After seeing Griseo and the others off, Ryan felt that he had completed another major task. Even though he felt a little empty inside, he was much more at ease.
'At worst, Rin can live out her life in the world bubble, which also fulfills my promise to Sakura.'
Ryan and Mei had discussed that if they couldn't overcome the Finality, they would sever the connection between the main world and the Sea of Quanta. According to their arrangements, that world bubble could exist for thousands of years without any problems. Perhaps another genius could be born then and, with the legacy left behind, return to the main world for revenge.
Is the worst outcome not much worse than the Seeds of Fire plan?
In the original timeline, the Previous Era didn't have time to study the Sea of Quanta, or rather, they had just started to get some ideas when the relevant research institutions were sent away by the Ninth Herrscher. But this time was different. Ryan had been in contact with Vita, which allowed him to avoid many detours. The data he had unlocked was enough for Dr. Vidic to explore for decades.
It's all thanks to me that I can stand on the shoulders of two worlds. It seems reasonable for the Cocoon of Finality to cheat a little, right?
Ryan grinned. Vita was too crucial. With the data she provided, Earth civilization had a safety net. The only cost was being targeted by 'Sa.'
"What are you smiling at? It's creepy."
A sarcastic voice came from above. Ryan followed the sound and saw it was a surveillance camera. Since it was in charge of important research, this entire floor was under Mobius's management.
"I'm thinking of something happy. And why aren't you doing your experiment properly and just staring at the camera?"
"I like it. It's none of your business."
"Open the door."
"This is my territory. You can't just come in... Fine, put your hand down, I'll open the door right away."
Ryan put down his fist. He didn't mind being a barbarian. This Mobius was always looking for trouble. Talking to her nicely would only get him mad.
Besides, you've been waiting for me. You calculated the time and watched the surveillance. You're so stubborn.
The complex electronic lock was disengaged, and the half-meter-thick alloy door opened. In front of him was a deep passage. As the light strip on the ceiling extended into the distance, this was the core experimental area.
Due to the Herrscher of Domination, this area had been specially modified. The walls on both sides were all made of semi-transparent reinforced glass, filled with green liquid. Various human tissues floated inside, most of which were the corpses of traitors picked up from the battlefield.
Since Dr. Damian didn't have to be bound by morality, his deep development of MANTIS surgery was ahead of its time, but it could also be used as a reference.
"I have to say, it looks pretty disgusting." Ryan grinned, walking while looking, and it took him a few minutes to arrive at a hall covering thousands of square meters.
The area was filled with instruments. After many factories were destroyed, these instruments became unique pieces. The moment Ryan stepped in, the computer screens flickered and all turned into smiling faces.
"Good afternoon, Commander."
"Hello, Prometheus." Ryan nodded slightly. This AI was also put into research. At this stage, the Fire Moth had begun to concentrate resources on key projects.
He didn't see Mobius. There were disorganized files everywhere. Two people were lying on a chair, it was Nuwa and Cangxuan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. The twins had their heads together and were snoring softly. Ryan sensed them carefully for a moment and then raised his eyebrows.
Honkai energy reaction? Are these twins MANTIS too?
Prometheus lived up to its name as an AI. Seeing his confusion, it reported on its own initiative: "This is the effect of the Commander's serum. Miss Nuwa and Miss Cangxuan have undergone a weak mental power modification. The specific ability is more concentrated attention and physical strength. As for combat, according to Dr. Mei's rating, it's: trash."
Uh, I think your emotional intelligence needs to be improved a little, and Mobius is indeed the most black-hearted boss.
Ryan couldn't help but complain in his heart and asked: "My purified serum shouldn't be much, right? Most of it was used on Mei. Where did Mobius get it?"
"Please wait a moment. I'm retrieving the data. Done. Now playing the video for you."
The smiling face on the screen disappeared, and a video began to play. From the perspective, it was a surveillance camera's view. Looking at his unconscious self on the hospital bed, Ryan immediately recognized the timeline.
Isn't this what happened after the Seventh Herrscher? I was unconscious at the time.
Ryan watched carefully and saw Mobius treating him while drawing blood. He couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Alright, this platypus really did him dirty. She secretly drew blood. It's a pity that the things I saw in my dream were too shocking, and I didn't notice the needle marks on my arm. As Ryan watched, he felt that something was wrong.
Mobius put away the blood bag with satisfaction. Then she came to the bed, hesitated for a moment, and pushed her hair back to lean over and press her moist lips against his, and then a stirring sound, as if with a straw, came.
It was a bit clumsy, but it was intense enough, as if she wanted to dye him with her own taste.
Oh, my.
Ryan had already guessed what Mobius had done at the time, but watching from a third-person perspective was really exciting. At least from a critical perspective, Mobius was really intense.
