Outside Mobius' laboratory, a crowd had gathered.
Everyone stared gravely at the tightly sealed doors that had been shut since half a month ago, worry heavy in their hearts.
"It's been so long already, and still not a single person has come out."
"Could something have gone wrong? Should we break in and take a look?"
"If it were just Mobius, maybe we could guess what she was up to. But Elias went in with her too—now we really have no clue."
"Feels like something big is about to happen. Sakura, your ears are the sharpest—press them against the door and see if you can hear anything inside."
Elysia, Sakura, Mei, Fu Hua, Eden, Kevin, and the others stood at the entrance, all uneasy.
Ever since Elias had entered Mobius' laboratory half a month ago, the place had gone into complete lockdown. For fifteen whole days, not a single person had come out.
And from time to time, terrifying sounds had echoed out—roars, shrieks, hysterical laughter—causing the entire base to speculate wildly about what sort of horrific experiment was being conducted inside.
Elysia's first thought had been that Mobius was testing some new impact project, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Fifteen days straight? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"Looks like we really do need to break the door down! Kevin, you go first!"
"Uh… can't someone else do it? If I see something I'm not supposed to and Elias kills me, I'd rather pass. Kosma, you go."
"..." (frantic head-shaking)
After much back-and-forth, Miss Pink Elf clenched her teeth and decided she would break the door down herself.
She couldn't take it anymore—she really couldn't! It had already been fifteen whole days since she last saw Elias.
Elysia felt like she was going to die of loneliness!
But just as she raised her bow and aimed at the laboratory doors—
Creaaak…
The doors opened on their own.
And then, a white-haired boy appeared, supporting a green-haired "girl," with three other people lying unconscious behind them.
"E-Elias? Mobius?!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
The boy's trademark white hair was disheveled beyond recognition, dark circles hung beneath his golden eyes, and the Mobius he supported looked just as worn out.
They were both haggard and in disarray, but their eyes still shone brilliantly. Shaking, Elias weakly raised his left hand—clutched within was a vial of bright red serum.
"We did it. Finally, we succeeded. Now everyone can be saved…"
"Elias, what is this serum? And what happened to you two?" Mei asked, her voice trembling.
The group was utterly stunned.
Never before had they seen Elias in such a pitiful state. His staggering steps looked like he could collapse at any moment—it was almost like an illusion.
Elysia's heart twisted painfully. She rushed forward, catching Elias in her arms, carefully taking the red serum from his hand. Her intuition told her this was something unimaginably important.
The next words that came from Elias' mouth shook everyone to their core.
"This is a mass-produced serum that can cure Honkai disease. We've developed it. The exact formula is recorded on the lab's computers. Mei, contact Vill-V and have her set up production lines immediately."
"What?! A mass-produced serum for Honkai disease?!"
It was like thunder exploding in their minds.
Honkai disease—an incurable, fatal illness. A 100% death rate. Anyone afflicted could only await their end in despair and pain.
That contracting Honkai disease meant certain death had already become common knowledge in this era. And now, that "truth" was overturned—the hope of salvation rested in Elysia's hands.
Even the ever-calm Dr. Mei found her breath quickening, her heart racing wildly. She immediately issued orders:
"Sakura! Dystopia! Guard this lab entrance. From this moment on, anyone who attempts to enter without permission—kill them on the spot!"
"Elysia, Kevin, Kosma, Hua—you must protect this serum at all costs! Especially you, Elysia, hold it steady! Remember, what you're holding right now is the lives of billions!"
"Contact Vill-V immediately! No matter what she's doing, have her stop at once and set up a production factory for the serum as fast as possible!"
"Yes!!!" ×N
Mei instantly assumed command. She knew exactly how urgent and important the situation was. A serum to cure Honkai disease—and a mass-producible one at that!
If this truly had been developed…
Then it was now the most important thing in the world!
"Elias, Mobius—you've done an incredible job!"
She looked deeply at Elias, who had already fallen fast asleep in Elysia's arms, and at Mobius, collapsed on top of him. Mei knew what came next was her responsibility.
