125. The Snake's Hunting
"He said he would bring misfortune and calamity to those around him?" Mobius asked, somewhat surprised, her eyes filled with suspicion.
"Although I've never had any bad luck, I can see some clues in Klein's case," Elysia said while rubbing Klein's cheek.
"Interesting..." Mobius walked into the laboratory, looking at Ling curled up in a ball, and a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes.
Ignoring the dejected Ling, she stepped forward, took his hands in her own, interlocked her fingers, and subtly pinned him down.
Shocking news! A woman in her thirties had done something so heinous to a child under ten!
"Please don't come near me..." Ling instinctively began to struggle, but Mobius's strength was far greater than he had imagined; Ling was powerless to resist!
"It's alright, let me see what this misfortune and calamity you speak of really is." Mobius licked her lower lip, firmly gripping her hands on the lab table behind him.
Suddenly, the lights above began to flicker, and the heavy, sophisticated instruments slammed down towards Mobius's head.
"Watch out!" Ling suddenly unleashed even greater strength, pushing Mobius away.
However, Mobius's grip was tighter than Ling had anticipated, pulling Ling along with her.
The instruments crashed heavily onto the lab table behind them. Elysia's mouth gaped open in shock, and even Klein's eyes widened considerably.
They seemed to have a new understanding of the misfortune and calamity Ling spoke of.
Mobius's understanding was probably the most genuine.
Ling and Mobius stared at each other, their tightly pressed lips recounting the unexpected incident.
Ling's expression remained calm as he climbed off Mobius and stood in a position somewhat distanced from her.
"I bring misfortune and calamity to those around me. Please stay away from me." With that, Ling headed towards home.
He didn't want to trouble others, nor did he want to be trouble for others.
"...Dr. Mobius, are you alright?" Klein helped Mobius up from the ground.
"I'm fine, but I did witness the misfortune and calamity he spoke of." Mobius's face was tense, making it impossible to discern her true emotions.
Mobius turned her head, meeting Elysia's slightly mocking gaze.
"Mobius, you've committed a crime."
"...Get lost," Mobius said coldly.
Ling didn't feel anything about this incident, only that he had once again caused trouble for others.
After all, no one had ever instilled this thinking in him during his upbringing; all he wanted was to live without causing trouble for others.
He was too afraid of loneliness, which was why he preferred to endure beatings and scoldings rather than stay in that feudal and backward village.
Only then did he feel like he was being watched and not alone.
Until Kalpas appeared, giving Ling a family member to keep him company.
Kalpas was even more afraid of loneliness than he was; what Kalpas wanted was a place called 'home'.
Two lonely souls licked each other's wounds, mending what the other lacked.
Therefore, Ling had to find Kalpas.
He needed Kalpas, and Kalpas needed him, too.
Night fell, and Ling lay in bed resting when there was another knock on the door.
"Is it Elysia?" Ling murmured as he sat up.
But when he opened the door, it wasn't Elysia who appeared, but Klein.
This made Ling wonder if she had come to confront him about what had happened in the lab before.
"Hello, what can I do for you?" Ling asked Klein.
"Dr. Mobius invited you to join her lab in exchange for helping with some experiments and resolving your physical issues," Klein said calmly.
"…I'm sorry, I don't want to join any lab. I want to wait until Sister Nia's experiments are complete and Kalpas is released before leaving," Ling politely declined.
"To be frank, the chances of Kalpas being released are slim. The Fire Moth wouldn't throw an unstable time bomb out there."
"And as for Aponia's MANTIS warrior experiments, the 'Mitra' she fused with hasn't produced a successful prototype yet, and she's never received any training. Considering everything, her chances of success are also very slim."
Klein objectively analyzed the situation for Ling.
"The most optimistic scenario is that Kalpas joins the Fire Moth, gaining freedom and a relatively stable 'job.' However... even if Aponia succeeds, she'll still be under the Fire Moth's surveillance. After all, her surgery wasn't compliant with regulations; she doesn't possess the qualities of a warrior. Letting a MANTIS warrior go unchecked would cause chaos."
"So, Aponia will ultimately either be imprisoned or, like Kalpas, join the Fire Moth and become a warrior. That's the most optimistic guess."
The Fire Moth's domineering nature made Ling frown, but he was powerless. After all, his power was too insignificant to change anything.
The Fire Moth had dragged them into this turmoil, yet they couldn't provide a perfect ending.
This was unfair.
But Ling had known for a long time that this world was inherently unfair.
"To summarize the information above, your best option right now is to temporarily join Dr. Mobius's laboratory. Although it belongs to the Fire Moth, it has a high degree of autonomy. Whether you choose to leave or stay, no one will stop you."
"You can enjoy all the benefits of the Fire Moth without any corresponding obligations. You just need to follow Dr. Mobius's orders. What do you think?"
Klein explained all the pros and cons to Ling, awaiting his choice.
"...Will Dr. Mobius force me?" Ling suddenly asked.
"Generally speaking, no. Dr. Mobius never uses force to put people on her operating table; that's her principle," Klein said honestly.
"If that's the case, I can agree." Ling nodded.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Klein extended her hand, but then suddenly remembered Ling's constitution. She couldn't easily retract her outstretched hand, so she froze in place.
"When do you need me?" Ling asked instead of shaking hands with Klein.
Klein breathed a sigh of relief.
"We'll let you know when we need you."
And just like that, Ling was lured and deceived into Mobius's laboratory.
However, it wasn't exactly a deception, since everything Klein said was true; not a single lie was false. Mobius truly never used force to put anyone on the operating table.
But Klein didn't tell the whole story either.
Prey targeted by Mobius never escaped, except for Elysia.
Mobius was adept at exploiting people's weaknesses, then using various methods to force them to accept becoming her experimental subjects.
That's what snakes do when hunting.
...