268. Would You Like To Be My Assistant?
Soon, both became top scientists at Fire Moth in their respective fields.
The only difference was that one felt close, the other feared.
In Fire Moth's eyes, Ling was a great scientist who saved the world, while Mobius was a dangerous scientist who took unorthodox paths.
At least Ling's lab wasn't constantly patrolled by soldiers.
Admittedly, their contributions to science were roughly equal, but Ling's reputation within Fire Moth was far superior to Mobius'.
Although they had 'separated,' they weren't actually as antagonistic as one might imagine; rather, it felt more like they were destined to never speak to each other again.
At Fire Moth's high-level meetings, they would even share the same opinions and unite against external threats.
But this was merely a superficial calm.
Ling knew perfectly well that Mobius was simply looking for an opportunity to defeat him in one fell swoop.
She was a dangerous, venomous snake, and snakes... are masters of stealth.
Time quickly passed, and the Second Honkai Impact arrived. A warrior named Elysia vanquished it.
The Fire Moth immediately authorized Ling to work on the Second Herrscher's corpse.
Currently, Ling was their most trusted scientist.
But... Mobius intercepted it.
Yes, without any approval, she forcibly took the Second Herrscher's corpse and began her research.
Ling didn't seem to care, and even the warrior named Elysia personally came to apologize to Ling about Mobius's action...
"So, you and Mobius are quite familiar?" Ling asked the girl in front of him, puzzled.
She looked quite young, yet she was able to defeat the Herrscher of the Void single-handedly, making one very curious about how she did it.
"Oh, actually, I only recently met Dr. Mobius," Elysia chuckled, covering her mouth.
"You might not understand, but it's impossible to make Mobius bow down. If you apologize on her behalf, she won't be happy; instead, she'll try to trip you up."
Ling shook the reagent in his hand, and through the green liquid, the girl's indifferent expression could be seen.
"Then, Dr. Ling, are you and Dr. Mobius very close? I've heard your relationship is quite special!"
"Childhood sweethearts, two incredibly similar geniuses, separated due to differing ideals…"
Elysia ignored Ling's warning and instead began to dig for gossip about Ling.
"Oh, all that? Except for the last one, it's pretty much the same." Ling nodded.
"Didn't you separate because of differing ideals?" Elysia pressed on impatiently.
"Of course not. Separating was a good choice for both of us, for the better development of humanity." Ling explained.
"Wow! Dr. Ling is a scientist who cares about humanity. No wonder you still tried to improve the Honkai serum, even though the current Honkai serum version is already good enough. Hmm! Truly a great scientist." Elysia didn't hold back her praise.
"Let me correct you. I don't care about the ultimate fate of humanity, it's just... never mind." Ling thought for a moment, then didn't continue.
"Eh? Why did you stop? Please tell me, otherwise I might not be able to sleep tonight!" Elysia pleaded with a pitiful face.
This feeling of being stopped in the middle of something is really maddening.
"You're disturbing my experiment." Ling bluntly dismissed her.
After arguing with Elysia for a while, she finally gave up, but judging from her expression, she wouldn't let it go easily.
It feels like I've gotten myself into big trouble.
Ling shook his head and continued his experiment.
When the Second Herrscher's corpse was brought to Ling, it had already been dissected beyond recognition.
Fortunately, Mobius still had some conscience; at least she didn't ruin the material.
Of course, it's also possible that she disdained winning the so-called competition through such means.
The higher-ups originally intended to punish Mobius, but since the parties involved didn't care, they couldn't say anything.
Time slowly passed. Ling didn't conduct experiments continuously; occasionally, when he had free time, he would travel to the Mu Continent to engage in academic exchanges with Einstein.
She was very knowledgeable. Although she couldn't be of much help in Ling's field, she always provided him with considerable inspiration.
During a project sharing session, Ling obtained some data about 'ELFs'.
Then, the next day, Mobius borrowed it.
After all, this was one of the most advanced technologies on the Mu Continent, and Mobius was naturally very interested.
However, she didn't like dealing with overly kind and rational people like Einstein.