"Notify all Fire Moth bases to be ready. Eden, we also need…"
"This is the password to my bank account. Spend it however you wish, but please—use it to deliver the hope he created into everyone's hands as quickly as possible."
Eden unhesitatingly invested everything she had, speaking with absolute gravity to Mei.
"I will." Mei nodded firmly, then quickly strode into Mobius' lab. She recorded the formula Elias had mentioned from the computer, making several hundred backups just in case.
Meanwhile, Elysia clutched the vial tightly, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. Ignoring the grime on Elias from half a month without bathing, she hugged him tightly with all her strength.
"Elias, my Elias, you really…"
She didn't know how to express her feelings at this moment. Elias had truly done it! Ever since that day they returned from the hospital, he had created a miracle in just half a month!
"Elias, Dr. Mobius—thank you, thank you both. On behalf of all Honkai disease patients, I thank you."
Su knelt on one knee before them.
For once, his eyes—usually closed—were open. Kevin had never seen Su so emotionally shaken, his body trembling uncontrollably.
But of course—it was only natural.
As a doctor, Su had seen countless people die from Honkai disease. He had wished countless times to change their fate, but no matter what he tried, he had never been able to save a single one.
But now, at this very moment—
Hope to save everyone had appeared!
Su was overjoyed to the point of tears streaming down his face.
"You don't need to thank me. The one who gave the most to create this serum… was Elias."
Mobius shook her head, not sparing Su a glance.
Those weary snake-like eyes held a tenderness never seen before, gazing solely at the sleeping white-haired boy.
"Heh… it's the first time I've seen you in such a pitiful state, my dearest little lab rat. You've really worked hard this time. So rest well. Good night, Elias."
Mobius lifted a hand, gently brushing his snowy white hair, as if caressing the most precious treasure in the world.
Though Elias now lacked his usual composure and elegance, to her he seemed more dazzling and beautiful than ever. Over the past half month, Mobius had personally witnessed the strength of his will.
After all, as a Judgment-level fusion warrior, how could she outlast a Vipralopa-class one like Elias? And yet now he had collapsed, while she remained awake.
The only reason was that Mobius, Klein, Cangxuan, and Danzhu had still managed to sleep a couple of times in the past two weeks. Elias, however, had not closed his eyes once.
She had witnessed his persistence.
Until the mass-produced serum was complete, Elias had not rested for a single second.
She had witnessed his ambition.
If it were only about curing Honkai disease, the serum had actually been completed five days earlier. But Elias had insisted on finding a way to save even those already transformed into zombies.
She had witnessed his sacrifice.
Elias had not only been the researcher and developer, but also the experimental material. Over these two weeks, he had nearly drained himself of blood multiple times.
If before, the main reason Mobius had fallen for Elias was his unique power and his understanding of her pursuit of the infinite, then now…
Mobius had become captivated by everything about him—especially that indomitable will and unyielding pursuit of a perfect ending. She simply couldn't bear to look away.
"Elysia, I will never give up on Elias. No matter what, he will be mine."
As her consciousness sank into slumber, Mobius declared with a breathtaking smile.
Elysia's face showed no surprise. She only hugged Elias tighter, her expression brimming with pride, devotion, and… irredeemable love and infatuation.
...
After that, Elias slept for three straight days.
When he awoke, he found himself in a Fire Moth hospital, surrounded by Elysia, Mobius, Eden, and many others.
"The serum—how is it? Has the production line been set up? What about treatment results?"
Hearing the first three questions he asked upon waking, everyone's eyes softened.
Gods, how could such a beautiful boy exist in this world?
"It's done, it's done! Vill-V burned herself out for two days straight and built the production line. The serum works wonderfully—already, many Honkai disease patients have been saved."
"Good… that's good…"
Elias let out a deep sigh of relief. After a hearty meal, he then fell into another heavy sleep for two more days, finally recovering the energy he had burned through in his half-month of sleepless effort.
Elysia willingly became his body pillow.
Eden sang countless lullabies to soothe his rest.
Sakura prepared mountains of food for him to eat whenever he woke…
At the same time, over a thousand soldiers stood guard outside the hospital.
