29. The Serpent's Greed and the Flower's Cowardice.
Mobius, one of the earliest founding members of the Flame-Chasers. Even Dr. Mei, who currently leads the scientific research efforts against the Honkai, was introduced and joined the Flame-Chasers through her.
However, compared to Dr. Mei, others within the Flame-Chasers hold rather worse opinions of Dr. Mobius.
Mad scientist, dissection demon, operating table butcher, Frankenstein... These nicknames didn't come from nowhere. As a biologist, Mobius possesses an almost fanatical desire for research on humans, zombies, and Honkai beasts.
Similarly, those who end up on her operating table have a very low survival rate. This has led many to criticize her behind her back, viewing her as a lunatic who disregards life, treats people merely as lab rats, and might even take pleasure in depriving others of their lives.
This statement is both right and wrong. Mobius never deliberately takes lives. On the contrary, she hopes to preserve her test subjects' survival as much as possible to obtain more and more comprehensive data.
Those who end up on her operating table are either already dead, like Gao qi, or are patients and wounded with very little time left, coming with a last-ditch "trying everything" attitude. And because there are quite a number of such people, Mobius never lacks test subjects.
However, Mobius indeed disregards life and treats people as lab rats. She holds no reverence for life; it is merely a canvas upon which she paints her dreams and ideals. If carelessness leads to the canvas being ruined, it's simply unfortunate.
In Mobius's eyes, humanity is foolish, cowardly, inferior, and backward. Precisely because of this, they are trapped in endless internal strife and appear so vulnerable in the face of the Honkai.
Thus, Mobius began her research. She sought to explore the path of human evolution, to uncover the laws of death, to conquer all impossibilities!
For this goal, Mobius always walked this path alone. She once believed she didn't need anyone who understood her; she only needed sufficient test subjects and ample funding to inevitably find the answer.
But recently, Mobius changed her perspective. She gained her own understanding companions, two of them.
And the times outside of experiments, which she previously found rather uninteresting, have now become enjoyable.
"You know, actually, I started working hard very, very early on—did you know? I heard from my parents that right after I was born, I could already speak. It's a pity no information from that time was preserved, so I couldn't research that phenomenon. Such a shame."
At this moment, Mobius was lying on the edge of the rooftop, her head resting on Gao qi's lap, letting her long green hair cascade freely.
Her rather revealing dress was only supported by the fabric at her neck, offering almost no protection for her ample chest. Her waist was largely exposed, revealing pale, soft skin, with her lower abdomen barely covered by a hollowed out structure resembling fishnet.
When she received this dress from Nuwa and Fuxi, Mobius acted indifferent, but she felt a bit shy inside.
She was focused on her research, but she wasn't lacking common sense. Compared to the even more bookish Mei, she could still tease her. She definitely understood how scandalous this dress was.
What kind of woman would wear such a sexy dress? Definitely not a respectable one!
But, since Zero wanted to see it, she would wear it just for him.
"Later, my mother died during childbirth, and my father contracted Honkai sickness. Then, just a simple drug turned his gentle self into an irritable, violent madman. I thought then, humans are truly so fragile."
Gazing at the starry sky and the Gao qi looking down at her, Mobius quietly recounted her past. Gao qi simply listened silently, without saying a word.
This was their usual way of interacting. Mobius was a genius; most things she said couldn't be fully understood by the foolish human Gao qi. But Gao qi only needed to listen.
"So, that's why I want humanity to evolve. Zero, you are the perfect beginning of all my plans. I will start with you, to make me, you, all of humanity—ascend and become gods!"
Raising her slender arm towards the sky, Mobius's pale, delicate hand gently brushed past Gao qi's cheek, like the touch of a viper.
"And today, your appearance cleared many obstacles for me. You deserve my thanks and my reward—what do you want, Zero? I can satisfy anything~~"
With a radiant smile, Mobius was very happy today, which was also why she was willing to "waste time" accompanying Ling here.
After all, freed from the hindrances of those foolish humans, Mobius's work would proceed much more smoothly from now on.
"Hmm, how about trying a different hairstyle? I kinda want to see you with twin tails."
As for Gao qi, he just smiled slightly. Without waiting for Mobius's agreement, he already pulled out hair ties and gathered the long hair, which had become incredibly smooth these days due to his insistence on washing it, into twin tails on either side of her head.
To this, Mobius merely pouted slightly, looking exceptionally cute.
"Your combat prowess has gained everyone's recognition. The next step is to turn those I deem worthy into MANTISes—I've already reserved the Parvati for that guy Kevin. Next is that woman Elysia, and then myself! I should find a suitable Honkai beast for myself."
Saying this, Mobius sat up from Gao qi's lap, leaned against him, gently held his arm, and whispered softly into his ear.
"Evolution is ugly, Zero. Even I cannot guarantee what I will become—when the time comes, don't you dare dislike me for being ugly~~ Others can dislike me, but you cannot."
Using a somewhat coquettish tone to deliver a command, Mobius, disregarding the dozens of meters drop beside the rooftop, suddenly flipped over, lifted her black long skirt, revealing her smooth thighs, and straddled Gao qi. This startled him, making him quickly hold onto Mobius's back, afraid she might fall.
Mobius didn't care about the opinions of many, but she cared about "Zero".
The reason was simple: Zero's life was bestowed by Mobius. She created his life from a corpse using a almost miraculous power.
Mobius didn't believe in fate, nor did she care about good and evil. What she pursued was only the "answer," something that could satisfy her endless thirst for knowledge.