Moreover, she would definitely be wary of her, a scientist with a notorious reputation.
But Ling was different. His reputation within the Fire Moth organization and even worldwide was exceptionally good. He not only optimized the Honkai serum but also created a special medicine available for civilian use.
While it couldn't cure the disease, it could extend lifespan, and the side effects were far fewer than those of the original medicine.
In the eyes of outsiders, Ling was practically a modern-day Shennong (a legendary Chinese physician).
Associating with such a person naturally carried little burden.
Ling rarely responded to the praise from the outside world.
Some said he was devoted to experiments and disdained fame and fortune; others said he was merely a puppet put forward by Mobius, since he had never restricted any of Mobius's research and even frequently gave him the green light.
If Ling was truly as benevolent as he appeared, why didn't he stop Mobius from conducting such dangerous experiments?
However, all of these outside opinions were merely speculation; they lacked any substantial evidence.
Only Ling himself knew the truth.
He simply stayed within his own small sphere of influence, without even a single assistant. Therefore, what they could see outside was all they knew.
Although the Fire Moth had selected several outstanding individuals, Ling politely declined them all.
This raised some doubts among the Fire Moth. Why wasn't Ling willing to find an assistant? For a top scientist to be without an assistant was somewhat embarrassing.
Or was it true, as rumors suggested, that Ling was researching something unknown?
However, this doubt was quickly dispelled.
At an academic conference on the Mu Continent, Ling personally invited a high school student to become his assistant.
She published a paper on quantum mechanics, successfully piquing Ling's interest.
Unfortunately, Mobius also discovered this highly promising newcomer.
Mei trembled, unable to understand why two extremely renowned scientists were simultaneously eyeing her.
"Your name is Mei, right? I've read your paper; it's very valuable research. Some of the viewpoints are very novel. Would you mind if I asked you some questions?" Ling spoke first.
"Of course…" Mei took a deep breath. Facing this academic luminary, she dared not relax even slightly.
"Don't be so nervous. I'm just a student here, too," Ling reassured her.
"Hmm…"
Ling's approachable manner put Mei at ease considerably.
"First question: Have you read my papers before? Or my research reports?" Mobius asked before Ling could.
"Huh?" Mei looked bewildered. Shouldn't Dr. Ling be asking the questions?
"It's alright, you can answer her first." Ling generously handed the floor to Mobius.
Mobius gave a soft hum, remaining silent.
Mei looked at Mobius's name tag and swallowed hard.
"Of course I've read Dr. Mobius's paper, but there are still many parts I don't understand… Of course, I've also read Dr. Ling's, and her quantum field theory has been quite enlightening!"
Mei answered both sides, trying not to offend either, but her answer was clearly biased towards Ling, which naturally displeased Mobius.
"Second question, what are your impressions of human experimentation?" Ling nodded and asked her a question.
"Human…human experimentation…" Mei glanced around furtively, like a thief.
Seeing no one was paying attention, she pondered for a few seconds before giving her answer.
"If…if it's for the future of humanity…I think it's acceptable." Mei answered earnestly.
"Third question, would you choose to be an enemy of humanity for the future of humanity?" Mobius continued.
"Ah…Eh?!!" Mei's mind was in chaos; she had never thought about this before.
However, when she looked up at the two people before her, her earlier hesitation vanished, replaced by unwavering determination.
"If this can truly bring a better future to humanity… I'm willing!"
As soon as she said this, Mei quickly observed their expressions.
But neither Möbius nor Ling showed any reaction to her answer.
This made Mei's heart pound. Although Mobius was somewhat unconventional, Ling had always been known as a scientist with a strong sense of humanitarianism.
This answer… surely wouldn't be accepted.
"The fourth question." Ling's sudden words made Mei's heart skip a beat, and she shuddered.
It felt like being caught daydreaming in class.
She looked at Ling anxiously, afraid he would utter some critical words.
Basically, once those words were uttered, she would find it difficult to maintain her position in academia.
Even if her father was an expert in electromagnetism, those achievements paled in comparison to Ling's.
"Would you like to become my assistant?"
...