When news spread that Elias and Mobius had successfully developed a cure for Honkai disease but had exhausted themselves to the brink, these soldiers didn't even need orders. They volunteered to protect them.
Among these soldiers were many whose own families, friends, or lovers were suffering from Honkai disease. They had already given up hope—but now Elias and Mobius had brought it back.
So now, should anyone dare disturb their rest, these soldiers would never forgive them.
Under Mei's leadership, Fire Moth's efficiency skyrocketed. By the time Elias awoke again, the mass-produced serum was already being distributed.
And Mei had also made the truth about the Honkai public.
Now, everyone in the world knew about the Honkai. Yet no widespread panic or chaos arose.
Because there was a boy named Elias.
He had given people boundless hope.
After all, even if this was a crisis to end the world—so what? A savior had already been born!
After Mei revealed his deeds, countless people across the world already saw Elias as a messiah.
Online, nearly every discussion revolved around him. The rare trolls who dared to utter even a single word of slander against him were instantly overwhelmed by online backlash and doxxing.
If Eden was the superstar of the age…
Then Elias was now the hero of the age.
His popularity had even surpassed that of the world-renowned songstress.
"Uh… waking up to find things changed so much, I almost thought I'd time-traveled."
Elias glanced sheepishly at the online comments.
"By the way, you should tell everyone to withdraw. I'm awake already—there's no need to keep guarding me."
"I'm afraid only you can say that, Elias. Otherwise, I doubt anyone could make those soldiers leave. Now open your mouth—ah~"
Elysia lifted a slice of apple to feed him. These past days she hadn't left his side for even a moment. Likewise, Sakura had stood silently nearby, guarding him like a blade-wielding sentinel.
Elias could only laugh bitterly. To outsiders, it probably looked like he was fragile as glass. But awake, wasn't he the strongest in the world? Even Kevin could be taken down with one hand now.
"Looks like I'll need to wear a hat and sunglasses whenever I go out from now on."
Elias joked. At the same time, he couldn't help but admire how brilliantly Mei had handled everything. And besides…
(With my current reputation, even if I revealed my Herrscher identity, nothing would really happen, right?)
The great achievements he had accomplished were far too many. Compared to that, the label of Herrscher was nothing—it could no longer overshadow Elias' glory.
"Forget it. Better to let sleeping dogs lie."
Elias shook his head, dismissing the idea of making such an announcement. Too many major revelations had already been made recently—it was better to give ordinary people some time to adjust.
Besides, whether he revealed it or not, it made no difference. In Elias' eyes, he was always human, and that was enough.
Mei knew he cared deeply about the situation, so she uploaded real-time progress to his terminal, allowing him to monitor freely.
At present, the serum to cure Honkai disease was already being delivered to hospitals around the world. It wasn't free, but its price was as low as a common cold treatment.
And its effect was remarkable—a single injection immediately erased the erosion of Honkai energy.
But that was only the first step.
The serum Elias and Mobius had developed in half a month, when administered at ten times the dosage, could even revert zombies back into humans!
Of course, the most important raw material—Schariac Holy Blood—did not need to be supplied by Elias himself. With cloning technology, Mobius and Mei had already managed to artificially reproduce it.
Elias wasn't surprised. If even Otto could achieve it, there was no way these two couldn't.
"Speaking of which, Mobius' reputation has flipped completely."
"If it hadn't, that would've been the real surprise."
"Haha, true enough."
Once branded a mad scientist by the scientific community, her very name a taboo—now her reputation had made a complete 180. Online, she was almost being hailed as a saint.
Incidentally, Elias kept his promise of rewards. The Cangxuan and Danzhu sisters were naturally taken care of, and Klein finally received a long vacation—she was still asleep even now.
"Wonderful. Everything's going smoothly."
Elias lifted his arm, and through the sunlight streaming in the window, it was as if he could see the Holy Blood flowing within.
"With my blood, I will save all living beings. Heh… feels pretty good. But… I wonder if that place has received the serum yet. Oh… of course not."
Checking the distribution records, Elias found one location had indeed been overlooked—Dusk Street.
"Emmm… I wonder how Kalpas is doing now. I'll go there myself later. Besides, it's about time I met Pardofelis and Aponia as well."