Forget-Me-Not

"Sessha... What special abilities did it have?"

"Hua, didn't you read the information I gave you before setting out?" Looking at the bewildered Hua, Immer gave a simple introduction to Sessha's abilities.

"As the accompanying Honkai Beast of the Third Herrscher, it also possessed some ability to manipulate lightning. Then there was that black mud-like substance... Flame Chasers still hadn't figured out what it was. The records only stated that contact was strictly forbidden and that a safe distance of at least ten meters had to be maintained. Other than that... there should only be its appearance, right? Anyone who saw its footage would never forget it. That Honkai Beast looked like an enormous..."

"A snake, right?"

The sudden voice made them both stop in their tracks, instantly putting them on guard. If it had been an unfamiliar enemy, that would have been one thing, but they recognized the voice. That was precisely why they became wary. After all, the owner of that voice did not have a particularly good reputation, and they could not think of any reason why she would be here.

"Dr. Mobius..."

Hua and Immer called out at the same time to the green-haired figure who had appeared before them at some point. What surprised them even more was that Mobius wore combat gear clearly different from her usual attire, and some substance that obviously did not belong to a human, yet seemed to be blood, was continuously dripping from her body.

"Hello, young warriors. You were a little late. Just now, I already resolved the abnormal situation here. It seemed your target was it as well?"

"Dr. Mobius... Why were you here?"

Hua was the one who asked.

"And... how could you, a researcher alone, possibly..."

She had dealt with a Judgment-class Honkai Beast by herself. Before Immer could finish speaking, he spotted a severed, enormous snake tail in the distance.

"Hehe... Don't jump to conclusions so easily."

Perhaps because she had obtained what she wanted, Mobius was smiling all over. Yet the more she smiled, the more vigilant Hua and Immer became.

Seeing that neither of them relaxed, Mobius continued, "Look at the detector in your hand. Are there still any abnormal Honkai Energy readings on it?"

"...They really are... gone."

Immer stared at the detector in his hand, his face full of disbelief.

"The Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Sessha. Just now, I completely erased it from this world."

"What...?"

"You don't need to handle recovery anymore, either. There's no need. Young warriors, your mission is over. You can go back now. As for the little bit of cleanup left... I can handle it myself."

"Cleanup...?"

"Huh? Did I say that? Uh, sorry, that wording gave you the wrong idea... What I meant was... hmm, investigation... yes, that's right, just some very simple... investigation."

After a round of smooth talking, Hua and Immer still left the area.

After Hua and Immer left, Mobius also let out a sigh of relief. Then she decided to call out a certain person who had been watching the show all along.

"Elysia!"

"Here~ No matter when or where, Elysia will answer your expectations." Elysia appeared before Mobius with Klein.

That was right. When Hua and Immer approached, Elysia had taken Klein and hidden.

"It was one thing for you to hide, but why did you bring Klein with you?"

"Wasn't it to show off how powerful you are, Mobius?"

In truth, Elysia simply did not want Hua and Immer to discover her. After all, subjugating Sessha had originally been her mission, yet Mobius had done all the fighting while she watched from the sidelines. If Hua and Immer found out she had been slacking off the entire time, even a beautiful girl would feel embarrassed.

Since Klein happened to be beside her, Elysia casually took her along to hide.

"Thank you this time, Elysia."

Although Elysia had done nothing, it was precisely because Elysia had been there as the final safeguard that Mobius had dared to fight Sessha without hesitation.

"Well, I didn't do anything." Elysia told the truth; she really had done nothing. "But, Mobius, you look very happy."

"Of course I'm happy. After all, the key to evolution is already in my hands."

Mobius tightly gripped the container in her hand. It was an oddly shaped sealed vessel. Inside was a large quantity of blackish-green fluid, like viscous shadows. And soaked within it was an eyeball... the eyeball of a snake.

"Klein, recover some more useful materials. We're preparing to return."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Mobius, my dear Mobius." While Mobius and Klein collected materials, Elysia was causing trouble. "What exactly are you planning to do? Tell me~"

"You'll know soon enough."

Perhaps because Elysia was the one Mobius had brought along, Mobius rarely gave her an answer.

