[In the days that followed, you continued to stay by Mobius's side, helping her complete most tasks outside of her research.]
[As time went on, your workload increased. Not only did you have to organize experimental data and brainstorm new research directions, but you also had to help Mobius handle the pressure from the higher-ups at The MOTHs.]
[With your help, Mobius's experiments progressed at a blistering pace, but your work hours increased from 12 to 16 hours a day.]
[At this time, you thought of another girl with short green hair. You desperately wished for her arrival.]
[Finally, the moment you longed for arrived.]
[On that day, you smiled with great joy.]
[On that day, Mobius popped bubble wrap for an entire day.]
[On that day, Griseo's mother, Blanca, found her true love.]
[After a honeymoon period, Blanca and Hen married and resigned from Mobius's laboratory.]
[On that day, Mobius got drunk. You cheerfully cooked her a grand Chinese feast and played finger-guessing games with her all night.]
[The pace in the lab was fast. Just as you predicted, three newcomers arrived: Danzhu, Cangxuan, and Klein.]
[Danzhu was a live wire, often causing trouble in the lab.]
[Cangxuan, though seemingly well-behaved, would join Danzhu in her mischief.]
[Klein, on the other hand, was a workaholic who helped you shoulder a significant portion of the tasks.]
[You could tell that Mobius was extremely satisfied with Klein, even establishing a rule that 'whoever is late has to buy milk tea for everyone'.]
[Both you and Klein liked milk tea. You preferred half-sugar, while Klein liked full-sugar with pearls.]
[On every one of Mobius's birthdays, you would drag Klein along to prepare a 'surprise' for the Doctor.]
[Although Mobius would scold them after every prank, she would gradually put her work aside when that day came around each year.]
[These days continued until the Seventh Herrscher descended, turning Australia into a sea of fire in a single week.]
[After this, Mobius and Dr. MEI jointly proposed the...]
[... 'MANTIS' Project.]
---o---
The once bustling yet warm atmosphere in Mobius's break room was gone. Fu Li looked at the latest report that had been delivered to him, his heart heavy.
'So, this day has finally come, hasn't it?'
Although he felt a certain resistance to this plan, Fu Li knew it was the last hope for this era.
A blue light coalesced in his hand. Fu Li sighed as he looked at the item that appeared—[Tarot Card - The Fool].
Even though he had planned for this all along, when the time finally came to act, it still filled him with a profound sense of helplessness.
"Klein, where did Mobius go?"
Putting the card away, Fu Li got up from his chair, took a milk tea with full sugar and pearls from a takeout bag, and walked over to Klein.
"Hm? Oh, it's you. The Doctor went to discuss the 'MANTIS' project with Dr. MEI."
Klein's eyes lit up at the sight of the milk tea. She took it and immediately started drinking, a look of pure enjoyment spreading across her face.
"Perfect. With this, I can work a little longer."
Fu Li was rendered speechless. "You know, you could give some of your work to me. A good work-life balance makes you more efficient."
"Eh, is that okay? Hmm, if it's you..."
Klein looked at the mountain of documents, pushed half of them over, then thought for a moment and took half of that portion back to her own desk.
"Then I'll leave these to you, Li."
"No problem, it's a piece of cake. You have to remember, I was Mobius's sole assistant for a while."
Taking the files, the smile on Fu Li's face didn't waver as he asked nonchalantly, "I heard that over on Dr. MEI's side, Kevin volunteered to be the first test subject?"
Klein nodded. "Yes, that's right. It seems he did it to support Dr. MEI."
Fu Li smiled. "Well then, since Dr. MEI has put forth one of her own, who do you think our side will use as her first test subject?"
As he spoke those words, the atmosphere in the lab instantly froze. Both Fu Li and Klein already knew the answer in their hearts.
Because they both knew that Mobius, from the very beginning, had been looking at something deeper, something more fundamental.
Even for Fu Li, who had been by her side since birth, it was difficult to imagine the world as seen through Mobius's eyes.
But they knew she was exceptionally persistent about the things she set her mind to and never hesitated in pursuing her goals, willing to sacrifice even herself for the sake of progress.
Whether in reality or in a simulation, she was a pure existence, a pure seeker, a pure... evil.
However, in an era like this, it was a necessary evil.
"Hey... Klein, what kind of person do you think I am?" Fu Li asked with a smile, taking a sip of his milk tea.
"What kind of... person?"
Klein thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "I don't know. You seem to care a great deal about the Doctor and me, but you always have a completely indifferent attitude about yourself."
"No matter the environment or the pressure, you always seem to enjoy doing things that appear meaningless, just to balance the atmosphere in the lab. I can't understand it, but I know..."
"You are you, Li."
"Is that so..." Fu Li nodded and reached out to pinch Klein's cheek. "The things I do aren't meaningless. Just like you, don't you enjoy the food I cook?"
"Mmph... Dr. Li, stop messing around. I still have work to do."
"Pfft. Alright, alright."
Letting go, Fu Li smiled and glanced at Klein's computer screen.
"If one day, I needed your help, would you help me?"
Klein nodded. "If you need me, you can count on me."
"Mm, I understand."
Fu Li gave a small wave, placed an extra cup of milk tea he had bought on her desk, and returned to his own seat.
And placed inside his drawer was a sample he had obtained from a high-ranking member of The MOTHs.
Vishnu.
A Honkai Beast with the potential to surpass the Judgment-class and reach the Doomsday-class.
[Rejoice! The sovereign of ice has been born!]
[After months of research, Kevin, as the pioneer of the experiment, successfully fused with the Emperor-class Honkai Beast 'Parvati', becoming the first MANTIS in history.]
[Following him, Elysia fused with the Doomsday-class Honkai Beast 'Maheśvara', becoming the second MANTIS of The MOTHs Who Chase the Flame.]
[Just as the MOTHs' upper echelons were feeling both excited and terrified by this success, you noticed that Mobius had brought back the eyeball of the Honkai Beast [Śeṣa].]
[You knew she would become the third MANTIS of The MOTHs Who Chase the Flame—Mobius of the Signet of Infinity.]
[But you also knew that due to Mobius's unauthorized actions, she would face repercussions from the corrupt leadership of the MOTHs.]
[You did not want to see Mobius held accountable by those useless, self-righteous higher-ups who did nothing but bicker amongst themselves, even until the very end. Therefore, you had to possess the power to intimidate them.]
[You had to become a presence that made them tremble, just like Aponia.]
[You were one of the researchers on this project; you had sufficient experimental data to support your gamble.]
[You had long since made all the necessary preparations for the MANTIS surgery. The only thing missing was a reliable executor.]
[So, you went to find Klein.]
'Ambition? No, I just want to protect them as best I can. After all, what happens to the rest of this world is none of my damn business.'
"Klein~" The white-haired youth's smile remained unchanged as he placed a special glass container holding Honkai Beast tissue on the chair.
"You promised to do me a favor before. So, could you please help me with a little surgery?"
---o---
Author's note:
PS: This book has no tragedy/heartbreak. Mostly because I don't know how to write tragic scenes, so it's going to be very sweet, don't worry.