Chapter 383: Noted
Sin Mal's heart stopped beating for the nineteenth time. The duration of the stoppage had already approached three minutes.
Thump! Thump!
Four metal cables, each as thick as an index finger, were plugged into Sin Mal's chest. They pulsed in sequence with mechanical rhythm, replacing the function of a heartbeat and maintaining both blood circulation and the flow of Honkai energy.
"Hm~ hm~ hmm~~"
In the brightly lit laboratory—its walls covered in mechanical tendrils—Mobius hummed a grim, reaper-like tune. She drifted slowly around the operating table, her soft waist swaying lightly to her own melody. Wrapped in her long emerald hair, she resembled a serpent lazily swaying with eerie grace.
Snap!
Suddenly, the petite Mobius twirled once in midair like she was dancing, then snapped her fingers and said cheerfully:
"Three minutes and thirty seconds. Klein, give her another injection of Inhibitor No. 23."
"Doctor, we've already administered seven doses of No. 23. If we continue—"
"Hmm? Are you questioning me, my dear Klein?"
Mobius came to a stop, her drifting movements halting like a paused dance.
"No, just expressing my concerns truthfully. Since you believe it must be done, then it will be done."
Klein's voice was flat, expressionless—showing neither panic nor emotion at Mobius' rebuke. Only a hint of exhaustion seeped through her tone, like a corporate drone on the verge of death from overwork.
A mechanical arm descended from above the lab and injected a vial of gray-green fluid into Sin Mal's body.
Mobius immediately leaned down, tilting her head sideways. Pressing her ear against the area near Sin Mal's heart—where the mechanical tendrils were inserted—she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Good. This is the Klein I know!"
"I've always been something you created, Doctor. You're saying strange things again."
"Hahaha, and that's exactly what makes you the cutest, Klein."
"Now you're being even more inexplicable… The latest data collection is complete. Next report is in forty-five seconds. I'm taking a short break."
Klein cut off the connection.
Mobius turned toward the audio-camera in the lab, puffing up her cheeks unhappily. She huffed once, then had no choice but to refocus on Sin Mal and observe the changes.
Meanwhile—outside the laboratory, or rather, outside Mobius' personal domain—in the Elysian Realm's central control room filled with screens, Klein sat in a rotating office chair. Facing Sigurd, who watched quietly with an unreadable expression, Klein hugged a tablet tightly to her chest.
"This is Dr. Mobius' experiment. Are you planning to stop her, Sigurd? Let me be clear: the physical lockdown around the entrances to her personal domain—that was all the Doctor's doing. I didn't take part. And my abilities aren't enough to break her barriers. If you came here to stop her, I'm sorry, but this trip was pointless."
"No. I only need you to sync the experiment data to me."
"You can extract it yourself. Last time was proof enough that I can't stop you. You didn't need to come all the way here just to say that."
"…Continue your work, and take your break. Pretend I'm not here."
Sigurd looked down at the tiny ELF before him. She was several sizes larger than Book of Fuxi—who could sit in a human's palm—but still only roughly up to his knee. Stripped of her monocular visor, her black coronet, and bee-like green tail, her expressionless face was actually rather cute.
Klein frowned in confusion.
"But you're clearly standing right there? …Sigh, fine. If that's what you want, I'll try my best to ignore you… Oh, time's up. I need to send the latest data to the Doctor. I'll copy a set for you as well—there's no prohibition on that."
The office chair automatically rotated back toward the screens and controls. Klein's face was illuminated by the glow of the monitors as her fingers blurred across the keyboard, producing countless afterimages.
Sigurd opened a projection screen of his own. He quietly examined the incoming data—sometimes frowning, sometimes slowly nodding.
An hour later, Sigurd finally turned and left.
"Sync the data to me in real time. Tell Mobius this is the condition."
Klein stopped her frantic typing. She turned her head, her tiny face watching Sigurd's back as it disappeared from sight before she returned to her interface and opened a line to Mobius.
"Doctor, Sigurd has left. He said he wants the data synced to him in real time, and that I should tell you this is his condition… Doctor, does he know you asked me to monitor him?"