And Ling was the answer. He was an existence different from everyone else. Even Klein, who could understand Mobius, couldn't compare to this answer.
Only the answer could explain Zero's resurrection. And he包容 all of Mobius's willfulness, all her mischief, all her... disguises.
Although Zero never said it out loud, Mobius knew this man saw through her truest self—not the lazy, slovenly slacker, nor the cruel, merciless demon, but the purer madwoman who only sought truth, to surpass life, death, and everything.
Therefore, Mobius yearned for Zero's approval, longed for his acknowledgment. This was the entirety of her desire for him!
"Of course I won't dislike you. The MANTIS you become will definitely be very beautiful. But, Dr. Mobius, what you said isn't entirely correct~~ There's at least one point I disagree with."
Gao qi smiled as he replied. Hearing his point of disagreement, Mobius's breathing suddenly became hasty, and the delicate hands holding Gao qi's shoulders couldn't help but tighten.
"Wh-Which point...?"
Right now, she couldn't even muster a dominant attitude, nor was there any trace of her usual madness.
Mobius was strong. She could abandon everything, even use herself as an experimental subject, to seek the ultimate answer and truth.
Mobius is also fragile. In the original work, when she left a message for her own memory, she abandoned everything she had pursued—the laws of life and death, infinite evolution, eternal transcendence...
In that version of Mobius, ambition and madness were almost entirely absent. She even calmly accepted death.
This is also why Gao qi holds such affection for her. Mobius possesses the world's greatest ideals and dreams, but at her core, she is just an adorable, helpless little girl who makes people want to hold her in their arms.
"You said all evolution is ugly, but I can't agree with that. Billions of years of life's evolution ultimately created humanity as it is today and also gave rise to you, Doctor—no matter how foolish or weak others may be, as long as you exist, isn't evolution beautiful enough?"
Of course, in his heart, Gao qi silently added the names of Fu Hua, Bianka, and Kiana, but for the sake of his own safety, he definitely wouldn't dare say this to Mobius.
The moment she heard his reply, Mobius was stunned for a second, before a radiant, sunrise-like smile spread across her face.
It wasn't the fake smile she learned from Elysia, but a genuine, heartfelt one, though her expression twisted slightly from excitement, making it not particularly pretty.
"Hmm... you're so mischievous. Is this what they call cheesy flirting?"
She reached out with a slender hand and playfully patted Gao qi's chest, feeling nothing but joy in her heart.
"Hey, it's just what I truly feel—humans might need to evolve, but I think you're beautiful just as you are. Isn't that good?"
Looking into Mobius's deep eyes, Gao qi shrugged. This simulation was the opposite of the previous two—he didn't need to guide Mobius, only silently acknowledge and support her.
Although Mobius would, in the future, come up with that deadly Stigma Project, even driving Kevin to madness, that was a problem for the main characters—or even Otto—to worry about. After all, in the end, Mobius had already rejected herself.
Aside from that, Gao qi fully supported all of Mobius's actions. In a world of despair, some madness was always necessary.
"Silver-tongued and slick. The thing humans most need to evolve away from is this deceitful mouth of yours."
After a moment of hesitation, Mobius brushed aside the hair on her forehead and slowly leaned toward Gao qi—she wanted to do something she considered utterly meaningless.
But she wanted to do it anyway—a choice beyond rationality.
Clang—
However, just as their lips were about to meet, the rooftop door suddenly slammed open.
Gao qi could sense that someone had been hiding there but accidentally made a noise—could it be Nuwa? She was the biggest troublemaker.
Meanwhile, Mobius caught sight of a panicked figure.
Hua—Mobius remembered. She was Zero's sister. No, she had nothing to do with Zero.
"Shh, don't look."
With a slender hand, she cupped Zero's face, preventing him from turning around and keeping Hua from seeing him. Then, with somewhat unskilled movements, Mobius captured his lips.
A long moment later, only when the person at the door had quietly left did Mobius slowly release him, both of them gasping for air.
"So, are you still going to evolve away this outdated organ?"
His heart racing, Gao qi couldn't resist teasing her again.
"Hmph... I'll let it remain for now. Perhaps this outdated form of life known as humanity still has some redeeming qualities."
Licking her lips, Mobius flashed an intoxicating smile.
Zero was her answer, and he would only ever be her answer.
"Alright, Zero, I shall grant you the highest honor—you will forever be... my little lab rat~~"
---
The wind whistled past her ears as Fu Hua sprinted up the stairs. After much hesitation, she had run to the rooftop, hoping to confirm the possibility of hope.
But in the end, Fu Hua didn't confirm anything. Instead, she fled.
How she wished Gao qi could have come back to life. That familiar touch must have been from him. If she had taken just a few more steps, she might have gotten her answer.
But she ran away. The moment she saw Mobius kissing him, Hua lost the courage to step forward.
No matter what the answer was, it seemed she had lost.
Fu Hua had come to understand her own cowardice.
---
[After that night, your relationship with Mobius advanced rapidly, yet it also seemed unchanged—still that of a test subject and a scientist.]
[However, around you, she shed some of her former pretenses, becoming more genuine and direct. To outsiders, the way Mobius treated you seemed even harsher and more domineering.]
[But you cherished it. Though it might not be a conventional romance, you had taken the first step—and that was worth celebrating.]
[Not long after, the seventh Herrscher, known as the Herrscher of Flame, emerged in Australia—and Kevin would become the second MANTIS.]
---
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?