Mei pondered for a long while before asking again,
"And what about her danger level?"
"None for now."
That was Mobius's reply.
"What do you mean, 'none for now'?"
At this, Mobius glanced over at Elysia beside her.
Mei was taken aback, but she caught on immediately.
"You mean... Elysia?"
"Exactly."
Mobius didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth.
As long as Elysia was around, Vya was absolutely safe.
"Me? I'm just an ordinary, cute girl, you know♪~"
Elysia said with a smile.
Vya blinked innocently beside them, completely unaware of what they were discussing.
"My, my, is it because I hold such an important place in Vya's heart?"
Elysia was already beaming.
"We should be grateful it was Elysia who found Vya... Otherwise."
A dangerous glint flashed in Mobius's eyes.
If someone with ill intentions got their hands on her, the trouble she could cause might even surpass that of a Herrscher.
It was true. Elysia had tempered Vya so well that she remained completely controllable up to this point.
It was only later that they realized... this was no coincidence. Vya was destined to be found by Elysia.
"Relax, Mei."
Mobius stood up, walked over to Mei, patted her shoulder, and leaned in to whisper by her ear.
"Don't I know you? Even if she weren't safe, you'd still dare to..."
Mei thought for a moment.
"Hmm... How many people know about this?"
"Everyone who knows is right here."
Mobius shrugged.
Elysia also came over. "Mei, we trust you, that's why we're telling you this. Please believe that Vya is special, okay?"
Mei didn't answer directly.
"Sometimes, even Honkai beasts are more endearing than people, don't you think?"
Mobius said with a laugh.
The remark was, of course, loaded with implication, and Mei nodded in agreement.
"Hey, you there, sidekick. Don't breathe a word of this, got it?"
Mobius looked at Kevin as she said this.
"..."
Kevin didn't speak, which was taken as silent consent.
"Alright, everyone out. I need to talk to Mei alone."
"What about? I'd like to hear it too♪~"
Elysia said cheerfully.
"Out. I won't say it again."
So, Elysia led Vya out of the room.
"Kevin, go back and get some proper rest."
Mei suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah... Goodbye, Mei."
Kevin followed them out, intending to head back...
"Goodbye, sisters!"
Vya waved her little hand before leaving. Once outside, Kevin went his separate way, and she called out to him again.
"Goodbye, Brother Kevin!"
"Mm, goodbye."
Kevin forced himself to muster some energy and managed a smile. It was true; after learning all this, he could no longer look at Vya the same way as before.
"Go get some good rest now♪~"
Elysia also expressed her concern.
"Mm."
Kevin left without looking back.
"My, he was quite rude this time, wasn't he~"
"Ah, well, let's forgive him just this once."
"Sister... is Brother Kevin afraid of me...?"
Vya asked cautiously.
"It's nothing, just a little misunderstanding~ It'll be fine after some time."
Elysia patted her chest reassuringly.
"Okay! Vya believes you, sister!"
Vya nodded vigorously.
"Great! Let's go back and give Eden a call. It's been so long since we last heard her voice, hasn't it♪~"
"Yay! It's Sister Eden! Sister, let's hurry back!"
The two then left happily.
Back in the laboratory.
"The research on integrating Honkai beast genes into the human body... Mei, do you have any better ideas?"
"I'm sorry, Mobius. Lately, I've been working with Vill-V on developing weapons using Herrscher cores..."
Mobius raised an eyebrow. "Vill-V... weapons... How interesting. How's it going?"
"Quite smoothly. We're currently trying to integrate fragments of Herrscher cores into the weapons."
"That's good news."
Mobius commented.
"But these weapons... who will wield them?"
"Hmm..."
"No matter how you look at it, having humans wield them is the best option, right?"
Without a doubt, in the fight against the Honkai, "humans" were the ultimate weapon.
"True, but the risks of the experiments..."
"Mei, humanity needs its own weapons, doesn't it?"
Mei let out a deep sigh. "...I reviewed the data you gave me last time. The feasibility is indeed high."
A smile tugged at the corner of Mobius's mouth. "Rather than calling them 'MANTISes,' it's more like we're creating monsters."
"And with the 'Harmonizing Factor' Vya provided, the success rate of these experiments will increase significantly."
...
Just as Mei was about to leave, Mobius stopped her.
"Wait a moment. There's also this..."
Mobius input a long string of codes into the control console.
The holographic projection instantly changed, displaying a brand-new project file—"Project STIGMA."
Mei read the name aloud. "Project STIGMA?"
"Correct."
Project STIGMA—this was an idea Mobius had conceived long ago.
And Project STIGMA was... on a large scale, even encompassing all of humanity... to enable humans to conquer the Honkai, or adapt to it.
The Honkai would no longer be a disaster but a great catalyst for human advancement.
"But by then, would humans still be considered human?"
"What of it? Mei, this is evolution."
Mobius continued, "Don't get hung up on definitions like 'humanity.'"
Of course, Project STIGMA would only come into play much later, and it was a version Mobius had revised countless times by then.
...
"Regarding the MANTIS Project... I'll first submit a simplified report to the higher-ups."
"Mei, you know those people probably won't agree to something like this."
"But if the organization doesn't approve, it likely won't proceed smoothly..."
Mei said, already preparing to leave.
"Why worry so much..."
Mobius pressed the door open button for her. "After all, we're both about to 'create monsters' now, aren't we?"
Mei didn't answer, only nodded before stepping out of the laboratory.
The automatic door slid shut behind her, sealing Mobius and her secrets inside.
…
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