would act. If it were her, she would choose to occupy the second or third position in terms of influence, then let everyone else take turns standing at the center, rather than making decisions for everyone on her own initiative."
"Kevin? No, Kevin doesn't have that many schemes or such twisted interests. Su? That's not right either. Su may seem gentle, but he's strong-willed. If he discovered that I wanted to seize someone else's body, his methods would be extreme. Chijie is even less likely... You're definitely not one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Who are you?"
Russell had no choice but to applaud a certain lady.
"As expected of you, Doctor Mobius. Or should I say, as expected of Elysia's good friend?"
"You saw through me after only a few minutes of imitation."
She was close with Elysia?
That statement made Mobius furrow her delicate brows, and she immediately began to refute him.
"Elysia and I are not the same kind of people."
"Indeed, you aren't the same kind of people, but no one ever said you have to be the same kind to like each other."
"At the very least, when I see my peers, all I want is to either crush them to death or turn them into workhorses."
Russell shrugged.
His greatest hobby was swallowing up the assets of other nobles or wealthy merchants.
"Hehe, if being the same kind meant you liked each other, then you should already be happily married to Vill-V... no, Vill-V's Memeory Body."
"...Who exactly are you?"
Mobius looked at the string of replies, and her heart sank slightly.
Mobius was a product of the Previous Civilization. Strictly speaking, she had been born when human civilization was already nearing its end.
Therefore, there were not many people who knew about her at all.
After the battle against the Finality, those who knew her were probably almost all dead.
Although he had misunderstood her relationship with Elysia.
He had also revealed a great deal of information.
"The current Schicksal Bishop—Otto Apocalypse—offers you his greetings."
Without hesitation, Russell gave a name that made the group members feel rather dumbfounded.
No, Lord Russell, you really weren't planning to use your own name at all, were you?
"Otto, is it? I'll remember that."
Mobius fell silent for a moment and prepared to log off.
Though she did not know what was going on, with this guy around, she had no way of tricking people into going to the Elysian Realm.
"However, if you are willing to work for Schicksal, I would be delighted to send a suitable body to welcome your arrival."
But just as Mobius was about to leave completely, the young man suddenly sent another message.
Oh?
Mobius's eyes shifted slightly.
Was he a schemer?
Because the people in this group were important to him, he would not use them.
Yet he was willing to use another life in exchange for her rebirth.
Was he cut from the same cloth as her, rather than someone like Elysia?
A ruler of the future generation.
Mobius was somewhat disappointed.
"Show me your sincerity."
Mobius sounded rather uninterested.
Working for those in power in exchange for experimental resources was normal for her. So long as the price was right, there was nothing wrong with working for an organization called Schicksal.
"Causality Law, mental interference, and one ability guaranteed to surprise anyone."
Lord Bishop spoke leisurely.
"It's a body that even I consider perfect."
"That sounds good."
Mobius smiled silently, then her profile picture went gray.
She still preferred people who stood in her way and refused to let her take over someone else's body.
Watching Mobius's profile picture go gray, Russell could not help clicking his tongue.
Women, honestly.
If you stopped her from obtaining a body, she would hold a grudge.
If you offered her a body on your own initiative, she would look down on you.
"Boss, what are you planning to do?"
While Russell was complaining about Mobius, Huihui sent him a private message.
She felt that Mobius was not a good person, but Russell was definitely plotting some kind of conspiracy too. The feeling of two bosses facing off was really cool, and she wanted to get involved.
This kind of occasion was pretty cool.
"She isn't being sincere enough, so it'll be hard to drag her into our group. But I really want her technology."
Russell stroked his chin as he spoke.
"Don't you think Black Serpent is working far too hard handling so many things alone?"
He wanted to capture the Infinite Serpent.
Alive or Dead, Bring Back the Body
ME Corp.
The beautiful girl stood beside the laboratory, looking at the messages in the group chat while also looking at the results of the tests being conducted on her.
The test results were quite delightful.
After losing the suppression of the Conqueror Gem, the Stigma within her body had begun to take effect.
Just its initial activation had already granted her physical abilities no weaker than those of a Schicksal B-rank Valkyrie.
Her father was a first-rate scientist in Anti-Entropy, and he also possessed the Conqueror Gem. Within a week, she would be given a weapon carrying the Herrscher authority of lightning.
With the two combined, the girl who had been crying that she could not do anything not long ago now possessed combat power close to that of an A-rank Valkyrie.
But—
It seemed she still could not help Russell.
A trace of melancholy appeared on the beautiful girl's face.
Megumin had always harbored remarkably pure feelings toward Russell.
It was neither love nor friendship, but a very pure kind of admiration.
Megumin's life had contained only prosperous summers and harsh winters.
Her father had been the ruler of the Far East's underworld. Under his care, her life had known only flourishing summer.
But Cocolia's appearance shattered all of that.
Because of her, her father lost his power, and she too fell into winter.
During that season of winter.
The man named Russell effortlessly pulled her father out, then erased Cocolia as though removing a chess piece from the board.
The appearance of the blazing sun was enough to disperse all gloom, and Megumin's life entered a flourishing summer once more.
The sun that drove away darkness naturally inspired longing and admiration.
But—
Once you got close, you would discover that the sun had troubles too.
For instance, he often complained that Schicksal's people were practically death-dealing demons, that the Previous Civilization people aboard the Ark had released a whole bunch of bizarre things and were simply sick, and that the land prices in Victoria's capital could buy all of Ursus...
Perhaps it was precisely because of such things that he felt so approachable.
So sometimes, Miss Mei thought that perhaps she should help Russell as much as she could.
Just as he had helped her.
Yet as the girl looked at her latest data, then looked at the messages in the group chat, a trace of worry appeared on her beautiful face.
Russell was already preparing to hunt the Infinite Serpent.
Though she did not know what was happening, something called the Infinite Serpent was obviously not something a person who had only just reached A-rank after acquiring a weapon similar to a Divine Key could deal with.
In the end, could she still do nothing to help?
Perhaps she should ask her father whether there was some way to rapidly increase her strength?
The girl who did not wish to be cared for forever looked even more troubled.
Just as she was about to close the group chat, a message suddenly popped up.
"You there? Carry me for a bit!!"
Ah...
Mei froze.
Russell needed her help?
It sounded like a Golden British Shorthair from the northeast begging a Russian Blue for something to eat.
But being needed made Miss Blue Cat suddenly perk up, filling her with delight.
"Please tell me. If I can do it, I definitely will."
"Could I trouble you to watch a movie with me later, take a photo, add the caption 'I had a wonderful day today,' and then turn off your phone? Oh, and if possible, could you send me Kiana's phone number too?"
Russell's message left Miss Mei stunned.
Russell—
What was he trying to do?
Before you continue