Just then, he suddenly heard footsteps and turned his head quickly.
"You're so slow. You've seen my precious collection..." The green-haired woman came from the deeper part of the lab. At first, she was a bit smug, but then her mouth froze because she saw a spectacular scene:
Dozens of screens, big and small, were all playing the same video. Wasn't the protagonist in it herself??
"Prometheus! Who told you to play this part!!"
"The order came from the Commander. Of course, this last part is my personal pursuit. I like to show the cause and effect." The AI's voice was flat, with a hint of humanized confusion: "Dr. Mobius, your heartbeat is very fast. You are currently in a state of rage. I don't understand why taking a shower would cause this reaction."
"You artificial idiot! He told you to play it, and you just played it? And I clearly deleted it!"
"My apologies. The Commander's authority is above yours. And according to Dr. Mei's request, all deleted data has a backup, for example—"
The screen flickered and switched to another image. In the dim room, only the light from the screen was present. Mobius sat on the chair with a slightly red face and slowly lifted her skirt...
A green lightning bolt immediately flooded the lab, causing a momentary voltage overload, which paused the image on the screen and replaced it with a surprised 'face.'
"Please calm down. This will cause a lot of damage to the equipment. Dr. Mei will be very angry, which is not good for you."
"Am I afraid of her!?"
The voice became sharper. Fortunately, Ryan had already held Mobius's head down and quickly waved his hand: "Prometheus, you can go. I'll handle this."
"Yes, Commander." A bowing emoji appeared on the screen and disappeared in an instant.
Mobius was so angry that her fists were clenched, and she gritted her teeth, wishing she could rush to the central database and format this artificial idiot.
Is this something you can play randomly? I really want to artificially collapse right now and disappear from the lab.
"Alright, Prometheus is everywhere now. There's even a host in the Sea of Quanta. She's just a child. Why are you so angry?"
"Easy for you to say. She actually dared to do that!"
"Who told you to dawdle and not come out? I didn't do it on purpose either." Ryan touched her moist hair and wondered why Mobius took a shower.
Seeing that she was still unrelenting, Ryan rolled his eyes, lowered his head, and gave her a deep kiss until the body in his arms tensed up and then relaxed. Only then did he separate his lips. Then he naturally wrapped his arm around her slender waist and continued to go down, feeling the curve expanding outwards.
"Are you not angry now? It's all in the past. It's not like I haven't done it before. But you need to tell Prometheus not to play it everywhere, or don't blame me if you die from social awkwardness."
Mobius's face was still flushed, and her eyes suddenly twitched. She thought to herself, what if the fox or the wooden one saw this? Even Elysia is a no-go. How can I ever face them again?
So she pressed down on Ryan's hand and secretly glanced at the office deeper inside.
"Blanca and Klein are still here. Don't do anything crazy."
It was soft, elastic, and had the feel of stockings. Ryan was enjoying it, but he wasn't afraid. He put his mouth next to Mobius's ear: "You dared to ambush me, so you must be punished."
"How do you want to punish me?" Mobius's eyes became a little dazed, and she exhaled hot air from her mouth.
A slight electric arc flickered at Ryan's fingertips. Mobius immediately trembled all over. Her two long, black-stockinged legs crossed and rubbed against each other. She felt her body temperature rising rapidly. She quietly let go of Ryan's hand and put her head closer to him.
"You bastard, I want to..."
"Warning, warning. The wooden stake is approaching the 500-meter range."
The cold alarm suddenly sounded. Mobius's pupils shrank. She suddenly used her hands with force. Ryan was caught off guard and sat down on a swivel chair, sliding far away. He then looked at her with a blank face.
Oh my god, you even set up an alarm? How much psychological trauma do you have from Hua?
Mobius's face was still flushed. She stared at Ryan on the lounge chair, and Ryan also stared at her. The two of them just stared at each other until the alarm was disengaged.
"It seems Hua just passed by the rooftop?"
"She was too embarrassed to come in. That wooden stake is so bad. Can't you transfer her to the Sea Abyss City?" Mobius got angry at the thought. She had lost count of how many times that wooden stake had 'unintentionally' ruined her plans.
Seeing Ryan spread his hands, showing that he was helpless, she got even more angry. She gritted her teeth and thought that this bastard was too greedy. How could he want everything?
"I'm too lazy to talk nonsense with you. Just remember clearly, you can only choose one between her and me. You won't get what you want."
That's not necessarily true. Before, a certain person would never give me this kind of opportunity. At most, I would sit on a lounge chair, and she would sit on my lap. Now she doesn't seem to mind being controlled by me.
Ryan laughed secretly. Mobius's mouth was still as stubborn as ever, but her body was getting softer and softer. The personality Righteous plan was going very smoothly. The execution was like that joke:
I'm just holding you. I'm just touching you. I'm rubbing against you but not going in. I'm a father now.
