The sound of dressing continued, as if the rustling fabric against skin and the soft slide of hair against the collar could be imagined. The beautiful figure was gradually being covered, the mountain peaks hidden in the morning mist, leaving only a deep ravine. The corner of her coat swept across her thighs, revealing long, smooth legs.
But she was so slow in getting dressed. It took her a full thirty seconds to put on a tattered coat.
As expected, Mobius hadn't given up on her desire for revenge. She wanted to reclaim the pride she had lost, and with interest.
Ryan gritted his teeth lightly. Her desire for revenge was far too strong. If she hadn't been needed to become the first upper Mantis to combine with herself and adjust the side effects, how could he have allowed Mobius to behave like this?
When she had no power, she was always so strange. Now that she had become a superhuman, what was going on?
'It's messed up that I regret making a rational decision.'
"Yeah, I'm dressed," Mobius said, standing quietly, watching Ryan turn around. Her eyes glanced at his lower body first, revealing a hint of disappointment.
Ryan keenly caught this look and couldn't suppress his smirk. "Mobius, I can't hide your little thoughts from you. I'm disappointed."
"Haha, I don't have any little thoughts. But you, do you need me to prepare some medicine? This kind of thing is actually quite simple."
"What did you say? Don't be so arrogant. Even if you fused with a Judgment-level Honkai beast, you're still no match for me."
"I'm not a barbarian who shouts for war and killing when something happens." Mobius flicked her long hair and raised her chin. "If you want to do it, I'm not afraid now."
Even though she had just become a Mantis, she felt full of strength. She thought it might be fun to learn some fighting skills.
Isn't that the force Ryan is proud of? If she could pin him to the ground, put on black stockings, step on his head, and rub it gently, she would win this fight.
"You want to try?" Ryan narrowed his eyes, realizing how difficult it was to control Mobius.
If he could pin her down and spank her hard, maybe she would become obedient. Some people needed to be taught a lesson with violence.
The two of them stared at each other, both eager to make a move. Just then, the door suddenly opened.
"Doctor, I brought your clothes…" Klein rushed in with a pile of clothes and froze in place.
The strong fighting spirit between the two 'beasts' frightened her. She had no idea what was going on.
The research had made huge progress, so shouldn't they be celebrating? Instead, they looked like they were about to fight. These two doctors were really strange.
After being interrupted by Klein, Ryan and Mobius snapped out of it. They suddenly realized they were behaving like children fighting with each other.
What could they do to make the other obedient? It was a boring confrontation.
"Forget it. Thanks to you, I won't be controlled by you anymore." Mobius spread her hands with a proud look on her face.
"Is this how you repay me? When have I ever taken advantage of you?"
"Always, deliberately making me angry, haha, just like a little kid, hoping to get the attention of the girl he likes."
"Don't lie with your eyes open. Some people were naked just now. It's really immoral. Do you think I'll be fooled? Haha, just based on your attractiveness."
"How dare you say I'm unattractive?!"
The two of them walked away, still arguing, and soon left the operating room. Klein wanted to laugh, but she didn't dare. She was about to follow them when she remembered something important.
The twisted door behind her was still there. Klein walked over with some trepidation, stuck her head out, and looked inside. Her eyes widened in shock.
Nothing. The hundreds of Honkai beasts that had been imprisoned were gone, disappeared without a trace. Could it be that...?
Just as Klein was scratching her head, trying to figure out how to deal with the aftermath, Ryan and Mobius had already returned to the data room. They brewed two cans of instant coffee and relaxed their tense nerves.
It tasted surprisingly good. Was it just that his sense of taste had become stronger?
Mobius raised an eyebrow and glanced at the package to confirm that it was the kind she usually drank.
"Have you changed at all?" Ryan looked at Mobius, who was licking her scarlet tongue like a kitten drinking water. He kept the previous episode in his mind and decided to wait for an opportunity to teach her later.
"In terms of biology, I feel like my whole body has sublimated. In terms of Honkai energy, I seem to have established a link with this imaginary energy, making it controllable." Mobius put down the coffee cup, feeling a little excited.
"There are some unknown abilities I need to master, but I can't explain why. It's more like instinct."
Therefore, Mantis needed to slowly tap into their physical potential instead of reaching their maximum level immediately.
Ryan touched his chin. The process of tapping potential required talent. For instance, someone like Kevin, a Monster type, had developed to his limit in a short amount of time and killed the Seventh Herrscher in the formation.
Forget it, that change is not part of this discussion.
"What about the side effects?"
"I'm a little too excited, but I feel a little sleepy." Mobius yawned and tapped the corner of her eye. "In terms of appearance, it's mainly my eyeballs that have mutated. I need to study its specific function in detail."
"It looks like the operation was successful. Are you planning on sealing your mouth now?"
"It's been prepared. Śeṣa body was salvaged by Fire Moth. I took a piece and extracted its genes, but 75% of the gene fragments are different from the one you sent." Mobius suddenly raised her head, a strange expression on her face. "How do you know that Śeṣa's most precious thing is the black mud, but you let its body go?"
Ryan shrugged lightly, propping up the table with one hand and stretching his head over. "Because I just know, I don't need a reason."