"He'd have to be an idiot not to know! Hah, talks big, but still came running to me for the data, didn't he? Such a tsundere! As expected—I am the true genius here!"
"Doctor, I think Sigurd is just concerned about the test subject."
"No, you don't understand, Klein. He and I are the same type of person. I seek infinity, and he seeks victory—at the root, they're identical: the will to continue existing! I believe he values the test subject… but I believe even more that he covets my brilliance and my technology! As long as I grasp that one fact, freedom will be within my reach!"
Mobius wore a dangerous smile as she clenched her fist. The green, fang-like metal claws on her index and middle fingers scraped together with a cold metallic screech.
Klein: "…"
"Klein, what are you thinking?"
"Doctor, I think the situation is going to become problematic for you. Because… it seems you can't beat Sigurd."
"Hahahahaha… come here and say that to my face?"
Mobius burst into manic laughter, then abruptly darkened her expression, her tone turning threatening toward her assistant.
But Klein's voice remained as flat as ever:
"I'm being serious, Doctor. Based on your clashes these past few days, Sigurd's physical data far surpasses what you had in your prime—not to mention that the current you is only a memory construct. The two of you aren't even comparable. He has the capability to format the entire Elysian Realm at any moment. And we also have to consider the number of Herrschers he's brought with him. Who knows how many more reserves he has outside? Rationally speaking, Doctor, you absolutely should not confront him. The risk is far too high."
"Hmph! Stop spouting nonsense. Since when have I ever failed to capture my prey?"
"In reality, Doctor… the number of times you've crashed and burned isn't exactly small…"
"Hm??"
"…I'll stop talking now. The latest data has been organized. What should we do next, Doctor?"
Klein had done her part—analyzing the situation and offering reasonable advice. If Mobius chose a different course, Klein would not interfere. All she could do was follow the Doctor's decisions.
Mobius clenched her fist and let out an irritated snort through her nose before speaking coldly:
"Hmph! Next step—prepare Inhibitor No. 1."
"…Are you sure? …Very well. Since this is the Doctor's decision, I'll proceed."
Klein felt she had already asked enough questions for one day. After one brief confirmation, she executed the order.
A fresh dose of medication was injected into Sin Mal's body. At the same time, Mobius withdrew the metal tendrils embedded in Sin Mal's chest.
Four bloody holes opened in Sin Mal's cardiac region, blood spilling onto the test bench.
Mobius leaned down, peering through the wound in Sin Mal's chest cavity. She gazed at the heart that had completely stopped beating, then cupped her own cheeks. An unnatural blush spread across them.
"Ah~ yes~ that's it~~"
"Don't be afraid. Death, with me, is merely a state. It's not an end, nor a final destination. Feel death—understand death. Use those precious, unrivaled eyes of yours to witness the world of death firsthand!"
"Ahahaha!"
"Sigurd, oh Sigurd! Thank you for delivering such a flawless genetic blueprint. Thank you for gifting me a natural-born ability-user beyond even Stigmata Awakeners. The path of evolution has gained yet another piece of the puzzle… When I'm grinding your head into the mud, I'll be sure—very sure—to express my gratitude!"
"AHAHAHA!"
…
Crunch~
In the lounge area, Elysia chewed on a slice of watermelon as she watched Mobius' projection hovering above Sigurd's palm. She showed absolutely no surprise.
Elysia poked Sigurd's arm.
"Hey, aren't you angry?"
"No."
"…I don't remember you being the calm type?"
Elysia muttered around her watermelon slice, giving him a suspicious look.
Sigurd dismissed the projection and turned toward Fu Hua, who was polishing glasses behind the bar.
"I have a question."
"Eh? Sure, go ahead."
"Which do you think would cause more suffering for a serpent: being hung out in space, or being soaked in magma?"
Fu Hua & Elysia: "…"
Silence took over. With no reasonable answer received, Sigurd shook his head in mild disappointment. He decided he would think it over later. For now, he returned his attention to the experimental data on Sin Mal.
One way or another, this debt—he would remember.
<+>
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