After collecting the materials, Mobius and the others returned to the Flame Chasers base.

"Death is a wall, a wall standing before all life. If I want to attain infinite life, then I must cross that wall, cross the boundary known as death. I had not found a way before, but Sessha's appearance allowed me to find that key. Snakes... creatures that truly do not submit to death. Was that why Sessha took the form of a giant snake?"

"Doctor."

Klein's voice interrupted Mobius's muttering.

"Klein, is everything ready in the operating room?"

"Yes, Doctor. Dr. Mei's side is ready. She's only waiting for you to take your position."

That was right. Mei was the one preparing to perform Hypervariable Surgery on Mobius. After all, at present, only Mobius and Mei knew how to perform Hypervariable Surgery.

"Let's go, Klein. I can't keep Mei waiting too long."

On the operating table, Mei and Mobius held their final conversation.

Mei: "Dr. Mobius, have you truly made up your mind?"

Mobius: "Mei, isn't that obvious?"

Seeing that Mobius did not waver in the slightest, Mei decided to respect Mobius's will.

"Dr. Mei, this is bad! Dr. Mobius's heart rate is dropping rapidly!"

"Prepare emergency treatment!"

"Prepare the genetic stabilizer!"

Something went wrong with Mobius's Hypervariable Surgery. Perhaps Sessha's genes were too powerful, perhaps Mobius was unsuitable to become a Fusion Warrior, or perhaps it was both. Halfway through the operation, Mobius fell into mortal danger.

Everyone in the operating room exhausted every possible means to save her, but it was all in vain. Mobius's ECG line kept falling until it no longer fluctuated.

At that moment, everyone understood. Dr. Mobius was dead. A legend of the scientific world had fallen before their eyes!

The operating room was filled with grief, and no one spoke for a long time. In the end, Mei spoke first. "Inform the others of Dr. Mobius's death."

"Don't casually curse someone to death like that."

Forget-Me-Not

News that Mobius's Hypervariable Surgery had succeeded quickly spread throughout Flame Chasers.

Most people in Flame Chasers were delighted by the news. After all, the organization had gained another Fusion Warrior. Since Elysia became the second Fusion Warrior, people had gradually begun changing their attitudes toward Fusion Warriors.

And Mobius was a researcher. Even she had succeeded, which meant that the range of candidates suitable for Hypervariable Surgery had greatly expanded. It was no longer limited to selecting outstanding combat personnel.

It was foreseeable that once Hypervariable Surgery was further refined, the number of Fusion Warriors would certainly increase dramatically in the future.

Kevin had made the powerful strength possessed by Fusion Warriors perfectly clear when he subjugated the Seventh Herrscher. It was combat power clearly capable of soloing a Herrscher.

Meanwhile, the second Fusion Warrior had not fallen behind at all when sparring with Kevin. From this, one could conclude that Elysia possessed at least the combat power to solo a Herrscher as well.

As for Mobius, the third Fusion Warrior... everyone had already heard about what happened in the operating room.

Her combat abilities had not yet been tested, but the ability to return from death that she had displayed so far was already enough to fuel people's imaginations.

Three Fusion Warriors in a row had displayed strength beyond people's understanding. It almost seemed as though Fusion Warriors were meant to be this powerful.

Thus, people began looking forward to the appearance of more Fusion Warriors. It would be even better if these new Fusion Warriors possessed abilities as powerful as the current three.

In Fusion Warriors, people seemed to see hope for defeating Honkai.

Aside from them, there were also some within Flame Chasers who were unhappy about Mobius becoming a Fusion Warrior.

Most of them were Flame Chasers higher-ups. Some simply did not support the Fusion Warrior Project. The rest supported the project, but the identity of the third Fusion Warrior still gave them headaches.

After all, Mobius's reputation within Flame Chasers could only be described as something those in the know understood. Mobius never considered the consequences when conducting experiments, and she herself was not bound by morality or ethics. After all, she had been obsessed with researching Herrscher bodies and had repeatedly attempted experiments in artificial life. Although Flame Chasers had stopped those experiments, they would never believe Mobius had gained nothing from them.

