Inside the room, Klein continued her explanation, an endless stream of obscure and complex technical terms pouring from her lips, making Pardo, who was trying her best to understand, feel dizzy.
As if oblivious, Klein actually quickened her pace, finally concluding with a summary statement.
"In short, that's the situation. Miss Pardo, if you can assist us with the experiment, the pressure from wielding the gems can be distributed among two—oh, no, four individuals. It would be beneficial for both of you."
"This..." Pardo blinked blankly. Her lack of knowledge prevented her from grasping the detailed meaning, but she did understand one thing.
As long as she participated in the experiment with him, she could significantly share Fu Li's burden, preventing him from having to bear the pressure of the experiment alone.
After all, she also controlled the other half of the Domination authority.
Seeing that Pardo's mind couldn't quite process it, Fu Li silently glanced at Klein. Only after noticing her deliberately turn her head away, not daring to meet his eyes, did he speak up:
"Actually, Pardo, I can handle this alone. I know my own body; these are just minor issues for now."
"No, I'm not scared. I just need a moment to sort out my thoughts."
Pardo, coming back to her senses, shook her head and said with some self-reproach, "I'm willing to join your experiment. After all, I can't just stand by and watch you bear all this pain alone."
Looking at Pardo's earnest expression, Fu Li felt a strange emotion rise within him for some reason.
It was the feeling of a child you'd raised since they were small suddenly growing up and learning to be considerate of their old father.
"Is that so? Then report to the lab tomorrow. Alright, Dr. Li, don't move yet. The wound isn't fully dressed."
Seeing the matter settled, Klein said no more and simply continued to carefully wrap the bandage around Fu Li's injury.
As an assistant who admired Dr. Li, all her actions were aimed at helping him achieve his long-cherished wish. Therefore, tasks that the doctor was too soft-hearted to perform would naturally fall to her.
It was just a bit of a pity. If Pardo hadn't returned so suddenly, she could have dragged things out for much longer.
After the wound was bandaged, Klein's gaze flickered towards the window. Without another word, she quietly took her leave.
Watching Klein close the door behind her, Pardo finally retracted her gaze. Her eyes swept over the surroundings, like a cat inspecting its territory. Only after confirming there were no traces of other women did she let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest, for a split second when she first opened the door, she had the urge to pull out her chakrams.
After all, a Klein who had fused with the Śeṣa gene would just revive after absorbing Honkai energy even if she died, right?
Lifting her head, Pardo exchanged a complicated look with Black Pardo. Finally, they both turned to Fu Li, and the atmosphere between the three became faintly awkward.
Feeling a bit restless, Fu Li cleared his throat and changed the subject. "By the way, Pardo, you came back so late, have you eaten? Do you want me to heat something up for you?"
"No need." Pardo shook her head and sighed softly.
"I'm sorry. It was my fault. I knew you did what you did for my sake, but I still avoided you because I was being difficult. Otherwise, I could have helped you sooner."
"Not at all, not at all. I'm the one who should be apologizing."
Seeing Pardo apologize first, Fu Li quickly waved his hands, saying with self-blame:
"I have my own faults, don't I? I shouldn't have done that to you without asking for your consent."
In truth, he had always felt guilty about drugging Pardo.
After all, he knew that saying "this is for your own good" was, in reality, a dogmatic and irresponsible way of thinking.
He had acted without Pardo's consent, and that was his mistake.
But before he could think of anything else to comfort Pardo, she had already rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"Alright, between us, let's not say sorry anymore. Let the past be the past."
Feeling the familiar, solid chest, Pardo habitually snuggled into it. The anxiety that had been building up in her heart dissipated, replaced by a familiar warmth and sense of security.
In fact, after hearing what Sakura said earlier today, her resolve had already begun to waver. And when she saw the dangerous experiment Fu Li was conducting, she cast all those thoughts aside.
She didn't want to be like Sakura, returning from a mission one day only to find that the most important person in her life had stepped into an abyss from which there was no return.
Besides, Sakura's sister still had Fu Li to save her, but who could save Fu Li? Knowing all this and still avoiding him—what an incredibly foolish thing to do.
Hearing Pardo's words, Fu Li's heart softened, and he tightened his arms around her.
Finally, after the two let go of the resentment in their hearts, Pardo planned to leave for the time being to allow Fu Li to recover better.
Unexpectedly, just as they said their goodnights and she was about to close the door, Black Pardo suddenly appeared, slamming a hand against the door to hold it open.
"Hm? It's you, Naiyisi? What's wrong?"
Fu Li was a bit baffled by Black Pardo's appearance. Just as he was about to ask what was the matter, a hand grabbed his collar and pulled his body down slightly.
At the same time, Black Pardo was extremely direct. As Fu Li looked on in astonishment and instinctively tried to pull back, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his slightly pale lips.
The moment their lips lightly touched, Fu Li's mind felt as if it had been struck by a sledgehammer, a loud 'buzz' ringing in his ears.
Perhaps because she was a phantom, the kiss felt somewhat ethereal and illusory, carrying a strange, inexplicable coldness. But for Fu Li, who was experiencing his first kiss, none of that mattered.
However, before he could even react, the contact between their lips quickly broke, followed by Black Pardo's somewhat rushed voice.
"Li, you better remember this. As the derivative of Pardo's desires, I can tell you very clearly that both Pardo and I have always, always liked you. Not the normal kind of like, but the like of a lover."
After saying this, Black Pardo didn't give Fu Li any time to speak. With a blushing face, she dove back into the body of the equally frozen Pardo.
Immediately after, Pardo's legs started moving at high speed, and she fled the scene as if escaping.
It had to be said, this kind of bold, sneaky move was the absolute limit of what Black Pardo could handle.
What she didn't know was that while she had gotten her thrill, the repercussions would affect more than just her and Fu Li.
---o---
In a certain laboratory, Snakey and the Singer, who had been laughing and discussing matters just a moment ago, suddenly froze. The golden goblet in one of their hands fell to the floor, and the two stared at each other.
On the computer screen in front of them, footage captured by a drone had just recorded the entire scene.
---o---
Author's PS: I've written up to this point, so there shouldn't be any more spies. I can happily pull some wild stunts now, heck yeah!