Mobius gnashed her teeth in frustration, and when she saw Ryan standing so close, she opened her mouth. Her movements were now dozens of times faster than before. Ryan instinctively raised his head, and the sharpness of her bite left a faint tooth mark on his face.
"You are a dog. You actually bit me and licked me."
"Humph, I warned you not to be so arrogant. I'm completely different now!" Mobius was very proud. She licked her lips lightly. Then, seeing Ryan tighten his grip on the hilt of his sword, she waved her hand. "Okay, let's get down to business."
You want to talk business after provoking me?
"Mantis is just the beginning. I found many interesting things to explore, such as the possibility of turning the surgery into an injection."
"What do you mean?" Ryan subconsciously loosened his grip on the sword. Even though it was a fake, he still worried about lying on Mobius operating table after being anesthetized.
This woman would never kill him, but Ryan had no confidence she wouldn't do something else while he was unconscious.
"The advantage of purifying the genes and injecting them into the body through a syringe is that the dosage can be gradually increased to control the speed of the super mutation reaction, thereby reducing the side effects." Mobius opened the drawer and took out a syringe.
It contained dark green liquid, which looked very unsettling.
"Meta-Morph potion. This time I tested it on myself and confirmed that it's effective."
This was the reason Ryan had let Mobius go first—she could use her personal experience to improve things. Even Ryan, her assistant, couldn't replace her.
He took the syringe, stared at the bubbles swirling inside, and suddenly felt something was wrong.
"But your super-transformation reaction is so strong. If I'm not mistaken, something went wrong with the surgery."
The black mud had covered the entire operating room, creating a greater reaction than the failed operation at Fire Moth.
"Because I wanted to test the limit, and before I knew it, I had exceeded it." Mobius spread her hands, unconcerned.
Does this madwoman really enjoy committing suicide?
Ryan eyes twitched. Mobius was obviously overloaded, but she hadn't realized it. She had redeemed herself, and he couldn't help but think back to the details of her transformation.
That body was too perfect, like a newborn, combined with Śeṣa's characteristics...
"You were reborn in destruction?"
"Hey, how did you know?"
"Because you seem to have become younger. Don't underestimate my observation skills." Ryan glanced at the white legs exposed under her clothes and stroked his chin.
As expected, multiple injections would allow the body to adapt slowly, reducing side effects.
This guy, Kevin, owes me another favor. Anyway, it's not his turn to fight hard now, so he can take it slow.
Ryan grinned. Although the process would be slower, someone could be downgraded from a big ice cube to an air conditioner. The cool feeling entering the body might be more refreshing. Wait, why am I thinking about this?
"Ryan, you suddenly smile so obscenely." Mobius showed a disgusted expression, but her eyes sharpened. "Who are you thinking about?"
"Kevin," Ryan answered impulsively. Mobius disgust turned into shock, and her snake eyes widened.
"So that's it, so that's it. What you need is not drug assistance, but psychotherapy." Mobius muttered to herself, connecting the dots.
I told him something was wrong with him, but it turned out he was wrong from the start. No wonder Mei didn't want Kevin to have any contact with him.
"Hey, I don't know what you're thinking, but I feel a little angry for no reason?" Ryan clenched his fists.
"Haha, humans are free, even XP is the same."
Ryan blinked, not understanding what this woman was thinking. But he felt that if they continued down this path, his defenses might crack.
"I don't want to waste time talking nonsense. Have you done what I asked you before?"
"All the information is ready. Once you leave the Fifth Research Institute, you'll be a Mantis."
"No doubts?"
"Who do you think I am? Even though the parliament has come up with their own ideas, they're just plagiarizing my research. I'm the expert in this field. Whoever I say is a Mantis is a Mantis."
Look at you, not humble at all.
Ryan grinned and believed Mobius, seeing her raise the syringe.
"But really, don't you want to try? I'll keep exploring the super-mutation factor. According to my experience, I might be able to combine multiple genes into one person. I've even thought of a name for it: The Chimera Project."
Chimera Project? Oh, it seems Mobius had already integrated some Honkai Beast genes before, which can barely be considered plural.
Ryan was really tempted but stayed calm.
Science doesn't believe in metaphysics, so he would try every possible method to increase the success rate. Even his genes couldn't reach 100%, so he was extremely careful.
For example, if all conditions were added together, Kevin's success rate was 59.5%, which was far better than his original gamble with his life. But who could guarantee that he wouldn't be among the 40% who failed this time?
Maybe it's because I stayed up a little too late last night, or maybe I'm just a little weak. Luck is always unpredictable. If objective conditions allow, it's best to take your time and do it right.
Because no one can afford the cost of failure, and the same goes for Ryan. To put it in an analogy, it's like changing the Mark Six lottery to stocks—it seems safe, but it's no different in essence.
"No, since it's a gamble, I hope to gain more. The most precious factor of Śeṣa has already been used by you, and the rest won't bring much improvement for me." Ryan remained calm. It was the same risk, so why not aim to maximize the benefits?
Mobius raised her eyebrows. "You're so picky. Whose genes do you want to use?"
"I don't know." Ryan shook his head slightly, his eyes scanning the information on the Honkai beast. He already had a vague goal in mind.
Either he had special abilities, or he was at the end of his dharma level!