And now, Mobius had become the third Fusion Warrior, with rumors that she could even revive. Who knew what major stunt she would pull in the future?

As for the documents of accountability sent by Flame Chasers higher-ups, Mobius did not even glance at them before tossing them into the trash.

"Doctor, aren't you going to open them and take a look?"

Though Klein had already grown used to her doctor's willful behavior, she still asked worriedly.

"They're nothing more than accusations that I acted on my own, perhaps with a few scattered minor issues added in. Looking at them would only be irritating. Klein, bring out Sessha's materials. We still have many experiments to conduct."

"Yes, Doctor."

It seemed that Mobius becoming a Fusion Warrior had not affected Klein's laboratory in any way.

The uproar surrounding the third Fusion Warrior gradually faded with time.

One day, Kevin was called to Mei's laboratory.

Looking at the girl he loved before him, Kevin asked, "Mei, what is it?"

"Kevin..." Mei hesitated while holding the document in her hand, but eventually handed it to Kevin. The words Chimera Project occupied the title.

Kevin quickly skimmed through the contents of the Chimera Project, then looked at Mei.

"Am I the one carrying out this project?"

"Kevin, you're the most suitable candidate. We still don't know exactly what abilities Mahamayuri, which Elysia fused with, possesses. And because Sessha, which Mobius fused with, was the accompanying Honkai Beast of the Third Herrscher, its genes were incredibly domineering. If Sessha had not possessed the ability to revive, Mobius would not have made it off the operating table. Only you fused with the Emperor-class Parvati, which gives me considerable room to work with."

"Understood. Leave this project to me."

You don't need to explain so much, Mei. As long as you ask me to participate in this project, I won't refuse.

Hm? What was that?

Kevin swiftly moved in front of Mei.

"Pfft!"

A blade pierced Kevin's chest.

"Who are you?"

"Assassination failed. Retreat."

The assassin before him did not answer Kevin's question. Upon discovering that her assassination had failed, she chose to flee.

Naturally, Kevin would not let her go. After ensuring Mei's safety, he pursued her. Before long, Kevin spotted the assassin with cherry-colored hair.

Kevin did not waste words and threw a punch directly at the assassin. Their assassin lady possessed superb assassination techniques and was not weak in combat herself. But she was facing Kevin, a Fusion Warrior who was utterly inhuman. After only a few exchanges, Kevin knocked her unconscious.

After checking the surroundings and finding no other assassins, it seemed she had been the only one involved in this attempt.

After confirming it was safe, Kevin brought the unconscious assassin back to Mei's laboratory.

"Kevin, how is your wound?"

When she saw Kevin bring the assassin back, Mei also breathed a sigh of relief. Mei was not worried that Kevin would lose to the assassin. She was only worried that the assassin might escape. After all, no one wanted someone outside constantly waiting for a chance to kill them.

"My wound is already fine. After becoming a Fusion Warrior, these are only minor injuries." Kevin lifted his shirt and wiped away the blood from his chest. The spot where the wound should have been was already completely healed, without the slightest sign of injury.

After seeing that Kevin was unharmed, Mei shifted her gaze to the assassin who had tried to kill her.

"Cherry-colored long hair, and a blade from the Far East. Looking at it this way, you must be Forget-Me-Not. I didn't expect the famous assassin Forget-Me-Not to be a woman. Am I right, Miss Forget-Me-Not?"

Hearing this, Sakura knew that the people before her had discovered she was awake. Though she considered taking Dr. Mei hostage, after thinking it through, Sakura gave up on the idea.

After all, the man called Kevin was too terrifying. His body temperature was so low it did not seem human, and his strength was absurdly great. But she seemed to have heard them mention Fusion Warriors just now. Were these super soldiers created by Flame Chasers?

Sakura opened her eyes, looked at Mei and Kevin, and said, "Since you've already captured me, do whatever you want with me. I have nothing to say."

"Miss Forget-Me-Not, could you tell me who sent you to kill me?"

As Mei began questioning Sakura, Kevin stood beside Mei as her guard.

"Assassins do not betray their employers. That is the rule of our profession."

"What if Miss Forget-Me-Not was no longer an assassin?"

As she said this, Mei wore a mysterious smile.