"You're smiling so creepily. You must be scheming against me." Mobius felt a chill and took half a step back. She felt embarrassed enough from being played with like a doll just now. Now she had to force herself to regain her composure.
"Get over here and follow me. Someone sent a gift."
"Who?"
"Who else could it be." Mobius turned her head slightly, her face filled with displeasure and vigilance.
"That Vita."
Could it be that my image in Mobius's eyes is that of a succubus? Why does she always look so wary whenever a woman contacts me?
The first thought that popped into Ryan's mind was a bit absurd, just because Mobius was too straightforward. She didn't even bother to hide it, but he was not ashamed; on the contrary, he felt proud.
What's a succubus? A comfortable person like me would be more than enough to be a Slaanesh champion. What's the big deal about being wary? It wasn't me who was playing hard to get just now.
Speaking of which, Prometheus must have recorded it just now. I have to find a way to block it.
The person with authority was feeling smug, and then he focused on the present.
Vita's return visit was within expectations. It was also part of the transaction and an important piece of the plan.
"Well, I asked Vita for a favor. Don't look at me like that. My relationship with her is just a transaction."
"That's not necessarily true. A certain fox was your enemy, and now she's also submissive." Mobius snorted lightly and turned to walk toward the core area.
Ryan followed her, looking at the wiggling hips under her skirt. He said irritably: "You have the guts to be sarcastic in front of Sakura."
Mobius immediately shut up. She could tease Hua, but she knew she couldn't provoke Sakura. That assassin was not so easy to talk to. She would definitely drag her to the training ground with a blank face.
That's why I hate barbarians.
She was annoyed inside, but it didn't show on her face. She tossed her long hair, making her golden earrings dangle, accompanied by the clatter of her high heels, appearing extremely serious.
"How did that Vita know the coordinates? Aren't you afraid that the one behind her will come along and flank us?"
"She's been back to the main world, but she's very wary of the Cocoon of Finality."
"So, that 'Sa' is just so-so?"
"Not necessarily, but she definitely has a psychological trauma. It's better for her to farm peacefully in the Sea of Quanta. I have an idea to use the aerospace data given by Kalpas to build a space battleship and go to Venus to see it."
"Tsk, that woman Mei won't agree, at least not now."
"I never said we were going now."
The two of them talked back and forth as if they were back in the days of the Far East Branch. At that time, they would often walk and discuss, and the MANTIS were born from this kind of intellectual collision.
On the way, Ryan also met Blanca, who looked like a Taoist immortal, and accepted her thanks frankly.
"Blanca is very dedicated to her work. She didn't even go to see her daughter off."
"She deliberately downplayed her existence, not wanting to leave a painful memory for that girl." Mobius stopped in front of a big door, entered the password, and when the door opened, she turned her head again. "Let me guess, did a certain someone make another promise?"
"Huh, how did you know?" Ryan looked curious.
"I am Mobius, the person who knows you best." Mobius raised her chin a little proudly, and then her expression became cold again. "Don't carry too much on your shoulders, or you'll die. And you weren't such a selfless person before."
When they were in the Far East Branch, Ryan's vigilance was always at its peak, which sometimes made her feel helpless.
Ryan smiled, walked over, and put his hand on Mobius's head.
"I can only say that I've changed, and you've changed too. If I were still the same person from the Neon era, do you think I would be standing here? Would I have a chance to pet your head?"
"That's true. Wait, you're the dog head!"
Mobius raised her foot to kick, but Ryan easily dodged. Looking at the man who rushed into the lab before her, Mobius was both annoyed and amused.
Although he still bullies me every day, he has changed after all. If he were still the same person, no one but the wooden stake would rely on him so much. Wait, why am I a little touched?
Mobius shook her head. Even if she didn't get along with Hua, she had to admit that no matter what Ryan became, that stubborn woman would never abandon him.
Ryan didn't know that the woman behind him was suddenly touched. He was the first to enter the lab. He looked around and saw that the area here was much smaller and was divided into many small rooms, but the equipment was more precise. It looked like it was custom-made by Vil-V.
"Where is Vita's gift?"
"Tsk, you said you weren't close to her, but you're already revealing your true colors. But I think it's very normal. That Vita looks very slutty and has your brother's face."
The corner of Ryan's mouth twitched. He wanted to punish her fiercely right now. This snake's ability to provoke emotions was really impressive.
Seeing that Ryan's eyes were very dangerous, Mobius muttered a few words and opened a file cabinet to take out a silver box. When she opened it, a letter and a test tube were lying inside.
"You're using such a primitive way of transmitting information?"
Mobius picked up the envelope and, before handing it to Ryan, smiled lightly: "Some people say that a handwritten letter can convey emotions. What do you think?"
"It's all boring nonsense. She probably thinks it's a hassle for us to decipher the data." Ryan always felt that this smile was dangerous. He simply didn't look at Mobius and just opened the envelope and read it carefully.
As he said, Ryan and Vita had no unspeakable relationship. It was very simple from beginning to end.
Vita wanted to put on a show but was exposed by the highly vigilant Ryan. Then she discovered that this visitor from Earth had a potential for cooperation, so she tested him and they each took what they needed.
Ryan helped her gain some of 'Sa's' power, and then he cut the network cable and fled. Vita sent the key data, and thus they were no longer indebted to each other. So as Ryan read the letter, his expression became more and more strange, making Mobius curious and lean her head in to look.
"To Commander Ryan, I have temporarily gained my freedom. I used the arrangements I made before to get rid of the tracking. Please rest assured, 'Sa' will not be able to find you for a short time. Besides, you don't care about her threat."
"If you can transcend the Finality, you have no desire for the Sea of Quanta, so there will be no intersection. If you can't, she has nothing to do with you. The Sea of Quanta can only accommodate one stray dog."
She's very smart. As expected of a researcher of Mei's level.
Ryan felt a little emotional. Vita had revealed the basis of their cooperation. He had no interest in the Sea of Quanta, and he had no energy to develop it. It was just a temporary sanctuary for humanity.
If they transcended the Finality, they would, of course, bring everyone out. If they couldn't, they would all die sooner or later. No one could stop 'Sa' in the Sea of Quanta.
"For me personally, I still hope that you will lead Earth civilization to transcend the Finality. After all, the pain of regret is etched in my bones. Since you helped me, you deserve a more perfect ending. But if you fail, I hope you don't live in shame, because 'Sa' has been touched. It's better for you to die at the hands of the Finality."
"This woman is so arrogant. Is she teaching you what to do?" Mobius was instantly displeased. She had talked to Mei. If all else fails, they would just knock Ryan out and kick him into the Sea of Quanta.
Ryan was not so angry. He knew that everything in the world had its value, and any changes made would have a price.
In the original timeline, 'Sa' would probably only be encountered after the Great Saint Chi. Naturally, she would not have any effect on Kevin and the others. The Sea of Quanta was too big. The thousand years that Kevin was trapped was nothing.
But he was different. The butterfly effect was never one-sided. He got the legacy of Venus, which gave him an extra path to face the Finality. The price was that he had touched 'Sa' in advance.
Even a pig wouldn't have no reaction for 50,000 years.
"Alright, Vita is not talking nonsense. She really is being targeted by 'Sa.' Maybe she will come to seek refuge with me. Transcending the Finality is beneficial to her." Ryan didn't know what effect a 50,000-year-early plan would have on Vita.
"Seek refuge with you?"
"Yes, in the Sea of Quanta, I am not a match for 'Sa,' but if I really transcend the Finality, 'Sa' won't dare to leap out of the sea to find me." Ryan nodded confidently, and then he took out a test tube from the box. It was filled with a blue liquid, the color of the sea.
"No matter what she thinks, I owe her this favor first. The test tube contains the genetic extract of a high-level quantum beast, the key you need."
The jewel-like azure blue was reflected in Mobius's eyes, revealing a kind of greed and excitement. The MANTIS surgery for Ryan had been delayed for a long time, and the biggest reason was her stubbornness.
Mobius felt that no matter how powerful a Herrscher was, it was not enough to perform surgery on this man. There had to be something more special. So she changed the surgical plan again and again, and she got inspiration from the journey to the Sea of Quanta.
She gripped the test tube tightly, her snake eyes flickering. She felt that the brain cells she had lost from staying up all night for days were worth it. She was going to create an unparalleled MANTIS.
'Aren't you afraid she'll harm you?'
This thought was immediately extinguished. As Ryan said, vows were useless, and friendship was too naive. What was truly unbreakable was profit. This thing could never be faked.
"Give me one day. I will fuse the α171 factor with your serum extract. Based on this, I will complete the super-transformation factor."
"Okay. What's the success rate?"
"It's zero for others, but for you, it's 100%, unless you don't trust my technology." Mobius rolled her eyes. She knew Ryan was very cautious. He would rather not do it than do it recklessly.
"Then I can rest assured." Ryan didn't say much and just nodded lightly. "I'll help. This will be more efficient."
"Oh, so you're remembering your identity as a lifelong assistant now?" Mobius deliberately emphasized the word 'lifelong,' even though she had never paid him a salary.
The excitement was written all over her face. This platypus must love exploiting me so much.
Ryan decisively gave up the struggle. He turned over his wrist and showed the tactical terminal to Mobius. The red 'cloud' had already wiped out all traces of life on the British Isles.
"The final battle is coming. We have to hurry."